Thursday, May 25, 2017

Madsen Dominates, While Carter Doubles Up at Osky

Oskaloosa, IA (Wednesday, May 24, 2017) - The old saying that "Third Times A Charm" is very true for the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. As they have tried on two prior Wednesday nights to get the Sprint Invaders show complete, but they both have fallen to rains. Finally this past Wednesday, which was a third attempt, the show was put into the record books.

The 12 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature was the first of seven to take to the track on the night, with Levi Heath and James Roose making up the front row. Heath would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Josh Barnes and Daniel Fellows, who started 8th. On lap 3 both Barnes and Fellows slipped past Heath to move into the first and second spot. Then one lap later, lap 4, Fellows slipped under Barnes coming off turn 4 to take over the top spot. The action was slowed for the first and only time on lap 5, when Billy Cain dropped alot of fluids down the front stretch and then came to a stop in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Fellows moved back out front, with Heath and Jake Benischek, who started 9th, close behind. Fellows then pulled away over the final laps to cruise to his third straight win at the track. Heath was 2nd, Benischek was 3rd, Roose was 4th, with Bryan Claussen coming from 14th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Louis Lynch and Mike Brown leading the field to green. But just as the green flag was waved the yellow light would come on, as Brown spun in turn 1 and collected Brandon Jay and Mike McClure to bring out the yellow. On the following restart Todd Reitzler took advantage of being moved from 6th to outside of the front row to grab the lead on lap 1 over Lynch and Derrick Agee, who originally started 8th. While Reitzler worked the middle to top of the track, Agee worked the bottom to slip under Reitzler coming off turn 4 for the lead on lap 7. The action up front became a five car battle between Agee, Mike Hughes, Nathan Wood, who started 14th after troubles in his heat, Reitzler and Cayden Carter, who started 9th, on the halfway point. Coming off turn 4 to complete lap 10 Hughes was able to get under Agee to take over the top spot. But that lead only lasted 1 lap, as Wood slipped under Hughes coming off turn 2 to grab the lead away on lap 11. Carter made his way into second on lap 13, and then followed in Wood's tire tracks over the next 4 laps. Then going into turn 3 on the final lap Carter went to the middle of the track and came out of turn 4 with the lead to pick up his first win of the season at Oskaloosa. Wood settled for 2nd, Hughes was 3rd, Dustin Griffiths recovered from a flat on the start to come back up to finish 4th, with Reitzler finishing 5th.

Carson McCarl and father Terry McCarl led the field to green in the 25 lap Sprint Invaders feature, with Carson McCarl jumping out front on lap 1 over Terry McCarl and Ian Madsen, who started 6th. The lead trio were setting such a fast pace, that on lap 6 they started to enter lapped traffic. Madsen used the bottom of the track in turn 1 to slip in front of Terry McCarl for second on lap 11. Then used the same move one lap later, lap 12, to take the top spot away from Carson McCarl. Without a caution to slow the pace, there was no catching Madsen, who pulled away to claim the win. Carson McCarl was 2nd, Terry McCarl was 3rd, Jamie Ball started 11th and finished 4th, with Chris Martin coming from 14th to come home in 5th.

The 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature was up next, with Danny Brau and Jack Housley on the front row. Brau took advantage of his front row starting spot to jump out front on lap 1 over Colton Livezey and Carter VanDenBerg, who started 5th. Livezey would use the top of the track coming out of turn 4 to take the top spot away from Brau on lap 2, with VanDenBerg following into second. While Livezey worked the top of the track, VanDenBerg used the bottom to slip under Livezey coming off turn 4 on lap 3 to grab the lead away. But VanDenBerg's lead only lasted 1 lap, as Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 8th, used the top of the track coming off turn 4 to take over the top spot on lap 4 by inches. From there Van Der Wal pulled away in a caution free race to pick up his second win in a row at the track. VanDenBerg was 2nd, Logan Anderson started 6th and finished 3rd, Jason McDaniel came from 7th to finish 4th, with Cory VanZante finishing 5th after starting in 9th.

Steve Jackson and Eric Lundstrom drew the front row for the 16 lap Dirt Truck feature. But it was fourth place starter Brad Moyer who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Jackson and Lundstrom. The action was slowed for the first and only time on lap 3, when Andrew Clark spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Moyer jumped back out front with Jackson and Lundstrom close behind. While Moyer worked the bottom of the track, Jackson went to the top to try and work past Moyer for the lead. That move paid off on lap 6, as Jackson edged Moyer at the line by inches to take over the top spot. From there Jackson pulled away to claim his second win in a row at Oskaloosa. Moyer was 2nd, Pat Gordon came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Corey Stout was 4th, with Lundstrom rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Christian Huffman and Kirk Puttmann leading the field to green, with Huffman leading lap 1 over Ryan Wells and Mike Kincaid. Wells used the top of the track to take the lead away from Huffman on lap 2. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, when Riley Meinders spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Meinders dropped alot of fluid on the track in turn 4 and came to a stop down the middle of the front stretch to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Wells, Bill Bonnett, who started 9th, and Steve Allen race three wide off turn 4, with Wells holding the lead. Puttmann would spin in turn 3 on lap 5 to bring out the yellow and slow the battle up front. On the restart Shannon Anderson, who started 10th, worked the bottom of the track to grab the lead away from Wells and Bonnett. Just as Anderson started to pull away the final caution of the race appeared on lap 12, when Puttmann spun in turn 2 for his second caution of the race. Once again Anderson moved back out front on the restart, with Bonnett and Allen close behind. Bonnett tried to work under Anderson over the final laps, but Anderson would hold him off for his third win in a row at the track. Bonnett was 2nd, Aaron Martin started 8th and finished 3rd, Kincaid recovered from pitting under the lap 4 caution to come back up to finish 4th, with Thomas Stevens coming home in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Todd Inman and Jason Murray on the front row. Inman used his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Murray and Cayden Carter, who was behind the wheel of a brand new VanderBuilt car. With Inman using the bottom of the track, Murray used the top to grab the lead on lap 3 coming off turn 4. After the completion of lap 4 disaster would strike Inman, as he got into the guardrail in turn 1 and came to a stop to bring out the yellow. On the restart Murray, Colt Mather and Carter raced three wide off turn 4, with Murray holding on for the lead over Carter and Mather. Carter worked the bottom of the track to slip under Murray for the top spot on lap 8, with Derrick Stewart, who started 7th, moving into second on lap 10. Stewart then tried to cut into Carter's straight-away lead over the next 8 laps, when Scott Dickey got into the guardrail in turn 4 on lap 18 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Carter moved back out front, with Stewart and Mather battling for second. Carter would hold on over the final 2 laps to score his first win and second of the night at the track. Stewart settled for 2nd, Mather was 3rd, Todd Shute was 4th, with Brandon Banks coming from 13th to round out the top 5.

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