Marshalltown, IA (Friday, August 30, 2019) - The regular weekly points season at the Marshalltown Speedway in Marshalltown, Iowa ended last Friday, August 23rd. But their 2019 season didn't come to an end, as Friday, August 30th they held their annual Showdown in MoTown. Which gave the racers traveling to the Boone Speedway in Boone, Iowa for the IMCA Super Nationals a place to race for some extra money.
One hundred and three cars signed in for the night, not counting the 11 Cruisers cars that were also on the card. Out of those 103 teams there was twelve states represented, including Iowa, Nebraska, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, California, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and New York. After seventeen qualifying events were completed, including two Modified B-Mains, to help set the starting line ups for the features. It was time to go feature racing.
First to take to the track was the 15 lap Dirt Trucks, with Myles Michehl and Jeff Johnson leading the field to green. Michehl took advantage of his drawing spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Johnson and Jeff Frevert. Johnson would tried to keep pace with Michehl over the next 7 laps. But he would spin in turn 4 on lap 8 to bring out the caution. On the restart Michehl jumped back out front, with Frevert and Shonn Mapes following close behind. While Frevert tried to mount a challenge on Michehl for the top spot, Johnson was working his way back to the front. On lap 11 Johnson would take over the third spot, but was a straight-away behind the top two runners with only 4 laps to go. Michehl would work the middle groove of the track, while Frevert worked the bottom line. Frevert tried to get under Michehl coming off turn 4 to the checkered flag. But Michehl was able to hold him off at the line to claim the win, his 8th overall on the season. Frevert settled for 2nd, Johnson recovered from his spin to finish 3rd, Bryan Spangler started 9th and finished 4th, with Del Enos rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Blake Henry and Scott Ellis drawing the front row for the event. But it was fourth place starter Jeff Ware from Columbus, Nebraska, who happens to be the current IMCA National Hobby Stock points leader, grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Ellis and Aaron Rudolph. The action was slowed for the first time of the event on lap 3, as Andy Peck spun in turn 1 and collected Preston Merical to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ware jumped back out front, with Tyler Ollendieck, who started 6th, and Eric Stanton, who started 7th, moving into the second and third spots. While Ware paced the field out front, Stanton was trying to get under Ollendieck to grab the runner up spot. But Ollendieck was able to hold him off each lap at the line. That was until the second caution of the event for a spin in turn 4 by Brian Stevens and Jeremiah Andrews on lap 9 set up a restart. Ware would jump back out front on the restart, but Stanton was able to over take Ollendieck for the runner up spot. Disaster would strike Ollendieck on lap 11, as contact from William Klosterman, who started 8th, sent Ollendieck spinning into the front stretch billboards to bring out the yellow. Both cars were sent to the tail for the restart. On the restart Ware once again grabbed the top spot, but had Stanton banging on his back bumper. Ware, who was working the top of the track, had Stanton looking under him coming off the corners for the final laps. But Ware would use the momentum off the top to keep the lead at the line. That was until turn 4 coming to the checkered flag. Ware got sideways, which allowed Stanton to shoot under him for his second win at Marshalltown in only two starts this year. Rudolph was 2nd, Bill Bonnett was 3rd, Ware recovered from almost spinning in turn 4 to cross the line in 4th, with Henry coming home in 5th.
Jason Hall and Janae Gustin led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 20 lap IMCA SportMod feature. But just as the green flag waved the yellow light would come on, as Dustin Dreesman and Dennis Stewart spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the original restart third place starter Brayton Carter grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Gustin and Hall. But his lead only lasted for one lap, as Gustin got under him to take the spot spot on lap 2. While Gustin worked to hold off Carter for the lead, Tyler Soppe, who currently sits second in the IMCA Northern SportMod National points, was working his way towards the front from his 9th place starting spot. On lap 5 Soppe found his way into fourth, and was helped on lap 10 to catch the top three with a caution. The caution was for Stewart, who pounded the front stretch concrete wall and came to a stop in turn 1. Gustin would jump back out front on the restart, with Carter and Soppe close behind. Carter would follow in Gustin's tire tracks around the bottom of the speedway over the next seven laps, waiting for her to make a mistake. But when she didn't, and the laps winding down, Carter decided to go to the top to try and get the lead away. The momentum off the top allowed Carter to get up next to Gustin down the straight-away. But Gustin was able to hit her marks over the final lap to score her second win of the season at the track. Carter was 2nd, Soppe was 3rd, Hall was 4th, with Columbus, Nebraska's Brian Osantowski finishing in 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Lamar, Colorado's Andel Munoz and Bakersfield, California's Wayne Dotson drawing the front row. The field would race four wide off turn 4 for the lead on lap 1, with Todd Reitzler emerging to lead the lap over Munoz and Dotson. The two and three wide action was slowed on lap 4, when Dotson got into Munoz in turn 4, which sent Munoz spinning to bring out the yellow. On the restart Reitzler jumped back out front, with Elijah Zevenbergen, who started 10th, and Jesse Sobbing now following. The pace that Reitzler was setting put him into lapped traffic on lap 16. But he would get a clear track just after the lap was scored complete, as Sobbing stopped down the backstretch with troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart Roger Ciesielski, who started 17th and had worked his way to 10th, rolled off the top of the track in turn 1 to bring out the red. He would climb from his car okay. The following restart saw Reitzler move back out front, but he had Zevenbergen and Damon Murty, who started 9th, battling side-by-side behind him for the runner up spot. Murty's hopes for a win came to an end on lap 18, as he went low in turn 1 to try and get under Reitzler for the lead. But something broke in the right front, and shot him up the track in turn 2 where he came to a stop to bring out the yellow. Reitzler again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Zevenbergen and the 2019 Marshalltown Speedway Track Champion Steve Meyer, who started 8th, close behind. Going into turn 3 to come around for the white flag, Zevenbergen drove it in hard on the bottom and then slid up in front of Reitzler coming off turn 4. But Reitzler would cross under him to keep the lead going into turn 1. Reiztler would bobble in turn 2, which allowed Zevenbergen to draw even with him going into turn 3. Zevenbergen tried to slid up in front of Reitzler coming off turn 4 for the checkers, but he wasn't able to clear him. As Reiztler held him off at the stripe to score his third win of the season at Marshalltown. Zevenbergen settled for a close 2nd, Meyer was 3rd, Jeff Wollam was 4th, with Curt Hook coming from 12th to round out the top 5.
The 25 lap IMCA Modified feature would end the night, with Cayden Carter and Abilene, Texas' Chris Elliott leading the field to the green. Carter took advantage of his draw to grab the lead on lap 1 over Elliott and Joel Rust, who started 5th. The lead for Carter lasted until lap 4, when Rust was able to get past him for the top spot. The action was slowed for the first time of the event on lap 9, as Todd Shute slipped off the track in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Carter got back around Rust to get the lead back. But Rust would use the bottom of the track coming off turn 4 on lap 11 to get the top spot back away from Carter. Rust then started to pull away, until he entered heavy lapped traffic on lap 20. This would allow Carter to close back in on his back bumper. But when Jarett Franzen spun in turn 1 on lap 23 to bring out the final caution, that was all Rust needed. As he grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on for his eighth win of the season at the track, and claimed the $1,000 top prize to go with it. It was also his second win in his last three starts, to go along with a second place finish, to keep his momentum going into the IMCA Super Nationals next week. Carter was 2nd, Jeff Aikey started 16th and over took Cody Laney on the final lap to finish 3rd, with Kelly Shryock rounding out the top 5.
Notes from Marshalltown: 36 Modifieds, 22 Hobby Stocks, 18 Stock Cars, 18 SportMods, 11 Cruisers, and 9 Dirt Trucks made up the 114 cars in the pits.....Colby Kaspar from Columbus, Nebraska started the Hobby Stock feature in 9th and finished 6th....Gary Ollendieck passed 11 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Dustin Thompson started 17th and finished 8th...Brandan Long finished 9th after starting in 12th....William Klosterman recovered from his involvement in the lap 11 caution to come back up to finish 12th....Breyden Forbes finished 15th after starting in 21st....Jeremiah Andrews recovered from his spin on lap 9 to come back up to finish 14th......Bo Partain from Casa Grande, Arizona started the SportMod feature in 17th and would come home in 9th......David Atcher finished 6th in the Stock Car feature after starting in 11th....Brian Blessington came from 13th to finish in 7th....Eric Hamilton from Hanford, California started 14th and would come home in 10th....Crystal, Michigan's Robert Brillhart started 16th and finished 11th....Jody York from Lubbock, Texas would finish 12th after starting in 15th......Chris Zogg started the Modified feature in 17th and then passed 10 cars to come home in 7th....Ryan McDaniel from Olivehurst, California finished 9th after starting in 12th....Benton, Arkansas' Andrew Armstrong came from 15th to finish 11th....Zachary Madrid from Tucson, Arizona finished 12th after starting in 19th....Todd Shute recovered from going off the track in turn 2 on lap 9 to come back up to finish 13th....Chowchilla, California's Randy Brown came from 21st to finish in 14th....Austin Paul, who made a last lap pass in the B-Main to get the final transfer spot, started 23rd and finished 18th....Chase Alves from Peoria, Arizona came home 20th after starting in 24th....Thor Anderson, T.J. Wyman, Jesse Belez, Rod Clement, who got upside down in his B-Main, Jacob Murray, Richie Gustin, who had engine troubles in his heat and was a scratch from his B-Mian, Riley Simmons, Jared Van Deest, Mark Griffin, Scott Simatovich, Garret Wilson and Kenny Wyman Jr. were the 12 Modifieds who watched the feature from the trailer.
I would like to thank Toby Kruse, Jerry Vansickel and the entire Marshalltown Speedway staff for allowing me to come up and cover the action. The track was smooth and very fast all night long, with no breaks in the action to slow the night down.
The Marshallton Speedway has one more event left on their calendar for the 2019 season, and that will take place on September 12th - 14th. It will be the 13th Annual World Nationals, which pays the IMCA Modifieds $10,000 to win. For more information about that event, please check out their website at www.marshalltownspeedway.com.
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