By Joyce Eisele
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Sept. 16, 2023) – The Karl Auto Group Marshalltown Speedway held its Night Two of the World Nationals on Saturday for the Local UAW 893 Cliff Chambers Memorial Saturday Night Spectacular.
Tom Berry Jr. doubled up and won both the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature and the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. The Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature went to Matt Avila and Adam Wasserman took the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock title. Blake Driscol took the honors in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts.
The Stock Car feature became a runaway after Berry grabbed the lead at lap three. He never looked back and finished well ahead of second place and Friday winner Dallon Murty. Kaden Reynolds crossed in third place but was docked two positions for a deck height infraction, handing him a fifth place finish. This moved Damon Murty to third and opening laps leader Austin Kaplan to fourth.
The race paid $1,000 to the winner and was a B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifier for next year’s Super Nationals.
The Northern SportMods ran 25 laps for their main event, which was a $1,000 payday to the winner.
Todd Dykema led the opening lap. Shane Paris, in the rent-a-ride hot rod normally driven by Carter VandenBerg took command at lap two but it was Avila getting the upper hand on lap 10 and claiming the lead.
Avila never gave up that top spot from there on out and in the closing laps, pulled away to the easy win. Paris took the runner-up spot, 12th place starter and Friday winner Brayton Carter raced his way to a third place finish, Jenae Gustin limped her ride across the finish line in fourth place after what appeared to be a ball joint issue, and Logan Anderson was fifth.
The ground-pounding Modified 30-lap feature was led from start to finish by Berry, claiming his second feature of the night.
Berry started on the pole and was g-o-n-e, gone. He finished easily ahead of second place Ethan Braaksma, who chased Berry most of the distance. Todd Shute finished third, Cody Laney was fourth and it was Tripp Gaylord racing Zack VanderBeek’s no. 33Z ride and finishing fifth.
Sport Compacts ran a 15-lap main event. The race went flag to flag.
Bryan Vannausdle led the opening laps but it was Friday winner Cristian Grady snatching it away on lap three.
A few laps later, Driscol was in second and up to challenge the leader. Driscol harassed the leader for several laps before he was finally able to make the pass underneath with just three laps remaining and then went on to hold it to the flying checkers and the win.
Grady had to be satisfied with the runner-up spot this night. Early leader Vannausdle took third, Mark Smith was fourth and Matt Miller rounded out the top five.
The finale of the night and of the 2023 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season at the track, was 20 laps of Hobby Stock racing.
Dalton Weepie led the first handful of laps but it was Fairbury, Neb.’s Adam Wasserman taking over at lap six. Wasserman was then able to maintain that lead through the caution-plagued race and claim the World Nationals Hobby Stock title.
Corey VanderWilt finished as the runner-up. David McCalla started 14th and took third, fourth went to Solomon Bennett and Trenton Neuhaus raced all the way from 17th starting to finish fifth.
Adam Wasserman’s tow from Fairbury, Neb., was rewarded with the Saturday IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock checkers at Marshalltown’s season-ending World Nationals. (Photo by Jordan Hanisch)
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