Grabouski, Brown, Carter and Watson nab Marshalltown Frostbuster wins

The Marshalltown Speedway got its 2019 racing season kicked off on Friday night with the running of their IMCA Frostbuster special. This was the first Frostbuster of four originally scheduled, to come to fruition as Mother Nature had other ideas about Stuart Speedway and Benton County Speedway. The final Frostbuster will be at the Boone Speedway tonight.

On the ticket for the night's action were the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and the IMCA Hobby Stocks.  The packed stands of eager race fans saw 173 race cars take to the Highbanks for a great night of racing action.

The IMCA Hobby Stocks got the feature racing started as the 24 cars that qualified through the heats and three B Mains, put on a flag to flag 15-lap main event.  Veteran racer John Watson took home the first Frostbuster crown by leading the race from start to finish.  Watson started second and took the immediate lead and took the checkers comfortably over second place Corey Madden, from Avoca, Iowa.  A close third went to Dylan Nelson, Trevor Holm made the haul from Chandler, Minnesota and came away with a fourth place finish, and Adam Ayers from Adair, Iowa, completed the top five.

The IMCA Northern SportMods ran a 20 lap feature event and when all was said and done, Brayton Carter,  the hot shoe out of Oskaloosa, Iowa, was crowned the Frostbuster winner.  Carter, who started fourth, fought by early leader Nate Whitehurst and then held off a hard charging Doug Smith in the latter laps, to capture the crown.  Following second place Smith was Keokuk, Iowa's Daniel Fellows in third, fourth went to twelfth place starter Tony Olson, and Tyler Nerud, Dorchester, Nebraska, was fifth.

The IMCA Stock Cars, still the Class too Tough to Tame, put on their usual exciting feature.  Dan Mackenthun from Hamburg, Minnesota started on the pole of the 20-lap event, and held the early lead until Kyle Brown took over the helm at lap three.  Brown, who started seventh, shot to the lead and then held it the remainder of the way to the finish line and the Frostbuster win.  Finishing in second place was veteran racer Brian Blessington who started twelfth, Donavon Smith took third place after starting sixteenth, fourth went to John Oliver, Jr., Danville, Iowa, and Shawano, Wisconsin driver, Trent Nolan, was fifth.  Damon Murty, who started twenty-second on the field, was making an impressive charge through the pack by about midway of the race, then getting to second at lap sixteen only to gave Lady Luck bite him in turn one.  Jay Schmidt was also impressive, starting twenty-fourth, and challenging Brown at the finish line, crossing in second.  However, a check of the results showed him finishing last due to a rules infraction...an overlooked ignition box issue.  This was Kyle Browns first IMCA Stock Car feature win.  His flashy looking red and white machine, a throwback look of an old Woods Brothers scheme, may not be its last trip to Victory Lane. 

The night cap was the 25-lap IMCA Modified feature.  Defending IMCA National Champion, Jordan Grabouski, from Beatrice, Nebraska started on the outside front row alongside pole sitter Tim Ward and nabbed the lead as soon as the race went green.  From there on, Grabouski would lead all laps on his way to the flying checkers.  Ricky Thornton, Jr. came from sixth starting position and chased the leader for much of the race, but had to settle for a runner up spot on this night.  Tim Ward finished in third, fourth was tenth place starter Cayden Carter, and Joel Rust came from thirteenth starting spot, to round out the top five. Grabouski, who had a fabulous season last year, winning every feature at his hometown Beatrice Speedway track, has not lost a beat over the off season.

There was an impressive field of cars in the pits last evening with 46 Modifieds, 46 Stock Cars, 42 SportMods and 39 Hobby Stocks, and a who's who of drivers.  Drivers from Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Missouri joined the Iowans in the fun and games last night.  Ken Schrader was on hand in his familiar #9 Modified, and Ricky Thornton, Jr., who now calls Adel, Iowa home being a transplanted Arizonian, had to undoubtedly be one of the picks to go home with all the marbles, but was unable to catch winner Grabouski.  He had an outstanding season last year, winning many races all over the country. 

The drivers had to avoid a couple of corner holes that developed during the evening, and it bit several drivers.  Two red flag situations also occurred when Carl Brewer from Vermillion, South Dakota took a ride in turn two in his Modified, and Hobby Stock driver Seth Hellinga snapped rolled his ride out of turn two as well.  Both drivers were fine.  Many drivers flirted with the topside of the track, which had a fine line last evening, only to find themselves, up and off the racing surface.

Tonight is the final 2019 Frostbuster at the Boone Speedway.  Early start times are hot laps at 4 and racing at 5.  If last night's car count is any indication of what's to come, the pits will be packed.  The RaceSaver Sprint cars join the Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods and Hobby Stocks. 

It was great to get back to racing and get our season kicked off last night.  As much fun as the racing is, it was also great to see so many familiar faces in the stands back again!