Wednesday, September 6, 2017 Archives

Chris Abelson

Modified qualifiers go to familiar foes Stephan, Abelson

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – Ricky Stephan didn’t think anything could top it when he got his career 100th IMCA Modified feature win this summer. Now he’s not so sure. The veteran from South Sioux City, Neb., won the first Modified qualifying feature Wednesday at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, outrunning Whittemore rookie Nick Meyer in lapped traffic late in a fast-paced contest at Boone Speedway. He’ll square off with familiar foe Chris Abelson, winner of the evening’s second qualifier, in a friendly game of Rochambeau to determine who starts of the pole in the Saturday night main event. “I was thinking that my 100th win was the pinnacle of my career. This might top it,” said Stephan, who started racing at Super Nationals in the 1980s. “I was breathing pretty hard – I couldn’t believe I was leading. I didn’t want to lose it because of the lapped cars.” “This win was probably like getting all the right numbers for Powerball,” he added during a brief lull in post-race tech. [Read More]

Carter, Nichols collect Stock Car qualifying checkers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – Cayden Carter and Mike Nichols will both look to add to already impressive lists of accomplishments on championship night at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Both were winners of qualifying features Wednesday at Boone Speedway. Carter, from Oskaloosa, later ran fourth in his Modified qualifier and will start two main events on Saturday while a Super Nationals crown would be the final jewel in the crown for Nichols, from Harlan and a six-time national champion and the division leader with 450-plus career victories. They’ll square off in a game of Rochambeau on Thursday to decide which starts on the pole. “This is what we’ve worked for for the past two weeks,” said Carter, who will make his bid to start a third main event at the same Super Nationals when the Deery Brothers Summer Series for Late Models comes to town on Thursday. “We were pretty confident we could get both cars in. We just didn’t know if we could do it on the same night.” [Read More]

Mike Nichols

David Rieks

David Rieks of Eldora took the lead on the fifth circuit and checked out on everybody in winning Wednesday’s last-chance feature for the Hobby Stocks. The 25-lapper ran green to checkered and Rieks was more than half a lap ahead of runner-up and defending champion Andrew Burg of Carlisle at the finish. Rieks and Burg will be joined in rounding out the Saturday main event field by Seth Janssen of Ogden, Jeremiah Wilson of Waterloo, Tyson Overton of Carlisle and Drew Barglof of Sioux Rapids. Burg will make his career sixth championship night start at Super Nationals. Rieks, Overton and Barglof are each in the big show for the third time, Janssen and Wilson both for the first. Feature results – 1. David Rieks, Eldora; 2. Andrew Burg, Carlisle; 3. Seth Janssen, Ogden; 4. Jeremiah Wilson, Waterloo; 5. Tyson Overton, Carlisle; 6. Drew Barglof, Sioux Rapids; 7. Kyle Sidles, Algona; 8. Matt Brown, Dysart; 9. Eric Knutsen, Slater; 10. Brian Stich, Topeka, Kan.; 11. Ryan Wells, Runnells; 12. Dustin Graham, Boone; 13. TeJay Mielke, Norfolk, Neb.; 14. John [Read More]

Austen Becerra

Bowen, Ill., speedster Austen Becerra motored from ninth starting to the lead right before midway, then held off Kyle Olson of Cedar Rapids following a late restart to capture the last-chance event for Northern SportMods Wednesday. The rest of the top six advancing to Saturday’s main event are Joe Docekal of Dysart, Jimmy Berkevich of Watertown, Wis., Robert Moore of Maxwell and Vince Engebregtsen of Algoma, Wis. Moore and Engebregtsen got transfers following disqualifications of Trent Roth for failing real end inspection and Jared Waterman for failing rear suspension inspection. Becerra, Olson, Berkevich, Moore and Engebregtsen are all first-time qualifiers for the Northern SportMod dance. Docekal has one previous appearance to his credit, in 2008. Feature results – 1. Austen Becerra, Bowen, Ill.; 2. Kyle Olson, Cedar Rapids; 3. Joe Docekal, Dysart; 4. Jimmy Berkevich, Watertown, Wis.; 5. Robert Moore, Maxwell; 6. Vince Engebregtsen, Algoma, Wis.; 7. Thomas Egenberger, Des Moines; 8. Darin Roepke, LeMars; 9. Chad Shaw, Trimble, Mo.; 10. Robbie Thome, Spalding, Neb.; 11. Thomas Stark, Egg Harbor, Wis.; 12. Tim Warner, Malone, Wis.; 13. Brian [Read More]

Chad Wernette

Sheridan’s Chad Wernette is part of another stout group of Modified drivers making the trip from Michigan for Super Nationals. He’s traveled to Boone every year since 2009 with car owner and cousin Brian Ritz and brother-in-law and crewman Mike Bohn. Their racing vacation is an opportunity to renew old friendships, catch up with what’s new on manufacturers’ row and get faster. “Making the main event would be an accomplishment. It’s what we’ve been working for,” said Wernette, who wheeled a new Rage car at Tri-City and Crystal after getting a late start to his season. “We haven’t gotten any wins yet this year but we’ve been close. We’re getting this car figured out.” Wernette raced at the Saturday Prelude. He’ll start on the pole in the 11th heat tonight. The no. 615 team heads home this weekend – they’ve got to be at work Monday morning – and put the wraps on 2017 at Crystal’s season-ending special. “We’ll end the season at the Great Lakes Nationals,” Wernette said. “Hopefully we’ll end on a $3,000 [Read More]

Rik Gropp

Rik Gropp of Lincoln, Neb., first raced at Super Nationals in 1988. He’s qualified for the Modified main event once, finishing seventh in 2003, and didn’t miss a trip to Boone from 1990 through 2011. “At my age, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be racing. I figured it was time to come back,” said Gropp, 59. “When you get older, you quit doing things like this. It was time to come back.” Most of his crew has been to Super Nationals as spectators and this will be the first time they’ve wrenched at America’s Racin’ Vacation. Gropp competes weekly at Eagle Raceway so they come well prepared for whatever Super Nationals throws at them. “We have a fast car,” said Gropp, who stayed in the points chase at Eagle until late in the season. “The competition there is pretty tough.” Now nicknamed Racing Relic, Gropp got his start in the sport in 1978 and has been in a Modified since 1988. Vermeer High Plains is his sole sponsor and car owner and he’s [Read More]

Modified, Stock Car qualifying begins at Boone

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – Twenty Stock Car heats and 30 Modified heats set the stage for a pair of qualifying features in both divisions Wednesday at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. What’s ultimately at stake this evening at Boone Speedway are the front eight starting spots on the inside row of championship events Saturday. Defending champion Elijah Zevenbergen starts on the pole of the 17th Stock Car heat while 2016 champion Ricky Thornton Jr. starts last in the 23 Modified heat. Last-chance features decide the last six qualifiers for both Hobby Stock and Northern SportMod main events on Saturday.

Fett advances to front row start

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – Another Algona driver will start on the front row in Saturday’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Northern SportMod main event. Colby Fett was promoted to the top spot in the second of two Tuesday night 25-lap qualifying features at Boone Speedway after Jake McBirnie failed post-race rear suspension inspection. Lining up behind Fett on the outside row will be Cory Rose of Boone, Dakota Sproul of Ellis, Kan., Shawn Harker of Nebraska City, Neb., Taylor Musselman of Urbandale, Rusty Montagne of North Sioux City, S.D., Gunnar Pike of South Bend, Neb., and Andrew Inman of Mason City. Cory started 18th, Pike 22nd. Inman advanced to the final transfer spot after Austin Svoboda was disqualified, also for failing rear suspension inspection. Fett had passed Sproul for the front spot on lap 16; McBirnie made his own pass for the lead on the white flag circuit and beat Fett to the checkers by half a car length. Rose and Harker both qualified for the third time in their respective [Read More]