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  After a week's delay, great racing and fireworks were in good supply this weekend for the fans and for the 130 race teams that showed up from the three state area to compete at 24 Raceway. This includes the 37 A-modifieds teams that came to take their shot at winning the Firecracker Forty, sponsored by L&J Development of Moberly. Somewhere around 1500 race fans in both the grandstands and pit area got to see this 40 lap feature race with the $1000 winnings going to car number 3, Kelly Shyrock out of Fertile, Iowa. From the start of the main feature of 24 cars, Shyrock put on a great dual with Bowling Green's pole sitter Vance Wilson. It was a clean race with 17 laps in until the first caution came from the #20 car of Jon Melloway shredding the right rear tire. Then, two laps later, the A-mods of Cecil Graves' #M1 and Ronnie Gough's #79 both spun in turn one, bringing out the second caution flag. Both front row starters of Wilson and Shyrock continued to put on the consummate battle with each other until Lap 25, when the #66 car of Wilson's slowed, barely brushed the wall and then retired from the race with a mechanical failure, finishing the night at 20th. Shryock then had his hands full from the challenge of Mark Burgtorf's #69M car from Quincy, Illinois, until Lap 38 when Terry Cox, driving the #22C out of Troy, Missouri, hit the turn three wall and spun. By this time, there were enough caution laps in to stop the field for a splash of fuel (pre-planned with one fuel man per car allowed over the wall in the event of 15 cautions laps).

  After the restart, it was the #3 car fending off strong challenges from the 2nd place finishing car #45 of Tony Fraise, Donnellson, IA; the 3rd place modified of Hank Delonjay, #35, also out of Quincy; and a hard charging #31, Steve Cain from Columbia placing 4th, with Roger Mosier from Auxvasse coming in at 5th in his 27M. The four heat winners were Burgtorf, Shryock, Wilson and Kelly Smith from Kirksville in his #0. The A consy race to get into the main was won by Fraise, followed by Melloway from Hallsville, and Mike Edwards in car #6 and the #00 A-mod of Rick Girard, both from Columbia. The B consy had Cox winning, followed by Sonny Kimberling of Slater in the #02k car, Melloway, and Kieth Davis in the #30 from Columbia filling out the top 24 car field.

  Thanks again to Lara and Jeff Lawrence of Moberly with L&J Development for their association with this Firecracker Forty. A special thanks to Dave Kinder for the use of his new Hummer to lead the pace before each race of the evening, even though his #23 A-mod didn't get to make the feature. His pace car was driven by Jim Brittingham and led six of the seven classes to a green flag start with two pace laps each time.

 The Hobby Stocks began the night again with their feature. The #11w Nova of Michael Wolfe started up front and led all laps with Robbie Dodge from Jacksonville in the #21D coming in a strong second. Tim Dawson of Calleo finished 3rd in the #28, but failed to preserve his winning streak, letting Wolfe claim the Pepsi Challenge prize of and extra $50. That older Nova generated some complaints though, and will have to remedy the air breather situation before returning to compete in the Hobby class.

  As always on their once-a-month visit to Moberly, the Dwarf Cars came to show once again how a good clean race can be entertaining to the fans, even if the 69B car of Justin Bucholz started in the front and led all laps to the checker flag. The Pleasant Hill, Illinois driver left the 7S of New London's Craig Spegal battling for 2nd with Benny Burnett from Vandalia in his #40, but Burnett had to settle for 3rd. These cars out of the northeast Missouri area certainly do put on a great show.

  The Hornet class simply had some problems getting started, stemming from a few too many jump starts coming out of turn four (and that's putting it mildly). After the fifth try at a green flag, the pack made it only to turn one when an incident caused the #33 car that was once proudly owned and driven by Kristi Chase of Clark, to become airborne and do a roll over, causing a red flag. After the tow off and cleanup, the Hornets were back under way, but for only another lap before the 24/7 car of David Lorton got caught up in another incident and did a roll over too, when going into turn four. By this time, the #69 car of Moberly's Blake Fishbeck was disqualified for some rough driving, thereby eliminating any Pepsi Challenge bonus $ for the race. Rob Chase settled in to win the race with his #3 car (in a similar paint scheme to his wife's), followed by Jeromy Milnes from Moberly in the #14.

  The Thunder Trucks started with the #00 owned by Dean Still and being driven this week by Jimmy McKenny from Linneus, followed by the #3 of Moberly's Dave Kinder, and then the #18 of Clark's Rick Thompson. And that is the same order they went on to finish in.

  In the Sportsman class, Jeff Creed's #01 started on the pole and went out front after a caution to lead the rest of the race. Cairo's season points leader Creed left the pack of 16 others behind in an extremely strong racecar, and with his second consecutive win will have the Pepsi Challenge setup of $50 going to any other Sportsman car that can defeat him on the track on the next race night.

  And the final race event for the evening was the B-mods with a large field of 28 cars. Eliminating four cars in the heats before getting to the feature, the night wrapped up with the #82 of Kelly Smith taking his season leading 4th win of the year. Bob Woodrow's #3 from Perry took 2nd, with Chris Leathers from Macon in 3rd with car #17, and Moberly's Mike McCarty finishing out in 4th. It was another good B-mod race with only two cautions for the night.

  Bike winners for the Junior Race Fan Club this evening were Dakota Uppinghouse, age 8 from Hannibal, and a second winner Daniel M. Woods from Columbia. Many thanks to the week's sponsors for the first of the two kid's bicycle giveaways going to Graphic Impressions of Kirksville, run by Lacey Harrelson with the solutions to your graphic printing and layouts, and more thanks for the second bike from co-sponsors Jeff Creed of Cairo (the #01 of the Creed Racing team in the Sportsman class) teaming up with Benner Construction of Randolph County. Next week's bicycle co-sponsors for the bike program are Rick & Barbara Thompson with R&B Construction of Clark (racing in the Thunder Truck class), Steve Roberts and Jerry Taylor of Moberly (racing the 27t n the B-mod class). And more thanks to Graphic Impressions for the three stuffed bears that were given away as well as to all the sponsors of the numerous prizes won by both adults and kids alike. The large 50/50 pot of $253 was won by John Occry of Columbia, and made his 40 mile trip well worth the drive. The late night fireworks display at the end of a long night of racing was furnished by J & M Displays out of Yarmouth, Iowa. This show went off without a glitch and received many kudos from the crowd and race teams alike.

  Sam Smith has still more driver profiles being added to the website, along with various bits and pieces. Revised results from last Saturday, July 10 are attached again with the number of cars starting each feature in parenthesis. The results, as well the list of season points accumulated by the drivers, can be viewed after each Monday on our website of www.24racewayinmoberly.com.

  Coming up this Saturday evening at 24 Raceway, Moberly, Missouri, is Fan Appreciation Night, with reduced ticket prices of $6 for adults and kids 12 & under are free, free, free! And an orange and white modified racecar being shown at the track, without the engine/transmission, is to be raffled soon with ticket prices at only $5 a chance! Don't miss the chance to get these tickets while you can by purchasing them at the grandstand sign-up area where the other prize give-aways are displayed. You do not have to be present to win, but the best way to get one is to come to the races and enter!.

  Dirt Track Racing at Its Best begins at 7pm with a driver's meeting, then hot laps, starting at 6pm. Remember, this week the kids are free for 12 and under, and adults are only $6 for the grandstands. Pit passes are $20. Brought to you in part by Bentz GM Country of Macon and the Best Western / Moberly Inn.

  Ron Lueck - Track Spokesman