The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 10 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Matt Moore and Curt Myers leading the field to the green flag. Shaun Slaughter, who started 6th, Brad Havel, who started 9th, and Moore raced three wide for the top spot on the drop of the green. But it was Moore who edged out Slaughter and Havel at the line by inches to lead lap 1.Coming to complete lap 2, Slaughter would slip past Moore to grab the top spot. Despite a few challenges from Havel over the final laps, Slaughter was able to hold on in a caution free race to claim his first win of the season at the track. Brad Havel settled for 2nd, Ryan Havel was 3rd, Bob Lake started 7th and finished 4th, with Moore holding on for a 5th place finish. Bill Whalen Jr. didn't even have to show up, as he already had the 2015 Track Championship locked up.
00-Shaun Slaughter of Iowa City, IA won the IMCA Sport Compact feature on Wednesday night
07-Riverside, Iowa's Bill Whalen Jr. claimed the 2015 IMCA Sport Compact Track Title
Up next was 16 lap IMCA SportMods, with Casey Lancaster and Trent Brink making up the front row. But just as the green flag was dropped the yellow light would come on, as Jason McDaniel got into the guardrail in turn 1 and came to stop to bring out the caution. On the restart third place starter Charlie Weber grabbed the lead, with Brink and Logan Anderson, who started 5th, close behind. The complexion of the race would change after the completion of lap 1, as Weber spun in front of the field in turn 2 and collected Lancaster, Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 9th and was battling for second, Cory Van Zante, Ed Hamilton, and Austin Paul. The cars of Van Der Wal, Van Zante and Hamilton were all to damaged to continue, while Weber, Lancaster, and Paul all went to the work area and rejoined the back of the field for the restart. Brink would lead the field to green for the restart, but it was Brayton Carter, who started 8th, working the top of the track to get by Brink for the top spot. Carter then pulled away from the field over the final 14 laps to cruise to an easy win. Anderson finished 2nd, Weber recovered from his spin to charge back up to a 3rd place finish, Brink was 4th, with Colton Livezey rounded out the top 5. All Curtis Van Der Wal had to do was take the green flag in his heat race and he had the 2015 Track Championship locked up.
01-Brayton Carter of Oskaloosa, IA won the IMCA SportMod feature on Wednesday night
Oskaloosa, Iowa's 1v-Curtis Van Der Wal claimed the 2015 IMCA SportMod Track Title
Brandon Banks and Scott Dickey led the field to the drop of the green flag in the IMCA Modified feature, with Dickey jumping out into the lead on lap 1 over Banks and Andrew Schroeder. While Dickey set a fast pace out front the battle was for second, as Schroeder had to work to hold back Cayden Carter, who started 6th. When Schroeder, got into the guardrail in turns 1 and 2 on both laps 3 and 4, this would allow Carter to slip under him to take over the runner up spot. But without a caution there was no catching Dickey on this night, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Carter settled for 2nd, Schroeder was 3rd, Carter VanDenBerg was 4th, with Tommy Elston, who sold his Late Model about a month ago and purchased a Modified, coming home in 5th. Coming into the night there were four drivers who had a shot of claiming the IMCA Modified track championship. But with only 7 cars showing up and Carter crossing the line in 2nd, he would be crowned the 2015 Track Champion.
40-Scott Dickey of Packwood, IA won the IMCA Modified feature on Wednesday night
Oskaloosa, Iowa's 10c-Cayden Carter claimed the 2015 IMCA Modified Track Title
Up next was the 16 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Jared Stephens and Brandon Potts making up the front row. Potts would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Steve Allen and Craig Brown, who started 6th. The top three cars would start to pull away from the battle for fourth, that was until the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 8. Stephens would get into the back of Dale Porter coming off turn 4 while battling for 6th, which caused Porter to spin down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Potts moved back out front, with Brown over taking Allen for the runner up spot. Brown then put pressure on Potts, and even looked under him over the final 8 laps. But Potts didn't make any mistakes and went onto pick up his first ever IMCA Hobby Stock feature at the track. Brown settled for 2nd, Allen was 4th, Danny Thrasher started 8th and finished 4th, with Porter recovering from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 5th. When Dustin Griffiths took the green flag in his heat race earlier in the night, this would lock up the 2015 Track Championship for him.
2-Brandon Potts of Eldon, IA won his first ever IMCA Hobby Stock feature at the track on Wednesday night
Ottumwa, Iowa's 10G-Dustin Griffiths claimed the 2015 IMCA Hobby Stock Track Title
The final feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with this being the closest points battle of the night. As Cayden Carter and Mike Hughes came into the night tied atop the standings, which meant the highest finisher in the feature would be crowned the champion. Mike Brown and Jerry Pilcher led the field to the drop of the green flag, but it was fourth place starter Zack VanderBeek who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Pilcher and Carter, who started 8th. Carter would slip into the runner up spot on lap 5 and then went to work on VanderBeek for the top spot. The team cars would race the final 11 laps nose to tail, with Carter even looking under VanderBeek a few times. But VanderBeek was able to hold on to pick up the win. Carter settled for 2nd, Hughes started 9th and finished 3rd, Pilcher was 4th, with Nathan Wood coming from 7th to round out the top 5. With Carter finishing in 2nd and Hughes in 3rd, this would give the 2015 Track Championship to Carter by 1 point.
33z-Zack VanderBeek of New Sharon, IA won the IMCA Stock Car feature on Wednesday night
Oskaloosa, Iowa's 10c-Cayden Carter was crowned the 2015 IMCA Stock Car Track Champion
Notes from Osky: John Girdley started the Sport Compact feature in 11th after switching cars for the feature. He would pass 5 cars to come home in 6th....Trent Orwig was running 4th, when he lost an engine on the final lap and coasted across the line in 7th......Austin Paul, who started the SportMod feature in 12th, was involved in the lap 1 crash in turn 2. He would restart in the back and charged his way back up to a 6th place finish....Greg Strohman started 14th and passed 7 cars to finish in 7th....Danny Brau also passed 7 cars from his 15th place starting spot to finish in 8th,,,,Scott Brau came from 13th to finish in 9th....Tony Johnson and Kyle Webb both had troubles in the heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Travis Bunnell started the Hobby Stock feature in 9th and finished 6th....Christian Huffman finished 8th after starting in 13th....Casey Greubel, who started 11th and had worked his way to 6th, pulled off on the final lap with a right rear flat to end his night in 9th....Dustin Griffiths, who started 10th and had worked his way to 4th, pulled off on lap 11 with a right rear flat to end his night in 10th....Aaron Martin had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Ryan Fullenkamp had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch from his heat and feature race in the Stock Cars......About 5 open Late Models, including Billy Moyer, Ryan Gustin, Matt Furman, Paul Glendenning and Billy Moyer Jr., showed up at the track to make some hot laps. This was in preparation of the Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals at the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, even though this was the final points race of the season at the track it was not the last race. That is coming up next Friday, October 2nd and Saturday, October 3rd with the running of the 29th Annual MUSCO Lighting Fall Challenge. The Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, and Hobby Stocks will be going for $1,000 to win on both Friday and Saturday nights. As both nights will be a complete draw / redraw show, with full payouts both nights. Also the Sport Compacts will be racing for $250 to win both nights.
