The JR Motorsports had to wait 8 days for the season to begin but the weather was great for some racing Wednesday night. I decide i would make my way up to the Independence Motor Speedway for my first visit there in like 5 years and i went home really happy.
The Night had 59 cars sign in for the Modified Mayham at Indee for the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour IMCA Modifieds, 20 IMCA Sport Mods signed in and 14 IMCA Hobby Stocks signed in as well to compete. The Modifieds would run 6 heats taking the top 3 to the feature, 3 b-features taking the top 2 transfering and then 1 track provisional. In the IMCA Sport Mods and IMCA Hobby Stocks all cars went to the feature so no b-features needed.
After all the heats were completed a little track work was done and then the Modified B-Features came out on the track then it was time for the features.
First feature of the night was the 15 Lap IMCA Sport Mod feature, Kaleb Bentley would get a great start and take the lead on lap 1 after starting 2nd row inside, just after 1 lap was completed Jeremy Embrey caused a yellow to come out so he was sent to the tail on the restart. Bentley would get going on the restart and would hold on to it until lap 4 when he was passed by 4th row inside starter Kurt Hogan, who made his way to the front very quickly.
Hogan would hold on to the top spot the remainder of the race and the only that would slow him down was lap traffic that would allow Bentley to stay close and also would allow Austin Kaplan to catch up. Hogan took the win, Bentley was 2nd, Kaplan took 3rd. Tyler Droste and Danny Dvorak would round out the top 5.
Up next was the main attraction of the night the "Modified Mayham at Indee" Inaugural JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour 30 Lap feature. Ed Thomas and Ryan Gustin would lead the field to the green flag. Gustin would take the early lead but just after 2 laps were in the books the first caution would come out when Jerry Luloff and Corey Dripps would spin in turn 3, Brandon Savage and Mike Albertsen would also stop in turn 3.
Gustin would set the pace in the double-file restart, he would have Jeff Feaster and Jay Noteboom on his back bumper but on the restart a multiple car pile up including Rich Smith, Jeff Feaster, Jason Snyder, Toby Hartman, Ed Thomas, Brandon Savage and Dennis Betzer in the exit of turn 2. On the restart, Gustin again would set the pace with Jay Noteboom and Michael Long this time on the back bumper.
Gustin would see another caution after another caution would be in the books Dennis Betzer would spin in turn 3 & 4. With this yellow the field would have single file restarts the rest of the way. Gustin would now have Josh Foster on his back bumper and Jay Noteboom (in Joel Bushore's car) right behind Foster.
It would take Foster until lap 10 to get by Gustin as Gustin would give up the bottom and Foster would take advantage. It looked as Foster was pulling away for a little bit but Gustin would stay close as would Noteboom and Long, meanwhile Richie Gustin would be moving through the field to get up their as well.
At the half-way point of the race the top 15 was Foster, Richie Gustin, Noteboom, Long, Richie Gustin, Nate Caruth, Mark Schulte, Mike Jergens, Jimmy Gustin, 19D Darin Duffy, Rich Smith, Jeff Morris, Justin O'Brien, Greg Cox and Jason Snyder.
Foster and the field would see another caution on lap 19 when Toby Hartman would stop on the frontstretch but Foster wouldn't let it faze him. Gustin would take advantage to regroup after losing the lead. Foster, Gustin, Noteboom, Long and Richie Gustin would be the top 5 on the restart.
Foster would have to hold off Ryan Gustin in the end, he would do exactly that as he would go on and take the win and become the first driver in the history books of the hawkeye dirt tour. Ryan Gustin would take 2nd and Noteboom would see his engine expire and would end up 8th. Richie Gustin, Michael Long and Nate Caruth would round out the top 5.
The final feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Before 1 lap was completed the caution would come out when Justin Stander would stop on the backstretch. On the restart, Kyle Anderson would take the lead. Anderson would begin to pull away but another caution would come out on lap 5 when Vince Buchholz (Joe Sprague's car) would spin out in turn 3 & 4.
Anderson would get a great restart and try to pull away but the final race caution would come out on lap 12 setting up a 3 lap dash to the finish. This caution was for Scott Pippert would have something break up in the rearend after contact with Josh Irvine. Pippert would end on the wrecker and Irvine was sent to the tail on the restart.
Anderson would now have to do battle with August Bach. They would race side by side the final laps, Anderson would lead lap 13 but Bach would lead the final 2 laps and go to the win. Anderson would settle for 2nd with Rod Grother, Brad Forbes and Quinton Miller behind Bach and Anderson.
Racing action came to and end at 10:18pm. The next race for the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour will be the Memorial Day Special on Monday May 31st at the I-35 Speedway with IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Sport Mods and IMCA Hobby Stocks also racing. After that its off to the Fayette County Speedway in West Union on June 15th, the Cresco Speedway and the Mighty Howard County Fair on June 24th and then the Lee County Speedway on Thursday July 1st for the Liberty Cup. For more on the Hawkeye Dirt Tour go to http://www.dirttour.com/
Up next for the Independence Motor Speedway is Weekly Racing action this saturday night with IMCA Sanctioned Late Models, Modifieds, Stock Cars, Sport Mods and Hobby Stocks, the next big event for the Independence Motor Speedway is the Deery Brothers Summer Series and Great American Stock Car Shootout on Wednesday June 30th. For more about the Independence Motor Speedway go to http://www.independencemotorspeedway.com/
I want to thank Cam Granger and the staff of the Independence Motor Speedway, Bucky Doren and the staff of the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour and Brett Root and the staff at IMCA for letting me attend this historic event. You guys put together 1 great show and you should defintely check out the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour races, races at the Independence Motor Speedway and any IMCA Racing event.
JR Motorsports Hawkeye Tour IMCA Modifieds
First heat - 1. 71 Troy Cordes; 2. 27M Mark Schulte; 3. 57B Dennis Betzer; 4. 86 Jeff Morris; 5. 12K Andrew Kinser; 6. 45 Ron Pope; 7. 34 Scott Strauss; 8. 21 Brett Ladehoff; 9. 27 Jamie Johnson; DQ 12C Kent Croskey.
Second heat - 1. 77 Jeff Mueller; 2. 8 Rich Smith; 3. 19D Darin Duffy; 4. 71W Jeff Waterman; 5. 25T Duane Petersen; 6. 24R Adam Johnson; 7. 37 Mike Jergens; 8. 36 Jeff Connor; 9. 18 Jake Durbin; DNS 93 Cale Sponsler.
Third heat - 1. 11T Toby Hartman; 2. 01 Ed Thomas; 3. 10K Ronn Lauritzen; 4. 14 Tom Hanson; 5. 31 Corey Dripps; 6. 10 Jeremy Mills; 7. 8X Scott Olson; 8. 22 Cory Bauer; 9. 3C Max Corporon; 10. 57H Richard Hinz.
Fourth heat - 1. 18L Michael Long; 2. 3 Jeff Feaster; 3. 7C Nate Caruth; 4. 19 Jimmy Gustin; 5. 75 Clint Wendel; 6. 64 Vern Jackson; 7. 1X Dan Chapman; 8. 32X Chris Snyder; 9. 5R Bill Roberts; 10. 1XX Chris Abelson.
Fifth heat - 1. 87 Jay Noteboom; 2. 62 Greg Cox; 3. 12J Justin O'Brien; 4. 47S Brandon Savage; 5. 68 J.J. Wise; 6. 32 Rick Speck; 7. 17J Jason Seegmiller; 8. 83C Todd Conrad; 9. 58 Andy Krieger; 10. 15 Matt Stagman.
Sixth heat - 1. 19GX Ryan Gustin; 2. 98 Jason Snyder; 3. 19G Richie Gustin; 4. 41P Joey Schaefer; 5. 18J Jerry Luloff; 6. Z3 Mike Albertson; 7. 60 Kurt Krauskopf; 8. F7 Patrick Flannagan; 9. 12 Mark Elliott.
First B Feature - 1. Morris; 2. Jergens; 3. Waterman; 4. A. Johnson; 5. Croskey; 6. Petersen; 7. Strauss; 8. Kinser; 9. J. Johnson; 10. Pope; DNS Ladehoff, Connor, Durbin, Sponsler.
Second B feature - 1. J. Gustin; 2. Dripps; 3. Abelson; 4. Wendel; 5. Roberts; 6. Chapman; 7. C. Snyder; 8. Bauer; 9. Hanson; 10. Hinz; 11. Mills; 12. Jackson; DNS Olson, Corporon.
Third B feature - 1. Albertson; 2. Savage; 3. Krieger; 4. Schaefer; 5. Wise; 6. Flannagan; 7. Krauskopf; 8. Speck; 9. Seegmiller; DNS Luloff, Conrad, Elliott, Stagman.
A feature - 1. Foster; 2. Ryan Gustin; 3. Richie Gustin; 4. Long; 5. Caruth; 6. Schulte; 7. Jergens; 8. Noteboom; 9. Smith; 10. Duffy; 11. J. Gustin; 12. O'Brien; 13. Morris; 14. Lauritzen; 15. Cox; 16. Thomas; 17. Albertson; 18. Hartman; 19. Betzer; 20. J. Snyder; 21. Savage; 22. Luloff; 23. Dripps; 24. Feaster; 25. Cordes.
IMCA Sport Mod
Heat 1 - 1. 3R Danny Dvorak; 2. 10 Kaleb Bentley; 3. 54 Wayne Hessel; 4. 92 Tyler Droste; 5. 83 Russell Hesse; 6. 26 Joel Cox; 7. 12 Creston Williams
Heat 2 - 1. MR09 Kurt Hogan; 2. 1 Austin Kaplan; 3. 64 Brandon Leeman; 4. 96 Lucas Lundry; 5. 00 Jim Buhlman; 6. 86 Rod McDonald; 7. 34 Mike Mitchell
Heat 3 - 1. 41 Jeremy Embrey; 2. 7M Kurt Moeding; 3. 7R Ryan Ashton; 4. 34J Jerry Hinton; 5. 2 Ryan Coleman; 6. C45 Clint Chamberlain
Feature - 1. Hogan; 2. Bentley; 3. Kaplan; 4. Droste; 5. Dvorak; 6. Buhlman; 7. Leeman; 8. Ashton; 9. Embrey; 10. Moeding; 11. McDonald; 12. Coleman; 13. Hinton; 14. Mitchell; 15. Hesse; 16. Chamberlain; 17. Cox; 18. Hessel 19. Lundry; 20. Williams (DNS)
IMCA Hobby Stocks
Heat 1 - 1. 88S Vince Buhholz; 2. 35 Josh Irvine; 3. 77 Rod Grother; 4. 09 Brad Forbes; 5. 73 Quinton Miller; 6. 26 Wes Stanek Jr; 7. 4JR Russell Damme Jr.
Heat 2 - 1. 47 Scott Pippert; 2. 98 Kyle Anderson; 3. 19 August Bach; 4. 8 Dave Wheeler; 5. 67 Justin Stander; 6. 33X Max Leonard; 7. 20B Matt Burmeister
Feature - 1. Bach; 2. Anderson; 3. Grother; 4. Forbes; 5. Miller; 6. Wheeler; 7. Leonard; 8. Stander; 9. Irvine; 10. Stanek Jr.; 11. Damme Jr.; 12. Pippert; 13. Buchholz; 14. Burmeister.
