Kentucky driver finds home away from home in victory lane at Quincy Raceways

QUINCY — Give or take a wrong turn here or there, it takes Josh Harris and his crew about six hours to reach Quincy Raceways from their home base in Utica, Ky.

So far this year, that trip back to Kentucky has been one pleasant ride.

For the second time in as many weeks, Harris won the modified feature at 8000 Broadway when he outdueled four-time track champ Dave Wietholder in what was arguably the most entertaining feature of the night before a crowd of about 2,100 on a chilly and damp Sunday evening at The Bullring.

Harris, who won the May 16 MARS main event in Quincy, matched that performance when he muscled his way past Wietholder late in Sunday’s 20-lap feature. Harris led just three laps of the race, including the final two.

“This was a totally different track than it was when I was here for the MARS race,” Harris said. “But it was still amazing, and I appreciate that (as a driver).”

Harris and Wietholder, who won the May 4 modified feature, possessed the two stoutest power plants throughout the feature and worked on each other from all sorts of angles and positions on the .297-mile semi-oval.

“We were able to race all over the track and side to side,” Harris said.

For Wietholder, it was a bittersweet night — the “bitter” part of that being the modified feature. The Liberty driver, who did double duty, rebounded in the “B” modified/sport mod feature with a convincing victory for his first checkered flag in that class. His immediate thought afterward, however, was still tied to that modified feature that saw him lead 17 laps. 

“I screwed up a few times (tonight), but … ,” he said.

Following Harris and Wietholder among the top four modified feature finishers were Rick Conoyer and Justin Reed. Wietholder and Harris were the heat winners.

Wietholder’s $800 payday pushed his career earnings in the modified division to $80,685 since money earned started being tracked in 2009. He’s the all-time leader for all series at the track during that time period.

In the “B” mod feature, Tanner Klingele, Reed Wolfmeyer and Chris Spalding chased Wietholder across the finish line. Klingele and Tyler Worley won the heat races.

Other feature winners were Denny Woodworth in the crate late models, Jacob Rexing in stock cars, Jay Kunce in 4-Cylinders, Jacob Zummalt in Crown Vics and Adam Parmeley in the visiting Vintage Car touring series.

Woodworth looked his strongest of the season in dominating the crate late field over Darin Weisinger Jr., Jackson Frankel and Aidan Perry. Woodworth was never threatened in his flag-to-flag win during the 25-lap feature.

An eight-time late model track champ (nine overall), Woodworth’s $600 first-place payday moved him closer to being the first late model driver to eclipse $40,000 in career earnings in the crate era (since 2017 at the track. Woodworth’s earnings currently stand at $39,420. Tommy Elston, who is not competing at Quincy this season, is second at $32,130.

Rexing won his fourth straight stock feature, dating to the end of the 2024 season. Jake Powers, Levi Long and Brandon Boden rounded out the top four.

Rexing, the defending series champ who lives in Brighton, had a group of 20 family members join him in victory lane for pictures.

“Last year, whenever we brought a bunch of family members with us, something always happened,” he said. “They got never got to see us win.”

Until Sunday night.

“Tonight was a fast, smooth track, it was just great,” said Rexing, whose three feature victories this season lead all drivers in all series.

Rexing, who has led 38 of 45 stock feature laps this season, also won the stock heat race.

Jay Kunce led all 15 4-Cylinder feature laps to turn back Dyllan Bonk, Devin Harriel and Landon Neisen. Kunce and Bonk also won heats.

Zumwalt’s second Crown Vic feature victory saw him hold off Jake Etterm, Dakota Damron and Alex Hatfield. Jacob Jones and Etter garnered heat wins.

Joining feature winner Parmeley with Vintage Car victories were Bob Ader and Marshall Skaggs with heat wins. Among the vintage drivers was Terry Gallaher of Hannibal, Mo., who won four late model track titles and finished second in points 10 times at Quincy.