I have returned from Minnesota Motorsports Park with highlights of an absolute nail-biter which saw, as predicted, high speed pack racing for the lightweight FARC late models!
Cody Lewis of Fortune Racing continued his qualifying streak by taking his third consecutive pole.
After 72 laps, Mindy Gunn edged out Kodi Richards in a photo finish to claim her second late model win, returning Lynxe to victory lane at Minnesota.
Unfortunately, Gunn's path to victory was not without controversy, as there was contact between her and Cody Lewis on lap 47 that shot both the pole sitter and Bobby Dwyer violently into the turn 2 wall.
Lewis easily had one of the dominant cars and led 21 laps before the wreck. Dwyer, in his home race, was enjoying the best performance of a career that has been overshadowed by the success of his relatives in the higher ranks (and with closer relations to the late great family patriarch Benny).
Gunn was penalized with a trip to the rear for the restart, but charged back through the field like she hadn't quite learned her lesson, putting herself three and four wide multiple times. However, she avoided causing further pain and took advantage of Kodi Richards sliding up in the final corner to poke her nose ahead at the line.
"I need to apologize to the 52 and 72." Gunn said in her frontstretch interview. "Those guys were fast and raced me clean, they didn't deserve that. I hope they're alright. I was way out of my league tonight. I gotta thank Lynxe and Nikki [Brillon, crew chief], they built a rocketship, they won this race, the driver was an idiot."
Bobby Dwyer and Cody Lewis were later transported to the hospital for observation and are both expected to be discharged in the morning.
Dwyer's father and car owner Darrin Craig was predictably upset by his son's wreck. "This is our home. They're [Lynxe] not gonna get away with this disrespect. They're not gonna kill my boy."
No further penalties are expected for Mindy Gunn and the Mint-Berry Berserkers, who now lead by 35 points over Gordon Tanner. Tanner was involved in the lap 22 wreck that eliminated Preston Orchard-Park and could only salvage 12th.
Bobby of the legendary Dwyer racing family has shown up to a home race of his, the FARC Bummin' Beaver Tornado Alley Tour at Cannon Falls, Minnesota!
Bobby's own take on the Blue 72 is fielded by his parents, Darrin Craig and Becky Dwyer, the proprietors of a handful of Dwyer's Speedway Laundromat locations across Minnesota. How fitting of a presence, since Minnesota Motorsports Park looks like a superspeedway that shrank in the wash; one mile of high and wide banking that is expected to produce pack racing for the FARC late models.
Here are the points standings coming into this race:
I'm probably definitely not allowed up here.
FARC Lowe Dollar Series regular and Minnesota native Samantha Mason couldn't resist entering tonight's race and returning to the cockpit of a late model. Mason brings her familiar Simplease colors aboard the No. 27 Tonare owned by Mike Buttke.
Mason is seen here dueling in practice with Andy Anderson's No. 21 Grease Burger machine, fielded by AnderSend-It Racing. The son of car owner and former FARC competitor Jared Andersen is hoping to build momentum on his second top 10 of the season, a ninth place finish at the caution-free LaCrosse race, but he's been frustrated that he doesn't have more to show for his speed this season, thanks to multiple mechanical failures keeping the pole winner of the opening race in Ishpeming out of better finish.
Despite the tie being broken between championship co-leaders Gordon Tanner (No. 26) and Mindy Gunn (No. 35), the two veteran-aged rookies remain close, with Gunn trailing Tanner by only two points entering tonight.
Gordon Tanner may be new to the FARC ranks but he brings with him an extensive background of racing around his home of Iowa, and it showed when he dominated the first two points races at Ishpeming and the Quincy qualifying race. However, he tripped in his point-collecting spree by crashing early in the Quincy feature and struggling in Grundy County, which allowed Mindy Gunn to close up to a tie by winning the latter race.
Gunn has enjoyed unexpected breakout success in FARC racing alongside the Mint-Berry Berserkers, the roller derby team-turned-pit crew that she captains. Unlike her championship rival, she did not turn her first laps on a short track until after she was 30 with guidance from crew chief and fellow Berserker Nikki Brillon, but she has learned quickly and taken great advantage of the support from Lynxe this season.
Welcome to FARC Racing coverage on this blog. I hope you enjoy this little experiment.
Beware, spoilers below.
Taylor Brillon won the 75 lap FARC Bummin' Beaver Tornado Alley Tour late model feature at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, Wisconsin. It is the first victory of the year for her and the No. 9 Arnie Pine Racing team, and her first late model win since Waterbury Park in 2019.
This race flew by uninterruped by cautions, a surprising achievement for the series.
Cody Lewis drove his Basscadet machine to a second consecutive pole with Brillon on his outside. Lewis made a clean getaway at the start as FARC legend Andy Pearson followed him under the 9 into second place, making a special appearance in his Bald Tire Brewing No. 2 in a cheeky flex on the series sponsor.
You can't win the race on the first lap, but the winning move was made on lap 3, when Brillon got by Pearson for second and started chasing Lewis. Meanwhile, Art Gordon was existing in his No. 49, running lap times two seconds slower than the leaders.
Cody Lewis seemed to enjoy his time behind Art Gordon, as he dropped to fifth. He would eventually recover and claw his way back to third.
Meanwhile, Brillon led with Pearson in tow. They were kept close in part by regular encounters with lapped traffic, filling the scoreboard with more and more negative numbers as the green flag continued to enjoy the sunshine.
The former Lowe Dollar Series regulars enjoyed a smart yet spirited battle, but Brillon held Pearson off the rest of the way. Pearson's best chance came in turn 2 on lap 62, when he caught Brillon sliding high. However, the 40-year veteran lacked momentum out of the corner, allowing Brillon to shut the door in turn 3.
Andy Pearson may be FARC's most accomplished driver, with 4 Lowe Dollar Series titles, and later two more in the Super Series late models where he continues to race regularly, but he is also 65 years old, and 75 laps is a lot of laps to race consecutively at his age.
Taylor Brillon inched away and cruised to the win, lapping everybody up to 10th. The last victims of car 9 were reigning and final FARC Truck Series champion Eddie Vero, who finished 11th, and her teammate and father Kenny Brillon for a second time.
"I don't know how we held him off." Brillon said of Pearson's chase after climbing out of her bright yellow Arnie Pine Auto Sales machine. "It ain't every day you've got the Goat honking at you. If he got me there [on lap 62] I knew it was gonna be over."
Gordon Tanner (No. 26) and Mindy Gunn (No. 35) entered this race tied for the points lead, with the tiebreaker going to Tanner for his two victories at Ishpeming and Quincy against Gunn's lone win, coming last week at Grundy County Speedway. After 75 laps, Tanner crossed the line in fifth, four seconds ahead of Gunn, giving him the championship lead by two points over Gunn.
Preston Orchard-Park (No. 85) was the only casualty of the 23-car starting field, losing his engine on lap 8 and finishing last.
The last time Kevin Monroe stepped into a FARC car, he went upside down on the first lap at Road America in 2019. The M&J Racing boss was thankful for bringing the Jeb Klinger Special home eighth in his first outing with the Klinger family.
"The only thing Zeb [Klinger, car owner] asked for was no acrobatics." Monroe said with a smile. "So I think today was a success."
Monroe qualified ninth and found himself dueling with Caitlin Cook, Tyler Bridgette, and former M&J coworker Eddie Vero for a bulk of the race, ultimately finishing one spot better than he started. Monroe will return with the Klinger family at the season-ending Rockford 200.
The next round for the Tornado Alley Tour will be the 72-lap support race at Minnesota Motorsports Park, a wide and fast one mile oval that is expected to produce pack racing for the late models.
Henry Walker, Federated Auto Racing Championships founder, was mortally terrified by the idea of operating any kind of car himself, despite his passions and business interests revolving around the motorsports and automotive industries.
There were no known incidents that may have instilled this fear. He once collapsed on stage in a severe panic attack after being presented with the keys for a new Lenard as part of an industry award.
Fortunately, his descendents did not inherit the fear of driving, as his son would chauffeur him, and his grandson Kurt is a 2-time FARC champion, while granddaughter Jen boasts considerable driving experience herself.
what would happen if you took a bunch of celebrities, socialites, and other well-to-do people, and mixed them into the field of a professional stock car race at a very fast track?
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