Donovan Smith takes Hawkeye Challenge, besting all other classes

It was a blast from the past on Saturday night at the Boone Speedway when the Hawkeye Challenge returned.  It was also the RaceSaver Sprint Season Championship, along with the other regular weekly classes in competition.

The Hawkeye Challenge pitted four drivers from each of the six classes taking to the track at one time.  This event was previously held from 1987-1993.  Each class point leader was locked into the feature, with the other three qualifying through a passing points system from their earlier heat races.  The over all winner went home $1,000 richer, and with a Snap-on Tools Tool Box/Grill combo.  Every other class winner took home $500.

The classes were aligned on the starting grid with Sprints, Modifieds, SportMods, Mod Lites, Stock Cars, and Hobby Stocks in that order. This was determined according to calculations through transponder timing and each class was given a certain number of laps to finish.  At the end of the race, it was Stock Car driver Donavon Smith winning the over all championship.  The other winners were Tim Ward in the Modifieds, Cam Reimers in the SportMods, Mike Houseman in the Sprints, John Watson in Hobby Stocks, and Mike Kennedy in the Mod Lites.  EDIT: After further review, the results changed and the over all winner was determined to be John Watson in the Hobby Stocks.  Donovan Smith was the Stock Car winner, Cam Reimers retained the SportMod win, as did Tim Ward in the Modifieds, Mike Houseman in Sprint, and Mike Kennedy in the Mod Lite.  

The IMCA RaceSaver Sprints closed out their season with their championship race and the crowning of the first of the 2019 track champions. This all played out with some strange circumstances in the 8 car feature race.

Point leader Mike Houseman, who was piloting his brother's car due to a major incident with his ride the night before at US 36 Raceway in Missouri, discovered he had issues with his rent a ride just before feature time. During the on track driver introductions, It looked bleak for him to be able to hold on for the title, and anticipated only making a few laps before heading to the pits. But...it's never over until it's over.  Fate stepped in, and Tyler Thompson, who was just six points behind in the chase for the track title, was involved in an incident just as the race began....sending him to the pits and out of the game! This was enough for Houseman to retain his point lead, and take the title of track champion for 2019.

The RaceSaver Sprint feature for the night went to a first time winner at the track, when Kade Higday, swept home to the checkers first.  He finished nearly a half a lap ahead of second place Joel Thorpe.  DJ Palmer, Ryan Navratil and Shadrach Sporaa rounded out the top five.

The Mod Lite feature saw Travis Stensland lead all 15 laps on his way to the winner's circle.  Terry Brown finished a distant second, Tanner Gannon was third, fourth went to visiting Pleasant Hill, Missouri racer Ed Griggs and Randy Bryan was fifth.

Jake McBirnie powered by early race leader Ronnie Hults on lap seven of the 18 lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature, finishing well ahead of runner up Dustin Lynch.  Hults took third, Cory Pestotnik started ninth, and finished fourth, and twelfth place starter Chris Burke was fifth.  McBirnie came from tenth starting spot, to capture his fifth feature of the year.

Joel Bushore and Jeremy Mills made contact at lap fifteen of the 20 lap IMCA Modified A main.  Bushore had his 6 cylinder wound up and had been leading when Mills finally got around him, and then a bit of a shoving match ensured.  This allowed third place runner Tim Ward to sweep around both and take command.  Bushore soon exited the track and was out of the running.  Ward then kept a tight hold on that top spot the rest of the way to the flying checkers, and scored his first victory at the track this season.  Jeremy Mills took second after starting eleventh, Joel Rust started next to Mills in the starting grid and finished third, Jimmy Gustin, who is in the points race for the track title was fourth, and Ronn Lauritzen started fifteenth and finished fifth. Tim Ward will be spending some time soon at Eldora Speedway as he has a Nascar Gander Truck ride coming up on August 1.    

Josh Daniels was dominate in taking the win in the IMCA Stock Cars.  He finished comfortably ahead of runner up Jeff Mueller.  Scott Davis came from starting tenth to finish third, Troy Jerovetz was in the hunt most of the race and finished in fourth place, and David Smith rounded out the top five.  Daniels won for the third time at the speedway this season.

The IMCA Hobby Stock feature did not start well as veteran racer Shaun Wirtz got tangled up in a situation which sent him rolling before even one lap was scored. Thankfully, he was okay, his ride, not so much. When racing got underway, Eric Knutson took the immediate lead, soon to have John Watson relentlessly pestering him for a way around.  Watson's persistence paid off on lap ten of the 15 lap event when he took over.  Knutson wasn't done however, as he surged back ahead in the closing moments to seal his trip to victory lane.  Watson had to be content with second place, Jack Phillips was third, Greg Sidles from Fairmont, Minnesota made the trip down and scored a fourth place finish, and fourteen year old Mike Smith was fifth.

The two-person Cruisers cars once again had the #00 car winning with the duo of Donny Mason and Carl Agan.

It was really interesting to see the six different classes of race cars running at one time on the track.  Many thought it might mean disaster for the little Mod Lites out on the track with the big horse-powered Sprints and Modifieds, but that wasn't the case, as they more than held their own.  Thank goodness for transponder, plus six separate hand scorers (one for each class) keeping track last night for the Hawkeye Challenge.  It was a sight to see and the fans got their money's worth.  

Next Saturday, August 3 will be the Watermelon Classic Triple Crown night at the races.  It's $2,500 to win for the IMCA Modifieds, $1,000 to win the TiLUBE Challenge, and each heat winner from all classes will be running for that infamous Boone Speedway watermelon award!  

Lots of racing left out there.  Find a race to attend and support dirt track racing!

"G Money" takes the Modified money, Hurst claims Late Model Season Championship and lady racers Gustin and Wroten park it in victory lane

After last week's weather out due to the extreme high temperatures, the High Banks were back in action once again on Friday night.  It was Rumours Bar & Grill/Salute to Marshalltown Police night at the races.

Joe Glick went back to victory lane when he took the checkers in the Mod Lite feature.  Glick started seventh, and had the lead by lap three.  Erin Turner rolled his ride on the frontstretch, halting the race at lap nine.  Thankfully, he was okay.  When the race picked back up, Glick continued his run at the front of the field and went on to claim his second win of the year.  Travis Stensland came from twelfth starting spot to finish as the runner up.  Joel Huggins, Mike Morrill and Randy Bryan completed the top five.

Leah Wroten showed the guys how it's done in the IMCA Hobby Stock 15-lap feature.  Wroten started eighth and had the lead by lap four, never to relinquish it.  She pulled away to claim the easy win, her third of the 2019 season.  Gary Pfantz finished in the runner up spot, Kaden Reynolds took third, veteran racer Bill Bonnett started ninth and claimed fourth, and Jacob Floyd was fifth.

Another lady racer, Jenae Gustin bested the guys in the IMCA Northern SportMod A main, winning her first race of the year.  Gustin, who just returned this season after taking a year off from racing didn't look to have missed a beat.  Gustin started fifth, had the lead on lap two, and never looked back on her way to the flying checkers.  Austin Schrage had a good run, coming from seventh starting spot, to claim second.  Tony Olson was third, Jake McBirnie started eleventh and finished fourth and Travis Peterson came from tenth, to finish fifth. The race was plagued by cautions, and was threatened by the time limit rule, but went the full 18 laps, and Gustin made it back to back wins on the night for the ladies. 

Damon Murty took the checkers in the IMCA Stock Car division, continuing his awesome week of racing around the state, making it five wins in a row.  Murty started on the outside front row, and immediately took the lead when the race went green.  Jay Schmidt fell in right behind Murty, and chased him all race long to finish second.  Shawn Ritter took third place, Dallon Murty took fourth, and Steve Meyer rounded out the top five. This was Murty's second win at the speedway this season.

The IMCA Modifieds were running for $1,000 to win Friday night, and as often is the case when more money is up for grabs, it was Richie "G Money" Gustin going home with the prize. Gustin started in row five, and ran down early leader DJ Shannon from Merced, California, taking the top spot on lap eight.  Gustin pulled away in the closing laps, claiming another of his bigger money pay offs.  Todd Shute had an amazing run, finishing second after starting eighteenth.  It was a close one for third and fourth, with Shannon just beating Tim Ward to the finish line, and Ronn Lauritzen took fifth, after starting tenth on the field. 

The IMCA Late Models wound up their weekly racing for 2019, and it was Jeremiah Hurst claiming the feature win and wrapping up his first track championship as well.  The field started straight up by points for their final regular race of the year.  Hurst led all 20 laps of the feature to take home the trophy.  Veteran and hometown racer Darrel DeFrance had his night end when he pulled up in turn four off power while running in second spot, bringing out a yellow and ending his night on lap eight.  Hurst motored off on the restart and had things well in hand, when the race went red with just three laps remaining.  Jill George and Randy Faux got tangled up in corner two, ending with George rolling her ride.  The final laps saw Hurts shoot off once again, taking the win comfortably over second place Dalton Simonsen.  Curtis Glover took third, veteran racer Gary Webb came from tenth spot to finish fourth, and Kyle Krampe completed the top five.

The Late Models, though done with their weekly points racing, will have one more run on the High Banks coming up on August 9, for the Miller 50.  They will join the regular weekly classes for this special for the wide bodies. 

The night had more than its share of cautions, roll overs, blown motors, etc., making us all look around to see if it was a full moon night. However, it was the usual entertaining night at the Marshalltown Speedway on a track that the winners were praising in victory lane.

Find a race to attend and help support the sport we all love.....dirt track racing!

No surprises at Southern Iowa Speedway, it's Carter, VanDerWal, Hughes, Hughes, and Orwig

It was a beautiful night for some mid-week racing at the Southern Iowa Speedway on Wednesday.  After last week's fair race with over 100 cars, there were only 40 cars checked in at the Monster Half-Mile. The kiddos got to take a spin around the big old half-mile as drivers loaded up the youngsters prior to races.  In racing action there were no surprise victories this week as repeat winners came from all five classes.

After a full house of Sport Compacts last week for the Caleb Hammond Memorial race during the Southern Iowa Fair, there were only four in the house this week.  Trent Orwig snapped up the lead from Nathan Moody at lap two, and then went on to stretch it out from the rest of the field, winning the 10-lap A main easily.  The real contest in this race was for second place as Moody and Billy Cain wrestled much of the race with Moody holding the upper hand until the last moments.  That's when Cain made a spurt to the finish line, taking second by a nose over Moody in third.  Lewie Winkleman finished fourth.  This was Orwig's fifth win at SIS this season.

The Non-wing Sprints were up next with Doug Sylvester holding the lead at lap one, only to have Johnathan Hughes snatch it away by lap three.  On lap four, the race was red flagged when the #38 of Logan Alexander drifted too high in turn one, and flipped his ride high in the air.  He did get checked out in the ambulance on site, but refused transportation, saying he was okay.

When the race resumed, Hughes shot off from the field and pulled away.  He took the checkers well ahead of second place Doug Sylvester.  Dillan Alexander made a fine recovery from looping it in turn four on the dash to the finish line, keeping his machine going, and finishing third. Garrett Alexander was fourth, and newcomer for the night, Joe Simbro from Swan, Iowa, completed the top five.  This made three wins in a row for Hughes.

Rick VanDusseldorp made his return appearance to the track this year, competing in the Hobby Stock division after years of absence.  He would lead the first four laps of the 14-lap feature until Mike Hughes made his way into the lead.  Hughes had it well in hand after that, and would distance himself from the field to take the comfortable win.  Dustin Griffiths got around VanDusseldorp in the closing laps as they finished second and third respectively.  Christian Huffman and Clint Nelson completed the top five. Hughes won for the third time at SIS in the 2019 season.

The draw/redraw format that the track is running this year, set Curtis VanDerWal on the pole for the 16-lap SportMod feature.  We were thinking, as most others I would guess, that it was over. It was. VanDerWal shot to the lead immediately, and even three cautions at lap two, five and seven were no issue for the veteran hometown driver.  He would finish the race a straightaway ahead of second place Logan Anderson as the checkers flew.  Colton Livezey was third, fourth went to Brayton Carter, and Blaine Webster was fifth.  Surprisingly, this was only VanDerWal's second win at Osky this year.

The Stock Cars wound up the night's racing with their 16-lap feature.  Nathan Wood claimed the lead on lap one, but just a couple of laps later, it was the "Orange Crush" machine of Cayden Carter taking command.  From there on, he was out for a Sunday drive, taking the checkers a straightaway ahead of the field.  The duel for second place was constant as Wood and Dustin Griffiths went to battle.  Wood held the upper hand, and finished as the runner up, with Griffiths taking third.  Jason McDaniel finished fourth, and Jason See made an appearance at the track last evening, and went home with fifth place.  This was Carter's sixth feature win of the season in the Stock Car class.

Next Wednesday, July 31, will be season championship night at Osky, winding up the weekly racing for the year. Then, mark your calendar for the Annual Fall Challenge coming up on September 20-21. Prior to that Terry McCarl brings in the Sprint Cars ahead of the Knoxville Nationals running right down the road. The Southern Iowa Speedway holds the Front Row Challenge on August 6, followed up by the Ultimate Challenge on August 7.

Chuck Graves, the non-wing Sprint Car racer who was injured at the track a couple of weeks ago, continues to heal.  Jerry Mackey announced that he has hopes of being released from the hospital soon.  Last week, drivers passed their helmets through the stands, collecting donations for his medical expenses, with $1,138 being collected.

Find a race to attend during this busy racing season in our area.  In fact, there were several shows going on last night alone.  Help support the sport we all love.....dirt track racing! 

Carter takes Mod win at big turn out for Caleb Hammond Memorial

It was typical fair time in Iowa as it was a hot and sticky night at the Southern Iowa Fair in Oskaloosa on Tuesday night.  It was the Inaugural running of the Caleb Hammond Memorial honoring the young race fan who lost his battle with cancer last year, after fighting the good fight.

By my count, there were 110 race cars in six divisions as the Modifieds joined the regular classes....the first time for their appearance in a couple of years.  Cayden Carter took the victory and made it look easy in the Modifieds.  Damon Murty drew the front row for the Stock Car feature, took command immediately and held it the entire distance with two cars sniffing at his heels.  Brayton Carter took home the spoils by winning the SportMod division. Mike Hughes got his second win of the year in the Hobby Stocks.  Jonathon Hughes won for the second week in a row in the non-wing Sprints with a spectacular slide job on the final lap, and Nathan Chandler brought it home to the checkers in the Compact class.

Eleven non-wing Sprints were in the house last night and prior to their feature, the drivers worked their way through the full grandstand as they passed the helmet for Chuck Graves.  Graves was injured last week at the speedway and has a long road to recovery.

Josh Most, the veteran driver from Red Oak, Iowa that will race just about any kind of machine, drew pole position for the non-wing Sprint feature.  I believe he was piloting the #93 of Rick Germar from the SW Iowa area. Most looked to be in a runaway in the feature race but hold the phone...one of those green-white-checkered finishes put a kink in that!  Last week's winner Jonathan Hughes had been chasing Most much of the distance and when the yellow came out, it put him on the tail of the leader for the restart.  A spectacular slide job on the final circuit....something Most is often known for, turned the outcome upside down, as Hughes flew under the checkers first....leaving Most no doubt, a disappointed runner up.  Garrett Alexander followed in third, Doug Sylvester was fourth, and Dylan Alexander was fifth.

It was like a Compact nationals as Positively Racing's guru Jeff Broeg put it.  By my count there were 24 of the mighty little race cars in the house to run the Mahaska Monster 1/2 mile.  Nathan Chandler went home with the hefty $600 payday in the feature.  Chandler took command early in the race after starting sixth, and took the comfortable win.  Barry Taft was piloting the 30X car last night instead of his usual #57, and came home in second place.  Trent Orwig, Chuck Fullencamp and Nathan Moody rounded out the top five.

The "Big One" happened in the Hobby Stock feature as about nine cars were involved in an incident on the frontstretch before lap one was counted.  When the race restarted Christian Huffman was captain of the ship, but it didn't take long until Mike Hughes grabbed it away.  From then on, it was all Hughes at the front of the pack on his way to victory.  Clint Nelson ran at the front of the field all race long, and scored the runner up spot.  Dustin Griffiths took third, fourth went to Christian Huffman and Derek Kirkland was fifth.  Hughes went home $1,000 richer for the win.

Brayton Carter was the lucky recipient of the redraw for the SportMod 16-lap A main, drawing the pole position.  It was all Carter from the get go on this one as he never relinquished his lead on his way to the $1,000 win.  Logan Anderson challenged the leader but had to settle for the runner up spot.  It was a close one for third and fourth, with Curtis VanDerWal in third, just holding off Cayden Carter, who was piloting the #30M car once again, in fourth.  Jason Hall was a front runner the entire race and finished fifth.

The Stock Car feature had a rough time getting things going.  It took three tries to get lap three completed, but after that, they ran caution free.  Damon Murty, the "Chelsea Charger" was in the house and he drew the outside front row to start the 16 lap feature.  Murty jumped immediately to the lead and two cars, Todd Reitzler and Cayden Carter tucked in to run right behind him.  The three cars ran nose to tail much of the race, with Murty and Reitzler choosing the high road, and Carter giving it a shot by trying to often make the low road work, but to no avail. Murty took the checkers, Reitzler went second and Carter was third.  A distant fourth place went to Derrick Agee and Nathan Wood complected the top five.  Murty's payday was $1,000 plus at least another $100 bonus from a generous donor.

After a couple of years absence, it was great to see the Modifieds back running at the big old half-mile speedway.  Twenty cars checked in with out of state drivers from Illinois, Missouri, Arizona, California, and Wisconsin. Veteran racer Bruce Hanford from Davenport led the hefty field for the 30-lap main event, staying at the front until lap twelve.  That's when local hot shoe Cayden Carter showed just why he is often in victory lane, and flew to the lead. Carter, who started in row six,
was holding the lead at lap twelve when a yellow came out.  However, this didn't deter Carter in the least. He took off as the race returned to green, and though running dangerously high on the race track, especially in turns one and two, skillfully raced on to the checkered flag and the win.  He finished well ahead of second place Todd Shute, early leader Bruce Hanford was a distant third, Lance Mari, Imperial, California was fourth, and Austin Howes, Quincy, Illinois, was fifth. Carter, who was doing triple duty last evening, racing in not only the Modified, but the Stock Car and SportMod as well....had a successful night, with a 1st, 3rd and 4th. He also had a hefty payoff night with the $2,000 for the Modified victory.

There was a great turnout last evening for the Caleb Hammond Memorial, and many of the drivers had the date for this one circled on their calendar.  It was heartwarming to see how the drivers and fans came in support of the young man who left us all too early.

We got a taste of some great fair food last night too....can't beat the great tenderloin at the stand behind the grandstand.  We also got to sample an awesome concoction from the same stand, thanks to Jeff Broeg....sampling forks in hand when he came back with a huge helping of burnt ends, cheese, veggies, potatoes, sour cream, etc., etc.  We return tonight for another night of racing at the Southern Iowa Speedway, when Todd Staley brings the USMTS Modifieds to town.  We just might have to sample more of that fair food.  Hope to see you there!

Gustin goes back to back, Patava gets first Boone win on full moon effect night

It was a packed full night of racing at the Boone Speedway on Saturday that left a lot of us wondering if it was a full moon night! The Outlaw Mini Mod Series was also in the house to run at the track for the first time in history.

Jimmy Gustin made it two in a row by taking the Snap-on Tools IMCA Modified feature and Rod Richards returned to the winner's circle in the Arnold Motor Supply IMCA Stock Cars.  Brandon Patava got his first ever win at Boone under his belt when he took the checkers in the Elmquist Towing IMCA Northern SportMod feature.  Shaun Wirtz made his first appearance in Victory Lane when he won the Pickett Salvage IMCA Hobby Stock main event, and Joel Huggins also won for the first time in the My Race Pass Mod Lites.  Val Urman got his second win this season when he took the checkers in the K1 Race Gear IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, and the visiting class of Outlaw Mini Mods saw Nathan Kilwine take the victory, Completing the night's racing it was once again the Mason and Agan duo in the two-person Cruisers.

Shadrach Sporaa, the Boone hometown racer, led the opening laps of the 20 lap IMCA RaceSaver feature until Val Urman came calling and took over at lap eleven.  Urman kept a tight hold on that lead the remaining laps to the flying checkers and the win.  Sporaa held the runner up spot, finishing ahead of third place Mike Houseman.  Fourth went to Paul Navratil, and Tyler Thompson was fifth.  The race went green to checkers. Urman scored his second win of 2019.

Travis Stensland started on the pole of the 15 lap Mod Lite feature and immediately took the lead.  He had a lot of company early with Jeff Stensland and Joel Huggins pressuring him. It took just until lap four before Joel Huggins took over command of the ship and from then on, held the lead to the checkers and the win.  Travis Stensland finished as the runner up, Mike Kennedy finished a distant third, Jeff Stensland took fourth, and Bryan Zehm rounded out the top five. The race went caution free.

The visiting Outlaw Mini Mods ran a 12 lap event and this one found Nathan Kilwine from Glenville, Minnesota  putting his name in the record books as the first ever winner at the speedway in the Mini Mod class.  Kilwine fended off a couple of peeks by Clear Lake, Iowa's Logan Brown who went second.  Third went to Bobby Daniels, Michael Bryant was fourth and Tanner Prehn took fifth. You can check out a little bit about this Mini Mod series at http://www.batwingchassis.com/outlaw-mini-mod-series/index.php

There was a first time ever winner at Boone in the IMCA Northern SportMod division as Brandon Patava would lead the 18 lap event from flag to flag on his way to victory lane.  He was challenged in some three-wide racing by Dustin Lynch and Cam Reimers but held them off to take the win.  Lynch took the runner up spot, Reimers went third, Jake McBirnie came from twelfth to finish fourth, and Curtis Veber was fifth.

Earlier during the heats, an unfortunate incident occurred when the throttle appeared to stick for SportMod driver Jon Strabley.  Strabley shot off of turn three, tumbling wildly over the edge. He was transported to the hospital and according to social media, was later transported on to Des Moines.  We send good thought and prayers to him and his family for a quick and speedy recovery. 

Jimmy Gustin repeated his win from last Saturday when he took the checkers in the IMCA 20 lap Modified feature.  Gustin capitalized on a late race restart, flying from third to first and then going on to hold the top spot the rest of the way to take the win.  Tony Cox took second, third was Chad Louk, Scott Hogan came from thirteenth to finish fourth, and Kenny Wyman, Jr. the driver from Goodyear, Arizona came from seventeenth to finish fifth.  Gustin, who started tenth, claimed his third win of the season. Early race leader Jason Asbe from Clear Lake, Iowa, had fifteen great laps leading the troops, until the full moon effect caught up with him when the caution came out and the ensuing restart let Gustin take advantage when Asbe slid high on the the racetrack.

As mentioned above, it seemed like a full moon night with incidents happening time after time.  Josh May followed up by bringing out a red flag in his Modified heat race, not long after the red flag in the SportMods. He sailed off of the top of turn one, but luckily got out of the car and was okay.

There was a bit of mayhem in the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature as several mishaps disabled over a dozen cars, leaving many of the top running drivers out of the game and damage to their race cars. Rod Richards was fortunate to avoid those disasters, and captured the win.  Richards, who took the lead at lap four, bested second place Andrew Burg.  Josh Daniels took third, Wayne Gifford started fifteenth and was fourth, and Brock Badger was fifth.  This was Richard's second win at the track this season.

Rookie Miciah Hidlebaugh looked poised to finally get that elusive first win in the IMCA Hobby Stock 15 lap A main, but once again it alluded him as Shaun Wirtz snatched away the dream with just two laps remaining and then went on to take the win.  Hidlebaugh was again the bridesmaid in second place, Daniel Smith took third place, and Aaron Rudolph and Matt McDonald went fourth and fifth respectively.

It was a strange night at the races.....many usual top runners did not have the best of nights.  As an example, Donavon Smith in the Stock Cars suffered issues in his heat race and was towed off and unable to start the feature.  The Smith family woes continued as brothers David and Devin Smith were also DNF's for the night....a very unusual happening.  Also in the DNF category were Jay Schmidt, Robert Stofer, Kevin Opheim, and Tyler Pickett.  The Modifieds had their share of did not finishers as well with Randy Havlik, Eric Elliott, Cory Sauerman, and Joel Bushore on the list.

Check the calendar at Positively Racing and find a race to attend.  There are many specials along with weekly racing coming up.  Help support the sport we all love.....dirt track racing!

Aikey takes two at the Dale DeFrance and Bill Davis, Sr. Memorial at the High Banks

July 11, 2019

The Dale DeFrance and Bill Davis, Sr. memorial race was held at the Marshalltown Speedway on a rare Thursday night during the Central Iowa Fair.  The two races were combined after earlier season weather outs. The drivers in all classes were running for bigger pay offs, huge trophies, plus many contingencies brought about by the hard work of both families to honor the two very special racers. It was a draw/redraw show and was not for track points.

The two drivers honored tonight were special indeed.  Bill Davis, Sr. was a two time IMCA National Champion in the Modified division, but had raced in many classes spanning the 1960's through 2001.  His racing career accumulated over 500 total wins.  His son Bill Davis, Jr. carries on the racing tradition as does his grandson Bill Wears.  Dale DeFrance was the patriarch of the racing DeFrance family...which is still strong into the racing scene.  Daughter Judy DeFrance Gustin raced and is now married to another former racer, Rick Gustin.  Their children carry on the tradition as well as, Jimmy, Richie, Ryan, and Jenae are hot shoes behind the wheel.  Son Darrel DeFrance pilots the #99D Late Model and is a crowd favorite wherever he goes. 

Jeff Aikey put on quite the show as he won two races back to back....the IMCA Modified feature and then the IMCA Late Model event.  Todd Reitzler put it on the block in the winner's circle by taking the honors in the IMCA Stock Car event.  It was Brayton Carter winning for the fifth time this year in the IMCA Northern SportMod class.  Eric Stanton made a trip to the High Banks and went home with honors in the IMCA Hobby Stock division, and Dillon Raffurty made the long haul up from Independence, Missouri, and went home with a win in the Mod Lites on his first ever trip to the speedway.

Dillon Raffurty made the trip up from Independence, Missouri, and led all 15-lap to take the checkers in the Mod Lite feature.  Mike Zemo from Davenport, Iowa chased the leader the entire way, to finish as the runner up.  Mike Morrill took third place, fourth went to Joel Huggins, and Tanner Gannon completed the top five.  This was Raffurty's first time ever at the track.  He, along with Michael Raffurty took the opportunity to come and race at the High Banks on an off night at their local track.

Leah Wroten got out in front quickly in the IMCA Hobby Stock A main, but Eric Stanton had the lead at lap four.  Stanton, who started sixth, never looked back from there on as he motored to the flying checkers.  Wroten held the runner up position, Kayden Reynolds finished third, fourth was Jamie Coady and Zach Hovell was fifth. This was Stanton's first time at the track this season.

The IMCA Northern SportMods were up next for their 18-lap feature.  Brayton Carter started in the second row, took command immediately and warded off the advances of Jenae Gustin, and then Jake McBirnie to take another win.  Jake McBirnie came from eleventh to finish in the runner up spot, Jenae Gustin was third, fourth went to thirteenth place starter Travis Peterson, earning him a hard charger award, and Cam Reimers took fifth place.  This marked the fifth win at the speedway for Carter this year which includes the Frostbuster special that opened the track's season.

Todd Reitzler went home $1,000 richer after taking the honors in the IMCA Stock Cars.  Reitzler drew the pole and kept it out front the entire 18-laps to secure the win.  It was a dog fight behind Reitzler however, as Jeff Wollam, David Brandies, Kyle Everts, and Jeff Mueller jockeyed for position.  A yellow with just two laps remaining found Mueller stranded at the top of turn three with mechanical issues, thus resulting in a green-white-checkered shoot out. Reitzler held his lead and took the win. David Brandies crossed the line in second but was penalized for a last corner incident with then second running Jeff Wollam.  Damon Murty started fifteenth and was then awarded second place after a terrific last minute surge, Steve Meyer came from eighteenth to finish third, and Shawn Ritter took his ride to fourth after starting twelfth and Kyle Everts was fifth.  This was Reitzler's second appearance in Victory Lane this season.

$1,100 was up for grabs to the winner of the 20-lap IMCA Modified A main event.  Jeff Aikey took a liking to the top of the track, and sailed home to the win.  Ryan Gustin chased Aikey the distance but had to settle for second.  Ethan Dotson took third, Richie Gustin started in twelfth spot and finished fourth, and Zack VanderBeek rounded out the top five. Aikey drew the outside pole for the start, tested the track and found he liked it "up top", one of few who did.  The veteran racer made it look almost easy as he sailed to the win.   This was Aikey's second Modified win, repeating from last week.

The finale of the night was 44 laps of IMCA Late Model racing, in honor of the late Dale DeFrance's car number.  Fittingly, son Darrel DeFrance drew the pole starting position for the race.  DeFrance led the opening laps until Brian Harris nosed under him to take over at lap five.  Harris soon had Richie Gustin to contend with, and after running side by side, and a couple of slide jobs, Gustin made it stick and took over the lead. The race was far from over however, as a pair of #77 cars came calling.  Visiting York, Nebraska racer, Cory Dumpert moved from fourteenth starting spot to run in second, and Jeff Aikey, fresh off of his Modified victory, had moved from nineteenth spot to run in third. The closing circuits saw Aikey make his move and he took over the top spot.  He would then hold it to take the checkers and secure the $1,500 pay day.  Cory Dumpert was second, Darrel DeFrance took third place, fourth went to Brian Harris, and Sherrill, Iowa's Jeff Tharp came from fifteenth starting spot, to score a top five finish.

We note that although Richie Gustin crossed the finish line in second in the Late Model feature, the official results show that he was disqualified....for unknown reasons at this writing.

We were happy to meet Dustin Jarrett in the stands last evening who was visiting his 250th different track.  Jarrett is a strong supporter of racing.  He works at https://www.dirtondirt.com/ contributing on social media, a columnist and publicist,  and has a long history of announcing at among other tracks, the historic Eldora Speedway.  Thanks to Blake Anderson knowing we were there, he introduced himself.  He had rave revues about the racing last night and said how lucky we are to have the racing we have back here in Iowa.  He was amazed at how efficiently the program ran as well.  He's off to more tracks to get under his belt before returning to home base in Ohio.

There is no Friday night racing at the speedway this week.  Next races will be Friday, July 19 with racing in all six classes.   Hot laps are scheduled for 6:50 and racing at 7:30.   

Carter doubles up, Griffiths, Orwig and Hughes also visit Victory Lane

It was a pleasant night to be sitting in the grandstands at the big old half-mile monster at the Southern Iowa Speedway for some mid-week racing action.  Cayden Carter had the hot shoe on Wednesday night, taking the win in both the Stock Car and SportMod classes.  Dustin Griffiths was back in the winner's circle in the Hobby Stock Class as was Trent Orwig in the Sport Compacts.  It was the first win at Osky for Jonathon Hughes in just the second week of non-wing sprint competition at the track.

The non-wing Sprints were first up for their 10-lap feature.  This one was led from start to finish by Jonathan Hughes from Knoxville.  Doug Sylvester chased the winner the entire distance but could do no better than second.  Third went to Dillon Alexander, Garrett Alexander was fourth, and Lance Silvers was fifth.  The non-wing sprints are an added class to finish out this season. 

Earlier in the evening for the non-wing sprint heat race, things did not go well. When the green dropped and the cars sped into turn one, Chuck Graves in the G3 car got high going into corner one, couldn't recover as he came out of turn two and then flipped violently on the back stretch.  The race immediately went red.  Graves was transported to the hospital and after the races were completed for the night, announcer Jerry Mackey asked for thoughts and prayers for the driver as he was life flighted to Des Moines.  It was good to hear that he was awake and coherent.

Trent Orwig got back to his winning ways, as he took home the honors in the Sport Compact class. Orwig led the 10-lap feature from start to finish.  He had to fend off the constant challenge of Brandon Allison who took the runner up position.  Billy Cain, Nathan Moody and James Haring completed the top five. This was Orwig's fourth time in victory lane this year.

Lewie Winkleman also took a wild ride during the Sport Compact feature.  He took a high and spectacular tumble on the back stretch coming out of that turn number two nemesis of the evening. Thankfully, he was able to walk to the ambulance.

Dustin Griffiths started sixth in the 14-lap Hobby Stock A main, but already had the lead by the time lap three was scored. From there on he pulled away and scored a comfortable win over second place Dereck Kirkland. Clint Nelson took third, Jamie Songer made his first appearance at the track this year in a #85 ride and took fourth, and Scott Shull was fifth.  This made the fifth win for Griffiths this season. 

Cayden Carter was in the #30M VanderBuilt SportMod last evening as he continues to dial in the race car for the owner.  Carter started on the tail of the 16-lap race which saw Logan Anderson out in front and gone for much of the race....however Carter had other ideas!  Carter diced through the field of cars and reeled in the leader.  With just two laps left in the race, Carter swung to the outside and flew to the lead.  He then finished well ahead of second place Anderson as the checkers waved.  Curtis VanDerWal was third, Dylan VanWyk went fourth, and Brayton Carter completed the top five.  Carter had won last time at the track when he first piloted the #30M.

The night cap was the 16-lap Stock Car feature....and one that did not disappoint!  Cayden Carter started fourth but took the lead by lap one in his "Orange Crush" hot rod.  Often, that means he will be out in front and gone, but on this night, Nathan Wood wasn't letting the leader out of his sights.  Wood closed in on Carter, and then lap after lap the two raced side by side, and often neck and neck as they passed the flag stand.  Those final handful of laps were nearly identical....Wood being able to get the advantage coming out of turn two, only to have Carter gain back the advantage.  It was a photo finish at the finish line that had the fans on their feet.  Carter was scored first....by inches, over Wood in second.  Watching the race in front of him much of the race was Jason McDaniel in third place.  Fourth went to Derrick Agee and Howard Gordon rounded out the top five.

Next week at Oskaloosa, the Southern Iowa Fair will be in full swing.  The weekly racing program will be on TUESDAY night, July 16 for the Caleb Hammond Memorial, with a greatly inflated purse on the line in all classes.  The Modifieds will also be joining the program that evening.  Then on Wednesday, July 17, there will be racing action with the USMTS Modifieds on the Monster Half-Mile. It was also announced that two more racing for the season have been added to the schedule.  There will be regular racing on July 24, and the season championships will be on July 31. 

We continue good thoughts and prayers for Sprint Car racer Chuck Graves after his wild ride last evening, and wish him a speedy and full recovery. 

Gustin finds Victory Lane

It was a full night of racing, plus chills, thrills, and fireworks at the Boone Speedway on Saturday night. The portion of the Eve of Destruction that was washed out on the 4th of July was completed including thrill stunts by Dr. Danger and a roll over contest. Jimmy Gustin found Victory Lane in the IMCA Modified class, Donavon Smith won the IMCA Stock Car make up feature from July 4, and Troy Jerovetz won the Saturday night feature. Jake McBirnie returned to the winner's circle in the IMCA Northern SportMod division, Daniel Smith also repeated in the IMCA Hobby Stock class, as did Jeff Stensland in the Mod Lites, and Joel Thorpe scored his first career victory in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprints.  The #00 continues its domination in the two person Cruisers with this weeks duo of Donny Mason and Carl Agan.

The rained out IMCA Stock Car feature from the 4th of July ran the make up to start the night's program.  Donovan Smith took the win.  Jay Schmidt scored the runner up position, Scott Davis came from the 5th row to score third, David Smith was fourth, and Tyler Pickett rounded out the top five.

Joel Thorpe led all 20 laps of the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature and in doing so, captured his first career win in the class.  Mike Houseman chased the leader the entire race but had to be content with second place.  DJ Palmer was third, fourth went to Tyler Thompson, and Ryan Navratil was fifth. The race went caution free.

It was Jeff Stensland taking the checkers in the Mod Lite 15-lap main event.  Stensland led early, then lost the lead to Joe Glick who appeared to be on his way to the win.  Then with two laps to go, Glick was suddenly off power, and Stensland found himself with a clear path to victory.  Mike Kennedy took the runner up spot, Bryan Zehm was third, and Ben George and Randy Bryan completed the top five.  This was Stensland's second trip to Victory Lane.

Cam Reimers led the opening laps of the 18-lap IMCA SportMod feature but was soon challenged by Jake McBirnie.  The two drivers swapped positions a couple of times until McBirnie finally established himself as the leader.  He then pulled away to take the win by a comfortable margin over second place Reimers.  Chad Ryerson was third, Cory Pestotnik was fourth, and Curtis Veber a close fifth.  This marked the fourth win of the season for McBirnie.

Joel Bushore had his 6-cylinder humming on the top of the track to lead the early portion of the IMCA Modified feature.  However, Jimmy Gustin soon came calling and took command with a handful of laps down.  From there on, he kept that top spot all the way to the checkers and the win.  Richie Gustin challenged the leader for several laps, but ended up a distant second at the end.  Fifteen year old Kollen Hibdon from Pahrump, Nevada had a good run to finish in third place, fourth went to Eric Elliott, and visitor for the night Cory Wray from Trenton, Missouri, started twentieth and finished fifth.

Troy Jerovetz secured his first win at the track this season, when he took the flying checkers in the 18-lap IMCA Stock Car class.  Jerovetz started seventh and took the lead on lap eleven to seal the deal.  Donovan Smith started tenth and finished second, Jay Schmidt came from twelfth to score a third place finish, veteran racer Robert Stofer, who just recently returned to racing action after having what we understood was open heart surgery, drove it from fourteenth to finish fourth, and Scott Davis was fifth after starting eleventh.

Daniel Smith made his fourth trip to the winner's circle by winning the IMCA Hobby Stock main event.   Cherokee, Iowa's James Johnson finished a close second, unable to find any way around Smith. Jack Phillips, John Watson, and early leader Miciah Hidlebaugh completed the top five.

The rained out portion of July 4th's Eve of Destruction also continued and the fans saw a pretty intense "Leap of Death" by stunt man Dr. Danger.  He drove a motor home up a ramp attempting to hurdle over a 5th wheel RV with a row of compact cars setting beyond it.  The fellow got up the ramp, but one side collapsed and he ended up only on top of the front portion of the RV.  Of course, this was all served up with a loud explosion and a fireball! It took a while to get the motor home removed from atop the RV, and then the pieces cleaned up!  There was also a roll over contest with a couple of compact cars giving the fans some added entertainment. The racing action was also halted, the track went dark, and the city fireworks that were weathered out on the 4th were on display. 

We've had an entertaining racing 4th of July week with four nights in a row.  Now time to catch our breath again before we continue with more of what is a full July racing schedule.  Check out the racing calendar at Positively Racing, and find a race to attend and help support dirt track racing.

14 year old Dallon Murty earns first career IMCA Stock Car win

After suffering two consecutive rain outs, the Marshalltown Speedway was back in action again Friday night.   Fans flocked to the speedway for free grandstand admission night thanks to KMJ Performance Warehouse as they enjoyed the racing action provided by the the 117 race cars on hand. Todd Cooney in the IMCA Late Models, Brayton Carter in the IMCA Northern SportMods, Leah Wroten in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Jeff Stensland in the MADCRA Mod Lites, all made return visits to the winner's circle.  It was Jeff Aikey's first time winning in the IMCA Modifieds, and getting his first career win in the IMCA Stock Car class, was 14 year old Dallon Murty.

The MADCRA Mod Lites ran their feature first and it was Jeff Stensland going home with the trophy in this one.  Stensland came from tenth starting spot, worked his way methodically through the field to catch second place runner Mike Morrill and leader Joe Glick when a yellow flew on lap thirteen.  Stensland took advantage of the restart, and by lap fourteen, he had the lead.  He held it the final lap to the checkers and the win.  Glick finished in second Morrill was third, fourth went to Joel Huggins, and Terry Brown rounded out the top five.  This was Stensland's second trip to Victory Lane at the speedway this season.

Leah Wroten paid her second visit to Victory Lane in winning the IMCA Hobby Stock event.  Wroten started eighth and quickly moved herself forward, much to the delight of her cheering fans in the stands, taking the top spot at lap three.  From there, she never looked back on her way to the flying checkers.  Veteran racer Bill Bonnett made his first appearance of the year at the track, and scored the runner up spot after starting ninth. Bonnett's car suffered major damage at the beginning of the season at the Southern Iowa Speedway, when a rent a driver for the night had a bad experience.  This may have been one of the first times back on the track for the race car.  Ben Newhouse was third, Jacob Floyd started eighteenth, and was scored fourth, and Justin Ginther was fifth from starting eleventh.

The IMCA Northern SportMod 18-lap feature saw Brayton Carter taking the win.  Carter caught then leader Tony Olson at lap nine and by the time lap ten was scored, had taken over the helm.  Carter then pulled away to score a comfortable win, his third of the regular season, plus also winning the Frostbuster.  Tony Olson held down the runner up spot, third went to eleventh place starter, Jake McBirnie, fourth was Thomas Egenberger,  and Travis Peterson rounded out the top five.  Carter came from twelfth starting spot to get to Victory Lane.

The IMCA Stock Car 18-lap feature was one for the record books as 14 year old Dallon Murty, son of the "Chelsea Charger" Damon Murty, led all laps to score his first career IMCA Stock Car feature win.  Murty set his ride to the top of the track much like his dad, and finished well ahead of second place Steve Meyer.  Shawn Ritter finished in third place, Todd Reitzler was fourth, and Dave Atcher completed the top five. It's always nice to see someone get their first win, and this was just the first of no doubt many more in his future.

Just after the Stock Car feature went green, veteran hometown racer Jeff Wollam found himself shoved off the track at the top of turn one, and he took a light tumble over and out of the track.  Thankfully, he was okay, but the car appeared to at least have a lot of cosmetic damage.  It took a bit to get the car removed, and it was eventually towed off behind the grandstand and through the parking lot.

Todd Cooney had to fend off Jeremiah Hurst most of the 20-lap IMCA Late Model feature in order to capture his second feature of the season.  Cooney came from eighth starting spot, to take the win. Hurst, who started ninth, finished as the runner up.  Darrel DeFrance took the third place, fourth was Dalton Simonsen, and Luke Pestka started tenth, and finished in fifth place.

The night cap was the the 25-lap $1,000 to win IMCA Modified A main.  Jeff Aikey drew the outside front row in the draw/redraw show last night, and would lead the entire race on his way to the checkers....his first in the Modified class.  Joel Rust surged back past Cody Laney, Torrence, California, in the closing laps, as they went second and third respectively. Tim Ward came from eleventh to finish in fourth, and 15-year old racer from Pahrump, Nevada, Kollen Hibdon started thirteenth, and finished fifth.

The native out of state drivers continue to do well back here in Iowa and it seems more and more are showing up to spend their summers racing in our area....some becoming permanent transplants. We note that three of the top five racers are natives of California, Arizona and Nevada. 

Marshalltown Speedway will be racing on a special night next week during the Central Iowa Fair.  They will hold the earlier weathered out Dale DeFrance Memorial and Bill Davis Memorial show on Thursday, July 11.  There will be no racing on Friday July 12.  The green flag drops at 7:30.   

Final flag has flown at the 25th Hogan Memorial

There was a bigger power in the works on Wednesday night at the Benton County Speedway for the final running of the Hogan Memorial. Radar looked ominous, and with fan after fan coming into the grandstands, the report was, "I just drove through a downpour" not far from here.  But perhaps on this night, there was someone from above having a hand in things, for the radar cell parted, and the final running of the Hogan Memorial is in the books.

The grandstands and pits were packed with fans and drivers.  One hundred fifty-three cars....a Hogan Memorial record, were on hand to run in the six classes on the docket for the night.  The race honors Dick and Janet Hogan, two highly respected residents of the town and big supporters of racing.  Dick suffered a heart attack back in June of 1995 while watching son Scott race at the track.  The very first Hogan Memorial was run the very next month in July.  Scott's mother Janet continued to be a big supporter of her son's racing, and racing in general until her death in 2006.  The race honoring them has grown year after year, and the final tribute was an emotional one last evening. 

There were a couple of showers while we waited in the grandstand, and the program was a bit late in starting, but after a short packing session, and quick hot laps for the cars, the show was started in hyper mode!  The Micro Mods and the Sport Compacts ran only features and no classes were running for track points. 

The Micro Mod feature ran first with Cole McNeal taking the checkers.  Chad Dugan finished a distant second, and Shawn Fisher was third.

The Sport Compacts had a 15-car field for their A feature.  Adam Gates led the first couple of circuits until Barry Taft took over with four laps in the books.  Taft would lead the rest of the way to claim the victory.  Korey Lana was second, third went to Nathan Chandler, Adam Gates was fourth, and Travis Losenicky was fifth.

A full field of twenty-four Hobby Stocks were on hand.  Their 16-lap A main went to Daniel Wauters.  Wauters held off a hard charging Leah Wroten who took runner up honors.  Nathan Ballard, Brent Vanous, and Erick Knutson rounded out the top five. 

Kyle Brown took home the hardware in the Stock Car class.  Brown drew the pole of the 20-lap event, and fended off the constant challenges of both Damon Murty and Abe Huls.  The three ran tightly in formation as they hugged the bottom of the track.  Murty tried to nose under Brown, who never faulted in his protecting that bottom line. The final lap found Huls surging past Murty at the stripe, as they finished second and third respectively. Johnny Spaw was fourth, and Dan Trimble went fifth.  Brown, who was doing double duty on the evening also running in the Modified class, bounced back from an earlier incident in his Modified heat race. He received a hard blow from another car during that heat race, and his car came to a halt on the track.  When the window net did not immediately go down, the ambulance was summoned.  He was momentarily knocked out, and after a check from the ambulance crew, was released to race. 

Jake McBirnie has been having some good runs this year in the Northern SportMod class, continuing his Super National's championship form from 2018.  McBirnie came from row seven to catch and pass then leader Tyler Soppe with five to go in the 20-lap feature, and then pulled away to take the comfortable win at the flying checkers.  Soppe held the runner up position, early leader Kyle Olson was third, just beating out Ben Chapman in fourth, and Joe Docekal (driving the #22H of Curt Hilmer) went fifth.  McBirnie, in his post race interview, announced that this was his final year in the SportMod class as he plans to move up to Modified next season.

The grand finale was the 50-lap Modified feature and after six heat races, and three B mains, and two provisionals (Ed Thomas and Scott Hogan as two previous winners) the starting field was set.  The cars were brought to the front stretch for introductions along with a moving tribute to the Hogan family. The four-wide salute by the starting field to the rendition of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" was quite moving....with the Hogan family leading the way in the pace truck.

The top twelve drivers from the heats drew for their starting positions, and former winner of the event, Cayden Carter, drew the pole. When 50-lap event went green, Carter shot to the lead.  Austin Howes, Memphis, Missouri and Cody Laney, Torrence, California challenged Carter briefly, but at the halfway mark of the race, Carter still held down the top spot, Joel Rust was running second, Jeff Aikey was third, Laney was in fourth and Tim Ward was fifth.  The race was halted at 25-lap down and the cars were stopped on the front stretch for a 5 minute pit stop. 

When the race returned to green, Carter once again shot off to maintain that top spot.  He was never to be denied as he took the win...his second Hogan Memorial...and claim the prestigious award. Jeff Aikey held the second spot, Rust went third, Ward was fourth, and Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Missouri, was fifth.  After the initial start of the race was called back, only one yellow flew in the first segment of racing, and one in the second.  Carter went home with $4,908 for the win. Just a portion of the over $22,000 worth of winnings and prizes awarded on the night. 

The final flag for the Hogan Memorial flew at 11:17 p.m. after the early rain delay, and ceremonies, not bad with handling 153 race cars.  Thanks for the memories Hogan family!  It was great!

Happy 4th of July and be safe!