Speckman tops Fan Favorite voting for fendered entries

By Ryan Clark

SLEEPY EYE, Minn. – Aside from his travels during the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Stock Car Tour, Matt Speckman stayed close to home during the 2014 season.

The Sleepy Eye, Minn., driver earned a handful of feature wins in weekly competition at Arlington Raceway, Murray County Speedway in Slayton and Redwood Speedway in Redwood Falls.

Speckman earned one more win in November as the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car driver was the top vote-getter in the Sybesma Graphics IMCA Facebook Fan Favorite Contest for fendered divisions. He receives a mini-hood from Sybesma Graphics.

“Our season was all right,” said Speckman. “We ended up with five wins.”

Those wins were scattered at all three tracks where he competed regularly. Chasing points, though, wasn’t on Speckman’s list of priorities.

“We weren’t really able to run for points anywhere,” he explained. “Since I went to the Dakota Tour, I had to miss some nights at home.”

Speckman has made the Dakota Tour an annual part of his racing schedule in recent years.

“A buddy of mine with a bigger hauler asked me to go one year,” he recalled. “We like to go up there every year to try something different. It’s a fun tour to visit the different tracks.”

In six tour events, Speckman ran in the top 10 three times, including a fourth place run at Southwest Speedway in Dickinson, N.D.

“We didn’t really have too many good nights this year,” recalled Speckman, who, despite only five wins, managed to record 39 top-10 finishes in 49 starts.

“We blew up one night and had some other things break this season,” he stated. “We did have a few good runs though.”

Speckman’s crew includes Chad DeVlaeminck, Chris Plamann and parents Merv and Laurie.

His sponsors are H&D Underground, L&R Concrete & Masonry, H&S Rolling, Channel Seeds/Jimmy Peterson, all of Sleepy Eye; Ralco Nutrition of Marshall; Coop Racing Engines of Hamburg; B&B Racing Chassis of Belle Plaine; and Sybesma Graphics of Sanborn, Iowa.

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