Back on Thursday night (Sept 16), I made my only trip of the season up to the Clay County fairgrounds in Spencer to take in their finale of a three-race series. The Clay County Fair, dubbed as "the world's largest fair", was also going on that weekend. Upon arrival I saw some friends from central Iowa that I hadn't expected to see, but had fun catching up with them and chatting about racing. IMCA hobby stocks, sportmods, stock cars, and modifieds were on the lineup and promoter Joe Ringsdorf ran an efficient show once again.
The IMCA hobby stocks were first to take the track for their feature event. Twenty-two cars took the green flag with Darin Johnson snatching the lead after starting on the pole. Devin Smith, who started outside row seven, had found the quick way around the clay oval and advanced to the fourth position at the halfway point of the race. He would power by Ernie Dailey on the next circuit before the caution waved with four laps remaining. Smith dove to the inside on the restart and grabbed the lead away from Johnson exiting turn two as he picked up the win. Darin Johnson finished second, Jerry Gronewald was third, Chad Krug fourth, and Brandon Nielsen rounded out the top five.
Up next would be the twenty-car starting field of IMCA sportmods. Matt Looft and Tyler Heetland started on the front row with Heetland getting the advantage at the start. During the first caution Dylan Book and Zach Norgaard made contact with each driver suffering flat tires. When racing resumed Jake Simpson used the high side to make the pass on Matt Looft for the runner up spot. Simpson was closing in on Heetland's lead when the final caution of the race came out. From that point on Tyler Heetland was able to hold off Jake Simpson for the win with Matt Looft finishing third, Jesse Sobbing fourth, and Tony Pogeler finishing fifth.
A good field of twenty-two IMCA stock cars then made their way to the track for their feature. David Wickman and Chad Palmer paced the field to the green flag with Palmer getting the edge off the cushion to take the lead. Randy Brands made up a lot of ground in the early going as he advanced from tenth up to fifth in just two laps. Jake Masters used the outside line to get by Bruce Wickman for third, with Brands following to fourth. Following a lap four restart, Masters again utilized the cushion to get by David Wickman to snare the second spot away. Brands snuck under Wickman to take the third spot while Masters continued to run the high side and overtook Palmer for the lead. Brands would again take to the inside and also make the pass on Palmer. Palmer would battle back on the outside as the two raced fender to fender for a couple laps before the caution waved again with David Wickman lost a motor. Jake Masters take the win from there with Randy Brands following him across the line in second. Chad Palmer, Roger Verdoorn, and Bruce Wickman rounded out the top five.
The finale of the night was the sixteen-car field of IMCA modifieds. Jeremy Mills and Chris Abelson sat on the front row with Abelson getting the advantage on the start. He quickly built up a sizable lead before Mills closed back in a handful of laps later. Jay Noteboom went to work on Ryan Watnem for the third position with Noteboom securing the spot. As the leaders caught lapped traffic, Abelson was able to open up his lead once again until the only caution of the race came out with two laps to go. Chris Abelson was able to hold off Jeremy Mills at the line to take the win. Jay Noteboom would finish third, Ryan Watnem was fourth, and Ricky Stephan rounded out the top five.
The show was moved along at a quick pace as promoter Joe Ringsdorf typically does not have an intermission at his shows. The only pauses in the action were for feature win photos and overall champion photos.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Four New Supernationals Champions Crowned
Saturday marked the sixth and final day of the Speedway Motors IMCA Supernationals. Once again the week went by faster then a speeding bullet, but I'm sure everybody got their money's worth as the racing was top-notch all week long with a few minor exceptions. Once again I have to give props to the track crew from the Boone Speedway as they not only had the racing surface in tip-top shape, but they had to work extra hard on Monday and Friday as rain set in and slowed down the racing action.
Along with the four Supernationals features, four Race of Champions races were also run on Saturday. The first of those events would be the hobby stock race. Pole sitter Brandon Pruitt grabbed the top spot with long time racer Randy Embrey on his tail. The ten-car field got spread out by the halfway point of the ten lap race. Brandon Pruitt would take the win ahead of Andy Boeckman, Randy Embrey, Shannon Anderson, John Watson, Stac Schroeder, Chad Gentz, Dustin Larson, Brandon Taylor, and Michael Murphy.
The sportmod Race of Champions would be run immediately following the hobby stock race. National points leader Tyler Frye paced the field from the pole with Clint Luellen following closely at the conclusion of the first lap. Sixth-place starter Nate Chodur worked his way up to third by lap two before sneaking under Luellen for second on lap four before the caution waved. At this point, race leader Frye was sent back two spots after he was docked for jumping the original start. That put Chodur out front and Luellen ahead of Frye on the score sheet, but the double-file restart would keep all three bunched together. Frye wasted no time in disposing of Luellen for second and set his sights back on the top spot. With three laps to go Frye motored by Chodur on the top side to regain the lead and go on to take the win. Nate Chodur settled for second, Tad Reutzel was third, Eric Flander fourth, Clint Luellen fifth, Scott Davis sixth, Danny Dvorak seventh, Greg Sidles eighth, Shay Woods ninth, and Dylan Book rounded out the field.
After the last chance qualifiers for modifieds were run, it was now time for the modified Race of Champions. Jake Durbin and Clint Hatlestad sat on the front row with Hatlestad getting the jump to claim the lead. Hatlestad would extend his lead to nearly a straight away as he dominated the race and took home the win. Jake Durbin was second, Jordan Grabouski third, Jimmy Gustin fourth, Keith White fifth, Scott Olson sixth, Jim Cole seventh, Jonathon Thimmesch eighth, Scott Hogan ninth, Kevin Sustaire tenth, Chris Dawson eleventh, and Kevin Stoa twelfth.
The stock car Race of Champions would follow next as Ryan Rose and Brian Irvine set the pace for the ten-lap event. Irvine rocketed to the lead and was never seriously challenged as he picked up the win. Mike Nichols ducked under Rose for the second position on lap five and held on for the second place finish. Chad Palmer finished third, Jeremy Christians fourth, Jeff Mueller fifth, Ryan Rose sixth, Randy Brands seventh, Jason Ward eighth, Jason Schoenberger ninth, and Jeffrey Larson tenth.
The rest of the evening was now set for the four feature events. First up would be the hobby stocks as thirty cars would start in the now-traditional three-wide formation. Dustin Larson, Shannon Anderson, and Chad Krug sat on the front row for the thirty-lap race. Larson would get the advantage on the start and lead the pack with Robby Marsh and Anderson behind him. Inside row four starter Andy Wilkinson quickly moved up into the fourth position on lap five when he ducked under John Watson. The top eight strung out in single file until Wilkinson got under Anderson and overtook him for the third spot.
The caution flag waved on lap twelve, and when the green flag came back out Wilkinson powered by Marsh to snare the second position. Wilkinson continued to run the low groove as he tracked down Larson, and on lap sixteen he would make the pass for the lead. Shannon Anderson's bid for back-to-back Supernationals crowns ended when his car slowed atop turn three. He would coast his machine to the infield as the green flag remained out. John Watson challenged Robby Marsh for the third position the last couple of laps, but Marsh would prevail at the line. Andy Wilkinson, in his first season competing in IMCA, would take home the impressive win ahead of Dustin Larson, Robby Marsh, John Watson, and Michael Murphy. Josh Irvine would finish sixth after starting 22nd with Scott Lograsso finishing behind him in seventh after starting 26th.
Following Wilkinson's post-race celebration and photos, it was now time for the sport mod feature to hit the track. Once again thirty cars would line up three-wide and ten rows deep for a thirty-lap race. Defending national champion Jesse Sobbing was flanked by Scott Davis and Danny Dvorak on the front row. A caution flag would wave before the completion of the first lap, and during that caution Davis would exit the track to change a flat right front tire. He would tag the tail on the restart, but it would be rookie Eric Flander leading the first green flag lap. Brett Meyer and Jesse Sobbing would put the heat on Flander as they raced side by side behind him, waiting for an opportunity to sneak by. Those three drivers, along with RJ Merchant, put distance between them and the next group of competitors. Sobbing would run the cushion and get enough momentum to power by Flander for the lead on lap eight. Merchant would dive to the inside of Meyer to snag the third spot on lap twelve before another caution waved a lap later when defending Supernationals champion Mike Pruitt slowed.
Yet another caution would fly just past the halfway point of the race, and by that time Scott Davis had worked his way back near the top ten after his flat tire on the first lap. Unfortunately for Davis he would only advance one more spot by the time the checkered flag waved. Back up front, Brett Meyer utilized the inside line to take the lead away from Sobbing with twelve laps to go before pulling away. The final caution waved with seven laps remaining, and Sobbing would suffer the same luck as Davis had earlier as he exited to the work area with a flat tire. That moved Flander and Brandon Leeman to the first full row behind Meyer on the restart. Leeman would drop back during the closing laps allowing Randy Roberts, Nate Chodur, and Brett Moffitt to advance their way forward. When the checkered flag waved it would be Brett Meyer taking the win ahead of Eric Flander, Randy Roberts, Nate Chodur, and Brett Moffitt. Tyler Frye finished sixth while 28th starter Benji Legg finished seventh.
After another track prep and modified hot lap session, the stock cars made their way to the track for their thirty-car feature for thirty laps. Dustin Smith, Chad Palmer, and Steve Meyer were on the front row. Surprisingly it would be Palmer from the middle racing to the lead when the green flag dropped. Mike Nichols, who started in the middle of row three, worked his way into fourth by lap two. Smith would start to close the gap to race leader Palmer while Nichols worked to the inside of Meyer for third. The yellow flag was displayed as Damon Murty came to an abrupt stop exiting turn four. The field had to scatter to avoid hitting Murty as he stopped in the middle of the wide racing surface. On the restart Palmer would push up in turn two, allowing Dustin Smith to assume the top spot. Palmer would fall back to fourth, and Nichols who was running third would fall back even further as his car slowed before he got it back moving. Palmer appeared to gather things back up as he moved back up into the third spot around Josh Daniels, but both drivers went backwards as Palmer pushed up the track again and contact was made.
Smith would suffer the same fate as Palmer had earlier when his machine pushed up the race track, opening the door for Wisconsin's Jeremy Christians to steal the lead away. Another caution came out on lap sixteen, bunching the field back up. When racing resumed Smith would not get a good restart, which opened the door for Michael Bruns and Jamie Colwell to sneak by under him. Palmer would later motor by Smith on the outside for the fourth spot, pushing Smith back to fifth. Colwell looked to be on the charge as he passed Bruns on the inside for the runner up spot, but Colwell's luck would take a turn for the worse as he spun in turn two to bring out the caution. Another caution came out with six laps remaining, but that did not stop Jeremy Christians from taking home his first Supernationals crown as he picked up the win. Dustin Smith rebounded to take second, Donovan Smith was third, Marcus Fagen finished fourth, and Michael Bruns rounded out the top five after starting twentieth. Trent Murphy finished sixth after starting 29th on the grid while outside front row starter Steve Meyer followed in seventh.
The end of the stock car race marked the time that most of the people had waited all week to see: the modified feature. Thirty-three drivers bested a field of over 270 that made their way to the Boone Speedway for the week. After introducing the drivers as they walked across the stage, each row would then be paraded around the track in the back of Karl Chevrolet pickups to wave to the fans. Kevin Stoa, Jimmy Gustin, and Clint Hatlestad won their respective features throughout the week to earn the front row.
When the green flag dropped on the forty-lap feature, it was Kevin Stoa racing to the lead with Brandon Blochlinger following in his tire tracks. By lap three perhaps the surprise of the race saw G.W. Egbert quickly advance from his middle of row six starting spot up into the top five. Stoa's lead would be cut short as he slowed down the backstretch and exited the track in turn three, handing the lead over to Blochlinger on lap nine. Another surprise of the race would be Luke Wanninger. Wanninger, a rookie this season in the modified division, had started outside row five and had pounded the cushion to make his way up to third at this point. He made short work of Hatlestad as he climbed into the runner up spot as he set his sights on Blochlinger up front. The two front runners separated from the pack as they would put on a show for the fans with Wanninger trying to pull even on the inside of Blochlinger.
Meanwhile middle front row starter Jimmy Gustin, who faded to around eighth in the opening laps, was quietly working his way back towards the front as he found himself fourth after passing Egbert on the low side. Gustin continued to climb back up the ladder as he passed Hatlestad for third. The only caution of the race came with a mere eight laps to go, giving both fans and the drivers time to relax after all that exciting action thus far. It was Egbert that brought out the caution when he spun in turn four after running sixth.
Jimmy Gustin took advantage of the restart as he passed Wanninger for second. Wanninger would push up the track and fall back to around seventh, opening the door for Johnny Saathoff to make his way up to third. As Gustin looked to reel in Blochlinger up front, the race leader would push up the track in turn three and go over the banking and exit the track. No yellow was thrown as he safely made his way out of harms way, but that gave the lead to Gustin with Saathoff a ways back in second. From there Gustin would cruise home to his first Supernationals victory as he celebrated in victory lane. Johnny Saathoff would finish second, Todd Shute was third after starting eighteenth, Scott Olson fourth, and Nick Deal had a great run to finish fifth after starting 23rd.
The modified feature brought the close of the IMCA Supernationals. There was a lot of good, close racing this year in my opinion. That is what the fans pay to see, and once again I have to give a huge pop to the track prep crew for their long hours of working on the track. I'm sure it's a thankless job despite the announcer's doing their part to thank them. I'm sure they'll rest easy the next couple of days after their long week of work.
I also want to thank a couple of other people. First, I'd like to thank Brett Root and the staff at IMCA for their hospitality. It always makes me feel a little bit special when I show up to an event and a person of their stature knows who I am and call me by name as I sign in. I also want to again thank Jim Zimmerline for offering his extra laptop to me throughout the week. I hadn't planned on having a computer to type my blogs during the week and was just going to type them when I got home. But he found me Wednesday and offered his laptop to me, and for that I am grateful. Jim was taking pictures from both the infield and the catwalk throughout the week, so be sure to take a look at www.zippsphotos.com when you get a chance.
It's time to rest up from a long week of racing. Next weekend provided a plethora of races to choose from, and at this point I am undecided of my plans. In case you may not know of all the choices, here are the ones I am considering:
Marshalltown Speedway - Havoc on the Highbanks, including the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for modifieds
34 Raceway (Burlington)- Pepsi USA Nationals for IMCA Deery Brothers late models season finale
Fairmont (MN) Raceway - Shryock Memorial
Shelby County Speedway (Harlan) - Tiny Lund Memorial
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Along with the four Supernationals features, four Race of Champions races were also run on Saturday. The first of those events would be the hobby stock race. Pole sitter Brandon Pruitt grabbed the top spot with long time racer Randy Embrey on his tail. The ten-car field got spread out by the halfway point of the ten lap race. Brandon Pruitt would take the win ahead of Andy Boeckman, Randy Embrey, Shannon Anderson, John Watson, Stac Schroeder, Chad Gentz, Dustin Larson, Brandon Taylor, and Michael Murphy.
The sportmod Race of Champions would be run immediately following the hobby stock race. National points leader Tyler Frye paced the field from the pole with Clint Luellen following closely at the conclusion of the first lap. Sixth-place starter Nate Chodur worked his way up to third by lap two before sneaking under Luellen for second on lap four before the caution waved. At this point, race leader Frye was sent back two spots after he was docked for jumping the original start. That put Chodur out front and Luellen ahead of Frye on the score sheet, but the double-file restart would keep all three bunched together. Frye wasted no time in disposing of Luellen for second and set his sights back on the top spot. With three laps to go Frye motored by Chodur on the top side to regain the lead and go on to take the win. Nate Chodur settled for second, Tad Reutzel was third, Eric Flander fourth, Clint Luellen fifth, Scott Davis sixth, Danny Dvorak seventh, Greg Sidles eighth, Shay Woods ninth, and Dylan Book rounded out the field.
After the last chance qualifiers for modifieds were run, it was now time for the modified Race of Champions. Jake Durbin and Clint Hatlestad sat on the front row with Hatlestad getting the jump to claim the lead. Hatlestad would extend his lead to nearly a straight away as he dominated the race and took home the win. Jake Durbin was second, Jordan Grabouski third, Jimmy Gustin fourth, Keith White fifth, Scott Olson sixth, Jim Cole seventh, Jonathon Thimmesch eighth, Scott Hogan ninth, Kevin Sustaire tenth, Chris Dawson eleventh, and Kevin Stoa twelfth.
The stock car Race of Champions would follow next as Ryan Rose and Brian Irvine set the pace for the ten-lap event. Irvine rocketed to the lead and was never seriously challenged as he picked up the win. Mike Nichols ducked under Rose for the second position on lap five and held on for the second place finish. Chad Palmer finished third, Jeremy Christians fourth, Jeff Mueller fifth, Ryan Rose sixth, Randy Brands seventh, Jason Ward eighth, Jason Schoenberger ninth, and Jeffrey Larson tenth.
The rest of the evening was now set for the four feature events. First up would be the hobby stocks as thirty cars would start in the now-traditional three-wide formation. Dustin Larson, Shannon Anderson, and Chad Krug sat on the front row for the thirty-lap race. Larson would get the advantage on the start and lead the pack with Robby Marsh and Anderson behind him. Inside row four starter Andy Wilkinson quickly moved up into the fourth position on lap five when he ducked under John Watson. The top eight strung out in single file until Wilkinson got under Anderson and overtook him for the third spot.
The caution flag waved on lap twelve, and when the green flag came back out Wilkinson powered by Marsh to snare the second position. Wilkinson continued to run the low groove as he tracked down Larson, and on lap sixteen he would make the pass for the lead. Shannon Anderson's bid for back-to-back Supernationals crowns ended when his car slowed atop turn three. He would coast his machine to the infield as the green flag remained out. John Watson challenged Robby Marsh for the third position the last couple of laps, but Marsh would prevail at the line. Andy Wilkinson, in his first season competing in IMCA, would take home the impressive win ahead of Dustin Larson, Robby Marsh, John Watson, and Michael Murphy. Josh Irvine would finish sixth after starting 22nd with Scott Lograsso finishing behind him in seventh after starting 26th.
Following Wilkinson's post-race celebration and photos, it was now time for the sport mod feature to hit the track. Once again thirty cars would line up three-wide and ten rows deep for a thirty-lap race. Defending national champion Jesse Sobbing was flanked by Scott Davis and Danny Dvorak on the front row. A caution flag would wave before the completion of the first lap, and during that caution Davis would exit the track to change a flat right front tire. He would tag the tail on the restart, but it would be rookie Eric Flander leading the first green flag lap. Brett Meyer and Jesse Sobbing would put the heat on Flander as they raced side by side behind him, waiting for an opportunity to sneak by. Those three drivers, along with RJ Merchant, put distance between them and the next group of competitors. Sobbing would run the cushion and get enough momentum to power by Flander for the lead on lap eight. Merchant would dive to the inside of Meyer to snag the third spot on lap twelve before another caution waved a lap later when defending Supernationals champion Mike Pruitt slowed.
Yet another caution would fly just past the halfway point of the race, and by that time Scott Davis had worked his way back near the top ten after his flat tire on the first lap. Unfortunately for Davis he would only advance one more spot by the time the checkered flag waved. Back up front, Brett Meyer utilized the inside line to take the lead away from Sobbing with twelve laps to go before pulling away. The final caution waved with seven laps remaining, and Sobbing would suffer the same luck as Davis had earlier as he exited to the work area with a flat tire. That moved Flander and Brandon Leeman to the first full row behind Meyer on the restart. Leeman would drop back during the closing laps allowing Randy Roberts, Nate Chodur, and Brett Moffitt to advance their way forward. When the checkered flag waved it would be Brett Meyer taking the win ahead of Eric Flander, Randy Roberts, Nate Chodur, and Brett Moffitt. Tyler Frye finished sixth while 28th starter Benji Legg finished seventh.
After another track prep and modified hot lap session, the stock cars made their way to the track for their thirty-car feature for thirty laps. Dustin Smith, Chad Palmer, and Steve Meyer were on the front row. Surprisingly it would be Palmer from the middle racing to the lead when the green flag dropped. Mike Nichols, who started in the middle of row three, worked his way into fourth by lap two. Smith would start to close the gap to race leader Palmer while Nichols worked to the inside of Meyer for third. The yellow flag was displayed as Damon Murty came to an abrupt stop exiting turn four. The field had to scatter to avoid hitting Murty as he stopped in the middle of the wide racing surface. On the restart Palmer would push up in turn two, allowing Dustin Smith to assume the top spot. Palmer would fall back to fourth, and Nichols who was running third would fall back even further as his car slowed before he got it back moving. Palmer appeared to gather things back up as he moved back up into the third spot around Josh Daniels, but both drivers went backwards as Palmer pushed up the track again and contact was made.
Smith would suffer the same fate as Palmer had earlier when his machine pushed up the race track, opening the door for Wisconsin's Jeremy Christians to steal the lead away. Another caution came out on lap sixteen, bunching the field back up. When racing resumed Smith would not get a good restart, which opened the door for Michael Bruns and Jamie Colwell to sneak by under him. Palmer would later motor by Smith on the outside for the fourth spot, pushing Smith back to fifth. Colwell looked to be on the charge as he passed Bruns on the inside for the runner up spot, but Colwell's luck would take a turn for the worse as he spun in turn two to bring out the caution. Another caution came out with six laps remaining, but that did not stop Jeremy Christians from taking home his first Supernationals crown as he picked up the win. Dustin Smith rebounded to take second, Donovan Smith was third, Marcus Fagen finished fourth, and Michael Bruns rounded out the top five after starting twentieth. Trent Murphy finished sixth after starting 29th on the grid while outside front row starter Steve Meyer followed in seventh.
The end of the stock car race marked the time that most of the people had waited all week to see: the modified feature. Thirty-three drivers bested a field of over 270 that made their way to the Boone Speedway for the week. After introducing the drivers as they walked across the stage, each row would then be paraded around the track in the back of Karl Chevrolet pickups to wave to the fans. Kevin Stoa, Jimmy Gustin, and Clint Hatlestad won their respective features throughout the week to earn the front row.
When the green flag dropped on the forty-lap feature, it was Kevin Stoa racing to the lead with Brandon Blochlinger following in his tire tracks. By lap three perhaps the surprise of the race saw G.W. Egbert quickly advance from his middle of row six starting spot up into the top five. Stoa's lead would be cut short as he slowed down the backstretch and exited the track in turn three, handing the lead over to Blochlinger on lap nine. Another surprise of the race would be Luke Wanninger. Wanninger, a rookie this season in the modified division, had started outside row five and had pounded the cushion to make his way up to third at this point. He made short work of Hatlestad as he climbed into the runner up spot as he set his sights on Blochlinger up front. The two front runners separated from the pack as they would put on a show for the fans with Wanninger trying to pull even on the inside of Blochlinger.
Meanwhile middle front row starter Jimmy Gustin, who faded to around eighth in the opening laps, was quietly working his way back towards the front as he found himself fourth after passing Egbert on the low side. Gustin continued to climb back up the ladder as he passed Hatlestad for third. The only caution of the race came with a mere eight laps to go, giving both fans and the drivers time to relax after all that exciting action thus far. It was Egbert that brought out the caution when he spun in turn four after running sixth.
Jimmy Gustin took advantage of the restart as he passed Wanninger for second. Wanninger would push up the track and fall back to around seventh, opening the door for Johnny Saathoff to make his way up to third. As Gustin looked to reel in Blochlinger up front, the race leader would push up the track in turn three and go over the banking and exit the track. No yellow was thrown as he safely made his way out of harms way, but that gave the lead to Gustin with Saathoff a ways back in second. From there Gustin would cruise home to his first Supernationals victory as he celebrated in victory lane. Johnny Saathoff would finish second, Todd Shute was third after starting eighteenth, Scott Olson fourth, and Nick Deal had a great run to finish fifth after starting 23rd.
The modified feature brought the close of the IMCA Supernationals. There was a lot of good, close racing this year in my opinion. That is what the fans pay to see, and once again I have to give a huge pop to the track prep crew for their long hours of working on the track. I'm sure it's a thankless job despite the announcer's doing their part to thank them. I'm sure they'll rest easy the next couple of days after their long week of work.
I also want to thank a couple of other people. First, I'd like to thank Brett Root and the staff at IMCA for their hospitality. It always makes me feel a little bit special when I show up to an event and a person of their stature knows who I am and call me by name as I sign in. I also want to again thank Jim Zimmerline for offering his extra laptop to me throughout the week. I hadn't planned on having a computer to type my blogs during the week and was just going to type them when I got home. But he found me Wednesday and offered his laptop to me, and for that I am grateful. Jim was taking pictures from both the infield and the catwalk throughout the week, so be sure to take a look at www.zippsphotos.com when you get a chance.
It's time to rest up from a long week of racing. Next weekend provided a plethora of races to choose from, and at this point I am undecided of my plans. In case you may not know of all the choices, here are the ones I am considering:
Marshalltown Speedway - Havoc on the Highbanks, including the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for modifieds
34 Raceway (Burlington)- Pepsi USA Nationals for IMCA Deery Brothers late models season finale
Fairmont (MN) Raceway - Shryock Memorial
Shelby County Speedway (Harlan) - Tiny Lund Memorial
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Meyer Takes Stock Car Last Chance, Hatlestad Tops Outside Modified Row
The IMCA Supernationals are now down to their final night of the six-day extravaganza as Friday night as come to a conclusion. Despite Mother Nature's attempt to wash out the night, the track prep crew deserves a huge amount of credit for getting the track back into racing condition not just once, but twice. Persistent showers in the afternoon along with more rain later in the evening delayed the action for at least two hours. The crew brought out the jet dryer when the rain subsided and got dried out the surface to allow the rest of the tractors to do their magic.
Friday night marked the final chance for the IMCA stock cars to make the big dance come Saturday. Eight last chance races were run with the top three cars advancing to a qualifying feature. Steve Meyer and Paul Shepherd sat on the front row, and when the green flag fell it was Meyer securing his spot at the front of the field. The caution flag soon followed, however, as a group of cars got tangled up in turn two on lap two. While officials worked to clean up the situation and get the cars realigned, the second rain delay would come into play.
As the rain came down, officials decided to move the stock cars back to the staging area. Drivers were able to take their safety equipment out of their cars and add more tearoffs due to the weather. There were not, however, allowed to work on their car during the delay. Once the track was deemed raceable, the cars returned to the track to finish their event.
On the restart Josh Daniels worked his way by Shepherd for the second spot while Kevin Opheim got by Ryan Rose on the inside to move into third. On lap four Damon Murty would also get by Rose to take over the fourth position. Up front Opheim would pull to the inside of Meyer as the two raced side-by-side for several laps as they swapped the lead. With two laps remaining Murty ducked inside of Opheim and snagged the second spot before the caution flag waved. While under caution Opheim's right front tire began to lose air, but officials did not make his leave the track. When the green flag waved, Opheim was unable to maintain the pace as he pulled off the track. That was all Steve Meyer needed as he came away with the win and the outside of the front row for Saturday night's main event. Damon Murty would finish second, Josh Daniels third, Jeff Turner fourth, Paul Shepherd fifth, Stefan Sybesma sixth, Ryan Rose seventh, Merlyn Hegland eighth, Justin Jacobsen ninth, and Nathan Burke rounded out the qualifying drivers.
As the stock cars exited the track following their main event, the IMCA modifieds soon entered the track for their twenty-five car qualifying feature. Chad Estes and Chris Derenne paced the field to the green flag with Derenne jumping out front for the lead. The caution waved on lap four, bunching the field back up. Cale Sponsler took advantage as he powered by Chad Estes for fifth. A lap later Luke Wanninger also made his way by Estes. On lap ten Clint Hatlestad worked his way under Derenne for the lead and quickly pulled away from his competitors. With ten laps remaining Reese Coffee utilized the inside groove to make his way by Derenne for the runner up spot. Derenne would continue to back-pedal as Sponsler and Wanninger both leapfrogged him. A late caution set up a three-lap dash to the finish. Kellen Chadwick was extremely happy to see that caution as he restarted in seventh. However, when the checkered flags waved he would finish in the third position. It would be Clint Hatlestad picking up the win and securing his spot on the outside of the front row come Saturday night. Reese Coffee finished second, Chadwick third, Cale Sponsler fourth, Luke Wanninger fifth, Todd Shute sixth, Chris Derenne seventh, and Rich Smith rounded out the field of qualifiers. For Smith it is the first time in over twenty years that he has qualified for the big dance. Smith also qualified for the very first Supernationals event.
The final race of the night would be the FastShafts All-Star Invitational race. Twelve drivers voted on by the fans drew tshirt bags for starting positions. But unlike in the past, officials let the fans vote as to whether to start the field in two-wide or three-wide formation. The crowd chose three-wide. Pole sitter David Murray wasted no time in snaring the lead while Brad Pounds followed closely in second. Murray opened up his lead with every passing lap as he went on to take the dominating victory. Brad Pounds was second, Dave Hardesty third, Keith White was fourth, and Mike Smith rounded out the top five.
One difference from years past is the mandatory raceceivers for the modified drivers. One-way communication is directed from a race director to the drivers. When I heard that these were being utilized this year, I was happy thinking that realigning cars wouldn't take as long as it has in the past. However, the first three nights I have noticed that it has not made any difference. I'm not sure if the communication is being used, but track officials are spending just as much time directing cars to their appropriate positions as in previous years. I realize this is the first year for the raceceivers, but hopefully the powers-that-be get used to them and can better utilize them for next year.
Saturday's pre-race ceremonies get underway at 2pm with the first green flag scheduled to drop around 3pm. For more complete results, be sure to check out www.imca.com. And speaking of IMCA, I'd like to thank their entire staff for extending their hospitality towards me and my fellow Positivelyracing comrads.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)