Pretty spectacular, Meyer motors to first Speed Shift Dirt Knights TV win at Algona

Feature

Nick Meyer was joined by fair royalty in victory lane following his Speed Shift TV Dirt Knights Tour for IMCA Modifieds feature win at Kossuth County Speedway. (Photo by Icon Images)

ALGONA, Iowa (Aug. 6) – The race didn’t start the way Nick Meyer hoped it would, but it ended just the way he wanted it to. 

Meyer won his career-first Speed Shift TV Dirt Knights Tour for IMCA Modifieds feature Thursday at home track Kossuth County Speedway, earning $1,000 and a spot on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot.

“It was pretty spectacular, this being a Dirt Knights race, let alone at my home track,” he said following the big Denny Hovinga Fair Night event. “This was a pretty huge win. Having the Dirt Knights here put the icing on the cake.” 

“I got to race with some of the best drivers in the country,” he added. “My goal all season has been to get on the Fast Shafts All-Star ballot and we did it on the last possible night.” 

Meyer started the 30-lapper outside Randy Brown on the front row. He had checked out on the field and was running in another area code long before the first caution on lap 25, and then pulled away again following a restart with two to go. 

“I’d entered the race anticipating running on the bottom. I wanted to get to the bottom before the pole sitter did but I got a horrible start,” Meyer explained. “So I went to the top, took the lead coming out of (turn) two and stayed on the top.” 

Brown and Kelsie Foley were in and out of second before eighth starting Jeremy Mills made his way to the runner-up position 10 laps in, bringing along Cody Laney to third. 

Both chased Meyer through traffic and had closed the gap before the yellow came out on lap 25. Both Laney and Kelly Shryock passed Mills following the second restart. Tour point leader Ethan Braaksma completed his drive from 15th on the original grid to complete the top five. 

Meyer’s previous best tour finish had been fourth, in the Monday show at Clay County Fair Speedway.

More than 100 cars saw action Thursday at Algona. Other $1,000 feature winners were Troy Swearingen in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Brandon Nielsen in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Jared Boumeester in the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods. Winner of the Mach-1 Sport Compact main was Kaytee DeVries.

The seventh and final Dirt Knights event of the season, to be broadcast by Speed Shift TV, will also be the 100th event in tour history, on Sunday, Aug. 30 at Benton County Speedway in Vinton.

Feature results – 1. Nick Meyer, Whittemore; 2. Cody Laney, Torrance, Calif.; 3. Kelly Shryock, Fertile; 4. Jeremy Mills, Britt; 5. Ethan Braaksma, Newton; 6. Ethan Dotson, Bakersfield, Calif.; 7. Kyle Brown, Madrid; 8. Kelsie Foley, Tucson, Ariz.; 9. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev.; 10. Dylan Thornton, Santa Maria, Calif.; 11. Randy Brown, Chowchilla, Calif.; 12. Austin Wolf, Algona; 13. Jason Brees, Meriden; 14. Ben Schultze, Algona; 15. John Burrow, Denver, Colo.; 16. David Brown, Kellogg; 17. Zach Dockter, Norwich, N.D.; 18. Garett Wilson, Carlisle; 19. Jason Asbe, Clear Lake; 20. Phil Ricke, Wesley; 21. Cody Blixt, Clancy, Mont.; 22. Mat Hollerich, Good Thunder, Minn.; 23. Corey Dripps, Reinbeck; 24. Tanner Black, Otis, Kan.; 25. Cody Knecht, Whittemore; 26. Jerad Thelen, Minot, N.D.; 27. Nicholas Carpenter, Leavenworth, Kan.; 28. Stacey Mills, Webb; 29. Al Hejna, Clear Lake.

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