By Joyce Kuntz Hetrick
The 15th annual Slocum 50 got underway on Friday, April 14, hosted by 34 Raceway with the Super Late Models’ Lucas Oil MLRA (Midwest Late Model Racing Association).
This popular event memorializing the late Brent Slocum is a two-day show but was reduced to only Friday due to the impending forecast of rain for Saturday.
The Prelude to the Slocum 50 with $5,000 to win had to be canceled. The $10,555 to win took priority on Friday night then.
Veteran late model driver Shannon Babb who hails from Moweaqua, Ill., led all 50 laps where he started outside front row in his car No. 18.
“We just had a really good night tonight … qualified good and was able to win the heat. I knew I was terrible on the bottom of three and four in the feature. I just could not rotate that bottom at all. Starting in the front row outside gave me the advantage of being able to drive wherever you wanted and that helped me through three and four and then one and two found the bottom was really the best,” Babb said.
“We got a good starting position and were able to capitalize,” Babb added.
Babb received a quick qualifying time of 15.090 seconds on the three-eighths mile track.
This win earned Babb’s second Slocum triumph, thus seizing his fourth career Lucas Oil MLRA victory.
The prestigious racing event is in memory of Slocum who lost his life due to a pit accident at 34 Raceway in June 2005 at the age of 28.
The fan favorite will always be remembered driving his No. 5 race car and was one of the top late model drivers for 10 years at his untimely death. Among some of Slocum’s accomplishments were 34 Raceway’s defending late model track champion and being a former Quincy Raceway track champion.
Brandon Sheppard secured the runner-up position on lap 21, being just short of one second behind Babb at the finish line.
The New Berlin, Ill., driver of the No. 5 started third and never fell behind second and third place the entire race.
Sheppard happily commented, “It was good, we had a good night. 34 Raceway was really good tonight. It’s good every time we come here. They’ve actually sponsored me for probably up to five years … been friends with them, Brad and Jessi, for a long time. They’re great people and the track was awesome. My car was pretty good. We’re getting it figured out a little better. So just had a pretty good night all in all … wished we’d been one spot better. Babb’s a really good guy.”
A total of 41 entries were on hand for the stout competition.
Super late models feature results:
1. Babb; 2. Sheppard; 3. Ryan Gustin; 4. Jake Timm; 5. Chris Simpson; 6. Tyler Bruening; 7. Dustin Sorensen; 8. Garrett Alberson; 9. Jordan Yaggy; 10. Dillon McCowan; 11. Chad Simpson; 12. Jeff Herzog; 13. Jason Feger; 14. Dustin Hodges; 15. Trevor Gundaker; 16. Daniel Hilsabeck; 17. Steve Stultz; 18. Mark Burgtorf; 19-26 (DNF)
Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, started 16th and finished third for the most places advanced.
Consolidation race winners: Tyler Stevens and Billy Moyer, Sr. Heat winners: Timm, Sheppard, Babb, and Alberson.
Jake Glasgow claims first sprint car win
Support classes on the racing card included the 305 winged sprints and stock cars.
West Burlington native Jake Glasgow was triumphant in more ways than one Friday night, April 14.
The sprint car driver showed his competitors the short way around the three-eighth mile track, putting his No. 62 in victory lane. Glasgow started third in the 20-lap feature of a 14-car field.
Glasgow expressed his sincere gratitude toward winning an intricately designed metal plaque with the No. 5 on with a halo in memory of the late Brent Slocum who succumbed to injuries in a pit-related accident at 34 Raceway in 2005.
It was evident that the special ‘trophy’ plaque Glasgow was awarded and honored with that he would cherish forever. The victory garnered him $1,005 top prize money also.
Yet there was still another reason Glasgow was thankful and so proud. His older son, Asher, was there to watch his dad and share a few treasured moments with a most memorable hug together.
Glasgow cheerfully added, “And then to top it off, was that my oldest son was here with me … he’s 11. I sold everything six years ago and he was five at the time, so he was just starting to come, and so here we are six years later I’m back in it. He’s able to help on the race car now and he was here and he got to experience it with me. So that is the best feeling in the world!”
In addition to all that, it was Glasgow’s first win ever. Glasgow appeared on top of the world and pumped for what he had just accomplished and rightfully so.
It was also a very special moment between Glasgow and his father Jerry.
Jerry was a successful sprint car driver back in the day so he has genuine facets of the sport to provide his son with coach experience. In addition, Jake is a hybrid of racing families as his mom Kim is a former Rogerson.
He received many congratulatory gestures from family, friends, his pit crew, fans in attendance, and other fellow competitors.
Glasgow summed up the night stating, “Well, the whole night went pretty good. We drew pretty well, started third in the heat, and ran through it to make the redraw. So that put us in a good position. Started third in the feature. I knew just where the race track was … it was somewhat confusing to me. I like the bottom. I knew I just had to be patient ... got around Chase Richards. I kinda worked the bottom as everything was good and then Cody and I got together and went down the front straightaway and he kinda showed me that the top was where it was in three and four, cause I knew the bottom kept slowing down, down there. So once Cody showed me that, I moved to the top of three and four. And I just knew that if I just stayed relaxed and comfortable we’d be okay.”
“Had a good race car … got a lot of people that helped me too. Midland Performance, I definitely want to give huge thanks to them — Scott and Matt were there. Also Kinetic Cutting Systems, Wilderness Land Management, and Brady Bennett. So without those guys helping me, it makes it harder. And my guys tonight … Colton Fisher was wrenching for me. I mean it doesn’t get any better than that. Braden Gaylord helped me out a bunch and so big thanks to those guys,” Glasgow added.
He was quick to mention his wife Meagan to thank her for her supportiveness and that she wasn’t in attendance because she was home with their younger son Jasper when it was past his bedtime.
Glasgow noted that all those guys came down to victory lane while son Asher was still on top of the trailer watching. He said a friend of his asked Asher if Jake was his dad to which Asher pridefully replied, “Yeah!” Glasgow’s friend said, “Well, come on, let’s go!” as Asher was accompanied to victory lane. Glasgow jubilantly said, “And that just made my night!”
Glasgow conveyed the reality of it saying, “It feels amazing. It’s so hard to get a win in these things. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 305 or 360, it’s hard to get a win because there’s tough competition here. To beat those guys, that feels pretty good!”
Glasgow indicated that for him, it’s definitely a hobby, and considers time and money the main aspects of racing. He’s engaged in other sports functions as he’s got two boys who are active in sports and being a coach of two Little League teams tends to keep his time occupied. He will race when he can and have fun with the sport he’s grown up around.
305 Sprint Feature results: 1. Glasgow; 2. Tanner Gebhardt; 3. Cody Wehrle; 4. Chase Richards; 5. Noah Samuel; 6. Jeff Wilke; 7. Dugan Thye; 8. Nick Guernsey; 9. Blaine Jamison; 10. McCain Richards; 11. Nathan Murders; 12. Aaron Ferch; 13. Cole Helmerson (DNF); 14. Matt Krieger (DNF)
Spring heat winners: Samuel and Wehrle.
Stock cars feature results: 1. John Oliver, Jr.; 2. Corey Strothman; 3. Jason Cook; 4. Gary Pesicka; 5. Jeremy Pundt; 6. Chad Krogmeier; 7. Wayne Landheer; 8. Les Blakley; 9. Leremy Jackson; 10. Austin Kemper (DNF); 11. Pete Stodgel (DNF).
Stock cars heat winner: Pesicka.
Kuntz-Hetrick can be reached at email: 35wingedsprint@gmail.com