kossuthcountyspeedway Archives

Season champions crowned at Kossuth County

By Greg Grabianowski ALGONA, Iowa (Aug. 24, 2023) – In the final evening of dirt track racing at the Kossuth County Speedway in 2023, five IMCA champions were crowned on Thursday to highlight a night of exciting racing. The IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks saw Chris Krug take a narrow early lead over Joe Doran and Tim Sidles with Brandon Nielsen, Josh Sidles and Mike Smith joining that group battling for the lead. Krug led the first three laps before Nielsen took over the top spot. Nielsen continued to hold the lead with those other drivers keeping the heat on. Only the yellow flag with two laps to go delayed Brandon’s fourth trip into victory lane this season at Algona. Krug won a hard-fought battle for the runner-up spot as Josh Sidles was third with Smith taking fourth and Tim Sidles rounded out the top five. Smith was the season champion. The Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature was almost a carbon copy each night out this season and it went as scripted before on Thursday [Read More]

Burns wins barn burner at Kossuth County

By Greg Grabianowski ALGONA, Iowa (Aug. 17, 2023) – James Burns made an exciting pass coming out of turn four with one lap to go for the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature win Thursday at Kossuth County Speedway. Micah Lavrenz was the leader after the first lap. Burns edged ahead but fell all the way back to seventh after getting a little tag on the tail from Lavrenz that got him loose and his car sideways. Jay Sidles took advantage of the front two getting together and led for the next five laps as Brandon Nielsen, Josh Sidles and Burns slowly reeled him in. Nielsen took over the top spot on lap eight as Josh Sidles and Burns went door-to-door for the runner-up spot in the race. Burns constantly made up ground on entry into the corners and got past Josh Sidles and went to work on passing Nielsen. The Algona driver continued to put pressure on the back bumper on the veteran Spencer driver and pulled a great move coming out of turn number [Read More]

Grabouski schools IMCA Fair Street Face Off foes

ALGONA, Iowa (Aug. 10, 2023) – Jordan Grabouski had a couple good reasons to get to the end of Thursday’s Larry Evers Fair Street Face Off feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds. First was the $5,000 that accompanied the checkers at Kossuth County Speedway’s Thursday night special. Second and more importantly was the little girl looking forward to her dad taking her to her first day of pre-school the next morning. Grabouski started on the pole and led start to finish of the 25-lap nightcap, said his thank you’s from victory late and loaded up and made that all-important quick trip back to Beatrice, Neb., where he had time for a quick nap before getting daughter Jorja to pre-school at 8:15 a.m. sharp. “I had never raced at Kossuth County Speedway before but everything went great,” said Grabouski, who queried track regular Jeremy Mills about the nuances of running at Algona. “It helped drawing the one, of course, but we had a really good car.” “The car felt best higher on the track,” added Grabouski, [Read More]

Algona fair race feature winners receive six-foot trophies

By Greg Grabianowski ALGONA, Iowa (Aug. 3, 2023) – On a night when the feature winners all earn six-foot trophies, a solid car count competed in front of nice crowd in the grandstand Thursday in the Kossuth County Fair race. Algona Plumbing & Heating added a little extra money to each class at a mystery position by drawing of $200 at the end of their features. The four IMCA divisions racing for a $1,000 first place check all went green-white-checkered. The IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature went caution free as national and track point leader Mike Smith led all 12 laps of the race. The young Lake City driver started on the inside of row one and took the lead immediately off the drop of the green flag and went onto his sixth feature win of the season at the track. Brandon Nielsen was the runner-up as Cody Hubbell took third with James Burns finishing fourth and Josh Sidles rounded out the top five. Sidles was the winner of the $200 mystery draw. Brian Schrage and [Read More]

Salute to Veterans show at Kossuth County draws 137 cars

By Greg Grabianowski ALGONA, Iowa (July 27, 2023) – It was the eighth annual Hunting With Heroes Salute to Veterans night at Kossuth County Speedway on Thursday as the event just continues to break more records every year. An event-high 137 cars signed in the pit shack to compete for an increased purse but more importantly a hand-carved trophy and an opportunity to give a veteran a prize worth at least $300 with a top three finish. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature saw a veteran driver win what he said in the winner’s circle was the biggest victory in his racing career. Todd Stinehart took the top spot early and built a lead but the yellow flag came out lap number three and again three laps later. But after that, the feature went non-stop as emotional Stinehart was elated in victory lane with the biggest win of his 28-year career and a nice $3,500 first place check helped a little bit, too. The big win also made Stinehart eligible to qualify for the Fast [Read More]

New location for 10-year-old’s lemonade stand helps boost funds raised for Salute to Veterans

ALGONA, Iowa – IMCA fans and drivers will stand and applaud hundreds of the men and women who have served their country in the armed forces, during Hunting With Heroes Salute to Veterans race programs next week in Spencer, Algona and Boone. Another one of the people who will deserve a big salute is Toryn Kleen. The 10-year-old and fifth grader-to-be at Algona Middle School raised $3,206 to contribute to the annual veterans’ endeavor, selling lemonade along with cookies and cupcakes at a stand set up near Mike Hauan’s Lake Mills Motorsports Polaris dealership in Algona. “I feel like veterans are under appreciated,” said Toryn, whose grandfathers and a great-grandfather all served in uniform. “This is something I can do for them.” Toryn had donated the more than $2,300 she made selling lemonade and sweet treats from a stand at her home and was recognized with a special Top Gun Fund Raiser award last year. She made the move to the new location this year to up her visibility and along with veterans and folks [Read More]

Nielsen wins Weishaar Memorial race

By Greg Grabianowski ALGONA, Iowa (July 20, 2023) – Brandon Nielsen was the big winner of the $1,000 Jess Weishaar IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock Memorial race held Thursday at Kossuth County Speedway. Aaron Rudolph and Josh Sidles brought the 22-car field to flag stand to take the green flag in the final race of the night as they raced for the $1,000 first place check in honor resident and race fan Jess Weishaar, slain in a 2019 bank robbery. Rudolph edged ahead after the first trip around the Algona oval as Josh Sidles and Rudolph went door-to-door the first five laps for the lead in the feature. The caution flag appeared on six and Mike Smith grabbed the lead off the restart, but that only lasted three laps as Nielsen became the new leader at the halfway point of the 20-lap feature race. The yellow flag reappeared on 11 and came out again one lap later as Tyler Beckler and Brianna Osterson got tangled up in turn two. Once the green flag came back out, [Read More]

Shryock, Mills win big at Bradie Becker Memorial

By Greg Grabianowski ALGONA, Iowa (July 13, 2023) – In its second year running, the Bradie Becker Memorial race on Thursday, July 13 brought a bigger purse for IMCA drivers to compete for at Kossuth County Speedway. Both the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars raced for a $2,000 first place check as an extra $1,000 was added during the evening, as the other three divisions each split an extra $250. Elijah Zevenbergen and Bruce Wickman led the 22-car Stock Car field to the flag-stand to take the green flag as Zevenbergen jumped out front right away before a quick yellow flag. The race resumed as Derek Green became the new leader on the third lap and a red flag appeared one lap later as New Mexico visitor Zane DeVilbiss was upside and four other cars were also involved. Green was the leader at the halfway point of the 20-lap feature followed by Kelly Shryock, Zevenbergen, Kevin Opheim and Wickman as Shryock slowly closed the big lead Green had built. The two [Read More]

Monson crosses Bumble Bee Nationals off IMCA bucket list

ALGONA, Iowa (July 6, 2023) – Go ahead and cross the Bumble Bee Nationals off Oliver Monson’s races to win bucket list. Monson raced all the way from 11th starting to win Kossuth County Speedway’s 4-cylinder special Thursday night, topping a who’s who type field of Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact drivers. The win was good for $1,000. The feeling of accomplishment that came with those checkers was worth more. “We just put the car up top and let it go,” said Monson, who had the lead seven circuits into the 25-lapper and handled half a dozen restarts and some lapped traffic before crossing the stripe ahead of 10th starting Mick Rykhus and 14th starting Nate Coopman. “And obviously everything ended pretty well.” Michigan visitor Trever Cronick and Kaytee DeVries rounded out the top five. Drivers from four states filled the 22-car main event grid. “This win was huge,” said Monson. “I’ve been trying for it for a long time. There are a couple more big races to win (most notably the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by [Read More]

Looft wins IMCA Northern SportMod special at Algona

By Greg Grabianowski ALGONA, Iowa (June 29, 2023) – All summer long, Swea City’s Matt Looft has simply dominated the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod division at Kossuth County Speedway. On Thursday night, things remained the same as Looft led 18 circuits of the 25-lap, $1,000 to win Wyffels Hybrid SportMod Special to highlight the evening of exciting dirt track racing. Justin Klynsma and Dustin West led the SportMod field to flag-stand for the green flag in the feature as Klynsma took the early lead with the yellow flag appearing early. The caution flag reappeared one lap later and also on lap number six for spins as Klynsma continued to lead the race with the ninth starting Looft lurking and looking for his opportunity. Lap number eight presented that chance and Looft moved to the front and pulled away from the field for his sixth feature win of the season at the track but his biggest payday so far. Colby Fett was the runner-up with Klynsma taking third, Alec Fett was fourth and Ben Reierson [Read More]