By Joyce Eisele
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (June 30, 2023) – It was Minute Man Printing Night at the Karl Auto Group Marshalltown Speedway on Friday and three drivers all saw local checkers for the first time this season.
Kaden Reynolds took the checkers in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Solomon Bennett won in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Mike Zemo Jr. saw his first victory lane at the speedway in the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites.
Joel Rust returned to the winner’s circle in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and it was Brayton Carter with his second win of the season in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods.
SportMods kicked off the feature racing with their 20-lap main event.
Matt Avila held the lead through the first five laps, but that’s when bad luck bit him as he spun in corner one. This brought out a yellow, and handed the lead on the restart over to ninth place starter Carter, who never relinquished that lead from there on out.
He withstood several more cautions but was never seriously threatened and scored his second feature win of the season. Tony Olson started eighth and took second and cousin Kyle Olson started 15th and finished in third. Logan Anderson and Jenae Gustin completed the top five.
The Modifieds were up next for 20 laps of racing action.
Rust started fifth and was leading by lap two. He had big time company behind him most of the contest with Todd Shute and Dylan Thornton on his tail.
However, Rust never faltered as he ran his high line in turns three and four, dipping low in turns one and two. Shute started seventh and had to be content with the runner-up position and Thornton took third. Ronn Lauritzen finished fourth and Tripp Gaylord was fifth.
The Class Too Tough To Tame, the IMCA Stock Cars, came next for 20 laps of feature racing.
Kaden Reynolds started on the pole and shot off to the lead as the race went green, never to look back. Ninth place starter Troy Jerovetz dug on the bottom of the track most of the race and closed the gap but had to settle for second place.
Nathan Ballard hustled from 11th starting to take third and Austin Brands was fourth. Michael Jaennette charged from 18 to finish fifth.
This was Reynolds’ first win at the track in 2023.
STARS Mod Lites ran their 15 lap feature flag to flag.
Zemo led all but the opening lap to take home his first win at the track. He started fifth, and had the field covered quickly, taking the checkers comfortably over second place Joe Glick. Jon Padilla, a Silvis, Ill., regular at the track, started ninth, and raced his way to a third place finish, and a close fourth went to the previous three week’s winner, Josh May. Alex Eischeid completed the top five.
Twenty-eight cars started the Hobby Stock 20 lap feature and they ran it caution free.
Dustin Filloon started sixth, avoided a skirmish at the start of the race with all cars continuing on with no caution and came out the leader.
By lap six, he had Bennett breathing down his neck. He held the lead until lap 13 when Bennett took over the top spot. By this time, Bradly Graham had also closed in on the leaders, running the high line.
Bennett held on to take the checkers, and Graham passed Filloon in the closing laps as they finished second and third, respectively. Corey Van Der Wilt was fourth and 13th starting, Eric Knutson took fifth.
This was Bennett’s first win this season at the High Banks.
Friday night, July 7, is KIX 101.1/KFJB & Iowa Seamless Gutters Night at the Races. IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Mod Lites will be on the docket, with the Outlaw Cruisers joining the regular classes. Grandstands open at 5:30 p.m., hot laps are at 6:55 p.m. and racing is at 7:30 p.m.
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