We began our racing vacation with the Showdown in Motown at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday, September 2 and ended it on Saturday September 10 at the Boone Speedway and the 2022 Super Nationals....nine days/nights straight for us old folk. We got tired and worn out.....but we had fun!
It's hard to believe that there have been 40 IMCA Super Nationals...beginning in 1983 at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa, and Mike Schulte won that first Modified Super Nationals. The next few years, they were at various track. 1984, Jack Mitchell won it when it was held at the Independence Motor Speedway. In 1985 it was held at West Liberty and Mike Frieden won. Frieden repeated his win in 1986 when it was held at the Knoxville Raceway. Wayne Larson won his first Super Nationals the following year at Mason City. Then, in 1988, our first year in attendance (and every year since) it was moved to its permanent home at the Boone Speedway.
The forecast for the entire week of Super Nationals was looking great! That first day, Labor Day, September 5, was a beautiful day to being the 40th Annual IMCA Super Nationals.
Today was the IMCA Late Model Big Dance. Coming out on top their 50 lap feature was Cory Dumpert, York, Nebraska. Dumpert had many accolades prior to winning this one...a two time IMCA National Champion, but this one had eluded him. Not this time as he swept to the win to start the week as the first 2022 Super Nationals champion. Jeff Aikey finished as the runner up and though not too pleased with a little bumping between the two top runners, it was nice to see the handshake after the race was finished. Dean Abbey, Boyd, Texas, Dustin Schramm, Sterling, Illinois, and Joel Callahan, Dubuque, Iowa were third through fifth respectively.
Monday also began the qualifying for the IMCA Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks. Racing began at 2:10 p.m. and done at 12:11 a.m.
Day #2, Tuesday, September 6 saw the second Super National's champion crowned when Jake Benischek, Durant, Iowa took the honors in the IMCA Sport Compacts. He reeled in Kimberly Abbott with perfect timing, taking the lead with a lap to go, and went home to the flying double checkers. Following Abbott in third place was Dunlap's Shannon Mahlberg, fourth went to Mitch Bielenberg, Charlotte, Iowa, and Lukas Rick, Urbana, Iowa rounded out the top five.
Qualifying continued for the IMCA Northern SportMods, and Hobby Stocks. Racing started at 2:09 p.m. and was completed at 11:46 p.m.
Day #3, Wednesday, September 7 is the day the IMCA Modifieds and Stock Cars made their first appearance. The numbers were outstanding for those two classes. There were 252 Modifieds and 243 Stock Cars checked in. Final qualifying was completed for the Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks as well. Total cars checked in so far was 995 cars. Would we make a 1,000?
Racing began again at 2:09 p.m. and was over at 1:22 a.m. That was a 78 race, 726 lap day.
It was already Thursday, Day #4 on September 8. Time was passing quickly. Today it was more qualifying for the IMCA Modifieds and Stock Cars plus the All Star Invitational for the Stock Cars. Young Kaden Reynolds, Cedar Rapids, Iowa and in his rookie year in the stock car class, showed his talent and took the prestigious win. Kelly Shryock was hoping to repeat, but had to settle for the runner up spot this year. Justin Luinenburg, Reading, Minnesota was third, fourth was Beatrice, Nebraska's Kyle Vanover, and Mike Mullen, Seymour, Wisconsin was fifth. Thirty cars for thirty laps, and the race went flag to flag.
Thursday's racing began at 1:08 p.m. and concluded at 1:54 in the morning.
Friday, Day #5, saw a whopping 94 races and 980 laps of racing. What with a forecast for "R" for Saturday, extra races were added at the end of the night with 15 LCQ for the Modifieds. It turned out to be a good call.
Friday's racing also saw ROCs for the Modifieds and Stock Cars. plus the Modified All Star Invitational. The Modified ROC went to Bakersfield, California's Jerry Flippo....a young talent from that area. Kaden Reynolds continued his reign in the Stock Cars and followed up his All Star Invitational win from Thursday, with the win in the ROC. Another rookie took home the Modified All Star Invitational win in their 30 lapper that also went caution free. That rookie was Sioux City, Iowa's Cody Thompson who jumped up from several years of running in the Northern SportMod class. That 30 lapper went 9 minutes and 7 seconds of non-stop racing action of the cream of the crop drivers.
There was an early call for racing on Friday with the rain in the forecast. We began at 12:13 p.m. and ended at 1:48 a.m.
As we peeked out of our window at the hotel on Saturday, Day #6, it was not what we wanted to see! Rain! It appeared it had been going on for some time as well. Thank goodness at times for social media as the word came that as soon as the rain stopped in Boone, the jet dryer would be on the track, and then between 2-3 hours we should be racing.
We did go over to the track and sat and watched it rain....until 4 p.m. At 4:15 p.m. we heard the jet dryer! It did its job as did the "green machines"...the John Deere tractors and the skillful knowledge of the track prep crew. We were racing at 6:51 p.m.
As stated earlier, Friday night 15 extra LCQs were added in anticipation of the rain to come. It was a good call, as on Saturday, there were only nine total races. There were 3 Modified Last chance qualifiers and two Stock Car Last chances. Then....it was time to go dancing!
The IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks ran their 30 lapper first. Brandon Nielsen, Spencer, Iowa appeared to be well on his way to victory until lap 22 when things got a little "pushy/shovey" with the top runners as they came out of turn four. This involved the front runner Nielsen, second place runner Mike Smith, and third running Jimmy Johnson. Nielsen's car road the inside wall, underside showing as it got pushed along....sparks flying! The three cars continued to be mingled as they hit the flagstand with the flagman and his assistant luckily being alert and jumping back out of harms way. A bit of flagstand repair was quickly done, and needless to say, the three cars involved were done.
As the race restarted, fourth place running Zach Olmstead, Overton, Nebraska was the lucky recipient of the lead. It turned out to be his lucky day, and he motored home the rest of the distance to the checkers and the IMCA Hobby Stock Super Nationals Championship. Justin Frederick, Cleghorn, Iowa was second, third was Adel, Iowa's Dylan Nelson, fourth went to Michael Kimm, Vinton, Iowa and Josh Sidles, Emmetsburg, Iowa was fifth.
The IMCA Northern SportMods came next, for their 30 lap Big Dance. Colby Fett was the early leader in this one with Taylor Kuehl giving it a good go as she chased him around the track. By lap 22, Matt Looft had caught Kuehl and two laps later, made the pass into second place. Then...just two laps later, he had over taken Fett, and took over the lead. It was all Looft's race the rest of the way to the finish and the IMCA Northern SportMod Super Nationals Championship. Looft, Swea City, Iowa who is leading national points at the moment and already has four titles under his belt, has surpassed 200 wins in his career, and now added another notch to his belt. Fett, Algona, Iowa was second, Jarrett Frazen, Maquoketa, Iowa took third, Taylor Kuehl, Arizona native who now calls Boone, Iowa home, was fourth, and Logan Anderson, Eddyville, Iowa was fifth.
Two more "dances" to go, and the IMCA Stock Cars came to the track next for their 30 car 3-wide start for 30 laps. Kaden Reynolds had already won the ROC and All Star Invitational races, and he seemed intent on making it three for three as he jumped to the lead as the race went green.
Dallon Murty, defending Super Nationals champion had other ideas however. He overtook Reynolds on lap six and snatched the lead. Dad, Damon Murty got by Reynolds to run second, and then chased his son for a while, all for naught. Then, late in the race, Kelly Shryock had arrived in the mix of things, and with five laps remaining, took over second. It was no contest however for young Dallon Murty, as the "Game Changer" out of Chelsea, Iowa motored home to his second consecutive Super National's Championship. Shryock, Fertile, Iowa was second. Reynolds, David Smith, the 20th place starter from Lake City, Iowa, and tenth place starter, Buck Schafroth, Orient, Iowa were third through fifth respectively.
The last time there was a back-to-back Super Nationals Champion in the Stock Car division was eighteen years ago when Randy Brands made that accomplishment.
Now it was time for the grand finale....the 40 lap IMCA Modified Big Dance. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nevada started in the middle of the front row, and immediately took over the top spot. Cody Thompson fell in to run behind him and Tom Berry, Jr., by way of Oregon and North Dakota, and now calling Des Moines home, tagged into third place. Hibdon was able to hold on to that number one spot until lap 20 when Berry got the better of him, taking over the lead. It was all Berry from there on out, as he pulled away in the closing circuits to win going away.
Hibdon kept the runner up spot, Cody Thompson was third, fourth went to Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada's Aaron Turnbull, and veteran Cedar Falls, Iowa's Jeff Aikey completed the top five.
And so ended the 40th Annual IMCA Super Nationals....the 35th at the Boone Speedway as well as our 35th time there. The racing began on Saturday at 6:51 p.m. and it was in the books at 10:57 p.m.
Record car counts were broken, and an even 1,000 cars participated. Beginning with the Prelude on Saturday September 3, and straight through to September 10, we saw 505 different races and 4,929 laps of racing....those stats thanks to Numbersman, Ryan Clark.
Jerry Vansickel, Ryan Clark, and Aussie, Wade Aunger entertained us the entire time, feeding in tidbits of information along with calling the races. The drone operators were fabulous! They maneuvered the small drones around the track as they chased the cars amazingly well. Everyone found themselves following the drones at times instead of the racing! The track prep crew, the scorers, the IMCA.tv film crew, the My Race Pass and transponder people were on top of their game. The IMCA Super Nationals at the Boone Speedway is a well oiled machine.....no where else would it run as smoothly.
As much as we enjoyed the racing, we also enjoyed catching up with those we see but once a year at the Super Nationals. We always enjoy our "racing family" and look forward to that part every year.
It was a bit hard on us old folk with nine straight days/nights/early mornings that started on Friday September 2 at the Marshalltown Speedway for the Showdown in Motown. We are just now catching our breath, and hope to be ready for two more nights at Marshalltown for their Friday/Saturday World Nationals to close out their track's season. Hope to see some of you there.
Edit: Forgot to add the motors that were auctioned off: The Stock Car went for $7,250, the Modified for $5,200, the Northern SportMod for $5,500 and the Hobby Stock for $3,000. The money will be divided back to the starters in each of those divisions.
Keep on supporting dirt track racing and help keep the sport we all love alive and well.
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