Marshalltown Speedway was back in action again Friday night after the prior week's rain out. But would it happen with the questionable weather? It did! And some great racing prevailed.
Todd Shute won a "sparks flying" win at the checkers in the IMCA Friesen Performance Modified feature. It was Kaden Reynolds taking the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car win. Brayton Carter saw victory in the IMCA Friesen Performance Northern SportMod class. Nathan Ballard won easily in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks. Colona, Illinois driver, RJ Gonzales went to Victory Lane in the IMCA Stealth STARS Mod Lites, and it was Cristian Grady took the checkers in the IMCA Mach-1 Sport Compact division.
Feature racing kicked off with the 15 lap main event for the Mod Lites, presented by Knight Sanitation.
Joe Glick was the early leader but had Josh May and RJ Gonzales soon on his tail. The three ran nose-to-tail until coming to the flag on lap thirteen, Glick suddenly exited the track. Gonzales now had the lead and would then go home to the flying checkers and the victory. Josh May was the runner up, third went to Alex Eischeid, fourth was Jon Padilla, and Ben George rounded out the top five. Gonzales, who started tenth on the field scored his first Marshalltown Speedway win in the race that went flag to flag.
The SportMods 20 laps feature, presented by Rugged Radios was plagued by cautions, which led to Jenae Gustin's luck running out. Gustin took the lead immediately from the outside front row's starting spot. She soon had fifth place starter, Brayton Carter challenging. When the fifth, and final yellow flew on lap sixteen, Gustin was still in command, but by lap seventeen, Carter was leading. He never relinquished that top spot and went home to the win. Kyle Olson also got around Gustin on the final restart, and took second, Gustin went third, fourth was eighth place starter Logan Anderson, and Matt Avila started ninth, and took fifth. This was Carter's first weekly points win, after having won the Frostbuster special.
The Hobby Stocks, presented by Big 8 Tyre Center ran 20 laps next. Four cautions would mar this feature.
Early leader Joren Fisher was looking strong running in the first spot through lap nine, when the third yellow flew. By this time, Marengo, Iowa's Nathan Ballard, who started twelfth, had come calling and challenged the leader. When the race went green, Ballard immediately took command. A final caution at lap fourteen was no issue for Ballard, as he drove off from the field and took the easy win. Dustin Filloon ran at the front of the field most of the race, and finished a distant runner up. Third went to early leader Joren Fisher, fourth was 24th place starter, Calvin Dhondt who hard charged through the field, and Corey VanderWilt completed the top five.
The IMCA Stock Car 20 lap main event, presented by Drury Automotive came to the track next.
Jay Schmidt jumped to the immediate lead as the race went green, leading as lap one was scored. A yellow came out for a tire on the track just after the first lap was scored. When the race returned to racing action, Schmidt raced into corner one, but got too high, dropping a wheel off the track at the top of turns one and two, saved it, but lost many positions. This then put Michael Jaennette to the lead with Austin Kaplan and Kaden Reynolds in hot pursuit. A yellow flew on lap five, and it was what Reynolds was wanting, as he soon took over the number one position. The final portion of the race was all Reynolds then, as he pulled away and took the easy win as the checkers flew. It was eleventh place starter Jimmy Gustin taking second place, third went to Austin Kaplan, Jay Schmidt redeemed himself after the early bobble, and raced his way back to fourth, with Joel Rust taking fifth.
The Modified 20 lap feature, presented by Tire Demon by Love Tap was a wild one at the finish.
Joel Rust started on the outside front row, and took command as the race went green. Third place starter Todd Shute, fell in line right behind him. The rest of the race, which went caution free, was all eyes on Rust and Shute. Rust maintained the lead with Shute taking peeks under but to no avail. Shute continued his dogging of the leader as the race neared its end. The final lap was looking like Rust was going to maintain and find his way to Victory Lane, but a lap car would change all that. As Rust and Shute rounded corner four, there was a lap car on the outside wall, and it was too tight a squeeze as they ran to the finish line. Rust was the loser in that squeeze as contact was made between the three, and Shute nosed ahead at the line to secure the win. Rust managed to get across the line in second place, with a damaged car, third went to Trevor Fitz, twenty-second place starter, Tripp Gaylord was fourth, and Zack Rawlins was fifth. This was Shute's first win at Marshalltown this year, after having bad luck bite him previously.
The night ended with 15 laps of Sport Compact racing, presented by Hy-Vee of Marshalltown.
Brooke Osler, Osage, Iowa was the early leader but after a yellow flew on lap two, it was ninth place starter David Kimmel, New Virginia, Iowa leading on lap three. He had his hands full however as Cristian Grady, tenth place starter was now pestering him. Grady was able to make his way around Kimmel at lap six, and from then on, kept the top spot the rest of the way to the checkers. Kimmel held on to second place. Following a distant third was Jaice Tuttle who started eleventh, Corwyn Whisler, Des Moines, was fourth, and early leader Brooke Osler was fifth.
Next Friday, June 7, will see Capital Sign's Twin Topless Dirty 30. This will have the IMCA Modifieds, and SportMods going topless for 30 laps each in their features paying $1,500 to the Modifieds and $1,000 to the SportMods. The Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, and Mod Lites will also be in action, with the Sport Compacts having the night off. Hot laps are 6:45 with racing at 7:30.
Many of us in the grandstand last night were looking at the sky, looking at the radar and forecast...which were all different...and wondering if we would get wet. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and it turned out to be a pleasant night to set in the stands with racing friends and enjoy a night of racing.
Find a track to support, and help keep the sport we all love....dirt track racing....alive and well!
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