Lauritzen takes thrilling Modified win

Ronn Lauritzen prevailed in a tight battle for the IMCA Modified checkers Friday at Marshalltown Speedway. (Photo by Bruce Badgley, Motorsports Photography)

By Joyce Eisele 

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Aug. 2) – Two drivers earned their first local victories of the year in the IMCA Modified and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod divisions, while the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks saw repeat winners Friday at Marshalltown Speedway.

The 20-lap IMCA Modified feature was up for grabs between three drivers. Tim Ward hustled from 10th starting to the lead by lap seven, only to have Joel Rust and Ronn Laurtizen tag in behind.

Rust got the upper hand with six laps left but it was still anyone’s race between Rust, Lauritzen, and Ward as the laps wound down. Lauritzen gained the lead on lap 18 only to have Rust regain it on the white flag lap, but the race the checkers found Lauritzen surging ahead to cross the finish line first. 

Rust was the runner-up followed closely by Ward in third.

A yellow at lap 13 bunched the Northern SportMod field and on the restart, Johnathon Logue made the pass into the runner-up spot, and then with two laps remaining, snatched the lead on the backstretch.

He held the top spot the final two laps to the flying checkers and his first win at the speedway this year.  

Damon Murty loves the top side of the high banks at Marshalltown and after just a handful of laps he was in command and gone, winning the 18-lap Stock Car feature for the second week in a row. 

Justin Temeyer, who was piloting Shawn Ritter’s ride for the night, came from ninth starting to take the runner-up position.

Leah Wroten repeated her win from last week in the Hobby Stocks. She started 10th and nabbed the lead from Gary Pfantz after the two battled it out lap after lap. Wroten took command at lap 12 of the 15-lap event and snagged herself the win.