Wednesday, September 26, 2012

USMTS National Championship Series Recap

The United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) held two separate point championships this season.  The higher paying National Championship Series (NCS) was finalized back in early September in Ogilvie, Minnesota where Ryan Gustin collected his second consecutive National Title.

The NCS was comprised of 27 races on the schedule, with drivers' best twenty finishes counting towards the championship.  The season got kicked off down in Baytown, Texas in February and concluded in Ogilvie, Minnesota in early September. 

Ten different drivers visited victory lane in those twenty-seven races, but Ryan Gustin accumulated the most with ten.  Jason Hughes was next with six with other multiple feature winners being Johnny Scott, Chris Brown, and Stormy Scott.  Terry Phillips, Kelly Shryock, Mike Sorenson, Joey Jensen, and Jeremy Payne each collected one win apiece.

As I mentioned, the NCS only counted each driver's best twenty finishes.  Well, for Gustin that would be rather simple as he had twenty finishes in the top five!  Jason Hughes recorded fifteen top 5's to help earn a second place finish in the points.  Rodney Sanders finished third in points behind a string of twelve top 5's.  Gustin also led the way with 25 top ten finishes while Sanders was just one behind with 24.  Hughes had 20.

Gustin's average finishing position was 5.0.  His two finishes outside the top ten were a 27th place finish in Kennedale, Texas and a 20th place finish in Alta, Iowa.  His average starting spot was 11.1, giving him the most average positions gained of 6.1 cars per race.  Terry Phillips gained on average 3.6 cars a race to finish second in that category.

Similarly to the Hunt for the Casey's Cup, the NCS saw six races be won from the pole position.  The pole-sitter's average finishing position was 7.52 while the average starting position of the eventual winner was 4.63.  The NCS saw an average of 40.7 cars at each race. 

That will put a wrap on this recap.  Stay tuned for more..

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

USMTS Hunt In Review

The final points battle is now in the books for the United States Modified Touring Series with the conclusion of the Featherlite Fall Jamboree.  Ryan Gustin picked up both the National Championship Series title as well as the Hunt for the Casey's Cup crown, earning a cool $30,000 and $15,000 for his efforts.  I thought I'd take a minute to break down the Hunt for the Casey's Cup a little bit.

Gustin got off to a hot start as he picked up the opening round win back on August 9 at the Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Missouri.  Jeremy Payne grabbed the win in Humboldt.  Terry Phillips took the win the next night in Wheatland, Missouri while Gustin again found victory lane in Monett, Missouri the next night.

The series then moved north to Rice Lake, Wisconsin where northern hotshoe Joey Jensen collected another impressive win.  Jon Tesch then picked up back to back wins at Founatin City, Wisconsin and Decorah, Iowa while Johnny Scott picked up the win in Worthington to conclude that four-race swing.

The Minnesota invasion then started August 29 at the Fairmont Raceway in which Ryan Ruter won in convincing fashion.  Jason Krohn would pick up the win the next night in Jackson with Mike Sorenson garnering top honors at Lansing.  Ryan Ruter would pick up another win, this time at the Deer Creek Speedway before Jon Tesch picked up his third win on the Hunt at Kasson. 

Stormy Scott would put together back-to-back wins in Ogilvie and Sauk Rapids to tighten the points battle with Gustin and Rodney Sanders as they embarked on the final three nights at the Fall Jamboree. 

Jeremy Payne would collect his second win of the season on opening night.  Rodney Sanders would inch to within four points of Gustin after picking up the win on night two.  Stormy Scott still had a mathematical chance of winning the championship, but he would need luck on his side.  Scott would have a great run on the final night as he finished third.  However, Gustin would finish fourth and Sanders fifth to secure the championship for Gustin.

Through the course of the 18-race marathon, Jon Tesch collected the most wins with three.  It would have been interesting to see how close Tesch would have finished had he not missed four nights.  Gustin, Stormy Scott, and Jeremy Payne were the only other drivers in the top fourteen in points to have multiple victories.  Gustin would garner the most top 5's with eleven while Sanders was tops with sixteen top 10's.

Sanders would boast the best average finishing position of 6.28 compared to Gustin's 6.72.  The average car count per Hunt race was 52.0 cars.  The pole-sitter won seven of the eighteen races.  However, the average finishing position of the pole-sitter was 6.4.  The average starting position of the eventual winner was 3.2. 

Gustin's average starting position was 10.9 while his average finishing position was 6.7.  Rodney Sanders' numbers were 9.7 and 6.3, respectively while Stormy Scott's was 10.5 and 6.3, respectively.  Gustin would have a +75 on positions changed while Stormy Scott was a +72.

That puts a wrap on my Hunt recap.  I am in the process of putting together more data for the National Championship Series and the Casey's Cup Qualifier races, and then plan to tie all the information together for a cumulative recap.  So if this kind of stuff interests you, check back in the near future!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Hawkeye Dirt Tour Concludes Exciting Season

With Saturday night's finale now in the books, I thought it would be kinda fun to go back and summarize the 2012 season for the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour.  I was fortunate enough to attend the first eleven races of the season, only missing the final two events held at the Marshalltown Speedway this past weekend. 

The season started off back on May 8 with a visit to the Benton County Speedway in Vinton.  There Jeff Waterman became the first non-Iowa driver to grace victory lane as he led all thirty laps.  He had to fend off J.D. Auringer on the final lap to secure the win.  Thirty-eight cars checked in for action that night.

The tour then headed north to the I-35 Speedway in Mason City for the annual Memorial Day event.  Forty-three drivers were on hand to try their luck with the big half-mile speedplant.  Mike Hansen pocketed the win ahead of the defending track champion J.J. Wise. 

Next up would be a visit to the Hamilton County Speedway in Mason City on June 5.  Twenty-nine drivers would do battle, but pole-sitter Jeremy Mills laid claim to his first win of the season.  Richie Gustin finished second and continued to lead the points into the next race.

That next race would be held at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton on June 12.  Along with the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series for late models, the HDT put on a heck of a show for the fans.  Local hotshoe Ryan Dolan appeared to have things well in hand from the start, but a late restart bunched the field back up and Dolan missed his marks in turn two in the closing stages to lose the lead.  Milo Veloz took full advantage and took the lead and win.  For the third time in four races, Gustin finished in the top three to keep ahold of the points lead.

The tour then headed back north to the Cresco Speedway on June 21 as part of the Mighty Howard County Fair.  Only twenty-three cars checked in for action, but considering Cresco is in a part of the state that doesn't have an IMCA-sanctioned track I thought the turnout was good.  Mark Elliott laid claim to his first victory of the season with Gustin lurking behind him in second.

June 26 found the series head to the northwest part of the state to the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta.  Jay Noteboom notched his first win of the season in his neck of the woods.  Darin Duffy and Jeremy Mills finished second and third, respectively, with a field of twenty-five cars.

The Algona Raceway hosted the Hawkeye Dirt Tour stop on July 3 that boasted a great crowd and twenty-nine cars.  Richie Gustin rocketed his way to the front after starting ninth to take the convincing win and extend his points lead.  The hard luck award for the evening had to go to Darin Duffy.  If memory serves me correctly, Duffy suffered troubles on the hauler on the way up and showed up late, was able to make the redraw and pulled out the #2 position.  Unfortunately bad luck continued as his machine suffered fuel pressure issues (if I remember correctly), and thus was unable to make the call.

The Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa hosted the next stop on July 17.  There it was Michael Long winning in convincing fashion.  Luke Wanninger wound up second with Richie Gustin in third. 

Perhaps the wild card of the series was the next stop on the tour.  The Hancock County Speedway in Britt hosted the Night of 1,000 Stars on August 9, and this year the event was once again a HDT race.  The format for this race is different from other tour events as the starting field is expanded to 33 starters with a 3-wide start.  Fifty-seven cars checked in to do battle for the night in hopes to attain the richest purse in the state this year.  Jon Snyder picked up the win ahead of hard charging J.J. Wise.  Points leader Richie Gustin was sidelined early on while Jay Noteboom and Jeremy Mills finished fifth and 14th, respectively, to close the points gap.

The final four events of the season would be held at two race tracks.  The first track to host a two-day show would be the Farley Speedway as part of the annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic September 14-15.  Forty-nine cars were on hand for the Friday night portion of the show in which Mark Elliott took the win ahead of Jeff Waterman.  Richie Gustin would suffer motor issues in his heat race and was unable to continue on in the night while Jay Noteboom suffered mechanical issues in the feature to end his night prematurely.  Jeremy Mills took advantage by finishing sixth.

Night two of the Yankee proved to be a different story for Noteboom.  After starting fourteenth, he patiently worked his way through the field on a tricky race surface to take the lead.  He would go on to pick up his second win of the season ahead of Mills. 

The final two nights of competition would be held at the Marshalltown Speedway this past weekend.  With a tight points battle among Noteboom, Mills, and Mark Elliott, all eyes would be glued to their performaces throughout the evenings.  Noteboom proved he was gonna be tough to beat as he picked up the exciting win on Friday night with an exciting win over Darin Duffy.  Although I wasn't in attendance, I was fortunate to see the video highlights of the closing laps.  It definitely had the fans on their feet when the checkered flag waved.  Coupled with Mills' seventh place finish, Noteboom and Mills would be tied for the points lead heading into the final night with Elliott just eight points back.

Duffy and Noteboom sat on the front row for the start of the finale event.  This time it would be Duffy taking the win, but Noteboom's runner-up finish secured the point title.  Mills would finish eleventh and Elliott eighth. 

According to the Hawkeye Dirt Tour website, the tour saw 180 different drivers compete throughout the season.  That is outstanding for a 13-race schedule.  The average car count per event was 36.69 and saw ten different winners (Jeff Waterman, Mike Hansen, Jeremy Mills, Milo Veloz, Mark Elliott, Jay Noteboom, Richie Gustin, Michael Long, Jon Snyder, Darin Duffy).  Noteboom notched three wins while Elliott had two victories.

Noteboom boasted the best average finish of 6.92.  Despite missing the Britt event, Duffy had the second-best at 7.50.

Noteboom: 6.92
Duffy: 7.50
Mills: 7.62
Elliott: 8.15

And so the season has come to an end for the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour.  I'd like to thank series director Bucky Doren along with Brett Root from IMCA for putting on this great tour for the IMCA modifieds.  I wish them continued success and look forward to seeing what 2013 has in store!!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Tight Points Battles Decided This Weekend

A couple of note-worthy championships will be up for grabs this weekend at a couple different tracks.  As has been customary the past six years, the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) will culminate it's season-ending points fight at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minnesota.  Now known as the Casey's Cup, Stormy Scott sits in the catbird seat with three races remaining.  However, National Championship Series champion Ryan Gustin sits just five markers back while Rodney Sanders is only twenty-six points behind.  Action gets underway Thursday evening with the first of three complete shows.

The Casey's Cup was a new product this season.  Races on the USMTS schedule this year were either Casey's Cup qualifiers or National Championship Series events.  The NCS events are over with Ryan Gustin laying claim to that title, thus becoming a two-time National Champion.  The Casey's Cup qualifier events were a way to get drivers qualified for the Hunt (Casey's Cup) that didn't require perfect attendance. It was kind of like the old regions setup in that drivers could "max" out bonus points to begin the Casey's Cup.  I haven't been able to follow the series as closely as I have in the past, but I believe Sanders held the early advantage before Gustin rolled off a number of wins to sit atop the standings.  Scott now leads by the slim margin mentioned above, and in my best guess this is the closest the points battle has been going into the final three nights of the schedule. 

While the USMTS holds a tight points battle, another series will also conclude its schedule later on this weekend.  The JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds will cap off it's season at the Havoc on the Highbanks event held at the Marshalltown Speedway.  Jeremy Mills currently holds a six point cushion over Jay Noteboom, with Mark Elliott twelve points back and Ryan Dolan seventeen back.  Richie Gustin held the points lead off and on throughout the season, but a blown engine last Friday night in Farley saw his chances of capturing the series title vanish.  He was unable to return for the Saturday night show.  With a big group of cars expected, the point title is still up for grabs as we race fans know ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!  Action will kick off Friday night with another show held Saturday.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Champions Crowned at 30th Annal IMCA Supernationals

It's always the "unofficial" end to the race season when the IMCA Supernationals come to a close.  Sure, September and October provide a vast amount of special events sprinkled throughout the calendar, but the abundance of choices usually means a lesser chance of seeing some of the people you've spent a lot of time with over the course of the year.

Saturday marked the sixth and final day for the week-long event and anticipation was growing throughout the day for the championship features at the end of the night.  With a stiff wind blowing, I decided it would be best if I left my notebook in the car as I didn't want the paper flying around in front of people.  So all of the very brief recaps will come from memory, which as you'll find out is why I take notes. Haha!

Adam Armstrong started off the evening by winning the IMCA hobby stock Race of Champions.  If I remember correctly, he is the first driver outside the state of Iowa to win the event.  James Kleinheksel would lay claim to the IMCA sportmod Race of Champions title as he took advantage of Geoff Olson hooking bumpers with race leader Joel Rust.  As those two machines slid up the banking in turns one and two Kleinheksel maneuvered his machine to the inside and drove off to the win.

Donovan Smith would add another feather to his cap as he picked up the IMCA stock car Race of Champions victory.  He outlasted a hard-charging Dustin Larson for the win.  Meanwhile Kevin Stoa added another IMCA modified Race of Champions to his list of many accomplishments.  While a puff of smoke with two laps to go looked like things weren't going to end so well, he was able to cross the finish line ahead of New York driver Michael Smith.

It was then time for the hobby stock finale.  Thirty cars starting in rows of three took the green flag with Shannon Anderson getting the advantage from the middle of the front row.  Anderson would quickly set a fast pace while Brandon Pruitt and Heath Tulp gave chase.  Anderson opened up a comfortable lead as he began to encounter lapped traffic while Tulp tried just about every move he could think of to get by Pruitt.  Tulp managed to find his way around Pruitt, but a slower car allowed Pruitt to regain the position a few laps later.  The race would go green-to-checkered and Shannon Anderson collected his second Speedway Motors IMCA Supernationals title.  Brandon Pruitt finished second, Heath Tulp was third, Corey Madden fourth, and Devin Smith rounded out the top five.

Defending Supernationals champion Scott Davis paced the IMCA sportmod feature to the green flag, but it was outside front row starter Nick Roberts getting the better jump and quickly took command up front.  Austin Moyer, who started in the middle of the front row, was up for the challenge and peaked his nose under Roberts on several occasions but was unable to complete the pass.  Early in the race Davis and Jesse Sobbing made contact that resulted in Sobbing spinning in turn two and tagging the tail following a yellow flag.  With Roberts out front and seeingly untouchable, Sobbing began picking his way through the field and worked his way back up inside the top five when the final yellow flag waved.  On the restart Sobbing drove deep into the corners and picked off a few positions, but it would be Nick Roberts picking up the impressive victory to earn his first Supernationals title.  Roberts became the youngest Supernationals champion in history.  Sobbing made it back up to finish second, followed by Troy Jerovitz, Cory Rose, and Doug Cook.  Jerovitz and Rose put on a heck of a battle for second place throughout the event.

The attention then focused on the IMCA stock car feature.  I will admit I didn't see the first half of the event as I had made a trip to the car to grab a sweatshirt as the winds started to pick up.  I can tell you that Donovan Smith started from the pole and appeared to stay up front the entire race as he pulled off the rare "double", picking up both the Race of Champions and Supernationals title in the same year.  Chad Palmer was second, Trent Murphy was third, Dan Mackenthun fourth, and Shawn Havel completed the top five.

The grand finale would be the forty-lap IMCA modified feature.  Following a trip across the stage for driver introductions and getting a parade lap in the back of pickups around the track, drivers strapped in and things would get serious.  Harris Clash winner Kyle Strickler got the early jump from his middle front row start to grab the early race lead while pole sitter Brandon Blochlinger followed in second.  The action was hampered by a series of yellow flags early on.  With the high side being the preferred groove, Blochlinger would use a slidejob to get past Strickler and slowly pull away from the field.  Jeff Taylor worked his way into the third position, but on a restart the outside proved to be the fast side once again as he powered by Strickler for second and set his sights on Blochlinger.  With ten laps remaining Taylor attempted a slidejob in turns three and four, but Blochlinger would have none of it and remained out front.  While the rest of the field was content with their running positions, Taylor would again tempt fate and pull another slidejob with two laps remaining in turns one and two.  This time he was able to make it stick and Taylor would go on to pick up his first Supernationals title.  Blochlinger followed in second, Kyle Strickler was third, Brandon Beckendorf fourth, and JD Auringer rounded out the top five.

It was announced that a new total car count record had been attained with that number being somewhere around 870.  While the economy may not be what it once was, it appears that the "festivity" known as "America's Racing Vacation" still has the reputation worthy enough to make the trek to the Boone Speedway.

I'd like to thank IMCA, most notably Brett Root, for their hospitality all week.  It was much appreciated.  While this likely marks the end of my blogging temporarily (I borrowed a relative's laptop for the week), I am working on getting a computer up and running.  Perhaps you'll see a few more blogs from me before the season finishes up.  There are still plenty of high-quality events left on the calendar so be sure to get out and enjoy a few before the end of the season arrives.  For a listing of races, check out the Positively Racing website and simply click on the "calendar" link.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

IMCA Supernationals Friday Notebook

Friday night marked the fifth night for the IMCA Supernationals held at the Boone Speedway.  Anticipation was building all night for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational race for the IMCA modifieds in which thirty drivers would take the green flag.  In order to qualify for this prestigious event drivers had to rely upon their fans to vote via the internet. 

That event would be the first "feature" event of the evening.  The starting field was determined by a random draw by JJ Wise.  Wise, a driver who was voted in by the fans, was unable to participate in this year's event after a horrific accident at the track in Mason City.  Not only did he help with the draw, but he threw the ceremonial green flag to start the event.

The three-wide, ten rows deep field was led to the green flag by Colorado driver Jeremy Frenier.  However, it was defending national champion Jordan Grabouski getting the early advantage from the middle row to set the pace.  Todd Dart worked his way to the inside of Nic Baalman for the third spot prior to the caution waving on lap two.  On the ensuing restart Dart charged on the outside to snare the runner-up position away from Frenier just before yet another caution came out.  During this caution it was noticed that Mark Elliott, who had started 30th on the grid, had already managed his way up to the twelfth spot!

The green flag waved again and Dustin Smith swung his machine to the outside to pass Jeremy Mills for the fourth position.  Mills was driving Randy Artz's machine after Mills went for a wild ride in his heat race earlier in the night.  Meanwhile Mark Elliott continued his charge to the front as he picked off Brad Pounds for sixth.  The top four cars broke away from the pack with Frenier getting back by Dart for second and began to challenge Grabouski for the lead.  Frenier would peak to the inside in turn four on several occasions but was unable to muster enough momentum to complete the pass. 

The third caution of the race came at the halfway point on lap fifteen for Chris Abelson.  During this caution flag Frenier dropped a lot of fluid on the front stretch and ended his night.  So the top five on the restart would be Grabouski, Dart, Smith, Mills, and Elliott.  Smith and Elliott took advantage of starting on the outside of the two-wide restart to advance a position.  Elliott would then slip under Smith and wrestle the second spot away with ten laps remaining as he set his sights on the leader.  Grabouski and Elliott would separate themselves and Elliott began to show his nose under Grabouski's driver's side door corner after corner.  Grabouski would not be intimidated, however, as he went on to pick up the victory.  Mark Elliott finished second, Dustin Smith was third, Todd Dart finished fourth, and Jeremy Mills rounded out the top five.

IMCA stock cars hit the track later for their qualifying main event in which the top eight drivers would qualify for Saturday's "big dance".  Ryan Leeman and Perry Misner led the field of thirty to the green flag.  Misner would hold the early advantage, but Jim Larson would duck to the inside and take over the top spot on lap three.  Damon Murty was on the charge in the early going as he quickly moved into the fourth spot after passing Alan VanGorp.  Murty had started ninth.  The yellow flag came out on lap eight, and would again immediately be displayed due to an uneven start.  After contact between Stefan Sybesma and Murty for the fourth position, Murty would later spin in turn two that resulted in another yellow flag.

Sybesma continued his march towards the front following the restart, working under both Misner and Reitzler for third and second, respectively.  Marcus Fagan threw his name into the mix as he powered around the outside to pick up the fourth spot.  Sybesma challenged Larson for the top spot on lap thirteen and get the nod, but Reitzler used the same racing groove to pick off both drivers to steal the lead away.  Fagan, meanwhile, kept motoring along on the top side and got by Larson for the second spot.  Things at the front of the field finally calmed down a bit late in the race as the top seven cars went single file.  It would be Todd Reitzler picking up the win ahead of Marcus Fagan, Jim Larson, Shawn Havel, Stefan Sybesma, Luke Saathoff, Dean Wray, and Devin Snellenberger.

I believe there will be a last chance qualifier Saturday for the remaining six spots for the IMCA stock cars.  Saturday should prove to be a great day of racing as last chance races for IMCA modifieds will likely get things kicked off.  All Race of Champions events will be run throughout the night along with all the championship features.

Friday, September 7, 2012

IMCA Supernationals Day 4 Notebook

Thursday marked the fourth day and night of the the Speedway Motors IMCA Supernationals at the Boone Speedway.  On the slate last night would be qualifying for IMCA stock cars and IMCA modifieds along with Race of Champions qualifying events for the modifieds.

The night was moving along smoothly as very few caution flags waved during the heat races for both divisions.  The IMCA stock car feature took to the track with rookie Nyle Godwin and defending Supernationals champion Sean Johnson pacing the field of thirty cars to the green for twenty-five laps.

Johnson roared to the early advantage while outside second row starter Jared Dirks followed closely to second.  The battle for third shaped up between Perry Misner and Chad Palmer.  Misner would hold down that spot as the front two cars began to break away from the pack.  Gary Bass worked his way by both Misner and Palmer to slide into the third slot before the yellow flag was displayed on lap nine. 

On the ensuing restart Dirks would push up in turn one and make contact with Bass, forcing him to break his momentum and lose a few positions.  Johnson again would open up a comfortable lead up front while Dirks and Palmer duked it out for second.  The top running cars all used the top side as the laps wound down and Palmer began to reel in Johnson.  Once he got to the leader's rear bumper he was unable to do anything about it as Sean Johnson crossed the finish line first.  However, it was later announced Johnson was disqualified for an illegal carb.  That meant that Chad Palmer was awarded the victory with Jared Dirks finishing second, Shawn Wagner third, Dustin Larson fourth, Brandon Czarapata fifth, Lynn Panos sixth, Justin Temeyer seventh, and Shay Curtin completed the top eight qualifiers for Saturday. 

Once again thirty IMCA modifieds would take the green flag for their qualifying main event scheduled for twenty-five laps.  Kyle Strickler, the reigning Harris Clash winner, and Cale Sponsler, a former Boone Speedway track champion, set the pace at the front of the field.  Strickler would get the upper hand at the drop of the green flag, but the pace would quickly slow on lap two.  On the restart Ricky Alvarado used the outside line to power by Sponsler for second.  The top side appeared to be the place to be as Danny Charles and Jay Noteboom also advanced positions.  Two more yellow flags waved on lap six, but when the green came back out Noteboom rocketed to the outside to pick off Charles and Sponsler for fourth and third, respectively. 

Yet another caution slowed the action on lap ten, and Noteboom went back to work on the restart as he powered by Alvarado for second while Dylan Smith used the same line to get by Sponsler.  Two more yellow flags would be thrown prior to the halfway point in the race.  Finally the time limit had expired and the drivers would warned that the next flag would end the race, yellow or checkers.  As it turns out it would be the yellow flag as I believe it was thrown again with roughly ten laps remaining.  Strickler was able to fend off the challenges from Noteboom to take the win.  Noteboom finished second, Jeff Tayler was third, Dylan Smith fourth, Ricky Alvarado fifth, Cale Sponsler sixth, Zane DeVilbiss seventh, and Michael Reichart rounded out the qualifiers for Saturday's main event.

As mentioned earlier the modifieds had qualifying races for the Race of Champions race for Saturday.  Those qualifying for that event include Jake Durbin, Kevin Stoa, Mark Elliott, Jesse Richter, Michael Smith, Jeremy Frenier, Brad Pounds, Jordan Grabouski, Johnny Saathoff, Dylan Smith, Jeremy Mills, and Todd Shute.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Supernationals Day 3 Notebook

Wednesday is the day most people look forward to the most when it comes to Supernationals.  It marks the beginning of qualifying for the IMCA modifieds.  Over 270 entries were on hand for the first night to go along with a record 195 or so IMCA stock cars.  Also running tonight was last chance qualifying for both the IMCA hobby stocks and IMCA sportmods.

The final chance for IMCA hobby stocks was the first race to hit the track after opening ceremonies.  Jamie Songer would pace the field at the drop of the green flag.  Dustin Van Horn used the low side to maneuver himself into the second spot before snagging the top spot away from Songer.  Three cautions in the final ten laps kept things tight, but Van Horn maintained his focus as he picked up the win.  Jamie Songer would finish second, Jim Hall was third, Derek Moede was fourth, Justin Nehring fifth, and rounding out the qualifiers for Saturday was Miles Michehl.

Later on in the evening the IMCA sportmods would hold their last chance qualifying feature.  Just like the hobby stocks, the top thirty in cumulative points would be lined up straight up for twenty-five laps.  Josh Blumer would use his pole position start to grab the lead early on while the battle for second shaped up between Nelson Vollbrecht and Joel Rust.  Vollbrecht would assume the runner-up spot prior to the caution flag waving on lap six.  On the restart The dove to the inside of Blumer to wrestle the lead away.  The front six cars were side by side three rows deep for a few laps to keep the fans on the edge of their seats.  Tony Pogeler found some racing real estate as he used the inside line to sneak up into the second spot ahead of Blumer.  Joel Rust would fade back as Mike Carlson, Lynn Brockett, and Cole Ferguson raced on around him.  Vollbrecht would pick up the win ahead of Pogeler, Carlson, Ferguson, Blumer, and Brockett in that order.  However, I've seen a few posts on "social media", aka facebook, that Joel Rust has qualified for Saturday.  That means one of the top six drivers was disqualified.

After twenty heat races with the winner only moving on to the a-main for the night, and a b-main that took the top ten to the a-main, a thirty-car starting field took to the track for the IMCA stock cars.  Jeff Anderson and Wayn Gifford brought the field to the green flag.  Contact among the front two drivers allowed Casey Werkmeister to slip under to take the early lead.  Gifford would use the inside line to get around Anderson for second while Damon Murty worked his way into the fourth position.  The top five cars would open up a gap while the sixth position was up for grabs among four drivers.  Donovan Smith would secure that position prior to the caution flag waving on lap sixteen.  Anderson would get a good restart and take command up front after getting by Werkmeister.  Gifford again would use the inside line to steal back the race lead exiting turn four.  Damon Murty went to work on the inside of Anderson to take the second spot away while Smith advanced into the fourth slot.  Smith would get by Anderson for third, and a lap later Anderson and Murty would tangle in turn four allowing several cars to squeeze by.  Donovan Smith would race to the inside on the last corner to pick up the exciting win!  Dan Mackenthun picked up a second place finish, Wayne Gifford was third, Casey Werkmeister fourth, Trent Murphy fifth, Jason Ward sixth, Jason DeShaw seventh, and Abe Huls rounded out the qualifiers for Saturday's main event.

Thirty heat race winners redrew for their starting spot in the qualifying feature for the IMCA modifieds.  Brandon Blochlinger and Josh Most were the lucky recipients of the front row.  Before the field could make it past turn one a yellow flag came out as a few cars tangled in turn one.  When racing resumed Blochlinger held down the top spot with Most tucked in behind.  Another caution waved on lap two to bunch the field back up.  Blochlinger would increase his lead as the laps clicked off while the action heated up behind him.  JD Auringer worked the inside of Matt Patterson for the fourth position while deeper in the field Todd Shute had worked his way up to ninth by lap ten after starting 27th.  Four more caution flags would slow the pace down throughout the remainder of the event, but Blochlinger was able to keep his focus and drive away for the win.  Josh Most finished second, Troy Cordes was third, JD Auringer was fourth, Ronn Lauritzen fifth, Jordan Grabouski sixth, Josh Sherbon seventh, and Todd Shute rounded out Saturday's qualifiers.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

IMCA Supernationals Day #2 Notebook

Day two of the Speedway Motors IMCA Supernationals held in Boone, Iowa got off to a much better start on Tuesday as clear skies graced the facilities.  On the slate would be the last chance qualifying for IMCA hobby stocks, more qualifying for IMCA sportmods, and a complete show for the IMCA sport compacts. 

I was able to witness two and a half of the four qualifying features that were to be run.  The first of those would be the first of two for the IMCA sportmods.  Outside front row starter Austin Moyer got the jump and early lead on the field.  Following an early yellow, youngster Sam Wieben challenged Moyer on the inside as the two raced wheel to wheel for the top spot.  Moyer would regain the advantage a lap later while Ben Kates dove under Nick Carlson for the third spot. 

The second of seven caution periods would come on lap ten of the twenty-five lap race, once again bunching up the field.  Cory Rose, a Boone Speedway regular, was methodically working his way towards the front.  After starting sixteenth, Rose found himself in the top five before the halfway mark of the race.  With nine laps to go and following a restart, Rose took his machine to the top side to make the pass on Wieben for the runner-up position.  A late restart gave Rose one more chance, but it would be Austin Moyer taking the win in the first qualifying feature for the sportmods.  Cory Rose, Ben Kates, Sam Wieben, Tyler Heetland, Brandon Leeman, Nick Carlson, and Kaid Calhoon rounded out the top eight qualifiers for Saturday's main event.

The second feature of the night belonged to the IMCA sport compacts.  I believe it was announced 55 cars were on hand with only thirty of them making the feature, a three-wide start on top of that.  Brad Chandler would take over the top spot on lap two.  This race too would have its share of cautions, with the most important being the third one.  Race leader Brad Chandler appeared to miss a shift on the restart as a few cars scattered to pass him.  Mick Rykhus would inherit the lead with Tyler Whalen taking the second spot after starting 24th.  The fifth and final caution would wave, and on this restart Chandler would begin to make up ground.  Restarting fifth, he would quickly move to third after Rykhus pushed high.  Chandler would duck to the inside of Whalen to snare the second position and begin to reel in new race leader Jacob Ellithorpe.  Ellithorpe was able to maintain a small advantage in the late stages and held on to pick up the thrilling victory.  Chandler settled for second, Rykhus was third, Whalen fourth, and Cameron Meyer rounded out the top five.

The third feature to hit the track was the second IMCA sportmod race.  While I had every intention of staying for it, I decided it was time to go after witnessing six yellow flags and one red flag.  The red flag was displayed when Brian Miller wheel-hopped another car and made contact with Tara Longnecker's machine as they both slammed into the outside wall exiting turn two.  Luckily both drivers were okay and walked away.  When I departed for home Jesse Sobbing was leading.  After a quick glance at the IMCA website, it appears that Nick Roberts made a pass on Sobbing to pick up the win.  Sobbing settled for second, Doug Cook was third, Max Harder fourth, and Troy Jerovitz secured the fifth spot.  Six through eight that qualified for Saturday were Clint Luellen, Josh Legg, and Laini Schwartz. 

An IMCA hobby stock feature was yet to be run when I made my way to my vehicle.  No results have been posted for that event yet. 

Wednesday marks the beginning of qualifying for the IMCA stock cars and modifieds as well as provides sportmod drivers in the top thirty in points accumulated one last chance to qualify for Saturday.  With that said, it's time this guy calls it a night in order to get ready for another action-packed night at the Boone Speedway!

Murphy Captures Exciting Deery Victory at Supernationals!

Even though the weather forced a delay of about four and a half hours, Mike Murphy Jr. had to of believed it was well worth the wait.  That's because the Kalona, Illinois driver found his way to victory lane at the Boone Speedway as opening night of the IMCA Supernationals got underway Monday evening.

Light but persistent rain showers initially postponed the start of the festivities as the track prep crew waited until the rain had stopped to begin reworking the track.  After the track had been reworked and a few hot laps sessions had been run, light rain again fell upon the track and forced another delay.  The first green flag of heat race action would finally get thrown at around 7:35 for the first of fourteen IMCA hobby stock heats.  Sprinkled in amongst those would be five IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series qualifying heats for the late models.  Jason Hahne would take the narrow victory in heat one over Jeremiah Hurst.  Jeff Aikey sailed to the win in heat two while Craig Jacobs took heat three.  Ray Guss Jr claimed the fourth heat with Travis Smock leading the field to the checkers in the fifth and final heat.  Two B-mains and a handful of provisionals would set an unprecedented 30-car field and three-wide start for the 30th Annual IMCA Speedway Motors Supernationals event.

After participating in his 400th straight start in Deery Series action on Sunday in Burlington, the "Iron Man" Darrel DeFrance redrew the pole of the 50-lap main event.  Craig Jacobs and Jason Hahn would make up the rest of the front row.  When the green flag dropped it would be DeFrance getting the advantage into turn one.  However a mishap in turn four involving four cars would bring out the first of many caution flags.  With a complete restart, the green didn't stay out long as Ryan Griffith got into the rear of Craig Jacobs in turn
one and collected a few cars to slow the action once again.

The third try was the charm, however, as DeFrance roared to the lead.  Hahne would take over the top spot on lap two as he rode the cushion.  Jason Utter quickly made his way to the front as he slipped into the runner-up position on lap three.  Utter would take the top spot away from Hahne on lap five while Hahne gave way to Andy Eckrich for second.  Mike Murphy Jr made his way into the fourth spot after he had some good luck go his way.  Murphy started at the tail of his heat race earlier in the night and only managed a fifth place finish.  He would go on to win his B-main and was scheduled to start inside row eight.  However with the earlier cautions he was able to restart in the fourth row without a lap in the books.

The leaders would catch lapped traffic on lap ten, and it was a heavy dose of lapped traffic.  At one point the slower cars were three-wide in front of the front-runners.  That allowed Andy Eckrich to slip by Utter on the inside for the lead.  A caution on lap fourteen would find one of those lapped cars getting into Eckrich and causing him to spin out, sending him to the tail.  It was noticed under yellow that second-running Hahne had spoiler damage, and it would prove to be costly as he would back-peddle following the green flag waving once again.  Murphy dove to the inside to take over the second spot while Craig Jacobs and DeFrance later made their way past.  Perennial contenders Ray Guss Jr and Jeff Aikey were also on the move from mid pack as they climbed into a battle for fifth on lap eighteen.  Guss would secure the position for a short time before Aikey found the top side to his liking to pass both Guss and DeFrance for fourth. 

Up front Utter and Murphy had checked out on the field as they held a straight away advantage.  Utter would bobble on lap 33, handing the reigns over to Murphy at the top of the leader board.  One lap later Utter's car came to a rest atop turn three with suspension issues.  So the top five on the restart would be Murphy, Jacobs, Aikey, DeFrance, and Guss.  Aikey would power by Jacobs on the restart while Guss used the same top groove to get by DeFrance and Jacobs for third. 

The final caution of the race came with just eight laps remaining.  The field would be aligned with Murphy the leader followed by Aikey, Eckrich, Callahan, and DeFrance rounding out the top five.  The Delaware double-file restart was just what Eckrich needed as he motored under Aikey to snare the second spot away.  DeFrance used the same line to sneak by Callahan.  Eckrich closed in on Murphy in the late stages, but Murphy was able to pull away on the final lap to take home the win.  Eckrich would settle for second, Aikey third, DeFrance fourth, and Guss completed the top five.

Unfortunately this race didn't end until 12:15, and with a lot of racing still to be run I decided I'd better head for home and type up this blog so I can drive back later today for more racing action.  So for hobby stock and sportmod updates, you'll have to check out the IMCA website.

This is my first attempt at writing a blog since March.  I've had computer issues all summer and still have not got it fixed.  Thankfully a relative agreed to let me use their laptop for the week so I can cover the 30th Annual Speedway Motors IMCA Supernationals.

So for now, I'm out...