Chased, challenged, never caught, Thornton collects Clay County Clash checkers

Feature, Hobby Stock, Modified, Northern SportMod, Sport Compact, Stock Car

Dylan Thornton had the answer to every challenge Wednesday night, leading every lap of the $2,500 to win Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at the Clay County Clash. (Photo by Jim Steffens)

SPENCER, Iowa (Aug. 7, 2024) – He was chased and he was challenged but Dylan Thornton was never caught.

Thornton led every lap of Wednesday’s Clay County Fairgrounds Speedway Clash main event for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, keeping Tim Ward behind him the first 20 laps and holding Tom Berry Jr. at bay the last 10 times around the track.

The IMCA Speed Week win was also Thornton’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying third and was good for $2,500. He parried a last-turn slider from Berry, winner of Tuesday’s Harris Clash, to secure that big check.

“I saw his (Berry’s) nose so I knew he was close enough to slide me,” he said. “What you have to do coming down the backstretch is not make a mistake and not stuff it into the fence or something stupid, you have to be able to turn back down.”

“We actually went home after last night, woke up this morning, decided we were too dumb to quit and decided to drive four hours back up this way,” said Thornton, who’d finished 27th at Deer Creek. “We worked on this thing in the shop for a couple hours to make it better.”

Runner-up Berry had started seventh while hard charger Ethan Braaksma raced from 16th to catch Ward for third late in the race. Tripp Gaylord advanced nine spots to fifth.

Kelly Shryock, already guaranteed a starting spot in the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational, topped the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature ahead of Jake Masters and Mike Albertsen.

Ninth starting Mike Smith edged Blake Luinenburg by eight hundredths of a second, something less than half a car length, in winning the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature. Brandon Nielsen was third.

Matthew Looft got to the front seven laps into the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature and then checked out, winning ahead of Gabriel Deschamp and Justin Klynsma.

And Gilbert Aldape was promoted to first in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature.

IMCA Speed Week continues Thursday with the Gene Schattschneider Memorial at Kossuth County Speedway in Algona. Modifieds headline that show with a $5,600 to win main event while Stock Cars chase a $1,000 top prize.

Hobby Stocks, Northern SportMods and Sport Compacts complete the Aug. 8 card.

All Speed Week race programs are broadcast by IMCA.TV.

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