In an event highly anticipated by many, the FLORacing Night in American Series traveled to the Marshalltown Speedway in Marshalltown Iowa on Tuesday night, May 13th for the fourth race for their mini series in 2025. Along with the Super Late Models, IMCA Stock Cars and Modifieds would present a three division program for the special event prepared for FLO TV. Series officials like Ben Shelton and Dustin Jarrrett were almost giddy that being just mid May, they are now in their fourth race of the series while last year it took until August to reach that same point, based on all the bad weather they fought last year.
Marshalltown Speedway, which they now bill themselves as "America's Bucket List Track", which by the way seems just a bit presumptuous, but so be it, was ready to put on a show and welcome all their visitors both at the track and watching at home. Promoter Jerry VanSickel had thought of all the extra little things that are noticed, including fireworks at the extra prefect time, a resounding rendition of the National Anthem by his partner Jackie Schmillen and even a horse mounted rider to take the anthem around the track, complete with sparklers on top of the flag.
An interesting side note as one thing that Marshalltown does not as yet have and that is a decent place for the announcers to work from as right now they have an open air, even minus roof, tower above the main grandstand where Jarrett alluded to that they couldn't even hear each other track when FLO last visited here two years ago. So the announcers, Jarrett, Shelton and local announcer Rodney Tomlinson, did the announcing from the control trailer located behind the grandstand where I'm assuming, they narrated the races based on what they were watching on their tv. That was certainly a first for me, looking up into the announcing booth and seeing no one home!
But the one thing everyone on hand came to see and the viewers at home were hoping and expecting to see what good side by side racing and passing in the Late Model division and on in that regard, Marshalltown did not disappoint.
Thirty one Late Models signed in to race which meant that there would be four heat races and a pair of B Features to set the running order for the fifty lap main. The first car out, Brandon Overton, set fast time at 14,180 seconds and Jason Feger topped the second group. All four heats and the pair of B Features were won right off the pole and the spectator next to me expressed to me that lack of passing taking place.
However, with this kind of format, that is the norm, no matter who is sanctioning the events. I told them to wait until the feature race to draw judgement because the longer race would allow the track to change and change again, and then is when passing would likely take place. And sure enough, the fifty lapper would provide all that any Late Model fan could hope for and perhaps more.
The main event would see the lead exchanged six times between three different drivers while only having three yellow flags, the last two of which were significant however. Overton took the initial lead which only held up for one lap before Hudson O'Neal got past him. The next twenty plus laps would see O'Neal lead but a charging Bobby Pierce and Overton were close behind and putting pressure on.
The leaders caught traffic and it was classic to watch them work through the slower cars while still trying to block those right behind and pressuring. Pierce was persistent and just before the halfway point he got past O'Neal to take over the top spot with O'Neal, Overton and Justin Duty having a great run next line line.
It was now O'Neal's chance to pressure and two laps past halfway he got past Pierce to retake the lead but Bobby would have none of that and five laps later he again squeezed by to retake the lead. Pierce had built up perhaps his biggest cushion of the race after that but a slowing car with only nine laps left packed up the field again and then all Hell broke loose.
Overton restarted on the outside which didn't seem to be the spot to be but he got a fantastic start, riding the backing past both O'Neal and Pierce to grab the lead into turn three. However, the yellow waved once again and the field was repacked.
This time it was Pierce that threw the aggressive slider on Overton which kind of tied up both in turn one and O'Neal took advantage to drive by both and regain the lead. Hudson would use the break he was given and pull away from both Overton and Pierce over the last few laps and not allow them to get close enough to try any last lap shenanigans. Duty had slipped back a couple spots but also used the last restart to his advantage as he drove back up to fourth, a fine finish for him with Jonathan Davenport also making a late rush to complete the top five. Only four of the twenty six starters failed to finish the race as for the first time this year, two series provisional and two emergency starters were added to the field. I'm not sure what necessitates an emergency but perhaps it is "I didn't make the feature and if I don't start the main, my car owner is going to fire me"!
Compared to the Late Model main, the Stock Car and Modified feature races were relatively calm and it takes much to top the Stock Cars in excitement level. For whatever reason, after the Late Models were done and they were racing all over the track, both the Stock Cars and Mods found that the best way for them to get around the track was to hug the bottom line and for that reason, the excitement level was down just a bit. Also, it proved to be tougher passing that way.
The Stock car main saw Dusty Vis get the jump on the field and lead the first four laps. He was immediately pressured by "Jammin'" Jimmy Gustin who tried to dig under Vis in each corner. Eventually he got inside Vis in turn one and took over the lead and with the last eighteen laps running off clean without yellow, he gradually pulled away from Jay Schmidt who had claimed second. The best driving of the race was done by Cole Czarneski who was the only one that rolled out to the second lane.
Just as he did the last time I was here this year, Cole would roll hard into the corners in the second lane, let the car ride high up the track and then straighten out and go. He made it work as he came from seventh to finish third and if the race would have been longer, he might have gotten even higher. Jake McBurnie also gained a bunch of spots to finish fourth ahead of Vis.
The same scenario played out in the Modified feature with most of the drivers again running the same line. Riley Simmons started on the pole and took the early lead with most drivers hugging that low line. Tripp Gaylord started right behind Simmons and immediately put the pressure on, trying to get under Simmons in the turns. And it took him only two laps to get that accomplished and once in front, he checked out on the field.
After a first lap multi car wreck that took out Kelly Shryock, the rest of the race ran off nonstop and Gaylord was long gone. The field was also even enough that he didn't even have to deal with any lapped traffic as several cars running near the back pulled off to save their equipment.
Zack VanderBeek made a late charge, getting past Dakota Sproul who had run in second for most of the race with Sproul having to settle for third ahead of Logan Anderson and Ryan Maitland.
The Late Models were done before 10 pm and all racing was done before 10:30 pm. The place was packed with fans and unless schedules don't work out in 2026, I can't imagine that Marshalltown would not be on the FLO schedule once again.
Thanks to JVAN and Toby Kruse for their help and welcome and also the crew from FLO including DJ and Ben.
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