By Ben Deatherage
BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 9, 2026) — Will Smith dominated the middle-lane qualifier, while Eric Stanton controlled the outside-lane contest as the second round of Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock qualifying was completed at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s on Wednesday.
The two 25-lap qualifiers were originally scheduled for Tuesday but were pushed back by weather. The top eight finishers from each earned starting spots in Saturday’s Big Dance.
2019 track champion Aaron Rudolph led the opening lap before the first caution appeared with one circuit complete.
Rudolph pulled away when racing resumed, but another caution on lap three brought the field back together.
Smith made his move on lap five, taking command before another yellow two circuits later. The Lake City, Iowa, driver remained strong out front and reached the tail of the field on lap 11.
Cautions on laps 18 and 20 erased Smith’s advantage, but neither restart slowed his charge. Smith, who started sixth, controlled the closing circuits to secure the victory and the pole position in the middle lane of the Big Dance.
Rudolph held on for second, while 2022 Independence Motor Speedway and Benton County Speedway track champion Brett Vanous finished third. Joe Wollenhaupt was fourth.
Three-time defending Illinois State champion Rand La Mar put together a remarkable charge from 30th to fifth. Minnesota’s Chris Seidel followed him through the field, advancing from 29th to sixth, while Cody Pontious climbed from 23rd to seventh. Nebraska’s Colin Hein secured the eighth and final transfer position.
Carlisle, Iowa’s Eric Stanton jumped to the lead on the opening lap of the second qualifier before a caution slowed the action on lap two.
Eric Knutson tried to challenge Stanton, but the four-time track champion kept him in check. Another caution came on lap three, and Stanton again powered away on the restart.
Stanton reached traffic on lap 10 but continued to control the race as Knutson remained his closest challenger.
A final caution on lap 17 gave the field another opportunity, but Stanton was up to the task and drove away to capture the outside-lane qualifier, earning the pole position in that lane for Saturday’s Big Dance.
2026 Hawkeye Challenge winner Knutson finished second, with Chris Krug third. Austin Jahnz, winner of the Sgt. Brent Koch Memorial at Redwood Speedway earlier this season, was fourth, and Mitchell McNeill completed the top five.
Tyson Overton advanced from 14th to sixth, while 2024 Lincoln County Raceway track champion Tyler Thompson charged from 16th to seventh. Defending Buena Vista Raceway track champion Justin Frederick came from 17th to claim the eighth and final transfer position.
There were 176 Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks in attendance.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Advantage Racing TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $25.99/month. And don’t miss Season 3 of the Boone Docuseries, now streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.
Carlisle, Iowa’s Eric Stanton celebrates in the NAPA Fan Zone after winning the outside-lane Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock qualifier during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway on Sept. 9. Stanton led all 25 laps to earn the pole position in the outside lane of Saturday’s Big Dance. (Photo by Byron Fichter Fotography)