Stats Blitz! Numbers through April at Benton County Speedway

Below is the first Stats Blitz of the 2013 season for Benton County Speedway. The statistics here include the three track points races through the month of April. This does not include the Frosbuster special.

All photos included here are courtesy of Jim Wittke of www.speedwaysouvenir.com, the official track photographer of the speedway. A permanent link to his web site is also available on the right side of this page.

Car Count
Division - Average - High - Low
Modified – 16.0 - 17 - 15
Stock Car – 9.7 - 12 - 8
SportMod – 22.0 - 24 - 19
Hobby Stock – 13.3 - 16 -10
Sport Compact – 8.3 - 9 - 8
TOTAL – 69.3 - 77 -65

Points
* 97 drivers have earned points this season.
* No driver has led the points of his division after all three weeks. J.D. Auringer (Modified) and Danny Dvorak (SportMods) have led the points the last two weeks. John Emerson (Stock Cars) and Bill Whalen Jr. (Sport Compacts) took over the points lead following week three. Matt Brown and Justin Stander are currently tied atop the Hobby Stock standings. Brown has been at the top the last two weeks and Stander joined him after the third week of racing.

IN THE HUNT
* 35 drivers have remained in the top-10 in the points every night of the season. Those drivers include:
Modified (7): J.D. Auringer, Troy Cordes, Joe Docekal, Patrick Flannagan, Vern Jackson, Ronn Lauritzen, Jerry Luloff;
Stock Car (8): Bob Ahrendsen, Scott Beauregard, John Emerson, Mike Galli, Rick Kriegel, Jerry Miles, Damon Murty, Scott Pippert;
SportMod (7): Jim Buhlman, Danny Dvorak, Curt Hilmer, Nick Roberts, Joel Rust, John Schaefer, Dave Schulze;
Hobby Stock (7): Jim Ball, Matt Brown, Jacob Keiser, Chris Luloff, Kyle Parizek, Justin Stander, Justin Wacha;
Sport Compact (6): Mike Barten, Merv Chandler, Nathan Chandler, Shawn Cooney, Jeremy Lerch, Bill Whalen Jr.

* 14 drivers have remained in the top-5 in the points every night of the season. Those drivers include:
Modified (2): J.D. Auringer, Vern Jackson;
Stock Car (2): John Emerson, Scott Pippert;
SportMod (4): Danny Dvorak, Nick Roberts, Joel Rust, Dave Schulze;
Hobby Stock (3): Matt Brown, Kyle Parizek, Justin Stander; 
Sport Compact (3): Nathan Chandler, Shawn Cooney, Bill Whalen Jr.

 RISING STOCK: Scott Pippert moved into an IMCA Stock Car in 2013 after a successful career in the IMCA Hobby Stock division.

Feature Winners

* There have been 13 different feature winners in 15 feature events this season.
* Current points leaders account for only 2 of the 15 feature wins.
* The only drivers with multiple wins so far this season are Damon Murty (Stock Car) and Nick Roberts (SportMod)

Top-10s
* 76 drivers have earned at least one top-10 finish this season. The top-10 leaders in each division are as follows:
Modified (17 drivers with at least one top-10): J.D. Auringer, Vern Jackson, Jerry Luloff (3 each); Kyle Brown, Mike Burbdirge, Troy Cordes, Joe Docekal, Patrick Flannagan, Ronn Lauritzen, Tony Olson (2 each); Brandon Banks, Jerry Dedrick, Tyler Droste, Richie Gustin, Scott Hogan, Mike Krall, Mark Schulte (1 each).
Stock Car (13): Bob Ahrendsen, Scott Beauregard, John Emerson, Mike Galli, Scott Pippert (3 each); Norman Chesmore, Jerry Miles, Damon Murty, Curtis Roster (2 each); Trent Jeanes, Rick Kriegel, John Watson, Jarod Weepie (1 each);
SportMod (17): Jim Buhlman, Danny Dvorak, Nick Roberts, Joel Rust, John Schaefer (3 each); Brian Anderson, Curt Hilmer, Dave Schulze (2 each); Brady Graham, Colby Heishman, Brad Iverson, Ryan King, Brett Lowry, Ryan Maitland, Kust Moeding, Kyle Olson, Dakoda Sellers (1 each);
Hobby Stock (15): Matt Brown, Jacob Keiser, Kyle Parizek, Justin Stander, Justin Wacha (3 each); Jim Ball, Garrett Eilander, Chris Luloff, Nick Murty, Paul Nagle (2 each); Shannon Anderson, Brian Happel, Jamie Songer, Brett Vanous, Leah Wroten (1 each);
Sport Compact (14): Merv Chandler, Shawn Cooney, Bill Whalen Jr. (3 each); Mike Barten, Nathan Chandler, Jeremy Lerch, Travis Losenicky (2 each); Brad Chandler, Toby Denning, Corbin McCombs, Steve Miedke, Buster Pate, Craig Streeter, A.J. Witten (1 each).

LAND OF TROY: Troy Cordes raced to a pair of top-5 finishes in the IMCA Modified division to start the 2013 season.

Top-5s
* 48 drivers have earned at least one top-5 finish this season. The top-5 leaders in each division are as follows:
Modified (10 drivers with at least one top-5): J.D. Auringer, Kyle Brown, Troy Cordes, Vern Jackson, Ronn Lauritzen (2 each); Mike Burbridge, Joe Docekal, Tyler Droste, Patrick Flannagan, Richie Gustin (1 each);
Stock Car (9): Scott Pippert (3); Norman Chesmore, John Emerson, Jerry Miles, Damon Murty (2 each); Rick Kriegel, Curtis Roster, John Watson, Jarod Weepie (1 each);
SportMod (10): Joel Rust (3); Danny Dvorak, Nick Roberts, Dave Schulze (2 each); Jim Buhlman, Curt Hilmer, Brad Iverson, Brett Lowry, Kurt Moeding, Kyle Olson (1 each);
Hobby Stock (10): Matt Brown, Justin Stander (3 each); Chris Luloff (2); Shannon Anderson, Garrett Eilander, Brian Happel, Nick Murty, Paul Nagle, Kyle Parizek, Justin Wacha (1 each);
Sport Compact (9): Bill Whalen Jr. (3); Merv Chandler, Nathan Chandler, Jeremy Lerch, Travis Losenicky (2 each); Mike Barten, Brad Chandler, Shawn Cooney, Steve Miedke (1 each).

FLASH FORWARD: Patrick Flannagan is one of 10 IMCA Modified drivers to earn at least one top-five finish through three weeks of the season.

Top-3s
* 34 drivers have earned at least one top-3 finish this season. The top-3 leaders in each division are as follows:
Modified (7 drivers with at least one top-3): J.D. Auringer, Kyle Brown (2 each); Mike Burbridge, Joe Docekal, Patrick Flannagan, Richie Gustin, Ronn Lauritzen (1 each);
Stock Car (6): Norman Chesmore, John Emerson, Damon Murty (2 each); Rick Kriegel, Jerry Miles, Curtis Roster (1 each);
SportMod (7): Danny Dvorak, Nick Roberts (2 each); Jim Buhlman, Brett Lowry, Kurt Moeding, Joel Rust, Dave Schulze (1 each);
Hobby Stock (8): Justin Stander (2); Shannon Anderson, Matt Brown, Garrett Eilander, Brian Happel, Chris Luloff, Paul Nagle, Kyle Parizek (1 each);
Sport Compact (6): Merv Chandler, Nathan Chandler, Bill Whalen Jr. (2 each); Mike Barten, Brad Chandler, Travis Losenicky (1 each).

 

DOWN, BUT NOT OUT: Despite getting upside down in turn three in his first race of the season, Matt Brown has put together consistent runs in weekly racing in Vinton to lead the IMCA Hobby Stock standings.

Feature Lap Leaders
* 26 drivers have led at least one lap of feature competition.
* Division lap leaders include:
Modified (5 different lap leaders): Mike Burbridge (24 laps led), Kyle Brown (15), Ronn Lauritzen (13), Joe Docekal (8), Tony Olson (1);
Stock Car (5): Damon Murty (29 laps led); Curtis Roster (10); Norman Chesmore (4); Mike Galli, Jarod Weepie (1 each);
SportMod (5): Nick Roberts (17 laps led), Danny Dvorak (10), Jim Buhlman (7), Brady Graham (5), Colby Heishman (3);
Hobby Stock (6): Paul Nagle (15), Shannon Anderson (13), Matt Brown (8), Garrett Eilander (7), Chris Luloff (2); Brian Happel (1);
Sport Compact (5): Bill Whalen Jr. (12), Travis Losenicky (11), Nathan Chandler (9), Mike Barten (3), Brad Chandler (1).

JUST ANOTHER SUNDAY: Four-time IMCA SportMod track champion Danny Dvorak finds himself in familiar territory - leading the points after three weeks of racing.

Heat Races

* There have been 21 different heat race winners in 27 heat races.
* 5 drivers have won multiple heat races this season.
* The heat race wins leaders in each division are as follows:
Modified (6 winners in 6 heats): J.D. Auringer, Kyle Brown, Mike Burbridge, Ronn Lauritzen, Jerry Luloff, Tony Olson (1 each);
Stock Car (3 winners in 4 heats): Damon Murty (2); Jerry Miles, Scott Pippert (1 each);
SportMod (6 winners in 9 heats): Joel Rust (3); Nick Roberts (2);
Hobby Stock (4 winners in 5 heats): Brian Happel (2); Shannon Anderson, Chris Luloff, Kyle Parizek (1 each);
Sport Compact (2 winners in 3 heats): Merv Chandler (2), Brad Chandler (1).

Efficiency Stats
* 42 races have been run this season.
* 435 green flag laps have been completed.
* 43 caution flags have been thrown (an overall average of 1.02 per race).
Cautions Per Race Ratio
Sport Compact: 4 cautions in 6 races (.66 cautions per race)
Modified: 7 / 9 (0.78)
Stock Car: 8 / 7 (1.14)
SportMod: 14 / 12 (1.17)
Hobby Stock: 10 / 8 (1.25)
Race Laps Per Caution Ratio
Modified: 110 laps with 7 cautions (average of 15.71 green flag laps between cautions)
Sport Compact: 54 / 4 (13.50)
Stock Car: 77 / 8 (9.63)
Hobby Stock: 86 / 10 (8.60)
SportMod: 108 / 14 (7.71)
Races with No Caution Flags
Stock Car: 5 of 7 races have run green to checkers without a caution (71.42%)
Hobby Stock: 5 / 8 (62.50%)
SportMod: 7 / 12 (58.33%)
Modified: 4 / 9 (44.44%)
Sport Compact: 2 / 6 (33.33%)
23 of 42 (54.76%) races have gone green to checkers without a caution
Feature Cautions
Stock Car: 8 of 8 total cautions were thrown in feature races (100.00%)
Hobby Stock: 8 / 10 (80.00%)
SportMod: 11 / 14 (78.57%)
Sport Compact: 3 / 4 (75.00%)
Modified: 4 / 7 (57.14%) 
34 of 43 (79.6%) total cautions have been thrown during feature racing
Average Lap of First Feature Caution
Modified: 9.33
Stock Car: 7.67
Hobby Stock: 7.00
SportMod: 6.33
Sport Compact: 1.67

 

FOLLOW OUR LEAD: Ronn Lauritzen (10K) battles Richie Gustin (19G) at the front of an IMCA Modified feature earlier this season.

Stuff Nobody Should Know…
* Of the 15 feature winners, 7 have come from inside starting spots and 8 from the outside.
* All feature winners have come from seven different starting spots in the first five rows
* Feature winners have come from different starting spots each week in the Stock Car, SportMod and Sport Compact divisions.
* No Modified, Stock Car or Sport Compact driver has won a feature from the pole position.
* John Schaefer has finished eighth in all three SportMod features this season.
* Other than Merv Chandler, who has earned two second place finishes this year, no other Sport Compact driver has finished in the same top-10 position more than once.
* 62 different drivers have cracked the top-10 in his division’s points for at least one week this season.
* 12 different drivers have held or shared their division's points lead at some point during the season.
* Danny Dvorak (SportMod) is the only driver to remain in the top two in points every week this season. J.D. Auringer (Modified), John Emerson (Stock Car), Nick Roberts (SportMod), Joel Rust (SportMod), Matt Brown (Hobby Stock) and Bill Whalen Jr. (Sport Compact) have remained in the top three all year.

 

DOUBLE DEUCE: The speedway's all-time leader in IMCA Sport Compact wins, Nathan Chandler picked up his 36th victory in Vinton on opening night.  

Stuff To Tell Your Friends That Makes Them Think You've Lost It...
* A Modified with a letter in its number has led all 61 laps of feature racing this season. Yes, 61 - the opener went green/white/checkers after a lap 19 yellow on opening night. Those car numbers include 10K, 11B, 12D, 21K and T23.
* If you want to lead a lap of Sport Compact feature racing, your chances are much higher if you have a "2" in your car number. Cars that include the number 2 and have led feature laps in that division include 2, 21, 22, 22T and 22X. Bill Whalen Jr. (00W) is the only non-2 to lead a lap.
* Of 15 feature events, only four winners led those races in their entirety.
* For the 19th time in 29 years Modifieds have been a part of the weekly show, three different drivers won the first three events.
* For the 12th time in 24 years the Hobby Stocks have raced weekly, three different drivers won the first three features.
* For the sixth time in the 8 years Sport Compacts have raced weekly, three different drivers won the first three events.
* Since the track reopened in 1990, there has been at least one first-time winner at some point during the first three weeks 21 times. Paul Nagle (Hobby Stock) was the only first-time winner through the first three weeks of this season. The only three years there were no first-time winners at any point during the first three weeks of the season were 1996, 1997 and 2011.

That's it for the month of April for Benton County Speedway. I'll be back at the end of May to wrap up numbers through the first two months of racing.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your week!

Happel, Chandler win by inches at Benton County Speedway

Last week, Brian Happel was upside down in turn number three. This Sunday, he was standing in victory lane after winning the IMCA Hobby Stock feature in a photo finish at Benton County Speedway. (Complete results listed at the end of this entry.)

Happel, who started on the pole of the 15-lapper, was quickly shuffled back to fifth while fellow front row starter Garrett Eilander took the lead. Eilander's stay out front was short-lived as Matt Brown powered beneath the leader to take command one lap later.

Justin Stander also applied pressure to the leaders as the top three ran nose-to-tail and door-to-door throughout much of the event. While the front-runners swapped positions, Happel worked the top side back into contention and snuck past Brown for third with three laps to go. He made his way around Stander one lap later as the flying green waved.

With Eilander pacing the field and Happel closing fast, the leaders came upon lapped traffic. Happel took to the high side coming off turn four on the final lap and pulled alongside the leader. After he came off the corner, the right front of Happel's nose inched across the line ahead of Eilander's bumper as Happel took the win in thrilling fashion.

The win was Happel's fourth in his career in weekly racing in Vinton. It moved him into a tie with Dan Higdon, David Rice, J.R. Kahler, Justin Stander and Roger Ciesielski for 28th on the division's all-time list at the speedway.

The IMCA Sport Compact feature finished in similar fashion as Brad Chandler nosed ahead of Travis Losenicky at the line to take the win.

Chandler, who was driving the car normally piloted by his brother, Nathan, started the 12-lapper from the third row. He worked into fourth on the third lap while Losenicky was enjoying a five car-length lead. Losenicky, Merv Chandler, Bill Whalen Jr., and Brad Chandler ran in the same order for much of the event.

Losenicky's three pursuers closed the gap as a group until the front four were nose-to-tail in the waning laps. Brad Chandler worked past Whalen with two to go, then swept around Merv Chandler and Losenicky at the stripe to take the exciting victory. It was Chandler's ninth career win in weekly racing in the division in Vinton, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time list.

The IMCA Stock Car feature also went down to the final moments before Norman Chesmore emerged victorious at the end of that 15-lapper. In the early going, it was front row starter Curtis Roster who held the lead while Jarod Weepie and Scott Pippert gave chase. Roster held the lead when a pair of mid-race cautions slowed the event.

When racing resumed the final time on lap nine, Chesmore, who restarted fourth, powered to the low side of the speedway to challenge John Emerson and Weepie for position. When Roster drifted high in turn four on lap 11, both Weepie and Chesmore took advantage and shot to the inside of the leader. Both made it past Roster with Weepie leading at the stripe.

Chesmore continued to apply pressure to Weepie and made his bid for the lead one lap later. Chesmore went on to lead the remainder of the event to take the win ahead of a hard-charging Emerson.

With the win, Chesmore has earned 15 career trips to victory lane in the division in Vinton. He sits fifth on the all-time wins list and has now earned at least one Stock Car win in 10 different calendar years on the Vinton oval.

It was Chesmore's first win in Vinton during the month of April, so he has now earned at least one win in every month from April through September. He joined Damon Murty, Roster and Dan Trimble as the only Stock Car drivers in track history to accomplish that feat.

Mike Burbridge took the lead from Tony Olson on the second lap of the IMCA Modified feature, then led the rest of the way to take his first win of the year.

Burbridge, who remained glued to the tires on the low side of the speedway, received constant pressure from Ronn Lauritzen, who also ran the low side, and Kyle Brown, who was running a groove higher. While his counterparts were able to reel in the leader through each set of turns, Burbridge proved too strong off the corners as he drove to victory. Brown came home second ahead of J.D. Auringer, who made a strong run from the fifth row.

Burbridge has now earned nine IMCA Modified wins in weekly racing history in Vinton, all of them coming in the last three seasons. In fact, 693 calendar days span all nine of his victories, meaning Burbridge's wins have all come in under two years. He now sits alone in 17th on the all-time wins list.

The dry slick conditions made it a slow-go for the IMCA Northern SportMod feature. Newer drivers to the division had a difficult time managing the racing surface, which led to a few more stoppages than normal.

Although the race timed out after 12 laps, opening night winner Nick Roberts had just enough time to make his way around Jim Buhlman to steal his second win of the year. Buhlman, who took command from Colby Heishman on the fourth circuit, gave up the lead when Roberts made a pass on the low groove on the 11th lap. Roberts was declared the winner when the race was called following a lap 12 caution.

The win was Roberts' second of the year and the third of his career in Vinton. He ended the night tied with Chris Luloff, Damon Murty and Ken Kositzky for 13th on the speedway's all-time list for SportMod wins.

Racing action continues next Sunday before a quick turnaround for a mid-week special. On Tuesday, May 7, the Karl Performance Hawkeye Dirt Tour presented by XSAN will hold its first event of the season on the Benton County quarter-mile. Details for that event are posted at the top of this page.

The photo finishes created quite a stir in the grandstands on Sunday night. While the passion for the sport is extremely intense in Vinton, a certain level of disappointment takes away from it when the crowd boos a driver in victory lane for, well, racing.

Both the Sport Compact and Hobby Stock features were down to the wire and, regardless who is declared the winner, somebody is bound to be disappointed or upset. The fact of the matter is, there is only one person who scores the race and that exact vantage point is the only one from which a race is scored. In the end, his view is the only one that warrants any consideration.

Even race fans who claim to be sitting in the stands directly in line with the scorer and start/finish line have a different view of the track. Unless you're seated in the scorer's chair, your point of view is not the same. In fact, the point of view of any incident on the race track can be different even between people sitting right next to each other. Don't tell me you've never disagreed with your grandstand neighbor about the finish of a race. Tonight's finishes were just that close.

A number of people have taken to facebook with their outcry of unjust officiating and are turning to photos that were shot from the infield as their basis of support. Kyle Ealy of www.autoracingindependent.com does a fantastic job covering races throughout the region and often includes photos from many of the events he attends, including Sunday's show in Vinton. I'm sure even he would tell you, the finish of Sunday night's feature can not be determined from the still shots he took.

As I mentioned earlier, unless you're sitting in the scorer's chair, you're not going to have the exact same view of the finish line as the scorer. I can assure you, Kyle was not in the scorer's lap during tonight's feature.

The photos Kyle took, which are of great quality I might add, were taken both prior to and after the drivers crossed the finish line. To use in your defense two-dimensional photos taken not at the precise angle from the scorer's chair nor at the precise moment the cars crossed the finish line is completely without merit.

There is no video, no photograph and no opinion that matters other than that of the scorer during any given race. I mentioned tonight that from where I was standing in the tower a few feet away from the scorer it looked like Brian Happel won the Hobby Stock feature by a nose. But, guess what? My opinion didn't and continues not to matter. If the race had been scored the other way, I'd have understood it because it's the scorer's view and his view alone that matters. One foot or a hundred feet difference, it does not matter. All that matters is the scorer's view and he was confident the moment the leaders crossed the line who got there first based on where he was sitting. You can look for pictures, videotape or the opinions of others, but not a single one of those things will give you the exact same view of the finish line as where the scorer sits.

There were three things that disappointed me the most about tonight's show. As I mentioned earlier, it's sad to hear a driver booed in victory lane when all he did was race. Win or lose, to boo a driver lacks any appreciation for the work each and every one of them puts forth week in and week out to put on a show for, you guessed it, those same fans.

The second? There were some good, and I mean damned good races in Vinton Sunday night and nobody seems to be talking about that. If you walked away from tonight's show feeling cheated, robbed or angry, instead of questioning a photo finish, you should probably question your understanding, passion and love for the sport. No, not every night is going to be your best or favorite night at the track, but it also isn't often race fans are treated to a show like they saw tonight.

If your disappointment outweighs the adrenaline rush from the great racing during Sunday's show, it's going to be a long season for you.

My final disappointment deals with the track itself. For the last few weeks, it seems a lot of people have chosen to spend a lot of their time bitching about track conditions. We have had a wet spring/late winter and Don Burkey has put countless hours into preparing the track since before the first race car tire even hit the speedway.

Those efforts have not been assisted by Mother Nature, but he has remained committed to getting the track in shape week after week. Despite what weather conditions he has been provided, Don has worked his tail off to prepare a quality track for drivers and fans. I think he did a damned good job for this week's show. It was smooth and racy all night long, but not once have I seen or heard anyone mention the incredible progress he's made.

No, instead, people assume that the track prepares itself and it should be smooth as silk regardless of the elements. Now that the track is coming around, people seem more intent on finding something else to piss and moan about rather than thanking Don for all the work he's put into the race track. With the forecast calling for more rain and colder temperatures this week, I'm sure it will require as much work as he's able to give it. I just hope people can spare the time to stop taking on the role of a victim long enough to appreciate it and thank him for the tremendous job he does week in and week out.

That's all for this weekend. Complete results from Sunday's show are listed below. I'll post a Stats Blitz sometime this week for all weekly racing through the month of April at Benton County Speedway.

My next race won't be until next weekend. Until then, I'll turn another year older and enjoy some quiet time watching the NBA playoffs. To celebrate my 39th birthday Tuesday, I'm going to completely avoid the negativity of the message boards and any facebook "friends" who would rather complain about life rather than appreciate the fact that they're able to live it.

Smile and have a great week! Thanks for reading.

RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature: 1. 11B Mike Burbridge (Delhi); 2. 21K Kyle Brown (Kellogg); 3. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 4. 10K Ronn Lauritzen (Jesup); 5. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 6. 18 Jerry Luloff (Independence); 7. T23 Tony Olson (Cedar Rapids); 8. 12D Joe Docekal (Dysart); 9. 22 Brandon Banks (Washington); 10. 33D Scott Hogan (Vinton); 11. 71 Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 12. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 13. 7 Todd Jensen (Waterloo); 14. 14B Shane Burbridge (Manchester); 15. 80 Jerry Dedrick (Vinton); 16. 15D Dustin Johnson (Marion).
Heat one: 1. M. Burbridge; 2. Auringer: 3. Docekal; 4. Cordes; 5. Brown; 6. Banks; 7. Jensen; 8. Johnson.
Heat two: 1. Olson; 2. Lauritzen; 3. Luloff; 4. Hogan; 5. Jackson; 6. Flannagan; 7. S. Burbridge; 8. Dedrick.

IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 15 Norman Chesmore (Rowley); 2. 87 John Emerson (Waterloo); 3. 8 Curtis Roster (Vinton); 4. 3 Jarod Weepie (Dunkerton); 5. 47 Scott Pippert (Elberon): 6. 76 Mike Galli (Urbana); 7. 8B Scott Beauregard (Center Point); DNS 6X Bob Ahrendsen (Cedar Rapids).
Heat: 1. Pippert; 2. Weepie; 3. Galli; 4. Chesmore; 5. Roster; 6. Beauregard; 7. Emerson; DNS Ahrendsen.

IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 23JR Nick Roberts (Des Moines); 2. 00 Jim Buhlman (Cedar Falls); 3. J2 Dave Schulze (Keystone); 4. 22H Curt Hilmer (Dysart); 5. 26J Joel Rust (Grundy Center); 6. 3R Danny Dvorak (Vinton); 7. 3B Brian Anderson (Garrison); 8. 10S John Schaefer (La Porte City); 9. 57R Ryan King (Marshalltown); 10. 4 Ryan Maitland (Waterloo); 11. T17 Tom Rawlins (Kellogg); 12. 43 Creston Williams (Atkins); 13. CH19 Colby Heishman (Brooklyn); 14. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 15. 57K Ross Kitner (Dysart); 16. 93 Josh Burrell (Dysart); 17. 198 Sam Wieben (Dysart); 18. 11 Al Sweerin (Waterloo); 19. 95 Mike McDonald (Cedar Rapids); 20. K3 Kyle Olson (Cedar Rapids); 21. 35C Casey Heil (Cedar Rapids); 22. 72 Mike Hogencamp (Waterloo); 23. 1X Steven Streeter (Vinton).
First heat: 1. Rust; 2. Heishman; 3. Sellers; 4. Schulze; 5. Wieben; 6. Rawlins; 7. Maitland; 8. King.
Second heat: 1. McDonald; 2. Dvorak; 3. Hilmer; 4. Buhlman; 5. King; 6. Hogencamp; 7. Streeter; DNS Sweerin.
Third heat: 1. Olson; 2. Anderson; 3. Roberts; 4. Burrell; 5. Schaefer; 6. Williams; 7. Heil.

IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 46 Brian Happel (Cedar Rapids); 2. 500 Garrett Eilander (Newton); 3. 67 Justin Stander (Vinton); 4. 78 Matt Brown (Dysart); 5. 18 Chris Luloff (Independence); 6. 05 Paul Nagle (Nevada); 7. 07 Jacob Keiser (Marengo); 8. 45 Justin Wacha (Vinton); 9. 14C Leah Wroten (Independence); 10. 17K Kyle Parizek (Belle Plaine).
Heat: 1. Happel; 2. Nagle; 3. Stander; 4. Eilander; 5. Brown; 6. Keiser; 7. Parizek; 8. Wacha; 9. Wroten; 10. Luloff.

IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 22X Brad Chandler (Norway); 2. 22T Travis Losenicky (Garrison); 3. 2 Merv Chandler (Urbana); 4. 00W Bill Whalen Jr. (Riverside); 5. 99J Jeremy Lerch (Vinton); 6. 23 Corbin McCombs (Urbana); 7. 30 Shawn Cooney (Des Moines); 8. 111 A.J. Witten (Cedar Rapids); DNS 9 Toby Denning (Mt. Auburn).
Heat: 1. B. Chandler; 2. Cooney; 3. Lerch; 4. Losenicky; 5. M. Chandler; 6. Whalen; 7. McCombs; 8. Witten; 9. Denning.

Six drivers open Independence Motor Speedway season in victory lane

Following last week's postponement of the Open Wheel Shootout, Mother Nature offered perfect conditions for Saturday's season points opener at Independence Motor Speedway. A great field of 113 race teams were on-hand to do battle for the first night of weekly racing. Below are the winners of those events and how they compare historically with numbers at the speedway.

IMCA Late Model
Tyler Bruening led all 25 laps en route to the opening night win in the IMCA Late Model division. After a couple of restarts slowed action early and lapped traffic slowed his progress late, Bruening was impressive in his initial bid to repeat as track champion.

It was Bruening's 13th career win in weekly points racing in Independence, which moved him into a tie with Glen Martin and Kevin Pittman for 14th in total wins since 1967. It was Bruening's first win during the month of April and his second opening night victory. He also won the opener in 2011. Bruening is now one of only nine drivers to win multiple opening night features at the speedway.

IMCA Modified
All-time IMCA Modified wins leader Darin Duffy picked up his 42nd win in weekly racing history in the division in Independence. After taking over the lead following a mid-race restart, Duffy pulled away to score the opening night win. His all-time wins lead is now three better than Vern Jackson (39), who is second on that list.

Despite his storied career, prior to Saturday, Duffy had never won an opener in Independence. By virtue of his win Saturday, Duffy became the 28th different opening night Modified winner in 31 years at the speedway and the 10th straight different winner to earn an opening night win in the division.

Remarkably, it was also Duffy's first-ever victory during the month of April in Independence. He has now won at least one feature in every month from April through September. He joins Tom Bartholomew as the only two Modified drivers in track history to boast that accomplishment.

The winner of last year's season championship feature, Duffy joined another very exclusive list. He is now one of only four Modified drivers in track history to win the opening night event following a season championship win the year before. The only other Modified drivers to do that are Steve Droste (1994-1995), Scott Hogan (2003-2004) and Vern Jackson (2007-2008).

With Saturday's win, Duffy has now won at least one feature in each of five consecutive years. That ties the sixth longest streak in division history in Independence. Duffy also strung together wins in six consecutive years from 1997-2002, which is tied for the fourth longest streak of that nature.

IMCA Stock Car
John Emerson held off race-long pressure from Sean Johnson to score his first-ever opening night win in the IMCA Stock Car division. The fifth win of his career in the division in Independence, Emerson is now tied with Curtis Roster, Darin Treptow and Lon Gadow for 11th on the all-time list for Stock Cars.

Like the others, it was also Emerson's first-ever win during the month of April. Dating back to June 9 of last season, Emerson has won five of the last 11 Stock Car features at the speedway. The other six during that time were all won by Johnson.

IMCA SportMod
Lucas Lundry won an entertaining IMCA SportMod feature. He battled Shane Ebaugh and Danny Dvorak before pulling away at the end to collect his first-ever opening night win in Independence.

The first win of his career during the month of April in Indee, Lundry has now won five SportMod features in his career at the speedway - he has earned one win in each of the last five seasons. No other driver has won at least one feature in five different seasons in the division. Fifth on the career list, Lundry moved to within a single win of Austin Kaplan for fourth all-time.

Lundry became the fifth different opening night winner in the division's sixth season at the speedway. It was also the fifth straight different opening night winner in the SportMods. Only Josh Sherbon, who won the first two SportMod openers in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, has won multiple openers in the division.

IMCA Hobby Stock
Benji Irvine took command midway through the IMCA Hobby Stock main event to take the checkers in that 15-lapper. He, too, enjoyed his first career win during the month of April in Indee.

His three career wins place him into a tie with 13 other drivers for 34th on the track's all-time list for Hobby Stocks. Dating back to July 21 of last season, all three of Irvine's wins have come in the last six events.

In the division's 25 seasons at the speedway, Irvine became the 23rd different driver to win on opening night. Irvine's win made him the 18th straight different opening night Hobby Stock winner. Only Lon Gadow (1990-1991) and Chris Wessner (1995-1996) have won multiple Hobby Stock openers.

IMCA Sport Compact
Adam Gates dominated the 12-lap IMCA Sport Compact feature, winning that event by nearly half of a lap. His first-ever win in weekly racing history at the speedway, Gates became the fourth different Sport Compact winner in the division's brief seven-race history at the speedway.

Racing will resume next Saturday in Independence for another night of weekly points racing. Gates will open at 4 p.m., with hot laps at 6 and racing to follow.

Many have asked if there will be a tack photographer in Independence this season. I'm pleased to announce that Jim Wittke has agreed to come on board to be our official track photographer. Also working on Sunday nights in Vinton, you can find Jim's work at www.speedwaysouvenir.com. Jim works at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, as well, so he will be enjoying a busy summer at area tracks. If you see Jim, be sure to thank him for spending his Saturday nights with us in Independence!

Tonight, I'll be back at Benton County Speedway in Vinton for its weekly program. I'm scheduled to fill-in for track announcer Bucky Doren, who is enjoying a successful run coaching his son's youth baseball team. Gates open at 3, with hot laps at 4:30 and racing to follow. I hope to see you there!

Eight features highlight action-packed night at Benton County Speedway

Due to the rain-shortened season points opener April 14, this Sunday's program provided fans more than their money's worth at Benton County Speedway. Eight feature events were completed, including three make-up features from a week ago, plus five features from the evening's scheduled event. (Complete April 14 and April 21 results are listed at the end of this entry.)

In all, seven different drivers made their way to victory lane and one added his name to the speedway's history book by picking up a pair of feature wins.

Entering the evening, only five times in the track's history had a driver won a make-up feature and the regularly scheduled feature on the same night. IMCA Stock Car driver Damon Murty added his name to that very short list Sunday night.

In the make-up event, Murty started outside of row one and led the 15-lapper in its entirety to score the win ahead of John Emerson and Rick Kriegel.

After points were compiled and qualifying completed, Murty started in the third row of the regular feature. He quickly made his way into third by the time the caution flag waved after one lap.

On the restart, Murty snuck between leaders Mike Galli and Rick Kriegel as the field made its way off turn two. He escaped down the back straightaway with the lead while Emerson followed him to the front.

Following a lap 12 restart, Emerson made contact with the leader as they exited turn two, sending Murty into a spin. While Emerson was penalized for questionable driving, Murty stayed on the gas and continued moving prior to the caution flag, which allowed him to retain the lead for what would be the final restart of the event.

When racing resumed, Murty pulled away to take the victory ahead of Norman Chesmore and Jerry Miles. His second win on the night, Murty joined the following list of drivers to win two features on the same night in the same division at the speedway:
Jack Mitchell (Modified, 7/3/83)
Scott McLaughlin (Compact Modified, 6/22/97 and 8/3/97)
Josh McGowan (Pro Stock, 6/22/97)
Frankie Dulin (Hobby Stock, 7/9/00)

With his two wins Sunday, Murty has earned 57 for his career in weekly racing history at the speedway. That total is 20 more wins than Justin Temeyer, who sits second on that list. Of his 57 wins, Murty has won nine times in the month of April. He has also has eight separate streaks of at least two wins.

Ronn Lauritzen also made a little history in the IMCA Modified division by winning the make-up feature from opening night.

Lauritzen, who sat fifth on the starting grid, made his way into second after just one lap, then set his sights on leader Joe Docekal. Lauritzen ran the low groove into contention and reeled in Docekal a short time later.

When Docekal went high in turn four on the ninth lap, Laurtizen powered to his inside to take the lead at the flagstand. A lap later, Richie Gustin entered the mix as he made his way into second after a fourth row starting spot.

Lauritzen encountered lapped traffic on the 12th circuit as Gustin continued to cut into his lead. Gustin reeled in the leader running the low groove and challenged numerous times before mounting one last effort just after taking the white flag. Entering turn one, Gustin shot to the low side to make a bid for the lead when his machine locked up and came to a stop to bring out a final caution.

Lauritzen held off Docekal on the restart to take the win, his sixth at the speedway. Lauritzen is now tied for 24th with Dave Venenga, Garry Stuber, Jim Schmuecker, Mike Krall and Tony Olson on the division's wins list at the speedway.

Also the winner on season championship night last year, Lauritzen became just the third driver in the division's 29 year history at the speedway to win on opening night the year after winning the season championship feature. The only other Modified drivers in track history to do that are Scott Hogan and Troy Cordes, who have each done it twice.

In the regularly scheduled feature, David Brown and Mike Burbridge raced side-by-side at the front of the pack for many laps before Brown broke free near the midway point of the 20-lapper. By the time Brown reached lapped traffic on the 12th circuit, Gustin was positioning himself to strike. His efforts were aided when caution slowed the race with five laps to go.

In the waning laps, Gustin mounted a charge on Brown by rocketing off the top side of three to the bottom of turn four, however Brown held on to take the exciting victory. The second win of his career in Vinton, Brown became the 49th Modified driver in track history with multiple trips to the winner's circle.

The other division with double features on the evening was in the IMCA Hobby Stocks. Shannon Anderson was leading a week ago when rain halted action after five laps were completed in that 15-lapper.

When the event resumed Sunday, Anderson took command with Brian Happel and Chris Luloff giving chase. Luloff made his way past Happel on lap six before he spun, dropping him back to eighth in the running order.

Now unchallenged, Happel chased Anderson through lapped traffic, then reeled in the leader as the flying green waved. Happel made a bid for the lead when he shot to the low side of turns one and two after the leaders had taken the white flag. Happel powered into the corner and made contact with Anderson, sending them both spinning. When the dust settled, Happel was disqualified for questionable driving, while Anderson made his way back to the pit area.

By the time the leaders made their exits, Luloff worked his way back into third and inherited the lead for a green, white, checkered finish. He raced to the checkers ahead of Kyle Parizek to steal the win, the 18th of his career in weekly points racing in Vinton. The victory moved him into a tie with Brad Forbes for third on the all-time list. It will be a while before Luloff moves up any further as Scott Pippert ranks second with 47 wins.

In the other Hobby Stock main, BCS newcomer Paul Nagle started on the pole and led all 15 laps to take his first-ever win in Vinton. Anderson challenged throughout that event, but came up a car-length short at the line. With the win, Nagle became the 82nd Hobby Stock winner in the track's history. He is the most recent newcomer to victory lane since Cale Petersen's first win on July 14, 2011. That span of 647 days is the longest between new winners in Hobby Stock history at the speedway.

In separate incidents, Luloff and Happel got upside down in the second Hobby Stock feature. Both drivers walked away uninjured.

Nick Roberts was looking to become just the third IMCA Northern SportMod driver in track history to win the first two points events of the season. Following last week's opening night win, Roberts once again made the haul from Des Moines to try his luck on the quarter-mile.

It was pole-sitter Brady Graham showing the way early in the 15-lap event as his #44G paced the field through the first five laps and the first caution. On the restart, Danny Dvorak, who started in row four, was on the leader's rear bumper.

Dvorak raced the low side past Graham one lap after racing resumed while Roberts was making his way through traffic from a fifth row starting spot. Roberts made his way into second just past the midway point, then went work on cutting into Dvorak's sizable lead.

A pair of late cautions assisted those efforts as Roberts shot to the low side of the leader in turn one following a restart on lap 11. Roberts was unable to make the move stick as Dvorak raced past him on the outside.

Roberts buried his #23JR deeper into the same set of turns after the field took the flying green. He cleared the leader into turn two until Dvorak returned the favor and shot to the inside of the Roberts as they exited the corner. The leaders battled wheel-to-wheel for position off the corner until the two came together, sending Roberts into a spin to bring out the final caution.

With Roberts sent to the back for the stoppage, Dvorak went on to hold off Brett Lowry for the victory. Dvorak's 47 SportMod wins in weekly racing history at the speedway are 23 more than his nearest competitor.

All-time BCS IMCA Sport Compact wins leader and opening night winner Nathan Chandler was looking to go two-for-two Sunday night. Although he quickly settled into second from a second row starting spot, Chandler had a hard time making his way around leader Bill Whalen Jr.

Whalen paced the field for the entirety of the 12-lapper, denying Chandler his second win of the season, as he made his way to victory lane. His eighth career points win in the division in Vinton, Whalen is now tied with Merv Chandler and Brad Chandler for fifth on that list.

Early start times remain in effect for next Sunday night. Gates will open at 3 p.m., with hot laps scheduled for 4:30 and racing to follow.

My next event is scheduled to be Saturday night for the season opener at Independence Motor Speedway. I hope to see you there. Have a great week!

APRIL 14 RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature (completed April 21): 1. 10K Ronn Lauritzen (Jesup); 2. 12D Joe Docekal (Dysart); 3. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 4. 71 Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 5. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 6. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 7. 18 Jerry Luloff (Independence); 8. T23 Tony Olson (Cedar Rapids); 9. 80 Jerry Dedrick (Vinton); 10. 17 Mike Krall (Waterloo); 11. 19G Richie Gustin (Gilman); 12. 21K Kyle Brown (Kellogg); 13. 22 Brandon Banks (Washington); 14. 11B Mike Burbridge (Delhi); 15/DNS. 8S Josh Star (Tipton). 
Heat one: 1. Auringer; 2. Cordes; 3. Jackson; 4. Flannagan; 5. Brown; 6. Krall; 7. Star.
Heat two: 1. Lauritzen; 2. Gustin; 3. Banks; 4. Docekal; 5. Burbridge; 6. Olson; 7. Luloff; DNS Dedrick.

IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature (completed April 21): 1. 99D Damon Murty (Chelsea); 2. 87 John Emerson (Waterloo); 3. K17 Rick Kriegel (Brooklyn); 4. 4 Jerry Miles (Bernard); 5. 47 Scott Pippert (Elberon); 6. 8B Scott Beauregard (Center Point); 7. 76 Mike Galli (Urbana); 8. 6X Bob Ahrendsen (Cedar Rapids); 9/DNS. 8 Curtis Roster (Vinton).
Heat: 1. Murty; 2. Emerson; 3. Kriegel; 4. Roster; 5. Pippert; 6. Miles; 7. Galli; 8. Beauregard; 9. Ahrendsen.

IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 23JR Nick Roberts (Des Moines); 2. 3R Danny Dvorak (Vinton); 3. 26J Joel Rust (Grundy Center); 4. K3 Kyle Olson (Cedar Rapids); 5. J2 Dave Schulze (Keystone); 6. 22H Curt Hilmer (Dysart); 7. 00 Jim Buhlman (Cedar Falls); 8. 10S John Schaefer (LaPorte City); 9. 3B Brian Anderson (Garrison); 10. CH19 Colby Heishman (Brooklyn); 11. 57R Ryan King (Marshalltown); 12. 10 Mike Knapp (Cedar Rapids); 13. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 14. 44G Brady Graham (Brooklyn); 15. 95 Mike McDonald (Cedar Rapids); 16. 93 Josh Burrell (Dysart); 17/DNS. Casey Heil (Cedar Rapids); 18/DNS. 1X Steve Streeter (Vinton); DNS. 57K Ross Kitner (Dysart).
Heat one: 1. Roberts; 2. McDonald; 3. Sellers; 4. Burrell; 5. Anderson; DNS Kitner; DNS Knapp.
Heat two: 1. Schulze; 2. Buhlman; 3. Hilmer; 4. Olson; 5. Graham; 6. Streeter.
Heat three: 1. Rust; 2. Dvorak; 3. Schaefer; 4. Heishman; 5. Heil; 6. King.

IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature (completed April 21): 1. 18 Chris Luloff (Independence); 2. 17K Kyle Parizek (Belle Plaine); 3. 78 Matt Brown (Dysart); 4. 99JR Nick Murty (Chelsea); 5. 67 Justin Stander (Vinton); 6. 96R Jamie Songer (Ankeny); 7. 7B Jim Ball (Independence); 8. 35 Brett Vanous (Quasqueton); 9. 45 Justin Wacha (Vinton); 10. 07 Jacob Keiser (Marengo); 11. 78X Shannon Anderson (Atlantic); 12. 46 Brian Happel (Vinton); 13. 05 Paul Nagle (Nevada); 14. 29 Nathan Ballard (Marengo).
Heat one: 1. Parizek; 2. Songer; 3. Happel; 4. Ball; 5. Wacha; 6. Ballard; 7. Stander.
Heat two: 1. Luloff; 2. Brown; 3. Nagle; 4. Murty; 5. Anderson; 6. Keiser; 7. Vanous.

IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 22 Nathan Chandler (Norway); 2. 21 Mike Barten (Maquoketa); 3. 00W Bill Whalen Jr. (Riverside); 4. 99J Jeremy Lerch (Vinton); 5. 30 Shawn Cooney (Des Moines); 6. 2 Merv Chandler (Vinton); DQ 111 Buster Pate (Hiawatha); DNS 9 Toby Denning (Mt. Auburn).
Heat: 1. M. Chandler; 2. N. Chandler; 3. Barten; 4. Whalen; 5. Pate; 6. Lerch; 7. Cooney; DNS Denning.

APRIL 21 RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature: 1. 21K Kyle Brown (Kellogg); 2. 19G Richie Gustin (Gilman); 3. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 4. 92 Tyler Droste (Waterloo); 5. 71 Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 6. 18 Jerry Luloff (Independence); 7. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 8. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 9. 11B Mike Burbridge (Delhi); 10. 27M Mark Schulte (Delhi); 11. 12D Joe Docekal (Dysart); 12. F71 Dennis Betzer (Central City); 13. 10K Ronn Lauritzen; 14. 17 Mike Krall (Waterloo); 15. 80 Jerry Dedrick (Vinton); 16/DNS. 22 Brandon Banks (Washington); DNS. T23 Tony Olson (Cedar Rapids).
Heat one: 1. Brown; 2. Burbridge; 3. Flannagan; 4. Cordes; 5. Schulte; 6. Docekal; 7. Krall; DNS Olson.
Heat two: 1. Luloff; 2. Auringer; 3. Gustin; 4. Droste; 5. Jackson; 6. Lauritzen; 7. Dedrick; 8. Banks; 9. Betzer.

IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 99D Damon Murty (Chelsea); 2. 15 Norman Chesmore (Rowley); 3. 4 Jerry Miles (Dubuque); 4. 47 Scott Pippert (Elberon); 5. 4W John Watson (Des Moines); 6. 87 John Emerson (Waterloo); 7. 8B Scott Beauregard (Center Point); 8. 76 Mike Galli (Urbana); 9. 6X Bob Ahrendsen (Cedar Rapids); 10. 77T Trent Jeanes (Chariton); 11. 3 Jarod Weepie (Dunkerton); 12. K17 Rick Kriegel (Brooklyn).
Heat one: 1. Miles; 2. Watson; 3. Beauregard; 4. Emerson; 5. Weepie; 6. Ahrendsen.
Heat two: 1. Murty; 2. Kriegel; 3. Chesmore; 4. Galli; 5. Jeanes; 6. Pippert.

IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 3R Danny Dvorak (Vinton); 2. 72 Brett Lowry (Montezuma); 3. 7M Kurt Moeding (Mason City); 4. 8B Brad Iverson (Grinnell); 5. 26J Joel Rust (Grundy Center); 6. 00 Jim Buhlman (Cedar Falls); 7. 44G Brady Graham (Brooklyn); 8. 10S John Schaefer (LaPorte City); 9. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 10. 23JR Nick Roberts (Des Moines); 11. J2 Dave Schulze (Keystone); 12. 10 Mike Knapp (Cedar Rapids); 13. 57R Ryan King (Marshalltown); 14. 4 Ryan Maitland (Waterloo); 15. 93 Josh Burrell (Dysart); 16. 22H Curt Hilmer (Dysart); 17. 95 Mike McDonald (Cedar Rapids); 18. 35C Casey Heil (Cedar Rapids); 19. K3 Kyle Olson (Cedar Rapids); 20. 3B Brian Anderson (Garrison); 21. 7P Jordan Peters (Des Moines); 22/DNS. CH19 Colby Jeishman (Brooklyn); 23/DNS. 57K Ross Kitner (Dysart); 24/DNS. 21 Brennen Chipp (Waterloo).
Heat one: 1. Roberts; 2. Lowry; 3. Maitland; 4. Graham; 5. Heishman; 6. Buhlman; 7. Olson; 8. Kitner.
Heat two: 1. Rust; 2. Anderson; 3. Iverson; 4. Hilmer; 5. Moeding; 6. Heil; 7. Sellers; 8. Burrell.
Heat three: 1. King; 2. McDonald; 3. Schulze; 4. Dvorak; 5. Schaefer; 6. Peters; 7. Knapp; 8. Chipp.

IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 05 Paul Nagle (Nevada); 2. 78X Shannon Anderson (Atlantic); 3. 67 Justin Stander (Vinton); 4. 78 Matt Brown (Dysart); 5. 45 Justin Wacha (Vinton); 6. 7B Jim Ball (Independence); 7. 500 Garrett Eilander (Newton); 8. 07 Jacob Keiser (Marengo); 9. 17K Kyle Parizek (Belle Plaine); 10. 99JR Nick Murty (Chelsea); 11. 35 Brett Vanous (Quasqueton); 12. 99 Erick Knutsen (Center Point); 13. 46 Brian Happel (Vinton); 14. 96R Jamie Songer (Ankeny); 15. 18 Chris Luloff (Independence); 16/DNS. 2 Nick Welch (Cedar Falls).
Heat one: 1. Anderson; 2. Nagle; 3. Ball; 4. Brown; 5. Stander; 6. Knutsen; 7. Luloff; 8. Vanous.
Heat two: 1. Happel; 2. Songer; 3. Keiser; 4. Parizek; 5. Wacha; 6. Eilander; 7. Murty; 8. Welch.

IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 00W Bill Whalen Jr. (Riverside); 2. 22 Nathan Chandler (Norway); 3. 2 Merv Chandler (Vinton); 4. 11 Steve Miedke (Shellsburg); 5. 22T Travis Losenicky (Garrison); 6. 30 Shawn Cooney (Des Moines); 7. 21 Mike Barten (Maquoketa); 8. 3S Craig Streeter.
Heat: 1. M. Chandler; 2. N. Chandler; 3. Barten; 4. Whalen; 5. Losenicky; 6. Miedke; 7. Cooney; 8. Streeter.

Both feast and famine for Simpsons at 34 Raceway

Chris Simpson appeared to be on his way to a $4,000 payday at 34 Raceway Saturday night. That ended in sudden heartbreak when rear end problems forced the leader to the infield after 37 of 40 laps in Late Model action for the co-sanctioned Corn Belt Clash, MARS, ALMS special.

Outside front row starter Kevin Weaver took the early lead and put a few car-lengths over the pack while Terry Phillips and Simpson gave chase. Simpson and Phillips engaged in an exciting battle for second as the leader pulled away and entered heavy lapped traffic 10 laps into the event.

The lapped traffic immediately stalled Weaver's progress, allowing both Phillips and Simpson to pull to within a car-length of the front-runner. Phillips shot to the low side of Weaver to take over the lead, while Simpson also made his way past for second.

Two laps later, Simpson slipped by Phillips and quickly pulled away from the pack while Simpson's brother, Chad, was making his way through traffic. Chad Simpson, who was 15th on the starting grid, was running fourth when his brother took charge.

Following a pair of cautions on laps 14 and 17, the race went green the rest of the way. Chris Simpson continued his stay out front while Chad Simpson went to work on the high side following the last restart. At that time, he swept past Phillips for second, however Chris Simpson was again pulling away.

Enjoying a straightaway lead, the leader seemed destined for a trip to victory lane when he pulled into the infield off the back stretch following the completion of lap 37.

Chad Simpson, who had broken away from a hard-charging Jesse Stovall, went on top score the victory. Stovall, who started fifth, beat fifth row starting Brian Shirley to the line for second. Making an impressive run from 26th, youngster Tyler Reddick came home fourth ahead of Phillips.

Late Model Feature Results - 1. 25 Chad Simpson; 2. 00JS Jesse Stovall; 3. 3S Brian Shirley; 4. 11T Tyler Reddick; 5. 75P Terry Phillips; 6. 56J Tony Jackson Jr.; 7. B12 Kevin Weaver; 8. 75 Billy Drake; 9. 15K Justin Kay; 10. 21BR Rich Bell; 11. 24U Ryan Unzicker; 12. M14 Brandon Thirlby; 13. 20 Jake Meier; 14. 25L Steve Lance Jr.; 15. 45DW Denny Woodworth; 16. 58 Dave Eckrich; 17. 14W Dustin Walker; 18. 32 Chris Simpson; 19. 93J Jay Johnson; 20. 10S Scott Schmitt; 21. 27P Jason Perry; 22. 50 Denny Eckrich; 23. 85D Mark Dotson; 24. 77JA Justin Asplin; 25. 7MB Mark Burgtorf; 26. 15R Brian Harris; 27. B5 Brandon Sheppard.

In other action, the 305 Sprint division opened its points season at the speedway as 14 drivers signed in to compete.

Pole-sitter Andy Huston led the field through a handful of early cautions with Donnie Steward in tow. Huston opened a sizable lead as Steward tried to stay within striking distance when the leaders came upon lapped cars midway through the 20-lapper.

After the final stoppage on lap 13, Steward challenged for the lead running the high groove of turns one and two. After two consecutive attempts in that set of turns to steal the lead, Steward broke free with two to go as he drove to the win. Huston finished second ahead of Jayson Ditsworth, who made an impressive run through traffic after an early caution sent him to the back of the field. John Schulz and Ryan Jamison completed the top five.

A strong field of 30 Four Cylinders took the green in that division's 12-lap feature. Pole-sitter Michael Grossman led that event in its entirety to earn the victory. He survived a trio of cautions to take the win ahead of Steve Miedke, who came from a sixth row start. Sixteen-year-old Dayton Racer, who made the trip from Apple Valley, Minnesota, started alongside Miedke and came home third. John Whalen and Wayne Noble rounded out the top five.

For another take on the night's action, along with a few extra tidbits, be sure to check out Jeff Broeg's column on the Back Stretch right here at Positively Racing. Brian Neal was also at the event. Check out his thoughts, and a few photos at Midwest Racing News.

I've enjoyed the first four events on 34 Raceway's schedule this season, but I'm hoping I'll be able to start spending my Saturday nights at Independence Motor Speedway. We hope to get our season underway next Saturday with our first weekly points race.

Thanks to the staff at 34 for their hospitality through the early weeks of the season. Special thanks to track announcer Rich Adams for his always entertaining off-mic commentary. It's been a pleasure, Rich. You're a real gas.

Tonight, double features in three divisions are in store at Benton County Speedway following last week's rain shortened program. After the completion of last week's Hobby Stock, Stock Car and Modified features, a complete program will be run for all five weekly divisions. It promises to be a great night in Vinton. I hope to see you there!

Rain cuts short points opener at Benton County Speedway

A light steady rain shower put a halt on the season points opener while the third of five feature events was underway at Benton County Speedway.

The IMCA Hobby Stock division had just completed the fifth of 15 laps when the caution flag waved for a rain delay. Although the shower briefly stopped, a heavier band of showers fell before racing resumed, putting the kibosh on the remainder of the program.

Prior to the rainfall, the IMCA Northern SportMods and IMCA Sport Compacts completed their portion of the program.

Nick Roberts took the drop of the green in the 15-lap Northern SportMod main and quickly pulled away from the pack. He led the event in its entirety to take the opening night win.

Danny Dvorak came from a fourth row starting spot and ran the low groove to second shortly after the green flag waved. He remained nearly a straightaway behind Roberts throughout the event to come home second. Joel Rust rocketed from a fifth row starting spot and chased Dvorak across the checkers to take third.

In the Sport Compact 12-lapper, Mike Barten challenged all-time BCS Sport Compact wins leader Nathan Chandler at the front of the pack. The leaders swapped the lead in an entertaining event before Chandler pulled away for his 36th career win in weekly points racing at BCS.

Prior to the stoppage in the IMCA Hobby Stock feature, Frostbuster winner Shannon Anderson came from the fifth row to take the lead from front row starter Matt Brown. Anderson was leading when action was suspended.

Complete results of the finished events were not available at the end of the rain-shortened program, but will be included in next week's wrap-up. You can also check speednetdirect.com later this week for results of the completed events.

As for next week, the program will start right where Sunday night's show left off. The final 10 laps of the Hobby Stock feature will be completed followed by make-up features in both the IMCA Modified and IMCA Stock Car divisions. Following those events, a complete show for all five divisions will round out the program.

If you were there Sunday night, rain checks will not be honored since qualifying was completed, however if you return next week, you'll certainly get your money's worth. If you weren't in attendance Sunday night, be sure to make plans to visit Vinton next weekend for double features in the Modifieds and Stock Cars, plus nearly two full features for the Hobby Stocks. It promises to be a great night of racing!

A big thank you to Don Burkey for working all day on preparing the track. Although the recent weather has been far from helpful when it comes to track prep, Don worked his tail off to get the track race ready for Sunday's show. Despite the negative Internet postings from those claiming to be race fans, Don dedicates himself week in and week out to provide a track for drivers and fans. He puts his heart and soul into the track and doesn't get the recognition he deserves.

My next event will be this coming Friday for the Sprint Invaders at Independence Motor Speedway. If Mother Nature cooperates, we'll have 360 Sprints at the speedway for the first time since the 1990s, along with Modifieds and SportMods for our season opener.

The weather forecast isn't looking the greatest for the week, but the track crew will do what it can to get the show in. Should the weather force us to cancel, you can rest assured we've already been looking at possible make-up dates.

Have a great week!

Madsen has a g'day in MOWA action at 34 Raceway

The Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) Sprint Car Series saw its first action of the season Saturday night at 34 Raceway in Burlington. Twenty-two 410 Sprint Car drivers signed in to compete on the lightning-fast 3/8-mile oval.

After winning the fast dash, Ian Madsen of Knoxville, formerly of New South Wales, Australia, started the 30-lapper from the pole position.

Before the race even went green, the drama unfolded as third row starter Terry McCarl made a quick run to the pit area. As he reported after the race, McCarl was forced to replace the mag box on his ride earlier in the night, however a bolt apparently came loose prior to the start of the feature. Fearing the box would break loose, McCarl made an early exit to the pits for some quick repairs, then returned before the race went green to start at the tail of the 22-car field.

The race went two laps before second row starter Jerrod Hull was sidelined with a flat left rear tire. He made the quick tire change and rejoined the tail of the field for the ensuing restart.

Madsen, like he did on the initial start, quickly distanced himself from the field when racing resumed. He built a straightaway lead by the time he encountered lapped traffic on the sixth circuit. Fellow front row starter Lucas Wolfe was his nearest pursuer until Wolfe brought out the caution on lap 11 for a flat tire of his own.

On the restart, Madsen paced the field with AJ Bruns and Jimmy Hurley in pursuit. McCarl, meanwhile, blistered his way through the pack to restart the event seventh.

When the green flag waved, Madsen again powered away from traffic, putting a straightaway over the field in just two laps. His progress was slowed when he encountered lapped traffic on the 16th lap, allowing Bruns to close the gap. Just as Madsen hit the backmarkers, McCarl swept past Ben Wagoner to make his way into the top five.

With 11 laps to go, Madsen's advantage was a mere car-length over Bruns while McCarl pulled to within a straightaway after making his way around Hurley for third.

McCarl reeled in the leaders and dove to the inside of Bruns for second in turn two just before the final caution slowed action on lap 23.

Per MOWA rules, on restarts, all lapped cars realign where they were running at the time of the caution. That rule benefited Madsen as the lapped cars of Logan Faucon and Chris Urish were placed squarely between Madsen and second-running McCarl for what would be the event's final restart.

McCarl ran the low side quickly past the backmarkers before setting his sights squarely on Madsen's #18. The front-runners again encountered traffic with three laps to go as they pulled a straightaway ahead of the pack.

McCarl's charge to the front came up a few car-lengths short at the line as Madsen led the thriller in its entirety to take the win. Meanwhile, Wolfe made an impressive run through the pack following his lap 11 tire change to come home third ahead of Bruns.

In other action, a three-car battle at the front of the IMCA Stock Car feature kept the fans entertained in that 20-lapper.

Jim Lynch took the early lead over the 22-car field while Jason Cook pursued on the low side of the fast, smooth oval. The leaders exchanged the top spot numerous times while John Oliver Jr. joined the battle midway through the event.

The top three broke away from the field and ran in side-by-side and nose-to-tail formation throughout the latter stages of the event before Cook pulled away at the end to take the win. Oliver, Lynch and Brett Timmerman completed the top four.

A nice field of 26 Four Cylinders signed in and 25 of them took the green in the 12-lap feature.

Pole-sitter Chuck Fullenkamp enjoyed the early lead while second row starter Skip Dunker gave chase. Dunker worked the low side of Fullenkamp at the four lap mark, then squeezed ahead at the line to take the lead. He survived a pair of late cautions to take the win ahead of a hard-charging John Whalen. Fullenkamp and Wayne Noble rounded out the top four.

The Mod Lite feature also remained undecided until the final corner of that 15-lapper. Greg Rossell held the early lead while Chase Flatt ran the low groove into contention. Flatt took charge on the second circuit as Daniel Keltner chased him to the front.

The leaders remained unchanged until Keltner shot to the inside of the leader just past the midway point. He maintained the lead until Flatt returned the favor just prior to a lap 12 stoppage.

After Rossell snuck back ahead with two to go, Flatt powered around the leader as the white flag waved to drive to victory. Keltner crossed the line second ahead of Rossell, who made contact with the back stretch wall on the final lap. Evan Epperson ran fourth.

In addition to the circle track events, pit bikes and four-wheelers were also part of the night's action. They used the front straightaway, plus parts of the apron area and infield as their course. A great field of 40 quads and nearly 20 bikes were on-hand to add a unique twist to the event. Last year's event winners, Tanner Gipple in four-wheelers and Jody Steward in the pit bike division, both won Saturday night's opener.

Nick and Kali Eastin have put a lot of work into the pit bike and quad program, which is set to appear a few more times at 34 Raceway this summer. The addition provides a nice mix to the circle track events.

Up next for me is tonight's season points opener at Benton County Speedway. Although the weather has been questionable the past week, the races for tonight are on as scheduled. Here's hoping Mother Nature allows for a few more hours of dry conditions before she unleashes on us again.

I'll be filling in tonight for track announcer Bucky Doren, who is spending part of his spring and summer coaching his son's youth baseball team. Remember, due to the spring weather, gates will open at 3 p.m., with hot laps at 4:30 and racing to follow. I'll provide a complete recap of tonight's event right here at Positively Racing. I hope to see everyone there!

Trips to Marshalltown, Burlington and Vinton make for busy racing weekend

While I was able to take in a number of racing events over the weekend, I felt like I spent more time on the highway than anywhere else. My first busy racing weekend of the season left me with little time to write, but provided plenty for one all-inclusive blog entry.

Marshalltown Speedway
Last week I was asked if I could fill in to score the season-opening Frostbuster event at Marshalltown Speedway. Since I was in the tower staring at the front stretch for the 190 car event, I wasn't able to take notes in order to provide a race recap.

The overflowing pit area was a wonderful sight to area race fans as the 34-event program was completed in just over four hours. Toby Kruse and his crew did a tremendous job preparing for the event and the show was a successful way to start the season. Thanks to the folks at Marshalltown for letting me be part of the team Friday night.

Congrats to Friday night winners Jeremy Mills (IMCA Modified), Steve Meyer (IMCA Stock Car), Ty Luellen (IMCA SportMod) and Nick Murty (IMCA Hobby Stock). For a recap of Friday night's action, visit Dick and Joyce Eisele's blog, 4dfan Report at Positively Racing.

34 Raceway
Saturday, I made my second trip of the season to 34 Raceway in Burlington for the season opener of the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models. The Slocum 50, held in remembrance of popular driver Brent Slocum, who died in an accident in the pit area at the track a few years ago, offered up 46 IMCA Late Models for the series' first action of the season.

Andy Eckrich took the early lead at the drop of the green from his pole position start. Denny Eckrich made it a battle of brothers for the lead following a lap three yellow as the front-runners gained a straightaway advantage over Jason Utter, Tom Goble and Jeff Mitrisin.

The leaders ran in side-by-side formation when they entered lapped traffic on the 12th circuit. They then swapped the point as they battled through the backmarkers, allowing Utter to close to within half of a straightaway before a lap 22 stoppage.

When racing resumed, Jeff Aikey (started 12th), Tom Darbyshire (started 20th) and Brian Harris (started 21st) were on the march. Aikey and Darbyshire used the restart to shoot past Mitrisin and into the top five before another caution bunched the field one lap later.

On that restart, Darbyshire raced the top side to third place while the Eckriches continued to swap the lead. Denny Eckrich broke free from his younger brother and pulled away by half of a straightaway until the caution flag waved on lap 33. That caution came when Darbyshire's charge to the front ended as he made contact with the back stretch wall before coming to a rest in turn three.

Denny Eckrich again took command when the green flag waved as Aikey and Harris mounted a challenge for second. Aikey slipped beneath Andy Eckrich for second at the 39 lap mark and attempted to close the gap in the waning laps. As he cut into the lead, Harris made his way into third with two to go.

Although Aikey cut into the lead, Eckrich held on for the exciting win. Aikey ran second ahead of Harris, Andy Eckrich and Utter.

In other action, Chris Larson led all 15 laps of the IMCA SportMod feature to take the victory. He was chased to the checkers by Derek St. Clair and a hard charging Carter Vandenberg.

Adam Gates was the fastest Four Cylinder on the grounds as he was the first to see the checkers in that 12-lapper. (He probably could have driven to nearby Danville and back before the rest of the field crossed the stripe.) Unfortunately for Gates, post-race inspection wasn't as easy as his on-track performance as he did not make it through tech. After second place finisher Michael Grossman also failed inspection, Nicholas Van Hemurt was declared the winner.

Despite windy and cool conditions (that were joined by a rain delay during Late Model B feature action), it was a great night in Burlington. I hope to be back there next Saturday night for the MOWA Sprint special.

Benton County Speedway (complete results below)
Due to last week's cancellation of the Spring Shakedown, Sunday's Frostbuster served as season-opening action at Benton County Speedway. Along with it being the track opener, Sunday's event was the finale of a four-day Frostbuster swing in Iowa.

Among the 100 race teams signed in, 30 IMCA Modifieds were on-hand to compete for the $1,000 winner's share. Pole-sitter Scott Hogan led the 24 qualifiers to green in the 30-lap main event before a trio of cautions slowed action following the completion of one lap.

When racing resumed, Hogan again set the pace with Jeff Waterman and Patrick Flannagan giving chase. After Hogan pulled away from Waterman by half of a straightaway, Waterman slowly closed the gap to within a car-length on lap 11. By that time, J.D. Auringer, who started 16th, made his way into third with 13th starting Richie Gustin chasing him through traffic.

Gustin was able to use the low side of turns three and four to his advantage as he powered beneath his competitors in that set of turns each time around the quarter-mile oval. Gaining ground, Gustin took over third place on the 16th circuit as Hogan entered lapped traffic.

Gustin shot to the low side of three and four again three laps later to steal second from Waterman. One more maneuver to the bottom of the same set of turns one lap later put Gustin in the lead.

Following a caution period on the following lap, Gustin pulled away, leaving Hogan to battle Auringer for second. Hogan slipped off the high side of turn three to bring out a final caution with four laps to go.

When the green flag waved one last time, Gustin held off the charging Auringer to take the thrilling win. Auringer, last year's Frostbuster winner at the speedway, finished second ahead of Waterman.

Damon Murty has won more IMCA Stock Car features at Benton County Speedway than any other driver in history. A front row starting spot in Sunday night's 20-lapper did nothing to put that record in jeopardy.

Following a pair of early stoppages, Murty rocketed into the lead, putting a straightaway between himself and second running Matt Junio in just six laps. Murty entered lapped traffic on the 11th circuit, then extended his advantage each time past the flagstand.

Unchallenged the entire way, Murty raced to the win by half of a track ahead of Junio. Tyler Smith survived an exciting four car battle to take third by a nose over Stock Car rookie Scott Pippert. Norman Chesmore and Luke Lemmens chased them across the line in fifth and sixth, respectively.

A handful of cautions in the 20-lap IMCA SportMod feature did not deter Clint Luellen in his first-ever visit to the speedway. Luellen took advantage of his outside front row starting spot to take the lead at the drop of the green ahead of Kip Siems.

Luellen encountered his first lapped car just six laps into the event while Danny Dvorak raced from a third row starting spot and into second place. Luellen was enjoying a straightaway lead over Dvorak until a pair of cautions slowed action with five laps to go. When racing resumed, he held on to take the victory ahead of Dvorak and Austin Moyer.

After taking a year off, Kyle Parizek found himself on the front row in the first IMCA Hobby Stock feature of the season. Parizek paced the field while Benji Irvine and Eric Stanton pursued.

The race was slowed the first time on lap four when fourth-running Matt Brown ran high in turn three and barrel-rolled his car off the corner. Although he was okay, Brown's first night of the season ended in forgettable fashion.

On the restart, Shannon Anderson rocketed past both Stanton and Irvine in just one lap, then made his way around race leader Parizek at the midway point just as Parizek suffered a flat right rear tire on his #17K.

Anderson, who started in the fifth row, led the remainder of the event to take his first-ever win on the Vinton oval. Irvine ran second ahead of Brian Happel.

Nathan Chandler worked the low side past Craig Bangert in turn four of the opening lap to drive away to victory in the 12-lap IMCA Sport Compact feature. Chandler took the checkers by more than a straightaway over Bangert and Bill Whalen Jr.

It was nice to have Jerry Vansickle in the house Sunday night. Jerry called the action in the three previous Frostbuster events over the weekend - at Iowa State Fair Speedway, Marshalltown Speedway and Boone Speedway - and he joined BCS announcer Bucky Doren for the call Sunday night.

Yes, Jerry, I broke my snow shovel moving snow this winter, but I won't be bringing it to the Hawkeye Dirt Tour event in Vinton next month. I was unaware until tonight, but somebody fixed the shovel! Assuming I'm done shoveling snow for the season, it will remain in hibernation until next winter. Of course, as deep as it gets when you're on the mic, I may bring it anyway, just in case...

Next Sunday, weekly points racing gets underway in Vinton. All five classes on-hand for the Frostbuster will also comprise the weekly wars on the quarter-mile oval. Hot laps are scheduled for 5 p.m. next week with racing to follow.

Have a great week!

RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature: 1. 19G Richie Gustin; 2. 00 J.D. Auringer; 3. 71W Jeff Waterman; 4. 21K Kyle Brown; 5. F7 Patrick Flannagan; 6. 08 Johnny Whitman; 7. 10K Ronn Lauritzen; 8. 12D Joe Docekal; 9. K1 Kyle Krampe; 10. 2G Matt Ganson; 11. 64 Vern Jackson; 12. 33X Dan Roedl; 13. 80 Jerry Dedrick; 14. 33D Scott Hogan; 15. 27W Jason Wolla; 16. 11B Mike Burbridge; 17. 5R Matt Rechek; 18. 27 Kyle Lentz; 19. 71 Troy Cordes; 20. 74 Eric Arneson; 21. 149 Jason Murray; 22. 70 Mitch Morris; 23. 75 Lance Arneson; 24. 5D Devin Havlik.
Heat one (5 qualify, 4 redraw): 1. Havlik; 2. Hogan; 3. Waterman; 4. Morris; 5. Gustin; 6. 99X Jeremy Christians; 7. Auringer; 8. Krampe; 9. Docekal; 10. 19R Todd Reed.
Heat two: 1. Rechek; 2. Wolla; 3. Flannagan; 4. Lentz; 5. E. Arneson; 6. Whitman; 7. Brown; 8. Ganson; 9. Roedl; 10. T23 Tony Olson.
Heat three: 1. Cordes; 2. Murray; 3. Lauritzen; 4. L. Arneson; 5. Dedrick; 6. Burbridge; 7. 8 Kyle Strickler; 8. 137 Bill Pittaway; 9. 17 Mike Krall; 10. Jackson.
Last chance (9 transfer): 1. Auringer; 2. Whitman; 3. Brown; 4. Burbridge; 5. Ganson; 6. Docekal; 7. Krampe; 8. Jackson; 9. Roedl; 10. Pittaway; 11. Krall; 12. Reed; 13. Christians; DNS Strickler; DNS Olson.

IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 99D Damon Murty; 2. 10 Matt Junio; 3. 8X Tyler Smith; 4. 47 Scott Pippert; 5. 15 Norman Chesmore; 6. 00 Luke Lemmens; 7. K17 Rick Kriegel; 8. 76 Mike Galli; 9. 81X Randy Killen; 10. 4 Jerry Miles; 11. 45 Michael Dancer; 12. 20V Dustin Vis; 13. 5K Stefan Klym; 14. 87 John Emerson; 15. 19J Jay Schmidt; 16. 8B Scott Beauregard; DNS 7H Phil Holtz; DNS 97 Jamie Suchoki.
Heat one (5 redraw): 1. Murty; 2. Emerson; 3. Schmidt; 4. Junio; 5. Pippert; 6. Beauregard; 7. Miles; 8. Dancer; 9. Suchoki.
Heat two: 1. Kriegel; 2. Lemmens; 3. Vis; 4. Smith; 5. Galli; 6. Klym; 7. Chesmore; 8. Holtz; 9. Killen.

IMCA SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 3L Clint Luellen; 2. 3R Danny Dvorak; 3. 25 Austin Moyer; 4. 1 Austin Kaplan; 5. 26J Joel Rust; 6. S16 Kip Siems; 7. K3 Kyle Olson; 8. 8C Rob Charapata; 9. 00 Jim Buhlman; 10. 7M Kurt Moeding; 11. 24B Brandon Brinton; 12. 7D Dakoda Sellers; 13. 03 Cody Hudson; 14. J2 Dave Schulze; 15. 10S John Schaefer; 16. 3B Brian Anderson; 17. 30 Tracy Wassenberg; 18. 22H Curt Hilmer; 19. 95 Mike McDonald; 20. 44G Brady Graham; 21. CH19 Colby Heishman; 22. 1JR Ben Chapman; 23. 57R Ryan King; 24. 57K Ross Kitner; 25. 34 Jerry Hinton.
Heat one: 1. Schulze; 2. Moyer; 3. McDonald; 4. Dvorak; 5. Chapman; 6. Anderson; 7. Hilmer; 8. Kitner.
Heat two: 1. King; 2. Siems; 3. Charapata; 4. Graham; 5. Olson; 6. Sellers; DNS Hinton; DNS Rust.
Heat three: 1. Kaplan; 2. Luellen; 3. Wassenberg; 4. Moeding; 5. Heishman; 6. Buhlman; 7. Hudson; 8. Brinton; 9. Schaefer.

IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 78X Shannon Anderson; 2. 79 Benji Irvine; 3. 46 Brian Happel; 4. 99JR Nick Murty; 5. 3A Austin Luellen; 6. 67 Justin Stander; 7. 99 Erick Knutsen; 8. 55 Vince Buchholz; 9. 07 Jacob Keiser; 10. 7 Jim Ball; 11. 4 Matt Sorenson; 12. 27C Cory Killen; 13. 45 Justin Wacha; 14. 5 Destiny Klym; 15. 17K Kyle Parizek; 16. 7B Eric Stanton; 17. 19 Bill Bonnett; 18. 78 Matt Brown; DNS 35 Brett Vanous.
Heat one: 1. Luellen; 2. Irvine; 3. Stanton; 4. Murty; 5. Stander; 6. Knutsen; 7. Ball; 8. Klym; DNS Bonnett.
Heat two: 1. Anderson; 2. Brown; 3. Wacha; 4. Happel; 5. Parizek; 6. Buchholz; 7. Killen; 8. Keiser; 9. Sorenson; 10. Vanous.

IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 22 Nathan Chandler; 2. 99B Craig Bangert; 3. 00W Bill Whalen Jr.; 4. 2 Merv Chandler; 5. 11 Steve Miedke; 6. 99J Jeremy Lerch; 7. 22T Travis Losenicky; 8. 30 Shawn Cooney.
Heat: 1. N. Chandler; 2. M. Chandler; 3. Miedke; 4. Bangert; 5. Losenicky; 6. Whalen; 7. Lerch; 8. Cooney.