BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 7) – Dylan Smith heads the list of first-time champions crowned Saturday night at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.
Smith led the last 10 circuits in winning the Modified main event at Boone Speedway. Restarts erased each of Chris Mills’ big leads and helped open the door for Smith, who then had to hold off Jon Snyder following a late restart.
“I knew if we could stay in the top four we’d have a shot at it in the end,” said Smith, who earned $5,800 for his efforts, including a $3,800 Speedway Motors Weekly Racing bonus. “I really didn’t want to see that yellow come with two laps to go but it all worked out.”
Keith White and Shawn Kilgore completed the top four. Kilgore had started 15th.
Joining Smith on stage for the traditional Saturday champions’ photo were Brandon Czarapata, Stock Cars; Brandon Pruitt, Hobby Stocks; and Carter VanDenBerg, Northern SportMods.
Mike Nichols had checked out on everybody before the first caution came 20 laps into the 30-lap Stock Car main. Czarapata slipped past on the ensuing restart, bringing Brian Irvine along.
Irvine got loose in the second set of turns following a late restart. Jay Schmidt, 18th starting Damon Murty and Kyle Vanover rounded out the top four.
Runner-up in 2011 and 2012, Pruitt led the distance in the Hobby show despite the best efforts of Chris Luloff and David Rieks.
Luloff, Rieks and Bill Bonnett ended 2-3-4.
VanDenBerg led all 30 circuits in the SportMod main. Doug Smith ran second most of the way and finished in that position; Clint Luellen gained third for good with four laps left and Brett Lowry was fourth.
Dustin Smith topped the Harris Auto Racing Race of Champions for Modifieds right after brother Donavon repeated as winner of the Sunoco Face Fuels Race of Champions for Stock Cars.
Randy Embrey was the Karl Chevrolet Hobby Stock Race of Champions king and Bobby Anders bested the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod Race of Champions for Northern SportMods, leading all 10 circuits despite a deflating front left tire.
Top finishing drivers in the main events receiving built engines were Snyder in the Modifieds, Czarapata in the Stocks, Matt Hoeft in the Northern SportMods and Luloff in the Hobbies.
Dylan Smith, VanDenBerg and Pruitt all received crates. Embrey and Anders also chose the crate in the ‘crate or cash’ option for winning their respective races of champions.
Drivers from 25 states competed at the 31st annual event, which played out in front of another full house at Boone. Somewhere north of a quarter-million dollars in purse money, and a similar amount worth of contingency awards went to the 800-plus competitors.
Super Nationals was truly international as Canadian competitors Kody Scholpp and Aaron Turnbull were seventh and ninth, respectively, in the Modified dance. Turnbull was also 12th in Saturday’s Harris RoC.
Mike Jergens did double duty on Saturday night, finishing 11th in the Stock Car feature and 33rd in the Modified go.
Main Event Results
Modifieds – 1. Dylan Smith, Osceola, Neb.; 2. Jon Snyder, Ames; 3. Keith White, Little River Academy, Texas; 4. Shawn Kilgore, New Franken, Wis.; 5. Kelly Lyons, Boone; 6. Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.; 7. Kody Scholpp, Estevan, Sask.; 8. Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 9. Aaron Turnbull, Estevan, Sask.; 10. Scott Olson, Blairsburg; 11. William Gould, Calera, Okla.; 12. Jesse Sobbing, Glenwood; 13. Brett Meyer, Lytton; 14. Adam Larson, Ankeny; 15. Mark Elliott, Webster City; 16. Kyle Brown, Kellogg; 17. Jacob Murray, Hartford; 18. Eric Dailey, Armstrong; 19. Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz.; 20. Matthew Meinecke, Madrid; 21. Jeff Stephens, Arion; 22. Jeff Taylor, Cave City, Ark.; 23. Chris Mills, Sioux City; 24. Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas; 25. J.D. Auringer, Waterloo; 26. Johnny Saathoff, Beatrice, Neb.; 27. Richie Gustin, Gilman; 28. Greg Elliott, Webster City; 29. Scott Davis, Madrid; 30. Chris Abelson, Sioux City; 31. Ryan Watnem, Humboldt; 32. Jimmy Gustin, Marshalltown; 33. Mike Jergens, Plover.
Stock Cars – 1. Brandon Czarapata, Appleton, Wis.; 2. Jay Schmidt, Tama; 3. Damon Murty, Chelsea; 4. Kyle Vanover, Beatrice, Neb.; 5. Donavon Smith, Lake City; 6. Chad Palmer, Renwick; 7. Dustin Larson, Worthington, Minn.; 8. Nathan Burke, Minot, N.D.; 9. Brian Blessington, Breda; 10. Brian Irvine, Oelwein; 11. Mike Jergens, Plover; 12. Heath Tulp, Belmond; 13. Derek Green, Granada, Minn.; 14. Ken Tietz, Belle Plaine, Minn.; 15. Jeff Tubbs, Colby, Kan.; 16. Nathan Wood, Sigourney; 17. Bob Daniels, Des Moines; 18. Wayne Gifford, Boone; 19. Jason Cook, Mount Pleasant; 20. Justin Jacobsen, Black Creek, Wis.; 21. Mike Nichols, Harlan; 22. Justin Temeyer, Independence; 23. Todd Reitzler, Grinnell; 24. Trent Murphy, Jefferson; 25. Steve Meyer, Grundy Center; 26. David Smith, Lake City; 27. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 28. Jake Masters, Graettinger; 29. Larry Portis, Nora Springs; 30. Michael Jaennette, Newton.
Hobby Stocks – 1. Brandon Pruitt, Dexter; 2. Chris Luloff, Independence; 3. David Rieks, Eldora; 4. Bill Bonnett, Knoxville; 5. Cory Ganson, Clear Lake; 6. Colby Langenberg, Norfolk, Neb.; 7. Malik Sampson, Worthington, Minn.; 8. Eric Stanton, Hartford; 9. Austin Luellen, Minburn; 10. Corey Madden, Avoca; 11. Randall Macku, Lincoln, Neb.; 12. Myles Michehl, Fort Dodge; 13. Mike Pruitt, Redfield; 14. Brian Happel, Van Horne; 15. Drew Barglof, Sioux Rapids; 16. Kyle Bond, Gibbon, Neb.; 17. Shane Slezak, Lincoln, Neb.; 18. Brent Schlake, Blue Springs, Neb.; 19. Tiffany Bittner, Norfolk, Neb.; 20. Benji Irvine, Cedar Falls; 21. Austin Hauswirth, Havelock; 22. Gary Pesicka, Burt; 23. Jacob Keiser, Marengo; 24. Matt Brown, Dysart; 25. Weston Koop, Rockwell; 26. Jamie Songer, Ankeny; 27. Darin Johnson, Dickens; 28. Jason Kohl, Missouri Valley; 29. Shannon Anderson, Urbandale; 30. Devin Smith, Lake City.
Northern SportMods – 1. Carter Vandenberg, Oskaloosa; 2. Doug Smith, Rockwell City; 3. Clinton Luellen, Minburn; 4. Brett Lowry, Montezuma; 5. Kyle Prauner, Norfolk, Neb.; 6. Matt Hoeft, Forest City; 7. Josh Long, Little Suamico, Wis.; 8. Danny Dvorak, Vinton; 9. Cody Hudson, Shawano, Wis.; 10. Eric Elliott, Boone; 11. Jerry Hoffman, Oronogo, Mo.; 12. Geoff Olson, Sioux City; 13. Eric Flander, Barnes City; 14. Tracy Wassenberg, Shawano, Wis.; 15. Johnathon Logue, Boone; 16. Joe Feyen, Plattsmouth, Neb.; 17. Tim Love, Kelley; 18. Darin Roepke, LeMars; 19. Paul Nagle, Nevada; 20. Jerry Hinton, Adel; 21. Brandon Long, Green Bay, Wis.; 22. Bobby Anders, Quincy, Ill.; 23. Justin Medler, Minot, N.D.; 24. Bryan Rigsby, Topeka, Kan.; 25. Tyler Frye, Belleville, Kan.; 26. Tony Pogeler, Cherokee; 27. Doug Cook, Algona; 28. Nate Whitehurst, Mason City; 29. Justin Zimmerman, Cedar Rapids; 30. Tim Rupp, Cherokee.
Modified Race of Champions – 1. Dustin Smith, Lake City; 2. Jimmy Gustin, Marshalltown; 3. Chris Abelson, Sioux City; 4. Tim Ward, Gilbert, Ariz.; 5. Ryan McDaniel, Olivehurst, Calif.; 6. Dylan Smith, Osceola, Neb.; 7. Jesse Sobbing, Glenwood; 8. Clint Hatlestad, Glencoe, Minn.; 9. Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn.; 10. Richie Gustin, Gilman; 11. Corey Lagroon, Salina, Kan.; 12. Aaron Turnbull, Estevan, Sask.
Stock Car Race of Champions – 1. Donavon Smith, Lake City; 2. Brandon Czarapata, Appleton, Wis.; 3. Brian Irvine, Oelwein; 4. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 5. Scott Pippert, Elberon; 6. David Smith, Lake City; 7. Perry Misner, Garden City, Kan.; 8. Kevin Opheim, Mason City; 9. Jay Schmidt, Tama; 10. John Heinz, Green Bay, Wis.
Hobby Stock Race of Champions – 1. Randy Embrey, Granger; 2. Shannon Anderson, Urbandale; 3. Colby Langenberg, Norfolk, Neb.; 4. Chris Luloff, Independence; 5. Brock Beeter, Minot, N.D.; 6. Trevor Holm, Edgerton, Minn.; 7. Jason Kohl, Missouri Valley; 8. Corey Madden, Avoca; 9. Justin Nehring, Storm Lake; 10. Bill Bonnett, Knoxville.
Northern SportMod Race of Champions – 1. Bobby Anders, Quincy, Ill.; 2. Nick Roberts, Des Moines; 3. Clinton Luellen, Minburn; 4. Tyler Frye, Belleville, Kan.; 5. Eric Elliott, Boone; 6. Carter VanDenBerg, Oskaloosa; 7. Joel Rust, Grundy Center; 8. Austin Kaplan, Des Moines; 9. Robby Rosselli, Minot, N.D.; 10. Danny Dvorak, Vinton.