BOONE, Iowa – Four former race winners and eight first-time starters are among the 28 Modified drivers elected to the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational.
Eleven states are already represented in the 13th annual event, set for Friday, Sept. 9 during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.
Previous winners returning to Boone Speedway are Jay Noteboom (2005 and 2008) of Hinton, Chris Abelson (2011) of Sioux City, Kyle Strickler (2014) of Mooresville, N.C., and Jimmy Gustin (2015) of Marshalltown.
Noteboom’s nine career All-Star starts are more than those of any other driver.
First-time All-Stars are Kyle Brown of Madrid, Ethan Dotson of Bakersfield, Calif., Kevin Green of Waco, Texas, Travis Hagen of Williston, N.D., Brian Irvine of Oelwein, Cody Laney of Torrance, Calif., Lance Mari of Imperial, Calif., and Scott Sessions of Milton, Fla.
Sessions is the first Florida driver voted into the All-Star race.
Making career second All-Star starts will be Kellen Chadwick of Oakley, Calif., Corey Dripps of Reinbeck, Corey Gearhart of Turpin, Okla., Hunter Marriott of Brookfield, Mo., Ryan Ruter of Kanawha, Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Ricky Stephan of South Sioux City, Neb., and Jason Wolla of Ray, N.D.
Chadwick was runner-up in 2007. Stephan ran sixth in the inaugural race in 2004.
Three-time All-Star drivers are Richie Gustin of Gilman, 2005 runner-up Scott Hogan of Vinton, Jeremy Mills of Garner and Kevin Sustaire of Emory, Texas.
William Gould of Calera, Okla., Strickler and Ricky Thornton Jr., one of the Arizona natives racing in the Midwest this summer, each made their fourth All-Star grid.
Jimmy Gustin is in the Friday show for the fifth time, Abelson, Pounds and 2009 runner-up Jeff Taylor of Cave City, Ark., each for the sixth.
The 28 All-Stars were elected in two rounds of balloting conducted through the IMCA Facebook page.
Two drivers were elected from each of the five Modified regions in the first round; 18 All-Stars were elected at-large in the second.
Completing the 30-car starting grid will be All-Star candidates with the top national point total and the most 40-point feature wins as of Sept. 5 who are competing at Super Nationals.
The All-Star Invitational is 30 laps and pays $1,000 to win and $200 to start.
The initial field of 148 candidates included winners of events paying $1,000 or more, plus 2015 state and regional champions. If not already on the ballot, the winner of the upcoming Invitational becomes vote eligible to start the 2017 event.
One hundred and eighteen drivers from 25 states and two Canadian provinces have now been All-Stars.