Summer Racing Heating Up At Valley Speedway

​by John Unrein

     Grain Valley resident Doug Link summed up his current post-quarantine boredom well when he stated, “I’d watch two turtles race at this point. I’m glad racing is back in the Valley.”
     Unseasonably warm early summer weather was not enough to deter those who gathered to watch a Saturday night full of racing at Valley Speedway on June 13th. Link was joined by friends Jeff Kappelman and Chris Monk to take in an evening of fun and checkered flags.
     “I love sprint cars. The smell, the noise that comes from a giant engine in a small car. You can’t beat it,” Link said.
     “Midget car racing is the best show here. Not the taxi cabs you see in NASCAR, instead sprint cars are the original extreme sport. Dirt tracks like these are the proving grounds and the minor leagues for those ascending to stock car racing.”
     Link concluded, “I don’t race personally though because that’s a good way to go broke.”
     Valley Speedway track owner Dennis Shrout wears many hats in preparation for and during racing. The labor of love it takes to organize things to promote the best experience possible for racing is apparent.
     Shrout can be seen on a tractor prior to racing, pulling an aerator to keep the track smooth and avoid compacting. Next, Shrout will support the ground crew in rolling the hose and getting the track moistened to the right level in limiting dust and dirt debris. The final step occurs when Shrout leads All Terrain Vehicle racers around the infield, so they are certain of the layout of the course.
     High atop the stands is the press booth at Valley Speedway. Inside resides public address announcer Greg Clemons. A former racer himself, Clemons has announced racing for 25 years and is an ambassador for the sport that has an unbridled enthusiasm for the competition that occurs on the track.
     “And with the green flag waving, the drivers will drop the hammer on the pedal,” is a catch phrase that Clemons delivers with spunk at the start of racing.
     Clemons will remind you that Valley Speedway is 221 miles from Knoxville, Iowa, the hub of dirt track racing for may fans. Clemons is also honored to point out talented drivers that frequent racing in Grain Valley.
     “Jeremy Curless in the #33 car, racing E Mods, is from Grain Valley. Gene Claxton also on the track tonight was first here in overall points last season at Valley Speedway. We’ve also had well known drivers like Tony Stewart and Brian Brown race here before,” Clemons said.
     “The friends that are made during racing and in the pits make this feel like a family. I went to the races as a young kid because my father was a pastor and he said the pre-race prayer. That hooked me.”
     “When I started racing, I asked my dad to attend and say a prayer. He responded by saying, ‘No, I talked to the Lord about it and he said you guys were on your own’ with a big smile. He definitely had a good sense of humor.”
     Clemons continued, “Once you’re a racer, you’re always a racer. There’s just something about going as fast as you can with others around you. You want to beat those guys and that’s all there is to it. That leads to a lot of respect between competitors.”
     “Open wheeled racing can lead to drivers going over one another’s tires and send cars tumbling during crashes. Safety has strengthened over the years and drivers spend a lot of money on things like full containment seats, better helmets, and HANS devices (Head and Neck Support device that help reduce the likelihood of skull fractures).”
     Safety is also on the mind of Emergency Medical Staff at Valley Speedway. Cold towels are available to cool down with at the first aid station. The Shrout family has also installed misting jets to shower fans as they visit the concession stand or on their way in and out of the track. Families, friends, dates, and children of all ages are present for racing in Grain Valley.
     Here are results from racing at Valley Speedway on June 13th.
 
B Modifieds
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 5-Dakota Foster[5]; 2. 81A-Austin Charles[2]; 3. 81X-Dan Charles[4]; 4. 91J-Jaylen Wettengel[6]; 5. 11P-Jeremy Price[8]; 6. 73T-Truman Asher[1]; 7. 22-Steve McDowell[10]; 8. 42-Gene Claxton[11]; 9. 73M-Charles McCartney[9]; 10. 57-Randy Ainsworth[3]; 11. 55-Ryan Medeiros[12]; 12. 23-Danny Thompson[7]; 13. (DNF) 73-Bobby Grove[13]; 14. (DNF) 33-Chad Risinger[15]; 15. (DNF) 11-John Murray[14]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 57-Randy Ainsworth[1]; 2. 73T-Truman Asher[6]; 3. 91J-Jaylen Wettengel[5]; 4. 11P-Jeremy Price[4]; 5. 42-Gene Claxton[3]; 6. 22-Steve McDowell[8]; 7. 73-Bobby Grove[7]; 8. (DNF) 33-Chad Risinger[2]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 81X-Dan Charles[1]; 2. 5-Dakota Foster[3]; 3. 81A-Austin Charles[6]; 4. 73M-Charles McCartney[2]; 5. 23-Danny Thompson[7]; 6. 55-Ryan Medeiros[4]; 7. (DNF) 11-John Murray[5]
 
E Mods
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 74-Justin Asher[1]; 2. 28-Shawn Burns[2]; 3. 10 4-Colton Couch[4]; 4. 2-Kit Bailey[3]; 5. 86-Doug Brisbin[5]; 6. 33-Jeremy Curless[6]; 7. (DNF) 42-Dalton Krysa[8]; 8. (DNF) 75-Rayce Martin[9]; 9. (DNF) 96-Zach Mason[7]; 10. (DNS) 59-Alex Crawford; 11. (DNS) 23T-Tyler Cochran
Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 28-Shawn Burns[1]; 2. 86-Doug Brisbin[2]; 3. 10 4-Colton Couch[5]; 4. 42-Dalton Krysa[4]; 5. 75-Rayce Martin[6]; 6. (DNF) 23T-Tyler Cochran[3]
Heat 2 (6 Laps): 1. 2-Kit Bailey[1]; 2. 74-Justin Asher[4]; 3. 33-Jeremy Curless[2]; 4. 96-Zach Mason[5]; 5. 59-Alex Crawford[3]
 
Dirt Demons
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 2C-Cody Munkers[1]; 2. 117-Levi Cox[7]; 3. 10B-Jeremy Byfield[3]; 4. 2-Mikel Folbert[10]; 5. 5-Nick Deoliveira[6]; 6. 121-Eric Schmidt[5]; 7. (DNF) 1-Jason McCaulley[2]; 8. (DNF) 31-Joseph Mick[4]; 9. (DNF) 14-Robert Chase[9]; 10. (DNF) 51M-Trevor Digby[8]; 11. (DNS) 63-Shane Digby
Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 2C-Cody Munkers[4]; 2. 10B-Jeremy Byfield[2]; 3. 117-Levi Cox[1]; 4. 5-Nick Deoliveira[5]; 5. (DNS) 63-Shane Digby
Heat 2 (6 Laps): 1. 1-Jason McCaulley[3]; 2. 31-Joseph Mick[1]; 3. 121-Eric Schmidt[2]; 4. 51M-Trevor Digby[4]; 5. 14-Robert Chase[6]; 6. 2-Mikel Folbert[5]
 
Pure Stocks
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 10-David Schrills[2]; 2. 23-Bobby Ohrenberg[5]; 3. 42-Dakkota Brisbin[3]; 4. 14-Cody Ohrenberg[4]; 5. (DNF) 19-Richard McCaulley[1]; 6. (DNF) 117-Jim Cox[6]
Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 19-Richard McCaulley[2]; 2. 10-David Schrills[4]; 3. 14-Cody Ohrenberg[1]; 4. 42-Dakkota Brisbin[5]; 5. 23-Bobby Ohrenberg[3]; 6. (DNS) 117-Jim Cox
 
ATV Open Amateur
A Feature 1 (6 Laps): 1. 78-Tyler Werle[1]; 2. 00-Aron Meek[2]; 3. 16-Ashton Mullins[3]
Heat 1 (5 Laps): 1. 78-Tyler Werle[3]; 2. 00-Aron Meek[2]; 3. 16-Ashton Mullins[1]
 
ATV Open Money
A Feature 1 (6 Laps): 1. 00-Jonathan Roberts[1]; 2. 11-Chris Stout[2]; 3. 2-Danny Pliler[3]; 4. 45-Aaron Stephens[4]; 5. 420-Mathew Eppenauer[5]
Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 00-Jonathan Roberts[3]; 2. 11-Chris Stout[5]; 3. 2-Danny Pliler[1]; 4. 45-Aaron Stephens[4]; 5. 420-Mathew Eppenauer[2]