Dan Engledow

Vanover, Huls score Super Nationals Stock Car qualifiers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10) – The second-place finishers in Stock Car main events each of the last two years at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s were first-place finishers in Thursday night qualifying features. 2018 runner-up Kyle Vanover topped the first qualifier at Boone Speedway, ahead of Mitch Meier, Loren Pesicka Jr. and Buck Schafroth. 2019 runner-up Abe Huls took the checkers in the nightcap, with Kelly Shryock in tow and former Super Nationals champions Jeffrey Abbey and Jeremy Christians next across the stripe. Top four finishers in each qualifier advance to the inside row for the main event grid. Meier led the first qualifier before being slowed by contact with a lapped car. Vanover drove by and took the checkers by a margin of just under two seconds. Huls was the fifth and final leader in the second event, tasked with holding Shryock at bay following a caution with three circuits left in the 25-lapper. 2010 champion Christians makes his career 13th main event start, Huls his eighth, Vanover his seventh and [Read More]

ATTENTION FRIDAY UPDATE: 4 P.M.:

ATTENTION FRIDAY UPDATE: 4 P.M.: BOONE, Iowa - We are officially postponing the Thursday nightSuper Nationals qualifying program to Saturday morning at 9 a.m. We will tentatively hot lap at 7:30 a.m. for those drivers interested in doing so. We will race the Friday program on Saturday afternoon/evening. We will move the Saturday nightChampionship program to Sunday at 9 a.m. We will run all race formats in their entirety. The Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational race will be Saturday evening. No events will be canceled and the weather should permit all racing to occur. WE WILL HONOR ALL THURSDAY ONE-DAY WRISTBANDS ON SATURDAY MORNING. After the Thursday program is complete, we will require everyone to vacate the pits and grandstands and re-enter for the next scheduled qualifying program. We will offer all THURSDAY night one-day wristbands a refund from 4-5 p.m. TODAY ONLY if you cannot attend tomorrow. The wristband MUST be on your wrist. No mail-ins and no refunds for wristbands removed before you get to the pit shack. Go to the main pit shack and we will remove the wristband and refund for that one-day wristband only (it’s [Read More]

Attention, Friday update

BOONE, Iowa – The final decision on whether race programs will be held Friday at Boone Speedway will be made at noon today. If racing must be postponed, what was originally the Thursday Modified and Stock Car qualifying program will be moved to a 9 a.m. start time on Saturday. “The track must be raceable to the expectations of our drivers, fans, Boone Speedway and IMCA,” explained IMCA President Brett Root. “That is not possible at this time. We will release any more details at noon and ask everyone to be patient until that time.”

Hobby, SportMod qualifying to be completed today, two Thursday programs for Modifieds, Stocks

BOONE, Iowa – Super Nationals qualifying for Hobby Stocks and Northern SportMods will be completed today (Wednesday) as soon as weather permits. Fifteen SportMod heats, two SportMod qualifying features and one Hobby Stock qualifying feature were postponed from the Tuesday show at Boone Speedway. There will be no charge for pit or grandstand admission. Last-chance races for those two divisions will not be held; both will be canceled with the last six spots in each field filled by points. Wednesday’s program for Modifieds and Stock Cars has been moved to 9 a.m. on Thursday and will be followed by Thursday’s scheduled program. Drivers will draw for both of Thursday’s racing programs beginning at noon today. No Modified or Stock Car hot laps will be held on Wednesday and no pre-tech will be required in either division prior to Thursday’s program. The only requirements are to sign in and draw. For updated information, go to the IMCA Super Nationals, IMCA and Boone Speedway Facebook pages, or IMCA and Boone Speedway websites.

Noon start for Tuesday Super Nationals program

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 8) – Tuesday’s race program at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s begins at noon. IMCA and Boone Speedway officials moved the first green flag up due to weather concerns. Moving the program up two hours makes for the best opportunity to get the complete program in. Schedule of events, featuring the entire Sport Compact program and Hobby Stock and Northern SportMod qualifying, is to be announced.

Thornton repeats with opening night Late Model Super Nationals crown

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 7) – Ricky Thornton Jr. became a two-time champion at last year’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. He became a two-time Late Model champion on a windy opening night of the 2020 event. Thornton got the lead back from Jeff Aikey on the 32nd of 50 circuits, then led Richie Gustin through lapped traffic to the $3,000 checkers Monday night at Boone Speedway. “It was really hard this year, admitted Thornton. “I tried high, I tried low and I was finally able to move by him (Aikey) for the lead.” Thornton had started seventh, Gustin from sixth. Aikey, who was chasing his career eighth and seventh Late Model crown, ended in third while Andy Nezworski worked his way back into the top four with 11 laps left. Nebraskan Cory Dumpert had the fastest car at the start, building a half straightaway advantage over Nezworski before a lap eight caution. Thornton got up to second but could only watch as Aikey drove by to the front on lap 17. After Dumpert [Read More]

Jake Bubak became a first-time RaceSaver Nationals champion, leading the last six laps of the $2,500 to win main event Sunday night at Eagle Raceway. (Photo by Joe Orth)

Bubak sprints to IMCA RaceSaver Nationals crown

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (Sept. 6) – A driver who’s been a contender became a champion Sunday night at Eagle Raceway. Jake Bubak led the last six laps in winning the eighth annual RaceSaver Nationals at America’s Home Track, after finishing third, third and fourth the last three years. Along with the $2,500 top prize, Bubak repeated in taking the $1,000 to win Jake Ita Memorial Race of Champions on Saturday night. Nearly 90 teams vied at the biggest IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car event of the season. Bubak’s win came from outside the second row of the three-wide start. “I didn’t mind starting in the second row, I just didn’t want to start in the middle,” he said. “But as I told another racer ‘It’s the same for everybody’ so we just go along with it. We moved up fairly quickly, and towards the end it was kind of attrition. Joey (Danley) ended up bouncing and then spinning out and then Ethan (Barrow) breaking that wheel center was really unfortunate.” “We had a great weekend for [Read More]

Mike Nichols moved to the top of IMCA’s all-time wins list with his career 558th IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature win on Sept. 3 at Abe’s U.S. 30 Speedway in Columbus, Neb. He is pictured in victory lane with wife Anita. (Photo courtesy of Abe’s U.S. 30 Speedway)

Nichols hustles to IMCA record 558th career win

COLUMBUS, Neb. – Mike Nichols couldn’t recall many of the details of his first IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature win.He’ll remember everything about his latest. Nichols won for the 558th time in his IMCA Sunoco Stock Car career at Abe’s U.S. 30 Speedway in Columbus, Neb., becoming IMCA’s all-time wins leader with the Sept. 3 checkers. It was the latest accomplishment for the most decorated driver of the sanctioning body’s modern era.“Everything you do is special in its own way,” said Nichols, now running for his ninth national championship. “Everything is its own accomplishment. When I’m in a nursing home years from now, this is something I’ll be able to talk about.”From Harlan, Iowa, Nichols has averaged better than 29 wins a season since 2002, with an IMCA record-tying 54 in 2016. He also owns more than 40 career track championships, another IMCA-best total, with at least one track title to his credit every season except one in the past 19 years.”“To be consistent for such a long time is remarkable, especially in a Stock Car, which [Read More]

Jayden Schmidt

He’s got a career-best 14 feature wins and two track titles to his credit, long with a big lead in the state points race. But the cherry on top of Jayden Schmidt’s Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod season would be be qualifying for Saturday’s main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Seventeen years old and a senior at Seymour, Wis., High School, Schmidt got his first look at Boone Speedway when he pulled into town on Sunday. He was comfortable wheeling his way around Iowa’s Action Track and ready to get down to the serious business of winning Monday’s 16th heat. “I’ve driven on similar tracks so I’m used to corners like they have at Boone,” he said. “I know the competition here is very good. My goal is to make the show on Saturday, then I’ll be happy.” Sixth in current national standings and a contender for the Junior National Champion honors as well, Schmidt learned the racing basics in go karts before moving to the SportMod class. He’s got some time yet [Read More]

Jerry Hunt

A Michigan driver who made a long-awaited return to victory lane last weekend hopes to see his new streak continue this week at Boone Speedway. Jerry Hunt earned the IMCA Modified win at Thunderbird Raceway over the weekend, along with $1,000 and a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth. He made the tow to Super Nationals with son Mitchell, a third generation driver who was elected to start the upcoming version of that race. Hunt was retired for more than three years before getting back on the track during the Fourth of July Weekend in a GRT by S & S Motorsports ride bought from Shawn Bearce. “My son is my best competition. The tables have turned and now I’m learning from him,” said Hunt, especially proud to see Mitchell race his way into the Big Dance two years ago. “I’m going to give it my best this week. I know we’re going to be up against the best of the best . We’re going to see what happens.”