Burgtorf stays hot, takes second Deery Brothers win

Deery Brothers Round 3 turned out to be what most followers were expecting, a car from Quincy winning at Quincy. Mark Burgtorf didn’t disprove that theory as he topped a field of 40 IMCA late models for the win.

The big check - Mark Burgtorf was back in Deery Brothers' victory lane for the second time this year following his win at Quincy Raceways. - BWJ photo

Burgtorf finished third, taking the third and final transfer sport in the first heat race. In the re-draw, he drew the third spot and ran the early part of the feature chasing leader Ray Guss, Jr., and second place Terry Schlipman. Schlipman and Burgtorf had some great side-by-side moments coming out of turn four as they fought for the second spot. Eventually Burgtorf got around the number 69 and headed off after Guss. A feature that had only two cautions, on lap seven and eight, allowed him time to do that.
Guss would hold Burgtorf off for several laps until the 7B grabbed the point and ran to the checkers. The show then became the race for second as Guss, Schlipman, Jeff Aikey and Jason Frankel ran some entertaining laps as they sorted out the spot amongst themselves. The four cars ran door-to-door in various combinations for many laps. Guss would hold on to take second, followed by Frankel and Aikey. Schlipman would drop to sixth, giving up the fifth spot to Jerry Weisenberger, who had an impressive outing as he was also the winner of the second heat.
In addition to Weisenberger, some other new faces in the top ten included Lonnie Bailey in eighth and Joey Gower in ninth.

For second - Jeff Aikey (77) and Terry Schlipman (69) were two of the drivers battling for second place in the main event. - BWJ photo

On his way - Mark Burgtorf (7B) works his way around the lapped car of Terry Neal (28c) in the feature. - BWJ photo

Rollin' - Darrel DeFrance saw his fortunes improve at Quincy, qualifying for his first Deery Brothers feature in 2009 - BWJ photo

A good night - Jerry Weisenberger was a heat race winner and finished fifth in the feature. - BWJ photo

Darrel DeFrance fans were happy to see their driver qualify for his first Deery feature of the season. Darrel had some terrible draws heading into Quincy, but things turned around on the evening as he finished second in the fourth heat and 12th in the main event.
Keith Pratt came out all smiles after ending up on his lid outside turns one and two in the second B main. With the car resting where and how it was, Pratt was unable to climb out in the soft dirt outside the corner. He rode the car out as workers turned it over, climbing out after coming to rest on all four wheels.

Waiting... Keith Pratt bides his time while waiting for this number 33 machine to get back on all four tires. - BWJ photo

Smiling - Keith Pratt was unhurt and abe to smile about his rollover in turns one and two. - BWJ photo

It was another entertaining night for the Deery series that now takes some time off until its next race on May 20 at Highway 3 Raceway in Allison.
A former late model face showing up in another place was Kevin Tomlinson, who was behind the wheel of an IMCA stock car on the night. Starting fourth in the feature, Tomlinson stalked early leader Abe Huls for several laps before making the winning pass in the 20-lap event. The IMCA stocks looked good on the Quincy clay and will make a worthy addition for 2009.
Jim Powell got out front early and held off some late challenges, to win the hobby stock event. James Leffew and Adam Scott kept the pressure on during some restarts, but couldn’t pull off the pass for the lead.

For the lead - James Leffew (25) takes a shot at the hobby stock lead, but Jim Powell (48J) would come out victorious. - BWJ photo

To the front - Kevin Tomlinson (49) passes Terry Houston (97) on his way to the front of the IMCA stock car feature event. - BWJ photo

Hobbies, stocks and late models made for an action filled Thursday night at Quincy, and they had everyone headed for their cars before 10 p.m., a big plus on a week night!

Some views from the stands at Boone and Vinton

I did something different, for me, over the weekend as I took in two shows as a fan in the stands. Each season I go to 50 or 60 races and I stand in the infield taking pictures or roam around the pit area. I never usually see an entire race track, and I never sit down. After a couple of decades of this, I find it difficult to sit still, in one spot, and watch a race. It’s just how I’m wired.
My daughter Aidan is now six, and her curiosity has gotten the best of her, “Where does Dad go every night and stay so late?” She finally reached the point where she wanted to check out a race. I started going at the age of two, so at six, Aidan has missed four good years of action already, so I am thrilled she is gaining an interest.
My wife, Stephanie, used to travel with me a lot when we were dating and first married. Then, she realized how much she could get done around the house with me out of the way, so she started to let me go racing by myself. We are both only-children, so we are fairly independent and good at doing our own thing, so me on the road and her at home is no big deal – she has all winter for me to get in her way.
So with my daughter’s insistence that she go racing, we were both a little leery. We figured a safe way to take care of it would be to attend the free practice at Knoxville last Saturday night. We would be close to home (11 miles) and out no travel or ticket expense if she hated it. Well, practice rained out and as I was explaining this to Aidan I told her the only thing running was Boone. Her eyes lit up and she gave me her big “Daddy I want it” smile and she asked if we could go. I told her to go tell her mother what our option was, preparing for a night in front of the television. Well, Mom said yes, and we were on our way to Boone. I can sum it up early by telling you the entire family had a good time, and Aidan is ready to go again, as long it is a little warmer than it was Saturday night.
With rain all around the area and several tracks pulling the plug, I felt safe making the drive to Boone, because they are one of the few tracks equipped to get the show in barring tornado or hurricane. It sprinkled a couple of times Saturday, but that was it. Once they rolled the track in, the show was on and didn’t stop until it was over – no intermission, no farming. Officials were trying to stay ahead of the weather and they did a good job.
The drivers did a good job too. There were over 130 cars on hand, and the heat races saw only one caution for their entirety. You have to love going to a track with spin and yellow flag rules. It keeps the show rolling and makes everyone more accountable – another reason to go to Boone. The third factor Boone has going for it is that when one heat finishes, the next one is rolling out onto the track .More and more tracks are figuring this out these days, but Boone is one of the leaders in keeping things moving.
It was fun to be in the stands because I got to see a lot of good friends: four-fifths of the Positively Racing team was there, Crazy Martin, and I got to see good friends Bill and Judy Haglund as Bill is now behind the microphone at Boone. Bill is a walking encyclopedia of racing history in Iowa and I’m sure he will share that knowledge with the fans as the season progresses. It is always nice to learn something beyond names and hometowns.
Blake Anderson was lending a hand with the announcing on Saturday night since he had a night off. Anderson is the new voice of Knoxville Raceway and will be joining Tony Bokhoven in the announcing booth there this season. He holds a lot of enthusiasm for the sport, is more than fired-up about working at Knoxville, and I’m sure he will do a great job there this season. I look forward to hearing his work this Saturday night.
Kevin, Dick and Joyce have given you a rundown of the action at Boone already but I can throw a couple of highlights at you. Luke Wanninger and Scott Davis working their way through the IMCA sportmod feature to finish one-two was impressive, as was Mike Molle’s win in the IMCA modifieds against a very tough field.
The fast way around for the IMCA stock cars was the bottom, but drivers chose their spots and moved up. There was plenty of action in this one. The hobby stocks kept things clean for the most part and put a nice cap on the evening, which was over before 10:30.
Sorry I have no pictures, I didn’t even take my camera, which is very, VERY strange for me. I’ll get back there this season and get you some shots.
With Sunday night’s Deery show at Quincy postponed, Jeff Broeg talked me into the trip to Vinton to check out their weekly show. A long drive on a chilly night, it was a trip I wasn’t afraid to make. Vinton is another place that understands getting the show underway, and getting it finished. We were treated to some great feature action and were headed to the car at 8:25 p.m. A super time to finish a Sunday night show with over 100 miles left to get home.
Again, Positively Racing was well-represented in the stands, with Jeff and Tapfan giving you their insights – check them out for the racing details.
Two things stand out at Vinton outside the track I’d like to share. One is the availability of a quality point sheet and driver list. For 50 cents, you can get a four-page, four-color point sheet that includes highlights from the previous week. Filled with local advertisers, the sheets are readily available at the concession stand checkout - a valuable tool to keep you up to date, especially if you are new to the track. I am a big believer in quality programs and point sheets, and this effort at Vinton fits the bill.
Also impressive at Vinton is the concession stand. A friend of mine, Dan Engledow, manages it, but that doesn’t influence my opinion. If he wasn’t doing a good job, I wouldn’t be telling you about it. The food offered there is fresh, and holds a lot of variety, with affordable prices. I love it when tracks offer chicken gizzards, and Vinton is one of those places. I have to clarify that by saying I don’t eat gizzards, but by them being offered, it shows the people in charge of the food are willing to take some chances and offer some variety. Being diabetic, their soft drink selection stood out to me too. Not many places offer diet Orange Crush or diet Sierra Mist, so such options catch my attention. At the other end of the sugar scale, their fresh-baked cookies are also attention getters. No, I didn’t eat everything in sight, but I was tempted.
There was good racing to boot. Brad Forbes took advantage of last corner contact between leaders Bill Bonnett and Wes Stanek and grabbed the IMCA hobby stock win. Austin Kaplan started ninth and quickly weaved his way to the win in the IMCA sportmods. Jesse Sobbing started tenth and put on the pressure in second. Don Erger held off pressure from Troy Cordes in an action-filled IMCA modified main event.
I had a great time both Saturday and Sunday night, doing something I normally don’t get a chance to do. It was fun getting to sample the sights and sounds of the grandstands for a change, but more than likely, you’ll see me in the infield for most of the rest of the season; however, now that racing is becoming a family outing at the Johnson household, don’t be surprised to see me in the stands more, point sheet and diet Crush in hand.

Burgtorf looks smooth in taking Deery feature win at Davenport

The second round of the Deery Brothers Summer Series took the momentum from the opener at 34 Raceway and ran. With 61 cars towing in at Davenport, the early numbers in 2009 indicate that the series will see one of the better turnouts in its history. With 66 signing in opening night, that makes 127 cars so far. That is impressive enough, but when you break that number down, out of the 127 signing in, 75 of them have been different drivers, with 52 of those being repeat customers. Impressive start - Mark Burgotrf and his Pierce chassis have started strong in 2009. - BWJ photo

Granted, we did not get to see how things continued last weekend as the rains ended the hot streak unceremoniously, but this Thursday night’s make-up at Quincy should surely continue the trend.
Quincy is a fitting place to resume the tour since two hometown boys lead the points with Mark Burgtorf closely followed by Jason Frankel – the winners of the first two events. Frankel has been flexing his muscle as the returning IMCA National Champion with an eye on the Deery title, but Burgtorf has been blowing people’s doors of with his new Pierce chassis. His win at Davenport was just his third night on the car and it looks like he has things figured out early with that brand.
I heard several people remark after Friday’s win how comfortable Burgtorf looks in that car and how well the car looks to handle. I’d have to agree as the 7B has appeared very smooth in its first two Deery runnings.
Jeff Aikey isn’t going to let the two hometowners get too far ahead in the points as he has turned in two impressive top-five finishes himself so far this year. Aikey started seventh and finished third at Davenport, dodging any problems resembling those that almost took him out at 34 Raceway.
Another Deery vet showing well so far has been Tom Darbyshire. Starting tenth at Davenport, Darbyshire held strong and ended his night in fourth place. He has shown well in both his Deery heat race and feature appearances so far in 2009.
Rebounding big time at Davenport was Terry Neal. Using a provisional to run the feature at 34, Neal was no where close to having to do that at Davenport. Winning the fifth heat race, Neal drew the pole for the main event and stayed out front until Burgtorf tracked him down. His second place finish was made of the form that fans expect to see from Neal, and helped raise his point total from his 17th place finish at 34.
Ray Guss, Jr., had one of the tales of the night at Davenport. Breaking the crankshaft on his 12 machine during hot laps, Guss returned at heat race time behind the wheel of Hershel Robert’s number 58. Robert’s car has been fast off the trailer this year and showed plenty of power in the opener. Guss took advantage of the kind gesture and blasted his way to the win in the fourth heat race. Starting sixth in the feature, Guss would drop a few spots in the early going, only to find something up top in the closing laps to pick off some positions and finish in seventh – a good end to an interesting night.

Calling Hertz - Ray Guss, Jr., took his loaner for the night from Hershel Roberts to a heat race win and a seventh place feature finish. - BWJ photo

One of the more entertaining heat races of the night saw Jay Johnson and Shawn Mulvany go side-by-side for several laps while wrestling for the final transfer spot in the fifth heat race. Neither driver budged, but kept it clean while racing hard for the position that would eventually go to Johnson.

Transfer spot - Jay Johnson (93) and Shawn Mulvany (70) race for their heat race transfer spot - BWJ photo

That same fifth heat race also saw me get a bit of a start as I looked up to see Bobby Hansen driving toward me in the infield. As the field was forming up, Hansen noticed his hood was loose and short the two pins on the left side. Seeing me in the infield, he figured I could help him out. After making the poor guy repeat himself three or four times due to my lack of hearing, I finally assessed the situation, got the hood pinned down, and he was able to form up in his original starting position.
As he was driving toward me, Hansen was gesturing toward the front of the car. I was afraid he was going to ask me something beyond my technical scope about his alignment, suspension or something else I’m not qualified to talk about. Luckily I can handle hood pins, so no harm, no foul.

Out of turn two - Tom Darbyshire(42), Sam Halstead (84) and Keith Pratt (33) take it three-wide in heat race action. - BWJ photo

I came away from Davenport as enthused about the Deery Series as I was when I left 34 Raceway – very stout fields with good racing action have me in a hurry to hit the road to Quincy tomorrow afternoon.

Campbell wins - Jeremy Campbell was the four-cylinder feature winner. -BWJ photo

The Real Deal - The street stock feature win went to Joe Beal. - BWJ photo

For modified fans, Davenport will offer plenty of action in 2009 featuring both IMCA modifieds and pro modifieds. Last Friday, both features had their fill of action. Some of the backmarkers of the IMCA feature were a little caution-happy so their main got cut short due to the time limit as

Max the Knife - Max Corporon was the IMCA modified feature winner. - BWJ photo

The Dominator - Bob Dominacki was the feature winner for the pro mods on Friday. - BWJ photo

Max Corporon took the win. The pro modified main saw Bob Dominacki start up front and hold off all challengers to win that one. Add their weekly late models to competitive fields of street stocks, legends and four-cylinders, and Davenport will be a good ticket on Friday nights.

Frankel powers his way to impressive win in Deery Brothers season opener

I had a great time at 34 Raceway Saturday night, watching the Deery Brothers Summer Season kick-off its 2009 edition. What I saw Saturday has me wanting to get to as many Deery shows as I can this season. The series has always been one of the most competitive out there, and 2009 looks to be shaping up to be no different. The range of drivers runs from veteran, familiar faces, to the younger, up-and-comers that will be around the sport for many years to come. You’ve got the tour regulars with a good mix of weekly drivers looking to take a shot at the series now and then. Deery counts have been solid the last few seasons, but this year looks like it could be exceptional.
34 Raceway was a great place to get started. The facility is one of the best in the Midwest and the track surface was smooth and ready to race. A sunny day with a constant breeze dried things out a bit, but the late models put on a show all night, through their heats, B-mains and the main event. The track was black from top to bottom and allowed for drivers to change positions and move through traffic, giving the fans a good show.

The winner is... Jason Frankel was the Deery Brothers Summer Series feature winner Saturday night at 34 Raceway. - BWJ photo

The Slocum 50 Memorial was the banner they raced under Saturday night. Brent Slocum lost his life in a pit accident at 34 Raceway in 2005 and it was in his memory that the 2009 Deery season kicked off. It is hard to believe that Slocum left us going on four years ago. It is one of those memories that unfortunately seems like it just happened yesterday. The race with his name and in his memory was a fitting tribute.
Sixty-six late models signed in for the show, and there was a lot of good looking metal on hand. Several drivers had seen some track time this year, but for many, this was opening night. That being said, there wasn’t really much of the opening night craziness you might have expected. Cautions were kept at a minimum, and fortunately, when it came to the late models, there wasn’t a lot of carnage on the night. The 50-lap feature went 32 laps before it saw its one and only caution. This allowed the drivers to race and sort things out amongst themselves rather than lining up for restart after restart. It was a fun one to watch.
Unfortunately for Joe Zrostlik, he was one of the people watching. Joe was breaking in his back-up car on Saturday, one he purchased from Mike Klinkkammer after the end of last season, that’s why it was red instead of Zrostlik’s traditional orange color. He told me the car had a great feel to it, but he wasn’t able to enjoy for very long as the engine gave out in hot laps, putting him on the trailer early. Next weekend he will roll out his new car in the traditional orange and looks forward to actually getting into a race.
Twelve other drivers had better luck than Zrostlik Saturday, and those were the 12 that qualified for the feature out of their heat races. Mark Burgtorf, Tom Darbyshire, Andy Nezworski, Hershel Roberts, Luke Merfeld, Stephan Kammerer, Mike Murphy, Jr., Jason Frankel, Boone McLaughlin, Jeff Aikey, Robby Warner and Ray Guss, Jr., all qualified out of their heat races.

A different look... Gary Webb was behind the wheel of the Z2 Saturday night. Mechanical problems kept him from making the call for his B-main. - BWJ photo

Heat race battle - Todd Malmstrom (75) races with Jason Frankel (0F) in the fourth heat race. - BWJ photo

B-main action - Terry Schlipman (69) races for position with Todd Cooney (30). - BWJ photo

Mc Laughlin and Aikey drew the front row for the fifth heat and for a formidable duo to get around. In heat six, Guss took advantage of a late caution to get around Matt Ryan for the final transfer spot. Heat four qualifiers Murphy and Frankel also drew the front row come feature time.
The B-mains were also entertaining on the night, with the second B having a little controversy thrown in. While racing for the third and final transfer spot, Justin Reed and Todd Cooney traded some bumps in successive laps. In turns three and four, Reed bumped his way by Cooney to take third. I don’t think it was anything intentional, but it was fairly aggressive. The next lap, Cooney returned the favor in the same corners, spinning Reed in the process while grabbing the final transfer spot for himself. The officials showed their displeasure with both drivers by giving neither one the spot and giving third to Tommy Elston. That meant the end of the night for Reed, but Cooney was able to use a provisional to tack on to the back row of the feature along with Terry Neal, who looked to be having a tough evening in both his heat and B.
Feature time saw Frankel take advantage of his front row starting spot to race out for the lead. It was clear he would be setting the pace on the night. Guss started fourth and gave Frankel a lot of heat early, even getting under him in the corners a couple of times, but he couldn’t make it stack as Frankel powered back out to the lead. Tenth starting Mark Burgtorf along with Jeff Aikey were also making steady progress to the front, and soon Burgtorf was putting pressure on Guss as they worked through traffic.

Rollin' - Tommy Elston (15) and Rob Toland (39) race for position during the feature. - BWJ photo

For second - Ray Guss, Jr., (12) holds second while Mark Burgtorf (7B)sticks his nose in on the highside trying to take the spot. - BWJ photo

With 32 laps complete, the caution flew for the slowing car of Keith Pratt on the backstretch. Several drivers had to take evasive action to clear Pratt, including the fourth-running Aikey who had a very close call.
The restart saw Frankel lead with Guss and Burgtorf in pursuit. Burgtorf would eventually get by Guss and head off after Frankel, but he would have to settle for second as it was Frankel’s night and he turned in an impressive win.
For me, the whole night was impressive, as are the prospects for the rest of the Deery season. Some drivers indicating that they will follow the series for the entire season include Ray Guss, Jr., Terry Neal, Rob Toland, Todd Cooney, Gary Webb, TJ Criss, Charlie McKenna, Bobby Hansen, Dan Shelliam, Luke Goedert, Ben Nading, Greg Kastli and of course Darrel DeFrance. That is a very solid nucleus, and I am sure there will be several more that fans will see at most, or all of the Deery shows. This will be a good ticket for the entire season.
The modifieds also put on a good show Saturday night. Brandon Rothzen took the win, and spent the entire race up front, but he had his hands full keeping some determined runners behind him. Josh Foster started ninth and made an impressive charge to the front. He spent several laps diving under second place Rich Smith in the corners, only to lose the spot on the straights and falling back to third. He finally got the pass to stick and set off after Rothzen, coming up with an impressive second in the process. It was an entertaining feature in throughout the top ten.

On the pole -Brandon Rothzen took advantage of his pole starting position to hang on for the modified feature win. - BWJ photo

A good race - Josh Foster (77) raced under Rich Smith (8) for several laps while trying to take second place in the modified feature. - BWJ photo

The long ride - Bill Roberts Jr. rides what is left of his modified back to the pits after a crunching feature race accident. - BWJ photo

Bill Roberts, Jr., and Jim Lynch came out on the short end of a race-stopping, red flag incident that saw Roberts sideways going into turn one and collecting a host of cars, including Lynch, whose car ended up on top of Roberts’. It took some time to get the vehicles pulled apart, and what was towed away is going to need a lot of work to say the least. It’s too early to have that kind of repair bill, that’s for sure. Fortunately there were no serious injuries with this accident.
Again, let me say I had a great night at 34 Raceway. It was a great kick-off for my racing season here in Iowa and I can’t wait to get back to the tracks this weekend. Hope to see you there!