Dan Engledow

Whiteaker takes first racin’ vacation to Super Nationals

By Ben Deatherage BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 7, 2022) – In a banner year for entries in general and from the Lone Star State in particular, Texan Steven Whiteaker is among the now nearly 1,000 drivers competing at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified racer from Robstown makes his first-ever journey to Boone Speedway and the 40th edition of America’s Racin’ Vacation. “I have zero expectations going into this week,” Whiteaker said. “We just came to have a good time. We’ve never been here before and we wanted to experience it. Then a couple of months ago, I got a wild hair and decided to pre-register.” 2022 has seen limited action out of Whiteaker but he has nonetheless picked up three wins in his home state, two at I-37 Speedway and another at South Texas Race Ranch. “We haven’t raced too much this year. We took the first half of the season off and got our new CDR car done,” he explained. “We have run about 10 times around home [Read More]

Record-smashing IMCA Super Nationals sees 995 cars at Boone

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 7, 2022) – All the numbers have added up to a record number of cars competing at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The start of qualifying for Modifieds and Stock Cars Wednesday afternoon at Boone Speedway brought the total number of entries at the 40th annual event to 995, smashing the previous mark of 909 set just last year. “From the number of pre-entries to the number of pit stalls reserved, every indication we had was that there would be this kind of car count,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “It’s pretty cool that so many drivers want to come to Boone to be part of the 40th Super Nationals.” New Super Nationals records were set before the first green flag flew with pre-entries coming from 27 states and from four Canadian provinces. New records by division since racing started include the 71 STARS Mod Lites that ran Saturday and Sunday, the 91 Sport Compacts on Tuesday and 243 Stock Cars today. Forty-one Late Models, the most in a decade, [Read More]

Kuehl stays cool in front, collects Super Nationals SportMod qualifying checkers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6, 2022) – Taylor Kuehl started the season at Boone Speedway by topping the April Frostbuster special. Now she’ll look to end the year with a much bigger victory. The Arizona native led every lap in winning Tuesday’s first qualifying feature for Northern SportMods at Boone and will start at the front of the middle row in the Saturday night IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s championship event. “I’ve been watching Super National for years. I always hoped to make the show but to start on the front row is a dream come true,” said Kuehl, the first female driver in the division to accomplish the front row feat. “A goal now is a podium finish but I’ve watched a lot of my idols win Super Nationals championships. It would be another dream come true for me to do that on Saturday.” Kuehl drew the pole start and held off familiar foe Jake Sachau, winner of the BSB Manufacturing Race of Champions earlier in the program, following the last two [Read More]

Benischek takes home champion’s trophy after classic IMCA Super Nationals Sport Compact tilt

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6, 2022) – After getting held up most of the race, Jake Benischek held up an IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s championship trophy. Benischek completed his run to the front on the top side of the Boone Speedway oval, catching Kimberly Abbott with two laps to go to win his first Sport Compact crown and $1,000 Tuesday night. A record 91 Sport Compacts from 16 states were at Boone for the 40th annual Super Nationals and the division’s 10th appearance as part of America’s Racin’ Vacation will long be remembered as one of its best. “This is something we’ve been chasing for a long time. I feel like we’ve always been pretty fast but this is one tough race to win,” Benischek said, following his career seventh start in the Big Dance. “You’ve got to get lucky and you’ve got to be fast.” “Some years we were neither and some years we were both, and I guess we ended up here today.” Abbott’s runner-up finish was the best by a female driver competing [Read More]

Colorado Hobby Stocker in the hunt for Super Nationals success

By Ben Deatherage BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6, 2022) – Count Hunter Smith among the young lions in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock ranks. The Brush, Colorado teenager, IMCA’s national and Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region rookie of the year in 2021, has had a roller coaster of a past year on and off the race track but will look to end his 2022 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s run on a positive note. Tragically he lost his father last winter and is running in his memory this season. “We want to get in the top eight in our qualifier,” said Smith, 15. “We should be good if we can make the dance this week. I’m comfortable with this race track and I feel confident.” Although he didn’t make the Big Dance last year, he did become the first Colorado driver to qualify for the Stephenville Starter Race of Champions. He has already more than doubled last year’s total of 10 wins with the majority of those checkers coming in the Centennial [Read More]

Looft locked, loaded in hunt for Super Nationals title

By Ben Deatherage BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6, 2022) – Four-time and defending Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod national champion Matthew Looft, is locked and loaded for the 40th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The Swea City, Iowa speedster is looking to add Super Nationals to his incredible racing resume. He has amassed an enormous win total as he runs for his fifth national crown. “We’ve accomplished a lot over the years but this would be the pinnacle,” commented Looft. “We don’t come down here very often but when we do, we want to do the best that we can for our supporters, sponsors, friends and fans. It’d be awesome if we could get up there on the stage.” Looft ran fifth in his qualifier on Monday and will be dancing come Saturday night. He has made two dances in his career. He was 18th in 2015 and 10th in his most recent start in 2017. “I wish we had a little bit better of a run. You need to be up [Read More]

Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod Racer Justin Bell Attending 2022 Super Nationals

By Ben Deatherage BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6, 2022) – The Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod division has assembled nearly 180 of the best pilots that North America has to offer for the 40th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Among the attendees is Justin Bell of Louisville, Neb. Although he has only been to Boone Speedway a handful of times, he will try his best to make 2022 his best visit running with the best of the best. “I hope I can make the qualifier and see what we can do there,” said Bell. “Our first qualifying night this year, we went forward but we drew bad.” Bell owns qualifying experience from his 2019 visit to Boone Speedway. “This is our third year here and it’s fun to race against so many different drivers that we normally don’t run with every week,” he said. Bell is a regular at Beatrice Speedway and US 30 Speedway in his home state. “This year has been a struggle but we’re hopeful that we can turn it [Read More]

Nielsen is ready to go dancing Saturday at Boone

By Ben Deatherage BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 6, 2022) – Brandon Nielsen scored a major triumph on his IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s qualifying night. The Spencer, Iowa, driver is no stranger to dancing at Boone Speedway but has never won the main event. Could this year be a different story? “We’ve been struggling with this car on getting it up off the corner,” said Nielsen “I’ve always been able to get it to turn, but we’re just not the best coming out of the corner. So we took a couple of swings at it last night and it worked perfectly.” Seven times Nielsen has waltzed on the final night of Super Nationals. His best result was in 2015 when he got third in the Saturday show. Opening night of the 40th annual Super Nationals marked the first time he won a qualifier. “It would mean that little brother (Cody Nielsen in 2011) couldn’t be the only one bragging about being on a T-shirt for this race” he said, when asked what it would [Read More]

Pearce makes textbook run to checkers in IMCA Super Nationals SportMod qualifier

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5, 2022) – A youngster taught the veterans a thing or two in the final race on opening night of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Sixteen-year-old Andrew Pearce of Oakley, Calif., led all 25 laps of Monday’s qualifying feature for Northern SportMods. He’ll start on the pole in the championship event Saturday at Boone Speedway. The Labor Day program saw 338 cars – 172 Northern SportMods, 125 Hobby Stocks and 41 Late Models – in action. Pearce won the 17th of 20 heats and started the qualifier from fifth. He caught up with the back of the field 10 laps in and ran with traffic as the race stayed green to the finish. “I was just hoping to make the feature. I still can’t believe it,” the second-year racer said following his latest impressive run at Boone. “My grandfather, my dad Brian and uncle (Kellen Chadwick) got me where I am today. I can’t thank them enough.” Eleventh in last year’s Big Dance and now a senior at Freedom [Read More]

Sampson, Nielsen collect Super Nationals Hobby Stock qualifying checkers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 5, 2022) – Malik Sampson used the high line on Monday night to put himself in a pretty good spot on Saturday. The Worthington, Minn., driver topped the first of two Labor Day Hobby Stock qualifying features at Boone Speedway to earn the pole start in the Sept. 10 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s main event. Brandon Nielsen won the evening’s second qualifier and will start at the front of the middle row in the Big Dance. “I was trying not to do anything dumb,” the affable Sampson said from victory lane, after leading the last 23 of 25 laps and beating a tenacious James Johnson to the checkers by .744 of a second. “I’m in a pretty good spot, starting on the pole. We’ll see what kind of track we have on Saturday.” From Spencer, Nielsen led start to finish in the second qualifier, with defending champion Mike Smith motoring from 12th starting to run second the last nine circuits. “We’ve had a good day. We put her on [Read More]