Plummer leads the pack again at Hawkeye Downs

CEDAR RAPIDS - Tim Plummer is back in front.

It's a position the eight-time Hawkeye Downs Speedway track champion has grown accustomed, despite being almost three years removed from his last title. After running on a limited basis at Hawkeye Downs the last two seasons, Plummer is first in both the late model and modified divisions.

Plummer has four modified feature wins, leading defending champ Bryan Gibson by 17 points. Without a late model feature win, Plummer owns an eight-point advantage on Jay Jaspers.

“It hasn't been too bad,” Plummer said. “Basically, we could be faster in the late model, I guess. The modified is driving pretty decent.”

Plummer won a seventh straight modified season-points crown in 2010, claiming the late model championship that same year. He spent most of 2011 looking to expand his late-model experiences outside of Hawkeye Downs. Last season, he rented his modified to teenage up-and-comer Jake Griffin, serving as his crew chief.

“We put more focus elsewhere,” Plummer said. “Last year, I was at Hawkeye Downs every week. I took more of a crew chief role (and) I got about as much fun out of that as doing anything else.

“I enjoyed it. The thing that I like is working on the cars and it still allowed me to do that.”

Plummer has picked up where he left off three seasons ago. He has dominated the modified class after finishing behind Gibson in the season opener. Plummer has been able to maximize his potential behind the wheel of the modified since he first took over the ride of his Hawkeye Downs Wall of Fame uncle, Mike Schulte.

“I had all that family knowledge before I started and I've been able to expand on that some,” Plummer said. “The modified suits my style more. I have a lot better idea on driving the modified over the late model.”

The late model performances have been a little frustrating for Plummer. He has had the lead only to see Griffin McGrath overtake him for the win each of the last four weeks, forcing him to settle for second. At the moment, Plummer said he is closer to the rest of the field than he is at catching McGrath, but that challenge is the goal.

“His car is handling quite a bit better than mine,” Plummer said. “I have to figure out how to get mine better. It's not for a lack of effort. I've had drastically different setups to my car each week, trying to catch him. On the same token, it is what makes it fun, too.”

Hawkeye Downs resumes its weekly races Friday, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

KNOXVILLE HOSTS WORLD OF OUTLAWS

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series is back at Knoxville Raceway. The series will compete in its final tune-up Saturday night, leading up to Knoxville Nationals. Hot laps begin at 6:45 p.m.

The evening will be highlighted by a trio of drivers. Donny Schatz, of North Dakota, is the 2006 Knoxville National champion and winner of May's World of Outlaws event at Knoxville. Raceway regular, Brian Brown, will be in the field and was third in May. Daryn Pittman, the current points leader, is also expected to compete at the half-mile track.

General Admission is $30 for adults, $20 for teenage fans and kids are $15. Reserved seats are $35 for adults, $22 for teenage fans and $17.50 for kids. For more ticket information, visit http://knoxvilleraceway.ticketforce.com.

CATCHING UP WITH CASSILL

Cedar Rapids native Landon Cassill currently sits 51st in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings after 13 starts this season.

Cassill's average finish is about 32ndt, which about four spots higher than his average start position. He was 38th at the Party in the Poconos 400 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last weekend. The next race on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Quicken Loans 400 on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. The race is set to begin at noon (Iowa time).