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.
