Dan Engledow

Marriott adds Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational to resume of IMCA Modified wins

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 7) – A driver with an IMCA Modified resume already filled with big wins raced to his biggest Friday night at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Hunter Marriott topped the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, leading the last six laps en route to a $1,150 payday. He’d reeled in race-long leader Joel Rust, who saw an otherwise stellar run end with late contact with a lapped car. “We’ve had a lot of big wins but this is the biggest one,” Marriott said from victory lane at Boone Speedway. “It was a slick track and that fits my driving style.” Richie Gustin, Kelly Shryock, Ethan Dotson and Chris Abelson completed the top five. Cayden Carter started last in the field of 30 and finished seventh. Rust set a blazing pace from the onset, leading Dotson by half a straightaway before the first caution of the contest came out on the seventh of 30 laps. Marriott moved into second on the ensuing restart and the front pair pulled away from the [Read More]

Chaz Baca

You’ll be seeing a lot of Chaz Baca this weekend at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The IMCA Modified driver from Mesa, Ariz., made the trip to Boone Speedway knowing he’d start the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. On Thursday, he qualified for the Harris Auto Racing Race of Champions, then made the starting grid for Saturday’s main event by running fourth in his qualifying feature. “I never doubted something like this could happen. I just didn’t think it would happen our first time here,” said Baca, 21. “There was probably a little bit of luck involved but everything worked out for us.” After running second to Scott Hogan in the RoC heat, Baca mixed it up with 29 other heavy hitters in Thursday’s second qualifier. He chased Clint Luellen most of the way before finishing fourth behind Luellen, Cayden Carter and 2010 champion Jimmy Gustin. “We’re going to go out there, race the best we can and see what we can get (in these three races),” he said. “It’s going to [Read More]

Vanover, Spaw check out on Stock Car foes

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – Kyle Vanover and Johnny Spaw both made sure the race was for second Thursday at Boone Speedway. Vanover led all 25 laps in winning the first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Stock Car qualifying feature and Spaw more than matched that impressive run in the second. The top four drivers in each feature advance to the middle row of Saturday’s main event. Twelfth starting Jeff Tubbs, 15th starting Jeff Mueller and 16th starting Jason See chased Vanover to the checkers. Luke Lemmens, 2010 champion Jeremy Christians and two-time champion Donavon Smith were scored behind Spaw. Hunter Marriott, Bryan Rigsby and Justin Nehring were disqualified in post-race tech for rev limiter, compression and failed rear suspension, respectively. Tubbs settled in behind Vanover following the first of two cautions just after midway; Mueller and See made their way into the top four with five laps left. Spaw was the master of traffic as the nightcap stayed green the final 20 circuits. Lemmens ran second following the lap five restart [Read More]

Luellen, Marriott motor to Modified qualifying feature wins

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – Clint Luellen led every lap while Hunter Marriott needed most of his feature in winning IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Modified qualifiers Thursday night. Luellen, the 2015 Northern SportMod champion, had the field covered from the get-go in the opener at Boone Speedway. Cautions at midway – that yellow took Oregon contender Collen Winebarger, piloting one of the fastest cars on the track, out of contention – and again on lap 20 erased Luellen’s sizable leads but he pulled away after both restarts. Cayden Carter started 25th and passed 2010 champion Jimmy Gustin with four to go and finished second; the 17th starting Gustin and Chaz Baca, who headed the pursuit of Luellen much of the way, completed the top four. Marriott worked his way toward the front from 15th starting in the nightcap. Into the top four by lap nine, he finally caught Tanner Black for the front spot with four laps left. Black beat 11th starting Justin Auringer to the stripe by all of four [Read More]

Ruter, Aikey ace Modified qualifiers at Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – A Modified veteran and a driver who made a name for himself in another division won rescheduled qualifying features Thursday at Boone Speedway. Ryan Ruter caught Ethan Dotson eight laps in and led to the end of the first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s qualifier while Jeff Aikey, the winner of a record six Super Nationals championships and a 20-time qualifier for the Late Model main event at Boone, led all but the opening circuit of the 25-lap nightcap. A game of Rochambeau will determine which of the two starts on the pole in Saturday’s Modified big dance. Josh Long, Dotson and 27th starting Cody Laney chased Ruter to the checkers. Riley Simmons, Jay Noteboom and Mitchell Hunt were scored behind Aikey. The top four from each qualifier advance to the inside row Saturday. Ruter was pulling away from the rest of the pack before a lap 16 caution; Long passed Dotson for second following a lap 21 restart. Aikey was also comfortably in front before a [Read More]

What’s already been a pretty good season for Mitchell Hunt got even better early Thursday afternoon.

Hunt ran fourth in the second of two rescheduled Modified qualifying features to earn his career-first start in the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s main event. “This is pretty much what I’ve dreamed about since I was little,” said Hunt, 19 years old, from Greenville, Mich., and grandson of 1998 Super Nationals qualifier Jerry Pace. “Our season has already been phenomenal. This is amazing.” A regular at I-96 Speedway and Crystal Motor Speedway, Hunt made his first trip to Super Nationals four years ago to race in the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. His morning started with a heat race win and ended with Hunt chasing Jeff Aikey, Riley Simmons and Jay Noteboom across the finish line. “I tried to keep my nose clean and stay close to the bottom. Right around the tires was where I was at,” he said. “If you can keep up with Jay Noteboom, you’re doing good.”

IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars have Sept. 13 date at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars converge at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Thursday, Sept. 13 during NASCAR’s Fall South Point 400 Weekend. The Clash On The Clay date on the fast half-mile pays $1,500 to win and $300 to start, with IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National points awarded as well. Pit gates will open at noon and practice sessions are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12. On race day, pit gates open at 9:45 a.m. and tech starts at 10:30 a.m. Hot laps are at 2;10 p.m., the drivers’ meeting is at 3:30 p.m. and racing starts at approximately 3:45 p.m. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer will be featured guests at a Sept. 13 autograph session that evening. They’ll be joined by a number of other popular drivers from NASCAR’s top three series at the autograph session, which will run from 6-7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time inside the Dirt Track ticket gates.

Murty, Schmidt score Wednesday Stock Car qualifiers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – The flag-to-flag runs in Wednesday night IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s qualifying features put Damon Murty and Jay Schmidt in victory lane. Murty topped the first 25-lapper for his career 13th Stock Car main event berth; Schmidt won the nightcap and will make his 14th career Saturday night start. They’ll square off in a Thursday Rochambeau session to determine who starts on the pole. Todd Reitzler challenged Murty to midway. Fifteenth starting Derek Green, John Oliver Jr. and 2013 champion Brandon Czarapata chased Murty, a three-time Super Nationals runner-up, across the stripe. Schmidt had his hands full with 2016 Elijah Zevenbergen following a restart with five laps left. Zevenbergen, Dean Abbey and Kyle Frederick rounded out the top four; Cayden Carter was disqualified from a transfer to Saturday’s main event because of an illegal rear suspension. Czarapata will make his career 13th Saturday start at Super Nationals, Frederick his seventh, Green his fourth, Zevenbergen his third, Oliver his second and Abbey his Stock Car first. 1st qualifying [Read More]

Deery portion of Thursday Super Nationals show is canceled

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6) – The IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Deery Brothers Summer Series event rescheduled from Monday to Thursday has now been canceled. “With the rain earlier this week, there’s just no dry spot left in the pit area. We’ve waited as long as we can for the grounds to dry and drain, and it’s just not happening,” explained IMCA President Brett Root. “The Boone Speedway property cannot hold any more race car haulers and pitting our Late Model competitors off the property is not possible. We apologize to those competitors and the loyal Deery Series fans.” The 32nd annual series now ends with the Governor’s Cup event at Davenport Speedway on Sept. 21. Qualifying for both Modified and Stock Car divisions is now underway at Boone.

Former champion Smith is qualifying feature winner

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5) – The 2016 Northern SportMod champion begins his drive for a bookend IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s trophy from the outside of the front row Saturday night. Doug Smith reeled in longtime leader Chad Briese on the 18th of 25 laps and edged away from the rest of the field for the Wednesday qualifying feature victory. Briese held on for second. Lining up behind the front pair in the big show will be third through eighth place finishers Alec Fett, 15th starting Daniel Fellows, 25th starting Anthony Kobus, J.J. Baumli, Ethan Braaksma and Brandon Dale. Tony Olson was disqualified from a transfer spot for illegal valve springs. Also the runner-up in 2013, Smith will make his career seventh Saturday night start. The other seven Wednesday qualifiers all are in the big dance for the first time. Qualifying feature results – 1. Doug Smith, Lake City; 2. Chad Briese, Albion, Neb.; 3. Alec fett, Thompson; 4. Daniel Fellows, Keokuk; 5. Anthony Kobus, David City, Neb.; 6. J.J. Baumli, Lathrop, [Read More]