The rain all day on Friday made it necessary to scrap the first of the 2 day show at the Marshalltown Speedway for their World Nationals. With drivers from all over the US, it was determined that Saturday would be a 2-for-1 day with show #1 beginning at 1 p.m. and the day 2 show beginning after points were calculated for the Modifieds and the track had been re-worked.
Yes, we all know how afternoon racing goes in our neck of the woods....and with the wind blowing toward the grandstands, that first segment of racing had everyone just covered in dirt. It wasn't our first time, and it won't be the last.
Segment #1, or what should have been run on Friday, had heats and features for the Stock Cars, SportMods and Hobby Stocks. In the non-crate Modifieds, there were seven heats...twice. The first go around and then the second was lined up in reverse of the first heat's lineup. Passing points were awarded for the Modifieds and the top ten in points, were locked into the big $10,000 to win show.
The Hobby Stock's had a 20-lap feature. Benji Irvine and Shannon Anderson were the front runners early in the race, and Anderson's persistent pestering of Irvine gained him the front spot by lap ten. Then, with about a dozen laps in the books, the two would go into a "tandem" spin in turns three and four, and somehow, Anderson hardly faltered! He kept it going and never relinquished his top spot. Irvine, wasn't as lucky, and lost many positions. Anderson had a brief challenge by Adam Armstrong, who was piloting the brightly colored #224 usually raced by female competitor Gina Greubel, but Anderson would pull away at the end, and take the easy win. Armstrong, who had nearly destroyed his own car at the recent Super Nationals, looked good with his second place finish in the borrowed car. Third was Weston Koop, fourth went to Jamie Songer and Bill Bonnett piloting the second car of Songer, was fifth. The win was worth $500 to Anderson.
The SportMod feature was led from start to finish by Jake McBirnie. McBirnie started on the pole on his way to the 20-lap feature and $1,000 pay off. Tracy Wassenberg dogged McBirnie at times, but in the end had to be content with the runner up spot. Third went to Travis Peterson, fourth to Kansas driver Tyler Frye and Jared VanDeest completed the top five.
Greg Wichman from Bondul, Wisconsin started the 25-lap feature for the Stock Cars from the pole. On lap eleven, it was the Chelsea Charger, Damon Murty taking over the point spot, only to have Hortonville, Wisconsin's Travis VanStraten follow him around Wichman to take over the runner up spot. VanStraten, who is tied for IMCA National points with Mike Nichols, took a peek under Murty with about a handful of laps remaining, contact was made and third running Wichman seized the moment, and flew around both and into the lead. Murty regained control, keeping second place, but VanStraten suffered a flat and retired from the race. Murty tried his darnedest to catch leader Wichman but twas all in vain. Wichman took the $1,000 victory and Murty finished in second place. Third was Johnny Spaw, a veteran in racing who has done his fair share of racing asphalt as well as dirt track racing. fourth was Randy Brands, and Shawano, Wisconsin's Mike Schmidt rounded out the top five.
With the three features completed, as well as the two rounds of Modified heats, the first show of the day was completed at 4:45 p.m.
The second race program of the day began around 6:15 p.m. when the top ten in points of the Modifieds were calculated and those ten drivers brought to the front stretch to determine the starting order for a later 10-lap dash. That dash would then determine the starting order for the $10,000 to win World Nationals. Top in points was North Carolina's Kyle "The High Side Tickler" Strickler and when he picked up the #10 under the bottle of oil, he made it a complete reverse for starting order....giving the point spot for the dash to Ricky Thornton, Jr. from Arizona. Thornton would later win that dash, putting him on the pole for the feature.
The first feature of the night was again the Hobby Stocks for 20-laps. Weston Koop led lap one but Adam Armstrong put his "rent a ride" #224 car to the top spot by lap two. When the second of three yellows flew at lap nine, there was the familiar #78 of Shannon Anderson lurking in third place behind Koop. It took but a couple of laps until Anderson was able to make his move into first place. From there on out, he went untouched on his way to his second win of the day and another $500 in his pocket. Benji Irvine took his #79 from thirteenth starting spot, to finish as the runner up, Adam Armstrong went third, fourth was Dustin Elliott and ninth place starter Nick Ulin finished in fifth. Anderson, who had started twelfth, said in victory lane that he has had a hard time in the past getting a win at Marshalltown...having only had two previously. Then there he was in the winner's circle twice on the same day!
Another $1,000 awaited the winner of the 20-lap SportMod feature. Another driver in a "rent a ride" car, Joel Rust, who raced a Modified during the season, was piloting the SportMod usually raced by Marty Rouse. Rust led the early portion of the A feature. He was challenged almost immediately by Clint Luellen, the recent Super Nationals winner. Luellen swung to the topside and rode a fine line trying to reel in Rust. He got the job done by lap twelve and from there on kept it to the front, taking the win. Rust would finish as the runner up, third went to Belleville, Kansas racer Tyler Frye, who had started twelfth, Wisconsin's Tracy Wassenberg finished fourth after starting deep in the field in fifteenth. Another Wisconsinite, Vince Engebregtsen raced from ninth starting spot to finish fifth.
Twenty-five laps was up next for the Stock Cars and it was also another $1,000 for the winner. It was Damon Murty and Donavon Smith sitting on the front row for the start. and directly behind was the winner of the first feature, Greg Wichman, and the 2T of Travis VanStraten. This was looking to be a good one!
The Stock Cars never disappoint. Murty and Smith duked it out in the opening laps, and then VanStraten slipped by for the runner up spot, setting his sights on front running Murty. A car that had spun into the infield and then pulled out onto the track in front of leader Murty, may or may not have been a factor in allowing VanStraten to close in and then at lap ten, get under Murty to take over the lead. In the closing laps, VanStraten put distance between himself and the field and secured the win. Murty finished second for the second time of the day, Smith was third, Randy Brands came from fourteenth starting spot to finish fourth and Wayne Gifford was fifth. VanStraten said in his victory lane interview that he had watched last year's World Nationals and liked the looks of the track. He said it didn't disappoint as there were multiple grooves and he loved it.
The field of 24 was set for the 50-lap World National Modified feature. The top ten in points from the first program were already locked into the feature and their starting spots were set by the 10-lap dash earlier. Then five heats qualified two each that went directly to the feature for a total of 20 cars. A "Final Four" last chance Qualifier pitted 3-6 place finishers from the earlier heats. Those final four were Jordan Grabouski, Jacob Murray, and Wisconsin racers Jake Hartung and Jerry Wilinski, and the 24-car field was set.
The feature went 50-lap with only one caution. That came at lap two when the 33 of Gladstone, Illinois driver, Brandon Rothzen was pushed into the front stretch wall, ending his race early. Ricky Thornton, Jr. was happy for his pole starting position as the Chandler, Arizona racer led all 50 laps on his way to the $10,000 check. At one point in the second half of the race, last year's World winner, Benji LaCrosse was poised to reel in leader Thornton, but had that run come up short. LaCrosse, who started seventeenth, had to be content with second place this year. Veteran race Terry Phillips, from Springfield, Missouri, and who has a stellar list of racing accomplishments in both Late Models and Modifieds, took his #75 from thirteenth starting position, to a third place finish. Fourth went to North Carolina's Kyle Strickler, recent Super Nationals winner, and Todd Shute took fifth place.
We were much more comfortable in the grandstand area with the second day's racing as the track quieted down from the earlier dust flying. The track rubbered over and the bit of dust we saw rising was not a bother as the wind died down. The racing was completed at 10:10 p.m. This race closed the doors on the Marshalltown Speedway for 2015. Quite an end to the year's racing at the track. Over 150 cars competed yesterday, from a dozen or more states.
There are still races to be found in our area before the racing season calls it quits. Check the racing calendar at www.positivelyracing.com for several specials coming up in the surrounding area. We hope to catch a few of them.
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