NASCAR Home Tracks

Glendenning Finally Celebrates In Iowa

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A veteran of more than two decades of dirt Late Model racing won his first track championship in 2011. Paul Glendenning, 47, of Mt. Ayr, Iowa also won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Iowa championship competing at Adams County Speedway in Corning.

The race for the prestigious titles came down to the last race of the season. Glendenning had two prior runner-up finishes in the track points to formidable opponents. Chris Speiker won the track title in 2008 and Kyle Berck won it in 1998. Both drivers have been national championship contenders over the years.

Glendenning and J.C. Wyman swapped the race lead and thus the track and state point lead several times during the final feature of the season. Glendenning won both titles by just five points.

Glendenning finished with two wins, 11 top-fives and 14 top-10s in 14 starts. He didn’t win his first feature until August, and won the second in the season finale.

Feature wins don’t come easily at the .500-mile black clay oval. Drivers qualify for feature events through heat races. Point leaders are inverted into feature event starting line-ups.

“We spent the first three or four weeks just sorting the car out," Glendenning said. "We were consistent, but not thinking about points. We just hit on something with the set-up that the car liked. That first feature win was also the night we took the point lead.

“The next week we got wrecked from behind on the first lap and messed up the front end. We managed to correct the tie-rods and get back out for the restart and finished fifth.  J.C. won so we were tied in points. The next week J.C. was third and we were fourth two and were two points behind going into the final race.

“I was extremely please that my parents, kids and brother were there to share our championship night. Dad (Lloyd) won races and championships back in the days of the Jalopy division and raced some in Late Models.

”I raced go-karts until 1985 when I got my first race car and ran my first Late Model race at Adams County Speedway.”

Glendenning Racing is a family race team. The driver’s parents Lloyd and LaVerne are his car owners.

Team members include Paul’s children Jake and Kelsey and brother Todd, in addition to Wayde Ross, Shane Austin and the driver’s significant other Melissa Douglas.

The team’s dirt Late Model is based on a MasterSbilt chassis and powered by a Performance Racing Engine.

Sponsors include Glendenning Motor Company, Country Blossoms Flowers and Gifts, Mr. Detail Paintless Dent Removal, Rumors Bar and Grill, and Toad Holler Hunting Estates.

NASCAR Division I track, state and province champions, NASCAR Finalist Division leaders, and special award winners earn invitations to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet. The event is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 9 at the Charlotte Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Paul Glendenning won the Adams County Speedway track title and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Iowa championship. Linda Freeman