images/s5_nd_9.jpg (Crates) DECORAH, IA (December 3, 2010)—Things weren’t looking too well for WFO_ICE heading into Friday night’s race at Upper Iowa Speedway since he had been held winless this season after picking up a season high five victories just one season ago.

How quickly things can change. After having mechanical issues and bowing out of the heat race early, ICE proceeded to start last in the B Main and secure one of the two transfer spots into the feature where he’d start ninth. From there, the Tahlequah, Ok driver methodically worked his way up through the field to earn his first win of the season.

“It was gonna be tough coming from the back,” the smiling ICE said after capturing the first-ever VLR Crate event run at the high-banked short track. “Luckily I started on the inside and I just kept it glued to the bottom for the most part. I was able to get around a lot of cars beating and banging a little bit, and sliding high in the corners and I took advantage of that.”

ICE started towards the rear of the field, and didn’t make his presence felt until the latter half of the sixty lap race when he passed VLR_Shock for third. At the time, it appeared that the front runners VLR_18 and hometown fan favorite BLS_Jammin were too far ahead of the veteran.

Luck was on ICE’s side, however, as the points leader VLR_Shock saw he was faster and didn’t put up much of a fight, allowing ICE to begin cutting the margin down between the leaders and him.

He didn’t have to wait long to take the lead, though, as Brookfield, Wi. driver VLR_18 got into BLS_Jammin while going for the lead with twenty-five laps to go. This allowed ICE to close right in and power by the two on the bottom.

“Shock let me go by him when I caught up to him, which was pretty classy,” said ICE, who picked up his first VLR Crate win of the season to go along with two wins in VLR’s Gen3 series. “Then I think VLR_18 and Jammin kinda got into each other and got sideways, which allowed me to catch them. When I finally got around Jammin I was able to get a little cushion in between us and I was never really challenged after that.

“That was gonna be the easiest way to catch them. I was starting to reel them in, they were battling pretty hard. I was taking about a tenth off a lap, but when I finally got to them and was finally able to get around them it was smooth sailing.”

ICE came into this season as perhaps the favorite to win the Crate series after his five wins last season in limited action gave him lots of momentum, but he hadn’t been able to pull through until this week when it appeared the hurdle would be too big to climb until his late race charge to the front.

VLR_18 started third and concluded his race one spot higher in second, 0.61 car lengths behind WFO_ICE after leading for several laps.

BLS_Jammin of Decorah, placed third in his Crate late model. The smooth driver was trying to upset the crowd of VLR regulars after starting on the pole and leading for over half the race, but his car wore out in the latter stages and he held on for a strong third place finish, even though it wasn’t what he had in mind.

The VLR Crates point leader VLR_Shock of Crossville, Tn., zoomed across the line in fourth place as he repelled the advances of Komoko, In., driver BLS_Jsn, who rounded out the top five finishers.

Much of the race was centered on the battle for the lead, as VLR_18 and BLS_Jammin raced side by side for many laps, with neither seeming to have a faster car than the other.

The crowd of 6,380 would stand to their feet every time their hometown hero BLS_Jammin would move into the lead, but in the end it was the #97 of WFO_ICE charging to the victory.

ICE’s impressive run was one of the finest of his career at VLR, as he made some nifty passes to get to the front, and into victory lane for the first time this season with just one race remaining on the schedule.

“I’m just elated with joy,” yelped ICE after the race. “I definitely gotta thank Tampax and Vagisil for supporting me, tonight. It helped me squeeze into that tight hole in between Jammin and Wheel. I was itching for that win; I had a burning need for it.”

VLR_18 was gracious in defeat, despite not being the car in victory lane after swapping the lead with Jammin throughout much of the race.

“It was a good night, I don’t know, I just didn’t have enough there,” said VLR_18. “It just seems like I get second quite a bit in this series for some reason, doesn’t matter who it is (to). It was a good race, me and Jammin got together a little, but it was all good. ICE moved passed us there when we were battling.

“ICE snuck up there and took it from both of us pretty much,” he added. “It just wasn’t my day.”

“I just had a bad break and got beat. That’s all, I don’t know.”

BLS_Jammin was the overwhelming crowd favorite and finished third in his first start of the season on the Crates tour. However, the hometown driver looked like he was going to run away early while VLR_18 and VLR_Shock battled for second. Unfortunately he didn’t have a car that was able to hold up that well for sixty laps.

“I thought I had a pretty good shot (to win),” said a disappointed win. “I still had a good finish, though, finished behind two of the fastest guys in the league, so I can’t complain on that.”

“It definitely would have been one of my biggest wins; it’s always nice to win at your home track.”

VLR_Shock crossed the line behind Jammin in fourth, but openly admitted that he was rooting for the local driver to upset the VLR Crates regular in his debut in the series.

“I was pulling for Jammin because it was his home crowd. But, I was hoping he would win,” said VLR_Shock after the race. “It was still a good race even though he didn’t win. He did a good job for his first start of the season, but it would have been cool if he got the win in front of his fans.”

“My car was good, though, it was just all over the place,” added Shock. “I couldn’t get it hooked up anywhere. I tried to run the line Jammin and Wheel would run but every time I did it would just snap loose. I couldn’t really hit two good laps in a row. I just think that’s a track I was meant to be bad at and even with more practice I’d probably have been slower.”

Finishing in positions 5-10 BLS_Jsn, who started and finished the race in fifth despite putting pressure on VLR_Shock in the closing laps; 8th-starting BLS_42 of Michigan; National City, Mi., driver WFO_Zombie finished seventh; Doit 42 of Phoenix, Az. finished eighth, followed by Massachusetts native BLS_No Clue, and Houston, Tx. driver Starnes, who had a DNF after causing a fiery crash.

A field of 14 drivers made the track to Iowa, where they were greeted by heavy snow and blustery conditions. The race was ran smoothly, though, and the event was over within an hour.

Heat winners were Starnes and BLS_Jammin. The B-Main was won by WFO_Ice, who went on to capture the A Main as well.

The VLR Crates tour will conclude next Friday at Sharon 2k11 where VLR_Shock looks to pick up his first ever Crates championship. VLR_18 is the only driver mathematically in striking distance behind him as he sits fifty-four points behind. We hope to see a good crowd of drivers out for our last event of 2010 in the Crates.

Top 10 Results of VLR Late Model series Jammin 60 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver):

1. (9) WFO_ICE
2. (3) VLR_18
3. (1) BLS_Jammin
4. (2) VLR_Shock
5. (5) BLS_Jsn!
6. (8) BLS_42
7. (6) WFO_Zombie
8. (7) Doit 42
9. (10) BLS_No Clue
10. (4) Starnes

Time of Race: 11:00.89
Margin of Victory: 0.61 Secs.
Rookie of the Race: BLS_Jammin
SuperClean Fast Time Award: WFO_ICE 10.86
SuperClean Hard Luck Award: BLS_No Clue