Callahan, Carter collect Drive For Five qualifier wins at Lee County

Feature

Joel Callahan made the tow from Dubuque to score the $1,000 IMCA Sunoco Late Model Drive For Five feature win Friday at Lee County Speedway. (Photo by MF Photography)

By Brian Neal 

DONNELLSON, Iowa (April 30) – Joel Callahan and Cayden Carter took home $1,000 checks from Lee County Speedway’s first Drive For Five qualifier of the season Friday night. 

Callahan and Ben Seemann drew front row starts for the IMCA Sunoco Late Model 25-lapper and it was Callahan jumping into the lead on lap one over Seemann and Matt Strassheim.

While Seemann tried to stay in Callahan’s tire tracks, the rest of the field was racing all over for positions behind them. Callahan’s fast pace put him into lapped traffic on lap 14 and this allowed Seemann to close in. 

Callahan was able to maneuver the lapped traffic without any problems however and pulled away over the later part of the caution-free race to score the top prize. Seemann finished second, Logan Duffy was third and Tommy Elston was fourth, with Strassheim fifth.

Already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, Carter and Jeff Waterman drew the front row for the IMCA Modified main with Carter leading Ethan Braaksma and Waterman early on. 

A couple cautions before lap four allowed 11th place starting Michael Long to climb his way to third. On the restart of lap five, Long slid up in front of Carter for the top spot but a red appeared for a medical emergency in the pits before the lap was scored complete, giving Carter back the lead for the ensuing restart.

Carter moved back out front on the restart and started to pull away from the rest of the field. Lapped traffic helped Braaksma cut Carter’s lead to less than a second by lap 20 but that was as close as he could get.

Long, Dennis LaVeine and Chris Zogg rounded out the top five.

Cayden Carter banked $1,000 after he topped Friday’s IMCA Modified Drive For Five feature at Lee County Speedway. (Photo by MF Photography)

Six more Iowa Corn Growers Association and Hinkle Auto Sales Drive For Five qualifying nights, presented by Ideal Ready Mix, Floyd’s Waste Systems, J.J. Nichting Company Case IH, Triple Seven Trucking, Wood­worth Attorney at Law, Triple R Performance Engines, Old Barn Taxidermy, Mike Campbell’s Body Shop & Towing, Donnellson Tire & Service, KQ92 and Big Country 103.1 are on the schedule at Donnellson this season.

Other Friday night winners at Lee County Speedway were John Oliver Jr. in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Austen Becerra in the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods and Brandon Reu in the Mach-1 Sport Compacts. 

Related Articles

Late Model

Woodworth tops Drive for 5, Profeta wins career first feature at Lee County

By Brian Neal DONNELLSON, Iowa (June 23, 2023) –  Dennis Woodworth won the headline race and Nicholas Profeta won for the first time Friday at Lee County Speedway. The 25-lap Iowa Corn Growers Association Drive For 5 IMCA Sunoco Late Model feature took the green flag with Woodworth and Nick Marolf on the front row. Woodworth edged Marolf to lead lap one over Tommy Elston. While Woodworth worked the bottom of the track, Marolf work the top and used the momentum off the top of turn four to edge ahead on Woodworth on lap four. Marolf pulled away from Woodworth before encountering lapped traffic on lap 12. This allowed Woodworth to close back in. Woodworth used lapped traffic to slip back by Marolf for the top spot on lap 16, only to have Marolf get the lead back on the next lap. When Marolf tried the top to get by another lapped car on lap 22, it allowed Woodworth to shoot by for the top spot. Woodworth then held off Marolf over the final laps to claim his first [Read More]

Results

Lee County Speedway will feature IMCA Late Models on Friday nights

DONNELLSON, Iowa – IMCA Late Model drivers can look forward to a warm reception when they return to Lee County Speedway this spring.  The division headlines Friday night programs at Donnellson and promoter Brian Gaylord said news of the division’s return has generated a 100 percent positive response. “It’s going to be a big plus. Everyone we’ve talked to likes the idea and we’ve already heard of a lot of new cars being built,” said Gaylord. “We want to build the car count numbers up and that will help increase numbers in the grandstand.” IMCA Late Models were first sanctioned at Lee County in 1990 and last ran there weekly in 2010. The Deery Brothers Summer Series is in town on Aug. 2. Late Models will be one of five sanctioned divisions featured this season at Lee County, with opening night on April 12. The IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season continues through Aug. 23.  IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars have both run weekly at Donnellson for more than 20 years. Karl [Read More]

Events

Lee County Speedway hosts Drive For 5 opener this Friday

By Brian Neal DONNELLSON, Iowa – Coming up this Friday, April 30 at Lee County Speedway will be the first of seven Iowa Corn Growers Association and Hinkle Auto Sales Drive For 5 qualifying nights for IMCA Sunoco Late Models. Both the IMCA Sunoco Late Models and IMCA Modifieds will be racing for $1,000 to win, with draw/redraw being used to determine the lineups. The winner of Friday’s Modified feature will have their name added to the All-Star Invitational ballot.  Drive For 5 is presented by Ideal Ready Mix, Floyd’s Waste Systems, J.J. Nichting Company Case IH, Triple Seven Trucking, Woodworth Attorney at Law, Triple R Performance Engines, Old Barn Taxidermy, Mike Campbell’s Body Shop & Towing, Donnellson Tire & Service, KQ92 and Big Country 103.1.  Also on the card are the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with hot laps at 7 p.m. and racing to follow. Grandstand admission will be adults $10, seniors (60-plus) $9, veterans and students (11-17) $5, and kids 10 and under free. Pit [Read More]