After taking the past two Saturday nights off from racing because of the 4th of July and the Sammy Kershaw concert in Marshalltown, I planned to go racing this weekend, but that almost changed as I woke up with a headache. The headache went away, and after quick thinking and getting my clipboard and camera ready to go, I headed off to the Buchanan County Fairgrounds in Independence.
Saturday night at the Independence Motor Speedway was a night in honour of a great man who was a legendary dirt-track racer, Greg Kastli. We lost Greg last September after a sudden heart attack, and it was only fitting that a track he had many laps in, Late Models or Modifieds, honoured him with a memorial race. Thanks go out to the following sponsors for adding money to the purses or other special goodies: Cue Rentals, Can-Am Automotive and Towing, Red's Limo and Shuttle Service, Union Drug, Independence Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling, Premier Auto Glass, Johnson Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling, Ramsey Truck and Auto, Ruzicka and Associates PLLC, Walker Motorsports, Hunter Auto Sales & Gail Hunter American Family Insurance, Remax Independence Realty, Performance Bodies and Parts and Team Wilson Racing.
One hundred and forty-eight cars checked in to tame the 3/8-mile semi-banked oval on the Buchanan County Fairgrounds. The racing surface appeared to have a little character, leaving drivers to figure out how to manage it and see if they could have their names in the history books as the Greg Kastli Memorial winners. The final checkered flag waved at 10:39pm. Late Models were $2,073 to win; Modifieds and Stock Cars were $1,073 to win; Sport Mods were $573 to win; Hobby Stocks were $373 to win; Sport Compacts and Crown Vics were $273 to win, all in honor of Greg Kastli.
I also got a chance to chat with my good buddy Braxton Flattery during some of the early features before he had to go announce the Late Models and had some pre-race chats and banter with Chris Pittman and the Mannions (Christopher and Tyler); it's always nice to see you guys. I chatted briefly with Michael Gardner, Cheyenne Starr, and Megan Daniels after they showed up before claiming my spot on the catwalk in turn three.
The first feature of the night was the Rooster Auto Sales Crown Vics' 12-lap feature event. Jacob Everts jumped out to the race lead, with Dave Everts running second on lap one, but Cody Bergmeier took that spot away until lap six. Dave Everts got back by to reclaim second place, as Derrick Dean was working his way from tenth to second. Dean captured second on lap eight and then the race lead on lap nine. Dean led the final 3 laps and captured his fourth win of the season in Indee. Everts, Jacob and Dave finished second and third respectively. Michael LaMar was fourth, and Bergmeier finished fifth.
Cue Rentals IMCA Sport Compacts' 14-lap feature was up next on the speedway; Christopher and Tyler Mannion led the field to the green flag. Christopher Mannion grabbed the top spot right away, and Adam Gates followed to take second. Zeke Wheeler slid into the infield on lap one but rejoined and kept going. Christopher Mannion held off any attempted challenges from Gates; he led all 14 caution-free laps to capture his first win in Indee. Gates, Tyler Mannion, points leader Drew Stanek and Mike Peyton rounded out the top five.
Brady Hilmer jumped out to the race lead in the 18-lap Pat's Auto Salvage IMCA Sport Mods feature event. Joe Docekal, nicknamed the Trophy Hunter, took second and started to apply a little pressure, but Hilmer remained strong. The first caution came out on lap six when Brandon Jacoby slid off the top of turn four. Hilmer held Docekal and sixth-place starter Will Wolf on the restart. Wolf took second away from Dockeal and set his sights on trying to beat Hilmer for the race lead, but the caution came on lap nine when Rylan Duffy went off the top of turns one and two as Curt Smeins spun in turn three. Wolf took the lead away on the restart, but it was short-lived as ninth-place starter Jordan Hicks was able to take the race lead away on lap eleven. Hicks went on to win number two. Wolf finished second, Hilmer took third, Docekal was in fourth, and "The Birdman" Luke Bird was fifth.
In the Performance Bodies and Parts IMCA Hobby Stocks 15-lap feature event, Jaice Tuttle jumped out quick to the race lead, and Zach McNeese ran second and applied some pressure for the race lead but couldn't get by. However, when lap traffic got heavy, McNeese was able to make the move at the same time Tuttle slipped up on lap 13 to take the lead. McNeese led the final two laps to go on and capture his first win in Indy this season. Joren Fisher worked his way from nineth to finish second. Jarod Weepie was third; Jeremiah Wilson came home in fourth as smoke started coming out of his hot rod, and seventh-place starter Quinton Miller took fifth.
Cameron Starry made the trip from Corpus Christi, Texas area, to race in Iowa this week in the Christie Door Company IMCA Stock Cars presented by Independence Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling, and he took full advantage of the draw/redraw show by grabbing the race lead from his outside front starting spot in the 20-lap event. Starry had over a 2-second lead back to Jarod Weepie, Tom Schmitt, and Dakoda Sellers, and he appeared to be heading for an easy win. The caution came out on lap 17 when Hunter Smith went off the top of Turn 3. A lap later on lap 18, two more cautions came out first when Dylan Suhr came to a stop at the bottom of turn three and then when Vern Jackson was spun in turn one by Cody Frerichs. Starry held off Weepie and Schmitt to capture the win. Weepie finished second; IMCA national points leader John Oliver Jr. came from eleventh to finish third. Schmitt fell back to fourth, and Sellers was fifth.
The Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Model Tour presented by Remax Independence Realty was next up for 25 laps. Matt Ryan outwrestled Travis Smock for the early lead. Ryan ran the top as Smock was running the bottom. Smock made several attempts to get by but came up short, and then CJ Horn entered the battle and took second. The first race caution came out on lap 11 when Harrison Horn spun in turn three. Ryan held off CJ Horn and Smock on the restart as Sean Johnson joined the party. Horn and Johnson worked in second and third as Smock and Ryan got together briefly. The next caution came out on lap 16 for Landon Duffy and Marcus Orr in turn one. Ryan again held on through the restart, but on lap 23, he received pressure from Johnson, so he came down and pinched Johnson in turn three, resulting in him spinning out. Ryan held on to take his first Premier Late Model Tour win this season. Logan Duffy worked his way back after drifting back to finish second. CJ Horn, Andy Nezworski, and Brennen Chipp rounded out the top five.
Cole Sheely led the first 2 laps of the Outlaw Mini Mod Series presented by Black Iron Manufacturing 15-lap feature event. Joey Robel took the lead on lap three, but Sheely regained it on lap four. The only race caution came out on lap five when Brextin Platts spun in turn three. Ben Mattick took the lead away on the restart and never looked back, going on to take his 11th win of the season and second of the weekend. Nathan Kilwine came home in second, Matt Grobe was third, Robel fell back to fourth, and Sheely finished fifth.
The final feature of the night was the Waterloo Auto Parts IMCA Modifieds 20-lap feature presented by Premier Auto Glass. Spencer Diercks grabbed the race lead from the drop of the green flag. After the first lap was scored, the caution came out when Ethan Krall spun in turn one along with Kolton Osborn and Jacob Snyder. Diercks held off Patrick Flannagan and Kollin Hibdon, driving Zach Less's hot rod on the restart. The caution was waived again on lap four for Adam Johnson spinning in turn four and then again on the restart for Krall, Dennis Betzer and Kevin Rose in turn four. Diercks seemed not fazed by it as, again, he held off the challenges on the restart. The next caution came out on lap nine when Ed Thomas spun in turn two. Three more cautions came out before the end of the race: Lap 16 – Krall spinning in turn four; lap 18 – Troy Morris III spinning in turn four and on the restart when several cars spun in turn three. Diercks held on to capture the win; Hibdon finished second, a thirteenth-place starter. Charlie Mohr was third; tenth-place starter Troy Cordes finished fourth; and fourteenth-place starter Ryan Maitland took fifth.
No racing next Saturday, July 25th, at the Independence Motor Speedway; racing action returns on Saturday, August 1st, with Rooster Auto Sales Night. The following classes will be featured: Nutrien Ag Solutions Pro Late Models, Waterloo Auto Parts IMCA Modifieds, Christie Door Company IMCA Stock Cars, Pat's Auto Salvage IMCA Sport Mods, and Performance Bodies & Parts. The event will also include IMCA Hobby Stocks, Cue Rentals powered by Tarpy IMCA Sport Compacts, and Rooster Auto Crown Vics. Gates open at 4 p.m., hot laps at 6:30 p.m., and racing to follow. Grandstands are $15 for adults, $10 for kids (11-17), and free for 10 & under. Pits are $35 for ages 13+, kids (6-12) $15, and kids 5 & under $5.
Then Saturday, August 8th, is Cassill Motors Night, and August 15th is Christie Door Company Salute to Service Night.
The Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Model Tour moved on to Mason City Motor Speedway on Sunday night, where Cody Thompson picked up the feature win. The next series race will be on Wednesday, July 29th, at the Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway for the Wednesday Night Dubuque County Fair Races.
Independence Motor Speedway
Independence, Iowa
Greg Kastli Memorial
Saturday July 18th, 2026
KARL CHEVROLET PREMIER LATE MODEL TOUR
presented by Karl Chevrolet & ReMax Independence Realty
A Feature (25 Laps) : 1. 07 Matt Ryan (Davenport); 2. 14 Logan Duffy (Independence); 3. 01 CJ Horn (Cedar Rapids); 4. 7 Andy Nezworski (Blue Grass); 5. 21 Brennen Chipp (Waterloo); 6. 72 Ben Seemann (Waterloo); 7. 9 Bobby Hansen (Center Point); 8. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 9. 45 Curt Martin (Independence); 10. C15 Brandon Hamburg (Dixon, Ill.); 11. 33S Tyler Sommerlot (Dunkerton); 12. 70 Jerry King (Waterloo); 13. 4 Ben Lerch (Cedar Rapids); 14. 46 Marcus Orr (Independence); 15. 77 Jeff Aikey (Cedar Falls); 16. 8R Sean Johnson (Independence); 17. 1R Cade Richards (Lincoln, Neb.); 18. 41 Landon Duffy (Independence); 19. 98 Travis Smock (Independence); 20. 01X Harrison Horn (Cedar Rapids); 21. 99 Luke Pestka (Robins).
Heat 1 (8 Laps) : 1. Johnson; 2. Nezworski; 3. Logan Duffy; 4. Lerch; 5. Hamburg; 6. Landon Duffy; 7. Aikey.
Heat 2 (8 Laps) : 1. Martin; 2. CJ Horn; 3. Auringer; 4. Orr; 5. Richards; 6. Pestka; 7. Sommerlot.
Heat 3 (8 Laps) : 1. Ryan; 2. Smock; 3. Seemann; 4. Chipp; 5. Hansen; DNS Harrison Horn; DNS King.
IMCA MODIFIEDS
presented by Waterloo Auto Parts & Premier Auto Glass
A Feature (20 Laps) : 1. 29 Spencer Diercks (Davenport); 2. 20L Kollin Hibdon (Waterloo); 3. 99 Charlie Mohr (Bettendorf); 4. 71C Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 5. 4 Ryan Maitland (Waterloo); 6. 72 Kolton Osborn (Janesville); 7. 27M Mark Schulte (Delhi); 8. 57 Andrew Hamburg (Dixon, Ill.); 9. F17 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 10. 59 Josh Fisher (La Porte City); 11. 12R Bret Ramsey (Waterloo); 12. 07X Troy Morris III (Bakersfield, Calif.); 13. 22K Kevin Rose (Waterloo); 14. 57B Dennis Betzer (Central City); 15. 73 Tommy Belmer (Evansdale); 16. 01 Ed Thomas (Waterloo); 17. 26J Joel Rust (Grundy Center); 18. 5 Jason Morehouse (Evansdale); 19. 11B Mike Burbridge (Delhi); 20. 17 Ethan Krall (Evansdale); 21. 22 Blaine Bryant (Eldon); 22. 24R Adam Johnson (Independence); 23. 77 Jeff Aikey (Cedar Falls); 24. 98 Jason Snyder (Dunkerton); 25. 7M Tim McBride (Denver); 26. 0 Dirk Hamilton (Urbana).
Heat 1 (8 Laps) : 1. Snyder; 2. Flannagan; 3. Johnson; 4. Osborn; 5. Mohr; 6. Burbridge; 7. Schulte; 8. Krall; 9. Belmer.
Heat 2 (8 Laps) : 1. Rust; 2. Aikey; 3. Cordes; 4. Hamburg; 5. Maitland; 6. Morehouse; 7. Bryant; 8. Ramsey; 9. Thomas.
Heat 3 (8 Laps) : 1. Diercks; 2. Hibdon; 3. Morris III; 4. Betzer; 5. Fisher; 6. Hamilton; 7. Rose; 8. McBride.
IMCA STOCK CARS
presented by Christie Door Company & Independence Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
A Feature (20 Laps) : 1. 8JS Cameron Starry (Corpus Christi, Texas); 2. 3 Jarod Weepie (Dunkerton); 3. 05JR John Oliver Jr. (West Burlington); 4. 18S Tom Schmitt (Independence); 5. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 6. 18X Dru Kueker (Stanley); 7. 115 Hannah Chesmore (Rowley); 8. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 9. 4R Riley Hanson (Vinton); 10. 18 Chris Luloff (Aurora); 11. 06S Adam Streeter (Walker); 12. 00T Tony Schimmels (Readlyn); 13. 57VG Rowdee Van Genderen (Newton); 14. 3H Ty Hill (Winterset); 15. 20B Matt Burmeister (Denver); 16. 46 Cody Frerichs (Nashua); 17. 87 Dylan Suhr (Jesup); 18. 7W Hunter Smith (Fort Morgan, Colo.); 19. 43P Eric Parsley (Independence); 20. 7 Brandon Tharp (Vinton); 21. 7N Trenton Neuhaus (Quasqueton).
Heat 1 (8 Laps) : 1. Weepie; 2. Schmitt; 3. Streeter; 4. Tharp; 5. Burmeister; 6. Parsley; 7. Frerichs.
Heat 2 (8 Laps) : 1. Kueker; 2. Suhr; 3. Van Genderen; 4. Chesmore; 5. Schimmels; 6. Neuhaus; 7. Hanson.
Heat 3 (8 Laps) : 1. Starry; 2. Sellers; 3. Oliver Jr.; 4. Jackson; 5. Smith; 6. Hill; 7. Luloff.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORT MODS
presented by Pat's Auto Salvage
A Feature (18 Laps) : 1. 2X Jordan Hicks (Delmar); 2. 7B Will Wolf (Lynnville); 3. 22JR Brady Hilmer (Dysart); 4. 12D Joe Docekal (Dysart); 5. 88 Luke Bird (Winthrop); 6. 33 Aiden Gelner (Nashua); 7. 8K Austin Kemp (Vinton); 8. 392 Jackson Carey (Nashua); 9. 82 Jacob Berry (Cedar Falls); 10. 17 Beckett Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 11. 2D Dalton Delay (Cedar Rapids); 12. 18D Rylan Duffy (Fairbank); 13. 28B Curt Smeins (Dike); 14. 13J Brandon Jacoby (Waterloo); 15. 31D Blake Driscol (Dysart).
Heat 1 (8 Laps) : 1. Wolf; 2. Flannagan; 3. Gelner; 4. Smeins; 5. Hicks; 6. Carey; 7. Delay; 8. Kemp.
Heat 2 (8 Laps) : 1. Bird; 2. Hilmer; 3. Docekal; 4. Berry; 5. Jacoby; 6. Duffy; 7. Driscol.
IMCA HOBBY STOCKS
presented by Performance Bodies
A Feature (15 Laps) : 1. 23Z Zach McNeese (Independence); 2. 52 Joren Fisher (Garrison); 3. 3 Dalton Weepie (Dunkerton); 4. 64 Jeremiah Wilson (Waterloo); 5. 73 Quinton Miller (Independence); 6. 34J Jaice Tuttle (Vinton); 7. 357 Brett Vanous (Quasqueton); 8. 31K Jaxon Daniels (Charles City); 9. 33J Carson James (Winthrop); 10. 17B Garrett Ball (Independence); 11. 13K McKenna Koch (Independence); 12. 6R Spencer Roggentien (Amana); 13. B25 Brandon Beyer (Independence); 14. 23C Colin Bland (Independence); 15. 73B Brian Wyant (LaPorte City); 16. 14C Leah Wroten (Independence).
Heat 1 (7 Laps) : 1. Tuttle; 2. Vanous; 3. Daniels; 4. Wilson; 5. Wroten; 6. Koch; 7. James; 8. Bland.
Heat 2 (7 Laps) : 1. Miller; 2. Weepie; 3. Fisher; 4. McNeese; 5. Ball; 6. Roggentien; 7. Beyer; 8. Wyant.
IMCA SPORT COMPACTS
presented by Cue Rentals powered by Tarpy
A Feature (14 Laps) : 1. 81 Christopher Mannion (Waterloo); 2. 007 Adam Gates (Marion); 3. 35M Tyler Mannion (Jesup); 4. 16 Drew Stanek (Buckingham); 5. 21 Mike Peyton (Waverly); 6. 46 Michael Gardner (Des Moines); 7. 58 Aaron Swearingen (Monticello); 8. 04 Jace Knight (Waterloo); 9. 15M Zeke Wheeler (Vinton); 10. 26AR Abbi Regenold (Waterloo); 11. 23R Josh Regenold (LaPorte City); 12. 22C Ryan Cheney (Deep River); 13. 2 Tanner Spalding (Waterloo); 14. 35K Katie Mannion (Waterloo); 15. 43E Ethan Hogan (Marion); 16. 10P Chris Pittman (Waterloo); 17. 717 Michael Stoddard (Walker); 18. 7G Gilbert Aldape (Sioux City).
Heat 1 (6 Laps) : 1. Knight; 2. Wheeler; 3. Stanek; 4. Gates; 5. Peyton; 6. Pittman; 7. Josh Regenold; 8. Katie Mannion; 9. Aldape.
Heat 2 (6 Laps) : 1. Tyler Mannion; 2. Gardner; 3. Cheney; 4. Stoddard; 5. Christopher Mannion; 6. Hogan; 7. Swearingen; 8. Abbi Regenold; 9. Spalding.
CROWN VICS
presented by Rooster Auto Sales
A Feature (12 Laps) : 1. 8D8 Derrick Dean (Dubuque); 2. 1X Jacob Everts (Parkersburg); 3. 2 Dave Everts (Parkersburg); 4. 4L Michael LaMar (Buffalo); 5. 7C Cody Bergmeier (Vinton); 6. 83B Cody Brown (Gilbertville); 7. 38 Nick Glynn (Dubuque); 8. 00 Tyler Nance (Aplington); 9. 113 Nic Brase (Plainfield); 10. 49 Jacob Welter (Farley); 11. 64 Zacary Anstey (Waterloo); 12. 7S Mike Cabalka (Independence); 13. 32 Rob Culbertson (Dubuque); 14. 357E Elisabeth Vanous (Quasqueton).
Heat 1 (6 Laps) : 1. Dean; 2. Welter; 3. Glynn; 4. Brown; 5. Cabalka; 6. Vanous; 7. Brase.
Heat 2 (6 Laps) : 1. Bergmeier; 2. Jacob Everts; 3. Dave Everts; 4. LaMar; 5. Culbertson; 6. Nance; 7. Anstey.
OUTLAW MINI MOD SERIES
presented by Black Iron Manufacturing
A Feature (15 Laps) : 1. 4 Ben Mattick (Mantorville, Minn.); 2. 15 Nathan Kilwine (Glenville, Minn.); 3. 111 Matt Grobe (Austin, Minn.); 4. 3JR Joey Robel (Charles City); 5. 28 Cole Sheely (Brownsdale, Minn.); 6. 44 Greg Mattick (Isle, Minn.); 7. 04 Connor Munson (Rose Creek, Minn.); 8. 10B Scott Borstad (Volga, S.D.); 9. 16P Hunter Peterson (Marshall, Minn.); 10. 27K Garrett Medlin (Rockford); 11. 25TS Tatum Schuster (Waterville, Minn.); 12. 55 Casey Schlichting (Clear Lake); 13. 31K Brantley Kalvig (Glenville, Minn.); 14. 16 Alexander Samson (Mason City); 15. 13B Brextin Platts (Mason City); DNS 71 Braxton James (Stanton).
Heat 1 (6 Laps) : 1. Ben Mattick; 2. Greg Mattick; 3. Kilwine; 4. Medlin; 5. Borstad; 6. Peterson; 7. Samson; DNS James.
Heat 2 (6 Laps) : 1. Robel; 2. Sheeley; 3. Grobe; 4. Platts; 5. Schlichting; 6. Schuster; 7. Munson; 8. Kalvig.