Chris Weinkauf (75) leads the pack through turn three during their ASA Midwest Tour heat race at Hawkeye Downs Speedway Friday, Aug. 12, 2011. (David Scrivner/SourceMedia Group)
CEDAR RAPIDS — Jonathan Eilen left Hawkeye Downs last year on a stretcher.
This year he’s leaving with a title.
A year ago, the race car driver from Minnesota left the track on a stretcher in an ambulance after slamming into a wall in Turn 2. He broke his L3 vertebra, some ribs and tore cartilage, ending his 2010 season.
That same turn was the sight of celebration donuts after he captured his first victory in the American Speed Association Midwest Tour 39th Annual Miller 100 last night at Hawkeye Downs Speedway. He started third but finished before everyone else in the 26-car field.
The win was his best showing this season, improving on two seventh-place finishes, and his fourth in the top 10. It was made even sweeter by being at the place that previously devastated him.
“This is just awesome,” Eilen said. “It’s more than words can say.”
Eilen ran with the leaders early but benefited when Joey Gase hit the wall to force the first of two cautions with 44 laps remaining. The restart eclipsed pole sitter Nathan Haseleu’s huge lead.
Eilen grabbed the lead shortly after the restart choosing to take the high side and then controlling the race the rest of the way.
Haseleu blew away the field in the first half of the race before Eilen took the lead. At one point just before the caution, Haseleu had a quarter-lap lead on Eilen, who was in fourth. Then his role changed from chased to chaser.
He finished second and claimed his sixth top-five finish and his eighth in the top 10.
Griffin McGrath of Cedar Rapids is in his second full season with the tour. He qualified 17th and finished 12th.
Joey Gase and Tim Plummer made the most of their final shot in the “last chance” race, giving spots in the race to the top five and three provisionals to round out the field. Gase and Plummer battled with a few other cars, and placed third and fourth, respectively, to reach the main event. Gase was 24th, leaving the race after the wreck, and Plummer was 20th.
Steve Carlson, who has won this even seven times including the last four, needed the last chance race to reach the field. Carlson won that to start 19th and came in 11th.
The evening opened with a 40-lap ASA Trucks feature, finishing with a battle between brothers. Jerry Wood and John Wood, who are second and fourth in season points before Friday night, placed first and second with Jerry Wood claiming his second win this season. John Wood challenged late, eclipsing his brother’s lead and running right on his tail the final 10 laps. Jerry Wood held him off, earning both victories the last three races.
“That was the hardest race I’ve had in a long time,” Jerry Wood said. “I had a crink in my leg and I thought Johnny’s being good to me back there because I was slowing up a ton. Fans kept pumping me up and I kept going. I’m really happy to win this one. I really didn’t deserve it.”
Chris Marek drives the No.3 and that is now how many ASA Sportsman Tour wins he has this season as he closes in on his second straight season championship. Marek pulled away after he took advantage of an opening to take a lead early in the race. Bryan Turtle was second followed by Scott Null in the 35-lap contest.
“I saw my shot and just kind of went for it, and it worked out nice,” Marek said. “I knew Bryan had a fast car so I better start running because he was going to catch me.”
The hornets were the only weekly regular class at Hawkeye Downs in action. Dallas Chandler dominated a race that suffered two cautions in the first nine laps. Chandler won for the third time this season, snapping his brother Brad Chandler’s streak of four straight feature wins. Brad Chandler was involved in a wreck three laps in and pulled off the track.
ASA MILLER 100
At Hawkeye Downs Speedway
ASA Late Models
Heat winners – Odd qualifier: Jonathan Eilen; Even qualifier: Tim Schendel Last chance race (Top 5 qualified for feature): 1. Steve Carlson, 2. Jeff Storm, 3. Joey Gase, 4. Tim Plummer, 5. Joel Thiesen Feature – 1. Jonathan Eilen, 2. Nathan Haseleu, 3. Jacob Goede, 4. Andrew Morrissey, 5. Tim Schendel; Other Iowans: 12. Griffin McGrath, 20. Tim Plummer, 24. Joey Gase, 25. Brad Osborn, 26. Mason Mitchell ASA Trucks Heat winners – Odd: Jerry Wood; Even: Kyle Brinkmann Feature – 1. Jerry Wood, 2. John Wood, 3. Austin Luedtke, 4. Chad Wood, 5. Rick Corso ASA Sportsman Heat winner – Coedy Houdek Feature – 1. Chris Marek, 2. Bryan Turtle, 3. Scott Null, 4. Jerry Suderland, 5. Doug Bennett Hornets Heat winners – 1st: Kurt Bohnsack; 2nd: Brad Chandler; 3rd: Todd Ness Feature – 1. Dallas Chandler, 2. Todd Ness, 3. Ian Pate, 4. Derek Parrott, 5. Jamie Witham