We made the trip up to Webster City on Thursday night to watch some USMTS and USRA racing on the historic 1/2 mile track. Jake O'Neil went home with his sixth career USMTS Modfied win, veteran racer Bill Crimmins took the USRA Stock Car checkers....at the line. It was Ben Moudry capturing the USRA B-Mod victory, track champion Eric Stanton won the USRA Hobby Stock feature, and Steve Jackson took the win in the Super Trucks. Ninety-six cars came for the weeknight racing fun.
Veteran racer Steve Jackson piloted the #23 Dirt Truck and led all laps of the main event on his way to victory. Myles Michehl, the track champion in the division, started fifth, and could do no more than chase the leader and had to settle for the runner up spot. Jeff Frevert, Lucas Richardson, and Del Enos rounded out the top five.
The 2019 track champion Eric Stanon showed his prowess in taking the Hobby Stock feature win. However, he had to work for it. Stanton started seventh on the starting grid and had to run down a strong running Scott Dobel who led from the drop of the green. Stanton had a bit of luck on his side when a yellow flew late in the race, closing the gap between himself and leader Dobel. Stanton took command with a low side pass in turn two just after the race returned to green. He sailed home the final circuits to capture a comfortable win. Dobel had to be content with second place, Sioux Falls, South Dakota racer Dustin Gulbrandson challenged Dobel early on for the lead, but finished third. Fourth went to Zac Smith and another Sioux Falls racer, Andy Wieczorek came from eleventh to finish fifth.
There was a full field of twenty-four USRA B-Mods in the house last night. Ben Moudry, the Hastings, Minnesota racer went home with that feature win. Another Minnesota racer, Jared Boumeester sent his hot rod from thirteenth starting spot to finish second. Dan Hovden took third place, another Minnesotan, Kadden Kath was fourth, and Jim Chisholm raced from eleventh starting spot to round out the top five.
The Stock Car class seems to draw the cars no matter where we go, and last night was no exception with twenty-eight of the fendered cars in action. This called for a B main to complete the starting A feature. That consy was won by Travis Shipman.
The feature had a star-studded cast of drivers...many strong contenders from the northern portion of the state. Decorah, Iowa's Dillon Anderson looked poised to capture the checkers in the feature race as he led from lap two, holding back the competition and looking strong. The last lap however, is the important lap. Veteran racer Bill Crimmins dipped to the inside on the white flag lap, and beat Anderson to the checkers and the win. Anderson had to settle for second. Promoter Todd Staley sent his #14 hot rod from eleventh spot to finish third. It was a near photo finish for fourth and fifth with Jesse Sobbing, the fifteenth place starter, just beating out Kevin Donlan at the wire. Following in sixth and seventh were a couple of Plymouth, Iowa racers...Josh Zieman, from sixteenth, and Andrew Borchardt, from nineteenth. Travis Shipman, the B feature winner came from twenty-first to finish eight. There was a lot of hard chargers in this feature.
The headliner of the evening was thirty-five laps of USMTS Modified racing with another star-studded cast of drivers from across the country. Missouri's Hunter Marriott was the pole sitter and led the field in the opening laps with Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Oklahoma taking over the top spot on lap four. Ramirez looked strong out front with Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Arizona giving chase and Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, and Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas closing in.
Lap twenty-one brought out a yellow when leader Ramirez, O'Neil and VanderBeek were going three-wide down the back chute, and contact was made....leaving Ramirez spun out and setting on the track. Ramirez was sent to the tail for the restart....a racing deal gone bad. This put O'Neil in the drivers seat and he wouldn't give it up the remaining laps to the checkers and the win. He finished comfortably ahead of second place Rodney Sanders. Terry Phillips, Springfield, Missouri got by VanderBeek in the closing moments, as they finished third and fourth respectively, and Dustin Sorensen started eleventh to complete the top five. Pole sitter Hunter Marriott finished sixth, and Kyle Brown came from fourteenth, to finish seventh. Mark Elliott was eighth, Al Hejna started eighteenth and finished ninth, and El Centro, California's Lance Mari rounded out the top ten. Area favorite USMTS racer, Ryan Gustin from Marshalltown, was an early contender in the race, moving quickly from seventh spot and into second on lap five, when he went up in a cloud of smoke, ending his night.
We enjoyed our night at the historic speed plant on what was a pleasant night to be setting in the nostalgic wooden grandstand again. We were also pleased with how the program moved along with no intermission and no victory lane interviews.
Get out and find a race to attend to help support what we all love....dirt track racing!
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