2019 Super Nationals Archives

Nelson aces Tuesday Hobby Stock qualifier

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 3) – A long run at the front in his Tuesday night qualifier put Dylan Nelson on the front row for Saturday’s Hobby Stock main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The Adel speedster caught Tim Gonska for the point on the third circuit and weathered a handful of restarts before taking the checkers at the end of the 25-lapper at Boone Speedway. The last 11 laps ran caution-free. Reading, Minn.’s Justin Luinenburg settled into second on lap 20 but could never mount a challenge to the leader. Lining up behind Nelson and Luinenburg on the outside row of Saturday’s Big Dance will be fellow Great Eight finishers Sal Hernandez of Columbus, Neb., Gonska, of Brainerd, Minn., John Watson of Des Moines, hard charger Malik Sampson of Worthington, Minn., and Dawson DeBoer and Blake Arends, both of Little Rock. Sampson made an incredible run after starting last in the field of 28. Luinenburg had started 11th, Watson 13th and Arends 22nd. Watson qualified for the Saturday show for [Read More]

Coopman collects second Super Nationals Sport Compact crown

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 3) – The second night of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s produced a second two-time champion. Nate Coopman chased Mitchell Bielenberg the first 16 times around the track, then led the last nine laps of Tuesday’s Sport Compact main event at Boone Speedway after Bielenberg bowed out with mechanical issues. Along with a check for $310, Coopman took home a bookend trophy to match his hardware from his Super Nationals triumph in 2015. “It’s awesome. Words can’t even describe what winning Super Nationals a second time means to me,” the Mankato, Minn., driver said. “I didn’t think I had a very good chance coming in but starting on the (outside of) the front row was a plus.” Brandon Reu, Trent Orwig, Ramsey Meyer and Caine Mahlberg completed the top five. Mahlberg had started 19th while hard charger Lucas Parsons drove from 28th starting to ninth. Bielenberg had started on the middle of the front row and led Coopman around the top side of the oval. Their two-car battle was interrupted [Read More]

Brenten DeYoung

BOONE, Iowa – He’s already got six feature wins and a track championship on his 2019 resume. Brenten DeYoung returns to the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s looking for new accomplishments. DeYoung topped IMCA Modified track point standings at I-96 Speedway and sits in second at hometown Crystal Motor Speedway. He also comes to Boone Speedway with the slightest of advantages over friendly foe Mitchell Hunt in the race for the Dirt Works Eastern Region prize. “I love racing here. It’s awesome to be in this atmosphere,” DeYoung said. “My goal at Boone is the same as everyone else’s. I want to compete in every race I’m in and make the show.” His father Myron is the winner of more than 100 Modified features, a two-time Super Nationals qualifier and an invaluable source of information for DeYoung. “I grew up going to the races with him and came to Super Nationals with him,” said DeYoung, now in his fifth Modified season. “Dad has given me a helping hand with setup and support [Read More]

Van Wyk masters traffic in run to qualifying checkers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 2) – Dylan van Wyk admitted to being “kind of speechless” during the interview that followed his Monday night Northern SportMod qualifying feature victory at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The 18-year-old from Oskaloosa didn’t have to say much. He’d done all his talking on the track. Van Wyk mastered lapped traffic while holding off defending champion Jake McBirnie for the win and pole start in Saturday’s main event at Boone Speedway. “It’s pretty cool. My first year running a big car makes it even better,” he said. Lining up behind van Wyk and McBirnie, from Boone, on the inside row Saturday will be fellow top eight finishers Joe Docekal of Dysart – last year’s runner-up – Alec Fett of Thompson, national point leader Cody Thompson of Sioux City, Nate Whitehurst of Mason City, Doug Cook of Algona and Cory Pestotnik of Boone. Pestotnik joins van Wyk as a first-time Super Nationals qualifier. Fett and Thompson are in the Big Dance for the second time, Whitehurst for the [Read More]

Rudolph, Ayers ace Hobby Stock qualifiers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 2) – Aaron Rudolph and Adam Ayers raced their way to front row starting spots in the main event, with Hobby Stock qualifying feature victories on opening night of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Rudolph continued his Boone Speedway success, earning Saturday’s pole by winning the first qualifier while Ayers victory in the second qualifier netted him the front spot on the middle row. Top eight drivers in both Monday qualifiers advance to the Big Dance. Chasing Rudolph, from Grand Junction, across the stripe were Trevor Holm of Chandler, Minn., James Johnson of Cherokee, Brandon Nielsen of Spencer, Cory Stone of Lovington, the first New Mexico driver to make the Hobby Stock main at America’s Racin’ Vacation, Braxton Berry of Colby, Kan., hard charger Michael Kimm of Vinton and Matt Hanson of Slayton, Minn. The next seven scored behind Ayers were Kevin Bruck of Dunlap, 2017 and 2018 runner-up Corey Madden of Avoca, Jason Kohl of Missouri Valley, Drew Barglof of Sioux Rapids, Jeff Ware of Columbus, Neb., Miciah [Read More]

Miciah Hidlebaugh

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 2) – Miciah Hidlebaugh has enjoyed racing with many of the best Hobby Stock drivers in IMCA throughout his rookie season. He’ll race with them again Saturday night in the main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The 19-year-old from Adel earned his date in the big dance by running seventh in Monday’s second qualifying feature at Boone Speedway. “I was hoping to but didn’t think I’d make it. Not a lot of people do but my car has been really good all year,” Hidlebaugh said. “On Saturday night I’m just going to try to keep my nose clean and run up front with the big dogs. It’s fun to race with drivers who are fast every week.” Hidlebaugh watched his father race a Stock Car and always wanted to get into a full-bodied car himself. His first-year Hobby Stock campaign most often took him to Stuart and Boone. He got his start in the sport in go-karts. Hidlebaugh started eighth in his qualifier and ran as [Read More]

Thornton borrows car, tops Deery feature for second Super Nationals crown

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 2) – Ricky Thornton Jr. had a three-time Super Nationals champion to thank for his second Super Nationals crown. Piloting a car borrowed from Todd Cooney, Thornton dominated in leading the last 36 of 50 laps and won Monday’s Deery Brothers Summer Series Late Model main event, on opening night of the 37th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway. “Todd and I have been friends for a couple years. It was 100 percent how he runs it,” Thornton said after the last of the victory lane photos were taken. “We didn’t change a thing. He has a setup just for Boone.” “When Ricky Thornton calls and asks to borrow your car, you don’t say no,” said Cooney, who won the last of his three Super Nationals titles in the same car, in 2017, and was almost as happy becoming a Super Nationals champion car owner. The $2,000 checkers came at the end of Thornton’s career-first tour start. The fast-paced feature was stopped by just a single caution, [Read More]

300-plus cars in action on opening day of Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 2) – More than 300 cars in three IMCA divisions see action Monday, opening day of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway. One hundred and twenty-two Hobby Stocks vie in 14 heats, 144 Northern SportMods in 20 heats and 35 Deery Brothers Summer Series Late Models in four heats. The 50-lap Late Model main event, the 499th in series history, will see the crowning of the first champion of the 37th annual Super Nationals this evening. Two 25-lap qualifiers for the Hobby Stocks and a 25-lapper for the Northern SportMods are also on the Labor Day card. BOONE, Iowa – Cory and Cody Stone did their homework before travelling 1,100 miles to compete at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The New Mexico brothers and Hobby Stock drivers know Boone Speedway has a racing surface similar to what they race on weekly, and the banking is comparable to home track Cardinal Speedway. They also know what they want to accomplish in heir first trip to America’s [Read More]

Bag toss teammates are first champions crowned at Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 1) – Tim Staley and Dustin Brooks came to Boone to enjoy the races and party. They also became the first champions crowned at the 37th annual IMCA Speedway Motors fueled by Casey’s. The Muscatine duo, aka Team Shocker, won all seven of their games to capture the title of the first annual Scorezit Fun Day Bag Tourney presented by BBB Cornhole. They defeated the Team Show Me The Money pair of Dave Musser and Toby Smith, both of Boone, 21-11 in a finale broadcast on Facebook Live to earn a $588 top check and a Scorezit scorekeeper Forty-nine teams vied and more than 150 games were contested in the inaugural tourney, played out behind the first set of turns at Boone Speedway. “We’re backyard players,” said Staley, explaining their success as a combination of consistency, timing and adjustment. “You have to play to your opponent,” Brooks said. “We’re first annual Super Nationals bag tourney champions,” he added. “We came here to party and watch the races. We’ll go home as Super Nationals [Read More]

Rust runs away from IMCA Modified foes at Prelude

By Joyce Eisele BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 31) – A whopping 323 cars checked in to the Boone Speedway for the running of the Wild Rose Casino and Resort Prelude to the Super Nationals Saturday night and the $1,000 to win IMCA Modified feature went to Joel Rust. On a hot streak of late, Rust started sixth and grabbed the lead from Dennis LaVeine, then fended off challenges by Kyle Brown and Jeremy Mills before pulling away on the high side. Kyle Brown took second, Cody Laney came from 12th to finish third, Kelly Shryock started 10th and finished fourth and Richie Gustin was fifth after starting 15th on the field. Jeremy Mills was running third on the white flag lap, slipped high in turn four and fell back to finish 11th. Rust was already on the ballot for the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Thirty-four heat races and 17 “B” features were required to set the main event grids for the Prelude. Kelly Shryock was the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car winner, John Watson topped the IMCA [Read More]