Thursday, September 6, 2018

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]

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]

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.”