E-mod Heat #2 was again dominated by the #96 of Kirk Anderson. Kirk's been strong all season, and his car just keeps getting better. Another driver that's been consistently at the front of the pack is the #M17 of Brent Munson. Munson started from the 5th spot, but raced his way all the way up to 2nd place on the first lap, with the #7W of Mark Branch in 3rd. A good battle was brewing for the 4th spot between the #3M of Chris McMahill and the #6 of T.J. Bolen, but McMahill was able to take the position on the 4th lap. Anderson had a BIG lead to take the checkered flag, followed by Munson in 2nd, Branch in 3rd, and McMahill in 4th.

Modified Heat #1 was "crazy eights". The #28 of Phil Schnarr started in 2nd position, and the #88 of Steve David started in the 6th position, but by lap #2, the two found themselves running 1st and 2nd, and from there they pulled away from the rest of the pack and opened up a pretty comfortable lead. The #192 of Brian Allen and the #25 of Butch Weisser were doing a lot of side by side racing for 3rd spot, but weren't able to gain on the leaders. Phil Schnarr scored the win, followed by Steve David in 2nd, Butch Weisser in 3rd, and Brian Allen in 4th.

Modified Heat #3 saw the pole sitter, the #4T of Tony Hibser, open up to a BIG lead, but it was cut short when the #15C spun on the front stretch and brought out the caution on lap #1. Moving up quickly from the 4th spot was the #72 of Brian Lynn, and the #5 of Mike Donoho, who started last, was up to 3rd. There was a lot of door to door racing for the lead after the restart, Lynn and Donoho even made contact with each other coming down the front stretch. Lynn was able to get around Hibser on lap #5, and hold on for the victory. Tony Hibser finished 2nd, followed by Donoho in 3rd, and the #14 of Dan Schmalshof in 4th.

The driver of the #48 car, Casey Lappin, was chosen as this week's Modified driver to be in the spotlight. Unfortunately, Casey had a lot of work to do on his car to get ready for the Semi-Feature and wasn't able to talk to us. Casey was able to get his car back out for the Semi Feature, and he did qualify for the Feature. We wish Casey and his team the best of luck, and we hope that maybe we'll get the chance to talk with him later in the season.

Greg Wells, the driver of the #7 Thunder Truck, was one of the driver's we had a chance to get to know this weekend. Greg travels all the way from Avon, Illinois to race at Spoon River Speedway. Greg's pit crewmembers include Dave Collins, Sr., Dave Collins, Jr., and Gayle Wells, and his truck is sponsored by Getz Fire Equipment and Stalls Trucking. Dave's biggest fans are Sam & Samantha Wells, and Zach Wells. When we asked how his truck was running, he answered, "OK". Greg's goal was to finish the race, which he did with a very strong 4th place finish! The driver that Greg looks up to the most is Dave Collins, Sr., and Greg would like to have a truck just like Dave's. When we asked him what he liked most about SRS, Greg's answer was "It's a good track." What does he like the least? The mud! Our thanks to Greg for taking the time to talk to us, and we wish him & his team a safe & successful season

The #M1 of Dale Munson may have started in the back of Late Model Heat #1, but he didn't stay there long. Munson was up to 4th spot by turn #2, and up battling with the #F13 of Dawn Mennel for 2nd spot by lap #5. The #29J of Lindell Jewell started on the pole, and was able to maintain a comfortable lead with everyone racing for position behind him. Munson and Mennel raced neck and neck for several laps, but in the end, Mennel came out on top, finishing 2nd behind Jewel. Munson came in 3rd, and the #10M of Chad Pratt came in 4th.

The driver of the #25K Late Model, Bill Kettering, Jr., was one of the drivers we were able to spend some time with this weekend. Bill races with us from Pekin, Illinois. His pit crew is made up of himself and his father, Bill Kettering, Sr. Bill's late model is sponsored by Tri County Towing, Specialty Graphics, Big A Auto Parts, Baldwin Filters, and Dowell & Daughters Auto Salvage. Bill says his biggest fans are his wife, Tonya, and his son, Billy. When we asked Bill how his car was running, he replied, "Hopefully great", and his goal for the evening was to finish both races. Bill fell a little short of his goal tonight, not making the feature to due mechanical problems, but we hope the problems were only minor and Bill will be ready to race again this weekend. The driver Bill looks up to the most is his father, Bill Kettering, Sr., but not just because it's his dad - Bill, Sr. is a GREAT driver and has won a LOT of races! What does he like most about SRS? The size of the track. The least? The speakers and the lighting. Our thanks to Bill for taking the time to talk to us, and we wish Bill & his team great success this racing season.

The #18 of Terry Pratt started in the 5th spot of Pro Street Heat #2, but by turn #1 he was already up to 2nd place and setting his sites on the leader, #81K Mark Ross. The #27 of Greg Arnett, who started 4th, also had a good running going until something let loose on his car on lap #5. Pratt was running 2nd when he got into the wall on the front stretch and had to restart in the back, but by lap #4 he was back up to the front and battling the #51 of Don Cooley for 2nd. The battle for 2nd allowed Ross to open up a BIG lead, and claim the checkered flag. Cooley held on for a 2nd place finish, followed by Pratt in 3rd, and the #00 of Steve Harper in 4th.

The #5 Danny Glover of got a GOOD start and jumped to an early lead in Hobo Heat #2. The #77T of Willie Heinz and the #8 of Clay Wisher were battling it out for 2nd, and allowed Glover to open an even bigger lead. Wisher was all over the back bumper of Heinz, but couldn't make the pass. Wisher made a last ditch effort to get around Heinz coming out of turn #4 on the last lap, but came in "too hot" and spun out. Glover raced his way to a convincing win, followed by Heinz in 2nd, the #27 of Lonnie Stone in 3rd, and the #22 of Greg Sullivan finished 4th.

Modified Semi-Feature was next on the venue. This race, although only scheduled for 10 laps, was plagued by cautions from start to finish. The #3L of Doug Canham spun in turns #3 & #4 and collected a couple of cars, including the #8X of Corey Clougherty, and the #79 of Mike Shockency had to pull into the pits with a flat tire. The #J12 of Jason Wagner restarted in the lead, but it was short lived as another caution came out for the #8X spinning in turn #2. Caution came out again on lap #2 for the #79 spinning in turn #3, and this time the #42 of matt Smith found himself in the lead on the restart. The #48 of Casey Lappin and the #71 of George Hall had a neck and neck battle going on behind the leaders for the 5th spot until the #J12 of Wagner gets turned around in turn #4 and collects the #15C of Don Cox and the #17W of Jacki Willis. Wagner gets sent to the rear, which moves Lappin up to the 3rd spot. Lappin wastes no time moving into 2nd, and he shows Smith his nose for the lead. Caution again when the #22B of Richie Biswell spins, collecting the #79 in the process. Time allowance for the race is OVER, and they finish the way they were running before the last caution. The #42 of Matt Smith in 1st, Lappin in 2nd, the #98 of Andy Riggins in 3rd, and Hall in 4th.

The Modified Feature also had what seemed like "more than enough" caution flags. The #4T of Tony Hibser started on the pole, but the #26 of J.D. Beal got around and into 1st in a hurry. Caution came out on lap #4 when the #88 of Steve David, who was running in the 4th position, spins coming out of turn #4 and gets sent to the rear. Caution came out again when the #71 of George Hall couldn't get his car off the track and into the pit area. Another caution came out when something goes away on the #48 car of Casey Lappin, and the #42 of Matt Smith spins on the front stretch. The restart on lap #5 saw the #28 of Phil Schnarr all the way up to 3rd after a 7th place start, and the #31 of Mark Anderson was closing in behind. The #97P of Phil Johns was making his way around traffic using the high side, but he got clipped in turns #1 & #2, and lost several spots. Anderson makes his way around Schnarr for 2nd, and the top 3 cars pull away from the rest of the pack. Caution comes out again on lap #12 when Johns spins in turn #4. The #192 of Brian Allen, who started all the way back in the 13th spot, moved his way through traffic and up to the 4th position by lap #16, and wasn't done yet. Anderson was able to get around Beal for the lead on lap #21, and at the same time the #28 of Schnarr pulls off the track, something going wrong with his car. Johns, who had to restart in the back, was again coming on hard, already finding himself back up to the 8th position. The yellow waved once more on lap #24 when the #69 of Randy Stuber spins in turn #2, and Anderson and Allen have little difficulty pulling away from everyone on the restart, and the real battle was for 3rd position between the #17 of Rick Scott, the #26 of JD Beal, and the #34 of Bill Anderson. The #31 of Mark Anderson was the race winner, followed by the #192 of Brian Allen in 2nd, the #17 of Rick Scott in 3rd, and the #26 of JD Beal in 4th.

Late Model Feature was next on the agenda. The #59 of Morey Denney got out to an early lead, bringing the #11 of Brad Denney along with him, but caution came out when the #10M of Chad Pratt and the #14 of Brett Nelson get together in turn #4. Any guesses who was making his way from an 8th place starting position all the way to 3rd on lap #1? No surprises here, the #M40 of Scott May was moving up through traffic VERY quickly. The #11 of Brad Denney took the lead on lap #1, but by lap #3, May was able to get inside Denney and around him for the lead. Denney and May were doing some AMAZING side by side racing for the lead, even switching the lead back and forth down the straight away, but May was able to use the lap traffic to his advantage, and he opened up a pretty comfortable lead. Brad had also moved ahead of the rest of the pack, racing alone in the 2nd position, but there was some GREAT racing going on for the 3rd spot between the #59 of Denney, the #M1 of Dale Munson, the #19 of Tim Morris and the #10M of Pratt. Morris moves into the 3rd spot when Denney pulls off the track on lap #10, but by lap #15 the #29J of Lindell Jewel has also moved his way up into the 3rd to 5th place battle. Caution comes out again on lap #29 when the #45 of Dwayne Walters gets loose down the front stretch and take a HARD hit into the turn #1 mine tires. Walters was OK and climbed out of his car, but the #45 had HEAVY damage. Scott May got a good start on the restart and was able to keep the #M40 out front for the win. The #11 of Brad Denney had a strong 2nd place finish, followed by the #10M of Pratt in 3rd, and the #M1 of Munson in 4th.

Our last race of the evening was the Hobo Feature, and this one had "caution" written all over it! The #47 of Andy Yerbic started on the pole, but the battle for 2nd place saw the #01 of Rick Diegel and the #27 of Lonnie Stone slammin' doors down the track. Caution came out on lap #2 for a car spinning in turn #4. Both the #77T of Willie Heinz and the #711 of Kelly Pritchard were moving their way up through traffic in a hurry, finding themselves in the 4th and 5th spots on the restart. Another caution comes out when someone gets into the #01 of Rick Diegel on the backstretch, and Diegel takes a WILD ride, doing about 3 - 360's before coming to rest in turn #3. Several cars sustained damage before making their way around the incident. Caution again when the hood flies up on Diegel's car on a lap #2 restart. The #8 of Clay Wisher, who started 16th, was up to the top five by lap #3, but his progress is cut short. An engine lets loose, and the #27 of Stone gets hit HARD when he checks up for the caution, and he nearly gets flipped over. Wisher goes to the lead on lap #4, with a great battle for 3rd going on behind him between Heinz, Pritchard, and Glover. Caution again on lap #5 for the #01 spinning in turns #3 & #4, and unfortunately Wisher needs a push to get going and has to restart in the back of the pack. It was "lucky 7's" on the restart with the #47, #711, #77, and #27 in the top 4 spots, but caution came again when Stone spins in turn #4. The #91 of Nick Christian, who started all the way back in 15th spot, found himself in 5th position on the restart, followed by the #52 of Don Entreken. Wisher made his way all the way back up to 2nd on lap #12, but he and Howard got together in turns #3 & #4, Wisher was sent to the back again. Time was running out, and the flagman threw the yellow and the checker on the next caution, ending the race. The #77 of Cliff Howard was the race winner, followed by Yerbic in 2nd, Pritchard in 3rd, and Heinz in 4th.

The driver of the #91 Hobo Car, Nick Christian, was another one of the drivers we were lucky enough to get to talk to. Nick races with us from Canton, Illinois. His pit crewmembers include Don, Jim, Jody, and his wife, Kim, and his sponsors are Don's Painting, Mr. Sweeper, and Geppetto's Pizza. Nick says his biggest fan is his nephew, Will. When we asked how his car was running, he replied "Good for being mainly stock". Nick's personal goal for the season is "To have fun!" It certainly looked like he was having a blast moving all the way up from 15th to 5th in the feature! The driver he looks up to the most is Scott May, because Scott is a GREAT driver and Nick has followed Scott throughout most of his racing career. What does Nick like most about SRS? It's like home …. he's been watching races here for 9 years! What does he like the least? The pay! Hobo is a "low buck", beginner class, but people are putting so much money into their cars that it's hard to stay competitive on a budget. Nick hopes to do well this season and get a lot of valuable seat time. He's got a new engine on board and wants to take the #91 to the front! Thanks to Nick for taking the time to visit with us, and we wish him and his crew a safe and successful racing season. If you'd like to learn more about Nick and his racing team, visit his AWESOME website at www.geocities.com/DirtRacin91.