Dan Engledow

Luellen, Marriott motor to Modified qualifying feature wins

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – Clint Luellen led every lap while Hunter Marriott needed most of his feature in winning IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Modified qualifiers Thursday night. Luellen, the 2015 Northern SportMod champion, had the field covered from the get-go in the opener at Boone Speedway. Cautions at midway – that yellow took Oregon contender Collen Winebarger, piloting one of the fastest cars on the track, out of contention – and again on lap 20 erased Luellen’s sizable leads but he pulled away after both restarts. Cayden Carter started 25th and passed 2010 champion Jimmy Gustin with four to go and finished second; the 17th starting Gustin and Chaz Baca, who headed the pursuit of Luellen much of the way, completed the top four. Marriott worked his way toward the front from 15th starting in the nightcap. Into the top four by lap nine, he finally caught Tanner Black for the front spot with four laps left. Black beat 11th starting Justin Auringer to the stripe by all of four [Read More]

Ruter, Aikey ace Modified qualifiers at Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – A Modified veteran and a driver who made a name for himself in another division won rescheduled qualifying features Thursday at Boone Speedway. Ryan Ruter caught Ethan Dotson eight laps in and led to the end of the first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s qualifier while Jeff Aikey, the winner of a record six Super Nationals championships and a 20-time qualifier for the Late Model main event at Boone, led all but the opening circuit of the 25-lap nightcap. A game of Rochambeau will determine which of the two starts on the pole in Saturday’s Modified big dance. Josh Long, Dotson and 27th starting Cody Laney chased Ruter to the checkers. Riley Simmons, Jay Noteboom and Mitchell Hunt were scored behind Aikey. The top four from each qualifier advance to the inside row Saturday. Ruter was pulling away from the rest of the pack before a lap 16 caution; Long passed Dotson for second following a lap 21 restart. Aikey was also comfortably in front before a [Read More]

What’s already been a pretty good season for Mitchell Hunt got even better early Thursday afternoon.

Hunt ran fourth in the second of two rescheduled Modified qualifying features to earn his career-first start in the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s main event. “This is pretty much what I’ve dreamed about since I was little,” said Hunt, 19 years old, from Greenville, Mich., and grandson of 1998 Super Nationals qualifier Jerry Pace. “Our season has already been phenomenal. This is amazing.” A regular at I-96 Speedway and Crystal Motor Speedway, Hunt made his first trip to Super Nationals four years ago to race in the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. His morning started with a heat race win and ended with Hunt chasing Jeff Aikey, Riley Simmons and Jay Noteboom across the finish line. “I tried to keep my nose clean and stay close to the bottom. Right around the tires was where I was at,” he said. “If you can keep up with Jay Noteboom, you’re doing good.”

IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars have Sept. 13 date at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars converge at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Thursday, Sept. 13 during NASCAR’s Fall South Point 400 Weekend. The Clash On The Clay date on the fast half-mile pays $1,500 to win and $300 to start, with IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National points awarded as well. Pit gates will open at noon and practice sessions are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12. On race day, pit gates open at 9:45 a.m. and tech starts at 10:30 a.m. Hot laps are at 2;10 p.m., the drivers’ meeting is at 3:30 p.m. and racing starts at approximately 3:45 p.m. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer will be featured guests at a Sept. 13 autograph session that evening. They’ll be joined by a number of other popular drivers from NASCAR’s top three series at the autograph session, which will run from 6-7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time inside the Dirt Track ticket gates.

Murty, Schmidt score Wednesday Stock Car qualifiers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – The flag-to-flag runs in Wednesday night IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s qualifying features put Damon Murty and Jay Schmidt in victory lane. Murty topped the first 25-lapper for his career 13th Stock Car main event berth; Schmidt won the nightcap and will make his 14th career Saturday night start. They’ll square off in a Thursday Rochambeau session to determine who starts on the pole. Todd Reitzler challenged Murty to midway. Fifteenth starting Derek Green, John Oliver Jr. and 2013 champion Brandon Czarapata chased Murty, a three-time Super Nationals runner-up, across the stripe. Schmidt had his hands full with 2016 Elijah Zevenbergen following a restart with five laps left. Zevenbergen, Dean Abbey and Kyle Frederick rounded out the top four; Cayden Carter was disqualified from a transfer to Saturday’s main event because of an illegal rear suspension. Czarapata will make his career 13th Saturday start at Super Nationals, Frederick his seventh, Green his fourth, Zevenbergen his third, Oliver his second and Abbey his Stock Car first. 1st qualifying [Read More]

Deery portion of Thursday Super Nationals show is canceled

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – The IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Deery Brothers Summer Series event rescheduled from Monday to Thursday has now been canceled. “With the rain earlier this week, there’s just no dry spot left in the pit area. We’ve waited as long as we can for the grounds to dry and drain, and it’s just not happening,” explained IMCA President Brett Root. “The Boone Speedway property cannot hold any more race car haulers and pitting our Late Model competitors off the property is not possible. We apologize to those competitors and the loyal Deery Series fans.” The 32nd annual series now ends with the Governor’s Cup event at Davenport Speedway on Sept. 21. Qualifying for both Modified and Stock Car divisions is now underway at Boone.

Former champion Smith is qualifying feature winner

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – The 2016 Northern SportMod champion begins his drive for a bookend IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s trophy from the outside of the front row Saturday night. Doug Smith reeled in longtime leader Chad Briese on the 18th of 25 laps and edged away from the rest of the field for the Wednesday qualifying feature victory. Briese held on for second. Lining up behind the front pair in the big show will be third through eighth place finishers Alec Fett, 15th starting Daniel Fellows, 25th starting Anthony Kobus, J.J. Baumli, Ethan Braaksma and Brandon Dale. Tony Olson was disqualified from a transfer spot for illegal valve springs. Also the runner-up in 2013, Smith will make his career seventh Saturday night start. The other seven Wednesday qualifiers all are in the big dance for the first time. Qualifying feature results – 1. Doug Smith, Lake City; 2. Chad Briese, Albion, Neb.; 3. Alec fett, Thompson; 4. Daniel Fellows, Keokuk; 5. Anthony Kobus, David City, Neb.; 6. J.J. Baumli, Lathrop, [Read More]

Kohl convincing in qualifying feature win

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – A regular in the main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s will make his career seventh Saturday night start from the front of the outside row. Jason Kohl raced from eighth starting to the lead on just the sixth of 25 laps in winning the qualifying feature postponed from Tuesday. He dueled with Eric Stanton, who exited with a flat tire, before winning in front of Brandon Cox. Rounding out the top eight and also advancing to the outside row were 24th starting Zach Olmstead, 19th starting Tyson Overton, 21st starting Benji Irvine, 28th starting Gary Pesicka, 14th starting Eric Gillette and 20th starting Tathan Burkhart. Irvine is now a six-time main event qualifier. Overton and Pesicka both made it in the fourth time, Cox, Olmstead, Gillette and Burkhart each the first. Qualifying feature results – 1. Jason Kohl, Missouri Valley; 2. Brandon Cox, Norwalk; 3. Zach Olmstead, Overton, Neb.; 4. Tyson Overton, Carlisle; 5. Benji Irvine, Oelwein; 6. Gary Pesicka, Burt; 7. Eric Gillette, [Read More]

Tuesday program to be completed, Stock Cars qualify tonight at Boone

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – With the rain ending, track preparation will be starting on the racing surface at Boone Speedway Wednesday afternoon. Approximately three hours will be needed to get the track race-ready. Tuesday’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s program will be completed first, with Northern SportMod and Hobby Stock qualifying features and race of champions heats for both divisions. The complete Stock Car program will follow immediately, with the scheduled Modified program moved to Thursday beginning at 8 a.m. Pit gates open and both divisions will draw today beginning at 3 p.m. No additional Modifieds will be allowed in the pit area until Thursday morning. All Stock Car haulers not already in the pit area are required to enter via the north entrance of the speedway; Hobby Stock and SportMod haulers should enter the speedway grounds using the west entrance off Story Street.

Mike Lineberry

Mike Lineberry was the hard charger in his first trip this season to Boone Speedway. He’d like to qualify for the Modified main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s in his second. From Fremont, Neb., Lineberry isn’t sure how many times he’s raced at Super Nationals … it’s somewhere between eight and 10 … and like all drivers, taking the green in the Saturday show would be a career highlight. “Super Nationals is a good time. You get to see a lot of people you haven’t seen for a while,” he said. “I’ve never made the show. I’d like to do it once.” A pavement specialist – Lineberry runs a concrete plant – followed the Arizona Modified Tour early in 2018. He ran Saturdays at Eagle Raceway and was the $100 hard charger winner when he came to Boone Speedway to get some laps in a couple weeks ago.