On a night in which I was torn between two races to attend, I chose to attend the I-35 Speedway Monday night as they hosted stop number two of the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds. After seeing fifty-eight cars checked into the inaugural stop a couple weeks ago at Independence, I was looking forward to seeing a healthy field once again Monday night. Also racing were the IMCA hobby stocks, IMCA sportmods, and IMCA stock cars.
Up first would be the IMCA hobby stock feature. Cory Gansen would grab the lead early in front of a twenty-car field. Behind him the battle was heating up as Mick Meyers pushed high and allowed three cars to slip under. One of those cars, Stac Schroeder, was not content with second as he ducked under Gansen for the race lead. Gansen would lose a couple more spots to Chad Gentz and Zac Smith before a caution slowed the pace. As the laps clicked away, Gentz challenge Schroeder for the lead and pulled up to his door panel at the checkered flag, coming up just short of two consecutive wins at Mason City. Stac Schroeder took the win followed by Chad Gentz, Zac Smith, Mick Meyers, and Cory Gansen.
After the IMCA hobby stocks would be a bmain for the IMCA sportmods followed by three B's for the Hawkeye Dirt Tour IMCA modifieds. That set the stage for the IMCA sportmod feature.
Alex Zwanziger set the pace on lap one before giving way to Shane Swanson a lap later. After starting ninth, Adam Ackerman found himself hugging the inside tires and advancing to the fourth spot in just two laps when the caution flag appeared. Ackerman used the high groove on the restart to zoom past George Nordman, who's car lost power and retired to the infield. That pass didn't last long, however, as Matt Looft ducked under Ackerman to secure the third position. On the final set of corners, Swanson drug the brakes and slipped up the banking. Zwanziger, poised to react on his rear bumper, steered left and made the winning pass as they crossed the finish line. It would be Alex Zwanziger's first career win. Shane Swanson finished second, Jesse Sobbing was third, Troy Jerovetz fourth, and Matt Looft rounded out the top five. Sobbing is the defending IMCA National Champion in the sportmod division while Jerovetz made the pull down from Wisconsin.
After that exciting finish, the IMCA stock cars made their way to the track. Fourteen cars were set to do battle as Merlyn Hegland set the pace. Kevin Opheim used the inside line to advance from his inside row four starting spot to second in a matter of laps before suffering a flat tire. Following the double file restart, Travis Shipman would rocket to the inside and pass Mike Wieman for the fourth spot at the midpoint. Shipman would continue his march forward as he hugged the inside groove to pass Derek Green and Larry Portis for the runner up spot. He would run out of time, however, as Merlyn Hegland hoisted the trophy when all was said and done. Shipman settled for second, Derek Green third, Elijiah Zevenbergen fourth, and Larry Portis was fifth.
The final event of the night would be the thirty-lap Hawkeye Dirt Tour modified feature. Ron Pope and Randy Havlik sat on the front row, with both drivers boasting IMCA SuperNationals championships. The race got off to a slow start as a couple cautions prevented the first lap from being scored. Jay Noteboom spun to bring out the first yellow flag while Scott Olson made heavy contact with an implement tire on the inside of turn three, sending his machine into a whirlwind in the air before landing on all four wheels. A chain reaction ensued, collecting several cars. Only eighteen of the twenty-four starters were left when the first green flag lap was scored complete.
Ron Pope would grab the lead at the onset while Richie Gustin kept pace just behind. After restarting at the tail of the field, Jay Noteboom quickly shot to the outside groove and climbed all the way to sixth in two laps. Up front Gustin saw an opening on lap three and took advantage as he dived to the inside entering turn one. Gustin and Pope made contact, but both machines were unharmed and continued on.
The bottom side seemed to be the preferred line for all but one driver, Jay Noteboom. Noteboom continued to work the cushion, although he passed Mark Schulte for fifth utilizing the inside line. A caution waved with eleven laps remaining, which set the stage for a great finish. Noteboom again swung his machine to the outside and set sail as he passed Max Corporan and Randy Havlik to move into third. With four laps to go it appeared that Noteboom would run out of time. But each lap he seemed to close the gap and began to reel in the race leaders. On the final circuit he got to the rear bumper of Ron Pope exiting turn two, but it wasn't meant to be on this night. Richie Gustin went on to take the $1,000 payday as he led the final twenty-seven laps. Ron Pope was second, Jay Noteboom third, Max Corporan fourth, and Randy Havlik completed the top five. Gustin also pocketed an extra $100 as he picked up the Specialty Technologies Heat Race Challenge as he won both his heat race and the feature.
I'd like to give a shoutout to Chris Marchese, Bucky Doren, and Blake Anderson. Chris greeted me in the pit area upon arrival while Bucky and Blake took time to chat throughout the races. For official results and updated point standings, be sure to log on to www.dirttour.com.
That brought a close to my extended Memorial Day racing weekend. Six races in six nights. I'm going to take it easy during the week and rest up for another exciting weekend of action.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINTELY addictive!!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Noble Cashes in Bigger Money
Sunday night marked the annual Skip Rose Memorial at the I-35 Speedway. All classes saw increased purses, and that would increase the car count in every class as 131 cars packed the pits in front of a full grandstand. Mother Nature provided persistent sprinkles throughout the night and at one point a light shower passed through to provide a little delay, but that moisture from above provided the drivers and fans with one heck of a race track the rest of the night.
Feature action got started with the junior hornets as twelve cars made the call. It would be Colton Kessler taking the win just ahead of Lisa Cole. In the professional class Blake Cole held down the top spot early on but was unable to hold off Gary Stahl late in the race. Stahl took over the lead with two to go and never looked back.
A healthy field of twenty-three IMCA hobby stocks were next onto the track. It would be outside front row starter Daniel Porter getting the jump and securing the lead, but his luck soon turned as his car spun in front of the field in turn four. He was able to get it out of harms' way and continue on, but that handed the lead over to Jake Jacobs. Just passed the halfway point the battle for the lead heated up as Chad Gentz, Jacobs, and Stac Schroeder raced door to door and three-wide at the starter's stand. Gentz would get the nod with Schroeder right behind while Mick Meyers ducked under Jacobs for third with two laps remaining. Schroeder tried everything in his power to get by Gentz, but it was Chad Gentz picking up the win. Schroeder was second, Meyers third, Jacobs fourth, and Heath Tulp rounded out the top five.
Nate Whitehurst used his pole starting spot to grab the reigns in front of a twenty-three car starting field of IMCA sportmods. Parker Brumm pulled to the inside of Whitehurst to make the pass for the lead, but a caution came out and he was put back in second. On the restart Brumm again used the same inside groove to get by Whitehurst in turn two to snag the lead. Mike Jaeger and Dan Tenold worked under Whitehurst to climb up to second and third before another caution waved. Adam Ackerman and Nate Chodur were working their way forward at the halfway point as Ackerman was fourth and Chodur fifth. Both drivers began to use the outside line in turns one and two and made up a lot of ground. Chodur got by Ackerman and Mike Jaeger to take the runner up spot with two laps remaining before passing Parker Brumm for the lead coming to the white flag. Chodur would go on to take the win ahead of Adam Ackerman, Parker Brumm, Mike Jaeger, and Dan Tenold.
An awesome field of twenty-two IMCA stock cars were on hand last night. Front row starters Brad Broers and Merlyn Hegland remained side by side at the completion of lap one until Hegland inched forward for the lead. Larry Portis dove to the inside of Broers to snare the second spot while Kevin Opheim followed along to third. Opheim and Portis then seesawed back and forth for the runner up position while further back in the pack Dustin Smith was making a little bit of noise. Smith, who started eleventh, had climbed his way to sixth before a caution bunched up the field. The restart provided the fans with a lot of excitement as Opheim, Hegland, and Portis were three-wide at the line before Opheim grabbed the lead exiting turn two.
Portis would get the momentum off the outside groove to reclaim the lead on the next lap while Joe Willier, Chris Adams, and Brad Broers were three-wide for the third spot. A caution calmed things down for a bit, but the action up front between Opheim and Portis continued. Opheim was faster in turns one and two on the inside, but Portis would battle back and get the advantage exiting turn four on the outside. Several cautions plagued the finish of the race, setting up multiple green-white-checkered restarts. Opheim grabbed the lead exiting turn two and took Portis' line away going into turn three on the final lap, but Portis got a great run on him and pulled to his inside and let the car drift up. Contact was made, sending Opheim into the marbles and allowing Portis to take home the win. Dustin Smith would finish second, Chris Adams third, Kevin Opheim fourth, and Mike VanGenderen rounded out the top five after starting fourteenth.
Thirty-four IMCA modifieds were checked in for action last night as drivers came to test out the track for the Hawkeye Dirt Tour on Monday. The field was narrowed down to twenty-five starters, and local rookie Dustin Brown raced to the lead from the outside front row. A red flag was thrown when Jake Durbin made heavy contact with an implement tire on the infield, thrusting his machine into the air and landing on his roof. Durbin was not injured, thankfully. When racing resumed, Shane Monson snuck to the inside of Brown to snare the lead away. Brown began to fade as Mark Noble, Alex Yohn, and Jeremy Mills filled into the second, third, and fourth spots, respectively.
Noble would use the inside groove and then slide up in front of Monson to take over the lead before a lap four caution for Jeremy Mills. The double file restart helped Jay Noteboom go from fifth to third using the outside line as he passed Alex Yohn. Josh Foster, the inaugural winner of the Hawkeye Dirt Tour, had to come from a b-main and started sixteenth. He found his way up to sixth at the halfway point before falling a couple spots at the end. With less then five laps remaining, Monson drifted a little too high and allowed Noteboom to get by for second. Noteboom tried to close the gap, but was unable to do so as Mark Noble took home the $1,000 paycheck. Noteboom was second, Shane Monson third, Rob Rose fourth, and J.J. Wise rounded out the top five.
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, the track was in great condition last night. Perhaps the extra moisture from above helped during the modified heat races. In any case, the feature races were definitely the best I've seen all year! I can't wait to check out the Hawkeye Dirt Tour event tonight at the I-35 Speedway!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Feature action got started with the junior hornets as twelve cars made the call. It would be Colton Kessler taking the win just ahead of Lisa Cole. In the professional class Blake Cole held down the top spot early on but was unable to hold off Gary Stahl late in the race. Stahl took over the lead with two to go and never looked back.
A healthy field of twenty-three IMCA hobby stocks were next onto the track. It would be outside front row starter Daniel Porter getting the jump and securing the lead, but his luck soon turned as his car spun in front of the field in turn four. He was able to get it out of harms' way and continue on, but that handed the lead over to Jake Jacobs. Just passed the halfway point the battle for the lead heated up as Chad Gentz, Jacobs, and Stac Schroeder raced door to door and three-wide at the starter's stand. Gentz would get the nod with Schroeder right behind while Mick Meyers ducked under Jacobs for third with two laps remaining. Schroeder tried everything in his power to get by Gentz, but it was Chad Gentz picking up the win. Schroeder was second, Meyers third, Jacobs fourth, and Heath Tulp rounded out the top five.
Nate Whitehurst used his pole starting spot to grab the reigns in front of a twenty-three car starting field of IMCA sportmods. Parker Brumm pulled to the inside of Whitehurst to make the pass for the lead, but a caution came out and he was put back in second. On the restart Brumm again used the same inside groove to get by Whitehurst in turn two to snag the lead. Mike Jaeger and Dan Tenold worked under Whitehurst to climb up to second and third before another caution waved. Adam Ackerman and Nate Chodur were working their way forward at the halfway point as Ackerman was fourth and Chodur fifth. Both drivers began to use the outside line in turns one and two and made up a lot of ground. Chodur got by Ackerman and Mike Jaeger to take the runner up spot with two laps remaining before passing Parker Brumm for the lead coming to the white flag. Chodur would go on to take the win ahead of Adam Ackerman, Parker Brumm, Mike Jaeger, and Dan Tenold.
An awesome field of twenty-two IMCA stock cars were on hand last night. Front row starters Brad Broers and Merlyn Hegland remained side by side at the completion of lap one until Hegland inched forward for the lead. Larry Portis dove to the inside of Broers to snare the second spot while Kevin Opheim followed along to third. Opheim and Portis then seesawed back and forth for the runner up position while further back in the pack Dustin Smith was making a little bit of noise. Smith, who started eleventh, had climbed his way to sixth before a caution bunched up the field. The restart provided the fans with a lot of excitement as Opheim, Hegland, and Portis were three-wide at the line before Opheim grabbed the lead exiting turn two.
Portis would get the momentum off the outside groove to reclaim the lead on the next lap while Joe Willier, Chris Adams, and Brad Broers were three-wide for the third spot. A caution calmed things down for a bit, but the action up front between Opheim and Portis continued. Opheim was faster in turns one and two on the inside, but Portis would battle back and get the advantage exiting turn four on the outside. Several cautions plagued the finish of the race, setting up multiple green-white-checkered restarts. Opheim grabbed the lead exiting turn two and took Portis' line away going into turn three on the final lap, but Portis got a great run on him and pulled to his inside and let the car drift up. Contact was made, sending Opheim into the marbles and allowing Portis to take home the win. Dustin Smith would finish second, Chris Adams third, Kevin Opheim fourth, and Mike VanGenderen rounded out the top five after starting fourteenth.
Thirty-four IMCA modifieds were checked in for action last night as drivers came to test out the track for the Hawkeye Dirt Tour on Monday. The field was narrowed down to twenty-five starters, and local rookie Dustin Brown raced to the lead from the outside front row. A red flag was thrown when Jake Durbin made heavy contact with an implement tire on the infield, thrusting his machine into the air and landing on his roof. Durbin was not injured, thankfully. When racing resumed, Shane Monson snuck to the inside of Brown to snare the lead away. Brown began to fade as Mark Noble, Alex Yohn, and Jeremy Mills filled into the second, third, and fourth spots, respectively.
Noble would use the inside groove and then slide up in front of Monson to take over the lead before a lap four caution for Jeremy Mills. The double file restart helped Jay Noteboom go from fifth to third using the outside line as he passed Alex Yohn. Josh Foster, the inaugural winner of the Hawkeye Dirt Tour, had to come from a b-main and started sixteenth. He found his way up to sixth at the halfway point before falling a couple spots at the end. With less then five laps remaining, Monson drifted a little too high and allowed Noteboom to get by for second. Noteboom tried to close the gap, but was unable to do so as Mark Noble took home the $1,000 paycheck. Noteboom was second, Shane Monson third, Rob Rose fourth, and J.J. Wise rounded out the top five.
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, the track was in great condition last night. Perhaps the extra moisture from above helped during the modified heat races. In any case, the feature races were definitely the best I've seen all year! I can't wait to check out the Hawkeye Dirt Tour event tonight at the I-35 Speedway!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Donlinger Headlines Deer Creek Winners
The stars and cars of the United States Modified Touring Series made their annual Memorial Day weekend stop at the Deer Creek Speedway on Saturday night. A great field of fifty-two modifieds were on hand along with Wissota Midwest modifieds, Wissota super stocks, and Wissota street stocks.
After a farming session to get the track back in better condition the Wissota street stocks were first up for feature action. Kory Adams jumped to the early lead of the fourteen car field, but Donny Ganz would make the pass on the inside to take over the top spot on lap five. Adams would soon lose the runner up spot to Fred Prodeuhl and then later AJ Zvorak also powered by on the outside to the third position. A couple of cautions kept the field close, and AJ Zvorak took advantage both times as he captured the lead and went on to take the win. He was followed across the line by Troy Voth, Donny Ganz, Fred Prodeuhl, and Mike Blowers.
Twenty-two Wissota midwest modifieds were led to the green by Ric Fynbo. Cody Gardner and Greg Pfeifer Jr snuck under Fynbo for the top two spots. "They flyin Mexican" Bryan Hernandez was on the move from his eighth starting spot as he climbed to third on lap seven. The red flag waved when a couple cars got tangled up and Shaun Walski ended up on his roof. He would be okay. On the ensuing restart, fourth-running Travis Krause dropped to the infield before the green flag waved. Hernandez used the inside line to get by leader Gardner on lap twelve and never looked back as he went on to the win. Cody Gardner was second, Dustin Scott third, Greg Pfeifer Jr fourth, and Jerry Young rounded out the top five.
Another farming session followed that race and set up the rest of the night with the Wissota super stock and USMTS features. The super stocks were up first with only nine cars on hand last night. Tony Bloom raced to the lead from the pole position, but that didn't last long as Jeff Brauer motored by on the outside. Cole Queensland split both front runners exiting turn two as he would capture the lead on lap three. Queensland would continue on to take the win ahead of Jeff Brauer, Kevin Hager, Chad Halstrom, and Tony Bloom.
The forty-lap USMTS field then made their way to the track in front of the packed grandstands. With fifty-two cars on hand, the starting field included twenty-six of the best modified drivers in the country. Pole sitter Ryan Ruter rocketed to the lead. Ruter continued to extend his lead while positions behind him changed hands. Jason Krohn and Mike Sorenson both ducked low on Nate Wasmund to move into second and third, respectively, as Ruter opened up a straight away advantage by lap seven.
After Sorenson's torid pace towards the front, he would fall off and lose a couple spots to Nate Wasmund and Kelly Shryock. The only caution of the race came out at the halfway point when Ruter suffered a right rear flat tire. In talking to him after the races, he believes the body panel cut it down. That handed the lead over to 2007 USMTS National Champion Jason Krohn.
Tim Donlinger, who restarted fifth, quickly dove to the inside and moved into third on the next lap. Ryan Gustin also charged forward following the restart as he jumped into the top five with eight laps to go. Donlinger snared the lead away from Krohn on lap twenty-six. Zack VanderBeek, who garnered one of the final starting spots, had advanced his way to seventh after starting 25th, by lap twenty-seven. VanderBeek continued his march to the front as he passed Nate Wasmund and Ryan Gustin late in the race to secure the fourth spot. The night would belong to Tim Donlinger, the 2008 USMTS National Champion, as he took the $2,400 payday. Jason Krohn was second, Kelly Shryock third, Zack VanderBeek fourth, and Ryan Gustin completed the top five.
Racing action concluded around 9:30. A band played in the courtyard behind the grandstands following the races. For more information and results, check out www.usmts.com or www.deercreekspeedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
After a farming session to get the track back in better condition the Wissota street stocks were first up for feature action. Kory Adams jumped to the early lead of the fourteen car field, but Donny Ganz would make the pass on the inside to take over the top spot on lap five. Adams would soon lose the runner up spot to Fred Prodeuhl and then later AJ Zvorak also powered by on the outside to the third position. A couple of cautions kept the field close, and AJ Zvorak took advantage both times as he captured the lead and went on to take the win. He was followed across the line by Troy Voth, Donny Ganz, Fred Prodeuhl, and Mike Blowers.
Twenty-two Wissota midwest modifieds were led to the green by Ric Fynbo. Cody Gardner and Greg Pfeifer Jr snuck under Fynbo for the top two spots. "They flyin Mexican" Bryan Hernandez was on the move from his eighth starting spot as he climbed to third on lap seven. The red flag waved when a couple cars got tangled up and Shaun Walski ended up on his roof. He would be okay. On the ensuing restart, fourth-running Travis Krause dropped to the infield before the green flag waved. Hernandez used the inside line to get by leader Gardner on lap twelve and never looked back as he went on to the win. Cody Gardner was second, Dustin Scott third, Greg Pfeifer Jr fourth, and Jerry Young rounded out the top five.
Another farming session followed that race and set up the rest of the night with the Wissota super stock and USMTS features. The super stocks were up first with only nine cars on hand last night. Tony Bloom raced to the lead from the pole position, but that didn't last long as Jeff Brauer motored by on the outside. Cole Queensland split both front runners exiting turn two as he would capture the lead on lap three. Queensland would continue on to take the win ahead of Jeff Brauer, Kevin Hager, Chad Halstrom, and Tony Bloom.
The forty-lap USMTS field then made their way to the track in front of the packed grandstands. With fifty-two cars on hand, the starting field included twenty-six of the best modified drivers in the country. Pole sitter Ryan Ruter rocketed to the lead. Ruter continued to extend his lead while positions behind him changed hands. Jason Krohn and Mike Sorenson both ducked low on Nate Wasmund to move into second and third, respectively, as Ruter opened up a straight away advantage by lap seven.
After Sorenson's torid pace towards the front, he would fall off and lose a couple spots to Nate Wasmund and Kelly Shryock. The only caution of the race came out at the halfway point when Ruter suffered a right rear flat tire. In talking to him after the races, he believes the body panel cut it down. That handed the lead over to 2007 USMTS National Champion Jason Krohn.
Tim Donlinger, who restarted fifth, quickly dove to the inside and moved into third on the next lap. Ryan Gustin also charged forward following the restart as he jumped into the top five with eight laps to go. Donlinger snared the lead away from Krohn on lap twenty-six. Zack VanderBeek, who garnered one of the final starting spots, had advanced his way to seventh after starting 25th, by lap twenty-seven. VanderBeek continued his march to the front as he passed Nate Wasmund and Ryan Gustin late in the race to secure the fourth spot. The night would belong to Tim Donlinger, the 2008 USMTS National Champion, as he took the $2,400 payday. Jason Krohn was second, Kelly Shryock third, Zack VanderBeek fourth, and Ryan Gustin completed the top five.
Racing action concluded around 9:30. A band played in the courtyard behind the grandstands following the races. For more information and results, check out www.usmts.com or www.deercreekspeedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Smith Doubles Money, Gustin and Smith Repeat
The Marshalltown Speedway was back in action Friday night with nearly perfect conditions as temperatures hovered around 85 with a soft breeze. Fans and drivers alike were ready for some great action to kick off the Memorial Day weekend.
As always the Dwarf cars / Mod Lites were first to run their feature. Mike Kennedy would overtake Colby Oberembt for the lead a couple laps in. Many eyes were focused on the middle of the pack as Tim Hennigar and Mike Morrill were quickly moving to the front. The two worked through traffic nearly simultaneously as they climbed to third and fourth, respectively. Following a restart, both drivers got by Oberembt before another caution. Hennigar would get his car sideways and lose a couple spots, but Oberembt had no place to go and made contact with Hennigar to bring out the fourth caution. From that point on Kennedy was able to hold off Mike Morrill for the win with Josh May third, James May fourth, and Tim Hennigar rebounded to fifth.
IMCA sportmods were up next as they needed a consi race to narrow the field down once again. Rookie Dylan Book paced the field to the green flag that saw him sprint to the lead. In the middle stages of the race Zach Rawlins was gaining momentum using the top side of the track. Following a lap nine restart in which he was third, Rawlins again went to work on the outside and passed Eric Flander for second. After falling victim to a spin and caution earlier in the race, Scott Davis was charging back to the front as he found himself back inside the top five. A caution late in the race bunched the field back up, but Dylan Book was able to hold on to the flag to flag win. Zach Rawlins held of Scott Davis for second while Eric Flander and Austin Lucas rounded out the top five.
While the IMCA stock cars were a little low in number (14), they would provide a little bit of extra excitement. Promoter Toby Kruse had told the drivers in the meeting that all heat race winners would be given the option to go to the tail and race for double money if they won the feature. Point leader Dustin Smith would take that challenge and start at the rear. Tracy Gienger led the early laps while Jeff Wollam, Steve Meyer, and Michael Jaennette duked it out for second. Following a lap three yellow, Smith quickly moved into fifth and a couple laps later grabbed the lead using the inside lane before the halfway point. Trent Murphy, who also started at the back as a result of being too light on the scale following his heat, was also slicing through the field. He seemed to be following Smith's tire tracks as he climbed to fifth. With Smith up front and extending his lead, Murphy went to work and passed Steve Meyer and Jeff Wollam for fifth and then fourth. When the checkered flag waved, the top five would be Dustin Smith, Michael Jaennette, Trent Murphy, Tracy Gienger, and Jeff Wollam.
Pole sitter Daniel Hilsabeck would lead lap one in the IMCA modified feature, but that didn't last long as Richie Gustin made the pass on lap three to lay claim to the lead. At the halfway point they were joined by Scott Simatovich as the top three distanced themselves from the pack. A late caution with two laps remaining kept the field close, but as luck would have it Hilsabeck spun coming to the white flag to end his great run. Gustin would go on to repeat his win from last week while the rest of the top five were Mike O'Lear, Scott Simatovich, Adam Larson, and Chris Abelson.
Twenty-one IMCA hobby stocks would bring a close to the night in their feature event. Adam Rickett jumped to the early lead, but Eric Knutson used the inside line to make the pass on him. Just as Trent Murphy and Dustin Smith followed each other in the stock car feature, Devin Smith would follow Michael Murphy in the hobby stock feature towards the front. Smith would get under Rickett for second, but a caution negated the pass. Once racing resumed Smith was able to work his way by Knutson on the inside groove while Murphy passed Rickett for third. Murphy was unable to hold on to that spot, however, as Todd Reitzler powered by on the outside. Devin Smith would find victory lane once again followed by Eric Knutson, Todd Reitzler, Michael Murphy, and Terry Shaffar.
An entertaining night was made a little more special as friends Chad and Angie Eisele made their first trip to Marshalltown last night. They brought their three-month son Brycen to his first race. It was good to catch up with them and see the handsome young man.
Racing continues next Friday at Marshalltown. For schedule information, check out www.marshalltownspeedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
As always the Dwarf cars / Mod Lites were first to run their feature. Mike Kennedy would overtake Colby Oberembt for the lead a couple laps in. Many eyes were focused on the middle of the pack as Tim Hennigar and Mike Morrill were quickly moving to the front. The two worked through traffic nearly simultaneously as they climbed to third and fourth, respectively. Following a restart, both drivers got by Oberembt before another caution. Hennigar would get his car sideways and lose a couple spots, but Oberembt had no place to go and made contact with Hennigar to bring out the fourth caution. From that point on Kennedy was able to hold off Mike Morrill for the win with Josh May third, James May fourth, and Tim Hennigar rebounded to fifth.
IMCA sportmods were up next as they needed a consi race to narrow the field down once again. Rookie Dylan Book paced the field to the green flag that saw him sprint to the lead. In the middle stages of the race Zach Rawlins was gaining momentum using the top side of the track. Following a lap nine restart in which he was third, Rawlins again went to work on the outside and passed Eric Flander for second. After falling victim to a spin and caution earlier in the race, Scott Davis was charging back to the front as he found himself back inside the top five. A caution late in the race bunched the field back up, but Dylan Book was able to hold on to the flag to flag win. Zach Rawlins held of Scott Davis for second while Eric Flander and Austin Lucas rounded out the top five.
While the IMCA stock cars were a little low in number (14), they would provide a little bit of extra excitement. Promoter Toby Kruse had told the drivers in the meeting that all heat race winners would be given the option to go to the tail and race for double money if they won the feature. Point leader Dustin Smith would take that challenge and start at the rear. Tracy Gienger led the early laps while Jeff Wollam, Steve Meyer, and Michael Jaennette duked it out for second. Following a lap three yellow, Smith quickly moved into fifth and a couple laps later grabbed the lead using the inside lane before the halfway point. Trent Murphy, who also started at the back as a result of being too light on the scale following his heat, was also slicing through the field. He seemed to be following Smith's tire tracks as he climbed to fifth. With Smith up front and extending his lead, Murphy went to work and passed Steve Meyer and Jeff Wollam for fifth and then fourth. When the checkered flag waved, the top five would be Dustin Smith, Michael Jaennette, Trent Murphy, Tracy Gienger, and Jeff Wollam.
Pole sitter Daniel Hilsabeck would lead lap one in the IMCA modified feature, but that didn't last long as Richie Gustin made the pass on lap three to lay claim to the lead. At the halfway point they were joined by Scott Simatovich as the top three distanced themselves from the pack. A late caution with two laps remaining kept the field close, but as luck would have it Hilsabeck spun coming to the white flag to end his great run. Gustin would go on to repeat his win from last week while the rest of the top five were Mike O'Lear, Scott Simatovich, Adam Larson, and Chris Abelson.
Twenty-one IMCA hobby stocks would bring a close to the night in their feature event. Adam Rickett jumped to the early lead, but Eric Knutson used the inside line to make the pass on him. Just as Trent Murphy and Dustin Smith followed each other in the stock car feature, Devin Smith would follow Michael Murphy in the hobby stock feature towards the front. Smith would get under Rickett for second, but a caution negated the pass. Once racing resumed Smith was able to work his way by Knutson on the inside groove while Murphy passed Rickett for third. Murphy was unable to hold on to that spot, however, as Todd Reitzler powered by on the outside. Devin Smith would find victory lane once again followed by Eric Knutson, Todd Reitzler, Michael Murphy, and Terry Shaffar.
An entertaining night was made a little more special as friends Chad and Angie Eisele made their first trip to Marshalltown last night. They brought their three-month son Brycen to his first race. It was good to catch up with them and see the handsome young man.
Racing continues next Friday at Marshalltown. For schedule information, check out www.marshalltownspeedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Dripps Garners Victory Celebration in Allison
Night #2 of the Memorial Day swing for the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) was held at the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison Thursday night. Also running with the open modifieds were the USRA Dart Ironman Challenge stock car series along with the USRA hobby stocks and USRA bmods.
First to hit the track would be the USRA hobby stocks. Only seven cars made the call to start the event with Scott Spilde jumping out front. Dan Sacquinte would challenge Spilde late, but Spilde was able to fend off every challenge and pick up the win. Doug McCollough finished third, Dan Hovden fourth, and Kyle Anderson round out the top five.
The Dart Ironman Challenge series for USRA stock cars would be next on the slate of events. A hefty field of nineteen cars were on hand and Dan Trimble wasted no time grabbing the lead from the pole. Nathan Wood and Steve Jackson engaged in a battle for the fourth spot in the early parts of the race while Mike VanGenderen was working his way forward after starting eighteenth. VanGenderen methodically moved into seventh using the outside groove before a caution bunched the field up. Nathan Wood used this caution period to his advantage as he passed a couple cars to move into the second position. Following another yellow flag VanGenderen moved to the outside and passed Wood and Larry Portis for the runner up spot. The caution waved one more time after the white flag had appeared, but that set up a two lap shootout with Trimble still out front. VanGenderen elected the outside groove on the double-file restart and made the pass exiting turn two on the final lap to steal the win from his eighteenth starting spot. Trimble would settle for second, Larry Portis third, Steve Jackson fourth, and Todd Staley rouned out the top five.
That would bring us to the USRA bmod feature. I believe I counted right at thirty cars that hot lapped with the field dwindled down to twenty-four starters. Matt Lettow would take the lead from the start while youngster Cayden Carter followed in his tire tracks. Following a couple yellow flags, the distance was cut from fifteen laps down to twelve on account of time. This didn't phase Lettow as he took home the win followed by Cayden Carter, Brandon Hare, Rocky Caudle, and Brandon Leeman.
The USMTS modifieds would then take to the track and prepare for their pre-race ritual. Every car had either an American flag or a USMTS flag while "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood played over the speakers. For those who haven't witnessed it, it's definitely a great site and sound! It always brings goosebumps to my skin.
Corey Dripps and New Mexico driver Johnny Scott graced the front row at the start with Dripps taking the helm. Dripps would open up a good advantage before a caution for Tommy Weder slowed the pace. After restarting fifth, Kelly Shryock motored to the outside and passed Tommy Myer and Al Hejna to take over the third spot. A bit further back Ryan Gustin was on the charge. After being disqualified in his heat race, Gustin fought back through and won his b-main event and started thirteenth on the grid. He found himself up to fifth and later passed Hejna on the outside for fourth. Gustin would drift high and lose two spots before getting back by Hejna for fifth before the yellow flag was displayed again.
Kelly Shryock used that restart to slip by Johnny Scott for second while Gustin followed to third. Johnny Scott would lose a couple spots late in the race to Tommy Myer and Al Hejna, but the story of the night was Corey Dripps' dominating performance. He was followed across the line by Kelly Shryock, Ryan Gustin, Tommy Myer, and Al Hejna.
The USMTS will now travel into the Land of 10,000 Lakes as they invade the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minnesota on Friday night. For their complete schedule and more complete results, check out www.usmts.com.
I'd also like to point out that Ryan Clark, a member of the Positivelyracing.com group, was the announcer for the night. Todd Narveson was scheduled to be on hand to announce the USMTS portion of the show, but came down ill prior to the event starting. Ryan filled in nicely on short notice! Check out his viewpoints from high atop the announcer's stand at "In Staging" on www.positivelyracing.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive
First to hit the track would be the USRA hobby stocks. Only seven cars made the call to start the event with Scott Spilde jumping out front. Dan Sacquinte would challenge Spilde late, but Spilde was able to fend off every challenge and pick up the win. Doug McCollough finished third, Dan Hovden fourth, and Kyle Anderson round out the top five.
The Dart Ironman Challenge series for USRA stock cars would be next on the slate of events. A hefty field of nineteen cars were on hand and Dan Trimble wasted no time grabbing the lead from the pole. Nathan Wood and Steve Jackson engaged in a battle for the fourth spot in the early parts of the race while Mike VanGenderen was working his way forward after starting eighteenth. VanGenderen methodically moved into seventh using the outside groove before a caution bunched the field up. Nathan Wood used this caution period to his advantage as he passed a couple cars to move into the second position. Following another yellow flag VanGenderen moved to the outside and passed Wood and Larry Portis for the runner up spot. The caution waved one more time after the white flag had appeared, but that set up a two lap shootout with Trimble still out front. VanGenderen elected the outside groove on the double-file restart and made the pass exiting turn two on the final lap to steal the win from his eighteenth starting spot. Trimble would settle for second, Larry Portis third, Steve Jackson fourth, and Todd Staley rouned out the top five.
That would bring us to the USRA bmod feature. I believe I counted right at thirty cars that hot lapped with the field dwindled down to twenty-four starters. Matt Lettow would take the lead from the start while youngster Cayden Carter followed in his tire tracks. Following a couple yellow flags, the distance was cut from fifteen laps down to twelve on account of time. This didn't phase Lettow as he took home the win followed by Cayden Carter, Brandon Hare, Rocky Caudle, and Brandon Leeman.
The USMTS modifieds would then take to the track and prepare for their pre-race ritual. Every car had either an American flag or a USMTS flag while "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood played over the speakers. For those who haven't witnessed it, it's definitely a great site and sound! It always brings goosebumps to my skin.
Corey Dripps and New Mexico driver Johnny Scott graced the front row at the start with Dripps taking the helm. Dripps would open up a good advantage before a caution for Tommy Weder slowed the pace. After restarting fifth, Kelly Shryock motored to the outside and passed Tommy Myer and Al Hejna to take over the third spot. A bit further back Ryan Gustin was on the charge. After being disqualified in his heat race, Gustin fought back through and won his b-main event and started thirteenth on the grid. He found himself up to fifth and later passed Hejna on the outside for fourth. Gustin would drift high and lose two spots before getting back by Hejna for fifth before the yellow flag was displayed again.
Kelly Shryock used that restart to slip by Johnny Scott for second while Gustin followed to third. Johnny Scott would lose a couple spots late in the race to Tommy Myer and Al Hejna, but the story of the night was Corey Dripps' dominating performance. He was followed across the line by Kelly Shryock, Ryan Gustin, Tommy Myer, and Al Hejna.
The USMTS will now travel into the Land of 10,000 Lakes as they invade the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minnesota on Friday night. For their complete schedule and more complete results, check out www.usmts.com.
I'd also like to point out that Ryan Clark, a member of the Positivelyracing.com group, was the announcer for the night. Todd Narveson was scheduled to be on hand to announce the USMTS portion of the show, but came down ill prior to the event starting. Ryan filled in nicely on short notice! Check out his viewpoints from high atop the announcer's stand at "In Staging" on www.positivelyracing.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Gustin Sails to USMTS Win at Osky
The return of the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) to the upper Midwest kicked off my Memorial Day lengthy weekend of racing on Wednesday night. The road warriors invaded the "monster" half-mile known as the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa as stop #1 of five consecutive nights in Iowa and southern Minnesota. A solid field of forty-two cars graced the pit area along with USRA stock cars, USRA bmods, and USRA hobby stocks.
First to hit the track would be the USRA bmods. Mike Wanders grabbed the reigns early on from the pole before an early caution slowed the pace. Tyler Groenendyk, last year's track champion, restarted in fifth but quickly darted to the outside to take the third spot away. By lap five Groenendyk had eclipsed Wanders for the lead while the rest of the pack sorted itself out. Scott Davis found his racing groove in the middle of the race as he climbed to the runner up spot after starting eleventh. Groenendyk's lead was too much to overcome, however, as he took home the win. Davis would lose the second position to Cayden Carter with two laps remaining. Mike Wanders would finish fourth and Mike Shelton was fifth.
Next up would be the USRA stock cars as stop #1 of the Dart Iron Man Challenge. Only thirteen cars checked in for action tonight, but the outcome was never certain. Greg Elliott held the top spot down early on while brother Mark made his way through traffic. Mark Elliott, who started thirteenth thanks to mechanical failures in his heat race, climbed to the top five by lap four. The race would get more interesting up front as the top four cars were all bunched together. Nathan Wood made the outside line work as he took the lead on lap eight. The Elliott brothers battled side by side for second while Shane Weller was making his move just behind. A caution changed the entire scenario as the double file restart would change the running order. Weller used the outside line to zip past the Elliott's for second and closed in on Wood. On the final lap Weller tried to slingshot his way by coming to the checkers, but he came up just short as Nathan Wood took the win. Weller finished second, Mark Elliott third, Rick Gustin fourth, and Mike VanGenderen rounded out the top five. Greg Elliott finished a disappointing ninth.
Derek Kirkland used the outside front row to nail down the lead at the start of the USRA hobby stock feature. The caution came out at the midway point of the race, but Kirkland maintained his lead throughout as he pocketed the win. Andy Coleman would finish second, Kris Walker third, Steve Allen fourth, and Jim Hughes completed the top five.
The stage was now set for the USMTS modified thirty-lap finale. Ryan Ruter and Ryan Gustin would set the pace of the twenty-six car starting field with Gustin taking the early advantage. A battle for third soon heated up with Michael Long using the outside to get by Steve Wetstein. After starting sixteenth on the grid, Al Hejna was a rocket and moving forward. He climbed to seventh in the first eight laps before a caution slowd the action two laps later. Gustin had built up a straight away advantage when the yellow flew.
Zack VanderBeek, who restarted fourth, dove to the inside and picked up two spots to sneak into the runner up spot ahead of Ruter and Long. Hejna continued to pick off cars as he made passes on Wetstein and Long to fill in the fourth position. Gustin would pull away up front while Hejna ducked under Ruter for third before the caution waved again.
Johnny Scott, who is running for Rookie of the Year honors I believe, found himself restarting in the seventh spot. He would get a great jump and slide into fifth with eight laps to go. VanderBeek would stay close to Gustin's rear bumper shortly after racing resumed, but Gustin was able to put some distance between them as the laps clicked off. In the end, it would be Ryan Gustin taking home the win followed by Zack VanderBeek, Al Hejna, Johnny Scott, and Steve Wetstein. It was Hejna's first night out in his newly designed Harris car.
The action shifts to the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison Thursday night as the USMTS modifieds along with the Dart Iron Man Challenge stock car series invades another half-mile facility. Also on the card will be the USRA bmods and USRA hobby stocks.
For more information regarding the USMTS, check out www.usmts.com. For information pertaining to the Southern Iowa Speedway, check out www.rlpromotions.com/oskaloosa. Also, for more results check out the 4D Fan Report as they were on hand and jotted down the finishes of each class.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
First to hit the track would be the USRA bmods. Mike Wanders grabbed the reigns early on from the pole before an early caution slowed the pace. Tyler Groenendyk, last year's track champion, restarted in fifth but quickly darted to the outside to take the third spot away. By lap five Groenendyk had eclipsed Wanders for the lead while the rest of the pack sorted itself out. Scott Davis found his racing groove in the middle of the race as he climbed to the runner up spot after starting eleventh. Groenendyk's lead was too much to overcome, however, as he took home the win. Davis would lose the second position to Cayden Carter with two laps remaining. Mike Wanders would finish fourth and Mike Shelton was fifth.
Next up would be the USRA stock cars as stop #1 of the Dart Iron Man Challenge. Only thirteen cars checked in for action tonight, but the outcome was never certain. Greg Elliott held the top spot down early on while brother Mark made his way through traffic. Mark Elliott, who started thirteenth thanks to mechanical failures in his heat race, climbed to the top five by lap four. The race would get more interesting up front as the top four cars were all bunched together. Nathan Wood made the outside line work as he took the lead on lap eight. The Elliott brothers battled side by side for second while Shane Weller was making his move just behind. A caution changed the entire scenario as the double file restart would change the running order. Weller used the outside line to zip past the Elliott's for second and closed in on Wood. On the final lap Weller tried to slingshot his way by coming to the checkers, but he came up just short as Nathan Wood took the win. Weller finished second, Mark Elliott third, Rick Gustin fourth, and Mike VanGenderen rounded out the top five. Greg Elliott finished a disappointing ninth.
Derek Kirkland used the outside front row to nail down the lead at the start of the USRA hobby stock feature. The caution came out at the midway point of the race, but Kirkland maintained his lead throughout as he pocketed the win. Andy Coleman would finish second, Kris Walker third, Steve Allen fourth, and Jim Hughes completed the top five.
The stage was now set for the USMTS modified thirty-lap finale. Ryan Ruter and Ryan Gustin would set the pace of the twenty-six car starting field with Gustin taking the early advantage. A battle for third soon heated up with Michael Long using the outside to get by Steve Wetstein. After starting sixteenth on the grid, Al Hejna was a rocket and moving forward. He climbed to seventh in the first eight laps before a caution slowd the action two laps later. Gustin had built up a straight away advantage when the yellow flew.
Zack VanderBeek, who restarted fourth, dove to the inside and picked up two spots to sneak into the runner up spot ahead of Ruter and Long. Hejna continued to pick off cars as he made passes on Wetstein and Long to fill in the fourth position. Gustin would pull away up front while Hejna ducked under Ruter for third before the caution waved again.
Johnny Scott, who is running for Rookie of the Year honors I believe, found himself restarting in the seventh spot. He would get a great jump and slide into fifth with eight laps to go. VanderBeek would stay close to Gustin's rear bumper shortly after racing resumed, but Gustin was able to put some distance between them as the laps clicked off. In the end, it would be Ryan Gustin taking home the win followed by Zack VanderBeek, Al Hejna, Johnny Scott, and Steve Wetstein. It was Hejna's first night out in his newly designed Harris car.
The action shifts to the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison Thursday night as the USMTS modifieds along with the Dart Iron Man Challenge stock car series invades another half-mile facility. Also on the card will be the USRA bmods and USRA hobby stocks.
For more information regarding the USMTS, check out www.usmts.com. For information pertaining to the Southern Iowa Speedway, check out www.rlpromotions.com/oskaloosa. Also, for more results check out the 4D Fan Report as they were on hand and jotted down the finishes of each class.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Opheim Collects First Win of Season at I-35
A muggy night was in store for the fans at the I-35 Speedway Sunday night as temperatures were on the climb. One could say we were fortunate that there was cloud cover most of the evening as to not make it worse then it seemed.
The action moved along at a quick pace throughout the night, bring the junior hornet feature to the track. Colton Kessler would take the lead and appear to be on his way to victory, but Taylor Frerichs made severe contact with his machine and spun him around. A few other front running cars made contact with Kessler's machine, handing the reigns over to Harold Stinnett. In the "pro" hornet feature it looked as though Amanda Kaltved would repeat her win from last week, but Kelly Miller had other ideas as he made the last lap pass to steal the win.
Jeremy Solberg sped to the early lead in the IMCA hobby stock feature, but a quick caution kept the competition glued to his rear bumper. Chad Gentz, who lined up third on the restart, made his move to the inside of Jake Jacobs to slide into the second position. A late caution set up a two-lap shootout, and what a finish it would turn out to be. Chad Gentz tried everything he could earlier in the race, but he saved the best move for last as he slingshotted off turn four and ducked to the inside of Solberg exiting the corner. Gentz had enough momentum to carry him to victory lane while Solberg was left with a disappointing second place. Jake Jacobs picked up third. Daniel Porter crossed the line in fourth, but was later disqualified in post-race tech. That bumped up Cody Knecht and Heath Tulp to round out the top five.
Alex Zwanziger paced the IMCA sportmod feature as the field of sixteen other drivers followed. Zwanziger opened up his lead to roughly ten carlengths in the middle stages of the race as Adam Ackerman began working through traffic. Ackerman picked them off one at a time with the exception of one lap in which he passed three cars to take over the third position. Ackerman then changed lines to get by Kyle Germundson on the outside while Zwanziger stayed out front. Zwanziger's worst nightmare came true when the caution waved with two laps left. Ackerman dove to the inside in turn one following the green flag and would power his way to the lead down the backstretch before continuing on to the win. Zwanziger settled for second, George Nordman was third, Nick West fourth, and Matt Looft was fifth.
The disappointing part of the night was the lack of IMCA stock cars on hand Sunday night. Only seven cars were present and only five made the call for the feature as Larry Portis suffered transmission issues and Travis Shipman broke a motor in the heat. Pole-sitter Merlyn Hegland assumed command from the start, but that didn't last long as Kevin Opheim shot to the inside to take the lead away. The field remained the same until the last lap when Joe Willier snuck under Derek Green for third. Opheim would pick up his first win of the year at Mason City followed by Merly Hegland, Joe Willier, Derek Green, and Chris Adams.
Sixteen IMCA modifieds were then set to close out the night. After graduating from Mason City High School earlier in the day, Levi Nielsen rocketed to the lead from the pole. Nielsen would never been challenged as he opened up a straight away advantage on second place runner Alex Yohn. Yohn had to fend off the challenges of JJ Wise for several laps, but maintained the position at the finish. Todd Stinehart and Rob Rose completed the top five.
I'm not sure if it was the lack of cars or the lack of caution flags waved Sunday night, but the races were completed by 8:20 or so. In fact, the sun was still setting off in the horizon.
Next week is a big weekend for the I-35 Speedway in Mason City. Sunday night is the Skip Rose Memorial Race, with added payouts for all classes. Then Memorial Day Monday the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds roll into town for the second event of their series. The initial event saw 58 modifieds on hand at the Independence Motor Speedway, so officials are looking forward to seeing a stellar group of cars. For more information, check out www.i-35speedway.com or www.dirttour.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
The action moved along at a quick pace throughout the night, bring the junior hornet feature to the track. Colton Kessler would take the lead and appear to be on his way to victory, but Taylor Frerichs made severe contact with his machine and spun him around. A few other front running cars made contact with Kessler's machine, handing the reigns over to Harold Stinnett. In the "pro" hornet feature it looked as though Amanda Kaltved would repeat her win from last week, but Kelly Miller had other ideas as he made the last lap pass to steal the win.
Jeremy Solberg sped to the early lead in the IMCA hobby stock feature, but a quick caution kept the competition glued to his rear bumper. Chad Gentz, who lined up third on the restart, made his move to the inside of Jake Jacobs to slide into the second position. A late caution set up a two-lap shootout, and what a finish it would turn out to be. Chad Gentz tried everything he could earlier in the race, but he saved the best move for last as he slingshotted off turn four and ducked to the inside of Solberg exiting the corner. Gentz had enough momentum to carry him to victory lane while Solberg was left with a disappointing second place. Jake Jacobs picked up third. Daniel Porter crossed the line in fourth, but was later disqualified in post-race tech. That bumped up Cody Knecht and Heath Tulp to round out the top five.
Alex Zwanziger paced the IMCA sportmod feature as the field of sixteen other drivers followed. Zwanziger opened up his lead to roughly ten carlengths in the middle stages of the race as Adam Ackerman began working through traffic. Ackerman picked them off one at a time with the exception of one lap in which he passed three cars to take over the third position. Ackerman then changed lines to get by Kyle Germundson on the outside while Zwanziger stayed out front. Zwanziger's worst nightmare came true when the caution waved with two laps left. Ackerman dove to the inside in turn one following the green flag and would power his way to the lead down the backstretch before continuing on to the win. Zwanziger settled for second, George Nordman was third, Nick West fourth, and Matt Looft was fifth.
The disappointing part of the night was the lack of IMCA stock cars on hand Sunday night. Only seven cars were present and only five made the call for the feature as Larry Portis suffered transmission issues and Travis Shipman broke a motor in the heat. Pole-sitter Merlyn Hegland assumed command from the start, but that didn't last long as Kevin Opheim shot to the inside to take the lead away. The field remained the same until the last lap when Joe Willier snuck under Derek Green for third. Opheim would pick up his first win of the year at Mason City followed by Merly Hegland, Joe Willier, Derek Green, and Chris Adams.
Sixteen IMCA modifieds were then set to close out the night. After graduating from Mason City High School earlier in the day, Levi Nielsen rocketed to the lead from the pole. Nielsen would never been challenged as he opened up a straight away advantage on second place runner Alex Yohn. Yohn had to fend off the challenges of JJ Wise for several laps, but maintained the position at the finish. Todd Stinehart and Rob Rose completed the top five.
I'm not sure if it was the lack of cars or the lack of caution flags waved Sunday night, but the races were completed by 8:20 or so. In fact, the sun was still setting off in the horizon.
Next week is a big weekend for the I-35 Speedway in Mason City. Sunday night is the Skip Rose Memorial Race, with added payouts for all classes. Then Memorial Day Monday the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds roll into town for the second event of their series. The initial event saw 58 modifieds on hand at the Independence Motor Speedway, so officials are looking forward to seeing a stellar group of cars. For more information, check out www.i-35speedway.com or www.dirttour.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Tapper Grabs Checkers at Webster City
A hot, windy day was in store for many tracks throughout Iowa on Saturday night. It would be no different at the Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City as the crowd was a bit larger on this night. Hopefully with the weather warming up the crowds will return to watch the exciting action at the historic half-mile.
Adam Strunk kicked things off by winning the hornet feature. If memory serves me correctly, I believe announcer Ryan Bergeson mentioned it was Strunk's third consecutive win at the speedway.
Eleven IMCA hobby stocks then took the track. Roger Haupt Jr would take command from the start and not look back as he took home the win. He was followed by Curt Graham, Nate Bonin, Gary Pfantz, and Brad Ratcliff.
1. 24R Roger Haupt Jr
2. 14G Curt Graham
3. 51 Nate Bonin
4. 4x Gary Pfantz
5. 1R Brad Ratcliff
6. 58 Matt Ring
7. 38 Ryan Darling
8. 5 Joe Riekes (sp?)
9. 4 Ryan Caquelin
10. 503 Rick Osterman
11. 53 Andy Spellmeyer
12. 13G Craig Graham - DNS
George Gilliland grabbed the top spot early on in the IMCA sportmod feature that saw fifteen cars take the green flag. Several yellow flags slowed the action early on, but Matt Northrop made a great move to the inside to pass Shawn Hunter and Gilliland to take over the top spot on lap four. Points leader Chad Louk was involved in an incident that also retired Dustin West from action soon after. Matt Lettow was on the charge once racing resumed as he climbed to the runner up spot on lap eight before snaring the lead away from Northrop on lap nine. Lettow went on to take the win with Northrop in second, Shawn Hunter third, George Gilliland fourth, and Rocky Caudle fifth.
1. 21 Matt Lettow
2. 46 Matt Northrop
3. 91 Shawn Hunter
4. 40 George Gilliland
5. 99 Rocky Caudle
6. 21K Kyle Brown
7. 11 Paul Price
8. 53 Travis Woodbeck
9. 5 Mitch Frakes
10. 2c Levi Carlberg
11. 11E Beau Kaplan
12. 5E Justin Efkamp
13. 85 Dustin West
14. 20 Chad Louk
15. T69 Dan Trusty
16. 22 Rick Fasse
Only six 305 sprint cars took the green flag that saw Casey Fredrickson completely dominate the field. He built up a half-lap lead by the completion of lap four and erased all doubt who would wind up in victory lane.
1. 20 Casey Fredrickson
2. 55KC Bob Hildreth
3. 2T Matt Stephenson (Earl Tice car)
4. 11s Chadrack Sporaa
5. 93A Alan Amber ??
6. 21 Keith Carlberg
Ten stock cars would then grace the speedway with pole sitter Dennis Plain jumping to the early lead. Jason Wagoner, who started last on the grid, quickly disposed of several cars as he climbed his way to third in the first three laps. Two laps later he found a way around Ryan Leeman and closed in on Plain's rear bumper. Wagoner tried everything in his book of tricks, but could not find a way past as Dennis Plain picked up the win. Wagoner was second, Mark Haglund third, Dave Hubbard fourth, and Adam Silvey rounded out the top five.
1. 57 Dennis Plain
2. 20 Jason Wagoner
3. 31M Mark Haglund
4. 5 Dave Hubbard
5. 97 Adam Silvey
6. 80 Scott Bloemke
7. 77 Andy Bryant
8. R31 Ryan Leeman
9. 26 Tony Wagoner
10. 14 Todd Staley
Pole sitter Scott Williams took control of the IMCA modified feature that saw only seven cars in attendance. Dave Kuykendall and Scott Olson battled it out for the runner up spot before Kuykendall slid his car sideways exiting turn four. That handed the position to Olson while Kuykendall regrouped and settled back in line. Olson would close the gap to Williams, but again was unable to make the pass as Scott Williams took the win.
1. 64 Scott Williams
2. 8x Scott Olson
3. 82K Dave Kuykendall
4. 123 Rob Rose
5. 41P Keith Pittman
6. 8G Greg Dinsmore (Texas)
7. 14 Derek Oberle
The final event of the night belonged to the twelve-car field of IMCA late models. Curtis Glover would lead lap one before relinquishing it over to Kelly Tapper on lap three. Darrel DeFrance moved to the inside and passed Jason Vansickel on lap six to take over the fourth spot while Tapper was beginning to extend his lead. A caution with eight laps remaining bunched the field up with a double file restart. Ben Nading, after falling back on the restart, began to make up ground on the inside groove. He ducked low of Glover to reclaim the third spot before briefly getting by DeFrance for second. DeFrance would get the final say in that battle as he would finish second, but they were all chasing Kelly Tapper to the checkered flag.
1. 85 Kelly Tapper
2. 99D Darrel DeFrance
3. 21 Ben Nading
4. 76 Jason Hahne
5. 30 Todd Cooney
6. 32 Curtis Glover
7. 8 Al Johnson
8. 3 Kevin Sather
9. 37E Jason Vansickel
10. X Ryan Griffith
11. 29 Nick Pedersen
12. 45 Mike Pedersen
I thought the track was smooth once again tonight, but the moisture from the humid air kept the primary racing groove on the cushion. That limited the amount of passing for the most part, but several drivers were able to slice their way through the fields. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, it was good to see the grandstand with a few more people on this night.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Adam Strunk kicked things off by winning the hornet feature. If memory serves me correctly, I believe announcer Ryan Bergeson mentioned it was Strunk's third consecutive win at the speedway.
Eleven IMCA hobby stocks then took the track. Roger Haupt Jr would take command from the start and not look back as he took home the win. He was followed by Curt Graham, Nate Bonin, Gary Pfantz, and Brad Ratcliff.
1. 24R Roger Haupt Jr
2. 14G Curt Graham
3. 51 Nate Bonin
4. 4x Gary Pfantz
5. 1R Brad Ratcliff
6. 58 Matt Ring
7. 38 Ryan Darling
8. 5 Joe Riekes (sp?)
9. 4 Ryan Caquelin
10. 503 Rick Osterman
11. 53 Andy Spellmeyer
12. 13G Craig Graham - DNS
George Gilliland grabbed the top spot early on in the IMCA sportmod feature that saw fifteen cars take the green flag. Several yellow flags slowed the action early on, but Matt Northrop made a great move to the inside to pass Shawn Hunter and Gilliland to take over the top spot on lap four. Points leader Chad Louk was involved in an incident that also retired Dustin West from action soon after. Matt Lettow was on the charge once racing resumed as he climbed to the runner up spot on lap eight before snaring the lead away from Northrop on lap nine. Lettow went on to take the win with Northrop in second, Shawn Hunter third, George Gilliland fourth, and Rocky Caudle fifth.
1. 21 Matt Lettow
2. 46 Matt Northrop
3. 91 Shawn Hunter
4. 40 George Gilliland
5. 99 Rocky Caudle
6. 21K Kyle Brown
7. 11 Paul Price
8. 53 Travis Woodbeck
9. 5 Mitch Frakes
10. 2c Levi Carlberg
11. 11E Beau Kaplan
12. 5E Justin Efkamp
13. 85 Dustin West
14. 20 Chad Louk
15. T69 Dan Trusty
16. 22 Rick Fasse
Only six 305 sprint cars took the green flag that saw Casey Fredrickson completely dominate the field. He built up a half-lap lead by the completion of lap four and erased all doubt who would wind up in victory lane.
1. 20 Casey Fredrickson
2. 55KC Bob Hildreth
3. 2T Matt Stephenson (Earl Tice car)
4. 11s Chadrack Sporaa
5. 93A Alan Amber ??
6. 21 Keith Carlberg
Ten stock cars would then grace the speedway with pole sitter Dennis Plain jumping to the early lead. Jason Wagoner, who started last on the grid, quickly disposed of several cars as he climbed his way to third in the first three laps. Two laps later he found a way around Ryan Leeman and closed in on Plain's rear bumper. Wagoner tried everything in his book of tricks, but could not find a way past as Dennis Plain picked up the win. Wagoner was second, Mark Haglund third, Dave Hubbard fourth, and Adam Silvey rounded out the top five.
1. 57 Dennis Plain
2. 20 Jason Wagoner
3. 31M Mark Haglund
4. 5 Dave Hubbard
5. 97 Adam Silvey
6. 80 Scott Bloemke
7. 77 Andy Bryant
8. R31 Ryan Leeman
9. 26 Tony Wagoner
10. 14 Todd Staley
Pole sitter Scott Williams took control of the IMCA modified feature that saw only seven cars in attendance. Dave Kuykendall and Scott Olson battled it out for the runner up spot before Kuykendall slid his car sideways exiting turn four. That handed the position to Olson while Kuykendall regrouped and settled back in line. Olson would close the gap to Williams, but again was unable to make the pass as Scott Williams took the win.
1. 64 Scott Williams
2. 8x Scott Olson
3. 82K Dave Kuykendall
4. 123 Rob Rose
5. 41P Keith Pittman
6. 8G Greg Dinsmore (Texas)
7. 14 Derek Oberle
The final event of the night belonged to the twelve-car field of IMCA late models. Curtis Glover would lead lap one before relinquishing it over to Kelly Tapper on lap three. Darrel DeFrance moved to the inside and passed Jason Vansickel on lap six to take over the fourth spot while Tapper was beginning to extend his lead. A caution with eight laps remaining bunched the field up with a double file restart. Ben Nading, after falling back on the restart, began to make up ground on the inside groove. He ducked low of Glover to reclaim the third spot before briefly getting by DeFrance for second. DeFrance would get the final say in that battle as he would finish second, but they were all chasing Kelly Tapper to the checkered flag.
1. 85 Kelly Tapper
2. 99D Darrel DeFrance
3. 21 Ben Nading
4. 76 Jason Hahne
5. 30 Todd Cooney
6. 32 Curtis Glover
7. 8 Al Johnson
8. 3 Kevin Sather
9. 37E Jason Vansickel
10. X Ryan Griffith
11. 29 Nick Pedersen
12. 45 Mike Pedersen
I thought the track was smooth once again tonight, but the moisture from the humid air kept the primary racing groove on the cushion. That limited the amount of passing for the most part, but several drivers were able to slice their way through the fields. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, it was good to see the grandstand with a few more people on this night.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Wood Captures First IMCA Win at Marshalltown
Friday night saw the Marshalltown Speedway back in action for another round of weekly racing action at the fast quarter-mile. Little did I know beforehand that a little history lesson would be in the works later on in the evening.
Things got kicked off with the first appearance of the micro sprints. I believe twelve or so were checked in, but I did not catch any names. In fact, and this will sound bad, I didn't pay as much attention to them as I probably should. I will admit, however, that they put on a good show for the fans. They raced side-by-side and at one point was four-wide in a corner.
The Mod Lites / dwarf cars were next onto the track. A good field of seventeen machines checked in with Travis Stensland setting the early pace. Mike Kennedy would work under Stensland to take over the race lead on lap three before a caution slowed things down three laps later. Mike Morrill and Tim Hennigar were both on the move from midpack with both drivers securing spots in the top five. Hennigar would use the high groove to power by Morrill for fourth before completing a last lap pass on Eric Hendrickson for third. But the night belonged to Mike Kennedy as he picked up the win followed by Josh May, Hennigar, Hendrickson, and Morrill.
The IMCA sportmods saw another big field of cars get dwindled down to twenty-four for feature action. Kyle Brown shot to the lead early on, but rookie Dylan Book stayed right with him and challenged him on the inside. Eric Elliott quickly closed in on the two front runners as he climbed to third after starting tenth. Following a restart, Book would slow exiting turn two and exit the track. The red light would come on when Jenae Gustin and Adam Shelman got tangled up. Both drivers I believe were okay. Elliott would use the restart to dive to the inside of Brown to steal the lead away with six laps remaining. Eric Flander also used the restart to his advantage by using the low groove and sliding into fourth. Elliott would take the win followed by Kyle Brown, Eric Flander, Cayden Carter, and Brett Moffitt.
Nathan Wood jumped out front of a field of eighteen IMCA stock cars to assume command early on in the race. Following an early caution, Wood would extend his lead while the action heated up behind him. The top two drivers in the point standings, Dustin Smith and Trent Murphy, were trying to slice their way through the field. Murphy appeared to be having the better luck as he powered by Michael Jaennette for fifth before a lap nine caution. Murphy would then slip by two cars to climb to third, but Dustin Smith was making progress as well. Smith passed three cars in a matter of two corners to take over the fourth position. Murphy and Smith would later get by Tracy Gienger with Smith's pass coming on the last set of corners. But the night belonged to Nathan Wood as he picked up his first career IMCA victory. Trent Murphy was second, Dustin Smith third, Tracy Gienger fourth, and Jeff Wollam rounded out the top five.
Richie Gustin maneuvered his machine around the front row starters of Denny Rosenberg and Adam Larson to take command of the IMCA modified feature in the early stages. Larson would power by Rosenberg for second while rookie contender Luke Wanninger was on the charge to take over fourth from Ronn Lauritzen on lap four. Larson would close in on Gustin's back bumper at the halfway point, but was unable to make the pass. Following a caution, Wanninger used the inside groove to slip into the runner up spot with just two laps to go. Gustin would go on to take the win followed by Wanninger, Larson, Rosenberg, and Mike O'Lear.
The IMCA hobby stocks closed the night's activities with their feature event. Jeff Gunderson paced the field early on, but there were plenty of contenders chomping at his heels. The action was close behind him and things got even wilder on the last couple of laps. Eric Larson dove to the inside of Gunderson and Todd Reitzler, but lost momentum on corner exit. Michael Murphy tried to diamond off the corner to get a run for the win, but came up short as well. In the end it was Jeff Gunderson holding them off to pick up what may have been his first career win. Eric Larson came home second by a matter of inches it appeared with Michael Murphy third, Todd Reitzler fourth, and Devin Smith fifth.
Racing action was completed by 10:30 once again Friday night. All in all it was a pretty good show. I did have a scary incident during the modified feature however. What people have described as a plug for a rearend came up into the stands and hit me in the left arm. It left a big bruise that will no doubt get bigger as the impact was severe. I'm just glad it was my arm and not my head that was struck.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Things got kicked off with the first appearance of the micro sprints. I believe twelve or so were checked in, but I did not catch any names. In fact, and this will sound bad, I didn't pay as much attention to them as I probably should. I will admit, however, that they put on a good show for the fans. They raced side-by-side and at one point was four-wide in a corner.
The Mod Lites / dwarf cars were next onto the track. A good field of seventeen machines checked in with Travis Stensland setting the early pace. Mike Kennedy would work under Stensland to take over the race lead on lap three before a caution slowed things down three laps later. Mike Morrill and Tim Hennigar were both on the move from midpack with both drivers securing spots in the top five. Hennigar would use the high groove to power by Morrill for fourth before completing a last lap pass on Eric Hendrickson for third. But the night belonged to Mike Kennedy as he picked up the win followed by Josh May, Hennigar, Hendrickson, and Morrill.
The IMCA sportmods saw another big field of cars get dwindled down to twenty-four for feature action. Kyle Brown shot to the lead early on, but rookie Dylan Book stayed right with him and challenged him on the inside. Eric Elliott quickly closed in on the two front runners as he climbed to third after starting tenth. Following a restart, Book would slow exiting turn two and exit the track. The red light would come on when Jenae Gustin and Adam Shelman got tangled up. Both drivers I believe were okay. Elliott would use the restart to dive to the inside of Brown to steal the lead away with six laps remaining. Eric Flander also used the restart to his advantage by using the low groove and sliding into fourth. Elliott would take the win followed by Kyle Brown, Eric Flander, Cayden Carter, and Brett Moffitt.
Nathan Wood jumped out front of a field of eighteen IMCA stock cars to assume command early on in the race. Following an early caution, Wood would extend his lead while the action heated up behind him. The top two drivers in the point standings, Dustin Smith and Trent Murphy, were trying to slice their way through the field. Murphy appeared to be having the better luck as he powered by Michael Jaennette for fifth before a lap nine caution. Murphy would then slip by two cars to climb to third, but Dustin Smith was making progress as well. Smith passed three cars in a matter of two corners to take over the fourth position. Murphy and Smith would later get by Tracy Gienger with Smith's pass coming on the last set of corners. But the night belonged to Nathan Wood as he picked up his first career IMCA victory. Trent Murphy was second, Dustin Smith third, Tracy Gienger fourth, and Jeff Wollam rounded out the top five.
Richie Gustin maneuvered his machine around the front row starters of Denny Rosenberg and Adam Larson to take command of the IMCA modified feature in the early stages. Larson would power by Rosenberg for second while rookie contender Luke Wanninger was on the charge to take over fourth from Ronn Lauritzen on lap four. Larson would close in on Gustin's back bumper at the halfway point, but was unable to make the pass. Following a caution, Wanninger used the inside groove to slip into the runner up spot with just two laps to go. Gustin would go on to take the win followed by Wanninger, Larson, Rosenberg, and Mike O'Lear.
The IMCA hobby stocks closed the night's activities with their feature event. Jeff Gunderson paced the field early on, but there were plenty of contenders chomping at his heels. The action was close behind him and things got even wilder on the last couple of laps. Eric Larson dove to the inside of Gunderson and Todd Reitzler, but lost momentum on corner exit. Michael Murphy tried to diamond off the corner to get a run for the win, but came up short as well. In the end it was Jeff Gunderson holding them off to pick up what may have been his first career win. Eric Larson came home second by a matter of inches it appeared with Michael Murphy third, Todd Reitzler fourth, and Devin Smith fifth.
Racing action was completed by 10:30 once again Friday night. All in all it was a pretty good show. I did have a scary incident during the modified feature however. What people have described as a plug for a rearend came up into the stands and hit me in the left arm. It left a big bruise that will no doubt get bigger as the impact was severe. I'm just glad it was my arm and not my head that was struck.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Marshalltown Deery Brothers, Hawkeye Dirt Tour at Independence
Pardon me while I attempt to get caught up on racing action that I have attended recently. I did not take the time to write my blogs when I got home from the events, and I only took time after work to clean up and head to the next race.
Tuesday evening I ventured thirty minutes south to the Marshalltown Speedway. The IMCA Deery Brothers late model series was in town along with the IMCA sportmods, Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks, and the Mod Lites/dwarf cars. The pits were packed with race cars and crew members on a near perfect night for racing.
While I did not write down any notes, I felt it was important to keep my followers updated. Mark Burgtorf was definitely worth the price of admission as he was running third early on in the race before a caution came out that involved Rob Toland's hampered machine. Toland appeared to have lost the driveshaft, but there was also fluid on the track. Unfortunately, Burgtorf's tires found the slick stuff and spun to a stop while the yellow was out. Under Deery Brothers rules, a car that is stopped on the track while the yellow is out must go to the tail. So even though Burgtorf's spin was after the yellow had come out, he would be forced to tag the tail of the field.
So Burgtorf lined up 22nd on the restart, and almost immediately began to pick off a car here or there. While Jeff Aikey held down the top spot, he would receive pressure from point leader Ray Guss Jr. Guss Jr. kept within striking distance, but was just unable to make a move around Aikey. Meanwhile, Burgtorf was working his way back to the front. With just a handful of laps remaining, he climbed all the way back to the third slot. Unfortunately for him the laps were winding down and he was unable to make a bid for the win. It would be Jeff Aikey adding another "W" to his already series-leading win total.
In other action, Brett Moffitt scored another victory at Marshalltown in the IMCA sportmod feature. Ironically enough, Craig Armstrong from the Iowa Speedway was on hand to promote the upcoming K & N Filters NASCAR East/West Series race scheduled for Sunday. Brett Moffitt will be piloting a car provided by Joe Gibbs Racing in that race come Sunday.
Joel Huggins captured the win in the Mod Lites / dwarf car feature as he led every lap of the event. Pat Fagen would pick up the win in the truck feature.
For more details on the racing in Marshalltown Tuesday, check out "Backstretch" or "4d Fan Report" at www.positivelyracing.com.
Shifting gears now to Wednesday night. The inaugural season of the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds saw it's first-ever race held at the Independence Motor Speedway. With roughly forty drivers registered, expectations were high when yesterday afternoon rolled around that a great field of cars would be on hand. Much to my surprise, and perhaps everybody else, a stout 58 IMCA modifieds checked into the back gate along with IMCA hobby stocks and IMCA sportmods.
Nineteen IMCA sportmods hit the track first for feature action. Kaleb Bentley jumped to the early lead from the second row, but a quick caution on lap two quickly slowed the pace. And to put it mildly, it was a call that I'm still shaking my head about. In my opinion Kurt Hogan (who was second at the time), drove into turn one way too heavy and slammed into Jeremy Embrey's machine. Embrey was able to keep his machine in motion while Hogan limped to a stop inside of turn one when the caution came out. Rather then Hogan being penalized for the car being stopped when the yellow came out, it was Embrey that was charged with the caution and sent to the rear of the field while Hogan was awarded his spot back. I know I mentioned that call with a couple of people after the show that were scratching their heads as well, as I did not hear the explanation of the officials' ruling.
But now back to your regularly scheduled blog. Soon after the restart, Hogan would dive to the inside of Bentley and assume command of the race. A bit further back, Austin Kaplan was making headway. After starting twelfth, Kaplan powered his machine to fourth on the inside by lap six. With Hogan out front and extending his lead, he looked to have things well in hand as the field tried to chase him down. Late in the race Kaplan advanced another spot when he got by Tyler Droste for third, but the night belonged to Kurt Hogan as he visited victory lane. Kaleb Bentley was second, Austin Kaplan third, Tyler Droste fourth, and Danny Dvorak was fifth.
The "Modified Mayhem" portion of the show was up next. As mentioned, fifty-eight cars would be dwindled down to the starting field of twenty-four, plus a track provisional to make it 25. Ed Thomas and Ryan Gustin sat on the front row of the thirty-lap event with Gustin getting the early advantage. Several cautions plagued the early stages of the race, including a major six-car incident that saw second-place running Jeff Feaster slow in front of the pack and collect several others. That moved Jay Noteboom into the runner-up slot. Noteboom was piloting Joel Bushore's #87 ride on this night.
With several cars either out of the race or tagging the tail, Josh Foster took advantage of the situation. Starting tenth, Foster moved to the inside and took the second position away from Noteboom on lap four. However, that pass would be negated by yet another caution flag. That didn't slow Foster down, however, as he made the pass again two laps later for second. On lap ten, Foster slid to the inside of Ryan Gustin and took over the command of the ship. By this time the field was primarily utilizing the lower groove of the track in single file formation. Foster opened up a decent lead until he encountered lapped traffic, allowing Gustin to close back in.
The caution would wave for the final time with eleven laps to go. With many of the top ten remaining unchanged, one position did alter before the final lap when Richie Gustin took advantage of Michael Long skating up the track. Gustin would take the fourth spot away from Long at that point. Foster would sustain his lead the rest of the way to pick up the big payday followed by Ryan Gustin. Noteboom, who was running third, suffered mechanical issues entering turn three on the final lap. Coasting across the line, he gave up several spots. Richie Gustin would finish third, Michael Long fourth, and Nate Caruth rounded out the top five. Noteboom crossed the line in eighth.
The final event of the night belonged to the IMCA hobby stocks. Fourteen cars took the green flag with Kyle Anderson getting the quick advantage. Just as Vince Buchholz darted to the inside to take over the race lead, his car spun and brought out the caution. The field got spread out before another caution with two laps remaining bunched the field back up. August Bach used his four tires along with the four tires of Anderson to propel himself to the inside for the race lead. Anderson battled back on the outside on the final lap, but Bach drove up the track to shut the door and pick up the win. Anderson settled for second with Rod Grother in third.
While I was completely amazed with the number of modifieds in attendance, I was a bit disappointed in the feature race. Despite Foster and maybe Nate Caruth's efforts, I didn't notice a lot of passing being done. Richie Gustin moved up several positions, but he along with Caruth benefited from the early cautions as well.
I'm hopeful to see most of the field at the next stop of the Hawkeye Dirt Tour as it invades the big half-mile speedplant known as the I-35 Speedway in Mason City on Memorial Day, May 31. For more information about the Hawkeye Dirt Tour, check out www.dirttour.com.
I would like to mention a thanks to the Hawkeye Dirt Tour personnel. Chris Marchese caught me as I was exiting the pits to go home and personally thanked me for coming. As a fan, or blogger, it's always nice to get a "thank you" from promoters. Chris and Bucky Doren head up the series while they have added announcer Blake Anderson on the staff as well. While Anderson is publicly beating himself up for a subpar performance last night, I still consider him to be one of the better announcers in the state.
It sounds like this weekend is going to be picture perfect for racing. Warmer temperatures are making their way to the state, so be sure to get out and catch some exciting racing action at your local track.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Tuesday evening I ventured thirty minutes south to the Marshalltown Speedway. The IMCA Deery Brothers late model series was in town along with the IMCA sportmods, Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks, and the Mod Lites/dwarf cars. The pits were packed with race cars and crew members on a near perfect night for racing.
While I did not write down any notes, I felt it was important to keep my followers updated. Mark Burgtorf was definitely worth the price of admission as he was running third early on in the race before a caution came out that involved Rob Toland's hampered machine. Toland appeared to have lost the driveshaft, but there was also fluid on the track. Unfortunately, Burgtorf's tires found the slick stuff and spun to a stop while the yellow was out. Under Deery Brothers rules, a car that is stopped on the track while the yellow is out must go to the tail. So even though Burgtorf's spin was after the yellow had come out, he would be forced to tag the tail of the field.
So Burgtorf lined up 22nd on the restart, and almost immediately began to pick off a car here or there. While Jeff Aikey held down the top spot, he would receive pressure from point leader Ray Guss Jr. Guss Jr. kept within striking distance, but was just unable to make a move around Aikey. Meanwhile, Burgtorf was working his way back to the front. With just a handful of laps remaining, he climbed all the way back to the third slot. Unfortunately for him the laps were winding down and he was unable to make a bid for the win. It would be Jeff Aikey adding another "W" to his already series-leading win total.
In other action, Brett Moffitt scored another victory at Marshalltown in the IMCA sportmod feature. Ironically enough, Craig Armstrong from the Iowa Speedway was on hand to promote the upcoming K & N Filters NASCAR East/West Series race scheduled for Sunday. Brett Moffitt will be piloting a car provided by Joe Gibbs Racing in that race come Sunday.
Joel Huggins captured the win in the Mod Lites / dwarf car feature as he led every lap of the event. Pat Fagen would pick up the win in the truck feature.
For more details on the racing in Marshalltown Tuesday, check out "Backstretch" or "4d Fan Report" at www.positivelyracing.com.
Shifting gears now to Wednesday night. The inaugural season of the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds saw it's first-ever race held at the Independence Motor Speedway. With roughly forty drivers registered, expectations were high when yesterday afternoon rolled around that a great field of cars would be on hand. Much to my surprise, and perhaps everybody else, a stout 58 IMCA modifieds checked into the back gate along with IMCA hobby stocks and IMCA sportmods.
Nineteen IMCA sportmods hit the track first for feature action. Kaleb Bentley jumped to the early lead from the second row, but a quick caution on lap two quickly slowed the pace. And to put it mildly, it was a call that I'm still shaking my head about. In my opinion Kurt Hogan (who was second at the time), drove into turn one way too heavy and slammed into Jeremy Embrey's machine. Embrey was able to keep his machine in motion while Hogan limped to a stop inside of turn one when the caution came out. Rather then Hogan being penalized for the car being stopped when the yellow came out, it was Embrey that was charged with the caution and sent to the rear of the field while Hogan was awarded his spot back. I know I mentioned that call with a couple of people after the show that were scratching their heads as well, as I did not hear the explanation of the officials' ruling.
But now back to your regularly scheduled blog. Soon after the restart, Hogan would dive to the inside of Bentley and assume command of the race. A bit further back, Austin Kaplan was making headway. After starting twelfth, Kaplan powered his machine to fourth on the inside by lap six. With Hogan out front and extending his lead, he looked to have things well in hand as the field tried to chase him down. Late in the race Kaplan advanced another spot when he got by Tyler Droste for third, but the night belonged to Kurt Hogan as he visited victory lane. Kaleb Bentley was second, Austin Kaplan third, Tyler Droste fourth, and Danny Dvorak was fifth.
The "Modified Mayhem" portion of the show was up next. As mentioned, fifty-eight cars would be dwindled down to the starting field of twenty-four, plus a track provisional to make it 25. Ed Thomas and Ryan Gustin sat on the front row of the thirty-lap event with Gustin getting the early advantage. Several cautions plagued the early stages of the race, including a major six-car incident that saw second-place running Jeff Feaster slow in front of the pack and collect several others. That moved Jay Noteboom into the runner-up slot. Noteboom was piloting Joel Bushore's #87 ride on this night.
With several cars either out of the race or tagging the tail, Josh Foster took advantage of the situation. Starting tenth, Foster moved to the inside and took the second position away from Noteboom on lap four. However, that pass would be negated by yet another caution flag. That didn't slow Foster down, however, as he made the pass again two laps later for second. On lap ten, Foster slid to the inside of Ryan Gustin and took over the command of the ship. By this time the field was primarily utilizing the lower groove of the track in single file formation. Foster opened up a decent lead until he encountered lapped traffic, allowing Gustin to close back in.
The caution would wave for the final time with eleven laps to go. With many of the top ten remaining unchanged, one position did alter before the final lap when Richie Gustin took advantage of Michael Long skating up the track. Gustin would take the fourth spot away from Long at that point. Foster would sustain his lead the rest of the way to pick up the big payday followed by Ryan Gustin. Noteboom, who was running third, suffered mechanical issues entering turn three on the final lap. Coasting across the line, he gave up several spots. Richie Gustin would finish third, Michael Long fourth, and Nate Caruth rounded out the top five. Noteboom crossed the line in eighth.
The final event of the night belonged to the IMCA hobby stocks. Fourteen cars took the green flag with Kyle Anderson getting the quick advantage. Just as Vince Buchholz darted to the inside to take over the race lead, his car spun and brought out the caution. The field got spread out before another caution with two laps remaining bunched the field back up. August Bach used his four tires along with the four tires of Anderson to propel himself to the inside for the race lead. Anderson battled back on the outside on the final lap, but Bach drove up the track to shut the door and pick up the win. Anderson settled for second with Rod Grother in third.
While I was completely amazed with the number of modifieds in attendance, I was a bit disappointed in the feature race. Despite Foster and maybe Nate Caruth's efforts, I didn't notice a lot of passing being done. Richie Gustin moved up several positions, but he along with Caruth benefited from the early cautions as well.
I'm hopeful to see most of the field at the next stop of the Hawkeye Dirt Tour as it invades the big half-mile speedplant known as the I-35 Speedway in Mason City on Memorial Day, May 31. For more information about the Hawkeye Dirt Tour, check out www.dirttour.com.
I would like to mention a thanks to the Hawkeye Dirt Tour personnel. Chris Marchese caught me as I was exiting the pits to go home and personally thanked me for coming. As a fan, or blogger, it's always nice to get a "thank you" from promoters. Chris and Bucky Doren head up the series while they have added announcer Blake Anderson on the staff as well. While Anderson is publicly beating himself up for a subpar performance last night, I still consider him to be one of the better announcers in the state.
It sounds like this weekend is going to be picture perfect for racing. Warmer temperatures are making their way to the state, so be sure to get out and catch some exciting racing action at your local track.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Dustin Brown Captures First IMCA Modified Victory at I-35
Another Sunday night meant yet another trip north to the I-35 Speedway in Mason City. One of the reasons I enjoy attending Mason City is the quick, efficient show promoter Joe Ringsdorf puts on each and every week. Of the six times they have raced this year, I can't recall once racing past 9:15pm. That allows me plenty of time to get home (although it's over an hour trip) and type up my blog before dozing off to sleep to get up for work the next morning.
Feature action got kicked off with Lisa Cole winning the novice hornets while Amanda Kaltved made it an all-female victory lane in the "pro" hornets.
Jonathan Trunkhill took command of the IMCA hobby stock feature until lap three when Daniel Porter took it away using the inside groove. Mick Meyers and Chad Gentz closed in on Porter's lead and both found a way by to advance positions as Meyers took the helm. A caution bunched the field up, allowing Nick Meyer to slip under Porter for the third spot. With two laps to go, Chad Gentz made his move and made the winning pass on Mick Meyers. Mick Meyers settled for second, Nick Meyer third, Daniel Porter fourth, and Cody Knecht rounded out the top five.
George Nordman used his outside front row starting spot to leap out to the early lead of the IMCA sportmod feature. As the rest of the top five lined up single file behind Nordman, Dan Tenold decided to try the inside line and got by Alex Zwanziger for the runner up spot. Zwanziger would give up his third position to Adam Ackerman and Shane Swanson before suffering a flat tire. The field got spread out until a late caution closed them back up. The result would not be altered, however, as George Nordman took home the win followed by Dan Tenold, Adam Ackerman, Shane Swanson, and Nate Chodur.
The IMCA stock cars haven't had the best of car counts thus far at the I-35 Speedway, but Sunday saw a solid fourteen cars in attendance. Larry Portis and Travis Prochaska were side by side at the completion of the first lap for the top spot before Travis Shipman joined them to go three-wide exiting turn two on the next lap. Portis would get the advantage with Shipman and Prochaska in line behind. The entire field opted for the high side, making passing difficult with the exception of a Joe Willier pass on Chris Adams for the fifth spot with just a couple laps to go. Portis opened up a comfortable lead and never looked back in taking the win. Shipman was second, Prochaska third, Andrew Inman fourth, and Joe Willier fifth.
Eighteen IMCA modifieds checked in for battle Sunday night. Outside front row starter Dustin Brown, a rookie in the division, jumped to the early lead. Brown has had his share of bad luck, crashing hard his first night behind the wheel and sidelining him for a couple weeks. After an early caution, the field had their troubles with the double file restarts as the first full row made contact with each other on both attempts, causing yellow flags to wave almost instantly. When the green flag finally stayed out following a single file restart, things didn't last long as Shane Monson spun in front of JJ Wise, Alex Yohn, and Kurt Krauskopf. So with four laps down, the field comprised of eight cars saw Brown leading Ron Pope, Jeff Ignaszewski, Curt Badker, Andrew Timm, Terrance Prochaska, Christian Wagler, and Jeremy Mills. The final sixteen laps would be run clean and green while only Badker passing Ignaszewski for third was the only position change in the top four. Dustin Brown captured his first IMCA modified win as he pulled away from Ron Pope, Curt Badker, Jeff Ignaszewski, and Jeremy Mills.
As mentioned in the opening paragraph, things keep moving at tracks promoted by Joe Ringsdorf. Despite all the issues the modifieds had that night, racing was still completed short of 9:00. For complete results and a look at the upcoming schedule, check out www.i-35speedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Feature action got kicked off with Lisa Cole winning the novice hornets while Amanda Kaltved made it an all-female victory lane in the "pro" hornets.
Jonathan Trunkhill took command of the IMCA hobby stock feature until lap three when Daniel Porter took it away using the inside groove. Mick Meyers and Chad Gentz closed in on Porter's lead and both found a way by to advance positions as Meyers took the helm. A caution bunched the field up, allowing Nick Meyer to slip under Porter for the third spot. With two laps to go, Chad Gentz made his move and made the winning pass on Mick Meyers. Mick Meyers settled for second, Nick Meyer third, Daniel Porter fourth, and Cody Knecht rounded out the top five.
George Nordman used his outside front row starting spot to leap out to the early lead of the IMCA sportmod feature. As the rest of the top five lined up single file behind Nordman, Dan Tenold decided to try the inside line and got by Alex Zwanziger for the runner up spot. Zwanziger would give up his third position to Adam Ackerman and Shane Swanson before suffering a flat tire. The field got spread out until a late caution closed them back up. The result would not be altered, however, as George Nordman took home the win followed by Dan Tenold, Adam Ackerman, Shane Swanson, and Nate Chodur.
The IMCA stock cars haven't had the best of car counts thus far at the I-35 Speedway, but Sunday saw a solid fourteen cars in attendance. Larry Portis and Travis Prochaska were side by side at the completion of the first lap for the top spot before Travis Shipman joined them to go three-wide exiting turn two on the next lap. Portis would get the advantage with Shipman and Prochaska in line behind. The entire field opted for the high side, making passing difficult with the exception of a Joe Willier pass on Chris Adams for the fifth spot with just a couple laps to go. Portis opened up a comfortable lead and never looked back in taking the win. Shipman was second, Prochaska third, Andrew Inman fourth, and Joe Willier fifth.
Eighteen IMCA modifieds checked in for battle Sunday night. Outside front row starter Dustin Brown, a rookie in the division, jumped to the early lead. Brown has had his share of bad luck, crashing hard his first night behind the wheel and sidelining him for a couple weeks. After an early caution, the field had their troubles with the double file restarts as the first full row made contact with each other on both attempts, causing yellow flags to wave almost instantly. When the green flag finally stayed out following a single file restart, things didn't last long as Shane Monson spun in front of JJ Wise, Alex Yohn, and Kurt Krauskopf. So with four laps down, the field comprised of eight cars saw Brown leading Ron Pope, Jeff Ignaszewski, Curt Badker, Andrew Timm, Terrance Prochaska, Christian Wagler, and Jeremy Mills. The final sixteen laps would be run clean and green while only Badker passing Ignaszewski for third was the only position change in the top four. Dustin Brown captured his first IMCA modified win as he pulled away from Ron Pope, Curt Badker, Jeff Ignaszewski, and Jeremy Mills.
As mentioned in the opening paragraph, things keep moving at tracks promoted by Joe Ringsdorf. Despite all the issues the modifieds had that night, racing was still completed short of 9:00. For complete results and a look at the upcoming schedule, check out www.i-35speedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
IMCA Stock Car Feature Highlights Algona Trip
Saturday saw my bi-weekly visit to the Algona Raceway. As many of you know, I have been splitting my Saturdays between Algona and Webster City. While there was a cool soft breeze in the air, the racing heated things up for the many fans that packed the Kossuth County Fairgrounds.
The novice hornets kicked feature action off with Joe Devries taking the win. The "pro" hornets saw Jay Devries in victory lane. Peg Lewis and Heather Pesicka once again found their way to victory lane in the cruiser feature.
Twenty IMCA hobby stocks were on the starting grid that saw Derrick Barglof take command from the start. Barglof remained out front for the duration of the race while the rest of the field jockeyed for position. Alan Ricke took runner-up honors followed by Chad Gentz, Cody Knecht, and Pat Cross.
Scott Cook used his outside front row start to rocket to the lead in the IMCA sportmod feature. The top five of Cook, George Nordman, Gerald Curry, Doug Cook, and Mike Carlson broke away from the pack and ran single file on the outside just before the halfway point. A caution later bunched the field back up, allowing Doug Cook to slide under Curry for third place. Curry would later lose another spot to Carlson, but up front the night belonged to Scott Cook as he took home the win. Doug Cook pulled off an impressive move to sneak by George Nordman for second (and third, respectively). Mike Carlson and Gerald Curry completed the top five.
The exciting IMCA stock car feature was next on the slate. Sixteen cars made the start with John Wiemann taking the early lead. Calvin Lange would soon take over the lead from Wiemann by powering his machine around the outside. Jared Dirks used the inside line to scoot by Wiemann before giving that spot up to Kevin Opheim. Opheim would assume the captain of the ship when Lange pushed high. David Smith also saw an opening and used the inside line to get by Lange for the runner up spot. Opheim and Smith raced side by side without touching each other for the remainder of the year, swapping the lead a couple times. With four laps remaining, Smith would take the lead for good when Opheim drifted a little too high in turn four. Smith would take the checkered flag first ahead of Opheim, David Wickman, Bruce Wickman, and Chad Palmer.
The nightcap of the evening belonged to the IMCA modifieds. Denny Anderson darted to the early lead, but Austin Wolf quickly began to track him down as he moved by Gary Pesicka for second on lap two. Following an early caution, Wolf made his move on the outside to motor by Anderson for the lead. Jeremy Mills was on the charge as well, finding himself in the second position before the halfway point after starting tenth. Wolf and Mills distanced themselves from the field before Mills later fell off the pace and pulled to the infield with a broken belt. When racing resumed after the Mills' caution, Mike Jergens tried to run down Wolf. He was unable to do so, however, as Wolf took the win. Jergens finished second, Ricky Stephan was third, Rob Hughes was fourth, and Clayton Christensen rounded out the field.
The IMCA stock car feature was definitely worth the trip Saturday night! Good close action among the entire field is one of the reasons I keep going back. If you get the chance, be sure to check out the Algona Raceway on a given Saturday. For a schedule of events and a full rundown, check out www.algonaraceway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
The novice hornets kicked feature action off with Joe Devries taking the win. The "pro" hornets saw Jay Devries in victory lane. Peg Lewis and Heather Pesicka once again found their way to victory lane in the cruiser feature.
Twenty IMCA hobby stocks were on the starting grid that saw Derrick Barglof take command from the start. Barglof remained out front for the duration of the race while the rest of the field jockeyed for position. Alan Ricke took runner-up honors followed by Chad Gentz, Cody Knecht, and Pat Cross.
Scott Cook used his outside front row start to rocket to the lead in the IMCA sportmod feature. The top five of Cook, George Nordman, Gerald Curry, Doug Cook, and Mike Carlson broke away from the pack and ran single file on the outside just before the halfway point. A caution later bunched the field back up, allowing Doug Cook to slide under Curry for third place. Curry would later lose another spot to Carlson, but up front the night belonged to Scott Cook as he took home the win. Doug Cook pulled off an impressive move to sneak by George Nordman for second (and third, respectively). Mike Carlson and Gerald Curry completed the top five.
The exciting IMCA stock car feature was next on the slate. Sixteen cars made the start with John Wiemann taking the early lead. Calvin Lange would soon take over the lead from Wiemann by powering his machine around the outside. Jared Dirks used the inside line to scoot by Wiemann before giving that spot up to Kevin Opheim. Opheim would assume the captain of the ship when Lange pushed high. David Smith also saw an opening and used the inside line to get by Lange for the runner up spot. Opheim and Smith raced side by side without touching each other for the remainder of the year, swapping the lead a couple times. With four laps remaining, Smith would take the lead for good when Opheim drifted a little too high in turn four. Smith would take the checkered flag first ahead of Opheim, David Wickman, Bruce Wickman, and Chad Palmer.
The nightcap of the evening belonged to the IMCA modifieds. Denny Anderson darted to the early lead, but Austin Wolf quickly began to track him down as he moved by Gary Pesicka for second on lap two. Following an early caution, Wolf made his move on the outside to motor by Anderson for the lead. Jeremy Mills was on the charge as well, finding himself in the second position before the halfway point after starting tenth. Wolf and Mills distanced themselves from the field before Mills later fell off the pace and pulled to the infield with a broken belt. When racing resumed after the Mills' caution, Mike Jergens tried to run down Wolf. He was unable to do so, however, as Wolf took the win. Jergens finished second, Ricky Stephan was third, Rob Hughes was fourth, and Clayton Christensen rounded out the field.
The IMCA stock car feature was definitely worth the trip Saturday night! Good close action among the entire field is one of the reasons I keep going back. If you get the chance, be sure to check out the Algona Raceway on a given Saturday. For a schedule of events and a full rundown, check out www.algonaraceway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
3rd Time is the Charm for Mineral City Speedway
To start things off, I'd like to apologize to all the followers of this blog. Last Tuesday night my internet went down. After several phone calls with the phone company, they determined it was my network card that was the issue. After installing a different card, my internet connection still wouldn't work. Finally a tech person had to make a "house call" and install some components to make it work. Thus, after five or six days of being without the internet, I'm ready to get caught up with my racing weekend.
Things kicked off Friday afternoon at the Mineral City Speedway in Fort Dodge. After two previous attempts to get the season opener in, the third time was the charm. While race day was dry, the week leading up to the event was rather rainy. The track appeared to be in good shape before hot laps, but that would soon change once the horsepower hit the surface. Track officials took some time to boxscrape areas on the track upon completion of the heat races.
Once things were looking better, the hornet feature took the green flag for the first feature of 2010. Adam Strunk darted to the lead of the thirteen car field and held off challenges from Mike McFarland and Mick Evans for the win.
Up next was the econo stock feature. Jess Bieret took command early on, but he would later be sidelined from an apparent blown engine. Nate Evans inherited the lead, but Zack Angstrom would make his move on the inside to make the pass that would later put him in victory lane.
Eighteen hobby stocks graced the track with Cody Nielsen jumping out to the early lead. After both Michael Becker and Robert See got by Nielsen on the inside, the caution negated their pass and put Nielsen back at the helm. Becker and See would make contact a couple laps later as both would leave the track. Nielsen would continue to hit his marks as he was first to the checkered flag. He was followed across the line by Paul Toms, Jeff Lyon, Justin Nehring, and Merle Bass.
A stout field of twenty-three limited modifieds were up next. It would be Clint Luellen grabbing the lead at the drop of the green flag, but perennial contender Brett Meyer quickly worked his way into second after passing Doug Bartles. A caution flag allowed Meyer to restart on Luellen's back bumper, and a short time later Meyer made the dash to the inside to eclipse the lead away. Meyer went on to take the win ahead of Andy Tiernan, Clint Luellen, Rocky Caudle, and Chad Louk.
Following them would be the stock car feature. Despite only twelve cars making checking in, they put on an entertaining show for the fans. It was the battle of the Crimmins', as Jeremy held the slim advantage over Wayne in the early going. It didn't take long for Wayne to overtake Jeremy for the lead, but further back Malcolm Teachout was on the move. After starting shotgun on the field, Teachout was up to fifth by lap five and still charging. He found his way to third with five laps to go, but as he darted to the inside of Jeremy Crimmins the window of opportunity was shut in a hurry and Teachout went around to bring out the caution. With a two-lap shootout in place, Jeremy Crimmins used a late race move to dash to the inside of Wayne exiting turn four to steal the win. Wayne Crimmins was second, Mike VanGenderen was third, Matt Mundt fourth, and Todd Staley completed the top five.
The final race of the night would be the modifieds. Ryan Watnem exploded out of the gates to take command while the battle for second shaped up. Joe Paullin got by Brian Schmitt for the time being while Schmitt later relinquished that spot to Brad Williams. Williams made an inside pass on Paullin to take over the runner up spot while Schmitt used the same line to advance by Paullin as well. While the caution flag waved a handful of times later in the race, but the top five remained unchanged throughout as Ryan Watnem powered his way to the impressive win over Brad Williams, Brian Schmitt, Justin Sackett, and Scott Forbes.
By my count, a total of eighty-six cars were on hand for opening night at Mineral City Speedway. While a couple of the drivers I chatted with afterwards mentioned the rough terrain, they also realized the weather was partly to blame. I look forward to making a couple more trips to the Mineral City Speedway later in the year. For complete results and the entire schedule, check out www.fdspeed.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Things kicked off Friday afternoon at the Mineral City Speedway in Fort Dodge. After two previous attempts to get the season opener in, the third time was the charm. While race day was dry, the week leading up to the event was rather rainy. The track appeared to be in good shape before hot laps, but that would soon change once the horsepower hit the surface. Track officials took some time to boxscrape areas on the track upon completion of the heat races.
Once things were looking better, the hornet feature took the green flag for the first feature of 2010. Adam Strunk darted to the lead of the thirteen car field and held off challenges from Mike McFarland and Mick Evans for the win.
Up next was the econo stock feature. Jess Bieret took command early on, but he would later be sidelined from an apparent blown engine. Nate Evans inherited the lead, but Zack Angstrom would make his move on the inside to make the pass that would later put him in victory lane.
Eighteen hobby stocks graced the track with Cody Nielsen jumping out to the early lead. After both Michael Becker and Robert See got by Nielsen on the inside, the caution negated their pass and put Nielsen back at the helm. Becker and See would make contact a couple laps later as both would leave the track. Nielsen would continue to hit his marks as he was first to the checkered flag. He was followed across the line by Paul Toms, Jeff Lyon, Justin Nehring, and Merle Bass.
A stout field of twenty-three limited modifieds were up next. It would be Clint Luellen grabbing the lead at the drop of the green flag, but perennial contender Brett Meyer quickly worked his way into second after passing Doug Bartles. A caution flag allowed Meyer to restart on Luellen's back bumper, and a short time later Meyer made the dash to the inside to eclipse the lead away. Meyer went on to take the win ahead of Andy Tiernan, Clint Luellen, Rocky Caudle, and Chad Louk.
Following them would be the stock car feature. Despite only twelve cars making checking in, they put on an entertaining show for the fans. It was the battle of the Crimmins', as Jeremy held the slim advantage over Wayne in the early going. It didn't take long for Wayne to overtake Jeremy for the lead, but further back Malcolm Teachout was on the move. After starting shotgun on the field, Teachout was up to fifth by lap five and still charging. He found his way to third with five laps to go, but as he darted to the inside of Jeremy Crimmins the window of opportunity was shut in a hurry and Teachout went around to bring out the caution. With a two-lap shootout in place, Jeremy Crimmins used a late race move to dash to the inside of Wayne exiting turn four to steal the win. Wayne Crimmins was second, Mike VanGenderen was third, Matt Mundt fourth, and Todd Staley completed the top five.
The final race of the night would be the modifieds. Ryan Watnem exploded out of the gates to take command while the battle for second shaped up. Joe Paullin got by Brian Schmitt for the time being while Schmitt later relinquished that spot to Brad Williams. Williams made an inside pass on Paullin to take over the runner up spot while Schmitt used the same line to advance by Paullin as well. While the caution flag waved a handful of times later in the race, but the top five remained unchanged throughout as Ryan Watnem powered his way to the impressive win over Brad Williams, Brian Schmitt, Justin Sackett, and Scott Forbes.
By my count, a total of eighty-six cars were on hand for opening night at Mineral City Speedway. While a couple of the drivers I chatted with afterwards mentioned the rough terrain, they also realized the weather was partly to blame. I look forward to making a couple more trips to the Mineral City Speedway later in the year. For complete results and the entire schedule, check out www.fdspeed.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Parker Brumm Scores First Career Win!!
After a couple of downright cold nights this weekend, Sunday heated up a little during the day. While the sun stayed behind the clouds and the persistent wind from behind kept the temps cool, the racing surface would turn out to be lightning fast.
The novice and pro hornets kicked the feature action off for the night. Both divisions would see the lead change hands on the final set of corners as Taylor Frerichs passed Sam Winkowitsch in turn four to snag the novice feature. Winkowitsch appeared to have things in hand, but drove in a little deep in turn three and slid up the track, opening the door for Frerichs and two others to slip past. In the pro hornets, Jared Schlichting was set to take the win until Scott Schlichting made the pass in turn four to capture the late race pass and win.
IMCA hobby stock action saw nineteen cars checked into the back gate. Outside front row starter Jeremy Solberg wasted no time in taking the top spot from the get go. Zac Smith charged into the second spot when he passed Jake Jacobs on the inside on the second circuit. Stac Schroeder would also make his way by Jacobs for third before setting his sights on Smith. Schroeder made the pass on lap five. A late caution set up a two lap shootout. Solberg got a good jump on Schroeder, but Schroeder closed in and ducked to the inside off turn four. As the two crossed the finish line, it would be Solberg taking the narrow victory with Schroeder in second. Zac Smith wound up third, Chad Gentz fourth, and Cory Gansen in fifth. Going into the night, Heath Tulp held a 14-point advantage over Gansen. Tulp pulled into the infield after suffering overheating issues. Tulp should hold a slim one-point advantage going into next week's action.
Another strong field of twenty-three IMCA sportmods were next up for action. Mike Jaeger took control early on, but Parker Brumm made his move on lap five to slide into the lead. The field got strung out single file, primarily on the top side. Brumm would extend his lead over Jaeger and the rest of the pack as he pocketed his first ever feature win, at the tender age of 14. Mike Jaeger, George Nordman, Shane Swanson, and Tony Ranes completed the top five.
Andrew Inman set the early pace of the IMCA stock car feature as eleven cars made the call. Larry Portis used the inside line to pass Joe Willier to climb into the second position. The stock cars utilized the bottom side in turns one and two while setting their car up on the cushion in three and four. Portis was keeping pace with Inman until he made contact with a tire on the infield, breaking suspension parts in the left front of his machine. He was somehow able to limp it to the infield without getting collected by the rest of the field. Willier closed in on Inman's lead and darted to the inside on the entry of turn one. When the two exited the set of corners, the new leader would be Willier. Willier piloted his machine to the win followed by Inman, Chris Adams, Derek Green, and Kevin Opheim. Shipman and Opheim, unofficially, should be tied for the point lead entering next week.
A solid field of eighteen IMCA modifieds capped off the night with their twenty lap feature event. Levi Nielsen set the tone early on and pulled away from the field. Behind him Ryan Ruter pulled a slide job on Dave Kuykendall, making contact with his machine. Both cars were able to continue on. Later on JJ Wise made his presence known as he used the inside groove to slip past Ruter for third. As the field began to run primarily the top side at both ends of the track, race leader Nielsen saw his luck change as the motor started to go south. Eric Dailey, Wise, and Ruter closed in on him with Dailey overtaking Nielsen for the lead. Nielsen would later drop to the inside and let the traffic by on the outside. Ruter would pull another slide job to advance to the runner up spot, but time had run out as Eric Dailey took home the win. Ruter finished second, Wise third, Kuykendall fourth, and Ron Pope finished fifth in his first trip back to the speedway.
With the chilly temperatures, track officials opted to leave the victory lane photos until the end of the night. That kept the show moving along, and racing concluded around 8:22pm. The track showed no signs of ruts from my viewpoint. While it was dusty in hot laps, I thought it stayed pretty good throughout the night with the exception of the low groove.
Racing action resumes next week at the I-35 Speedway in Mason City as hot laps get underway at 6pm with racing to follow. For complete results and a look at the upcoming schedule, check out www.i-35speedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
The novice and pro hornets kicked the feature action off for the night. Both divisions would see the lead change hands on the final set of corners as Taylor Frerichs passed Sam Winkowitsch in turn four to snag the novice feature. Winkowitsch appeared to have things in hand, but drove in a little deep in turn three and slid up the track, opening the door for Frerichs and two others to slip past. In the pro hornets, Jared Schlichting was set to take the win until Scott Schlichting made the pass in turn four to capture the late race pass and win.
IMCA hobby stock action saw nineteen cars checked into the back gate. Outside front row starter Jeremy Solberg wasted no time in taking the top spot from the get go. Zac Smith charged into the second spot when he passed Jake Jacobs on the inside on the second circuit. Stac Schroeder would also make his way by Jacobs for third before setting his sights on Smith. Schroeder made the pass on lap five. A late caution set up a two lap shootout. Solberg got a good jump on Schroeder, but Schroeder closed in and ducked to the inside off turn four. As the two crossed the finish line, it would be Solberg taking the narrow victory with Schroeder in second. Zac Smith wound up third, Chad Gentz fourth, and Cory Gansen in fifth. Going into the night, Heath Tulp held a 14-point advantage over Gansen. Tulp pulled into the infield after suffering overheating issues. Tulp should hold a slim one-point advantage going into next week's action.
Another strong field of twenty-three IMCA sportmods were next up for action. Mike Jaeger took control early on, but Parker Brumm made his move on lap five to slide into the lead. The field got strung out single file, primarily on the top side. Brumm would extend his lead over Jaeger and the rest of the pack as he pocketed his first ever feature win, at the tender age of 14. Mike Jaeger, George Nordman, Shane Swanson, and Tony Ranes completed the top five.
Andrew Inman set the early pace of the IMCA stock car feature as eleven cars made the call. Larry Portis used the inside line to pass Joe Willier to climb into the second position. The stock cars utilized the bottom side in turns one and two while setting their car up on the cushion in three and four. Portis was keeping pace with Inman until he made contact with a tire on the infield, breaking suspension parts in the left front of his machine. He was somehow able to limp it to the infield without getting collected by the rest of the field. Willier closed in on Inman's lead and darted to the inside on the entry of turn one. When the two exited the set of corners, the new leader would be Willier. Willier piloted his machine to the win followed by Inman, Chris Adams, Derek Green, and Kevin Opheim. Shipman and Opheim, unofficially, should be tied for the point lead entering next week.
A solid field of eighteen IMCA modifieds capped off the night with their twenty lap feature event. Levi Nielsen set the tone early on and pulled away from the field. Behind him Ryan Ruter pulled a slide job on Dave Kuykendall, making contact with his machine. Both cars were able to continue on. Later on JJ Wise made his presence known as he used the inside groove to slip past Ruter for third. As the field began to run primarily the top side at both ends of the track, race leader Nielsen saw his luck change as the motor started to go south. Eric Dailey, Wise, and Ruter closed in on him with Dailey overtaking Nielsen for the lead. Nielsen would later drop to the inside and let the traffic by on the outside. Ruter would pull another slide job to advance to the runner up spot, but time had run out as Eric Dailey took home the win. Ruter finished second, Wise third, Kuykendall fourth, and Ron Pope finished fifth in his first trip back to the speedway.
With the chilly temperatures, track officials opted to leave the victory lane photos until the end of the night. That kept the show moving along, and racing concluded around 8:22pm. The track showed no signs of ruts from my viewpoint. While it was dusty in hot laps, I thought it stayed pretty good throughout the night with the exception of the low groove.
Racing action resumes next week at the I-35 Speedway in Mason City as hot laps get underway at 6pm with racing to follow. For complete results and a look at the upcoming schedule, check out www.i-35speedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Johnson Soars to Late Model Win at Webster City
After braving the cold temperatures at Marshalltown Friday night, I thawed out at home before traveling to the Hamilton County Speedway Saturday night. Upon arrival I noticed that the wind wasn't blowing nearly as bad as it did the night before, thus keeping my body warmer throughout the night. The Motor Inn of Webster City would be the sponsor for the night, and last night they put up some extra money for the late model division for a cash dash.
After running through the heat races and a brief intermission, the late model cash dash made their way to the track. Charlie McKenna quickly darted to the lead and never looked back as he pocketed the winner's share of the purse. Jason Hahne was second to claim the other portion.
The hornets were up next as nine cars made the call. Adam Strunk made a late race pass on Lyle Oberhelman to snare the win. Logan Christensen finished third.
Fourteen IMCA hobby stocks were led to the green flag by Pete Hutzel, who grabbed the lead in the early going. After an early caution, Robert See challenged Hutzel on the inside in turn four. Contact among the two drivers resulted in both drivers getting flat tires. Hutzel would retire from the race while See would be involved in two yellows and forced pitside. With the top two cars out of the race, Craig Graham would be the new leader. The battle for second heated up just before a caution flag waved again. On the restart, Brad Ratcliff charged to the inside and picked off two positions to advance to second place. Ratcliff reeled in Graham and darted to the inside on the final lap only to come up a bumper short at the line. Craig Graham would take the win, followed by Ratcliff, Curt Graham, Cody Nielsen, and Roger Haupt Jr.
1. 13G Craig Graham
2. 1R Brad Ratcliff
3. 14G Curt Graham
4. 29N Cody Nielsen
5. 24R Roger Haupt Jr
6. 38 Ryan Darling
7. 58 Matt Ring
8. 06 Kyle Schmauss
9. 51 Nate Bonin
10. 10s Adam Suhrbier
11. 53 Andy Spellmeyer
12. 91 Robert See
13. 74 Pete Hutzel
14. 71 Cory Gansen
Pole-sitter George Gilliland led the twenty-car field of IMCA sportmods for the first handful of laps. Travis Woodbeck would make the bottom groove work as he advanced from third to first on lap five to take command. Beau Kaplan was also on the move, taking the runner up spot away from Shawn Hunter when Hunter got caught behind a lapped car. A late caution with three laps remaining bunched the field up, and Brandon Leeman would take advantage of it. Leeman restarted in sixth, but quickly moved to fourth within the first green flag lap. Kaplan changed his line on the final lap as he used the slingshot move to scoot under Woodbeck for the lead. Kaplan was able to hold of Woodbeck's final challenge for the win. Leeman got another position to finish third, Chad Louk was fourth, and Shawn Hunter completed the top five.
1. 11E Beau Kaplan
2. 53 Travis Woodbeck
3. 64 Brandon Leeman
4. 20 Chad Louk
5. 91 Shawn Hunter
6. 8H Bill Hoover
7. 40 George Gilliland
8. 90 Chris Grothe
9. 46 Matt Northrop
10. 11 Paul Price
11. 85 Dustin West
12. 99 Rocky Caudle
13. 22 ??
14. 11c Justine Campbell
15. 47 Rodney Slagle
16. 22x Jim Lampe
17. 19J Jenae Gustin
18. 5 Mitch Frakes
19. 10T Trevor Fecht
20. 80 Jared VanDeest
21. 27B Aaron Benz - DNS
22. 8 Steve Brannick - DNS
Greg Elliott paced the field of sixteen stock cars to the green flag. A couple laps into the race Dennis Plain set sail on the outside to overtake Elliott for the top spot. Following a restart, contact was made between two of the front-running cars, sending Scott Bloemke into the wall backwards. That set up a big chain of reaction that saw eleven cars involved in the pileup, including Adam Silvey winding up on his top. Only seven cars remained on the track following the incident. Reid Keller took advantage of the restart as he powered by Elliott on the outside for second. Elliott would later be black flagged for his window net falling down. But the night belonged to Dennis Plain as he found himself in victory lane. Keller crossed the line in second, but was later disqualified for an illegal carburetor. That advanced Mike Johnston to second, Dave Hubbard third, Todd Staley fourth, and Ryan Leeman rounding out the cars that finished.
1. 57 Dennis Plain
2. 14J Mike Johnston
3. 5 Dave Hubbard
4. 14 Todd Staley
5. R31 Ryan Leeman
6. 1 Greg Elliott
7. M5 Jim Mitchell
8. 31M Mark Haglund
9. 35 Wayne Crimmins
10. 80 Scott Bloemke
11. 4 Mike Wiemann
12. 97 Adam Silvey
13. 22 Jeff Deal
14. 20 Jason Wagoner
15. 15 Jeremy Crimmins
Only six IMCA modifieds found their way to the big half-mile. David Brown took command early on and appeared to be on his way to victory, but Scott Olson was slowly making his way forward. Olson picked off Scott Williams for third just prior to the the halfway point before powering outside of Justin Sackett for second three laps later. A couple laps later Olson ducked low on Brown to take over the lead. Sackett would also find the low side fast as he too got by Brown for second. Olson would not be challenged as he took the win, followed by Sackett, Brown, Williams, and Kurt Krauskopf. Tyler Vandekamp rounded out the field.
A strong field of eighteen IMCA late models were on hand last night. Jason Vansickel darted to the lead, but Al Johnson was glued to his rear bumper. Johnson dove to the inside of Vansickel to take over the lead on the second circuit. Johnson would open up nearly a straight away lead on the pack while Darrel DeFrance got by Kevin Sather for fourth before the caution came out on lap ten. DeFrance would use the double file restart to pass Charlie McKenna for the third position. Up front Johnson stretched out his lead again as he took home the win. He was followed across the line by Ryan Griffith, Darrel DeFrance, Todd Cooney, and Charlie McKenna.
1. 8 Al Johnson
2. X Ryan Griffith
3. 99D Darrel DeFrance
4. 30 Todd Cooney
5. 22 Charlie McKenna
6. 3 Kevin Sather
7. 98 Travis Smock
8. 78 Rick Wendling
9. 76 Jason Hahne
10. 85 Kelly Tapper
11. 9 Ryan Giles
12. 29 Nick Pedersen
13. 11 Randy Faux
14. 32 Curtis Glover
15. 37 Jason Vansickel
16. 60 Dean Wagner III
17. 45 Mike Pedersen
18. 57 Scott Badker - DNS
Unseasonably low temperatures kept many fans away from the track last night. Something that wasn't affected by the cool temps was the track conditions. The track remained smooth all night long while there were two grooves of racing. Hats off to Al Urhammer and his staff as both nights I've attended the Hamilton County Speedway the track has been in great shape. Hopefully the car counts will rise in the near future.
For more information, including the official rundown of last night's races, check out www.hamiltoncountyspeedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
After running through the heat races and a brief intermission, the late model cash dash made their way to the track. Charlie McKenna quickly darted to the lead and never looked back as he pocketed the winner's share of the purse. Jason Hahne was second to claim the other portion.
The hornets were up next as nine cars made the call. Adam Strunk made a late race pass on Lyle Oberhelman to snare the win. Logan Christensen finished third.
Fourteen IMCA hobby stocks were led to the green flag by Pete Hutzel, who grabbed the lead in the early going. After an early caution, Robert See challenged Hutzel on the inside in turn four. Contact among the two drivers resulted in both drivers getting flat tires. Hutzel would retire from the race while See would be involved in two yellows and forced pitside. With the top two cars out of the race, Craig Graham would be the new leader. The battle for second heated up just before a caution flag waved again. On the restart, Brad Ratcliff charged to the inside and picked off two positions to advance to second place. Ratcliff reeled in Graham and darted to the inside on the final lap only to come up a bumper short at the line. Craig Graham would take the win, followed by Ratcliff, Curt Graham, Cody Nielsen, and Roger Haupt Jr.
1. 13G Craig Graham
2. 1R Brad Ratcliff
3. 14G Curt Graham
4. 29N Cody Nielsen
5. 24R Roger Haupt Jr
6. 38 Ryan Darling
7. 58 Matt Ring
8. 06 Kyle Schmauss
9. 51 Nate Bonin
10. 10s Adam Suhrbier
11. 53 Andy Spellmeyer
12. 91 Robert See
13. 74 Pete Hutzel
14. 71 Cory Gansen
Pole-sitter George Gilliland led the twenty-car field of IMCA sportmods for the first handful of laps. Travis Woodbeck would make the bottom groove work as he advanced from third to first on lap five to take command. Beau Kaplan was also on the move, taking the runner up spot away from Shawn Hunter when Hunter got caught behind a lapped car. A late caution with three laps remaining bunched the field up, and Brandon Leeman would take advantage of it. Leeman restarted in sixth, but quickly moved to fourth within the first green flag lap. Kaplan changed his line on the final lap as he used the slingshot move to scoot under Woodbeck for the lead. Kaplan was able to hold of Woodbeck's final challenge for the win. Leeman got another position to finish third, Chad Louk was fourth, and Shawn Hunter completed the top five.
1. 11E Beau Kaplan
2. 53 Travis Woodbeck
3. 64 Brandon Leeman
4. 20 Chad Louk
5. 91 Shawn Hunter
6. 8H Bill Hoover
7. 40 George Gilliland
8. 90 Chris Grothe
9. 46 Matt Northrop
10. 11 Paul Price
11. 85 Dustin West
12. 99 Rocky Caudle
13. 22 ??
14. 11c Justine Campbell
15. 47 Rodney Slagle
16. 22x Jim Lampe
17. 19J Jenae Gustin
18. 5 Mitch Frakes
19. 10T Trevor Fecht
20. 80 Jared VanDeest
21. 27B Aaron Benz - DNS
22. 8 Steve Brannick - DNS
Greg Elliott paced the field of sixteen stock cars to the green flag. A couple laps into the race Dennis Plain set sail on the outside to overtake Elliott for the top spot. Following a restart, contact was made between two of the front-running cars, sending Scott Bloemke into the wall backwards. That set up a big chain of reaction that saw eleven cars involved in the pileup, including Adam Silvey winding up on his top. Only seven cars remained on the track following the incident. Reid Keller took advantage of the restart as he powered by Elliott on the outside for second. Elliott would later be black flagged for his window net falling down. But the night belonged to Dennis Plain as he found himself in victory lane. Keller crossed the line in second, but was later disqualified for an illegal carburetor. That advanced Mike Johnston to second, Dave Hubbard third, Todd Staley fourth, and Ryan Leeman rounding out the cars that finished.
1. 57 Dennis Plain
2. 14J Mike Johnston
3. 5 Dave Hubbard
4. 14 Todd Staley
5. R31 Ryan Leeman
6. 1 Greg Elliott
7. M5 Jim Mitchell
8. 31M Mark Haglund
9. 35 Wayne Crimmins
10. 80 Scott Bloemke
11. 4 Mike Wiemann
12. 97 Adam Silvey
13. 22 Jeff Deal
14. 20 Jason Wagoner
15. 15 Jeremy Crimmins
Only six IMCA modifieds found their way to the big half-mile. David Brown took command early on and appeared to be on his way to victory, but Scott Olson was slowly making his way forward. Olson picked off Scott Williams for third just prior to the the halfway point before powering outside of Justin Sackett for second three laps later. A couple laps later Olson ducked low on Brown to take over the lead. Sackett would also find the low side fast as he too got by Brown for second. Olson would not be challenged as he took the win, followed by Sackett, Brown, Williams, and Kurt Krauskopf. Tyler Vandekamp rounded out the field.
A strong field of eighteen IMCA late models were on hand last night. Jason Vansickel darted to the lead, but Al Johnson was glued to his rear bumper. Johnson dove to the inside of Vansickel to take over the lead on the second circuit. Johnson would open up nearly a straight away lead on the pack while Darrel DeFrance got by Kevin Sather for fourth before the caution came out on lap ten. DeFrance would use the double file restart to pass Charlie McKenna for the third position. Up front Johnson stretched out his lead again as he took home the win. He was followed across the line by Ryan Griffith, Darrel DeFrance, Todd Cooney, and Charlie McKenna.
1. 8 Al Johnson
2. X Ryan Griffith
3. 99D Darrel DeFrance
4. 30 Todd Cooney
5. 22 Charlie McKenna
6. 3 Kevin Sather
7. 98 Travis Smock
8. 78 Rick Wendling
9. 76 Jason Hahne
10. 85 Kelly Tapper
11. 9 Ryan Giles
12. 29 Nick Pedersen
13. 11 Randy Faux
14. 32 Curtis Glover
15. 37 Jason Vansickel
16. 60 Dean Wagner III
17. 45 Mike Pedersen
18. 57 Scott Badker - DNS
Unseasonably low temperatures kept many fans away from the track last night. Something that wasn't affected by the cool temps was the track conditions. The track remained smooth all night long while there were two grooves of racing. Hats off to Al Urhammer and his staff as both nights I've attended the Hamilton County Speedway the track has been in great shape. Hopefully the car counts will rise in the near future.
For more information, including the official rundown of last night's races, check out www.hamiltoncountyspeedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
BVR Back in Action
The season at the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta, Iowa officially got things kicked off last night (Wednesday) with their season opener. Roughly seventy-five cars checked into the pit area among the six classes to weather the windy and chilly conditions. However, promoter Jeff Herrig and his great staff had a perfectly prepped race track in store for all competitors.
The return of the BVR bombers was the first feature of the night. Only five cars were present with Jess Bieret taking the lead away from Nick Smith with three laps remaining as he went on to score the win. Cory Flanigan used his pole-position start to cruise to the lead early on in the IMCA sport compact feature before Kyle Hill made a late race charge. Flanigan had just enough to hold back Hill at the line for the win.
Twenty IMCA hobby stocks were then set to duke it out for the season opening checkers. Devin Smith charged to the lead from the outside front row, but defending IMCA National Champion Shannon Anderson was following close behind. A bit further back John Briggs and Drew Barglof raced side by side momentarily for the fifth spot before Briggs would snatch it away. Anderson would duck to the inside of Smith and slide up the banking, making contact with Smith's left door panel. The action was getting fierce for the lead when the caution flag on lap seven seemed to ease the tension. After showing Smith the inside groove, Smith would change his line entering turn one on the restart and hug the tires. Anderson saw this and darted to the outside, inching out front exiting turn two for the lead. Smith tried to return the bump from earlier, but was unable to keep pace with the leader as Anderson took home the win. Smith settled for second, Briggs maneuvered his way to third, Michael Murphy fourth, and Justin Nehring fifth.
After the dogfight for the lead in that one, the IMCA sportmods hit the track with fifteen cars. Chris Grothe shot to the lead from the pole, but fellow front row starter Zach Norgaard powered his machine on the cushion to hold the advantage on lap two. Those two were followed closely by Tim Rupp and Brett Moffitt before Moffitt made his move around Rupp and Grothe for second. While the action up front was going on, Doug Smith was making his way to the front. Smith, who spun out in his heat race and went to the pits, started twelfth on the grid and found himself in the top five by lap four. Moffitt would get by Norgaard for the lead just prior to the midpoint of the race while Smith advanced another position around Grothe. But the night belonged to youngster Brett Moffitt, as he scored the win in his first-ever appearance at the track. Norgaard settled for second, Tim Rupp was third, Doug Smith fourth, and Chris Grothe rounded out the top five.
One of the biggest reasons I enjoy going to BVR is the IMCA stock car class. Last year the stock cars put on some of the best races I was able to see all year. While only twelve cars saw the green flag, the battle at the front more then made up for it. Second row starter Dustin Smith took control early on while brother David settled in behind. Brian Blessington, Chris Ullrich, and Stefan Sybesma raced three-wide briefly for the third spot with Blessington getting the position. Donavon Smith put his name into the mix as he climbed to fourth place on the third circuit. The field was running single file primarily at the halfway point of the race when Blessington began to challenge David Smith for the runner up spot. A late restart doubled up the field, allowing Blessington to gas it up on the outside to inch in front of David Smith. Smith would not back down, however, as he would make contact with Blessington's door panel for a couple laps in turn four. That fierce battle for second allowed Dustin Smith to take the checkered flag and the win. Blessington edged out David Smith for second, Donavon Smith was fourth, and Trent Murphy completed the top five.
The final event of the night saw twelve IMCA modifieds take the green flag. Outside front row starter Justin Sackett pedaled to the early lead. After an early restart, Luke Wanninger looked to be a serious contender for Sackett's lead as the two separated from the field. The battle for third was up for grabs as Jim Thies and Chris Abelson raced side by side for several laps. Thies appeared to have it secured, but Abelson was able to get by late in the race. Wanninger closed in on Sackett in the closing laps, but Sackett was able to fend him off for the win. Ableson was third, Thies fourth, and Bob Moore rounded out the top five.
Another thing I enjoy about my trips to Alta is the concession food. I purchased my "traditional" supper: hamburger, cheese balls, and a drink. Man I LOVE those cheese balls!!
It was also nice to see some friends I hadn't seen yet this year. While I don't plan to make many trips to Alta, I will try my best to get up there once a month or so.
Speaking of friends, two of my buddies that happen to be photographers were in attendance last night. For photos from last night's action, check out Jim Zimmerline's photos at www.zippsphotos.com or check out Chad Ebel's www.racedayprints.com website.
While the racing was good, the trip home took a lot out of me. The 2 1/2 hour drive home saw me pull in the driveway at 2am. Rather then writing my blog when I got home (like I usually do), I opted for the bed.
For more information and complete results from last night's races, check out www.buenavistaraceway.net. I'd like to thank Jeff Herrig and his friendly staff for their hospitality last night and I can't wait to make another trip up to "The Beaver"!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
The return of the BVR bombers was the first feature of the night. Only five cars were present with Jess Bieret taking the lead away from Nick Smith with three laps remaining as he went on to score the win. Cory Flanigan used his pole-position start to cruise to the lead early on in the IMCA sport compact feature before Kyle Hill made a late race charge. Flanigan had just enough to hold back Hill at the line for the win.
Twenty IMCA hobby stocks were then set to duke it out for the season opening checkers. Devin Smith charged to the lead from the outside front row, but defending IMCA National Champion Shannon Anderson was following close behind. A bit further back John Briggs and Drew Barglof raced side by side momentarily for the fifth spot before Briggs would snatch it away. Anderson would duck to the inside of Smith and slide up the banking, making contact with Smith's left door panel. The action was getting fierce for the lead when the caution flag on lap seven seemed to ease the tension. After showing Smith the inside groove, Smith would change his line entering turn one on the restart and hug the tires. Anderson saw this and darted to the outside, inching out front exiting turn two for the lead. Smith tried to return the bump from earlier, but was unable to keep pace with the leader as Anderson took home the win. Smith settled for second, Briggs maneuvered his way to third, Michael Murphy fourth, and Justin Nehring fifth.
After the dogfight for the lead in that one, the IMCA sportmods hit the track with fifteen cars. Chris Grothe shot to the lead from the pole, but fellow front row starter Zach Norgaard powered his machine on the cushion to hold the advantage on lap two. Those two were followed closely by Tim Rupp and Brett Moffitt before Moffitt made his move around Rupp and Grothe for second. While the action up front was going on, Doug Smith was making his way to the front. Smith, who spun out in his heat race and went to the pits, started twelfth on the grid and found himself in the top five by lap four. Moffitt would get by Norgaard for the lead just prior to the midpoint of the race while Smith advanced another position around Grothe. But the night belonged to youngster Brett Moffitt, as he scored the win in his first-ever appearance at the track. Norgaard settled for second, Tim Rupp was third, Doug Smith fourth, and Chris Grothe rounded out the top five.
One of the biggest reasons I enjoy going to BVR is the IMCA stock car class. Last year the stock cars put on some of the best races I was able to see all year. While only twelve cars saw the green flag, the battle at the front more then made up for it. Second row starter Dustin Smith took control early on while brother David settled in behind. Brian Blessington, Chris Ullrich, and Stefan Sybesma raced three-wide briefly for the third spot with Blessington getting the position. Donavon Smith put his name into the mix as he climbed to fourth place on the third circuit. The field was running single file primarily at the halfway point of the race when Blessington began to challenge David Smith for the runner up spot. A late restart doubled up the field, allowing Blessington to gas it up on the outside to inch in front of David Smith. Smith would not back down, however, as he would make contact with Blessington's door panel for a couple laps in turn four. That fierce battle for second allowed Dustin Smith to take the checkered flag and the win. Blessington edged out David Smith for second, Donavon Smith was fourth, and Trent Murphy completed the top five.
The final event of the night saw twelve IMCA modifieds take the green flag. Outside front row starter Justin Sackett pedaled to the early lead. After an early restart, Luke Wanninger looked to be a serious contender for Sackett's lead as the two separated from the field. The battle for third was up for grabs as Jim Thies and Chris Abelson raced side by side for several laps. Thies appeared to have it secured, but Abelson was able to get by late in the race. Wanninger closed in on Sackett in the closing laps, but Sackett was able to fend him off for the win. Ableson was third, Thies fourth, and Bob Moore rounded out the top five.
Another thing I enjoy about my trips to Alta is the concession food. I purchased my "traditional" supper: hamburger, cheese balls, and a drink. Man I LOVE those cheese balls!!
It was also nice to see some friends I hadn't seen yet this year. While I don't plan to make many trips to Alta, I will try my best to get up there once a month or so.
Speaking of friends, two of my buddies that happen to be photographers were in attendance last night. For photos from last night's action, check out Jim Zimmerline's photos at www.zippsphotos.com or check out Chad Ebel's www.racedayprints.com website.
While the racing was good, the trip home took a lot out of me. The 2 1/2 hour drive home saw me pull in the driveway at 2am. Rather then writing my blog when I got home (like I usually do), I opted for the bed.
For more information and complete results from last night's races, check out www.buenavistaraceway.net. I'd like to thank Jeff Herrig and his friendly staff for their hospitality last night and I can't wait to make another trip up to "The Beaver"!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Tulp, Caudle, and Green Snag First Features of Year
The I-35 Speedway in Mason City was once again my destination for Sunday night racing action. With a few sprinkles and a light shower before the show got underway, the show was run without a hitch. A solid field of cars were on hand to cap off their weekend.
Dan Potts made the lengthy trip from Spencer pay off as he visited victory lane in the junior hornets. He beat eleven other cars to the line. Kelly Miller picked up where he left off a couple weeks ago as he again found the checkered flags first in the "pro" hornet feature.
A good field of twenty IMCA hobby stocks hit the track next for their feature event. Pole sitter Chad Gentz got the early advantage as Kory and Bernie Adams battled it out for second. After an early restart, Mick Meyers would dive his machine under Bernie Adams to take over the third spot. Another caution would soon wave as Jeremy Solberg hit an implement tire and then made contact with Cory Gansen, ending both of their nights. Gansen was the point leader entering the night. Meyers again used the restart to pick off another position, scooting by Kory Adams for second. However, Meyers would suffer a flat tire and retired to the pits.
Heath Tulp was on the charge from deeper in the field. After starting eighth, he ducked to the inside of Bernie and Kory Adams to snare the second position. As Tulp slowly closed the gap to race leader Gentz, Gentz would pull to the infield on the backstretch after his motor began to pop. Tulp would go on to take the win, despite breaking a left rear shock. He was followed across the line by Bernie Adams, Jake Jacobs, Zac Smith, and Cody Knecht.
1. 50 Heath Tulp
2. 101 Bernie Adams
3. 78 Jake Jacobs
4. 18z Zac Smith
5. 49 Cody Knecht
6. 32 Robert Black
7. 83 Scott Dobel
8. 65 Gary Fransiscus
9. 65x Ted Fransiscus
10. 1R Adam Rodamaker
11. 01 Kory Adams
12. 68 Jonathan Trunkhill
13. 15 Chad Gentz
14. 6JR Mick Meyers
15. 51 Stac Schroeder
16. 71c Cory Gansen
17. 20 Jeremy Solberg
18. 06 Kyle Schmauss
19. 69 Chris Wiltse
20. 53 Andy Spellmeyer
Next up would be the twenty-three car field of IMCA sportmods. Rocky Caudle blasted into the lead from the pole, leaving the rest of the field to play catch up. Parker Brumm and George Nordman were side by side for the runner up spot at the line on lap two before Brumm would secure the spot. Just three laps into the race, point leader Nate Chodur had charged his way to sixth after starting twelfth. When the caution flag waved for Bob Sutherland's hard contact with the turn three wall, it was noticed that second place running Parker Brumm had left the track. Not sure what happened, but I heard someone say he had damage on the front end of his machine when he pulled in. When racing resumed, Chodur powered his car to the outside of Kyle Germundson to take over the second position with two laps to go. But Rocky Caudle had built up a comfortable lead and went on to take the checkered flag. Chodur would finish second while Adam Ackerman nipped Kyle Germundson at the line for third.
1. 99 Rocky Caudle
2. 88 Nate Chodur
3. 5 Adam Ackerman
4. 69 Kyle Germundson
5. 2 Nick West
6. 20 Chad Louk
7. 21R Tony Ranes
8. 9 Matt Looft
9. 8 Corey Klouse
10. 32z Alex Zwanziger
11. 86 Dan Tenold
12. 74 Ben Schultze
13. 17 Tyler Heetland
14. 4 Travis Greenfield
15. 64x Brandon Leeman
16. 55 Shane Swanson
17. 7M Kurt Moeding
18. 2H Dan Hanselman
19. 18J Mike Jaeger
20. 13 Parker Brumm
21. 4ord Bob Sutherland
22. 49 Nate Whitehurst
23. 90 George Nordman
Twelve IMCA stock cars were now set to do battle. Derek Green charged to the lead from his outside front row starting spot ahead of Travis Prochaska and Merlyn Hegland. Chris Adams would slide under Andrew Inman for fourth on lap two as the field utilized the inside groove for much of the race, even though it was plenty rough down there. Prochaska and Hegland used every inch of their cars as they beat and banged each other several times throughout the middle part of the race. Hegland would finally secure the spot as the white flag was thrown, but he didn't quite have enough to catch a slowing Derek Green at the line. Green would hold him off for the win, Hegland second, Prochaska third, Chris Adams fourth, and Kevin Opheim completed the top five. Green mentioned several things that had contributed to his slowing car in the interview after the race.
1. 32 Derek Green
2. 37 Merlyn Hegland
3. 21T Travis Prochaska
4. 14A Chris Adams
5. 44K Kevin Opheim
6. 87 Travis Shipman
7. 7I Andrew Inman
8. 96 Joe Willier
9. 59 Larry Portis
10. 4 Mike Weiman
11. 15 Brad Broers
12. R31 Ryan Leeman
A great field of twenty-one IMCA modifieds were on hand Sunday night. Before the first lap could get completed, the caution waved as six cars were involved in one way or another in two separate incidents. Tyler Prochaska used his pole starting spot to jump to the early lead. That lead didn't last long, however, as Levi Nielsen cut low and took it away on lap two. Prochaska later pushed high in turn two, allowing Eric Dailey and Curt Badker to sneak under for second and third, respectively. A couple of cautions would plague the next several laps, with only Badker getting by Dailey being the movement up front.
Double-file restarts were used, and Jeremy Mills took advantage as he improved to fourth before ducking inside of Terrance Prochaska for the third spot. Nielsen, Badker, and Mills were all bunched together when Mills shot to the outside in turns one and two to rocket past for the lead. Mills, who was involved in the first yellow of the race and presumably had to change a flat tire, distanced himself to a half-lap advantage when the checkered flag waved. Curt Badker would finish second, Ryan Ruter third (also suffered a flat early), Terrance Prochaska fourth, and Shane Monson completed the top five.
1. 10 Jeremy Mills
2. 58 Curt Badker
3. 555 Ryan Ruter
4. 20 Terrance Prochaska
5. 25$ Shane Monson
6. 123 Rob Rose
7. 45 Levi Nielsen
8. 65D Dustin Brown
9. 9 Roger Nielsen
10. 10A Andrew Timm
11. 60 Kurt Krauskopf
12. 68 JJ Wise
13. 7 Eric Dailey
14. 82K Dave Kuykendall
15. 11x Alex Yohn
16. 22T Tyler Prochaska
17. 47 Christian Wagler
18. 4 Dustin Philipp
19. 75 Garry Hall
20. 72 Austin Wolf
21. 73 Troy Swearingen
There were quite a few yellow flags displayed tonight, but the racing action was still completed by 9:00. Thanks to Joe Ringsdorf and his staff once again for their hospitality. For upcoming events, such as the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds during the Memorial Day weekend, check out www.i-35speedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Dan Potts made the lengthy trip from Spencer pay off as he visited victory lane in the junior hornets. He beat eleven other cars to the line. Kelly Miller picked up where he left off a couple weeks ago as he again found the checkered flags first in the "pro" hornet feature.
A good field of twenty IMCA hobby stocks hit the track next for their feature event. Pole sitter Chad Gentz got the early advantage as Kory and Bernie Adams battled it out for second. After an early restart, Mick Meyers would dive his machine under Bernie Adams to take over the third spot. Another caution would soon wave as Jeremy Solberg hit an implement tire and then made contact with Cory Gansen, ending both of their nights. Gansen was the point leader entering the night. Meyers again used the restart to pick off another position, scooting by Kory Adams for second. However, Meyers would suffer a flat tire and retired to the pits.
Heath Tulp was on the charge from deeper in the field. After starting eighth, he ducked to the inside of Bernie and Kory Adams to snare the second position. As Tulp slowly closed the gap to race leader Gentz, Gentz would pull to the infield on the backstretch after his motor began to pop. Tulp would go on to take the win, despite breaking a left rear shock. He was followed across the line by Bernie Adams, Jake Jacobs, Zac Smith, and Cody Knecht.
1. 50 Heath Tulp
2. 101 Bernie Adams
3. 78 Jake Jacobs
4. 18z Zac Smith
5. 49 Cody Knecht
6. 32 Robert Black
7. 83 Scott Dobel
8. 65 Gary Fransiscus
9. 65x Ted Fransiscus
10. 1R Adam Rodamaker
11. 01 Kory Adams
12. 68 Jonathan Trunkhill
13. 15 Chad Gentz
14. 6JR Mick Meyers
15. 51 Stac Schroeder
16. 71c Cory Gansen
17. 20 Jeremy Solberg
18. 06 Kyle Schmauss
19. 69 Chris Wiltse
20. 53 Andy Spellmeyer
Next up would be the twenty-three car field of IMCA sportmods. Rocky Caudle blasted into the lead from the pole, leaving the rest of the field to play catch up. Parker Brumm and George Nordman were side by side for the runner up spot at the line on lap two before Brumm would secure the spot. Just three laps into the race, point leader Nate Chodur had charged his way to sixth after starting twelfth. When the caution flag waved for Bob Sutherland's hard contact with the turn three wall, it was noticed that second place running Parker Brumm had left the track. Not sure what happened, but I heard someone say he had damage on the front end of his machine when he pulled in. When racing resumed, Chodur powered his car to the outside of Kyle Germundson to take over the second position with two laps to go. But Rocky Caudle had built up a comfortable lead and went on to take the checkered flag. Chodur would finish second while Adam Ackerman nipped Kyle Germundson at the line for third.
1. 99 Rocky Caudle
2. 88 Nate Chodur
3. 5 Adam Ackerman
4. 69 Kyle Germundson
5. 2 Nick West
6. 20 Chad Louk
7. 21R Tony Ranes
8. 9 Matt Looft
9. 8 Corey Klouse
10. 32z Alex Zwanziger
11. 86 Dan Tenold
12. 74 Ben Schultze
13. 17 Tyler Heetland
14. 4 Travis Greenfield
15. 64x Brandon Leeman
16. 55 Shane Swanson
17. 7M Kurt Moeding
18. 2H Dan Hanselman
19. 18J Mike Jaeger
20. 13 Parker Brumm
21. 4ord Bob Sutherland
22. 49 Nate Whitehurst
23. 90 George Nordman
Twelve IMCA stock cars were now set to do battle. Derek Green charged to the lead from his outside front row starting spot ahead of Travis Prochaska and Merlyn Hegland. Chris Adams would slide under Andrew Inman for fourth on lap two as the field utilized the inside groove for much of the race, even though it was plenty rough down there. Prochaska and Hegland used every inch of their cars as they beat and banged each other several times throughout the middle part of the race. Hegland would finally secure the spot as the white flag was thrown, but he didn't quite have enough to catch a slowing Derek Green at the line. Green would hold him off for the win, Hegland second, Prochaska third, Chris Adams fourth, and Kevin Opheim completed the top five. Green mentioned several things that had contributed to his slowing car in the interview after the race.
1. 32 Derek Green
2. 37 Merlyn Hegland
3. 21T Travis Prochaska
4. 14A Chris Adams
5. 44K Kevin Opheim
6. 87 Travis Shipman
7. 7I Andrew Inman
8. 96 Joe Willier
9. 59 Larry Portis
10. 4 Mike Weiman
11. 15 Brad Broers
12. R31 Ryan Leeman
A great field of twenty-one IMCA modifieds were on hand Sunday night. Before the first lap could get completed, the caution waved as six cars were involved in one way or another in two separate incidents. Tyler Prochaska used his pole starting spot to jump to the early lead. That lead didn't last long, however, as Levi Nielsen cut low and took it away on lap two. Prochaska later pushed high in turn two, allowing Eric Dailey and Curt Badker to sneak under for second and third, respectively. A couple of cautions would plague the next several laps, with only Badker getting by Dailey being the movement up front.
Double-file restarts were used, and Jeremy Mills took advantage as he improved to fourth before ducking inside of Terrance Prochaska for the third spot. Nielsen, Badker, and Mills were all bunched together when Mills shot to the outside in turns one and two to rocket past for the lead. Mills, who was involved in the first yellow of the race and presumably had to change a flat tire, distanced himself to a half-lap advantage when the checkered flag waved. Curt Badker would finish second, Ryan Ruter third (also suffered a flat early), Terrance Prochaska fourth, and Shane Monson completed the top five.
1. 10 Jeremy Mills
2. 58 Curt Badker
3. 555 Ryan Ruter
4. 20 Terrance Prochaska
5. 25$ Shane Monson
6. 123 Rob Rose
7. 45 Levi Nielsen
8. 65D Dustin Brown
9. 9 Roger Nielsen
10. 10A Andrew Timm
11. 60 Kurt Krauskopf
12. 68 JJ Wise
13. 7 Eric Dailey
14. 82K Dave Kuykendall
15. 11x Alex Yohn
16. 22T Tyler Prochaska
17. 47 Christian Wagler
18. 4 Dustin Philipp
19. 75 Garry Hall
20. 72 Austin Wolf
21. 73 Troy Swearingen
There were quite a few yellow flags displayed tonight, but the racing action was still completed by 9:00. Thanks to Joe Ringsdorf and his staff once again for their hospitality. For upcoming events, such as the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds during the Memorial Day weekend, check out www.i-35speedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Closes Finishes and Noble in Victory Lane Highlight Algona Trip
After dodging raindrops on Friday night in Marshalltown, Saturday turned out to be a sunny and windy day for racing. That meant a lot of drying for tracks, so much that Algona Raceway promoter took a couple times to water the track throughout the evening Saturday night.
It proved to be a great thing early in the night as the racing was fantastic in the early classes of features. Joe Devries led every lap of the junior hornet feature to take the win while Jay Devries took the "pro" hornet feature in the same fashion. The tandem of Troy Krug and Kyle Sidles took the cruisers checkers.
The IMCA hobby stocks were set for their finale with eighteen cars making the call. Alan Ricke would grab the top spot in the early going, but the caution waved on lap three to set up a restart. Cory Weishaar would jump to the outside and hammer down on the throttle to snare the lead away from Ricke. A bit further back, Nick Meyer was dissecting the field as he advanced to third after starting eighth. Another driver on the move was Devin Smith. Smith, by way of the IMCA invert system and being the point leader, started twelfth and climbed into the top five. A few laps later Smith used the inside groove to third at the halfway point of the twelve lap race. Smith continued his march towards the front, picking off Ricke on the low side and quickly closing the gap on Weishaar. Smith drew even with Weishaar down the backstretch on the final lap, but Weishaar had enough momentun on the cushion to narrowly take the win. Smith settled for second, Alan Ricke third, Nick Meyer fourth, and Drew Barglof was fifth.
After that exciting finish, the IMCA sportmods took to the track. Sixteen cars took the green flag, but the caution quickly came out as Tyler Heetland lost his driveshaft in turn one. On the restart it would be outside front row starter Justin Schuder taking the point. Brett Meyer sliced and diced through the field at a rapid pace, securing the second position by lap two after starting twelfth. He was able to use the outside lane as Scott Cook lost the handle on the inside and a couple cars had to check up to avoid contact. Matt Hoeft was another one on the move as a result, finding the third spot just behind Meyer. Meyer would shoot to the inside of Schuder entering turn three and exited the corner with the advantage five laps into the race. A caution bunched the field back up, giving Hoeft the opportunity to slip under Schuder for the runner up spot two laps after the restart. Mike Carlson, who started alongside Meyer in row six, made his way to the third spot by Schuder. As the laps were winding down, Hoeft began to reel in Meyer for the lead. The two front runners would catch a lapped car exiting turn four, and when the lapped car turned to the inside, Meyer had to check up just enough to allow Hoeft to snare the lead at the white flag. Meyer gased it up and pulled to the inside down the backstretch, but Hoeft was able to hold him off for the exciting win. Meyer settled for second, Mike Carlson third, Jake Simpson fourth, and Denny Penning fifth.
A solid field of seventeen IMCA stock cars were on hand for the night, but unfortunately three were unable to make repairs from heat race action to take the green. Cory Oftedahl rocketed to the lead from his front row starting spot. Josh Hohensee dove to the inside of Kevin Opheim to take the third spot away, at which point Opheim's car began to slow. Opheim would exit the track and not return. Oftedahl enjoyed a comfortable lead throughout the race while Andrew Inman settled into the runner up position. A majority of the field was single file as the race went green to checkered, with Cory Oftedahl picking up the win. He was followed across the line by Inman, Hohensee in third, Bruce Wickman fourth, and Travis Shipman fifth. Shipman and Hohensee are now tied for the point lead, with six competitors within ten points of each other at the top of the standings.
Mark Noble sped to the early lead in the IMCA modified feature that boasted seventeen cars in the field. Several cautions plagued the event in the early going. The top five cars remained unchanged until the lap six restart in which Jeremy Mills used the double file restart to get by two competitors to advance to fourth. The low side proved to be the preferred groove as the entire field was hugging the tires. Mills would sneak inside of JJ Wise's machine entering turn three, taking the third spot away from him. With every lap Noble extended his lead and when the checkers waved, he had built up a straightaway advantage. Stacey Mills, Jeremy Mills, JJ Wise, and Eric Dailey completed the top five. Noble is driving a Harris car owned by Stacey Mills.
While the modified feature provided a lot of cautions, the entire evening was run through at a quick pace. The finishes in the hobby stocks and sportmod features were incredible! For complete results, check out the track website at www.algonaraceway.com. I'd also like to thank Joe Ringsdorf for his hospitality and his staff for greeting me at the gate. Definitely a great group of people at his facilities!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!
It proved to be a great thing early in the night as the racing was fantastic in the early classes of features. Joe Devries led every lap of the junior hornet feature to take the win while Jay Devries took the "pro" hornet feature in the same fashion. The tandem of Troy Krug and Kyle Sidles took the cruisers checkers.
The IMCA hobby stocks were set for their finale with eighteen cars making the call. Alan Ricke would grab the top spot in the early going, but the caution waved on lap three to set up a restart. Cory Weishaar would jump to the outside and hammer down on the throttle to snare the lead away from Ricke. A bit further back, Nick Meyer was dissecting the field as he advanced to third after starting eighth. Another driver on the move was Devin Smith. Smith, by way of the IMCA invert system and being the point leader, started twelfth and climbed into the top five. A few laps later Smith used the inside groove to third at the halfway point of the twelve lap race. Smith continued his march towards the front, picking off Ricke on the low side and quickly closing the gap on Weishaar. Smith drew even with Weishaar down the backstretch on the final lap, but Weishaar had enough momentun on the cushion to narrowly take the win. Smith settled for second, Alan Ricke third, Nick Meyer fourth, and Drew Barglof was fifth.
After that exciting finish, the IMCA sportmods took to the track. Sixteen cars took the green flag, but the caution quickly came out as Tyler Heetland lost his driveshaft in turn one. On the restart it would be outside front row starter Justin Schuder taking the point. Brett Meyer sliced and diced through the field at a rapid pace, securing the second position by lap two after starting twelfth. He was able to use the outside lane as Scott Cook lost the handle on the inside and a couple cars had to check up to avoid contact. Matt Hoeft was another one on the move as a result, finding the third spot just behind Meyer. Meyer would shoot to the inside of Schuder entering turn three and exited the corner with the advantage five laps into the race. A caution bunched the field back up, giving Hoeft the opportunity to slip under Schuder for the runner up spot two laps after the restart. Mike Carlson, who started alongside Meyer in row six, made his way to the third spot by Schuder. As the laps were winding down, Hoeft began to reel in Meyer for the lead. The two front runners would catch a lapped car exiting turn four, and when the lapped car turned to the inside, Meyer had to check up just enough to allow Hoeft to snare the lead at the white flag. Meyer gased it up and pulled to the inside down the backstretch, but Hoeft was able to hold him off for the exciting win. Meyer settled for second, Mike Carlson third, Jake Simpson fourth, and Denny Penning fifth.
A solid field of seventeen IMCA stock cars were on hand for the night, but unfortunately three were unable to make repairs from heat race action to take the green. Cory Oftedahl rocketed to the lead from his front row starting spot. Josh Hohensee dove to the inside of Kevin Opheim to take the third spot away, at which point Opheim's car began to slow. Opheim would exit the track and not return. Oftedahl enjoyed a comfortable lead throughout the race while Andrew Inman settled into the runner up position. A majority of the field was single file as the race went green to checkered, with Cory Oftedahl picking up the win. He was followed across the line by Inman, Hohensee in third, Bruce Wickman fourth, and Travis Shipman fifth. Shipman and Hohensee are now tied for the point lead, with six competitors within ten points of each other at the top of the standings.
Mark Noble sped to the early lead in the IMCA modified feature that boasted seventeen cars in the field. Several cautions plagued the event in the early going. The top five cars remained unchanged until the lap six restart in which Jeremy Mills used the double file restart to get by two competitors to advance to fourth. The low side proved to be the preferred groove as the entire field was hugging the tires. Mills would sneak inside of JJ Wise's machine entering turn three, taking the third spot away from him. With every lap Noble extended his lead and when the checkers waved, he had built up a straightaway advantage. Stacey Mills, Jeremy Mills, JJ Wise, and Eric Dailey completed the top five. Noble is driving a Harris car owned by Stacey Mills.
While the modified feature provided a lot of cautions, the entire evening was run through at a quick pace. The finishes in the hobby stocks and sportmod features were incredible! For complete results, check out the track website at www.algonaraceway.com. I'd also like to thank Joe Ringsdorf for his hospitality and his staff for greeting me at the gate. Definitely a great group of people at his facilities!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!
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