By Ben Deatherage
BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 9, 2026) — Kyle Olson survived a caution-filled opener, while Cameron Starry held off a hard-charging Kelly Shryock to win the first two Sunoco IMCA Stock Car qualifiers at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.
Two 25-lap qualifiers set the inside lane for Saturday’s Big Dance, with the top four finishers from each locking themselves into the championship event.
B.J. Wild, aboard the Dwayne Klein-owned No. 22K, grabbed the early advantage in the first qualifier before a red flag stopped the action on the opening circuit.
When racing resumed, Wild, the two-time defending IMCA Wild West Speedweek champion, battled Olson for the lead, with Olson edging him at the line to officially lead lap one.
Olson established himself out front before the first caution came on lap four.
Devin Smith, a two-time Super Nationals winner and two-time Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock National champion, tried to challenge Olson, but the leader kept him behind.
Another caution came on lap seven, followed by a multi-car incident on the ensuing restart that involved several front-running contenders.
Olson continued to fire well on each restart as a handful of cautions just after the midway point repeatedly erased his advantage. Behind him, the battle for the remaining transfer positions intensified.
One final caution on lap 23 set up a green-white-checkered finish, but Olson was again up to the challenge and held on to capture the qualifier victory.
The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, driver, and two-time defending Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod champion, started third and earned the pole position in the inside lane of Saturday’s Big Dance.
2022 Marshalltown Speedway track champion Michael Jaennette charged from 19th to finish second, while two-time defending Marshalltown Speedway track champion Jimmy Gustin advanced from 12th to third.
Oregon’s Grey Ferrando made an impressive run from 28th and initially crossed the line fourth but was disqualified following a connecting rods infraction.
The disqualification moved defending Shelby County Speedway track champion and two-time Iowa State champion Mike “Wahoo” Albertsen, who started 14th, into the fourth and final transfer position.
Two-time Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified National champion Zane DeVilbiss of New Mexico was the hard charger, advancing from dead last in 30th to finish sixth.
Damon Murty and Kevin Opheim battled for the early advantage in the second qualifier, with Opheim winning the race to the line to lead the opening circuit.
Murty entered the contest as the 2005 National champion and 2018 Super Nationals winner, while Opheim is the 2007 Super Nationals champion and 2012 Iowa State champion.
A caution came on lap three, and Opheim was forced to the work area with a flat tire, handing the lead to Texas’ Gary Williams.
Another caution on lap five slowed the field before a flip brought out the red flag on lap eight.
When racing resumed, Williams came under pressure from Starry, who attacked on the high side. Starry completed the pass for the lead on lap 10 and began to pull away.
A lap 14 caution erased his advantage, but Starry again took off when the green returned.
Meanwhile, Shryock was putting together a remarkable charge after starting dead last in 30th. The 2024 Super Nationals winner and defending National champion worked his way through the field before closing on Starry late.
Shryock used the bottom groove to challenge for the lead on lap 20, while Starry remained committed to the top. The two continued their battle through the closing circuits, with Shryock looking underneath the leader for a way past.
Starry held him off at the line to capture the qualifier victory and earn the pole position in the inside lane of Saturday’s Big Dance. The Corpus Christi, Texas, driver is the 2026 IMCA TV Winter Nationals champion and 2024 Dakota Classic Modified Tour champion.
Shryock completed his charge from 30th to finish second.
Wisconsin’s Trent Nolan, a two-time Shawano Speedway track champion, advanced from 18th to third, while Colorado’s Angel Munoz, the 2025 Dakota Classic Modified Tour champion, came from 13th to claim the fourth and final transfer position aboard the B&B Racing Chassis-owned No. 2M.
Eligible drivers also timed in for attempting to qualify for the B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. 2021 Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock National champion and 2022 Stock Car National Rookie of the Year Kaden Reynolds turned the fastest lap of the round at 17.924 seconds, earning a custom pop-up canopy courtesy of P1 Promotions.
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.
Corpus Christi, Texas’ Cameron Starry celebrates in victory lane after winning a Sunoco IMCA Stock Car qualifier during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway on Sept. 9. Starry held off Kelly Shryock’s charge from 30th to earn a starting spot in the inside lane of Saturday’s Big Dance. (Photo by Byron Fichter Fotography)