Mills and VanWyk Open Wheel Stars at Boone

 In what seems to be the normal situation so far in 2026, about the only track in Iowa and likely also the whole Midwest to be able to race these days and especially on Saturday has been the Boone Speedway. 

For the second straight Saturday, virtually every other track for a considerable distance has been either rained out or cancelled due to the unfavorable forecasts. Meanwhile, Boone races no matter what the conditions are, draws a huge field of racers while having virtually no spectators in the stands, puts on an excellent and speedy show and manages to do so on a smooth and racy track. Even the car count was almost an exact clone of what the numbers were last week. 

While it was drier this Saturday, it was also colder and a very brisk wind made watching the show less than pleasant, likely the fact that even though the sun was shining the crowd was made up of mostly the hardcore and well prepared race fans. Again, the four divisions of IMCA racing featured here every week drew well over one hundred and sixty drivers and with the Mod Lites also having nearly thirty drivers, the total field was pushing the two hundred mark again, nearly the exact number for last week's opener. All classes but the Modifieds were forced to run multiple B Features due to high car counts and nearly thirty races were run in total with the whole show lasting about four and a half hours. 

As usual, they started right at the advertised time and with the one spin rule in effect and drivers understanding that they better move if they spin, the nineteen heat races were completed with the yellow being used just five times. I think this is be biggest part of the program that I see different down here than in many locations, and that is that they get the preliminaries out of the way quickly whereas at many places by the time the heats have been slogged through, you feel like you've seen a full show already and let's not even consider those many places that feel they must qualify one or perhaps multiple classes of cars where by the time the time trials are done, you are ready to find the exits. 

With rain just before the program not an issue like last Saturday, the track was quite a bit different this week but still raced well. It was drier, there was no big cushion but it raced wide and there was plenty of side by side racing in all divisions. The crews were happy because there was not near the amount of mud to be scrapped off the cars afterward however, and the speedway didn't lose nearly the amount of race surface that they did last week. 

The program was the same with the Mod Lites proceeding the Sport Mods and Mods, followed by the Stock Cars and the Hobby Stocks. Once again, while all classes were full, the Hobby Stocks continued to come "out of the weeds" with fifty four of them on hand, racing for just twenty four spots. 

I'm not fully certain but it appeared that the heat races were lined up by point average with the lower average toward the front and new arrivals this week starting in the back. It then also looked like those that were in the top twelve that made the redraw were then inverted again for the mains. In part because of this and also likely due to track able to race on, only one of the four feature winners started in the front row with other winners coming from the second, fourth and sixth rows of their mains to victory. 

The driver that made the biggest advance was Dylan VanWyk who started the Sport Mod feature in the eleventh spot. But he didn't stay there long as he quickly moved into contention. Will Wolf was the early leader with Gage Hilgenberg and Ryan Leeman pressuring him. Meanwhile, VanWyk was on the move, passing drivers on both the low and top side of the track as he quickly worked his way into the top five. 

He was knocking off a position a lap as he moved to the front and just as the halfway point of the race came, he made a spectacular move, going from third to first just as Logan Kelly signaled the halfway point of the race. Cam Reimers had also climbed into the top five and was also heading to the front. Also putting on a show was last week's winner Jake Sachau who had spun out by himself early on and had to go to the tail of the field. 

One late yellow bunched the field for the second time but it caused no problem for VanWyk who again pulled away from the pack and raced home for the win. Reimers continued his charge, moving up to second in the late going while Sachau also continued to hustle, getting up to third at the finish. Hunter Poston and Tyler Heckart completed the top five.

Jeremy Mills was the driver to beat in the Modified class on Saturday as he started seventh and drove up to the front for the win, but only after a good three driver battle with Chaz Baca Jr and Jake McBirnie. Brandon Leeman led the opening lap before Baca Jr got past him with both McBirnie and Mills also moving up in the running order. 

For several laps there was a close three car battle for the lead with Mills trying the top side of the track while McBirnie worked right on the tires hoping to sneak past Baca Jr. One lap before the halfway point, both got a good run and blew past Baca Jr on either side, dropping him quickly to third. 

There were a pair of late yellows in the last five laps that bunched the field and while McBirnie continued to try and slip past on the low side of the track, Mills worked the cushion and kept his speed up and drove home for the win. Baca Jr settled for third with Todd Shute and Corey Sauerman also finishing in the top five. 

While the Stock Car feature saw Jimmy Gustin become the only winner from the front row, that doesn't convey the message of what a tough battle it was for him to take the win, along with the fact that he didn't make the winning pass until lap seventeen of the twenty lapper. 

Garrett Corn rode the cushion to take the lead on lap one but he was quickly passed by Josh Daniels who was running the extreme inside line. The track was changing at this point with more and more drivers heading to the low side of the track. Gustin moved into second as he got by Corn and then began the task of finding an opening to get past Daniels for the lead. 

Jimmy tried high on one end and low on the other but each time came up just short of making the pass for the top spot. By the halfway point of the race, he had settled in behind Daniels, stalking his every move and trying to nose under him on each lap. Troy Jerovetz had moved into third, ahead of Corn and Matt Meineke. 

Daniels was really blocking the low line as the race went into its second half. He was quite slow coming out of the corners but no one seemed able to get a run on the top side of him and he was keeping the door closed on the low side. Finally, an opening occurred on lap sixteen as Daniels slipped off the bottom just a bit exiting turn four. Gustin was right there to poke a nose under him and they raced side by side down the back stretch with Gustin edging out into the lead. 

Jimmy quickly pulled away then over the last four laps and had a comfortable lead as he took the checkered flag. Daniels managed to hold off Jerovetz for second with last week's winner Braden Richards making a big charge from twelfth to fourth, ahead of Corn. This race went green to checkered and only one driver failed to finish with all twenty three still on the lead lap. 

The Hobby Stocks completed the evening's entertainment and there was plenty of slicing, dicing and a bit of banging in their fifteen lap main, even though they did have only a single yellow flag and just three drivers that didn't finish the race. 

Joey Young led the opening lap before he was overtaken by Will Smith who was using the high side around the track. The lone yellow flew with five laps complete and on the restart Smith was challenged by Young and Seth Butler, still running his replacement car for the one he wrecked. 

Smith continued to work the cushion as he maintained the lead with Alex Yoerger having a strong run as he moved up to second by the halfway point of the race with about the top six to eight drivers running in a tight pack. 

Coming on strong in the second half of the race were the Gifford's along with Corey VanDerwilt as they all raced their way into contention with the running order changing often and a few quarter panels thrown at each other. 

Braden Gifford made the strong effort as he got past Yoerger for second and closed on Smith, but Will had the cushion figured out and while Gifford closed to within several car lengths, he couldn't made a serious run as the race remained under the green the rest of the way. Yoerger settled for third with VanDerwilt and Young completing the top five. After the race, starter Kelly was headed for the pits to "consult" with at least a driver or two. 

It was another solid night of racing done in a very efficient manner. The cold and wind made it miserable for the fans on hand but they did see a good show with temps dipping into the thirties before the final checkered waved. Drivers that either didn't make a main or as soon as their race was completed didn't hang around tonight to shoot the breeze but instead headed out of the pits, no doubt seeking heat and shelter from the wind. 

Thanks again to everyone that works or puts on the show at Boone for their efforts. Now if we can just start to warm up and dry off, it would be appreciated by many. 

Boone Refuses To Lose, Snyder Upset Modified Winner

 A lot of race tracks were struggling with the weather on Saturday, April 11th with the vast majority of them getting rained out. Across the entire Midwest region, finding a race track that was running on Saturday was difficult. 

And then there is Boone. They probably lucked out to a certain degree, not getting the very heavy rain that some places did. But they were also resilient in that they didn't pull the plug as soon as the first showers hit. They posted, and then did wait until after the rain stopped to check their track conditions and then announce that they were still racing. It was not a nice night and it would have been very easy to just call it a wash out and come back next Saturday. 

But instead they chose to fight the elements, bringing out their  arsenal of equipment and working the track with no less than eight tractors with dragging equipment behind each one. 

But they weren't done with the weather battle yet. Around 5 pm, with the pits full of racers and then nearing time for hot laps, they got hit with another round of rain, and it did come down fairly hard for a few minutes. At this point, virtually every other track that I can think of would have then called it a night, congratulated themselves on giving it their best effort, and calling it a night. 

However, those others aren't Boone. The tractors kept circling the track, even in the rain and they just kept on working the surface after the the rain stopped. They got some great help from the racers with a large number of them willing to come out and finish off the packing and that is not often seen any more either. I'm guessing that part of this was due to the fact there were so many out of towners that didn't drive a long way to race just to load up and go home. By 8:15 pm the hot laps were completed and it was time to go racing. I would never have thought it possible but then again, I don't get to Boone too often to see their resolve in action. Thank you from a pair of goofs hundreds of miles away from home that don't know any better than to try and get a race in on a Saturday night. 

The car count was gigantic with one hundred and sixty six drivers signing in to race in the four IMCA core classes. Throw in over two dozen Mod Lites and you have a very impressive field on hand. Obviously the threatening weather didn't scare of the drivers with virtually all parts of Iowa represented by racers on Saturday. 

Interestingly though, even though there was a monster field of competitors on hand, there were barely enough Modified drivers on hand to fill out a full field. This would seem to indicate that even in this area, Modified car counts are going to be an area of concern at many tracks in 2026. 

This would be a huge night of racing with multiple B Features needed in three of the competing classes. There were nineteen heat races alone not counting the Mod Lites and twenty nine races in total. And not a whisper of dust all night as the black dirt stayed heavy and was throwing mud up through the final laps on the track. The track work that needed doing was done during two breaks to simply pack the cushion and try and widen out the groove as much as possible. 

The secret that Boone knows only too well about running off a quick program is to have the races lined up and move through them quickly while also laying down the law that yellow flags simply aren't allowed! How about this statistic. They went through fifteen heat races before the first yellow flag was waved and as it turned out that was the only yellow in all the heat races! Total!

That is a mind blower, especially on what was a wet track with many drivers on hand running new cars making their first runs of the year and certainly a number that had never raced at Boone before. I wish there was a way to send this message out to a number of other tracks that shoot themselves in the feet weekly by running a dragged out program that is peppered by yellow flag slowdowns. In the meantime, I will just enjoy my visits to places like Boone, Marshalltown and Stuart that dazzle with their quick shows. I love to watch starter Logan Kelly stare down drivers and make them move, no matter where they are sitting on the track wanting a yellow. 

Before we go into the race results , I must give a "shout out" to Hobby Stock driver Seth Butler. On Wednesday night at Stuart we all saw him take the wildest of flips with his car disintegrating before our eyes. The machine looked to be a write off and I had to wonder if that was his season done hardly before it even started. 

But then, in the surprise of the night, Butler shows up tonight with a different Hobby Stock and racing at Boone just three days after his wild ride. Granted, the car looks a little rough but he was racing and that was the big thing. An apparent overheating issue in his heat put him behind the eight ball early and he couldn't fight his way out of a B Feature to make the main, but the most important thing on this night was that he was back at it and didn't let the racing Gods beat him. Way to go Mr. Butler. 

The feature race action saw a variety of outcomes. Half of the features were won by drivers that had to gain four or five rows to get to the front and two of the features were won by drivers that started right in the front row. The track remained heavy and a cushion started to build up but there were certainly some drivers that were able to move forward a considerable amount. 

The were some familiar faces up front in victory lane and some upsets and I thought perhaps the biggest surprise was in the Modified feature where Jacob Snyder drove an excellent race to take the win. Even though he started on the pole, it was not an easy win by any means and he actually didn't take the lead until the fourteenth lap. 

Before that, the race lead was controlled by the western Iowa veteran Jay Noteboom who used momentum from the outside starting position to jump into the early lead. And after a first lap yellow for a spinning car, the race would go remarkably well with many laps of green flag racing. 

Snyder was all over Noteboom, looking to the outside and inside lanes and trying to get past but each time, Noteboom had just enough to fight him off. Russ Dickerson, Izac Mallicoat and Owen Barnhill were having a good battle for third that stretched past the halfway point. 

On lap fourteen, Snyder got a good run off the top side in turn four and powering down the front chute, he squeezed between Noteboom and the wall to take over the lead, after which he put some distance on the field. A late yellow caused by a driver needlessly stopping on the track while running a lap down at the back of the pack shouldn't have happened, but it did and that bunched up the field. 

Snyder got away cleanly at the start and put some distance on Noteboom as he drove on through the final three laps for the win. Noteboom fought off Mallicoat for third while the big loser was Barnhill who got moved up into the mud and lost a bunch of spots. Dickerson finished fourth with Cory Sauerman completing the top five. 

The deepest drive from back in the pack was performed by Jake Sachau who started on the outside of row five in the Sport Mod feature. Rocky Caudle had gotten the jump on the start but then his car conked out on him, stacking up the pack and creating quite a wild mess. 

The restart saw veteran Randy Havlik take the lead with Sachau flying to the front and up to third by lap eight when the yellow flew for the second time for a spinner. Sachau then put the pressure on Havlik who was able to hold him off for a few laps but just at the halfway point Sachau blew past to take over the lead and from that point, he stepped away from the field. 

As Ben Chapman moved into third, Brett Thomas lost a good top five run when his car slowed and he headed for  the infield. Sachau was long gone by this time as he stretched his advantage to a full straightaway and with no stoppages the last half of the race, he drove home in the clear for the win. Havlik was able to hold off Chapman for second while the driver on the move the last half of the race was Mike Smith. He came from twentieth on the grid to race up to fourth and was still coming when he ran out of laps. 

Braden Richards came from the fourth row to win the Stock Car feature, a race that saw a long three car battle for the lead until Richards finally asserted his dominance. 

David Smith used the outside pole to take the early lead but he was soon joined by Buck Schafroth and Richards in a battle for the lead. The only yellow of the race came from a lap six tangle that saw several cars strewn down the front stretch. However, the same three continued to fight it out after racing resumed with Smith having his hands full as both Schafroth and Richards were all over him as they jockeyed for position. 

Richards was finally able to get into second and then he quickly challenged Smith for the top spot. Using that same high line in turn four that others found successful, he blew past Smith who was guarding the low line and roared into the lead on lap twelve. After that, he pulled away as Smith now had Schafroth challenging him again. 

Ultimately, Schafroth was successful as he took over second but no one had anything for Richards as she drove on for the win. Hunter Smith and Tyler Pickett completed the top five. 

A first lap tangle on the front chute was Eric Knutson go off on the hook in the Hobby Stock feature which was then followed by the most dominant performance of the night. Joren Fisher used the outside line to jump into the lead and simply power away from the field. 

It didn't hurt that the rest of the race went off nonstop and the field got spread out, but Fisher was so much faster than his competition, pulling to nearly a half lap advantage over the competition. 

Most of his time was spent working through lapped traffic which he did expertly and at the finish, he had a comfortable lead over the field to garner the win. Matt McDonald started in the second row and fought his way into second  but he was quite a distance behind the winner. Jamie Coady finished third while Braden Gifford started dead last on the grid and drove all the way up to fourth at the checkers. A huge field of fifty three Hobby Stocks made just making the feature a challenge. 

Jerry VanSickel reported that the final checkers of the night waved at 12:29 am and while that is late, it was still much better than it could have been. We were looking at a program that lasted just over four hours and when you consider the number of races run, it was done in a pretty efficient manner. Thanks to the track officials and the vast majority of the drivers for their work and cooperation. I doubt the track made much money on Saturday. There was a small crowd on hand with the cool and threatening weather and that's part of what could have made it so simple to just cancel. But they proved to the drivers and kept their reputation going that if there is any way in creation that races can be held, Boone will find a way. And that's what keeps everyone coming back. 

Sobbing Wins Late Model Thriller, Mackenthun a Stock Car Charger at Park Jeff

 While many tracks fell to bad weather on Friday night, April 10th, the Siouxland opener was achieved as Park Jefferson International Speedway was able to start their regular season on Friday under partly cloudy skies but with a cool breeze chilling the fans and participants. 

Highlights of the opening night program saw Jesse Sobbing edge out Zach Zeitner in a wild Late Model feature that was not decided until the final straightaway and a charge by Dan Mackenthun from the sixth row late to top the Stock Car feature. Zach Ankrum did his own charge from the fifth row to win the Hobby Stock feature while other winners included Brandon Beckendorf and Levi Volkert. 

It was an all IMCA program on Friday night with the six staple classes that dominate IMCA racing being presented. A very fine field of one hundred and twenty six drivers from four states signed in for opening night racing on a smooth and very fast track in the early going. Actually, the track was a little on the muddy start for the opening heat races but did work in quickly and by the late feature races, started to dry out some and then opened up the bottom lane which was largely absent earlier. 

Park, being a Friday night track, sees a late rush of entrants after they have gotten off work and it was especially so on this Friday for some reason as activity at the back gate was crazy for the last half hour before hot laps were scheduled. However, track workers did a fine job getting everyone signed in and lineups prepared so that racing could begin at 7:15 pm. 

One of the late arrivals was Anthony Ainsley who was scheduled to work the SLMR program in Davenport, one of many tracks to fall to the wrath of the weather, but he turned around in Des Moines and became the co-announcer here in a last minute change of plans. 

It was one of those nights when the heat races go oh so smooth and it looks like its going to be an early and tidy night of racing. Then the features come out and all, you know what, breaks loose and the frustration mounts among everyone. 

Actually it was just the first two features that had such a terrible time staying under the green but they threw such a monkey wrench into things that the lost time was never able to be made up and it turned into an "after eleven" show which many fans bailed on early due to the unpleasant coldness that the nasty breeze blew in. 

And while it was a noble idea to let all the Hobby Stocks and Sport Mods run the feature race, in hindsight a B Feature in each class might have been the  better option. When you have twenty eight and twenty seven drivers respectively in each feature with skill and seasoning widely divergent, that is like asking for trouble, and that's what we got, not so much with big wrecks but with spin out after spin out. 

The Hobby Stock feature rolled off first and they were one of the classes to struggle with four yellows in the first eight laps. Steven Taylor took the lead off the pole with Tony Fetterman applying pressure and Taylor not able to build up much advantage with the yellow nixing his gain. 

Dalton Young and Carter Davis were also in the running early with Zach Ankrum gradually working his way forward after starting ninth on the grid. Ankrum didn't appear in the top five until the halfway point of the race when he vaulted up to third and then quickly second and then one lap later made a move for the lead, only to see the last yellow negate that move. 

However, Taylor could only hold him off for one more lap before Ankrum dove under him to take the lead and then began to pull away as he was one of the few able to make the low side work. He continued to extend his lead as the final half of the race went nonstop. Taylor hung on for second with Young, Davis and Travis Landauer, from twenty fourth to round out the field. 

The Sport Mods had an even tougher time keeping their race going as the yellow waved six times with management even cutting a couple of laps off their event. Mary Hahn took the lead for a single lap before she was overpowered by Caleb Woodard, a winner here last month. And once Woodard took the lead, he was able to hold it the rest of the way, despite all the yellows and slowdowns. 

Each time the green would reappear, he would again pull away from the field and was not seriously challenged for the entire race. It was just a matter of him not making any mistakes with the frequent stoppages. Hahn hung in there in second despite a challenge from Kirk Beatty who later would spin and get clobbered, ending his night. 

While the top two remained constant, there was considerable shuffling behind them due to the many yellows and some of the spins that took out contenders. At the end, it was Jake Newsom who moved up to third with Alec Fett and Riley Osantowski completing the top five. 

The Stock Car feature saw a surprise finish as a late run by Mackenthun saw him eat up much distance and make a late race pass for the win. Early on it was Mike Vondrak holding the lead despite constant pressure from Travis Barker who was riding close behind the leader. The front cars were riding the cushion and right up against the edge of the track. 

Mackenthun started to make big headway near the halfway point of the race as he gradually edged forward after starting in the sixth row and when he  found the low groove, he began passing drivers in rapid fashion. While he was only up to fifth at the halfway point, shortly after that he really began to advance. 

The race saw a big change when on lap fourteen, Vandrak got too high in turn two and slipped over the banking while at the same time, Mackenthun ducked under Barker and when the yellow flew, he found himself to be the new leader. 

One more late yellow set up a four lap sprint but Mackenthun continued to work the low line and he pulled away for the win over Barker. Ryan Harris moved up to  third while late charges by Greg Peck and Jordan Rogotzke got them into the top five. 

The Late Model feature was a dandy with the issue not resolved until the leaders crossed the line and saw the checkered flag. Jordan Krug shot from the inside of row two to pass both Jesse Sobbing and Jody Krug on the opening lap to take the early lead. Sobbing then moved up and began to challenge Jordan for the lead. 

They went at it hard with Sobbing taking over the lead on lap five. Jordan Krug stayed close and then began to battle with Zach Zeitner for second with the top three breaking away from the pack as they continued to jockey for position. 

Zeitner was able to move into second and the last several laps of the race saw he and Sobbing battling for the win. Zach would try moves both inside and up against the cushion but each time Jesse would fight him off. The race was culminated on the final lap when Zeitner threw a huge slider on Sobbing in turn four. He briefly held the lead but his huge move then forced him to slide up the track. Sobbing made a left hand turn to cut under Zeitner, was able to avoid a collision between the two and beat Zeitner to the line by less than a car length in a brand new car making its first run. 

Jordan Krug settled for third with Landan Rojewski and Cody Thompson completing the top five in what was an exciting race. 

The Modified feature was a two car battle from start to finish. Brandon Beckendorf started on the pole and actually would be the leader for all twenty laps of the main event. However, ever step was challenged by Cody Laney who followed his tire tracks for most of the race. 

Laney, who thrilled the crowd when he came from the back to win a heat race, quickly moved up from fifth to second and then began to chase Beckendorf. They had a tight contest with no more than a couple car lengths separating them for most of the race. However, Beckendorf made no mistakes and when he changed up to a lower line late in the race, Laney was still unable to get past him. 

Beckendorf then drove on for the win and revealed in victory lane that he was running a spec engine in his car that he was experimenting with. Laney finished a close second with Shawn Harker, Izac Mallicoat and Shane DeMey  completing the top five. 

The Sport Compacts rounded out the night with Levi Volkert taking the win in that class. Justice Limoges grabbed the lead from the pole and led the first half of the race as Volkert battled with Gilbert Aldape for second. By the halfway point of the race, which was stopped only once and that with just a lap done, Volkert had moved into second and then, with a sweeping move in turn three, drove around Limoges to take over the top spot. 

After that, Volkert pulled away for the win. A late rush saw Lennie Anders move forward for second with Limoges fading back to fifth as both Aldape and Tyler Thompson passed him late. 

It was a nice track all night and the racing was for the most part good. Just a few too many yellow flags bogged things down from time to time but overall, a good night of racing. Thanks to Trent Chinn and his staff and they will next be in action on April 17th with another six class program. 

Berry Tops "Swell Night" of Racing at Stuart

 I suppose that a "swell night" of racing is not often used in the headline for a blog report of a night of racing. However, when I thought of a clever headline for this night's report, the first thing that popped into my brain was that it was a "swell night" of racing and a great way to start the season at Stuart. 

What made it "swell?" Just about everything I guess. If cooperating weather, a great field of drivers in all classes, a spectacularly fast race track that still provided side by side racing, many interesting races that also provided more than it's share of surprises and for those so inclined, a few spectacular wrecks and a very quick program are your definition of a "swell night", that Stuart delivered in spades. 

Wednesday night, April 8th marked the debut for 2026 for IMCA racing, and indeed, for racing in general on the dirt tracks of Iowa. It was long overdue with a number of races within the last week all washed or frozen out and there was clearly much anticipation for the first wheels to turn and unlike other years, there was not even a chance for a practice session at Stuart so everyone was going into the night just not sure of what they had. 

And Wednesday almost didn't happen either but the rains proved to be light and the showers scheduled for evening turned into just a few sprinkles that the track could handle. However, I was not very far down the road heading home before I hit wet pavement that could have caused a short night if it had steered just a bit more South. 

There was plenty of anticipation in the pits on Wednesday with many folks just ready to get the new season started. For Stuart, it would be their sixty fifth year of racing at the little bowl located on the North side of Stuart. 

One highlight of opening night is the opportunity to just stroll through the pits, check out the new machines, see what everyone has come up with over the course of the long Winter and talk with a few familiar people and meet new ones. I had the chance to speak briefly with Anthony Davis, who I recognized from his recent article on the IMCA page writing by Ben Deatherage. I also had the chance to speak with track announcer Tony Paris, a familiar voice at this track and others in Iowa. And of course, it wouldn't be a trip to Iowa without running into "Crazy Martin", the mayor of Ogden. 

Many of the racers arrive at the last minute at Stuart, simply because some people have to work on Wednesdays. Yet, with the long line running down the road into the pits, some great work by track officials got them all signed in and lineups posted so there would be no delays, something that frequently happens on opening nights. 

One hundred and twenty drivers signed in to race on opening night plus the Mini Mods and for the first time ever, the Crown Vics are now a part of the racing program at Stuart. They are pushing their limit running seven classes on a week night and while it was done smoothly on this night, not every night will proceed smoothly and I worry about the shows starting to try to cram ten pounds in a five pound bag. 

The track may have been as good as I have ever seen it here. Certainly it was the fastest I can ever remember in my trips here. The cars were blinding fast in all classes and while the speeds were blistering, they were still able to race side by side. I felt that the entry speeds into the corners were almost scary and  I predicted to myself that we would see some wild flips during the night, something that unfortunately did come true. 

I was pleased to see that they were using the "choose cone" for the feature action. A number of sanctioning bodies have given the OK for tracks to use this as a restart option but not many have, famously the USMTS that has dropped the option. I still like the drama and strategy the "choose cone" provides and we later saw that strategy used on several occasions. 

One of the things that helps move the show along here is the one spin rule and the gumption to hold off throwing the yellow until the last second. Wednesday night they ran off fifteen heat races and the yellow had to be waved only twice. That is even more impressive given that it was opening night, many drivers were racing new cars and most hadn't had any practice sessions. Congratulations to both management and the drivers for doing their best to make the show move right along. 

B Features were needed for both the Hobby Stocks and Sport Mods with both classes having both large and strong fields of entrants. With only the briefest of pauses to pack the cushion for a few minutes, after these two races were over it was time for the seven feature races. 

The Crown Vics had six entrants for their first ever appearance at the track. Tate Haffner led the opening lap before being passed by Marty Pelzer who then went on to lead the rest of the twelve laps to take the win. This was by far the most sedate of the features with the action ramping up quickly after they were done. 

The Sport Mods had one of the fastest and deepest fields of quality drivers that I can remember at this track and they raced like that and while it will be officially listed as Mike Smith leading from start to finish, that would hardly describe how the race actually progressed. 

Smith did pull out to a big lead  immediately, extending it to nearly a full straightaway and finding himself catching the back of the field quickly. Then things got interesting as Jake Sachau, who started sixth, got into second and then, as Smith got slowed in traffic, quickly caught him for the lead. 

By the halfway point, he was to the rear bumper of Smith who was fighting to get past some of the two wide traffic and having a tough time of it. With Cam Reimers, Dylan VanWyk and Devyn Peterson closing, they quickly got very exciting. Sachau went for the lead, trying to get around Smith while both were fighting through the slower cars. This created a big collision off turn two that saw the slower cars spinning and Jeremiah Reed going for a flip down the back chute. 

With six laps left, Smith was able to fight off VanWyk who had turned into the primary challenger and they raced right down to the finish before it was decided. Colton Livezey got up to third with a late pass on Sachau. 

The action and surprise level didn't fade when the Stock Cars hit the track. With Mike Albertsen and Damon Murty on the front row, there couldn't have been much better quality up front. Murty got the jump on the green and just as things seemed to be settling in, a shocking turn of events completely changed the course of the race. 

Murty was running blistering laps, reported to be under fifteen seconds and much under the track record, but when he flew into turn four, his car kind of "stuck" against the tacky track, the car reared up and he barrel rolled about two or three times. What a shocking development!

Damon was OK but the car, not so much. Albertsen inherited the lead with Rowdy VanGenderen then taking second and showing plenty of speed. These two put on a show with Rowdy trying lap after lap to get a nose under Albertsen who refused to be moved out of his line. Several times VanGenderen had to pull up for fear of getting into the side of Albertsen's car. 

A lap thirteen yellow slowed the field and after racing resumed, Albertsen was able to edge out in front by a slightly more comfortable margin. In fact, Rowdy had to go on the defensive at the end to protect second from the charge of Buck Schafroth. Albertsen never missed a mark once as he drove on to victory. Cudos also to VanGenderen who drove a clean race when it would have been very easy to just let his car move up the track and displace the leader but he chose to race "Wahoo" cleanly, even though I'm sure there was much desire to win opening night at his dad's track. 

Things didn't any less intense when the Hobby Stocks hit the track for their main event. This was one race where track conditions paid a part in the race's outcome. Not that there was anything wrong with the track. It was just that it still remained blistering fast and with the skinny tires and no bead locks on the Hobby Stocks, when they stuck their cars into the corners, there were a few that had rubber roll off the rim, ending their races. This tripped up a few of the top runners and in particular, race leader Braden Gifford. 

Briar Kriegel and Gifford had battled in the opening laps with them trading the lead back and forth. The action was interrupted by a horrendous flip by Seth Butler when he barrel rolled multiple times in turn one with most of the body being hurled off the car. It was indeed a scary looking wreck and certainly what will probably be one of the most violent crashes of the entire year. Fortunately, Butler was OK.

Gifford continued to hold the lead while being challenged by Kriegel and Justin Ahrenholtz. Later, Ahrenholtz and another contender, Phil Castellano, would both be felled by flat tires coming off the rims. 

On lap eleven, while Gifford looked to be in good shape for a win, suddenly he was befallen with the same problem with his right rear rolling off the rim and handing over the lead to Joey Young. Young, who had started fifth, worked his way to the front smoothly and he was there to take advantage of the break offered. 

In the late going, he was challenged by both Tom Killen and Eric Stanton but held off both for the win. It was an emotional moment for Young, marking his first ever victory on dirt in a Stock Car, having been a veteran racer in the figure eight division. 

Johnny Thomas and Michael Gardner traded the lead back and forth in the Sport Compact feature with each leading on two separate occasions. Thomas finally claimed the lead for good on lap five and with Gardner breaking down shortly thereafter, Thomas then led the rest of the race for the win. 

His margin was not a big one however, as both Tyler Fiebelkorn and Gilbert Aldape were close behind as they battled with each other for the second spot. 

The Modified feature was a nonstop twenty lap contest and Jeremy Mills used the outside pole to take the early lead. He opened up a good sized lead over the pack with Todd Shute and Trevor Fitz battling for second. 

Berry had started eighth and early on got crossed up in turn one and was a considerable distance behind the front runners. However, when he got going he was more than fast, quickly catching the pack and dispatching driver after driver in his march to the front. 

He drove up to second and then started to close on Mills, who suddenly didn't look as dominating as he had early in the race. In one power move, Berry drove right around Mills just at the halfway point to take the lead and then he was gone. 

With no yellows to give the field a chance to catch up, he extended his lead to nearly a full straightaway and drove on for the win. Mills and Shute followed. Berry is one of the few Modified drivers in IMCA using the Lethal chassis and he praised builder David Stremme in victory lane. 

There was great racing from start to finish and everything you would expect and hope for in an opening night. And here's the best part. Despite twenty three races plus the Mini Mods and three red flags for flips, the entire show was completed in two hours and fifty nine minutes with the final checkered waving at 10:18 pm. That is impressive and a testament to a good working staff, opening night or not. 

And while I pulled into my driveway at 4:37 am, I did so with the knowledge that I had seen a program that was worth my time. Thanks to MVG, Tony and everyone else on the staff at Stuart for putting on a dandy opener.  

Mullens Is King of America

 Tanner Mullens earned the title of King of America following the fifteenth annual running of the King of America USMTS race at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland Missouri on Saturday night, March 28th. Also winning titles were Cody King in the USRA B Mods and Jeffrey Abbey in the USRA Stock Cars. 

A twenty nine car field of Modifieds took the green flag for the sixty lap feature race that would crown the King of America champion with Tyler Stevens taking the early lead. Stevens led early over Reece Solander and Tyler Davis with Mullens, who started ninth, moving forward and taking over the second spot by the halfway point of the race. 

Mullens moved in quickly at this point on the leader and five laps later grabbed the top spot from Stevens and would not be challenged after that. 

Two late yellows would bunch the field but each time Mullens would pull away from the pack and his lead was not to be challenged. He crossed the line with a comfortable margin over runner up Solander to earn fifteen thousand dollars for his win. Gabe Hodges, Rodney Sanders and Brandon Davis completed the top five in the running order. Only two drivers failed to complete the contest and all were on the lead lap at the finish. 

In a two car battle from start to finish,  King would out maneuver Jon Sheets to claim the three thousand dollar top prize in the B Mod thirty lap feature race. King started on the pole but it was Sheets who used the outside line in the three wide starting formation to take the initial lead. Sheets and King pulled away from the field but just at the halfway point of the race, ,King would drive past Sheets and take over the lead. 

They continued their battle right down to the end of the race but King was fast on the cushion, made no mistakes and drove home for the win while Sheets settled for second. Mike Striegel made a strong run as he came from eleventh, moving up strongly in the second half of the race to come home third. Chad Clancy and Waylon Dimmitt rounded out the top five. 

Abbey won a wild Stock Car feature that saw him cross the finish line second but he was elevated to the win after apparent winner Shayne Bailey failed post race technical inspection. 

Johnny Fennewald was actually scored the race leader of every lap but the final one in the wild race that would not be decided until the final corner, or so we all thought. Fennewald had Bailey and Abbey battling right behind him for most of the race but earlier had to fight off a strong challenge from William Garner who was ready to pass him until a yellow ended his effort with him fading back after that. 

Fennewald continued to lead as Bailey and Abbey continued their war that got physical from time to time. Finally, Bailey moved Abbey out of the way to take second and then came after Fennewald. Twice in the final five laps Bailey tried the high side of Fennewald for the lead but got squeezed off. 

Then, on the final tour of the track on lap thirty, Bailey found on opening on the inside down the back chute and the two leaders went side by side into turn three with no one backing off. Bailey ran Fennewald all the way up to the wall and Johnny lost his position while Bailey then steered back down the track and drove on for the win, edging out Abbey for the three thousand dollar top prize. 

At least that's what we thought. Later, the official finish told a different tale as apparent winner Bailey was disqualified in post race inspection, the specifics of which I do not know. 

Abbey was then elevated to race winner with Jaylen Wettengel, Fennewald, Mason Martin and Tyler Cadwallader the official top five. 

(This abbreviated version of this race report was redone after the original version was lost in the "The Cloud" just as it was being completed and I am too disheartened to try and recreate it.) My apologies. 

Fennewald Repeats, Solander and King Also KOA Feature Winners

 Night number two of the fifteenth annual King of America took place at the Lucas Oil Speedway on Friday night, March 27th. Again in the limelight for the second straight night would be the USMTS Modifieds along with the USRA B Mods and Stock Cars. 

Some early morning rain rolled through the mid Missouri region leaving sunny skies and winds that had switched from the much more comfortable Southwest to howling right out of the North. Temperatures had dropped at least forty degrees from Thursday's Summer like feel and everyone was left scrambling for their heavier wear. 

One hundred and seventy one drivers would sign in to race on Friday, surprising in that just a single lone new entrant entered the B Mod racing with any other changes the result of a few drivers opting out of Friday night racing due to perhaps mechanical issues or wrecks that put them on the sidelines. 

The first repeat winner of the weekend was crowned when Johnny Fennewald won the Stock Car feature for the second straight night as much speed and perhaps just a bit of racing luck sent him to victory lane for the second straight night. 

The Hodges Team out of Kansas continued their hot pursuit of a KOA title but on Friday night it was Reece Solander, runner up on Thursday, that would win the Modified feature . 

In the B Mods, Oklahoma driver Cody King showed the rest of the field where the cushion was as he quickly moved to the lead and then drove on for the feature win. 

Other than the perhaps dramatically changeable weather, the topic of most discussion was the new format used by the USMTS to line up their heat races. Honestly though, I really didn't hear much talk from the fans about it but it was certainly by far the biggest topic of discussion by the announcing trio who covered the topic in the prerace action extensively. 

Truthfully, most fans don't care what format is used to line the cars up, they are more concerned about the races starting on time than anything. Sure, they would like to see exciting heat races and passing, but most don't have any idea how such a combination could be produced and neither do most of the "experts" either for that matter. 

And anyone that thinks that fans like time trials is really very misled. Once glance at the grandstand should answer that question quickly as virtually no one is even paying any attention to time trials and many folks, knowing that time trials are leading off the program, simply wait in their vehicles in the parking lot until time trials are over and racing is ready to start. 

Any promoter or sanctioning body that thinks they are adding to the show by offering time trials is sadly mistaken in my opinion. Time trials are strictly for the drivers, either to satisfy them or appease them in most cases. And the drivers most vocal about having time trials are the fast ones, following the human way of wanting to win as much as they can as easy as they can and to them, that means starting in front and having to pass as few cars as possible in order to take home their prize money. And if that doesn't always produce an exciting show, oh well. 

A real fan will show up for a race no matter what the format is, but they would like to see the show run off in a reasonable amount of time. If fans really didn't show up if there was no heat race passing, there would never be a fan in the stands for any big time Late Model event because we all know what their heat races look like. 

I have not seen the time trial, heat race and passing charts so I don't know exactly what the numbers are but a quick look at who started in the front of the USMTS feature on Friday night lets me make some quick observations. 

For the four cars starting in the front two rows, all timed within the top eight of the field. All four then opted to start in the back of their heat races and while all four passed at least five cars, no one finished their heat any higher than fourth. 

This lends me to believe that time trial points are very key and that passing points in the heats are much more important than the finishing points in those heats. So the formula to start up front in the features is to qualify very well, opt for the back of a heat race and then pass as many cars as possible, not worrying so much about just where you finish. 

Clearly heat race wins alone don't help much. I don't think I've ever seen a situation like occurred on Friday night before. Zack VanderBeek had a battery go bad while he was waiting to time trial and he couldn't get his car to fire. He took a push to the pits and didn't get a qualifying effort completed. So with the new format where everyone wants to start in the back of a heat race and get passing points, he ended up starting on the pole for his heat because no one else wanted that spot! He went on to win that heat but without time trial points he ended up starting in the seventh row of a B Feature and never made the main event. 

When infield announcer Trenton Berry made the point that he wasn't sure that he liked the new format because it didn't guarantee the heat winners a spot in the feature, one of the other announcers, Jeff Broeg, made an even better point when he said that with circumstances like VanderBeek's, there is no way that a heat winner in that situation should be guaranteed a feature starting spot. 

One thing not even mentioned by the announcers but I believe to be the case for the upcoming Saturday night finale where the big bucks are distributed is that I don't believe time trials will even be held as the points earned by the drivers through the first two nights of racing will determine who is automatically in the main event and where everyone else will start their qualifying events. We will now have to see if that is indeed the case or if some changes have been made in the program, which would not be unheard of. 

Friday night's format was identical to the previous night until a certain point. Promoter Todd Staley must have decided at the certain point that it was getting cold and to help out the suffering fans in the stands, the running order was changed with the Modifieds set to run their main event first. 

 Twenty five drivers started the thirty three lap USMTS feature race with provisional starter Trevor Hughes missing the race after he had trouble in his B Feature. Solander, who had the second quickest time trial run plus went from eleventh to fourth in his heat race, started on the pole and took the immediate lead. He was challenged early by Tyler Stevens and those two gradually pulled away from the field. 

Stormy Scott moved into third with Brandon Davis starting to reel him in. The race continued under the green unabated and by the halfway point, Solander had opened up some space on Stevens. Davis was on the march as he got by Scott for third and was starting to reel in Stevens for second. 

Solander caught the back of the packk and did have a bit of difficulty getting by a couple of the tail end cars. Davis continued his grind to the front and passed Stevens for second and actually started to catch up to Solander who was still struggling with one particular slower car that proved to be tough to get past. 

Finally Solander was able to clear that slower car and he was able to put just a bit of distance between himself and Davis. The race could continue under the green and go nonstop for the distance. Solander still had a comfortable lead over Davis at the finish but Brandon had showed that he was perhaps the quickest car at the end. Stevens hung on for third with Talon Willis making a steady charge from the fourth row to finish fourth. Tanner Mullens completed the top five. Only one driver failed to finish the race and only two were a lap behind. 

Cayden Stacye and Chad Clancy battled for the lead on the opening lap of the B Mod feature, the next main event to be held. Stacye was able to edge into the lead but the two continued to battle hard for the top spot. 

However, they didn't see Cody King coming as after starting in the third row, he moved to the cushion more than the others and found it to be very fast. He came flying forward and on lap four passed both the race lead challengers to sweep past them and move into the top spot. 

And once in front, he was gone, opening up a considerable distance over the field as no one was able to match his pace or make his part of the track work as well as he did. But while King was long gone, the battle for second proved to be a good one as Stacye and Clancy swapped that spot back and forth on nearly every lap, with Clancy securing the position at the halfway point. Stephen Clancy had moved up to fourth at this point with J.T. Carroll also running in the top five. 

The best battle continued to be for second as King continued to motor away from the field. However, the only yellow of the race came with just three laps to go for a spinning trio of drivers and the race restarted for a three lap dash to the finish. 

Once again King pulled away and there would be no challenging his run to the finish as he took the win. However, the battle for second continued and in fact, now included three drivers and at the line, on the final lap, Stacye came back to take secone with Stephen Clancy edging out Chad for third. Andy Bryant came from tenth to complete the top five. This was another smooth race with only two drivers not finishing in the one yellow event. 

Johnny Fennewald earned the pole position for the finale of the night, the Stock Car feature and it appeared that he would have an easy route to victory lane. And that was the case early as he took the lead after a brief battle with Rodney Schweizer who then settled into second. Kyle Falck raced up to third in the early going as the pack remained quite tight. 

A spinning car triggered the first yellow with six laps complete and Fennewald regained the lead once racing resumed. Bad luck struck Schweizer when he clipped a ute tire on the inside of the track, broke his front end and eventually called it a night. 

This moved Falck into second but meanwhile, Jeffrey Abbey and Justin Carter were putting on a show. Both had won B Features and as such, started in the seventh row of the feature but they were hard charging to the front and by the halfway point, Abbey was up to second with Carter still having some cars to pass. 

Eleven straight green flag laps would see Abbey catch up to Fennewald who was starting to adjust his racing line as Abbey closed up on him. Jeffrey then changed his own line and was just ready to make a pass on the leader when the yellow flew for a spinner with just three laps to go. 

To his credit, Fennewald then had a great restart as he put several car lengths on the field. Abbey, meanwhile, didn't get away near as well and had Carter to contend with as they raced hard for second. 

Fennewald used his good restart to control the field the last three laps and he drove home for the second time in two nights as the winner. Abbey was able to fight off Carter but had to settle for second while Falck ended up running fourth. Shayne Bailey  completed the top five in what was the third straight smoothly run feature race. 

And while things went smoothly on the track, for some it wasn't quite so smooth in the tech building as five drivers , all B Mod drivers, were disqualified during the night and this list included Thursday night runner up Jon Sheets and NASCAR legend Ken Schrader. Incorrect pull bar location and deck height seemed to be the "problem of the week" but I can't say just what tripped up those listed above. 

On Saturday night, the KoA concludes with the largest prize money of the weekend awarded including fifteen thousand dollars to the winner of the Modified feature. 

Hodges Upset Winner at KOA Wheatland Opener

 The fifteenth annual USMTS King of America race began on Thursday night, March 26th and for the second consecutive year, it was again held at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland Missouri. 

This three night event will showcase USMTS Modifieds, along with USRA Stock Cars and B Mods with those two classes beginning their Iron Man Series which will see them visit a number of tracks across the Midwest this summer, racing their own point series for prize money and point fund money. 

This would also be the first time that the USMTS season began with the KOA race as an earlier even last month was rained out in Texas, thus making the KOA even more important than ever for point chasing drivers. 

It was a spectacular March day on Thursday with the unbelievable weather from last weekend carrying over to Thursday. The rest of the weekend, however, promised a return to reality with much cooler temperatures and wind. 

Ever since this race moved to Lucas Oil last year, the car counts for this event have been very strong and such was the case again this year. Interestingly, the total car count along with car counts in each class ended up being extremely close to last year's event. One hundred and seventy six drivers representing eleven states in the three classes offered signed in to race on Thursday, three less than last year. The Modified count at sixty six was six less than last year but the B Mods were up one to sixty one and the Stock Cars up two to forty nine. It made for plenty of racing action for the fans on hand along with the tv audience on RacinDirt. 

Each night would offer a separate show with the driver's highest point total for the two preliminary nights determining their starting positions in either the feature or one of the qualifying events on Saturday night. Therefore, it made each race important for points as well as cash offered each night. 

The USMTS will again be qualifying each night with the results of the time trials setting up a new format for the heat races. Starting in order with the quickest qualifier of each flight of two, the drivers themselves pick their own starting positions for their heat races, bearing in mind that passing points from the heats would be half of the determining factor, along with the qualifying, as to who moved directly into the mains rather than running a B Feature. Strategy, luck and who is also in the same heat all play a factor in where a driver decided to line up and this will be an ongoing story as the USMTS season develops. The drivers must also hustle to the draw area to select their position as time is of the essence because racing is ready to begin and those that were tardy had a position drawn for them by management. Thursday night's heats ended up providing some surprise winners with passing at a premium due to the balance of the field and those kinds of strategy, track conditions etc. will all play a part in decisions made for upcoming races. In fact, points were so tight on Thursday that four of the six USMTS heat winners had to still run B Features and one ended up not even making the main. 

Other format changes included no redraw of the top point earners in any class so the driver earning the most passing points in the heats would start on the pole for a feature race. The "Choose Cone" is now a thing of the past, and that is something I kind of enjoyed watching to see the strategy it offered played out, but apparently management didn't like it and it got ash canned. After a couple of weeks of watching the "no fault" rule in play, it was good to see race management send drivers to the tail for over aggressive driving and move the offended drivers back to their previous running positions, such as I see at home all the time. 

Multiple heat races for all three classes plus at least two or three B Features for the big fields were required to set the running order for the three main events and as usual for such a big race, there were plenty of excellent drivers and teams that had to watch the feature races from the sidelines as the competition was brutal. 

The Stock Car feature would roll out as the first of the three main events after the track had been refreshed after the completion of the B Features. The track was in good shape all night, smooth and becoming black slick as the events added up on its surface. Most drivers were using the low and middle lines in the corners with not much rim riding on Thursday. Track officials were touting the newly redesigned turn three and four area where the banking now carries right up to the wall with no "shelf" on the outside of the track but we didn't see much wall banging so it was hard to tell just what kind of factor the new corner will be. 

Andrew Inman earned the pole for the Stock Car feature but it was William Garner who came off the top side of the track to take the early lead. Debris on the track stopped the action before one lap could be completed so it was a "do over" which Garner again led. 

However, on the move after starting third was Johnny Fennewald and he quickly closed in on Garner and indeed, swept past him on lap four to take over the top spot. Fennewald then began to pull away from the field, opening up a strong margin and adding to it as the laps ran off. Garner got passed by Shayne Bailey for second but he didn't give up and in fact fought his way back past Bailey by the halfway point for second. 

After the first lap slowdown, the race settled in and in fact, the last nineteen laps of the race stayed under the green which was a benefit to Fennewald who got in a groove and just pulled away from the pack. At the finish, he had considerable distance on runner up Garner with the other #7 driver Bailey running a close third. Mason Martin started seventh and drove up to fourth with Jeffrey Abbey putting on a show as the Texas driver came from sixteenth to complete the top five. Only two drivers failed to finish the feature and all were on the lead lap at the finish. 

It was interesting to note that when this class was first started at Lucas several years ago, the local drivers were, quite frankly, not too good and generally got beaten up by the travelers but not so much any more as the top four finishers were all drivers from the local area that put laps in here on a regular basis. 

The B Mod feature proved to be a good three car battle for the win that started right from the beginning of the race and carried all the way to the final checkered flag. And it again was two local drivers that battled it out for the win. 

Jon Sheets and Kris Jackson shared the front row and Jackson drove deep into turn three to take the early lead. Sheets was right on his tail and pressuring hard for the lead with Tim Karrick slipping into third. 

Jackson continued to hold the top spot but Sheets was all over him, trying on each lap to slip under Jackson and then beat him to the cushion where Jackson seemed most comfortable. Meanwhile, Karrick rode on the low side while looking for an opening. The lone yellow of the race broke up the action one lap past the halfway point. 

On the restart, Sheets selected the high side but got a terrible restart as he slipped back with Karrick moving into second and Sheets driving hard just to maintain a spot behind him. As Jackson moved away, Sheets really got up on the wheel and repassed Karrick who preferred to continue to run the low side. 

The last few laps saw Sheets again pressure Jackson, looking to his inside on every corner and trying to slide up the track and beat him to the cushion but Jackson always fought him off and Sheets didn't get carried away and try something wild. 

Sheets made one last run on the final lap but again, Jackson had him covered as he drove on for the win with Sheets and Karrick both close behind him. 

Meanwhile, Josh Cain had made a strong drive of his own, coming from thirteenth to race up to a close fourth place finish, edging out Dawson David who had run in the top five throughout the race. 

The USMTS Modified feature turned out to be a great event for the Hodges Farms and Dredging Team as then managed to finish back to back for the win. Even more significantly, the drive to victory by Gabe Hodges was his first ever USMTS feature win and he earned it with a tough drive over his team mate Reece Solander and Tyler Davis. 

Davis earned the pole and led the first three laps of the race with Hodges and Harley Dais his early challengers. Davis was running the middle groove and Hodges up one lane and that proved to be the fast route as he drove around Davis on lap four for the lead. Shortly thereafter, the race got bogged down with three yellows for minor spins that kept the field bunched. 

By the halfway point of the contest, Hodges continued to lead while Solander had worked his way up to second and the driver on the move was Tanner Mullens who had started eleventh but was up to third as Davis fell back slightly. 

Those were the top three as the race moved into its second half with a lap seventeen yellow for a spinning Stormy Scott slowing the action once again. On the restart, Mullens made a great move as he used the low side of the track to drive under both Solander and Hodges and take over the lead. The yellow again packed the field and to Hodges' credit, he made his own charge that saw him move back and challenge Mullens for the lead. 

In fact, right before the yellow waved one last time with twenty two laps completed, he edged past Mullens to again be scored the leader. The eight lap sprint to the finish saw Hodges have to battle off the charge of Solander lap after lap. The yellow hurt Mullens deeply and he didn't get up to speed after the restart, lost several spots and eventually pulled off the track. 

Solander drove up the track off each corner, trying to slip past Hodges but he gave him room, as team mates should do and Hodges had enough speed to fend him off. They finished in close formation but Hodges brought home the important win for himself. Davis fought his way back up to third at the finish and Rodney Sanders, who seemed to be fighting his way from the back all night, charged up from twentieth to finish fourth with Brandon Davis coming from twenty fourth to complete the top five. Only five drivers failed to complete the race and all drivers were on the lead lap at the finish. It was an excellent night for Kansas drivers with them occupying the top three positions at the finish. 

Head Tech Inspector Darlo Mulder announced that the inspections, despite it being early in the year, would be thorough and in fact, four drivers, two in each open wheel class, lost qualifying spots for the main when they failed post race inspections. 

It was a long night of racing but there were no delays except for the track prep for the features that was deemed necessary. The races came out in prompt fashion and there truly weren't many yellows all night except for the Modified feature. The first race hit the track at 7:31 pm ( no matter how smoothly they run, time trials do take valuable time) and the final checkered waved at just about Midnight. It was great to hear out own Jeff Broeg as one of the three announcers for the show on this night and he did a fine job with it sounding like he will be expanding his announcing duties this year beyond just the Sprint Invaders Series.