shelbycountyspeedway Archives

Christensen Capitalizes Late for Shelby County Stock Car Victory

By Don Hawkins HARLAN, Iowa (May 16, 2026) — Once again with rain and storms in the forecast, the Shelby County Speedway staff met the challenge by completing a quick and efficient program. The Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars once again put on one of the night’s best races. Mike Albertsen looked poised to capture the victory while being heavily pressured by Riley Christensen and Miciah Hidlebaugh. An incident in the closing laps involving Albertsen and Hidlebaugh opened the door for Christensen, who slipped into the lead and never looked back. The Audubon driver started seventh and picked up his first EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region victory of the season. Dayton Ullrich finished second while Dusty Van Horn advanced from 10th to third. Braden Richards charged from 12th to fourth and Austin Meiners completed the top five. The Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts had a stout field of 24 entries battling for the $1,000-to-win feature. A special thank you went to Jim Cahill, who added $550 to the already impressive winner’s purse. After several incidents throughout the feature, [Read More]

Richards Nips Meiners in Wild Shelby County Stock Car Finish

By Don Hawkins HARLAN, Iowa (May 9, 2026) — A strong field of 25 Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars checked in, and the feature produced one of the closest finishes of the night at Shelby County Speedway. Madrid’s Braden Richards emerged victorious in nearly a photo finish after charging from the 12th starting position. Austin Meiners also sliced through the field from 13th and appeared poised for victory exiting turn four, but Richards surged alongside and edged ahead at the checkers. The win was Richards’ fourth of the campaign in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region, with half of those triumphs coming at Shelby County Speedway. Meiners settled for second while Michiah Hidlebaugh advanced from 11th to finish third. Dusty Van Horn turned in an impressive run from 18th to fourth, while Larry Robinson Jr. completed the top five. Nineteen Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks signed in, and fans witnessed another thrilling finish. It looked as though Kael Koch was headed for victory until Zach Hemmingsen of Marne charged through the field from 10th starting position. Hemmingsen made [Read More]

Fiebelkorn’s Last-Lap Move Caps Big Night at Shelby County Speedway

By Don Hawkins HARLAN, Iowa (May 2, 2026) — Action in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts produced the most excitement of the night at Shelby County Speedway. A strong field of cars took the green, and Gavin Miller jumped out to the early lead as the field battled throughout. On the final lap, Stuart’s Tyler Fiebelkorn charged from the 11th starting position to make the winning move and score his third victory of the season at three different tracks. David Coenen, who started 10th, finished second, followed by Miller in third, Levi Volkert in fourth, and Michael Gardner in fifth. The Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks also delivered a thrilling race. Audubon’s Colby Christensen put together an impressive drive from 14th to capture his first win of the year in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region. Kolby Sabin, who started 12th, finished second while pulling double duty. Bryan Kriegel took third, Kaleb Brunssen was fourth, and defending track champion Jeff Fink rounded out the top five. The Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars once again provided plenty of excitement. [Read More]

Richards Charges from Sixth to Win Shelby County Stock Car Opener

By Don Hawkins HARLAN, Iowa (Apr. 25, 2026) — Shelby County Speedway kicked off the 2026 season in grand style with opening night, overcoming threatening skies to deliver a full and exciting program, and the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars delivered one of the night’s most competitive features. Austin Meiners took the early lead but had plenty of company in pursuit. When it all settled, Braden Richards of Madrid charged from sixth to score his second win of 2026 in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region, following an earlier victory at Boone Speedway on April 11. Miciah Hidlebaugh, who started seventh, finished second, followed by Meiners in third. Defending track champion Mike “Wahoo” Albertsen was fourth, with Bob Daniels rounding out the top five. Heat race wins went to Meiners, Richards, and Daniels, while Mike Stapelton won the B Main. 27 IMCA Stock Cars were checked in. The Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks also put on an entertaining feature. Harlan’s own Gage Neese powered from a fifth-place starting spot to take the win, his first of the season [Read More]

Skylar Pruitt: From the Horn of Africa to Victory Lane at Stuart

By Ben Deatherage STUART, Iowa (Jun. 13, 2025) — In a town of just 1,700 nestled along Interstate 80, Skylar Pruitt’s story is one of grit, devotion, and second chances. Born and raised in Stuart, Pruitt now races Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks at Stuart International Speedway — the same track his family has been tied to since the late 1970s. But the road that brought him back to the driver’s seat wasn’t a straight one. Racing Blood and a Restart “My family has lived in Stuart or the area our whole lives,” Pruitt said. “They started racing I don’t know when — late ‘70s, early ‘80s — and the bloodline just stayed with me.” He grew up going to the track with his dad Curtis and grandfather Ted. His first taste of speed came on two wheels, not four. “My dad bought me my first dirt bike when I was three. We ran them for a while and then got out of that. I had a full ride with a company, but they went out of [Read More]

Bonus Bucks Up for Grabs During 2025 Sunoco IMCA Late Model Bonus Money Nights

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (May 29, 2025) — Drivers competing in the IMCA Sunoco Late Model division will have more than just points to race for this season, with a series of special events offering bonus money at select tracks across Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Illinois. The 2025 Sunoco Late Model Bonus Money Nights schedule features 13 designated events at premier Midwest ovals, rewarding competitors with added cash and heightened prestige throughout the summer. The program began on May 24 at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa, where Kale Kosiski took home the first bonus of the year. The tour continues Friday, June 6 at Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, South Dakota, followed by a Sunday stop at Dubuque Speedway in Iowa on June 8. Mid-June sees back-to-back Iowa dates at Davenport Speedway on June 13 and Maquoketa Speedway on June 14, while July includes high-profile stops at 34 Raceway in Burlington on the 19th and three consecutive Nebraska events: US 30 Speedway in Columbus on July 24, Boone County Raceway in Albion on [Read More]

Christensen Claims First-Ever Stock Car Win in Wild Shelby County Feature

By Don Hawkins HARLAN, Iowa (May 3, 2025) — Riley Christensen thrilled the Shelby County Speedway crowd with a dramatic breakthrough victory in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, leading the final laps of a wild feature that included multiple lead changes, a tangle between frontrunners, and a green-white-checkered finish. Christensen, of Audubon, grabbed the point on lap 1 but was reeled in by Mike Vondrak and Larry Robinson Jr. midway through the race. Vondrak snuck underneath to lead lap 10, but a caution changed everything. Robinson made a move on the restart and got around Vondrak in turn three, but the two made contact, bringing out another caution. Vondrak came to a stop, handing the lead back to Christensen. In the final laps, Christensen held off intense pressure from Dustin Reeh to claim his first-ever Stock Car feature win — a milestone that also marked his first career victory in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Reeh made a strong bid but had to settle for second at the finish, followed by Bryan Snell in third. [Read More]

Hearty wins two races on emotional Saturday night at Shelby County

HARLAN, Iowa (Sept. 21, 2024) – Jack Hearty won two races on Saturday night at Shelby County Speedway. The first was just to get his IMCA Sunoco Late Model on the track. The second was to win the Tiny Lund Memorial and Brandon Saltzman Showdown main event. Hearty, just 22 and from Omaha, won his career-first IMCA Late Model feature and $3,098 on a night dedicated to both the hometown hero and 1963 Daytona 500 champion and to the late 2021 track champion. “There have been a couple races where I’ve led late and had a tire blow out, or lost the lead after a late caution,” said Hearty, who got up at sunrise Sunday, walked from his camper and sat at the track, letting everything from the night before set in. “We had a caution with four to go and I knew Cory Dumpert was right behind me. I just told myself ‘Let’s go do what we know we can’ and it all worked out.” Dumpert, the five-time defending national champion, and Sterling Perkins [Read More]

Tiny Lund Memorial, Saltzman Showdown set for Sept. 20-21

HARLAN, Iowa (Sept. 13, 2024) – Five IMCA divisions fill the Friday night program and will be joined by a sixth of Saturday for Shelby County Speedway’s 32nd annual Tiny Lund Memorial and Brandon Saltzman Showdown Sept. 20 and 21. On Friday, IMCA Sunoco Late Models run for $1,998 to win and $200 to start, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $1,250 to win and $150 to start, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods for $1,000 to win and $125 to start, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $750 to win and $100 to start, and Mach-1 Sport Compacts for $250 to win and $55 to start. And on Saturday, Late Models run for $3,098 to win and $225 to start, Stock Cars for $2,500 to win and $200 to start, SportMods for $2,000 to win and $150 to start, Hobby Stocks for $2,000 to win and $140 to start and Sport Compacts for $650 to win and $75 to start. The $250 Sunoco Race Fuels bonus will be awarded in conjunction with Friday’s Late Model feature. Both Stock [Read More]

Mahlberg does plenty of passing to get IMCA wins 99 and 100

DUNLAP, Iowa (Aug. 17, 2024) – Caine Mahlberg was plenty fast on both pavement and the dirt over the weekend. As a result, the Dunlap driver passed a total of 23 cars – that’s counting only those on the track and not the highway – in winning career 99th and 100th Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact features, at Crawford County Speedway on Friday and at Shelby County Speedway on Saturday. “Both nights I had car issues so I didn’t even know I was going to make it. I broke some studs, didn’t have any more and had to run home and get them off another car,” Mahlberg said. “I came late for both nights, didn’t run my heat and had to start in the back.” “I made it back just in time for the feature both nights.” Mahlberg hauled from ninth starting at Denison and from 16th at Harlan. “I was kind of thinking ‘Let’s just win tomorrow night and get it over with’ after Friday, but there were a lot of good cars there,” he said. “I really [Read More]