Dan Engledow

Final front row spot goes to Irvine

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – Benji Irvine will start his career fifth IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals Hobby Stock championship night start from the outside of the front row Saturday night. Irvine, from Oelwein, advanced to the outside pole position after Dustin Gulbrandson failed crate engine inspection following Tuesday’s qualifying feature. Avoca’s Corey Madden, another Super Nationals veteran, will make his seventh Saturday night start and line up behind Irvine. Also lining up on the outside row will be Jeff Ware of Columbus, Neb., Dustin Lynch of Boone, Shawn Slezak of Milligan, Neb., 24th starting Jamie Songer of Ankeny, 25th starting Tory Harazin of Redwood Falls, Minn., and Bryce Sommerfeld of Fort Dodge. Sommerfeld moved up a spot and into the show when Adam Armstrong was disqualified for illegal valve springs. Slezak and Songer are now four-time Super Nationals qualifiers. Ware and Lynch are in for the second time, Harazin and Sommerfeld both for the first. Feature results – 1. Benji Irvine, Oelwein; 2. Corey Madden, Avoca; 3. Jeff Ware, Columbus, Neb.; 4. Dustin Lynch, [Read More]

Dream comes true for qualifying feature winner Efkamp

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – When Brian Efkamp takes the green flag for the final time in his racing career Saturday night, he’ll do so from the middle of the front row of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s championship race for Northern SportMods. Efkamp, from Ankeny, won the first of two qualifying features during the Tuesday evening program at Boone Speedway. He had started sixth, took over the front spot when leader Justin Addison got into the back stretch wall, then held onto the point through a series of cautions that slowed the 25-lapper. Tyler Soppe of Sherrill and Tony Olson of Cedar Rapids headed the pursuit but had to settle for second and third, respectively. “I can’t believe it. This is just a dream come true,” Efkamp said during the post-race interview, admitting that his thoughts turned to family during caution periods and adding that winning the final race of his career on Saturday would be another dream come true. Efkamp was IMCA’s national Stock Car champion in 1989. He’ll [Read More]

There’s no keeping up with Jones in race for Super Nationals Sport Compact crown

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – After failing to qualify for the main event in his first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s outing last September, Devin Jones returned to Boone Speedway with a chip on his shoulder. He went home with the championship trophy and a check for $250. “It’s almost unreal,” said Jones, who passed long-time leader Barry Taft on the backstretch with two circuits left in the 25-lapper and then led to the Tuesday night checkers. “It took me a while to find the right line but once I did, that’s where I was going.” Taft had started outside the third row, eked ahead briefly following an early restart and passed Mitchell Bielenberg for good just before midway. The 10th starting Jones was up to third by lap 15 and found himself running second when the 16th lap was scored. It was a two-car race for the crown with five laps left. “I kind of followed him for a bit before I thought ‘This was the lap,’” Jones said. “I passed [Read More]

Wednesday Schedule of Events

SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS NEEDED MODIFIED, STOCK CAR HOT LAPS – 1 pm DRIVERS MEETING – 1:30 pm TRACK PREP FIRST RACE – 2 pm 10 – STOCK CAR HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP HOBBY STOCK “A” (25 laps) TRACK PREP 10 – STOCK CAR HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP 2 – STOCK CAR B’s (8 laps) SPORTMOD “A” (25 laps) TRACK PREP 10 – MODIFIED HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP (Tuesday Hobby Stock/SportMod winners to Fan Zone) 2 – STOCK CAR B’s (8 laps) STOCK CAR “A1” (25 laps) STOCK CAR “A2” (25 laps) TRACK PREP 10 – MODIFIED HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP 10 – MODIFIED HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP 2 – MODIFIED B’s (8 laps) MODIFIED “A1” (25 laps) MODIFIED “A2” (25 laps) 4 – MODIFIED B’s (8 laps)

Brandon Esparza

Phoenix, Ariz., driver Brandon Esparza makes more than his Super Nationals debut during Tuesday’s Sport Compact program at Boone. He’ll be racing for the first time in any class. Buddy and IMCA Modified driver John Parmeley built the car for Esparza, who was on the crew that came to Super Nationals last year. “I told him I was jealous and wanted to race, too,” Esparza said. “John built this car a couple months ago and when we picked it up I was thinking it was for someone else. Then John told me it was mine for Boone.” He’d practiced at ET Motorsports Park in his home state before getting in Sunday and Monday hot laps at Boone. “This is an inexpensive class to get started in. It’s been a fun experience,” said Esparza, particularly encouraged by his second hot lap outing. “I realize I’m a long shot but I want to have fun.” He’s already given thought to selling this car and applying the proceeds to an IMCA Hobby Stock next season.

Sport Compact champion crowned tonight

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – The first champion of the 35th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s will be crowned this evening, as Sport Compacts take the Tuesday stage at Boone Speedway. A pair of qualifying features for Northern SportMods determine the front eight cars in both the middle and outside rows of Saturday’s championship night starting grid. A single qualifier for the Hobby Stocks sets the first eight cars on the outside row of the big show on Saturday. In addition to the Sport Compact program, heats, qualifying features and “B races for Hobby Stocks and Northern SportMods, hot laps are on the schedule for Modifieds and Stock Cars. Qualifying for both Mods and Stocks begins Wednesday. * The wrap on the opening night program at Super Nationals: 59 races totaling 515 laps were completed at 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday Schedule of Events

DRIVERS MEETING – 1 pm TRACK PREP (Northern SportMod Best Appearing Cars on display in Fan Zone) FIRST RACE – 2 pm SPORT COMPACT HOT LAPS (0 to 49) 10 – SPORTMOD HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP SPORT COMPACT HOT LAPS (50 & ABOVE) 10 – SPORTMOD HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP MODIFIED HOT LAPS (90 & ABOVE) 10 – SPORT COMPACT HEATS (6 laps) TRACK PREP MODIFIED HOT LAPS (89 to 60) 10 – HOBBY STOCK HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP (Monday Hobby Stock/SportMod winners in Fan Zone) MODIFIED HOT LAPS (59 to 30) 5 – SPORT COMPACT B’s (8 laps) SPORTMOD “A1” (25 laps) TRACK PREP MODIFIED HOT LAPS (29 to 0) 4 – HOBBY STOCK HEATS (8 laps) SPORT COMPACT “A” (25 laps) TRACK PREP STOCK CAR HOT LAPS (50 & ABOVE) 4 – SPORTMOD B’s (8 laps) SPORTMOD “A2” (25 laps) TRACK PREP STOCK CAR HOT LAPS (49 to 0) 2 – HOBBY STOCK B’s (8 laps) HOBBY STOCK “A” (25 laps) 5 [Read More]

Cook leads the way to Northern SportMod qualifying checkers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 4) – At the end of 25 laps and seven lead changes, Doug Cook had a qualifying feature win and a pole position start on championship night to show for his Monday efforts at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Cook, from Algona, got the best of Mason City’s Nate Whitehurst in a back-and-forth Northern SportMod battle at Boone Speedway. Pole starter Matt Looft of Swea City was scored first through the first eight laps before Cook and Whitehurst swapped the lead each of the next five times around the oval. Whitehurst had the edge by a bumper at the end of lap 19 but Cook’s advantage was the same small distance on lap 20. He edged ahead from that point to get the win and coveted inside row one starting spot for Saturday’s main event. Lining up behind Cook and Whitehurst in that race will be fellow top eight finishers Brett Myer of Lytton, Lance Borgman of Beatrice, Neb., Doug Smith of Lanesboro, Mark Leiting of Lincoln, Neb., [Read More]

Restart keys Ballard’s qualifying feature win

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 4) – Nathan Ballard took advantage of a mid-race restart in winning the second of two Hobby Stock qualifying features on Monday, opening night of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Ballard passed Jeff Anderson on the 13th of 25 circuits. The race ran caution-free the rest of the way and Ballard was able to get a bit of breathing room before taking the checkers ahead of Anderson, who had won a pair of Super Nationals titles at Boone Speedway during his storied Stock Car career. “This has to be one of my biggest career wins,” said Ballard, acknowledging both Anderson and his son Shannon, who was runner-up in the evening’s first qualifying feature. “We’ve had a heck of a car all year and it was my kind of track tonight.” The top eight finishers advance to the middle row of Saturday’s main event. Ballard, from Marengo, and Anderson, from Atlantic, were chased across the stripe by Cody Nielsen of Spencer, Chanse Hollatz of Clear Lake, Chad Lonneman of [Read More]

Olson scores another pole start with second win at Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 4) – Matt Olson led all 25 laps of the first Hobby Stock qualifying feature Monday at Boone Speedway. As a result, he’ll start on the pole for a second race on championship night Saturday at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Olson, the pride of Franklin, Minn., ran ahead of Eric Stanton past midway, before three-time Super Nationals champion Shannon Anderson took over the runner-up spot. Anderson, from Des Moines, had made his way up from 13th starting and while he got close, he was never able to get to the front. “I was just thinking don’t miss my marks and stay calm,” Olson said during post-race tech. “Starting on the pole for both the race of champions and the feature is something I never dreamed of doing.” Lining up behind Olson and Anderson on the inside row of Saturday’s main event will be Stanton, from Carlisle, Aaron Rudolph of Grand Junction, Eric Cross of Salina, Kan., 19th starting Brandon Nielsen of Spencer, 25th starting Sal Hernandez of [Read More]