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BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 9) – After finishing second in his qualifying feature on Friday night, Richie Gustin figured he had a pretty good chance to win Saturday’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Modified main event. He was right. The 2011 Super Nationals champion, Gustin passed 2007 winner Todd Shute to get to the front of the 40-lap headliner, then outran defending champion Ricky Thornton Jr. in taking the Boone Speedway checkers. “I felt like we had a pretty good race car when we qualified last night,” said Gustin, who had passed 24 cars to finish second behind Thornton on Friday. “People say there’s a lot of luck that plays into this deal but when you get your second championship, it’s not luck. This is unbelievable.” Shute ended in third and Ricky Stephan was fourth. Three other former champions were in the show, with Gustin’s brother Jimmy finishing fifth, Randy Havlik seventh and Kyle Strickler 18th. Mike Nichols became a first-time Stock Car champion, beating Devin Smith across the stripe by not much [Read More]

Modifieds – 1. Richie Gustin, Gilman; 2. Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz.; 3. Todd Shute, Des Moines; 4. Ricky Stephan, South Sioux City, Neb.; 5. Jimmy Gustin, Marshalltown; 6. J.D. Auringer, Evansdale; 7. Randy Havlik, Ankeny; 8. Jeremy Mills, Garner; 9. Ricky Alvarado, Delta, Colo.; 10. Nick Roberts, Des Moines; 11. Jeremy Payne, Buckeye, Ariz.; 12. Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa; 13. Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb.; 14. Josh Most, Red Oak; 15. Jonathan Snyder, Ames; 16. Kelly Shryock, Fertile; 17. Drew Christianson, Minot, N.D.; 18. Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, N.C.; 19. Justin O’Brien, West Union; 20. Cody Laney, Torrance, Calif.; 21. Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 22. Nick Meyer, Whittemore; 23. Jesse Richter, Great Bend, Kan.; 24. Eric Elliott, Boone; 25. Jason Wolla, Ray, N.D.; 26. Paul Stone, Winton, Calif.; 27. Corey Dripps, Reinbeck; 28. Ryan Ruter, Clear Lake; 29. Chris Abelson, Sioux City; 30. Chris Mills, Sioux City; 31. Jay Noteboom, Hinton; 32. Randy McDaniel, Olivehurst, Calif.; 33. Darin Duffy, Urbana. Stock Cars – 1. Mike Nichols, Harlan; 2. Devin Smith, Lake City; 3. Dustin Larson, Rushmore, Minn.; 4. [Read More]

Kyle Strickler starts his bid to complete the Super Nationals triple crown from inside row one. Already a Super Nationals champion and winner of the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, Strickler drew the ace to earn the pole start in Saturday’s Harris Auto Racing Race of Champions. Mike Jergens is on the outside of the front row and two-time race winner Dustin Smith lines up third. Starting fourth through 12th will be Josh Ruby, Todd Shute, Ryan McDaniel, Bob Moore, Vern Jackson, Mike VanGenderen, Joel Rust, Johnny Scott and Anthony Roth. * The ace put the Westin Abbey on the inside of the front row for the start of the Sunoco Race Fuels Stock Car Race of Champions Two-time RoC winner David Smith will line up on the outside. Completing the 10-car grid are Randy Brands, Shaun Bruns, Bryan Rigsby, Matt Schauer, 2014 race winner Devin Smith, defending winner Dustin Larson, Brandon Czarapata and Kyle Clough. * Todd Shute rock-paper-scissored his way to the outside row one start in tonight’s Modified main event, getting the Rochambeau [Read More]

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 9) – The bride wore a beaded ivory gown. The groom, of course, wore a checkered flag tie. Nebraska Stock Car driver Bob Chalupa and Carol Koch exchanged vows Saturday afternoon on the infield stage at Boone Speedway before pre-race ceremonies got underway for the final day of the 35th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. “We’ve been coming here for four years and I wanted to get married in Las Vegas,” Chalupa said. “She said no, let’s get married in Boone.” While he’d have liked to have qualified for tonight’s main event, Chalupa agreed that getting married at Super Nationals was a bigger highlight. His car served as a backdrop to post-ceremony pictures and Carol waved to the grandstand crowd from the passenger side window as they drove back to his trailer. Doug Cue, pastor at First United Methodist Church in Boone, officiated.

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 8) – Qualifying feature winners Todd Shute and Ricky Thornton Jr. were two of the four Modified drivers with IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s champion­ships already on their resumes who punched tickets to 2017’s big dance Friday night. 2007 champion Shute of Des Moines topped the first qualifier at Boone Speedway while defend­ing king Thornton of Chandler, Ariz., outran 2011 champ Richie Gustin of Gilman in the second show. 2009 champion Randy Havlik of Ankeny was fourth. Shute drew the pole start and led start to finish. He ran three wide with lapped traffic in the final circuits, winning in front of Justin Auringer of Evansdale, Jay Noteboom of Hinton and Jeremy Mills of Garner. “It’s been 10 years since I was on this stage. There was a great field of drivers behind me,” Shute said post-race. “I can’t believe this is happening.” Thornton, who’d been disqualified in post-race tech on Thursday, led the last 21 laps of the night­cap, which saw Gustin motor all the way from 26th [Read More]