It was the Race to the Crown Finale presented by Remington Seeds, along with five make-up features from the August 8 races that were rained out following the SportMod feature. A total of 126 cars signed in to tackle the 1/3-mile, high-banked dirt oval. I'm not sure exactly when the final checkered flag waved, as we headed out after getting the race cars loaded, but I believe it was around midnight.
The first of the make-up features was the Coca-Cola Atlantic Bottling IMCA Sport Compacts 12-lap feature. Caine Mahlberg jumped out to the early lead and never looked back. The only caution of the race came on lap 11, but Mahlberg handled the restart and held on to capture the victory. Josh Deist finished second, Tyler Fiebelkorn crossed the line in third, Kaytee DeVries was fourth, and David Coenen rounded out the top five.
Next up were the Murphy Equipment IMCA Stock Cars for their 20-lap make-up feature. Bryan Snell led the opening lap before Carson Reinig took over the top spot on lap two. Reinig remained in command until lap 10, when Bob Walker raced into the lead. The only caution of the feature came when Larry Robinson Jr. spun in turn two. Walker continued to lead for the next eight laps, but Ryan Webb made his move on lap 19, taking over the top spot and going on to capture his first victory of the season at Harlan. Dayton Ullrich finished second, Walker settled for third, Mike Albertsen was fourth, and Craig Reetz rounded out the top five.
The Joe's Karting Center Outlaw Mini Mods were next for their 15-lap make-up feature, with Lucas Daniels leading from the drop of the green flag to the checkered flag. Daniels' only interruptions came from two cautions—one on lap seven when Brooklyn Wulf spun in turn four and another when Tracy Weber and Matt Head made contact in turn two. Daniels handled both restarts and went on to capture the victory. John Schwindt finished second, Chase Daniels was third, Buddy Ray Jones took fourth, and Head rounded out the top five.
The KNOD Radio IMCA Hobby Stocks were next for their 15-lap make-up feature, with Missouri Valley's Jason Kohl jumping out to the early lead. Just as Kohl began to build some separation from the field, the caution flag flew on lap five when Jeff Fink rolled on the backstretch. Brandan Long stopped to avoid making contact with Fink's car. The caution came out again one lap later when Brian Buboltz and Justin Ahrenholtz tangled in turn four. Two more cautions slowed the field on laps 10 and 11, with Kris Chadwick spinning in turn two on lap 10 and Nick Shannon spinning in turn four one lap later. Kohl remained in control through the final restart and drove on to capture the feature victory. Colby Christensen finished second, Zach Hemmingsen was third, Willy Ransom took fourth, and Derrick Rohe rounded out the top five.
The final make-up feature was the Sorenson Equipment IMCA Late Models 20-lap feature. Cooper Tilley led the opening 11 laps before Jordan Krug raced his way into the top spot. The first caution came on lap 12 when Mike Collins spun in turn two. Krug handled the restart, but another caution flew on lap 14 when Drew Baker and Aidan Mohr made contact in turn four. Krug again appeared to get a strong restart, but before another lap could be completed, the red flag was displayed following a massive incident. Jon Plowman got crossed up exiting turn two, triggering a nine-car pileup in turn three that also resulted in one car rolling. Thankfully, all of the drivers were able to climb from their cars. Several were able to make repairs and return to competition later in the evening. After approximately 30 minutes of cleanup, Krug led the field back to green and paced the final six laps. He appeared to have captured the victory, but he was light at the scales during post-race inspection, handing the win to Zach Zeitner. Brett Hopp finished second, Sterling Perkins was third, Baker crossed the line in fourth, and Jesse Sobbing rounded out the top five.
Lucas Daniels led the opening seven laps of the Joe's Karting Centre Outlaw Mini Mods feature before John Schwindt raced into the lead. Daniels regained the top spot on lap 11 and went on to capture his third victory of the season at Harlan. Schwindt finished second, and that runner-up finish was enough to secure the 2026 track championship by four points over Daniels. Chase Daniels finished third, while Matt Head crossed the line in fourth but was disqualified following the race, moving Jack Pearson into fourth and Peyton Solum into fifth.
The final feature of the night was the Sorenson Equipment IMCA Late Models 20-lap feature. Logan Cloudt led the opening two laps before Jesse Sobbing raced into the top spot. Sobbing remained in command through lap eight, but Zach Zeitner made his move and took over the lead. Zeitner held off Sobbing for the remainder of the feature to capture his fifth victory of the season at Harlan. The win also secured Zeitner the 2026 track championship by 34 points over Drew Baker. Sobbing finished second, while Brett Hopp crossed the line a distant third. Baker finished fourth, with Aidan Mohr rounding out the top five.
The weekly racing season may have come to an end for 2026 at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, but the racing action is far from over. Next week, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DirtVision wraps up its Iowa swing with the Harlan Late Model Showdown in Cyclone Country. IMCA Hobby Stocks and IMCA Sport Compacts will also be in action. Pit gates open at 12:00 p.m., grandstands open at 4:00 p.m., hot laps begin at 6:30 p.m., with racing to follow. Grandstand admission is $45 for reserved adult, senior, and military tickets; $40 for general adult, senior, and military tickets; and $20 for children 5 and under. Pit passes are $50.
The Speedway will then return to action Friday and Saturday, September 18-19, for the 34th Annual Tiny Lund Memorial. Friday's lineup includes IMCA Late Models, IMCA Hobby Stocks, IMCA SportMods, IMCA Stock Cars, and Vintage Full-Body Stock Cars. Saturday will feature Late Models, Hobby Stocks, SportMods, and Stock Cars, joined by Sport Compacts and Outlaw Mini Mods.
For more information about the Shelby County Speedway in Harlan check out racescs.com or like and follow the Shelby County Speedway Harlan, Iowa Facebook Page.
I took photos throughout the night, including the Make-up features, hot laps, and heat races. They are all posted on the Trackside Report by Foxman page in a photo album titled Shelby County (Harlan) Race to The Crown Finale 8-22-26 .
Saturday August 22nd, 2026
Heat 2 (8 Laps) : 1. Krug; 2. Happ; 3. Coffelt; 4. Preble; DNS Mark Plowman; DNS Daly; DQ Perkins.
Heat 3 (8 Laps) : 1. Baker; 2. Cloudt; DNS Anderson; DNS Branz; DNS Hearty; DQ Collins.
8/8 Make-Up A Feature (20 Laps) : 1. 76 Zach Zeitner (Bellevue, Neb.); 2. 21 Brett Hopp (Harlan); 3. 3 Sterling Perkins (Tabor); 4. 36 Drew Baker (Omaha, Neb.); 5. 99 Jesse Sobbing (Malvern); 6. J2 Jaymison Coffelt (Council Bluffs); 7. 00 Cooper Tilley (Omaha, Neb.); 8. 22C Camden Preble (Bennington, Neb.); 9. 3C Mike Collins (Crescent); 10. 17 Jon Plowman (Woodbine); 11. 7B Brandon Baker (Omaha, Neb.); 12. 4D3 Derek Daly (Omaha, Neb.); 13. 10 Jack Hearty (Omaha, Neb.); 14. 1J John Anderson (Omaha, Neb.); 15. 01 Jarrett Branz (Blair, Neb.); 16. 9 Mark Plowman (Blair, Neb.); 17. 8 Aidan Mohr (Blair, Neb.); 18. 78 Logan Cloudt (Blair, Neb.); 19. 15 Dan DeMey (Denison); DNS 2K Jody Krug (Plattsmouth, Neb.); DQ J2K Jordan Krug (Council Bluffs).
B Feature (10 Laps) : 1. Webb; 2. Griffin; 3. Reetz; 4. Van Horn; 5. Steier; 6. 53L Larry Robinson (Underwood); 7. 19 Dustin Reeh (Council Bluffs); 8. 3S Bryan Snell (Coon Rapids); 9. 95 Michael Hotze (Macedonia); 10. 9 Chris Wredt (Council Bluffs); 11. 12 Cory Billings (Bellevue, Neb.); DNS 25D Bob Daniels (Des Moines).
Heat 2 (8 Laps) : 1. Carlson; 2. Richards; 3. Anderson; 4. Larry Robinson Jr.; 5. Dale; 6. Webb; 7. Staier; 8. Bob Daniels; 9. Snell.
Heat 3 (8 Laps) : 1. Reinig; 2. Meiners; 3. Walker; 4. Hidlebaugh; 5. Ullrich; 6. Van Horn; 7. Larry Robinson; 8. Wredt; DNS Griffin.
8/8 Make-Up A Feature (20 Laps) : 1. ZR1 Ryan Webb (Denison); 2. 01U2 Dayton Ullrich (Kiron); 3. 90 Bob Walker (Council Bluffs); 4. 3 Mike Albertsen (Audubon); 5. 1R Craig Reetz (Dunlap); 6. 19 Dustin Reeh (Council Bluffs); 7. 53R Larry Robinson Jr. (Underwood); 8. 13H Travis Hatcher (Honey Creek); 9. 10 Mike Stapleton (Denison); 10. 95TG Troy Griffin (Harlan); 11. 9 Chris Wredt (Council Bluffs); 12. 12 Cory Billings (Bellevue, Neb.); 13. 44 Dylan Petersen (Jacksonville); 14. 3S Bryan Snell (Coon Rapids); 15. 8 Nick Steier (Bennington, Neb.); 16. 25D Bob Daniels (Des Moines); 17. 11 Carson Rening (Harlan); 18. B52 Bobby Daniels (Des Moines); 19. 62 Rick Barton (Riverton); 20. 3C Scott Carlson (Plattsmouth, Neb.); 21. 79RC Riley Christensen (Audubon).
Heat 2 (8 Laps) : 1. Thomsen; 2. Olsen; 3. Monson; 4. Runge; 5. Hrabik; DNS Flegg.
Heat 3 (8 Laps) : 1. Sabin; 2. Madden; 3. Hillgartner; 4. Wortman; 5. Jansen; 6. Becksrom.
Heat 2 (6 Laps) : 1. Stapleton; 2. Hemmingsen; 3. Bentley Long; 4. Christensen; 5. Tetzlaff; 6. Buboltz; DNS Goans; DNS Fink.
Heat 3 (6 Laps) : 1. Kohl; 2. Madden; 3. Rohe; 4. Ransom; 5. Braelynn Long; 6. Kinkade; DNS Sabin; DNS Hofbauer.
8/8 Make-Up A Feature (15 Laps) : 1. 27 Jason Kohl (Missouri Valley); 2. 9C Colby Christensen (Audubon); 3. 3Z Zach Hemmingsen (Marne); 4. 7W Willy Ransom (Irwin); 5. 98 Derrick Rohe (Audubon); 6. 69 Jason Tetzlaff (Council Bluffs); 7. 26 Justin Ahrenholtz (Irwin); 8. 06B Brandan Long (Norwalk); 9. 3M Nathan Mumm (Harlan); 10. 3D Dustin Daringer (Portsmouth); 11. 7S Nick Shannon (Council Bluffs); 12. 00B Braelynn Long (Norwalk); 13. 29 Brian Buboltz (Avoca); 14. 37 Jason Goans (Kirkman); 15. 5 Gage Neese (Harlan); 16. 4Q Kris Chadwick (Harlan): 17. 99B Bentley Long (Norwalk); 18. 9 Kolby Sabin (Des Moines); 19. 01F Jeff Fink (Denison); 20. 29X David Petersen (Omaha, Neb.); 21. 19 Nathan DeRagon (Peoria, Ariz.); 22. F20 Travis Fink (Dow City); 23. 13M Justin Myre (Carter Lake).
Heat 2 (6 Laps) : 1. Anders; 2. Gardner; 3. Coenen; 4. Volkert; 5. Ewoldt; 6. Masterson; DNS Logan.
Heat 3 (6 Laps) : 1. Halm; 2. Deist; 3. Eccles; 4. Smith; 5. Segebart; 6. Cahill; 7. Post.
8/8 Make-Up A Feature (12 Laps) : 1. 22 Caine Mahlberg (Dunlap); 2. 3D Josh Deist (Arion); 3. 61F Tyler Fiebelkorn (Stuart); 4. 8K Kaytee DeVries (Spencer); 5. 4 David Coenen (Harlan); 6. 46 Michael Gardner (Des Moines); 7. 712 Levi Volkert (Correctionsville); 8. 314 Cody Segebart (Defiance); 9. 74 Lennie Anders (Harlan); 10. 3S Nick Eccles (Council Bluffs); 11. D1 Jim Cahill (Omaha, Neb.); 12. 91 Cody Allbee (Shenandoah); 13. 9J John Logan (Glenwood); 14. 30E Evan Ewoldt (Dow City); 15. M80 Mark Smith (Huxley); 16. 16 Dalton Woodle (Pierson); 17. 98 Alan Armstrong (Shenandoah); 18. 68+1 Chase Duckett (Essex); 19. 89S Jeremy Frazier (Greenfield); 20. 15H Tyler Housley (Council Bluffs); 21. 77H Elijah Hoyt (Afton); 22. 27 David Orr (Council Bluffs); 23. 16S Sam Schmitt (Wall Lake); DNS 5 Zander Steiner (Shenandoah); DNS 23 Dustin Sheppard (Malvern).
8/8 Make-Up A Feature (12 Laps) : 1. 25L Lucas Daniels (Des Moines); 2. 88 John Schwindt (Underwood); 3. 25C Chase Daniels (Carlisle); 4. 25 Buddy Ray Jones (Council Bluffs); 5. 78 Matt Head (Denison); 6. 71P Jack Pearson (Council Bluffs); 7. 87P Quinn Pearson (Council Bluffs); 8. 15 Peyton Solum (Winterset); 9. 00 Troy Reeves (Carter Lake); 10. 99 Tracy Weber (Omaha, Neb.); 11. 25B Bobby Daniels (Des Moines); 12. 71 Braxton James (Stanton); 13. 15W Brooklyn Wulf (Kiron).