Emotional night for Slocum on the way to repeat win

Written By: MATT LEVINS

MIDDLETOWN — Brent Slocum couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day present for his wife Kelli than the one he got Saturday night at 34 Raceway.

Slocum started on the front row of the 25-lap IMCA late model feature race alongside Lonnie Bailey. The two battled back and forth until the lapped car of Colby Springsteen came into play on Lap 14. Slocum made the right choice, going to the low side to get around Springsteen while Bailey got caught up behind Springsteen's car.

That would prove to be the difference as Slocum, the defending track champion, held on to win for the second week in a row.

Afterwards, Slocum and his wife celebrated with their 2 1/2 week old daughter in Victory Lane.

"I want to say Happy Mother's Day to my wife Kelli," Slocum said. "I just got my picture taken with my 2 1/2-week-old daughter over in the front straight. What more can you ask for?"

The second full week of racing proved to be a night for veteran drivers. Also coming away with feature wins were John Oliver, Jr., in hobby stocks, Dean McGee, Sr., in A-modifieds, Joe Hooper in B-modifieds and John Brockway and Kevin Kirchner in two-person thunder cars.

Slocum knew he had his work cut out for him in the IMCA late model feature race with Bailey starting on the pole. After all, Bailey came back to beat him just a week earlier at Quincy Raceway.

The feature turned into a two-car battle, with Bailey gaining the early advantage.

Slocum was able to inch in front for the lead early in the race, only to see Bailey get a run on the high side and regain the lead two laps later.

Bailey looked set to pick up the win until the two came into lapped traffic on Lap 13.

One lap later, they came upon the lapped car of Springsteen coming out of the fourth turn. Slocum, running the low side, was able to get by Springsteen while Bailey was forced to slow down. That gave Slocum a lead he would not relinquish.

"That's just racing," Slocum said. "I knew I was just as fast as Lonnie. I passed him earlier. I just kept plugging away. Lonnie ran a clean race and that's all you can ask for."

Oliver, after finishing third in the B-modified feature earlier, won a thriller in the 15-lap hobby stock feature.

Jake Wenig started on the pole and led the first 12 laps as he began to pull away from the field. But a late yellow, caused when Kirk Kinsley's car stalled in the front straight on Lap 12, proved to be Wenig's undoing.

Oliver was able to get around Wenig coming out of the fourth turn on the restart and then Wenig spun out coming out of the second turn.

Oliver was able to hold off Todd Holsteen and Matt Krieger on the restart for the win.

"Cautions never hurt if you are in second, only if you are the leader. Jake got a little loose and I took advantage of it," Oliver said. "Jake ran a good race. I would never have caught him if not for the caution."

If McGee, a veteran from Galesburg, Ill., needed any added incentive in the 20-lap A-modified feature, he didn't have to look far to find it. His owner, Mike Horton, was not able to attend the races because he was back home undergoing treatment for cancer.

Putting in the extra effort for Horton, McGee was able to outduel Darin Thye to pick up the win.

Thye led early, riding the cushion. But McGee, after a restart, found just enough moisture on the bottom to get the momentum to get around Thye for the lead on Lap 6.

McGee worked the bottom to perfection and held off Thye at the finish.

"This one's for my owner," McGee said. "I was surprised. I was able to find a little moisture down there while everyone else was running the top. That restart put me down there or I never would have found it."

Hooper, a 10-year veteran of the B-modified class, had little trouble in winning the 12-lap feature. He got past early leader Jerry Bliesener, Jr., on the fourth lap and never looked back. Doak Allen, Jr., came on to finish second.

"We've got her working pretty good right now," said Hooper, who also won last week's feature. "That was our plan (to run the cushion). We watched the track all night to see what it was going to be like. It worked out the way we wanted it to."

Brockway and Kirchner, former track champions in the Thunder Cars, grabbed the lead on the first lap of the 12-lap feature, then held on to beat Bill Parrott and Marc Reusch by half a car length for the win.

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

LATE MODELS

Feature results — 1. Brent Slocum, Burlington; 2. Lonnie Bailey, Quincy, Ill. 3. Terry Schlipman, Mendon, Ill. 4. Rob Toland, Hillsdale, Ill.; 5. Tom Darbyshire, Yarmouth; 6. Jay Johnson, West Burlington; 7. Matt Strassheim, Burlington; 8. Gary Russell, Biggsville, Ill; 9. Robert Toland, Hillsdale, Ill.; 10. Matt Ryan, Davenport. Heat winners — Slocum, Russell and Schlipman.

MODIFIEDS

Feature results — 1. Dean McGee, Sr., Galesburg, Ill.; 2. Darin Thye, Burlington; 3. Cory Richards, Burlington; 4. Dan Woods, Colona, Ill.; 5. Billy Dusenbery, Burlington; 6. Chad Sovern, West Burlington; 7. Johnny Smith, Morning Sun; 8. Sean Wyett, Danville; 9. Elmer Arnold, Sperry; 10. Norm Brakeville, Monmouth, Ill.Heat winners — Smith and Dusenbery.

B-MODIFIEDS

Feature results — 1. Joe Hooper, Mendon, Ill.; 2. Doak Allen, Jr., West Burlington; 3. John Oliver, Jr., Danville; 4. Scott Boles, Mount Pleasant; 5. Dave Cloke, Burlington; 6. Tina Lillie, Burlington; 7. Tony Hahn, Hoopole, Ill.; 8. Jerry Bliesener Jr., Burlington. Heat winners — Jerry Bliesener, Jr., Burlington.

HOBBY STOCKS

Feature results — 1. John Oilver, Jr., Danville; 2. Todd Holsteen, Burlington; 3. Matt Krieger, Burlington; 4. John Oliver, Sr., West Burlington; 5. Dan Wenig, Danville; 6. Greg Johnson, Burlington; 7. Roger Krieger, Burlington; 8. Brett Timmerman, Wapello; 9. Derek Coleman, New London; 10. Chad Witte, Burlington. B-Main winners — Tim Breuer. Heat winners — Jake Wenig, Oliver, Jr., Holsteen and Oliver, Sr.

THUNDER CARS

Feature results — 1. John Brockway and Kevin Kirchner; 2. Bill Parrott and Marc Reusch; 3. Kurt Jennings and Lafe Martin; 4. Dusty Hetrick and Victor Hastings; 5. Mike Bolander. Heat winners — Kent Rhum and Doug Carter; Thad Gaylord and Matt Sugars.

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