HAMSTRA WINS OPENING NIGHT From Shipjumper99

VCS results for Sep. 5
Labor Day Classic
By Namgalf

Heat 1: Jim Hibser, Wes O'Dell, Jeff Leka, Dan Hamstra
Heat 2: Terry Duncan, Kyle Cooper, Kevin Davis, Butch Weiser
Heat 3: Kyle Logue, Kenny Carlson, Jim Farris, Rob Fuqua
Heat 4: Bob Pohlman Jr., Joel Funk, Cory Rolfe, Ed Roley
Heat 5: Scott Bull, Danny Schwartz, Matt Bachman, Chad Kinder
Note: Logue blew a motor on last lap in turn 3 and coasted to the win then withdrew moving everyone else up in his heat... Also top 3 transfered to A-Main
Top 2 transfer in consi's
Consi 1: Dan Hamstra, Jammie Wilson, Ed Shamhart
Consi 2: Chad Kinder, Jeff Bland Jr, Dean Hoffman
Consi 3: Arby Burton, Brian McDaniel, Don Kiger
A-Main
1. Danny Schwartz 2. Chad Kinder 3. Scott Bull
4. Bob Pohlman Jr 5. Jeff Bland Jr 6. Rob Fuqua
7. Jim Farris 8. Terry Duncan 9. Kevin Davis
10.Cory Rolfe 11. Joel Funk 12. Brian McDaniel
13.Jammie Wilson 14. Matt Bachman 15. Dan Hamstra
16.Kyle Cooper 17. Jim Hibser 18. Kerry Carlson
19. Jeff Leka 20. Wes O'Dell 21. Arby Burton
51 cars entered ... Other notes of interest .. Schwartz started 10th, Kinder 18th, Bland Jr 21st... track was smooth and racy all night... while everyone went to the bottom early in the main Schwartz was the only one running the top side and made his own groove to patiently take the lead on lap 22 from Bull. Qualifing was done on a group basis with the first 10 cars qualifing and running the first heat according to their times etc.

LEKA SURVIVES DAVID RICHARDSON MEMORIAL EVENT AT VCS
By: Chris Nunn

August 8, 2004
Jeff Leka of Buffalo, Illinois was at the right place at the right time, as attrition was the name of the game in the 11th Annual David Richardson Memorial at the Vermilion County Speedway. The 50 Lap feature that was postponed from May 31st was held second on the program after the Street Stock feature.

The 50 Lap, $5,000 to win feature event saw Dan Hamstra lead the field to the green flag. Hamstra would lead the first lap while Danny Schwartz made a superb move to get around Matt Boknecht for the sixth position. The first caution of the race fell on lap number three for the spun car of Ed Roley on the frontstretch. Don Kiger also went pitside during the caution period. When racing resumed, Danny Schwartz would make a few moves towards the front, as he would move past Roger Cary for the fourth position. The field would slow once again on lap five for Kevin Davis who was turned around in turn two. Disaster would strike for the elder Schwartz, as Denny would drop a driveshaft on lap 6, bringing out another caution. Denny was running fifth at the time, which allowed Cary to take his position. On the restart, Hamstra would lead the field past the cone, followed by Matt Bachman and Josh Ferguson. Ferguson would not stay in third for long, however, as he would retire on lap seven. This would move Danny Schwartz up to the third spot. Behind them, Jeff Leka would get around Cary for the fourth position. Just a couple of laps later, the third place car of Danny Schwartz would retire, giving the third spot to Leka. Adding to the zaniness of the evening, Hamstra would erupt in smoke while leading the event. He would retire, giving the lead to Bachman. On lap 12, the caution would fly for the stalled car of Dave Porth on the backstretch. With just 12 laps in, only 13 cars remained out of the original 21 car starting field. When racing resumed, Bachman would lead Leka and Cary to the cone for the start. A couple of laps later, the yellow would fly again for the stalled car of Jim Shereck in turn two. During the yellow, the 6th place car of Earl Plessinger would go pitside. Bachman would once again take the field to the green on the restart, however, Bachman was starting to show some smoke out of the back of the car. Behind the lead pack, Chad Kinder would try to make a move on Boknecht for the fourth position. Boknecht woul

d hold Kinder off to remain in the fourth spot. Back up front, Cary would get around Leka for the second position. Cary would then move up to challenge Bachman for the lead, only to catch the cushion and loop the car in turn two, bringing out the yellow. If you thought the race couldnt get any crazier, the lead car of Bachman would drop out under the caution. The top five now looked like this: Leka, Boknecht, Kinder, Scott Bull, and John Demoss. When the green flew for the restart, Kinder would get around Boknecht for the second position. Boknecht would then lose the third spot to Bull. Demoss wanted some of Boknecht as well, as he would go by him for fourth. During all of this, the left front tire of Kinder became flat, and he would continue on with the problem. Behind Kinder, Demoss would get around Bull for the third position. Problems would then strike Boknecht while running fifth, as he would pull in giving the fifth spot to Tim O'Donnell. Leka was all by himself at this point, as he had a 1/2 track lead on Kinder. The battle for third would shape up again, as Bull would get back around Demoss for the spot, putting Demoss back to fourth. Demoss would then erupt in smoke, dropping out of the race. While this was going on, O'Donnell would be passed by Jim Shereck and Lance Dehm for fourth and fifth respectively. Back up front, Bull would pull along side of the wounded Kinder, and get around him for the runner up position. Nobody would have anything for Leka, as he cruised to the $5,000 payday ahead of Bull, Kinder, Shereck, and Dehm would round out the top five.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS

HEATS, CONSIS, AND B-MAIN RAN ON MAY 31st

HEAT ONE: Matt Boknecht, Jeff Leka, Steven Ott, Kevin Hastings, Kyle Cooper, Joel Funk Jr, Ed Roley, Jason Hastings, Chris Veach, Bobby Pearson, Rich Issacson, Mickey Bailey

HEAT TWO: Dan Hamstra, Danny Schwartz, Arby Burton, Dave Porth, Lee Hobbs, Steve Hillard, Ed Shamhart, Brad Crosby, Clayton Miller, Marvin Burton, Joe David Turner, McKay Wenger

HEAT THREE: Dean Hoffman, Denny Schwartz, Scott Bull, Shelby Miles, Earl Plessinger, Clint Demoss, Aaron Ricketts, Broc Burton, Don Kiger, Tommy Kroll, Jeff Curl, Judas Bowling

HEAT FOUR: Josh Ferguson, Jeff Bland Jr, Kevin Davis, Kyle Byerline, Jay Ledford, Paul Miles, Roben Huffman, Brady Short, Larry Cunningham, Brian McDaniel, Cory Rolfe

HEAT FIVE: Matt Bachman, Jim Shereck, Lance Dehm, Brent Londeree, Rob Fuqua, Elvin Herschberger, Daryl Herbert, Jarrod Warner, Larry Raines, Matt Huddleston, Gabe Menser

HEAT SIX: Roger Cary, John DeMoss, Chad Kinder, Randle Sweeney, Jason Lakey, Tim O'Donnell, Dave Wheatley, Dennis Wilson, Ron Matthys, Rocky Griffin, Dale Hayes

CONSI ONE: Dave Porth, Ed Roley, Steven Ott, Lee Hobbs, Kyle Cooper, Clayton Miller, Kevin Hastings, Jason Hastings, Joe David Turner, Mickey Bailey, Chris Veach, Bobby Pearson, McKay Wenger, Rich Issacson, Arby Burton, Joel Funk Jr, Steve Hillard, Marvin Burton, Ed Shamhart, Brad Crosby

CONSI TWO: Kevin Davis, Earl Plessinger, Scott Bull, Aaron Ricketts, Roben Huffman, Shelby Miles, Clint DeMoss, Paul Miles, Kyle Byerline, Jay Ledford, Brian McDaniel, Don Kiger, Broc Burton, Brady Short, Tommy Kroll, Larry Cunningham, Jeff Curl, Cory Rolfe, Judas Bowling

CONSI THREE: Chad Kinder, Randle Sweeney, Lance Dehm, Dave Wheatley, Dennis Wilson, Rocky Griffin, Tim O'Donnell, Rob Fuqua, Gabe Menser, Jason Lakey, Daryl Herbert, Dale Hayes, Larry Raines, Ron Matthys, Matt Huddleston, Jarrod Warner, Elvin Herschberger, Brent Londeree

$1,000 TO WIN B-MAIN: Aaron Ricketts, Dave Wheatley, Kyle Cooper, Brian McDaniel, Shelby Miles, Roben Huffman, Kevin Hastings, Clint Demoss, Jason Lakey, Rob Fuqua, Mickey Bailey, Gabe Menser, Jason Hastings, Kyle Byerline, Joe David Turner, Rocky Griffin, Clayton Miller, Jay Ledford, Daryl Herbert, Dennis Wilson, Lee Hobbs

11TH ANNUAL DAVID RICHARDSON MEMORIAL FEATURE
(STARTING POSITIONS IN PARENTHESIS)

1. Jeff Leka (7)
2. Scott Bull (19)
3. Chad Kinder (15)
4. Jim Shereck (11)
5. Lance Dehm (21)
6. Tim O'Donnell (18)
7. Steve Ott -1 (16)
8. Kevin Davis -1 (13)
9. John Demoss OUT (10)
10. Matt Boknecht OUT (5)
11. Roger Cary OUT (3)
12. Matt Bachman OUT (2)
13. Earl Plessinger OUT (14)
14. Dan Hamstra OUT (1)
15. Dave Porth OUT (12)
16. Danny Schwartz OUT (6)
17. Jeff Bland Jr. OUT (8)
18. Denny Schwartz OUT (9)
19. Josh Ferguson OUT (4)
20. Don Kiger OUT (20)
21. Ed Roley OUT (17)
22. Dean Hoffman DID NOT START

FERGUSON FASTEST IN VERMILION COUNTY SPEEDWAY FEATURE EVENT
By: Chris Nunn

(8/04/04)Josh Ferguson was the smoothest and rode the low groove to victory in the regular portion of the Sunday night racing at VCS.

The feature event started with polesitter Chuck Haga leading the first lap with Chad Kinder and Ferguson battling for the third position behind him. Kinder would take the spot, putting Ferguson to fourth. The first caution would fly on lap three for the cars of Roger Cary, Jeff Bland Jr., and Arby Burton in turn one. Burton would be the only car to retire, as Bland and Cary continued on. When racing resumed, Richie Hedrick moved to the lead as he got around Haga coming out of turn four on lap 5. Behind them, Kinder would jump the banking in turn four and lose six positions in the process. That moved Ferguson up to the second spot, Scott Bull up to third, and Don Kiger to fourth. Kiger would then have to contend with Haga, who took the fourth spot away from him. Back up front, Ferguson would dive underneath Hedrick for the lead. Hedrick would then lose the second position to Bull, who drove under him on the lowside coming out of turn four on lap 10. Hedrick would then lose the third position, as Kiger would take it away on lap 11. Just four laps later, Hedrick would return the favor on Kiger, taking third back. The second caution of the race would fly on lap 17 for Cary in turn one. On the restart, a three wide battle for the second position would take place between Bull, Kiger, and Hedrick. Kiger would win that battle, sending Bull to third, and Hedrick to fourth. Hedrick would then be passed by Haga coming down the backstretch on lap 20 for the fourth spot. Disaster would strike Bull while running third, as he would jump the banking in turn four, losing several positions. Hedrick would then start his move back towards the front, getting around Haga for the third spot. Haga would then have Danny Schwartz to worry about, as Schwartz got around him for fourth. As Ferguson took the white flag, Hedrick moved in on Kiger for the runner up spot. At the checkers, Ferguson would cross first. Following him was Hedrick, who got by Kiger at the line, Schwartz, and Kinder rounded out the top five

SUMMARY:

MODIFIEDS

HEAT ONE: Chuck Haga, Tim O'Donnell, Jarrod Warner, Matt Huddleston, Terry Duncan, Roben Huffman, Kevin Davis, Bobby Pearson

HEAT TWO: Josh Ferguson, Scott Bull, Don Kiger, Jason Lakey, Marvin Burton, Jim Shereck, Steven Ott

HEAT THREE: Richie Hedrick, Danny Schwartz, Rob Fuqua, Cory Rolfe, Lance Dehm, Greg Wright, Rory Overmyer, Brian McDaniel

HEAT FOUR: Chad Kinder, Arby Burton, Jeff Bland Jr, Roger Cary, Jerry Hathaway, Ed Roley, Art Johnson, Denny Schwartz

CONSI: Terry Duncan, Denny Schwartz, Roben Huffman, Jim Shereck, Marvin Burton, Ed Roley, Brian McDaniel, Steven Ott, Bobby Pearson, Greg Wright, Rory Overmyer, Art Johnson, Kevin Davis, Jerry Hathaway

FEATURE: Josh Ferguson, Richie Hedrick, Don Kiger, Danny Schwartz, Chad Kinder, Tim O'Donnell, Denny Schwartz, Chuck Haga, Jeff Bland Jr, Jason Lakey, Scott Bull, Rob Fuqua, Roger Cary, Cory Rolfe, Matt Huddleston, Jarrod Warner, Ed Roley, Terry Duncan, Jim Shereck, Roben Huffman, Marvin Burton, Arby Burton

Erb Dominates NALMS/COC Co-Sanctioned Show at VCS

Jeffrey A. Bayless

Danville, IL (July 23) The UMP sanctioned Northern Allstar Late Model Series and Challenge Of Champions series held a co-sponsored event at a special Friday night show at Vermillion County Speedway in Danville, IL. 27 late models signed in to race for the $2000 grand prize.

The evening began with qualifications with Wes Steidinger setting the fast time with a lap of 13.403. The 9 lap dash to set the first three rows of the feature was won by Billy Drake after he passed Steve Barnett on the 3rd circuit. Dennis Erb Jr came flying up from his 7th starting spot to grab 2nd with Michael Bradley making a late pass of Barnett to score third. Brian Shirley came home fifth with Roger Long etching out the 6th and final transfer spot. In the first heat Kevin Weaver withstood an early challenge from Jason Feger to take the checkers with Shannon Reed and Cory Rolfe. The second heat saw Mike Glasscock and Duane Chamberlain swap the lead several times early in the action only to have Eric Smith come charging from dead last to pick up the win. Jammie WIlson nailed down the 4th and final transfer from that heat. Wes Steidinger charged away to a fairly easy win in the 3rd and final heat with Don Hammer, Jr Shickel, and Shawn Negengard battling the whole race for second coming home in that order. Richie Hedrick came from dead last to win the conci with Larry Raines nailing down the 20th and final transfer spot for this event.

The main event began with an autograph session with these drivers stopping on the front stretch to give their fans an opportunity to get their autograph and to meet them live and in person. After a 4 wide parade lap Billy Drake stormed to the early lead ahead of Dennis Erb Jr and a three car battle for third between Steve Barnett, Brian Shirley, and Michael Bradley. However Drake's stay up front was short lived as on the 5th circuit Erb powered by on the high side and began running away from the pack. At the 10 lap mark, Erb was engaged in heavy traffic but Drake was unable to draw him in as the battle for third raged behind him with Roger Long joining the fray. Erb motored away and ran untouched the rest of the feature as the main battle on the track was the distant battle for third. The cars in this battle swapped positions several times a lap it seemed as they jockeyed for position. At the checkers it was Erb, Drake, Long, Shirley, Bradley, Steidinger, Barnett, Weaver, Feger, and Smith.

In other racing action Chuck Haga won the super street feature holding off Jack Dowers late in the race. In Street Stock action it was Jonah Buyno scoring the victory ahead of Ben Maxson. Monte Reed won the Hornet feature.

RESULTS

NALMS/COC LATE MODELS

27 cars

Fast Time: 1 Wes Steidinger 13.403

Dash

1. 9 Drake

2. 28 Erb Jr

3. 7M Bradley

4. 89 Barnett

5. 3S Shirley

6. 36 Long

Heat 1

1. B12 Weaver

2. 25 Feger

3. 21R Reed

4. 22 Rolfe

Heat 2

1. 9 Smith

2. 30 Glasscock

3. 1 Chamberlain

4. 61 Wilson

Heat 3

1. 1 Steidinger

2. 45 Hammer

3. S10 Shickel

4. 16 Negengard

Conci

1. 0 Hedrick

2. R4 Raines

3. 22 Dick

4. 92 Potts

Feature 30 laps $2000 to win

1. 28 Dennis Erb Jr. (2)

2. 9 Billy Drake (1)

3. 36 Roger Long (6)

4. 3S Brian Shirley (5)

5. 7M Michael Bradley (3)

6. 1 Wes Steidinger (9)

7. 89 Steve Barnett (4)

8. B12 Kevin Weaver (7)

9. 25 Jason Feger (10)

10. 9 Eric Smith (8)

11. 30 Mike Glasscock (11)

12. 0 Richie Hedrick (19) -1 lap

13. 21R Shannon Reed (13)

14. 45 Don Hammer (12)

15. 1 Duane Chamberlain (14)

16. R4 Larry Raines (20)

17. S10 Jr Shickel (15)

18. 16 Shawn Negengard (18)

19. 61 Jammie Wilson (17)

Haga hangs on at VCS
By
Namgalf

(7/18/04)Chuck Haga captured his first UMP modified Vermilion County Speedway victory Sunday night in a thrilling feature event. The start of the 25 lap main event saw front row starters Corey Rolfe and Scott Bull lead the field to the first turn side by side. Before they could reach turn two they were joined by third starting Haga and fifth starting Richie Hedrick for a four wide jaunt at the point and all four continued side by side through turns three and four with Haga nosing Hedrick for the top slot on the very top. Hedrick led Bull and Rolfe with Don Kiger, Josh Ferguson, Brian McDaniel and Arby Burton having their own little tussel for the 5 spot. At lap two Haga led Hedrick and Kiger moving to the third position on the bottom of the speedway. By lap 5 Kiger had moved to the runnerup position with Bull also moving forward and Hedrick fighting tooth and nail for the show slot. Also making hay was 16th starting Denny Schwartz running his customary line around the rim of the big 1/4 mile and picking off cars methodically where at lap 7 he was in the 10th position and really gaining momentum. Kiger kept pressure on Haga for about 3 laps where the leader began stretching the lead to almost half a straight. At lap 9 Schwartz had motored to 7th with Rolfe slowly losing steam and falling back to the battle with Burton and company for the 5th spot. Kiger, Bull and Hedrick kept the contest for second interesting with Kiger and Bull running the tires and Hedrick following the leaders footsteps around the top. At the halfway mark Schwartz had moved to 6th then two laps later moved by Hedrick who tried the bottom for a couple of laps and Bull into the third slot. At lap 19 everyone in the house had to of noticed the orange charge especially when he rolled by Kiger to take the second spot. A spin on lap 22 allowed the field, especially Schwartz to close up on the leaders bumper and all was expecting Denny to complete the task. When the green reappeared Schwartz jumped to the middle of the track and ran door handle to door handle with the leader for nearly a lap when the caution reappeared for another spin negating the battle. The next restart saw Kiger get the juices flowing getting under Schwartz for the second spot at the line on lap 23. Schwartz got the momentum rolling again taking the runnerup slot back at the white flag but could not muster enough to overtake Haga allowing him to take the checkers first. Results below:
Fast time: Chuck Haga
Heat one: Corey Rolfe, Chuck Haga, Richie Hedrick, Don Kiger
Heat two: Scott Bull, Josh Ferguson, Brian McDaniel, Gabe Menser
Feature:
1. Chuck Haga 2. Denny Schwartz 3. Don Kiger
4. Scott Bull 5. Richie Hedrick 6. A.Burton
7. Josh Ferguson 8. Corey Rolfe 9. Brian McDaniel
10.Danny Schwartz 11.Lonnie Cassity 12.Marvin Burton
13.Terry Duncan 14.Matt Huddleston 15.Ron Matthys
16.Billy Thurman 17.Gabe Menser
18 cars entered tonight. Total of 85 in the pits with the late arrivals. Modified racing was finished at 9:05 with all racing finished at 9:55. Track crew needs a hand as the surface tonight was smooth and race ready from top to bottom all night making for excellent racing in all classes and passing throughout the fields. Next week VCS will be racing Friday night July 23 with the Nalms/UMP CoC co-sanctioned Late Model event along with the super streets, streets and hornets then turn right around and run a regular show Sunday night July 25 with the UMP modifieds, super streets, streets and hornets. Sunday will be kids night where the kids can take a slow ride on their favorite drivers cars around the speedway and also will be Fan Appreciation night where all adults will be allowed in the grandstands for the low price of $5 so tell all your every now an then race fan friends the bargain on Sunday night. Also Krupp Gerlach will be the nights sponser Sunday. Cya then,,,

Wolfe Pack series VCS winner no surprise
by
Namgalf

Denny Schwartz captured another win at Vermilion County Speedway in Danville Illinois Sunday night July 11 and had to overcome bad track conditions, 47 other drivers and Nascar star Kenny Schrader in the process. Using his front row starting position to his advantage Schwartz took the lead immediatly and led every lap of the 25 lap event to capture the $1000 pay day. Jeff Leka also started front row and pressured Schwartz early but couldn't muster enough power to get by and settled for second on a track that was much less than ideal from being graded early in the week and left open when heavy rains (approx. 3.5 inches) hit the area and another slight shower during the evening making for a very rough surface. Schrader was not able to make it to the speedway for qualifing but did start the rear of the 5th heat finishing 7th but started 12th in his consi then did a masterful job of driving to finish 3rd in the 10 lap event to take the last transfer slot to the main event. Results below:
Fast time: Denny Schwartz
Heat one: Denny Schwartz, Clint DeMoss, Jason Lakey, Phil Van Sant
Heat two: Jeff Leka, Aaron Ricketts, Dan Hamstra, John DeMoss
Heat three: Arby Burton, Shelby Miles, Ray Humphrey, Cory Rolfe
Heat four: Scott Bull, Terry Duncan, Paul Baumgartner, Danny Schwartz
Heat five: Danny Schwartz, Josh Ferguson, Chuck Haga, Jim Moore
1st consi transfers: John DeMoss, Carlos Baumgartner, Richie Hedrick
2nd consi transfers: Brian McDaniel, Danny Schwartz, Kenny Schrader
Feature:
1. Denny Schwartz 2. Jeff Leka 3. Arby Burton
4. Clint DeMoss 5. Shelby Miles 6. Danny Schwartz
7. Jason Lakey 8. Aaron Ricketts 9. Josh Ferguson
10.Chuck Haga 11.Kenny Schrader 12.Paul Baumgartner
13.Terry Duncan 14.John DeMoss 15.David Daugherty
16.Carlos Baumgartner 17.Cory Rolfe 18.Dan Hamstra
19.Scott Bull 20.Richie Hedrick
Total of 48 UMP modifieds tonight with 124 cars total in the pits. All racing done at 10:30 with the modifieds finished at 9:50. Regular show next Sunday with the UMP modifieds, super streets, streets and hornets on the schedule. Note: A Late Model race has been added to the schedule for Friday night July 23 that will include the UMP Circuit of Champions/ Northern All Stars Late Models, super streets, streets and hornets then a regular show will be ran on Sunday July 25 with this being Fan Appreciation night and everyone in the grandstands 1/2 price of regular admission. This is also Kids night at the speedway.

Aaron Ricketts victorious at VCS Sunday
by
Namgalf

Fairbury Illinois youngster Aaron Ricketts snagged his first UMP modified feature event win at Vermilion County Speedway in Danville Illinois Sunday July 4 by being at the right place at the right time then racing side by side with Rob Fuqua and holding off Danny Schwartz the last 6 laps of the main event for the victory. Front row starters Arby Burton and Al Crawley led the 20 car field to the green with Chuck Haga and Marvin Burton in tow. Arby Burton grabbed the lead from his outside slot with Marvin and Haga slipping by Crawley at the end of lap one. Lap 2 saw Crawley slide back to 6th with Terry Messenger and Ricketts getting by also and Haga doing the same to Marvin Burton for the runner up position. Lap 3 saw a spin by Larry Bunning making for a single file restart. The green saw Haga immediatly get a great restart and pass Arby for the lead in turn one and proceed to stretch out the lead until lap 4 when Arby lost control coming out of turn 4 and spun in front of the field narrowly missed by many drivers as he slid from the top to the bottom of the speedway relegating himself from the second spot to the tail of the field. Lap 7 saw Larry Bunning also lose control in turn 1 with another slow down at lap 11 keeping the field bunched up. After this restart Haga moved to a half straight lead over a gaggle of cars including Marvin Burton, Ricketts, Terry Messenger, Rob Fuqua, Danny Schwartz and Al Crawley battling high and low everywhere around the large 1/4 mile speedway. At lap 17 Haga who was running the high side and stretching out his lead slipped over the top in turn 3 unable to keep his mount straight doing a half spin on top of the berm causing a caution and handing the lead to the popular Marvin Burton over Ricketts, Fuqua, Messenger, Danny Schwartz and Crawley. M.Burton looked to take his first victory in some time until lap 19 when he also lost his bearing and proceeded to go too high in turn one going over the top and allowing Ricketts to gain the lead with the elderstatesman falling all the way back to 6th. Fuqua running the bottom was putting all kinds of pressure on the new leader and even pulled a nose ahead a couple of times with Danny Schwartz right on the tail of Ricketts. Lap 21 saw Messenger retire to the pits with mechanical trouble. Lap 22 on the back stretch saw Schwartz move to the middle and making a 3 wide battle for the lead going into turn 3 but his move wasn't strong enough for a clean pass and he had to return to the rear of Ricketts coming off of 4. Ricketts used this to open up a little daylight between himself and Fuqua for 1/2 a lap with the 2 chauffers catching right back up coming to the white flag. Fuqua gave his last gasp in turn 1 which wasn't enough and slowed his momentum just enough to allow Schwartz to grab the runnerup spot at the checkered flag in a blanket finish. Al Crawley held off a determined Arby Burton, who came all the way back from the tail, for the 4th position. Marvin Burton fell one more spot to 7th at the end being passed by Brian McDaniel. One heck of a race and congrats to Aaron Ricketts whom seems to run exceptionally well here. Results below.
Fast time: No qualifing
1st heat: Al Crawley, Terry Messenger, Danny Schwartz, Jarrod Warner
2nd heat: Arby Burton, Aaron Ricketts, Brian McDaniel, Dennis Hux
3rd heat: Chuck Haga, Rob Fuqua, Larry Cunningham, Larry Bunning
4th heat: Marvin Burton, Terry Duncan, Wes McClara, Steve Adams
Consi transfers: 1st: Roger Mills, Bodey Hood 2nd: Bobby Pearson, Kevin Davis
Feature:
1. Aaron Ricketts 2. Danny Schwartz 3. Rob Fuqua
4. Al Crawley 5. Arby Burton 6. Brian McDaniel
7. Marvin Burton 8. Kevin Davis 9. Roger Mills
10.Bobby Pearson 11.Larry Bunning 12.Terry Duncan
13.Chuck Haga 14.Wes McClara 15.Bodey Hood
16.Dennis Hux 17.Terry Messinger 18.Bob Robinson
19.Steve Adams 20.Jarrod Warner
A total of 34 UMP modifieds signed in tonight with the Late Model summernationals and street and super streets on the card a total of 126 cars attended. Modified feature was over at 10:40 with all racing finished at 11:15. Three of the four features went green to checker with the track being multi grooved and racy allowing for change of positions every lap in all classes. Next Sunday July 11 Kenny Schrader will join the UMP modifieds and the Wolfe Pack Challenge series for a $1000 to win and $100 to start main event. Cya Sunday..

Denny Schwartz wins again at VCS
by Namgalf

Denny Schwartz made it 4 out of 5 feature wins at Vermilion County Speedway in Danville Illinois Sunday June 27 by leading all 25 laps from his front row outside starting spot. Although not a runaway by any means he was never really challenged hard by any of the other competitors with the final margin was about 4 car lengths over second running Jason Lakey. The top of the speedway was the way to go for almost all of the UMP modified racers except for a very few soles that braved the hub making for hard passing for the front runners. Rob Fuqua followed the lead duo for third around the rim but most eyes were on last starting Indiana youngster Josh Ferguson who was leading the few on the bottom and rolled his way masterfully to the fourth finishing position getting by Dan Hamstra with one to go leaving Hamstra to finish out the top 5. Schwartz used some luck to grab the front row slot in his heat as a Jason Lakey slip in turn 4 with one to go allowed him to slide by for the win, this after Don Kiger had mechanical problems with smoke billowing from his car on lap 5 while battling for the lead and finally taking it from Lakey then having to retire to the infield for the remainder of that event. Rob Fuqua earned the other front row spot by dominating the first heat and lead the field. A total of 5 cautions for spins slowed the event but Schwartz had plenty to capture the win and add to his season point lead at VCS. Results below:
Fast time: Cory Rolfe
Heat one: Rob Fuqua, Cory Rolfe, Dan Hamstra, Larry Cunningham
Heat two: Denny Schwartz, Chuck Haga, Jason Lakey, Brian McDaniel
Feature:
1. Denny Schwartz 2. Jason Lakey 3. Rob Fuqua
4. Josh Ferguson 5. Dan Hamstra 6. Chuck Haga
7. Cory Rolfe 8. Brian McDaniel 9. Travis Shoulders
10.Don Kiger 11.Matt Huddleston 12.Larry Cunningham
13.Ron Matthys 14.Greg Wright 15.Jarrod Warner
16.Terry Duncan 17.Kevin Davis 18.Arby Burton
19.Danny Schwartz 20.Roger Mills
A total of 21 modifieds entered tonight (lowest count of the year). Bob Pierce Race Cars donated an extra $100 to the winner of the feature event before the racing started stuffing Denny Schwartz pocket just a little more. Rob Fuqua had his best night of the year at VCS with a solid run to finish 3rd along with Cory Rolfe after qualifing fastest and finishing 7th. A total of 84 cars in the pits tonight (also lowest of the year i believe) with the modified feature ending at 8:55 and all racing finished at 9:30. A fireworks show followed the events and all was over at 10pm. Next week Sunday July 4th the UMP summernationals for Late Models invade the 1/4 mile oval with the UMP modifieds, super streets and streets also on the card. Cya Sunday.

Invader captures VCS 6-20
By Namgalf

UMP modified star Chad Kinder captured the victory at Vermilion County Speedway Sunday night June 20 snapping Denny Schwartz's four race winning streak in the process. Kinder used his front row pole starting spot to grab the lead at the green flag over fellow heat race winner Chuck Haga and pace the 22 car starting field after 3 aborted starts. Dan Hamstra, Jason Lakey, Terry Duncan and the 6th starting Schwartz followed with all but point leader Schwartz taking the low line around the speedway. Haga applied the early pressure with Hamstra right on his tail but by lap 3 Schwartz had momentum and was side by side with Hamstra. At lap 5 he had completed the pass and was pressuring Haga for the runnerup slot which he commanded on lap 6 when Haga moved from the pole to the middle groove to try and remain in second which allowed Schwartz to roll around above him and Hamstra to nose his way underneath for the third position slipping Haga to fourth. Lap 8 at the start finish line had Kinder and Schwartz nearly even with Kinder a nose ahead. Lap 9 Denny roared by Kinder for the lead but could never get enough of a lead to shake the determined visitor. The lead would not get more than 2 lengths and Kinder started to experiment with differing lines, low in 1 and 2 then around the rim in 3 and 4, many times pulling even with Schwartz coming off of 2 and even pulling nearly a wheel ahead on lap 15 going into turn 3 but Mr. Excitement, as announcer Mike Graves calls him, was just as determined and shot back to keep the lead at the stripe. The battle up front was the headliner with third running Hamstra, Lakey and Haga all with 3 or more lengths between them. The battle for 6th was a good one as Brian McDaniel, Terry Duncan, Arby Burton and Don Kiger all in a group were doing their best to improve side by side. By lap 13 last starting Danny Schwartz had caught the swarm and was passing cars every lap moving to the front. He would follow his fathers footsteps on the high line and eventually finish 6th by getting by all the other by lap 21. Back with the leaders on lap 19 Kinder made a wonderful move going into turn 1 when they caught a couple of lapped cars with Schwartz sweeping around the high line and himself diving to the bottom nearly making the charge for the lead stick but it just wasn't quite enough to get the job done. The change would happen on lap 23 when in turn 3 and 4 (according to infield officials as I was occupied with the gaggle running for 6th) Denny got just a little higher than he wanted and had to correct slightly which allowed Kinder to attempt a pass just underneath which made for contact on Kinder's right rear quarter panel and Denny's left front tire forcing him that much higher in turn 4 making him lose control for a moment and nearly spinning to the bottom of the speedway only his own expertise and some luck keeping him from spinning or getting collected in the process but moving him back to 4th as Hamstra and Lakey move around in the mayhem. Kinder continued on to the win by 2 lengths over Hamstra with Lakey and Denny Schwartz ahead of Chuck Haga rounding out the top 5 in the green to checker 25 lap affair. Results below:
Fast time : Denny Schwartz
Heat one: Chad Kinder, Dan Hamstra, Terry Duncan, Jarred Warner
Heat two: Chuck Haga, Jason Lakey, Danny Schwartz, Brian McDaniel
Feature:
1. Chad Kinder 2. Dan Hamstra 3. Jason Lakey
4. Denny Schwartz 5. Chuck Haga 6. Danny Schwatz
7. Brian McDaniel 8. Don Kiger 9. Terry Duncan
10.Arby Burton 11.Jim Moore 12.Josh Ferguson
13.Cory Rolfe 14.Dale Hayes 15.Matt Huddleston
16.Rob Fuqua 17.Jarred Warner 18.Ron Matthys
19.Jason Day 20.Roger Cary 21.Rory Overmeyer
22.Jaret Leuck
Track was a little rough in turn three on the bottom however it didn't seem to effect the racing as there was side by side contests throughout the field as the rest of the track was smooth and racy. A total of 22 modifieds entered tonight with 98 cars total in the pit area. Modifieds were finished at 9:25 with all racing finished at 9:50. Next week will show two nights of racing with the street stocks and hornets running specials on Saturday night in conjunction with the Vermilion County fair and then back again with all four regular classes on Sunday night.
One special note: We at VCS were blessed with the presence of the one and only Drunkin Race Fan for his first visit ever to VCS and I'm sure much to his dismay the racing was over too early and it had to cut into his beer time LOL. Hope he and his "party" enjoyed their visit and will return in the near future... Glad to meet ya ( sorry I didn't ask your actual name)... See ya next weekend...

Moyer Takes 3rd Leg of The Tri Track Challenge

For the many that stayed after the $10,000 to win LM show at Vermilion County Speedway Sunday June 6 to watch the UMP modified feature event they got a treat on the smooth black somewhat rubbered track. Danny Schwartz and Chuck Haga led the 23 car field to the green and began a hornets nest of racing from front to back of the entire grid. Haga used the much used top side to grab the lead and held on for the first couple of laps when a caution flew for Tony Leuck who tried leaving the track on the first turn exit ramp but was collected by Josh Ferguson and Brian McDaniel among others who were trying to continue racing. On the restart Denny Schwartz moved to the top 4 along with Dan Hamstra joining the younger Schwartz nipping at the heals of leader Haga. With Haga holding command the latter 3 switched grooves and positions many times and pressuring Haga a few times 3 cars wide for the lead until the halfway signal on lap 13 when they finally caught Doug Mathews to attempt to put him a lap down. Using him as a pick Denny Schwartz made a move from 4th spot in turn 3 to the lead at the stripe followed by Haga, Danny Schwartz and Hamstra in tow. At lap 14 Jason Lakey lost control in turn 2 to bring out the second caution. On the ensuing restart Hamstra jumped to the bottom of the oval and powered to the runnerup slot then began pressuring Denny Schwartz for the lead. Danny meantime moved by a somewhat struggling Haga for third allowing a contiunally improving Kevin Davis and Jarrod Warner to hound the early leader for fourth. Davis moved under Haga on lap 18 with Roger Cary next in line running 6th. At lap 21 in turn 4 Davis lost control of his mount leaving Haga nowhere to go but into the spinning Davis and Cary also in the same predicament also getting collected eliminating Davis and Cary for the remainder. Haga was relegated to the rear of the field but chose to retire also. With 4 to go Denny Schwartz led with Hamstra, Danny Schwartz, Jarrod Warner who was in front of the mishap, and Wes O'Dell to the stripe. In turn one Denny Schwartz either slipped or pushed and tapped his brakes which left Hamstra no room for adjustment and contacted the rear of the leader breaking the front suspension leaving everyone else to improve a spot. Denny Schwartz held on for the last 4 laps with Warner providing the excitement pressuring Danny Schwartz for the runnerup spot but falling short. Racing was excellent tonight for the 26 entries and a total of 104 cars in the pits. Mod feature was concluded at 9:55 with all racing finished at 10:10... Cya next Sunday for a regular show..

THE 04 RICHARDSON
THRU THESE EYES
By
Jack Taylor

(5/30/04) On Sunday VCS was prepared to kick off the Eleventh Annual David Richardson Memorial Race for UMP Modifieds and Mother nature had other plans. 59 hopeful drivers and a sparse crowd gathered for the event as threatening clouds formed and created terrible conditions for all. 1997 Richardson winner, Dean Hoffman was there, as were the 2001 and the 2002 winners, Denny Schwartz and Randle Sweeney. And 1999 winner, Jeff Martin and 2000 winner, Tommy Burnside, was there to take in the racing as fans.

A well-manicured track awaited the drivers for hot-laps to start the event and the Indy 500 crowd was also looking skyward as they ran their event, which was eventually rain-shortened. Just as hot laps were to start, the skies opened and fans rushed to their cars and cover to head home disappointed and drenched. The race was postponed until Monday at 4:00 PM, thus giving traveling drivers and fans a chance to get home at an early hour. Violent storms and several tornados hit the area overnight, but VCS woke up to clear conditions and gusty winds

Monday morning, with the gates opening at 11 and hot laps at 3, the track was prepared again for racing. Additional entries swelled the numbers to 70 and we were racing. Daytime racing and blowing winds spelled the downfall for a VCS fan base which had dwindled more than the day before as the drivers were met with a dry-slick, rubbered down track, which became a challenge to tame. What is usually a masterpiece of racing surfaces was becoming unnerving to drivers and officials. The decision was made, following the semi-features to re-work the track to present fans and drivers with the best possible “B” Feature and “A” Feature possible. This required grading the surface and watering and packing. All this required time and clouds overhead were challenging again. When the “B” Feature drivers took to the track once again, the dust storm that followed, with Aaron Ricketts surviving the race over Dave Wheatley and Kyle Cooper, Ricketts took the $1,000 prize and headed home, deciding to forego his opportunity to race in the “A” Main. The feature race cars took the track and as the green flew for them, the dust storm was enough to keep the flagman from seeing the field. The race was halted to apply more water as the cars were pulled into the infield. As they took the field again, the heavens opened and the racing was halted for the day. As this is written, there is no winner of the 11^th Annual Richardson Memorial. When will you have that many good drivers together again?

"B" MAIN WINNER AARON RICKETTS WITH VCS PAGEANT GIRLS
(All Photo by Duane Vogel)

I did see Matt Boknecht, Jeff Leka and Steve Ott start the program with a great race in the first heat. And I witnessed an exciting dual between two former winners, Dean Hoffman and Denny Schwartz. And I saw Matt Bachman hold off Jim Shereck and Lance Dehm in an exciting 5^th heat. And the consolation races were good.
And I saw Steve Hillard, former VCS track champion and former 1997 UMP National champion pilot a modified in competition again. And I saw a lot of old friends again.

But none of us saw the crowning of the Richardson champ of 2004.
The rained out feature only for the David Richardson Memorial will be ran prior to the regular scheduled show on Aug. 8.

Summary
from
Chris Nunn

HEAT ONE: Matt Boknecht, Jeff Leka, Steven Ott, Kevin Hastings, Kyle Cooper, Joel Funk Jr, Ed Roley, Jason Hastings, Chris Veach, Bobby Pearson, Rich Issacson, Mickey Bailey

HEAT TWO: Dan Hamstra, Danny Schwartz, Arby Burton, Dave Porth, Lee Hobbs, Steve Hillard, Ed Shamhart, Brad Crosby, Clayton Miller, Marvin Burton, Joe David Turner, McKay Wenger

HEAT THREE: Dean Hoffman, Denny Schwartz, Scott Bull, Shelby Miles, Earl Plessinger, Clint Demoss, Aaron Ricketts, Broc Burton, Don Kiger, Tommy Kroll, Jeff Curl, Judas Bowling

HEAT FOUR: Josh Ferguson, Jeff Bland Jr, Kevin Davis, Kyle Byerline, Jay Ledford, Paul Miles, Roben Huffman, Brady Short, Larry Cunningham, Brian McDaniel, Cory Rolfe

HEAT FIVE: Matt Bachman, Jim Shereck, Lance Dehm, Brent Londeree, Rob Fuqua, Elvin Herschberger, Daryl Herbert, Jarrod Warner, Larry Raines, Matt Huddleston, Gabe Menser

HEAT SIX: Roger Cary, John DeMoss, Chad Kinder, Randle Sweeney, Jason Lakey, Tim O'Donnell, Dave Wheatley, Dennis Wilson, Ron Matthys, Rocky Griffin, Dale Hayes

CONSI ONE: Dave Porth, Ed Roley, Steven Ott, Lee Hobbs, Kyle Cooper, Clayton Miller, Kevin Hastings, Jason Hastings, Joe David Turner, Mickey Bailey, Chris Veach, Bobby Pearson, McKay Wenger, Rich Issacson, Arby Burton, Joel Funk Jr, Steve Hillard, Marvin Burton, Ed Shamhart, Brad Crosby

CONSI TWO: Kevin Davis, Earl Plessinger, Scott Bull, Aaron Ricketts, Roben Huffman, Shelby Miles, Clint DeMoss, Paul Miles, Kyle Byerline, Jay Ledford, Brian McDaniel, Don Kiger, Broc Burton, Brady Short, Tommy Kroll, Larry Cunningham, Jeff Curl, Cory Rolfe, Judas Bowling

CONSI THREE: Chad Kinder, Randle Sweeney, Lance Dehm, Dave Wheatley, Dennis Wilson, Rocky Griffin, Tim O'Donnell, Rob Fuqua, Gabe Menser, Jason Lakey, Daryl Herbert, Dale Hayes, Larry Raines, Ron Matthys, Matt Huddleston, Jarrod Warner, Elvin Herschberger, Brent Londeree

$1,000 TO WIN B-MAIN: Aaron Ricketts, Dave Wheatley, Kyle Cooper, Brian McDaniel, Shelby Miles, Roben Huffman, Kevin Hastings, Clint Demoss, Jason Lakey, Rob Fuqua, Mickey Bailey, Gabe Menser, Jason Hastings, Kyle Byerline, Joe David Turner, Rocky Griffin, Clayton Miller, Jay Ledford, Daryl Herbert, Dennis Wilson, Lee Hobbs

DAVID RICHARDSON MEMORIAL FEATURE RAINED OUT AFTER RACE WAS STOPPED DUE TO DUST FACTOR AND REWATER. RAIN BEGAN TO FALL AS THE CARS WERE PULLING BACK ONTO THE TRACK. WILL BE RESUMED AT A LATER DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED

Chris Nunn

O'NEAL- SCHWARTZ WIN AGAIN AT VCS
By Namgalf and Chris Nunn
(4-16-04)
UMP LATE MODELS
FEATURE
1. Don O'Neal- Martinsville, IN 2. Kevin Weaver- Gibson City, IL . Rodney Melvin- Logan, IL 4. Eric Smith- Bloomington, IL 5. Duke Whiseant- Texarkana, AR 6. Dennis Erb Jr.- Carpentersville, IL 7. Michael Bradley- Paris, IL
8. Brian Shirley- Springfield, IL 9. Duane Chamberlain- Richmond, IN 10. R.J. Gall- Dwight, IL
11. Wes Steidinger- Fairbury, IL 12. Roger Long- Fithian, IL 13. Jason Feger- Bloomington, IL
14. Chris Carlson- Greenfield, WI 15. Randy Korte- Highland, IL 16. Steve Barnett- Franklin, IN
17. Richie Hedrick- Urbana, IL 18. Kyle Logue- Oreana, IL 19. Brett Davis- Bloomington, IN
20. Rick Aukland- Zanesville, OH

UMP MODIFIEDS

HEAT RESULTS (Top Four Transfer)

HEAT ONE: Denny Schwartz, Chuck Haga, Jason Lakey, Josh Ferguson

HEAT TWO: Elvin Herschberger, Arby Burton, Danny Schwartz, Bryan McDaniel

HEAT THREE: Scott Bull, Rob Fuqua, Dan Hamstra, Kevin DeYoung

HEAT FOUR: Jarred Warner, Aaron Ricketts, Brad Crosby, Dennis Hux

CONSI ONE: Steven Ott, Kevin Davis

CONSI TWO: Don Kiger, Dale Hayes

FEATURE:
1. 21S Denny Schwartz 2. 7 Elvin Herschberger 3. 1H Chuck Haga 4. 21D Danny Schwartz
5. 11 Jarred Warner 6. 95 Aaron Ricketts 7. 23 Dan Hamstra 8. T33 Tim O'Donnell
9. 97 Arby Burton 10. J16 Jason Lakey 11. 37M Bryan McDaniel 12. 01 Don Kiger
13. 83 Scott Bull 14. 0TT Steven Ott 15. 3F Rob Fuqua 6. D8 Kevin Davis 17. 27 Brad Crosby
18. 13 Kevin DeYoung 19. 02 Dale Hayes 20. 55 Dennis Hux
Hey Chris thanks now I don't have to do the results at least. Sunday nights racing took on the opposite looks of the previous weeks in that there was definitely one fast groove, that being the top with a cushion, and Denny Schwartz definitely took advantage of that by charging to the lead in turn one on the start in front of fellow front row starter Elvin Herschberger and leading all 25 laps of the main. Although the rest of the track was racy and smooth the cushion provided a power lane that couldn't be matched and Schwartz used that to hold the lead that ranged from 5 lengths to 2 lengths until lap 23 when the second lapped car of Brad Crosby held him up some allowing Herschberger to close the gap right to his rear bumper and even making a little contact with the leader but not having enough to get by. Fifth starting Chuck Haga used the bottom until getting the 3rd position then moved to the rim followed by high side riding Danny Schwartz, started 10th, and very smooth and consistent Jarred Warner (4th starter). There were a total of 36 modifieds entered with a whopping 126 total cars signed into the pits. Modifieds were finished at 9:40 with their feature event , UMP Late Models at 10:10 (ceremonies finished up) and all racing done just before 10:30. Next week will be a regular show at VCS with the UMP modifieds headlining along with the Superstreets, streets and hornets. CYA Sunday..

IF YOU MISSED SUNDAY AT VCS
By Namgalf

(5-09-04)You missed one whale of a show in the UMP modified feature. Whether it be you stayed home because of Mother's Day or because of Sunday or even you were too tired from the weekend of racing Friday and Saturday it was your loss. Racing all over the track from top to bottom everywhere, side by side racing without contact, position changes from lap to lap and many times during the lap that couldn't be counted all fans and racers got their money's worth last night including the modified feature checkered falling at 9:40. The evenings events got rolling with Chuck Haga setting fast time for the 28 mods signing in allowing for three heats being won by Jason Lakey, Cory Rolfe, and newcomer to the track Ryan Thomas. Those three made up the first three spots come feature time followed by Dan Hamstra, Denny Schwartz and Brian McDaniel. At the start Lakey jumped to the lead and held to the hub of the big 1/4 mile oval with Rolfe getting a bad start allowing Hamstra, Schwartz and the rest of the swarm behind to begin the excitement. Lakey and Hamstra with Chuck Haga ran in line on the bottom with Schwartz leading a small contingent to the rim followed by Rolfe, Thomas and Brian McDaniel. A lap three caution for a spinning Jarred Warner made for a single file start. On the restart the lead group pretty much stayed the same for a couple of laps until Arby Burton was looped in turn 4. Heres where the excitement really leaps. After this restart Schwartz moved to the top again and made the move around Haga for third with Tim O'Donnell moving to the top along with Danny Schwartz from their 11th and 19th starting spots respectively. At lap 8 Denny was able to pull even with Hamstra on the front stretch and show him that there may be another spot to run on the speedway. One lap later Hamstra moved to the top and began the hunt for the leader whom stayed right on the inside tires all the way around. Haga took this opportunity to move right in behind Lakey beginning a 13 lap dice for positions that had everyone wondering who would come out on top. Lap 11 saw Hamstra move to nearly a wheel behind at the flagstand with Haga and Denny Schwarta side by side for 3rd right on the lead duo's heals. By this time Scott Bull had moved in to join the fight for 5th along with Danny Schwartz and Ryan Thomas all within 4 car lengths of the leader. At halfway the lead and remaining postitions would change many time but at the line every time Lakey would wind up out front and Haga would move under Hamstra for the runnerup slot. Lap 14 saw Hamstra fight back for the second spot and Haga fighting with all he had with Schwartz for third. Lap 15 finally had Hamstra get a half car length for the lead with Lakey second and Schwartz now hounding Hamstra and Lakey for the lead. The next go round Lakey fought back to take the lead with Hamstra second and Haga rallying for third. All of this had everyone excited but the icing was Danny Schwartz running his dad down along with Bull and Thomas getting their 2 cents in all within the aforementioned 7 cars in a 4 length area without touching each other. And so it went back and forth many times with Lakey always managing to hold on to the top spot every lap until they finally caught a lapped car on lap 22 for the first time. Ron Matthys was minding his p's and q's well but probably had that deer in the headlight look when the hive of leaders ran him down in turn one which allowed Hamstra to get the lead on lap 24 coming through turn 2 however Roger Mills lost control of his mount in turn 4 negating the change in lead. The slowdown proved to be the downfall of the Schwartz family as first Denny pulled off to the pits and a caution lap late Danny left turned to the infield for the last 2 laps. On the restart for the green white checker finish Lakey held on with Hamstra falling a length short and Haga right there. The much improving Bull followed by a persistent Tim O'Donnell rounded out the top 5. Results below:
Fast time: Chuck Haga
First heat: Jason Lakey, Dan Hamstra, Chuck Haga, Don Kiger
Heat two: Cory Rolfe, Denny Schwartz, Scott Bull, Tim O'Donnell
Heat three: Ryan Thomas, Brian McDaniel, Arby Burton, Phil Van Sant
Consi transfers: Danny Schwartz, Kevin DeYoung
Feature:
1. Jason Lakey 2. Dan Hamstra 3. Chuck Haga
4. Scott Bull 5. Tim O'Donnell 6. Josh Ferguson
7. Don Kiger 8. Cory Rolfe 9. Ryan Thomas
10.Brian McDaniel 11.Kevin DeYoung 12.Jamey Henson
13.Jarred Warner 14.Phil VanSant 15.Ron Matthys
16.Roger Mills 17.Danny Schwartz 18.DennySchwartz 19.Arby Burton 20.Mike Parker
Not only was the top 7 close racing but back to the 14 spot or so all drivers were close racing with many cars sharing and changing positions. Track was excellent with racing grooves anywhere and everywhere they wished to race. Want to wish Richie Hedrick a speedy recovery as in his heat race the new car he was debuting blew what appeared to be the transmission and the drive shaft made it to the cockpit injuring his hip and requiring a trip to the hospital where it was determined to be a deep bruise. Also would like to thank the new drivers for making the trip to VCS including Ryan Thomas, Kevin DeYoung, Roger Mills, Ron Matthys and Matt Huddleston. All classes were finished racing at 10:10 and there were a total of 104 cars in the pits. Next week the UMP late models make a return to the Danville Illinois oval with a Challenge of Champions race along with the UMP modifieds, super streets and street class. Gates open at 4 with the draw ending at 6, hot laps at 6 and racing at 7pm. Cya next Sunday.

DON O'NEAL TAKES NALMS WIN AT VCS
SCHWARTZ WINS SECOND STRAIGHT IN MODS WITH 52 ON HAND
from Chris Nunn
NALMS P..R.

Don O'Neal-Winner (Photo by Shawn Crose)
39 Late Models

FAST QUALIFIER: Joe Harlan (13.145) NTR

HEAT ONE: Kyle Logue, Jason Feger, Justin Allgaier, Joe Harlan, Wes Steidinger, Frank Heckenast, Kerry Mathew, Mark Voigt, Dick Potts

HEAT TWO: Eric Smith, Mike Mataragas, Duane Chamberlain, Roger Long, Dan Walden, Don Hammer, Dick Phillips, Jayme Zidar, Scott Duvall

HEAT THREE: Steve Barnett, Brian Shirley, Jammie Wilson, Zach Carney, Rob Toland, Chris Dick, Shawn Negangard, Kevin Weaver, RJ Gall, Steve Sheppard, Jr

HEAT FOUR: Don O'Neal, Rohn Moon, Dennis Erb Jr, Shannon Babb, Richie Hedrick, Juan Grino, Sherri Heckenast, Cory Rolfe Ed Woodward, Kevin Madison

CONSI 1: Wes Steidinger, Dan Walden, Jayme Zidar, Dick Phillips, Frank Heckenast, Kerry Mathew, Don Hammer

CONSI 2: Chris Dick, Rob Toland, Richie Hedrick, Kevin Weaver, Shawn Negangard, Sherri Heckenast, RJ Gall, Steve Sheppard Jr, Juan Grino, Cory Rolfe, Ed Woodward, Kevin Madison, Mark Voigt

FEATURE: Don O'Neal, Brian Shirley, Eric Smith, Rohn Moon, Shannon Babb, Jason Feger, Steve Barnett, Dennis Erb Jr, Joe Harlan, Kevin Weaver, Wes Steidinger, Roger Long, Justin Allgaier, Kyle Logue, Jammie Wilson, Mark Voigt, Dan Walden, Zach Carney, Mike Mataragas, Jayme Zidar, Rob Toland, Chris Dick

VCS Track Action-Kevin Weaver and Wes Steidinger (photo by Shawn Crose)

**Contingency Award Recipients**

FS Fuel Consi Runner Up Award- Richie Hedrick

K-Motion Feature Winner- Don O'Neal

Petersen Aluminum Fast Time- Joe Harlan

PPM Racing Products Hard Charger- Shannon Babb

Wick Oil Company and Sunoco Hard Luck Award- Duane Chamberlain

Scott Performance Wire Heat Race Winner (Heat 3)- Steve Barnett

Dyers Rods Pole Position- Don O'Neal
******************************
By Namgalf
(4/25/04)A whopping 52 UMP modifieds signed in to the Vermilion County Speedway Sunday night April 25 along with the Northern All Star Late Models, super streets and street classes making for a total of 156 cars in the pits. The 5 heat races transferring the top 3 to the main event and the top 3 finishers in 3 consi's made for a 24 car field. Chuck Haga and Jason Lakey led the field to the start with Denny Schwartz and Dan Hamstra making up row 2. Joel Funk and Tony Roland rounded out row 3. On the get go Haga got the jump with Lakey, Hamstra and Schwartz right on his bumper. Almost immediatly Lakey began to fade allowing Schwartz to follow Haga and Hamstra in the top 3. Unnoticed from his 18th starting spot was Tim O'Donnell who was on a tear through the field up to 8th by lap 5. The lead duo chose the hub of the multi grooved track with Schwartz attacking the rim along with O'Donnell who had significant help advancing when Tony Roland got into Joel Funk while jostling for the 6th spot turning Funk around then involving unlucky Kyle Cooper and Todd Kirkland all whom stopped except Roland. Per VCS rules Roland plus the stopped cars were sent to the rear of the field for the restart. After the restart Schwartz and O'Donnell continued their pressure of the front runners and on lap 6 Schwartz swung around Hamstra with O'Donnell simultaniously making the move to 4th . Two laps later on lap 8 the dual ballet continued with Schwartz moving around leading Haga and O'Donnell around Hamstra for 3rd. With battles all around the track Schwartz stretched his lead to half a straight when on lap 18 O'Donnell finally made work of Haga and began a charge to catch the leader. At lap 22 Hamstra made the move under Haga for the third slot. At the white flag Tim had cut the lead to two lengths when going down the back stretch Marvin Burton looped his mount in turn 4 to bring out the caution. The single file start allowed no changes in the front running group with Schwartz capturing the win followed by O'Donnell, Hamstra, Haga, and 15th starting Chad Kinder. Results below:
Heat 1: Chuck Haga, Tony Roland, Todd Kirkland, Craig Conyer (1 & 2 photo)
Heat 2: Jason Lakey, Nick Allen, Jeff Bland Jr., Jarrod Warner
Heat 3: Denny Schwartz, Mike Parker, Kyle Cooper, Bub Patrick
Heat 4: Dan Hamstra, Danny Schwartz, Kevin Davis, Jamey Henson
Heat 5: Joel Funk, Richie Hedrick, Chad Kinder, Steve Ott
Transfers from 3 consi's: Tim O'Donnell, Kelly Kovski, Steve Ott, Jarrod Warner, Roger Cary, Marvin Burton, Rob Fuqua, Don Kiger

Denny Schwartz-Winner (Photo by Shawn Crose)
Feature finish:
1. Denny Schwartz 2. Tim O'Donnell 3. Dan Hamstra
4. Chuck Haga 5. Chad Kinder 6. Don Kiger
7. Jeff Bland Jr. 8. Jarrod Warner 9. Rob Fuqua
10.Nick Allen 11.Steve Ott 12.Joel Funk
13.Roger Cary 14.Marvin Burton 15.Kevin Davis
16.Tony Roland 17.Scott Bull 18.Jason Lakey
19.Kelly Kovski 20.Kyle Cooper 21.Todd Kirkland
22.Mike Parker 23.Danny Schwartz 24.Richie Hedrick
Weather was chilly and windy however kudos to the track crew with the inclimate weather the entire week the track was great. Smooth from top to bottom with a cushion at the very top allowing for movement from the rear and side by side racing. O'Donnell came from 18th to finish 2nd, Kinder from 15th to 5th, Kiger for shotgun on the field to 6th and Warner from near the tail to his 8th spot. Feature was finished at 10:40 with all racing over at 11:20. Next Sunday is a regular show with the UMP modifieds, super streets, streets and hornets scheduled. Gates open at 4pm with hot laps at 6 and racing at 7. Cya Sunday.

SCHWARTZ WINS NIGHT TWO
By Namgalf

(4-18-04)Denny Schwartz posted a victory Sunday April 18 at Vermilion County Speedway in Danville Illinois for the UMP modifieds. The very competitive feature event got off to a rousing start with front row starters Clint DeMoss and Marvin Burton leading the field of 23 to the green. Second row starters Denny Schwartz and Dan Hamstra jumped to the fray right off the bat with Hamstra outdeuling the other trio for the lead at the end of lap 1. Schwartz followed on lap 3 by taking the runner-up slot from DeMoss. Burton was forced to the top of the speedway allowing the front runners to pull away somewhat. Burton along with Brent Londeree, Chuck Haga, Richie Hedrick and Rob Fuqua dicing for the following positions a couple of lengths arrears. Schwartz patiently hounded Hamstra right on his rear bumper and even getting alongside a couple of times then began searching for another line to take the top spot. At lap 12 Schwartz had figured out that high in turns one and two then low in 3 and 4 seemed to be the combination and used the higher groove to take the lead coming out of 2 on lap 14. Hedrick had also used the top of the clay oval to move to third by this time and was making progress toward the top 2 slowly. The only caution flew at lap 16 for a spinning Aaron Ricketts at the beginning of the main straight. Schwartz had the lapped car of Randy Shuman as a buffer from Hamstra then a lapped car of Abe Helford before Hedrick, John DeMoss and Chuck Haga. The resumption showed Shuman's sportsmanship as he allowed Hamstra to immediately move by and allow his pursuit. The following top runners had to work their way by Helford and took until lap 18 to clear him. Haga calmly moved under DeMoss then made fairly easy work of Hedrick and took off after the top 2 although behind by about 8 lengths. Easily the fastest of the leaders Haga caught Hamstra at lap 21 then moved under him in turn 1 and 2 on lap 23 to take the runner-up slot. Using the remaining laps to close up on Schwartz, Haga could not muster up a move to take the lead which Schwartz used to take the win. Richie Hedrick held on to fourth with John DeMoss rounding out the top 5. Results below:
Fast time : Dan Hamstra
Heat one: Clint DeMoss, Dan Hamstra, Brent Londeree, Roger Cary
Heat two: Marvin Burton, Chuck Haga, Richie Hedrick, Arby Burton
Heat three: Denny Schwartz, Rob Fuqua, Aaron Ricketts, Jason Lakey
Feature:
1. Denny Schwartz 2. Chuck Haga 3. Dan Hamstra
4. Richie Hedrick 5. John DeMoss 6. Brent Londeree
7. Rob Fuqua 8. Roger Cary 9. Marvin Burton
10.Mike Parker 11.Clint DeMoss 12.Jason Lakey
13.Arby Burton 14.Jamey Henson 15.Jarred Warner
16.Scott Bull 17.Jim Moore 18.Cory Rolfe
19.Aaron Ricketts 20.Abe Helford 21.Randy Shuman
22.Josh Ferguson 23.Danny Schwartz
With a very warm sunny and very windy day and evening the track surprisingly held up very well. Only one re-watering was required which allowed multiple grooves for excellent racing during the features. Of the 23 cars starting 22 finished the 25 lap event with only 3 of the starters being lapped. A total of 26 modifieds signed in for tonights racing and a total of 94 cars in the pits. Even with a roll over in the hornet feature and the re-watering of the track all racing was done at 10:05. Modified feature was done at 9:35. Next week is the first Late Model race of the year with the Northern All Star Late Models making their first appearance with the UMP modifieds, Super streets and Streets. Adult admission is $15. Pit passes additional $10. Cya next Sunday with gates open at 4 and hot laps approx. 6pm. Draw stops at 6pm sharp.

From Shipjumper99
(4-11-04)

Fast Time Denny Schwartz 14.775

Heat Winners,
Chuck Haga
Brian McDaniel
Dan Hamstra

Feature
Dan Hamstra
Chuck Haga
Denny Schwartz
Don Kiger
Jason Lakey


Chad Kinder and Roger Cary lead others into sixth heat race.	Jeff Leka, Buffalo, Il	Dan Hamstra and Arby Burton set field for second heat race.

Jim Shereck, St. Louis, Mo.	Eldon Herschberger, Indiana	Randle Sweeney, Clifty, Ky