by Rocky Ragusa

(6/15/13) Following the 2012 race season at the Fairbury American Legion Speedway, track officials went to work on the racetrack. The top groove of the track seemed to be the fastest way around and officials wanted to make the bottom and middle work, as well. Drivers that normally ran the top in the early 2013 races had their problems making their cars work on the top. After a caution flag with six laps to go, Daren Friedman made the top groove work and won the $2,000 to win, Bob and Pappy Allen Memorial race for the UMP Dirt Car Late Models.

Pole sitter Derek Chandler took an early lead in the 30 lap contest, with Torin Mettille, Joe Harlan, Eric Smith, and Daren Friedman following. After back to back cautions on lap three, Chandler led, as Harlan raced with Mettille for second. Trailing several car lengths back, Smith running the bottom and Friedman at the top, ran side by side, in a battle for fourth. On the ninth circuit, Chandler encountered slower cars. Harlan had gotten by Mettille two laps prior and was able to claim the lead from Chandler. Chandler jumped the berm allowing Mettille and Smith to get by. Slower cars that were racing for position allowed Mettille and Smith to close the margin on Harlan. On lap 18, Mettille pulled alongside of Harlan, and on the next lap Mettille moved into the lead. Mettille led by 5 car lengths as Harlan and Smith raced side by side for second. Smith took the second position with 9 laps to go. Cars were running single file and with 7 laps left, Smith slowed in turn four, causing Friedman, Harlan, Chandler, and Donny Walden to make contact. The caution came out with six laps to go. With the track clean and green, Friedman made his move and ran the high side of the track. Taking the lead on the next lap, Friedman powered his way to a five car length lead and picked up his second win of the weekend. Mettille, Smith, Harlan, Mike Mullvain, Jay Morris, Walden, Aaron Ricketts, Bill Hough, and Kenny Adams took the top ten positions. Hough was the race’s hard charger. Chandler, Mettille, and Harlan were heat race victors. Chandler set fast time at a 12.987.

by Rocky Ragusa

(6/8/13) Debuting a new race car before an enthusiastic crowd, Richard Craven got the hat trick Saturday night by setting fast time, winning his heat race and then taking the $800-to-win feature at Fairbury American Legion Speedway. Craven, the defending sportsman track champion, missed the first two races at FALS because he was preparing the new race car for competition.

Pole sitter Craven raced side by side for five laps with Jimmy Dehm before taking sole possession of the lead. While working slower traffic on the 11th lap, Craven made contact with the slower car of Michael Maestes to bring out a caution flag. After the track was cleared, Dehm made several attempts to overtake Craven but Craven was able to pull away. Dustin Mounce and Richie Rich trailed the leaders by 10 car lengths before Mounce was able to break away from Rich and close the margin on Dehm. With five laps to go, Craven held a half-straight away lead and Mounce had caught up to Dehm. Mounce went to the top of the track to get by Dehm on the 18th circuit but time ran out as Craven cruised to the win.

“Everything on this car is brand new,” Craven said after the feature victory. “The guy that built my car had been in the hospital and I didn’t want to race without him. The car was awesome.” Mounce, Dehm, Jim Felker and Rich made the top five while Troy Dodson, Paul Graf, Timmy Dick, Ryan Huddleston and Scott Hatzer completed the top 10. Dehm and Rich joined Craven as heat race winners and Hatzer was the race’s hard charger.

Don Hilleary survived a rash of challengers to take his first win of the season in the 15-lap street stock race. Rick Thomas (second) and Lukes Gash (third) tried several times to take the lead, but Hilleary held on in a tight finish. “I’m usually running the top of the track, knocking down the walls, but running the low side paid off,” Hilleary said. “Rick and I are good friends. I want to thank him for racing me clean.” Thomas, Gash, Darrin Kohler and Matt Maier rounded out the top five and Nick Clubb, Terry Miller, Lee Hall, Alex Clubb and A.J. Meiferdt completed the top 10. Hilleary, Maier and Gash won heat races. Miller won the semi and Kohler was the hard charger of the race.

The 20-lap modified race was a barn-burner with Jay Ledford finding a way to take the checkered flag. Jeb Friedman took an early five-car length lead over the field of drivers. Four cautions in the first 10 laps kept the field bunched up and allowed drivers to cool their tires. Jim Farris followed in second while Jeff Curl and Lance Dehm raced for third with Dave Porth following. Curl was able to break free from Dehm after a caution on lap 3. Following another caution on lap 6, Curl tried several lines on the track to get by Farris, but Farris prevailed and pulled away from Curl. Friedman was enjoying a straight away lead by lap 10. Jay Ledford began to make his presence known. Running the top of the track, Ledford quickly got by Curl to move into third. A caution came out on lap 14 as Phil Line and Jared Cagley made contact in turn four. With the track cleared, Ledford got by Farris to move into second. On the 17th circuit, Ledford moved into the lead and after another caution on lap 18, Ledford was able to turn back the challenge from Friedman to take a much needed win.

“When Lance went to the bottom, I didn’t think we would have anything up on the top,” Ledford said afterward. “We keep on digging and digging. “I want to dedicate this win to Gary Cook Jr. and my wife, who had surgery this past week. I also want to thank my crew for all their hard work.” Gary Cook Jr., a three-time modified champion at FALS, lost his battle with cancer on Sunday.

by Rocky Ragusa

(5/18/13) It was another typical Saturday night of racing action at the Fairbury American Legion Speedway. A large crowd witnessed plenty of door handle to door handle, three and four wide racing.

The featured event of the night was a 30-lap, $2,000 to win, UMP vs. ALMS series race. 41 drivers from seven states vied for a starting position in the main event. Two time track champion Eric Smith set quick time at a 12.740. Shannon Babb, Kevin Weaver, Smith, and Brian Shirley took heat race wins, while Scott Schmitt and Torin Mettille advanced to the feature by winning the semi features.

Babb and Weaver took the green flag from starter Jim Whittington and fourth starting Shirley took a brief lead, before Weaver took over on lap two. After cautions on lap two and three Babb used the top groove to take second from Shirley, as Weaver opened up a five car length lead. On lap seven, Shirley went to the top of the track to get by Babb and closed up to Weaver, with Babb on Shirley’s bumper. The following lap, Shirley tried to take the top spot, but Weaver held on. 19^th starter, Brandon Sheppard, quickly moved into the top five and battled with Scott Bull for the fourth position. As the top three drivers were able to run three wide for first place, Bull and Sheppard closed the margin on the front threesome. Weaver stuck to the bottom of the track, while Babb, who moved into second, and Shirley, tried the top and middle to take the lead. Shirley came back to take second back, but in the closing laps, jumped the cushion, allowing Babb to take second back.  Weaver and Babb ran side by side for several laps, before Weaver was able to hold on at the checkered for his first win of the 2013 season. Babb took second, over defending track champion Scott Bull, Donny Walden, Shirley, Steve Sheppard Jr., Ryan Unzicker, Smith, Daren Friedman, and Brandon Sheppard. Brandon Sheppard was the race’s hard charger.

A surprising Chris Gaither took his first ever quick time at a 14.530 over 30 other UMP Modified drivers. Jeff Leka, Jamie Lomax, Justin Delong, and Jeff Curl won heat races, with Phil Line taking the semi feature. Pole sitter Curl jumped out to a 10 car length lead over Leka, Delong, and Lomax. Dave Porth, who started 12^th, quickly moved into 7^th, and joined Joel Funk and Travis Kohler in a race for fifth. Bad luck struck Porth on lap eight, as he brought out a caution for spinning out in turn four. With the track cleared, Curl, again opened up a 10 car length lead, while Delong used the double file restart to his advantage and took second from Leka. At the halfway mark, Curl held a straight away lead over Delong and Leka. 16^th starter, Tommy Duncan, was running in fifth, and racing with Funk for track position. Duncan, looked to be the fastest car on the track in the closing laps, soon got by Funk and Leka. Duncan, with eight laps to go, got by Delong for second, with Leka following. With five laps left, Curl had a straight away lead and could have been on a Sunday drive. Leka tried several times to reclaim second, but Duncan was able to hold on. When the checkered flag fell in the 20-lap race, Curl picked up his second straight win. Duncan, Leka, Lomax, Delong, Line, Cody Bauman, Lance Dehm, Funk, and Steven Brooks completed the top ten. Duncan won the race’s hard charger award.

Tim Bohm and Paul Graf won their respective heat races for the 15-lap, UMP Sportsman race. 19 cars started the race. Bohm took the early lead, with Graf, Richie Rich, and Jimmy Dehm trailing. Graf, Rich, and Dehm tried different lines in a seesaw battle for second, which enabled Bohm to put some breathing room between the field and himself.  Dehm got by Graf and closed 

by Rocky Ragusa

(5/11/13) With all the rain in the area it has been a tough time for the Fairbury American Legion Speedway to get their first race in. The third time proved to be the charm as the speedway finally got the first race in Saturday night.

In the 30-lap, UMP Late Model feature, Daren Friedman and Derek Chandler led the field to the green flag. Friedman jumped to the top of the track to take an early lead, with Chandler, Joe Harlan, Torin Mettille, and McKay Wenger following. Friedman and Chandler were able to pull away to a ten car length lead. On the fourth lap, Wenger moved to third and closed up on the leaders. Chandler was able to lead lap seven, but Friedman came back to reclaim the lead on the following circuit. After a caution on lap nine for debris, Friedman led Chandler, Wenger, Eric Smith, and Harlan in a tight formation. Chandler took the lead on lap 16 and began to separate himself from the field. Friedman had to contend with Smith and Harlan, with Wenger, Donny Walden, Scott Bull, and Mike Glasscock trailing. Back to back cautions on lap 24 bunched the field and gave Friedman an opportunity to retake the lead. Chandler was able to hold off Friedman as a caution flag came out with two laps remaining. When the green flag fell, Chandler motored away from the contenders and picked up a hard earned victory. In a mad scramble for second, Harlan edged Smith, followed by Bull, Friedman, Wenger, Walden, Matt Furman, Mike Mullvain, and Jay Morris. Kevin Weaver set fast time at a 13.04. Chandler, Friedman, and Wenger took heats; while Mullvain won the semi feature.

Jeff Curl started on the pole position for the 20-lap, UMP Modified race, with Joel Funk alongside. Curl took a commanding lead at the start, with Funk holding off the challenge from Lance Dehm for second, with Tommy Duncan, Justin Delong, and Jeb Friedman trailing. After a caution on lap three, Dehm had a good run coming off of turn two and got by Funk for second. By the sixth lap, Curl held a straight away lead over the field. Dehm and Funk ran side by side for six laps, before a caution fell on lap 12. Following the caution, Dehm tried the top of the track to take the lead, but Curl, running the bottom, proved to be too much. Funk got by Dehm, briefly, for second, with Duncan and Jim Farris in hot pursuit. With three laps remaining and Curl in full control, Dehm got along side of Funk before taking over the position with one to go. Curl picked up the win, with Dehm, Funk, Duncan, Farris, Delong, Gary Turpin, Jeb Friedman, Jared Cagley, and Dan Rork completing the top ten. Dehm was the fast qualifier at a 14.04. Funk, Curl, and Duncan won heat races.

The 15-lap, UMP Sportsman race was a caution marred event. Before a lap was completed, the yellow flag came out twice. With the track cleared, third starting Dustin Mounce shot into the lead with Jimmy Dehm, Chris Anderson, Tim Bohm, and Michael Maestes following. Drivers were only able to complete a single lap, as four caution periods for spin outs and a wreck eliminated drivers from the race and only six cars were left on the track. After the last caution, Mounce and Dehm had their private battle for the lead, leaving the remaining cars behind. Dehm tried several times to wrestle the lead away, but Mounce was able to hold off Dehm and took the checkered flag. Jim Bailey, Anderson, Matt Mills, and Jeffrey Ledford took the first six positions. Richie Rich and Mills won their respective heat races.