The Southern Iowa Speedway held night #1 of the 31st running of the Fall Challenge on Friday evening. There were good fields of cars in all divisions and once again the cream of the crop rose to the top in features.
What can you say about Richie Gustin except when there is good money on the line, he's always there. Gustin took the win in the Modified division. Todd Reitzler out-classed everyone in the Stock Car class, winning in comfortable fashion. Curtis VanDerWal kept his string of wins at the Fall Challenge going, snapping up another win in the SportMod class. Mike Hughes was the victor in the Hobby Stocks, and Chuck Fullenkamp was declared the winner in the Sport Compacts.
Brandon Housley was dominate all night in the Sport Compacts. He won his heat race easily, and then come feature time, shot off to the lead from his pole starting spot, and was never to be touched. Chuck Fullenkamp came home in second place after Barry Taft gave up the second spot when he had mechanical woes. Brandon Allison was in the car usually piloted by Trent Orwig, and finished third. Fourth went to Jeffrey Delonjay who started dead last in the feature (evidently because he did not pass tech after his heat earlier) and Cody Phillips rounded out the top five. However....after the feature race, Housley was disqualified for having an illegal camshaft...therefore handing the feature win over to Chuck Fullenkamp, and moving everyone else up a spot as well. Edit: A check of the official results posted late Saturday evening, shows that the #32 of Jeffrey Delonjay was also disqualified. This then moved Jimmy Haring to fourth and Kyle Boyd to fifth.
Aaron Osweiler led the opening laps of the SportMod feature, but was quickly caught by Curtis VanDerWal. VanDerWal made the outside pass on Osweiler just after lap seven was scored, and then he would go on to stretch his lead and take the easy win. Brandon Lennox was poised to challenge VanDerWal at one point, but suffered a flat tire, taking him out of the game. Runner up spot went to Brayton Carter who had started in row five, Osweiler held on to third place, Tyler Inman was fourth and Carter VanDenBerg had a great run, after suffering mechanical issues in his heat and starting deep in the field, to finish fifth.
VanDerWal has quite a resume of wins at the Fall Challenge races. From what my notes indicate, he has won the last six Challenge races.
Another driver who was dominate all night was the 22R of Todd Reitzler in the Stock Car class. Reitzler won his heat race by coming from seventh starting spot, and in the feature, started seventh as well, and quickly got to the runner up spot. On lap nine, he inherited the lead from leader Todd Inman when his machine expired, and from there on, drove off from the field. Nathan Wood finished in the second spot, third was Dustin Griffiths, Keith Knop made the long haul over from Shelby, Iowa and finished fourth, and veteran Johnny Spaw completed the top five.
The Modifieds ran next, letting the Hobby's finish out on the track with the narrow tires. Dakota Simmons led the field from the pole spot and held it until lap ten when Cayden Carter took over the helm. Richie Gustin had been making his way through the pack of cars from his tenth starting spot, and with 14 laps in the books, had caught and begun to pester Carter. With two laps to go, Gustin flew around Carter and took command. From there on, it was all Gustin as he captured another $1,000 win. Carter held on to the runner up spot, third went to the Late Model driver Nick Marolf, who was piloting the 43 car of Derrick Stewart, fourth was Jarrett Brown, and Andrew Schroeder was fifth. Gustin is also the 2017 Super National's champion.
The night's racing ended with the 15-lap Hobby Stock feature. This was looking to be a runaway by the #555 of Jason Fusselman, the hot shoe out of Shelby, Iowa who made the long haul over from western Iowa. Fusselman was motoring along leading the race comfortably, when he was suddenly off the pace on the back chute at lap five. Aaron Martin inherited the lead for the restart, with Mike Hughes now in second and anxious for the race to go green. By lap twelve, Hughes had taken command and then drove it home to the checkers and the win. Martin had to settle for second, and third went to veteran racer, Bill Bonnett. The race ended in rather spectacular action as it appeared Christian Huffman was fourth, being pushed across the line with heavy contact by fifth place Jeff Anderson. Anderson would drive away after the race had ended, but Huffman's car was damaged beyond driving off.
Hughes is no stranger to the winner's circle at the Fall Challenge. He also won last year's Night #2, and both nights in 2015.
There were many questioning if racing would go on last night, considering the rainy, gloomy weather as of late. But go on it did, and with a nice field of 112 race cars. By my count there were 16 Sport Compacts, 27 Hobby Stocks, 27 SportMods, 22 Stock Cars, and 20 Modifieds. The program was run off in efficient time, and racing concluded at 10:31.
There was somewhat of a fruit basket upset in race cars and drivers last night. It was great to see veteran racer Rick Gustin back behind the wheel of a Stock Car, piloting the John Hunnell "stable" car #17P that a former Osky driver Brad Pinkerton had last piloted. The other Hunnell "stable" car #62 had Ryan Gustin behind the wheel. Edit: Forgot to mention that Curtis VanDerWal was also taking a turn behind the wheel of a Stock Car last evening. He was driving the #51 car that I believe to be a Johnny Spaw car.
As previously mentioned, Late Model driver, Nick Marolf was racing Derrick Stewart's Modified, but we also noted Josh May trying to get some seat time in a Modified. May, who is a successful Mod Lite racer, was in the #99 Modified.
Unfortunately, night #2 of the Fall Challenge is a wash out, as per the track's Facebook page. It will not be made up. However, there are still some races to be found in our area this fall. Be sure and check the racing calendar at Positively Racing for a race you may want to attend. Time will tell if this was our last race of the season, or if there are more in our future for 2017.
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Phillips takes it to the bank for $10,000 and a World Nationals title
Night #2 of the World National's at the Marshalltown Speedway on Saturday, and everyone was wondering what the weather was going to do. Predictions were for rain and radar showed that just might happen. Around 4 p.m. it did rain, but the track was in contact with the weather bureau, that said there was going to be window of opportunity. Racing began right at 6 p.m. as planned, and with the bit of natural moisture that fell from the sky earlier, it was to the track's benefit.
A full show was held for the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Northern SportMods, and the IMCA Hobby Stocks and the IMCA Modifieds completed their last chance qualifying with heats and a Final Four to fill in the 24 car starting field for the $10,000 grand finale.
The Hobby Stocks ran 20-laps for their main event. This one had some strange turn of events. Aaron Rudolph looked destined to earn the $500 prize money as he led from lap eight and pulled away to a substantial lead. A yellow flew at lap eighteen when second place runner Jeff Anderson went spinning in turn four, and brought out a yellow. This moved third place running Gene Nicklas into the runner up spot for the restart. However, before the race went green, leader Aaron Rudolph suddenly drove off the track and into the pits...his night was done. Now Gene Nicklas had inherited the lead for the green-white-checkered finish. Nicklas held on to that top spot and took the win. Chanse Hollatz claimed the runner up spot, after starting tenth. Third was early leader Jim Ball, fourth went to Mike Goldsberry and Andrew Burg rounded out the top five. Nicklas, a regular at the Marshalltown Speedway during the season, started fifteenth, and took it to victory lane.
Jared VanDeest doubled down and matched his win from Night #1 in the IMCA Northern SportMod feature. VanDeest started fourth and led the entire race on his way to the winner's circle. Jake McBirnie started eighth and tried his hardest to reel in the leader, but had to settle for the runner up spot. Tyler Soppe took third after starting twelfth, Colby Fett came from nineteenth starting spot, to finish fourth, and Johnathon Logue was fifth. VanDeest took the $1,000 win for the second night in a row. VanDeest, also a regular at Marshalltown during the season, and despite running well with strong finishes, only had two wins on the season.
It was another thriller in the IMCA Stock Car main event. Jeff Mueller held down the top spot for much of the race, holding back The Chelsea Charger, Damon Murty. Mueller ran the bottom and Murty was motoring on the very top of the track. Murty made it work at lap eight, but his pass was only brief as Mueller gained back the lead the next lap. All eyes were on the two front runners, as Murty began again to reel in the #77M of Mueller. Murty was able to get that extra surge of momentum from his topside run and as they came out of turn four to the checkers, beat Mueller to the finish line, snatching the $1,000 win. This has happened several times at Marshalltown this year. Don't count Murty out until they cross the finish line! Mueller had to settle for second place, Jay Schmidt had a good run to finish third after starting thirteenth, Paul Shepard came from twelfth, to finish fourth, and David Brandies was fifth. Murty also matched his win from the previous night, and also won both nights last year.
The cream does rise to the top, and the 50 lap IMCA Modified feature showed just that as the fans were treated to some spectacular racing through the entire field. Veteran racer Terry Phillips from Springfield, Missouri showed his expertise on the track, and went home $10,000 richer with the win. Richie Gustin gave him a run for the money when he took the lead at lap twenty-one with a slider....only to have Phillips come right back with one of his own the next lap, and regain the lead. From then on, Phillips put a little distance between himself and Gustin, and took the comfortable win. Gustin had to be content with the runner up spot this night. Cayden Carter started ninth and finished third, fourth was Chris Abelson, and Joel Rust rounded out the top five.
We certainly saw a variety of Iowa weather last night...from rain, to windy, to really chilly, and then back to muggy and warm again. The wind switched directions too from a stiff breeze from the south, to a wind from the north come feature time. Thankfully, it wasn't blowing as strong as it had previously from the south. The track was much different from the previous night when it blackened up to a shine. The races were run non-stop last night, what with the threat of rain and no victory lane interviews. The show was completed at 9:27 p.m. Marshalltown Speedway was lucky last night as when we got home, the streets were still wet in Grinnell, and we had .71 inches in our rain gauge.
There are still races to be found in our area. Check the Positively Racing calendar and get out and attend a race somewhere. We need to support the sport we all love...dirt track racing.
A full show was held for the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Northern SportMods, and the IMCA Hobby Stocks and the IMCA Modifieds completed their last chance qualifying with heats and a Final Four to fill in the 24 car starting field for the $10,000 grand finale.
The Hobby Stocks ran 20-laps for their main event. This one had some strange turn of events. Aaron Rudolph looked destined to earn the $500 prize money as he led from lap eight and pulled away to a substantial lead. A yellow flew at lap eighteen when second place runner Jeff Anderson went spinning in turn four, and brought out a yellow. This moved third place running Gene Nicklas into the runner up spot for the restart. However, before the race went green, leader Aaron Rudolph suddenly drove off the track and into the pits...his night was done. Now Gene Nicklas had inherited the lead for the green-white-checkered finish. Nicklas held on to that top spot and took the win. Chanse Hollatz claimed the runner up spot, after starting tenth. Third was early leader Jim Ball, fourth went to Mike Goldsberry and Andrew Burg rounded out the top five. Nicklas, a regular at the Marshalltown Speedway during the season, started fifteenth, and took it to victory lane.
Jared VanDeest doubled down and matched his win from Night #1 in the IMCA Northern SportMod feature. VanDeest started fourth and led the entire race on his way to the winner's circle. Jake McBirnie started eighth and tried his hardest to reel in the leader, but had to settle for the runner up spot. Tyler Soppe took third after starting twelfth, Colby Fett came from nineteenth starting spot, to finish fourth, and Johnathon Logue was fifth. VanDeest took the $1,000 win for the second night in a row. VanDeest, also a regular at Marshalltown during the season, and despite running well with strong finishes, only had two wins on the season.
It was another thriller in the IMCA Stock Car main event. Jeff Mueller held down the top spot for much of the race, holding back The Chelsea Charger, Damon Murty. Mueller ran the bottom and Murty was motoring on the very top of the track. Murty made it work at lap eight, but his pass was only brief as Mueller gained back the lead the next lap. All eyes were on the two front runners, as Murty began again to reel in the #77M of Mueller. Murty was able to get that extra surge of momentum from his topside run and as they came out of turn four to the checkers, beat Mueller to the finish line, snatching the $1,000 win. This has happened several times at Marshalltown this year. Don't count Murty out until they cross the finish line! Mueller had to settle for second place, Jay Schmidt had a good run to finish third after starting thirteenth, Paul Shepard came from twelfth, to finish fourth, and David Brandies was fifth. Murty also matched his win from the previous night, and also won both nights last year.
The cream does rise to the top, and the 50 lap IMCA Modified feature showed just that as the fans were treated to some spectacular racing through the entire field. Veteran racer Terry Phillips from Springfield, Missouri showed his expertise on the track, and went home $10,000 richer with the win. Richie Gustin gave him a run for the money when he took the lead at lap twenty-one with a slider....only to have Phillips come right back with one of his own the next lap, and regain the lead. From then on, Phillips put a little distance between himself and Gustin, and took the comfortable win. Gustin had to be content with the runner up spot this night. Cayden Carter started ninth and finished third, fourth was Chris Abelson, and Joel Rust rounded out the top five.
We certainly saw a variety of Iowa weather last night...from rain, to windy, to really chilly, and then back to muggy and warm again. The wind switched directions too from a stiff breeze from the south, to a wind from the north come feature time. Thankfully, it wasn't blowing as strong as it had previously from the south. The track was much different from the previous night when it blackened up to a shine. The races were run non-stop last night, what with the threat of rain and no victory lane interviews. The show was completed at 9:27 p.m. Marshalltown Speedway was lucky last night as when we got home, the streets were still wet in Grinnell, and we had .71 inches in our rain gauge.
There are still races to be found in our area. Check the Positively Racing calendar and get out and attend a race somewhere. We need to support the sport we all love...dirt track racing.
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Motown holds night #1 of World Nationals
Friday was night #1 of Marshalltown Speedway's 11th Annual World Nationals. Full shows were run in the IMCA Stock Car, IMCA Northern SportMod and IMCA Hobby Stock classes. The 59 IMCA Modifieds began their qualifying for tomorrow's $10,000 to win show. Ten drivers locked themselves into the big show.
Andrew Borchardt took home a World National's win in the IMCA Hobby Stock division. Borchardt, from Plymouth, Iowa led all twenty laps on his way to the $500 pay off. Eric Knutson finished as the runner up after starting sixth. Third went to fifth place starter, Justin Wacha, Mike Goldsberry from Runnels, was fourth and Chanse Hollatz completed the top five.
It was a $1,000 win for Jared VanDeest in the IMCA Northern SportMod class. VanDeest took command at lap two, only to have a hard charging Jake McBirnie begin his relentless pestering at lap five. McBirnie, who started eleventh and briefly took the lead with three laps remaining, only to have VanDeest surge back ahead on lap nineteen of the twenty lap feature. VanDeest was able to fend off McBirnie the rest of the way to the checkers and the win. McBirnie had to settle for second place, Sam Wieben started twenty-first, qualifying through a B main, and flew through the field to finish in third place, Tyler Soppe was fourth and pole sitter Austin Luellen finished fifth. After racing previous years at the World Nationals, VanDeest was finally glad to get that elusive win under his belt.
Damon Murty went home $1,000 richer by winning the IMCA Stock Car feature. A yellow with two laps remaining of the twenty lap feature, shuffled things up on the restart. Murty took advantage when then leader David Brandies and Cayden Carter got together as the race went green. Murty swung to the topside and made it to the checkers first to score the win. What with all of the final moment's shuffling when Brandies and Carter got together, I'm not real sure on the finish. I believe Todd Inman avoided the ruckus and finished in second place and Wisconsin's Travis VanStraten was third. EDIT...per the official results, Paul Shephard was fourth, and David Brandies came across the finish line for fifth.
The ten Modified drivers earning the top ten points are locked into tomorrow's $10,000 to win World Nationals feature. They earned their way through two heat races (the second inverted from the first heat) with a passing points/finish format. Those top ten drivers are Tyler Droste, Chris Abelson, Terry Phillips, Joel Rust, Jordan Grabouski, Kelly Shryock, Tim Ward, Kurt Kile, Cayden Carter, and Richie Gustin.
The track was shiny black by the end of the night. A few cars slipped off of the topside of the surface and others just had a hard time keeping a handle on their machine.
The IMCA Modifieds will complete their qualifying tonight to set the field for the grand finale run for the $10,000. Complete shows will also be run in the IMCA Stock Car, IMCA Northern SportMod, and IMCA Hobby Stock classes. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 6 p.m. tonight.
Andrew Borchardt took home a World National's win in the IMCA Hobby Stock division. Borchardt, from Plymouth, Iowa led all twenty laps on his way to the $500 pay off. Eric Knutson finished as the runner up after starting sixth. Third went to fifth place starter, Justin Wacha, Mike Goldsberry from Runnels, was fourth and Chanse Hollatz completed the top five.
It was a $1,000 win for Jared VanDeest in the IMCA Northern SportMod class. VanDeest took command at lap two, only to have a hard charging Jake McBirnie begin his relentless pestering at lap five. McBirnie, who started eleventh and briefly took the lead with three laps remaining, only to have VanDeest surge back ahead on lap nineteen of the twenty lap feature. VanDeest was able to fend off McBirnie the rest of the way to the checkers and the win. McBirnie had to settle for second place, Sam Wieben started twenty-first, qualifying through a B main, and flew through the field to finish in third place, Tyler Soppe was fourth and pole sitter Austin Luellen finished fifth. After racing previous years at the World Nationals, VanDeest was finally glad to get that elusive win under his belt.
Damon Murty went home $1,000 richer by winning the IMCA Stock Car feature. A yellow with two laps remaining of the twenty lap feature, shuffled things up on the restart. Murty took advantage when then leader David Brandies and Cayden Carter got together as the race went green. Murty swung to the topside and made it to the checkers first to score the win. What with all of the final moment's shuffling when Brandies and Carter got together, I'm not real sure on the finish. I believe Todd Inman avoided the ruckus and finished in second place and Wisconsin's Travis VanStraten was third. EDIT...per the official results, Paul Shephard was fourth, and David Brandies came across the finish line for fifth.
The ten Modified drivers earning the top ten points are locked into tomorrow's $10,000 to win World Nationals feature. They earned their way through two heat races (the second inverted from the first heat) with a passing points/finish format. Those top ten drivers are Tyler Droste, Chris Abelson, Terry Phillips, Joel Rust, Jordan Grabouski, Kelly Shryock, Tim Ward, Kurt Kile, Cayden Carter, and Richie Gustin.
The track was shiny black by the end of the night. A few cars slipped off of the topside of the surface and others just had a hard time keeping a handle on their machine.
The IMCA Modifieds will complete their qualifying tonight to set the field for the grand finale run for the $10,000. Complete shows will also be run in the IMCA Stock Car, IMCA Northern SportMod, and IMCA Hobby Stock classes. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 6 p.m. tonight.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Super Nationals 2017 notes
We are back home after our 30th IMCA Super Nationals at the Boone Speedway. After last year's monsoons and racing at all hours of the day and night in order to get everything in, this year there was not a drop of rain.
Labor Day Monday and day 1 of 6 kicked off with racing just past a tick of 2 p.m. The day was overcast due to the wildfires in Canada and Montana, and with high's in the low 70's, it was great for the track surface. We saw 59 races with the IMCA Hobby Stocks and IMCA Northern SportMods in action. Eight Hobby Stocks qualified for the inside row, and another eight for the middle row for Saturday's Big Dance. Eight SportMods qualified for the inside row come Saturday. The IMCA SportMods had 151 competing, and the IMCA Hobby Stocks brought 118. Racing was completed at 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, day 2 of 6 dawned a sunny, chilly day, with a brisk north wind. One new SportMod arrived, to bring their car count to 152. Racing began closer to 2:30 p.m. this day and brought in a complete program for the 84 IMCA Sport Compacts, as well as 8 more Hobby Stocks making the Saturday night finale to start in the outside row, and top 8 in each of the two A's for the Northern SportMods going to the middle and outside row for the Saturday championship.
The first of the Super National's Champions was crowned on Tuesday when Mason City, Iowa's Devin Jones reigned as the Sport Compact Super National's champion. Barry Taft was the runner up, followed by Jake Benishek in third, Dillon Richards from Nebraska was fourth, and lady racer Brooke Fluckinger, also from Nebraska, was fifth. Racing was completed at 11:42 p.m.
Wednesday, day 3 of 6 the IMCA Stock Cars and the IMCA Modifieds made their first appearance with racing starting about 2:45 p.m. The Northern SportMods and the Hobby Stocks qualified their final six cars to advance to the back two rows for the Big Dance. The 171 IMCA Stock Cars advanced eight to the inside row come Saturday and 228 Modifieds had eight advancing to the inside row for the grand finale Saturday. It was a nippy 48 degrees when the racing was completed at 12:40 a.m.
Thursday, day 4 of 6 and racing started at 2:12 p.m. with more qualifying for the Stock Cars and the Modifieds, with one new driver checking in. It was also a complete show for the IMCA Deery Brothers Late Models, 31 strong. Eight Stock Cars and eight more Modifieds qualified for the middle row for Saturday night's finale.
The second of the 2017 Super Nationals champions was crowned and it was Todd Cooney making his third appearance standing on the podium as IMCA Late Model king. Richie Gustin, Matt Ryan, Chad Holladay, and Cayden Carter completed the top five. Racing was completed at 12:17 a.m.
Friday races began at 2:12 for the second day in a row...and we were wondering how it was already day 5 of races. It was a beautiful day in the low 80's and 81 races on the agenda. Eight Stock Cars and eight more Modifieds qualified for the outside row on Saturday.
Friday was also the All-Star Invitational feature for the IMCA Modifieds. Thirty drivers had been voted into this race by the race fans. Dean Abbey, Roanoke, Texas took the glory in this one. He grabbed the lead from William Gould on lap seven of the 30 lapper and then fended off the advances of Jay Noteboom to take the win. Following second place Noteboom was William Gould for third, Kyle Brown in fourth, and Johnny Scott completed the top five. Racing was done at 1 a.m.
Saturday....and day 6 was here. The festivities in front of the grandstand kicked off with a wedding! Stock Car driver Bob Chalupa from Nebraska and his bride Carol exchanged vows on the infield stage before the day's racing commenced. The grooms race car, was of course sitting in victory lane in front of the stage. This was not our first race track wedding. Through the years, we have witnessed several weddings at various race tracks.
After some pre-race ceremonies took place, the first green flag fell at 3 p.m. There were last chance/last chance races for the Hobby Stocks, SportMods, Stock Cars, and the Modifieds, and Race of Champions in all four divisions as well...each class starting ten cars. Jason Fusselman, Shelby, Iowa, came from tenth starting spot to take the ROC in the IMCA Hobby Stocks. Ellis, Kansas racer, Dakota Sproul held off Johnathon Logue to win the ROC in the IMCA Northern SportMod class. Lake City's David Smith was the Stock Car ROC champion for the third time. Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, North Carolina hot shoe, was the IMCA Modified ROC champion.
Finally...it was time for the Big Dance for the Hobby Stocks, SportMods, Stock Cars, and Modifieds.
The Hobby Stocks kicked things off first with 30 cars, for 30 laps. The race was red flagged twice for roll over incidents, first the pole sitter Matt Olson from Franklin, Minnesota rolled off of the top of turn three. Not much later, Columbus, Nebraska racer Sal Hernandez took a tumble on the front stretch. Thankfully, both drivers were uninjured.
Inside second row starter, Shannon Anderson took the immediate lead, followed by his dad Jeff Anderson (who ironically had started right beside him in the middle of row two) and would lead the race from flag to flag. Corey Madden, Avoca, Iowa was awarded second place after Aaron Rudolph was penalized for trying a slide for life at the checkers. Third went to Chad Lonneman from Adrian, Minnesota, Jeff Anderson was fourth, and Chanse Hollatz, Clear Lake, Iowa was fifth. This was Shannon Anderson's fourth Hobby Stock Super National's win and looks to snag his seventh IMCA National Hobby Stock Championship.
The IMCA Northern SportMod Super National's 30 lap Dance had a storybook ending. Brian Efkamp was elated when he just got himself into the Big Dance, and then drew the middle of row one for his starting spot. Efkamp, in his final hurrah of his racing career set his flashy #10E Harris SportMod to the front as the race went green, and never relinquished it. He endured heavy lap traffic, but sailed through it all to take the checkers. Efkamp, who understandably was emotional in victory lane, said his late dad Ron Efkamp, who was the first IMCA Director of Competition, was no doubt riding with him with a big smile on his face.
Cory Rose finished second in the SportMod feature, while Colby Fett was third. Far back in fourth was Doug Cook who had been the pole sitter, and Tony Olson was fifth after starting in the middle of row three.
Mike Nichols...who is going to be the 2017 IMCA Stock Car Champion,...a title for the sixth time...had always had an IMCA Super Nationals championship on his bucket list. This year....he accomplished just that. Nichols started on the inside pole and took his #63 to the bank. Nichols was pestered most of the race by Devin Smith. Smith looked for anyway around Nichols, and in the final moments was getting a good peek underneath him. But it was all for naught, as Nichols swept to the finish line to take the checkers and the win. A smoking Dustin Larson finished a distance behind in third place. Fourth went to Cayden Carter...who set a Super Nationals record by qualifying for the Big Dance in the Stock Cars, Modifieds, and Late Models, and Travis Barker came from row four, to finish fifth. Nichols has quite a resume in the IMCA Stock Cars with over 350 wins and this new notch in his belt.
The grand finale of the 2017 IMCA 35th annual Super Nationals was 40 laps of IMCA Modified racing. The 33 drivers were introduced in the pre-race ceremony and then they strapped in for the race ahead. Todd Shute started outside the front row and was hungry for his second Super Nationals title. He shot to the lead with Ricky Thornton tucked into second. Richie Gustin, the 2011 Super Nationals winner, was soon up to challenge from his row three starting spot. Gustin tussled with Thornton for a couple of laps, then took over second, with his sites set on leader Shute. Gustin could only chase Shute until lap traffic came into the picture about lap 25. Gustin continued to haunt the leader until making a successful pass on lap 30, taking over the coveted top spot. He then kept his #19G hot rod to the front the rest of the way to the checkers. Ricky Thornton got by Todd Shute in the waning laps as they went second and third respectively. Fourth went to Ricky "Racer" Stephan, in his 25th season of racing, and Jimmy Gustin, the 2010 winner, was fifth.
The races were completed at 11:26 p.m. and as always, I stayed for the auction of the winner's motors. Shannon Anderson's Hobby Stock went for $2,700, Brian Efkamp's SportMod was auctioned off for $6,000, the Stock Car motor of Mike Nichols went for $6,600 and Richie Gustin's Modified was $3,800.
Two Modified drivers, Gatlin Leytham and Scott Simatovich, sacrificed their Super Nationals to go to Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas to help with recovery. I would venture to guess, some Texas drivers who had planned for the Super Nationals had their plan changed due to Harvey as well.
As I wrap up some notes from the 2017 IMCA Super Nationals, news of the racing community's loss of two former drivers hits home. Dave Dresser, piloted an IMCA Stock Car back in the late '80's and '90's around the Boone Speedway, and veteran racer Larry Embrey raced in several classes around the state of Iowa...the most recent being in an IMCA Northern SportMod.
We enjoyed our six days and nights of racing and making it all the more special was enjoying it with racing friends from far and wide that we see but once a year....at America's Racin' Vacation.
There's still racing to be found around the state of Iowa. Check out the calendar at www.positivelyracing.com for a race to attend. Get out and support the sport we all love...dirt track racing.
Labor Day Monday and day 1 of 6 kicked off with racing just past a tick of 2 p.m. The day was overcast due to the wildfires in Canada and Montana, and with high's in the low 70's, it was great for the track surface. We saw 59 races with the IMCA Hobby Stocks and IMCA Northern SportMods in action. Eight Hobby Stocks qualified for the inside row, and another eight for the middle row for Saturday's Big Dance. Eight SportMods qualified for the inside row come Saturday. The IMCA SportMods had 151 competing, and the IMCA Hobby Stocks brought 118. Racing was completed at 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, day 2 of 6 dawned a sunny, chilly day, with a brisk north wind. One new SportMod arrived, to bring their car count to 152. Racing began closer to 2:30 p.m. this day and brought in a complete program for the 84 IMCA Sport Compacts, as well as 8 more Hobby Stocks making the Saturday night finale to start in the outside row, and top 8 in each of the two A's for the Northern SportMods going to the middle and outside row for the Saturday championship.
The first of the Super National's Champions was crowned on Tuesday when Mason City, Iowa's Devin Jones reigned as the Sport Compact Super National's champion. Barry Taft was the runner up, followed by Jake Benishek in third, Dillon Richards from Nebraska was fourth, and lady racer Brooke Fluckinger, also from Nebraska, was fifth. Racing was completed at 11:42 p.m.
Wednesday, day 3 of 6 the IMCA Stock Cars and the IMCA Modifieds made their first appearance with racing starting about 2:45 p.m. The Northern SportMods and the Hobby Stocks qualified their final six cars to advance to the back two rows for the Big Dance. The 171 IMCA Stock Cars advanced eight to the inside row come Saturday and 228 Modifieds had eight advancing to the inside row for the grand finale Saturday. It was a nippy 48 degrees when the racing was completed at 12:40 a.m.
Thursday, day 4 of 6 and racing started at 2:12 p.m. with more qualifying for the Stock Cars and the Modifieds, with one new driver checking in. It was also a complete show for the IMCA Deery Brothers Late Models, 31 strong. Eight Stock Cars and eight more Modifieds qualified for the middle row for Saturday night's finale.
The second of the 2017 Super Nationals champions was crowned and it was Todd Cooney making his third appearance standing on the podium as IMCA Late Model king. Richie Gustin, Matt Ryan, Chad Holladay, and Cayden Carter completed the top five. Racing was completed at 12:17 a.m.
Friday races began at 2:12 for the second day in a row...and we were wondering how it was already day 5 of races. It was a beautiful day in the low 80's and 81 races on the agenda. Eight Stock Cars and eight more Modifieds qualified for the outside row on Saturday.
Friday was also the All-Star Invitational feature for the IMCA Modifieds. Thirty drivers had been voted into this race by the race fans. Dean Abbey, Roanoke, Texas took the glory in this one. He grabbed the lead from William Gould on lap seven of the 30 lapper and then fended off the advances of Jay Noteboom to take the win. Following second place Noteboom was William Gould for third, Kyle Brown in fourth, and Johnny Scott completed the top five. Racing was done at 1 a.m.
Saturday....and day 6 was here. The festivities in front of the grandstand kicked off with a wedding! Stock Car driver Bob Chalupa from Nebraska and his bride Carol exchanged vows on the infield stage before the day's racing commenced. The grooms race car, was of course sitting in victory lane in front of the stage. This was not our first race track wedding. Through the years, we have witnessed several weddings at various race tracks.
After some pre-race ceremonies took place, the first green flag fell at 3 p.m. There were last chance/last chance races for the Hobby Stocks, SportMods, Stock Cars, and the Modifieds, and Race of Champions in all four divisions as well...each class starting ten cars. Jason Fusselman, Shelby, Iowa, came from tenth starting spot to take the ROC in the IMCA Hobby Stocks. Ellis, Kansas racer, Dakota Sproul held off Johnathon Logue to win the ROC in the IMCA Northern SportMod class. Lake City's David Smith was the Stock Car ROC champion for the third time. Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, North Carolina hot shoe, was the IMCA Modified ROC champion.
Finally...it was time for the Big Dance for the Hobby Stocks, SportMods, Stock Cars, and Modifieds.
The Hobby Stocks kicked things off first with 30 cars, for 30 laps. The race was red flagged twice for roll over incidents, first the pole sitter Matt Olson from Franklin, Minnesota rolled off of the top of turn three. Not much later, Columbus, Nebraska racer Sal Hernandez took a tumble on the front stretch. Thankfully, both drivers were uninjured.
Inside second row starter, Shannon Anderson took the immediate lead, followed by his dad Jeff Anderson (who ironically had started right beside him in the middle of row two) and would lead the race from flag to flag. Corey Madden, Avoca, Iowa was awarded second place after Aaron Rudolph was penalized for trying a slide for life at the checkers. Third went to Chad Lonneman from Adrian, Minnesota, Jeff Anderson was fourth, and Chanse Hollatz, Clear Lake, Iowa was fifth. This was Shannon Anderson's fourth Hobby Stock Super National's win and looks to snag his seventh IMCA National Hobby Stock Championship.
The IMCA Northern SportMod Super National's 30 lap Dance had a storybook ending. Brian Efkamp was elated when he just got himself into the Big Dance, and then drew the middle of row one for his starting spot. Efkamp, in his final hurrah of his racing career set his flashy #10E Harris SportMod to the front as the race went green, and never relinquished it. He endured heavy lap traffic, but sailed through it all to take the checkers. Efkamp, who understandably was emotional in victory lane, said his late dad Ron Efkamp, who was the first IMCA Director of Competition, was no doubt riding with him with a big smile on his face.
Cory Rose finished second in the SportMod feature, while Colby Fett was third. Far back in fourth was Doug Cook who had been the pole sitter, and Tony Olson was fifth after starting in the middle of row three.
Mike Nichols...who is going to be the 2017 IMCA Stock Car Champion,...a title for the sixth time...had always had an IMCA Super Nationals championship on his bucket list. This year....he accomplished just that. Nichols started on the inside pole and took his #63 to the bank. Nichols was pestered most of the race by Devin Smith. Smith looked for anyway around Nichols, and in the final moments was getting a good peek underneath him. But it was all for naught, as Nichols swept to the finish line to take the checkers and the win. A smoking Dustin Larson finished a distance behind in third place. Fourth went to Cayden Carter...who set a Super Nationals record by qualifying for the Big Dance in the Stock Cars, Modifieds, and Late Models, and Travis Barker came from row four, to finish fifth. Nichols has quite a resume in the IMCA Stock Cars with over 350 wins and this new notch in his belt.
The grand finale of the 2017 IMCA 35th annual Super Nationals was 40 laps of IMCA Modified racing. The 33 drivers were introduced in the pre-race ceremony and then they strapped in for the race ahead. Todd Shute started outside the front row and was hungry for his second Super Nationals title. He shot to the lead with Ricky Thornton tucked into second. Richie Gustin, the 2011 Super Nationals winner, was soon up to challenge from his row three starting spot. Gustin tussled with Thornton for a couple of laps, then took over second, with his sites set on leader Shute. Gustin could only chase Shute until lap traffic came into the picture about lap 25. Gustin continued to haunt the leader until making a successful pass on lap 30, taking over the coveted top spot. He then kept his #19G hot rod to the front the rest of the way to the checkers. Ricky Thornton got by Todd Shute in the waning laps as they went second and third respectively. Fourth went to Ricky "Racer" Stephan, in his 25th season of racing, and Jimmy Gustin, the 2010 winner, was fifth.
The races were completed at 11:26 p.m. and as always, I stayed for the auction of the winner's motors. Shannon Anderson's Hobby Stock went for $2,700, Brian Efkamp's SportMod was auctioned off for $6,000, the Stock Car motor of Mike Nichols went for $6,600 and Richie Gustin's Modified was $3,800.
Two Modified drivers, Gatlin Leytham and Scott Simatovich, sacrificed their Super Nationals to go to Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas to help with recovery. I would venture to guess, some Texas drivers who had planned for the Super Nationals had their plan changed due to Harvey as well.
As I wrap up some notes from the 2017 IMCA Super Nationals, news of the racing community's loss of two former drivers hits home. Dave Dresser, piloted an IMCA Stock Car back in the late '80's and '90's around the Boone Speedway, and veteran racer Larry Embrey raced in several classes around the state of Iowa...the most recent being in an IMCA Northern SportMod.
We enjoyed our six days and nights of racing and making it all the more special was enjoying it with racing friends from far and wide that we see but once a year....at America's Racin' Vacation.
There's still racing to be found around the state of Iowa. Check out the calendar at www.positivelyracing.com for a race to attend. Get out and support the sport we all love...dirt track racing.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
VanGenderen, Murphy, Lamberies, and VanLaningham post Prelude wins
Boone Speedway held it's third annual Prelude to the Super Nationals on Saturday night as well as celebrating 50 years of racing at the track. Many former racers were on hand as well as cars on display and memorabilia from days gone by. The racing was top notch as well, with 287 cars racing on the night...90 Modifieds, 81 Northern SportMods, 60 Stock Cars and 56 Hobby Stocks entertained the huge crowd on hand. Track champion Mike VanGenderen took the IMCA Modified feature, Trent Murphy captured the IMCA Stock Car victory, Lucas Lamberies took the win in the IMCA Northern SportMod main event, and Jesse VanLaningham won the IMCA Hobby Stock feature.
Mike VanGenderen followed up his track championship title by besting the field of IMCA Modifieds. VanGenderen started eleventh and overtook then leader Jordy Nelson at lap 25 of the 30 lap event. VanGenderen held off Nelson the rest of the way to the checkers and the win. Following second place Jordy Nelson was hard charging Chris Abelson who started sixteenth and finished third. Clint Luellen came from tenth starting spot to take fourth place, and Kyle Brown, in his brand new Harris vintage Wood Brothers look car, completed the top five.
The IMCA Northern SportMod 25 lap A main saw Wisconsin racer Lucas Lamberies in victory lane. Lamberies took command at lap three and never looked back, winning comfortably over second place, and current national point leader, Tyler Soppe. Jake McBirnie came from thirteenth starting spot to finish in third place. Fourth was early leader, Carter VanDenBerg and sixteenth place starter Hunter Parson, was fifth.
The IMCA Stock Cars put on their usual exciting racing, with the outcome being decided in the closing moments. Defending Super Nationals champion, Elijah Zevenbergen from Ocheyedan, Iowa, was looking to step back into victory lane as he got out to the early lead and pulled away. Meanwhile, another former Super National's champion, Wisconsin's Brandon Czarapata, and Trent Murphy were going at it for position a distance behind. Zevenbergen then developed a bad push exiting the corners, allowing Czarapata and Murphy to rapidly close in. Zevenbergen and Murphy swapped the lead in the final laps, and Murphy was able to get the advantage and sweep to the 25 lap feature win. Zevenbergen had to be content with the runner up spot, with Czarapata taking third. Todd Inman hustled through the field of cars from twentieth starting spot, to finish in fourth, and track champion Donavon Smith was fifth. The race went caution free.
The final feature was the IMCA 25 lap Hobby Stock feature. Beatrice, Nebraska's Jesse VanLaningham saw victory lane in this one. He lead from lap five and held the top spot the rest of the way to the checkers. He finished well ahead of second place Eric Cross who had started back in seventeenth starting spot. Chanse Hollatz was third, fourth went to Justin Wacha, and Scott Pippert was fifth.
It was just like a Super Nationals night at Boone. Race cars filled the pits, and campers and fans were everywhere. Prior to the racing, the 50th year celebration of racing at the track was held, along with a drivers reunion for drivers from the past. The very first feature winner at Boone Speedway was on hand....Carl VanDerWal, and he was joined by many other former racers that put their mark in the record book at Boone. Those that I can recall in attendance were Bob Bonzer, Denny Hovinga, Curt Hansen, Butch Householder, Joe Merryfield, Don Hoffman, Curt Houge, Ray Busch, Gary Lindgren, Denny Rosenberg, Brian Efkamp (who was a big part of getting the gathering together) Tony Efkamp, Mike Smith, Arlo Dorenbush, and Greg Davis. It was great to see some of these heroes of the past.
It was a late night what with all the cars and festivities going on. The racing was done at 2:29 a.m., and after our drive home, I landed in bed at 5:20 a.m. Now we will soon be heading back that way.
We will begin our annual six day run of the Super Nationals on Labor Day, September 4. The first race is scheduled for 2 p.m. with qualifying for the IMCA Northern SportMods and the IMCA Hobby Stocks. What a change we've seen since we first attended back in 1988. We look forward to the coming week as we enjoy the festivities with drivers and race fans from across the country. Check www.raceboone.com for an up to date schedule of each day's racing.
Mike VanGenderen followed up his track championship title by besting the field of IMCA Modifieds. VanGenderen started eleventh and overtook then leader Jordy Nelson at lap 25 of the 30 lap event. VanGenderen held off Nelson the rest of the way to the checkers and the win. Following second place Jordy Nelson was hard charging Chris Abelson who started sixteenth and finished third. Clint Luellen came from tenth starting spot to take fourth place, and Kyle Brown, in his brand new Harris vintage Wood Brothers look car, completed the top five.
The IMCA Northern SportMod 25 lap A main saw Wisconsin racer Lucas Lamberies in victory lane. Lamberies took command at lap three and never looked back, winning comfortably over second place, and current national point leader, Tyler Soppe. Jake McBirnie came from thirteenth starting spot to finish in third place. Fourth was early leader, Carter VanDenBerg and sixteenth place starter Hunter Parson, was fifth.
The IMCA Stock Cars put on their usual exciting racing, with the outcome being decided in the closing moments. Defending Super Nationals champion, Elijah Zevenbergen from Ocheyedan, Iowa, was looking to step back into victory lane as he got out to the early lead and pulled away. Meanwhile, another former Super National's champion, Wisconsin's Brandon Czarapata, and Trent Murphy were going at it for position a distance behind. Zevenbergen then developed a bad push exiting the corners, allowing Czarapata and Murphy to rapidly close in. Zevenbergen and Murphy swapped the lead in the final laps, and Murphy was able to get the advantage and sweep to the 25 lap feature win. Zevenbergen had to be content with the runner up spot, with Czarapata taking third. Todd Inman hustled through the field of cars from twentieth starting spot, to finish in fourth, and track champion Donavon Smith was fifth. The race went caution free.
The final feature was the IMCA 25 lap Hobby Stock feature. Beatrice, Nebraska's Jesse VanLaningham saw victory lane in this one. He lead from lap five and held the top spot the rest of the way to the checkers. He finished well ahead of second place Eric Cross who had started back in seventeenth starting spot. Chanse Hollatz was third, fourth went to Justin Wacha, and Scott Pippert was fifth.
It was just like a Super Nationals night at Boone. Race cars filled the pits, and campers and fans were everywhere. Prior to the racing, the 50th year celebration of racing at the track was held, along with a drivers reunion for drivers from the past. The very first feature winner at Boone Speedway was on hand....Carl VanDerWal, and he was joined by many other former racers that put their mark in the record book at Boone. Those that I can recall in attendance were Bob Bonzer, Denny Hovinga, Curt Hansen, Butch Householder, Joe Merryfield, Don Hoffman, Curt Houge, Ray Busch, Gary Lindgren, Denny Rosenberg, Brian Efkamp (who was a big part of getting the gathering together) Tony Efkamp, Mike Smith, Arlo Dorenbush, and Greg Davis. It was great to see some of these heroes of the past.
It was a late night what with all the cars and festivities going on. The racing was done at 2:29 a.m., and after our drive home, I landed in bed at 5:20 a.m. Now we will soon be heading back that way.
We will begin our annual six day run of the Super Nationals on Labor Day, September 4. The first race is scheduled for 2 p.m. with qualifying for the IMCA Northern SportMods and the IMCA Hobby Stocks. What a change we've seen since we first attended back in 1988. We look forward to the coming week as we enjoy the festivities with drivers and race fans from across the country. Check www.raceboone.com for an up to date schedule of each day's racing.
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Abelson takes Showdown in MoTown Modified Crown, Murty, Schaefer, Pippert and Moyer also take checkers
Friday night, the Marshalltown Speedway held their annual Showdown at MoTown special. There was a nice crowd on hand to watch the 100 cars in competition. Chris Abelson made the high side of the track work to perfection as he sailed to the IMCA Modified feature win. Damon Murty did the same in a thrilling IMCA Stock Car victory. Joey Schaefer went to victory lane in the IMCA Northern SportMod main event, and Scott Pippert led from start to finish in the IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Also on tap was the Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks, with Brad Moyer being the victor.
The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks kicked off the night's feature racing and it was Brad Moyer going to the winner's circle after the 15 lap main event. He held back Jeff Frevert in second place, and Lou Sipolt in third. Fourth went to Bret Moyer and Bryan Spangler was fifth. Brad Moyer led the entire 15 laps on his way to victory. As a note, Damon Murty was piloting the #23 Truck last evening. He was running third, when a cut tire took him out of the game.
Joey Schaefer made his way to victory lane from his sixth starting spot in the IMCA Northern SportMod feature. He caught and passed Johnathon Logue, and took command on lap fourteen with a pass down the backstretch. Sam Wieben came flying around the topside and overtook Logue in the closing moments, as they went second and third respectively. Track champion, Travis Peterson was fourth and Jared VanDeest took fifth.
Scott Pippert led the entire 20 laps of the IMCA Hobby Stock A main to take the win. Pippert took advantage of his pole starting spot, and never looked back on his way to victory. A hard charging Chanse Hollatz took second place, and Eric Stanton was a close third. Fourth went to Baxter's Clint Nelson, and veteran Bill Bonnett was fifth.
The 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature event was exciting from start to finish with several cars all vying for the top spots. Todd Reitzler grabbed the lead as the race went green, with the "Chelsea Charger", Damon Murty in hot pursuit. Michael Jaennette threw his hat in the ring and about the same time, Jeff Mueller and Elijah Zevenbergen both made their presence known as well. Murty made his way to the lead as the jousting for position behind him continued. Then Jeff Mueller took command of the top spot at lap eleven.
At lap fourteen, the race was red flagged when Michael Jaennette rolled violently off the top of turns three and four when his right rear slipped off the rim of track. Thankfully he was okay....the car, not so much. Mueller held down the lead when the race went green, and was digging on the low side in an attempt to hold back Murty. Meanwhile, Murty was running his preferred top of the track, as the laps wound down. The final corner proved to be Mueller's bad luck and Murty's good fortune as he surged off of turn four and made it to the checkers first. He has made that last moment topside momentum work more than once at the high banks this year! Mueller had to be content with second, third went to Todd Reitzler, Elijah Zevenbergen, the hot shoe out of Ocheyedan, Iowa, was fourth and Kyle Everts came from twelfth starting spot to finish fifth.
Chris Abelson started eighth and reeled in a flying Josh Gilman. He took charge at lap thirteen of the 25 lap IMCA Modified final feature of the night, and pulled away. The race was halted on lap twenty-three, when Canadian driver Kody Schlopp took a tumble off of turn four. Thankfully, he was not injured. He suffered life threatening injuries just a couple of years ago with a long recovery, after I believe a snowmobile or ATV accident. When the race went back to green for the final two circuits, Abelson once again drove off from the competition. He finished well ahead of second place Clint Luellen. Third went to eighteenth place starter Joel Rust, Kelly Shryock came from seventeenth starting spot to finish fourth, and Tim Ward completed the top five. Abelson went home with $1,000 for the win and is a qualifier for the 2018 Fast Shaft's All Star race.
The Marshalltown Speedway isn't done yet for the 2017 season. Next up is the 11th annual World Nationals with $10,000 to win for the IMCA Modifieds. A practice night is on the schedule for Thursday, September 14. The Modifieds will have qualifying on Friday September 15, along with full shows for the Stock Cars, SportMods, and Hobby Stocks. The grand finale for the Modifieds and the $10,000 prize will be on Saturday, September 16. The Stock Cars, SportMods, and Hobby Stocks will run another complete show. For more information, check out www.marshalltownspeedway.com.
Tonight, it's off to Boone for the Prelude to the Super Nationals. We anticipate lots and lots of cars, taking a chance (sometimes a great idea, other times, not so good) and getting in a little practice before the start of the 2017 Super Nationals starting on Labor Day. Then we catch a breath for just a day, and then will start our annual six day run of America's Racin' Vacation. We look forward to seeing the drivers, cars, the pageantry, and racing friends from far and wide.
The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks kicked off the night's feature racing and it was Brad Moyer going to the winner's circle after the 15 lap main event. He held back Jeff Frevert in second place, and Lou Sipolt in third. Fourth went to Bret Moyer and Bryan Spangler was fifth. Brad Moyer led the entire 15 laps on his way to victory. As a note, Damon Murty was piloting the #23 Truck last evening. He was running third, when a cut tire took him out of the game.
Joey Schaefer made his way to victory lane from his sixth starting spot in the IMCA Northern SportMod feature. He caught and passed Johnathon Logue, and took command on lap fourteen with a pass down the backstretch. Sam Wieben came flying around the topside and overtook Logue in the closing moments, as they went second and third respectively. Track champion, Travis Peterson was fourth and Jared VanDeest took fifth.
Scott Pippert led the entire 20 laps of the IMCA Hobby Stock A main to take the win. Pippert took advantage of his pole starting spot, and never looked back on his way to victory. A hard charging Chanse Hollatz took second place, and Eric Stanton was a close third. Fourth went to Baxter's Clint Nelson, and veteran Bill Bonnett was fifth.
The 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature event was exciting from start to finish with several cars all vying for the top spots. Todd Reitzler grabbed the lead as the race went green, with the "Chelsea Charger", Damon Murty in hot pursuit. Michael Jaennette threw his hat in the ring and about the same time, Jeff Mueller and Elijah Zevenbergen both made their presence known as well. Murty made his way to the lead as the jousting for position behind him continued. Then Jeff Mueller took command of the top spot at lap eleven.
At lap fourteen, the race was red flagged when Michael Jaennette rolled violently off the top of turns three and four when his right rear slipped off the rim of track. Thankfully he was okay....the car, not so much. Mueller held down the lead when the race went green, and was digging on the low side in an attempt to hold back Murty. Meanwhile, Murty was running his preferred top of the track, as the laps wound down. The final corner proved to be Mueller's bad luck and Murty's good fortune as he surged off of turn four and made it to the checkers first. He has made that last moment topside momentum work more than once at the high banks this year! Mueller had to be content with second, third went to Todd Reitzler, Elijah Zevenbergen, the hot shoe out of Ocheyedan, Iowa, was fourth and Kyle Everts came from twelfth starting spot to finish fifth.
Chris Abelson started eighth and reeled in a flying Josh Gilman. He took charge at lap thirteen of the 25 lap IMCA Modified final feature of the night, and pulled away. The race was halted on lap twenty-three, when Canadian driver Kody Schlopp took a tumble off of turn four. Thankfully, he was not injured. He suffered life threatening injuries just a couple of years ago with a long recovery, after I believe a snowmobile or ATV accident. When the race went back to green for the final two circuits, Abelson once again drove off from the competition. He finished well ahead of second place Clint Luellen. Third went to eighteenth place starter Joel Rust, Kelly Shryock came from seventeenth starting spot to finish fourth, and Tim Ward completed the top five. Abelson went home with $1,000 for the win and is a qualifier for the 2018 Fast Shaft's All Star race.
The Marshalltown Speedway isn't done yet for the 2017 season. Next up is the 11th annual World Nationals with $10,000 to win for the IMCA Modifieds. A practice night is on the schedule for Thursday, September 14. The Modifieds will have qualifying on Friday September 15, along with full shows for the Stock Cars, SportMods, and Hobby Stocks. The grand finale for the Modifieds and the $10,000 prize will be on Saturday, September 16. The Stock Cars, SportMods, and Hobby Stocks will run another complete show. For more information, check out www.marshalltownspeedway.com.
Tonight, it's off to Boone for the Prelude to the Super Nationals. We anticipate lots and lots of cars, taking a chance (sometimes a great idea, other times, not so good) and getting in a little practice before the start of the 2017 Super Nationals starting on Labor Day. Then we catch a breath for just a day, and then will start our annual six day run of America's Racin' Vacation. We look forward to seeing the drivers, cars, the pageantry, and racing friends from far and wide.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Mother Nature wins on Season Championship night at Boone Speedway
It was season championship night at the Boone Speedway on Saturday. The top 20 in points were locked in to the feature and if needed, the remainder of the field would be filled in through heat races. However, there was no need for any heats in the five classes, so the features were all set for the night. The first feature, the Mod Lites, was called to the front stretch for driver introductions...and then Mother Nature played her card. The races were called and the season championship night will not be made up.
The track champions are: Mike VanGenderen in the IMCA Modified class for the second year in a row, finishing seven points ahead of second place Russ Dickerson. Donavon Smith goes back to back in the IMCA Stock Car championship, finishing well ahead of second place Jay Schmidt. IMCA Northern SportMod track champion goes to Chad Ryerson, five points ahead of Johnathon Logue. Dustin Graham takes the title in the IMCA Hobby Stock division by one point over Aaron Rudolph, five points ahead of Dustin Lynch and seven points over Ryan Wells. Bryan Zehm repeats his track championship in the Mod Lite class, finishing well ahead of Josh May in second place.
Next Saturday night, September 2, will be the Prelude to the Super Nationals. Pre-registered drivers for the 35th Annual Super Nationals may race. The IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Northern SportMods, and the IMCA Hobby Stocks will be in action. Hot laps are scheduled for 6:30, with racing at 7:30. Then on Monday, Labor Day September 4, starts the six day run of the 35th IMCA Super Nationals...America's Racin' Vacation.
The track champions are: Mike VanGenderen in the IMCA Modified class for the second year in a row, finishing seven points ahead of second place Russ Dickerson. Donavon Smith goes back to back in the IMCA Stock Car championship, finishing well ahead of second place Jay Schmidt. IMCA Northern SportMod track champion goes to Chad Ryerson, five points ahead of Johnathon Logue. Dustin Graham takes the title in the IMCA Hobby Stock division by one point over Aaron Rudolph, five points ahead of Dustin Lynch and seven points over Ryan Wells. Bryan Zehm repeats his track championship in the Mod Lite class, finishing well ahead of Josh May in second place.
Next Saturday night, September 2, will be the Prelude to the Super Nationals. Pre-registered drivers for the 35th Annual Super Nationals may race. The IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Northern SportMods, and the IMCA Hobby Stocks will be in action. Hot laps are scheduled for 6:30, with racing at 7:30. Then on Monday, Labor Day September 4, starts the six day run of the 35th IMCA Super Nationals...America's Racin' Vacation.
DeFrance comes from the back and doubles his money on Season Championship night
It was season championship night at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday, and all six classes saw repeat winners. The top 10 in points were locked into their straight up starting spots, while the rest of the starting line ups were filled in by heat race finishes.
Charlie Brown went to the winner's circle in the Mod Lite division, Shannon Anderson was back in familiar victory lane in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, Sam Wieben won the IMCA Northern SportMod A main, Todd Reitzler took the prize in the IMCA Stock Car class, Tim Ward scored his third win in the IMCA Modifieds, and hometown boy, Darrel DeFrance took the challenge of starting in the rear of the IMCA Late Model feature, and doubled his money with the win.
The driver introductions were made on the front stretch before the features, allowing fans to show their appreciation for their efforts all season long.
Josh May led the 15-lap Mod Lite feature from the drop of the green flag. He had Travis Stensland to deal with for most of the race, and then Charlie Brown came into the picture from his seventh starting spot to challenge them both. The final lap turned into a four-car battle for the lead as they came to the checkers. Charlie Brown made a last second surge ahead to get the win. Stensland held on to the runner up spot, Joe Zrostlik in the #95 car usually piloted by Mike Kennedy, started eleventh, and took third, May was fourth and Byran Zehm rounded out the top five. This was Brown's third visit to victory lane in 2017. The track champion for 2017 in the Mod Lite division goes to Josh May.
The IMCA Northern SportMods went 20 laps for their season championship feature. Jared VanDeest led the first five laps until a lap car got in the way, almost caused disaster, and cost him the top spot. Sam Wieben was Johnny on the spot, saw his chance, and flew to the lead. Wieben never relinquished that top spot the rest of the way to the win. Jared VanDeest was the runner up, third went to Ethan Braaksma, Cory Rose came from twelfth starting position, to finish fourth, and Jake McBirnie took fifth. Wieben won for the fourth time at Marshalltown this season. The race went caution free. The track championship title went to Travis Peterson.
Track champion Shannon Anderson led the entire 20 laps of the IMCA Hobby Stock feature and went to victory lane for the twelfth time at the speedway. He finished well ahead of second place Justin Wacha. Third was Gene Nicklas, Eric Knutson was fourth and Gary Pfantz was fifth. The race went flag to flag.
Todd Reitzer took the lead immediately in the 20-lap IMCA Stock Car main event. Damon Murty was soon knocking at his door as they flew around the rim of the track nose-to-tail. A yellow flew at lap nine. On the restart, Murty was able to make the pass for the lead, when Reitzler opted to try for some momentum low...which didn't work out! Murty then distanced himself from Reitzler and was looking destined to take yet another win at the high banks. However, just after lap seventeen was in the books, Murty's car let forth a big puff of smoke, and he exited off the track. Reitzler inherited the lead and kept it the final three laps to the checkers. Jeff Wollam had a great run to finish in second place, third was Donavon Smith, Jeff Mueller was fourth and Russell Damme rounded out the top five. This was Reitzler's second win of the year. The track championship for the IMCA Stock Cars went to Donavon Smith.
Tim Ward ran all 25 laps of the IMCA Modified feature at the front of the field to score his third win at Marshalltown this year. He was content to let Joel Rust and Jimmy Gustin duke it out behind him for second spot, as he took the easy win. Joel Rust won the battle to score second spot, Jimmy Gustin was third. Track champion Jake Strayer took the challenge to start at the tail to earn double his money to win, but had to settle for a fourth place finish. Rounding out the top five was Ronn Lauritzen.
The night cap was 20 laps of IMCA Late Model racing. Front row starters Todd Cooney and Darrel DeFrance both chose to go to the back of the field for a try at doubling their payoff for the night. Paul Nagle was then moved to the pole starting position. He jumped to the lead and continued his run at the front until he slowed on lap twelve and exited into the pits. Darrel DeFrance then flew around Joe Zrostlik on lap thirteen to become the new man in charge. DeFrance kept his competition at bay and went home to the flying checkers, the win, and double his pay day....to the cheers of much of the crowd. Zrostlik held the runner up spot, Todd Cooney was third, Curt Schroeder fourth and Kirby Schultz was fifth. Todd Cooney is the 2017 Late Model track champion.
The season championship night was once again dedicated to the late Larry Wollam. Wollam was a promoter at the speedway in years gone by and was the father of current veteran Stock Car driver Jeff Wollam. Larry was a strong supporter of dirt track racing.
We enjoyed our night at Marshalltown once again, watching with racing family. We were also pleasantly surprised to see two couples from New Zealand make their way into the stands and join us. We had met them on Wednesday night at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa and we had encouraged them to come to Marshalltown. They were impressed with the racing at the Marshalltown high banks.
The regular season has ended at the Marshalltown Speedway, but next Friday night, September 1 is the "Showdown at Motown". $1,000 goes to the winner of the IMCA Modifieds, $500 each to the IMCA Stock Cars and IMCA Northern SportMods, and $300 to the IMCA Hobby Stocks. The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks will also run. Then on September 14 and 15, it will be the 11th annual World Nationals at the track. It is a $1,000 to win each night for the Stock Cars and SportMods, and $500 each day for the Hobby Stocks. The Modifieds will qualify on night one and continue on the following night....all in hopes of the $10,000 to win feature.
Get out and find a race to attend and support the sport we all love.
Charlie Brown went to the winner's circle in the Mod Lite division, Shannon Anderson was back in familiar victory lane in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, Sam Wieben won the IMCA Northern SportMod A main, Todd Reitzler took the prize in the IMCA Stock Car class, Tim Ward scored his third win in the IMCA Modifieds, and hometown boy, Darrel DeFrance took the challenge of starting in the rear of the IMCA Late Model feature, and doubled his money with the win.
The driver introductions were made on the front stretch before the features, allowing fans to show their appreciation for their efforts all season long.
Josh May led the 15-lap Mod Lite feature from the drop of the green flag. He had Travis Stensland to deal with for most of the race, and then Charlie Brown came into the picture from his seventh starting spot to challenge them both. The final lap turned into a four-car battle for the lead as they came to the checkers. Charlie Brown made a last second surge ahead to get the win. Stensland held on to the runner up spot, Joe Zrostlik in the #95 car usually piloted by Mike Kennedy, started eleventh, and took third, May was fourth and Byran Zehm rounded out the top five. This was Brown's third visit to victory lane in 2017. The track champion for 2017 in the Mod Lite division goes to Josh May.
The IMCA Northern SportMods went 20 laps for their season championship feature. Jared VanDeest led the first five laps until a lap car got in the way, almost caused disaster, and cost him the top spot. Sam Wieben was Johnny on the spot, saw his chance, and flew to the lead. Wieben never relinquished that top spot the rest of the way to the win. Jared VanDeest was the runner up, third went to Ethan Braaksma, Cory Rose came from twelfth starting position, to finish fourth, and Jake McBirnie took fifth. Wieben won for the fourth time at Marshalltown this season. The race went caution free. The track championship title went to Travis Peterson.
Track champion Shannon Anderson led the entire 20 laps of the IMCA Hobby Stock feature and went to victory lane for the twelfth time at the speedway. He finished well ahead of second place Justin Wacha. Third was Gene Nicklas, Eric Knutson was fourth and Gary Pfantz was fifth. The race went flag to flag.
Todd Reitzer took the lead immediately in the 20-lap IMCA Stock Car main event. Damon Murty was soon knocking at his door as they flew around the rim of the track nose-to-tail. A yellow flew at lap nine. On the restart, Murty was able to make the pass for the lead, when Reitzler opted to try for some momentum low...which didn't work out! Murty then distanced himself from Reitzler and was looking destined to take yet another win at the high banks. However, just after lap seventeen was in the books, Murty's car let forth a big puff of smoke, and he exited off the track. Reitzler inherited the lead and kept it the final three laps to the checkers. Jeff Wollam had a great run to finish in second place, third was Donavon Smith, Jeff Mueller was fourth and Russell Damme rounded out the top five. This was Reitzler's second win of the year. The track championship for the IMCA Stock Cars went to Donavon Smith.
Tim Ward ran all 25 laps of the IMCA Modified feature at the front of the field to score his third win at Marshalltown this year. He was content to let Joel Rust and Jimmy Gustin duke it out behind him for second spot, as he took the easy win. Joel Rust won the battle to score second spot, Jimmy Gustin was third. Track champion Jake Strayer took the challenge to start at the tail to earn double his money to win, but had to settle for a fourth place finish. Rounding out the top five was Ronn Lauritzen.
The night cap was 20 laps of IMCA Late Model racing. Front row starters Todd Cooney and Darrel DeFrance both chose to go to the back of the field for a try at doubling their payoff for the night. Paul Nagle was then moved to the pole starting position. He jumped to the lead and continued his run at the front until he slowed on lap twelve and exited into the pits. Darrel DeFrance then flew around Joe Zrostlik on lap thirteen to become the new man in charge. DeFrance kept his competition at bay and went home to the flying checkers, the win, and double his pay day....to the cheers of much of the crowd. Zrostlik held the runner up spot, Todd Cooney was third, Curt Schroeder fourth and Kirby Schultz was fifth. Todd Cooney is the 2017 Late Model track champion.
The season championship night was once again dedicated to the late Larry Wollam. Wollam was a promoter at the speedway in years gone by and was the father of current veteran Stock Car driver Jeff Wollam. Larry was a strong supporter of dirt track racing.
We enjoyed our night at Marshalltown once again, watching with racing family. We were also pleasantly surprised to see two couples from New Zealand make their way into the stands and join us. We had met them on Wednesday night at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa and we had encouraged them to come to Marshalltown. They were impressed with the racing at the Marshalltown high banks.
The regular season has ended at the Marshalltown Speedway, but next Friday night, September 1 is the "Showdown at Motown". $1,000 goes to the winner of the IMCA Modifieds, $500 each to the IMCA Stock Cars and IMCA Northern SportMods, and $300 to the IMCA Hobby Stocks. The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks will also run. Then on September 14 and 15, it will be the 11th annual World Nationals at the track. It is a $1,000 to win each night for the Stock Cars and SportMods, and $500 each day for the Hobby Stocks. The Modifieds will qualify on night one and continue on the following night....all in hopes of the $10,000 to win feature.
Get out and find a race to attend and support the sport we all love.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Season Championship night at Osky goes out with a bang
The final night of weekly racing for 2017 came to a close at the Southern Iowa Speedway last night. It was season championship night with five drivers taking the title of track champion. Features for the night went to Scott Dickey in the IMCA Modifieds, it was Danny Thrasher taking his first win in the IMCA Stock Car class, Curtis VanDerWal was back in his familiar victory lane in the IMCA SportMod division, Jeffrey DeLonjay made his first time trip to Osky pay off in the IMCA Sport Compacts, and the night went out with a bang in the IMCA Hobby Stock finale, with veteran racer Brad Stephens taking the win.
Jeffrey DeLonjay came over from Quincy, Illinois, and took home the win in the IMCA Sport Compact feature. From the drop of the green, it was appearing that Brandon Housley was destined to take the win as he lead the field easily. Then suddenly he was off power and pulled it into the infield with just a couple of laps left. About the same time, the 9H of Levi Heath gave up the ghost in a cloud of smoke and he too was done for the night. DeLonjay now took over as captain of the ship and he took his ride home to the checkers and the win. Bill "Happy Feet" Whalen took the runner up spot, John Gill was third, fourth went to Dalton Winkleman, and Heath was scored fifth. This was DeLonjay's first visit to the Southern Iowa Speedway.
Scott Dickey went to the winner's circle in the IMCA Modified feature....winning for the first time since season championship night of 2015. This was also a race of attrition, as cars dropped out one by one during the 14 lap event. Brandon Banks was leading early when he pulled into the infield. Dickey took the lead then, as more cars began dropping out. David Pries made his annual pilgrimage this time of year from his home base in Medaryville, Indiana, and was the first to drop out, then came Gordy Head exiting the track, followed by Andrew Schroeder. Dickey went home to the checkers and the win, and the only other car remaining on the track, Garett Wilson, was second.
Up next was the IMCA Stock Car feature...and as is often the case, this one came right down to the wire. Michael Peterson was looking strong as he led from the drop of the green but then he was off and into the pits when he erupted in a cloud of smoke. Dustin Griffiths was now the man in charge of leading the pack, and he soon had Danny Thrasher knocking at his door. Throw Nathan Wood into the mix as well, and suddenly it was a hot and heavy three car battle. This was the kind of Stock Car racing Osky is known for, and the three did themselves proud as they duked it out! Griffiths was still hanging on to the lead at the white flag, but Thrasher got the upper hand on the backstretch. Coming for the checkers, it was Thrasher, Griffiths and Wood in a near dead heat. Several of us in the stands had a different outcome, but not knowing the exact finish line, nor taking the angle into account, the official win went to Danny Thrasher, by inches, over Nathan Wood. Griffiths was third, Mike Brown fourth and Cody McClure was fifth. Thrasher, who is a rookie in the Stock Car class this year, after jumping up from the Hobby Stocks, finally got his elusive first win of the season.
Trent Brink led the troops in the opening laps of the IMCA Northern SportMod 15 lap A main. By lap four it was Logan Anderson in command and Curtis VanDerWal knock, knock, knocking at his door. One lap later, VanDerWal was leading. From there on, he never looked back on his way to his eleventh win of the year. Logan Anderson held on to the runner up spot, Brink was third, Tony Johnson was fourth, and Danny Brau finished fifth.
Twenty IMCA Hobby Stocks showed up for the final night....all with thoughts of beating Shannon Anderson....undefeated on the year, and winning the extra $300 bounty on his head. Veteran racer Brad Stephens, jumped to the lead when the race went green, with Jeff Anderson tucked in behind him. By lap four, it was Jeff Anderson in the lead in a two-car breakaway. A yellow flew when a couple of cars went spinning on the backstretch....one of them Shannon Anderson. Anderson then had to tag the field for the restart, as his dad Jeff Anderson held down the lead. Anderson continued to be in command, but had both Mike Hughes (Hughes had turned in his Stock Car IMCA license and relinquished all Stock Car points for the year, in order to obtain an IMCA Hobby Stock license. We understand the rules do not allow a Stock Car and a Hobby Stock license at the same time.) Anderson took the white flag, but as the cars were coming out of turn three, contact was made, and Anderson went spinning. The yellow flew immediately, and suddenly in turn two, a little incident occurred between Shannon Anderson and Mike Hughes. Hughes ended up on his lid as he slowly rolled over. Both Shannon Anderson and Mike Hughes were disqualified. The race finished under bonus laps as a green-white-checkered finish....with Brad Stephens getting the win. Christian Huffman was second, third went to son of the winner, Jared Stephens, fourth was Bradley Graham (after having several fires under the hood throughout the evening) and Thomas Stevens was fifth. Brad Stephens is a veteran racer at the Southern Iowa Speedway, and has been in victory lane in the past. However, as asked by announcer Tony Paris, when that was, Stephens reply was, "2002".
Five drivers were also awarded track championships last evening. The Modified champion is Cayden Carter...who was not even in attendance as he was racing up in Webster City at the rescheduled USMTS race. The Stock Car Champion for 2017 is Nathan Wood, and the SportMod crown went to Curtis VanDerWal for the third consecutive year. Shannon Anderson is the track champion in the Hobby Stocks and Levi Heath took the title in the Sport Compact division.
It was an interesting and entertaining night of racing last evening, as we sat with racing friends once again. We can only hope that the buzz about weekly racing being done at Osky is not true, but time will tell. We also got to meet two couples in attendance from New Zealand that are big race fans. They have been in the state for more than a month taking in the sport we all love. There are a lot of dirt track fans out there and not only here in the U.S. Let's keep supporting the sport we all love!
Mark your calendars for the annual Musco Lighting Fall Challenge at the Southern Iowa Speedway. Racing is scheduled for October 13 and 14.
Jeffrey DeLonjay came over from Quincy, Illinois, and took home the win in the IMCA Sport Compact feature. From the drop of the green, it was appearing that Brandon Housley was destined to take the win as he lead the field easily. Then suddenly he was off power and pulled it into the infield with just a couple of laps left. About the same time, the 9H of Levi Heath gave up the ghost in a cloud of smoke and he too was done for the night. DeLonjay now took over as captain of the ship and he took his ride home to the checkers and the win. Bill "Happy Feet" Whalen took the runner up spot, John Gill was third, fourth went to Dalton Winkleman, and Heath was scored fifth. This was DeLonjay's first visit to the Southern Iowa Speedway.
Scott Dickey went to the winner's circle in the IMCA Modified feature....winning for the first time since season championship night of 2015. This was also a race of attrition, as cars dropped out one by one during the 14 lap event. Brandon Banks was leading early when he pulled into the infield. Dickey took the lead then, as more cars began dropping out. David Pries made his annual pilgrimage this time of year from his home base in Medaryville, Indiana, and was the first to drop out, then came Gordy Head exiting the track, followed by Andrew Schroeder. Dickey went home to the checkers and the win, and the only other car remaining on the track, Garett Wilson, was second.
Up next was the IMCA Stock Car feature...and as is often the case, this one came right down to the wire. Michael Peterson was looking strong as he led from the drop of the green but then he was off and into the pits when he erupted in a cloud of smoke. Dustin Griffiths was now the man in charge of leading the pack, and he soon had Danny Thrasher knocking at his door. Throw Nathan Wood into the mix as well, and suddenly it was a hot and heavy three car battle. This was the kind of Stock Car racing Osky is known for, and the three did themselves proud as they duked it out! Griffiths was still hanging on to the lead at the white flag, but Thrasher got the upper hand on the backstretch. Coming for the checkers, it was Thrasher, Griffiths and Wood in a near dead heat. Several of us in the stands had a different outcome, but not knowing the exact finish line, nor taking the angle into account, the official win went to Danny Thrasher, by inches, over Nathan Wood. Griffiths was third, Mike Brown fourth and Cody McClure was fifth. Thrasher, who is a rookie in the Stock Car class this year, after jumping up from the Hobby Stocks, finally got his elusive first win of the season.
Trent Brink led the troops in the opening laps of the IMCA Northern SportMod 15 lap A main. By lap four it was Logan Anderson in command and Curtis VanDerWal knock, knock, knocking at his door. One lap later, VanDerWal was leading. From there on, he never looked back on his way to his eleventh win of the year. Logan Anderson held on to the runner up spot, Brink was third, Tony Johnson was fourth, and Danny Brau finished fifth.
Twenty IMCA Hobby Stocks showed up for the final night....all with thoughts of beating Shannon Anderson....undefeated on the year, and winning the extra $300 bounty on his head. Veteran racer Brad Stephens, jumped to the lead when the race went green, with Jeff Anderson tucked in behind him. By lap four, it was Jeff Anderson in the lead in a two-car breakaway. A yellow flew when a couple of cars went spinning on the backstretch....one of them Shannon Anderson. Anderson then had to tag the field for the restart, as his dad Jeff Anderson held down the lead. Anderson continued to be in command, but had both Mike Hughes (Hughes had turned in his Stock Car IMCA license and relinquished all Stock Car points for the year, in order to obtain an IMCA Hobby Stock license. We understand the rules do not allow a Stock Car and a Hobby Stock license at the same time.) Anderson took the white flag, but as the cars were coming out of turn three, contact was made, and Anderson went spinning. The yellow flew immediately, and suddenly in turn two, a little incident occurred between Shannon Anderson and Mike Hughes. Hughes ended up on his lid as he slowly rolled over. Both Shannon Anderson and Mike Hughes were disqualified. The race finished under bonus laps as a green-white-checkered finish....with Brad Stephens getting the win. Christian Huffman was second, third went to son of the winner, Jared Stephens, fourth was Bradley Graham (after having several fires under the hood throughout the evening) and Thomas Stevens was fifth. Brad Stephens is a veteran racer at the Southern Iowa Speedway, and has been in victory lane in the past. However, as asked by announcer Tony Paris, when that was, Stephens reply was, "2002".
Five drivers were also awarded track championships last evening. The Modified champion is Cayden Carter...who was not even in attendance as he was racing up in Webster City at the rescheduled USMTS race. The Stock Car Champion for 2017 is Nathan Wood, and the SportMod crown went to Curtis VanDerWal for the third consecutive year. Shannon Anderson is the track champion in the Hobby Stocks and Levi Heath took the title in the Sport Compact division.
It was an interesting and entertaining night of racing last evening, as we sat with racing friends once again. We can only hope that the buzz about weekly racing being done at Osky is not true, but time will tell. We also got to meet two couples in attendance from New Zealand that are big race fans. They have been in the state for more than a month taking in the sport we all love. There are a lot of dirt track fans out there and not only here in the U.S. Let's keep supporting the sport we all love!
Mark your calendars for the annual Musco Lighting Fall Challenge at the Southern Iowa Speedway. Racing is scheduled for October 13 and 14.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
First time wins to Ward, Gustoff and Janssen
There was a good crowd on hand at the Boone Speedway on Saturday night. They did not want for action as the 141 cars checked into the pits, put on some excellent racing. The youngsters also benefited as sponsors gave away 36 bicycles to the lucky kids.
Tim Ward captured his first ever Boone win in the Modified division, and rookie Stock Car competitor, Cody Gustoff, won for the first time this year. Seth Janssen saw victory lane for the first time this season in the Hobby Stocks, while Jake McBirnie repeated in the SportMod class, and Bryan Zehm in the Mod Lites.
Mike Kennedy led the opening laps of the 15 lap Mod Lite feature, with Travis Stensland tailing him. Stensland was able to get around Kennedy at lap nine, to take the lead. Kennedy was soon dogged by tenth place starter Bryan Zehm, who had thrown his hat into the ring. Zehm continued his run to the front, and took over as captain of the ship with just two laps remaining. He would hold that lead to the flying checkers and the win. Stensland held on to second place, Kennedy was third, Josh May finished fourth and Charlie Brown completed the top five. Zehm now has seven wins under his belt for 2017 and has a huge lead in the points race....as he looks to repeat the track championship.
Jake McBirnie returned to the winner's circle in the IMCA Northern SportMod class. McBirnie came from tenth starting position to grab the lead away from Taylor Musselman at lap ten. McBirnie then put distance between himself and the rest of the field, scoring the victory. Musselman held on to the runner up spot, pole sitter Lonnie Hodges finished in third place, Cory Pestotnik finished fourth, and Thomas Egenberger was fifth. The race went flag to flag. This marked the third regular season win for McBirnie. Only five points separate Chad Ryerson and Johnathon Logue for the track championship.
In the 20 lap IMCA Modified A feature, it was Tim Ward dominating the race and taking the win. Ward led the entire event to capture his first ever feature win at Boone. Ward outdistanced second place finisher Russ Dickerson, who was able to slip by third place Josh Truman in the final lap. Point leader Mike VanGenderen started twelfth, and finished fourth, and Randy Havlik filled out the top five. VanGenderen leads Dickerson by seven points going into next week's season championship.
Cody Gustoff was the winner in the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature. Gustoff, who is in his rookie season in the division after jumping up from the Hobby Stock ranks, took command of the lead at lap five, and never looked back. Last week's winner Devin Smith, made a good recovery to finish a close second after twice pushing up in corner four and losing ground. Trent Murphy had to qualify through the B main, started twenty-second, and finished third, fourth went to Matt West, and Tyler Pickett was fifth. Gustoff, a second generation driver is the son of Donnie Gustoff. He has won in the Hobby Stock division in past years, but this was his first win in the Stock Car class. Donavon Smith looks to be taking his second consecutive track championship next week.
Seth Janssen had good command of the IMCA Hobby Stock A main, leading comfortably with just a lap remaining. That's when a yellow flag flew, making it a green-white-checkered finish. Solomon Bennett had gotten to the runner up spot in the waning laps, but when the race restarted, he was unable to do more than chase winner Janssen across the line to finish second. Last week's winner, Shaun Wirtz, took third place, Ray Stock, Jr. was fourth and Ryan Wells finished fifth after starting fourteenth on the grid. This was Janssen's first win of the season. The season championship will determine who is track champion next week in a tight race. Dustin Graham is one point up on Aaron Rudolph, Dustin Lynch is five points out of first, and Ryan Wells is seven points behind. Look for some exciting racing in this class next week!
A plethora of new drivers showed up last evening, some due to their home tracks already finished for the season, others to test the waters for the upcoming Super Nationals. Next Saturday night, August 26 will be season championship night. In the past, first time racers at the track are not allowed to race on championship night.
Get out and find a race to attend. We all need to support the sport we all love....dirt track racing!
Tim Ward captured his first ever Boone win in the Modified division, and rookie Stock Car competitor, Cody Gustoff, won for the first time this year. Seth Janssen saw victory lane for the first time this season in the Hobby Stocks, while Jake McBirnie repeated in the SportMod class, and Bryan Zehm in the Mod Lites.
Mike Kennedy led the opening laps of the 15 lap Mod Lite feature, with Travis Stensland tailing him. Stensland was able to get around Kennedy at lap nine, to take the lead. Kennedy was soon dogged by tenth place starter Bryan Zehm, who had thrown his hat into the ring. Zehm continued his run to the front, and took over as captain of the ship with just two laps remaining. He would hold that lead to the flying checkers and the win. Stensland held on to second place, Kennedy was third, Josh May finished fourth and Charlie Brown completed the top five. Zehm now has seven wins under his belt for 2017 and has a huge lead in the points race....as he looks to repeat the track championship.
Jake McBirnie returned to the winner's circle in the IMCA Northern SportMod class. McBirnie came from tenth starting position to grab the lead away from Taylor Musselman at lap ten. McBirnie then put distance between himself and the rest of the field, scoring the victory. Musselman held on to the runner up spot, pole sitter Lonnie Hodges finished in third place, Cory Pestotnik finished fourth, and Thomas Egenberger was fifth. The race went flag to flag. This marked the third regular season win for McBirnie. Only five points separate Chad Ryerson and Johnathon Logue for the track championship.
In the 20 lap IMCA Modified A feature, it was Tim Ward dominating the race and taking the win. Ward led the entire event to capture his first ever feature win at Boone. Ward outdistanced second place finisher Russ Dickerson, who was able to slip by third place Josh Truman in the final lap. Point leader Mike VanGenderen started twelfth, and finished fourth, and Randy Havlik filled out the top five. VanGenderen leads Dickerson by seven points going into next week's season championship.
Cody Gustoff was the winner in the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature. Gustoff, who is in his rookie season in the division after jumping up from the Hobby Stock ranks, took command of the lead at lap five, and never looked back. Last week's winner Devin Smith, made a good recovery to finish a close second after twice pushing up in corner four and losing ground. Trent Murphy had to qualify through the B main, started twenty-second, and finished third, fourth went to Matt West, and Tyler Pickett was fifth. Gustoff, a second generation driver is the son of Donnie Gustoff. He has won in the Hobby Stock division in past years, but this was his first win in the Stock Car class. Donavon Smith looks to be taking his second consecutive track championship next week.
Seth Janssen had good command of the IMCA Hobby Stock A main, leading comfortably with just a lap remaining. That's when a yellow flag flew, making it a green-white-checkered finish. Solomon Bennett had gotten to the runner up spot in the waning laps, but when the race restarted, he was unable to do more than chase winner Janssen across the line to finish second. Last week's winner, Shaun Wirtz, took third place, Ray Stock, Jr. was fourth and Ryan Wells finished fifth after starting fourteenth on the grid. This was Janssen's first win of the season. The season championship will determine who is track champion next week in a tight race. Dustin Graham is one point up on Aaron Rudolph, Dustin Lynch is five points out of first, and Ryan Wells is seven points behind. Look for some exciting racing in this class next week!
A plethora of new drivers showed up last evening, some due to their home tracks already finished for the season, others to test the waters for the upcoming Super Nationals. Next Saturday night, August 26 will be season championship night. In the past, first time racers at the track are not allowed to race on championship night.
Get out and find a race to attend. We all need to support the sport we all love....dirt track racing!
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Mitchell goes home $3000 richer with Late Model Super Dash win
Marshalltown Speedway has had some great racing, great car counts, and good crowds, and Friday night was another of those nights.
Kyle Hinrichs captured his first IMCA Late Model victory, while Justin Mitchell went home $3,000 richer in the Super Dash. Jimmy Gustin got his new ride to the winner's circle in the IMCA Modified division, and Jeff Mueller got back on the winning track in the IMCA Stock Cars. Cory Rose got a first time win in the IMCA SportMod class, while Shannon Anderson chalked up another of his numerous wins in the Hobby Stocks, as did Travis Stensland in the Mod Lites.
The Mod Lite feature saw Travis Stensland lead all fifteen laps on his way to victory. Stensland started sixth, but had the lead at lap one, sailing home to the win in the flag to flag race. Josh May started eighth, and finished as the runner up, Charlie Brown was third, fourth went to Jason Masengarb,(piloting a #22 car instead of his usual #30) and Mike Morrill rounded out the top five. This was Stensland's eighth win of the season.
The 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature had lots of action at the front of the pack. Adam Shelman led much of the race, holding back Sam Wieben...the two dueling closely for many laps. The closing laps however, found Cory Rose getting the advantage, moving past both Wieben and Shelman and then was able to hold on and take the checkers and the win. Jared VanDeest made a last moment surge, coming from tenth starting position, to take the runner up spot ahead of Shelman in third. Fourth went to Sam Wieben and Jake McBirnie was fifth. This was Rose's first win at Marshalltown. Rose has just recently gotten back into racing, not to be confused with brother Ryan Rose who has been in a similar car.
Shannon Anderson started in row six of the 15-lap IMCA Hobby Stock main event to grab the top spot by lap six. Once he had that lead, he distanced himself from the pack, and took the comfortable win. Eric Knutson was second after starting tenth on the grid, Leah Wroten finished third, August Bach was fourth and Matt Smith was fifth. Anderson visited victory lane for the eleventh time this year as he looks to not only the track title, but another National championship to add to his collection of awards.
Trent Murphy and Jeff Mueller duked it out in the IMCA Stock Car feature. Murphy had the lead at lap one, and Mueller made it to his bumper by lap four. The two traded the top spot a couple of times before Mueller finally established it for good, and was able to hold on to take the flying checkers. Murphy finished second, twelfth place starter Damon Murty was third, fourth was Todd Reitzler who had started eleventh, and Donavon Smith came from sixteenth, to finish fifth. This was Mueller's third win at Marshalltown this season.
The IMCA Modified feature did not start well as it was red flagged before lap one was complete. Ronn VerBeek slipped off of turn two, ending up on his lid. He was okay. When things got under way, Shawn Ritter was the man in charge of leading the field, with Jimmy Gustin coming on strong, running in second. Ritter held back Gustin until lap eight, when the #19 was able to make the pass and take command. Gustin never looked back from there, pulling away from the field as the race went caution free, to take his first win at the track this season. Ritter held the runner up spot, Ronn Lauritzen ran third, fourth was Tim Ward, and eleventh place starter Darin Duffy, completed the top five. Gustin took his new car, a Rage Chassis, to victory lane with his 101st career IMCA Modified win.
There was a new winner for the season in the 20-lap IMCA Late Model A main. Kyle Hinrichs led the race from start to finish to take the checkers. Richie Gustin ran out of time to garner more than a second place finish, Todd Cooney was third, fourth went to Justin Mitchell and Darrel DeFrance was fifth.
The night ended with the running of the $3,000 to win Rumours Sport Bar & Grill Super Dash. All season long, drivers had qualified through weekly dashes to earn their way into the big race. At the end of the 12-lap Super Dash, Justin Mitchell went home with the cash prize.
Earlier in the night, during heat race #2 of the Late Models, Curtis Glover took a spectacular roll over, even standing it on end at one point, when he ran out of room at the top of corners three and four. He was transported as a precaution after his jarring incident, but was alert and talking.
There were seventeen of the IMCA Late Models on hand last evening. Promoter Toby Kruse was happy with his average of 12.9 cars for the year. Marshalltown ranked 6th out of the 10 tracks running the Late Models in just the first season being back at the High Banks. There have been good car counts all around at Marshalltown this season. Last evening 115 cars checked into the pits.
Next Friday night, August 25 will be the Larry Wollam Season Championships with six drivers being crowned. Then on September 1, it will be the Showdown at Motown with $1,000 pay off for the IMCA Modfied winner, $500 to the Stock Cars and SportMods, $300 to the Hobby Stocks. The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks are also on the ticket.
Kyle Hinrichs captured his first IMCA Late Model victory, while Justin Mitchell went home $3,000 richer in the Super Dash. Jimmy Gustin got his new ride to the winner's circle in the IMCA Modified division, and Jeff Mueller got back on the winning track in the IMCA Stock Cars. Cory Rose got a first time win in the IMCA SportMod class, while Shannon Anderson chalked up another of his numerous wins in the Hobby Stocks, as did Travis Stensland in the Mod Lites.
The Mod Lite feature saw Travis Stensland lead all fifteen laps on his way to victory. Stensland started sixth, but had the lead at lap one, sailing home to the win in the flag to flag race. Josh May started eighth, and finished as the runner up, Charlie Brown was third, fourth went to Jason Masengarb,(piloting a #22 car instead of his usual #30) and Mike Morrill rounded out the top five. This was Stensland's eighth win of the season.
The 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature had lots of action at the front of the pack. Adam Shelman led much of the race, holding back Sam Wieben...the two dueling closely for many laps. The closing laps however, found Cory Rose getting the advantage, moving past both Wieben and Shelman and then was able to hold on and take the checkers and the win. Jared VanDeest made a last moment surge, coming from tenth starting position, to take the runner up spot ahead of Shelman in third. Fourth went to Sam Wieben and Jake McBirnie was fifth. This was Rose's first win at Marshalltown. Rose has just recently gotten back into racing, not to be confused with brother Ryan Rose who has been in a similar car.
Shannon Anderson started in row six of the 15-lap IMCA Hobby Stock main event to grab the top spot by lap six. Once he had that lead, he distanced himself from the pack, and took the comfortable win. Eric Knutson was second after starting tenth on the grid, Leah Wroten finished third, August Bach was fourth and Matt Smith was fifth. Anderson visited victory lane for the eleventh time this year as he looks to not only the track title, but another National championship to add to his collection of awards.
Trent Murphy and Jeff Mueller duked it out in the IMCA Stock Car feature. Murphy had the lead at lap one, and Mueller made it to his bumper by lap four. The two traded the top spot a couple of times before Mueller finally established it for good, and was able to hold on to take the flying checkers. Murphy finished second, twelfth place starter Damon Murty was third, fourth was Todd Reitzler who had started eleventh, and Donavon Smith came from sixteenth, to finish fifth. This was Mueller's third win at Marshalltown this season.
The IMCA Modified feature did not start well as it was red flagged before lap one was complete. Ronn VerBeek slipped off of turn two, ending up on his lid. He was okay. When things got under way, Shawn Ritter was the man in charge of leading the field, with Jimmy Gustin coming on strong, running in second. Ritter held back Gustin until lap eight, when the #19 was able to make the pass and take command. Gustin never looked back from there, pulling away from the field as the race went caution free, to take his first win at the track this season. Ritter held the runner up spot, Ronn Lauritzen ran third, fourth was Tim Ward, and eleventh place starter Darin Duffy, completed the top five. Gustin took his new car, a Rage Chassis, to victory lane with his 101st career IMCA Modified win.
There was a new winner for the season in the 20-lap IMCA Late Model A main. Kyle Hinrichs led the race from start to finish to take the checkers. Richie Gustin ran out of time to garner more than a second place finish, Todd Cooney was third, fourth went to Justin Mitchell and Darrel DeFrance was fifth.
The night ended with the running of the $3,000 to win Rumours Sport Bar & Grill Super Dash. All season long, drivers had qualified through weekly dashes to earn their way into the big race. At the end of the 12-lap Super Dash, Justin Mitchell went home with the cash prize.
Earlier in the night, during heat race #2 of the Late Models, Curtis Glover took a spectacular roll over, even standing it on end at one point, when he ran out of room at the top of corners three and four. He was transported as a precaution after his jarring incident, but was alert and talking.
There were seventeen of the IMCA Late Models on hand last evening. Promoter Toby Kruse was happy with his average of 12.9 cars for the year. Marshalltown ranked 6th out of the 10 tracks running the Late Models in just the first season being back at the High Banks. There have been good car counts all around at Marshalltown this season. Last evening 115 cars checked into the pits.
Next Friday night, August 25 will be the Larry Wollam Season Championships with six drivers being crowned. Then on September 1, it will be the Showdown at Motown with $1,000 pay off for the IMCA Modfied winner, $500 to the Stock Cars and SportMods, $300 to the Hobby Stocks. The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks are also on the ticket.
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Dickerson, Rose and Smith take first wins of the season
There were three new winners at the Boone Speedway on Saturday night, while two classes saw returning winners. Russ Dickerson joined the ranks of first time winners when he scored the IMCA Modified victory. Devin Smith beat out his brother Donavon to score his first IMCA Stock car win. Cory Rose also visited victory lane for the first time this year by winning the IMCA Northern Sport Mod main event. Shaun Wirtz saw the winner's circle for the third time when he won the IMCA Hobby Stock feature, and Bryan Zehm made it his sixth victory of 2017 in the Mod Lite division.
Bryan Zehm started ninth, grabbed the lead from Joel Huggins at lap six, and never looked back on his way to victory in the 15 lap Mod Lite A main. Josh May came from eighth starting spot, tried to reel in Zehm, but fell short and had to settle for the runner up spot. Travis Stensland was third, beating out his father Jeff Stensland in fourth, and Randy Bryan completed the top five. The night's victory marked Zehm's sixth win of the current season. He holds a large lead for the track championship over Josh May.
Cory Rose, in just his second appearance at the speedway, grabbed the lead immediately from his pole starting position in the 18 lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature, and held it the entire 18 laps to the flying checkers. Chad Ryerson came from ninth starting spot, to score a runner up finish, Frank Packer, who will soon be returning to Australia after his annual summer of racing in Iowa, had a good run to finish third, fourth was John Watson, and Johnathon Logue started 21st, and finished fifth. It looks to be a shoot out to the finish for the track championship as we go into the final two weekly races. Chad Ryerson took over the point lead last night, and now sits two points up on Johnathon Logue.
The IMCA Modified 20 lap feature was led by Chad Louk from the drop of the green until lap eight. That's when the race was red flagged when several cars got together, and Kent Croskey ended up upside down on the front stretch. Thankfully, he was okay. When the race restarted, Chris Webb overtook Louk for the top spot, with Russ Dickerson moving up from eleventh starting position, to run third. Just a few laps later, Dickerson had charged to the lead. The final laps, Dickerson distanced himself from the field, and took the win by a comfortable margin over second place Webb. Louk held on to finish third, Mike VanGenderen started twelfth, and finished fourth, and Joe McBirnie rounded out the top five. This was Dickerson's first win of the regular season. VanGenderen maintains his point lead, nine points up on Dickerson, as he looks to repeat his track title from last year.
Croskey wasn't the only Modified driver to end up on his lid last night. In a heat race, rookie Cory Sauerman took a scary ride when his car dug into the track going into turn one, and he flipped violently. Thankfully, he too was okay, but unable to start the feature.
Devin Smith started tenth in the starting field of the IMCA Stock Car 18 lap main event, quickly moved to the front, and had the lead at lap seven. Brother Donavon Smith also made headway from his twelfth starting spot, taking over the runner up position at lap twelve. Donavon's attempts to catch the leader were all in vain, as he could do no more than chase brother Devin across the finish line at the checkers. Craig Carlson ran up front much of the race, and finished third. Fourth went to Robert Stofer and Rod Richards was fifth. Devin Smith scored his first win at the track this year. Jay Schmidt's hopes of a second track title all but vanished when he experienced all sorts of bad luck last evening, leaving him a distant second to last year's champion Donavon Smith in the point's chase.
The night cap was the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Shaun Wirtz took command of the race at lap five, withstood several yellow flag restarts, and motored home to his third win of the year. He held back Aaron Rudolph who was second, third place went to Gregg Anderson, Dustin Graham was fourth, and Dustin Lynch was fifth. This was Wirtz's third win of 2017, after getting his first career victory just a few weeks prior. The points race will get interesting going into the final two weeks of weekly racing at Boone. Dustin Graham now holds a seven point lead over Aaron Rudolph and Dustin Lynch is eight points behind the leader.
It is hard to imagine that there are just two more weekly races at Boone. Season Championship night is August 26. The season has flown by and the 35th annual IMCA Super Nationals is just around the corner, starting on Labor Day, September 4 and running through Saturday September 9. Prior to the start of America's Racing Vacation however, will be the Prelude to the Super Nationals on Saturday, September 2. The IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, and Hobby Stocks will be on the docket that evening as well as the track's 50th anniversary of racing celebration.
Bryan Zehm started ninth, grabbed the lead from Joel Huggins at lap six, and never looked back on his way to victory in the 15 lap Mod Lite A main. Josh May came from eighth starting spot, tried to reel in Zehm, but fell short and had to settle for the runner up spot. Travis Stensland was third, beating out his father Jeff Stensland in fourth, and Randy Bryan completed the top five. The night's victory marked Zehm's sixth win of the current season. He holds a large lead for the track championship over Josh May.
Cory Rose, in just his second appearance at the speedway, grabbed the lead immediately from his pole starting position in the 18 lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature, and held it the entire 18 laps to the flying checkers. Chad Ryerson came from ninth starting spot, to score a runner up finish, Frank Packer, who will soon be returning to Australia after his annual summer of racing in Iowa, had a good run to finish third, fourth was John Watson, and Johnathon Logue started 21st, and finished fifth. It looks to be a shoot out to the finish for the track championship as we go into the final two weekly races. Chad Ryerson took over the point lead last night, and now sits two points up on Johnathon Logue.
The IMCA Modified 20 lap feature was led by Chad Louk from the drop of the green until lap eight. That's when the race was red flagged when several cars got together, and Kent Croskey ended up upside down on the front stretch. Thankfully, he was okay. When the race restarted, Chris Webb overtook Louk for the top spot, with Russ Dickerson moving up from eleventh starting position, to run third. Just a few laps later, Dickerson had charged to the lead. The final laps, Dickerson distanced himself from the field, and took the win by a comfortable margin over second place Webb. Louk held on to finish third, Mike VanGenderen started twelfth, and finished fourth, and Joe McBirnie rounded out the top five. This was Dickerson's first win of the regular season. VanGenderen maintains his point lead, nine points up on Dickerson, as he looks to repeat his track title from last year.
Croskey wasn't the only Modified driver to end up on his lid last night. In a heat race, rookie Cory Sauerman took a scary ride when his car dug into the track going into turn one, and he flipped violently. Thankfully, he too was okay, but unable to start the feature.
Devin Smith started tenth in the starting field of the IMCA Stock Car 18 lap main event, quickly moved to the front, and had the lead at lap seven. Brother Donavon Smith also made headway from his twelfth starting spot, taking over the runner up position at lap twelve. Donavon's attempts to catch the leader were all in vain, as he could do no more than chase brother Devin across the finish line at the checkers. Craig Carlson ran up front much of the race, and finished third. Fourth went to Robert Stofer and Rod Richards was fifth. Devin Smith scored his first win at the track this year. Jay Schmidt's hopes of a second track title all but vanished when he experienced all sorts of bad luck last evening, leaving him a distant second to last year's champion Donavon Smith in the point's chase.
The night cap was the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Shaun Wirtz took command of the race at lap five, withstood several yellow flag restarts, and motored home to his third win of the year. He held back Aaron Rudolph who was second, third place went to Gregg Anderson, Dustin Graham was fourth, and Dustin Lynch was fifth. This was Wirtz's third win of 2017, after getting his first career victory just a few weeks prior. The points race will get interesting going into the final two weeks of weekly racing at Boone. Dustin Graham now holds a seven point lead over Aaron Rudolph and Dustin Lynch is eight points behind the leader.
It is hard to imagine that there are just two more weekly races at Boone. Season Championship night is August 26. The season has flown by and the 35th annual IMCA Super Nationals is just around the corner, starting on Labor Day, September 4 and running through Saturday September 9. Prior to the start of America's Racing Vacation however, will be the Prelude to the Super Nationals on Saturday, September 2. The IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, and Hobby Stocks will be on the docket that evening as well as the track's 50th anniversary of racing celebration.
Saturday, August 12, 2017
DeFrance and Anderson new winners at Marshalltown
It was another night of fast action and close finishes at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday night. The track was slick and racy with distinct top and bottom grooves...the drivers picking their preference much of the night. There were several new faces among the 113 drivers checked in.
It was a draw/redraw night for the IMCA Northern SportMods, IMCA Stock Cars, and IMCA Hobby Stocks. They were all gunning for a $500 prize in each class.
Hometown boy Darrel DeFrance inched out a win in the IMCA Late Model feature. Jenae Gustin kept it a family affair by winning the IMCA Modified feature. Sam Wieben took the IMCA Northern SportMod feature in a squeaker, as did Donavon Smith in the IMCA Stock Cars. Veteran racer Jeff Anderson posted a first win in the IMCA Hobby Stock division and Travis Stensland scored win #7 in the Mod Lite class.
Win #7 didn't come easy for Travis Stensland in the Mod Lite 15 lap feature. Stensland got the lead early but by lap five, he had his hands full with last week's winner Jason Masengarb. Masengarb took command at lap eight; Stensland hot on his heels, and not far behind in third was Bryan Zehm...just waiting for his opportunity. Stensland was able to nose under Masengarb on the final lap, and beat him to the checkers for the win. Masengarb was the runner up, Bryan Zehm finished a close third, fourth went to Mike Morrill, and Jeff Stensland came home in fifth place. Stensland's first win came back in May when at that time, he was piloting the "rent a ride" #95 of Mike Kennedy. Since then, he has been in his own #89, and has it dialed it at Marshalltown.
The IMCA Northern SportMod 18 lap feature had a close finish also. Sam Wieben and Travis Peterson swapped the lead numerous times, and often ran side by side. The two challenged each other from the very start of the race, all eyes on the front of the pack. The final circuit found Wieben holding off Peterson at the checkers to take the win. Third went to twelfth place starter, Jared VanDeest, fourth was Jake McBirnie, and Shawn Cooney completed the top five. This was Wieben's second win of 2017. We note that though we saw Joey Schaefer cross the finish line in third spot, he was designated to last place in the official results, with what we can assume was a disqualification.
It was a tight race up front in the IMCA Hobby Stock A Main event also. Eric Stanton established the lead at lap one. He soon had Jeff Anderson sniffing at his heels and by lap three, Anderson was captain of the ship. Stanton didn't go away however, and he was soon joined in the chase by Jeff's son, Shannon Anderson. It was Jeff Anderson's night though, and he took the flying checkers and the win. Eric Stanton chased him closely across the line to finish second, Shannon Anderson a close third. Fourth was Gene Nicklas and Leah Wroten was fifth. This was Jeff Anderson's first win at Marshalltown this year. Anderson, a multi-time IMCA Stock Car National champion has come of out of semi-retirement this season, by the urging of son Shannon, who found him the ride in the #8R car.
The IMCA Stock Cars, the Class too Tough to Tame, once again lived up to its name. The 18 lap feature was a hard fought battle at the wire between Donavon Smith and Michael Jaennette. Smith had led from lap eleven, digging on the bottom line of the track, where he prefers. The sudden appearance of Michael Jaennette, who had started eleventh, came into play at lap twelve as he came flying around the rim of the track. Jaennette got the advantage on lap sixteen, then lap cars came into play. Jaennette lost a bit of footing, and Smith seized the moment. He took the lead, and crossed under the checkers first. Jaennette had to settle for the runner up spot, Kyle Everts was third and Jason Minnehan and Jared Daggett were fourth and fifth. This was Smith's second win this season.
The 20 lap Modified feature came next. Veteran racer, Joe McBirnie, looked destined to go to victory lane after grabbing the lead in the opening lap, and driving away from the field. Fifth row starter Jenae Gustin had something to say about that however. She put her ride to the top of the track and set sail. She gained ground each lap, and by the halfway mark, had flown into the lead. It was Gustin that now pulled away from the pack, keeping the lead and scoring a resounding win....to the delight of much of the crowd. McBirnie held on to second place, third was Jake Strayer, Jason Murray was fourth and Gatlin Leytham rounded out the top five. Gustin won for the second time at Marshalltown this year.
Not to be outdone, Darrel DeFrance matched his niece Jenae Gustin's win by scoring the victory in a close finish in the IMCA Late Model contest. DeFrance took the lead at lap three and was motoring along untouched until Todd Cooney made his presence known a few laps later. DeFrance however, was able to hold off the hard charging Cooney in a close finish at the checkers. Joe Zrostlik came home in third place, Paul Nagle took fourth, and Justin Mitchell was fifth. DeFrance posted his first crowd pleasing win of the year.
As mentioned above, a few new faces were in the field of cars last evening. Among those was Minneapolis, Kansas driver, Cody Williams. Williams is the Kansas state IMCA point leader in the Hobby Stock division. The Stock Car class also drew several new drivers....Scooter Dulin, Pat Graham, Jason See and Craig Carlson.
For the seventh week in a row, (and we are not the only ones counting) the wind was from the north. What's up with that in the summer in Iowa? We've been getting our weekly taste of good ole Iowa dirt for sure!
The season is winding down, and only a couple more weeks remain for weekly racing at Marshalltown. Season Championships are August 25. Then on Friday, September 1, it will be "the Showdown in Motown". Think of it as the "Prelude to the Prelude" which is the next night at the Boone Speedway. Many drivers will already be in the area for the IMCA Super Nationals that begin on Labor Day, so the field should be stout in the IMCA Modified, Stock Car, Northern SportMod, and Hobby Stock classes. The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks are also on the docket. The final "hooray" of the year will be the 11th Annual World Nationals on September 15 and 16. $10,000 goes to the Modified winner. This year, I understand it is open to both open and crate motors, and will be sanctioned by IMCA.
Get out and enjoy the rest of the racing season we have left. It won't be long until we will be yearning for the 2018 season!
It was a draw/redraw night for the IMCA Northern SportMods, IMCA Stock Cars, and IMCA Hobby Stocks. They were all gunning for a $500 prize in each class.
Hometown boy Darrel DeFrance inched out a win in the IMCA Late Model feature. Jenae Gustin kept it a family affair by winning the IMCA Modified feature. Sam Wieben took the IMCA Northern SportMod feature in a squeaker, as did Donavon Smith in the IMCA Stock Cars. Veteran racer Jeff Anderson posted a first win in the IMCA Hobby Stock division and Travis Stensland scored win #7 in the Mod Lite class.
Win #7 didn't come easy for Travis Stensland in the Mod Lite 15 lap feature. Stensland got the lead early but by lap five, he had his hands full with last week's winner Jason Masengarb. Masengarb took command at lap eight; Stensland hot on his heels, and not far behind in third was Bryan Zehm...just waiting for his opportunity. Stensland was able to nose under Masengarb on the final lap, and beat him to the checkers for the win. Masengarb was the runner up, Bryan Zehm finished a close third, fourth went to Mike Morrill, and Jeff Stensland came home in fifth place. Stensland's first win came back in May when at that time, he was piloting the "rent a ride" #95 of Mike Kennedy. Since then, he has been in his own #89, and has it dialed it at Marshalltown.
The IMCA Northern SportMod 18 lap feature had a close finish also. Sam Wieben and Travis Peterson swapped the lead numerous times, and often ran side by side. The two challenged each other from the very start of the race, all eyes on the front of the pack. The final circuit found Wieben holding off Peterson at the checkers to take the win. Third went to twelfth place starter, Jared VanDeest, fourth was Jake McBirnie, and Shawn Cooney completed the top five. This was Wieben's second win of 2017. We note that though we saw Joey Schaefer cross the finish line in third spot, he was designated to last place in the official results, with what we can assume was a disqualification.
It was a tight race up front in the IMCA Hobby Stock A Main event also. Eric Stanton established the lead at lap one. He soon had Jeff Anderson sniffing at his heels and by lap three, Anderson was captain of the ship. Stanton didn't go away however, and he was soon joined in the chase by Jeff's son, Shannon Anderson. It was Jeff Anderson's night though, and he took the flying checkers and the win. Eric Stanton chased him closely across the line to finish second, Shannon Anderson a close third. Fourth was Gene Nicklas and Leah Wroten was fifth. This was Jeff Anderson's first win at Marshalltown this year. Anderson, a multi-time IMCA Stock Car National champion has come of out of semi-retirement this season, by the urging of son Shannon, who found him the ride in the #8R car.
The IMCA Stock Cars, the Class too Tough to Tame, once again lived up to its name. The 18 lap feature was a hard fought battle at the wire between Donavon Smith and Michael Jaennette. Smith had led from lap eleven, digging on the bottom line of the track, where he prefers. The sudden appearance of Michael Jaennette, who had started eleventh, came into play at lap twelve as he came flying around the rim of the track. Jaennette got the advantage on lap sixteen, then lap cars came into play. Jaennette lost a bit of footing, and Smith seized the moment. He took the lead, and crossed under the checkers first. Jaennette had to settle for the runner up spot, Kyle Everts was third and Jason Minnehan and Jared Daggett were fourth and fifth. This was Smith's second win this season.
The 20 lap Modified feature came next. Veteran racer, Joe McBirnie, looked destined to go to victory lane after grabbing the lead in the opening lap, and driving away from the field. Fifth row starter Jenae Gustin had something to say about that however. She put her ride to the top of the track and set sail. She gained ground each lap, and by the halfway mark, had flown into the lead. It was Gustin that now pulled away from the pack, keeping the lead and scoring a resounding win....to the delight of much of the crowd. McBirnie held on to second place, third was Jake Strayer, Jason Murray was fourth and Gatlin Leytham rounded out the top five. Gustin won for the second time at Marshalltown this year.
Not to be outdone, Darrel DeFrance matched his niece Jenae Gustin's win by scoring the victory in a close finish in the IMCA Late Model contest. DeFrance took the lead at lap three and was motoring along untouched until Todd Cooney made his presence known a few laps later. DeFrance however, was able to hold off the hard charging Cooney in a close finish at the checkers. Joe Zrostlik came home in third place, Paul Nagle took fourth, and Justin Mitchell was fifth. DeFrance posted his first crowd pleasing win of the year.
As mentioned above, a few new faces were in the field of cars last evening. Among those was Minneapolis, Kansas driver, Cody Williams. Williams is the Kansas state IMCA point leader in the Hobby Stock division. The Stock Car class also drew several new drivers....Scooter Dulin, Pat Graham, Jason See and Craig Carlson.
For the seventh week in a row, (and we are not the only ones counting) the wind was from the north. What's up with that in the summer in Iowa? We've been getting our weekly taste of good ole Iowa dirt for sure!
The season is winding down, and only a couple more weeks remain for weekly racing at Marshalltown. Season Championships are August 25. Then on Friday, September 1, it will be "the Showdown in Motown". Think of it as the "Prelude to the Prelude" which is the next night at the Boone Speedway. Many drivers will already be in the area for the IMCA Super Nationals that begin on Labor Day, so the field should be stout in the IMCA Modified, Stock Car, Northern SportMod, and Hobby Stock classes. The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks are also on the docket. The final "hooray" of the year will be the 11th Annual World Nationals on September 15 and 16. $10,000 goes to the Modified winner. This year, I understand it is open to both open and crate motors, and will be sanctioned by IMCA.
Get out and enjoy the rest of the racing season we have left. It won't be long until we will be yearning for the 2018 season!
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
G Money just keeps rolling with Harris Clash win
The 26th annual Harris Clash was Tuesday night at the historic half-mile at the Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, Iowa. There were fifty-two prestigious Modifieds and thirty-eight Northern SportMods on hand on a beautiful night for racing for one of our "must" races of the year. The drivers on hand represented eleven states, Canada, and Australia.
The IMCA Northern SportMod feature honored and dedicated their 20 lap race to Robbie Conway. Conway, who was from Westhope, North Dakota and raced at the Harris Clash last year, recently succumbed to a heart attack while racing. The parade lap for the feature honored him with a "missing man" formation, leaving the pole position open.
Two B mains were needed to complete the SportMod 24 car starting line up. Those winners were Dan Drury and Sam Wieben.
The SportMod 20 lap feature found Austin Luellen and Taylor Musselman sitting on the front row for the start. Luellen would lead the first lap, Musselman muscled to the lead on lap two, and by lap three, Jared VanDeest was the man in charge. VanDeest had started fourth, took to the topside of the track...often his preferred line, and flew to the lead. VanDeest was distancing himself from the pack, when a yellow flew at lap six, bunching the field for the restart. Luellen was still running in the number two spot and Musselman was third. Two laps later, Oskaloosa hot shoe, Curtis VanDerWal, had moved into the picture. VanDerWal had started eleventh and took over the runner up spot on lap eight. He gave chase to VanDeest, looking out and looking in, for a way around. VanDeest wasn't to be denied on this night however, and he took the win by a comfortable margin. VanDerWal had to settle for second, a distant third was Jake McBirnie, fourth was Austin Lullen, and Jake Sachau came from sixteenth starting spot, to finish fifth. VanDeest took home $1,000 for his win.
Ten Modified drivers had qualified through out the year at certain designated tracks, to earn their way into the $500 to win "Dash at the Clash". Those ten drivers were 37 Mike Jergens, 3 Kelly Shryock, 5R Tad Reutzel, 19D Darin Duffy, 26J Joel Rust, 17 Jon Plowman, 62 Hunter Marriott, 1X Chris Abelson, 141 Jeremy Jacobs and 19G Richie Gustin. Two drivers, Duffy and Jacobs were not in attendance, and they were represented by Jeff Aikey and Mike Mashl respectively. Their starting spots for the 10 lap dash were determined by selecting a Frisbee on the front stretch. Joel Rust took the $500 prize. He overtook and passed Abelson for the win late in the race. Rust, who won the Harris Clash one year ago, got to visit victory lane again.
Three B mains were needed for the IMCA Modifieds. Those wins went to Tom Berry, Jr., Tyler Droste, and a last second win by Kyle Brown over Joel Rust.
Finally, it was feature time for the long awaited 26th running of the Harris Clash. The drivers had 25 laps lying ahead of them...the front row starters of Todd Shute and Richie Gustin anxious for the start. Gustin wasted no time in flying to the lead, and once he had it, he wasn't about to give it up. Gustin would lead the entire 25 laps on his way to victory, his first as a Harris Clash champion. Gustin had no trouble in doing so, even through two restarts. Tim Ward finished as the runner up, third went to Ryan Ruter, Hunter Marriott was fourth, and Kelly Shryock started sixteenth, and slipped by eighteenth starter, Joel Rust in the dash to the checkers, as they finished fifth and sixth in that order.
Gustin once again lived up to his nickname, "G" Money. He has been on a roll lately, winning two at Boone Speedway for a total of $2,200 last Saturday night, and tonight's prestigious Harris Clash victory earned him another $2,000.
As we made our way out of the grandstand, the night's finale was a fireworks display that matched any 4th of July display. It went on forever!
We enjoyed our night of racing, sharing it again with racing friends. Our thanks go out once again to Bob Harris for continuing the tradition of the Harris Clash.
The IMCA Northern SportMod feature honored and dedicated their 20 lap race to Robbie Conway. Conway, who was from Westhope, North Dakota and raced at the Harris Clash last year, recently succumbed to a heart attack while racing. The parade lap for the feature honored him with a "missing man" formation, leaving the pole position open.
Two B mains were needed to complete the SportMod 24 car starting line up. Those winners were Dan Drury and Sam Wieben.
The SportMod 20 lap feature found Austin Luellen and Taylor Musselman sitting on the front row for the start. Luellen would lead the first lap, Musselman muscled to the lead on lap two, and by lap three, Jared VanDeest was the man in charge. VanDeest had started fourth, took to the topside of the track...often his preferred line, and flew to the lead. VanDeest was distancing himself from the pack, when a yellow flew at lap six, bunching the field for the restart. Luellen was still running in the number two spot and Musselman was third. Two laps later, Oskaloosa hot shoe, Curtis VanDerWal, had moved into the picture. VanDerWal had started eleventh and took over the runner up spot on lap eight. He gave chase to VanDeest, looking out and looking in, for a way around. VanDeest wasn't to be denied on this night however, and he took the win by a comfortable margin. VanDerWal had to settle for second, a distant third was Jake McBirnie, fourth was Austin Lullen, and Jake Sachau came from sixteenth starting spot, to finish fifth. VanDeest took home $1,000 for his win.
Ten Modified drivers had qualified through out the year at certain designated tracks, to earn their way into the $500 to win "Dash at the Clash". Those ten drivers were 37 Mike Jergens, 3 Kelly Shryock, 5R Tad Reutzel, 19D Darin Duffy, 26J Joel Rust, 17 Jon Plowman, 62 Hunter Marriott, 1X Chris Abelson, 141 Jeremy Jacobs and 19G Richie Gustin. Two drivers, Duffy and Jacobs were not in attendance, and they were represented by Jeff Aikey and Mike Mashl respectively. Their starting spots for the 10 lap dash were determined by selecting a Frisbee on the front stretch. Joel Rust took the $500 prize. He overtook and passed Abelson for the win late in the race. Rust, who won the Harris Clash one year ago, got to visit victory lane again.
Three B mains were needed for the IMCA Modifieds. Those wins went to Tom Berry, Jr., Tyler Droste, and a last second win by Kyle Brown over Joel Rust.
Finally, it was feature time for the long awaited 26th running of the Harris Clash. The drivers had 25 laps lying ahead of them...the front row starters of Todd Shute and Richie Gustin anxious for the start. Gustin wasted no time in flying to the lead, and once he had it, he wasn't about to give it up. Gustin would lead the entire 25 laps on his way to victory, his first as a Harris Clash champion. Gustin had no trouble in doing so, even through two restarts. Tim Ward finished as the runner up, third went to Ryan Ruter, Hunter Marriott was fourth, and Kelly Shryock started sixteenth, and slipped by eighteenth starter, Joel Rust in the dash to the checkers, as they finished fifth and sixth in that order.
Gustin once again lived up to his nickname, "G" Money. He has been on a roll lately, winning two at Boone Speedway for a total of $2,200 last Saturday night, and tonight's prestigious Harris Clash victory earned him another $2,000.
As we made our way out of the grandstand, the night's finale was a fireworks display that matched any 4th of July display. It went on forever!
We enjoyed our night of racing, sharing it again with racing friends. Our thanks go out once again to Bob Harris for continuing the tradition of the Harris Clash.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Richie Gustin doubles down on the night
The Boone Speedway, "Iowa's Action Track", saw plenty of action on Saturday night with 157 cars packing the pits, and putting on a tremendous show for the fans. The Modified and SportMod classes found new faces in victory lane, while all other regular classes saw returning winners. The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks were also on the night's ticket.
The final run to the checkers in the Mod Lite feature found Bryan Zehm just eking out the win over Travis Stensland as they crossed the finish line. Stensland had led all but the opening lap of the 15 lap event, Zehm chasing him most of the way. A late caution and subsequent restart, was Stensland's ill fate, as Zehm managed to get that extra momentum just as they crossed under the checkers. Stensland had to be content with the runner up spot, Charlie Brown was third, fourth was Mike Kennedy, and Josh May completed the top five. This was Zehm's fifth win of the year and continues to hold his healthy point lead.
Bill Wears looked to be on his way to winning for the first time ever at Boone as he led most of the IMCA Northern SportMod feature. However, a slight bobble with just two laps left proved to be his undoing. Chad Ryerson shot around him, and into the lead. He kept that top spot to the checkers and the win. Wears held on to second place, Curtis Veber was third, and John Watson and Ryan King were fourth and fifth respectively. This was Ryerson's first feature win at Boone this year.
Johnathon Logue's nice point lead going into the night melted away when he ended up in the wall out of corner two and had to be towed off. With Ryerson's win last evening, he is now within one point of Logue in the point's battle.
Two brothers started side-by-side on the front row of the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature...Richie Gustin and Jimmy Gustin. Jimmy, driving Racer Hulin's car, led lap one, only to have Richie snatch it away at lap two. By lap three, Jimmy was exiting into the pits, and out of the race. This put Todd Inman in second and trying to run down Richie Gustin. A few laps later, Todd Shute took command of second place, and gave chase in an attempt to catch leader Gustin. It wasn't to be on this night however, as Gustin distanced himself from the field and took the comfortable win. Following second place finisher Shute for third, was Eric Elliott who had started fourteenth. Fourth place went to Joel Bushore, and Jesse Hoeft started twelfth and finished fifth. This was Gustin's first win at Boone in 2017. The race, which paid $1,000 was also a Fast Shafts All-Star Qualifier for 2018, as well as a qualifier for the "Dash at the Clash" in this coming Tuesday night's Harris Clash up the road in Webster City.
Mike VanGenderen hangs on to his track point lead despite having some issues in the feature. Russ Dickerson closed the gap to within twelve points as we go into the final count down of points. The Modifieds only, ran a draw/redraw program, which shook things up a bit for the regular weekly drivers.
Donavon Smith took the win in the IMCA Stock Car A main. He outdistanced Wayne Gifford who finished in second place. Don Vis, who had led earlier, claimed the third spot. Jay Schmidt came from tenth starting place, to finish fourth, and Craig Carlson rounded out the top five. Smith won for the fourth time this year. Smith, who has been sporting a new car recently, took over the point's lead with his win, and is now one point up on Jay Schmidt.
The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks were an added attraction to the night's program. Twelve of the trucks came to play last evening. Bret Moyer came away with the win. He held off second place Bill Davis, Jr., in the green-white-checkered finish. Eric Lundstrom took third, fourth was Josh Reynolds, and Luke Richardson was fifth. This was the Dirt Truck's second appearance at Boone this year, when Bill Davis, Jr. was the winner back on June 10th.
The 12 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature found Aaron Rudolph holding on for the win. Rudolph got around then leader Tyson Overton at lap ten of the scheduled twelve lap event, only to have yet another of the numerous yellows fly at lap eleven, and the race declared complete as the time limit expired. Rudolph was awarded the win, and Overton was second. Eric Stanton started tenth and finished in third spot, fourth went to eleventh place starter Eric Knutsen, and Seth Janssen was fifth after starting twentieth on the grid. This was Rudolph's third win of the season at Boone. Dustin Graham is the Hobby Stock point leader with Ryan Wells and Dustin Lynch tied for second, each seven points behind. Winner Rudolph is nine points back.
The Hobby Stocks just could not get into a rhythm last evening. Half of the time allotted...one minute per lap...or in this case, six minutes... was already gone, and zero laps in the books. Yellows continued to fly and when lap three brought out another caution...the yellow laps began to be counted down. The drivers were told they would race to the next yellow or the checkers, whichever came first, and the race would be finished. They did manage a few final laps under green, but when the final yellow flew at lap eleven, the race was declared complete.
The special TiLUBE challenge race for the IMCA Modifieds ended the night's racing. Twelve drivers earned the right to race, qualifying through fast time under the transponder, and points acquired from their heat races. They ran for 15 laps in a "last man standing" race, and for the $1,200 prize. When all was said and done, it was Richie Gustin grabbing a victory for the second time in the same night. He certainly held up to his moniker, "G Money" once again! He pocketed $2,200 for the evening with his earlier win in the regular feature.
There was a great car count last evening. Thirty-two Modifieds, 30 Stock Cars, 29 Northern SportMods, 29 Hobby Stocks, 25 Mod Lites, and 12 Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks. It made for a late night of racing, but an enjoyable one.
One of our most anticipated races of the year is coming up this week. Tuesday night, August 8, is the Harris Clash at the Hamilton County Speedway. We look for another big car count for the 26th Annual prestigious show. Maybe we'll see you there!
The final run to the checkers in the Mod Lite feature found Bryan Zehm just eking out the win over Travis Stensland as they crossed the finish line. Stensland had led all but the opening lap of the 15 lap event, Zehm chasing him most of the way. A late caution and subsequent restart, was Stensland's ill fate, as Zehm managed to get that extra momentum just as they crossed under the checkers. Stensland had to be content with the runner up spot, Charlie Brown was third, fourth was Mike Kennedy, and Josh May completed the top five. This was Zehm's fifth win of the year and continues to hold his healthy point lead.
Bill Wears looked to be on his way to winning for the first time ever at Boone as he led most of the IMCA Northern SportMod feature. However, a slight bobble with just two laps left proved to be his undoing. Chad Ryerson shot around him, and into the lead. He kept that top spot to the checkers and the win. Wears held on to second place, Curtis Veber was third, and John Watson and Ryan King were fourth and fifth respectively. This was Ryerson's first feature win at Boone this year.
Johnathon Logue's nice point lead going into the night melted away when he ended up in the wall out of corner two and had to be towed off. With Ryerson's win last evening, he is now within one point of Logue in the point's battle.
Two brothers started side-by-side on the front row of the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature...Richie Gustin and Jimmy Gustin. Jimmy, driving Racer Hulin's car, led lap one, only to have Richie snatch it away at lap two. By lap three, Jimmy was exiting into the pits, and out of the race. This put Todd Inman in second and trying to run down Richie Gustin. A few laps later, Todd Shute took command of second place, and gave chase in an attempt to catch leader Gustin. It wasn't to be on this night however, as Gustin distanced himself from the field and took the comfortable win. Following second place finisher Shute for third, was Eric Elliott who had started fourteenth. Fourth place went to Joel Bushore, and Jesse Hoeft started twelfth and finished fifth. This was Gustin's first win at Boone in 2017. The race, which paid $1,000 was also a Fast Shafts All-Star Qualifier for 2018, as well as a qualifier for the "Dash at the Clash" in this coming Tuesday night's Harris Clash up the road in Webster City.
Mike VanGenderen hangs on to his track point lead despite having some issues in the feature. Russ Dickerson closed the gap to within twelve points as we go into the final count down of points. The Modifieds only, ran a draw/redraw program, which shook things up a bit for the regular weekly drivers.
Donavon Smith took the win in the IMCA Stock Car A main. He outdistanced Wayne Gifford who finished in second place. Don Vis, who had led earlier, claimed the third spot. Jay Schmidt came from tenth starting place, to finish fourth, and Craig Carlson rounded out the top five. Smith won for the fourth time this year. Smith, who has been sporting a new car recently, took over the point's lead with his win, and is now one point up on Jay Schmidt.
The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks were an added attraction to the night's program. Twelve of the trucks came to play last evening. Bret Moyer came away with the win. He held off second place Bill Davis, Jr., in the green-white-checkered finish. Eric Lundstrom took third, fourth was Josh Reynolds, and Luke Richardson was fifth. This was the Dirt Truck's second appearance at Boone this year, when Bill Davis, Jr. was the winner back on June 10th.
The 12 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature found Aaron Rudolph holding on for the win. Rudolph got around then leader Tyson Overton at lap ten of the scheduled twelve lap event, only to have yet another of the numerous yellows fly at lap eleven, and the race declared complete as the time limit expired. Rudolph was awarded the win, and Overton was second. Eric Stanton started tenth and finished in third spot, fourth went to eleventh place starter Eric Knutsen, and Seth Janssen was fifth after starting twentieth on the grid. This was Rudolph's third win of the season at Boone. Dustin Graham is the Hobby Stock point leader with Ryan Wells and Dustin Lynch tied for second, each seven points behind. Winner Rudolph is nine points back.
The Hobby Stocks just could not get into a rhythm last evening. Half of the time allotted...one minute per lap...or in this case, six minutes... was already gone, and zero laps in the books. Yellows continued to fly and when lap three brought out another caution...the yellow laps began to be counted down. The drivers were told they would race to the next yellow or the checkers, whichever came first, and the race would be finished. They did manage a few final laps under green, but when the final yellow flew at lap eleven, the race was declared complete.
The special TiLUBE challenge race for the IMCA Modifieds ended the night's racing. Twelve drivers earned the right to race, qualifying through fast time under the transponder, and points acquired from their heat races. They ran for 15 laps in a "last man standing" race, and for the $1,200 prize. When all was said and done, it was Richie Gustin grabbing a victory for the second time in the same night. He certainly held up to his moniker, "G Money" once again! He pocketed $2,200 for the evening with his earlier win in the regular feature.
There was a great car count last evening. Thirty-two Modifieds, 30 Stock Cars, 29 Northern SportMods, 29 Hobby Stocks, 25 Mod Lites, and 12 Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks. It made for a late night of racing, but an enjoyable one.
One of our most anticipated races of the year is coming up this week. Tuesday night, August 8, is the Harris Clash at the Hamilton County Speedway. We look for another big car count for the 26th Annual prestigious show. Maybe we'll see you there!
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Ward, Murty and Anderson match last week's wins at Marshalltown
The Marshalltown Speedway was back in action on Friday. The 112 cars checked into the pits gave the nice sized crowd on hand their money's worth. There was high, low and middle of the track racing in all five classes. The five divisions all had repeat winners...three of those drivers matching last week's trip to victory lane.
Jason Masengarb, Colona, Illinois, took the win in the Mod Lite feature. He grabbed the lead from Joel Huggins at lap nine and never relinquished it on his way to victory. He had stiff competition behind him but held off Bryan Zehm and Travis Stensland as they finished a close second and third. Fourth went to Charlie Brown and Joel Huggins was fifth. Masengarb, who started ninth, also won back on June 2nd. In his post race interview, he said he hopes to be able to make the trip to Marshalltown as often as his work allows the two and a half hour trip.
Johnathon Logue returned to the winner's circle in the IMCA Northern SportMod class. He started twelfth in the line up, and was running a distant second to Adam Shelman, when a yellow with three laps remaining became the game changer. When the race restarted, Logue saw his chance, and was able to move under Shelman and take the lead. Logue then held the top spot to the flying checkers and the win. Jake McBirnie also slipped by Shelman in the final laps as they finished second and third in that order. DJ Robinson was fourth and Ethan Braaksma rounded out the top five. Logue spun in turn four earlier in the race, but had lady luck on his side as the yellow had flown for two cars sitting in turns one and two, allowing him to retain his running spot. This was Logue's second win at Marshalltown this year.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks came to the track next for their feature event, and it was a familiar face back in victory lane as Shannon Anderson took the win. Anderson started tenth and had to battle by stiff competitors to get to the front. A yellow at lap thirteen of the fifteen lap race proved to be just what Anderson needed as he ran in second behind leader Chanse Hollatz. He gained the advantage over Hollatz when the race went green, taking over the top spot, and keeping it to the finish and the win. Hollatz, finished as the runner up, Eric Knutson was third, fourth went to Gene Nicklas and Scott Pippert was fifth. Anderson won for the third week in a row and scored his tenth win of the year. Anderson is having another phenomenal year. He has a perfect season going at the Southern Iowa Speedway....twelve feature wins, to go along with the ten at Marshalltown, as he seeks another IMCA National Championship.
Damon Murty three-peated in the IMCA Stock Car class, sailing home to a comfortable win as he circled the rim of the track....his favored line on the Marshalltown track. Donavon Smith rebounded from a trip to the pits and having to tag the field, to finish in second place, as he dug on the low side. Steve Meyer was third, fourth went to Todd Reitzler and Jason Minnehan was fifth. This was win number six for the regular season for Murty. He also won the Frostbuster special.
Tim Ward went back to back in the IMCA Modified feature as he held off a hard charging Joel Rust to seal the win. Todd Shute started twelfth and finished third, Jenae Gustin fourth and Jesse Hoeft started fourteenth, and finished fifth. The race was plagued with cautions. The red waved when Andy Edwards took a roll off the top of turns one and two. He was okay. Earlier in the race, veteran racer Ron VerBeek also took an easy roll off of turn two, landing on his wheels. He was also uninjured.
The finale of the evening was the IMCA Late Model feature. Todd Cooney got back to his winning ways after a couple of weeks hiatus from standing in victory lane. Cooney finished well ahead of second place finisher, Joe Zrostlik. Curtis Glover was third, Darrel DeFrance took fourth, and Richie Gustin was fifth.
The victory lane interviews had the drivers all singing the praises of a great track, and saying how they loved racing on the high banks. We noticed several out of state drivers in the Mod Lite division last evening. Three Salina, Kansas racers were in the house...Trace and Ryan Ayers and Zane Hansen. Ed Griggs from Pleasant Hill, Missouri also joined the Mod Lite field.
Still plenty of racing ahead before the season comes to a halt. Get out and find a race to attend and support the sport we all love.
Jason Masengarb, Colona, Illinois, took the win in the Mod Lite feature. He grabbed the lead from Joel Huggins at lap nine and never relinquished it on his way to victory. He had stiff competition behind him but held off Bryan Zehm and Travis Stensland as they finished a close second and third. Fourth went to Charlie Brown and Joel Huggins was fifth. Masengarb, who started ninth, also won back on June 2nd. In his post race interview, he said he hopes to be able to make the trip to Marshalltown as often as his work allows the two and a half hour trip.
Johnathon Logue returned to the winner's circle in the IMCA Northern SportMod class. He started twelfth in the line up, and was running a distant second to Adam Shelman, when a yellow with three laps remaining became the game changer. When the race restarted, Logue saw his chance, and was able to move under Shelman and take the lead. Logue then held the top spot to the flying checkers and the win. Jake McBirnie also slipped by Shelman in the final laps as they finished second and third in that order. DJ Robinson was fourth and Ethan Braaksma rounded out the top five. Logue spun in turn four earlier in the race, but had lady luck on his side as the yellow had flown for two cars sitting in turns one and two, allowing him to retain his running spot. This was Logue's second win at Marshalltown this year.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks came to the track next for their feature event, and it was a familiar face back in victory lane as Shannon Anderson took the win. Anderson started tenth and had to battle by stiff competitors to get to the front. A yellow at lap thirteen of the fifteen lap race proved to be just what Anderson needed as he ran in second behind leader Chanse Hollatz. He gained the advantage over Hollatz when the race went green, taking over the top spot, and keeping it to the finish and the win. Hollatz, finished as the runner up, Eric Knutson was third, fourth went to Gene Nicklas and Scott Pippert was fifth. Anderson won for the third week in a row and scored his tenth win of the year. Anderson is having another phenomenal year. He has a perfect season going at the Southern Iowa Speedway....twelve feature wins, to go along with the ten at Marshalltown, as he seeks another IMCA National Championship.
Damon Murty three-peated in the IMCA Stock Car class, sailing home to a comfortable win as he circled the rim of the track....his favored line on the Marshalltown track. Donavon Smith rebounded from a trip to the pits and having to tag the field, to finish in second place, as he dug on the low side. Steve Meyer was third, fourth went to Todd Reitzler and Jason Minnehan was fifth. This was win number six for the regular season for Murty. He also won the Frostbuster special.
Tim Ward went back to back in the IMCA Modified feature as he held off a hard charging Joel Rust to seal the win. Todd Shute started twelfth and finished third, Jenae Gustin fourth and Jesse Hoeft started fourteenth, and finished fifth. The race was plagued with cautions. The red waved when Andy Edwards took a roll off the top of turns one and two. He was okay. Earlier in the race, veteran racer Ron VerBeek also took an easy roll off of turn two, landing on his wheels. He was also uninjured.
The finale of the evening was the IMCA Late Model feature. Todd Cooney got back to his winning ways after a couple of weeks hiatus from standing in victory lane. Cooney finished well ahead of second place finisher, Joe Zrostlik. Curtis Glover was third, Darrel DeFrance took fourth, and Richie Gustin was fifth.
The victory lane interviews had the drivers all singing the praises of a great track, and saying how they loved racing on the high banks. We noticed several out of state drivers in the Mod Lite division last evening. Three Salina, Kansas racers were in the house...Trace and Ryan Ayers and Zane Hansen. Ed Griggs from Pleasant Hill, Missouri also joined the Mod Lite field.
Still plenty of racing ahead before the season comes to a halt. Get out and find a race to attend and support the sport we all love.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Full field of cars doesn't deter Anderson's march to perfection
Shannon Anderson was attempting to hang on to his perfect record at the Southern Iowa Speedway last night. A full field of Hobby Stocks came to try and stop that record, plus grab the extra $300 of bounty money. The Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods and Sport Compacts were also on the docket.
Trent Orwig won for the second time this season in the IMCA Sport Compact division. Orwig started in the second row, and had the lead before lap one was scored. Orwig led the entire 10 laps in the caution free race, finishing comfortably ahead of second place Levi Heath. Brad Havel started sixth, and finished third, John Gill was fourth and Ryan Havel was fifth. In Orwig's post-race interview, he said the car is for sale, and perhaps a Hobby Stock is in his future.
It was a short field of IMCA Modifieds last evening with only four cars showing. Cayden Carter put his #10C to the lead immediately, and led the caution free race all the way to the checkers and the win. Brandon Banks finished a distant second, followed by Dakota Simmons in third, and Gordy Head was fourth, but did not finish.
The IMCA Stock Cars ran their 16 lap feature next and they followed up with another flag to flag race. Danny Thrasher led lap one, by lap two it was Derrick Agee leading the pack, and lap three found Nathan Wood as leader of the pack. The competition behind him was fierce as Agee, Thrasher, Dustin Griffiths, Todd Reitzler, and Mike Hughes jockeyed for positions two through six. Agee was suddenly out of the game with a broken tie rod, leaving the others to duke it out. There was no catching Wood on this night, as he ran off and hid from the rest of the field and took win number four for the season. Dustin Griffiths took the runner up spot, and Mike Hughes just nipped Todd Reitzler at the finish line as they went third and fourth. Thrasher rounded out the top five.
The familiar "Orange Crush" stock car piloted by Cayden Carter was MIA last evening and we understood that it has been sold. However, Carter hinted that he may still be piloting one of the full-bodied cars in the future.
It took just one lap before Curtis VanDerWal grabbed the lead in the 15 lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature. He then pulled away to more than a straight away lead as he took the checkers and another win. Ethan Braaksma, who won earlier in the year, finished as the runner up. Third went to Cory VanZante, Austin Paul took fourth and Jason McDaniel was fifth. VanDerWal won for the tenth time this year...his only losses coming from Braaksma, and McDaniel.
A full field of 24 IMCA Hobby Stocks came for a chance to dethrone Shannon Anderson, as well as a chance at an extra $300 in bounty money. Several new drivers were present....Mike and Anthony Goldsberry, Gene Nicklas and Scott Pippert come to mind.
Anderson started tenth, the odds of another win not in his favor. Jared Stephens led the first six laps of the feature, but steadily, it was the #78 of Anderson working toward the front, to reach Stephens' bumper. A peek to the low side on the back stretch, and then a pass out of turn four, put Anderson to the front. It was all over but the shouting from there on, as Anderson pulled away to take his twelfth win....and perfect on the season. Jared Stephens was runner up, Jamie Songer took third at the line over Aaron Martin in fourth, and Thomas Stevens was fifth, just nipping Steve Allen in sixth at the line.
Regular Wednesday night racing at the Speedway will now have some time off, the next race being on August 23 for season championship night. In the meantime, if you are looking for a little sprint car action, the $20,000 to win Front Row Challenge for the 410 sprint cars will be on Monday, August 7 at the Southern Iowa Speedway.
Trent Orwig won for the second time this season in the IMCA Sport Compact division. Orwig started in the second row, and had the lead before lap one was scored. Orwig led the entire 10 laps in the caution free race, finishing comfortably ahead of second place Levi Heath. Brad Havel started sixth, and finished third, John Gill was fourth and Ryan Havel was fifth. In Orwig's post-race interview, he said the car is for sale, and perhaps a Hobby Stock is in his future.
It was a short field of IMCA Modifieds last evening with only four cars showing. Cayden Carter put his #10C to the lead immediately, and led the caution free race all the way to the checkers and the win. Brandon Banks finished a distant second, followed by Dakota Simmons in third, and Gordy Head was fourth, but did not finish.
The IMCA Stock Cars ran their 16 lap feature next and they followed up with another flag to flag race. Danny Thrasher led lap one, by lap two it was Derrick Agee leading the pack, and lap three found Nathan Wood as leader of the pack. The competition behind him was fierce as Agee, Thrasher, Dustin Griffiths, Todd Reitzler, and Mike Hughes jockeyed for positions two through six. Agee was suddenly out of the game with a broken tie rod, leaving the others to duke it out. There was no catching Wood on this night, as he ran off and hid from the rest of the field and took win number four for the season. Dustin Griffiths took the runner up spot, and Mike Hughes just nipped Todd Reitzler at the finish line as they went third and fourth. Thrasher rounded out the top five.
The familiar "Orange Crush" stock car piloted by Cayden Carter was MIA last evening and we understood that it has been sold. However, Carter hinted that he may still be piloting one of the full-bodied cars in the future.
It took just one lap before Curtis VanDerWal grabbed the lead in the 15 lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature. He then pulled away to more than a straight away lead as he took the checkers and another win. Ethan Braaksma, who won earlier in the year, finished as the runner up. Third went to Cory VanZante, Austin Paul took fourth and Jason McDaniel was fifth. VanDerWal won for the tenth time this year...his only losses coming from Braaksma, and McDaniel.
A full field of 24 IMCA Hobby Stocks came for a chance to dethrone Shannon Anderson, as well as a chance at an extra $300 in bounty money. Several new drivers were present....Mike and Anthony Goldsberry, Gene Nicklas and Scott Pippert come to mind.
Anderson started tenth, the odds of another win not in his favor. Jared Stephens led the first six laps of the feature, but steadily, it was the #78 of Anderson working toward the front, to reach Stephens' bumper. A peek to the low side on the back stretch, and then a pass out of turn four, put Anderson to the front. It was all over but the shouting from there on, as Anderson pulled away to take his twelfth win....and perfect on the season. Jared Stephens was runner up, Jamie Songer took third at the line over Aaron Martin in fourth, and Thomas Stevens was fifth, just nipping Steve Allen in sixth at the line.
Regular Wednesday night racing at the Speedway will now have some time off, the next race being on August 23 for season championship night. In the meantime, if you are looking for a little sprint car action, the $20,000 to win Front Row Challenge for the 410 sprint cars will be on Monday, August 7 at the Southern Iowa Speedway.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
First ever Modified win to Sauerman, Moore crowned inaugural RaceSaver track champion
We were back at our Saturday night home last night, the Boone Speedway. The season championship was held for the inaugural RaceSaver Sprints, and a first time track champion was crowned. There was a spectacular finish in the Modified feature, and just an all around good night of racing through the entire night's events. A good field of 118 cars checked in and a nice crowd was on hand to witness it all.
This was the first year for the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint cars racing at the speedway, and their season ended on Saturday night with the running of their 25-lap championship event. Mike Moore weathered four yellow flag situations and led all laps to take the victory. Tyler Thompson came home in second place, Ben Woods started fourteenth, and finished third, fourth went to Bob Hildreth, and Michael Johnston completed the top five. Moore ended his year with four wins, and was crowned the inaugural RaceSaver Sprint track champion at Boone.
Charlie Brown would also lead all laps on his way to the Mod Lite feature win. Bryan Zehm came from ninth starting spot, to finish second, third was Joel Keenan, Joe Glick was fourth, and Kevin Grisham took fifth. Brown won for the second time at the track this season. Zehm holds a healthy lead in the points battle going into the final weeks.
There was quite the battle up front in the 18 lap IMCA Northern SportMod A feature. Johnathon Logue started eleventh, and worked his way to the front by lap nine, grabbing the lead from Algona, Iowa's Doug Cook. Cory Pestotnik joined in the fun, as the three duked it out, and not to be left out, Jake McBirnie had now made his way from twelfth, and was getting in the mix. The final laps were intense, but Johnathon Logue withstood all advances to take the win, McBirnie finishing a close second. Cory Pestotnik finished in third, fourth went to Doug Cook, and Sam Wieben came from sixteenth starting spot, to capture fifth place. This was Logue's fifth feature win of the year, and he is the point leader in the division.
The IMCA Modifieds rolled out next for 20 laps of what turned out to be another intense battle. Cory Sauerman had the lead at lap six, as he flew around the top of the track. He was soon joined by Mike VanGenderen, and Russ Dickerson in what turned into a fierce battle. Sauerman and VanGenderen ran side by side for several laps, as Dickerson waited for a mere bobble from either driver. Sauerman and VanGenderen threw slide jobs at each other, never touching. VanGenderen gained the lead at lap seventeen, but Sauerman regained it...never to relinquish it again as he took the flying checkers. Russ Dickerson took advantage of VanGenderen's slight bobble, and passed him on the final lap to take the runner up spot, VanGenderen taking third. Tyler Prochaska was fourth and Andy Tiernan was fifth.
Sauerman is in his first year of racing a Modified after jumping up from the Mod Lites. Sauerman was greeted in victory lane by the other top finishers, offering him congratulations on a job well done, on his first ever win in the Modified. He has come a long way in his first year of competing in the Modified class. Going into the final races, defending track champion VanGenderen continues to hold his point lead.
Another first time winner for the year came out of the IMCA Stock Car class. Tyler Pickett started third, and took over the top spot at lap two. Pickett had to hold off a hard charging Wayne Gifford much of the race, but was able to take the win, Gifford having to settle for second. Visiting Beatrice, Nebraska racer, Kyle Vanover, started tenth on the starting line up, and finished third, fourth was Josh Daniels, and Donavon Smith was fifth.
Point leader of the division, Jay Schmidt suffered woes in his heat, and did not finish. He started twenty-fifth for the feature, and finished ninth. He holds the point lead by a slim one point over Donavon Smith.
The night concluded with the running of the 12 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Shaun Wirtz took his first ever career win on July 15, and followed up with his second win on Saturday night. Wirtz had the lead by lap two, and never looked back to secure the victory. Several yellows plagued the feature, and a final one flew at lap eleven. This set up a green-white-checkered finish (that was under the time limit at this point) Wirtz taking the win and tenth place starter, Dustin Graham crossing the finish line in second place. Third was Dustin Lynch, Jack Phillips was fourth and Dean Hartwig came from sixteenth, to finish fifth. Ryan Wells was a DNF in the feature. His point lead dwindled to just four points ahead of Dustin Graham going into the final weeks.
Three out of state Stock Car drivers came to test the Boone waters before the upcoming Super Nationals. As mentioned above, Kyle Vanover had a good run to finish third in the feature. Brandon Czarapata, Pulaski, Wisconsin, is a former Super Nationals champion who also made his way to the speedway last night. He had a sixth place finish last evening. Another Nebraska driver, Shane Stutzman, finished tenth.
The upgraded scoreboard was up and running last night, showing the top ten positions via transponders. It is a perk for the fans, and looks to be a good thing for the upcoming Super Nationals.
Next week, August 5, the Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks will join the field. There will also be a TiLube challenge race in the Modified division, where the top timed drivers from hot laps (via transponder times) will be locked into a 12-15 car, 15-lap race to cap off the night's racing. The winner will receive over $1,000 (as more sponsors are added) and the regular modified feature is also paying $1,000 to win, thanks to generous sponsors Saints Avenue Cafe in Boone, and West Side Auto Pros of Clive. It will also be a Fast Shafts Qualifier for the 2018 All Star ballot, and the Modifieds will be running a draw/redraw program.
This was the first year for the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint cars racing at the speedway, and their season ended on Saturday night with the running of their 25-lap championship event. Mike Moore weathered four yellow flag situations and led all laps to take the victory. Tyler Thompson came home in second place, Ben Woods started fourteenth, and finished third, fourth went to Bob Hildreth, and Michael Johnston completed the top five. Moore ended his year with four wins, and was crowned the inaugural RaceSaver Sprint track champion at Boone.
Charlie Brown would also lead all laps on his way to the Mod Lite feature win. Bryan Zehm came from ninth starting spot, to finish second, third was Joel Keenan, Joe Glick was fourth, and Kevin Grisham took fifth. Brown won for the second time at the track this season. Zehm holds a healthy lead in the points battle going into the final weeks.
There was quite the battle up front in the 18 lap IMCA Northern SportMod A feature. Johnathon Logue started eleventh, and worked his way to the front by lap nine, grabbing the lead from Algona, Iowa's Doug Cook. Cory Pestotnik joined in the fun, as the three duked it out, and not to be left out, Jake McBirnie had now made his way from twelfth, and was getting in the mix. The final laps were intense, but Johnathon Logue withstood all advances to take the win, McBirnie finishing a close second. Cory Pestotnik finished in third, fourth went to Doug Cook, and Sam Wieben came from sixteenth starting spot, to capture fifth place. This was Logue's fifth feature win of the year, and he is the point leader in the division.
The IMCA Modifieds rolled out next for 20 laps of what turned out to be another intense battle. Cory Sauerman had the lead at lap six, as he flew around the top of the track. He was soon joined by Mike VanGenderen, and Russ Dickerson in what turned into a fierce battle. Sauerman and VanGenderen ran side by side for several laps, as Dickerson waited for a mere bobble from either driver. Sauerman and VanGenderen threw slide jobs at each other, never touching. VanGenderen gained the lead at lap seventeen, but Sauerman regained it...never to relinquish it again as he took the flying checkers. Russ Dickerson took advantage of VanGenderen's slight bobble, and passed him on the final lap to take the runner up spot, VanGenderen taking third. Tyler Prochaska was fourth and Andy Tiernan was fifth.
Sauerman is in his first year of racing a Modified after jumping up from the Mod Lites. Sauerman was greeted in victory lane by the other top finishers, offering him congratulations on a job well done, on his first ever win in the Modified. He has come a long way in his first year of competing in the Modified class. Going into the final races, defending track champion VanGenderen continues to hold his point lead.
Another first time winner for the year came out of the IMCA Stock Car class. Tyler Pickett started third, and took over the top spot at lap two. Pickett had to hold off a hard charging Wayne Gifford much of the race, but was able to take the win, Gifford having to settle for second. Visiting Beatrice, Nebraska racer, Kyle Vanover, started tenth on the starting line up, and finished third, fourth was Josh Daniels, and Donavon Smith was fifth.
Point leader of the division, Jay Schmidt suffered woes in his heat, and did not finish. He started twenty-fifth for the feature, and finished ninth. He holds the point lead by a slim one point over Donavon Smith.
The night concluded with the running of the 12 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Shaun Wirtz took his first ever career win on July 15, and followed up with his second win on Saturday night. Wirtz had the lead by lap two, and never looked back to secure the victory. Several yellows plagued the feature, and a final one flew at lap eleven. This set up a green-white-checkered finish (that was under the time limit at this point) Wirtz taking the win and tenth place starter, Dustin Graham crossing the finish line in second place. Third was Dustin Lynch, Jack Phillips was fourth and Dean Hartwig came from sixteenth, to finish fifth. Ryan Wells was a DNF in the feature. His point lead dwindled to just four points ahead of Dustin Graham going into the final weeks.
Three out of state Stock Car drivers came to test the Boone waters before the upcoming Super Nationals. As mentioned above, Kyle Vanover had a good run to finish third in the feature. Brandon Czarapata, Pulaski, Wisconsin, is a former Super Nationals champion who also made his way to the speedway last night. He had a sixth place finish last evening. Another Nebraska driver, Shane Stutzman, finished tenth.
The upgraded scoreboard was up and running last night, showing the top ten positions via transponders. It is a perk for the fans, and looks to be a good thing for the upcoming Super Nationals.
Next week, August 5, the Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks will join the field. There will also be a TiLube challenge race in the Modified division, where the top timed drivers from hot laps (via transponder times) will be locked into a 12-15 car, 15-lap race to cap off the night's racing. The winner will receive over $1,000 (as more sponsors are added) and the regular modified feature is also paying $1,000 to win, thanks to generous sponsors Saints Avenue Cafe in Boone, and West Side Auto Pros of Clive. It will also be a Fast Shafts Qualifier for the 2018 All Star ballot, and the Modifieds will be running a draw/redraw program.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Ward takes first Modified win, all other classes have repeat winners
The Marshalltown Speedway saw only one new winner on Friday night. That winner came from the Modified division, where Tim Ward made a first time appearance in victory lane in 2017. The Late Model, Stock Car, Northern SportMod, Hobby Stock and Mod Lite classes all saw repeat winners. Ninety-five race cars came to run the High Banks on a beautiful July night and provided some exciting racing for the nice crowd in attendance.
Travis Stensland kept his win streak alive in the Mod Lite division. Stensland started sixth, and led by lap one, holding down that top spot all the way to the checkers. Mike Morrill started eighth, and finished as the runner up, third went to tenth place starter, Josh May, fourth to Bryan Zehm and Jeff Stensland rounded out the top five. Stensland has won the last five races at the speedway. He has been having his most successful season of racing of his career.
Sam Wieben made it two in a row by winning the IMCA Northern SportMod A main. Wieben took the lead at lap four after starting ninth on the grid, passing then leader Tom Rawlins. Wieben then took to the rim of the track, circling the track flawlessly on his way to the checkers. Curt Hilmer was second, third went to tenth place starter Travis Peterson, Johnathon Logue came from twelfth, to finish fourth, and Jake McBirnie was fifth. Wieben captured his second win of the season, in back to back victories. He was sporting a spiffy new look...a stickered bare aluminum body, making it unique.
Shannon Anderson in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, also made back to back visits to the winner's circle. Anderson came from twelfth starting spot, to reach the rear bumper of leader Gene Nicklas in less than two laps. By lap five, Anderson had the top spot. The closing laps found Leah Wroten apply pressure to Anderson, but to no avail, as she finished as the runner up. Eric Knutson was third, followed by Gary Pfantz in fourth, and Luke Bird in fifth. Anderson scored his ninth win at Marshalltown this year. Anderson sits atop the IMCA National Hobby Stock points as he looks for another national championship.
The 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature did not start well, as Curt Hook barrel rolled several times at the top of turns three and four before lap one was in the books. Thankfully, he was okay.
When the race did get back underway, Damon Murty got to the front quickly from his fifth row starting spot, chasing down leader Michael Jaennette, and taking command by lap seven. Jaennette looked for anyway to regain the lead, but his attempts fell short, and he had to be content with second place behind Murty. Thirteenth place starter Todd Reitzler had a good run to finish in third place, and Steve Meyer finished fourth, just holding off fifth place finisher, Donavon Smith, who had stayed committed to running the bottom of the track. Murty also made it two in a row, and claimed his fifth win of the regular season.
It was a fight to the finish in the 20 lap IMCA Modified A Main. Jenae Gustin looked poised to take back to back wins. But Tim Ward ran her down, and got the advantage with just a lap remaining. Gustin's last corner slide would then fall short to regain the lead and Ward took the win, Gustin having to settle for second. Jesse Hoeft came from eleventh starting spot, to take third, fourth was Jake Murray, and Ronn Laurtizen started thirteenth, and finished fifth. This was Ward's first win of the year at the speedway.
The night was capped off by the 20 lap IMCA Late Model feature and it was Richie Gustin going to victory lane with back to back wins, as he also won back on July 14....with a rain out in between. A caution on lap sixteen, and another at lap seventeen, shook up the running order. Darrel Defrance was leading on lap sixteen, Richie Gustin running second, and a badly smoking Todd Cooney was in third. When things restarted on that lap sixteen, Cooney got around DeFrance to take the lead as the smoke continued to roll from his ride. It was then on lap seventeen that Cooney's car gave up the ghost, and he coasted to a stop. This put Gustin to the point when action picked back up, and he would keep it the rest of the way to the checkers and the win. Gustin finished a comfortable distance ahead of second place Darrel DeFrance, Joe Zrostlik was third, Justin Mitchell started tenth, and finished fourth, and Paul Nagle, who led the early portion of the race, was fifth.
How quickly the racing season is winding down. Soon it will be season championships at many area tracks, and then right into the IMCA Super Nationals come Labor Day. Lots of racing still left before it all ends in our neck of the woods, so seek out a race to attend and help keep the sport we all love, alive and well.
Travis Stensland kept his win streak alive in the Mod Lite division. Stensland started sixth, and led by lap one, holding down that top spot all the way to the checkers. Mike Morrill started eighth, and finished as the runner up, third went to tenth place starter, Josh May, fourth to Bryan Zehm and Jeff Stensland rounded out the top five. Stensland has won the last five races at the speedway. He has been having his most successful season of racing of his career.
Sam Wieben made it two in a row by winning the IMCA Northern SportMod A main. Wieben took the lead at lap four after starting ninth on the grid, passing then leader Tom Rawlins. Wieben then took to the rim of the track, circling the track flawlessly on his way to the checkers. Curt Hilmer was second, third went to tenth place starter Travis Peterson, Johnathon Logue came from twelfth, to finish fourth, and Jake McBirnie was fifth. Wieben captured his second win of the season, in back to back victories. He was sporting a spiffy new look...a stickered bare aluminum body, making it unique.
Shannon Anderson in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, also made back to back visits to the winner's circle. Anderson came from twelfth starting spot, to reach the rear bumper of leader Gene Nicklas in less than two laps. By lap five, Anderson had the top spot. The closing laps found Leah Wroten apply pressure to Anderson, but to no avail, as she finished as the runner up. Eric Knutson was third, followed by Gary Pfantz in fourth, and Luke Bird in fifth. Anderson scored his ninth win at Marshalltown this year. Anderson sits atop the IMCA National Hobby Stock points as he looks for another national championship.
The 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature did not start well, as Curt Hook barrel rolled several times at the top of turns three and four before lap one was in the books. Thankfully, he was okay.
When the race did get back underway, Damon Murty got to the front quickly from his fifth row starting spot, chasing down leader Michael Jaennette, and taking command by lap seven. Jaennette looked for anyway to regain the lead, but his attempts fell short, and he had to be content with second place behind Murty. Thirteenth place starter Todd Reitzler had a good run to finish in third place, and Steve Meyer finished fourth, just holding off fifth place finisher, Donavon Smith, who had stayed committed to running the bottom of the track. Murty also made it two in a row, and claimed his fifth win of the regular season.
It was a fight to the finish in the 20 lap IMCA Modified A Main. Jenae Gustin looked poised to take back to back wins. But Tim Ward ran her down, and got the advantage with just a lap remaining. Gustin's last corner slide would then fall short to regain the lead and Ward took the win, Gustin having to settle for second. Jesse Hoeft came from eleventh starting spot, to take third, fourth was Jake Murray, and Ronn Laurtizen started thirteenth, and finished fifth. This was Ward's first win of the year at the speedway.
The night was capped off by the 20 lap IMCA Late Model feature and it was Richie Gustin going to victory lane with back to back wins, as he also won back on July 14....with a rain out in between. A caution on lap sixteen, and another at lap seventeen, shook up the running order. Darrel Defrance was leading on lap sixteen, Richie Gustin running second, and a badly smoking Todd Cooney was in third. When things restarted on that lap sixteen, Cooney got around DeFrance to take the lead as the smoke continued to roll from his ride. It was then on lap seventeen that Cooney's car gave up the ghost, and he coasted to a stop. This put Gustin to the point when action picked back up, and he would keep it the rest of the way to the checkers and the win. Gustin finished a comfortable distance ahead of second place Darrel DeFrance, Joe Zrostlik was third, Justin Mitchell started tenth, and finished fourth, and Paul Nagle, who led the early portion of the race, was fifth.
How quickly the racing season is winding down. Soon it will be season championships at many area tracks, and then right into the IMCA Super Nationals come Labor Day. Lots of racing still left before it all ends in our neck of the woods, so seek out a race to attend and help keep the sport we all love, alive and well.
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