The May Day Two Track Classic at Farley and West Liberty was a good one, providing fans with some good racing, a great assortment of drivers from across the Midwest, and a boost of confidence that unsanctioned, open late model shows can still fill a pit area. It is nice to know that some big winner’s checks can still pull them in without a sanction name attached to it.
I guess I should clarify; we know that tours are doing well, and rightfully so, but late model racing has a history of big, unsanctioned shows. In uncertain times money-wise, it is nice to know that drivers will still make the tow when they aren’t racing for series points or championships; and there were several drivers at Farley and West Liberty that made a very long tow.
Friday night at Farley was a perfect storm – of good weather. With rain wiping out most if not all of the other open late model shows in the Midwest, the lure of $10,000 at Farley brought in a great assortment of drivers from every direction, and the Simmons Promotions staff was ready. The track at Farley was in great shape for the opener and provided for good racing all night long. Our only snag was a power line crapping out two miles south of town, plunging the speedway into darkness for an hour and 45 minutes. We were 18 cars into 51 qualifying runs and suddenly festivities came to a halt. The nice thing was, when the lights came back on, the motors fired up and we took off like nothing had ever happened. The staff kept the show rolling at a brisk pace, and the races were wrapped up in good fashion. It was still a late night, but it was completed with all speed possible.
Terry Phillips started outside the front row and led all 50 laps. At first look, that sounds boring, but the race was far from that. There were a lot of position changes going on behind Phillips, and Jeremiah Hurst and Matt Miller put on a show as they swapped positions between second and third numerous times. Hurst would eventually hold on to second for good, but lost it in the end, crossing the scales light.
Phillips is tough to pass when you give him the front row advantage, so even tough there were no lead changes, it was fun watching Phillips set the pace. He didn’t quite have the success he had at Farley at West Liberty, though he did make the show and finish inside the top ten in ninth.
The front row held the key on Saturday night at West Liberty as well, as Billy Moyer and Brian Birkhofer started up front and set the tone for the entire run of the feature. Shannon Babb had some say too, but for the most part it came down to Moyer and Birkhofer.
The first ten laps that the duo ran were intense. They drove hard into the corners, side-by-side, each trying to take the lead for good. Moyer led the first two, Birkhofer the third. Moyer led again until nine laps were complete, when Birkhofer had the edge again. He would hold on with Moyer in close pursuit for several laps.
A caution with 29 laps complete let Babb make a run on Moyer and race in second for several laps. With eight laps to go, Moyer retook second and gassed it, making one last drive after Birkhofer. He gained a lot of real estate, but couldn’t get in position to try one more pass. As was the case at Farley, there was a lot of movement throughout the field over the 50 laps, providing fans with plenty to watch in addition to what was going on at the front.
The modified feature at West Liberty was a good one too. Farley winner Brad Dierks was starting 14th, so I was honestly looking to see another face in victory lane Saturday. Dierks had other ideas, and as the laps ran down, he stuck his number 29D up on the wall and blasted around the field to take the lead and double up on trophies for the weekend. The car was on a rail and Dierks put on a show.
All told, it was a very successful weekend. I got to watch a lot of drivers I hadn’t had a chance to see yet in 2009, so that always counts big with me. The tracks were in good to great shape, and they provided for some good racing. Track officials kept both shows moving, providing line-ups fast and keeping races on the tracks.
That wraps up the reading part. Check back later today as I add some pictures to show you some more highlights…
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