We are back home after our 30th IMCA Super Nationals at the Boone Speedway. After last year's monsoons and racing at all hours of the day and night in order to get everything in, this year there was not a drop of rain.
Labor Day Monday and day 1 of 6 kicked off with racing just past a tick of 2 p.m. The day was overcast due to the wildfires in Canada and Montana, and with high's in the low 70's, it was great for the track surface. We saw 59 races with the IMCA Hobby Stocks and IMCA Northern SportMods in action. Eight Hobby Stocks qualified for the inside row, and another eight for the middle row for Saturday's Big Dance. Eight SportMods qualified for the inside row come Saturday. The IMCA SportMods had 151 competing, and the IMCA Hobby Stocks brought 118. Racing was completed at 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, day 2 of 6 dawned a sunny, chilly day, with a brisk north wind. One new SportMod arrived, to bring their car count to 152. Racing began closer to 2:30 p.m. this day and brought in a complete program for the 84 IMCA Sport Compacts, as well as 8 more Hobby Stocks making the Saturday night finale to start in the outside row, and top 8 in each of the two A's for the Northern SportMods going to the middle and outside row for the Saturday championship.
The first of the Super National's Champions was crowned on Tuesday when Mason City, Iowa's Devin Jones reigned as the Sport Compact Super National's champion. Barry Taft was the runner up, followed by Jake Benishek in third, Dillon Richards from Nebraska was fourth, and lady racer Brooke Fluckinger, also from Nebraska, was fifth. Racing was completed at 11:42 p.m.
Wednesday, day 3 of 6 the IMCA Stock Cars and the IMCA Modifieds made their first appearance with racing starting about 2:45 p.m. The Northern SportMods and the Hobby Stocks qualified their final six cars to advance to the back two rows for the Big Dance. The 171 IMCA Stock Cars advanced eight to the inside row come Saturday and 228 Modifieds had eight advancing to the inside row for the grand finale Saturday. It was a nippy 48 degrees when the racing was completed at 12:40 a.m.
Thursday, day 4 of 6 and racing started at 2:12 p.m. with more qualifying for the Stock Cars and the Modifieds, with one new driver checking in. It was also a complete show for the IMCA Deery Brothers Late Models, 31 strong. Eight Stock Cars and eight more Modifieds qualified for the middle row for Saturday night's finale.
The second of the 2017 Super Nationals champions was crowned and it was Todd Cooney making his third appearance standing on the podium as IMCA Late Model king. Richie Gustin, Matt Ryan, Chad Holladay, and Cayden Carter completed the top five. Racing was completed at 12:17 a.m.
Friday races began at 2:12 for the second day in a row...and we were wondering how it was already day 5 of races. It was a beautiful day in the low 80's and 81 races on the agenda. Eight Stock Cars and eight more Modifieds qualified for the outside row on Saturday.
Friday was also the All-Star Invitational feature for the IMCA Modifieds. Thirty drivers had been voted into this race by the race fans. Dean Abbey, Roanoke, Texas took the glory in this one. He grabbed the lead from William Gould on lap seven of the 30 lapper and then fended off the advances of Jay Noteboom to take the win. Following second place Noteboom was William Gould for third, Kyle Brown in fourth, and Johnny Scott completed the top five. Racing was done at 1 a.m.
Saturday....and day 6 was here. The festivities in front of the grandstand kicked off with a wedding! Stock Car driver Bob Chalupa from Nebraska and his bride Carol exchanged vows on the infield stage before the day's racing commenced. The grooms race car, was of course sitting in victory lane in front of the stage. This was not our first race track wedding. Through the years, we have witnessed several weddings at various race tracks.
After some pre-race ceremonies took place, the first green flag fell at 3 p.m. There were last chance/last chance races for the Hobby Stocks, SportMods, Stock Cars, and the Modifieds, and Race of Champions in all four divisions as well...each class starting ten cars. Jason Fusselman, Shelby, Iowa, came from tenth starting spot to take the ROC in the IMCA Hobby Stocks. Ellis, Kansas racer, Dakota Sproul held off Johnathon Logue to win the ROC in the IMCA Northern SportMod class. Lake City's David Smith was the Stock Car ROC champion for the third time. Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, North Carolina hot shoe, was the IMCA Modified ROC champion.
Finally...it was time for the Big Dance for the Hobby Stocks, SportMods, Stock Cars, and Modifieds.
The Hobby Stocks kicked things off first with 30 cars, for 30 laps. The race was red flagged twice for roll over incidents, first the pole sitter Matt Olson from Franklin, Minnesota rolled off of the top of turn three. Not much later, Columbus, Nebraska racer Sal Hernandez took a tumble on the front stretch. Thankfully, both drivers were uninjured.
Inside second row starter, Shannon Anderson took the immediate lead, followed by his dad Jeff Anderson (who ironically had started right beside him in the middle of row two) and would lead the race from flag to flag. Corey Madden, Avoca, Iowa was awarded second place after Aaron Rudolph was penalized for trying a slide for life at the checkers. Third went to Chad Lonneman from Adrian, Minnesota, Jeff Anderson was fourth, and Chanse Hollatz, Clear Lake, Iowa was fifth. This was Shannon Anderson's fourth Hobby Stock Super National's win and looks to snag his seventh IMCA National Hobby Stock Championship.
The IMCA Northern SportMod Super National's 30 lap Dance had a storybook ending. Brian Efkamp was elated when he just got himself into the Big Dance, and then drew the middle of row one for his starting spot. Efkamp, in his final hurrah of his racing career set his flashy #10E Harris SportMod to the front as the race went green, and never relinquished it. He endured heavy lap traffic, but sailed through it all to take the checkers. Efkamp, who understandably was emotional in victory lane, said his late dad Ron Efkamp, who was the first IMCA Director of Competition, was no doubt riding with him with a big smile on his face.
Cory Rose finished second in the SportMod feature, while Colby Fett was third. Far back in fourth was Doug Cook who had been the pole sitter, and Tony Olson was fifth after starting in the middle of row three.
Mike Nichols...who is going to be the 2017 IMCA Stock Car Champion,...a title for the sixth time...had always had an IMCA Super Nationals championship on his bucket list. This year....he accomplished just that. Nichols started on the inside pole and took his #63 to the bank. Nichols was pestered most of the race by Devin Smith. Smith looked for anyway around Nichols, and in the final moments was getting a good peek underneath him. But it was all for naught, as Nichols swept to the finish line to take the checkers and the win. A smoking Dustin Larson finished a distance behind in third place. Fourth went to Cayden Carter...who set a Super Nationals record by qualifying for the Big Dance in the Stock Cars, Modifieds, and Late Models, and Travis Barker came from row four, to finish fifth. Nichols has quite a resume in the IMCA Stock Cars with over 350 wins and this new notch in his belt.
The grand finale of the 2017 IMCA 35th annual Super Nationals was 40 laps of IMCA Modified racing. The 33 drivers were introduced in the pre-race ceremony and then they strapped in for the race ahead. Todd Shute started outside the front row and was hungry for his second Super Nationals title. He shot to the lead with Ricky Thornton tucked into second. Richie Gustin, the 2011 Super Nationals winner, was soon up to challenge from his row three starting spot. Gustin tussled with Thornton for a couple of laps, then took over second, with his sites set on leader Shute. Gustin could only chase Shute until lap traffic came into the picture about lap 25. Gustin continued to haunt the leader until making a successful pass on lap 30, taking over the coveted top spot. He then kept his #19G hot rod to the front the rest of the way to the checkers. Ricky Thornton got by Todd Shute in the waning laps as they went second and third respectively. Fourth went to Ricky "Racer" Stephan, in his 25th season of racing, and Jimmy Gustin, the 2010 winner, was fifth.
The races were completed at 11:26 p.m. and as always, I stayed for the auction of the winner's motors. Shannon Anderson's Hobby Stock went for $2,700, Brian Efkamp's SportMod was auctioned off for $6,000, the Stock Car motor of Mike Nichols went for $6,600 and Richie Gustin's Modified was $3,800.
Two Modified drivers, Gatlin Leytham and Scott Simatovich, sacrificed their Super Nationals to go to Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas to help with recovery. I would venture to guess, some Texas drivers who had planned for the Super Nationals had their plan changed due to Harvey as well.
As I wrap up some notes from the 2017 IMCA Super Nationals, news of the racing community's loss of two former drivers hits home. Dave Dresser, piloted an IMCA Stock Car back in the late '80's and '90's around the Boone Speedway, and veteran racer Larry Embrey raced in several classes around the state of Iowa...the most recent being in an IMCA Northern SportMod.
We enjoyed our six days and nights of racing and making it all the more special was enjoying it with racing friends from far and wide that we see but once a year....at America's Racin' Vacation.
There's still racing to be found around the state of Iowa. Check out the calendar at www.positivelyracing.com for a race to attend. Get out and support the sport we all love...dirt track racing.
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