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!
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