Bruening claims "Dirty 30" Late Model victory, checkers also to Rust, Schmidt, Olson, Reynolds and Stensland

The IMCA Late Models returned to the high banks of the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday evening for the running of the Kevin Sharp Shooter Miller Lite "Dirty 30".  When the dust had settled and the final checkers flew, it was Tyler Bruening taking home the $1,500.  Other winners on the night were Joel Rust, in the IMCA Modifieds, Jay Schmidt was the winner in the IMCA Stock Cars, Tony Olson won a hard fought battle to snag the IMCA Northern SportMod feature win, Kayden Reynolds went home the victor in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Travis Stensland out ran his father to capture the Mod Lite feature. It was also a bit of a throw back night too, as the former "voice of the Marshalltown Speedway", Denny Grabenbauer was the man behind the mic.

Feature racing kicked off with the 15-lap Mod Lite main event.  Jeff Stensland quickly moved from his seventh starting position to snag the lead away from Charlie Brown, taking command on lap three.  Travis Stensland then tagged on to his dad's bumper and the chase was on.  The father/son duo ran in that order lap after lap, often side by side down the backstretch, until lap twelve when Travis Stensland made his persistence pay off, and took over the top spot.  He held off his dad the final three laps to take the checkers, Jeff Stensland having to settle for the runner up spot.  Mike Morrill came from tenth starting spot to finish in third, fourth went to Randy Bryan, and Joel Huggins rounded out the top five.  This marked Travis Stensland first trip to victory lane at Marshalltown this season.

Kayden Reynolds put it in the winner's circle for the second time by winning the 15-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Reynolds has had a string of bad luck this year, having his car damaged in incidents at the track, but it appears he is back at top form again.  Reynolds came from eighth starting position and had the lead by lap two.  Ninth place starter, Leah Wroten, the last two week's winner, followed the leader through the field to give Reynolds a run for his money, but had to be content with second place.  Jamie Coady and Ray Fees went third and fourth respectively, and hard charger of the race was Jacob Floyd who had a top five finish after starting in fifteenth place.

It was an epic battle between cousins for much of the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod A main.  Kyle Olson held the top spot with Tony Olson giving chase.  The #T23 of Tony Olson made the pass to take over at lap six, with Austin Schrage joining in the battle for a top spot. As the laps wore down, Tony Olson continued to lead with Schrage settling into the number two spot, content to let Kyle Olson and Cory VanZante duke it out for third and fourth.  When the checkers flew, it was Tony Olson claiming the win and Austin Schrage was the runner up. Travis Peterson made a last lap surge after a green-white-checkered to finish third in the dash to the finish line, with Cory VanZante taking fourth over Kyle Olson in fifth.  Tony Olson scored his first win at the speedway for 2019.

It was another first time winner in the 2019 season with Jay Schmidt capturing the win in the "Class too Tough to Tame", the IMCA Stock Cars in a race that went green to checkered.  Schmidt started sixth, and quickly caught then leader Jared Daggett.  The two drivers then went to battle as Schmidt took peeks under the leader lap after lap, looking for a way around.  Then just after lap fifteen had been scored, Schmidt made it work, making the pass in turn two to take over the top spot.  He kept hold of that lead the rest of the way to the checkers and the win.  Dave Atcher finished as the runner up, Steve Meyer came from tenth to finish third, Scott Rice and Todd Reitzler completed the top five.  Daggett suffered mechanical issues in the final lap and dropped out. Schmidt said in his post race interview that he was ready to "load it up" after his heat race, but with the help of his crew and fellow racers, they got it race ready.  Ya gotta love racing camaraderie!

Joel Rust took his ride from the eight starting spot and into the lead in just four laps.  He never relinquished it the remaining distance to the checkers, taking the win in the IMCA Modified 20-lap main event.  Hot shoe Todd Shute made a guest appearance at the track and finished as the runner up.  Point leader Tim Ward came from tenth starting position, and finished third, Sam Wieben was fourth and D.J. Shannon from Merced, California rounded out the top five.

The featured event of the evening put a night cap on the racing with the running of the IMCA Late Model 30 lap Miller "Dirty 30". Darin Duffy, piloting the usual ride of Jeff Aikey, led the cars to the green flag.  Tyler Bruening was soon on the hustle, moving his hot rod from eighth place to fall in behind leader Duffy.

 At the halfway mark of the race, Bruening was leading, holding John Emerson at bay, then the two began swapping the top spot back and forth. Then the nemesis...in this case, a tire in turn one, got the best of John Emerson, and sent him for a tumble.  The race was red flagged but thankfully Emerson was okay.  When the race returned to green, Bruening was holding down the top spot which he held the final circuits to the checkers and the win.  Hometown favorite, Darrel DeFrance finished in second place, Curtis Glover was third, fourth went to tenth place starter Jeremiah Hurst, the 2019 track champion, and Darin Duffy was fifth.

There were racers in attendance from across the country last night, with the states of Arizona, California, Missouri, and Wisconsin as well as Iowa, trying their hand at the High Banks.  Out of state racers seem to flock to our state to test and tune, and with so many race tracks to choose from, we often get to see a diversified gathering of racers from parts beyond our borders. 

Next Friday, August 16 will be a $1,000 to win for the IMCA Northern SportMods on Speed Shift TV Night.  The XL600s have also been added to the show.

Get to a track and help support dirt track racing!

   

Busy night at Boone Speedway on Super Saturday, TiLUBE Challenge and Watermelon Classic Night

It was a Super Saturday at the Boone Speedway for sure as there was a lot going on.  Super Saturday found the IMCA Modifieds as the highlighted class of the evening, going for $1,000 to win their feature. They were also vying for a chance at the TiLUBE Challenge paying another $1,000 to the winner, plus a second chance race paying $500.  The IMCA Northern SportMods had a chance at $750 for a lucky draw finishing position, and the IMCA Stock Cars were sponsored for a $400 pay day.  As an added attraction, the Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks were also in town.  To top it off, all heat winners were awarded the infamous watermelon, on Watermelon Classic night that saw 160 cars pack the pits!

Feature racing started with the My Race Pass Mod Lite 15-lap A main.  This one saw Bryan Zehm lead the entire distance to capture the win.  Joel Huggins claimed the runner up position, third went to Randy Bryan, Mike Kennedy came from the tenth starting spot to finish fourth, and Terry Brown was fifth.  This was Zehm's third win at the track this season.

The Elmquist Towing IMCA Northern SportMods came next for their 18-lap feature.  Cory Pestotnik claimed the early lead but had it wrestled away by Johnathon Logue on lap thirteen.  Logue held off the competition the rest of the way to the checkers and claimed the win.  Cory Pestotnik finished second, followed by Jake McBirnie in third, Dusty Masolini in fourth, and Dustin Lynch rounded out the top five.  Logue claimed his second feature win of the season at Boone, and was fresh off of a win the night before at Marshalltown. Dusty Masolini was the lucky recipient of the $750 mystery position.

The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks made their second appearance of the year with nine in competition.  They ran a 20-lap A main that saw Myles Michehl lead from the drop of the green to the checkered flag.  Bill Davis, Jr. closed in on the leader, took some peeks low, but could do no better than finish second.  Jeff Frevert, Shawn Mapes, and Lou Sipolt completed the top five.

The IMCA Arnold Motor Supply Stock Cars saw Brandon Pruitt take advantage of his outside front row starting position, grabbing the lead immediately, and soon cars were going three and four wide in the corners.  Pruitt was able to hold off some heavy competition, maintaining that top spot all the way to the flying checkers.  David Smith started sixth, and chased the leader the entire race, but had to be content with the runner up spot.  Third went to seventh place starter Jeff Mueller, longtime racer Robert Stofer, "the living legend", was fourth, and Bryan Snell drove his hot rod from twelfth starting spot, to finish fifth.

The Pickett Salvage IMCA Hobby Stocks ran 15-laps and it was Shaun Wirtz standing in victory lane at the conclusion.  Wirtz caught early leader, Bryant Johnson from Graettinger, Iowa, by setting sail on the top of the track, taking over the number one spot with five laps down. A yellow flew at lap twelve that halted action for some time when Daniel Smith and Miciah Hidlebaugh collided at the bottom of turns three and four, causing a fuel spill that had to be burned off, producing a big old bonfire!   Then just one lap later, the race was red flagged when rookie driver Braden Richards, son of veteran racer Rod Richards, took a scary ride, ending up in the catch fence just past the flagstand.  He was okay, as was flagman Wes White, who had to make a hasty retreat off of his flagging perch.  When the race resumed, Wirtz was able to maintain his lead the final circuits to take the flying checkers and the win.  Bryant Johnson held second place, third was Cherokee, Iowa's James Johnson, and Eric Knutson held off Matt McDonald as they went fourth and fifth respectively.  Wirtz bounced back after rolling his car last Saturday night, and claimed his second trip to the winner's circle this year.

The Snap-on Tools IMCA Modifieds took center stage with three main events on tap.  They ran their usual 20-lap feature which paid $1,000 on Super Saturday.  Cody Laney, Torrance, California driver who likes to spend time back in our neck of the woods during the summer, would collect the money in this feature, leading all laps and winning going away. Another Californian, Ethan Dotson takes a liking to Iowa in the summer as well, and drove his ride from sixth starting spot to finish second.  Thor Anderson ran at the front of the field all race, and finished third, fourth went to Randy Havlik, and Jeff Aikey finished fifth.  This marked Laney's first win at the track for 2019.

Earlier, all Modified drivers ran time trials, with the top twelve qualifying for the TiLUBE $1,000 to win feature. Cody Laney had quick time over all.  The next twelve in times went to a 2nd Chance Showdown.  The 2nd Chance race was 15-laps and went to Richie Gustin.  Gustin overtook early leader Cory Wray and never relinquished the lead on his way to the $500 check.  Wray held the runner up spot, Kelly Shryock, Cody Bauman, and Tony Cox completed the top five.

It was a 3-wide start for the 15-lap TiLUBE Challenge. Ricky Thornton, Jr. took command on lap three, and never gave it up. Tim Ward came from fifth, to finish as the runner up, Cody Laney started on the pole and finished third, Thor Anderson started tenth, and finished fourth, and Jon Snyder took fifth, from starting eleventh.  Thornton took the $1,000 and an impressive trophy for the showcase.

It was a full house in the pits and a big crowd in the grandstands last evening. The extra pay, the fact that some tracks were not running last night, and the opportunity to get some laps in before the upcoming Super Nationals brought out the drivers! Nine states were represented in the Modified class alone with drivers from Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, California, Nevada, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota as well as Iowa. Forty-three Modifieds were in the house, thirty-seven Stock Cars, twenty-nine Northern SportMods, and thirty Hobby Stocks. It was also a beautiful night to be at the races weather wise, and despite it being a late night, races ending just a tick before midnight, few people headed out early.

Racing season is winding down. Get out and find a race to attend, and support the sport we all love....dirt track racing.

Lauritzen wins Modified night cap in a thriller!

The Marshalltown Speedway produced its usual great night of racing Friday, and if anyone left before the final race of the evening, they missed a jim-dandy! That Modified night cap of the evening came right down to the wire.

Feature racing kicked off with the Mod Lites and their 15-lap main event. Joel Huggins quickly worked his way to the front to lead early, but Joe Glick and Mike Morrill were hot on his heels. Morrill took to the topside and passed both Huggins and Glick with just a lap remaining and then sailed home to the checkers and the win. Glick took the runner up spot after starting eighth, Huggins came from ninth to finish third, and Jeff Stensland and Randy Bryan rounded out the top five. This was Morrill's fifth win at the speedway in 2019.

Leah Wroten repeated her win from last week in the IMCA Hobby Stocks. She nabbed the lead from Gary Pfantz after the two battled it out lap after lap. Wroten finally took command at lap 12 of the the 15-lap event and snagged herself the win. Pfantz was second, Bill Klosterman finished third, Jeremiah Andrews was fourth, and Jacob Floyd took fifth. Wroten, who started tenth on the starting grid, won for the fourth time this season.

The IMCA Northern SportMods saw several lead changes. It started with Jason Hall who took the point position as the race went green. Austin Schrage got in the hunt early on and tucked in to run in the second position until a dozen laps were in the books. That's when Schrage took over the top spot, with visions of his first win in his head. Meanwhile, Johnathon Logue had moved his new Rage hot rod from twelfth up to third....and wasn't done yet. A yellow at lap thirteen bunched the field. On the restart Logue made the pass into the runner up spot, and then with two laps remaining, snatched the lead on the backstretch. He would hold that top spot the final two laps to the flying checkers and his first win at the speedway this year. Tyler Soppe made the closing laps work for him, taking the runner up spot after starting eleventh. Schrage held the third spot, Travis Peterson was fourth, and last week's winner, Jenae Gustin was hard charger, coming from fifteenth, to finish fifth.

Damon Murty loves the topside of the high banks at Marshalltown, and after just a handful of laps, he was in command and gone, winning the 18-lap IMCA Stock Car feature for the second week in a row. He finished comfortably over Justin Temeyer who was piloting Shawn Ritter's ride for the night, and came from ninth starting spot, to take the runner up position. Steve Meyer sent his hot rod from thirteenth position to third, fourth went to Scott Rice, and pole sitter Mike Petersen from Montezuma, Iowa, rounded out the top five. This was Murty's third appearance in victory lane for the year.

The night cap was a thriller, as the final laps of the 20-lap IMCA Modified feature was up for grabs between three drivers. Point leader Tim Ward hustled his powerhouse from tenth starting spot and into the lead by lap seven, only to have Joel Rust and Ronn Laurtizen tag in behind. The rest of the race was a tight one! Rust got the upper hand with six laps left but it was still anyone's race between Rust, Lauritzen, and Ward as the final laps wound down. The enthusiastic crowd was on its feet those final circuits. Lauritzen gained the lead on lap eighteen, only to have Rust regain it on the white flag lap....but the race to the checkers found Lauritzen surging ahead to cross the finish line first. Rust was the runner up followed closely by Tim Ward in third. Cody Laney was fourth, and Ethan Dotson came from twelfth to finish fifth. This was Lauritzen's first feature win of the year.

The IMCA Late Models are done with their regular season, but they return next Friday night for the Miller 50 with the wide bodies taking to the high banks for 50 laps.

As this racing season begins to wind down...seems like it just got started...seek out a race to attend and support the sport we all love. It will be over before we know it.

Track Champions crowned at Southern Iowa Speedway

The Southern Iowa Speedway closed out its regular season on Wednesday night with the crowning of  track champions.  It was an evening that also saw the non-wing sprints dwindle due to attrition during their heat race.

There were driver introductions on the frontstretch prior to the running of the championship features, allowing both the drivers and fans to show their appreciation to each.

The Sport Compacts ran their caution free feature first with Brandon Allison leading the pack for the first seven laps, with Trent Orwig giving chase.  Orwig shot under Allison and took the lead on lap eight and then raced home to the checkers and the win.  Allison appeared to experience mechanical issues on the white flag lap and was out of the race, allowing Billy Cain to take the runner up spot.  Nathan Moody, James Haring, and Lewie Winkleman completed the top five.  Orwig had a fabulous season at the big old half-mile this year, winning six times to take the track title.

The Hobby Stocks followed up with another flag to flag contest, running all fourteen laps without a yellow flag.  Five cars ran much of the race nose to tail at the front of the field, with Dustin Griffiths leading the charge.  Griffiths got around early leader Christian Huffman and would then hold off the pack to capture the win.  Huffman was second, holding off Mike Hughes knocking on his door in third, followed closely by Scott Shull in fourth, and Clint Nelson in fifth.  Griffiths also had six wins this year on his way to another track title.  He has not only gone back to back with the track championship, but a look back over my records, shows he has won six crowns out of the past eight years.

The SportMods had a nice field of sixteen cars in the house last night.  Blaine Webster led the race in the first portion of the sixteen lap event, but Dylan VanWyk wrestled the lead away before the halfway mark. Brayton Carter had moved his way from seventh starting spot to catch the leader, and after a side by side battle, Carter took command, leading when lap ten was scored.  From there on, he pulled away to take the comfortable win.  VanWyk held the runner up spot, Blaine Webster was third, Tyler Inman and Colton Livezey completed the top five.  "Speedy Bray" Carter scored his third trip to victory lane this season, and Blaine Webster, with one win, took the track crown, proving just how important consistency is week in and week out.

The Non-Wing Sprints had more than their share of trouble last evening as during their heat race, the race was halted three times, two for roll overs.  There were nine drivers checked in last night, and all nine began the heat.  That heat was called complete after the third incident.  Doug Sylvester was up on the frontstretch wall as the heat began, then the 71C of Dillan Alexander went for a tumble, and then Garrett Alexander was in a spectacular incident when he hopped the wheel of Andy Simms as they raced to corner one....sending Alexander for a scary ride, pieces flying.  Only two cars were running after the third incident, and Mike Mayberry was declared the winner of the heat.  Thankfully everyone was okay.  It was also announced that driver Chuck Graves, who was injured earlier in the season, was in the house last night watching.

The Non-Wing Sprints only had four cars pull onto the track for their feature....Mike Mayberry, Doug Sylvester, Jason Pardock, and Lance Silvers.  Mike Mayberry would take his first feature at the Monster Half-Mile, leading the entire race.  Sylvester was second, Pardock third, and Silvers was fourth, but did not finish.

The night and the season was closed out with sixteen laps of Stock Car racing.  Derrick Agee, the driver who made the trek up from Missouri each and every Wednesday night, would lead this one from start to finish.  Nathan Wood would chase him the entire distance to finish second.  The race was for third on the track as Donovan Nunnikhoven and Cayden Carter went at it.  The two swapped position several times, with Nunnikhoven claiming third at the checkers, Carter taking fourth.  Scott Dickey rounded out the top five.  Nathan Wood again proved just how important consistency is, and though having no wins at the track this year, took home the track championship, repeating from last year...and the year before. Woods has been the champion for the past three consecutive years.

Congratulations to all the winners last night and the track champions.  The track suffered through numerous weather outs this past year, and the last two races held were added to the schedule giving the drivers and fans some extra race fixes.

Mark your calendars for the final track nights at the Southern Iowa Speedway coming up on September 20 and 21 for the Annual Musco Lighting Fall Challenge.  Don't forget for you Sprint Car enthusiasts, the Front Row Challenge and the Ultimate Challenge are on August 6 and 7.  Tony Stewart will be in the house as will Kyle Larson. 

Donovan Smith takes Hawkeye Challenge, besting all other classes

It was a blast from the past on Saturday night at the Boone Speedway when the Hawkeye Challenge returned.  It was also the RaceSaver Sprint Season Championship, along with the other regular weekly classes in competition.

The Hawkeye Challenge pitted four drivers from each of the six classes taking to the track at one time.  This event was previously held from 1987-1993.  Each class point leader was locked into the feature, with the other three qualifying through a passing points system from their earlier heat races.  The over all winner went home $1,000 richer, and with a Snap-on Tools Tool Box/Grill combo.  Every other class winner took home $500.

The classes were aligned on the starting grid with Sprints, Modifieds, SportMods, Mod Lites, Stock Cars, and Hobby Stocks in that order. This was determined according to calculations through transponder timing and each class was given a certain number of laps to finish.  At the end of the race, it was Stock Car driver Donavon Smith winning the over all championship.  The other winners were Tim Ward in the Modifieds, Cam Reimers in the SportMods, Mike Houseman in the Sprints, John Watson in Hobby Stocks, and Mike Kennedy in the Mod Lites.  EDIT: After further review, the results changed and the over all winner was determined to be John Watson in the Hobby Stocks.  Donovan Smith was the Stock Car winner, Cam Reimers retained the SportMod win, as did Tim Ward in the Modifieds, Mike Houseman in Sprint, and Mike Kennedy in the Mod Lite.  

The IMCA RaceSaver Sprints closed out their season with their championship race and the crowning of the first of the 2019 track champions. This all played out with some strange circumstances in the 8 car feature race.

Point leader Mike Houseman, who was piloting his brother's car due to a major incident with his ride the night before at US 36 Raceway in Missouri, discovered he had issues with his rent a ride just before feature time. During the on track driver introductions, It looked bleak for him to be able to hold on for the title, and anticipated only making a few laps before heading to the pits. But...it's never over until it's over.  Fate stepped in, and Tyler Thompson, who was just six points behind in the chase for the track title, was involved in an incident just as the race began....sending him to the pits and out of the game! This was enough for Houseman to retain his point lead, and take the title of track champion for 2019.

The RaceSaver Sprint feature for the night went to a first time winner at the track, when Kade Higday, swept home to the checkers first.  He finished nearly a half a lap ahead of second place Joel Thorpe.  DJ Palmer, Ryan Navratil and Shadrach Sporaa rounded out the top five.

The Mod Lite feature saw Travis Stensland lead all 15 laps on his way to the winner's circle.  Terry Brown finished a distant second, Tanner Gannon was third, fourth went to visiting Pleasant Hill, Missouri racer Ed Griggs and Randy Bryan was fifth.

Jake McBirnie powered by early race leader Ronnie Hults on lap seven of the 18 lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature, finishing well ahead of runner up Dustin Lynch.  Hults took third, Cory Pestotnik started ninth, and finished fourth, and twelfth place starter Chris Burke was fifth.  McBirnie came from tenth starting spot, to capture his fifth feature of the year.

Joel Bushore and Jeremy Mills made contact at lap fifteen of the 20 lap IMCA Modified A main.  Bushore had his 6 cylinder wound up and had been leading when Mills finally got around him, and then a bit of a shoving match ensured.  This allowed third place runner Tim Ward to sweep around both and take command.  Bushore soon exited the track and was out of the running.  Ward then kept a tight hold on that top spot the rest of the way to the flying checkers, and scored his first victory at the track this season.  Jeremy Mills took second after starting eleventh, Joel Rust started next to Mills in the starting grid and finished third, Jimmy Gustin, who is in the points race for the track title was fourth, and Ronn Lauritzen started fifteenth and finished fifth. Tim Ward will be spending some time soon at Eldora Speedway as he has a Nascar Gander Truck ride coming up on August 1.    

Josh Daniels was dominate in taking the win in the IMCA Stock Cars.  He finished comfortably ahead of runner up Jeff Mueller.  Scott Davis came from starting tenth to finish third, Troy Jerovetz was in the hunt most of the race and finished in fourth place, and David Smith rounded out the top five.  Daniels won for the third time at the speedway this season.

The IMCA Hobby Stock feature did not start well as veteran racer Shaun Wirtz got tangled up in a situation which sent him rolling before even one lap was scored. Thankfully, he was okay, his ride, not so much. When racing got underway, Eric Knutson took the immediate lead, soon to have John Watson relentlessly pestering him for a way around.  Watson's persistence paid off on lap ten of the 15 lap event when he took over.  Knutson wasn't done however, as he surged back ahead in the closing moments to seal his trip to victory lane.  Watson had to be content with second place, Jack Phillips was third, Greg Sidles from Fairmont, Minnesota made the trip down and scored a fourth place finish, and fourteen year old Mike Smith was fifth.

The two-person Cruisers cars once again had the #00 car winning with the duo of Donny Mason and Carl Agan.

It was really interesting to see the six different classes of race cars running at one time on the track.  Many thought it might mean disaster for the little Mod Lites out on the track with the big horse-powered Sprints and Modifieds, but that wasn't the case, as they more than held their own.  Thank goodness for transponder, plus six separate hand scorers (one for each class) keeping track last night for the Hawkeye Challenge.  It was a sight to see and the fans got their money's worth.  

Next Saturday, August 3 will be the Watermelon Classic Triple Crown night at the races.  It's $2,500 to win for the IMCA Modifieds, $1,000 to win the TiLUBE Challenge, and each heat winner from all classes will be running for that infamous Boone Speedway watermelon award!  

Lots of racing left out there.  Find a race to attend and support dirt track racing!

"G Money" takes the Modified money, Hurst claims Late Model Season Championship and lady racers Gustin and Wroten park it in victory lane

After last week's weather out due to the extreme high temperatures, the High Banks were back in action once again on Friday night.  It was Rumours Bar & Grill/Salute to Marshalltown Police night at the races.

Joe Glick went back to victory lane when he took the checkers in the Mod Lite feature.  Glick started seventh, and had the lead by lap three.  Erin Turner rolled his ride on the frontstretch, halting the race at lap nine.  Thankfully, he was okay.  When the race picked back up, Glick continued his run at the front of the field and went on to claim his second win of the year.  Travis Stensland came from twelfth starting spot to finish as the runner up.  Joel Huggins, Mike Morrill and Randy Bryan completed the top five.

Leah Wroten showed the guys how it's done in the IMCA Hobby Stock 15-lap feature.  Wroten started eighth and had the lead by lap four, never to relinquish it.  She pulled away to claim the easy win, her third of the 2019 season.  Gary Pfantz finished in the runner up spot, Kaden Reynolds took third, veteran racer Bill Bonnett started ninth and claimed fourth, and Jacob Floyd was fifth.

Another lady racer, Jenae Gustin bested the guys in the IMCA Northern SportMod A main, winning her first race of the year.  Gustin, who just returned this season after taking a year off from racing didn't look to have missed a beat.  Gustin started fifth, had the lead on lap two, and never looked back on her way to the flying checkers.  Austin Schrage had a good run, coming from seventh starting spot, to claim second.  Tony Olson was third, Jake McBirnie started eleventh and finished fourth and Travis Peterson came from tenth, to finish fifth. The race was plagued by cautions, and was threatened by the time limit rule, but went the full 18 laps, and Gustin made it back to back wins on the night for the ladies. 

Damon Murty took the checkers in the IMCA Stock Car division, continuing his awesome week of racing around the state, making it five wins in a row.  Murty started on the outside front row, and immediately took the lead when the race went green.  Jay Schmidt fell in right behind Murty, and chased him all race long to finish second.  Shawn Ritter took third place, Dallon Murty took fourth, and Steve Meyer rounded out the top five. This was Murty's second win at the speedway this season.

The IMCA Modifieds were running for $1,000 to win Friday night, and as often is the case when more money is up for grabs, it was Richie "G Money" Gustin going home with the prize. Gustin started in row five, and ran down early leader DJ Shannon from Merced, California, taking the top spot on lap eight.  Gustin pulled away in the closing laps, claiming another of his bigger money pay offs.  Todd Shute had an amazing run, finishing second after starting eighteenth.  It was a close one for third and fourth, with Shannon just beating Tim Ward to the finish line, and Ronn Lauritzen took fifth, after starting tenth on the field. 

The IMCA Late Models wound up their weekly racing for 2019, and it was Jeremiah Hurst claiming the feature win and wrapping up his first track championship as well.  The field started straight up by points for their final regular race of the year.  Hurst led all 20 laps of the feature to take home the trophy.  Veteran and hometown racer Darrel DeFrance had his night end when he pulled up in turn four off power while running in second spot, bringing out a yellow and ending his night on lap eight.  Hurst motored off on the restart and had things well in hand, when the race went red with just three laps remaining.  Jill George and Randy Faux got tangled up in corner two, ending with George rolling her ride.  The final laps saw Hurts shoot off once again, taking the win comfortably over second place Dalton Simonsen.  Curtis Glover took third, veteran racer Gary Webb came from tenth spot to finish fourth, and Kyle Krampe completed the top five.

The Late Models, though done with their weekly points racing, will have one more run on the High Banks coming up on August 9, for the Miller 50.  They will join the regular weekly classes for this special for the wide bodies. 

The night had more than its share of cautions, roll overs, blown motors, etc., making us all look around to see if it was a full moon night. However, it was the usual entertaining night at the Marshalltown Speedway on a track that the winners were praising in victory lane.

Find a race to attend and help support the sport we all love.....dirt track racing!

No surprises at Southern Iowa Speedway, it's Carter, VanDerWal, Hughes, Hughes, and Orwig

It was a beautiful night for some mid-week racing at the Southern Iowa Speedway on Wednesday.  After last week's fair race with over 100 cars, there were only 40 cars checked in at the Monster Half-Mile. The kiddos got to take a spin around the big old half-mile as drivers loaded up the youngsters prior to races.  In racing action there were no surprise victories this week as repeat winners came from all five classes.

After a full house of Sport Compacts last week for the Caleb Hammond Memorial race during the Southern Iowa Fair, there were only four in the house this week.  Trent Orwig snapped up the lead from Nathan Moody at lap two, and then went on to stretch it out from the rest of the field, winning the 10-lap A main easily.  The real contest in this race was for second place as Moody and Billy Cain wrestled much of the race with Moody holding the upper hand until the last moments.  That's when Cain made a spurt to the finish line, taking second by a nose over Moody in third.  Lewie Winkleman finished fourth.  This was Orwig's fifth win at SIS this season.

The Non-wing Sprints were up next with Doug Sylvester holding the lead at lap one, only to have Johnathan Hughes snatch it away by lap three.  On lap four, the race was red flagged when the #38 of Logan Alexander drifted too high in turn one, and flipped his ride high in the air.  He did get checked out in the ambulance on site, but refused transportation, saying he was okay.

When the race resumed, Hughes shot off from the field and pulled away.  He took the checkers well ahead of second place Doug Sylvester.  Dillan Alexander made a fine recovery from looping it in turn four on the dash to the finish line, keeping his machine going, and finishing third. Garrett Alexander was fourth, and newcomer for the night, Joe Simbro from Swan, Iowa, completed the top five.  This made three wins in a row for Hughes.

Rick VanDusseldorp made his return appearance to the track this year, competing in the Hobby Stock division after years of absence.  He would lead the first four laps of the 14-lap feature until Mike Hughes made his way into the lead.  Hughes had it well in hand after that, and would distance himself from the field to take the comfortable win.  Dustin Griffiths got around VanDusseldorp in the closing laps as they finished second and third respectively.  Christian Huffman and Clint Nelson completed the top five. Hughes won for the third time at SIS in the 2019 season.

The draw/redraw format that the track is running this year, set Curtis VanDerWal on the pole for the 16-lap SportMod feature.  We were thinking, as most others I would guess, that it was over. It was. VanDerWal shot to the lead immediately, and even three cautions at lap two, five and seven were no issue for the veteran hometown driver.  He would finish the race a straightaway ahead of second place Logan Anderson as the checkers flew.  Colton Livezey was third, fourth went to Brayton Carter, and Blaine Webster was fifth.  Surprisingly, this was only VanDerWal's second win at Osky this year.

The Stock Cars wound up the night's racing with their 16-lap feature.  Nathan Wood claimed the lead on lap one, but just a couple of laps later, it was the "Orange Crush" machine of Cayden Carter taking command.  From there on, he was out for a Sunday drive, taking the checkers a straightaway ahead of the field.  The duel for second place was constant as Wood and Dustin Griffiths went to battle.  Wood held the upper hand, and finished as the runner up, with Griffiths taking third.  Jason McDaniel finished fourth, and Jason See made an appearance at the track last evening, and went home with fifth place.  This was Carter's sixth feature win of the season in the Stock Car class.

Next Wednesday, July 31, will be season championship night at Osky, winding up the weekly racing for the year. Then, mark your calendar for the Annual Fall Challenge coming up on September 20-21. Prior to that Terry McCarl brings in the Sprint Cars ahead of the Knoxville Nationals running right down the road. The Southern Iowa Speedway holds the Front Row Challenge on August 6, followed up by the Ultimate Challenge on August 7.

Chuck Graves, the non-wing Sprint Car racer who was injured at the track a couple of weeks ago, continues to heal.  Jerry Mackey announced that he has hopes of being released from the hospital soon.  Last week, drivers passed their helmets through the stands, collecting donations for his medical expenses, with $1,138 being collected.

Find a race to attend during this busy racing season in our area.  In fact, there were several shows going on last night alone.  Help support the sport we all love.....dirt track racing!