Saturday, September 12, 2020 Archives

Drivers share in rich purse, contingency awards at 38th annual Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa – Being part of the biggest and best event in all of dirt track racing paid off again big-time for IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s competitors. Along with approximately $300,000 in purse money, some $60,000 in contingency and cash awards were given. Awards and/or product certificates not given to drivers at Boone Speedway will arrive by mail. More than $25,000 in contingencies went to qualifiers for the Modified main event. Listed by division, certain cash and contingency award recipients included: Modified champion Ricky Thornton Jr. – Abilene Race Rads (radiator); Aero Race Wheels (set of 4 wheels); Allstar Performance (set of toe plates and $200); Brinn ($50 and a transmission); BSB Manufacturing (set of 4 shocks and $225); Casey’s General Store ($20); Champ Pans (oil pan); Dirt Defender (pair of mud covers); Dynatech ($400); Edelbrock (water pump); Eibach (set of 4 springs); G-Force Racing Gear ($200); Hoosier (four G-60 tires); Integra (one shock); Intercomp (digital angle gauge); Jaz Products ($500); Jerovetz Shock Service (2 shock rebuilds); Jones Racing Products (crate engine [Read More]

Engine auction adds $18,200 to Super Nationals main event purse

BOONE, Iowa – Proceeds from the auction of champions’ engines added another $18,200 to the main event purse paid at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Stock Car champion Donavon Smith’s engine sold for $6,400, so each of the other 29 starters in that event get another $220.69 on top of their purse shares. Northern SportMod champion Johnathon Logue saw his engine gavel at $5,600, translating to $193.11 shares for each of the other 29 drivers in that race. Top bid for the engine that took Nathan Ballard to the Hobby Stock title was $3,300. The other 29 drivers in that race each receive $113.80. Modified champion Ricky Thornton Jr.’s engine sold for $2,900. The other 32 starters in that minimum $1,000 to start race each get an additional $90.63. Thornton, Logue and Ballard all received new crate engines from Karl Kustoms. Smith went home with an engine built by Midstate Machine with parts contributed by IMCA and event sponsors. All auction proceeds are being mailed this week from the IMCA home [Read More]

Days don’t get better than this: Logue sweeps RoC, Super Nationals SportMod main event

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 13) – When Johnathon Logue woke up Sunday morning, his first thought was that it was going to be a good day. He just had no idea how good. Logue won the BSB Manufacturing Race of Champions for the first time, then won his career third IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Northern SportMod championship. “When I woke up, I was thinking it was going to be a good day. There was no rain in the forecast so maybe we would be able to get some racing in,” he said. Logue led 35 of the 42 laps he’d run Sunday at Boone Speedway, the last eight in the RoC and the last 27 of the 30-lap main event. He was inches ahead of Brett Berry when the fourth lap was scored in the main. He pulled away from the field following each of five restarts, getting a lapped car ahead of Cody Thompson before winning by half a straightaway. “The track transitioned very quickly. Brett beat me on the start [Read More]

A win for the Super Nationals record book as Thornton ends week with Modified crown

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 13) – Ricky Thornton Jr.’s race to the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s record book began on Monday and ended Sunday, with another visit to victory lane in between. Thornton became the first driver in the 38-year history of dirt track racing’s biggest event to win two championships at the same Super Nationals, the Late Model feature on Labor Day and the Modified feature on Sunday at Boone Speedway. He passed Cody Laney in lapped traffic on the 24th of 40 laps, then checked out on the way to the $7,000 win in the final event of the week. “This track really suits my driving style and we’ve been very successful here. We work hard and our equipment is always well prepared,” said Thornton, also winner of Saturday’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “I flipped in my (Wednesday) Stock Car heat and that was really the only bad luck we had all week.” Defending champion Ethan Dotson led the first two laps before giving way to fellow Californian Laney. The only [Read More]

First-time champion Ballard impressive in Super Nationals Hobby Stock title run

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 13) – Nathan Ballard was impressed by the competition when he won his qualifying feature to make the Hobby Stock main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Then he impressed everyone at Boone Speedway by leading all 30 laps of Sunday’s $2,000 to win main event. The Super Nationals crown was Ballard’s career first and came after a season that had seen him make just 18 weekly starts. “It’s kind of hard to believe. To win an ‘A’ main and get into the dance, you have to race against so many good drivers,” he said, pointing out that the competition got even better in the main event. Ballard was chased early by defending champion Dylan Nelson. The green flag stayed out the last 24 of 30 laps and Ballard eased away from all challengers, leaving Nelson, two-time champ Jason Wilkinson and Jeff Ware to fight for second behind him The three ran in that order before Ware eked ahead for third on the last lap. “I wanted [Read More]

Improbable, unlikely, incredible! Donavon Smith is Stock Car king

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 13) – Donavon Smith had the best seat in the house to watch as the improbable became the incredible Sunday afternoon at Boone Speedway. A last-chance qualifier earlier in the day, Smith raced from 25th starting to take the lead with two laps left in the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Stock Car main event. When those two laps were complete, Smith had a career-best $5,000 payday and career third Super Nationals championship to show for his day’s work behind the wheel. “We had showed up Sunday morning just hoping to make the main event. I had a streak going (a division record 13 consecutive Super Nationals starts) and that was really our only goal. It really weighed heavy on us,” Smith said. “After the last chance race, I was probably as laid back as I ever was.” After a Super Nationals record 207 cars vied for the 30 starting spots, Jared Siefert led much of the way, chased by Jesse Sobbing while Jeff Mueller and Ricky Thornton Jr. duked [Read More]

2020 Super Nationals in history book after extended run; record 207 Stock Cars at 38th annual event

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 13) – Ricky Thornton Jr. raced to wins at the beginning and the end of a history-making week, Donavon Smith and Johnathon Logue became three-time champions while Nathan Ballard motored to his first title at the 2020 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. In all, 834 cars – including 245 Modifieds and an event record 207 Stock Cars – saw action during a socially distanced week at Boone Speedway that also saw more than its share of rain and rescheduled race programs. The Sunday conclusion for what is always the biggest event on the IMCA schedule was the first for the Modifieds since 1996 and first-ever for the Stock Cars, Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks. Thornton earned $3,000 when he repeated as Late Model champion on Labor Day, qualified for the Stock Car feature, won the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational on Friday and then became the first driver to win two championships at the same Super Nationals by running away from the rest of the field after midway of the [Read More]

Race of Champions eligible drivers

BOONE, Iowa – The following drivers have pre-registered for the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s and will be eligible to qualify for their respective Race of Champions event. Drivers not listed will not be eligible to qualify … no exceptions. Drivers eligible for the Harris Auto Racing IMCA Modified Race of Champions: Chris Abelson, Jeff Aikey, Keaton Atkinson, Brandon Beckendorf, Tom Berry, Josh Blumer, Steven Bowers Jr., Ethan Braaksma, Kellen Chadwick, Chad Clancy, Beau Collins, Troy Cordes, Shane DeMey, Zane DeVilbiss, Brenten DeYoung, Ethan Dotson, P.J. Egbert, Grey Ferrando, Zach Fettinger, Kelsie Foley, Josh Gilman, David Goode Jr., Daniel Gottschalk, William Gould, Matt Guillaume, Jimmy Gustin, Richie Gustin, Clay Hale, Clint Hatlestad, Randy Havlik, Mitchell Hunt, Bricen James, Aaron Johnson, Lucas Lamberies, Jeff Larson, Ronn Lauritzen, Dennis LaVeine, Josh Long, Wade Lumsden, Ryan McDaniel, Zachary Madrid, Dan Menk, Nick Meyer, Chris Mills, Jeremy Mills, Clay Money, Bob Moore, Joe Mullins, Josh Munsen, Jay Noteboom, Chris Palsrok, Jesse Rogotzke, Anthony Roth, Joel Rust, Johnny Saathoff, Cory Sample, Clay Sellard, Kelly Shryock, Todd Shute, [Read More]

Karl continues crate engine awards for Super Nationals Modified, Hobby, SportMod champions

BOONE, Iowa – One of the most unique and appreciated awards programs in all of motorsports will take center stage again on dirt track racing’s biggest stage. Karl Kustoms of Des Moines awards a 604 crate engine to the Modified champion, and 602 crate engines to Hobby Stock and Northern SportMod champions crowned on Saturday night during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway. “Karl’s has done this for a number of years now. It’s pretty neat that all drivers who win Saturday championships at our biggest event will go home with new engines,” observed IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “It’s great to be able to present new crate engines to our Modified, Hobby Stock and SportMod champions and another way that Super Nationals sets itself apart from other motorsports events.” Engines of Super Nationals Modified, Stock Car, Hobby Stock and SportMod champions are claimed by IMCA, with proceeds from the auction Saturday evening divided equally among the other drivers qualifying for those respective events.

Bonuses, lap leader money add $8,000-plus to Super Nationals paydays

BOONE, Iowa – More than $8,000 in bonuses and lap leader money will be paid out at the Sept. 7-12 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway. Quick Performance gives $100 bonuses to the winners of three qualifying features for Hobby Stocks, three qualifying features for Northern SportMods and six Stock Car qualifying features. One hundred dollar bonuses from Aeromotive go to drivers winning the qualifying features for Modifieds. Lap leaders in Friday’s 30-lap Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational for Modifieds earn $25 courtesy of Elmquist Towing each time they’re scored first around the track. Leading each circuit in the 12-car, 12-lap Harris Auto Racing Race of Champions for Modifieds pays $100. From start to finish, companies anteing up C Notes are Dirt Monthly Magazine, Intensitee, Cookie’s Sauce and Seasoning, Walmart, Baymont Inn & Suites, Wheelock’s Service, Joe Busch Ag Repair, Ames Ford Lincoln, Pulse Racing Innovations, Hy-Vee, Top Level Suites and JVan Sports. The Sunoco Race Fuels Race of Champions for Stock Cars, Stephenville Starter Race of Champions for Hobby Stocks and BSB Manufacturing Race [Read More]