The Boone Speedway was the scene for the annual Memorial Day Deery Brothers Late Model race on Monday. Twenty-five of the "Boys of Summer" contenders were on hand. Also on hand were the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Northern SportMods, IMCA Hobby Stocks, and the Mod Lites. All classes were a draw/redraw format. A total of 151 cars filled the pits for some holiday racing.
There was a short delay in the program when a shower passed over the track before feature time. The track was quickly reworked in usual Boone fashion.....and things were back in business in less than 15 minutes.
The 40-lap Deery Brothers feature was run first. By lucky redraw, the front row starters were Scott Fitzpatrick and Justin Kay, both from Wheatland, Iowa. Fitzpatrick got the drop on Kay as the race started, and was still in charge when a yellow flew at lap ten. Kay had stuck close to the leader, and when the race restarted, he was able to grab the lead from Fitzpatrick. By the halfway mark Kay continued to be in command, but now Richie Gustin had made his way from starting seventh, and into second place. Just a couple of laps later, and a rim-riding Jeff Aikey was up to third and pressuring Gustin. When a yellow flew at lap 37, Aikey had the drop on both Kay and Gustin, but the restart was called back.,,,giving the lead back to Kay, Gustin in second and Aikey realigned in third. The order remained the same when thing picked back up, but then another caution came out with just a lap remaining. This would set up a green-white-checkered dash to the finish line. Kay was able to keep hold of the top spot for the mad race to the checkers, and scored the victory. Aikey got around Gustin in the closing moments, to score second; Gustin going third. Fourth went to eleventh place starter Tyler Droste, and Ray Guss, Jr. was fifth.
The Mod Lites made their regular Memorial Day appearance and ran a 20-lap feature. This one was led start to finish by Mike Morrill. Finishing a distance behind in second was Josh May. Third went to Joel Keenan, fourth was Josh May and Charlie Brown rounded out the top five.
The IMCA Northern SportMods did what none of the other classes pulled off.....they ran the entire 20-laps of their feature without a caution. This one was mainly a two-car race between front row starters Doug Smith and Brandon Williams. Williams snatched the lead as the green flew and Smith tucked in on his tail. This continued for 19 of the 20 laps. Somehow, Smith was able to make the pass as the two raced down the backstretch on the final go around, and beat Williams to the checkers and the win. Williams had to be content with the runner up spot, third went to Tim Love, fourth to visiting racer Nate Whitehurst and Jonathan Logue rounded out the top five.
Chris Pruitt and Jay Schmidt were the lucky redraw recipients of the front row for the 20-lap IMCA Stock Car A main. Schmidt got the drop on Pruitt as the green flew. He would then lead the entire race "out in front and gone", taking the comfortable win. Donavon Smith battled past Brandon Pruitt in the latter portion of the race as they finished second and third respectively. Fourth went to Chris Pruitt and Wayne Gifford took fifth. Schmidt was fresh off his Saturday night victory at Boone.
The night ending feature was in the IMCA Hobby Stocks. They ran a 15-lap feature. Andrew Burg got to the lead at lap five, and never relinquished it on his way to the winner's circle. John Watson flew by cars from his sixteenth starting spot to finish as the runner up. Cody Gustoff finished third, fourth went to Tim Barber and Shaun Wirtz took fifth.
There was lightning all around as the races ended a bit before the 9 o'clock hour and as we left the track, we ran into wet roadways not far to the east. Regular Saturday night racing continues on May 30 when hot laps start at 6:45 and racing begins at 7:30.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Havlik takes his first Boone win
It was racing as usual at Boone on Saturday night and four drivers stepped into Victory Lane for the first time this year.....one for the first time ever at the track. Another driver scored back-to-back wins.
Terry Brown in the Mod Lite class was the driver going back-to-back at the speedway. After ending up on his lid the night before at Marshalltown, Brown appeared determined to salvage his weekend. He nabbed the lead by lap two after getting around early leader Joel Huggins, and from there on, never gave up the lead all the way to the checkers. Charlie Brown moved into second around David Schmalzried by lap seven and gave chase to the leader, challenging him on several occasions, but had to settle for runner up to his brother on this night. Keeping the family affair going in the class was third and fourth place finishers---James May and son Josh May. James started ninth on the grid to move to third at the checkers while Josh scooted all the way from starting twelfth, to take fourth place. Cory Sauerman rounded out the top five.
The IMCA Northern SportMods ran their usual 18-lap feature next. Cody Hennings led the pack at lap one, only to have Jake McBirnie snatch it away by lap two. From there on, McBirnie was captain of the ship, stretching his lead and taking the win by a comfortable margin. Lady racer, Tara Longnecker chased McBirnie most of the distance, but was unable to close the gap and had to settle for the runner up spot. Third went to Chad Ryerson, Cory Rose was fourth and Cody Hennings was fifth. This was McBirnie's first win at Boone this season.
We noticed that the top four finishing cars in the SportMod class were kept in the infield after the above race was completed and their crews then came across the track carrying jacks, etc. and officials started teching. I received word after the races, that although Doug Smith had finished in fourth place, he was disqualified for not agreeing to remove his gear. All drivers finishing behind him were then moved up a position in the finishing order.
A driver who had been close, but "no cigar" in the Hobby Stock class, finally made it to Victory Lane last night. Eric Stanton started ninth, took the lead at lap nine, and took his ride to the checkers. Chad Legere started along side the winner, and took the runner up position. Curt Reed finished in third, fourth went to Tim Barber and Ross Marshall completed the top five.
The 20-lap Modified feature turned into a race for second place as the winner was gone from the get go. Devin Havlik, son of former racer Jeff Havlik, finally got his first win at Boone under his belt. Havlik took advantage of his pole starting spot, and led the entire 20-laps on route to the win. Behind him though, it was a different story! The second half of the race was between Mike VanGenderen and Jimmy Gustin. What a show they put on for the fans! Both drivers had started side by side back in the fifth row, and by lap nine, were duking it out for second. Gustin held the upper hand until lap thirteen when VanGenderen flew around Gustin on the topside. The final laps were a shoot out, as the two switched up lines. At the finish it was VanGenderen squeaking out the runner up spot, Gustin a close third. Fourth went to Joel Bushore who had started sixteenth, and Scott Davis took fifth. Havlik had never scored a win at Boone previously.
The IMCA Stock Cars finished off the night's racing with their 18-lap feature. It was led start to finish by Cory Bushnell. Bushnell started sixth in the starting line up and was leading at lap one on his way to the win. Battling much of the race behind him was Trent Murphy, Bob Daniels, Jay Schmidt and Donavon Smith. Trent Murphy made the pass on Daniels with a handful of laps remaining to take the runner up spot and challenged the leader in the final two laps but fell short of more than second place. Third went to Jay Schmidt who had started tenth on the grid, fourth was Donavon Smith and Daniels hung on to fifth. This was Bushnell's first win at the track this season.
The next regular season race at Boone will be next Saturday night, but before that, it will be the Boy's of Summer coming to town. The annual Memorial Day Deery Brothers Summer Series for Late Models will be on tap Monday, May 25. Also racing will be the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods and the IMCA Hobby Stocks. There will be no Modifieds as they will be racing at Mason City for a scheduled Hawkeye Dirt Tour series race. Boone will be starting early on Monday, as pits open at 2, grandstands at 3, hot laps 4, and racing at 5. Hopefully, Mother Nature will allow for some Memorial Day racing around the state. Racing at most scheduled Sunday tracks have already been washed out. The Ron Little Memorial race at Stuart Speedway has been postponed until June 14, Mason City has canceled racing for Sunday, but is still hopeful for the HDT race tomorrow. The USMTS show scheduled for Decorah today is also a wash out and now, Benton County Speedway has added their name to the list of cancellations for today.
Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend and remember the real reason we celebrate the holiday.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Larson, Heishman and Brown first time winners
There was some exciting racing Friday night at the Marshalltown Speedway and at night's end, there were three new winners in 2015 standing in victory lane. One of those drivers got his second ever win of his career within three days time!
The Mod Lite feature was first and Charlie Brown would lead this one from start to finish. On lap six, the red flag came out when his brother Terry Brown wound up on his lid in turn one. He was okay, but his night was over. Charlie Brown had no trouble in maintaining his lead when things got back underway but then another yellow late in the race would set the scene for a green-white-checkered finish. By this time, Brown had two drivers that had closed the gap on him, Mike Morrill and Josh May. May slipped past Morrill and into second as they entered turn two as the race went green, but this would be all he had, as Brown took the win, May was the runner up. Third was Mike Morrill, fourth went to Randy Bryan and Cory Sauerman was fifth.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks went 15-laps for their main event. Tim Barber was the early leader but lap four found a lap car spinning in corner four, and Barber unable to avoid it. That would be when Austin Luellen would weave his way past them and inherit the lead for the restart. Luellen was pulling away when a bumper on the track brought out a yellow at lap thirteen. This set up a green-white-checkered finish as had the previous race. Luellen wasn't bothered as the race took back up, keeping the lead and the checkers one more time. Andy Hick, who had been third on the restart, made the pass on Eric Stanton on the final lap, as they went second and third in that order. Fourth was Garrett Eilander and Dustin Elliott took fifth place. Luellen scored a win at Marshalltown for the fourth time of the regular season....having also won the Frostbuster special. He and Eric Stanton are still the only two Hobby Stock winners at the track this year.
The IMCA Northern SportMods saw a happy camper in victory lane in what turned out for him to be record setting week. Colby Heishman in the CH19 machine (yes...the numbers are there, but his less than perfect sheet metal sometimes defies that it's there) started the race on the outside pole, and established the lead immediately. From there on, Heishman was the captain of the ship, leading all laps and taking the checkers. Second place went to Jared VanDeest who took to the topside and flew around Clint Luellen in the closing laps. Following third place Luellen, was Brandon Williams in fourth, who also made a late race pass around fifth place finisher Jayme Duinink. Heishman, won for the first time at the track, and wasn't quite sure where victory lane was and had to be told. I mentioned this was a record setting week for this young man. We were privileged to see him win at the Benton County Speedway on Tuesday night.....his first win EVER, and three nights later, here he was standing in the winner's circle again.
What a finish to the IMCA Stock Car feature. We've said it before, and we'll say it again, they are often the class to put on an excellent show week in and week out. This one came right down to the wire! There was a pack of cars fighting for a top spot as the race went green and then five cars broke away. Trent Murphy led the troops but tight on his bumper was Donavon Smith. Following suite tight behind them was Michael Jaennette, Steve Meyer and Jared Daggett. Murphy and Smith hugged the corners while a few laps later, we noted Steve Meyer was opting for the top side and seemed to be making up ground on Jaennette. Right before lap ten was in the books, Smith was able to get under Murphy in corners three and four, sneaking past him and taking over the top spot. Meyer had now gotten into third place and was chasing the leaders. Smith was content with his position but probably had no idea that Murphy had decided to change his line by going to the top of the track and was reeling him in. As the two crossed the finish line, it had to be by mere inches that Smith was able to emerge the victor....it was that close! Meyer took third, fourth was Jaennette and Tyler Pickett completed the top five. Smith, who had started ninth, won for the second week in a row and took his third of the year at Marshalltown.
After the yellow flag had waved several times in the previous features, the 20-lap Modified A main was over in the blink of an eye.....going flag to flag. Early leader Scott Simatovich led Adam Larson in the opening laps. By lap eight, he was holding off Joel Rust and Jimmy Gustin, while Larson had fallen back to fourth. Just a lap later, Rust had taken command, and Gustin went to second and Larson to third. Gustin tightened the screws on Rust and by lap twelve, he took over the lead. Meanwhile, Larson had set sail on the top of the high banks, and was coming with a full head of steam! He then grabbed the lead at lap thirteen and from there on to the checkers, had his #2L rounding the top of the track flawlessly. Larson won comfortably, his first of the year at Marshalltown. Rust was able to get around Gustin as they finished second and third respectively. Fourth went to ninth place starter Josh "Happy" Gilman and Scott Simatovich rounded out the top five.
The racing continues next Friday night, May 29 at the Marshalltown Speedway. Hot laps at 6:50 and racing at 7:30. Then on Tuesday, June 2, the speedway will be host to the Deery Brothers Late Model Summer Series. The SportMods will also be on tap along with Dirt Trucks and Legends.
The Mod Lite feature was first and Charlie Brown would lead this one from start to finish. On lap six, the red flag came out when his brother Terry Brown wound up on his lid in turn one. He was okay, but his night was over. Charlie Brown had no trouble in maintaining his lead when things got back underway but then another yellow late in the race would set the scene for a green-white-checkered finish. By this time, Brown had two drivers that had closed the gap on him, Mike Morrill and Josh May. May slipped past Morrill and into second as they entered turn two as the race went green, but this would be all he had, as Brown took the win, May was the runner up. Third was Mike Morrill, fourth went to Randy Bryan and Cory Sauerman was fifth.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks went 15-laps for their main event. Tim Barber was the early leader but lap four found a lap car spinning in corner four, and Barber unable to avoid it. That would be when Austin Luellen would weave his way past them and inherit the lead for the restart. Luellen was pulling away when a bumper on the track brought out a yellow at lap thirteen. This set up a green-white-checkered finish as had the previous race. Luellen wasn't bothered as the race took back up, keeping the lead and the checkers one more time. Andy Hick, who had been third on the restart, made the pass on Eric Stanton on the final lap, as they went second and third in that order. Fourth was Garrett Eilander and Dustin Elliott took fifth place. Luellen scored a win at Marshalltown for the fourth time of the regular season....having also won the Frostbuster special. He and Eric Stanton are still the only two Hobby Stock winners at the track this year.
The IMCA Northern SportMods saw a happy camper in victory lane in what turned out for him to be record setting week. Colby Heishman in the CH19 machine (yes...the numbers are there, but his less than perfect sheet metal sometimes defies that it's there) started the race on the outside pole, and established the lead immediately. From there on, Heishman was the captain of the ship, leading all laps and taking the checkers. Second place went to Jared VanDeest who took to the topside and flew around Clint Luellen in the closing laps. Following third place Luellen, was Brandon Williams in fourth, who also made a late race pass around fifth place finisher Jayme Duinink. Heishman, won for the first time at the track, and wasn't quite sure where victory lane was and had to be told. I mentioned this was a record setting week for this young man. We were privileged to see him win at the Benton County Speedway on Tuesday night.....his first win EVER, and three nights later, here he was standing in the winner's circle again.
What a finish to the IMCA Stock Car feature. We've said it before, and we'll say it again, they are often the class to put on an excellent show week in and week out. This one came right down to the wire! There was a pack of cars fighting for a top spot as the race went green and then five cars broke away. Trent Murphy led the troops but tight on his bumper was Donavon Smith. Following suite tight behind them was Michael Jaennette, Steve Meyer and Jared Daggett. Murphy and Smith hugged the corners while a few laps later, we noted Steve Meyer was opting for the top side and seemed to be making up ground on Jaennette. Right before lap ten was in the books, Smith was able to get under Murphy in corners three and four, sneaking past him and taking over the top spot. Meyer had now gotten into third place and was chasing the leaders. Smith was content with his position but probably had no idea that Murphy had decided to change his line by going to the top of the track and was reeling him in. As the two crossed the finish line, it had to be by mere inches that Smith was able to emerge the victor....it was that close! Meyer took third, fourth was Jaennette and Tyler Pickett completed the top five. Smith, who had started ninth, won for the second week in a row and took his third of the year at Marshalltown.
After the yellow flag had waved several times in the previous features, the 20-lap Modified A main was over in the blink of an eye.....going flag to flag. Early leader Scott Simatovich led Adam Larson in the opening laps. By lap eight, he was holding off Joel Rust and Jimmy Gustin, while Larson had fallen back to fourth. Just a lap later, Rust had taken command, and Gustin went to second and Larson to third. Gustin tightened the screws on Rust and by lap twelve, he took over the lead. Meanwhile, Larson had set sail on the top of the high banks, and was coming with a full head of steam! He then grabbed the lead at lap thirteen and from there on to the checkers, had his #2L rounding the top of the track flawlessly. Larson won comfortably, his first of the year at Marshalltown. Rust was able to get around Gustin as they finished second and third respectively. Fourth went to ninth place starter Josh "Happy" Gilman and Scott Simatovich rounded out the top five.
The racing continues next Friday night, May 29 at the Marshalltown Speedway. Hot laps at 6:50 and racing at 7:30. Then on Tuesday, June 2, the speedway will be host to the Deery Brothers Late Model Summer Series. The SportMods will also be on tap along with Dirt Trucks and Legends.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Wolla wins HDT at Vinton and Murty marks amazing Stock Car win
The Benton County Speedway in Vinton was the scene last evening for the Hawkeye Dirt Tour opening race. It was originally scheduled for May 12, but was postponed in hopes of better weather. Mother Nature is just not being very kind to racing this spring, as last night was still chilly (for me...COLD).....but the racing was outstanding. This is the reason, the winter coats stay in our vehicle all race season!
There was certainly some exciting racing during the night. Especially so in the IMCA Stock Car feature where a driver showed exactly why he has so many feature wins there. The Hawkeye Dirt Tour saw a nice field of 33 Modifieds that came from the surrounding area and one driver drove 14 hours just to get there! It paid off.
The Micro Mod class was a late addition to the racing program. Their 12-lap feature went to 13 year old Broddy Willett from Alburnett.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks ran a 15-lap feature. Jeremiah Wilson led much of the race being chased by track point leader Nathan Ballard and Oelwein hot shoe Benji Irvine. A late race yellow set up a green-white-checkered finish which Irvine took full advantage of. Irvine set his ride to the topside, making it payoff big time, passing both Wilson and Ballard. Irvine took the win, his first at Vinton this year, Ballard was the runner up, Justin Wacha took third place, Wilson held on for a fourth place finish and Justin Lichty rounded out the top five.
The IMCA Northern SportMod feature had several drivers at the helm early. Joey Schaefer led the troops on the opening laps and he swapped leads with Danny Dvorak through lap three. That's when Brayton "Speedy Bray" Carter claimed the number one spot. When the second yellow of the race flew at the halfway mark, Carter was still in command.....but not for long! Colby Heishman flew by and into the lead. He would then hold down that coveted spot the remainder of the distance to the checkers and the win. Carter held on to the runner up spot, third went to Sam Wieben, Tony Olson was fourth and Clint Luellen finished fifth. We believe this is Heishman's first career win.....always a nice thing to witness. This young man has been improving a lot this season, and with that first win under his belt, there are sure to be more to come.
The IMCA Stock Car 18-lap feature was something to see! The first lap was tight at the flagstand with Norm Chesmore, Roger Ciesielski, and Nathan Wood battling it out. Give the lead to Ciesielski at lap two, but who should be right behind him but "The Chelsea Charger", Damon Murty! Murty had started eighth and was showing his prowess on the track that practically has his name stamped on it. More on that later. Murty was challenging Ciesielski on each lap, but contact going into corner two at lap ten, found the two sitting and the yellow flying. Murty and Ciesielski were then relegated to the rear of the field for the restart. Norm Chesmore inherited the lead for that restart, with Nathan Wood and Scottie Pippert waiting in the wings right behind him. A few laps later, who should appear in the picture again, but the familiar #99D of Damon Murty. Murty had flown by the pack and was making his presence known....running in fifth place! Then, a clump of five cars was at the front of the pack with just two laps remaining...Chesmore, Pippert, Jay Schmidt, Murty and Wood! Those final two laps were something else as Murty put on the show! He swung to the topside, and as they approached the final turn on the run to the checkers, Murty swept past the front runners, and beat them to the finish line and the win! That left the grandstand buzzing with what they had just witnessed. First to last....and then back to first! Last corner passes are always exciting but this one was even more so! Following in second place behind Murty was Norm Chesmore, third went to Scottie Pippert, fourth to Nathan Wood, and Ciesielski was fifth. Now about Murty practically having his named stamped on the track. This marked his 71st win at the Benton County Speedway.....what an accomplishment!
Now came the much anticipated feature for the Hawkeye Dirt Tour. Two B mains were run and two provisionals added to the starting field for the 40-lap main event. Those provisionals were for the highest finishing cars on the night that had previously participated in the HDT tour. The consy races were won by Ronn Lauritzen (who was piloting his old car, having to borrow it from new owner, Jason Morehouse after major damage to his car last Friday night at Marshalltown) and Kyle Brown, while the provisional spots went to Nick Roberts and Scott Hogan.
Mark Elliott, a former HDT champion, held down the top spot with David Brown close behind. Brown, who had also suffered major damage in the Marshalltown melee last Friday, was looking to have his car back in working order and challenging Elliott in the early going. Brian Irvine moved into third and started pestering Brown when contact was made going into corner two. Brown would be out of the race and Irvine soon following with his night ended. A restart at lap twelve, still had Elliott leading and the 27W of North Dakota driver, Jason Wolla now up to second place after starting in eleventh, and 2014 HDT Champion, Mike VanGenderen was third, coming from ninth starting spot. Two more yellow flags would fly before the race was completed, but Wolla never gave up the top spot, taking the win. Mike VanGenderen, in his spiffy looking red chrome car, tried to reel in Wolla, but had to settle for the runner up spot. Third went to JD Auringer, who had started twelfth, fourth to Missouri racer Hunter Marriott who had started tenth, and Joe Docekal, a regular at the track, went from starting seventeenth to round out the top five.
Winner Wolla, who hails from Ray, North Dakota, told co-announcer (assisting Ryan Clark) Jerry Vansickel in Victory Lane, that he was working on 2-3 hours of sleep after his 14-hour drive to get to Vinton. This wasn't Wolla's first win in Iowa this season, as he won the Frostbuster special back on April 1 at the Southern Iowa Speedway.
Despite the more than chilly temperatures last night (dang Mother Nature anyway) it was well worth the trip to watch some great racing. We enjoyed our night thoroughly with Positively Racing cohort Jeff Broeg and other racing friends in the stands. The next HDT race on the calendar is scheduled for Memorial Day, May 25 at the I-35 Speedway in Mason City. Check out the calendar of events at www.positivelyracing.com for both the regular track schedules of racing and a separate special event's calendar. Get out and support dirt track racing somewhere!
Now came the much anticipated feature for the Hawkeye Dirt Tour. Two B mains were run and two provisionals added to the starting field for the 40-lap main event. Those provisionals were for the highest finishing cars on the night that had previously participated in the HDT tour. The consy races were won by Ronn Lauritzen (who was piloting his old car, having to borrow it from new owner, Jason Morehouse after major damage to his car last Friday night at Marshalltown) and Kyle Brown, while the provisional spots went to Nick Roberts and Scott Hogan.
Mark Elliott, a former HDT champion, held down the top spot with David Brown close behind. Brown, who had also suffered major damage in the Marshalltown melee last Friday, was looking to have his car back in working order and challenging Elliott in the early going. Brian Irvine moved into third and started pestering Brown when contact was made going into corner two. Brown would be out of the race and Irvine soon following with his night ended. A restart at lap twelve, still had Elliott leading and the 27W of North Dakota driver, Jason Wolla now up to second place after starting in eleventh, and 2014 HDT Champion, Mike VanGenderen was third, coming from ninth starting spot. Two more yellow flags would fly before the race was completed, but Wolla never gave up the top spot, taking the win. Mike VanGenderen, in his spiffy looking red chrome car, tried to reel in Wolla, but had to settle for the runner up spot. Third went to JD Auringer, who had started twelfth, fourth to Missouri racer Hunter Marriott who had started tenth, and Joe Docekal, a regular at the track, went from starting seventeenth to round out the top five.
Winner Wolla, who hails from Ray, North Dakota, told co-announcer (assisting Ryan Clark) Jerry Vansickel in Victory Lane, that he was working on 2-3 hours of sleep after his 14-hour drive to get to Vinton. This wasn't Wolla's first win in Iowa this season, as he won the Frostbuster special back on April 1 at the Southern Iowa Speedway.
Despite the more than chilly temperatures last night (dang Mother Nature anyway) it was well worth the trip to watch some great racing. We enjoyed our night thoroughly with Positively Racing cohort Jeff Broeg and other racing friends in the stands. The next HDT race on the calendar is scheduled for Memorial Day, May 25 at the I-35 Speedway in Mason City. Check out the calendar of events at www.positivelyracing.com for both the regular track schedules of racing and a separate special event's calendar. Get out and support dirt track racing somewhere!
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Schmidt takes back to back wins at rain threatened Boone
Saturday again found Mother Nature playing games with the area race tracks and the uncertainty if racing would happen. However, knowing the track record of the Boone Speedway being able to get their program in despite threatening weather, off we headed. The show went on and with a whopping 156 cars filling the pits, fans got more than their share of racing action. Three drivers got wins for the first time in 2015 at the track, while Stock Cars saw a driver win for the second week in a row.
Nineteen of the Mod Lites kicked off the feature racing. Terry Brown was the victor of the night in this division. Brown led the entire 15 laps on his way to the checkers for the first time in 2015. He finished well ahead of second place Josh May. Third went to Randy Bryan followed by Travis Stensland and Justin Rankin in fourth and fifth places. The race went caution free.
It took two B mains to whittle the 39 IMCA Northern SportMod class down to 24 cars for the feature. Those wins went to Dusty Masolini and Rick Ringgenberg. Rookie Jeramy McNace had earlier won his heat race, and started the 18-lap main event on the pole. McNace would lead the opening laps, but a push up in corner four at lap seven allowed his close contenders Andy Tiernan and Darin Rothfus to slip by him. Tiernan never gave up the lead, weathering a couple of caution situations, on his route to the win, his first at Boone this year. Randy Roberts was second and third went to Denison, Iowa's Jake Sachau. Fourth place finisher Sam Wieben saw his three in a row streak end after starting back in fifteenth spot, and Darin Rothus rounded out the top five.
Things were changed up a bit in running order last night with the checking of the radar showing "stuff" just to the west, so the IMCA Modifieds hit the track next. There were 34 Modifieds checked into the track last night, and they had to run a B main. Visiting racer from Red Oak, Iowa, Josh "the guy who will race anything" Most, was that consolation winner.
The 20-lap Modified feature avoided disaster as the green flag flew when Robert Avery, who had started on the outside front row, was off power. Everyone was somehow able to avoid his slowly rolling car up near the front stretch wall as he exited the track. Devin Havlik, son of former racer Jeff Havlik, established command of the race with Kyle Krampe in tow. Havlik held tight to that top spot, with John Logue chasing him and eleventh place starter Mike VanGendern up to third. Just as the contest between Logue and VanGenderen was heating up, VanGenderen pulled to the infield, his night done. Then at lap thirteen, leader Havlik pulled to the infield with mechanical woes. Veteran John Logue had been challenging Havlik, and was now in charge of the pack. A yellow at lap thirteen also found Krampe sitting at the top of turn four and out of the race. As things returned to racing, Logue and second place runner Josh Truman made contact in corner two, and then it was a mess on the backstretch as Logue, Truman and Jon Snyder.....who got the worst of the deal, brought out a yellow. Jimmy Gustin had been lurking in third spot and when Logue and Krampe were battling, he had already slipped under them to take the lead....claiming it for the restart. Gustin easily kept the lead the remaining distance to the checkers and the win. Eric Elliott finished second ahead of Tony Cox in third, fourth went to eighteenth place starter Kyle Brown, and hometown driver Scott Davis was fifth. This was Gustin's second win of the regular season, in addition he also won the Frostbuster special.
The IMCA Stock Cars came next after their 30 car field had to run a B main to complete the 24 car starting field. It was won by visiting racer from Humboldt, Aaron Benz. In the main event, last week's winner Jay Schmidt was able to thread his way through the pack from starting tenth, and into the lead by lap six. Schmidt wasn't about to give that coveted spot up, as he stretched his lead in the second half of the race, taking the easy win...his second in a row and third of the season. Madrid's "Hot" Rod Richards took the runner up spot, while veteran Robert Stofer finished in third. Fourth place went to Chris Pruitt, who had started twelfth, and early leader Tyler Brauckman from Carroll, was fifth.
The ending feature was the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. With 34 cars competing for the night, there was originally two B mains scheduled. When only four cars appeared for the first B main, and discovering that not all were going to make it for the second one, the lineup was rearranged, and only one B main was run. It went to Ames, Iowa's Mark Hidlebaugh. The feature was led start to finish by Tyson Overton from Carlisle. He had a clear field in front of him the entire flag to flag race, taking the win by a comfortable margin. Second was Daniel Haggen, who barely beat out last week's winner Andrew Burg in third. Close behind in fourth was Eric Stanton and Aaron Rudolph took fifth place.
The show was completed by 10:11 p.m. and with 156 cars, ( most area tracks were canceled bringing in drivers hungry to race) five B mains, and five features, there was no farming session last night. There had been a shower earlier, about 5:50 p.m. but it was short lived. The tractors and equipment must have been waiting in the wings, as just as soon as the shower was done, they were immediately on the track and farming it. Radar showed the approaching rain moving ever closer to Boone during the night, but only a flash of lightning appeared to the west during feature time. The drivers were told to load up and head out of the pits quickly as heavy "stuff" was coming. Now this morning, we see that a possible tornado or straight line winds caused damage just to the west of Boone in the early morning hours in nearby Bouton and Ogden. Hopefully, the track did not suffer any damage.
It's racing as usual next Saturday night where it will be Little League night at the track. The grandstands open at 6, hot laps at 6:45 and racing at 7:30. Then on Monday, May 25, the annual Memorial Day Deery Brothers Late Model show will be on tap. The "Boys of Summer" as the Deery Late Models are known as, will be the showcase class of the program on that day but will also be joined by the IMCA Stock cars, Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks. Grandstand opens at 3 p.m., hot laps at 4, and racing at 5. Mark this event on your calendars!
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Marshalltown sees Whitehead grab first career win
The threat of rain was all around us on Friday. Then text messages of cancellations from some tracks started coming, we were hoping that somehow, Marshalltown would be spared. Spared it was! Nothing more than a few very light sprinkles ever fell at the track, though it appeared they had plenty the day before. The pits were muddy, and many drivers chose to pit in the area outside the pit gate, and the infield was a real feat to handle at times for the tow vehicles. The rain outs at other tracks also brought some travelers to test their skill on the High Banks. Three drivers saw wins for the first time in 2015, and one of those was ecstatic to mark his first career win.
The Mod Lites had 13 cars for their feature race. Jason Whitehead took the lead immediately from his outside front row starting spot, getting the jump on Eric Turner. The race went flag-to-flag, Whitehead never gave up that coveted position, taking the win---his first ever. Second place went to Terry Brown, who closed in on the leader, but was never able to be more than an annoyance to Whitehead. Josh May came from starting ninth, to score a close third place finish, and Travis Stensland and Cory Sauerman went fourth and fifth in that order. It's always nice to see someone get their first ever win. Our congratulations to Whitehead on accomplishing that hurdle.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks were 16 cars strong for their 15-lap A main and they also went flag-to-flag. Travis Merical held the lead until lap four when Travis Overton took over after a bobble in turn two. Overton was looking good and appearing to be headed to Victory Lane until late in the race, Eric Stanton started reeling him in. Stanton closed the gap further, and at lap thirteen had made the pass for the lead. Stanton kept it to the checkers and the win. Overton held on to the runner up spot, third went to Grinnell's Gene Nicklas who ran at the front of the pack all race long, fourth was Dustin Elliott and John Watson completed the top five. This was Stanton's second win at Marshalltown this year...and he and Austin Luellen have claimed every feature in 2015.
The IMCA Northern SportMod class---25 cars in competition, was not so lucky as to have their 18-lap feature go caution free. There were two initial "no goes" on the start, when several cars tangled and had to be realigned. When lap one did get in the books, it was the 777 of Pella, Iowa's Jayme Duinink claiming the lead, He quickly had company in Clint Luellen however, who was seeking momentum on the topside, making it payoff by the time lap eight was scored. When a yellow flew at lap thirteen, Luellen was still in command, but now he had visiting driver from Odebolt, Keegan Scott nipping at his heels. It was quite the race the final handful of laps! With a lap to go, and lap traffic entering corner three, Scott took advantage, and made the pass for the lead. He held it the final lap to the win, Luellen having to settle for the runner up spot on this night. Duinink held third place, fourth went to Brandon Williams, and Jared VanDeest came from starting tenth, to take fifth. This was Scott's first win at Marshalltown.
It was Mike Deaton holding down the point spot in the IMCA Stock Car 18-lap event in the early laps. Deaton, who earlier had won his heat race, was looking strong, holding off veteran racer Jeff Wollam. But then it was Newton's Michael Jaennette scored in second at lap eight---and then a yellow flew. Meanwhile, tenth place starter Donavon Smith had made a lot of headway, and was now running in third place and no doubt, glad to have the field bunched for the restart. It took Smith only two laps to get his goal realized, taking the lead at lap ten, bringing Jaennette along to take second. Another caution rag flew at lap thirteen when debris was scattered on the front stretch, again bunching the field for the restart. Jaennette had been giving leader Smith fits, trying to make the pass on the topside, and now running in third was visiting driver David Brandies who hails from Wilton, Iowa and a regular racer at West Liberty, had made his way to the third spot after starting in thirteenth. Smith took off on the restart, holding his top position, but things were heating up between Jaennette and Brandies. A little paint was swapped between the two, but lap sixteen would find Brandies deemed quilty of rough driving when he put Jaennette into a spin in corner four. Brandies got the "naughty flag" and was retired to the pits, while Jaennette, who did not stop, was realigned in third place, after Steve Meyer flew around the altercation in the corner and into the runner up spot. The remaining three laps after the restart saw Smith pull away, and he would score the comfortable victory. Meyer held on to the runner up spot, Jaennette came away with third place, and visiting Andrew Lokenvitz from Charles City took fourth after starting eleventh. Hometown racer, Jared Daggett rounded out the top five. Smith, who hails from Lake City where a devastating tornado hit the town last week, won for the second time at the track this year. Smith told announcer Jerry Vansickel in Victory Lane, that though the twister did not hit them in the country, the hail was bad enough and the small town had major damage to their school.
The 20-lap Modified feature saw several cars have big time damage when a pile up out of corner four left cars in a tangled mess on lap seven. Those drivers involved were Scott Simatovich, visiting Tyler Groenendyk from Oskaloosa, Brandon Brinton, Ronn Lauritzen, David Brown and Gatlin Leytham from what we observed. Prior to that, it was Trent Jackson laying claim to the lead, only to have it taken away by Jake Strayer by lap five. When the mangled mass happened at lap seven, which we did not see what happened, Jammin' Jimmy Gustin was on Strayer's bumper for the restart. Gustin gave it a couple of tries, but nothing worked, and on this night, it was Strayer getting the checkers first for the win. Gustin was second, third went to Adam Larson, fourth was tenth place starter Brian Irvine, and Josh "Happy" Gilman was fifth. This was Strayer's first visit to Victory Lane at Marshalltown this year.
The Marshalltown Speedway springs back into action again next Friday night when it will be a night to salute the military past and present. It will also be Spectator Eliminator night. Hot laps are 6:50 with racing at 7:30.
The Mod Lites had 13 cars for their feature race. Jason Whitehead took the lead immediately from his outside front row starting spot, getting the jump on Eric Turner. The race went flag-to-flag, Whitehead never gave up that coveted position, taking the win---his first ever. Second place went to Terry Brown, who closed in on the leader, but was never able to be more than an annoyance to Whitehead. Josh May came from starting ninth, to score a close third place finish, and Travis Stensland and Cory Sauerman went fourth and fifth in that order. It's always nice to see someone get their first ever win. Our congratulations to Whitehead on accomplishing that hurdle.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks were 16 cars strong for their 15-lap A main and they also went flag-to-flag. Travis Merical held the lead until lap four when Travis Overton took over after a bobble in turn two. Overton was looking good and appearing to be headed to Victory Lane until late in the race, Eric Stanton started reeling him in. Stanton closed the gap further, and at lap thirteen had made the pass for the lead. Stanton kept it to the checkers and the win. Overton held on to the runner up spot, third went to Grinnell's Gene Nicklas who ran at the front of the pack all race long, fourth was Dustin Elliott and John Watson completed the top five. This was Stanton's second win at Marshalltown this year...and he and Austin Luellen have claimed every feature in 2015.
The IMCA Northern SportMod class---25 cars in competition, was not so lucky as to have their 18-lap feature go caution free. There were two initial "no goes" on the start, when several cars tangled and had to be realigned. When lap one did get in the books, it was the 777 of Pella, Iowa's Jayme Duinink claiming the lead, He quickly had company in Clint Luellen however, who was seeking momentum on the topside, making it payoff by the time lap eight was scored. When a yellow flew at lap thirteen, Luellen was still in command, but now he had visiting driver from Odebolt, Keegan Scott nipping at his heels. It was quite the race the final handful of laps! With a lap to go, and lap traffic entering corner three, Scott took advantage, and made the pass for the lead. He held it the final lap to the win, Luellen having to settle for the runner up spot on this night. Duinink held third place, fourth went to Brandon Williams, and Jared VanDeest came from starting tenth, to take fifth. This was Scott's first win at Marshalltown.
It was Mike Deaton holding down the point spot in the IMCA Stock Car 18-lap event in the early laps. Deaton, who earlier had won his heat race, was looking strong, holding off veteran racer Jeff Wollam. But then it was Newton's Michael Jaennette scored in second at lap eight---and then a yellow flew. Meanwhile, tenth place starter Donavon Smith had made a lot of headway, and was now running in third place and no doubt, glad to have the field bunched for the restart. It took Smith only two laps to get his goal realized, taking the lead at lap ten, bringing Jaennette along to take second. Another caution rag flew at lap thirteen when debris was scattered on the front stretch, again bunching the field for the restart. Jaennette had been giving leader Smith fits, trying to make the pass on the topside, and now running in third was visiting driver David Brandies who hails from Wilton, Iowa and a regular racer at West Liberty, had made his way to the third spot after starting in thirteenth. Smith took off on the restart, holding his top position, but things were heating up between Jaennette and Brandies. A little paint was swapped between the two, but lap sixteen would find Brandies deemed quilty of rough driving when he put Jaennette into a spin in corner four. Brandies got the "naughty flag" and was retired to the pits, while Jaennette, who did not stop, was realigned in third place, after Steve Meyer flew around the altercation in the corner and into the runner up spot. The remaining three laps after the restart saw Smith pull away, and he would score the comfortable victory. Meyer held on to the runner up spot, Jaennette came away with third place, and visiting Andrew Lokenvitz from Charles City took fourth after starting eleventh. Hometown racer, Jared Daggett rounded out the top five. Smith, who hails from Lake City where a devastating tornado hit the town last week, won for the second time at the track this year. Smith told announcer Jerry Vansickel in Victory Lane, that though the twister did not hit them in the country, the hail was bad enough and the small town had major damage to their school.
The 20-lap Modified feature saw several cars have big time damage when a pile up out of corner four left cars in a tangled mess on lap seven. Those drivers involved were Scott Simatovich, visiting Tyler Groenendyk from Oskaloosa, Brandon Brinton, Ronn Lauritzen, David Brown and Gatlin Leytham from what we observed. Prior to that, it was Trent Jackson laying claim to the lead, only to have it taken away by Jake Strayer by lap five. When the mangled mass happened at lap seven, which we did not see what happened, Jammin' Jimmy Gustin was on Strayer's bumper for the restart. Gustin gave it a couple of tries, but nothing worked, and on this night, it was Strayer getting the checkers first for the win. Gustin was second, third went to Adam Larson, fourth was tenth place starter Brian Irvine, and Josh "Happy" Gilman was fifth. This was Strayer's first visit to Victory Lane at Marshalltown this year.
The Marshalltown Speedway springs back into action again next Friday night when it will be a night to salute the military past and present. It will also be Spectator Eliminator night. Hot laps are 6:50 with racing at 7:30.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Brown and Hilsabeck score first time wins at Osky
The Southern Iowa Speedway was back in action last night and this time, it was hosting a special SportMod night with a draw/redraw format and a $400 payoff to the winner. New faces visited Victor Lane and the Hobby Stock feature was a down-to-the-wire finish between two drivers who had gone at it lap after lap.
Five IMCA Sport Compacts ran their 12-lap feature. Bill Whalen, Jr. got the drop on Jon Girdley when the race began, and would go on to lead all laps on his way to the checkers. Brother John Whalen would finish in second, third was Girdley, Curt Myers was fourth and Trent Orwig....sporting his new car with his familiar #04 instead of the #33 he had been piloting, took fifth place. Bill Whalen won for the first time at the track this year.
It took a bit before the IMCA Stock Cars got into their rhythm. Two initial starts were called back and then two more yellows after lap one was in the books. Missouri racer Derrick Agee led the pack in the early going, only to drop out with mechanical issues at lap three. Daniel Hilsabeck then took over, and from there on would lead the remaining caution free race, and take his first win at Osky. Second place went to Cayden Carter. Carter had started in the twelfth spot and was coming fast, passing cars on the outside. It would have been interesting to see the race go a lap or two longer, as we imagine it would have been an exciting finish. Third place went to Todd Reitzler, who had started ninth, and Nathan Wood, who had arrived at the track late, missing his heat race, thus tagging the tail of the 17-car feature, was fourth. Mike Hughes, finished fifth after starting tenth. I believe this is Hilsabeck's first ever win at the Monster Half-Mile.
What an exciting 15-lap Hobby Stock feature! Jamie Songer and Bill Bonnett were the dominating cars in this one. Songer got to the immediate lead and Bonnett quickly got to his rear bumper. From there on out, it was lap after lap of close racing between the two. Bonnett gave it his all, dipping under Songer in the corners, but was just never ever able to pull the pass off. Songer got the win, Bonnett, the ever-so-close runner up. Third was Travis Bunnell who had his hands full with Dustin Griffiths in fourth. Nick Ulin rounded out the top five. Songer was a happy "roof dancing" winner in Victory Circle and commented that he, "probably got more respect than I deserved" from runner up, Bill Bonnett.....but there was never any contact. Bonnett later had his carburetor claimed by Brad Stephens, and he agreed to sell. I believe that this was Songer's first win at the track since back in June of 2012.
The IMCA Modified feature saw a driver get a win at Osky for the first time ever. Kyle Brown, who now hails from State Center, Iowa, powered his #21K ride to Victory Lane in easy fashion, leading all laps from his pole starting spot. Brown, who is now at the helm of Harris Auto Racing in Boone, Iowa, finished well ahead of second place finisher Tyler Groenendyk in the 18-lap caution free race. Third was Cayden Carter, Andrew Schroeder was fourth, and father of the winner, David Brown, brought his car out for the first time this season, and took fifth place.
The IMCA Northern SportMods ran 20-laps for their special billing feature. Brett Lowry took the initial lead when the green dropped, but Curtis VanDerWal snatched it away before lap one was scored. A couple of yellow flags were no hindrance to VanDerWal, as he powered away on the restarts. He would then stretch the lead and take another comfortable win at the speedway. Second place went to Brayton Carter who had started seventh, Brett Lowry was third and Cory Van Zante in the #34Z had a good race with the plain #34 of Jerry Hinton as they went fourth and fifth respectively. VanDerWal won for the third time at the track this year.
As mentioned earlier, Nathan Wood arrived at the track late, missing his heat. Well HEAT is exactly what he had dealt with earlier as his family farm had a fire in a hog shed. Thankfully, they were able to get all of the hogs out safely, and the fire was contained to just the shed, though a total loss.
The youngsters (and two "oldsters") had fun at intermission, foot racing down the front stretch for prizes. Promoter Mike VanGenderen was wrangled into racing too, and smoked his competition.
It was another chilly, windy night....hoping Mother Nature is about done playing games this Spring...and we were very thankful for the racing fans we sit in front of each week that faithfully bring their windbreaks that we benefit from as well! Thanks Bob, Warren and Carol!
Why not come out next Wednesday night for some mid-week racing? Hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:30. Keep supporting the sport we all love.....good ole dirt track racing!
Five IMCA Sport Compacts ran their 12-lap feature. Bill Whalen, Jr. got the drop on Jon Girdley when the race began, and would go on to lead all laps on his way to the checkers. Brother John Whalen would finish in second, third was Girdley, Curt Myers was fourth and Trent Orwig....sporting his new car with his familiar #04 instead of the #33 he had been piloting, took fifth place. Bill Whalen won for the first time at the track this year.
It took a bit before the IMCA Stock Cars got into their rhythm. Two initial starts were called back and then two more yellows after lap one was in the books. Missouri racer Derrick Agee led the pack in the early going, only to drop out with mechanical issues at lap three. Daniel Hilsabeck then took over, and from there on would lead the remaining caution free race, and take his first win at Osky. Second place went to Cayden Carter. Carter had started in the twelfth spot and was coming fast, passing cars on the outside. It would have been interesting to see the race go a lap or two longer, as we imagine it would have been an exciting finish. Third place went to Todd Reitzler, who had started ninth, and Nathan Wood, who had arrived at the track late, missing his heat race, thus tagging the tail of the 17-car feature, was fourth. Mike Hughes, finished fifth after starting tenth. I believe this is Hilsabeck's first ever win at the Monster Half-Mile.
What an exciting 15-lap Hobby Stock feature! Jamie Songer and Bill Bonnett were the dominating cars in this one. Songer got to the immediate lead and Bonnett quickly got to his rear bumper. From there on out, it was lap after lap of close racing between the two. Bonnett gave it his all, dipping under Songer in the corners, but was just never ever able to pull the pass off. Songer got the win, Bonnett, the ever-so-close runner up. Third was Travis Bunnell who had his hands full with Dustin Griffiths in fourth. Nick Ulin rounded out the top five. Songer was a happy "roof dancing" winner in Victory Circle and commented that he, "probably got more respect than I deserved" from runner up, Bill Bonnett.....but there was never any contact. Bonnett later had his carburetor claimed by Brad Stephens, and he agreed to sell. I believe that this was Songer's first win at the track since back in June of 2012.
The IMCA Modified feature saw a driver get a win at Osky for the first time ever. Kyle Brown, who now hails from State Center, Iowa, powered his #21K ride to Victory Lane in easy fashion, leading all laps from his pole starting spot. Brown, who is now at the helm of Harris Auto Racing in Boone, Iowa, finished well ahead of second place finisher Tyler Groenendyk in the 18-lap caution free race. Third was Cayden Carter, Andrew Schroeder was fourth, and father of the winner, David Brown, brought his car out for the first time this season, and took fifth place.
The IMCA Northern SportMods ran 20-laps for their special billing feature. Brett Lowry took the initial lead when the green dropped, but Curtis VanDerWal snatched it away before lap one was scored. A couple of yellow flags were no hindrance to VanDerWal, as he powered away on the restarts. He would then stretch the lead and take another comfortable win at the speedway. Second place went to Brayton Carter who had started seventh, Brett Lowry was third and Cory Van Zante in the #34Z had a good race with the plain #34 of Jerry Hinton as they went fourth and fifth respectively. VanDerWal won for the third time at the track this year.
As mentioned earlier, Nathan Wood arrived at the track late, missing his heat. Well HEAT is exactly what he had dealt with earlier as his family farm had a fire in a hog shed. Thankfully, they were able to get all of the hogs out safely, and the fire was contained to just the shed, though a total loss.
The youngsters (and two "oldsters") had fun at intermission, foot racing down the front stretch for prizes. Promoter Mike VanGenderen was wrangled into racing too, and smoked his competition.
It was another chilly, windy night....hoping Mother Nature is about done playing games this Spring...and we were very thankful for the racing fans we sit in front of each week that faithfully bring their windbreaks that we benefit from as well! Thanks Bob, Warren and Carol!
Why not come out next Wednesday night for some mid-week racing? Hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:30. Keep supporting the sport we all love.....good ole dirt track racing!
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