Saturday, May 27, 2023

API Solutions Salute to Military Night wins to Rust, Murty, Wieben, West, Sabin, and Padilla at Marshalltown

Racing was back in action at the Marshalltown Speedway Friday night where it was API Solutions Salute to Military Night. One hundred twenty-nine race cars were in the house for a full night of racing action.

Joel Rust took the honors in the IMCA Friesen Performance Modified class.  It was Damon Murty taking the win in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car division, and Sam Wieben came home the winner in the IMCA Friesen Performance Northern SportMods.  Sam West took the checkers in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature, Kolby Sabin won the MACH-1 IMCA Sport Compact main event, and it was Jon Padilla topping the STARS Mod Lites by taking the win in the first of a three night run in their Corn Belt Clash series. 

Kolby Sabin started on the pole of the 15 lap feature for the MACH-1 IMCA Sport Compacts, and led all laps on his way to the checkers.  Terry Bickford and Mitchell Bunch chased the leader nose to tail the entire race but had to settle for second and third place respectively.  Following a distant fourth was Matt Miller, and it was John Gill rounding out the top five.  The race went caution free.

The IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks ran next for their 20 lap feature.  Sam West started third, and took the immediate lead.  He was chased most of the way by seventh place starter Calvin Dhondt, and John Watson, who started tenth, but it was to no avail.  West would lead all 20 laps on the way to his first win at the track this year. He got his first ever win last August at the track.  Dhondt held second place, with Watson taking third.  Bradly Graham finished in the fourth position, and Luke Ramsey came from fifteenth starting spot, to take fifth.  

The field of 32 Hobby Stocks had to be whittled down through a B main for the 24 car starting grid of their feature.  It did not start off well as two cars would roll on the frontstretch...Chad Rickett, Jr., and Kaitlyn Schuring.  Thankfully, they were not hurt, but both cars suffered significant damage. 

The Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods had more than their share of yellow flags flying in their 20 lap main event.

The lead was swapped several times between Sam Wieben and Kyle Olson but in the caution marred event, it was Wieben taking the checkers first.  Kyle Olson was running at the point when a caution flew with just two laps remaining, however, he was moved back two positions for the restart for what I believe to be a penalty for jumping a previous restart. He made his way back to second place as the checkers flew.  Taylor Kuehl came from ninth starting spot to take third, Travis Peterson was fourth, and Braden Richards completed the top five.

There was lots of close racing at the front of the pack in the 20 lap A main of the IMCA Friesen Performance Modified feature. 

Johnathon Logue led lap one, then it was young gun, Izac Mallicoat taking over, with Ronn Lauritzen and Todd Shute throwing themselves into the battle as well.  Bad luck would bite Shute, taking him out of the running just past the halfway mark. A yellow flew at lap eleven, with Mallicoat still holding down the lead but Zack Rawlins and Joel Rust were now in the mix breathing down Mallicoat's neck for the restart.

It took but two laps before Rust was now the man in charge of the troops.  He would hold on to that lead the rest of the way to the checkers, and grab his first trip to the winner's circle at the track this season.  Eleventh place starter, Tripp Gaylord, Lakewood, Colorado looked strong in the late laps, and took the runner up spot.  Izac Mallicoat took third, fourth went to Johnathon Logue, and Paul Nagle slipped by Zack Rawlins in the final moments as they went fifth and sixth respectively.

The IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars put on their usual exciting show in their 20 lap feature.

There was numerous early lead changes in the race, with Kylie Rawlins leading lap one, lap two had Michael Jaennette at the helm, and on lap four, tenth place starter Dallon Murty was in charge.  Jaennette was soon out of the running when he had to exit with a tire issue, as Murty continued his run at the front.

On lap ten of the race, dad Damon Murty, who had started ninth, had caught his son, and the two ran the rim of the track, pulling away from the rest of the field.  The elder Murty then managed to pull off a slide job on his son, to take over the number one spot at lap sixteen.  A failed payback slide didn't quite work out for Dallon then, as he faltered just enough to allow Austin Kaplan to make the pass in the late circuits of the race...Kaplan taking second, and Dallon Murty taking third place.  Fourth went to Steve Meyer, and Dave Atcher was fifth.   

The racing night concluded with the running of the 25 lap feature for the STARS Mod Lites. This was the first of a three night Corn Belt Clash series race at three different track. They run at Boone Speedway on Saturday night, and Sunday they finish the series run at the Stuart Speedway.

Jon Padilla, Silvas, Illinois started second, and had the lead by lap four, never to look back.  He had lots of strong runners behind him with Josh May, and Justin Kinderknecht giving chase.  They couldn't shake Padilla though, as he would motor home to the checkers and the win.  Kinderknecht came from Salina, Kansas to try his hand on the High Banks, but had to be content with second place.  Josh May was third, RJ Gonzales, Colona, Illinois came from twelfth to take fourth, and tenth place starter, Dalton Bell, Hoisington, Kansas was fifth. 

Next Friday night at Marshalltown, the Modifieds and Northern SportMods go topless!  They will run a "Dirty 30" (30 lap features) that pays the Mods $1,200 and the SportMods will race for $1,000. 

  

 

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