The 2018 running of the IMCA Super Nationals was certainly one that those in attendance will never forget...us included. We were there the entire time, and Mother Nature was sure doing her best to kill the entire show. It didn't happen. The 2018 Super Nationals is in the books.
Monday, Labor Day and the first day of the scheduled Super Nationals did not dawn with optimism. Rain, rain, and more rain, but we headed to the track despite it all. The call to move the IMCA Deery Brothers show to Thursday was made. The jet dryer was on the track from 1:45 to 2:45 and then the green machines hit the track. It is approximately 3 hours after it stops raining that racing can get started. However, a shower about 3:15 delayed that a bit, though the John Deere's stayed on the track. The green flag dropped at 5:26 and the racing for day #1 was completed at 11:24.
Tuesday, Day #2 and racing began at 1:53. The call was made early that the IMCA Sport Compacts which were to run their entire show that day, would be dropped from this year's Super Nationals since there was no other slot available to make up their program. The forecast was sounding horrible. The racing was clicked off efficiently but then the rain began once again at 5:39 p.m. Torrential rain! A decision was to be made at 10 p.m. if racing would pick back up, but Mother Nature was relentless, and there was no more racing Day #2.
Day #3, Wednesday and there was more mud and water than we've every seen at the Super Nationals in our 31 years of attendance, and it was still raining! Finally we heard that the jet dryer was on the track....thanks to racing family letting us know as we waited it out in our hotel in Ames. The first heat hit the track at 6:02 p.m. and we raced until 12:13 a.m.
Thursday, Day #4 and the hard decision was made to cancel the IMCA Deery Brothers Late Model show that had been moved from Monday. The pits were a mess and just no where to put the popular wide-bodies and their haulers.
Thursday was a long day, starting at 8 a.m. with some brief hot laps, and ending 16 hours and 45 minutes later at 12:45 a.m. on Friday morning. But....the Super Nationals were all caught up!
Friday, Day #5 and what a welcome relief! No rain, things were drying up, racing began right at 2 p.m., and the day's scheduled show was completed at 11:14 p.m.!
Day #6 and the Big Dance finale! Beautiful blue skies greeted us and despite all of the ugly first few days, it was hard to believe how quickly the time had flown by and here it was the final day of 2018 Super Nationals. The opening cermonies began at 2 p.m. and the first race hit the track at 3:10 p.m. The final checkers flew at 11:28 after the IMCA Modified Big Dance.
The Winners!
The first 2018 Super Nationals champion was crowned on Friday when talented Hunter Marriott, won the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational for IMCA Modifieds. Marriott finished well ahead of second place Richie Gustin. Kelly Shryock, Ethan Dotson, and Chris Abelson rounded out the top five.
Drivers from the IMCA Hobby Stock, Northern SportMod, Stock Car and Modifieds put a feather in their caps when each division crowned a Race of Champions.
Cory Madden became the tenth different Hobby Stock ROC winner in their 10-year history. Colby Fett took the ROC win in the Northern SportMod division, southeast Iowa driver John Oliver, Jr. bested the field in the ROC race for the Stock Cars, and Jason Wolla, defending IMCA National Champion in the Modified class, won the ROC Modified portion.
Then it was time to go dancing! The IMCA Hobby Stocks were up first. It wasn't a surprise that Shannon Anderson, who started inside row three of the 3-wide starting field, was already leading at lap one. Anderson led the entire race to score his 5th IMCA Hobby Stock Super National's victory. Cory Madden finished second, Eric Stanton came from 27th starting spot, to take third, and Zach Olmstead, Overton, Nebraska, and Columbus, Nebraska racer Jeff Ware completed the top five.
Jake McBirnie was on a hot streak in the second half of the season in the IMCA Northern SportMod division, and he continued that winning form by capturing his first Super National's title. Joe Docekal, Doug Smith, Austin Luellen, and Chase Rudolf rounded out the top five finishers. McBirnie became the fourteenth different Super Nationals champion in the Northern SportMod division in its fourteen year history.
You can almost bet that anytime the IMCA Stock Cars hit the track, there will be some great competitive racing and their Big Dance did not disappoint. Kyle Strickler, yes....Kyle Strickler in a Stock Car, led the first lap. By lap two however, it was the Chelsea Charger, Damon Murty riding in the captain's seat. Todd Reitzler, who had battled all season long with Murty at the Marshalltown Speedway....the two putting on some outstanding battles....drew into the runner up spot and set his sites on catching Murty. Beatrice, Nebraska's Kyle Vanover threw his hat into the ring to challenge Reitzler and took over the runner up spot at lap nineteen. Meanwhile, Murty was checking out. A caution at lap 28 with just two laps left in the race, was no hindrance to Murty as he pulled away on the restart, keeping it to the checkers. Murty, who has won most every other title...including National Champion, finally got the one prize that had eluded him. Kyle Vanover held the runner up spot, Todd Reitzler was third, fourth went to Abe Huls, and Devin Smith was fifth.
Then came the Modified Big Dance to close out the 2018 IMCA Super Nationals. What a 33-car field of talented drivers! Jeff Aikey, best known for his piloting of an IMCA Late Model, but who has been having fun lately racing the modified, was the lucky guy to sit on the pole for the start of the 40-lap grand finale.
Aikey grabbed the immediate lead as the race went green, and had no trouble in leading ever lap of the 40-lap race. Two early yellows flew, but on the restart, Aikey motored off with ease. It was a thing of beauty to see him gliding through heavy lap traffic seemingly effortlessly, on his way to the win. Second place finisher Cayden Carter had a very impressive run, as he closed in on the leader late in the race, but had to be content with second place at this year's Super Nationals. Ryan Ruter finished in third place, Ethan Dotson raced from thirteenth starting spot, to finish fourth, and Jason Wolla took fifth place.
Aikey, who has won six previous Super Nationals crowns in the Late Model division, now joins Kevin Pittman as only the second driver to earn a title in two different divisions. Aikey now holds the record...seven...Super Nationals titles.
Yes, this was a Super Nationals to never be forgotten, though many may wish they could. The BAD was the need to cancel the IMCA Sport Compact and the IMCA Deery Brothers Late Model portion of this year's Racin' Vacation.
The UGLY was the relentless rain that just kept coming. It was also the awful mud that the haulers, campers and fans had to fight. I doubt there was a pair of water proof boots left in the area.
The GOOD. Yes, there was good. The good was the fact that the show got in thanks to the hard work, nearly around the clock for some, in preparing the racing surface. It paid off with a great track, praised by the drivers, on that final night. We've said it before, and we will say it again....only at Boone. The staff is a well oiled machine. Yes, hard decisions have to be made in order to get the show in, but it will get in.
The good was also the catching up with racing friends we are fortunate to call racing family. This year, we added more to the clan. Some we see only at Super Nationals time and it is a great reunion and fun times. And yes, the GOOD did outweigh, the bad and the ugly!
A few more races are planned for us before we hang it up for the season. This Friday and Saturday, we plan for the World Nationals at the Marshalltown Speedway. Hope to see some of you there!
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