Fall Challenge Night #1 wins to Carter, VanderBeek, Ramsey, Hughes, and Moore

 The big old Monster Half Mile at the Southern Iowa Speedway saw its largest car count of the season, with 105 cars checked in for Night #1 of the Musco Lighting Fall Challenge on Friday night....a fall tradition at the facility for years. 

Intermission also saw the final of the four 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees recognized when Dan Dickey was honored. The other inductees had aleady been honored earlier in the season....Carl Vanderwal, Tim Folkerts, and the late Engel DeKock. Point fund money was also awarded to top point finishers at the track this year.  

Johnathon Hughes continued his perfect season and won once again going away in taking the checkers in the non-wing Sprint feature.  Ben Woods, the early leader, finished as runner up, third went to Kelly Graham, and Doug Sylvester and Chuck Alexander completed the top five.

The Sport Compacts had a twenty plus field of cars on hand for their Fall Challenge competition.  It was Clayton Webster holding down the top spot through nine of the ten lap contest, but Matt Moore was leading on that all important last lap to take the flying checkers.  Webster held the second spot, Chuck Fullenkamp started twelfth and finished in third, Seth Meinders and Lewie Winkleman rounded out the top five.  Moore started in row four to take the victory.  As a note, it was great to see a name from the past racing in the Sport Compact division after a nineteen year absence from racing.  Bob "Gabby" Hayes is a well known name from years gone by when he was best known for driving the #0 Stock Car back in the day. Look for him in a #0 Sport Compact next year.

Twenty-nine Hobby Stocks made it the largest class of cars on the night.  Hot shoe from southwest Iowa, Luke Ramsey would lead all fourteen laps of their main event.  Ramsey had to fend off the challenges of  track champion Dustin Griffiths much of the race.  Some contact on a yellow flag restart between Griffiths and Brad Stephens shuffled Griffiths back several spots and also allowed Rick VanDusseldorp to slip into the second spot.  The final circuits saw Ramsey pull away and take home his first ever win at the Osky Monster.  VanDusseldorp held on to second spot as he fended off Clint Nelson in third.  Griffiths and Stephens completed the top five.

This was Luke Ramsey's first time to the Southern Iowa Speedway and was warned ahead of time to "tighten your belts good" for the fast half mile oval.  It was also his 100th win in the same car last evening, though he has more total lifetime wins.  He is a regular at the Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa, and I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Nebraska.  

Everyone was seeing double during the sixteen lap SportMod feature, as the two top cars looked identical!  Zach VanderBeek was piloting one of the 30M cars last evening, with Maguire DeJong usually behind the wheel.  VanderBeek drew the lucky #1 pill and started on the pole.  Starting back in the sixth row, was the look alike car driven by Cayden Carter.  He wouldn't stay there for long during the sixteen lap event however, as the final six laps found him chasing VanderBeek, closing in, but having to settle for second on this night to Zach who flashed across the finish line first.  Tim Plummer from Norway, Iowa finished a distant third place, track champion Curtis VanDerWal came from row five to finish fourth, and Cresco, Iowa's Troy Hovey was fifth.  This was VanderBeek's first time ever behind the wheel of a SportMod....though it was one of his VanderBuilt race cars.  

This was a hard race to get started, as the first seven laps saw five caution flags fly, which had to not only be frustrating for the fans, but the racers too.

Dustin Griffiths would lead the field to green in the sixteen lap contest for the Stock Cars.  He was still holding down the top spot when a yellow flew at lap seven for Cody Agee.  By this time, the Orange Crush machine driven by Cayden Carter had gotten to the number two spot after starting in tenth, and was no doubt eager for that restart situation.  By lap nine, Carter had the lead.  The rest of the race was all Carter's as he motored home to the win.  Todd Reitzler got around Griffiths in the final lap to claim second, Griffiths taking third.  Nathan Wood and Derrek Agee rounded out the top five.

It was a chilly night but the fans saw some good racing action that ended at 11:26 p.m.  Look for a good field of cars for Night #2 of the Musco Lighting Fall Challenge.

Marshalltown Speedway closes out season with triple-header

We weren't fully recovered from our week at the Super Nationals, but managed to get in three nights of racing at the Marshalltown Speedway this past week.  Here are some of the highlights of those three nights.

The 500th and final Summer Series for the IMCA Late Models kicked off the first of three straight nights of racing at the Marshalltown Speedway on Thursday night, September 17.  One hundred seventy-seven cars packed the pits for what was also the 3rd Annual Dale DeFrance Memorial race, honoring the late local racer.  Both races had been rescheduled several times, and on this September night, it was success for both.   

Feature racing started with the Mod Lites that saw Dillon Raffurty, Kansas City, Missouri take a trip to victory lane at the end of the 15 lap feature.   Ninth place starter Cory Sonner chased him from a distance to finish in the runner up position.  Mike Kennedy, Randy Bryan, and Johnathan Braathun completed the top five.  Raffurty also won the Dale DeFrance Memorial race held back in July of 2019.

The IMCA Northern SportMod feature saw "Speedy Bray", Brayton Carter lead the 20 lap main event from start to finish to take the checkers.  Johnathon Logue, fresh off of winning the Super National's title, reeled in the winner, but had to be content with second on this night.  Carter VanDenBerg crossed the line in third, but would be docked two spots for jumping, relegating him to a fifth place finish.  That put Dylan VanWyk in the third spot, and Ryan King in fourth.  However, a post race tech deemed King with a rules infraction and getting him a disqualification for the night, and VanDenBerg was then fourth. Pole sitter Austin Kaplan was awarded the fifth place finish.  

The IMCA Hobby Stock 18 lap feature found Marengo, Iowa's Nathan Ballard, who had just won the IMCA Super Nationals, standing in the winner's circle at Marshalltown Speedway.  Ballard caught and passed early race leader Luke Schluetter, New Hampton to secure the win.  Marcus Wayne, Carter Koop, and Jeremiah Andrews were third through fifth.

The first few laps of the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car race saw drivers swapping the top spot.  Pole sitter and veteran racer Jerry Schipper led the first lap.  By lap two, it was The Game Changer, Dallon Murty crossing the line in first place.  Lap three, Chance Hollatz had claimed the number one spot, and just a lap later, it was Jeff Mueller digging his way around the bottom of the corners to take over the lead.  That was all that Mueller needed, as he kept close to the "huggy poles", and made his way to victory lane.  Dallon Murty was second, dad Damon Murty took third place, Shawn Ritter was fourth, and Steve Meyer was hard charger, coming from twenty-first starting spot, to finish fifth.

Two Gustins sat on the pole for the start of the 20 lapper for the IMCA Modifieds.  Richie Gustin had the pole with Jimmy setting along side him to the outside.  Richie Gustin jumped to the immediate lead but by lap nine, sixth place starter, Cody Laney had taken over.  It was all Laney's race from there on out as he motored his #5L to victory.  Tim Ward was second, Tom Berry, Jr. started fourteenth and finished third, Jeff Aikey came from twelfth to take fourth, and early leader Richie Gustin fell back to finish in fifth.  This was also a Fast Shafts All-Star ballot qualifier for the 2021 Super Nationals.  

Darrel DeFrance, known as the Ironman, was honored earlier in the evening before the racing program began.  Hometown boy DeFrance was about to start his 500th straight IMCA Late Model Deery Brothers Summer Series race.  This would be the series final event for the drivers known as the "Boys of Summer".  

It was quite a turnout for the final Summer Series race that was also the third annual Dale DeFrance Memorial honoring Darrel DeFrance's father, also a longtime racer.  There were presentations by IMCA officials, including a door panel commemorating his 500th start. It all began back on April 11, 1987 at the 34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa.  

The Late Model 44 lap event....44 being the car number raced by the late Dale DeFrance, saw the 24 car starting field do their emotional 4-wide salute to the fans for the 500th, and very last time for the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series race.  

Dave Wada led the opening laps of the race, but it was veteran racer Jeff Aikey taking command on lap three.  From there on, he was gone!  No one had anything for Aikey as he motored to his 71st Deery Brothers win.  Matt Ryan took the runner spot, Justin Kay worked his way from seventeenth starting position to finish third,  another veteran, Gary Webb finished fourth, and Ironman Darrel DeFrance was fifth in a strong run from starting twelfth.  

Day 1 of the fourteenth annual World Nationals was held on Friday, September 18, with four classes of IMCA cars....Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks. The drivers were hungry for more racing with 167 cars in the pits in the four classes.  

Northern SportMod racing kicked off the feature events of the evening.  Forty-seven cars had competed and after heat and B main qualifying, the 24 car field was set.  Brayton Carter picked up where he left off the night before, leading all 20 laps on his way to the checkers.  The Olson cousins chased him across the line...Tony Olson in second, and Kyle Olson in third place.  Travis Petersen and Johnathon Logue competed the top five. Carter matched his win from the previous night's Dale DeFrance Memorial. 

The IMCA Hobby Stocks had 32 cars check into the pits, and through qualifying heats and a B main, their 20 lap feature was ready with a 24 car starting field.  Rookie Braden Richards led much of the race as another rookie to the class, Carter Koop reeled him in.  Koop started sixteenth and hustled through the pack of cars and took the lead briefly, only to have Richards snatch it back.  While that was going on, Eric Knutson had weaved his way through traffic and caught them both.  On the final lap, it was a three-wide contest down the back chute.  In the mad dash to the finish line, Knutson would take the win at the line, Richards going second, and Koop third.  Aaron Rudolph and Matt Brown went fourth and fifth respectively.  Knutson won the hard charger for the night, coming from twenty-first starting spot, to step into victory lane.

In the IMCA Stock Cars Shawn Ritter was looking to put his hotrod in the Shawn's Hay Grinding victory lane, but young Dallon Murty had other ideas.  Ritter led from the drop of the green, only to have young Murty set sail on the topside of the High Banks, and take the lead with five laps remaining in the 20 lap event.  Murty took the win, and Ritter had to settle for the runner up spot on this night.  Chance Hollatz was third, fourth went to dad, Damon Murty, and in his IMCA Stock Car debut, Tom Berry, Jr. drove it from twenty-first to fifth, in the Jeff Wollam car.  Dallon Murty, this year's track champion came from tenth starting spot, to take the checkers.

Forty-seven cars vied for a starting spot in the IMCA Modified main event and the $2,000 pay off. When qualifying was complete, it was Jeff Aikey who drew the pole for the 25 lap feature.  It was as good as over when the green flag dropped.  Aikey had no problem even with the three yellow flag restarts, leading the entire race to take the win.  Cayden Carter and Ethan Dotson challenged Aikey several times, but he fended them off and took the flying checkers.  Carter finished in second, Dotson took third, followed by Todd Shute in fourth, and eighteenth place starter Tim Ward, was fifth.  Aikey took his second win of the three day show, having won the IMCA Summer Series race on Thursday night. 

Saturday was day #2 of the World Nationals with 160 cars checked into the pits in the four classes.  

Kyle Olson went home with a World Nationals title under his belt after winning the IMCA Northern SportMod 20 lap feature.  Olson started fifth and snatched the lead away from Austin Kaplan just before the halfway mark of the race. From there on, held that top spot the rest of the way to the checkers. Tony Olson started eighteenth and chased his cousin across the line in second.  Third went Austin Kaplan, Devyn Peterson, Milford, Nebraska started twenty-first and took fourth place, and Ryan Shilling from Graf, Iowa was fifth.  The previous night, Olson had been caught up in an incident that sent him to restart at the tail, and still finished in third.  All in all, a very successful, two night run.    

Following up next was 20 laps of IMCA Hobby Stock feature racing and a driver who had much success at the track during the season, winning five features, put it back in the winner's circle.  Kaden Reynolds fought past Carter Koop on lap eleven, and then never looked back on his way to victory.  Following a distant runner up was Eric Knutson.  It was a three-wide battle to the finish for third place, with Carter Koop taking third, Miciah Hidlebaugh going fourth, and Braden Richards in fifth.  

The Game Changer, Dallon Murty appeared to be headed back to victory lane in the IMCA Stock Car 20 lap feature event, in an attempt to match his win from the previous night.  That all ended when contact was made in a fierce close battle among several cars, and Murty was sent spinning, bringing out a yellow.  Two of those drivers locked in an intense battle were Tom Berry, Jr., driving the Jeff Wollam "rent a ride" and Jeff Mueller.  On the restart, with just two laps to go, it was Berry to the point for the restart, and a green-white-checkered dash to the finish line.  Berry held the lead when the white flag flew, but Mueller timed the winning move out of corner four to perfection, and took the checkers at the finish line.  Berry took second, still looking for his first IMCA Stock Car win, Steve Meyer finished third, Scott Rice charged from fifteenth starting spot to finish fourth, and hard charger of the event was Shawn Ritter finishing fifth after starting in twenty-second spot.  

The final event of the evening was the 25 lap A main for the IMCA Modifieds.  Another $2,000 pay day awaited the winner. 

JD Auringer, piloting the #12x "Simon Sez" car led the opening laps, but Cayden Carter quickly moved from his fifth starting position and into the lead with just a handful of laps in the books.  Carter never relinquished that lead, though Tom Berry, Jr. reeled in the leader and attempted a challenge only to be denied, as Carter swept across the finish line under the flying checkers.  Berry took his second runner up position of the evening, matching his finish in the Stock Cars.  JD Auringer took third place, Ethan Dotson came all the way from twenty-first starting spot to take fourth, and Cody Laney rounded out the top five. 

This concluded the 2020 racing season at the Marshalltown Speedway.  Time will tell if our racing season continues as there are still races to be found on the Positively Racing calendar.  Please keep supporting the sport we all love, dirt track racing! 

An Unforgettable 38th IMCA Super Nationals

 We are still trying to catch up after our "Racin' Vacation" last week...that at times, didn't seem like it would even happen.  Rain, rain, rain, and more rain!  But, happen it did, and now the 38th Annual IMCA Super Nationals is in the record books.  One that won't soon be forgotten! Here are a few highlights of what we can remember....some of it was a blur!!

Our vacation actually began on Saturday, September 5, at the Boone Speedway, with the running of the sixth annual Prelude to the Super Nationals.  It was a record breaking event with 412 cars there to tune up for the Super Nationals that was to begin on Labor Day Monday, September 7.  The IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts were in competition.  

The first feature was the Northern SportMods for a 25-lap main event.  This one would end in a frantic dash to the finish line with three cars looking for the checkers first.  Rocky Caudle would hold off Brayton Carter by eight one-thousandths of a second.  Couldn't have been much closer.  Guy Ahlwardt, from Anntioch, California placed third.  

The IMCA Sport Compacts made their initial appearance at the Prelude, running a 20-lap feature.  Jake Benischek, the hot shoe in the division out of Durant, Iowa was the victor in this one.  He dominated the entire race, and finished well ahead of Trent Orwig in second, and Mitchell Bunch in third.  Bunch came from 25th starting spot and got the hard charger award.  

One hundred twenty Modifieds checked in for Saturday night Prelude action.  It was a Californian, Riley Simmons out of Susanville standing in the winners circle after the 25 lap run.  He became the first non-Iowan to win the Modified portion of a Prelude.  He lead the entire flag-to-flag race and finished comfortably ahead of second place Jake McBirnie.  Tim Ward, Cody Laney, Torrence, California, and defending Super Nationals champion Ethan Dotson rounded out the top five.

The IMCA Stock Cars followed up with another caution free 25-lap event.  Five drivers put on quite the show up front for the fans, but in the end it was Lake City's David Smith coming out on top.  He just beat Jeremy Christians who finished as the runner up, Kelly Shryock (last year's Prelude winner) was third, Brandon Czarapata, Wisconsonite was fourth, and Ricky Thornton, Jr. was fifth.

The IMCA Hobby Stocks completed the night's action with their 25-lap event.  Local driver Wayne Gifford, who jumped back into the Hobby Stock class from running in the Stock Car division the last several years, finally got to step back into victory lane when he took the checkers first.  This was Gifford's first win of the year.  Polesitter Dylan Nelson was second, followed by Eric Knutson, Tathan Burkhart, Hays, Kansas, and Zach Ankrum.

                                                       Super Nationals

After a day of rest on Sunday, it was Labor Day Monday September 8, for the first race of the 38th IMCA Super Nationals with racing at 2 p.m. That would be the LAST time any racing would begin on its scheduled time for the rest of the Super National's spectacle! My notes, lack of sleep, and just the confusion of when, what was run, is perhaps not very accurate.  But I will give it a stab!

Monday saw qualifying for the IMCA Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and an entire show for the IMCA Late Models.  There were about 395 cars competing for the night, and 66 races, and we witnessed one of the strangest incidents we've ever seen in the Northern SportMod class.  Mother Nature was tuning up for the coming week, giving us just a few sprinkles during the night's racing, but no stoppages.

Hobby Stocks saw two qualifying 25-lap A features, that took eight from each direct to their Big Dance on Saturday night.  A qualifier #1 saw defending IMCA Super National's champion Dylan Nelson put his ride on the pole for the upcoming championship event.  More former SN's champions would follow him across the line, Jason Wilkinson, Neligh, Nebraska, and Cody Nielsen from Spencer, Iowa.  Rookie Braden Richards was fourth, followed by Eric Knutson, Parker Larson, Sal Hernandez, and Zach Hemmingsen.   In feature #2, it was Carter Koop, the driver from Rockwell, Iowa who is leading the National Rookie points, setting it on the pole for Saturday's Big Dance.  Another rookie driver, Mike Smith finished second, Chuck Madden was third, and Kaden Reynolds was fourth. Malik Sampson, Josh Barnhart, Jacob Floyd, and Jason Kohl would complete the middle row for Saturday night.

The Northern SportMods qualified the inside eight positions for championship Saturday.  Cody Thompson won the 25 lap event comfortably ahead of Trevor Baker.  Rounding out the top eight were Cayden Carter, Doug Smith, Colby Fett, Ben Stockton, Tyler Inman and Garrett Nelson.

As mentioned earlier, there was one of the weirdest incidents ever witnessed in the Northern SportMod class.  A fuel cell came loose from a car, catapulted down the race track, and landed on the hood of Chance Huston, East Moline, Illinois driver's car,.....and caught fire! It was a scary incident for sure.  The track crew was there quickly to extinguish the fire, and Huston quickly got out of his "hot" rod.  He was thankfully, uninjured and raced again later.  

The first of the 2020 IMCA Super Nationals Champions was crowned on Monday night in the IMCA Late Model class.  Ricky Thornton, Jr. made it back-to-back championships piloting the Todd Cooney ride.  He caught the leading all-time SN's Late Model champion Jeff Aikey at lap twenty-four of the fifty lap event, and from there on, led the rest of the way to the checkers.  Richie Gustin, Jeff Aikey, Andy Nezworski, and Jesse Sobbing completed the top five.  

Racing ended at 11:31 p.m.   That would be the last somewhat "normal" racing we would see for the duration.

Tuesday, September 8. The first race was adjusted to start at noon instead of 2 o'clock, what with the weather forecast, with continued qualifying in the Hobby Stocks and SportMods, and a complete show for the Sport Compacts. We did begin at noon but very little racing got in when here came the rain.  There was a nine hour delay before any more racing began, starting at 10:17 p.m. Unfortunately, the Sport Compact show had to be scrapped, with no time slot available.  The purse was split among the drivers.  All B's were also dropped for the Hobby's and the SportMods.  The jet dryer made its appearance....using 250 gallons of fuel for just seven times around the track. It was the first of many appearances for the dryer.

The Hobby Stocks completed their A qualifying feature for the outside eight rows for the Dance.  Nathan Ballard, Marengo, Iowa won this one.

The Northern SportMods ran two qualifiers.  Defending SN's champion Johnathon Logue won the first, and Brett Berry out of Colby, Kansas won the second.  

Then came the rain at 12:59 am. and racing was halted. 

Wednesday, September 9 and it had rained all night long! After jet dryer and track prep, we managed to get some racing in.  It drizzled much of the time.  Oh...and did I mention, it turned cold too!!  When cars first took to the track, it was like they were in slow motion on the heavy, slick track!  My note says we stopped racing at 11:32 p.m. on Wednesday.  It ended abruptly as the misty conditions were just not conducive to racing. 

Wednesday qualifiers (though I'm not quite sure when that HAPPENED) were Kyle Vanover, Mitch Meier, Loren Pesicka, and Buck Shafroth in the first Stock Car A.  Second Stock Car A was Abe Huls, Kelly Shryock, Jeff Abbey, and Jeremy Christians.  Modifieds qualifying from their first A were Cody Laney, Trent Loverude, Steven Bowers, and Matthew Meineke.  Second Modified feature was Ricky Thornton, Jr., Jason O'Brien, Clay Hale, and James Goodson. 

Friday, September 11.  Oh my!  No racing at all on Friday and a double show for Thursday and Friday qualifying moved to Saturday. The first cars to hit the track since Thursday night was at 10:20 a.m. on Saturday, September 12.  Sixty-two races were set for the Thursday show, and 57 races for Friday's. It became a foggy one at times...almost obscuring turn four, then it would lift, and do it all over again. 

Thursday qualifiers were: Stock Cars: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Curt Lund, Derek Green, and Ryan Harris in the first A, and in the second A, it was Jeff Mueller, Cayden Carter, Jeff Larson, and Damon Murty.  Modified A-1 qualifiers were Nick Meyer, Zane DeVilbiss, Tanner Black, and Grey Ferrando.  In the second Modified A, it was Todd Shute, Jeff Larson, Kyle Heckman, and Richie Gustin.

Friday's scheduled qualifiers were Modified A-1, Ethan Dotson, Chris Elliott, Troy Cordes, and Jesse Skalicky.  A-2 was Tom Berry, Jr., Darron Fuquay, Anthony Roth, and Zachary Madrid. In the Stock Cars, A#1 went to Jared Siefert, coming from eighteenth starting spot, and in #2, it was Jesse Sobbing.

The Fast Shafts All Star race for Modifieds saw Ricky Thornton, Jr. beat out Jeff Aikey, Jason Wolla, Tim Ward, and Ethan Dotson. 

Saturday's double show that started at 10:20 a.m.,ended at 3:59 am. on Sunday morning!  Yawn!!! Seventeen plus straight hours of racing!  Racing would begin again at 10:32 a.m. on Sunday with a bright and sunny day.  

Finally ....on Sunday, September 13, it was time to go dancing!  This would be just the fourth time in the 38 year history of the IMCA Super Nationals that it would be run on a Sunday.  The 1986 Modified winner was Mike Frieden with the race run at Knoxville, Iowa.  Wayne Larson won the postponed to Sunday Super Nationals in 1987, run at Mason City, and Kelly Boen was the 1996 IMCA Modified champion that ran on Sunday at the Boone Speedway.  We were there for that Sunday 1996 race.  

Final LCQ was completed for the Modified and Stock Cars, and the Race of Champions was held for the Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks.  RoC winners were Cody Nielsen, Spencer, Iowa in the Hobby's.  Johnathon Logue won his first RoC in the Northern SportMod division, Kelly Shryock professed his love of racing the Stock Cars after winning the RoC in that class, and Jesse Sobbing took the trophy for the Modified Race of Champions.

Dancing time!  The IMCA Hobby Stocks ran their 30 lap feature first.  Nathan Ballard won his first Super National's crown....and literally doing it in "out for a Sunday drive" form.  Ballard, the Marengo, Iowa racer finished well ahead of defending champion Dylan Nelson.  Jeff Ware, Columbus, Nebraska was third, another former SN's champion, Jason Wilkinson, Neligh, Nebraska was fourth, and rookie Mike Smith finished fifth.

The IMCA Northern SportMods crowned their 16th Super Nationals champion and it was Johnathon Logue going back-to-back in winning the 30 lap race feature.  Logue led all but the first three laps as he motored off from the field and took the win going away.  Cody Thompson, Tony Olson, Logan Anderson, and Brett Berry completed the top five.

The driver that stood in victory lane at the end of the 30 lap IMCA Stock Car race said he did not deserve it,.....but he'd take it!  That driver was Donavon Smith.  Smith won the race of survival in the contest.  There was chaos and crashing at time during the race, even Smith getting involved in some of the shenanigans and loosing his right side door.  But in the end, it was Smith taking the title.  A yellow late in the game that resulted in a green-white-checkered restart and dash to the finish line, saw Smith go from third, and win the frantic dash to the checkers.  Kyle Vanover, who had run second much of the race, finished in second, and the guy leading on the restart, Buck Shafroth, ended up third.  Loren Pesicka, and Abe Huls rounded out the top five.  This was Smith's third Super Nationals Stock Car title, having also won in 2009 and 2012.  He came from 25th starting spot, to take the win.

It was finally time for the IMCA Modified Big Dance!  We were beginning to think it would never come!  Ricky Thornton, Jr., Todd Shute, and Ethan Dotson, sat on the three-wide front row.  

Dotson, the defending Super Nationals champion leaped to the immediate lead, only to have Cody Laney snatch it away on lap four.  Ricky Thornton, meanwhile was lurking in third place and biding his time.  Thornton moved into the runner up spot a few laps later, and continued to lurk as he pursued leader Laney.  On lap twenty-four of the forty lap event, Thornton became the new leader.  In the closing laps, he pulled away, and took the easy win.  Thornton repeated his win in the Modified division from 2016.  Laney, Dotson, Tom Berry, Jr., and Todd Shute rounded out the top five.

Racing was complete at 6:17 p.m. on Sunday evening, September 13, and the 38th annual IMCA Super Nationals was history.  It is one that we won't soon forget!  Rain, rain, mud, rain, mud, fog, rain.  It was at times a nightmare!  No where else could this show have been completed.  Thanks to IMCA, the Boone Speedway staff, and those dedicated track prep workers and all the behind the scene workers who made this happen.  Many of those people went with very little sleep for days!  We've had rain at many of the previous Super Nationals, but not for days and days at a time.  

According to Mr. Numbersman, Ryan Clark, there were 307 events during the 38th Super Nationals, and 3039 laps run.  It was the 38th IMCA Modified Dance, the 33rd IMCA Stock Car Dance, the 31st IMCA Late Model race, #24 for the IMCA Hobby Stocks, and the 16th IMCA Northern SportMod big Dance.  

It was great to see racing friends and drivers that we see but this one time a year, and even though it was hard on everyone, very few people that we were around were discouraged nor had anything negative to say. They understood how trying it was and appreciated the efforts of all that were just trying to get the races in.  The pits must have been a nightmare with the mud and rain, and not only challenging to get the cars parked, but also to get them out.  Same way with the campers.  As we look back, I think we will just chalk this up to another 2020 deal.  Let's all hope and pray for a better 2021 Super Nationals and year in general.

Still some racing to be had in the area.  Find a race to attend and support the sport we all love....dirt track racing!

  

 

 

Riley Simmons becomes first non-Iowa Modified winner at the Prelude to Super Nationals

Our racing vacation got kicked off yesterday at the Boone Speedway....and what a way to start!  Good racing all night long, the track provided some great racing action with close finishes, and by the end of the night, it was slick from top to bottom.  The sixth annual Prelude to the Super Nationals kicked things off in top fashion.

 There was a record breaking 412 cars tuning up for the 38th Annual IMCA Super Nationals starting on Labor Day, and for the first time, the IMCA Sport Compacts were included, joining the Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods, and Hobby Stocks.

Forty-seven heat races and twenty-two B's later, and it was time for the five main events of the night....or should I say, early morning.  

Feature racing kicked off with the 25 lap IMCA Northern SportMod A main.  Guy Ahlwardt, Antioch, California snatched the lead away from track champion Johnathon Logue, who had led from the start, on lap fifteen. Then with three laps remaining, Rocky Caudle took his turn as the leader.  A caution at lap twenty-three tightened the field for the restart with Ahlwardt running second and fifteenth place starter Brayton Carter setting in third.  It was a frantic dash to the finish line as the three came out of corner four, with Caudle holding off Carter by 8/1000th of a second to take the checkers.  Ahlwardt took third, Nate Whitehurst was fourth, and Johnathon Logue rounding out the top five. There were ninety-six Northern SportMods in competition over the night.

The IMCA Sport Compacts were on the docket for their inaugural Prelude appearance.  They ran a 20 lap feature that found Durant, Iowa's Jake Benischek take the dominating win.  Benischek powered to the lead from his seventh starting spot by lap two, and never looked back.   Trent Orwig, Ottumwa, Iowa trailed a distant second, Mitchell Bunch, Des Moines, was the hard charger, coming from twenty-fourth starting spot, to finish third, Drake Bohlmeyer, Beatrice, Nebraska was fourth, and Danny Vanderveen, Sioux City, was fifth. Benischek followed up his previous night's win at the Marshalltown Speedway, that set a record pay-off of $1,100, with another win.  Look for him to be a favorite for the Super Nationals.  Twenty-four Sport Compacts were in the house.

One hundred twenty IMCA Modifieds were on hand for competition, and standing in victory lane at the end of their 25 lap feature was Susanville, California's Riley Simmons.  Simmons became the first driver to win the Modified Prelude from out of state.  Simmons led from the drop of the green, in the race that went flag to flag. Jake McBirnie chased Simmons the entire distance, but finished a distant runner up.  Tim Ward took third, Cody Laney, Torrence, California finished fourth, and defending Super Nationals Champion Ethan Dotson was fifth.  The race was also a Fast Shafts All-Star ballot qualifier for 2021, and paid $1,000 to win.

The IMCA Stock Cars followed up with another caution free contest in their 25 lapper. The cream came to the top in all the features, with few cautions.  Five drivers put on quite a show up front for the fans in this one.  Two Wisconsin racers, Jeremy Christians and Brandon Czarapata, both former IMCA Super National champions, were joined by Iowans David Smith, Kelly Shryock, and Ricky Thornton in a real barn burner.  David Smith came out on top of the battle, scoring the win over Christians in second place.  Last year's Prelude winner, Kelly Shryock started eleventh and finished third, and Czarapata and Thornton rounded out the top five. Ninety-three stock cars competed in the class.

Wayne Gifford had not been having such a hot year in the IMCA Hobby Stock class after stepping down from his previous Stock Car ride, but he finally found victory lane for the first time at the speedway in 2020.  Gifford was impressive, working himself from sixteenth starting spot and into the lead at lap seventeen of the the 25 lap event.  The final circuits saw Gifford pull away to take a comfortable win.  Polesitter Dylan Nelson finished second, third went to sixth place starter Eric Knutson, Hays, Kansas racer Tathan Burkhart started thirteenth and finished fourth, and Zach Ankrum, Sioux City, was fifth. Gifford bested the other seventy-eight cars in competition on the night.

Labor Day, we begin our week of Super Nationals racing at the Boone Speedway.  By the looks of the drivers already here, it just could be another record breaker.  Drivers, many who were not able to race in their own home state, or had limited racing due to the Covid pandemic, appear hungry for their fix.  Here's to a great, safe, and fun up coming racin' vacation.  Hope to see some of you there....if we can recognize each other behind masks.  Let's go racing!

 

 

Iowa takes all the spoils at Showdown in MoTown

The Safelite Auto Glass Showdown in MoTown found Iowa drivers taking wins in all five classes on Friday night, despite a field of drivers from far and wide. The IMCA Sport Compacts joined the IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods, and Hobby Stocks for a full night of racing action with 141 cars competing on the High Banks.

The IMCA Northern SportMods kicked off the night's feature racing, the winner seeking the $500 pay off.  It didn't take track champion Johnathon Logue long to move his ride to the front, taking command on lap three and then never looking back.  The caution plagued 20 lap feature didn't hinder Logue as he pulled away in the closing laps to take the comfortable win.  Following Logue across the line were Brayton Carter, Brian Osantowski, Cody Thompson, and Travis Petersen.  However a post race inspection deemed third place finisher Brian Osantowski, and fourth place finisher Cody Thompson with a rules infraction and both a disqualification on the night.  This moved Travis Peterson to third, Austin Kaplan was scored fourth, and Guy Ahlwardt, Antioch, California was fifth.

The IMCA Sport Compacts made history at the Marshalltown Speedway when they joined the other classes for a record breaking $1,100 to win. What began as a $650 pay day, more money from various sponsors raised the bar! Forty drivers checked into the pits.

Jake Benischek, the hot shoe from Durant over on the eastern part of the state, started fifth and had the lead when lap one was scored.  He sailed away from the field and took the checkers well ahead of second place Hunter Patrick from St. Charles.  Third went to Jade Lange, Mitchell Bunch was fourth, and Kolby Sabin was fifth.  In their post race inspection, second place finisher Hunter Patrick was disqualified with a rules infraction.  This moved the others up in position, with Curtis Masterson scored fifth. 

Eric Stanton captured his 100th IMCA Hobby Stock feature win when he took the checkers in the 20 lap feature.  Stanton started tenth, and had the lead by lap six.  He held back fifteenth place starter Eric Knutson who finished as the runner up.  Tyler Ollendieck took third placed, Norfolk, Nebraska racer Lance Mielke was fourth, and Aaron Martin started seventeenth, and rounded out the top five. Stanton had been chasing that elusive #100 for a while, but fans were prepared and a banner commemorating the occasion was finally able to be unfurled in victory lane.     

The IMCA Stock Cars ran a 20 lap feature.  Track Champion, young Dallon "Game Changer" Murty wasted no time in showing his mastery of the track, quickly moving from ninth starting spot and into the lead before a handful of laps was scored.  It was all Murty from there on out, as he smoothly maneuvered the high banked oval to perfection on his way to the win.  Todd Reitzler started twelfth, and out ran Steve Meyer as they crossed the line in second and third respectively.  However a post race tech found Reitzler with a rules infraction that also handed him a disqualification.  This moved twenty-first place starter Steve Meyer to the runner up spot.  Third went to Donavon Smith, fourth to Michael Jaennette who was back racing in a #01U car (I believe a Chris Ulrich former ride) after a hiatus, and Peoria, Arizona racer Chase Alves made his long journey pay off with a top five finish. 

The IMCA Modifieds closed out the racing action with a 25 lap main event and a $1,000 pay off that put the winner on the ballot for the 2021 Fast Shafts All-Star race.  It was no surprise that Tom Berry, the track champion who dominated the track this season, winning eight times during the year, once again was stepping into victory lane at the end of the night.  Berry started seventh, and had the lead by lap three.  He then pulled away from the field to take the win easily. He sliced and diced through traffic flawlessly on his way to the winner's circle once again. Twelfth place starter Tim Ward finished as the runner up, Susanville, California racer Riley Simmons took third, and another Californian, Cody Laney from Torrence, California finished fourth.  Abilene, Texas driver Chris Elliott was fifth.

The field of cars last evening had the Western Region drivers out in full force...a big California gathering.  Many drivers were in the area already for the 38th Annual IMCA Super Nationals that begins on Labor Day, and runs through Saturday, September 12 at the Boone Speedway. Many of those drivers had their racing season cut way short due to the Covid 19 pandemic....some not able to run at all.  They were hungry to race!  

Our plan is for our 32nd straight year of attending the upcoming Super Nationals.  We look forward to it, and just hope that things are not too different this year.  We all need some normalcy in our lives! 

Three more races remain on the docket at the Marshalltown Speedway.  September 17 will be the Dale DeFrance Memorial and also the 500th Deery Brothers IMCA Late Model Summer Series final race.  Then on September 18 and 19 will be two full shows at the 2020 World Nationals with $2,000 to win for the IMCA Modifieds each day. 

Boone Speedway Season Championship night, and the Super Nationals are on the horizon.

It was Season Championship night at the Boone Speedway Saturday.  Five drivers won features in their divisions and five drivers went home with a track championship title.  The top ten in points were locked into the feature, and a dash determined their starting spot for their respective A mains.  Last chance qualifiers in each division for those eleventh on back in season points, filled in the starting field for each class. One hundred thirty cars were on hand for the night's action.  Prior to each feature, the field was pulled to the frontstretch and out of car driver introductions took place, allowing the fans to show their appreciation to the drivers. 

The first class to hit the track for their feature event was the My Race Pass Mod Lites in a 20 lap contest.  This was the tightest points battle of the evening with only two points separating Randy Bryan and Mike Kennedy for the track championship crown. Bryan Zehm sat eight points out.  

Mike Kennedy earned the pole starting spot by winning the Mod Lite dash.  When the green flag fell, Kennedy shot off to the lead and would then lead all laps on his way to the win.  Kennedy wasn't hindered by the pesky caution flags that flew, and would drive off from his competition when the race returned to green.  Joe Glick finished as the runner up, Bryan Zehm took third place, fourth went to Randy Bryan, and Tim Glick was fifth.  This was Kennedy's second win of the season, and earned him a track championship as well....finishing one slim point ahead of Randy Bryan in the points chase.

The Elmquist Towing IMCA Northern SportMods ran 23 laps in their championship feature.  Johnathon Logue had the track title all wrapped up before he even started the main event, but he would also go on to dominate the feature as well, leading the entire race and winning comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. Dusty Masolini chased Logue the entire distance, but finished a distant second.  Robert Moore came from eleventh starting spot and finished in third, fourth went to Dustin Lynch, and Cory Pestotnik completed the top five.  This was Logue's sixth win of the year at the track. Logue, who is the defending IMCA  Super Nationals Champion, looks to be ready for the 38th annual event.  

Up next was 25 laps of D & E Outside Service IMCA Modified fury. Jake McBirnie sat along side his new brother-in-law, Tim Ward for the start of the race.  Ward had the track title wrapped up before the race even began.  That didn't lessen the battle between the two for much of the race...McBirnie holding the upper hand.  Ward's challenge for the lead disappeared when he slipped off the lip of the track, regained control, but losing several positions.  As the race continued on, McBirnie would pull away and take the checkers well ahead of the competition.  Paul Nagle finished as the runner up, third went to Cory Sauerman, Cody Laney was hard charger, coming from thirteenth to finish fourth, and Tim Ward rounded out the top five.  This was McBirnie's second feature win of his rookie career in the Modified class.

The IMCA Arnold Motor Supply Stock Cars went twenty-five laps for the feature event.   David Smith and brother Donavon Smith would finish one-two in this contest. For a while it was a Smith, Schmidt, Smith, Smith battle at the front of the pack. 

David Smith passed pole sitter Jay Schmidt on lap two,  and then Donavon and Devin Smith followed suit. The trio of Smith's ended when Devin Smith, the 2019 defending IMCA Super National's champ, had to exit the track with mechanical issues with just three laps remaining. David had no trouble in keeping his lead and went home to the win.  Donavon Smith finished in second place, third went to Josh Daniels, Scott Davis was fourth,  and Jay Schmidt was fifth.  This was David Smith's first win at Boone this year.  Donavon Smith is the 2020 track champion.

The night cap was twenty laps of IMCA Pickett Salvage Hobby Stock feature event racing, that saw several incidents causing the yellow to fly. Dylan Nelson and Eric Knutson waged a good battle for the lead, swapping the top spot a couple of times.  The tight racing at one point resulted in contact between the two, with Nelson having to exit the track with a "bad dog, no biscuit" black flag, after he sent Knutson spinning in the incident.  When the race restarted, Aaron Rudolph found himself inheriting the lead.  He would hold that top spot the remaining distance to the checkers and the win.  Shane Butler started eleventh and finished second, Mike Smith was third, fourth went to Erik Knutson, who kept his car moving after the earlier spin situation, and twelfth place starter William Klosterman was fifth.  Rudolph, who started tenth, took his first trip to victory lane this season.  The Hobby Stock track champion is Dylan Nelson, who is the also the defending Super National's champion.

It's already looking like there is a big event on the horizon at the track. Camping spots have begun to be marked off, and some campers already there. Yes, the 38th annual IMCA Super Nationals scheduled for September 7-12, is on.  Will it be different this year?  Time will tell on that what with the Covid 19 situation, but as of now, the spectacle is a go.

Next Saturday night, September 5, is Wild Rose Casino Prelude to the Super Nationals. Drivers will be wanting to test the waters for the upcoming 38th IMCA Super Nationals that begins on Labor Day, Monday, September 7.  Look for a huge field of cars for the Prelude. Last year saw 323 cars in competition. Saturday night's Prelude has pits opening at 1 p.m., grandstand at 3, hot laps at 4, and racing at 5. More details for the big events at the Boone Speedway can be found at www.raceboone.com or on the Boone Speedway Facebook page.  

 

 

Laney finds Victory Lane at Boone

It was Saturday night series #15 at the Boone Speedway with 175 cars checked in for another full night of racing action.  Cody Laney got his first win of the year under his belt in the IMCA Modified class, Troy Jerovetz won a squeaker at the line in the IMCA Stock Cars, and Chad Ryerson won a close one in the IMCA Northern SportMod division.  Dylan Nelson made a return visit to the winner's circle in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Travis Stensland did the same in the MADCRA Mod Lites.

Travis Stensland shot from fifth starting spot in the My Race Pass Mod Lite 15 lap feature, and into the lead at lap two, never to look back.  Bryan Zehm reeled in the leader but had to be content to chase him across the finish line as the runner up.   Mike Kennedy came from eleventh starting position and finished third, Cody Yaw and Joe Glick completed the top five.  This was Stensland's third time visiting the winner's circle in 2020. One of the biggest fields of the year in the Mod Lite class...twenty-six strong of the mighty little machines, came for racing fun at Boone.  

There was a great battle between Chad Ryerson and Jake Sachau for much of the 18 lap IMCA Elmquist Towing Northern SportMod main event.  The two swapped the lead and ran side by side for several laps. Ryerson finally took the top spot for good with just one lap remaining, making it to the checkers just ahead of second place Sachau.  Dusty Lynch finished third, Brayton Carter started twelfth on the grid, and finished fourth, and Dusty Masolini was fifth.  This was Ryerson's second win at the speedway this season, besting thirty-eight other drivers that checked into the speedway.

Leading the last lap is the one that counts, and in the IMCA Modified D & E Outside Service 20 lap A main, that is just what Cody Laney did.  Chase Rudolf led the field from the drop of the green and was looking for his first win at Boone.  However, a late yellow flag at lap seventeen proved to be his nemesis.  Laney saw his opportunity as the race returned to green, and passed second place Nick Meyer, and then Rudolph on the final lap to take the checkers.  Rudolf had to settle for the runner up position.  Nick Meyer started tenth, and finished third, Tim Ward made it to fourth after starting eleventh, and Clint Wendel was fifth.  Laney came from twelfth starting spot to take his first win at the track in 2020.

It couldn't have been a closer finish than in the IMCA Arnold Motor Supply Stock Car 20 lap feature.  Troy Jerovetz worked his way quickly from sixth starting spot and into the lead with just three laps down.  Quick to tag on to his tail was David Smith and then Damon Murty came flying on the rim of the track and caught the leaders.  The three locked into a tight battle until Murty found himself out of the running. His last lap "checkers or wreckers" rim of the track move in turn one, sent him over the edge and out contention. The final charge to the checkers between Jerovetz and David Smith had the fans on their feet as the two passed the finish line in a near photo finish.  Jerovetz got the win via transponder scoring, with Smith just inches behind in second.  Devin Smith crossed the finish line in third, Donavon Smith in fourth, and Jay Schmidt in fifth.  However, a post race inspection deemed third place finisher Devin Smith with an illegal carburetor, and a disqualification.  This moved Donavon Smith to third, Jay Schmidt to fourth, and Kyle Everts to fifth.  Jerovetz captured his fourth feature win of the year.

  The IMCA Stock Cars were forty-nine strong, the largest class of the evening, which called for two B mains.  Josh Daniels and Matt West took those consultation races.

Fifteen laps of IMCA Pickett Salvage Hobby Stock racing concluded the night's racing.  Pole sitter Tyson Overton immediately took the lead as the green flag flew, and was looking to be on his way to his first win at the track, leading the troops through lap nine.  Meanwhile, Dylan Nelson had worked his way from eleventh starting spot, and was reeling in the leader.  A slight "wag of the tail" by Tyson as he exited turn two was all that Nelson needed as he then slipped past and into the lead with a handful of laps remaining.   Nelson kept a tight hold on that top spot the rest of the way to the checkers and the win.  Overton took the runner up spot, Erick Knutsen came from tenth to finish third, Solomon Bennett was fourth, and Curt Reed rounded out the top five.

Next Saturday night, August 29 is season championship night at the track, and five new track champions will be crowned.  Tim Ward has the title wrapped up in the Modified division, leading by 38 points over Russ Dickerson.  Donavon Smith appears to have won the crown in the Stock Cars as he leads by 21 points over Jay Schmidt.  Johnathon Logue could take next week off and still have the title in the SportMod division, leading by a whopping 56 points over Dusty Masolini.  Dylan Nelson holds a healthy 21 point lead over Solomon Bennett in the Hobby Stock class.  The only close battle for the track title is in the Mod Lite division.  Randy Bryan holds a slim two point advantage over Mike Kennedy, with Bryan Zehm eight points out.  

The following Saturday night, September 5, is Wild Rose Casino Prelude to the Super Nationals.  There will no doubt be a huge car count as usual as the drivers in town for Super Nationals look to test the waters.  There were 323 cars last year. Then on Labor Day, Monday September 7 is the start of the week long 38th annual IMCA Super Nationals.  Check www.raceboone.com as well as the Boone Speedway Facebook page for more details.  

Keep on supporting the sport we all love....dirt track racing!

Berry unstoppable at Marshalltown, three in a row for Logue, and Dallon Murty impresses again

The Marshalltown Speedway was back in action on Friday night, missing only one week of racing due to the area's devastating derecho.  The lights taken down during the storm were replaced with two portable BOSS LTG Stadium Light Towers, and after hours of volunteer help cleaning up the fallen cat walk, and doing other repairs, the show went on!  It was KMJ Performance Free Grandstand Night at the races, with two added attractions in exhibition...the North Iowa Vintage Cars, and 2-person Cruisers. The vintage car checkers went to Don Masters from Minnesota, and the Cruiser duo of Corey Vanderwilt and Brett Maasdam in the #55X took the honors there.  

Tom Berry put on another dominating performance, winning for the eighth time this season in the IMCA Modifieds. Young Dallon Murty is mastering the High Banks in the IMCA Stock Cars, taking his third trip to victory lane.  Johnathon Logue took the checkers for the third race in a row in the IMCA Northern SportMods, and Braden Richards went back to the winner's circle in the IMCA Hobby Stocks.  Travis Stensland won his first of the season in the Mod Lite division.   

Cody Yaw led the opening laps of the 15 lap Mod Lite feature, seeking what would be just his second ever win. Travis Stensland hustled through the pack from his eighth starting spot, ran down the leader, and took over the top spot at lap eleven. Just after passing Yaw, Yaw spun in corner one, taking himself out of the game and still yearning for his second victory.  Stensland pulled away and took the win well ahead of second place finisher Mike Morrill.  Joel Huggins took third place, Bryan Zehm came from tenth to take fourth spot, and Randy Bryan completed the top five, in the caution free race.  This was Stensland's first trip to victory lane this year at the speedway.  It's a tight battle for the track championship going into next week's final points night, with Bryan Zehm leading Randy Bryan by just two points.

Johnathon Logue took the easy win in the 18-lap feature event for the IMCA Northern SportMods.  He had to fight past Dylan VanWyk, Austin Schrage, and Brayton Carter who were doing battle in front him.  He got the job done at lap six, and from there on, never looked back, finishing comfortably ahead of second place Brayton Carter.  It was a hard fought battle for third through fifth place, with Austin Schrage taking third over Jenae Gustin in fourth, and Dylan VanWyk in fifth. This marked the third win in a row for Logue, and his fourth over all in 2020 at the track. Logue holds a healthy 19 point lead over Austin Schrage for the track championship.  

Braden Richards, led all but the opening lap of the IMCA Hobby Stock 15 lap A main as he took the checkers.  He held back Aaron Martin and Kaden Reynolds who finished second and third respectively.  Twelfth place starter Eric Knutson finished fourth, and William Klosterman was fifth.  This was Richards second feature win of the year. Solomon Bennett leads Kaden Reynolds by 21 points in the Hobby Stock point battle..

First Shawn Ritter, then Tyler Pickett led the early portion of the 18 laps for the IMCA Stock Cars.  But they were no match for Dallon Murty.  Murty came flying on the top shelf, and took command with three laps remaining and then took the flying checkers...Pickett taking a close runner up spot.  Shawn Ritter finished third, Leah Wroten fourth, and last week's winner, Jeff Mueller rounded out the top five.  Dallon, "the Game Changer" Murty looks to have his first track title wrapped up, with second in points, dad Damon Murty opting to take a trip to Columbus Junction track last evening....and winning there.  He leads his dad by 14 points after last night, and Steve Meyer 38 points back in third place.  

With one lap down in the IMCA Modified 20 lap feature, and Dylan Thornton leading the race, the yellow flew.  On the restart, a quagmire of cars piled up in turn four, bringing out another yellow, and eliminating a handful of cars with damage. When the race got back underway, all eyes were on the 11X of Tom Berry who flew to the topside and was coming with a full head of steam.  By lap three he passed Thornton, and then it was all Berry's race. He pulled away to finish a half lap ahead of the field to take the checkers.  Ethan Braaksma made his way from ninth starting spot to finish as the runner up.  Jared VanDeest, Ron Lauritzen, and Zack Rawlins completed the top five. Tom Berry has the track title all wrapped up, leading by a whopping 76 points over second place Ronn Lauritzen.  

The portable lights brought in to replace the two poles snapped off behind the grandstand gave great light to the track last night.  Many sponsor signs were missing, probably blown far away never to be found after the derecho.  The cat walk that was lifted out of it's concrete moorings and toted away, and the debris was cleaned up.  A few repairs were done on the VIP booth, and the concession stand, and it was all good to go last night.  

It is season championship night next Friday to end the regular season.  Then on September 4, it will be Showdown at MoTown. The track will wrap up it's 2020 year with the 14th Annual World Nationals September 17-19.  

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

 

 

McBirnie snags first Modified win on a packed night at Boone after the derecho!

The IMCA Super Nationals are in sight, and the drivers are already prepping for the 38th annual event.  Two hundred twenty-eight cars packed the pits on a night that included an IMCA Sport Compact shakedown along with all of the regular classes. Thirty-two Modifieds, 45 Stock Cars, 47 SportMods, 50 Hobby Stocks, 22 Sport Compacts, 18 Mod Lites, and 14 two-person Cruisers!   

Jake McBirnie would earn his first win in an IMCA Modified, Donavon Smith made it three in a row in the IMCA Stock Cars, and Johnathon Logue repeated his win from last week in the IMCA Northern SportMod class.  Mike Smith took the checkers in the IMCA Hobby Stock division, and Jake Benischek got geared up for next month's Super Nationals by winning in the IMCA Sport Compacts.  Cody Yaw was a happy camper when he got his first career win under his belt in the Mod Lites. The two-person Cruiser feature, the last to be run during Patsy Cline's "Walking after Midnight" played by Jerry Vansickel and Ryan Clark (they too were gearing up for the upcoming Super Nationals) was a bit more chaotic than usual with so many cars that this week included full sized cars!  All I can tell you is that the full sized version was won by the #6M piloted by the duo of Makiley and McKenna Pesicka.  This was the last week for the Cruisers.  

Cody Yaw was the happy recipient of the trophy and a visit to victory lane in the My Race Pass Mod Lites. Yaw led the early portion of the 15 lap race only to be passed by Jon Braathun and Mike Kennedy as the race came down to the final lap.  However, a tangle and subsequent penalty to both drivers as the race ended, handed the win over to third place running Yaw.  Bryan Zehm was awarded the runner up spot, coming from fourteenth starting spot, Randy Bryan, Ben George, and Tanner Gannon completed the top five.  This was Yaw's first career win, and though he mentioned in the post race interview, it wasn't exactly the way he wanted to get it, he was happy to have the first win out of the way.  

Johnathon Logue found the winner's circle again in the Elmquist Towing IMCA Northern SportMod 18 lap A main.  He put his ride to the lead on lap seven, and then never looked back.  Dusty Lynch chased the winner across the line to finish as the runner up.  Colt Nelson took third, Tyler Titus was fourth, and Hunter Longnecker was fifth.  Hard charger was Adam Birck, Canton, Missouri who started twentieth, and finished sixth.  Logue matched his win from last week, and took his fifth win of the season.  

The Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts were in town for their shakedown to the upcoming Super Nationals.  Mitchell Bunch and Jake Benischek put on a good battle as they fought for the lead.  Benischek finally claimed it as his own, and went home to the flying checkers in the fifteen lap contest.  Bunch would trail the leader across the line to finish second.  Kaytee Devries made the trip down from Spencer, Iowa, started twelfth and took third place.  Hunter Patrick, St. Charles, Iowa, and Curtis Masterson, New Virginia, Iowa rounded out the top five.  Benischek, who lives in Durant, Iowa in far eastern Iowa, made the trip worthwhile by taking the checkers. 

Jake McBirnie grabbed the lead from Joel Bushore with a handful of laps in the books in the 20 lap main event for the D & E Outside Services IMCA Modifieds.  Just a lap later, it was twelfth place starter Joel Rust who was challenging him for the lead.  The two would swap the top spot back and forth for several laps until Rust was suddenly pulling into the infield with issues. McBirnie then pulled away from the field, and took the win well ahead of second place Nick Meyer.  Bushore took third place, fourth went to thirteenth place starter Tim Ward,  and Cory Sauerman was fifth.  This was McBirnie's first ever win in the Modified class after jumping up from the Northern SportMod division. 

Jesse Smith led the field in the early going of the Arnold Motor Supply IMCA Stock Car 20 lap contest.  However, it was another Smith,....Donavon Smith, that would be standing in victory lane at the end.  Donavon, who started twelfth. pulled away in the closing laps to take his third win in a row, and his fifth at the track this year.  Kyle Everts finished as the runner up, Jeff Mueller was third, Troy Jerovetz took fourth place, and Tyler Pickett was fifth. 

The Pickett Salvage IMCA Hobby Stocks ran their 15 lap feature next with sixteen year old Mike Smith paying a return visit to the winner's circle and getting a shiny new trophy as he begins his collection.  Smith would finish comfortably ahead of runner up Curt Reed.  Solomon Bennett took third, Eric Knutson started tenth and finished fourth, and Seth Janssen was fifth. Smith is the son of David Smith who drives an IMCA Stock Car, and of the well known Smith clan out of Lake City, Iowa.  

It was good to get away and enjoy a night of racing...a reprieve from the chaotic week we, and much of Iowa, endured with the derecho that hit hard on Monday. Who knew that we would be adding two new words to our vocabulary in 2020...derecho ( a line of intense, widespread, fast-moving windstorms that moves across a great distance and is characterized with damaging winds) and then of course, Covid!  The derecho hit our town of Grinnell hard!  As I write this mid-day Sunday, tomorrow, just before the noon hour, will mark one week that our neighborhood will be without power.  Some of the town has power, even close by, and one side of the street has lights, the other, still dark.  The town has rallied to provide food, shelter, hot showers, etc. to those in need.  Many pulled out their grills, and began cooking frozen items that would be spoiled, and giving meals away, as did a couple of our local restaurants. Cell phone service was sporadic and poor.  Now the destruction....it has been extensive! We are one of the very fortunate ones and thank our lucky stars and feel very, very grateful.  All we had were a few limbs, and many, many sticks down in our yard, a twisted DISH satellite, and a tiny piece of decorative siding above our garage door that was a bit pulled loose.  Even more fortunate, we have a whole house generator that kicked in automatically after about ten seconds, and has been running constantly ever since. Thank goodness for natural gas!  Neighbors have used our plug ins to power their devices and we have offered shelter, etc. as well.  Piles of trees and branches line every street as we await pick up the city will provide.  People have lost so much food from their refrigerators and freezers, and the city has a place that those spoiled items can be discarded.  For a bit, there was no way of obtaining food, nor gas, until a few places got back up and running, or partially functioning.  Many had to journey to surrounding towns for provisions. But...we are Iowans!  We are strong and resilient, and even the farmers....who have lost so much of their corn crop....fields completely flattened, buildings demolished, and livestock lost, we go on!  It seems as though the media hasn't really noticed much about our "inland hurricane" nor do they seem to care.  Wait until they can't get that food on THEIR tables, and then we will hear about it.  Okay...off my soap box.  

We were certainly surprised to find that we had internet up when we returned home last night! So evidently things are progressing our way, and power may be back on before too long.  Our last check of the Alliant outage map, was a proposed Tuesday or Wednesday time frame. However, we feel blessed...we have continued to be comfortable with lights, a/c, etc. the entire time.  The neighbors lost many trees, some damaging their homes, and one lost a partial roof.  It was repaired and the entire house re-shingled in four days.      

Stay strong, those of you who were impacted by the storm....it traveled 100's of miles and was very wide.  This was just another blip in 2020 along with the Covid epidemic.  It was good to get away at the races last night, and if possible during these trying times, it just may do you good to seek out a race to attend and forget your woes for a bit. The Marshalltown Speedway was hit by the storm and their racing program is on hold for the moment.  Boone Speedway had very little damage, but we did notice a couple of sponsor signs blown away! Once again, stay strong, and let's all get through this together!  Iowa strong! 

Thornton over Gustin at the wire, Rieks gets first win, and Smith and Stensland repeat.

It was another regular Saturday night series of racing at the Boone Speedway with the IMCA Northern SportMods getting some extra action.  There was an Elmquist Towing top 12 Dash for Cash, and a Walters Sanitary Service Trash Dash for the next 12 heat qualifiers. 

A first time winner would emerge from the Modified ranks when Dylan Thornton won by inches at the wire.  Donavon Smith repeated his IMCA Stock Car win from last week, Johnathon Logue took an easy win in the IMCA Northern SportMods, and David Rieks stepped into victory lane for the first time in several years when he won the IMCA Hobby Stock main event.  Travis Stensland made it two in a row when he walked away from the field in winning the Mod Lites.  Cruiser car action also returned after a two weeks absence.  It was a new duo of winners with Jadon Dougan and Austin Dodds getting the win.

Travis Stensland repeated his win from last week, as he led all fifteen laps of the Mod Lite A Main.  He grabbed the lead immediately and then walked away from the field.  He won by a straightaway in the race that went flag to flag.  Bryan Zehm finished a distant second, Jeff Stensland was third, Randy Bryan took fourth place, and Mike Kennedy rounded out the top five.  Stensland won for the second week in a row.

In the eighteen lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature, it was Chad Ryerson, and thirteen year old Izac Mallicoat leading the field through much of the race.  Johnathon Logue then appeared on the scene,  flying on the topside. With a handful of laps remaining Logue was challenging both Mallicoat and Ryerson.  A yellow flag restart at lap sixteen would be just what Logue was looking for.  He made his move in turn two just after the race returned to green, taking over the top spot and keeping it to the checkers.  Ryerson finished as the runner up, Mallicoat was third, Cam Reimers was fourth, and Dusty Lynch finished fifth.  Logue, who started tenth on the grid, won for the fourth time this season.

There were two 12 lap dashes for the Northern SportMods.  The top 12 finishers from the heat races ran the Elmquist Towing Dash with $400 going to the winner.  Johnathon Logue cashed in there.  The Walters Sanitary Service Trash Dash was for the 12 drivers finishing fourth through sixth in their heats.  Garrett Nelson took home the $300 prize in this one.

The twenty lap IMCA Modified feature was decided by inches in a mad dash to the finish line that had the crowd on its feet.  Three drivers provided most of the action upfront for much of the race as Joel Bushore....in a new ride (that appeared to be a former Jay Noteboom car.... an 8 slapped in front of the 7N) after his roll over accident last week, led the field as the race went green.  Dylan Thornton was quick to join in and then fourteenth place starter Jimmy Gustin joined in to make it a trio of fun.  The closing laps saw the three drivers go at it in a spectacular dash to the finish line.  Dylan Thornton had just enough momentum coming out of the final corner as the checkers unfurled, taking the win by inches over Jimmy Gustin. The transponder loop showed Thornton won by 15/1000 of a second.  Bushore finished a close third.  Cory Sauerman came from tenth to finish fourth, and Todd Shute finished fifth after starting in eleventh. The win marked the first time Thornton has visited the winner's circle at the speedway.

Ironically, Thornton, who is from California and back here to race during the summer, is staying with Jimmy Gustin.  He explained in his victory lane interview with announcer Jerry Vansickel that he got acquainted with Gustin through iRacing (an online simulated racing game)...then got invited to spend the summer with the family.  This is just what racers do!  It isn't the first time a west coast driver has spent the racing season with a driver from Iowa and probably won't be the last.  Western Region drivers seem to love to try their hand on Iowa race tracks....and many have become permanent transplants. 

Donavon Smith was back in victory lane after winning the IMCA Stock Car twenty lapper.  Smith came from twelfth starting spot, caught and passed then leader Shane Stoneburner with just two laps remaining, and kept it the rest of the way to the finish.  Brother David Smith came from eleventh to finish as the runner up, and Stoneburner was third.  Kyle Everts and fourteenth place starter Jay Schmidt, completed the top five.  Smith repeated his win from last week, and grabbed his fourth win of the season. There was a whopping 47 Stock Cars checked into the pits....the class that has drawn an average of 38 cars weekly.  

David Rieks won for the first time this year when he took the fifteen lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, leading all laps on his way to victory.  He held off twelfth place starter Dylan Nelson who took the runner up position.  Brayden Richards, Curt Reed, and Seth Butler would complete the top five. Rieks, in his sharp looking #78xx ride said in victory lane that this was only his fifth start of the season.  A look back through my records shows this was his first win at the track since 2016.

There were several Missouri and Minnesota drivers among the 159 race cars checked in last night. Chris Wright from Chillicothe, Missouri and Ben Stockton from Kansas City raced in the SportMod division.  Blake Peeler, Trimble, Missouri, Kyren Porter, Madison Lake, Minnesota, Jeff McCollum, Mankato Minnesota, Anthony Whitham, Lawson, Missouri and Ryan Grochow, New Ulm Minnesota, tried their hand in the Stock Cars.  Modifieds brought Cole Anderson, Northfield, Minnesota, Chad Porter, Madison Lake, Minnesota, and Jayden Bears, from Kansas City, Missouri.  The Hobby Stocks had Scott Porter, Madison Lake, Minnesota, and Kristchon Hisel from Winston, Missouri.   

Get out to a race and support our tracks and dirt track racing.

DeFrance takes Late Model track title, Berry unstoppable in Modifieds, and Mueller gets 100th in Stock Cars

The IMCA Late Models wrapped up their regular season of racing on Friday at the Marshalltown Speedway, during Shawn's Custom Hay Grinding Night at the Races. Hometown hero Darrel DeFrance would claim the track title in the Late Models as well as winning the feature. Tom Berry continued his domination in the IMCA Modified division, and Johnathon Logue made it two in a row in the IMCA Northern SportMod class.  Jeff Mueller got his second win of the season in the IMCA Stock Cars as well as getting his 100th career feature win.  Solomon Bennett snagged his first ever win at Marshalltown in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Bryan Zehm got his second win of the season in the Mod Lites.

The Mod Lites went fifteen laps for their main event.  Joel Huggins was looking strong as he led from the drop of the green and was holding back the field until Bryan Zehm came calling at lap nine.  The two ran closely for a couple of laps until Zehm made his move into the lead as they crossed the flagstand with just two laps remaining.  Huggins didn't go away, but was unable to regain the upper hand in the closing moments as Zehm took the checkers. Huggins had to settle for second.  Third went to Travis Stensland, Cory Sonner was fourth, and Mike Morrill finished fifth.  Zehm also won the season opener back on June 5.  

The yellow flag reared its ugly head seven times in the eighteen lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature, but in the end of the stop-and-go contest, it was Johnathon Logue repeating his win for the second week in a row.  Logue started eighth on the field, passed then leader Kyle Olson on lap eight, and went on to the flying checkers.  Brayton Carter started seventh, and finished a close second, giving Logue a challenge in the final laps.  Travis Peterson, Kyle Olson, and Austin Schrage completed the top five. This was Logue's third feature win of the 2020 season at the speedway.

A first time winner at the track came out of the fifteen lap IMCA Hobby Stock class when Solomon Bennett took the win.  Bennett started tenth, and had the lead by lap five, never to give it up.  Braden Richards chased the winner most of the race to finish in second.  Hard charger was Jacob Floyd, coming from twentieth to finish third.  Aaron Martin and Scott Ellis went fourth and fifth respectively.  It was a much different outcome for third through fifth as a melee developed on the frontstretch just as the checkers flew, changing up the finishing order, some cars crossing the finish line backwards.

It was season championship night for the IMCA Late Models who wrapped up their regular season earlier than all other classes. The field started straight up by points with hometown favorite Darrel DeFrance holding a slim two point lead over rookie Logan Duffy after the earlier heat race finish saw Duffy gain a point. The twenty lap feature would determine the final outcome, and DeFrance left no doubt in this one.  He would lead from the drop of the green to the checkers in the twenty lap race that went non-stop.  Duffy trailed DeFrance the entire circuits to finish second.  Dalton Simonsen took third, Ben Seeman was fourth, and first timer at the track, Mitch Manternach, from Dyersville started twelfth, and finished fifth. 

There were three racing legends in the grandstand last evening....Ed Sanger, Curt Hansen, and Gary Crawford.  Three drivers who have put their names in the record books from days past.  Curt Hansen was there to watch son Bobby Hansen, and Gary Crawford was there hoping to see grandson Logan Duffy take a track championship.  

Jeff Mueller had to dig around the bottom of the track....his comfort zone...in the IMCA eighteen lap Stock Car feature to get the win, but he got the job done.  Mueller started twelfth, caught and passed rim riding Dallon Murty at lap twelve and held the lead to the finish.  Dallon Murty came from tenth starting spot to take the runner up position, his dad Damon Murty started eleventh and finished third, Kyle Everts was fourth, and Tyler Pickett was fifth.  This was Mueller's second win at the track this season, this one a little extra sweet as it was his 100th IMCA Stock Car feature win.  

There seems to be no stopping the hot streak of Tom Berry, Jr. in the IMCA Modifieds.  Berry grabbed the lead away from Jared VanDeest on lap eight and then pulled away, slicing and dicing through traffic to take the easy win.  VanDeest held second, Paul Nagle, Kollin Hibdon, and Scott Simatovich rounded out the top five.  This was Berry's seventh win at the High Banks this year.  He has not only been on a roll at Marshalltown, but most any where he goes.  He is third in IMCA national points, just a single point separating the top three drivers as the season winds down. I also note that there have only been two different winners out of the Modified class at Marshalltown this year, Berry with seven, and Joel Rust with two.

There were two new California drivers that checked in to the pits last evening.  Randy Brown in the IMCA Modifieds, and Kaylin Lopez, both from Chowchilla.  The Western Region drivers continue to make their way back to our neck of the woods to do some racing.  

Racing continues next Friday night, August 14.  It will be Bob Harris Enterprises night and $1,000 to win for the IMCA Northern SportMods. 

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

  

  

Track Champions Crowned and Hall of Fame Induction Night at Osky

The Southern Iowa Speedway concluded its weekly racing program for 2020 on Wednesday night with a good crowd on hand and one of their best car counts of the year.  It was also Season Championship night and Hall of Fame induction night.  

There were ten Non-Wing Sprints in the house, though only eight would start the 10-lap feature.  Garrett Alexander's machine gave up the ghost in hot laps and Lance Silvers also experienced mechanical issues and did not start the feature event.  

There was still a $400 bounty on Jonathan Hughes, the racer from just down the road in Knoxville.  Hughes had been winning weekly, and going into the night had been credited with all seven wins at the track.  Though he had crossed the line in second during the Fair race to Ben Woods, that driver was disqualified for a rules infraction, and the win was awarded to Hughes.  

Hughes started fourth in the feature race, flew around first lap leader Doug Sylvester, and was leading at lap two.  He put an exclamation point on his win, pulling away to take the checkers.  Sylvester finished second, Mike Mayberry was third, and Tyler Graves and Chuck Alexander completed the top five.  Hughes not only got the win, but also got to take home the $400 bounty money that no one claimed.

The Sport Compacts had nine drivers compete, and all nine would start their 10-lap season championship race.  Billy Cain only needed to start the A Main to claim his track title for 2020.  

James Haring led the opening lap, with Billy Cain taking over at lap two.  Meanwhile, the 69JX of William Michel was on the move.  He was up to challenge leader Cain by lap four, and as they passed under the flagstand when lap five went into the books, Michel was leading.  From there on he held that top spot the rest of the way to the checkers.  Cain would finish as the runner up, Lewie Winkleman was third, with Nathan Moody and Dalton Sowers rounding out the top five.  Billy Cain is the 2020 track champion in the Sport Compact division.

Three points separated veteran racer Curtis Van Der Wal and young rookie Maguire DeJong going into the sixteen lap season championship race for the SportMods.  Logan Anderson leaped to the lead as the race went green and distanced himself from the field.  A yellow at lap two tightened the field for the restart, and by this time, point leader Curtis Van Der Wal had risen to the number two spot.  Van Der Wal dogged the leader and just as he had made the pass, the race was called back for another yellow.  This hardly bothered the wily veteran and by lap eight, he was in the lead.  He pulled away in the final laps, and won going away.  Anderson would finish second, Maguire DeJong was third, fourth went to Colton Livezey, and Charlie Weber was fifth.  Curtis Van Der Wal was crowned the 2020 track champion.

Dustin Griffiths in the Hobby Stock division, was another driver who had the track title all but wrapped up, leading by nine points heading into the fourteen lap season ending feature race.  Throw a little wrench into his night however, when he was disqualified in his heat race, for "unnecessary contact" with another car after the heat race".  He was then penalized and relegated to start the feature event at the tail.  

The feature had a hard time getting the first lap in the books.  When they finally did get going, Aaron Martin held the top spot.  However the adrenaline must have been pumping in Dustin Griffiths' veins as by lap three, he was already challenging the leader.  It only took three more laps before he took command, and then pulled away, riding the rim of the track, and put an exclamation point on his win. Griffiths took the track title....his sixth in the last seven years, according to my records.   Brad Stephens, Aaron Martin, Jon Irwin, and Rick Goldsberry completed the top five.  

The night's racing ended with sixteen laps of Stock Car racing.  This one was the tightest points battle of the evening with Jason McDaniel holding a one point lead over Derrick Agee. Agee would start fifth for the feature, McDaniel in seventh.  

Dustin Griffiths, fresh off of his Hobby Stock win, started on the outside front row, and immediately took command.  There was no looking back for Griffiths, as he hopped to the rim of the track once more, and motored off to the easy win.  Derrick Agee chased Griffiths most of the race but would finish a distant second.  Jason Hall ran at the front of the field the entire race and finished in third, chased across the line by Nathan Wood in fourth.  Jason McDaniel would finish in fifth.  Agee's second place finish was enough to claim the title of Stock Car champion at the Monster half mile.  

Earlier in the evening, the 2020 Hall of Fame winners were announced and honored.  The late Engel DeKock, who called Oskaloosa home for many years, was a Dutch immigrant who became a well known promoter of racing, a flagman, and was also a Southern Iowa Fair board member.  He was voted into the Hall of Fame by past Hall of Fame inductees.

Carl Vander Wal  started his racing career in 1958 and ran all over the state of Iowa.  He won the very first race at the then new Boone Speedway track in 1967.  This would be at least his third Hall of Fame induction, also voted in at Hawkeye Downs as well as the Boone Speedway.  He still attends races, supporting his sons Dale and Brian. 

Tim Folkerts was the second driver honored last night.  Folkerts, the Albia, Iowa racer who comes from a racing family...his father Wendell as well as brother Troy, have many laps around not only the half-mile at Osky but other tracks through out the area.   

The third driver to be honored with the Hall of Fame award, Dan Dickey, was unable to attend the ceremonies, and will be receiving his well deserved honor during the Fall Challenge races coming up at the speedway on October 16 and 17.  

Find a race to attend....check the calendar at Positively Racing and help support the sport of dirt track racing.

   

Watermelon Classic and P1 Performance Night big wins to Shute, Ward, and Smith

It was another special night of racing at the Boone Speedway on Saturday. The draw/redraw night was not only the 6th Annual P1 Promotions Modified Challenge but also the Watermelon Classic.  There was extra money on the line in all IMCA classes, plus those infamous watermelons to heat and feature winners. It was also a full moon night....its affects were evident during the night as some of the 159 cars checked in would attest to. 

The IMCA Modifieds qualified for the Modified Challenge race through timing, heats, and passing points. Out of forty cars only twelve drivers were given the chance to compete.  Those twelve then drew for their starting spots for the 15-lap prestigious event.

Cody Laney and Todd Shute were the lucky front row starters.  Laney immediately had the lead as the race went green with fourth place starter Kyle Brown and Todd Shute hot on his tail.  Brown made the pass into the lead by lap two, and was holding back Shute.  Brown held the lead until lap ten when Shute snatched it away.  He would then go the distance and take the checkers and the $1000 pay off.  Brown finished second, Nick Meyer started eighth and finished third, just getting by fourth place Cody Laney in the closing moments.  Joel Rust rounded out the top five. The twelve drivers ran the race flag to flag. 

The D & E Outside Services IMCA Modified regular feature event of the night went 30 laps, paid $1,200 and was a Fast Shafts Qualifier to be on the ballot for the Super Nationals All-Star race.  Tim Ward and Richie Gustin had a good battle going until Gustin was suddenly off power while leading just after lap eighteen was in the books.  This gave Ward back the lead, which he would keep the remainder of the way to the checkers and the win.  He finished comfortably ahead of second place Ethan Dotson, followed by Jake McBirnie in third, Cody Laney in fourth, and Nick Meyer was fifth.  Ward matched his win from last week.

The Arnold Motor Supply IMCA Stock Cars were also running for $1000 pay day in their 25 lap A main.  Joel Rust, piloting Jay Schmidt's second car, led the field to green and claimed the top spot.  By lap two, sixth place starter Donavon Smith was up to challenge Rust and applying the pressure.  The tussle between the two ended when Smith snatched the lead on lap eight, never to relinquish it the remaining distance to the flying checkers.  Fifth place starter Tony Hofbauer chased Smith much of the latter portion of the race, and finished second.  Jay Schmidt pestered Hofbauer most of the race  and finished an ever so close third place, his last surge to the checkers falling just short.  A pair of Smith brothers, David and Devin completed the top five.  This was Donavon Smith's third trip to victory lane this season.

The Elmquist Towing IMCA Northern SportMods were running for $750 in their 23 lap feature event.  Colton Nelson, Osceola, Iowa racer held the upper hand through the halfway mark of the race, after having to hold off a hard charging Johnathon Logue.  Then who should throw his hat into the ring, but Nelson's brother Garrett Nelson.  Garrett Nelson had to qualify through a B main, started twenty-first and was tailing his brother on lap fifteen.  Two laps later, Garrett took the lead and from there on, held it to the finish line and the win.  Johnathon Logue would finish as the runner up, Colton Nelson took third place, Ryan King was fourth and Robert Moore took fifth after starting in fourteenth starting spot.  This was the first time that Nelson had won at the speedway.

Mike Smith started on the pole of the 20-lap IMCA Pickett Salvage Hobby Stock feature, and led all laps to take the win along with $500.   He finished well ahead of second place Curt Reed.  Eric Knutson took third after starting in twelfth spot, Dylan Nelson was fourth, and Seth Janssen was fifth.  Smith repeated his win from last week, and claimed his third of the year. The race went green to checkers.

Travis Stensland got his first win of the year in the My Race Pass Mod Lites.  Stensland led all 15-laps on his way to the checkers.  Bryan Zehm finished a distant second, Mike Kennedy took third, fourth went to visiting racer Dillon Raffurty from Kansas City, Missouri, and Jon Braathun finished fifth.

As mentioned earlier, the full moon seemed to be having its way with the drivers last night.  The yellow flag was displayed often, and even a few red flag situations reared its ugly head.  Brandon Williams, SportMod racer who now calls Platte City, Missouri home, went out of the ballpark off the top of turns three and four during the B main. During the SportMod feature, not one, but two cars rolled on the backstretch in the same incident.  Blair Simmons and Dustin Lynch have some work to do.  Joel Bushore and Josh "Happy" Gilman got together on the frontstretch in the Modified feature, Bushore getting upside down.  All drivers were okay. 

There was a good contingency of drivers who traveled a good distance to try their hand at the Boone Speedway last evening.  Two Kansas City, Missouri Mod Lite racers, Dillon and Michael Raffurty made the trip up.  Tyler Watts in the SportMod division, and Tim Watts in the Modified class made the trip over from Beloit, Kansas.  Rob Charapata, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Austin Kuehl, Cave Creek, Arizona, Cody Laney, Torrance, California,  Dustin Kroening, Hebron, Illinois, and the Flying Hall Brothers, Larry and Garry from Rochester, Minnesota came for fun and games in the Modifieds. 

It's August already!  Racing season will soon be drawing to a close.  Find a race to attend in support of our tracks and the sport we all love....dirt track racing. 

It's Berry again for the win

It was a beautiful Friday night for racing at the Marshalltown Speedway, with only a slight breeze, cooler temps and less humidity.  Two new winners stepped into victory lane for the first time this season, Nathan Ballard in the IMCA Hobby Stock Class, and Joel Huggins in the Mod Lite division. Two time winners were Curtis Glover in the IMCA Late Models, Dallon Murty in the IMCA Stock Cars, and Johnathon Logue in the IMCA Northern SportMods.  Tom Berry continued his domination in the IMCA Modifieds, chalking up win number six.

Things kicked off with the Mod Lite 15 lap feature and Joel Huggins appeared to be a man on a mission!  Huggins grabbed the early lead and then pulled away to a hefty lead and win the race that went flag to flag.  Mike Morrill finished a distant second, with Randy Bryan a close third.  Fourth went to Ben George and Travis Sensland was fifth. This was Huggins's first win at the track this season.

Johnathon Logue went home with the victory in the IMCA Northern SportMod 18-lap contest.  Logue started tenth and took command on lap five.  From there on he never looked back on his way to the checkers.  Kyle Olson came from eighth starting spot to finish as the runner up.  Osceola, Iowa's Garrett Nelson started eleventh and finished third.  Travis Peterson and Ryan King rounded out the top five.  This was Logue's second visit to the winner's circle at the speedway this year. The driver who has been deemed, "The Bobcat", and when he is on the hunt for the lead, it's "whiskers down, and tail up" per announcer Jerry Vansickel. 

In the IMCA Hobby Stocks, it was Nathan Ballard winning for the first time ever at the track when he took the checkers.  Ballard started on the outside front row and led all fifteen laps on his way to victory.  Jacob Floyd chased Ballard the entire distance, but trailed a distant second.  Braden Richards finished a close third, fourth went to eleventh place starter Solomon Bennett, and Tyler Ollendieck was fifth. Ballard, who has had success at other area tracks, was happy to finally get his first Marshalltown Speedway win under his belt. 

The IMCA Late Models went 20-laps for their feature event.  Bobby Hansen held down the top spot through the first portion of the race until Curtis Glover snatched it away on lap seven.  A couple of #99s duked it out for the second spot, with Luke Pestka finally laying claim to it as he finished in second place over Darrel DeFrance in third.  Fourth went to Logan Duffy, and early leader Bobby Hansen came home in fifth.  This was Glover's second feature win of the season. Going into next week's season championship for the Late Models, Darrel DeFrance holds a three point advantage over rookie Logan Duffy. 

Kenzie Ritter, fresh off of her recent first career win on a trip to Wagner, South Dakota was looking strong in the IMCA Stock Car feature, taking the lead on lap two.  Dallon Murty was quickly up to challenge her for the lead however, and at the halfway mark of the 18-lapper, Murty took command. He would then hold that top spot the remainder of the way to the checkers and the win. Damon Murty would follow his son across the finish line in second after a late race pass on Kinzie Ritter who finished third.  Dave Atcher and Tyler Pickett completed the top five.  Dallon Murty made his second trip to victory lane at the track this year.  The father/son Murty duo continues to keep an impressive 2020 record going. 

Tom Berry, Jr. had another dominate win in the IMCA Modifieds as he won the 20-lap feature convincingly.  Berry started eighth, had the lead at lap three, and then just drove off from the field.  Only one caution would slow the race, that being on lap fifteen for debris.  When the race restarted, Berry sailed off again, never to be contested on his way to the win.  Tony Haufbauer finished in the runner up position, Tim Ward finished third, just getting by Ronn Lauritzen in fourth in the closing moments.  Rounding out the top five was veteran racer Scott Simatovich. This was Berry's sixth win of the year. Berry, who is the point leader at the Marshalltown Speedway, is also the IMCA National Modified point leader in his fast Razor hot rod. 

Get out and find a race to attend and support the sport we all love....dirt track racing!

Logue best all classes to take the Hawkeye Challenge

One of the most unique races in the country took place on Saturday night at the Boone Speedway with the running of the Hawkeye Challenge.  Six divisions of cars, staggered by laps per class, and with one over all winner.  This was in addition to the five regular classes of cars running their regular weekly events. Cruisers were off this week and next, but there was a return of Sprint cars.

The Hawkeye Challenge pitted six divisions of cars, the Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks, Mod Lites, and Sprints.  Point leader from each class was locked in and passing points from the heats determined who else would be eligible for the Hawkeye Challenge.  Whoever completed their specified number of laps first, would be the over all winner...Sprint Cars 25 laps, Modifieds 23 laps, SportMods 22 laps, Mod Lites 22 laps, Stock Cars 21 laps, and Hobby Stocks 20 laps. This race returned at the Boone Speedway last year for the first time in many years.

It was an exciting race to watch, but hard to keep track of where anyone was on the track.  Thank goodness for transponders, and multiple scorers last evening. 

Winners of each divisions were as follows: Sprint Car, DJ Palmer, Modified, Tim Ward, Stock Car, Donavon Smith, SportMod, Johnathon Logue, Hobby Stock, Mike Smith, and Mod Lite, Mike Kennedy.  When the final calculations were completed, the over all winner of the Hawkeye Challenge was Northern SportMod racer, Johnathon Logue, who pocketed the $1,000 prize.  Each division winner also won $500.

A check of the official results show that DJ Palmer and Mike Houseman, two Sprints car drivers came in second and third.  Hunter Longnecker in the SportMod division was fourth, and Mike "The Busman" Kennedy took a top five in the Mod Lite division.

The regular feature racing of the evening began with the Mod Lites and their 15 lap main event.  Cory Sonner started tenth on the field of cars and made his way quickly forward to take command on lap four.  He had no trouble in keeping that lead as he stretched it out and took the checkers well ahead of second place Joe Glick.  Jeff Stensland took third, Mike Kennedy was fourth, and Jon Braathun was fifth.

Sonner is the grandson of the late Gil Sonner...a legend in the Sprint Car world.  He was the owner of the #47 Sprint Car that many a successful driver took to victory lane over the years. Cory Sonner, who carries that #47 on his ride, captured only his second win ever after getting his career first win under his belt at the Marshalltown Speedway earlier this year. 

Johnathon Logue made it a perfect night as he took the feature win in the IMCA Northern SportMod 18 lap event after capturing the earlier Hawkeye Challenge victory.  Logue came from eleventh starting spot, methodically worked his way through the field to catch leader Hunter Longnecker.  The two ran side by side for several laps until Logue was able to make the pass for the lead on lap eleven.  He then kept that top spot the remainder of the way to the checkers and the win.  Longnecker kept the runner up spot, Dustin Lynch was third, Doug Smith was a very close fourth, and Cam Reimers rounded out the top five.  This was Logue's third feature win of the 2020 season. He went home with three trophies on the night to add to his growing collection.  He got two trophies in the Hawkeye Challenge...one for the division winner and the over all title, plus taking the night's feature.

The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was plagued with yellow flags, but when all was said and done, it was Tim Ward standing in victory lane.  Ward started ninth, managed to avoid some of the chaos on the track, and grabbed the lead away from Andy Tiernan with just four laps remaining.  Ward then kept a tight hold on that number one position to take the double checkers and secure his first win at the track this year.  Paul Nagle took second, Russ Dickerson came home in third place after starting in fifteenth, early leader Andy Tiernan was fourth, and Jimmy Gustin (in an out of the ordinary yellow ride) was the hard charger, coming from twenty-fourth to finish fifth.

The Class too Tough to Tame, the IMCA Stock Cars put on another of their typical action packed races.  Tony Hofbauer got out of the gate quickly from starting fourth and had the lead by lap three.  By lap seven, he had Jay Schmidt to contend with.  Schmidt started twelfth, and was up to challenge the leader.  Schmidt constantly looked underneath Hofbauer and it finally paid off. Just past the half way mark of the 20 lap event, he nosed under Hofbauer, taking advantage of that moisture still at the bottom of the track, and was able to grab the lead.  The final handful of laps saw Schmidt stretch his lead and take the easy win.  Hofbauer finished second, Tyler Pickett started tenth and finished third, fourth went to fourteenth place starter, Troy Jerovetz, and veteran racer Robert Stofer started thirteenth and finished fifth.  This was Schmidt's second win at the track this year.

The 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stocks put a night cap on the racing.  Pole sitter Braden Richards led the opening laps with Mike Smith tucking in right behind to run second.  A tight battle ensued between the two until Smith was able to wrestle away the lead on lap seven....never to relinquish it the rest of the way to the checkers.  Miciah Hidlebaugh made a late race surge to get around Richards as they finished second and third respectively.  Solomon Bennett took fourth and Dylan Nelson rounded out the top five.  This was Smith's second win of the year. Smith is the young teenage son of Stock Car racer David Smith.

Next Saturday, August 1, is the annual Watermelon Classic with a $1,000 to the winner of the Modified and Stock Car features and another $1,000 to the P1P sponsored Modified Challenge winner. The SportMods and Hobby Stock will race for $500.  All other regular classes will also be in competition, except the Cruisers.  Plus, all heat winners get a watermelon from Lawty!

As of right now, the 38th running of the IMCA Super Nationals September 7-12 is a go. The Prelude to the Super Nationals is also still scheduled for Saturday, September 5.  Time will tell if all will proceed as usual during these unprecedented times.  Fingers crossed!