Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Late Race Restart Propels Thornton Jr. to Dirt Knights Tour Opening Win

Vinton, IA (Monday, May 28, 2018) - In 2017 the Dirt Knights TV series that is shown on MavTV followed six driver's on the Dakota IMCA Modified Tour. But for 2018 the TV series will be following six driver's who will compete on the Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour, formerly known at the Hawkeye Dirt Tour. The tour opener was held on Monday, May 28th at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa, with Ricky Thornton Jr. standing in victory lane at the end of the night.

Thirty-six IMCA Modifieds signed in on the night in hopes of making the twenty-four car starting field for the 30 lap feature. Those driver's would draw for their starting spots in one of the four 10 lap heat races. Where the heat race winners would be guaranteed a starting spot in that feature, while 8 other driver's were added based on passing points in those heat races. The remainder of the 24 driver's would be split into two 12 lap B Mains, with the top 6 out of each of those earning the final twelve spots into the feature.

After all qualifying was complete it was time to go feature racing, with the 12 lap Micro Mods up first. Kaden Reynolds and Cole McNeal would draw the front row for the event. But it was third place starter Matt Post who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over McNeal and Shawn Fisher. Post then held the top spot until lap 4, when McNeal slipped past for the lead. The action would come to a halt on lap 6, when Dallon Murty got upside down coming off turn 2 to bring out the red. He would climb from the car okay. On the restart McNeal jumped back out front, with Post and Fisher close behind. While the battle for second was heating up, McNeal would pull away to pick up his fourth win in a row at the track. Post held on for 2nd, Erick Knutsen was 3rd, Fisher was 4th, with Chad Dugan coming from 8th to finish in 5th.
Cole McNeal made it four wins in a row at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa by winning the 12 lap Micro Mod feature on Monday, May 28, 2018.

Up next was the 12 lap Sport Compact feature, with Travis Losenicky and Austin Reuman leading the field to green. Losenicky took advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Jake Benischek and Bill Whalen Jr. The lead for Losenicky lasted until lap 3, when Benischek slipped past for the top spot. Benischek then started to build up a lead over second place, when he started to enter lapped traffic on lap 8. The heavy lapped traffic was racing three wide in front of him on lap 10, which allowed Losenicky to close in on Benischek coming to the white flag. But Benischek was able to hold on to claim another win in Vinton. Losenicky settled for 2nd, Whalen Jr. was 3rd, Luke Benischek started 9th and finished 4th, with Seth Keiser coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Durant, Iowa's Jake Benischek picks up another Sport Compact feature win on Monday, May 28, 2018 at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa.

Scooter Dulin and Dean Kratzer drew the front row for the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Kratzer using his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dulin and Norman Chesmore. Kratzer, who was working the top of the track, then held the top spot until lap 7. When Dulin, who was working the bottom, edged him out at the line to take over the lead. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 9, as Dustin Vis spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dulin moved back out front, with John Oliver Jr., who started 7th, and Jeff Mueller, who came from the rear, glued to his back bumper. One lap later, lap 11, Mueller was able to work under Dulin to take over the top spot. Mueller then started to pull away from the battle for second going on behind him. When the second and final caution of the event appeared on lap 16, as Jeremy Clement came to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mueller moved back out front, with Dulin and Oliver Jr. close behind. With Dulin and Oliver Jr. battling for second, this would allow Mueller to go on to claim his first win of the season at the track. Oliver Jr. got past Dulin in the battle for 2nd, Dulin was 3rd, Chesmore was 4th, with Shane Ebaugh finishing in 5th.
Jeff Mueller is joined by Rob Jennings to his left and his mom and dad to his right after winning the IMCA Stock Car feature at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa on Monday, May 28, 2018.

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Brandon Tharp and Austen Becerra making up the front row. But it was third place starter Joey Schaefer who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Tharp and Becerra. The action was slowed on lap 2, when Chuck Lewis spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Schaefer moved back out front, with Becerra and Shane Paris following him. One lap later, lap 4, Tharp's run up front came to an end when he spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Schaefer jumped back out front on the restart, with Becerra and Joe Docekal, who started 6th, close behind. Disaster would strike Becerra on lap 6, as he spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Schaefer moved back out front, with Docekal and Paris following. Then just after the lap was scored complete, another caution appeared. This time Brady Hilmer spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow.

Docekal went to the top of the track on the restart to take the top spot away from Schaefer. Then he would start to pull away, when the caution appeared on lap 12 to bring the field back to his back bumper. This time Ben Chapman tangled with a lap car that collected Tony Olson in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Docekal jumped back out front, with Schaefer and Kyle Olson, who started 10th, close behind. But just after the lap was scored complete the final caution of the event came out, as Lewis spun in turn 4 for his second caution to end his night. Docekal grabbed the lead on the restart and then led the final laps to claim his third win of the season at the Benton County Speedway. Schaefer was 2nd, Sam Wieben finished 3rd after starting in 15th, Kyle Olson was 4th, with Becerra working his way back up to 5th after spinning on lap 6.
The IMCA SportMod feature on Monday, May 28, 2018 at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa was won by Joe Docekal.

Kyle Dulin and Brett Vanous led the field to green in the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Dulin jumping out front to lead lap 1 over Justin Wacha and Leah Wroten, who started 5th. Wroten, who was on the bottom, Dulin, in the middle, and Wacha, up top, raced off turn 2 three wide for the lead to come and complete lap 2. Wroten would emerge from the battle going into turn 3 to grab the top spot. Wacha would follow her into second, and then tried to work under Wroten over the next few laps. When he wasn't able to make the pass on the bottom, he then tried to work around her going thru the middle on lap 7. This would allow Vanous to slip under Wacha for the runner up spot. Vanous then tried to work under Wroten over the next 5 laps, when the action was slowed on lap 13. Vanous clipped a tire coming off turn 4 and pushed it out onto the track to bring out the yellow. On the restart Wroten jumped back out front, with Vanous and Wacha close behind. Going into turn 1 Vanous decided to work the middle and top groove to try and get the lead away. But when he drifted to high coming out of turn 2, this would allow Wroten to go on to claim her first win of the season at the track. Vanous held on for 2nd, Wacha was 3rd, Jacob Floyd started 7th and finished 4th, with Matt Brown coming home in 5th.
Independence, Iowa's Leah Wroten scored the IMCA Hobby Stock feature win at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa on Monday, May 28, 2018.

The final feature to take to the track was the 30 lap Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour for IMCA Modifieds. Jarrett Brown and Troy Cordes drew the front row for the event, with Cordes edging out Brown by inches at the line to lead lap 1. While Cordes set the pace out front, Brown was working to hold back Ricky Thornton Jr., who started 5th, and Hunter Marriott, who started 8th, in the battle for the runner up spot. The action was slowed for the first time of the event on lap 15, just as Cordes started to enter lapped traffic. Kyle Brown went over the track in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Cordes jumped back out front, but now had Thornton Jr. and Marriott glued to his back bumper. Thornton Jr. then tried to work under Cordes and even tried a few times to slid up in front of him over the next four laps. But Cordes was able to use the momentum off the top of the track to keep the lead. Those failed attempts by Thornton Jr. allowed Marriott to clear him for second on lap 21. Two laps later, lap 23, Marriott drove it hard into turn 3 and then slid up in front of Cordes coming off turn 4. But Cordes would turn back under him to keep the lead at the line. Coming off turn 2 Cordes went from the bottom of the track to the top, and Marriott tried to work past him off the top. Then going into turn 3 Marriott ran out of track and went off the track, falling back to 8th before coming back onto the track in turn 4.

Eric Barnes, who was battling inside the top 10, went off the track going into turn 3 on lap 26 to bring out the second and final caution. On the restart Thornton Jr. went to the top of the track going into turn 1 and then used the momentum coming off turn 2 to take the top spot away from Cordes. Cordes then tried to work back under Thornton Jr. over the final laps. But Thornton Jr. was able to hold him off to pick up the win and the $2,000 top prize to go with it. Cordes settled for 2nd, Brown was 3rd, Ethan Dotson was 4th, with Joel Rust finishing 5th after starting in 11th.
Chandler, Arizona native Ricky Thornton Jr. scores the $2,000 opener for the Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour on Monday, May 28, 2018 at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa.

The top 3 finishers in Monday, May 28, 2018 Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour for IMCA Modifieds at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa are (from left to right) Troy Cordes 2nd, Ricky Thornton Jr. winner, and Jarrett Brown 3rd.

Notes from Vinton: The 114 cars signed in for competition were made up of 36 Modifieds, 27 SportMods, 17 Sport Compacts, 13 Stock Cars, 12 Mico Mods, and 9 Hobby Stocks......Joren Fisher started the Micro Mod feature in 9th and finished 7th....Kyle Roose finished 9th after starting in 11th......Ashley Reuman started the Sport Compact feature in 12th and finished 7th....Dustin McGee came from 17th to finish in 10th....Spencer Roggentien finished 12th after starting in 16th......Kevin Rose started the Stock Car feature in 11th and finished 7th....Russell Damme Jr. finished 8th after starting in 12th....Damon Murty was battling inside the top 4, when he pulled off on lap 6 with troubles to end his night in 12th......Tyler Soppe started the SportMod feature in 14th and then worked his way up to a 6th place finish....Ethan Braaksma passed 14 cars from his 21st place starting spot to come home in 7th....Justin Becker charged from 25th to finish in 9th....Randy LaMar started 23rd and finished 12th....Richard Nelson finished 13th after starting in 20th....Brady Hilmer recovered from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish 14th....Daniel Campbell finished 16th after starting in 27th....Tony Olson, who started 26th and had been battling inside the top 10 by lap 11, got caught up in a wreck on lap 12 to end his night in 22nd......Mike Kimm started the Hobby Stock feature in 8th and finished 6th......Hunter Marriott who was battling for the lead on lap 23 and then went off the track in turn 3 before coming back onto the track in turn 4 in 8th. Would climb back up to finish 6th in the final laps....Darin Duffy, who picked up the win on Sunday in Vinton, started 16th and then passed 9 cars to come home in 7th....Kelly Shryock, who won the second B Main, started the feature in 14th and finished 9th....Shane DeMey finished 11th after starting in 17th....Kyle Brown, who started 19th, recovered from going over the track in turn 3 on lap 15 to come back up to finish 14th....Ron Lauritzen finished 15th after starting in 18th....David Brown finished 17th after starting in 21st....Jeff James came from 22nd to finish in 19th....Corey Dripps, who took the final transfer spot out of B Main 1, had mechanical troubles that forced him to scratch from the feature....Racer Hulin, Jordan Walker, Cody Bauman, Jeff Aikey, Patrick Flannagan, Jerry Dedrick, Zach Less, Tommy Belmer, Wade Taylor, Al Hejna, Jacob Murray, and Ed Thomas were the 12 driver's who failed to qualify for the A Feature.

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