116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Hurst, Shelliam cash in on Fourth of July special at Maquoketa
Jul. 5, 2015 12:52 am
MAQUOKETA – When Independence Day rolls around each year, some families hit the lake. Some families have reunions or picnics. Others go racing.
Such was the case for a good portion of Maquoketa on Saturday night, as Jackson County Raceway held its Fourth of July special, offering $1,000 to win in IMCA Late Models and Modifieds, as well as $500 to win in IMCA Sport Mod and Outlaw SuperBomber.
The only difference between those families on the lake or at the picnic and all the racers is the folks at the track did both.
'We raced last night and didn't have too much damage, so we took the kids swimming this morning,” said Davenport driver Matt Ryan, who finished fifth in the main event. 'We just got out of the shop a little bit later than normal. We hadn't been here in a month with rainouts and things like that, and I wasn't going to miss tonight.”
Darkside Promotions, which runs the track in Maquoketa, was hoping to draw some new drivers and introduce their track to new competition. All the drivers made the trip for the increased purse, and were treated to the customary fireworks show after the races were finished.
IMCA Late Model racer Dan Shelliam was one of those who took the bait of the $1,000 to win and jumped at the chance to make the 50-minute drive from Hazel Green, Wis. to come run at Jackson County Speedway.
Like Ryan, Shelliam left the wife and kids to camp and sing karaoke while he came to race. After grabbing the big check, he said he was off to join them.
'We've got a new car this year and we just need to keep racing it. We've got a busy week with two Deery (Brothers Summer Series) shows, and Darkside always puts on really good shows. I'm glad we were able to come down and be part of it,” Shelliam said. 'That incentive of $1,000 to come down was pretty nice. A payday like that is pretty good.
'My wife and kids are camping at my in-laws and I snuck out of there to come race. The kids said, ‘Dad go have fun,' and my wife said, ‘Honey, go have a good time.' So I took her advice and didn't argue.”
Shelliam was one among just a few new faces who made the trip Saturday night.
Even with the increased purse in the other classes, the crowd in the pit area was a good one, but largely the same as the weekly racers. In fact, Shelliam was the only driver who doesn't run weekly at Jackson County Speedway to go to Victory Lane.
IMCA Modified racer Jeremiah Hurst took home the other big check with his win. Hurst, who won the IMCA Hawkeye Dirt Tour race in Maquoketa last month, started from the pole and led every lap. A win at his regular track was only made sweeter by the bigger payday.
'This ain't too bad,” Hurst said. 'I don't always like starting on the pole, but when I do I like to seize the opportunity. I'll take this one, man, especially for $1,000.
'(Promoters Ryan Duhme and Tim Current) are racers, so they try to look out for us. They're good people.”
Ryan said the effort Darkside Promotions put in to get the extra money to run on a holiday showed the racers how much they were willing to give back, even if not as many out-of-towners showed up as was hoped.
Holiday or not, your weekly track running a bigger purse always gives the locals a reason to keep coming back.
'Generally a holiday weekend you get some different faces,” Ryan said. 'I think some guys don't like paying an entry fee, so that kept some guys away tonight, but we have a few different faces here.
'It's nice of them to do this and go out on a limb to do it. They're putting their necks out. I wish more people would support it, but I can't make them come.”
l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com
IMCA Modified driver Jeremiah Hurst drives down the front straightaway during his heat race at Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa on Saturday, July 4, 2015. (Jeremiah Davis/The Gazette)
IMCA Late Model driver Dan Shelliam drives down the front straightaway during his heat race at Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa on Saturday, July 4, 2015. (Jeremiah Davis/The Gazette)