Vanover comes over to Boone and goes home a winner

It was Christmas in July Saturday night at the Boone Speedway, and the drivers getting the wins were as happy as the youngsters were getting to see Santa.  Modified racer Albert "Pep" Wolfgram and SportMod driver Jake McBirnie made it back-to-back wins, and driver Bryan Zehm repeated earlier wins.  Andrew Burg made a return visit to the Speedway pay off by capturing his first Hobby Stock win, and Kyle Vanover, Stock Car racer from Nebraska, made his first visit to the track pay off, taking home the hardware.

Bryan Zehm just barely held off a hard charging Josh May at the finish line, to score the win in the 15-lap Mod Lite main event.  Zehm grabbed the lead at lap seven and had May right on his tail a few laps later.  The two, who started side by side in row five, battled each other in the closing laps, right to the finish line, with the transponders telling the tale in a photo finish... Zehm won by 3/1000 of a second.  Following second place May was Randy Bryan in third, fourth went to Cory Sauerman and Joel Keenan started dead last in 20th spot, and finished fifth.  This was Zehm's fifth win at Boone Speedway this season and is the point leader.  

It was 18-laps of IMCA Northern SportMod racing up next which provided the fans with some exciting, close racing up front.  Cory Pestotnik led the first three circuits, but Andy Tiernan took over the top spot at lap four.  When a yellow flew at lap thirteen, McBirnie had taken command with Tiernan, Jonathon Logue and Pestotnik in hot pursuit.  When the race went green, McBirnie held the lead and in the final few laps, he pulled away to score the comfortable win,...his second in as many weeks.  Logue finished as the runner up, Tiernan was third, Randy Roberts was fourth and Pestotnik rounded out the top five.  This was McBirnie's fifth win of the season, plus also scoring the preseason Frostbuster special. Jonathon Logue is the point leader in the SportMod division going into the final month of point racing.  

Last week, Al "Pep" Wolfgram won his first career race in the IMCA Modifieds.  Saturday night, Wolfgram found himself right back in the winner's circle at Boone. In fact, he made it look easy, leading all but the first lap on his march to the win in the 20-lap feature.  Wolfgram stretched his lead, happy to let a distant pack of four cars sort it out for positions two through five.  Russ Dickerson made a last second pass out of turn four to take the runner up spot, just getting around third place finisher, Tony Cox.  Point leader, Mike VanGenderen started tenth and placed fourth, and Jimmy Gustin started ninth, and finished fifth.  The race went flag-to-flag.  

The 18-lap IMCA Stock Car A main saw Bryan Snell motor off to the lead from his pole starting spot, holding Don Vis at bay.  Meanwhile, moving quickly to the front was first time visiting Beatrice, Nebraska racer, Kyle Vanover, and Lake City, Iowa's Donavon Smith.  Vanover gained the upper hand at lap ten and just two laps later, with a fierce battle ensuing between Snell, Smith, and Vis, Snell found himself with no where to go as the three went three-wide, slipping off and rolling over the top of corners three and four....bringing out the red flag.  Snell was okay, but his night was ended.  When things resumed, Vanover maintained his lead, the rest of the way to the checkers.  Finishing a close second, was point leader, Donavon Smith, third went to Robert Stofer, Trent Murphy came from tenth starting spot, to finish fourth and Wayne Gifford, last week's winner, started ninth, and finished in fifth. Vanover, who races weekly at Beatrice Speedway in Beatrice, Nebraska has been to at least the last three Super Nationals, making the feature all three times, with a best finish of fourth place in the big dance in 2013.  He is no stranger to the speed plant.  

Another new face visited Boone Speedway's victory lane in the IMCA Hobby Stock division.  Andrew Burg started on the pole, and held that top spot the entire 12 laps to take the checkers.  Solomon Bennett took second, over Shaun Wirtz in third, fourth was Matt McDonald, and point leader, Eric Stanton, rounded out the top five. 

The running order of the features has been changed up the last couple of weeks, with the Hobby Stocks running their feature last....until they could "get their act back together", is what we've heard, as there have been many cautions as of late.  

 Last night was the last regular flagging night for flagman Nick Brueklander.  Brueklander, who honed his flagging skills by standing atop Bill Davis, Sr's. trailer back in the early '90's, is moving to Minnesota due to a job promotion.  We use to watch him atop Davis's trailer, down in turn four at Eldora, Iowa on Sunday nights.  Word is, he will be back for the Super Nationals.

It's hard to believe how quickly the racing season is winding down.  The month of August will be a busy one with specials all around.  Several tracks have or soon will be, done with their weekly racing programs, but specials abound.  Get out to a track and enjoy the sport we all love.  

Wroten holds off Stanton to earn first victory at Marshalltown

Marshalltown Speedway found new faces in Victory Lane on Friday night in the Modified and Hobby Stock classes, while there were repeat winners in the Stock Car, SportMod and Mod Lite divisions.  As an added bonus, the Micro Sprints also ran, and it was Skylar Hunter taking the win.

It was Josh May grabbing another win in the Mod Lite 12-lap feature.  May snatched the lead from Travis Stensland on lap seven, just after a caution had called for a restart, and from there on, held it to the checkers.  Stensland finished in second place, Randy Bryan started seventh and finished third, fourth was eight place starter Cory Sauerman, and Bryan Zehm was fifth.  This was May's third win of the point's season.

The 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod A main went to Jared VanDeest. But not until having to endure yellow flag after yellow flag. Sam Wieben held the early portion of the race, but then tenth place starter VanDeest made the topside work to his advantage, passing Sam Wieben at lap eleven on his way to his sixth win of the season.  Seventh place starter, Travis Peterson came home in second, Wieben started eighth and finished third, Shawn Cooney, who had earlier made an attempt to pass leader VanDeest only to loose grip and fall back, finished fourth, and veteran racer Bill Hildreth rounded out the top five. VanDeest added to his point lead at the track with the win. This race was a marathon and after the seventh caution was called, the race was under time limit.  It did continue to the full 18-laps.

A new winner came from the IMCA Hobby Stock class when Leah Wroten snatched her first victory at Marshalltown.  Wroten, who has just been missing out on that coveted win in recent races, outran point leader Eric Stanton to grab the trophy.  Following second place Stanton, was Gene Nicklas in third, fourth went to John Watson, and Tyson Overton was fifth. This was the first time Wroten had ever won at the Marshalltown Speedway. Wroten became the fourth different Hobby Stock winner on the season...joining Eric Stanton with ten wins, Gene Nicklas with two, and Adam Armstrong with one.  We noted that Armstrong was back at the Beatrice Speedway in Beatrice, Nebraska last night, (his hometown) and took the win in the SportMod division.

It was an exciting contest in the 20-lap IMCA Stock Car feature.  Steve Meyer took the helm from Jeff Wollam at lap three and then Donovan Smith joined in to make it a three-car battle for the lead.  The three ran three-wide for several laps.  Smith was finally able to slip under Meyer with just two laps remaining to establish the lead, and then kept it to the checkers.  Meyer finished as the runner up, Wollam was third, and Tyler Pickett and Kyle Everts completed the top five.  This was Smith's fourth win of the season. The previous four week's winner, Damon Murty, was MIA as he made the trip to the Hancock Speedway in Britt, Iowa for the big Stock Car special last evening.

The night's finale was 20-laps of IMCA Modified action.  Jake Strayer took command from Gatlin Leytham on lap six but soon had Joel Rust to contend with.  Rust, who started eighth made the move around the topside of Strayer, taking the lead at lap eight.  Rust then held that top spot to the checkers flying, securing the win.  Strayer finished second, third went to eleventh place starter, Jacob Murray, Jimmy Gustin started fourteenth and finished fourth, and Jenae Gustin was fifth.  Rust won the Hawkeye Dirt Tour race back on June 7, but this was his first regular season win at Marshalltown in 2016.

Was there a full moon last night?  There was a lot of on track incidents and the yellow flag seemed to be constantly flying. The only race that went caution free was the Micro Sprints.  Throw in one red flag as well, when visiting Stock Car driver Jon Braanthan from Story City, found himself "wheels up" at the bottom of turns one and two in an incident with another visitor, Chris Luloff from Independence.  There were several new drivers last night joining in the fun. Among those were Tyler Inman, Kyle Olson and Brandon Tharp in the Northern SportMod class, Mike Galli raced in the Stock Cars, and Brett Vanous and John Watson competed in the Hobby Stocks.

Next Friday night, the Marshalltown Speedway will start their five-week run with the IMCA Late Models on the docket.  The drivers and fans alike love the big wide-bodies on the High Banks at Marshalltown.

Still lots of racing to be found in our neck of the woods.  Check out the racing calendar at www.positivelyracing.com for a race to attend.  Weekly racing continues at many tracks, plus many specials.  

Wolfgram grabs first career win

It was another sweltering, hot July night at the Boone Speedway Saturday.  It still brought 111 race cars out on the steamy night, to entertain themselves and the crowd.   A driver got his first career win in the IMCA Modified division, while all other classes would have repeat winners from earlier in the season.

It was Travis Stensland making a return trip to the winner's circle in the 15-lap Mod Lite feature.  Stensland took over the lead from Mike Kennedy at lap six and led the remainder of the caution free race.  He finished comfortably ahead of second place finisher, Bryan Zehm, who had started tenth.  Mike Kennedy fell back to finish in third, fourth went to Joe Glick and Randy Bryan was fifth.  This was Stensland's third win of the year.

Jake McBirnie also made it back to victory lane in winning the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod event.  He caught and passed Chad Ryerson at lap five, to take command.  He kept that lead to the finish and the checkers flying.  Ryerson held down the runner up spot, Jonathon Logue started eleventh, and finished third, tenth place starter Randy Roberts was fourth and Adam Shelman came from thirteenth starting spot, to finish in fifth.  McBirnie, who moved quickly through the field from starting ninth, scored his fourth win of the regular season.

The IMCA Modifieds ran their 20-lap A main next.  Veteran racer Robert Avery held the lead on lap one, but by lap two, it was Al "Pep"Wolfgram snatching it away.  He soon had Jimmy Gustin coming at him on the topside fast and furiously.  After several laps of side-by-side racing, Gustin momentarily took the top spot, only to have Wolfgram retake the lead by the time the next lap was scored.  The chase continued with Gustin giving it his all in the attempt to get around the leader.  Hitting a rut in corner one with just a couple of laps remaining, sent Gustin backwards, though he was able to wrestle it back under control.  This allowed  Wolfgram breathing room on his road to the checkers.  Point leader Mike VanGenderen came from twelfth starting spot and worked his way to a second place finish.  Chris Webb finished in third, fourth was Tony Cox, and Russ Dickerson came from tenth place, to round out the top five.  Wolfgram scored his first ever win. Wolfgram can be found in the flagstand on Friday night's at the Marshalltown Speedway. 

Wayne Gifford wasted no time in getting to the lead in the 18-lap IMCA Stock Car main event.  He started seventh and had the lead at lap two.  From there on he stretched his lead as the race went caution free, taking the comfortable win.  Jay Schmidt finished in second after starting tenth on the field, and a distance behind in third was Rod Richards.  Eleventh place starter, Tyler Pickett, was fourth and point leader Donavon Smith started twelfth, and finished fifth.  Gifford won for the third time this year.

Chad Legere took another checkered flag in the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock finale. The race was caution filled, with just six cars out of the nineteen starting,  left running at the finish.  Legere had the lead with just a handful of laps in the books and held it to the checkers and the win.  Solomon Bennett just nosed by Aaron Rudolph at the finish line, as they went second and third in that order.  Fourth place finisher Shaun Wirtz started fourteenth, and Seth Janssen was fifth.  Legere won for the second time.

There were over a dozen new or only occasional drivers checked into the pits last evening....surprising due to the uncomfortably hot and humid conditions. Among those were the  Kansas contingency that we first saw racing at Knoxville's Dirt Duel/Hawkeye Dirt Tour on Thursday night.  They were the 33D of Brendon Damon in the IMCA Northern SportMod class, and in the IMCA Modified's, 8R Jesse Richter, 0 Jimmy Reeves, and 25P Mike Petersille.  Todd Cooney was behind the wheel in the #10 Modified.  The Stock Car class saw new drivers Bob Staiert from Arcadia, Josh Steele from Platt City, Missouri, and Chris Toot from Albert Lea, Minnesota.  Aaron Mitchell from Palo, and Josh Appel, Mason City racer, ran in the SportMod class. 

The dangerous heat was suppose to end last evening according to the weather forecasters.  A step outside this morning, and it sure doesn't feel like it!  For those going racing today, be sure and hydrate and stay safe.  

Flander finds victory lane on first visit

It was a hot and steamy night at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday where it was another regular night of racing action.  Four drivers repeated wins from this season at the High Banks, and one driver paid his first visit to the Speedway and went home with a victory.

Mod Lite racing kicked off the feature events.  They ran their usual 12-lap A main.  Travis Stensland grabbed the immediate lead, and though his momentum was slowed at lap two for a caution, he never let it bother him, as he sped off from the field on the restart, and kept it all the way to the checkers and the win.  Mike Morrill took the runner up spot, third went to Joel Huggins, fourth to Randy Bryan, and eighth place starter, Mike Kennedy, finished fifth.  This was Stensland's second win at the track this season.

Up next was the 18-lap feature for the IMCA Northern SportMods.  Ryan King led the troops through the first handful of laps, but Curt Hilmer made his high line run pay off, taking over at lap six.  When a yellow flew at lap ten for visiting Australian racer, Frank Packer, Hilmer still held the lead, but now had Sam Wieben in second to contend with on the restart, and first time visitor to the track, Eric Flander was running third.  When the race returned to green, it was Flander who got the drop, passing Wieben and up to challenge leader Hilmer.  The two ran side-by-side for several laps until Flander was able to make the pass at lap fifteen.  He then put a comfortable distance between himself and the pack fighting behind, and swept home to the win.  It was a real battle for position behind the winner, but it was Sam Wieben winning out for the runner up spot.  Third went to sixteenth place starter, Jared VanDeest, Hilmer took fourth, and Ethan Braaksma completed the top five.  Flander, who calls Pella, Iowa home, started twelfth on his march to the win. Though Flander has raced Marshalltown in the past, I believe this to be his first win ever at the Speedway.

Eric Stanton put his 7B back in the winner's circle again in the 15-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature.  He wasted no time in getting to the front from his eighth starting spot, taking the lead at lap three from Travis Merical.  He then stretched the lead, taking the win by a comfortable margin...his tenth of the season.  Leah Wroten came from seventh starting spot, to finish second, third was Gary Pfantz, Tyson Overton was fourth and Travis Merical was fifth.  Stanton's ten wins, Gene Nicklas' two wins, and one win by Adam Armstrong, still keeps only three different drivers winning in the class.

Damon Murty, the "Chelsea Charger", made it four wins in a row in the Class too Tough to Tame, the IMCA Stock Cars. After sorting through the cars from his tenth starting spot, he put it to the topside, and reeled in then leader Kyle Everts and passed him for the lead at lap fourteen of the twenty lap feature.  He then sailed off, taking the win easily, making it number six on the year. Seventh place starter, Dave Atcher took second place, holding off Steve Meyer in third, and close behind was Donavon Smith in fourth and fifth place finisher, Kyle Everts.

The regular racing concluded with 20-laps of IMCA Modified racing.  Rod Clement took over the lead from Andrew Kinser at lap three, and was looking strong, leading through the halfway point.  By then, Ronn Lauritzen had made his way from ninth spot, to run in second place, and was applying pressure to the leader.  At lap fifteen, Lauritzen swooped to the lead, and in the final circuits, pulled away for the impressive win.  Jake Murray came from eleventh, to finish second, just getting around third place finisher Rod Clement.  Jenae Gustin, sporting a new wrap, was fourth and Eric Elliott rounded out the top five. This was Lauritzen's second win of the season.

Despite the high humidity and temperatures, the saving grace last evening was the breeze and cloud cover. It still had to be very uncomfortable for the drivers in their driver's suits, helmets, and sitting in the hot race cars.  Thanks to them for braving the elements to entertain us fans. A few new drivers came to race, some that had run at Knoxville the previous night.  Several Kansas racers, Brendon Damon in the SportMods and Jesse Richter, Mike Petersille and Jimmy Reeves in the Modifieds, tried their hand at the High Banks.  Australian Frank Packer was back in Iowa again for his annual visit, racing his SportMod, and as mentioned above, Eric Flander made his first time at the track a successful one, taking the SportMod win.

They are still calling for extreme heat and humidity today, making for dangerous situations for man and beast.  The forecasters tell us that may end tonight.  Time will tell.  Stay safe out there!

Kay and VanDerWal dominate at Knoxville

Two Hawkeye Dirt Tour races scheduled earlier in the week, the Iowa State Fair Speedway, and the Southern Iowa Speedway, were wash outs, but the third time was the charm when Knoxville hosted the Dynamic Drivelines Dirt Duel/HDT on Thursday night.  The sweltering heat still brought 44 IMCA Modifieds and 51 IMCA Northern SportMods to attempt to tame the famed half mile.  

The Modifieds ran five heats with the top two moving to the feature.  The three B mains, took four from each, and Hawkeye Dirt Tour provisionals were tagged on the tail....those being Cory Dripps and David Brown. The Sportmods ran six heats, the top two moving to the A main, and three B mains, moving another four to the feature.

The SportMod feature went 20-laps. The luck of the draw found Pella's Matt VanGelder and Montezuma, Iowa's Brett Lowry...who was wanting to win one for his newborn son, sitting on the front row.  

Lowry held down the top spot for the first eight laps, but then Tim Plummer, who started third, took command.  Meanwhile, flying on the topside of the track, was eighth place starter, Curtis VanDerWal.  VanDerWal hung precariously to that topside of the track, making that momentum payoff at lap thirteen when he took over the lead.  From there on, it was all VanDerWal, taking the checkers and the win.  Plummer held down the runner up spot, Lowry took third, Jarrett Brown from Ainsworth, Iowa was fourth and Matt VanGelder completed the top five.  VanDerWal was a happy camper in victory lane, saying the win was a dream come true.    

The grand finale was 25-laps of IMCA Hawkeye Dirt Tour Modified racing.  When we saw the front row starters, Justin Kay and Jacob Murray, we were already pretty convinced, it could be how they would finish.  The start saw Kay jump to the immediate lead, and put distance between himself and second running Murray.  The only yellow to fly save for the initial "no go" for debris, came at lap nineteen.  Kay and Murray were still the top two, but sitting in third was hard runner, and defending IMCA National Champion, Chris Abelson.  Things could now get interesting on the restart!  And that is just what it did.  Abelson flew to the topside, moving around Murray and on lap twenty one, was able to pull off a slide job on leader Kay as they came out of turn four....and scored the leader.  Kay was having none of that "caught by surprise move", and was able to grab the lead back by the following lap.  Kay held tight to that lead then, the rest of the way to the checkers.  Abelson was second, and Murray went third.  Fourth was veteran racer, Kelly Shryock, and making the most headway, was Richie Gustin in fifth, after starting twelfth.

There was a contingency of drivers from Great Bend, Kansas racing last evening.  Jesse Richter, Mike Petersille, and Jimmy Reeves in the Modifieds, and Brendon Damon in the SportMod class. The SportMod class also found Frank Packer from Australia back in Iowa for his annual racing vacation.  

Elvis was in the house last night too!  Well....Elvis impersonator, Joey Franklin from Las Vegas, who drives the #33 white IMCA Modified.  The last few years, Franklin has come to Iowa for a racing fix.  His racing suit even reflects the Elvis theme.  His night did not end well, when he came to a stop on the front stretch, and had to be pushed into the pits.  

Another driver making the long haul back to Iowa from Winston, California, was Paul Stone.  We caught up with him and his wife Jill, prior to the races.  They will be returning to California, but plan to be back racing the Harris Clash coming up on August 9 at the Hamilton County Speedway, and also plan for the Super Nationals at the Boone Speedway the week of Labor Day.  A fellow Californian, Ethan Dotson was also in the house.  He drives the #174....though from a distance, it appears to be just a #1.  He made Iowa his summer racing home last year, and has now been back again as of late. The youngster has made great strides in his racing career.    

The extreme high temperatures, prompted the racing to be moved back last evening.  Hot laps were 7:30 and the first green flag dropped at 7:58.  Racing was completed at 10:40.  It was a sweltering night, and we were more than glad to be invited into one of the front stretch suites.  We thank them for the opportunity and for the great hospitality.  It made the night very enjoyable.  

The next Hawkeye Dirt Tour on the schedule is next Tuesday, July 26, when the series travels to the Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway.  The Sprint Invaders will also be on the program.

It appears the high temperatures are sticking around for racing this weekend.  Take heed and be safe out there if you will be attending a race.  

  

Pruitt grabs first win at Boone

We were back at our Saturday night home, the Boone Speedway last evening, for another dose of racing.  It was a beautiful night, the crowd was good and the pits held 102 race cars. There were 18 Mod Lites, 18 Hobby Stocks, 19 SportMods, 25 Stock Cars and 22 Modifieds. 

Josh May repeated his win from last week in the Mod Lite division.  May grabbed the lead from Travis Stensland at lap four and stayed at the helm the rest of the way to the win.  Bryan Zehm started tenth, and finished as the runner up, third went to Cory Sauerman, Travis Stensland was fourth, and Angelo Montgomery rounded out the top five.

Jonathon Logue scored his fifth win of the season in the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature.  Logue started tenth and had to run down leader Robert Moore, to take control at lap ten.  Moore finished in second, Randy Roberts finished third from his ninth starting position, Jake McBirnie, driving a borrowed car after suffering mechanical woes in the heat, finished fourth after starting near the tail of the field.  McBirnie hopped in the 27M car that has been piloted by Mike Munson, but last evening, the driver was listed as Lonnie Hodges.  McBirnie had no problem in moving that "rent-a-ride" to the front. Curtis Veber completed the top five.  The race went flag to flag.

The IMCA Modifieds ran their 20-lap feature next.  Joel Bushore wasted little time in getting to the front in this one.  He passed Albert "Pep" Wolfgram as lap five was scored, and from there on, never looked back, repeating his win from last week.  Wolfgram held second place, Jimmy Gustin came from eleventh to finish third, fourth was Chris Webb, and point leader Mike VanGenderen recovered nicely from an early race skirmish, to finish fifth.  The race finished under a "green-white-checkered" finish---or "bonus laps", as we call it. 

The IMCA Stock Cars came next with their 18-lap A main.  Cory Bushnell got around Missouri racer Brad Whitney at lap six, to take over as captain of the ship.  He soon had Brandon Pruitt breathing down his tail pipes, pestering him at each corner.  Pruitt's swing to the outside paid off, as he took the lead on lap twelve.   A couple of laps later, Trent Murphy was applying pressure to the leader, searching everything for a way around Pruitt.  But it wasn't to be, as Pruitt shook off his advances, and took the checkers.  Murphy, who started eleventh, finished a close second.  Veteran Terry Pruitt came home in third, tenth place starter Jay Schmidt finished fourth and point leader Donavon Smith started seventeenth, and finished fifth in the caution free feature.   Brandon Pruitt scored his first win at Boone this season.

The IMCA Hobby Stocks closed out the night's racing with their 12-lap feature.  Solomon Bennett took charge at lap four and held off Dustin Lynch to take the win in a close finish.  Point leader Eric Stanton came from tenth starting spot, to finish third, fourth was last week's winner, Aaron Rudolph, and Chad Legere was fifth.  Bennett won for the fourth time this season in another caution free event.

You will note that the order of events was mixed up a bit last night.  Evidently, the Hobby Stock drivers were relegated to run last.  We understood there was a "special" driver's meeting just for their class, and after some recent incidents causing many yellows, it must have helped, as the race went caution free.  In fact, all of the classes took heed about there being too many yellows recently.  There were only a total of three yellows in the five classes, and one of those was a complete restart for a "no go" on the initial start in the Mod Lite division.  

Get out and find a race to attend...with all the specials coming up, you have many to choose from.  Support the sport we all love.  Check the calendar at www.positivelyracing.com for a race to attend.  Of course, Mother Nature may dictate if racing happens in some of those locations.  Already, Sunday's races at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton have cancelled, as well as the Stuart Speedway in Stuart.

Murty and VanDeest go back-to-back, Murray stretches point lead

The Marshalltown Speedway was back in action on Friday night, giving the nice crowd on hand an evening full of exciting racing. The car count was one shy of 100.  The Micro Sprints joined the five regular classes.  It was also Marshalltown Police and Fast Shafts night at the Highbanks.

Jacob Murray took the checkers in the IMCA Modified class, adding to his point lead, Damon Murty in IMCA Stock Cars, and Jared VanDeest in the IMCA Northern SportMods, duplicated their wins from last week, and Gene Nicklas returned to victory lane in the Hobby Stock division.  Jeff Stensland made it to the winner's circle for the first time this season in the Mod Lites, and the Micro Sprint win went to Travis Rewerts.

The Micro Sprints ran a 15-lap feature. There were twelve cars checked in, with ten starting their A main.  The caution free race was led start to finish by the 23T of Travis Rewerts.  The 1K of  Kelby Watt finished as the runner up, chasing the leader the entire distance.  Third went to Jayce Jenkins in the 33, Ryan Leavitt in the 22 was fourth and Doug Sylvester in the number 12, was fifth.

Jeff Stensland, who just made his racing debut for 2016 recently, came home the victor for the first time in the 12-lap Mod Lite feature.  Stensland led the entire race on his way to the checkers.  Josh May came from sixth starting spot, to take second, third went to ninth place starter, Mike Morrill, Cory Sauerman took fourth from starting eighth, and Bryan Zehm started tenth, and completed the top five. A look back at my records indicates that Stensland had never won at Marshalltown. He is the father of Travis Stensland who also races in the Mod Lites.

Shawn Cooney was looking to take the feature win in the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature, jumping to the immediate lead, and pulling away.  A caution at lap thirteen, proved to be his nemesis however.  The restart closed the gap, bunching the field, with Jared VanDeest running second. When the race restarted, VanDeest made several attempts for the pass, and finally made it pay off.  VanDeest got the job done with just two laps remaining, sneaking under Cooney to take the lead.  He would then keep it to the checkers, holding off Cooney with a bit of rubbin' is racin' as they crossed the finish line.  Cooney had to be content with second place on this night.  Sam Wieben took third, fourth went to Travis Peterson, and Cory Rose was fifth.  VanDeest, who also won last week, scored his fifth win at Marshalltown this season.  He extended his point lead in the SportMod division.

Gene Nicklas returned to victory lane in the IMCA Hobby Stock class.  He took the lead from Brandon Pitts at lap seven and from there on, pulled away, taking the comfortable win.  Eric Stanton, who started ninth, came through the field to score the runner up position.  Third went to Leah Wroten, Tyson Overton was fourth and Matt Pohlman was fifth.  Nicklas won for the second time this year. There continues to be just three different drivers scoring wins in the Hobby Stock class this year.  Point leader Eric Stanton has nine wins, Nicklas has two, and last week's winner, Adam Armstrong, who did not return this week, has the only other win.

There was scrambling and position changes throughout the entire 20-lap IMCA Stock Car feature.  At lap five, it was veteran Jeff Wollam holding down the lead when a yellow flag flew.  By this time, the familiar #35 of Donavon Smith was up to second from his steady advancement through the field. When the racing action picked back up, Wollam held on to the lead for a couple of laps before Smith took command.  Meanwhile, Damon Murty had been flying on the topside and by lap eleven, was up to second and gaining on Smith.  Lap thirteen with unlucky for Smith, but lucky for Murty, as he swept to the lead.  From there on Murty held the top spot all the way to the checkers and the win.  Smith finished second, Dave Atcher finished third, fourth went to Jeff Wollam, and Tyler Pickett rounded out the top five.  Murty has won the last three consecutive weeks at Marshalltown, and tonight's win marked his fifth of the year. Smith holds down the point lead in the division.

The frantic position changes continued in the 20-lap main event for the IMCA Modifieds.  Andrew Kinser held down the lead at lap one, but by lap two, it was Eric Elliott in command with Jake Strayer and last week's winner Trent Jackson in the mix.  Jake Murray and Ronn Laurtizen soon joined in the fray as well, making for a breathtaking battle.  With four laps remaining, Murray swooped to the lead, and was then gone, leaving the rest to battle it out for position behind him.  He took the easy win, his fifth of the year at the track.  Ronn Lauritzen started tenth, and captured second place, holding off Andrew Kinser in third.  Joel Rust finished in fourth and Jake Strayer took fifth. The point leader Jacob Murray gained a little breathing room last night in extending his lead over Tim Ward and Ronn Lauritzen.

Guest announcer Coty Mallicoat did a great job of keeping the audience informed of the racing action last evening.  He was joined in the announcer's stand by Pat Fagan from Fast Shafts who was a sponsor for the evening...tossing out shirts, and other goodies to the fans.  It was also Marshalltown Police night.  They had some of their vehicles on display behind the grandstand, one that was a nostalgic "black and white", with the single red dome atop.

Next week, there is a full calendar of racing in our area.  Check the calendar at Positively Racing.  Some of those specials will leave us having to flip a coin as to where to attend.  Perhaps we will see you at some of those specials.  Enjoy the racing!

Bushore and Rudolph pick up first wins at Boone

Three new drivers found their way to victory lane at the Boone Speedway on Saturday night and two were repeat winners.  Joel Bushore captured his first win of the season in the IMCA Modified division, Aaron Rudolph made it win #1 in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Josh May went to the winner's circle for the first time in the Mod Lite class. Repeat winners were Jake McBirnie in the IMCA Modified's, and Tyler Pickett captured his second ever IMCA Stock Car victory at Boone.  

Mod Lite racer Josh May, who has not raced full time at Boone this season, got back to his winning ways from past years, and went to victory lane for the first time.  May started sixth and closed in quickly on leader Angelo Montgomery.  May made the pass for the lead at lap nine, and then pulled away to win the 15-lap feature by a comfortable margin.  Angelo Montgomery took the runner up spot, Travis Stensland held off Bryan Zehm as they finished third and fourth in that order, and Joel Keenan finished fifth.  The race went green to checkers.

Jake McBirnie scored his third regular season win in the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod main event.  He started ninth, and by lap two was already hounding leader Andy Tiernan.  The two battled closely until lap nine, when McBirnie made the pass on the outside, and took command.  He held the lead the remaining laps to the checkers and the win.  Jonathon Logue took second after starting eleventh, Randy Roberts hustled through the pack from tenth, to finish in third.  Fourth went to early leader Andy Tiernan, and Lynn Brockett rounded out the top five.  The race went caution free.

Up next was the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock A main. Unfortunately, that was when the night's caution free racing would end!  It took four tries before the first lap got in the books in this one.  A car slipped off the top of turns three and four, then a bumper was lying on the track, and still yet a third caution was called.  Finally, a lap got in, only to have yet another yellow fly on lap two for debris. When the Hobby Stocks eventually found their racing rhythm, Jordan Peters got around early leader David McQuiston.  He was soon having to hold back Aaron Rudolph.  Rudolph, who had started tenth, put the pressure on Peters from the halfway mark, and with just two laps remaining, was able to make the pass for the lead.  He kept that top spot to the finish line and the win.  Peters finished in second, third went to Solomon Bennett, Dustin Lynch came home in fourth and twelfth place starter Eric Stanton was fifth.  This was Rudolph's first win of the year.  According to my records, the last time Rudolph had found the victory lane was the 2015 Frostbuster.  Prior to that time, 2012 was his last wins at Boone.

The 20-lap IMCA Modified feature had more than it's share of cautions....six in all.  Joel Bushore got to the lead by lap two and took wing around the top of the track.  He never let any of the cautions bother him on his march to the checkers.  Jon Snyder took second place, Russ Dickerson was third, Mike VanGenderen, who had won the last two features, was fourth, and Tony Cox finished fifth.  Bushore won for the first time this year at the speedway. His last track win had come back in June of 2014.  

The night's racing concluded with the 18-lap IMCA Stock Car feature.  When the race went green, cars were scrambling all over the track, going three and four wide.  Cory Bushnell grabbed the early lead, but when things got a bit sorted out, it was eighth place starter Tyler Pickett tailing him at lap three.  Pickett continued his chase and was able to get inside of Bushnell as they came out of turn four, and was scored the leader at lap eleven.  From there on, Pickett eased away from the field, and scored the comfortable win.  Veteran racer Terry Pruitt took second, third went to eleventh place starter Donavon Smith, Bushnell dropped to fourth and Josh Daniels was fifth.  Pickett got his first ever Stock Car win at Boone back on June 25, and put #2 in the books Saturday night.

There was a nice crowd last evening, where it was Armed Forces night at the races.  The National Guard was on hand, bringing items along to display as well as provide entertainment for the youngsters.  Those serving now, as well as veterans, were admitted to the races free.  

There were 109 race cars checked into the pits---19 Mod Lites, 17 Northern SportMods, 21 Hobby Stocks, 24 Mods, and 28 Stock Cars.  We've noted that the Modified and Stock Car classes have been the biggest fields as of late.  Joining the Modified field last evening, was Abilene, Texas driver, Tommy Fain.  Fain had picked up his new ride in Wisconsin earlier in the week....an MB Customs built by Jimmy Mars in Menomonie, Wisconsin.  Fain's night did not end well when he drove off the top of turn four.  He is expected back for the 2016  Super Nationals.  

Looks like Mother Nature will be dictating if there will be racing in the area tonight.  Everyone be safe out there with our unpredictable Iowa weather.

Jackson joins winner's circle at Marshalltown

There was exciting racing action at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday night, as it shared the Central Iowa Fairgrounds with the county fair.  New drivers earned their way into the winner's circle while three others made return visits.

Josh May was one of those returning drivers as he took the win in the 12-lap Mod Lite feature.  May took command at lap four and from there on, never looked back.  He finished comfortably ahead of second place Mike Morrill, who had started ninth. Third place went to Travis Stensland, fourth was Joel Huggins, who had to race his way back through the field after a lap one spin, and Cory Sauerman started tenth, and completed the top five.  May also won last week.

The 18-lap IMCA SportMod feature came next.  Chase Rudolf took the lead as the green flag flew, and was looking strong.  By lap five, he had Jared VanDeest to contend with but continued to keep his lead.  VanDeest was relentless however, pestering Rudolf continually, until finally making it pay off at lap twelve, when he grabbed the lead. VanDeest was able to distance himself from the pack in the final handful of laps, and took the checkers and the win.  Eleventh place starter, Cory Rose, was the runner up, and early leader Chase Rudolf was third.  It was a fight for fourth and fifth---Sam Wieben winning out over thirteenth starter, Dan Drury.  VanDeest started twelfth and won for the fourth time in the 2016 season.

The IMCA 15-lap Hobby Stock main event went to Adam Armstrong.  Armstrong, who has been racing an IMCA SportMod this season, jumped back into his Hobby Stock for the night, and made the switch seem effortless.  He had the lead at lap seven, and then pulled away the remaining laps to take the easy win.  Lady racer Leah Wroten started ninth, and took the runner up spot. Gene Nicklas took third, Matt Pohlman started thirteenth and finished fourth, and Jack Phillips rounded out the top five. Armstrong, who is from Beatrice, Nebraska, recently moved to Carlisle, Iowa.  He pulled out his Hobby Stock to race, after damaging his SportMod.  His father Roy, is also a successful racer back home in Beatrice.

There was fast and furious racing in the IMCA 20-lap Stock Car A main.  Todd Reitzler led the race immediately, but suddenly at lap two, there was the 99D of the Chelsea Charger, Damon Murty on his tail.  Murty, who had started twelfth, flew around the topside on his charge, and began dogging Reitzler.  Meanwhile, Donavon Smith had also made big advances, getting to third and pressuring both Reitzler and Murty.  At lap nine, Reitzler's night turned into a nightmare, when his car appeared to dig into the entry of turn one, and then he took a huge ride as the car rolled.  Thankfully, Reitzler emerged from the car unhurt.  When racing action picked back up, Murty was now the leader with Smith in second.  Murty returned to his topside run, Smith trying the low line, but it was all Murty's race from there on out, as he crossed under the checkers first once again.  Smith kept the runner up spot, and third went to tenth starter, Steve Meyer. Fourth was Dave Atcher, who made a great comeback after an early race incident called for a trip to the pits for a tire change, and Tyler Pickett was fifth.  This was Murty's fourth win at Marshalltown this year, and a repeat of last week's victory. It marked his 208th career win.

No one should have been disappointed with the 20-lap IMCA Modified feature action!  Trent Jackson and Jimmy Gustin wowed the crowd with lap after lap of close racing.  Jackson took the lead at lap five, Gustin getting to second by lap seven, and from there on out, the chase was on.  Gustin followed in Jackson's tire tracks, tormenting him unrelentingly.  Gustin tried a last second slide under the leader coming out of turn four as they looked ahead at the checkers, but it wasn't to be.  Jackson took the win, and Gustin had to be satisfied with second on this night.  Jacob Murray finished third from starting eighth, Joel Rust came from tenth starting spot to take a fourth place finish, and seventh place starter, Ronn Lauritzen,was fifth.  Jackson, who has raced both a modified and a late model at the Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa a number of years ago, scored his first win at Marshalltown.

It was a surprise to see Modified driver Tommy Fain at the Speedway last evening.  Fain, is from Abilene, Texas.  We thought perhaps he was on his way to run the Dakota series, but after chatting with him in the pits, found he had just picked up a new car in Wisconsin.  It is an MB Customs built by legendary Jimmy Mars in Menomonie, Wisconsin.  He had raced in Algona the night before, and plans to make a stop at the Boone Speedway tonight, before heading home. We visit with Fain every year at the Super Nationals when he has always been a spectator.  This year, he will be competing.  

Racing concluded at 10:08 p.m. and no fan should have gone home not getting their money's worth after witnessing the night's racing program.

Check the calendar at Positively Racing.  There are many specials coming up as well as continuing  weekly racing programs.  Find a race to enjoy and support the sport we all love.


  

Night #1 - Osky Stock Car Shoot Out

It was night #1 for the annual Stock Car Shoot Out at the Southern Iowa Speedway on Tuesday night. Once again, we had an eye to the sky, as "stuff" was roaming in the area.  Fortunately, Mother Nature was kind, and the racing went on.

There were qualifying heats in the Stock Car, SportMod, Hobby Stock and Sport Compact classes---all running a second set of heats.  The drivers accumulated points and the top 8 in each division are locked into tonight's features. Last chance qualifying continues tonight....new cars welcome. From a Facebook post by promoter Mike VanGenderen, these are the top 8 that are already in the features tonight:

Stock Cars:
1. 99D Damon Murty
2. 99K Kyle Brown
3. 00 Johnny Spaw
4. 11 Mike Hughes
5. 71B David Brandies
6. 77M Jeff Mueller
7. 79S Jason See
8. 14 Derrick Agee 

SportMod
1. 12 Eric Flander
2. 66 Tim Plummer
3. 21D Dan Drury
4. 29 Colton Livezey
5. 16 Matthew VanGelder
6. 7 Carter VandenBerg
7. 1V Curtis VanDerWal
8. 20 Danny Brau

Hobby Stock
1. 10G Dustin Griffiths
2. 19X August Bach
3. 3 Danny Bunnell
4. 33M Matt Messamaker
5. 84 Danny Thrasher
6. 19 Bill Bonnett
7. 32TX PJ Veenstra
8. 53D Downing

Sport Compact
1. 53 Cody VanDusen
2. 9H Levi Heath
3. 02 John Gill
4. 00W Bill Whalen, Jr.
5. 77 John Whalen
6. 92E Shane Evans
7. 00 John Slaughter
8. 23B Jason Breuklander

The Iowa Sportsmen Series also ran last evening.  They had a 30-lap feature and it was led the entire distance by winner Tyler Sutter.  Second went to Gene Tish, third was Cole Jackson (son of Steve Jackson) fourth was Travis Dawson and Andy Kline was fifth.  

Tonight, the Modifieds will join the field of cars, running a complete show.  Hopefully, the weather will hold off and tonight's 21st Annual Budweiser IMCA Stock Car Shoot Out will get in the books.  Hot laps are 7 and racing at 7:30.

Logue takes 4th of July SportMod feature at Boone

Along with the Eve of Destruction festivities at the Boone Speedway on Monday evening, which drew a huge crowd, the IMCA SportMods were in competition.  They were running for track, as well as state, regional and national points, and $500 to win, in a draw/redraw show.

Twenty SportMods ran a 20-lap feature.  By luck of the redraw, it was Adam Shelman and Jonathon Logue sitting on the front row.  Logue immediately snatched the lead and was still in command when a yellow flew at lap thirteen.  By this time, Randy Roberts had made his way into the runner up spot from starting sixth, and no doubt welcomed the caution.  It was no detriment to Logue however, as he maintained his lead, keeping it to the checkers and the win.  Roberts held on to second, third went to seventh place starter Daniel Tasler, and a close fourth was Jake McBirnie who had started tenth on the field.  Rounding out the top five was twelfth place starter, Cory Rose.  Logue, who is the point leader in the class, won for the fourth time this season.

There were a lot of other things going on at the Speedway last evening. There were bounce houses and face painting for the youngsters and the "League of Heroes" were on hand.   The outhouse races were quite entertaining.  They "raced" under about the same rules that are in place at the Iowa State Fair.  There are four "pushers" and one "rider" (the "sitter" in the outhouse).  The outhouse is in competition with one other and they are timed.  The procedure is to push the outhouse across a designated line, the sitter gets out, wipes a toilet seat with their bottom (the top is smeared with chocolate syrup), change the roll of toilet paper, and then search through a tank of a yucky concoction in a tank, until they find one of the two corncobs.  Then they jump back into the outhouse, and it is pushed back to the starting line.  The outhouses were very colorful.  One was all pink with a flamingo atop, another was black and white with a bovine head.  There was also a trailer race, with about seventeen entrance.  Needless to say, there was trash all over the track at the end.  The night's antics on the track ended with a roll over contest and a motor home jumped over cars.  The motor home sadly failed for much of a spectacular end, as it was so heavy.  It tipped over the top of the ramp and came down on it's nose at about the second car.  After all of the on track antics were concluded, the lights were turned off, and fireworks were displayed in celebration of Independence Day!

Hopefully, you all had a fun and safe 4th of July weekend, enjoying and remembering what and why we were celebrating.  

VanGenderen wins back-to-back at Boone Speedway

Boone Speedway saw a nice crowd on hand for their weekly show on Saturday night. There were 121 cars with  23 or 25 cars in each of the five divisions, providing some great racing action.  Mike VanGenderen matched his win from last week in the Modifieds, Donavon Smith returned to the winner's circle in the Class too Tough to Tame, the IMCA Stock Cars, Jake McBirnie got his second feature in the SportMods as did Cory Dennis in the Mod Lites.  A first time winner came from the Hobby Stocks, as Korbin Nourse found his way to the checkers. 

Cory Dennis led all 15 laps of the Mod Lite feature as he raced to victory for the second time.  He outran second place finisher Bryan Zehm, who had started tenth, third place went to Joe Glick, fourth to Joel Keenan, and Josh May started twelfth, and finished in fifth. Joel Huggins' night ended on a sour note when he went up in a cloud of smoke.  He was just one more Mod Lite that we have seen suffer the same fate this season---something seldom seen in years past. 

Last week's winner, Daniel Tasler, led the troops in the opening laps of the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod main event. However, it didn't take long for eighth place starter Jake McBirnie to run him down, and take command at lap six.  From there on, McBirnie kept hold of that top spot, all the way to the checkers and the win.   Jonathan Logue came from ninth starting spot, had to wrestle it out with Tasler, to finish as the runner up.  Daniel Tasler finished third, Cory Pestotnik was fourth, and Andy Tiernan completed the top five.  The win was McBirnie's second of the regular season.

The IMCA Hobby Stock 12-lap feature found a first time winner emerge.  Korbin Nourse grabbed the lead from the outside front row as soon as the green flag dropped, and threw off the challenges of any competitors on his way to victory.  Jordan Peters took second place, Dustin Graham third and Eric Stanton pushed Graham across the finish line, to take fourth.  Solomon Bennett came from fifteenth to take a top five finish.  This was Korbin Nourse's first ever win at the Boone Speedway, and perhaps his first career win.  

It was an excellent 20-lap IMCA Modified feature with the winner determined at the finish line.  The early portion of the race was led by Bob Daniels.  Daniels was having his hands full holding back Josh Truman when a caution flew at lap eight.  When action got back underway, it was Mike VanGenderen, who had started twelfth, getting the jump on Truman, and taking over second place---his sights now set on leader Daniels.  Just past the halfway mark of the 20-lapper, VanGenderen surged past Daniels to take over the top spot, and Truman and eleventh place starter Jimmy Gustin also followed him to run second and third.  A yellow flew with four laps remaining, setting up a real shoot out. 

The final laps of the feature event was a constant battle between VanGenderen, Jimmy Gustin and Josh Truman.  Gustin slipped into second place with just a handful of laps remaining and continued to torment VanGenderen.  Gustin searched for a way around the leader, gave it a last second push as the two came out of corner four looking at the checkers, but was unable to make the pass.  VanGenderen took the win over Gustin, who had to settle for the runner up spot.  Truman held on for a third place finish, Tony Cox was fourth and John Logue came from starting fifteenth to finish fifth. and sixth went to Kyle Brown who started sixteenth. VanGenderen, who had also won last week, scored his fourth win this year at Boone.

The always exciting IMCA Stock Cars put on their usual entertaining 18-lap event.  Last week's winner, Tyler Pickett, took the lead at lap four, and was no doubt, looking to match last week's visit to victory lane.  Meanwhile, point leader Donavon Smith had begun his methodical march to the front, and slipped into second by lap eight.  Pickett held off Smith's advances until lap twelve when Smith edged under him in turn two, to be scored the leader at lap twelve.  From there on, Smith kept the lead to the finish, scoring his fifth win of the regular season.  Josh Daniels finished second, third went to Jay Schmidt, who both got under fourth place Pickett when he pushed up the track on the final lap, and Ben Walding was fifth.

Monday, July 4 will be the Eve of Destruction at the Boone Speedway.  There will be trailer races, rollover contests, outhouse races, and even more craziness, along with the IMCA SportMod's racing for track points.  Fireworks will end the evenings activities.  The Eve of Destruction begins at 7:30 with grandstands opening at 5 for activities for the youngsters prior to the action beginning on the track.   Then next Saturday night, July 9 will be another regular night of racing for all five divisions.  Hot laps are 6:45 and racing at 7:30.

Enjoy the remainder of your 4th of July holiday, and be safe as we celebrate this great nation.

Murray and Stanton go back to back, Goedert grabs L.ate Model win

There was a nice crowd on hand at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday night, to witness 124 race cars vying for a chance at a win. A few travelers came to race since the Iowa State Fairgrounds track was idle for the Goodguys car show.  The IMCA Late Models joined the regular five classes, and it was Luke Goedert taking home the hardware,  Jacob Murray made it two in a row in the IMCA Modifieds, as did Eric Stanton in the Hobby Stocks.  Damon Murty claimed another win in the IMCA Stock Cars, Josh May got back to his winning ways in the Mod Lite division, and a new face graced victory lane in the IMCA Northern SportMod class as Matt Petrzelka took the win.

A nice field of 20 IMCA Late Models came to try their hand at the High Banks of Marshalltown Speedway.  It was Marshalltown's own Darrel DeFrance leaping to the immediate lead in the 25-lap A feature.  DeFrance paced the field until lap ten when seventh place starter Luke Goedert took command.  Goedert lost the lead briefly to DeFrance at lap seventeen, but regained it quickly, and kept it to the checkers.  DeFrance finished as the runner up, third went to Jeff Aikey, who had started tenth, fourth was Charlie McKenna, and eighth place starter, Ben Seeman, was fifth. Only one yellow at lap fourteen, interrupted the racing rhythm.

Jenae Gustin led much of the 20-lap feature for the IMCA Modifieds, looking strong and on her way to a first win at Marshalltown in the Modified.  A yellow came out at lap twelve with Gustin still in charge, and when the race restarted, it was brother Jimmy Gustin making the charge on the outside for the lead as they entered turn one.  It was a scary moment when he shot  straight off of turn one, unable to turn, and the race was halted once more. Thankfully, he soon emerged from turn two, but drove it directly to the trailer. When the race got back underway, Jenae Gustin was still captain of the ship, but now had company in Jacob Murray.  Murray, who had started ninth, was flying on the topside.  He was able to use that topside momentum to take the lead with just three laps remaining, and went on to take the win.  Gustin had to be content with second, third went to eighth place starter, Ronn Lauritzen, fourth was Tim Ward, who started eleventh, and Racer Hulin came from seventh starting spot, to round out the top five.  Murray repeated his win from last week, and took his fourth victory at the Speedway this season.

Damon Murty took home another feature win in the IMCA Stock Car class, the 206th of his career.  Murty had to run down Jay Schmidt, the early leader, passed him, and then pulled away from the entire field to take the win by more than a straightaway.  Justin Temeyer came from twelfth, to finish second. Point leader Donavon Smith started ninth and finished third, Jay Schmidt was fourth and Steve Meyer completed the top five.  Murty, who started tenth, snapped up win number three on the season.

The winner of the 15-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature was determined in the closing moments when Eric Stanton was able to make the pass on Gene Nicklas with a lap to go.  The field was bunched when a caution flew at lap thirteen with Nicklas leading and Stanton giving chase in second.  That yellow proved to be the game changer, as Stanton flew to the lead as the race returned to green.  He was able to hold off Nicklas at the checkers to take the win---Nicklas finishing second.  Leah Wroten finished third, fourth was veteran Bill Bonnett who had started twelfth, and visiting Ray Stock, Jr. came all the way from nineteenth, to finish fifth.  Stanton took back to back wins, and this was his ninth win over all, his only loss being to Nicklas.

There was a first time winner in victory lane in the IMCA Northern  SportMod division.  In just his second appearance of the year at Marshalltown, Matt Petrzelka went home with a win under his belt.  Petrzelka grabbed the lead from Shawn Cooney at lap three, and held it the remainder of the 18-lap race to take the flying checkers.  Jared VanDeest raced from eleventh starting spot, to finish as the runner up.  Shawn Cooney was third, fourth went to Kevin Yearington, and Carter VanDenBerg started tenth, and finished fifth.

Josh May took home the win in the Mod Lite feature.  May started fifth, had the lead at lap one, and would lead all laps on the way to his victory.  Finishing a distant second was seventh place starter, Mike Morrill, Cory Sauerman raced from ninth starting spot to finish third, Joel Huggins finished fourth and Joe Glick, was fifth. This was May's first win at Marshalltown in the regular season after winning the Frostbuster special. As a note, May's younger sister, Chelsea made her debut in racing last evening, piloting the #18 "truck" Mod Lite.

A great field of cars were on hand for the racing action.  There were 12 Mod Lites, 27 Hobby Stocks, 21 SportMods, 23 Stock Cars, 21 Modifieds and 20 Late Models on a beautiful first day of July evening.  Some of the extra cars racing were regulars at the Iowa State Fair Speedway, and since they were not running last evening, due to the Goodguys 25th Heartland Nationals car show, they came to play at the High Banks of Marshalltown.  Speaking of the Goodguys show, we spent the day there roaming the entire fairgrounds.  It's a huge deal,  with approximately 5,000 cars on display.  If you ever get the chance, take it in.  It continues today through tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Many races coming up, so get out and find a race to enjoy.