Newswire

Restart keys Ballard’s qualifying feature win

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 4) – Nathan Ballard took advantage of a mid-race restart in winning the second of two Hobby Stock qualifying features on Monday, opening night of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Ballard passed Jeff Anderson on the 13th of 25 circuits. The race ran caution-free the rest of the way and Ballard was able to get a bit of breathing room before taking the checkers ahead of Anderson, who had won a pair of Super Nationals titles at Boone Speedway during his storied Stock Car career. “This has to be one of my biggest career wins,” said Ballard, acknowledging both Anderson and his son Shannon, who was runner-up in the evening’s first qualifying feature. “We’ve had a heck of a car all year and it was my kind of track tonight.” The top eight finishers advance to the middle row of Saturday’s main event. Ballard, from Marengo, and Anderson, from Atlantic, were chased across the stripe by Cody Nielsen of Spencer, Chanse Hollatz of Clear Lake, Chad Lonneman of [Read More]

Olson scores another pole start with second win at Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 4) – Matt Olson led all 25 laps of the first Hobby Stock qualifying feature Monday at Boone Speedway. As a result, he’ll start on the pole for a second race on championship night Saturday at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Olson, the pride of Franklin, Minn., ran ahead of Eric Stanton past midway, before three-time Super Nationals champion Shannon Anderson took over the runner-up spot. Anderson, from Des Moines, had made his way up from 13th starting and while he got close, he was never able to get to the front. “I was just thinking don’t miss my marks and stay calm,” Olson said during post-race tech. “Starting on the pole for both the race of champions and the feature is something I never dreamed of doing.” Lining up behind Olson and Anderson on the inside row of Saturday’s main event will be Stanton, from Carlisle, Aaron Rudolph of Grand Junction, Eric Cross of Salina, Kan., 19th starting Brandon Nielsen of Spencer, 25th starting Sal Hernandez of [Read More]

Veteran Brothers

Brothers Malik and Keeran Sampson are both Super Nationals veterans, Malik as a driver, Keeran as a spectator. This year, both Worthington, Minn., hotshoes are running for starting spots in Saturday’s big Hobby Stock dance. Malik has qualified for the main event in three of his four previous trips to Boone, with a career best finish of seventh last year. “I like the atmosphere here. Super Nationals is fun and it’s challenging. I start to get nervous about three weeks beforehand,” he said. “This year I asked Keeran why he didn’t bring his car along. He was going to be buying a pit pass, anyway.” “I ran hot laps yesterday,” said Keeran, acknowledging that Boone was a different track than what he was used to. “Any time you go up against this many cars you never know what’s going to happen but I’m looking forward to racing here.” He also wouldn’t mind matching the accomplishment of neighbor to the south Elijah Zevenbergen and win a Super Nationals championship in his first competitive visit to Boone.

Martin gets job done, takes title at IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Nationals

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (Sept. 3) – Jason Martin has had a restless night or two following previous IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Nationals. He’ll have sweet dreams about the 2017 event. Martin led all but the first two laps in winning the fifth annual Sprint Nationals Sunday at Eagle Raceway. The victory came along with a $2,500 check. “I’ll tell you what, a lot of people say that the track owes you because you’ve been there in situations like this and something happens, but I don’t think that Eagle Raceway owes me anything,” said Martin, who had been knocked out of the lead at earlier Nationals by a flat tire or mechanical problems. “I just keep coming back and doing the best that I can. We did the exact same thing that we’ve done the last three or four years and finally got the job done.” 2015 champion John Carney ran second to Martin in their Friday qualifier and again in the big show. Jake Ita Memorial winner Kevin Ramey, 12th starting Jake Bubak and [Read More]

Long tow from NY

Long tow Allison Pierce made the 970-mile trip from Corning, N.Y., to make her Super Nationals debut during the Labor Day program. A rookie in the sanctioned Hobby Stock division, she brought 11 years of racing experience into the IMCA class, in go-karts, front wheel drives and street stocks. “We decided to come to Super Nationals at the beginning of the year. My dad came out with Brad Smith last year and they had a lot of fun,” Pierce said. “This is a pretty cool place. We went out for practice Sunday and loved the track.” She likes both the economics and competitiveness of the division. Pierce works at a sheet metal shop and does much of the work on her car. “My dad came with me this year. He raced a street stock from 1994-2001 and he’s helped me the whole time I’ve raced,” Pierce said. “He’s been right there and given me pointers.”

Green flag flies for Super Nationals XXXV

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 4) – Hot laps are underway on the first day of the 35th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The Labor Day program at Boone Speedway begins with qualifying heats for the Stephenville Starter Race of Champions for the Hobby Stocks and BSB Manufacturing Race of Champions for Northern SportMods. Qualifiers for both RoC’s will head to the fan zone to determine where they’ll start in their respective Saturday event. The starting fields for two 25-lap qualifying features will be determined by 14 Hobby Stock heats. Twenty heats and the final 25-lap qualifier of the night are on tap for the Northern SportMods. “B” races for the Hobbies, a “B” qualifier and “C” races for the SportMods, and Modified, Sport Compact and Stock Car hot laps complete the card. *** Top two finishers in each of the five Hobby Stock and Northern SportMod race of champions heats advanced to Saturday shows. Three former race winners are in the Hobby Stock RoC. Lining up from first through 10th [Read More]

IMCA clarifies current Late Model shock rules

VINTON, Iowa – Developments during the 40th annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic at Farley Speedway have led IMCA to state its official position regarding Late Model shock absorber rules “We do not have a rule that specifically prohibits air shocks in the Late Model division,” noted IMCA President Brett Root. “The nature in which air is introduced into the shock complicates this issue from a tech inspection standpoint.” “This is a new technology being introduced,” he continued. “We do not feel they are good for the division or for IMCA but until we are 100 percent confident we can write and enforce a rule prohibiting this type of shock, they will remain legal.” Two Late Model events remain on the 2017 schedule, Thursday night during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway and Sept. 22 and 23 at West Liberty Raceway. “The confusion that resulted at the Yankee was unintentional and not the fault of Farley Speedway officials,” Root said. “Our executive committee, in conjunction with Late Model promoters, will [Read More]

Monday Schedule

Schedule is subject to change as needed! HOBBY STOCK, NORTHERN SPORTMOD HOT LAPS – 1 pm TRACK PREP DRIVERS MEETING – 1:30 pm FIRST RACE – 2 pm MODIFIED HOT LAPS (0 to 20) 5 – HOBBY STOCK ROC HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP (Hobby Stock RoC Qualifiers to Fan Zone) MODIFIED HOT LAPS (21 to 40) 5 – NORTHERN SPORTMOD ROC HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP (Northern SportMod RoC Qualifiers to Fan Zone) MODIFIED HOT LAPS (41 to 60) 7 – HOBBY STOCK HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP MODIFIED HOT LAPS (61 to 80) 7 – HOBBY STOCK HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP MODIFIED HOT LAPS (81 to 100) 10 – NORTHERN SPORTMOD HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP SPORT COMPACT HOT LAPS (ALL) MODIFIED HOT LAPS (100 & ABOVE) 4 – HOBBY STOCK B’s (8 laps) HOBBY STOCK “A1” (25 laps) TRACK PREP STOCK CAR HOT LAPS (0 to 29) 10 – NORTHERN SPORTMOD HEATS (8 laps) TRACK PREP STOCK CAR HOT LAPS (30 to 59) [Read More]

Santa Maria rains out

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Santa Maria’s Simkins Memorial Weekend is a casualty to inclement weather. A pair of IMCA Modified and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod features were on the holiday weekend card.

Chris Simpson becomes 100th different Deery winner at Yankee Dirt Track Classic

FARLEY, Iowa (Sept. 2) – Along with a unique place in Deery Brothers Summer Series history, Chris Simpson enjoyed a $10,000 run to the checkers at Farley Speedway’s 40th annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic Saturday night. Simpson regained the lead with 28 circuits to go in the 100-lap main event, then held off Joel Callahan and Justin Kay following a late restart to win his IMCA Late Model tour career-first feature. He also became the 100th different driver to win a feature over the course of the series’ 477-event history. “It was kind of a good night for us,” said Simpson, who put a car he built and borrowed from Jason Rauen in victory lane. “This is a series that has been around for a long time. I always wanted to win one and finally did. It feels really good to get the win and it’s an honor to win a Deery race.” The top-paying event on the tour schedule saw a season-best 55 entries. Callahan, a two-time Yankee winner, took home $5,000 for second and Kay’s [Read More]