Racing notebook: Deep thoughts from Stevie Dirt as he celebrates season full of great racing

QUINCY — I’ve been covering dirt-track racing at 8000 Broadway for almost a quarter of a century.

I have not missed a night of racing at Adams County Speedway in more than 15 years, and less than five total since 1999.

The only reason I mention this is I feel I have at least a half-decent feel for the pulse of the Broadway Bullring. I’ve seen the great, the good, the less-than-inspiring and the downright awful in that time at the synagogue of sod we call home on Sunday nights.

That’s why, as we enter the home stretch of this comeback season, I’d like to share the ensuing 10 thoughts on both the present and the future:

1. The most pleasant surprise of the season has been the sport mods, and how that class has grown and matured during the two years (2020-21) the track was the shut down. It’s arguably the most exciting series at the speedway, with no fewer than at least seven cars capable of winning on any given Sunday night.

Four drivers — Adam Birck, Tanner Klingele, Shane Paris and Logan Cumby — have won two or more features. No other series can make that claim.

2. The growth of the crate late models after a near-disastrous first month or so has also been uplifting. I was worried the plug might be pulled on what was once the crown prince of classes at old Quincy Raceways, but through the hard work and recruitment of race director Blake Dotson and some rule changes there is now a solid number of late models in the pits each Sunday. The first four weeks of the season the crate late average was 5.3 cars. That average is now almost triple that.

3. The speedway’s future also looks especially exciting because of a bountiful list of potential breakout stars in waiting. Many of those will likely be forging to the front on a regular basis in 2023, headed by sport mod driver Reed Wolfmeyer. Also keep an eye on both of the DeLonjay brothers (Jeffrey and Jaden) in the 4-Cylinder cars and Darin Weisinger Jr. in the crate lates.

4. The one class that is worrisome is the street stocks. I’m not 100 percent certain about the long-term viability of this division. Other tracks in the region have the same problem as Quincy when it comes to street stock car counts. West Burlington’s 34 Raceway canceled its street stock class earlier this year due to a lack of cars, and while that is not an issue at the Adams County track, there remains cause for concern. 

Quincy is averaging 9.8 street stocks per show, and while there never has been fewer than eight (Aug. 7), there has never been more than 13 (May 29) on hand this season. The street stocks are dwarfed by the car counts in the other four other weekly series.

Personally, I love the street stocks and obviously hope they can succeed. And I know promoters Jim and Tammy Lieurance, plus Dotson, feel the same way. But like me, they are also concerned about the series’ lack of growth this season.

5. The best evolving rivalry at the track, in any class, is Austen Becerra vs. Dave Wietholder in the modifieds. Both were cut from the same hard-charging mold, and both are good friends. They even park beside one another at the east end of the pits each Sunday night. 

6. Becerra may own the single-most impressive achievement of any driver in any class so far this year. His modified came up lame prior to the feature and he wound up borrowing Adam Birck’s sport mod, which he proceeded to drive to the checkered flag in the mod main event. It was one of the most impressive showings I have ever witnessed at the track.

7. Becerra also owns what is arguably the second-best individual performance when he tracked down Mark Burgtorf, a 16-time track champ in the old open late model division, in the July 24 modified feature. Becerra passed Burgtorf coming out of turn four on lap 17 of the 18-lap finale, then hung on for the win during the final time around the .29-mile semi-banked oval. The crowd, as they say, went wild.

8. Speaking of Burgtorf, it has been great to see the living legend appear more and more frequently during the second half of the season. He’s still the favorite son of many race fans at the speedway.

9. It’s hard not to look down the road, and when I do, it’s difficult to see nothing but more pluses heading into next year. Instead of having to spend the entire fall, winter and much of the preseason resurrecting the track from the tomb, the Lieurance family and Dotson can fully concentrate on promotional concepts and continue to lure more drivers into the weekly fold. I think we’ll probably see a weekly average of 100 cars in the pits come 2023.

I think St. Louis resident Kenny Wallace, the former NASCAR driver and TV analyst who adopted the speedway as his home away from home this year, probably said it best — not only about this year but the future, too.

“Quincy is where it’s happening!” said Wallace, who has also served as one of the track’s top recruiters this summer.

10. And finally, on a related matter, a major thumbs-up to the track concession stand. The track burgers may be the finest ever, bringing back Mary’s Maid Rites was a stroke of genius and the generous portions of fries, etc., have earned a myriad of compliments.

Dirty Thirty Rankings

Sport Mods

1. Adam Birck

2. Logan Cumby

3. Tanner Klingele

4. Dakota Girard

5. Reed Wolfmeyer

6. A.J. Tournear

Modifieds

1. Austen Becerra

2. Dave Wietholder

3. Kenny Wallace

4. Mark Burgtorf

5. Mike Vanderiet Jr.

6. Shawn Deering

4-Cylinders

1. Jimmy Dutlinger

2. Jeffrey DeLonjay

3. Kim Abbott

4. Derrick DeFord

5. Jaden DeLonjay

6. Landon Neisen 

Late Models

1. Denny Woodworth

2. Tommy Elston

3. Chase Osterhoff

4. Sam Halstead

5. Darin Weisinger Jr.

6. Braden Bilger

Street Stocks

1. Rudy Zaragoza

2. Jake Powers

3. Steve Grotz

4. Robert Cottom

5. Beau Taylor

6. Robert Thompson