The weather was near perfect on Wednesday for racing at the Southern Iowa Speedway. Colt Mather would score his first Modified win at the Speedway in 2016, and first wins of the season also went to Danny Thrasher in the Hobby Stock Class and Ryan Havel in the Sport Compact division. Curtis VanDerWal scored his fourth SportMod feature, and Cayden Carter continues his reign as master of the Stock Car class.....six in a row.
Only nine IMCA Modifieds appeared on Wednesday night. All nine started but the field was quickly down to seven when Andrew Schroeder was off the pace and then Brandon Banks exited with mechanical issues.
Scott Dickey and Tyler Groenendyk sat on the front row for the start of the 18-lap feature. Cayden Carter, who started third, quickly overtook the two, and was in the lead at lap one. Colt Mather had started alongside Carter, and was right on his tail at lap two. The two drivers put on quite the show for the lead. Mather's constant pestering of Carter finally paid off when he took the lead at lap ten. He held that lead then the rest of the way to the checkers and the win. Carter had to be content with second. There was a good battle for third place between visiting Jesse Dennis from Prescott, located in southwest Iowa, and local hot shoe, Zack VanderBeek. Jesse Dennis was able to hold back VanderBeek, as they finished third and fourth respectively. Tyler Groenendyk rounded out the top five. Mather took his first win at Osky this year.
Cayden Carter has dominated in the IMCA Stock Car class at the Southern Iowa Speedway this year. His dominance prevailed again last night as he won his sixth feature in a row, making for a perfect regular season. Carter was patient, working his way from fifth starting position, and finally catching leader Nathan Wood. Wood held Carter at bay through his constant pressuring, still leading at lap fifteen of the eighteen lap race. The two went side by side down the backstretch, and this time, it was Carter gaining the advantage as they raced out of turn four on lap sixteen. Carter then held that lead and once again took the checkers. Nathan Wood finished what had to be, a disappointing second....so close to that elusive win. A good distance behind in third place was Louis Lynch, the "Hurryin' Scurryin" Missourian" as announcer Tony Paris likes to call him. Close at hand for fourth was Grinnell's Todd Reitzler, and fifth place Donnie Pearson. The race went flag to flag.
And so......Carter continues his reign at Osky. Not that this is an unusually outstanding year for Carter as a look back over the last couple years, (according to my unofficial records) shows nine wins in 2014, plus a Frostbuster win, and six wins in 2015.
Another driver who has put his stamp on the big ole half-mile oval, is Curtis VanDerWal. VanDerWal started tenth on the grid in the 16-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature and scrambled through the pack to catch Matt VanGelder with a dozen laps down. From then on, he pulled away for yet another feature win. VanGelder, who had led most of the race, finished as the runner up. Third went to Eric Flander, who has been in the "rent-a-ride" car formerly piloted by Greg Strohman. Austin Paul finished fourth, and Carter VandenBerg started ninth and finished fifth. The feature went caution free. VanDerWal put his #V1 in victory lane for the fourth time this season. My records show that he had ten wins in 2015, six in 2014 and ten in 2013.
The IMCA Hobby Stock went 15-lap in their feature event. Jamie Songer led the troops through the first handful of laps. Then veteran racer Bill Bonnett made the pass under Songer to take over the top spot on lap six. The race got real interesting soon, with a four-car breakaway---Bonnett leading with Dustin Griffiths, Danny Thrasher and Nick Ulin hot on his tail. A three-wide battle coming out of corner four saw Thrasher make the surge into the lead at lap fourteen, which he would keep to the checkers and the win. It was a very close battle for second place at the flagstand. Dustin Griffiths was scored in second, ahead of Bonnett who was officially scored third. All in our grandstand area, saw the reverse of second and third place, but angles and the official finish line makes a difference. Ulin took fourth place over Travis Bunnell in fifth. This was Thrasher's first win of 2016.
The IMCA Sport Compact's are having a good car count at Osky this year. Eleven came to try their hand last evening. A new winner emerged from the fray in the ten-lapper. It was Ryan Havel overtaking John Whalen at lap six, and keeping it to the checkers. Havel started tenth on the starting grid. Shane Evans chased Havel to the line for second place. Third went to John Gill and John Whalen was fourth. Brad Havel crossed the line in fifth, but it was announced he was penalized for causing Lincoln Schrock going for a spin on the final lap, so fifth was awarded to Jason Breuklander.
There was an entertaining intermission last night as several drivers participated in a wheelbarrow race...one driver pushing, the other riding in the wheelbarrow.....and then switching after a "lap".
The ultimate winners after several rounds, were Tyler Groenendyk and Danny Thrasher over Colton Livezey and Trent Brink.
We had no idea that we would have to keep an eye on the radar last night, (no chance of rain predicted) but a quick moving mass was moving from the north. Thankfully, it slid to the east of the track, and we saw no more than a few flashes of lightning in the distance.
The heat is coming back to our area, along with humidity. For those racing the rest of the week and upcoming weekend, be safe while you enjoy the races.
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