DAVENPORT, Iowa — Friday was Season Championship Night at Davenport Speedway.
The regular season finale was a full night of racing. One hundred and 15 cars were in the pit area, the new video screen scoreboard was debuted, and the inductees to the Hall of Fame were announced.
Titles were determined in all seven classes. The points in the IMCA classes should be considered unofficial until verified by the sanctioning body.
Logan Veloz picked up his fourth victory of the season in The Outhouse / Storage to Go IMCA Late Models. Veloz started eighth, but drove to the lead on lap five. Once in front, Logan would go untouched the rest of the way.
Matt Ryan started the feature in the sixth row and picked his way through the traffic, locking down a second-place finish on the final lap. Nathan Balensiefen ran top five the entire race before finishing third. Dustin Smith used a late race charge to take fourth. Jesse Bodin completed the top five.
Doug Burkhead, Mitch Morris, and Cruz Birkhofer posted late model heat wins.
Matt Ryan captured his sixth late model track championship at Davenport.
Jace Eckrich scored his first-ever Davenport feature win in the Midwest Recyclers / Del’s Metal Co. IMCA Modifieds. Eckrich went from a fifth place starting position to the lead in just six laps. He would hold the lead the rest of the way to the checkers.
All eyes were on the points as the modifieds came into the night with six drivers still having a shot at the championship. Spencer Diercks entered the feature with a three point advantage, but had to start the main in 12th position. Charlie Mohr quickly moved up to second place and temporarily had the point lead.
Late in the race, Mohr was passed by Chris Zogg for second and Diercks moved up to fourth, giving him back the point lead and his first track championship at Davenport.
Rob Henry collected the win in a rough and tumble Koehler Electric Street Stock feature. Henry passed Jesse Owen for the lead on lap five, but wasn’t done with the challenges.
Cary Brown came up to lead lap seven and then gave the top spot back on eight. Brown then had to fend off Blake Woodruff to maintain second. Jesse Owen and Jake Lund would finish fourth and fifth respectively. The top five were the only cars to see the checkered flag.
Blake Woodruff is the track champion in the Street Stock division.
Rayce Mullen captured his second AVS Hydro Excavating IMCA SportMod feature win of the season. The fifteen-lap race saw three different leaders. Rance Powell held the early lead with Kevin Goben taking over on lap five. Goben’s lead would be short-lived. Mullen grabbed the point midway through the race
and would not relinquish it.
Goben would finish second with Tony Olson third. Levi Heath was fourth, ahead of Matt Fulton Jr.
Levi Heath is the track champion in the SportMod class.
The Wangelin’s Auto IMCA Hobby Stock feature went to Matt Bennett. The win was his second of the season. Carson Butt would finish a distant second. Landon Bennett took third followed by Nick Hixson and Kaden Staley.
Daniel Wauters will claim the Hobby Stock track championship.
The IMCA Mod Lites sponsored by Freds Towing / Cantrell Towing / QC Towing saw Austin Gray of Story City, Iowa take the feature win. Alex Eischeid held the early lead in the race, but would later go up in a puff of smoke. Gray took the lead on lap seven and easily cruised to the checkered flag. Jon Padilla would finish in the runner-up spot. Dan Keltner, Blake Gonzales, and Randy Bryan would finish third through fifth, in that order.
Blake Gonzales’ fourth place was enough to earn him the track championship.
Joe Lafrenz led the final 10 laps of the Freds Towing / Cantrell Towing / QC Towing – 4 Cylinders feature, for his third victory of the season. Nolan Morrow took second over Sam King, Alex Hayes, and Dustin Forbes.
Unofficially, Morrow’s second-place finish pushed him past Jason Rhoads for the points title in the 4-Cylinder division.
