Sunday night was the final night of racing for the season at Benton County Speedway in Vinton. The season championship program, which ran under the normal heat race qualifying/season average point invert format, resulted in the crowing of six track champions.
Three of the champions sealed their titles with trips to victory lane. One of those three eked out a one point win by taking over the points lead on the final night.
Troy Cordes continued his impressive season in the IMCA Modified division. Cordes, who wrapped up the title by simply taking three green flag in his heat race, notched his seventh win of the season in the 20-lap feature.
After starting in row four, Cordes made his way into the lead just prior to a lap six caution. He drove away from the field when racing resumed to score the win and wrap up title honors.
With 46 Modified wins in weekly racing history in Vinton, Cordes ended the season as the division's all-time leading feature winner at the speedway.
Cordes matched a career-best seven wins in Vinton, also winning seven times in 2007. The track championship was the fifth of his career in Vinton. Cordes also earned Modified titles at the speedway in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2009. He sits three titles behind leader Scott Hogan.
Cordes leads all Modified drivers in track history with six wins on
season championship night (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014). Four times (2003, 2005, 2009, 2014) Cordes has wrapped up a track title in Vinton with a win on championship night. That, too, leads all drivers.
Cordes became the first Modified driver since J. D. Auringer to sweep titles at both Vinton and Independence Motor Speedway in the same season. Of the seven drivers to sweep Modified titles at both tracks, Cordes is the only one to do it multiple times (2002, 2014). Others who swept both tracks include Jack Mitchell (1983), Tom Bartholomew (1991), Scott Hogan (1998), Jerry Luloff (2001), Vern Jackson (2004) and J. D. Auringer (2007).
Mechanical problems during his heat forced IMCA Stock Car points leader Norman Chesmore to start at the tail of that division's 15-lap feature. While Chesmore worked through traffic and attempted to wrap up the title with a top-five finish, his nearest pursuer in the standings, Scott Pippert, battled for the lead.
Pippert, who entered the night five points out of the lead, worked past Les Blakley just past the midway point to steal the lead. Pippert led the remainder of the event to earn the win while Chesmore ran seventh at the line. By virtue of those finishes, Pippert earned his first Stock Car track championship by a single point.
Pippert joined Damon Murty (2005, 2009), Curtis Roster (2002) and Dan Trimble (2004) as the only Stock Car track champions in Vinton to win on season championship night.
Pippert, who won the last three Stock Car features of the season, joined Murty, Trimble, Justin Temeyer and Jarod Weepie as the only drivers in division history to win three straight at the speedway.
His career seventh Stock Car win in Vinton moved Pippert past Brian Irvine and into sole possession of eighth place on the division's wins list at the speedway.
Benji Irvine earned his first BCS title in the IMCA Hobby Stock division and he, too, did it by winning the season championship feature.
Irvine took the lead at the drop of the green and led all 15 laps to score his sixth win of the season.
It was the 12th time in division history the Hobby Stock track titlist won on season championship night.
Irvine, also the opening night feature winner, became only the fourth driver in division history to win on opening night and season championship night on his way to the track title that same season. Others in the division to accomplish that feat include Vince Buchholz (1997, 2003); Scott Pippert (2011, 2012); and Chris Luloff (2008).
With six career wins in the division in Vinton, Irvine finished the season tied for 22nd on the all-time list with Bill Bonnett, Curt Hilmer, Curtis Roster and Rick Johnson.
Irvine, also this year's track champion at Independence Motor Speedway, became the sixth Hobby Stock driver to sweep titles at both tracks. He joined Jerry Luloff (1991), Scooter Dulin (2001), Patrick Stansbery (2003), Paul Shepherd (2006) and Chris Luloff (2008) on that list.
Joey Schaefer earned his first IMCA Northern SportMod victory on the Vinton oval Sunday night. Schaefer chased Dave McCalla for the first eight laps before taking charge one lap later in that 15-lapper on his way to victory.
With the win, Schaefer became the 53rd different SportMod winner in weekly racing history at the speedway and the ninth first-time winner this season - a track record for the division.
In fact, there were three straight first-time winners to close the season in the SportMods this season (Clint Luellen, Dave Burrell, Schaefer). It marked the first time in track history that ANY division saw three straight first-time Vinton winners to close out a season.
The 13 different SportMod winners in 19 weekly points races in Vinton this season was also a record.
Brett Lowry earned the track championship despite not earning a feature win along the way. Lowry became the first SportMod driver in the division's 10-year history at the speedway to win a title without a feature win. In fact, Hobby Stock drivers Max Leonard (1993), Steve Kesl (2002) and Dean Wagner (2013) are the only other drivers in track history to win titles without a feature win.
Adam Gates, the 2014 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey's Sport Compact champion, earned his fifth win of the season Sunday night - his fourth win in the last five weeks.
Gates led all 10 laps to secure the victory, the sixth of his career in Vinton. He finished the season alone in eighth in career Sport Compact wins at the speedway.
Bill Whalen Jr. earned his second straight track championship in the division. Whalen was the only driver to earn back-to-back titles this season.
Despite rolling his BCS Micro Mod in heat race action, Brandon Maitland was able to take the green flag in the feature and race to a sixth place finish to become the inaugural champion in that division.
Brody Willett drove to his fourth win of the season with his victory in the 15-lap feature.
With weekly racing coming to an end in the region, the focus now shifts to post-season specials - and there are a slew of them.
Prior to Vinton's finale, I spent all week in Boone for Super Nationals and followed that up with a weekend at Farley Speedway for the Yankee Dirt Track Classic. Next weekend, I'll head to Thunder Hill Speedway in Mayetta, Kan. for the third straight year for Thunder on the Hill.
After that, I plan to spend a couple days in Knoxville for the Late Model Nationals and Webster City for the fall special at Hamilton County Speedway before making a return trip to 141 Speedway in Wisconsin next month. November will include a trip to Las Vegas for the Duel in the Desert in November. The Independence Motor Speedway track banquet and the IMCA National Banquet are also on the agenda, so there is still plenty to do before winter hits.
Be sure to say hello if we cross paths at any of these events as we wind down the season. As always, thanks for reading!
RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature: 1. 71 Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 2. 20L Zach Less, Hopkinton; 3. 33D Scott Hogan, Vinton; 4. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids; 5. 8 Tony Snyder, Readlyn; 6. 12D Joe Docekal, Dysart; 7. 21 Brennen Chipp, Waterloo; 8. 415 Josh Barta, Cedar Falls; 9. 80 Jerry Dedrick, Vinton; 10. 27 Jamie Johnson, Waterloo; 11. 5 Jason Morehouse, Evansdale; 12. 77 Tim McBride, Denver; 13. 14 Tom Hanson, Vinton; 14. 4 Ryan Maitland, Waterloo; 15. 57B Dennis Betzer, Central City; 16. 11B Mike Burbridge, Delhi; 17. 7 Todd Jensen, Waterloo.
Heat one: 1. Docekal; 2. Flannagan; 3. Hogan; 4. Hanson; 5. Barta; 6. Jensen; 7. McBride; 8. Betzer; 9. Johnson.
Heat two: 1. Less; 2. Cordes; 3. Burbridge; 4. Chipp; 5. Maitland; 6. Snyder; 7. Morehouse; 8. Dedrick.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 47 Scott Pippert, Elberon; 2. 99D Damon Murty, Chelsea; 3. 87 Les Blakley, Fairfield; 4. 62G Adam Gebel, Cedar Falls; 5. 67 Justin Stander, Shellsburg; 6. 31S Paul Shepherd, Marengo; 7. 15 Norman Chesmore, Rowley; 8. 99 Erick Knutsen, Cedar Rapids; 9. 3 Ryan Coleman, Vinton; 10. 76 Mike Galli, Urbana; 11. 4Q Richard Quail, Waterloo; 12. 76X Chad Siems, Shellsburg; 13. 4JR Russell Damme Jr., Waterloo.
Heat one: 1. Coleman; 2. Blakley; 3. Galli; 4. Pippert; 5. Shepherd; 6. Quail; 7. Siems.
Heat two: 1. Knutsen; 2. Murty; 3. Stander; 4. Damme; 5. Gebel; 6. Chesmore.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 30 Joey Schaefer, Waterloo; 2. 72 Brett Lowry, Montezuma; 3. 3M Dave McCalla, Cedar Rapids; 4. K3 Kyle Olson, Cedar Rapids; 5. 95 Mike McDonald, Cedar Rapids; 6. 15B Troy Burkhart, Urbana; 7. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 8. 22 Matt Petrzelka, Norway; 9. 7SR Shawn Ritter, Keystone; 10. CH19 Colby Heishman, Brooklyn; 11. J2 Dave Schulze, Keystone; 12. 10S John Schaefer, La Porte City; 13. 17 Dawn Krall, Evansdale; 14. T23 Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids; 15. 36 Jake Salisbury, Dunkerton; 16. 57R Ryan King, Montour; 17. 50H Steve Wimer, Toddville; 18. 10 Mike Knapp, Cedar Rapids; 19. 6K Lee Rouse, Atkins; 20. 34Z Cory Van Zante, Sully; 21. 199 Dave Burrell, Dysart; 22. 7D Dakoda Sellers, Vinton; 23. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Falls; 24. 3R Danny Dvorak, Vinton.
Heat one: 1. McCalla; 2. Krall; 3. Schulze; 4. Heishman; 5. Ritter; 6. Rouse; 7. Dvorak; 8. Buhlman.
Heat two: 1. John Schaefer; 2. Joey Schaefer; 3. Lowry; 4. Petrzelka; 5. Burrell; 6. Van Zante; 7. Sellers; 8. Wimer.
Heat three: 1. Burkhart; 2. McDonald; 3. T. Olson; 4. Hilmer; 5. K. Olson; 6. Salisbury; 7. King; 8. Knapp.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 79 Benji Irvine, Stanley; 2. 29 Nathan Ballard, Marengo; 3. 45 Justin Wacha, Vinton; 4. T64 Jeremiah Wilson, Waterloo; 5. 17K Kyle Parizek, Belle Plaine; 6. 1 Scott Siems, Cedar Rapids; 7. 46 Brian Happel, Vinton; 8. 78 Matt Brown, Dysart; 9. 55 Vince Buchholz, Tama.
Heat: 1. Parizek; 2. Irvine; 3. Wilson; 4. Ballard; 5. Wacha; 6. Siems; 7. Buchholz; 8. Happel; 9. Brown.
IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 007 Adam Gates, Marion; 2. 00W Bill Whalen Jr., Riverside; 3. 02 John Gill, Marshalltown; 4. 3S Craig Streeter, Vinton; 5. 07 Joe Goodenbaur, Garrison; 6. 01 Aaron Miller, Marshalltown; 7. 36DD Gary Peiffer, Troy Mills; 8. 2 Dallas Chandler, Cedar Rapids.
Heat: 1. Gates; 2. Gill; 3. Whalen; 4. Peiffer; 5. Miller; 6. Streeter; 7. Goodenbaur; 8. Chandler.
BCS MICRO MOD
Feature: 1. 00 Brody Willett, Alburnett; 2. 49 Jake Steere, Tripoli; 3. 71 Tristan Cordes, Dunkerton; 4. 1 Chuck Ihde, Decorah; 5. 111A A.J. Witten, Cedar Rapids; 6. 2 Brandon Maitland, Waterloo; 7. 18 Jeff Davis, La Porte City; 8. 42G Matt Post; 9. 75 Cole McNeal, Dysart; 10. 21D Dorsey Steere, Tripoli; 11. 7 Adam Rogich, Mabel, Minn.; 12. 1T Trent Jachimsen, Cedar Rapids; 13. 6E Don Erger, Brandon; 14. 111 Buster Pate, Hiawatha.
Heat one: 1. Witten; 2. Pate; 3. Rogich; 4. McNeal; 5. Post; 6. D. Steere; 7. Erger.
Heat two: 1. Willett; 2. Davis; 3. J. Steere; 4. Cordes; 5. Ihde; 6. Jachimsen; 7. Maitland.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
Cordes sweeps weekend, tops Modified wins list in Vinton
The memorable season for Troy Cordes continued Sunday night.
The IMCA Modified driver earned his sixth win of the season at Benton County Speedway to extend his points lead. In the process, Cordes became the all-time leading feature winner in division history in Vinton. (complete results follow)
Ty Glass held the early lead while Patrick Flannagan ran the high side into contention. Flannagan powered around Glass on the fourth circuit to assume command while Cordes worked through the pack from a fifth row starting spot.
After being mired in traffic, Cordes raced the low groove into the top three on lap seven and then set his sights on the front-runners, who had built a half-straightaway lead.
Cordes reeled in the leaders just past the midway point of the 20-lapper and powered beneath them to assume command on lap 11. He drove away to score his 16th sanctioned win of the season and the 96th IMCA Modified win of his career.
Of those 96 wins, 45 have come in weekly racing in Vinton, making him the all-time wins leader in the division on the Vinton oval. Nine of his 45 Vinton wins have come in the month of August.
Entering Sunday night, Cordes was tied with Scott Hogan for the most Vinton Modified wins. He was also tied atop the wins list with Hogan for 224 calendar days from September 2009 to May 2010. This marks the first time in his career that Cordes has had sole possession of the wins lead. Only Cordes and Arlo Becker have had multiple stints as the Modified wins leader at the speedway.
Cordes, also the winner in Independence Saturday night, has swept feature wins over the same weekend five times in his career. That ties Jack Mitchell for the most Modified sweeps in history between the two tracks. Modified sweeps at Independence and Vinton have occurred 25 times. The last time Cordes did it was July 21-22, 2007.
Scott Pippert won a thrilling battle with Curtis Roster to earn his second IMCA Stock Car win of the season.
Roster took control on lap three with Pippert in tow. The top two broke away from the pack with Roster running the high side and Pippert down low.
Pippert was able to keep pace with Roster in turns three and four, but fought a push in turns one and two each time around the fast, smooth quarter-mile.
Pippert pulled alongside Roster over the final circuit and surged ahead at the line to score the victory.
With five Stock Car wins in weekly racing history in Vinton, Pippert moved into 10th on the all-time list. He, Damon Murty and Norman Chesmore are the only Stock Car drivers with multiple wins in each of the last two seasons.
National points contender Clint Luellen made the pull from to Vinton from Minburn Sunday night since his normal Sunday venue, Stuart Speedway, was not scheduled to race. Luellen made it worth the trip as he earned his first win in Vinton.
Kyle Olson took the lead at the drop of the green and quickly pulled away from the field while Luellen raced from a fifth row starting spot.
Luellen worked into a side-by-side battle with Dave Burrell for second when Olson bobbled in turns three and four on lap seven. Luellen made his way around Olson en route to the victory.
Luellen became the 51st different SportMod winner in weekly racing history in Vinton. The seven first-time SportMod winners this season ranks as second most in track history (2005).
When front-runners Justin Wacha and Benji Irvine bobbled in turn three with just a couple laps remaining, the door opened for Jacob Keiser to drive to his first win of the season in the 15-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature.
The win was Keiser's eighth in weekly racing history at the speedway and moved him into a tie with Jerry Dedrick for 18th on the all-time list. Three of his eight wins have come in the month of August.
Keiser has now won at least one Hobby Stock feature in each of the last six years at the speedway. That is the longest active streak in the division.
Darren Ackerman held off Todd Cooney in the final appearance of the IMCA Late Model Sunday Series.
Cooney took the lead early from a second row starting spot while Ackerman made his way through traffic from a fifth row start. He was running fifth following a lap six yellow.
Two laps after the restart, Ackerman raced the low groove into the runner-up spot and then made his way past Cooney just prior to a lap 11 yellow.
Ackerman denied late pressure from Cooney to take his first win of the season in the 20-lap event.
Don Erger led all 10 laps to earn his second straight win in the BCS Micro Mod division. Erger held off pressure from Buster Pate and Chuck Ihde to drive to victory, his second straight.
Adam Gates earned his third straight win in the IMCA Sport Compact 10-lapper. He led the entire event to beat points leader Bill Whalen Jr. to the checkers.
With four wins on the season, Gates has five for his career in Vinton. He is now tied with Doug Laughridge for eighth on the division's wins list.
Gates is the sixth Sport Compact driver in track history to string together at least three straight wins. A win next week would join him with Nathan Chandler and Bill Whalen Jr. as the only drivers to win four straight.
For those who read my blog for Vinton results, I will not be at Benton County Speedway next Sunday. I am heading to Marshalltown Speedway Friday night and will head to Boone immediately following the races to set up my camper in anticipation of next week's IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey's.
I'll stick around Boone Saturday night for the season championship program and then hang out Sunday as folks from all over the country make their way to Boone before we kick off America's Racin' Vacation Monday.
I'll still keeps the stats and update the numbers at a later date and will return to Vinton for the season championship program September 14.
Have a great week and I'll see you in Boone!
RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature: 1. 71 Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 2. 00 J. D. Auringer, Waterloo; 3. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids; 4. 12D Joe Docekal, Dysart; 5. 20L Zach Less, Hopkinton; 6. 80 Jerry Dedrick, Vinton; 7. 12T Ty Glass, Cedar Rapids; 8. 4 Ryan Maitland, Waterloo; 9. 57B Dennis Betzer, Central City; 10. 17J Jason Seegmiller, Dubuque; 11. 63 Kelly Pestka, Preston; DNS 7 Todd Jensen, Waterloo.
Heat one: 1. Glass; 2. Maitland; 3. Less; 4. Cordes; 5. Docekal; 6. Seegmiller.
Heat two: 1. Auringer; 2. Flannagan; 3. Betzer; 4. Dedrick; 5. Pestka; DNS Jensen.
IMCA LATE MODEL
Feature: 1. 53 Darren Ackerman, Readlyn; 2. 30 Todd Cooney, Des Moines; 3. 70 Jerry King, Waterloo; 4. 45 Curt Martin, Independence; 5. 22 Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake; 6. 12 Don Pataska, Miles; 7. 60 Ben Seemann, Waterloo; 8. 99D Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 9. 77 Dirk Hamilton, Jesup; 10. 05 Paul Nagle, Nevada; 11. 23 Paul Conrad, Colo; 12. 5 Scott Welsh, Cedar Rapids; 13. 99 Luke Pestka, Robins.
Heat one: 1. King; 2. Pataska; 3. Cooney; 4. Hamilton; 5. Ackerman; 6. DeFrance; 7. Welsh.
Heat two: 1. McKenna; 2. Martin; 3. Conrad; 4. Pestka; 5. Wagner; 6. Nagle.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 47 Scott Pippert, Elberon; 2. 8 Curtis Roster, Vinton; 3. 67 Justin Stander, Shellsburg; 4. 15 Norman Chesmore, Rowley; 5. 76 Mike Galli, Urbana; 6. 3J Jarod Weepie, Dunkerton; 7. 74C Cole Mather, Dundee; 8. 1X Michael Peterson, Montezuma; 9. 62G Adam Gebel, Cedar Falls; 10. 8B Scott Beauregard, Brandon.
Heat one: 1. Stander; 2. Weepie; 3. Beauregard; 4. Peterson; 5. Galli.
Heat two: 1. Roster; 2. Pippert; 3. Gebel; 4. Chesmore; 5. Mather.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 3L Clint Luellen, Minburn; 2. 3K Kyle Olson, Cedar Rapids; 4. T23 Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids; 4. 199 Dave Burrell, Dysart; 5. 22 Matt Petrzelka, Norway; 6. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Falls; 7. MR09 Kurt Hogan, Vinton; 8. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 9. 72 Brett Lowry, Montezuma; 10. J2 Dave Schulze, Keystone; 11. 17 Dawn Krall, Evansdale; 12. 10S John Schaefer, La Porte City; 13. 95 Mike McDonald, Cedar Rapids; 14. 3R Danny Dvorak, Vinton; 15. 55V Jared VanDerWal, LeGrand; DNS/16. 19 Nate Smith, Cedar Falls.
Heat one: 1. T. Olson; 2. Burrell; 3. Buhlman; 4. Petrzelka; 5. K. Olson; 6. Dvorak; 7. Schaefer; 8. Smith.
Heat two: 1. Luellen; 2. Schulze; 3. McDonald; 4. Hilmer; 5. Lowry; 6. Hogan; 7. Krall; 8. VanDerWal.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 07 Jacob Keiser, Marengo; 2. 46 Brian Happel, Vinton; 3. 17K Kyle Parizek, Belle Plaine; 4. 79 Benji Irvine, Stanley; 5. 4P Matt Pohlman, Keystone; 6. 5 Marcus Wayne, Independence; 7. 78 Matt Brown, Dysart; 8. M35 Chad Mannion, Waterloo; 9. 7M Matt Tiernan, Stuart; 10. 7B Jim Ball, Independence; DQ 45 Justin Wacha, Vinton.
Heat one: 1. Brown; 2. Keiser; 3. Irvine; 4. Wayne; 5. Tiernan; 6. Mannion.
Heat two: 1. Wacha; 2. Happel; 3. Parizek; 4. Pohlman; 5. Ball.
IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 007 Adam Gates, Marion; 2. 00W Bill Whalen Jr., Riverside; 3. 36DD Gary Peiffer, Troy Mills; 4. 3S Craig Streeter, Vinton.
Heat: 1. Gates; 2. Peiffer; 3. Streeter; 4. Whalen.
BCS MICRO MOD
Feature: 1. 6E Don Erger, Brandon; 2. 111 Buster Pate, Hiawatha; 3. 1 Chuck Ihde, Decorah; 4. 2 Brandon Maitland, Waterloo; 5. 5 John Hershberger, Rochester, Minn.; 6. 00 Brody Willett, Alburnett; 7. 71 Tristan Cordes, Dunkerton; 8. 7 Adam Rogich, Mabel, Minn.; 9. 75 Cole McNeal, Dysart; 10. 18 Jeff Davis, La Porte City.
Heat one: 1. Pate; 2. Maitland; 3. Davis; 4. Rogich; DNS Cordes.
Heat two: 1. Willett; 2. Hershberger; 3. Erger; 4. Ihde; 5. McNeal.
The IMCA Modified driver earned his sixth win of the season at Benton County Speedway to extend his points lead. In the process, Cordes became the all-time leading feature winner in division history in Vinton. (complete results follow)
Ty Glass held the early lead while Patrick Flannagan ran the high side into contention. Flannagan powered around Glass on the fourth circuit to assume command while Cordes worked through the pack from a fifth row starting spot.
After being mired in traffic, Cordes raced the low groove into the top three on lap seven and then set his sights on the front-runners, who had built a half-straightaway lead.
Cordes reeled in the leaders just past the midway point of the 20-lapper and powered beneath them to assume command on lap 11. He drove away to score his 16th sanctioned win of the season and the 96th IMCA Modified win of his career.
Of those 96 wins, 45 have come in weekly racing in Vinton, making him the all-time wins leader in the division on the Vinton oval. Nine of his 45 Vinton wins have come in the month of August.
Entering Sunday night, Cordes was tied with Scott Hogan for the most Vinton Modified wins. He was also tied atop the wins list with Hogan for 224 calendar days from September 2009 to May 2010. This marks the first time in his career that Cordes has had sole possession of the wins lead. Only Cordes and Arlo Becker have had multiple stints as the Modified wins leader at the speedway.
Cordes, also the winner in Independence Saturday night, has swept feature wins over the same weekend five times in his career. That ties Jack Mitchell for the most Modified sweeps in history between the two tracks. Modified sweeps at Independence and Vinton have occurred 25 times. The last time Cordes did it was July 21-22, 2007.
Scott Pippert won a thrilling battle with Curtis Roster to earn his second IMCA Stock Car win of the season.
Roster took control on lap three with Pippert in tow. The top two broke away from the pack with Roster running the high side and Pippert down low.
Pippert was able to keep pace with Roster in turns three and four, but fought a push in turns one and two each time around the fast, smooth quarter-mile.
Pippert pulled alongside Roster over the final circuit and surged ahead at the line to score the victory.
With five Stock Car wins in weekly racing history in Vinton, Pippert moved into 10th on the all-time list. He, Damon Murty and Norman Chesmore are the only Stock Car drivers with multiple wins in each of the last two seasons.
National points contender Clint Luellen made the pull from to Vinton from Minburn Sunday night since his normal Sunday venue, Stuart Speedway, was not scheduled to race. Luellen made it worth the trip as he earned his first win in Vinton.
Kyle Olson took the lead at the drop of the green and quickly pulled away from the field while Luellen raced from a fifth row starting spot.
Luellen worked into a side-by-side battle with Dave Burrell for second when Olson bobbled in turns three and four on lap seven. Luellen made his way around Olson en route to the victory.
Luellen became the 51st different SportMod winner in weekly racing history in Vinton. The seven first-time SportMod winners this season ranks as second most in track history (2005).
When front-runners Justin Wacha and Benji Irvine bobbled in turn three with just a couple laps remaining, the door opened for Jacob Keiser to drive to his first win of the season in the 15-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature.
The win was Keiser's eighth in weekly racing history at the speedway and moved him into a tie with Jerry Dedrick for 18th on the all-time list. Three of his eight wins have come in the month of August.
Keiser has now won at least one Hobby Stock feature in each of the last six years at the speedway. That is the longest active streak in the division.
Darren Ackerman held off Todd Cooney in the final appearance of the IMCA Late Model Sunday Series.
Cooney took the lead early from a second row starting spot while Ackerman made his way through traffic from a fifth row start. He was running fifth following a lap six yellow.
Two laps after the restart, Ackerman raced the low groove into the runner-up spot and then made his way past Cooney just prior to a lap 11 yellow.
Ackerman denied late pressure from Cooney to take his first win of the season in the 20-lap event.
Don Erger led all 10 laps to earn his second straight win in the BCS Micro Mod division. Erger held off pressure from Buster Pate and Chuck Ihde to drive to victory, his second straight.
Adam Gates earned his third straight win in the IMCA Sport Compact 10-lapper. He led the entire event to beat points leader Bill Whalen Jr. to the checkers.
With four wins on the season, Gates has five for his career in Vinton. He is now tied with Doug Laughridge for eighth on the division's wins list.
Gates is the sixth Sport Compact driver in track history to string together at least three straight wins. A win next week would join him with Nathan Chandler and Bill Whalen Jr. as the only drivers to win four straight.
For those who read my blog for Vinton results, I will not be at Benton County Speedway next Sunday. I am heading to Marshalltown Speedway Friday night and will head to Boone immediately following the races to set up my camper in anticipation of next week's IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey's.
I'll stick around Boone Saturday night for the season championship program and then hang out Sunday as folks from all over the country make their way to Boone before we kick off America's Racin' Vacation Monday.
I'll still keeps the stats and update the numbers at a later date and will return to Vinton for the season championship program September 14.
Have a great week and I'll see you in Boone!
RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature: 1. 71 Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 2. 00 J. D. Auringer, Waterloo; 3. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids; 4. 12D Joe Docekal, Dysart; 5. 20L Zach Less, Hopkinton; 6. 80 Jerry Dedrick, Vinton; 7. 12T Ty Glass, Cedar Rapids; 8. 4 Ryan Maitland, Waterloo; 9. 57B Dennis Betzer, Central City; 10. 17J Jason Seegmiller, Dubuque; 11. 63 Kelly Pestka, Preston; DNS 7 Todd Jensen, Waterloo.
Heat one: 1. Glass; 2. Maitland; 3. Less; 4. Cordes; 5. Docekal; 6. Seegmiller.
Heat two: 1. Auringer; 2. Flannagan; 3. Betzer; 4. Dedrick; 5. Pestka; DNS Jensen.
IMCA LATE MODEL
Feature: 1. 53 Darren Ackerman, Readlyn; 2. 30 Todd Cooney, Des Moines; 3. 70 Jerry King, Waterloo; 4. 45 Curt Martin, Independence; 5. 22 Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake; 6. 12 Don Pataska, Miles; 7. 60 Ben Seemann, Waterloo; 8. 99D Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 9. 77 Dirk Hamilton, Jesup; 10. 05 Paul Nagle, Nevada; 11. 23 Paul Conrad, Colo; 12. 5 Scott Welsh, Cedar Rapids; 13. 99 Luke Pestka, Robins.
Heat one: 1. King; 2. Pataska; 3. Cooney; 4. Hamilton; 5. Ackerman; 6. DeFrance; 7. Welsh.
Heat two: 1. McKenna; 2. Martin; 3. Conrad; 4. Pestka; 5. Wagner; 6. Nagle.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 47 Scott Pippert, Elberon; 2. 8 Curtis Roster, Vinton; 3. 67 Justin Stander, Shellsburg; 4. 15 Norman Chesmore, Rowley; 5. 76 Mike Galli, Urbana; 6. 3J Jarod Weepie, Dunkerton; 7. 74C Cole Mather, Dundee; 8. 1X Michael Peterson, Montezuma; 9. 62G Adam Gebel, Cedar Falls; 10. 8B Scott Beauregard, Brandon.
Heat one: 1. Stander; 2. Weepie; 3. Beauregard; 4. Peterson; 5. Galli.
Heat two: 1. Roster; 2. Pippert; 3. Gebel; 4. Chesmore; 5. Mather.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 3L Clint Luellen, Minburn; 2. 3K Kyle Olson, Cedar Rapids; 4. T23 Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids; 4. 199 Dave Burrell, Dysart; 5. 22 Matt Petrzelka, Norway; 6. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Falls; 7. MR09 Kurt Hogan, Vinton; 8. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 9. 72 Brett Lowry, Montezuma; 10. J2 Dave Schulze, Keystone; 11. 17 Dawn Krall, Evansdale; 12. 10S John Schaefer, La Porte City; 13. 95 Mike McDonald, Cedar Rapids; 14. 3R Danny Dvorak, Vinton; 15. 55V Jared VanDerWal, LeGrand; DNS/16. 19 Nate Smith, Cedar Falls.
Heat one: 1. T. Olson; 2. Burrell; 3. Buhlman; 4. Petrzelka; 5. K. Olson; 6. Dvorak; 7. Schaefer; 8. Smith.
Heat two: 1. Luellen; 2. Schulze; 3. McDonald; 4. Hilmer; 5. Lowry; 6. Hogan; 7. Krall; 8. VanDerWal.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 07 Jacob Keiser, Marengo; 2. 46 Brian Happel, Vinton; 3. 17K Kyle Parizek, Belle Plaine; 4. 79 Benji Irvine, Stanley; 5. 4P Matt Pohlman, Keystone; 6. 5 Marcus Wayne, Independence; 7. 78 Matt Brown, Dysart; 8. M35 Chad Mannion, Waterloo; 9. 7M Matt Tiernan, Stuart; 10. 7B Jim Ball, Independence; DQ 45 Justin Wacha, Vinton.
Heat one: 1. Brown; 2. Keiser; 3. Irvine; 4. Wayne; 5. Tiernan; 6. Mannion.
Heat two: 1. Wacha; 2. Happel; 3. Parizek; 4. Pohlman; 5. Ball.
IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 007 Adam Gates, Marion; 2. 00W Bill Whalen Jr., Riverside; 3. 36DD Gary Peiffer, Troy Mills; 4. 3S Craig Streeter, Vinton.
Heat: 1. Gates; 2. Peiffer; 3. Streeter; 4. Whalen.
BCS MICRO MOD
Feature: 1. 6E Don Erger, Brandon; 2. 111 Buster Pate, Hiawatha; 3. 1 Chuck Ihde, Decorah; 4. 2 Brandon Maitland, Waterloo; 5. 5 John Hershberger, Rochester, Minn.; 6. 00 Brody Willett, Alburnett; 7. 71 Tristan Cordes, Dunkerton; 8. 7 Adam Rogich, Mabel, Minn.; 9. 75 Cole McNeal, Dysart; 10. 18 Jeff Davis, La Porte City.
Heat one: 1. Pate; 2. Maitland; 3. Davis; 4. Rogich; DNS Cordes.
Heat two: 1. Willett; 2. Hershberger; 3. Erger; 4. Ihde; 5. McNeal.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Four champions wrap up titles in victory lane at Independence
Saturday night was the final night of racing for 2014 at Independence Motor Speedway and four track champions went out in style during Budweiser Season Championships.
Curt Martin, Troy Cordes, Alex Zwanziger and Benji Irvine celebrated 2014 track championship honors in victory lane after earning feature wins.
Five laps were added to all five features, which were lined up straight-up based on season point totals. As has been the case for the last 15 seasons, the top four in each division's standings were given the chance to double their money if they could win their feature after starting at the tail.
Martin took the lead at the drop of the green in the 30-lapper for the IMCA Late Models. A pair of cautions didn't slow him down as Martin simply dominated the field to take the win by half of a lap ahead of Sean Johnson.
Martin has now won 95 times in weekly racing history in the Late Model division in Independence, the most all-time. Twenty of those wins have come in August. He has won in 26 different calendar years at the speedway, including one win in each of the last four seasons.
The win propelled Martin to his 11th Late Model track title in Independence, also the most all-time. Prior to this season, Martin's most recent championship run came in 2006. His first title came 30 years ago.
Cordes held off Tyler Droste to earn his fifth win of the season in the Performance Bodies IMCA Modified 25-lapper.
Cordes and Droste pulled away from the field following a mid-race restart and Cordes was able to hold Droste at bay to score the win en route to his fourth Modified title in Independence. Cordes was also the Mod champ in Indee in 2002, 2008 and 2010.
Cordes is now tied with Tom Bartholomew for second on the list of Modified championships in Independence. Jerry Luloff leads all drivers in the division with five titles.
All-time, Cordes has earned 36 Modified wins in weekly racing history at the speedway and sits third on the division's wins list. Cordes has won a dozen times in the month of August. All five of his wins this season came in the last eight weeks, including victories in three of the last four weeks.
Zwanziger drove to the win and track championship in the IMCA Northern SportMod division. Zwanziger set the pace at the drop of the green in that 20-lapper while Jenae Gustin, who accepted the challenge and started at the tail, quickly made her way through traffic.
After starting 18th, Gustin raced her way into the top five in just six laps and then into second with three laps remaining. Although Gustin closed late, Zwanziger held on for his second win of the year in the caution-free event.
The win wrapped up Zwanziger his first career track championship. He became the sixth different SportMod champion in seven seasons the division has competed in Independence.
It was Zwanziger's second win in weekly racing history at the speedway. He is one of 14 drivers with multiple wins in the division and is tied with Matt McCahen and Rod McDonald for 12th on the all-time list.
Irvine became the first driver in track history to earn back-to-back track titles in the IMCA Hobby Stock division. He led all 20 laps of that event and held off Justin Wacha in lapped traffic to score the victory.
With 12 Hobby Stock wins in weekly racing history in Independence, Irvine sits alone in fifth on the all-time list. Three of those wins have come in the month of August.
He is just the fourth driver in track history with multiple Hobby Stock titles. The division has been part of the weekly racing program in Independence for 26 years.
After all four drivers eligible for the challenge opted to start at the back of the 25-lap IMCA Stock Car feature, Jason Hocken found himself on the pole.
Hocken led the first 15 laps before Roger Ciesielski raced past him on the 16th circuit. Ciesielski led the remainder of the event to score his first Independence win in the division.
With the win, Ciesielski became the 49th different Stock Car winner in weekly racing history at the speedway, but the first to earn his first win on season championship night.
By virtue of taking the green flag in the feature, Norman Chesmore wrapped up his first career track championship in the division. Chesmore, who is the only driver remaining in the division from its inaugural season in 1993, beat Jarod Weepie by 17 points in the final standings.
Chesmore became the eighth different Stock Car champion in track history.
Saturday was my last night working on a regular basis at Independence and I am truly grateful for all the kind words people shared throughout the course of the program.
I planned early this season to make this year my last working weekly at the track, but I didn't expect the kind gestures and gifts last night.
When I made the decision to be done at the end of the season, I only told a few close friends because I didn't want anyone to make a big deal out of it. When word got out that Darin Burco and Todd Summers of S&B Promotions were also in their final year at Independence, word started spreading that I was going to become the new promoter.
That's when I started telling people that simply wasn't the case and that I wouldn't be returning after this season. A number of people didn't believe me at the time (a few still don't, even after last night), but I wanted to put out that fire before it spread even more.
I wasn't expecting anything Saturday night except to grill with friends in the pits and maybe have a few drinks. The response I received when word got out that last night was, in fact, my last night, was unbelievable. I'm not often left speechless, but I was at a loss for words on more than one occasion last night.
From what I understand, so many people were involved that I don't even know who all to thank. It's truly humbling.
A few people who I know were involved include Bucky Doren, Linda Hall, Bobbie Emerson, Troy Cordes and his entire crew, Gary and Karen Crawford, Andy and Jessica Miller, Darin Burco and Todd Summers. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Not just for last night, but thank you for being part of an incredible racing family.
I'll still be in Independence on a fairly regular basis next season and I look forward to spending time with friends in the stands as a race fan. I'll fill in if and when they need me, but I won't be at any track on a weekly basis next year. I plan to visit other tracks, as well, and enjoy racing as a fan.
I'll still be in Boone to announce Super Nationals next week and for as long as IMCA and Boone Speedway will have me. I'll also continue to keep all the stats on Independence and Benton County Speedway. I live for that stuff and it's great to see so many fans with an appreciation for the numbers and history, as well.
There are three people above all else who I need to thank. The first is my dad. His passion for racing was instilled in me at a very young age. Although he's been gone for over three years, I still carry his passion within me and I have no intention of leaving the sport of racing. The sport and the people simply mean too much to me and he is the reason I've been blessed with such a special racing family.
The second is Dana Benning. After keeping stats in the stands as a kid, I was on Dale Hackwell Jr.'s crew for a number of years before I received a call from Dana prior to the start of the 2000 season when he took the reigns in Independence. He offered me a job despite the fact that we'd never met and had never even had a conversation prior to that phone call. Thanks, Dana. That single phone call means more to me than you'll ever know.
The third person is Jim Roper. As a kid, I watched Jim flag in Independence before he became the voice of the speedway. I idolized him as a young race fan and through the years I came to respect him as a peer. Today I love him as a friend.
When I receive compliments on my announcing, a lot of that credit goes right back to Jim. Yeah, I probably talk a little more than Jim used to, but he was the first to teach me, above all else, the job of an announcer is to inform the race fans. If you can't get the car number, driver and hometown over the mic and if you can't explain race procedure, then you aren't doing your job. Yes, you can entertain along the way, but to let people know what's going on is why you're there. Thank you, Jim.
The fans and drivers in Independence are a special group of people. Yeah, I grew up going there so some may say I'm biased, but I've been to a lot of tracks over the years and there's a special feeling driving onto the Buchanan County Fairgrounds on a Saturday afternoon.
The fans who are committed to racing in Independence are second-to-none. They show that through their passion and in the way they fill the stands every Saturday night.
The accomplishments of the drivers speak for themselves. Our drivers have not only succeeded locally, but on the regional and national levels throughout their careers, as well. I am honored to have worked with them and to call many of them my friends.
Like I said last night, the racing is what draws us to the track the first time we go, but it is the people we meet and the friends we make who keep us coming back.
Thank you to everyone and I'll see you at the races!
Curt Martin, Troy Cordes, Alex Zwanziger and Benji Irvine celebrated 2014 track championship honors in victory lane after earning feature wins.
Five laps were added to all five features, which were lined up straight-up based on season point totals. As has been the case for the last 15 seasons, the top four in each division's standings were given the chance to double their money if they could win their feature after starting at the tail.
Martin took the lead at the drop of the green in the 30-lapper for the IMCA Late Models. A pair of cautions didn't slow him down as Martin simply dominated the field to take the win by half of a lap ahead of Sean Johnson.
Martin has now won 95 times in weekly racing history in the Late Model division in Independence, the most all-time. Twenty of those wins have come in August. He has won in 26 different calendar years at the speedway, including one win in each of the last four seasons.
The win propelled Martin to his 11th Late Model track title in Independence, also the most all-time. Prior to this season, Martin's most recent championship run came in 2006. His first title came 30 years ago.
Cordes held off Tyler Droste to earn his fifth win of the season in the Performance Bodies IMCA Modified 25-lapper.
Cordes and Droste pulled away from the field following a mid-race restart and Cordes was able to hold Droste at bay to score the win en route to his fourth Modified title in Independence. Cordes was also the Mod champ in Indee in 2002, 2008 and 2010.
Cordes is now tied with Tom Bartholomew for second on the list of Modified championships in Independence. Jerry Luloff leads all drivers in the division with five titles.
All-time, Cordes has earned 36 Modified wins in weekly racing history at the speedway and sits third on the division's wins list. Cordes has won a dozen times in the month of August. All five of his wins this season came in the last eight weeks, including victories in three of the last four weeks.
Zwanziger drove to the win and track championship in the IMCA Northern SportMod division. Zwanziger set the pace at the drop of the green in that 20-lapper while Jenae Gustin, who accepted the challenge and started at the tail, quickly made her way through traffic.
After starting 18th, Gustin raced her way into the top five in just six laps and then into second with three laps remaining. Although Gustin closed late, Zwanziger held on for his second win of the year in the caution-free event.
The win wrapped up Zwanziger his first career track championship. He became the sixth different SportMod champion in seven seasons the division has competed in Independence.
It was Zwanziger's second win in weekly racing history at the speedway. He is one of 14 drivers with multiple wins in the division and is tied with Matt McCahen and Rod McDonald for 12th on the all-time list.
Irvine became the first driver in track history to earn back-to-back track titles in the IMCA Hobby Stock division. He led all 20 laps of that event and held off Justin Wacha in lapped traffic to score the victory.
With 12 Hobby Stock wins in weekly racing history in Independence, Irvine sits alone in fifth on the all-time list. Three of those wins have come in the month of August.
He is just the fourth driver in track history with multiple Hobby Stock titles. The division has been part of the weekly racing program in Independence for 26 years.
After all four drivers eligible for the challenge opted to start at the back of the 25-lap IMCA Stock Car feature, Jason Hocken found himself on the pole.
Hocken led the first 15 laps before Roger Ciesielski raced past him on the 16th circuit. Ciesielski led the remainder of the event to score his first Independence win in the division.
With the win, Ciesielski became the 49th different Stock Car winner in weekly racing history at the speedway, but the first to earn his first win on season championship night.
By virtue of taking the green flag in the feature, Norman Chesmore wrapped up his first career track championship in the division. Chesmore, who is the only driver remaining in the division from its inaugural season in 1993, beat Jarod Weepie by 17 points in the final standings.
Chesmore became the eighth different Stock Car champion in track history.
Saturday was my last night working on a regular basis at Independence and I am truly grateful for all the kind words people shared throughout the course of the program.
I planned early this season to make this year my last working weekly at the track, but I didn't expect the kind gestures and gifts last night.
When I made the decision to be done at the end of the season, I only told a few close friends because I didn't want anyone to make a big deal out of it. When word got out that Darin Burco and Todd Summers of S&B Promotions were also in their final year at Independence, word started spreading that I was going to become the new promoter.
That's when I started telling people that simply wasn't the case and that I wouldn't be returning after this season. A number of people didn't believe me at the time (a few still don't, even after last night), but I wanted to put out that fire before it spread even more.
I wasn't expecting anything Saturday night except to grill with friends in the pits and maybe have a few drinks. The response I received when word got out that last night was, in fact, my last night, was unbelievable. I'm not often left speechless, but I was at a loss for words on more than one occasion last night.
From what I understand, so many people were involved that I don't even know who all to thank. It's truly humbling.
A few people who I know were involved include Bucky Doren, Linda Hall, Bobbie Emerson, Troy Cordes and his entire crew, Gary and Karen Crawford, Andy and Jessica Miller, Darin Burco and Todd Summers. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Not just for last night, but thank you for being part of an incredible racing family.
I'll still be in Independence on a fairly regular basis next season and I look forward to spending time with friends in the stands as a race fan. I'll fill in if and when they need me, but I won't be at any track on a weekly basis next year. I plan to visit other tracks, as well, and enjoy racing as a fan.
I'll still be in Boone to announce Super Nationals next week and for as long as IMCA and Boone Speedway will have me. I'll also continue to keep all the stats on Independence and Benton County Speedway. I live for that stuff and it's great to see so many fans with an appreciation for the numbers and history, as well.
There are three people above all else who I need to thank. The first is my dad. His passion for racing was instilled in me at a very young age. Although he's been gone for over three years, I still carry his passion within me and I have no intention of leaving the sport of racing. The sport and the people simply mean too much to me and he is the reason I've been blessed with such a special racing family.
The second is Dana Benning. After keeping stats in the stands as a kid, I was on Dale Hackwell Jr.'s crew for a number of years before I received a call from Dana prior to the start of the 2000 season when he took the reigns in Independence. He offered me a job despite the fact that we'd never met and had never even had a conversation prior to that phone call. Thanks, Dana. That single phone call means more to me than you'll ever know.
The third person is Jim Roper. As a kid, I watched Jim flag in Independence before he became the voice of the speedway. I idolized him as a young race fan and through the years I came to respect him as a peer. Today I love him as a friend.
When I receive compliments on my announcing, a lot of that credit goes right back to Jim. Yeah, I probably talk a little more than Jim used to, but he was the first to teach me, above all else, the job of an announcer is to inform the race fans. If you can't get the car number, driver and hometown over the mic and if you can't explain race procedure, then you aren't doing your job. Yes, you can entertain along the way, but to let people know what's going on is why you're there. Thank you, Jim.
The fans and drivers in Independence are a special group of people. Yeah, I grew up going there so some may say I'm biased, but I've been to a lot of tracks over the years and there's a special feeling driving onto the Buchanan County Fairgrounds on a Saturday afternoon.
The fans who are committed to racing in Independence are second-to-none. They show that through their passion and in the way they fill the stands every Saturday night.
The accomplishments of the drivers speak for themselves. Our drivers have not only succeeded locally, but on the regional and national levels throughout their careers, as well. I am honored to have worked with them and to call many of them my friends.
Like I said last night, the racing is what draws us to the track the first time we go, but it is the people we meet and the friends we make who keep us coming back.
Thank you to everyone and I'll see you at the races!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Gustin gets Hawkeye Dirt Tour checkers at Benton County Speedway
One night after a fantastic IMCA Modified feature at Benton County Speedway, the division offered an encore during the XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour stop Monday night.
The tour's all-time leading feature winner, Richie Gustin drove the high side to victory in a thrilling finish on the Vinton quarter-mile. (complete results follow)
Outside front row starter Vern Jackson set the pace at the start of the 30-lapper with pole-sitter Tyler Droste in tow. Jackson ran the high side of the fast, smooth surface while Droste tried to pull alongside him down low.
Droste was able to draw even with the leader as they crossed the stripe to complete lap seven, however Jackson maintained the point. Meanwhile, Gustin, who was also running the top groove, reeled in the lead pair.
As the front trio battled, Ronn Lauritzen and Joe Docekal joined the battle and made it a five-car breakaway at the front of the pack.
Gustin was able to reel in Jackson and Droste exiting turn four on lap 14 as they ran three-wide off the corner. Jackson and Droste then opened up some breathing room while Gustin fell back into a battle for third.
Working the low side, Droste, pulled ahead of Jackson to take control with 10 laps to go. He built a five car-length lead and was approaching lapped traffic when caution slowed action on lap 23.
Following another restart on lap 24, Droste set the pace with Gustin and Jackson in row two. Jackson, who had been running the top side all night, elected to start outside of that row, however Gustin powered in front of him when racing resumed.
One more caution slowed the field with four laps remaining and Droste again set sail when the green flag waved.
Running the top side, Gustin powered back into contention and pulled even in turns three and four. He surged into the lead as the flying green waved and led the final two circuits on his way to victory.
Droste ran second ahead of Lauritzen, Jackson and Docekal.
IMCA sanctioned Stock Cars, Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks also took part in Monday's program. They were not running for track points, but all other applicable IMCA points in the draw/redraw special.
Scott Pippert took the lead at the drop of the green in the 15-lap Stock Car feature. He worked the top side while Damon Murty pursued.
Although Murty remained glued to Pippert's rear bumper, he was unable to pass the leader until Pippert got sideways in turn four on the final lap. Murty swept to the outside of Pippert to take the unexpected victory.
Tony Olson, Sunday night's Northern SportMod winner, made it back-to-back wins in that division's 15-lapper.
Kip Siems held the early lead while Olson made his way through traffic from a mid-pack start. Olson quickly raced his way into second and set his sights on Siems after just one lap.
Olson chased Siems for a handful of laps until he made his move to the inside of the leader on lap six. Olson took command and led the remainder of the event to score the victory.
Although low in number, the Hobby Stocks provided plenty of excitement in that 12-lapper.
From his outside front row starting spot, Matt Pohlman took the the lead with Justin Wacha in tow. Wacha kept pace with the leader and dropped to his inside entering turn three on lap five.
Wacha exited turn four with the lead and then held off late pressure from Jacob Keiser to score the victory.
Tuesday night my plan is to head to Cedar County Raceway in Tipton for the next round of the Hawkeye Dirt Tour, plus the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models and IMCA Stock Cars. I've been battling a bad cold all day and was hesitant to even make the drive across town Monday night for the races in Vinton. If I'm feeling better, I hope to see you tomorrow in Tipton. If not, I'll catch the action on XSAN and see you in Independence next weekend!
RESULTS
HAWKEYE DIRT TOUR IMCA MODIFIEDS
Feature: 1. 19G Richie Gustin, Gilman; 2. 92 Tyler Droste, Waterloo; 3. 10K Ronn Lauritzen, Jesup; 4. 64 Vern Jackson, Waterloo; 5. 12D Joe Docekal, Dysart; 6. 10M Jeremy Mills, Garner; 7. 00J J. D. Auringer, Waterloo; 8. 21K Kyle Brown, Kellogg; 9. 57V Mike Van Genderen, Newton; 10. 26J Joel Rust, Grundy Center; 11. 99 Jess Sobbing, Glenwood; 12. 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa; 13. 71W Jeff Waterman, Quincy, Ill.; 14. 17R Derek Reimer, Marshalltown; 15. 71 Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 16. 48J Jacob Murray, Hartford; 17. 20L Zach Less, Hopkinton; 18. 33D Scott Hogan, Vinton; 19. 9 Tyler Groenendyk, Oskaloosa; 20. 81 Jesse Belez, Marengo; 21. 12X Trent Jackson, Marshalltown; 22. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids.
Heat one (four redraw): 1. Auringer; 2. Gustin; 3. Brown; 4. Rust; 5. Waterman; 6. Reimer; 7. Cordes; 8. Sobbing.
Heat two: 1. Docekal; 2. Mills; 3. Groenendyk; 4. V. Jackson; 5. Less; 6. Murray; 7. T. Jackson.
Heat three: 1. Droste; 2. Flannagan; 3. Lauritzen; 4. Van Genderen; 5. Hogan; 6. Belez; 7. Carter.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 99D Damon Murty, Chelsea; 2. 47 Scott Pippert, Elberon; 3. 15 Norman Chesmore, Rowley; 4. 67 Justin Stander, Shellsburg; 5. 76 Mike Galli, Urbana; 6. 3 Ryan Coleman, Vinton; 7. 62G Adam Gebel, Cedar Falls; 8. 8E Mitchell Evens, Independence.
Heat: 1. Murty; 2. Chesmore; 3. Stander; 4. Galli; 5. Pippert; 6. Coleman; 7. Gebel; 8. Evens.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. T23 Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids; 2. S16 Kip Siems, Cedar Falls; 3. 198 Sam Wieben, Dysart; 4. K3 Kyle Olson, Cedar Rapids; 5. 15B Troy Burkhart, Urbana; 6. 19J Jenae Gustin, Marshalltown; 7. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 8. 1 Austin Kaplan, Ankeny; 9. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Falls; 10. J2 Dave Schulze, Keystone; 11. 22 Matt Petrzelka, Norway; 12. 15N Ross Neal, Marion; 13. 30 Joey Schaefer, Waterloo; 14. 199 Dave Burrell, Dysart; 15. 57R Ryan King, Montour; 16. 3R Danny Dvorak, Vinton; DNS/17. CH19 Colby Heishman, Brooklyn.
Heat one: 1. Buhlman; 2. Wieben; 3. Burkhart; 4. K. Olson; 5. T. Olson; 6. Petrzelka; 7. Burrell; 8. Neal; 9. Kaplan.
Heat two: 1. Hilmer; 2. Gustin; 3. Heishman; 4. Siems; 5. Schaefer; 6. Schulze; 7. King; 8. Dvorak.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 45 Justin Wacha, Vinton; 2. 07 Jacob Keiser, Marengo; 3. 46 Brian Happel, Vinton; 4. 4P Matt Pohlman, Keystone; 5. 1 Scott Siems, Cedar Rapids.
Heat: 1. Keiser; 2. Happel; 3. Pohlman; 4. Wacha; 5. Siems.
The tour's all-time leading feature winner, Richie Gustin drove the high side to victory in a thrilling finish on the Vinton quarter-mile. (complete results follow)
Outside front row starter Vern Jackson set the pace at the start of the 30-lapper with pole-sitter Tyler Droste in tow. Jackson ran the high side of the fast, smooth surface while Droste tried to pull alongside him down low.
Droste was able to draw even with the leader as they crossed the stripe to complete lap seven, however Jackson maintained the point. Meanwhile, Gustin, who was also running the top groove, reeled in the lead pair.
As the front trio battled, Ronn Lauritzen and Joe Docekal joined the battle and made it a five-car breakaway at the front of the pack.
Gustin was able to reel in Jackson and Droste exiting turn four on lap 14 as they ran three-wide off the corner. Jackson and Droste then opened up some breathing room while Gustin fell back into a battle for third.
Working the low side, Droste, pulled ahead of Jackson to take control with 10 laps to go. He built a five car-length lead and was approaching lapped traffic when caution slowed action on lap 23.
Following another restart on lap 24, Droste set the pace with Gustin and Jackson in row two. Jackson, who had been running the top side all night, elected to start outside of that row, however Gustin powered in front of him when racing resumed.
One more caution slowed the field with four laps remaining and Droste again set sail when the green flag waved.
Running the top side, Gustin powered back into contention and pulled even in turns three and four. He surged into the lead as the flying green waved and led the final two circuits on his way to victory.
Droste ran second ahead of Lauritzen, Jackson and Docekal.
IMCA sanctioned Stock Cars, Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks also took part in Monday's program. They were not running for track points, but all other applicable IMCA points in the draw/redraw special.
Scott Pippert took the lead at the drop of the green in the 15-lap Stock Car feature. He worked the top side while Damon Murty pursued.
Although Murty remained glued to Pippert's rear bumper, he was unable to pass the leader until Pippert got sideways in turn four on the final lap. Murty swept to the outside of Pippert to take the unexpected victory.
Tony Olson, Sunday night's Northern SportMod winner, made it back-to-back wins in that division's 15-lapper.
Kip Siems held the early lead while Olson made his way through traffic from a mid-pack start. Olson quickly raced his way into second and set his sights on Siems after just one lap.
Olson chased Siems for a handful of laps until he made his move to the inside of the leader on lap six. Olson took command and led the remainder of the event to score the victory.
Although low in number, the Hobby Stocks provided plenty of excitement in that 12-lapper.
From his outside front row starting spot, Matt Pohlman took the the lead with Justin Wacha in tow. Wacha kept pace with the leader and dropped to his inside entering turn three on lap five.
Wacha exited turn four with the lead and then held off late pressure from Jacob Keiser to score the victory.
Tuesday night my plan is to head to Cedar County Raceway in Tipton for the next round of the Hawkeye Dirt Tour, plus the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models and IMCA Stock Cars. I've been battling a bad cold all day and was hesitant to even make the drive across town Monday night for the races in Vinton. If I'm feeling better, I hope to see you tomorrow in Tipton. If not, I'll catch the action on XSAN and see you in Independence next weekend!
RESULTS
HAWKEYE DIRT TOUR IMCA MODIFIEDS
Feature: 1. 19G Richie Gustin, Gilman; 2. 92 Tyler Droste, Waterloo; 3. 10K Ronn Lauritzen, Jesup; 4. 64 Vern Jackson, Waterloo; 5. 12D Joe Docekal, Dysart; 6. 10M Jeremy Mills, Garner; 7. 00J J. D. Auringer, Waterloo; 8. 21K Kyle Brown, Kellogg; 9. 57V Mike Van Genderen, Newton; 10. 26J Joel Rust, Grundy Center; 11. 99 Jess Sobbing, Glenwood; 12. 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa; 13. 71W Jeff Waterman, Quincy, Ill.; 14. 17R Derek Reimer, Marshalltown; 15. 71 Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 16. 48J Jacob Murray, Hartford; 17. 20L Zach Less, Hopkinton; 18. 33D Scott Hogan, Vinton; 19. 9 Tyler Groenendyk, Oskaloosa; 20. 81 Jesse Belez, Marengo; 21. 12X Trent Jackson, Marshalltown; 22. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids.
Heat one (four redraw): 1. Auringer; 2. Gustin; 3. Brown; 4. Rust; 5. Waterman; 6. Reimer; 7. Cordes; 8. Sobbing.
Heat two: 1. Docekal; 2. Mills; 3. Groenendyk; 4. V. Jackson; 5. Less; 6. Murray; 7. T. Jackson.
Heat three: 1. Droste; 2. Flannagan; 3. Lauritzen; 4. Van Genderen; 5. Hogan; 6. Belez; 7. Carter.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 99D Damon Murty, Chelsea; 2. 47 Scott Pippert, Elberon; 3. 15 Norman Chesmore, Rowley; 4. 67 Justin Stander, Shellsburg; 5. 76 Mike Galli, Urbana; 6. 3 Ryan Coleman, Vinton; 7. 62G Adam Gebel, Cedar Falls; 8. 8E Mitchell Evens, Independence.
Heat: 1. Murty; 2. Chesmore; 3. Stander; 4. Galli; 5. Pippert; 6. Coleman; 7. Gebel; 8. Evens.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. T23 Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids; 2. S16 Kip Siems, Cedar Falls; 3. 198 Sam Wieben, Dysart; 4. K3 Kyle Olson, Cedar Rapids; 5. 15B Troy Burkhart, Urbana; 6. 19J Jenae Gustin, Marshalltown; 7. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 8. 1 Austin Kaplan, Ankeny; 9. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Falls; 10. J2 Dave Schulze, Keystone; 11. 22 Matt Petrzelka, Norway; 12. 15N Ross Neal, Marion; 13. 30 Joey Schaefer, Waterloo; 14. 199 Dave Burrell, Dysart; 15. 57R Ryan King, Montour; 16. 3R Danny Dvorak, Vinton; DNS/17. CH19 Colby Heishman, Brooklyn.
Heat one: 1. Buhlman; 2. Wieben; 3. Burkhart; 4. K. Olson; 5. T. Olson; 6. Petrzelka; 7. Burrell; 8. Neal; 9. Kaplan.
Heat two: 1. Hilmer; 2. Gustin; 3. Heishman; 4. Siems; 5. Schaefer; 6. Schulze; 7. King; 8. Dvorak.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 45 Justin Wacha, Vinton; 2. 07 Jacob Keiser, Marengo; 3. 46 Brian Happel, Vinton; 4. 4P Matt Pohlman, Keystone; 5. 1 Scott Siems, Cedar Rapids.
Heat: 1. Keiser; 2. Happel; 3. Pohlman; 4. Wacha; 5. Siems.
Auringer wins a classic in IMCA Modified action in Vinton
The XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds will have a tough act to follow Monday night.
As I sat watching the IMCA Modified main Sunday night at Benton County Speedway, I was trying to think back to the last time any race had me on the edge of my seat as much as that race had me there.
The answer? The Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational at the 2013 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey's.
Yes, Sunday night's feature in Vinton was just that good. There may not have been the same prestige on the line, but there was no telling that to the four drivers within striking distance of victory Sunday night.
The 20-lapper started with pole-sitter Jerry Dedrick leading the first circuit before Zach Less, who started outside of row two, challenged to his outside. Less took command on the second circuit until caution slowed action on lap five.
On the restart, Less again held the point while Scott Hogan, who started seventh, made it a three-car battle with Less and Dedrick for the lead. The front-runners ran three-wide for multiple laps before Dedrick slowed to the low side of turns three and four with mechanical problems on lap nine. That brought out what would be the second and final yellow.
Less led the field back to green with Hogan in tow while J. D. Auringer and Troy Cordes raced into contention from fifth row starting spots.
While Cordes was trying to break free from traffic, Auringer chased down the leaders. Hogan was working the low side of Less as the top two battled side-by-side for the lead. As Auringer considered his options, Cordes reeled them in to make it a four-car breakaway at the front of the pack.
Hogan and Auringer battled down low while Less worked the top side with Cordes close behind. Less eventually pulled alongside Hogan, who found the middle groove, and Auringer, who was running the low side, in three-wide formation.
Hogan inched ahead each time across the stripe while Less fell back into a battle with Cordes for third. Auringer, meanwhile, stayed even with Hogan on the low side and surged ahead at the line to score the thrilling victory.
Auringer, whose last win in Vinton came during the Hogan Memorial, has won three times in weekly racing this season. He has earned 15 Modified wins in weekly racing history at the speedway, placing him alone in eighth on the all-time list.
The first Vinton win of his career during the month of August, this is the latest in the season Auringer has made his way to victory lane on the quarter-mile.
Damon Murty continued his winning ways in the IMCA Stock Car division. He took the lead from Nathan Wood with five laps remaining to score his fourth win in the last five weeks and his seventh of the year.
Scott Beauregard held the early lead before Wood worked past the leader just prior to a lap five caution.
On the restart, Murty, who restarted fifth, quickly worked through traffic and settled into third before another stoppage on lap eight.
Murty swept past Curtis Roster on the restart and then shot to the low side of Wood exiting turn two on lap 10 to drive to victory.
Murty's all-time leading Stock Car wins total in Vinton is now at 68. He has won 16 times in the month of August, which is more than any other driver in any month in any division in track history.
Murty has won the last two Stock Car features at the speedway, giving him 10 separate streaks of multiple wins in his career in Vinton. He has won at least seven features in four separate seasons in his career at the speedway (2005, 2006, 2009, 2014).
To his surprise, Tony Olson had one stud holding his left rear wheel on at the end of the 15-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature. To his relief, he discovered it in victory lane after being interviewed for the win.
Dawn Krall led throughout most of the event while Olson worked through the pack from a sixth row starting spot.
Krall was enjoying a sizable lead by the time Olson made his way into second just shy of the midway point on lap seven. Olson reeled in the leader and worked the top side off turn two to steal the lead on lap 11.
Krall remained close over the final laps, however Olson led to the checkers and scored his fourth win of the season. All four of his wins have come in the last eight points races for the division.
His 13 career Northern SportMod wins in Vinton place Olson third on the all-time list. It was his second career win during the month of August.
Brian Happel got to the high side early and that's where he stayed en route to his fourth win of the year in the IMCA Hobby Stock feature.
Happel, who was pressured throughout the 15-lapper by points leader Benji Irvine, held Irvine at bay to score the victory.
With 13 career Hobby Stock wins in weekly racing history in Vinton, Happel finished the night tied with Ron Tharp for sixth on the all-time list.
Happel's win Sunday night nearly fell on the anniversary of his first career win in Vinton. That victory came just over nine years ago on August 14, 2005. Five of Happel's 13 wins have come during the month of August.
Adam Gates checked out early in the 10-lap IMCA Sport Compact feature. Gates dominated the field to score his second straight victory and third of the year in Vinton.
Gates has four career Sport Compact wins in Vinton, tying him with Brett Vanous for ninth on the all-time list. He became the eighth driver in division history to string together consecutive wins at the speedway.
Like Gates, Don Erger made it look easy in the 10-lap BCS Micro Mod main. Erger led the entire distance to earn his fifth win of the season.
There have been four different Micro Mod winners in the division's inaugural season in Vinton and three of them have won in the last three weeks.
Incredible job on track prep Sunday by BCS dirt man Don Burkey. From top to bottom, beginning to end, the track was smooth and multi-grooved. The Modified feature Sunday night was, hands down, the best race I've seen all year.
It promises to be an awesome show when the HDT comes to town Monday night (tonight)!
Thanks for reading and have a great week!
RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature: 1. 00J J. D. Auringer, Waterloo; 2. 33D Scott Hogan, Vinton; 3. 71 Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 4. 20L Zach Less, Hopkinton; 5. 12D Joe Docekal, Dysart; 6. 26J Joel Rust, Grundy Center; 7. 10K Ronn Lauritzen, Jesup; 8. 57B Dennis Betzer, Central City; 9. 12T Ty Glass, Cedar Rapids; 10. 81 Jesse Belez, Marengo; 11. 4 Ryan Maitland, Waterloo; 12. 7 Todd Jensen, Waterloo; 13. 8 Tony Snyder, Readlyn; 14. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids; 15. 11B Mike Burbridge, Delhi; 16. 80 Jerry Dedrick, Vinton; 17. 77 Tim McBride, Denver.
Heat one: 1. Dedrick; 2. Less; 3. Docekal; 4. Lauritzen; 5. Betzer; 6. Rust; 7. Snyder; 8. Glass; 9. Jensen.
Heat two: 1. Auringer; 2. Belez; 3. Flannagan; 4. Cordes; 5. Hogan; 6. Burbridge; 7. Maitland; 8. McBride.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 99D Damon Murty, Chelsea; 2. 52 Nathan Wood, Sigourney; 3. 8 Curtis Roster, Vinton; 4. 15 Norman Chesmore, Rowley; 5. 47 Scott Pippert, Elberon; 6. 67 Justin Stander, Shellsburg; 7. 62G Adam Gebel, Cedar Falls; 8. 8B Scott Beauregard, Brandon; 9. 3 Ryan Coleman, Vinton; 10. 25 Shawn Fisher, Vinton; 11. 76X Chad Siems, Shellsburg; 12. 99 Erik Knutsen, Cedar Rapids; 13. 76 Mike Galli, Urbana; 14. 115 Hannah Chesmore, Rowley; 15. 171 Buck Swanson, Waterloo; 16. 8E Mitchell Evens, Independence.
Heat one: 1. Wood; 2. Murty; 3. Pippert; 4. Galli; 5. Knutsen; 6. Coleman; 7. Fisher; DNS Swanson.
Heat two: 1. Gebel; 2. Roster; 3. Stander; 4. Beauregard; 5. N. Chesmore; 6. Siems; 7. Evens; 8. H. Chesmore.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. T23 Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids; 2. 17 Dawn Krall, Evansdale; 3. CH19 Colby Heishman, Brooklyn; 4. 72 Brett Lowry, Montezuma; 5. 199 Dave Burrell, Dysart; 6. MR09 Kurt Hogan, Vinton; 7. 34Z Cory Van Zante, Sully; 8. 1 Austin Kaplan, Ankeny; 9. 15B Troy Burkhart, Urbana; 10. 22 Matt Petrzelka, Norway; 11. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 12. 95 Mike McDonald, Cedar Rapids; 13. J2 Dave Schulze, Keystone; 14. 10S John Schaefer, La Porte City; 15. 6K Lee Rouse, Atkins; 16. 57R Ryan King, Montour; 17. K3 Kyle Olson, Cedar Rapids; 18. 3B Brian Anderson, Garrison; 19. 3R Danny Dvorak, Vinton; 20. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Falls.
Heat one: 1. K. Olson; 2. Burrell; 3. Petrzelka; 4. Lowry; 5. Buhlman; 6. Burkhart; 7. Rouse.
Heat two: 1. Anderson; 2. Schaefer; 3. King; 4. Hilmer; 5. Van Zante; 6. Heishman; 7. Kaplan.
Heat three: 1. Hogan; 2. T. Olson; 3. Krall; 4. Dvorak; 5. McDonald; 6. Schulze.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 46 Brian Happel, Vinton; 2. 79 Benji Irvine, Stanley; 3. 07 Jacob Keiser, Marengo; 4. 55 Vince Buchholz, Tama; 5. 17K Kyle Parizek, Belle Plaine; 6. 5 Marcus Wayne, Independence; 7. 88 C. J. Dall, Marshalltown; 8. 29 Nathan Ballard, Marengo; 9. 78 Matt Brown, Dysart; DNS/10. 45 Justin Wacha, Vinton.
Heat: 1. Brown; 2. Irvine; 3. Happel; 4. Keiser; 5. Dall; 6. Wayne; 7. Buchholz; 8. Ballard; 9. Parizek; 10. Wacha.
IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 007 Adam Gates, Marion; 2. 22 Nathan Chandler, Norway; 3. 36 Dave Reed, Cedar Rapids; 4. 00W Bill Whalen Jr., Riverside; 5. 3S Craig Streeter, Vinton; 6. 321 Drew Nickell, Cedar Rapids.
Heat: 1. Chandler; 2. Gates; 3. Reed; 4. Whalen; 5. Streeter; 6. Nickell.
BCS MICRO MOD
Feature: 1. 6E Don Erger, Brandon; 2. 2 Brandon Maitland, Waterloo; 3. 71 Tristan Cordes, Dunkerton; 4. 18 Jeff Davis, La Porte City; 5. 75 Cole McNeal, Dysart; 6. 111A A. J. Witten, Cedar Rapids; 7. 111 Buster Pate, Hiawatha.
Heat: 1. Erger; 2. Maitland; 3. Davis; 4. Cordes; 5. McNeal; 6. Pate; 7. Witten.
As I sat watching the IMCA Modified main Sunday night at Benton County Speedway, I was trying to think back to the last time any race had me on the edge of my seat as much as that race had me there.
The answer? The Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational at the 2013 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey's.
Yes, Sunday night's feature in Vinton was just that good. There may not have been the same prestige on the line, but there was no telling that to the four drivers within striking distance of victory Sunday night.
The 20-lapper started with pole-sitter Jerry Dedrick leading the first circuit before Zach Less, who started outside of row two, challenged to his outside. Less took command on the second circuit until caution slowed action on lap five.
On the restart, Less again held the point while Scott Hogan, who started seventh, made it a three-car battle with Less and Dedrick for the lead. The front-runners ran three-wide for multiple laps before Dedrick slowed to the low side of turns three and four with mechanical problems on lap nine. That brought out what would be the second and final yellow.
Less led the field back to green with Hogan in tow while J. D. Auringer and Troy Cordes raced into contention from fifth row starting spots.
While Cordes was trying to break free from traffic, Auringer chased down the leaders. Hogan was working the low side of Less as the top two battled side-by-side for the lead. As Auringer considered his options, Cordes reeled them in to make it a four-car breakaway at the front of the pack.
Hogan and Auringer battled down low while Less worked the top side with Cordes close behind. Less eventually pulled alongside Hogan, who found the middle groove, and Auringer, who was running the low side, in three-wide formation.
Hogan inched ahead each time across the stripe while Less fell back into a battle with Cordes for third. Auringer, meanwhile, stayed even with Hogan on the low side and surged ahead at the line to score the thrilling victory.
Auringer, whose last win in Vinton came during the Hogan Memorial, has won three times in weekly racing this season. He has earned 15 Modified wins in weekly racing history at the speedway, placing him alone in eighth on the all-time list.
The first Vinton win of his career during the month of August, this is the latest in the season Auringer has made his way to victory lane on the quarter-mile.
Damon Murty continued his winning ways in the IMCA Stock Car division. He took the lead from Nathan Wood with five laps remaining to score his fourth win in the last five weeks and his seventh of the year.
Scott Beauregard held the early lead before Wood worked past the leader just prior to a lap five caution.
On the restart, Murty, who restarted fifth, quickly worked through traffic and settled into third before another stoppage on lap eight.
Murty swept past Curtis Roster on the restart and then shot to the low side of Wood exiting turn two on lap 10 to drive to victory.
Murty's all-time leading Stock Car wins total in Vinton is now at 68. He has won 16 times in the month of August, which is more than any other driver in any month in any division in track history.
Murty has won the last two Stock Car features at the speedway, giving him 10 separate streaks of multiple wins in his career in Vinton. He has won at least seven features in four separate seasons in his career at the speedway (2005, 2006, 2009, 2014).
To his surprise, Tony Olson had one stud holding his left rear wheel on at the end of the 15-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature. To his relief, he discovered it in victory lane after being interviewed for the win.
Dawn Krall led throughout most of the event while Olson worked through the pack from a sixth row starting spot.
Krall was enjoying a sizable lead by the time Olson made his way into second just shy of the midway point on lap seven. Olson reeled in the leader and worked the top side off turn two to steal the lead on lap 11.
Krall remained close over the final laps, however Olson led to the checkers and scored his fourth win of the season. All four of his wins have come in the last eight points races for the division.
His 13 career Northern SportMod wins in Vinton place Olson third on the all-time list. It was his second career win during the month of August.
Brian Happel got to the high side early and that's where he stayed en route to his fourth win of the year in the IMCA Hobby Stock feature.
Happel, who was pressured throughout the 15-lapper by points leader Benji Irvine, held Irvine at bay to score the victory.
With 13 career Hobby Stock wins in weekly racing history in Vinton, Happel finished the night tied with Ron Tharp for sixth on the all-time list.
Happel's win Sunday night nearly fell on the anniversary of his first career win in Vinton. That victory came just over nine years ago on August 14, 2005. Five of Happel's 13 wins have come during the month of August.
Adam Gates checked out early in the 10-lap IMCA Sport Compact feature. Gates dominated the field to score his second straight victory and third of the year in Vinton.
Gates has four career Sport Compact wins in Vinton, tying him with Brett Vanous for ninth on the all-time list. He became the eighth driver in division history to string together consecutive wins at the speedway.
Like Gates, Don Erger made it look easy in the 10-lap BCS Micro Mod main. Erger led the entire distance to earn his fifth win of the season.
There have been four different Micro Mod winners in the division's inaugural season in Vinton and three of them have won in the last three weeks.
Incredible job on track prep Sunday by BCS dirt man Don Burkey. From top to bottom, beginning to end, the track was smooth and multi-grooved. The Modified feature Sunday night was, hands down, the best race I've seen all year.
It promises to be an awesome show when the HDT comes to town Monday night (tonight)!
Thanks for reading and have a great week!
RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature: 1. 00J J. D. Auringer, Waterloo; 2. 33D Scott Hogan, Vinton; 3. 71 Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 4. 20L Zach Less, Hopkinton; 5. 12D Joe Docekal, Dysart; 6. 26J Joel Rust, Grundy Center; 7. 10K Ronn Lauritzen, Jesup; 8. 57B Dennis Betzer, Central City; 9. 12T Ty Glass, Cedar Rapids; 10. 81 Jesse Belez, Marengo; 11. 4 Ryan Maitland, Waterloo; 12. 7 Todd Jensen, Waterloo; 13. 8 Tony Snyder, Readlyn; 14. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids; 15. 11B Mike Burbridge, Delhi; 16. 80 Jerry Dedrick, Vinton; 17. 77 Tim McBride, Denver.
Heat one: 1. Dedrick; 2. Less; 3. Docekal; 4. Lauritzen; 5. Betzer; 6. Rust; 7. Snyder; 8. Glass; 9. Jensen.
Heat two: 1. Auringer; 2. Belez; 3. Flannagan; 4. Cordes; 5. Hogan; 6. Burbridge; 7. Maitland; 8. McBride.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 99D Damon Murty, Chelsea; 2. 52 Nathan Wood, Sigourney; 3. 8 Curtis Roster, Vinton; 4. 15 Norman Chesmore, Rowley; 5. 47 Scott Pippert, Elberon; 6. 67 Justin Stander, Shellsburg; 7. 62G Adam Gebel, Cedar Falls; 8. 8B Scott Beauregard, Brandon; 9. 3 Ryan Coleman, Vinton; 10. 25 Shawn Fisher, Vinton; 11. 76X Chad Siems, Shellsburg; 12. 99 Erik Knutsen, Cedar Rapids; 13. 76 Mike Galli, Urbana; 14. 115 Hannah Chesmore, Rowley; 15. 171 Buck Swanson, Waterloo; 16. 8E Mitchell Evens, Independence.
Heat one: 1. Wood; 2. Murty; 3. Pippert; 4. Galli; 5. Knutsen; 6. Coleman; 7. Fisher; DNS Swanson.
Heat two: 1. Gebel; 2. Roster; 3. Stander; 4. Beauregard; 5. N. Chesmore; 6. Siems; 7. Evens; 8. H. Chesmore.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. T23 Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids; 2. 17 Dawn Krall, Evansdale; 3. CH19 Colby Heishman, Brooklyn; 4. 72 Brett Lowry, Montezuma; 5. 199 Dave Burrell, Dysart; 6. MR09 Kurt Hogan, Vinton; 7. 34Z Cory Van Zante, Sully; 8. 1 Austin Kaplan, Ankeny; 9. 15B Troy Burkhart, Urbana; 10. 22 Matt Petrzelka, Norway; 11. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 12. 95 Mike McDonald, Cedar Rapids; 13. J2 Dave Schulze, Keystone; 14. 10S John Schaefer, La Porte City; 15. 6K Lee Rouse, Atkins; 16. 57R Ryan King, Montour; 17. K3 Kyle Olson, Cedar Rapids; 18. 3B Brian Anderson, Garrison; 19. 3R Danny Dvorak, Vinton; 20. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Falls.
Heat one: 1. K. Olson; 2. Burrell; 3. Petrzelka; 4. Lowry; 5. Buhlman; 6. Burkhart; 7. Rouse.
Heat two: 1. Anderson; 2. Schaefer; 3. King; 4. Hilmer; 5. Van Zante; 6. Heishman; 7. Kaplan.
Heat three: 1. Hogan; 2. T. Olson; 3. Krall; 4. Dvorak; 5. McDonald; 6. Schulze.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 46 Brian Happel, Vinton; 2. 79 Benji Irvine, Stanley; 3. 07 Jacob Keiser, Marengo; 4. 55 Vince Buchholz, Tama; 5. 17K Kyle Parizek, Belle Plaine; 6. 5 Marcus Wayne, Independence; 7. 88 C. J. Dall, Marshalltown; 8. 29 Nathan Ballard, Marengo; 9. 78 Matt Brown, Dysart; DNS/10. 45 Justin Wacha, Vinton.
Heat: 1. Brown; 2. Irvine; 3. Happel; 4. Keiser; 5. Dall; 6. Wayne; 7. Buchholz; 8. Ballard; 9. Parizek; 10. Wacha.
IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 007 Adam Gates, Marion; 2. 22 Nathan Chandler, Norway; 3. 36 Dave Reed, Cedar Rapids; 4. 00W Bill Whalen Jr., Riverside; 5. 3S Craig Streeter, Vinton; 6. 321 Drew Nickell, Cedar Rapids.
Heat: 1. Chandler; 2. Gates; 3. Reed; 4. Whalen; 5. Streeter; 6. Nickell.
BCS MICRO MOD
Feature: 1. 6E Don Erger, Brandon; 2. 2 Brandon Maitland, Waterloo; 3. 71 Tristan Cordes, Dunkerton; 4. 18 Jeff Davis, La Porte City; 5. 75 Cole McNeal, Dysart; 6. 111A A. J. Witten, Cedar Rapids; 7. 111 Buster Pate, Hiawatha.
Heat: 1. Erger; 2. Maitland; 3. Davis; 4. Cordes; 5. McNeal; 6. Pate; 7. Witten.
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