Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Rothzen and Huls score Shootout wins at 34 Raceway

BURLINGTON, Iowa (Sept. 6) - My "non-working" race weekend turned into another night of working without the notebook as I took in the I.M.C.A. Modified and Stock Car Shootout at 34 Raceway on Sunday. Expecting to enjoy the night in the stands with friends from the Bill Roberts and Sean Wyett racing teams, I left the notebook in the car, but took some mental notes from the night's festivities.

Some questioned how many cars would be on-hand for the post-season special since the I.M.C.A. Super Nationals were set to begin Monday night at Boone Speedway, however a fine field of 26 I.M.C.A. Modifieds signed in to compete for the $1,000 top prize.

Following a six-lap dash that included the top two drivers from each heat race, Brandon Rothzen and Josh Foster started the 35-lap main event from the front row. Foster took charge early as he shot into the lead at the drop of the green flag. He appeared to be unstoppable until he entered lapped traffic midway through the event. Rothzen took advantage of the backmarkers as he closed in on the race leader.

Rothzen actually inched past the leader a few laps later, however a caution flag with around 10 laps remaining negated the pass and put him behind Foster once again for the ensuing restart. When racing resumed, Foster went back to work on the high side with Rothzen down low. Foster jumped the cushion a couple of times, allowing Rothzen to stay within striking distance. With only a handful of laps remaining, Foster exited to the pit area with mechanical problems, allowing Rothzen to coast to the $1,000 payday. Dusty Kraklio came home second followed by Cory Bauer, Kevin Goben and Dean McGee.

Only 12 I.M.C.A. Stock Cars were on-hand to compete for the $500 top prize. Since Stock Car qualifying at Super Nationals was set to begin on Monday at Boone, I assume most of those drivers were saving their machines for their luck at Super Nationals.

Abe Huls, looking to add to his $400 win the night before at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, took command only a few laps into the 25-lapper. He held off the pesky challenges of John Oliver Jr. to score the weekend sweep and make it a $900 weekend with his pair of wins. Oliver, Dave Warth, Brett Timmerman and Andrew Griffin rounded out the top five.

Travis Demint scored the victory in the final points race for the 4-cylinders this season. A nice field of 24 cars turned out for their championship night. Demint also scored the points championship to cap off a successful season.

It was nice to meet Lloyd Huls, the father of the Stock Car winner, during a brief visit in the grandstands. Although there was probably some doubt if I'd remember our quick chat, I promised him I'd make mention of the weekend sweep in my blog. Thanks for being a dedicated reader of positivelyracing.com, Lloyd!

It was nice to talk to I.M.C.A. Modified driver Dustin Crear in the pits following his sixth place run. Although he said he won't be competing at Boone this year, he said he was planning on heading that direction toward the end of the week to take in all of the Modified action.

I also had a nice visit with I.M.C.A. Modified pilot and former Pro Stock champion Dave Goble about the fond memories we both have of the Pro Stock division. A lot of old names from that division still compete in other divisions around the region so it was nice to take a trip down memory lane.

It was another great night of action at 34 as folks in that area are anxiously awaiting the 18th Annual Pepsi USA Late Model Nationals, which are scheduled for September 18-19 on the 3/8-mile oval. That event marks the final race of the 2009 Deery Brothers Summer Series for I.M.C.A. Late Models tour. Coincidentally, shirts for that event were for sale at the speedway and will be available during the two-day show later this month. Be sure to pick one up on your visit!

Up next for me is my first-ever trip to Rossburg, Ohio, next weekend for the World 100 at Eldora Speedway. For those heading to Rossburg or for those partying this week in Boone, have a safe and great trip! I'll try to blog regularly on my trip east.

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