Four cars wide, dirt trailing off the tires and speedy competition is not uncommon for the Riverbend Pizza Place Sport Compacts at East Moline Speedway.
Sunday evening, that was taken to a new extreme in the battle for extra cash.
Cyle Hawkins passed visitor Rick Zifko about halfway through and cruised to the 20-lap special feature. He picked up $500 for his efforts on the quarter-mile, high-banked oval in beating Zifko, Michael Snyder, Tommy Staggs and Jason Rhoads.
“I was glad I could run the bottom (groove). That zero car (Zifko) was fast.”
The Blue Grass, Iowa ace also won his heat, as did Zifko, Aurora, Ill. “We worked hard to get ready for this. I can’t thank my family enough for everything they do.”
The defending track champion leads the track points again with two weeks left in the regular season.
Dustin Forbes rolled his car in his heat race, but was not injured.
Andy Nezworski jetted from the pole and sped to the Eriksen Chevrolet IMCA Late Model feature. The 25 lapper was shortened to 16 laps due to a second rain shower that hit the track. Matt Ryan started seventh and worked to second ahead of Joe Beal, Mack Mulvany and Mike Haines.
Sixth finishing Jacob Waterman and Ryan are both in the top five in IMCA National Points, but Ryan holds a two-point track advantage before this.
EMS is a perfect setting for J&J Camper Sales IMCA Modifieds. They did not disappoint again with Travis Denning taking another 20-lap finale. The field spread throughout the racing surface, but the competitiveness was strong as Mitch Morris, B.J. Jackson, Brandon Durbin and Austin Becerra followed the winner.
Denning runs in the top five in IMCA National Points
Ryan Reed started on the pole and took the Legacy Corporation IMCA SportMod 15-lap ender ahead of Chuck Fox, Keith Wiersema, Jesse Bodin and Josh Marth. Several cautions again plagued the event.
With just a few weeks before the biggest Street Stock race in the area, the competition was heavy in the Dynamic Power Street Stocks.
Robert Cottom led all 15 circuits, beating Rob Henry, Jesse Owen, Rob Nylin and Pete Odell in the caution-filled event.
The Street Stocks are featured Sunday Sept. 4 in the annual Fallen Heroes Memorial, usually paying $2,000 to the winner and cars from at least three states.
Brandon Freeburg took the County Waste Systems IMCA Mod Lites 15-lap feature, one week ahead of the division’s season championship night. Point leader Jon Padilla settled for third. He and second place finisher R.J. Gonzales will battle for the track championship, separated by a mere three points before this event. Jacob Copley and Jason Masengarb rounded out the top five.
Bryan Wonick got upside down during the feature, but also was not hurt.
Randy Lamar once again topped the 12-lap Rudy’s Tacos IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Logan Gustaf, Michale Putt, Donnie Cole and Josh Lane followed. Lamar is close to the top in IMCA National standings as well.
A total of 96 cars were in the pits and the final checkered flag fell about 9:30 p.m. despite a pair of rain delays.
The 2022 season continues next Sunday Aug. 21 with all seven regular stock car classes in action plus the Kids Mods return and it will be season championship night for the County Waste Systems IMCA Mod Lites.
For more information, log on to the East Moline Speedway Facebook page or call 563-343-8250.
Following are the UNOFFICIAL RESULTS of stock car racing Sunday evening at East Moline Speedway, East Moline, Ill., listed with finishing position, car number, driver and starting position.
Riverbend Pizza Place Sport Compacts
Feature (20 laps) – 1. 28-Cyle Hawkins[7]; 2. 0-Rick Zifko[1]; 3. 58T-Michael Snyder[6]; 4. 24X-Tommy Staggs[2]; 5. 514-Jason Rhoads[3]; 6. 513-Steven Spiker[11]; 7. 25M-Nolan Morrow[12]; 8. 29-Roy Schmidt[5]; 9. 630-Dustin Munn[8]; 10. 88-Dick Quimby[16]; 11. F68-Dustin Forbes[13]; 12. 4D-Dustin Porter[10]; 13. 27-Michael Lundeen[9]; 14. 14-Drew Wise[4]; DNS – F68-Brenda Forbes]; 79-Joey Dorsey
1st Heat (6 laps) – 1. Hawkins 2. Wise 3. Snyder 4. Rhoads
2nd Heat (6 laps) – 1. Zifko 2. Porter 3. Lundeen 4. Staggs.
Eriksen Chevrolet IMCA Late Models
Feature (25 laps) – 1. 7-Andy Nezworski[1]; 2. 07-Matt Ryan[9]; 3. 77-Joe Beal[4]; 4. 70-Mack Mulvany[3]; 5. 1H-Mike Haines[2]; 6. 10-Jacob Waterman[8]; 7. W56-Gary Webb[7]; 8. 53-LeRoy Brenner[5]; 9. 92-Dustin Schram[6]; 10. 74-Doug Burkhead[10]; 11. 35-Chance Huston[11]
1st Heat (10 laps) – 1. Ryan 2. Nezworski 3. Mulvany 4. Brenner
2nd Heat (10 laps) – 1. Beal 2. Schram 3. Waterman 4. Haines
J&J Camper Sales IMCA Modifieds
Feature (20 laps) – 1. 56D-Travis Denning[8]; 2. 70-Mitch Morris[7]; 3. 56B-BJ Jackson[5]; 4. 15D-Brandon Durbin[6]; 5. 22-Austen Becerra[9]; 6. 85-Brian Bushong[10]; 7. 9G-Anthony Guss[1]; 8. J1-Jim Sandusky[13]; 9. 3C-Richard Vela[4]; 10. 19C-Alex VerVynck[3]; 11. B1-Jeff Larson[14]; 12. G1-Mike Garland[2]; 13. C9-Brandt Cole[11]; DNS – 1A-Donovan Lodge
1st Heat (8 laps) – 1. Becerra 2. Durbin 3. Denning 4. Guss
2nd Heat (8 laps) – 1. Jackson 2. Morris 3. Garland 4. VerVynck
Legacy Corporation IMCA SportMods
Feature (15 laps) – 1. 69R-Ryan Reed[2]; 2. 76-Chuck Fox[3]; 3. 90-Keith Wiersema[5]; 4. 2JR-Jesse Bodin[9]; 5. 34-Josh Marth[7]; 6. 88-Trey Grimm[4]; 7. 65-David Engelkens[12]; 8. 10-Erick Turner[19]; 9. 77JR-Rayce Mullen[8]; 10. 19H-Chris Hesseling[1]; 11. 08-Tyler Carrol[15]; 12. 5-Donnie Cole III[13]; 13. 68B-Raiff Cauwels[18]; 14. 81-Adam Parker[6]; 15. 24-Jeff Schoonover[16]; 16. 6-Brody Prescott[14]; 17. 89-TJ Patz[10]; 18. 43LV-Logan Veloz[11]; DNS – 3-Will Emerick Jr
1st Heat (8 laps) – 1. Veloz 2. Fox 3. Mullen 4. Parker
2nd Heat (8 laps) – 1. Bodin 2. Grimm 3. Marth 4. Hesseling
3rd Heat (8 laps) – 1. Reed 2. Wiersema 3. Patz 4. Engelkens
Dynamic Power Street Stocks
Feature (15 laps) – 1. 1C-Robert Cottom[1]; 2. 00-Rob Henry[10]; 3. 95-Jesse Owen[7]; 4. 1-Rob Nylin[9]; 5. 37-Peter Odell[2]; 6. 3P-Alex Pappas[4]; 7. 70-Joe Bonney[8]; 8. 36-Ben Odell[6]; 9. 83-Jim Rutsaert[3]; 10. R00-Veronica Anderson[11]; 11. 61S-Jeff Streitmatter[12]; 12. 8H-Kyler Hickenbottom[5]; DNS – 88-Jake Lund
1st Heat (8 laps) – 1. Cottom 2. Owen 3. P. Odell 4. Henry
2nd Heat (8 laps) – 1. Bonney 2. Nylin 3. Rutsaert 4. B. Odell
County Waste Systems IMCA Mod Lites
Feature (15 laps) – 1. 171-Brandon Freeburg[7]; 2. 18G-RJ Gonzales[5]; 3. 11P-Jon Padilla[8]; 4. 55C-Jacob Copley[9]; 5. 30-Jason Masengarb[10]; 6. 17M-Mike Morrow[1]; 7. 9G-Anthony Guss[4]; 8. 99X-Darrick Knutsen[14]; 9. 16P-Mike Pershing[3]; 10. 29-Nick Proehl[12]; 11. 16G-Blake Gonzales[6]; 12. 301-Michael Mann[2]; 13. 5-Michael Dominguez[13]; 14. 00B-Brittani Dominguez[16]; 15. 23-Tiffani Dominguez[15]; 16. 131-Bryan Wonick[11]
1st Heat (8 laps) – 1. Padilla 2. Masengarb 3. Morrow 4. Guss
2nd Heat (8 laps) – 1. Copley 2. R. Gonzales 3. Pershing 4. Freeburg
Rudy’s Tacos IMCA Hobby Stocks
Feature (12 laps) – 1. 4R-Randy LaMar[4]; 2. 86-Logan Gustaf[5]; 3. 79-Michale Putt[3]; 4. 15-Donnie Cole[2]; 5. 513-Josh Lane[1]; 6. 2-Nathan Smith[6]; DNS – 37-Virgil Paul Jr
1st Heat (6 laps) – 1. Lamar 2. Gustaf 3. Putt 4. Cole