Lucas Oil Speedway
Missourian wins return to Late Model division
By Lyndal Scranton
Lucas Oil Speedway
Johnny Fennewald heads for victory at Lucas Oil Speedway. (cbracephotos.com)
WHEATLAND, Mo. — Johnny Fennewald expected to feel a little bit of rust. After all, he had not driven a Late Model in seven years.
But the Appleton City, Mo., resident looked like he had only been away for about seven minutes, racing to his first career ULMA-sanctioned Late Model victory Saturday in Lucas Oil Speedway’s ALPS Food Store-sponsored top division.
"I got back into it thinking it would be a fun little change," said Fennewald, who also is enjoying a solid season in the modified division. "I got into the car and thought, 'Oh my.' I forgot how much I really like these things.”
Fennewald, Lucas Oil Speedway Tailgate Guys Radio Show Spotlight Driver of the Week, goes after his second straight victory as the 3/8-mile oval kicks off the Fourth of July weekend with a $1,000-to-win event on Casey's Thursday Night Thunder presented by KRBK Fox 5.
Double duty again awaits Fennewald. He was third in his modified last week, his fifth top-three finish of the season in the USRA-sanctioned division.
Fennewald, 35, admitted it was a bit surprising to take his new Rocket Chassis Late Model to victory lane right out of the box.
"In hot laps, the motor wasn't really running right. It was a carburetor issue and a pretty simple fix," he said. "In the heat we got second place, the first time to really race it. I thought at the time that this thing has potential. We made a few little adjustments, went back out for the feature and it was really good."
Many veteran Late Model drivers have said the cars have changed a bunch, technology-wise, in the last few years and Fennewald agrees. But he said it's all for the good.
"They drive a lot better. The front-end stuff is a lot better," he said.
Fennewald said a bump in prize money, to $700-to-win weekly along with the occasional $1,000-to-win special like Thursdays event, made the timing right to get back into Late Model racing.
Like fellow competitor Aaron Marrant, who also campaigns both a modified and Late Model, Fennewald said he seems to benefit from the extra track time.
"As far as the work part of it and getting stuff ready, it's pretty tough,” said Fennewald, whose sponsors Powell's True Value, Fennewald Construction, Concrete Ready Services and 21 Custom Construction. "But as far as driving them, I used to do that quite a bit. I feel like it made me a lot better driver.
"We won a lot of races when we were running two cars. You could seeing what the track was doing and adjust the car accordingly."
With a new MB Customs modified coming soon, Fennewald has high hopes for both cars the rest of the season. He's fourth in Lucas Oil Speedway’s modified points despite missing three races earlier in the season.
At Fennewald's side will be his 11-year-old son, Dawson. It was at Dawson's urging that Fennewald, after taking a couple of years off from racing, got back into the sport late last season.
"He's a good little hand," Fennewald said of Dawson's ability to help in the pits. "I took off for a couple of years. I had raced so much, traveling around, that just kind of got burned out. But as Dawson got a little older, he wanted to be involved in it again. He was like, 'Dad, we need to get back to racing.' So that's what we did.”
For Thursday Night Thunder in Wheatland, fans can visit participating area Casey's locations for $2 discount coupons to the four-division program. As part of the evening's Salute to America, all Veterans with ID and scouts in uniform will be admitted free. A fireworks show is planned, too.
Gates open at 5 p.m. with hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:30. Adult general admission is $15 with $12 for seniors and $5 for children 6-15 years old. For more ticket information, call (417) 282-5984 or email nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com.
