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.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
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.
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