Dan Engledow

Super Nationals dreams closer to reality for Thornton, Laney

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6, 2023) – A couple drivers with California connections saw their IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s dreamin’ become closer to reality. Dylan Thornton, late of Orcutt, and Cody Laney of Torrance both won features as Modified qualifying began Wednesday night. One of the two will sit on the pole for the start of Saturday’s Big Dance at Boone Speedway Thornton, the 2022 pole starter, won the first qualifier ahead of Austin Kuehl, 2011 and 2017 champion Richie Gustin, and Ricky Alvarado while Laney, the 2021 Super Nationals champ, took the checkers ahead of last year’s runner-up Kollin Hibdon, Zane DeVilbiss and 2010 champ Jimmy Gustin. All eight advance to the inside row of the main event starting grid. Two hundred and twenty-eight Modifieds vied Wednesday, helping bring the total car count for the 41st annual Super Nationals to a record 1,013. Thornton chased leader Kuehl up to the back of the field by the 13th of 25 laps and emerged with the front spot the next time around. A frenetic pace that [Read More]

Hubbell, Reimers top Wednesday’s last-chance features

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6, 2023) – Cody Hubbell and Cam Reimers both led from the first lap to the last lap in winning their respective IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s last-chance qualifiers Wednesday at Boone Speedway. Hubbell won the Hobby Stock 25-lapper ahead of Andrew Burk, Tanner Jones, 19th starting Luke Bedford, defending champion Zach Olmstead and Brandon Bombardo. Olmstead had started 24th; Bombardo had been scored seventh and was promoted up to the final qualifying spot by the post-race disqualification of Jason Kohl. Reimers prevailed in another 25-lapper as the Northern SportMods ended their last-chance race with 16 fast green flag circuits. Following him across the stripe and into the back two rows of Saturday’s main event field were Logan Anderson, Taylor Kuehl, Cory Pestotnik, Mitchell Morris and defending champion Matt Looft. IMCA.TV broadcasts the entire week of the 41st annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Hobby Stock last-chance feature results – 1. Cody Hubbell, Rolfe; 2. Andrew Burk, Milan, Ill.; 3. Tanner Jones, Boone; 4. Luke Ramsey, Bedford; 5. Zach [Read More]

Smith, Grape top Tuesday Super Nationals Hobby Stock qualifiers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5, 2023) – Mike Smith will make his bid for a second IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s championship from the front of the middle row in Saturday’s Hobby Stock main event. Tristan Grape, meanwhile, begins his run for a first title from the front of the outside row. Both won qualifying features Tuesday evening at Boone Speedway, 2021 champ Smith after starting 25th and Grape after leading the last 23 times around the track and dodging a lapped car in the late going. While Cody Williams led the way in the first qualifier, Smith made the top side work to perfection after his deep in the field start, getting all the way to third by lap 15 and taking over up front following a lap 16 restart. Two more yellows slowed the finish of the 25-lapper but Smith led Williams and Matt McDonald across the stripe in a green, white, checkered finish. Calvin Dhondt, Jeff Fink, Malik Sampson, Jimmy Doescher and Tom Killen Jr. rounded out the qualifying top eight. [Read More]

IMCA Super Nationals dream coming true for front row starter Fett

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5, 2023) – Alec Fett has raced his way into the Big Dance every IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s since 2018. This Saturday, he’ll start the Northern SportMod main event at Boone Speedway from the front of the outside row. The Burt speedster was the third and final leader in his Tuesday qualifying feature, working his way up from 13th starting and passing Josh Barnhart for the front spot with five circuits left in a 25-lapper. “I never thought I’d start on the front row. It’s a dream come true,” Fett said from victory lane. “I’ve made the dance the last six years now and never thought I’d start on the front row.” A Super Nationals career-best fourth in 2021, he was eighth last year. Kyle Olson completed his charge from 17th starting to catch Barnhart coming to the checkers for second. Scored fourth through eighth and also advancing to Saturday’s outside row were Cory Kemkes, Danny Concelman, Ryan Moser, Dylan VanWyk and Kaden Besaw. Last-chance qualifying Wednesday sends the final [Read More]

Stephenville Starter RoC win is record third straight for Olmstead

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5, 2023) – Admittedly, Zach Olmstead’s IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock is not going to win any beauty contests. But it’s fast, and that ol’ ride took the Overton, Neb., driver to Stephenville Starter Race of Champions victory lane for the record third straight time during the Tuesday night IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s show at Boone Speedway. “You make yours shiny. I’ll make mine fast,” Olmsted said, after pocketing $300 for the win along with another $150 in lap money. Andrew Burk had drawn the pole start for the 12-car, 12-lap race and ran ahead of Jeff Fink while Olmstead slowly worked his way up from fifth. That slowly became quickly as Olmstead, the defending Super Nationals champion, was up to second when lap nine was scored and then rocketed to the front the next time around. “You’ve got to have a lot of luck when you come here,” said Olmstead. “I haven’t had any here this week but we told ourselves today that was going to change.” Corey [Read More]

Finally ! Sport Compact crown is second of Jones’ IMCA Super Nationals career

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5, 2023) – Devin Jones has been chasing another IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s championship since winning his first Sport Compact crown in 2017. He returned to Boone Speedway and won that elusive second title Tuesday night. “I’ve been chasing this for six years. Once you win one Super Nationals championship, you want to win another one,” said Jones, who made the most of a restart just after midway of the 25-lapper to pass long-time leader Kaylee Richards and then checked out. “Our car is new this year and we had a rough beginning to the season, but we’ve figured things out.” A record 95 Sport Compacts, four more than the mark set last year, competed at the 41st annual Super Nationals, running for a top check boosted to $1,250 by division title sponsor Mach-1. Richards’ runner-up showing matched Kimberly Abbott’s second place finish last year as the best for a female driver at Super Nationals and Sean Leasure’s third-place run was the best-ever in the Sport Compact main event [Read More]

Not racing for second, Sachau wins second straight BSB Race of Champions

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5, 2023) – Before the green flag flew for Tuesday’s BSB Manufacturing Northern SportMod Race of Champions, Jake Sachau made it clear he wasn’t racing for second. Twelve laps later, he was holding up the trophy in the infield at Boone Speedway for the second straight year after running three-wide with Spencer Galaway and Tyler Bannister, holding on after contact with Bannister and then beating Galaway to the checkers by less time than it takes to blink. All that, in the last three laps. “That was wild,” said Sachau, already a Double Down Prelude winner on Sunday and IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s qualifying feature winner on Monday. “I told the guys we weren’t here to run second. We’re going to try to win them all.” Joseph Cooper had started outside the front row and led the first three laps. Galaway took charge over the next six circuits with the seventh starting Sachau coming out ahead after that three-wide race out of turn four to end lap 10. Galaway [Read More]

Different routes take Bannister, Sachau to Super Nationals Northern SportMod glory

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 4, 2023) – Both started mid-pack in their respective qualifying features but Tyler Bannister and Jake Sachau ultimately took different routes to victory lane and front row starting spots for Saturday’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s main event. Bakersfield, Calif., pilot Bannister was promoted to the top spot in the finish for Monday’s first qualifier at Boone Speedway following the post-race disqualification of Logan Anderson for an engine compartment infraction. Bannister had started the 25-lapper from 12th, was briefly in the lead before midway and then ran behind Anderson the last 14 circuits. He’ll start on the pole in the Big Dance, in front of Hunter Longnecker, Tony Olson, Cole Suckow, Ty Rogers, Alex Smith, Robbie Thome and Braden Richards Prelude winner Sachau made his way to the from 10th starting in the nightcap, passing defending Super Nationals champion Matt Looft just after midway. “I love running the top and that’s where I was running,” he said. “Starting 10th, I wasn’t even nervous. This car is a rocket.” Joining Sachau on [Read More]

Johnson’s run for the record book highlights a record Super Nationals night for Hobby Stocks

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 4, 2023) – On a record setting night for Hobby Stocks at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, James Johnson made a run into the record book. The Cherokee driver hotshoed all the way from last starting in the field of 30 to win the Monday night qualifying feature, earning the pole start in Saturday’s Big Dance at Boone Speedway. A Super Nationals record 159 Hobbies saw action during the Labor Day show, topping the previous mark of 153 set in 2004 and matched in 2012. Johnson proved to be the fastest of them all after running second in the 12th of 15 heats and starting as far from the front as possible in the evening’s qualifier. “We tried something different and made a little adjustment,” Johnson said from victory lane. “We stayed up ‘til sunrise celebrating after winning the Prelude (on Sunday). We might be up a little later celebrating this win.” He was followed across the stripe and into the inside row of the main event by Cory [Read More]

Aikey adds to hall of fame credentials with 7th IMCA Super Nationals Late Model championship

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 4, 2023) – They’ll be updating Jeff Aikey’s hall of fame plaque to include another IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s championship. The ageless Aikey was a second faster than Corey Dumpert in winning his career seventh Late Model crown, and career eighth Super Nationals title Monday night at Boone Speedway, making good on a promise made earlier in the day to bring home a trophy for his granddaughter. Both the single and multiple division championship totals are Super Nationals records. “I tell you what, I’m getting older but I’m still having a lot of fun,” said Aikey, who celebrates his 61st birthday late next month. “I could feel Cory behind me. I knew he was there. I just kept my momentum up, and wow.” Aikey had started from outside the front row and pulled away from the rest of the field before cautions on laps 14 and 23. Texan Dean Abbey, looking to improve on his third place finish a year ago, charged to the front following that second restart, [Read More]