Rece Wins First Big 8 Race, Chandler With Double Win on McGrath Auto Night
“Clash at the Downs X” with the Big 8 Series brought a great crowd to Hawkeye Downs Speedway for McGrath Auto Night at the Races on Friday, June 7th! Hawkeye Downs hosted a full night of excitement with NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series racing classes and the American Iron Racing Series (A.I.R.S.), plus the highly anticipated Big 8 Series late models hitting the track just after sunset.
Kevin Korsmo went back to victory lane for the second time this season in the Legends,Direct Legends, moving up four spots from the start and holding off Danny Lehmkuhl and Jeremiah Davis, who were fast but did not have enough to get around.
Reggie Mitchell found some speed and was the closest anyone has got to beating Adam Petrzelka in the Anderson Automotive Hobby Stocks. Mitchell was not able to get the job done, continuing the streak for Petrzelka. Scott Siems ran strong and finished 3rd.
In the All Seasons Automotive Sportsman class, Todd Ness got ahead of Brandon Herb and was run down by Nick Bruley from Watertown, WI. In the final lap, Bruley got to the bumper and knocked Ness sideways, but it wasn’t enough to make the pass, giving Ness his 3rd win of the year.
Ron Cook and Bart Miller were battling for the race lead in the American Iron Racing Series when the two cars became stuck together coming off turn two, sending them off the backstretch. It would end the night for Miller, while Cook rebounded to finish 6th. This turned into Dennis Etten battling Robin Atkins, with Atkins getting the win.
Tallan Chandler went two-for-two on the evening, starting out with a victory in the HD Dawgs. Will Zamastill captured the heat win after Devin Coghlan broke out on the final lap. In the feature, Chandler had to fend off Coghlan for the majority of the race but was able to get his first win on the ½ mile.
“I try to pace it the best I can, and if I see anyone trying to pass me I speed up,” Chandler said. “We weren’t expecting the win, but we had a chance and we took it.”
Chandler continued the winning ways in the Cassill Motors Sport Mods by bringing home the heat win, and later in the feature, battled Beckett Flannagan and then ran away from the rest of the field to score his second Sport Mod win of the year. Patrick Flannagan and Chad Siems finished second and third, respectively.
Tthe Big 8 Series returned to Hawkeye Downs and put on a stellar show once again. Randy Sargent out-qualified Griffin McGrath during time trials to start out the day. In the feature, it was Will Rece who went to the front early on and outran the veterans of Zack Riddle, Michael Bilderback, and Jon Reynolds Jr. to grab his first win in the series. Michael Weber finished 6th, and Danny Lehmkuhl ended up 7th out of the 20 cars. McGrath rebounded to 9th after battling issues which saw him spin and go to the pits several times midway through.
“Last time I came here, I had a flat tire right away and didn’t get a good try,” shared Rece. “I honestly thought if we made it out of here in one and had some fun that would be good enough for me. Did not expect the win.”
Next Race: Thursday, June 13th
Yes! A Thursday night race!
To accommodate the busy NASCAR Summer Race Weekend schedule at Iowa Speedway from June 14th through June 16th, Hawkeye Downs Speedway has moved up the regularly scheduled Friday night race to a THURSDAY NIGHT.
Our NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series racers will be hitting the track at Hawkeye Downs Speedway on Thursday, June 13th, instead of on Friday. Additionally, fans can expect a show from the Performance Foods Late Models on Thursday, June 13th!
Hawkeye Downs is thrilled to welcome NASCAR driver Joey Gase to our Thursday night race! During the intermission, we invite you to catch Joey Gase for autographs and photos with his NASCAR XFINITY Series car. Plus, Joey will get behind the wheel of the Gibson #20 Sportsman and compete in the evening's races. Make plans to stop by and wish Joey well with his weekend racing experience at Iowa Speedway following his visit to our NASCAR Home Track! Gates open at 6:00pm with racing to follow opening ceremonies at 7:00pm. Tickets are available at the gate. See you on Thursday!
