By Ben Deatherage
BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 11, 2026) — Jake McBirnie went from third to first in a wild final-lap scramble, while Joel Rust controlled the second qualifier Friday during Sunoco IMCA Stock Car qualifying at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.
Two 25-lap qualifiers determined eight starting spots in the outside lane of Saturday’s Big Dance, with the top four finishers from each locking themselves into the championship event.
After a caution on the initial start, Reid Keller emerged with the lead on the opening circuit of the first qualifier. Matthew West began challenging Keller on lap three and won the race back to the line to take command. West tried to pull away, but Kyle Everts began tracking him down using the top of the speedway.
Everts completed the move on lap seven and began to establish himself out front before a caution on lap nine erased his advantage.
Everts continued to master the top shelf through cautions on laps 12 and 16, along with a red flag on the frontstretch on lap 15. Another yellow on lap 20 again tightened the field.
Two-time Wagner Speedway track champion Brady Wenzlaff stayed within striking distance during the closing laps and mounted his challenge on the final circuit.
Wenzlaff got around Everts on the backstretch, and the pair battled into the final corners. Contact between the two coming onto the frontstretch opened the door for McBirnie, who maneuvered underneath both and stole the victory at the checkered flag.
The defending Super Nationals champion charged from 16th aboard the Mike Kennedy-owned No. 822 to earn the win.
Five-time defending Beatrice Speedway track champion Kyle Vanover advanced from 22nd to finish second.
Two-time defending Independence Motor Speedway Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod track champion Tony Olson was credited with third, while two-time defending U.S. 30 Speedway and 2025 Boone County Raceway track champion Jeff Ware charged from 18th to fourth and secured the final transfer position.
North Dakota’s Jonny Carter, this year’s Dakota Classic Modified Tour Stock Car champion, was the hard charger, racing from 30th to sixth.
Joel Rust put the Schmidt Racing-owned No. 9 out front on the opening lap of the second qualifier.
Texas native Shelby Williams, the 2025 IMCA TV Winter Nationals champion, went after Rust for the lead, but the two-time Benton County Speedway Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified track champion kept him behind.
A caution on lap eight erased Rust’s advantage. He remained in control on the restart, but 2022 National Stock Car Rookie of the Year and 2021 Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock National champion Kaden Reynolds began mounting a challenge before another yellow came out on lap 10.
Rust again maintained command when racing resumed.
Another caution on lap 19 bunched the field, but Rust quickly checked out on the restart. A yellow one circuit later gave the field another opportunity, only for Rust to again get away.
A final caution on lap 23 set up a green-white-checkered finish, but Rust left little doubt on the final restart and drove away to capture the qualifier victory.
Two-time Nebraska State champion Austin Brauner advanced from 10th to finish second. Four-time Lee County Speedway track champion Jeff Mueller finished third, while 14-time defending Minnesota State and Arlington Raceway track champion Dan Mackenthun secured the fourth and final transfer aboard the Jared Fasching-provided No. 92.
Texan Jeffrey Abbey turned in the biggest charge of the qualifier. The 2016 Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod National champion raced from 28th to sixth.
A total of 278 IMCA Stock Cars were on tap for the night.
Locked-in drivers from Thursday night’s qualifying tossed bags in the NAPA Fan Zone on Friday to determine their starting positions in the middle lane of Saturday’s Big Dance.
Cole Czarneski defeated Colby Fett to secure the middle of the front row, with Fett starting in the middle position of row two. Tripp Gaylord defeated Elijah Zevenbergen for the middle of row three, putting Zevenbergen in the middle position of row four.
Justin Luinenburg defeated Zane DeVilbiss for the middle of row five, with DeVilbiss starting in the middle position of row six. Devin Smith defeated Jamison MacDonald for the middle of row seven, putting MacDonald in the middle position of row eight.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA 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.
Joel Rust 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. 11. Rust led all 25 laps aboard the Schmidt Racing-owned No. 9 to earn a starting spot in the outside lane of Saturday’s Big Dance. (Photo by Byron Fichter Fotography)