The wait is over.

Mark Burgtorf became the fifth late model driver in the modern era of the IMCA — and the first from Illinois — to reach 100 career feature victories when he collected the checkered flag Friday night at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa.

Burgtorf, who had been trying for the elusive victory for a month, joined some select company with the milestone win. He joins Iowa standouts Darrel DeFrance of Marshalltown, Curt Martin of Independence, Todd Cooney of Des Moines and Rob Toland of Davenport as the only drivers in the IMCA century club.

Burgtorf, a 14-time track champ at the Bullring, reached the 200-victory mark in overall feature wins late in the 2008 season.

IMCA accomplishments are nothing new for Burgtorf, who has been driving late models sicne 1985. He has also won IMCA-sponsored national and Deery Brothers Summer Series tour championships.

(The following is the second of four commentaries on the state of the current championship races involving the Bullring’s four weekly series. Today: The Modifieds.)

Who saw this coming?

If you can honestly tell me you expected Justin Reed to be holding a comfortable points lead in the modified race at this time of the season I want to go with you when buy that next 50-50 raffle ticket on Sunday night at the track.

And if you also say you foresaw two-time defending champ Michael Long opting to not go for a three-peat I want to go with you when you buy your next Mega-Million ducat.

I have to admit I was a little surprised by Long’s choice to run more of a regional schedule, but like I’ve said a dozen times before, it’s a driver’s choice what kind of racing he wants to do and where he wants to do it at.

Do I wish No. 18 was a regular at 8000 Broadway? Certainly! Do I “hold it against him” that he’s not? Certainly not! Hopefully, he’ll be back at Quincy full-time at some point in the future and continue that assault on the record book.

What’s been unexpectedly exciting this year is watching Reed, in his first full season in a modified, be as dominant as he’s been. He’s only finished outside the top 10 once and outside the top five twice in 13 points features. That is consistency, folks.

Next on the “surprise” list  have probably been Donovan Lodge, who sits fourth in points, and ever-improving Shawn Deering, who is sixth. Deering was buried in the points race early in the season, but has quietly kept plugging away and has a chance for a career-best finish in the championship race. Deering’s best finish was fifth in 2008.

(Next: The stock cars.)

BAILEY CRACKS THE LIST — AGAIN

Matt Bailey’s .251-of-a-second late model feature victory over Joey Gower last Sunday earned the driver of the No. 52 car a spot in the top 10 closest track finishes for the second straight week.

Bailey’s .178-of-a-second win the week before over Justin Reed was the iffth-closest finish since the Bullring started using its electronic scorign system two years ago. Bailey’s most-recent victory ranks seventh. 

CLOSEST FEATURE FINISHES
Key:
Late models
Modifieds
Stock cars

Winner (Runner-up), Margin of Victory, Date
1. Justin Reed (Steven DeLonjay), 0.087, May 31, 2009.
2. Jake Wenig (John Oliver Jr.), 0.096, May 18, 2008
3. Tom Goble (Justin Reed), 0.116, June 14, 2009
4. Andrew Griffin (Kevin Tomlinson), 0.164, May 10, 2009
5. Matt Bailey (Justin Reed), 0.178, July 19, 2009
6. Aaron Brocksieck (Abe Huls), 0.198, June 14, 2009
7. Matt Bailey (Joey Gower), 0.251, July 26, 2009
8. Keith Pratt (Justin Reed), 0.252, May 4, 2008
9. Aaron Brocksieck (Damon Murty), 0.253, July 3, 2009
10. Rusty Tobias (Doug Huls), 0.260, Sept. 21, 2008

It might be an incredible understatement to say what has transpired this season at the Bullring has been a surprise.

Let’s start with the late models. All winter long we dreamed about a Jason Frankel-Mark Burgtorf battle for the track championship.

Well, that didn’t exactly transpire did it?

Burgtorf was all but blanked the first two weeks of points racing because of assorted mechanical issues and has spent all season playing catch-up. And about a month into the schedule Frankel told us he was not concerned with defending his 2008 title, and instead would chase some bigger purses at other tracks on occasion. 

The Burgtorf-Frankel shootout we had envisioned has actually come off in the form of Lonnie Bailey-Justin Reed. Bailey leads Reed by five points (479-474) going into Sunday night, but will the spread remain that close? If history can be trusted, the answer is a definitive “no.”

Only three times in the IMCA era (since 1998) has a late model championship been decided by fewer than 25 points, and only once by less than 10 — that, ironically, coming in 2004 when Bailey won the title by four points over the late Brent Slocum.

Tomorrow: A comment on the modifieds.

FEATURE DATA

Late Models

Feature winners:
April 12: Mark Burgtorf (started 2nd)
April 23: Mark Burgtorf (started 3rd) Deery Brothers
April 26: Keith Pratt (started 2nd)
May 3: Jason Frankel (started 2nd)
May 10: Mark Burgtorf (started 1st)
May 17: Mark Burgtorf (started 1st)
May 24: Matt Bailey (started 2nd)
May 31: Mark Burgtorf (started 3rd)
June 14: Tom Goble (started 4th)
June 21: Jason Frankel (started 5th)
June 28: Keith Pratt (started 2nd) Titan Wheel Shootout
July 3: Shannon Babb (started 3rd) UMP Summernationals
July 5: Jason Frankel (started 9th) Midseason Championship
July 12: Clint Kirkham (started 2nd)
July 19: Matt Bailey (started 3rd)
July 26: Matt Bailey (started 7th)

Fastest feature laps:
April 12: Mark Burgtorf, 68.915 mph
April 23: Ray Guss Jr., 70.048 Deery Brothers
April 26: Keith Pratt, 68.396
May 3: Jason Frankel, 69.438
May 10: LONNIE BAILEY, 74.127 IMCA TRACK RECORD
May 17: Mark Burgtorf, 71.649
May 24: Justin Reed, 66.932
May 31: Mark Burgtorf, 71.170
June 14: Lonnie Bailey, 71.326
June 21: Jason Frankel, 70.213
June 28: Mark Burgtorf, 70.379 Titan Wheel Shootout
July 3: JEEP VAN WORMER, 78.284 UMP TRACK RECORD Summernationals
July 5: Jason Frankel, 71.610 Midseason Championship
July 12: Lonnie Bailey, 71.219
July 19: Lonnie Bailey, 68.517
July 26: Matt Bailey, 72.099

Fast feature laps:
Mark Burgtorf, 4
Lonnie Bailey, 4
Jason Frankel, 3
Matt Bailey, 1
Keith Pratt, 1
Justin Reed, 1
Ray Guss Jr., 1
Jeep Van Wormer, 1

Feature laps led:
Mark Burgtorf, 152
Keith Pratt, 80
Jason Frankel, 61
Matt Bailey, 48
Rodney Melvin, 33
Clint Kirkham, 30
Joey Gower, 27
Sam Halstead, 16
Tom Goble, 14
Ray Guss Jr., 13
Nick Ingalls, 12
Jerry Weisenberger, 9
Shannon Babb, 7
Ron Elbe, 5
Jason Perry, 1
Dustin Neese, 1

Second-place feature finishes
Justin Reed, 4
Lonnie Bailey, 3
Jason Frankel, 2
Matt Bailey, 2
Mark Burgtorf, 1
Joey Gower, 1
Denny Woodworth, 1
Ray Guss Jr., 1

Margins of victory:
April 12: Mark Burgtorf, 0.868
April 23: Mark Burgtorf, 3.784 Deery Brothers
April 26: Keith Pratt, 1.872
May 3: Jason Frankel, 1.100
May 10: Mark Burgtorf, 0.687
May 17: Mark Burgtorf, 0.348
May 24: Matt Bailey, 0.756
May 31: Mark Burgtorf, 0.632
June 14: Tom Goble, 0.116 closest of season
June 21: Jason Frankel, 5.701 TRACK RECORD
June 28: Keith Pratt, 0.356 Titan Wheel Shootout
July 3: Shannon Babb, 1.187 UMP Summernationals
July 5: Jason Frankel, 2.982 Midseason Championship
July 12: Clint Kirkham, 0.415
July 19: Matt Bailey, 0.178
July 26: Matt Bailey, 0.251

Pole-sitters:
April 12: Jerry Weisenberger (finished 4th)
April 23: Terry Schlipman (finished 6th) Deery Brothers
April 26: Matt Bailey (finished 2nd)
May 3: Ron Elbe (finished 5th)
May 10: Mark Burgtorf (WON)
May 17: Mark Burgtorf (WON)
May 24: Dustin Neese (finished 9th)
May 31: Clint Kirkham (finished 14th)
June 14: Nick Ingalls (finished 9th)
June 21: Clint Kirkham (finished 12th)
June 28: Mark Burgtorf (finished 2nd) Titan Wheel Shootout
July 3: Rodney Melvin (finished 12th) UMP Summernationals
July 5: Sam Halstead (finished 3rd) Midseason Championship
July 12: Sam Halstead (finished 15th)
July 19: Clint Kirkham (finished 11th)
July 26: Dustin Neese (finished 4th)

Modifieds

Feature winners:
April 12: Michael Long (started 6th)
April 23: modifieds did not race
April 26: Michael Long (started 10th)
May 3: Robbie Reed (started 1st)
May 10: Michael Long (started 10th)
May 17: Steven DeLonjay (started 3rd)
May 24: modifieds did not race
May 31: Justin Reed (started 7th)
June 14: Wyatt Lantz (started 16th)
June 21: Wyatt Lantz (started 3rd)
June 28: Justin Reed (started 2nd)
July 3: modifieds did not race
July 5: Vance Wilson (started 4th) Midseason Championship
July 12: Wyatt Lantz (started 6th) River City Rumble
July 12: Justin Reed (started 3rd)
July 19: Robbie Reed (started 5th)
July 26: Steven DeLonjay (started 1st)

Fastest feature laps:
April 12: Michael Long, 64.942 mph
April 23: modifieds did not race
April 26: Michael Long, 63.841
May 3: Chris Spalding, 64.954
May 10: Michael Long, 69.791
May 17: Steven DeLonjay, 69.791
May 24: modifieds did not race
May 31: Jared Schlipman, 64.855
June 14: Wyatt Lantz, 68.829
June 21: Wyatt Lantz, 63.531
June 28: Justin Reed, 67.095
July 3: modifieds did not race
July 5: Justin Reed, 64.970 Midseason Championship
July 12: Justin Reed, 70.441 TRACK RECORD River City Rumble
July 12: Justin Reed, 67.207
July 19: Vance Wilson, 62.541
July 26: Steven DeLonjay, 67.481

Fast feature laps:
Justin Reed, 4
Michael Long, 3
Wyatt Lantz, 2
Steven DeLonjay, 2
Vance Wilson, 1
Jared Schlipman, 1
Chris Spalding, 1

Feature laps led:
Steven DeLonjay, 61
Wyatt Lantz, 45
Jared Schlipman, 31
Robbie Reed, 37
Michael Long, 30
Justin Reed, 30
Vance Wilson, 23
Ryan Meyer, 18
Dave Wietholder, 18
Shawn Deering, 16
Tony Dunker, 9
Donovan Lodge, 3
Todd Reed, 2
Trent Grotz, 2

Second-place feature finishes
Steven DeLonjay, 4
Vance Wilson, 3
Tony Dunker, 2
Donovan Lodge, 2
Justin Reed, 2
Wyatt Lantz, 1

Margins of victory:
April 12: Michael Long, time limit race, ended under caution
April 23: modifieds did not race
April 26: Michael Long, 0.426
May 3: Robbie Reed, 0.526
May 17: Steven DeLonjay, 3.995
May 10: Michael Long, 4.128 BEST OF SEASON
May 24: modifieds did not race
May 31: Justin Reed, 0.087 closest of season
June 14: Wyatt Lantz, time limit race, ended under caution
June 21: Wyatt Lantz, 0.544, shortened by 3 laps by time limit
June 28: Justin Reed, 1.772
July 3: modifieds did not race
July 5: Vance Wilson, 0.989 Midseason Championship
July 12: Wyatt Lantz, 3.481 River City Rumble
July 12: Justin Reed, 0.630
July 19: Robbie Reed, 3.097
July 26: Steven DeLonjay, 0.607

Pole-sitters:
April 12: C.J. Ostrander (finished 17th)
April 23: modifieds did not race
April 26: Shawn Deering (finished 9th)
May 3: Robbie Reed (WON)
May 10: Ben Huff (finished 20th)
May 17: Ryan Meyer (finished 4th)
May 24: modifieds did not race
May 31: Jared Schlipman (finished 3rd)
June 14: Tony Dunker (finished 14th)
June 21: Todd Reed (finished 9th)
June 28: Donovan Lodge (finished 15th)
July 3: modifieds did not race
July 5: Trent Grotz (finished 7th) Midseason Championship
July 12: Dave Wietholder (finished 4th) River City Rumble
July 12: Shawn Deering (finished 4th)
July 19: Justin Reed (finished 3rd)
July 26: Steven DeLonjay (WON)

Stock cars

Feature winners:
April 12: Jeff Mueller (started 8th)
April 23: Kevin Tomlinson (started 4th)
April 26: Kevin Tomlinson (started 7th)
May 3: Abe Huls (started 5th)
May 10: Andrew Griffin (started 4th)
May 17: Chris Larson (started 4th)
May 24: Terry Houston (started 1st)
May 31: Chris Wibbell (started 9th)
June 14: Aaron Brocksieck (started 6th)
June 21: Steve Steinkuhler (started 2nd)
June 28: Terry Houston (started 1st)
July 3: Aaron Brocksieck (started 2nd) Tri-State Shootout
July 5: Terry Houston (started 4th) Midseason Championship
July 12: Kevin Tomlinson (started 9th)
July 19: Stock cars did not race
July 26: Kevin Tomlinson (started 8th)

Fastest feature laps:
April 12: Jeff Mueller, 62.221 mph
April 23: Kevin Tomlinson, 62.325
April 26: Terry Houston, 61.629
May 3: Abe Huls, 61.354
May 10: Kevin Tomlinson, 63.342
May 17: Chris Wibbell, 63.376 fastest by track regular
May 24: Terry Houston, 60.574
May 31: Chris Wibbell, 62.425
June 14: Aaron Brocksieck, 63.082
June 21: Abe Huls, 60.758
June 28: timing malfunction
July 3: SHAWN JOHNSON, 64.393 TRACK RECORD Tri-State Shootout
July 5: Kevin Tomlinson, 61.834 Midseason Championship
July 12: Terry Houston, 62.937
July 19: Stock cars did not race
July 26: Aaron Brocksieck, 63.085

Fast feature laps:
Kevin Tomlinson, 3
Terry Houston, 3
Chris Wibbell, 2
Abe Huls, 2
Aaron Brocksieck, 2
Jeff Mueller, 1

Feature laps led:
Terry Houston, 73
Aaron Brocksieck, 37
Andrew Griffin, 33
Kevin Tomlinson, 31
Michael Larsen, 31
Abe Huls, 25
Jerry Jansen, 19
Steve Steinkuhler, 18
Jeff Mueller, 16
Doug Huls, 9
Levi Long, 9
Chris Wibbell, 8
Sarah Woodhurst, 7
Chris Larson, 4

Second-place feature finishes
Abe Huls, 3
Kevin Tomlinson, 3
Chris Wibbell, 2
Doug Huls, 2
Levi Long, 1
Jerry Jansen, 1
Aaron Brocksieck, 1
Steve Steinkuhler, 1
Damon Murty, 1

Margins of victory:
April 12: Jeff Mueller, timing system malfunction
April 23: Kevin Tomlinson, 0.678
April 26: Terry Houston, 0.777
May 3: Abe Huls, 0.612
May 10: Kevin Tomlinson, 0.164 closest of season
May 17: Chris Wibbell, 0.267
May 24: Terry Houston, 1.803
May 31: Chris Wibbell, 2.525 BEST OF SEASON
June 14: Aaron Brocksieck, 0.198
June 21: Steve Steinkuhler, 0.330
June 28: timing malfunction
July 3: Aaron Brocksieck, 0.253 Tri-State Shootout
July 5: Terry Houston, 0.265 Midseason Championship
July 12: Kevin Tomlinson, 0.522
July 19: Stock cars did not race
July 26: Kevin Tomlinson, 0.536

Pole-sitters:
April 12: Steve Steinkuhler (finished 4th)
April 23: Terry Houston (finished 3rd)
April 26: Andrew Griffin (finished 11th)
May 3: Jeremy Buss (finished 7th)
May 10: Jerry Jansen (finished 9th)
May 17: Jerry Jansen (finished 4th)
May 24: Terry Houston (WON)
May 31: Jerry Jansen (finished 3rd)
June 14: Sarah Woodhurst (finished 5th)
June 21: Sarah Woodhurst (finished 12th)
June 28: Terry Houston (WON)
July 3: Jeff Joldersman (finished 4th) Tri-State Shootout
July 5: Sarah Woodhurst (finished 8th) Midseason Championship
July 12: Sarah Woodhurst (finished 11th)
July 19: Stock cars did not race
July 26: Sarah Woodhurst (finished 8th)

Hobby Stocks

Feature winners:
April 12: James Leffew (started 2nd)
April 23: Jim Powell (started 2nd)
April 26: Jim Powell (started 4th)
May 3: Jim Powell (started (8th)
May 10: Wes Mayfield (started 4th)
May 17: James Leffew (started 4th)
May 24: Jim Powell (started 7th)
May 31: Larry W. Powell (started 4th)
June 14: Mike Wiley (started 5th)
June 21: James Leffew (started 6th)
June 28: Jim Powell (started 15th)
July 3: James Leffew (started 2nd)
July 5: Steve Carlin (started 1st) Midseason Championship
July 12: Travis Booher (started 5th)
July 19: Travis Booher (started 6th)
July 26: Tanner Klingele (started 2nd) (Bobby Anders DQ)

Pole-sitters:
April 12: Jim Powell (finished 10th)
April 23: Mike Wiley (finished 11th)
April 26: Travis Booher (finished 2nd)
May 3: Larry W. Powell (finished 2nd)
May 10: Nathan Anders (finished 13th)
May 17: Nathan Anders (finished (11th)
May 24: Steve Watkins Jr. (finished 16th)
May 31: Justin Bartz (finished 10th)
June 14: Nathan Anders (finished 17th)
June 21: Steve Watkins Jr. (finished 13th)
June 28: Nathan Hayes (finished 15th)
July 3: Jake Powers (finished 9th)
July 5: Steve Carlin (WON) Midseason Championship
July 12: Nathan Anders (finished 11th)
July 19: Nathan Hayes (finished 10th)
July 26: Nathan Hayes (finished 3rf)

Feature laps led:
Jim Powell, 55
James Leffew, 46
Steve Carlin, 45
Larry W. Powell, 30
Travis Booher, 27
Steve Watkins Jr., 25
Nathan Anders, 23
Tanner Klingele, 20
Adam Scott, 13
Wes Mayfield, 11
Andrew Griffin, 5
Bobby Anders, 5
Mike Wiley, 3
Corrie Eifert, 2
Nathan Hayes, 1

Second-place feature finishes
Wes Mayfield, 3
Jim Powell, 2
Steve Carlin, 2
Adam Scott, 2
Nathan Hayes, 2
James Leffew, 1
Travis Booher, 1
Larry W. Powell, 1
Steve Watkins Jr., 1
Matt Burgtorf, 1

Quincy’s Matt Bailey will be going for his third straight late model feature victory Sunday at the Bullring. If he is successful, No. 52 will be the first driver not named Mark Burgtorf to win three in a row since 2000 when Thad Trump of Kahoka, Mo., turned the trick.

Here’s a look at who has won three or more consecutive late model features since 2000:

Mark Burgtorf, 3, 2007
Mark Burgtorf, 4, 2006
Mark Burgtorf, 3, 2006 (twice)
Mark Burgtorf, 3, 2005
Thad Trump, 3, 2000

Matt Bailey has also won three overall points features this summer. A fourth would put him in some select company. Here are the drivers (once again, not named Mark Burgtorf) who have won four or more points features in a season since 2000:

Lonnie Bailey, 6, 2004
Thad Trump, 5, 2000
Jason Frankel, 4, 2008
Lonnie Bailey, 4, 2003

In case you were wondering, here are Burgtorf’s top single-season points feature victory totals in that period:

Mark Burgtorf, 9, 2006
Mark Burgtorf, 7, 2003
Mark Burgtorf, 6, 2005

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING …

The last time Matt Bailey’s dad, Lonnie, won back-to-back features was April 17-24, 2005.

IMPROVEMENT POINTS

Kevin Tomlinson takes over the lead among the stock car drivers, Lonnie Bailey pulls even with Justin Reed in the late models and Vance Wilson climbs into second among the modifieds.

WEEK-BY-WEEK LEADERS
Late models:
Bold face indicates season high
April 12: Keith Pratt, 7 positions (finished 7th)
April 23: Jason Frankel, 12 (finished 3rd) DEERY BROTHERS FEATURE
April 26: Justin Reed, 6 (finished 4th)
May 3: Keith Pratt, 3 (finished 9th), Bill Genenabcher, 3 (finished 4th)
May 10: Lonnie Bailey, 6 (finished 2nd)
May 17: Justin Reed, 7 (finished 3rd)
May 24: Justin Reed, 8 (finished 2nd)
May 31: Denny Woodworth, 7 (finished 3rd)
June 14: Justin Reed, 10 (finished 2nd) WEEKLY SERIES HIGH
June 21: Bill Genenbacher, 7 (finished 8th)
June 28: Tommy Elston, 4 (finished 10th)
July 3: Terry Casey, 11 (finished 3rd) UMP SUMMERNATIONALS
July 5: Jason Frankel, 8 (finished 1st)
July 12: Keith Pratt, 9 (finished 5th)
July 19: Justin Reed, 5 (finished 2nd); Lonnnie Bailey, 5 (finished 3rd); Mark Burgtorf, 5 (finished 4th)
July 26: Mark Burgtorf, 7 (started 12th)

Standings
Justin Reed, 63
Lonnie Bailey, 63
Mark Burgtorf, 44
Keith Pratt, 36
Jason Frankel, 34
Bill Genenbacher, 34
Denny Woodworth, 27
Matt Bailey, 20
Ron Elbe, 17
Robby Warner, 15
Jason Perry, 11
Jerry Weisenberger, 9
Dustin Griffin, 9
Tom Goble, 8
Joey Gower, 8
Dustin Neese, 5

Weekly top score leaders
Justin Reed, 5
Keith Pratt, 3
Jason Frankel, 2
Lonnie Bailey, 2
Mark Burgtorf, 2
Denny Woodworth, 1
Bill Genenbacher, 1
Tommy Elston, 1
Terry Casey, 1

Modifieds:
Bold face indicates season high
April 12: Steven DeLonjay, 6 positions (finished 6th), Wyatt Lantz, 6 (finished 2nd)
April 26: Michael Long, 9 (finished 1st)
May 3: Shawn Deering, 9 (finished 7th)
May 10: Michael Long, 9 (finished 1st)
May 17: Vance Wilson, 14 (finished 3rd)
May 31: Dave Wietholder, 9 (finished 5th)
June 14: Wyatt Lantz, 15 (finished 1st)
June 21: Steven DeLonjay, 7 (finished 5th)
June 28: James Leffew, 9 (finished 11th)
July 3: modifieds did not race
July 5: Steven DeLonjay, 17 (finished 2nd) WEEKLY SERIES HIGH
July 12: Wyatt Lantz, 5 (finished 1st); Steven DeLonjay, 5 (finished 5th) RIVER CITY RUMBLE
July 12: Justin Reed, 10 (finished 1st)
July 19: Jerry Lierly, 12 (finished 9th)
July 26: Kendal Watkins, 9 (finished 11th)

Standings
Steven DeLonjay, 63
Vance Wilson, 47
Justin Reed, 45
Wyatt Lantz, 44
Richard Vander Maiden, 41
Shawn Deering, 35
Tony Dunker, 35
Dave Wietholder, 32
Trent Grotz, 33
James Leffew, 31
Donovan Lodge, 31
Jerry Lierly, 26
Robbie Reed, 25
Michael Long, 23
Joe Kindhart, 21
Ben Huff, 19
Jason Daggs, 18
Todd Reed, 18
Troy Grotz, 18
Jacob Sewell, 13
Darin Weisinger, 12
Chris Spalding, 11
Ryan Meyer, 11

Weekly top score leaders
Steven DeLonjay, 4
Wyatt Lantz, 3
Michael Long, 2
Vance Wilson, 1
Shawn Deering, 1
Dave Wietholder, 1
Justin Reed, 1
James Leffew, 1
Jerry Lierly, 1
Kendal Watkins, 1

Stock cars:
Bold face indicates season high
April 12: Jeff Mueller, 7 positions (finished 1st)
April 23: Jeff Mueller, 8 (finished 6th)
April 26: Abe Huls, 7 (finished 4th)
May 3: Chris Wibbell, 7 (finished 3rd), Sarah Woodhurst, 7 (finished 6th)
May 10: Kevin Tomlinson, 8 (finished 2nd), Doug Huls, 8 (finished 4th)
May 17: Joe Gerdes, 7 (finished 6th)
May 24: Bobby Anders, 8 (finished 6th)
May 31: Andrew Griffin, 11 (finished 5th) WEEKLY SERIES HIGH
June 14: Andrew Griffin, 9 (finished 4th)
June 21: Abe Huls, 8 (finished 2nd)
June 28: Chris Wibbell, 7 (finished 4th)
July 3: Jason Cook, 15 (finished 11th) TRI-STATE SHOOTOUT
July 5: Kevin Tomlinson, 6 (finished 2nd); Abe Huls, 6 (finished 4th)
July 12: Kevin Tomlinson, 8 (finished 9th)
July 19: Stock cars did not race
July 26: Steve Steinkuhler, 8 (finished 6th)

Standings
Kevin Tomlinson, 69
Abe Huls, 68
Chris Wibbell, 49
Doug Huls, 48
Andrew Griffin, 36
Aaron Brocksieck, 26
John Oliver Jr., 24
Jeff Mueller, 20
Sarah Woodhurst, 19
Jason Cook, 17
Michael Larsen, 16
Joe Gerdes, 14
Steve Steinkuhler, 12
Bobby Anders, 12
Jeremy Buss, 11
Jerry Jansen, 11

Weekly top score leaders
Abe Huls, 3
Kevin Tomlinson, 3
Andrew Griffin, 2
Jeff Mueller, 2
Chris Wibbell, 1
Doug Huls, 1
Jason Cook, 1
Sarah Woodhurst, 1
Joe Gerdes, 1
Bobby Anders, 1
Steve Steinkuhler, 1

Hobby stocks:
Bold face indicates season high
April 12: Wes Mayfield, 6 positions (finished 3rd)
April 23: James Leffew, 8 (finished 2nd), Travis Booher, 8 (finished 8th)
April 26: Tanner Klingele, 5 (finished 8th)
May 3: Jim Powell, 7 (finished 1st)
May 10: Travis Booher, 11 (finished 4th)
May 17: Larry W. Powell, 10 (finished 4th)
May 24: Larry W. Powell, 8 (finished 6th), Matt Burgtorf, 8 (finished 7th)
May 31: Jake Powers, 8 (finished 7th)
June 14: Andrew Griffin, 6 (finished 5th), Jim Powell, 6 (finished 9th)
June 21: Wes Mayfield, 11 (finished 5th)
June 28: Jim Powell, 14 (finished 1st) WEEKLY SERIES HIGH
July 3: Larry W. Powell, 5 (finished 3rd); Steve Watkins Jr., 5 (finished 6th)
July 5: Andrew Griffin, 5 (finished 7th)
July 12: Steve Watkins Jr., 7 (finished 8th)
July 19: Wes Mayfield, 6 (finished 2nd); Mike Wiley, 6 (finished 6th)
July 26: Travis Booher, 5 (finished 6th)

Standings
Wes Mayfield, 65
Jim Powell, 58
Steve Carlin, 47
Travis Booher, 46
Larry W. Powell, 42
Andrew Griffin, 29
Jake Powers, 29
Nathan Hayes, 25
James Leffew, 24
Mike Wiley, 22
Steve Watkins Jr., 17
Adam Scott, 16
Tanner Klingele, 12
Brian Hoener, 10

Weekly top score leaders
Larry W. Powell, 3
Jim Powell, 3
Wes Mayfield, 3
Travis Booher, 3
Andrew Griffin, 2
Steve Watkins Jr., 2
Jake Powers, 1
James Leffew, 1
Tanner Klingele, 1
Matt Burgtorf, 1
Mike Wiley, 1

Top Weekly Improvements
Late models:
Jason Frankel, 12, April 23
Terry Casey, 11, July 3
Justin Reed, 10, June 14 

Modifieds:
Steven DeLonjay, 17, July 5
Shawn Deering, 15, July 5
Wyatt Lantz, 15, June 14
Donovan Lodge, 14, June 14
Vance Wilson, 14, May 17
Jerry Lierly, 12, July 19
Justin Reed, 10, July 12
Richard Vander Maiden, 10, June 14
Joe Kindhart, 10, June 14

Stock Cars:
Jason Cook, 15, July 3
Doug Huls, 12, July 3
John Oliver Jr., 11, July 3
Andrew Griffin, 11, May 31

Hobby Stocks:
Jim Powell, 14, June 28
Larry W. Powell, 11, June 28
Wes Mayfield, 11, June 21
Travis Booher, 11, May 10
Larry W. Powell, 10, May 17

Sunday night marked the eighth straight show the modifieds have collected 10 or more caution flags. (Did someone just say, “Yikes!”?)

Since most of  the cautions come during the 22-car features, that means they often cut into the track’s time limits established for the various main events, which is basically one minute per scheduled lap. In the mods’ case, that means 25 minutes for 25 laps.

Five of 13 modified features have been cut short this summer, including Sunday night to 19 laps. And in each case, track officials have bent the rules a bit, allowing for some extra time in an effort to try and get all the scheduled laps run. On Sunday, the mod feature went almost 33 minutes and still could not be finished.

Personally, the cautions don’t bother me. I would gladly wait there an hour because I think it’s important to complete whatever the designated amount of laps are, but I understand not everyone feels that way and at some point the crashfests have to end.

Here’s an idea that might work. How about shortening the modified features to 20 laps, but still allowing 25 minutes? Or keep them at 25 laps and increase the time limit to 30? Or, as I have heard some tracks do, each time there is a caution a lap is cut off the feature.

The modifieds have proven year after year they’re going to crash and spin more frequently than the other series. It’s like death and taxes, modified cautions are a part of life and I think we have to find a better way to deal with them.

Here’s a look the ongoing streak of 10-plus cautions for modified shows:

May 31: 11 yellow flags
(June 7: rained out)
June 14: 13 yellow flags
June 21: 11 yellow flags
June 28: 14 yellow flags
(July 3: modifieds did not race)
July 5: 10 yellow flags
July 12: 16 yellow flags
July 19: 11 yellow flags
July 26: 16 yellow flags

Total cautions during streak: 102
Average cautions per week during streak: 12.5

STEVIE DIRT REGIONAL RANKINGS: YEAR 2

The following rankings are based on feature performances at Quincy, West Burlington and Donnellson for late models; Quincy, West Burlington, Donnellson and Moberly for modifieds; and Quincy, Donnellson and West Burlington for stock cars. Points are earned on a 25-20-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 scale.

LATE MODELS

This makes 12 straight weeks at No. 1 for Mark Burgtorf as Quincy drivers continue to dominate the late model rankings.

1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill., 425 points
2. Lonnie Bailey, Quincy, Ill., 320
3. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill., 295
4. Justin Reed, Quincy, Ill., 234
5. Tom Goble, Burlington, Iowa, 160
7. Matt Bailey, Quincy, Ill., 157
6. Keith Pratt, Quincy, Ill., 151
8. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun, Iowa, 140
9. Tommy Elston, Keokuk, Iowa, 112
10. Denny Woodworth, Mendon, Ill., 106

On the bubble
11. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo, Iowa, 99
12-tie. Joey Gower, Quincy, Ill., 96
12-tie. Matt Strassheim, West Burlington, Iowa, 96
14. Jerry Weisenberger, Quincy, Ill., 77
15-tie. Jay Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa, 75
15-tie. Boone McLaughlin, Mediaoplis, Iowa, 75
17. Bill Genenbacher, Camp Point, Ill., 62
18. Nick Ingalls, Quincy, Ill., 54
19. Sam Halstead, Danville, Iowa, 53
20. Tom Bowling, Danville, Iowa, 50
21-tie. Jason Perry, Payson, Ill., 49
21-tie. Robby Warner, Quincy, Ill., 49
23. Ron Elbe, Augusta, Ill., 48
24-tie. Clint Kirkham, Camden, Ill., 40
24-tie. Tony Fraise, Donnellson, Iowa, 40

Feature victories:
Mark Burgtorf, 10
Jason Frankel, 6
Matt Bailey, 4
Tom Goble, 3

Previous weekly leaders:
Week 14: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Lonnie Bailey, Quincy, Ill.
Week 13: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.
Week 12: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.
Week 11: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.
Week 10: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.
Week 9: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.
Week 8: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.
Week 7: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.
Week 6: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.
Week 5: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.
Week 4: 1. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.
Week 3: 1. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.
Week 2: 1-tie. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill; Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.
Week 1: 1-tie. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.; Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.

MODIFIEDS

 Barring a major meltdown, Josh Foster will be the first Iowa driver to claim an SDRR championship.

1. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa, 393 points
2. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill., 257
3. Wyatt Lantz, Augusta, Ill., 242
4. Justin Reed, Quincy, Ill., 202
5. Vance Wilson, Frankford, Mo., 198
6. Rich Smith, Davenport, Iowa, 184
7. Scott Hogan, Vinton, Iowa, 164
8. Steven DeLonjay, Quincy, Ill., 182
9. Bill Roberts Jr., Burlington, Iowa, 155
10. Tony Dunker, Quincy, Ill., 147

On the bubble
11. Tyler Cale, Donnellson, Iowa, 128
12. Kevin Blackburn, Fulton, Mo., 123
13. David Holder, Clarence, Mo., 107
14. Donovan Lodge, Moline, Ill., 106
15. Jeff Waterman, Quincy, Ill., 105
16. Brandon Rothzen, Raritan, Ill., 103
17. Robbie Reed, Quincy, Ill., 101
18. Dusty Kraklio, Durant, Iowa, 88
19. Mark Van Winkle, Hannibal, Mo., 81
20. Lonnie Heap, Media, Ill., 73
21-tie. Dave Wietholder, Liberty, Ill., 64
21-tie. Shawn Deering, Quincy, Ill., 64
23. Dean McGee, Galesburg, Ill., 61
24. Adam Birck, Canton, Mo., 46
25-tie. Jared Schlipman, Quincy, Ill., 43
25-tie. Ryan Meyer, Liberty, Ill., 43

Feature winners:
Michael Long, 9
Josh Foster, 6
Wyatt Lantz, 5

Previous weekly leaders:
Week 14: 1. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa.; 2. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.
Week 13: 1. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa.; 2. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.
Week 12: 1. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa.; 2. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.
Week 11: 1. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa.; 2. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.
Week 10: 1. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa; 2. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.
Week 9: 1. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa; 2. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.
Week 8: 1. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa; 2. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.
Week 7: 1. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa; 2. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.
Week 6: 1. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa.
Week 5: 1. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa.
Week 4: 1. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa.
Week 3: 1. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa.
Week 2: 1. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa.
Week 1: 1. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa; 2. Brandon Rothzen, Raritan, Ill.

STOCK CARS

 This is the only one of the three series that has drivers from Illinois, Iowa and Missouri in the top five.

1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill., 419 points
2. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa, 325
3. John Oliver Jr., Danville, Iowa, 231
4. Kevin Tomlinson, New London, Mo., 209
5. Jason Cook, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, 178
7. Chris Wibbell, Dallas City, Ill., 175
6. Aaron Brocksieck, Camp Point, Ill., 168
9. Doug Huls, Carthage, Ill., 148
8. Darin Thye, Burlington, Iowa, 128
10. Terry Houston, Mount Sterling, Ill., 124

On the bubble
11. Jim Redmann, Lockport, Iowa, 111
12. Jerry Jansen, Plainville, Ill., 91
13. Steve Steinkuhler, Camp Point, Ill., 90
14. Chris Webb, Biggsville, Ill., 89
15. Andrew Griffin, Golden, Ill., 88
16. Corey Strothman, New London, Iowa, 81
17. Chris Larson, Keokuk, Iowa, 77
18. Michael Larsen, Hannibal, Mo., 72
18. Kirk Kinsley, Wapello, Iowa, 64
20. Tim Breuer, Burlington, Iowa, 46
21. Cole Simmons, Morning Sun, Iowa, 44
22. Levi Long, Payson, Ill., 43
23. Bo Hunter, Burlington, Iowa, 42
24. Cale Samberg, Burlington, Iowa, 40
25. Todd Holsteen, Burlington, Iowa, 37

Feature winners:
Jeff Mueller, 9
Abe Huls, 4
Kevin Tomlinson, 4
Terry Houston, 3
Jason Cook, 3

Previous weekly leaders:
Week 14: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa.
Week 13: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa.
Week 12: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa.
Week 11: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa.
Week 10: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa.
Week 9: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa.
Week 8: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa.
Week 7: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa.
Week 6: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jason Cook, Mount Pleasant, Iowa.
Week 5: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jason Cook, Mount Pleasant, Iowa.
Week 4: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 2. Jason Cook, Mount Pleasant, Iowa.
Week 3: 1. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill., 2. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa
Week 2: 1. Jason Cook, Mount Pleasant, Iowa; 2. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.
Week 1: 1. Jeff Mueller, New London, Iowa; 2. John Oliver Jr., Danville, Iowa.

QUINCY RACEWAYS SUNDAY NOTES

Heat wins
Late models: Clint Kirkham (2nd), Nick Ingalls (5th) .
Modifieds: Robbie Reed (2nd), Jared Schlipman (3rd), Ronnie Woods (1st).
Stock cars: Michael Larsen (1st), Doug Huls (3rd)..
Hobby stocks: Nathan Hayes (1st), Bobby Anders (3rd).

Dash wins
Late models: Dustin Griffin (1st).
Modifieds: Tony Dunker (2nd).

STARS OF THE NIGHT

5 stars: Late model driver Matt Bailey, who won his second straight feature and now has more points than any other driver in the series in the second half of the season.

4 stars: Stock car driver Kevin Tomlinson, who won his fourth feature and moved into with with No. 1-ranked Abe Huls for the track points lead.

3 stars: Modified hotsoee Steven DeLonjay, whose second feature win came in flag-to-flag fashion.

2 stars: Joey Gower, the late model driver who overpowered the feature field for 27 laps, but wound up a close second to Matt Bailey.

1 star: Tanner Klingele, who officially has his first hobby stock checkered flag. Klingele was awarded the victory when Bobby Anders was disqualified for having illegal heads on his motor.

OVERALL TRACK LEADERS

Total victories:
Mark Burgtorf, late models, 10
Justin Reed, late models-modifieds, 9
James Leffew, hobby stocks, 9
Michael Long, modifieds, 8
Wyatt Lantz, modifieds, 8
Jim Powell, hobby stocks, 7
Terry Houston, stock cars, 7
Steven DeLonjay, modifieds, 7
Tony Dunker, modifieds, 7
Lonnie Bailey, late models, 6
Kevin Tomlinson, stock cars, 6
Vance Wilson, modifieds, 6
Travis Booher, hobby stocks, 6
Jason Frankel, late models, 5
Steve Carlin, hobby stocks, 5
Wes Mayfield, hobby stocks, 5
Travis Booher, hobby stocks, 5
Nick Ingalls, late models, 5
Robbie Reed, modifieds, 5
Matt Bailey, late models, 5

Feature victories:
Mark Burgtorf, late models, 5
Jim Powell, hobby stocks, 5
James Leffew, hobby stocks, 4
Kevin Tomlinson, stock cars, 4
Justin Reed, modifieds-late models, 3
Wyatt Lantz, modifieds, 3
Jason Frankel, late models, 3
Terry Houston, stock cars, 3
Michael Long, modifieds, 3
Matt Bailey, late models, 3

Heat victories:
Nick Ingalls, late models, 5
Vance Wilson, modifieds, 5
James Leffew, hobby stocks, 5
Tony Dunker, modifieds, 5
Steve Steinkuhler, stock cars, 4
Steve Carlin, hobby stocks, 4
Justin Bartz, hobby stocks, 4
Steve Steinkuhler, stock cars, 4
Sarah Woodhurst, stock cars, 4
Wes Mayfield, hobby stocks, 4
Wyatt Lantz, modifieds, 4
Travis Booher, hobby stocks, 4
Terry Houston, stock cars, 4
Ryan Meyer, modifieds, 4

Dash victories:
Steven DeLonjay, modifieds, 4
Lonnie Bailey, late models, 3
Justin Reed, late models-modifieds, 3
Mark Burgtorf, late models, 2
Ron Elbe, late models, 2
Joey Gower, late models, 2
Dave Wietholder, modifieds, 2
Tony Dunker, modifieds, 2

This may be a turn back the clock season at the Bullring.

It’s almost August and there is only one driver — Mark Burgtorf (10) — who has reached double figures in total victories. The last season we saw this kind of lack of big victory totals was 2002 when modified legend Hank “The Crank” DeLonjay led all drivers with “just” 15 victories.

It was 2003 when the monster victory total era dawned at 8000 Broadway and allowed us to grow accustomed to some of those mind-boggling numbers Michael Long, Burgtorf, DeLonjay and Wyatt Lantz started putting up.

Here’s a quick trip down memory lane for you:

Total victory leaders:
2008: Michael Long, modifieds, 35
2007: Michael Long, modifieds, 36
2006: Mark Burgtorf, late modeles, 28
2005: Hank DeLonjay, “A” modifieds, 23
2004: Wyatt Lantz, “B” modifieds, 24
2003: Mark Burgtorf, late models, 20
2002: Hank DeLonjay, “A” modifieds, 15
2001: Mike Karhoff, “A” modifieds, 10
2000: Sam Burgtorf, “A” modifieds, 12
1999: Vance Wilson, “A” modifieds, 13

Here’s a capsule look at the current leaders in all four weekly series:

Late models:
Total wins: Mark Burgtorf 10, Lonnie Bailey 6, Jason Frankel 6.
Feature wins: Mark Burgtorf 5, Jason Frankel 3.
Heat wins: Nick Ingalls 4, three with 3.
Dashes: Lonnie Bailey 3, three with 2.

Modifieds:
Total wins: Michael Long 8, Wyatt Lantz 7, Vance Wilson 7, Justin Reed 6.
Feature wins: Wyatt Lantz 3, Justin Reed 3, Michael Long 3.
Heat wins: Vance Wilson 5, Tony Dunker 5.
Dashes: Steven DeLonjay 4, Wyatt Lantz 2, Dave Wietholder 2.

Stock cars:
Total wins: Terry Houston 7, Kevin Tomlinson 5, Steve STeinkuhler 5.
Feature wins: Terry Houston 3, Kevin Tomlinson 3, Aaron Brocksieck 2.
Heat wins: Sarah Woodhurst 4, Terry Houston 4, Steve Steinkuhler 4.

Hobby stocks:
Total wins: James Leffew 10, Jim Powell 7, Travis Booher 6.
Feature wins: Jim Powell 5, James Leffew 4.
Heat wins: James Leffew 5, four with 4.

The wealth is being spread around at the Bullring.

With six weeks of points racing left, it looks like there will be four new champs — in terms of money earned for the points races and dashes.

Keith Pratt, Mark Burgtorf and Lonnie Bailey are bunched together atop the late model cash register to see who will succeed 2008 dollar king Jason Frankel.

As far as overall earnings among the late models, Burgtorf  currently has a comfortable lead over Pratt and Bailey, but there are still plenty of big late model checks up for grabs. Burgtorf has won each of the overall late model money titles since we started adding this stuff up in 2006. In the 3-plus years we’ve tracked the dollars, Burgtorf has won more than $52,000.

In the other series, Justin Reed looks like the successor to Michael Long’s two-year dominace atop the modifieds’ money list.

Stock car-wise, Kevin Tomlinson, Abe Huls, Terry Houston and Chris Wibbell appear to be the favorites to follow Jeff Mueller as top money earner.  

Jim Powell has cashed the most big checks in the hobby stock series and has already earned more money than 2008 leader Aaron Brocksieck.

MONEY EARNINGS

Late models (points races, dashes only):
Keith Pratt, $6,090
Mark Burgtorf, $5,980
Lonnie Bailey, $5,135

Past leaders:
2008: Jason Frankel, $8,080
2007: Mark Burgtorf, $9,840
2006: Mark Burgtorf, $10,460
 
Late models (all races):
Mark Burgtorf, $8,720
Keith Pratt, $6,415
Lonnie Bailey, $6,175

Past leaders:
2008: Mark Burgtorf, $12,535
2007: Mark Burgtorf, $13,715
2006: Mark Burgtorf, $17,510

Modifieds (points races, dashes only):
Justin Reed, $3,810
Steven DeLonjay, $3,455
Vance Wilson, $2,955

Past leaders:
2008: Michael Long, $5,350
2007: Michael Long, $6,650

Modifieds (all races):
Justin Reed, $3,910
Vance Wilson, $3,705
Steven DeLonjay, $3,655
Wyatt Lantz, $3,505

Stock cars (points races only):
Kevin Tomlinson, $2,345
Abe Huls, $2,105
Terry Houston, $2,085
Chris Wibbell, $2,025

Past leaders:
2008: Jeff Mueller, $4,790

Stock cars (all races):
Abe Huls, $3,105
Kevin Tomlinson, $2,920
Aaron Brocksieck, $2,700

Hobby stocks (points races only):
Jim Powell, $1,525
Wes Mayfield, $1,370
James Leffew, $1,330

Past leaders:
2008: Aaron Brocksieck, $1,515
2007: Steve Carlin, $2,160

Hobby stocks (all races):
Jim Powell, $1,775
James Leffew, $1,505
Wes Mayfield, $1,420

HERALD-WHIG PERFORMANCE POINTS

At this point of the season, I’d say Jim Powell in hobby stocks looks like the only huge favorite to win a title in this category.

For those who have not followed this statistic for the past 11 years and might be unfamiliar with the numbers, the HWPP attempt to provide a truer look at which racers consistently finish at the front of of the pack.

Feature points are earned on two scales. For normal weekly races, it is a 10-7-4-2 format, with one point going to heat and dash winners. When there are “special shows (bigger purses)” — which is now about half the schedule — all series get points on a 25-20-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 basis, with a 3-2-1 scale for heats and one point to dash winners.

About half the time, there is a different HWPP champion when compared to the track points leaders.

I’m considering altering the points a bit for the 2010 season and simply awarding points on the larger format each week. I think it would make it simpler to follow and be in more in line with the Stevie Dirt Regional Rankings that are also found on this blog each Monday. 

Late models:
Mark Burgtorf, 130 points
Lonnie Bailey, 99
Jason Frankel, 99
Justin Reed, 85
Matt Bailey, 70

Modifieds:
Vance Wilson, 114 points
Justin Reed, 99
Tony Dunker, 84
Wyatt Lantz, 83
Steven DeLonjay, 76

Stock cars:
Kevin Tomlinson, 121 points
Terry Houston, 115
Abe Huls, 89
Chris Wibbell, 85
Steve Steinkuhler, 56

Hobby stocks:
Jim Powell, 158 points
Wes Mayfield, 117
James Leffew, 116
Adam Scott, 99
Steve Carlin, 92
Travis Booher, 92

If it seems like there has been an abundance of close feature finishes this season at the Bullring, well … there has been.

In a whopping 25 of 39 late model, modified and stock car main events, the margin of victory has been less than a second. The hobby stocks do not use transponders, so there is no data on that class.

Here’s how many features, by class, have seen less than a second separating first and second place:

Late models: 9 of 15 features
Modifieds: 6 of 11 (mods did not race three weeks; two features ended under caution)
Stock cars: 10 of 13 (no data for two features because of timing malfunctions)
Totals: 25 of 39, 64.1 percent

When you scan the following chart of the 10 closest finishes of the past two years during the “transponder era” at the track, note that Justin Reed won the race with the closest finish and was second in three of the other nine events.

CLOSEST FEATURE FINISHES
Key:
Late models
Modifieds
Stock cars

Winner (Runner-up), Margin of Victory, Date
1. Justin Reed (Steven DeLonjay), 0.087, May 31, 2009.
2. Jake Wenig (John Oliver Jr.), 0.096, May 18, 2008
3. Tom Goble (Justin Reed), 0.116, June 14, 2009
4. Andrew Griffin (Kevin Tomlinson), 0.164, May 10, 2009
5. Matt Bailey (Justin Reed), 0.178, July 19, 2009
6. Aaron Brocksieck (Abe Huls), 0.198, June 14, 2009
7. Keith Pratt (Justin Reed), 0.252, May 4, 2008
8. Aaron Brocksieck (Damon Murty), 0.253, July 3, 2009
9. Rusty Tobias (Doug Huls), 0.260, Sept. 21, 2008
10. Terry Houston (Kevin Tomlinson), 0.265, July 5, 2009

FEATURE DATA

Late Models

Feature winners:
April 12: Mark Burgtorf (started 2nd)
April 23: Mark Burgtorf (started 3rd) Deery Brothers
April 26: Keith Pratt (started 2nd)
May 3: Jason Frankel (started 2nd)
May 10: Mark Burgtorf (started 1st)
May 17: Mark Burgtorf (started 1st)
May 24: Matt Bailey (started 2nd)
May 31: Mark Burgtorf (started 3rd)
June 14: Tom Goble (started 4th)
June 21: Jason Frankel (started 5th)
June 28: Keith Pratt (started 2nd) Titan Wheel Shootout
July 3: Shannon Babb (started 3rd) UMP Summernationals
July 5: Jason Frankel (started 9th) Midseason Championship
July 12: Clint Kirkham (started 2nd)
July 19: Matt Bailey (started 3rd)

Fastest feature laps:
April 12: Mark Burgtorf, 68.915 mph
April 23: Ray Guss Jr., 70.048 Deery Brothers
April 26: Keith Pratt, 68.396
May 3: Jason Frankel, 69.438
May 10: LONNIE BAILEY, 74.127 IMCA TRACK RECORD
May 17: Mark Burgtorf, 71.649
May 24: Justin Reed, 66.932
May 31: Mark Burgtorf, 71.170
June 14: Lonnie Bailey, 71.326
June 21: Jason Frankel, 70.213
June 28: Mark Burgtorf, 70.379 Titan Wheel Shootout
July 3: JEEP VAN WORMER, 78.284 UMP TRACK RECORD Summernationals
July 5: Jason Frankel, 71.610 Midseason Championship
July 12: Lonnie Bailey, 71.219
July 19: Lonnie Bailey, 68.517

Fast feature laps:
Mark Burgtorf, 4
Lonnie Bailey, 4
Jason Frankel, 3
Keith Pratt, 1
Justin Reed, 1
Ray Guss Jr., 1
Jeep Van Wormer, 1

Feature laps led:
Mark Burgtorf, 152
Keith Pratt, 80
Jason Frankel, 61
Matt Bailey, 46
Rodney Melvin, 33
Clint Kirkham, 30
Sam Halstead, 16
Tom Goble, 14
Ray Guss Jr., 13
Nick Ingalls, 12
Jerry Weisenberger, 9
Shannon Babb, 7
Ron Elbe, 5
Jason Perry, 1

Second-place feature finishes
Justin Reed, 4
Lonnie Bailey, 3
Jason Frankel, 2
Matt Bailey, 2
Mark Burgtorf, 1
Denny Woodworth, 1
Ray Guss Jr., 1

Margins of victory:
April 12: Mark Burgtorf, 0.868
April 23: Mark Burgtorf, 3.784 Deery Brothers
April 26: Keith Pratt, 1.872
May 3: Jason Frankel, 1.100
May 10: Mark Burgtorf, 0.687
May 17: Mark Burgtorf, 0.348
May 24: Matt Bailey, 0.756
May 31: Mark Burgtorf, 0.632
June 14: Tom Goble, 0.116 closest of season
June 21: Jason Frankel, 5.701 TRACK RECORD
June 28: Keith Pratt, 0.356 Titan Wheel Shootout
July 3: Shannon Babb, 1.187 UMP Summernationals
July 5: Jason Frankel, 2.982 Midseason Championship
July 12: Clint Kirkham, 0.415
July 19: Matt Bailey, 0.178

Pole-sitters:
April 12: Jerry Weisenberger (finished 4th)
April 23: Terry Schlipman (finished 6th) Deery Brothers
April 26: Matt Bailey (finished 2nd)
May 3: Ron Elbe (finished 5th)
May 10: Mark Burgtorf (WON)
May 17: Mark Burgtorf (WON)
May 24: Dustin Neese (finished 9th)
May 31: Clint Kirkham (finished 14th)
June 14: Nick Ingalls (finished 9th)
June 21: Clint Kirkham (finished 12th)
June 28: Mark Burgtorf (finished 2nd) Titan Wheel Shootout
July 3: Rodney Melvin (finished 12th) UMP Summernationals
July 5: Sam Halstead (finished 3rd) Midseason Championship
July 12: Sam Halstead (finished 15th)
July 19: Clint Kirkham (finished 11th)

Modifieds

Feature winners:
April 12: Michael Long (started 6th)
April 23: modifieds did not race
April 26: Michael Long (started 10th)
May 3: Robbie Reed (started 1st)
May 10: Michael Long (started 10th)
May 17: Steven DeLonjay (started 3rd)
May 24: modifieds did not race
May 31: Justin Reed (started 7th)
June 14: Wyatt Lantz (started 16th)
June 21: Wyatt Lantz (started 3rd)
June 28: Justin Reed (started 2nd)
July 3: modifieds did not race
July 5: Vance Wilson (started 4th) Midseason Championship
July 12: Wyatt Lantz (started 6th) River City Rumble
July 12: Justin Reed (started 3rd)
July 19: Robbie Reed (started 5th)

Fastest feature laps:
April 12: Michael Long, 64.942 mph
April 23: modifieds did not race
April 26: Michael Long, 63.841
May 3: Chris Spalding, 64.954
May 10: Michael Long, 69.791
May 17: Steven DeLonjay, 69.791
May 24: modifieds did not race
May 31: Jared Schlipman, 64.855
June 14: Wyatt Lantz, 68.829
June 21: Wyatt Lantz, 63.531
June 28: Justin Reed, 67.095
July 3: modifieds did not race
July 5: Justin Reed, 64.970 Midseason Championship
July 12: Justin Reed, 70.441 TRACK RECORD River City Rumble
July 12: Justin Reed, 67.207
July 19: Vance Wilson, 62.541

Fast feature laps:
Justin Reed, 4
Michael Long, 3
Wyatt Lantz, 2
Vance Wilson, 1
Jared Schlipman, 1
Steven DeLonjay, 1
Chris Spalding, 1

Feature laps led:
Wyatt Lantz, 45
Steven DeLonjay, 42
Jared Schlipman, 31
Robbie Reed, 37
Michael Long, 30
Justin Reed, 30
Vance Wilson, 23
Ryan Meyer, 18
Dave Wietholder, 18
Shawn Deering, 16
Tony Dunker, 9
Donovan Lodge, 3
Todd Reed, 2
Trent Grotz, 2

Second-place feature finishes
Steven DeLonjay, 4
Vance Wilson, 3
Tony Dunker, 2
Donovan Lodge, 2
Justin Reed, 1
Wyatt Lantz, 1

Margins of victory:
April 12: Michael Long, time limit race, ended under caution
April 23: modifieds did not race
April 26: Michael Long, 0.426
May 3: Robbie Reed, 0.526
May 17: Steven DeLonjay, 3.995
May 10: Michael Long, 4.128 BEST OF SEASON
May 24: modifieds did not race
May 31: Justin Reed, 0.087 closest of season
June 14: Wyatt Lantz, time limit race, ended under caution
June 21: Wyatt Lantz, 0.544, shortened by 3 laps by time limit
June 28: Justin Reed, 1.772
July 3: modifieds did not race
July 5: Vance Wilson, 0.989 Midseason Championship
July 12: Wyatt Lantz, 3.481 River City Rumble
July 12: Justin Reed, 0.630
July 19: Robbie Reed, 3.097

Pole-sitters:
April 12: C.J. Ostrander (finished 17th)
April 23: modifieds did not race
April 26: Shawn Deering (finished 9th)
May 3: Robbie Reed (WON)
May 10: Ben Huff (finished 20th)
May 17: Ryan Meyer (finished 4th)
May 24: modifieds did not race
May 31: Jared Schlipman (finished 3rd)
June 14: Tony Dunker (finished 14th)
June 21: Todd Reed (finished 9th)
June 28: Donovan Lodge (finished 15th)
July 3: modifieds did not race
July 5: Trent Grotz (finished 7th) Midseason Championship
July 12: Dave Wietholder (finished 4th) River City Rumble
July 12: Shawn Deering (finished 4th)
July 19: Justin Reed (finished 3rd)

Stock cars

Feature winners:
April 12: Jeff Mueller (started 8th)
April 23: Kevin Tomlinson (started 4th)
April 26: Kevin Tomlinson (started 7th)
May 3: Abe Huls (started 5th)
May 10: Andrew Griffin (started 4th)
May 17: Chris Larson (started 4th)
May 24: Terry Houston (started 1st)
May 31: Chris Wibbell (started 9th)
June 14: Aaron Brocksieck (started 6th)
June 21: Steve Steinkuhler (started 2nd)
June 28: Terry Houston (started 1st)
July 3: Aaron Brocksieck (started 2nd) Tri-State Shootout
July 5: Terry Houston (started 4th) Midseason Championship
July 12: Kevin Tomlinson (finished 9th)

Fastest feature laps:
April 12: Jeff Mueller, 62.221 mph
April 23: Kevin Tomlinson, 62.325
April 26: Terry Houston, 61.629
May 3: Abe Huls, 61.354
May 10: Kevin Tomlinson, 63.342
May 17: Chris Wibbell, 63.376 fastest by track regular
May 24: Terry Houston, 60.574
May 31: Chris Wibbell, 62.425
June 14: Aaron Brocksieck, 63.082
June 21: Abe Huls, 60.758
June 28: timing malfunction
July 3: SHAWN JOHNSON, 64.393 TRACK RECORD Tri-State Shootout
July 5: Kevin Tomlinson, 61.834 Midseason Championship
July 12: Terry Houston, 62.937

Fast feature laps:
Kevin Tomlinson, 3
Terry Houston, 3
Chris Wibbell, 2
Abe Huls, 2
Jeff Mueller, 1
Aaron Brocksieck, 1

Feature laps led:
Terry Houston, 73
Aaron Brocksieck, 37
Andrew Griffin, 33
Abe Huls, 25
Kevin Tomlinson, 24
Jerry Jansen, 19
Michael Larsen, 18
Steve Steinkuhler, 18
Jeff Mueller, 16
Doug Huls, 9
Levi Long, 9
Chris Wibbell, 8
Sarah Woodhurst, 7
Chris Larson, 4

Second-place feature finishes
Abe Huls, 3
Kevin Tomlinson, 3
Chris Wibbell, 2
Doug Huls, 1
Levi Long, 1
Jerry Jansen, 1
Aaron Brocksieck, 1
Steve Steinkuhler, 1
Damon Murty, 1

Margins of victory:
April 12: Jeff Mueller, timing system malfunction
April 23: Kevin Tomlinson, 0.678
April 26: Terry Houston, 0.777
May 3: Abe Huls, 0.612
May 10: Kevin Tomlinson, 0.164 closest of season
May 17: Chris Wibbell, 0.267
May 24: Terry Houston, 1.803
May 31: Chris Wibbell, 2.525 BEST OF SEASON
June 14: Aaron Brocksieck, 0.198
June 21: Steve Steinkuhler, 0.330
June 28: timing malfunction
July 3: Aaron Brocksieck, 0.253 Tri-State Shootout
July 5: Terry Houston, 0.265 Midseason Championship
July 12: Kevin Tomlinson, 0.522

Pole-sitters:
April 12: Steve Steinkuhler (finished 4th)
April 23: Terry Houston (finished 3rd)
April 26: Andrew Griffin (finished 11th)
May 3: Jeremy Buss (finished 7th)
May 10: Jerry Jansen (finished 9th)
May 17: Jerry Jansen (finished 4th)
May 24: Terry Houston (WON)
May 31: Jerry Jansen (finished 3rd)
June 14: Sarah Woodhurst (finished 5th)
June 21: Sarah Woodhurst (finished 12th)
June 28: Terry Houston (WON)
July 3: Jeff Joldersman (finished 4th) Tri-State Shootout
July 5: Sarah Woodhurst (finished 8th) Midseason Championship
July 12: Sarah Woodhurst (finished 11th)

Hobby Stocks

Feature winners:
April 12: James Leffew (started 2nd)
April 23: Jim Powell (started 2nd)
April 26: Jim Powell (started 4th)
May 3: Jim Powell (started (8th)
May 10: Wes Mayfield (started 4th)
May 17: James Leffew (started 4th)
May 24: Jim Powell (started 7th)
May 31: Larry W. Powell (started 4th)
June 14: Mike Wiley (started 5th)
June 21: James Leffew (started 6th)
June 28: Jim Powell (started 15th)
July 3: James Leffew (started 2nd)
July 5: Steve Carlin (started 1st) Midseason Championship
July 12: Travis Booher (started 5th)
July 19: Travis Booher (started 6th)

Pole-sitters:
April 12: Jim Powell (finished 10th)
April 23: Mike Wiley (finished 11th)
April 26: Travis Booher (finished 2nd)
May 3: Larry W. Powell (finished 2nd)
May 10: Nathan Anders (finished 13th)
May 17: Nathan Anders (finished (11th)
May 24: Steve Watkins Jr. (finished 16th)
May 31: Justin Bartz (finished 10th)
June 14: Nathan Anders (finished 17th)
June 21: Steve Watkins Jr. (finished 13th)
June 28: Nathan Hayes (finished 15th)
July 3: Jake Powers (finished 9th)
July 5: Steve Carlin (WON) Midseason Championship
July 12: Nathan Anders (finished 11th)
July 19: Nathan Hayes (finished 10th)

Feature laps led:
Jim Powell, 55
James Leffew, 46
Steve Carlin, 45
Larry W. Powell, 30
Travis Booher, 27
Steve Watkins Jr., 25
Nathan Anders, 23
Adam Scott, 13
Wes Mayfield, 11
Andrew Griffin, 5
Tanner Klingele, 5
Mike Wiley, 3
Corrie Eifert, 2
Nathan Hayes, 1

Second-place feature finishes
Wes Mayfield, 3
Jim Powell, 2
Steve Carlin, 2
Adam Scott, 2
James Leffew, 1
Travis Booher, 1
Larry W. Powell, 1
Nathan Hayes, 1
Steve Watkins Jr., 1
Matt Burgtorf, 1

I came away very impressed from a recent conversation with Bullring co-owner Paul Holtschlag.

If you don’t know Paul, he came on board with Tony Rhinberger just before the start of the season. He’s an extremely successful local businessman, owning Kutter’s restaurant down on the riverfront and a series of care centers in Missouri. But his background did not include anything to do with racing until getting involved with the track and good friend Rhinberger.

But it only took him a couple of months to feel the passion that the rest of us do. And he admittedly wants to learn all he can, partly because he is “hooked” now on the sport that only turns left, and partly because he wants Quincy Raceways to rise to the next level.

Paul will be developing a series of concerts for the track to expand its entertainment base and make more use of the facility. The Aug. 7 Travis Tritt shindig will be a taste of what is to come in 2010. He’s working to line up both country and classic rock stars for future dates at 8000 Broadway.

It’s fun to here him talk of late models and modifieds, and then watch his eyes light up when telling of his plans for 2010. I think the track is in hood hands, folks.

IMPROVEMENT POINTS DATA

What struck me this week when putting this together was that the leading season total in each of the four series was virtually the same. Check it out:

Late models: Justin Reed, 63
Modifieds: Steven DeLonjay, 63
Stock cars: Abe Huls, 64
Hobby stocks: Wes Mayfield, 61

What could the odds possibly have been at the start of the season for something that peculiar to unfold by this stage of the year?

Top Weekly Improvements
Late models:
Jason Frankel, 12, April 23
Terry Casey, 11, July 3
Justin Reed, 10, June 14 

Modifieds:
Steven DeLonjay, 17, July 5
Shawn Deering, 15, July 5
Wyatt Lantz, 15, June 14
Donovan Lodge, 14, June 14
Vance Wilson, 14, May 17
Jerry Lierly, 12, July 19
Justin Reed, 10, July 12
Richard Vander Maiden, 10, June 14
Joe Kindhart, 10, June 14

Stock Cars:
Jason Cook, 15, July 3
Doug Huls, 12, July 3
John Oliver Jr., 11, July 3
Andrew Griffin, 11, May 31

Hobby Stocks:
Jim Powell, 14, June 28
Larry W. Powell, 11, June 28
Wes Mayfield, 11, June 21
Travis Booher, 11, May 10
Larry W. Powell, 10, May 17

WEEK-BY-WEEK LEADERS
Late models:
Bold face indicates season high
April 12: Keith Pratt, 7 positions (finished 7th)
April 23: Jason Frankel, 12 (finished 3rd) DEERY BROTHERS FEATURE
April 26: Justin Reed, 6 (finished 4th)
May 3: Keith Pratt, 3 (finished 9th), Bill Genenabcher, 3 (finished 4th)
May 10: Lonnie Bailey, 6 (finished 2nd)
May 17: Justin Reed, 7 (finished 3rd)
May 24: Justin Reed, 8 (finished 2nd)
May 31: Denny Woodworth, 7 (finished 3rd)
June 14: Justin Reed, 10 (finished 2nd) WEEKLY SERIES HIGH
June 21: Bill Genenbacher, 7 (finished 8th)
June 28: Tommy Elston, 4 (finished 10th)
July 3: Terry Casey, 11 (finished 3rd) UMP SUMMERNATIONALS
July 5: Jason Frankel, 8 (finished 1st)
July 12: Keith Pratt, 9 (finished 5th)
July 19: Justin Reed, 5 (finished 2nd); Lonnnie Bailey, 5 (finished 3rd); Mark Burgtorf, 5 (finished 4th)

Standings
Justin Reed, 63
Lonnie Bailey, 61
Mark Burgtorf, 37
Jason Frankel, 34
Keith Pratt, 33
Bill Genenbacher, 32
Denny Woodworth, 27
Ron Elbe, 17
Robby Warner, 15
Matt Bailey, 14
Jason Perry, 11
Jerry Weisenberger, 9
Dustin Griffin, 9
Tom Goble, 8
Joey Gower, 6
Dustin Neese, 5

Weekly top score leaders
Justin Reed, 5
Keith Pratt, 3
Jason Frankel, 2
Lonnie Bailey, 2
Mark Burgtorf, 1
Denny Woodworth, 1
Bill Genenbacher, 1
Tommy Elston, 1
Terry Casey, 1

Modifieds:
Bold face indicates season high
April 12: Steven DeLonjay, 6 positions (finished 6th), Wyatt Lantz, 6 (finished 2nd)
April 26: Michael Long, 9 (finished 1st)
May 3: Shawn Deering, 9 (finished 7th)
May 10: Michael Long, 9 (finished 1st)
May 17: Vance Wilson, 14 (finished 3rd)
May 31: Dave Wietholder, 9 (finished 5th)
June 14: Wyatt Lantz, 15 (finished 1st)
June 21: Steven DeLonjay, 7 (finished 5th)
June 28: James Leffew, 9 (finished 11th)
July 3: modifieds did not race
July 5: Steven DeLonjay, 17 (finished 2nd) WEEKLY SERIES HIGH
July 12: Wyatt Lantz, 5 (finished 1st); Steven DeLonjay, 5 (finished 5th) RIVER CITY RUMBLE
July 12: Justin Reed, 10 (finished 1st)
July 19: Jerry Lierly, 12 (finished 9th)

Standings
Steven DeLonjay, 63
Wyatt Lantz, 44
Justin Reed, 44
Vance Wilson, 44
Richard Vander Maiden, 37
Tony Dunker, 35
Dave Wietholder, 32
James Leffew, 31
Donovan Lodge, 31
Shawn Deering, 29
Trent Grotz, 27
Jerry Lierly, 26
Michael Long, 23
Robbie Reed, 23
Ben Huff, 19
Jason Daggs, 18
Todd Reed, 18
Joe Kindhart, 15
Troy Grotz, 13
Jacob Sewell, 13
Darin Weisinger, 12
Chris Spalding, 11
Ryan Meyer, 11

Weekly top score leaders
Steven DeLonjay, 4
Wyatt Lantz, 3
Michael Long, 2
Vance Wilson, 1
Shawn Deering, 1
Dave Wietholder, 1
Justin Reed, 1
James Leffew, 1
Jerry Lierly, 1

Stock cars:
Bold face indicates season high
April 12: Jeff Mueller, 7 positions (finished 1st)
April 23: Jeff Mueller, 8 (finished 6th)
April 26: Abe Huls, 7 (finished 4th)
May 3: Chris Wibbell, 7 (finished 3rd), Sarah Woodhurst, 7 (finished 6th)
May 10: Kevin Tomlinson, 8 (finished 2nd), Doug Huls, 8 (finished 4th)
May 17: Joe Gerdes, 7 (finished 6th)
May 24: Bobby Anders, 8 (finished 6th)
May 31: Andrew Griffin, 11 (finished 5th) WEEKLY SERIES HIGH
June 14: Andrew Griffin, 9 (finished 4th)
June 21: Abe Huls, 8 (finished 2nd)
June 28: Chris Wibbell, 7 (finished 4th)
July 3: Jason Cook, 15 (finished 11th) TRI-STATE SHOOTOUT
July 5: Kevin Tomlinson, 6 (finished 2nd); Abe Huls, 6 (finished 4th)
July 12: Kevin Tomlinson, 8 (finished 9th)

Standings
Abe Huls, 64
Kevin Tomlinson, 62
Doug Huls, 46
Chris Wibbell, 46
Andrew Griffin, 36
Aaron Brocksieck, 26
John Oliver Jr., 24
Jeff Mueller, 20
Sarah Woodhurst, 19
Jason Cook, 17
Michael Larsen, 16
Bobby Anders, 12
Jeremy Buss, 11
Jerry Jansen, 11
Joe Gerdes, 11

Weekly top score leaders
Abe Huls, 3
Kevin Tomlinson, 3
Andrew Griffin, 2
Jeff Mueller, 2
Chris Wibbell, 1
Doug Huls, 1
Jason Cook, 1
Sarah Woodhurst, 1
Joe Gerdes, 1
Bobby Anders, 1

Hobby stocks:
Bold face indicates season high
April 12: Wes Mayfield, 6 positions (finished 3rd)
April 23: James Leffew, 8 (finished 2nd), Travis Booher, 8 (finished 8th)
April 26: Tanner Klingele, 5 (finished 8th)
May 3: Jim Powell, 7 (finished 1st)
May 10: Travis Booher, 11 (finished 4th)
May 17: Larry W. Powell, 10 (finished 4th)
May 24: Larry W. Powell, 8 (finished 6th), Matt Burgtorf, 8 (finished 7th)
May 31: Jake Powers, 8 (finished 7th)
June 14: Andrew Griffin, 6 (finished 5th), Jim Powell, 6 (finished 9th)
June 21: Wes Mayfield, 11 (finished 5th)
June 28: Jim Powell, 14 (finished 1st) WEEKLY SERIES HIGH
July 3: Larry W. Powell, 5 (finished 3rd); Steve Watkins Jr., 5 (finished 6th)
July 5: Andrew Griffin, 5 (finished 7th)
July 12: Steve Watkins Jr., 7 (finished 8th)
July 19: Wes Mayfield, 6 (finished 2nd); Mike Wiley, 6 (finished 6th)

Standings
Wes Mayfield, 61
Jim Powell, 58
Steve Carlin, 44
Larry W. Powell, 42
Travis Booher, 41
Andrew Griffin, 29
Jake Powers, 29
Nathan Hayes, 25
James Leffew, 24
Mike Wiley, 20
Steve Watkins Jr., 17
Adam Scott, 14
Tanner Klingele, 12
Brian Hoener, 10

Weekly top score leaders
Larry W. Powell, 3
Jim Powell, 3
Wes Mayfield, 3
Travis Booher, 2
Andrew Griffin, 2
Steve Watkins Jr., 2
Jake Powers, 1
James Leffew, 1
Tanner Klingele, 1
Matt Burgtorf, 1
Mike Wiley, 1

Tony Dunker is taking aim on becoming the fourth driver to reach 100 career victories at the Bullring since we began charting such stuff in 1999. The two-time track champion sits at 92 wins after his most-recent victory, a heat-race on July 12.

Dunker’s latest victory also moved him into fourth place ahead of the retired Eddie Dieker.

Here are the top 10 career marks in total, feature, heat and dash vicories since 1999:

CAREER LEADERS, ALL CLASSES COMBINED (since 1999)

Total wins:
Mark Burgtorf, 177
Michael Long, 142
Hank DeLonjay, 138
Tony Dunker, 92
Eddie Dieker, 91
Lonnie Bailey, 88
Steve Carlin, 78
Wyatt Lantz, 76
Denny Woodworth, 76
Dave Wietholder, 71
On the bubble
Vance Wilson, 65
Adam Birck, 64

Feature wins
Mark Burgtorf, 80
Michael Long, 49
Hank DeLonjay, 42
Eddie Dieker, 39
Vance Wilson, 29
Steve Carlin, 28
Wyatt Lantz, 24
Adam Birck, 24
Lonnie Bailey, 22
Dave Wietholder, 18
Joe Hooper, 18
On the bubble
Denny Woodworth, 17
Steven DeLonjay, 15

Heat wins
Hank DeLonjay, 80
Michael Long, 68
Mark Burgtorf, 65
Tony Dunker, 61
Eddie Dieker, 51
Steve Carlin, 49
Wyatt Lantz, 39
Adam Birck, 38
Dave Wietholder, 37
On the bubble
Lonnie Bailey, 35
Denny Woodworth, 35
Jerry Weisenberger, 35
Bill Genenbacher, 35

Dash wins
Mark Burgtorf, 30
Lonnie Bailey, 29
Michael Long, 24
Denny Woodworth, 23
Brent Slocum, 17
Tony Dunker, 17
Vance Wilson, 17
Hank DeLonjay, 16
Brandon Lennox, 11
Mike Karhoff, 11
Dave Wietholder, 11
On the bubble
Wyatt Lantz, 10
Jamie Wilson, 10

SECOND-HALF POINTS

Here’s how the second-half points look after two weeks. For those counting, there are only six more Sunday nights of points racing.

Late models:
Lonnie Bailey, 79 points
Denny Woodworth, 77
Mark Burgtorf, 74
Nick Ingalls, 72
Matt Bailey, 72
Clint Kirkham, 71
Justin Reed, 70
Jason Perry, 69
Bill Genenbacher, 69
Dustin Griffin, 68

Modifieds:
Justin Reed, 154 points
Donovan Lodge, 149
Tony Dunker, 139
Robbie Reed, 135
Vance Wilson, 129
Shawn Deering, 120
Wyatt Lantz, 103
Dave Wietholder, 101
Ryan Meyer, 97
Troy Grotz, 92

Stock cars:
Kevin Tomlinson, 40 points
Jerry Jansen, 39
Chris Wibbell, 38
Terry Houston, 37
Aaron Brocksieck, 36
Doug Huls, 35
Rick Girard, 34
Michael Larsen, 33
Abe Huls, 32
Andrew Griffin, 31

Hobby stocks:
Travis Booher, 85 points
Wes Mayfield, 78
Adam Scott, 75
Jim Powell, 74
Jake Powers, 72
Tanner Klingele, 71
Steve Carlin, 70
Nathan Hayes, 66
Mike Wiley, 64
Andrew Griffin, 63