Veteran Stofer scores fourth in a row at Boone, VanGenderen and Bass take first wins

It was another great evening of racing at Iowa's Action Track, the Boone Speedway on Saturday night. There were first time winners in the IMCA Modified and IMCA Hobby Stock classes, and a veteran racer made it four in a row in the IMCA Stock Car division.  The IMCA RaceSaver Sprints, IMCA Northern SportMods, and the Mod Lite's saw repeat winners as well. There were 120 cars checked in. 

Bryan Zehm scored his third victory of the season in the Mod Lite 15-lap main event.  Zehm started eighth, and overtook last week's winner Justin Rankin at lap seven, as he marched his way to victory lane.  A yellow at lap thirteen racked and stacked the field, but it didn't bother Zehm as he motored off on the restart, and two laps later, took the checkered flag.  Kevin Grisham was the runner up, Josh May finished third, and Joe Glick and Travis Stensland were fourth and fifth.  Zehm and May are fighting it out for the track championship, tied in points after last night's race.  

Cory Pestotnik led from the drop of the green in the IMCA Northern SportMod 18 lap A main, but by lap eight, Jake McBirnie, who had started eleventh, had made his way to second place and began reeling in the leader.  McBirnie's constant pestering paid off when he took the lead on lap fourteen.  He then held it to the flying checkers, winning by a comfortable margin.  Johnathon Logue started twelfth, and finished second, getting around third place Pestotnik in the closing laps.  Adam Shelman and Curtis Veber rounded out the top five.  After last night's racing, Chad Ryerson leads Johnathon Logue by 3 points.

The IMCA Stock Cars, put on another fine show, but at the end of the 18-lap event, it was veteran racer Robert Stofer going back to the winner's circle...for the fourth consecutive time.  Stofer started seventh and had the lead by lap four.  Following him through the pack to run second, was tenth place starter, Jay Schmidt.  Schmidt then tried everything to get around Stofer, as they ran side by side, lap after lap.  In the meantime, Wayne Gifford had caught up to them both and began to challenge for second place. Late in the race, Gifford touched Schmidt just enough in turn four to make him falter, and drove around him for second.  Schmidt finished third, fourth went to Trent Murphy and twelfth place starter, Donavon Smith was fifth. It's a tight battle in the points, with Schmidt leading Smith by a mere one point.

Jimmy Gustin flew to the lead early on in the 20-lap IMCA Modified feature, looking strong.  When a yellow flew at lap five, ninth place starter Mike VanGenderen was running in second place.  When the race restarted, VanGenderen began to torment Gustin, and a few laps later, made the pass into the lead.  From there on, it was all VanGenderen's race, as he took the checkers for the first time this season.  Gustin held second spot, Eric Elliott came from starting tenth, to finish third, rookie Cory Sauerman who led the opening laps, was fourth and Russ Dickerson was fifth. Eric Elliott leads VanGenderen by seven points in the championship battle.  

Tyler Thompson put his IMCA RaceSaver Sprint car back in victory lane for the second time this year, winning the 20-lap feature.  Thompson started fifth, and took the lead at lap three, never to look back.  Pole sitter Russ Hall finished a distance behind in second.  Michael Moore was third, followed by Michael Houseman, the fourteenth place starter, in fourth, and CJ Houseman took fifth.  Thompson is a second generation racer, following in his father Bob's footsteps. Michael Moore leads Michael Houseman in the points battle 231-224. 

The nightcap was the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature.  It took some doing for the field to find their racing rhythm, as numerous yellows flew even before the first lap was scored.  Seven minutes was already down before it even got underway.  When it did begin, it was Todd Bass leading the field.  Bass never wavered in his run to the checkers, scoring his first win at Boone this year.  Dustin Graham was the runner up, Ryan Wells was third, Dean Hartwig was fourth and eleventh place starter Eric Stanton, was fifth. It's yet another fierce battle for the point's championship as Ryan Wells leads Dustin Graham 269-267.  Wells is getting plenty of seat time this year, as he is the only driver we see race three times a week at Boone, Marshalltown and Oskaloosa.  

Check the racing calendar at Positively Racing and find a race to attend.  There are plenty of specials coming up, as well as weekly racing at area tracks.  

Four new winners at Marshalltown, two repeat

There were new winners in the IMCA Late Model, Modified, Stock Car, and Northern SportMod classes on Friday night at the Marshalltown Speedway.  The Hobby Stock and Mod Lite classes saw repeat winners back in Victory Lane.

Travis Stensland led the 15-lap Mod Lite feature from start to finish, and took the win in dominating fashion.  He finished more than a straightaway ahead of second place Josh May. Bryan Zehm was a close third place finisher, fourth went to Joe Zrostlik, the Late Model racer driving Mike Kennedy's car, and Joe Glick was fifth. This was Stensland's second feature win of the year, but only his first in his own race machine.  Earlier this year he won when he piloted the rent-a-ride #95 of Mike Kennedy.  The race went green to checkers.

There were many exciting battles in the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature, as cars went three-wide through the pack.  Jake McBirnie grabbed the lead at lap seven and had to hold off some fast charging cars behind him to seal the win.  Johnathon Logue started eleventh and challenged McBirnie for the top spot, but had to be content with a second place finish.  Travis Peterson finished a close third, and holds his point lead in the class, and Jared VanDeest was fourth.  This was McBirnie's first win at Marshalltown this season.

It was Shannon Anderson winning again in the IMCA Hobby Stock class.  Anderson started ninth, and took the lead from Luke Bird at lap three, never to look back.  He finished well ahead of second place Justin Wacha, Leah Wroten, was third, fourth was Luke Bird, and Ryan Wells completed the top five.  This was Anderson's seventh win of the year, and just one shy of perfect on the season. The only other winner was veteran Bill Bonnett, back on May 12th.

The Class too Tough to Tame, the IMCA Stock Cars lived up to their name once again. The final few laps was a fight to the finish and a toss up as to who would win.  Damon Murty, Donavon Smith and Jeff Mueller were jousting for position, with Murty holding down the top spot, but Donavon Smith's hanging tough on the low side paid off on lap seventeen of the eighteen lap feature, when he was able to slip under Murty on the backstretch, to take the lead.  He would hold it to the flying checkers and the victory.  Jeff Mueller surged by Murty in the final moments as they went second and third.  Russell Damme ran up front much of the race, and finished fourth.  This was Donavon Smith's first win at the track in 2017.

The fast and furious pace continued in the caution free 20-lap IMCA Modified feature.  Jimmy Gustin grabbed the number one spot away from pole sitter Gatlin Leytham at lap six, only to have Jenae Gustin knocking on his door immediately.  Jenae would then take command a lap later while a pack of cars were duking it out for positions two through six behind her.  Meanwhile, one of those cars was Joel Rust, who had opted for the high side route and was making it work.  He worked his way into second place and was able to grab the top spot as lap sixteen went into the books.  Rust was then able to put a bit of breathing room between himself and his contenders when he took the checkers and the win.  Jenae Gustin, who started ninth, held second place, Jake Strayer was third, fourth went to Tim Ward, and point leader Jesse Hoeft started twelfth and finished fifth.  Rust started eleventh on the field to take his first win of the year at Marshalltown.

The night's racing ended with the 20-lap IMCA Late Model feature.  This was another flag to flag race that was led the entire distance by winner John Emerson.  Todd Cooney reeled in Emerson in the closing laps, but could only manage a runner up spot.  Third was Jeff Aikey, and Paul Nagle and Joe Zrostlik were fourth and fifth.

Todd Cooney is the point leader in the IMCA Late Model division, Jesse Hoeft holds his lead in the IMCA Modifieds, Donavon Smith, despite just winning his first feature last night, is the IMCA Stock Car leader, Travis Peterson still claims the Northern SportMod lead, while Shannon Anderson has a good sized lead in the Hobby Stock Class, and Josh May overtook Mike Morrill for the point lead and is now up by 2 points.

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Dickey and VanDerWal go two for two, Anderson still unbeaten

It was familiar faces standing in Victory Lane at the Southern Iowa Speedway on Wednesday night.  Four of the five divisions saw repeat winners, while a new winner emerged from the Sport Compact class.

Trent Orwig made his first trip to the track this season pay off, winning the IMCA Sport Compact 12-lap feature.  Nathan Moody led lap one, but Orwig took command at lap two, pulled away and won easily to take his first win at Osky this year.  Moody was a distant second.  Third was Austin Reuman, Bryan Claussen was fourth and Ashley Reuman was fifth.

When the checkers flew in the 16-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature, it was Curtis VanDerWal once again standing in the winner's circle.  VanDerWal started sixth and was leading by lap three.  He passed early leader Austin Paul, and from there on, never looked back as he stretched his lead, winning by a good margin.  Paul held the runner up spot, Logan Anderson was third, Jason McDaniel fourth and Blaine Webster rounded out the top five.  This makes the fifth win for VanDerWal this season.

There was a pack of cars bunched together as soon as the 16-lap IMCA Stock Car feature went green.  Derrick Agee held down the top spot as lap one was scored, only to have it snatched away by Danny Thrasher at lap two.  Thrasher continued his run at the front of the field until Cayden Carter swung around him coming out of corner four as lap eight was in the books.  Carter then put his Orange Crush/Roger Kelderman ride out in front, and was gone.  Carter scored his second win of the season in the Stock Car class.  Danny Thrasher held on to the runner up spot, Nathan Wood, who had won the previous two weekly features, was third.  Dustin Griffiths made a last corner surge, getting around Mike Hughes, as they went fourth and fifth.

The IMCA Hobby Stock class brought out seventeen competitors to give it a try at beating Shannon Anderson, and taking home the extra $300 in bounty money. It didn't happen.  Anderson started ninth and methodically worked his way toward the front.  He chased leader Bradley Graham, who had led from the start, dogged him for a couple of laps, and then got under him as they came out of turn two, just after lap seven had been scored.  Anderson motored off to stretch his lead in the final laps, scoring his seventh win at the track, and staying unbeaten.  It was also his 303rd win of his career.  Bradley Graham, Brooklyn, Iowa, had his best run of the year, to finish in second place, veteran Bill Bonnett came from eighth starting spot, to finish third, Jamie Songer was fourth and Steve Allen completed the top five. The bounty still stands on Anderson.

Scott Dickey took the win for the second week in a row in the IMCA Modified main event.  Dickey led the entire sixteen laps in doing so.  Cayden Carter chased him much of that distance but could only muster the runner up spot.  Colt Mather finished third, Jesse Dennis made the long haul from Prescott, Iowa in the southwestern part of the state, and was fourth, and Zack Rawlins, Newton, Iowa, made his first appearance at the track this season, and finished fifth.

Racing continues next Wednesday, June 28 at the Southern Iowa Speedway, with racing in all five classes.  Hot laps are 7 with racing at 7:30.  Come and enjoy a mid-week night of racing.  The show will move right along and get you on the road for home early.  The last checkered fell at 9:23 p.m. last night.

Reitzler wins thriller, Duffy makes it three in a row, and Packer wins on U.S. soil

The Marshalltown Speedway's Friday night show was hurried along due to the threatening weather. However, the track won out, and the entire show was completed by 9:25 p.m. with nothing more than a few sprinkles. It was also another history making night, this time by Aussie racer, Frank Packer.

The Mod Lites came to the track first for their feature event. Charlie Brown would lead the entire 15-laps on his way to the feature win, his second in as many weeks.  Randy Bryan trailed Brown all the race, closed the gap in the waning moments, but had to settle for second.  Third went to seventh place starter, Mike Morrill, fourth was Joe Zrostlik, and Joel Huggins was fifth.  The race went caution free after an initial no start, when several cars piled up low in corners one and two.  Zrostlik, was in Mike Kennedy's "rent-a-ride" for the evening.

Frank Packer, who makes an annual visit to race, from his home in Sydney, Australia, made a bit of history in winning the IMCA Northern SportMod feature.  Packer started on the pole and held off some fierce challenges late in the race from Johnathon Logue.  Logue's efforts were in vain however, as Packer took the checkers to seal his win...his first on U.S. soil.  His win was also the first time an Aussie had won at the Marshalltown Speedway.  Travis Peterson had to qualify through a B main due to his heat woes, started nineteenth, and finished third.  Jared VanDeest came from eleventh to finish fourth, and Randy Roberts completed the top five.

Gene Nicklas looked well on his way to a feature win in the IMCA Hobby Stock 15-lap feature.  He has been so close to a win previously, and this week was looking like it was his.  However, track point leader Shannon Anderson, steadily worked his way from twelfth, to the runner up spot by lap eight and began challenging for the lead.  A couple of slide jobs were thrown, but Nicklas came right back to maintain his lead.  Nicklas was leading on the final lap, only to have Anderson maneuver around a lap car, as the checkers were in sight, and beat Nicklas to the finish line first.   Following second place Nicklas, was Gary Pfantz in third, Clear Lake, Iowa driver Chanse Hollatz started tenth, and was fourth, and Eric Knutson rounded out the top five. Anderson has four wins in a row, and a total of six for the year. We saw him win his 300th career feature last Wednesday at Oskaloosa, he then went on to have another win on Thursday at Algona, and this win was #302....and counting.

The Class too Tough to Tame, the IMCA Stock Cars, once again lived up to their name.  The 18-lap feature was a thriller as Todd Reitzler and Damon Murty went at it from lap one, right up until they crossed under the checkers.  Reitzler started fourth and took the immediate lead, and Murty tucked in right behind him from starting sixth.  It was a tight race from there on, Murty looking for any way around the 22R.  They raced side by side in a near dead heat at times, and both drivers pulled slide jobs to try and gain an advantage. Reitzler however, was not to be denied on this night, and successfully held off Murty to take the win, his second of the year at Marshalltown.  Finishing third behind Murty was ninth place starter Donavon Smith, Jeff Mueller came from eighth starting spot, to take fourth, and Steve Meyer was fifth.  This was Reitzler's second win at Marshalltown this season.

Darin Duffy went home with his third win in a row in the IMCA Modifieds.  He started tenth, and had to catch leader Shawn Ritter who led from lap one.  Duffy came through the pack to reach second place, and then reeled in Ritter, and took the lead on lap thirteen.  Duffy then stretched that lead to take the win comfortably over Ritter in second.  Finishing a close third, was Scott Simatovich, and Tim Ward took fourth over twelfth place starter Jesse Hoeft who was fifth.

Joe Zrostlik, who did double duty on the night, having also raced in the Mod Lite class, won for the first time this season in the IMCA Late Model 20-lap event.  Zrostlik battled with Richie Gustin in the early portion of the race, until finally getting past him for the lead at lap eight. Gustin taunted Zrostlik through the rest of the race until his car slipped off of turn two from his precarious run at the top, on lap nineteen.  This handed the third place runner John Emerson, second spot, and he kept it to  the checkers.  Pole sitter Curt Schroeder finished third, Darrel DeFrance was fourth, and Justin Mitchell...who won the first week the Late Models raced at the track, was fifth.

As mentioned earlier, the racing action went at a breakneck speed last evening.  There were no winner's interviews or pictures after the features.  There were 106 race cars checked in, a B-main was needed for the SportMod class, and all was completed at 9:25 p.m.  A few sprinkles fell during some of the features, but nothing to deter the racing. The Marshalltown Speedway lucked out, as other tracks in the area cancelled.

Find a race to attend.  Help support the sport we all love.

History made at Osky as Anderson gets win #300

For the second night in a row, we saw history made at a race track in IMCA racing.  The previous night, it was Justin Kay winning both the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for Modifieds, and the Deery Brothers Late Model race at West Liberty.  Last night at the Southern Iowa Speedway monster half mile, Shannon Anderson chalked up his 300th IMCA Hobby Stock win.

Feature racing started off with the IMCA Sport Compact feature.  Their five car field got taken down to only three before even one lap was scored.  Levi Heath and Brandon Housley got together as they entered turn one when the green flag flew.  Neither driver was able to continue.  When the 4-cylinders did get underway, Daniel Fellows flew to the immediate lead, never to look back.  He crossed under the flying checkers a full straightaway ahead of second place Bryan Claussen, and third was Clayton Webster. However, when checking the official results it showed there had been an adjustment and then a clarification why.  I was told that Fellows failed to go to the tech area after the feature.  This gave the win to Bryan Claussen....his first at the track, Webster was moved to second, and Fellows penalized to third.

Brayton Carter led the opening laps of the IMCA Northern SportMod feature....only to have Curtis VanDerWal snatch it away at lap five.  VanDerWal started ninth, and when he got the lead, it was all over but the shouting, scoring another easy win.  Seventh place starter, Jason McDaniel got by Brayton Carter in the closing laps, as they went second and third.  Fourth place finisher was Colton Livezey, and Austin Paul was fifth.  This was VanDerWal's fourth win of the season at Osky.

The IMCA Modified feature went green to checkered, with Scott Dickey leading the entire race.Dickey stretched out a big lead but Colt Mather began reeling him in.  The race ended too soon for Mather however, and he had to be content with a runner up finish.  Todd Cooney was back behind the wheel of a Modified again this week, and finished third.  Cayden Carter's streak of three wins came to an end with his fourth place finish.  Jason Murray rounded out the top five.  This was Dickey's first win at Osky since July of 2015.

Nathan Wood put his ride in victory lane in the IMCA Stock Cars for the second week in a row.  When the green flag dropped, there were five cars hustling into corner one in a close bunch.  When it got sorted out a bit, Nathan Wood was leading as lap one was scored.  Wood would (pun intended) then go on to lead the entire caution free race on his way to back to back wins.  It was his third of the year. Derrick Agee, the Hunstville, Missouri racer who has been a regular this season, chased Wood most of the race, and finished second.  Mike Hughes, Todd Reitzler and Danny Thrasher were third through fifth.

The IMCA Hobby Stock feature had more than one reason to be the focal point of the night's racing.  There was still a $300 bounty on Shannon Anderson's head for anyone that could beat him, and he was also going for his 300th win.  Jared Stephens led the first handful of laps, only to have Mike Kincaid to briefly hold down the top spot at lap six.  Then, before lap seven was even in the books, Shannon Anderson had taken control.  The remainder of the race was all Andersons, as he stamped his name into the record books in dominate fashion by winning his 300th IMCA Hobby Stock feature...quite an accomplishment.  Kincaid kept the runner up spot, Steve Allen was third, Jared Stephens fourth and Bill Bonnett was fifth.  Anderson expressed his thanks to many in his post race interview with fill in announcer for the night, Jeff Broeg.  We offered our congratulations to Shannon, and he said he remembers those days as a youngster, often sitting with us in the grandstand, during the old IMCA Winner Series for Stock Cars, when his dad, Jeff Anderson was competing. It was nice to see grandmother Judy, as well as other family members, in attendance to witness his feat.

It was another warm, humid June night of racing in Osky last evening.  Late in the night's activity, the officials were concerned about a storm cell rearing it's ugly head, just to the south of the track.  The winner's interviews and pictures were delayed until after the final checkered flag flew, however nothing more than a few raindrops fell on the track.

Recording setting night at West Liberty

We ventured a bit out of our usual territory, to take in the IMCA Deery Brothers Late Model and Hawkeye Dirt Tour races in West Liberty last evening.  We were glad we did, as we saw history made.

There were just the two classes competing last evening, and the first up for their featured 30-lap main event, were the HDT Modifieds.  There was a draw among the top twelve qualifiers from the heat, and after it all washed out after a bit of passing or keeping their pick, it found Todd Shute the lucky recipient of the #1 starting spot, and Justin Kay would be starting along side him on the front row.

Kay immediately shot to the lead.  Richie Gustin, the fourth place starter, quickly tucked into second place, as Shute ran in third.  A caution flew at lap nine, and again at lap ten.  When the race went green again after the lap ten yellow, Kay was still in command, Gustin still in second, and Cayden Carter had worked his way from eighth starting spot, to run in third. Carter quickly took to the topside of the race track, and moved to the runner up spot.....on the hunt for more.  The two drivers then put on quite the show for the fans.  Carter briefly took the lead at lap nineteen, only to have Kay come right back, and resume the number one spot.  Two more yellows would come at laps 25 and 26, Kay still in command, Carter in second.  Eyes had now also been on Joel Rust, who had been making great progress from his eleventh starting spot, and was sitting in third place.  When racing got back under way after the lap 26 yellow, Kay continued to hold off Carter, while Rust dug hard on the bottom of the track.  The final laps were close for the three, but at the checkers, they remained in the same order; Kay taking the win, while Carter and Rust were a close second and third.  Twelfth place starter Kurt Kile finished fourth, and veteran racer, and birthday boy, Kelly Shryock completed the top five.

It appears that Kelly Shryock is now leading HDT points, Joel Rust is second, and Kyle Brown (who finished seventh) is in third place.  The next race for the HDT will be Tuesday, June 27 at the the Hancock County Speedway in Britt.  It is the Salute to Veterans nights at the speedway, and the Modified victor will receive $3,000.

The Late Model drivers had their own draw for starting spot, among the top twelve from their heats...the usual Casey's pizza box that held 1-12 "pieces" of pizza.  The good natured keeping/taking game ensued, with Kyle Hinrichs and point leader, Jesse Sobbing getting the front row starting spots.

Sobbing quickly took the lead for the 40-lap main event.  He was looking quite comfortable out in front, through the halfway mark of the race, but the 15K of Justin Kay had steadily been reeling him in.  The crowd enjoyed a bit of swapping for the lead laps twenty-three through twenty-seven, but Kay eventually established the point spot for good.  He would then slice and dice his way skillfully through the lap traffic, and at the end of the forty laps, took the comfortable win.  Sobbing finished in second place, extending his point lead, Denny Eckrich was third, followed by Matt Ryan in fourth and pole sitter Kyle Hinrichs in fifth.  Kay had a record setting night...the first time ever that the same driver has won both an HDT and Deery race on the same show.

The Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models now take a long summer break.  Their next show is scheduled for September 1 at the Farley Speedway, followed by their Super Nationals appearance at the Boone Speedway on Thursday, September 7.

Be sure and check out fellow Positively Racing bloggers Jeff Broeg and Danny Rosencrans, for their take of the show, and some of Barry Johnson's photos as well.

We are planning for our usual Wednesday night of racing at the Southern Iowa Speedway.  Hope to see you there!  Come and support the sport we all love.

Stofer, Logue and Stanton repeat at Boone, Havlik, Hildreth and Rankin post first wins

It was a night of firsts as well as a night of repeats at the Boone Speedway Saturday night.  Three drivers took back to back wins, and four drivers took their first wins at the track this year, one in a class running for the very first time.

The Mod Lites kicked off the night's feature racing, and this one went green to checkered for the full 15-laps.  Justin Rankin, from Madrid, Iowa, would lead the race from start to finish on his way to victory. Rankin held off Josh May who was scored as the runner up. Last week's winner, Mike Kennedy was third, Kevin Grisham was fourth and Jason Masengarb, from Calona, Illinois started tenth, and finished fifth.  Rankin won for the first time at the track, and I believe this may have been his first career win.  

The IMCA Northern SportMods ran 18-laps for their feature event.  Cory Pestotnik led the field for the first four laps, only to loose a spring, then be involved in a yellow, ending his night.  Dusty Masolini took over the lead when the race resumed, then kept it through two more yellow flag situations.  The last caution came at lap twelve and by that time, Johnathon Logue had closed to Masolini's rear bumper and was applying pressure.  Two laps later, Logue's pestering paid off as he took over the top spot.  He would then keep it to the checkers and the win.  Masolini was a close second.  Jake McBirnie finished third from his tenth starting spot, fourth went to Hunter Longnecker, and Daniel Tasler rounded out the top five.  Logue matched his win from last week, and logged his fourth visit to Victory Lane this season.

The IMCA RaceSaver Sprints ran next in the 20-lap event.  Tyler Thompson and Bob Hildreth battled each other from the very start of the race.  Thompson held the top spot as Hildreth looked for a way around.  Finally at lap nine, Hildreth was able to get by him for the lead.  Hildreth kept command from then on, and took the checkers and the win, Thompson holding down the runner up spot.  Ninth place starter, Michael Moore was third, CJ Houseman started twelfth and finished fourth and Michael Houseman was fifth.  Hildreth, Iowa Falls, Iowa, is a second generation racer as his dad Bill Hildreth is still competing in the IMCA Northern SportMod class, and his son Koddy also races in the sprint division making it three generations of active racers.  

The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Truck series made their first appearance at the track as an added class for the evening.  Ten trucks ran a 16-lap A main which was led the entire distance by Billy Davis, Jr. as he picked up the night's win.  Josh Reynolds was second, Lou Sipolt finished third, fourth was Shonn Mapes, and Andrew Clark completed the top five positions.  Davis was piloting the #23 truck that we have seen Steve Jackson racing at other tracks.  The trucks did have a weekly home at the Iowa State Fair Speedway, but with its unfortunate demise, they now travel around to different tracks.  For more information and their upcoming schedule of events, check www.racedtra.com.  

The IMCA Stock Cars, put on their usual close and competitive feature event.  The 18-lap main saw veteran racer Kevin Opheim get the lead early, but he had a lot of drivers breathing down his neck.  Robert Stofer, another veteran racer, was one of those drivers, and when he was able to get to second, it was a real battle for the lead.  At lap thirteen, Stofer surged ahead of Opheim and he was able to hold that lead the rest of the way to the checkers to score the win.  Opheim, was a close second, third went to Wayne Gifford, Craig Carlson started twenty-fourth, and made a late race charge to finish fourth, and Jay Schmidt ran in the front pack all race long, and ended up fifth.  Stofer took back to back wins, and has three wins for the year. It was fun to see the two "old timers" going at it last evening, both wanting another win to add to their list.  

Randy Havlik was a first time winner in the IMCA Modified class.  Havlik got by early leader Kyle Brown and from there on, laid claim to the top spot and secured the win.  Eric Elliott started tenth, and finished as the runner up, Al Wolfgram was third, Kyle Brown was fourth and Chris Webb was fifth.  This was Havlik's first win at the track since June of 2014, and also his first win in his own built Assault chassis he is building in Story City, Iowa.  

Another driver taking back to back wins was Eric Stanton in the IMCA Hobby Stock class.  Stanton, held off early leader Jack Phillips who finished second.  Third went to visiting Nebraska racer, Jesse VanLaningham who had started tenth, fourth was Tim Barber and Aaron Rudolph was fifth.  Stanton has three regular season wins at the track, and also won the Frostbuster special. He is the defending track champion for two years running.  

There were 120 racing machines checked in for a full night of racing at "Iowa's Action Track".  A few new faces keep showing up weekly.  Of note last evening was the appearance of the "Flying Hall Brothers" with their vintage-looking #55 and #75 Modifieds.  Rumor is, they may be running weekly at the track.  Also running for the first time this season at the speedway were Jesse VanLaningham in the Hobby Stock class, and Kyle Vanover in the Stock Car division...both drivers from Beatrice, Nebraska.  Frank Parker, the racer from Queensland, Australia is back for his annual summer time race fix, racing his IMCA Northern SportMod.

There's a lot of racing coming up.  Find a race to attend and enjoy.  

Drivers continue to dominate at Marshalltown, Cooney's bounty stands

It was another beautiful Friday night for racing at the Marshalltown Speedway.  All six regular divisions were in competition with 110 cars checked into the pits.  The only new victor for the season came out of the Mod Lite class, while all other divisions saw repeat winners.

Charlie Brown got his first win of the year in the Mod Lite class.  Brown grabbed the immediate lead only to have the race red flagged at lap one when Doug Byers went for a tumble out of corner two. Byers was okay.  When the race resumed, Brown shot off to the lead again.  He was untouched from there to the flying checkers and the win.  Finishing a distant second was Mike Morrill, Colona, Illinois racer Jason Masengarb was third, followed by ninth place starter Josh May in fourth and Randy Bryan in fifth.  Brown, who has a different look for his car this season, does not have the familiar creepy looking (well to me anyway) clown on the side of his ride.  However, he said in his victory lane interview, it will be back next year.

The IMCA Northern SportMod feature went to Doug Smith.  Smith secured his third win of the 2017 season by flying through the field from his ninth starting position, and taking command at lap ten when he passed then leader Curt Hilmer.  In the closing laps, Smith put distance between himself and his competitors and took the win easily.  Taking the runner up spot was Jake McBirnie who made a good charge through the field from his fourteenth starting spot.  It was a close battle for positions three through five, but when it all shook out, tenth place starter Sam Wieben took third, Randy Roberts was fourth, and eleventh place starter Travis Peterson rounded out the top five.

The fifteen lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature saw Grinnell's Gene Nicklas out in front and gone until a caution waved at lap twelve, when Travis Merical flew off of turn one.  This tightened up the field for the restart, and by this time, Shannon Anderson had made his way from his eleventh starting spot, to be running in second. It proved to be a game changer for Nicklas, as just after the white flew, the two cars made contact.  Nicklas went spinning in turn one, and all thoughts of his taking the win went out the window.  Anderson however, kept control and raced to the checkers and took the win.  Veteran Bill Bonnett took second place, just ahead of Leah Wroten in third, Eric Knutson in fourth and Ryan Wells in fifth. Anderson now has five wins at Marshalltown this season.  Anderson may soon be looking at a second track placing a bounty on his head.  He already has one at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa awaiting anyone who can beat him there.  The multi-time IMCA National Hobby Stock Champion is sitting on win #299 of his career, and no doubt, will soon be seeing #300 as he seeks yet another National championship.

Damon Murty made it three regular season wins in a row in the IMCA Stock Car division.  Murty would lead all but the first lap of the 18-lapper, winning it comfortably at the finish. Murty took to his preferred line at the top of the track, and sailed to the win.  It was a battle throughout for position behind him however.  Winning the hard fought battle for second was veteran driver Jeff Wollam, who ran well all night long.  Eleventh place starter Donavon Smith was a close third, and Jeff Mueller came from tenth to finish a close fourth.  Dave Atcher completed the top five.

Darin Duffy made it two in a row at the high banks, by winning the IMCA Modified 20-lap A main.  Todd Inman led the opening laps, looking strong, until dropping off the back chute allowed Jon Snyder to make the pass for the lead.  Meanwhile, Duffy had been working his way through the pack from his twelfth starting spot, was running second, and then grabbed the lead on lap thirteen.  He was able to hold off a hard charging tenth place starter, Joel Rust who took the runner up spot.  Kyle Brown started ninth, and finished third, Jesse Hoeft came from eleventh, and was a close fourth, and early leader Todd Inman was fifth. We note the top four finishers started ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth.

Todd Cooney had a $400 bounty on his head in the IMCA Late Model race, awaiting anyone who could beat him.  At the end of the night, that bounty still stood.  Cooney started in row four, flew to the top of the track, and quickly reeled in cars.  By lap five, he was leading, and from there on, never looked back.  Joe Zrostlik led the first four laps, and chased Cooney the rest of the way to take second.  Third went to Paul Nagle, hometown boy Darrel DeFrance was fourth and Greg Kastli took fifth.  Ten Late Models were in the house last night.  We have yet to see the return of a couple of drivers who were involved in early season mishaps....Jason Hahne and Gabe Umbarger who may still be getting their rides back together.

The specials are starting around the state.  Check out the racing calendar at Positively Racing for a race you may like to attend and support the sport we all love.

Braaksma scores first win at Osky, and Anderson still unbeaten

The Southern Iowa Speedway was back in action on Wednesday night with racing in all five divisions.  The domination continued in more than one of the classes, and still has drivers vying for the bounty placed on one driver's head.

Daniel Fellows, who we understand is the grandson of legendary Stock Car racer, Don White, one of the "Keokuk Komets" from the "Glory Days" of racing, was back in Victory Lane in the Sport Compact division.  Fellows easily led all ten laps of the feature and claimed his fourth win of the season at the track.  Danny Berghahn made the trip over from Belleview, Nebraska, and finished as the runner up.  Levi Heath was third, last week's winner Brandon Housley was fourth and Brad Havel was fifth.  

The IMCA Stock Cars got after it again last night, as they were jostling back and forth, three and four cars wide at times.  Dustin Griffiths, a rookie to the class this season, took the early lead and very soon, Nathan Wood was up to challenge him.  The two ran side by side, door handle to door handle for many laps, often at a photo finish as they passed the flag stand.  Finally, at lap eleven, Wood burst ahead of Griffiths.  Wood put some breathing room between himself and Griffiths in the final circuits, and took the checkers and the win.  Meanwhile, Griffiths was having his hands full with the likes of the #11 of Mike Hughes.  Hughes was pestering Griffiths the final two laps, and as the final lap was scored, he spurted across the finish line in second, Griffiths going third.  Todd Reitzler was fourth and Greg Gill made his first appearance at the track, and went home with a fifth place finish.  Wood claimed his second victory at the track in 2017.

Young Ethan Braaksma was a happy camper after winning the IMCA Northern SportMod feature.  Braaksma, who just recently turned sixteen, led all fifteen of the laps on his way to Victory Lane for the very first time at Osky.  Braaksma had a healthy lead much of the race until Brett Lowry began reeling him in the last few laps.  Lowry, who was making his first appearance at the track this season,  started tenth, and made it a close one at the finish.  He fell short at the checkers, and had to be content as the runner up.  Curtis VanDerWal had his streak of three consecutive wins come to an end, as he finished in third place.  Fourth went to Carter VanDenBerg and Logan Anderson was fifth.  Braaksma, who has a go karting background, scored his third feature win of the season, having won at Marshalltown and Vinton previously.

The IMCA Modifieds only had nine cars checked in for the night, and only six cars started the 16-lap feature.  Colt Mather, who won opening night, grabbed the lead as the race went green, but immediately had the 10C of Cayden Carter hunting him down.  Carter, who was late getting to the track, missed his heat, and started last in the main event.  It didn't take long for Carter to send his new VanderBuilt ride into the lead, taking over at lap four.  Carter then stretched out his lead in the caution free race, and took the easy win.  Finishing a distant second, was Colt Mather,  Derrick Stewart was third, Andrew Schroeder fourth and visiting Tipton racer Josh Starr, was fifth.  Another visiting driver, Jeremy Chambers from Parson, Kansas was scored sixth, but did not finish. Carter now has three wins in a row at Osky.

The IMCA Hobby Stock class had twenty cars checked in...as the bounty that was on Shannon Anderson had drivers hoping for the extra $300 cash.  However, it wasn't to be on this night.  Jamie Songer led the opening laps, then Aaron Martin took over at lap four.  By this time, Anderson was reeling in the leaders quickly after starting in tenth spot.  Anderson toyed with leader Martin for a lap or two, and then took the lead as lap ten was scored.  At the end of the 15-lap event, Anderson took the checkers easily, scoring his fifth in a row, and perfect for the season.  Martin held the runner up spot, Songer was third, visiting Marengo, Iowa's Nathan Ballard was fourth and Mike Kincaid rounded out the top five.  The race went flag to flag.  Anderson said in his post race interview with announcer Tony Paris, that he and the car love the Monster Half Mile at Osky.  The bounty continues on Anderson.  Who....if anyone, will take home the bounty money and end Anderson's streak?  Make the trip to Osky next week, and see if it happens.

Get out to a track somewhere and support the sport we all love.  There have been way too many tracks closing down across the country, and we don't want to see that happening in our area!

Kay inherits Deery win, Shute takes HDT

The Boys of Summer, the IMCA Deery Brothers Late Models came to town on Tuesday night, for their annual visit to the Marshalltown Speedway.  It was a doubleheader night, as the IMCA Hawkeye Dirt Tour for Modifieds was on tap as well, and the IMCA Stock Cars ran as a support class. There were 32 Late Models, 37 Modifieds and 13 IMCA Stock Cars competing.

Jeff Mueller, the IMCA Stock Car racer who made the move from southeast Iowa, to now live in Albion, went home $550 richer by besting the field in the feature event. Rod Richards led the early portion of the 20-lap race, until Damon Murty, who had started ninth, made his usual charge to the front by going topside, took command at lap six. Meanwhile, Mueller had been digging on the bottom of the track, and just three laps later, it had paid off and he took over the lead.  Mueller never relinquished it the rest of the way to the checkers and the win.  Murty held the runner up spot, Jay Schmidt had a good run to take third place after starting twelfth, fourth was Trent Murphy, and Rod Richards was fifth.  IMCA National, Regional, and State points were awarded, but there were no track points for the night. Mueller, who was not able to run his heat race due to mechanical issues, started eleventh, and took home the money.

Thirty seven IMCA Modifieds were on hand for the second HDT race of the year.  Two B mains whittled the starting field to 22 cars plus two provisional starters...Corey Dripps and Shane DeMey. The top twelve Hawkeye Dirt Tour qualifiers had their own draw held in front of the fans.  They chose a box holding an oil filter and after a bit of ,  "keeping or passing to someone else", the boxes were opened to reveal a number that determined their starting spot.  Jimmy Gustin and Nate Hughes were the 1-2 starting spot lucky recipients.  

Jimmy Gustin jumped to the immediate lead, but fourth place starter Todd Shute, quickly made his move to the front as captain of the ship by lap six.  From there on, Shute held the lead, even through three cautions and subsequent restarts, as he maneuvered flawlessly around the quarter-mile High Banks, and took the flying checkers for the win.  Tyler Droste started seventh, and finished a close runner up.  Third went to successful veteran racer Kelly Shryock, who had started ninth.  Darin Duffy, who had just won at the track on Friday night, came from deep in the starting field, to finish fourth. and early leader, Jimmy Gustin, who had won the first HDT race of 2017, completed the top five.  This race paid $1,000 to the winner and was also a Fast Shafts All Star ballot qualifier.

The Deery Miller Lite 50 was the finale of the evening.  The usual Casey's pizza box draw for the top twelve finishers from the heats, resulted in Jeff Aikey and Jake Neal being the front row starters.  Two B mains filled in the starting field along with two provisionals...Paul Conrad and Curt Schroeder.

Jake Neal led through the first 25-lap of the race, with Jeremiah Hurst in tow the entire time.  Hurst was able to make the pass for the lead at lap 26, and from there on seemed destined for the win.  The first yellow of the race came at lap 46 and another at lap 48, but both restarts found Hurst keeping the lead, and from there on out, to take the checkers first.  Justin Kay followed Hurst across the finish line to be scored second, third went to John Emerson, fourth to point leader Jesse Sobbing, and Jeff Aikey crossed in fifth place, and Neal in sixth.  A post race inspection however, deemed Hurst with an infraction, and he was disqualified for "illegal axle tubes".  The win was then awarded to Kay, making him $2,000 richer for the night.  This moved the above mentioned finishers up as well.

An announcement was made last evening that an extra Hawkeye Dirt Tour race has been added.  It will be run on Tuesday, July 18 at the Boone Speedway in conjunction with their 50th Anniversary Celebration.

It was also announced that the Marshalltown Speedway has placed a $400 bounty on weekly Late Model racer Todd Cooney's head.  Cooney has been dominating and has won the last three weekly shows.

Tonight, we will be heading to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa.  Why not join us for another night of mid week fun?!

Bushore and Stofer double up, Kennedy wins after long drought

It was another full night of racing at Iowa's Action Track, the Boone Speedway on Saturday evening.  The IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods, and Hobby Stocks, plus the Mod Lites were in action.  The IMCA RaceSaver Sprints had the night off due to the Jackson Nationals.

Starting the feature racing off was the Mod Lite 15-lap main event.  Mike Kennedy took the immediate lead from his outside front row starting spot, and he would then go on to lead every lap on his way to victory.  Bryan Zehm started ninth, and took the runner up position.  Third went to seventh place starter, Joe Glick, Josh May started eighth, and was fourth, and Kevin Grisham rounded out the top five. This was Kennedy's first win since 2012 at the track.

Johnathon Logue took his third win of the season in the IMCA Northern SportMod feature...a race that went caution free.  Logue started eighth and overtook then leader Bill Hoover at the halfway mark of the 18-lap A main.  Ninth place starter Jake McBirnie followed Logue up through the field to run second.  McBirnie gave it his all, but had nothing for Logue, and had to settle for second place.  A ways behind in third was last week's winner Daniel Tasler, eleventh place starter Sam Wieben was fourth and rookie to the class, John Watson, was fifth.  Logue had also won at the Marshalltown Speedway the night before.

Joel Bushore repeated his win from last week in the IMCA 20-lap Modified main.  Bushore wasted no time in putting his ride to the front.  He started sixth and was leading by lap two...never to relinquish that top spot, and at times, running far out in front from any competitors.  Jimmy Gustin finished second after chasing the leader most of the second half. Eric Elliott came from twelfth starting spot, to score a third place finish, Randy Havlik, driving his own built Assault chassis, was fourth, and thirteenth place starter, Mike VanGenderen had a good run after having to recover a bit from some early contact, to finish fifth.  Eric Elliott continues his point lead by a slim three points over VanGenderen.

Robert Stofer was another repeat winner from last week, as he scored the win in the IMCA Stock Cars.  Stofer took the lead at lap three, and never looked back on his way to his second win in as many weeks.  He had to hold off several attempts by tenth place starter Donavon Smith as he kept peeking low for a way around.  It wasn't to be however, and Smith settled for the runner up spot.  Trent Murphy had a great run, finishing third from his fourteenth starting position, Jay Schmidt started ninth and finished fourth, and veteran racer Kevin Opheim rounded out the top five. It's a tight points battle with Smith leading, Schmidt just four points behind, and Murphy five points behind.  

Eric Stanton hustled his way to the front in the IMCA Hobby Stock feature.  Stanton started eleventh and took the lead on lap seven on his way to victory.  Stanton held off early leader Jack Phillips, who took the runner up spot, third went to David McQuisten, Dustin Graham was fourth and Solomon Bennett had to tag the field from an early incident, and raced through the field to finish fifth.  This was Stanton's second regular season win at the track, as well as winning the Frostbuster special.

Regular weekly racing continues next Saturday night, June 10, at the Boone Speedway.  All six divisions will be in competition.  Hot laps are 6:30 and racing at 7:30.

Logue logs first win at Marshalltown, Cooney, Duffy, Murty, Anderson and Masengarb also victorious

It was a beautiful night for racing at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday. All six regular divisions were back in action for a full night of competition with 109 checked in.

Jason Masengarb made his trip from Colona, Illinois pay off, by winning the Mod Lite feature. Masengarb took the lead with just a couple of laps in the books and never relinquished it from then until the checkers flying.  He finished well ahead of second place Charlie Brown.  Joel Huggins was third, fourth went to tenth place starter Josh May, and Joe Glick was fifth.  It took just Masengarb's second appearance at the track to get a win under his belt. Masengarb told announcer Jerry Vansickel in the post race interview that he builds the Joker chassis he was piloting.

Another driver getting his first win at Marshalltown after trying for five years, was Johnathon Logue in the IMCA Northern SportMod division.  Logue did it the hard way, coming from eleventh starting spot, and having to catch and pass some tough competition.  Matt Petrzelka led in the early laps, and by lap ten of the 18-lap race, Logue had reached his bumper.  Logue pestered him until finally taking over the top spot with just two laps remaining, and maintained that lead to take the win.  Travis Peterson made the move around Petrzelka in the closing moments as they finished second and third in that order.  Doug Smith was fourth, and Jared VanDeest, who started near the back of the field, was fifth. It was hard to believe that Logue got his first ever win at the Marshalltown High Banks as he has had numerous wins at other tracks.

Shannon Anderson went back to back for wins in the IMCA Hobby Stock division.  Anderson started twelfth and worked his way to lead by lap six.  A yellow with just three laps remaining drew his competitors close on his heels, but he was not hindered on his way to win #4 at the track this season. Early leader Ryan Wells finished as the runner up, third went to eleventh place starter Eric Stanton, fourth was Tyson Overton and Justin Wacha completed the top five.  Anderson, a multi-time IMCA National Champion in the division, already has racked up many wins this season...in the teens I know for sure.  He already has a bounty on him at the Southern Iowa Speedway, and perhaps more tracks will be doing the same deemed his domination this season, as he looks to be on his way to yet another National title.

Damon Murty repeated his win from last week in the IMCA Stock Car class.  Murty started sixth, went to the topside, and motored into the lead by lap three.  Donavon Smith gave it everything he had in trying to catch Murty, but had to be content with second, after starting ninth.  Dave Atcher and Kyle Everts battled back and forth for position much of the race, with Atcher taking third, Everts, fourth and Steve Meyer was fifth.

Jimmy Gustin saw his nice lead disappear when a yellow flew at lap seven of the 20-lap IMCA Modified A main.  By this time, he had his hands full as visiting driver Darin Duffy had made it to second after starting eleventh, and Joel Rust, who had started even deeper in the field, was closing in on the front runners.  The three top cars duked it out, swapping positions until Duffy finally established the top spot for good, and sealed the win.  Rust took the runner up spot, Jimmy Gustin was third, Jesse Hoeft finished fourth, and Jake Strayer was fifth.  This was Duffy's first trip to the Marshalltown track this year and his first win there in many years.

During a heat race for the IMCA Modifieds, cars got tangled as they came down the front straight.  Ending up the worst for wear, was the 505 of Racer Hulin.  Hulin's spiffy looking ride held up safety wise and he was unhurt, but it wasn't as pretty when rolled back onto it's wheels and towed to the pits.

The evening ended with 20-laps of IMCA Late Model racing.  Todd Cooney made it three in a row as he dominated in the main event.  Cooney led with just over a handful of laps in, and then pulled away to take the easy win.  John Emerson started ninth, and took second, third went to early leader Ben Seeman, Paul Nagle was fourth and Darrel DeFrance rounded out the top five.

The drivers were once again saying how much they liked the track last evening. Some quotes from winning drivers in Victory Lane were,  "Nice smooth, fast track", and "some promoters need to take track prep lessons from Marshalltown".

Next up at the Marshalltown Speedway is the Miller Lite 50 for the IMCA Deery Brothers Late Models and the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds, on Tuesday, June 6.  The IMCA Stock Cars are also scheduled.  Hot laps are 7 with racing to follow.

Bounty time for unbeaten Anderson

A beautiful night of racing it was at the Southern Iowa Speedway on Wednesday night.  It is so great to be able sit in pleasant weather, not all bundled up, and watch some great racing on once again, a nice smooth track.

Brandon Housley left no question that he was the class of the field on Wednesday night in the IMCA Sport Compact class.  He started fourth, led by the first lap and then just drove off into the beautiful sunset....winning by more than a straight away.  Levi Heath, did not start his heat race, but tagged the tail of the feature and sliced through the field to take second place.  Third went to Nathan Moody, Cody VanDusen was fourth and Bryan Claussen, fifth. The race went flag to flag. Missing in action were the top two drivers in points going into the night, Daniel Fellows and Jason Breuklander.

Curtis VanDerWal scored yet another of his numerous victories in the IMCA Northern SportMod class. He started tenth and had the lead by lap nine of the sixteen lap  feature.  He finished comfortably ahead of runner up Carter VanDenBerg, the ninth place starter.  Jason Hall, the pole sitter, led the first eight laps, and finished third.  Fourth went to eighth place starter, Cory VanZante, and Jack Housley completed the top five.  VanDerWal has three feature wins at Osky this season.

There was a new winner in the IMCA Stock Cars as the "green machine" of Derrick Agee, Huntsville, Missouri made his initial appearance to the winner's circle for 2017.  He had to battle some hard runners to get the win.  Todd Reitzler took to the topside from his fourth starting spot as soon as the race went green and made it pay off as he flew to the lead.  Following behind, drivers were hunting for a lane as they chased Reitzler.  Soon Dustin Griffiths, Derrick Agee, Mike Hughes, and Nathan Wood were swapping positions back and forth as they tried to run down leader Reitzler.  Agee got the advantage and was able to overtake Reitzler at lap 10 of the 18-lapper.  He then got some breathing room, content to let the others duke it out behind him.  As the checkers flew for Agee, it was Reitzler in second, holding off Nathan Wood, in third, and Mike Hughes in fourth.  Dustin Griffiths rounded out the top five.  Agee hadn't won at the Monster Half Mile since the 2016 Frostbuster Special.

Can we say DOMINATING for Shannon Anderson in the IMCA Hobby Stocks?  Anderson just walked away with his fourth straight win at the track,  He started eighth and led at lap six, leaving the field in his dust.  Aaron Martin came from sixth to take the runner up spot, just holding off ninth place starter, visiting Chanse Hollatz.  We had just witnessed Hollatz, who is from Clear Lake, win the feature at the Boone Speedway on Memorial Day in his spiffy looking #6 ride.  Bill Bonnett was racing his second car, and got it to a fourth place finish, and Thomas Stevens came from eleventh, to finish fifth.  After the Hobby Stock feature, there was a $300 bounty placed on Anderson.

Cayden Carter made it two in a row in the IMCA Modified class.  Carter charged to the lead by lap one and pulled away.  Colt Mather chipped away at his lengthy lead, but still finished a distance behind in second.  Scott Dickey was third, Andrew Schroeder finished fourth, Sean Ritter fifth, and Todd Cooney was back in a Modified last night and finished in sixth. The race went caution free.

Racing was completed at 9:12 p.m. allowing those who had a morning call, able to get on the road home in good time.  The 64 cars on hand were run in under two hours.  If you're looking for some racing action during the week, make the trip to Osky!