On Friday, I learned my racing friends from the Team 3W Racing team was taking the car to Harlan and race on Saturday Night with Tom Berry Jr behind the wheel once again for Jeff Wollam. I wished them good luck and wish I could go never been there. Then I got a message from the team and asked if I wanted to road trip with them....of course the answer was yes because it meant I didn't have to drive it myself.
Since I was in the car with Mike Duffy, Tyler Wollam and Jeff Wollam.....it meant I learned many stories from their younger days but I had so much fun road tripping with them and would do it again. It felt nice to put the camera and headset aside.....just take a scanner radio and my clipboard to keep notes.
One Hundred and thirty seven cars checked in for night two of the 28th Annual Tiny Lund Memorial at the Shelby County Speedway. 36 Keast Motors IMCA Sport Mods, 25 Wings America IMCA Late Models, 22 IMCA Sport Compacts, 19 Pizza Ranch IMCA Stock Cars, 18 Pitts Chiropractic Modifieds and 17 KNOD Radio IMCA Hobby Stocks.
Tiny Lund Memorial is honor of DeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund who was a stock car racer from Harlan Iowa. Lund ran several races in NASCAR's top series back then, Grand National Series including winning the 1963 Daytona 500. Lund was not Tiny though as he was 6 foot, 5 inches and weighed about 270 lbs but on August 17th, 1975....it all came to a tragic end. Tiny was racing in Talladega when his car got in a crash with J.D. McDuffie. Lund was trapped in the car and was extricated from his own car by track rescue teams. He died less than 10 minutes after he reached the track infield hopsital with massive chest and internal injuries. His hometown track has honored him and remember him with the Annual Tiny Lund Memorial Race.
First feature of the night was the 15 lap KNOD Radio IMCA Hobby Stocks feature but before a complete lap was scored the caution came out when Troy Mabbitt spun in turn two. Alec Stapleton took full advantage of starting on the pole when the race got rolling as he grabbed the race lead. Stapleton began to pull away but the caution came out again on lap five. Stapleton got a great restart and went on to take the $828 top prize. Jason Kohl finished second, Chuck Madden Jr was third, Jeff Fink was fourth and Carter Koop was fifth.
The Class Too Tough Too Tame, Pizza Ranch IMCA Stock Cars was up next for their 18 lap feature event. Tom Berry Jr grabbed the early lead from his outside front row starting spot and then the caution came out on lap four when Cade Richards slowed in turn four. Berry got a great restart and led until lap nine when Mike Nichols took the race lead away. Nichols than appeared to get in cruise control but with 5 laps to go, Berry started to reel back in Nichols. Nichols and Berry battled out for the race lead in turn four coming to 2 to go as they were lapping a car, they made contact cutting the right front tire down on Berry's ride. Dusty Van Horn snuck by both of them coming out of four and held on to take the feature and pocketing $1,028. Nichols, Corey Stapleton, Keith Knop and Paul Zimmerman rounded out the top five.
Braxton Wallace led the opening lap of the IMCA Sport Compact 12 lap feature event before the red flag came out. The red flag was for Jeremy Jolley who left a fire trail from turn four to where he came to a stop on the front stretch. Harlan fire got the fire put out and Jolley's night was over. Evan Hrabik took the top spot away on the restart and never looked back. Hrabik took the feature win ahead of Caine Mahlberg, Chris Vannausdle, Bryan Vannausdle and Wallace.
Wings America IMCA Late Models 20 lap feature was led from start to finish by the "X factor" Ryan Griffith from Webster City. Griffith pocked $1,228 for his winning efforts. Kale Kosiski finished second, Peosta's Eric Pollard made pull over to finish third. Andrew Tilley was fourth and Legend Gary Webb was fifth.
Pitts Chiropractice IMCA Modifieds 20 lap feature had some strong finding and maintain momentum as the feature was caution filled. The caution came out first before a single lap was completed scored forcing a complete restart. Kelly Shryock wresteld the early race lead from Jacob Hobscheidt but the caution again came out on lap three. Shryock continuned to lead but four more cautions fell on lap 11 and 12. Shryock went on to take the feature win and the $1,528 top prize. Anthony Roth, Chris Mills, Craig Reetz and Travis Hatcher rounded out the top five.
Final feature of the night was the IMCA Sport Mods 18 lap feature event but before a lap was scored the caution came out when Corey Madden experience issues in turn one. Hunter Longnecker jumped out to the race lead and manage to lead all 18 laps to take the feature win. Cody Hillgartner was second, Cade Richards was third, Brett Vanderheiden was fourth and Thomas VanDyke was fifth.
Final checkered flag was displayed at 10:27pm and after having conversations and fighting our way out we as a team rolled into Marshalltown around 3 am. It was a fun night and thanks to Tyler and the rest of the team for letting me tag along on the racing trip.
Shelby County Speedway in Harlan typically race on Saturday Nights so keep your eye out for the 2021 racing schedule.
Shelby County Speedway
"28th Annual" Tiny Lund Memorial
Saturday September 26th, 2020
Presented by Wings America
B-Feature (12 laps) : 1. Saltzman; 2. Colton Leal; 3. Miciah Brown; 4. Jackson; 5. Harr; 6. 13 Michael Leal (Pacific Junction); 7. 9 Mark Plowman (Blair, Neb.); 8. Wilson; 9. 6K Roger Elliot (Omaha, Neb.); 10. 26 Preston Stoecker
Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Zentner; 2. Griffith; 3. Webb; 4. Kosiski; 5. Robbie Jorgensen; 6. Saltzman; 7. Miciah Brown; 8. Harr; 9. Stoecker
Heat 3 (6 laps) : 1. AJ Jorgensen; 2. Jacob Brown; 3. Pollard; 4. Hopp; 5. Jake Jorgensen; 6. Jackson; 7. Elliot; 8. Plowman
Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Olsen; 2. Craig Reetz; 3. Mills; 4. Hatcher; 5. Bonine; 6. Mathison; 7. Cooper; 8. Garner; 9. Fleshman
IMCA Stock Cars
Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Van Horn; 2. Richards; 3. Berry; 4. Corey Stapleton; 5. Weaver; 6. Podraza; 7. Zimmerman; 8. Steier; 9. Thompson; 10. Dessel
B-Feature 2 (12 laps) : 1. Montagne; 2. Mallicoat; 3. Rohde; 4. Barton; 5. 5M Scott March (Sioux City); 6. 3J Jim Blazina (Blair, Neb.); 7. 64 Nick Hermsen (Omaha, Neb.); 8. 7CC Chris DeMara (Sergeant Bluff); 9. 222 Steve Doebelin (Council Bluffs); 10. 21X Max Dale (Omaha, Neb.); 11. 32S Blair Simmons (Des Moines); DNS 3M Nathan Mumm (Harlan)
Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Richards; 2. Inman; 3. Zeitner; 4. Boumeester; 5. Boulware; 6. Foster; 7. Hayden Hillgartner; 8. Hamilton; DNS Nichols
Heat 3 (6 laps) : 1. VanDyke; 2. Cody Hillgartner; 3. Blom; 4. Guthrie; 5. Reetz; 6. Hendricks; 7. Baker; 8. Sachau; 9. Petersen
Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Buboltz; 2. Alec Stapleton; 3. Kracht; 4. Nielsen; 5. Koop 6. Mabbitt; 7. Ransom; 8. Shannon
IMCA Sport Compacts
Feature (12 laps) :
1. 19X Evan Hrabik (Bellevue, Neb.); 2. 24M Caine Mahlberg (Dunlap); 3. 15 Chris Vannausdle (Villisca); 4. 15V Bryan Vannausdle (Shenandoah); 5. T13 Braxton Wallace (Greenfield); 6. 61F Tyler Fiebelkorn (Exira); 7. 8K Kaytee Devries (Spencer); 8. 15H Tyler Housley (Glenwood); 9. 69V Danny Vanderveen (Sioux City); 10. 18 Dave Mahlberg (Dunlap); 11. 28R Trent Reed (Missouri Valley); 12. 35C Cody Cooper (Irwin); 13. 18R Justin Reed (Missouri Valley); 14. 4T Tammy Clark (Omaha, Neb.); 15. 10K Dennis Kennedy (Omaha, Neb.); 16. 55 Chris LaFoy (Audubon); 17. 27T Casey Tucker (Lorimor); 18. 3A Austin Honeycutt (Sioux City); 19. 63B Terry Bickford (Shannon City); 20. 20 Bobby Surrell (Corning); 21. 2J Jeremy Jolley (Manning); DNS 12C Craig Furstenau (Earlham)
Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Chris Vannausdle; 2. Bryan Vannausdle; 3. Devries; 4. Vanderveen; 5. LaFoy; 6. Clark; 7. Bickford; 8. Fiebelkorn
Heat 2 (6 laps) : 1. Trent Reed; 2. Housley; 3. Justin Reed; 4. Caine Mahlberg; 5. Furstenau; 6. Tucker; DNS Jolley
Heat 3 (6 laps): 1. Hrabik; 2. Cooper; 3. Honeycutt; 4. Wallace; 5. Kennedy; 6. Dave Mahlberg; 7. Surrell
