2019 Super Nationals Archives

Mission accomplished: Dotson is Modified champion at Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 7) – The goal Ethan Dotson set when he started coming to the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s was achieved Saturday night. Dotson led all 40 laps of the Modified main event at Boone Speedway, outrunning 2016 champion Ricky Thornton Jr. of Adel, Cody Laney of Torrance, Calif., and defending champion Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls in the race to what proved to be $5,800 checkers. From Bakersfield and the first Californian to win a Super Nationals crown in any division, Dotson weathered five cautions before midway, then a stoppage on the 22nd of 40 laps when intermittent rain brought about a quick track prep session. Thornton, looking for his second championship of the week after winning Monday’s Deery Brothers Summer Series Late Model main event, challenged but never made his bid for the lead stick. “We’ve been coming to Super Nationals for about six years now,” said Dotson, fourth in main events for the Northern SportMods in 2014 and for the Modifieds last year. “The first time we wanted [Read More]

Smith, Daae have good nights in Super Nationals Stock Car qualifying

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – A regular visitor to America’s Racin’ Vacation and a candidate who helped make the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s a truly international event were Stock Car qualifying feature winners Friday night. David Smith of Lake City led all but the first two laps in topping the first qualifier at Boone Speedway while Estevan’s Austin Daae became just the second Canadian driver to make the Stock Car main event by winning the nightcap at Boone Speedway. Top four finishers from both races move on to the Saturday Big Dance. Smith passed eventual runner-up David Brandies of Wilton for the point on lap three. The only caution of the contest came with six to go and the top four running order of Smith, Brandies, Kyle Falck of Decorah and Brian Blessington of Breda remained unchanged to the checkers. 2001 king Blessington was one of five former Super Nationals champions in Friday’s first qualifier. Smith joins brothers Devin and Donavon on the main event grid. Daae made his trip to the front [Read More]

Start time moved up at Super Nationals, first green flag flies at 2 p.m.

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 7) – Start time for Championship Saturday at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s has been moved up an hour. Today’s first green flag flies at 2 p.m. at Boone Speedway. No change has been made in the Sept. 7 race day schedule. Event officials noted the potential for impending weather in moving the program up for the final day of the 37th annual Super Nationals.

Aikey, Carter are first in Friday Modified qualifiers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – The drivers who ran 1-2 in last year’s Modified main event both finished first in their respective qualifying features Friday night at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Defending champion Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls took the lead on the third lap, then outran a determined Steven Bowers Jr. following a late restart in the first qualifier. 2018 runner-up Cayden Carter of Oskaloosa led the last four times around the track in topping the nightcap at Boone Speedway. The 12th starting Bowers, from Topeka, Kan., Russ Dickerson of Boone and Trent Loverude of New Ulm, Minn., completed the top four behind Aikey. Carter had started the second qualifier from 13th, was all of a sudden in the top three by lap 10 and took the second spot from Riley Simmons of Susanville, Calif., after midway in the 25-lapper. He finally caught Malvern’s Jesse Sobbing with four to go. Sobbing, Simmons and Cory Wray of Trenton, Mo., were next across the stripe. Top four finishers from both qualifiers advance [Read More]

Rust shines in race to Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational checkers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – Joel Rust had a year to think about his disappointing end to last year’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. He’ll have a lifetime to remember how the 2019 event played out. Rust, from Grundy Center, led all 30 laps of the Modified special during Friday’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s program. The win was good for $1,000, plus another $750 in lap money. “We’ve been racing a Modified for six years. This is one of the biggest races you can win and we can finally say we did it,” Rust exclaimed from victory late at Boone Speedway. “This definitely ranks right up there.” Tanner Black of Otis, Kan., took over the second spot following back-to-back cautions on lap five and chased Rust to the finish. The race stayed green the last 26 circuits, with Jesse Sobbing of Malvern, 10th starting Steven Bowers Jr. of Topeka, Kan., and Richie Gustin of Gilman completing the top five. Rust moved to a higher line after Sobbing challenged early. He pulled away from [Read More]

Bag toss win puts Shannon on front row

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – Those California drivers are just as good at bag tossing as they are at wheeling their IMCA Modifieds. D.J. Shannon became the second California speedster to win a front row starting spot in Saturday’s main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, defeating Nick Roberts in a Friday matchup. Both had won Thursday qualifying features at Boone Speedway. Top four finishers in those events duked it out this afternoon in the Fan Zone to determine the order one through eight in the middle row. Cody Laney will start third, Jordan Grabouski fourth, Randy Brown fifth – making the California drivers 3-for-3 on the day – Kelly Shryock sixth, Jeff Taylor seventh and Jimmy Gustin eighth. Ethan Dotson of Bakersfield, Calif., will start on the pole.

Jeff Bodendorfer Jr.’s Incredible Hulk super hero-themed ride was the young judges’ pick for top honors in the best appearing car contest for IMCA Modifieds at Super Nationals. Along with bragging rights and a trophy, Bodendorfer will take a steering box from Sweet Manufacturing and a case of oil home to Waterford, Wis. (Photo by Nick Woolley)

Hesston Shaw

BOONE, Iowa – Hesston Shaw’s previous IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s career highlight was starting on the pole for the Sunoco Race Fuels Race of Champions in 2016. He topped that and then some Thursday night. Shaw, from Hennessey, became the first driver from Oklahoma to qualify for the Stock Car Big Dance when he ran third in his qualifying feature. The Longdale Speedway regular put the Baird Motorsports ride, a former Mike Nichols car purchased over the winter, in the show after starting eighth. Needless to say, the superlatives flowed following post-race tech. “I still can’t believe I did it. This is a huge deal,” said Shaw, who pretty much grew up at the track. “Making the show is a dream come true. I’ve got goose bumps just thinking about it.” He raced his way up to fourth by lap seven and to third before a series of cautions near midway. “It was hard not to pay attention to the leader board,” said Shaw, who had tough customer Cayden Carter moving [Read More]

Grabouski, Larson get Stock Car qualifying feature wins

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – Jordan Grabouski and Jeffrey Larson wrote their names in the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s record book with Stock Car qualifying feature wins Thursday night. Ricky Thornton Jr. and Hesston Shaw put their names in the history book with second and third-place finishes, respectively, on night four of America’s Racin’ Vacation at Boone Speedway. Grabouski, the current national point leader in both IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car divisions, led the last 19 of 25 laps in topping the first qualifier ahead of Jeff Mueller of Albion, Shaw, from Hennessey, Okla., and 16th starting Cayden Carter of Oskaloosa. Larson was even more dominant in pacing the second qualifier from start to finis. He won in front of Thornton, from Adel, 14th starting Johnny Spaw of Cedar Rapids and Jason Rogers of Selden, Kan. All eight move on to the middle row of the main event grid Saturday night. Shaw became the first Sooner State driver to make the main event since Stock Cars were added to the Super Nationals program [Read More]

Shannon leads California chargers, Roberts races to Modified checkers in nightcap

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – They were dancing in streets all over the Golden State Thursday night. Nick Roberts had them dancing in the street in Des Moines later in the evening. Californians D.J. Shannon of Merced, Cody Laney of Torrance and Randy Brown of Chowchilla led 2010 champion Jimmy Gustin of Marshalltown across the stripe in the first of two Modified qualifying features at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The nightcap saw Roberts, from Des Moines and the 2012 Northern SportMod champion at Super Nationals, beat Jordan Grabouski of Beatrice, Neb., Kelly Shryock of Fertile and Jeff Taylor of Cave City, Ark., to the checkers. The national Modified and Stock Car point leader, Grabouski had won a Stock Car qualifier earlier in the program. Taylor was the Modified champ at Super Nationals seven years go. All eight drivers will advance to the middle row of Saturday’s main event at Boone Speedway. Brown led the first three laps of the opening qualifier before Shannon buzzed by. Shannon, Laney and Brown ran [Read More]