This past Saturday was the first ever Don Gumke Memorial and it was definitely something awesome! Going into the race there were so many aspects that gave the memorial race a big race feel. First there was fact that it was an invitational race, with only three classes. Only the IMCA Modifieds, Wissota Street Stocks, and the Central North Dakota Bombers/Hobby Stocks were invited and these three classes brought in over a hundred plus cars. The second aspect that made this feel like a can't miss race was the format that they used for the modifieds. Double heats with inverted lineups and passing points. Now, some are probably not a fan of this format but it keeps the playing field pretty fair and even for everyone. The third aspect was that Jason Grimes was going to be wheeling the 2 star modified that was Don Gumke's personal ride. This was just a great touch to the night and it would be play an intriguing role later in the event. Finally, the support classes were vital and played a huge factor for the night. The Steffes Street Stock Tour would make it's first stop at Jamestown and this brought the cream of the crop in Street Stock drivers. So going into the night everything was primed and ready to make history.
The day of the race saw a stream of trailers and go through the gate as 44 modifieds, 34 streets, and 26 bombers signed in to compete. Five states would be represented and from what I saw there was a very positive and upbeat vibe in the pits. It was really cool hearing all of the stories flying around about Don and races of the past being swapped from drivers and officials. The next noticeable feature was the attendance of the Gumke and Dieterle families. To have them be in attendance for the night was definitely awesome and you could really see how quickly they took to being back at the track. Speaking of taking to the track, a bunch of former officials and track workers came back for the night to lend a hand to make the show go off without a hitch. One person specifically was Doug Gumke as he found himself back in a familiar spot on the front stretch helping direct and coordinate the races. It was clear that he hasn't missed a beat and can still do an awesome job taking control of the situation and making it go smoothly. Prior to the race during the national anthem all of the pit crews and drivers lined the rim of the track to pay homage to Don while his car was used during the national anthem. Then there was Don's modified, still flying the 2 star. Seeing it return to the track was definitely moving to say the least but what Jason Grimes would do in it would be a totally different story.
Grimes was a man on a mission and you could tell he was giving the fans everything that the car had. Marching his was through the heats, Grimes found himself in a solid spot on the outside of the front row for the thirty lap feature. Austin Arneson took the lead instantly and pulled away at the beginning but Grimes lurked behind him refusing to allow Arneson to walk away with the feature. By the halfway point it was clear if anything was going to happen to knock Arneson out of the lead it was going to have to happen soon. Then it happened, Grimes unleashed all of the horsepower that the car had and started to real Austin in. Lapped traffic would definitely play a factor and Jason was using the high line to perfection when a caution came out. By this point the crowd had been worked into a frenzy as people were on their feet yelling and screaming. You could feel that the crowd was just wanting to will the old Don Gumke ride into the top spot. On the restart Grimes gave everything the car had on the top side and was within grasp of passing Austin for the lead but in the end Austin kept his cool and was successful in holding off Jason to take the victory.
In victory lane Austin dedicated his win to his late friend and Joanne gave him a great big hug. Meanwhile Jason mentioned that he did all that he could do and hoped that he did Don right with his performance. I don't think there was any question that he had done that and so much more, especially on a night where all eyes were on him.
In what almost seemed as a surreal race Jason Grimes would finish second and the Austin Arneson would take first. Some could describe the race as a heavyweight bout where the best in the state came to pay their respect to an amazing man. Some will remember Jason Grimes performance as it was a performance that would make anyone proud especially if you consider the fact that he drove the car and the number of the man who the memorial race was for. If you consider how daunting of a task it was you must really tip your cap to Jason Grimes. The night ended not on the track but in the pits at veteran driver Johnny Correll's pit as Johnny had purchased a bottle Boone's Farm for every driver to partake in a special toast to Don. This was a moving gesture and it was cool to have those drivers take part of it as well.
In the other classes, Eric Riley took a big win in the Steffes Street Stock Tour and in the bombers Matthew Duchscherer took the big win in a large bomber field. All in all the night went off fairly smoothly besides a couple of cautions here and there. Jamestown Speedway did an excellent job playing host to the event and did an excellent job handling everything. The big take away from the night wasn't the racing even though it was great. No, I truly believe if there was one thing that we walked away with from the Don Gumke Memorial was the memories. The laughter, the smiles had, the hugs, the embraces, the stories shared, and the memories we made together can never be forgotten. Don will be missed but I've got a good feeling that every year we will be able to honor a great man with a great event.
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