BEATRICE, Neb. – A season that saw the highest of highs and the lowest of lows ended with Jordan Grabouski winning a career third IMCA Modified national championship.
Grabouski, from Beatrice, Neb., topped 30 features in adding to a trophy collection that already included hardware from 2011 and 2016.
The joy of his latest achievement was more than offset by the passing of son Jagger shortly after his birth on July 4.
“It was a bittersweet season,” Grabouski said. “It was definitely a roller coaster season for us. We were glad to have won the national championship but there were nights when it wasn’t easy for us to race.”
“My wife Whitney and I are extremely thankful and incredibly blessed to have an amazing support group of family and friends,” he continued. “We could never thank everyone enough for all the love and prayers that have followed the loss of our son.”
Along with the Jet Racing Central Region prize, Grabouski earned track titles at Beatrice Speedway and Eagle Raceway, as well as his career-first Nebraska State crown.
He completed a perfect season at Beatrice with his career 200th win in the division on Aug. 17.
“It meant a lot to us to win a state championship and we had a lot of fun in a Stock Car (winning six times) but it seemed like we had to fight for a lot of things,” said Grabouski, who ended the season with 203 checkers, fifth on the all-time list for the division. “A lot went into our perfect season at Beatrice. I believe you create a lot of your own luck and when we sit back and look at what we were able to accomplish, it’s unreal.”
By track, Grabouski collected 13 checkers at Beatrice, nine at Eagle, four at US 30 Speedway, two at Boone County Raceway and one each at Junction Motor Speedway and Osborne County Speedway.
His first win of 2018 at Beatrice was also Grabouski’s record-extending career 10th Spring Nationals victory.
“When I was growing up and going to the races, the Johnny Saathoff-David Murray Jr. rivalry was at an all-time high,” he said. “I drove for Ben and Melissa Novotny early in my career and won my first Spring Nationals in 2008 in one of their cars. It’s amazing to look at the success we’ve had.”
Wins-30 Top Five Finishes-45 Starts-50
HIS CREW: Josh Houseman, Bryson Fralin, Eric Ebeling, Steve Durman and Jackson Weeks.
HIS SPONSORS: Twin Rivers Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Penner Insurance, AJC Wiens Custom Farming, Orange Bowl, J’s Grill and Pub, Wrightway Hay Harvesters and Nelson Tree Service all of Beatrice; Friesen Chevrolet of Sutton; Abbie and Jace Grabouski and Zeck Ford, both of Leavenworth, Kan.; Wojo Painting and Moock Trucking, both of Lincoln; Schmidt’s Inc. and Schmidt Machine, both of Fairbury; PBS Rentals of Crete; Hergott Farms of Gilead; Sasse Farms of Diller; Side Trek Bar & Grill of Harbine; Novotny Ag and Brynn Novotny Motorsports, both of Jansen; Brinkman Racing and Fabrication of DeWitt; Terry Phillips Racing of Springfield, Mo.; GRT Race Cars of Greenbrier, Ark.; VP Heartland of Manhattan, Kan.; Performance Bodies of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Fast Shafts of Des Moines, Iowa; Sybesma Graphics of Sanborn, Iowa; Jordan Hanisch Photography and BigWorms Racing Videos, both of Williams, Iowa; CPD Racing Shocks of Fort Dodge, Iowa; Real Racing Wheels of Independence, Iowa; Speedwerx Headers of Forest Lake, Minn.; Kevko of Fairmont, Minn.; Strange Oval of Morton Grove, Ill.; Quarter Master of Lake Zurich, Ill.; Simpson of Brownsburg, Ind.; Wehrs Machine and Racing Products of Bangor, Wis.; Sweet Manufacturing of Kalamazoo, Mich.; Keyser Manufacturing of Coopersville, Mich.; Integra Shocks of Coopersville, Mich.; Jones Pulley Systems of Ottsville, Pa. Bulldog Rear Ends of Lancaster, Pa.; Hooker Harness of Cranbury, N.J.; FK Rod Ends of Southington, Conn.; Ricochet Shock Guards of Brush, Colo.; Icon Pistons of Carson City, Nev.; Wilwood of Camarillo, Calif.; and Total Power Batteries of Vista, Calif.