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.
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