Well if you listened to the weather forecast and looked at the radar many would have thought their is no chance the Karl Auto Group of Marshalltown Speedway was going to get the 2023 Track Points underway on Friday Night. Only light little misting rain came down and all signs lead to the Marshalltown Speedway hosting the Ryan Ashton "Still Not Racing" Season Opener.
As the temperatures dipped and a strong northly wind came in after the cold front move through the racing action heated up on the track as several finish came down to the checkered flag. One hundred and eighteen cars signed into tame the high bank quarter mile on the Final Friday Night of April. The final checkered flag came out just after 10pm.
First feature of the night was Rugged Radios IMCA Friesen Performance Sport Mods 20 lap feature event. Jenae Gustin out dueled Kyle Olson for the race lead early. Gustin held off Olson and started to get a little separation until Olson began to reel her back in just prior to the caution on lap 11 for Jessiah Taylor in turn four. Olson was able to take the top spot away from Gustin on the restart. Olson held on to take the win, Travis Peterson grabbed second away from Gustin, who fell back to third as a tire was beginning to go down. Braden Richards was fourth and Kaylin Lopez was fifth.
Austin Kaplan took the early race lead in the Drury Automotive & Truck Repair IMCA Stock Cars 20 lap feature event. Kaplan fended off several challenges from Michael Jaennette before pulling away. The only caution came out on lap ten for Jeff Byers Jr in turn four. Kaplan had to contend with Dan Mackenthun and Jaennette on the restart but he held them off and took the feature win. Mackenthun finished second with Steve Meyer, Dave Atcher and Jaennette finishing third through fifth respectively.
The Knight Sanitation IMCA Mod Lites 20 lap feature event was next up and before a single lap was scored the caution came out when Riley Clem, Randy Bryan and Darrick Knutsen spun in turn four. Jon Padilla jumped out to the race lead holding off Josh May and Joel Huggins when the race got rolling and it. Padilla started to pull away until a caution on lap seven came out when Austin Glick spun in turn two. Padilla hung on to claim the feature win ahead of Clem, May, Jason Toppenberg and Bryan Zehm.
Dallon Murty wrestled the lead early in the Tire Demon by Love Tap IMCA Modifieds 20 lap feature from pole sitter Dustin Kroening. The caution came out on lap two when Johnathon Logue spun in turn four. Murty held off Kroening and Shute initial before Shute began to trail Murty. Shute made several attempts to get by Murty but failed until a caution on lap 18 when Jacob Murray spun in turn four forcing a green-white-checkered finish. Murty held off Shute until the white flag lap as Shute was able to use his experience to out duel the youngster back to the start finish line. Shute took the win by .190 seconds over Murty. Jake McBirnie worked his way to third, Jerry Flippo was fourth and Jesse Dennis was fifth.
Next on the speedway was the "Wild Thing" IMCA Hobby Stocks presented by Big 8 Tyre Center for 20 laps. Calvin Dhondt started fifth and by the end of lap one he found himself in the top spot. Dhondt's lead was short lived though as some contact with Tom Killen Jr sent him spinning in turn one resulting in the caution coming out. Killen leading did not last long as on the restart, "The Mayor" John Watson was able to take the top spot away. Watson never gave up the top spot the remainder of the race, as he went on to take the feature win by .023 seconds. Watson did have to fend off challenges from twelfth place starter Eric Knutson for the last half of the race. Tom Killen Jr came home third, "The Lynnville Lightning" Corey VanDerWilt finished courth and Luke Ramsey was fifth.
Final feature of the night was the 15 lap Hy-Vee IMCA Sport Compacts feature event. "Cole Trickle" John Patterson and "Crash Dummy" Larry Werner led the field to the green flag but it was Omaha, Nebraska's Anthony Clark leading at the end of lap one. Blake Driscol was able to take the lead away on lap three and drove off to the victory as the rest of the field fought it out behind him. "Ricky Bobby" Mitchell Bunch took a distant second place finish. Terry Bickford grabbed third, Curtis Masterson came home fourth and Kolby Sabin held on-to fifth with some mechanical issues.
Next Friday Night is the Annual Cliff Chambers Memorial presented by UAW Local 893. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Sport Mods, IMCA Hobby Stocks and IMCA Mod Lites plus the first visit of the season for the Outlaw Mini Mods. Pits Open at 5:15p, Grandstands Open at 5:30p, Hot Laps at 6:55p, Racing at 7:30p.
The Following Week, Its Thursday Night Thunder at the Marshalltown Speedway with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Sport Mods, IMCA Hobby Stocks, IMCA Mod Lites and IMCA Sport Compacts plus Outlaw 2 Man Cruisers.
You can all the racing action at the Karl Auto Group Marshallltown Speedway in person or on FloRacing or listen to the TrackTune App.
MARSHALLLTOWN SPEEDWAY 2023 TRACK SPONSORS: Karl Auto Group of Marshalltown (Buick, GMC, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Ram Dealer), McGregors Furniture & Mattress, Ace Signs & Graphics, Iowa Seamless Gutters, Toby K's Hideaway, North 3rd Ave Dairy Queen, Dirt Defender, Tire Demon by Love Tap, Friesen Performance, Drury Automotive & Truck Repair, Rugged Radios, Big 8 Tyre Center, Knight Sanitation, Hy-Vee, Central State Bank, Coors Light/Miller Lite (H&F Distributing), Team Elite, Availa Bank, O'Reilly Auto Parts, RBF Electric, Mid-State Boring, Karl Kustoms, Independent Auto, Karl Chevrolet, Local UAW 893, IBEW Local 204, Tom Cat Performance, Elmquist Towing Co., Gregg Young Chevrolet of Marshalltown, FloRacing, D&E Outdoor Services, Stensland Farms, Quick Performance, Martin Maretta, P&D Welding LLC, Untied Rentals, Stealth Racing, Grasshopper Kellogg Lawn & Snow, J&M Fabrication, Quick Car Racing Products, Chris Weir Lawnmowing, BW Outdoors, CAMP CHEF, La Carreta Mexican Grill, Performance Bodies, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Kwik Star - Marshalltown and Toledo, My Pillow
Karl Auto Group of Marshalltown Speedway
Ryan Ashton "Still Not Racing" Season Opener
Friday April 28th, 2023
IMCA MODIFIEDS
presented by Tire Demon by Love Tap & Friesen Performance
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. Murty; 2. Rawlins; 3. Richie Gustin; 4. Flippo; 5. Mallicoat; 6. Williams; 7. Ramsey; 8. Miller; 9. Weimer.
presented by Drury Automotive & Truck Repair
A Feature (20 Laps): 1. A1A Austin Kaplan (Collins); 2. 92 Dan Mackenthun (Hamburg, Minn.); 3. 94X Steve Meyer (Grundy Center); 4. 2 David Atcher (Laurel); 5. 93 Michael Jaennette (Newton); 6. 31 Michael Smith (Marshalltown); 7. 5A Tyler Pickett (Boone); 8. 14C Leah Wroten (Independence); 9. 3T Scooter Dulin (Cedar Rapids); 10. 37 Kylie Rawlins (Kellogg); 11. 16 Jeff Byers Jr (Milo); DNS 07 Chris Wilke (Urbandale).
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. Meyer; 2. Mackenthun; 3. Smith; 4. Atcher; 5. Byers; DNS Wilke.
presented by Rugged Radios & Friesen Performance
A Feature (20 Laps): 1. K3 Kyle Olson (Cedar Rapids); 2. 25 Travis Peterson (Conrad); 3. 19J Jenae Gustin (Marshalltown); 4. 11R Braden Richards (Madrid); 5. 16K Kaylin Lopez (Chowchilla, Calif.); 6. 105 Taylor Bass (Ackley); 7. 57K Ryan King (Colo); 8. 21 Cam Reimers (Kelley); 9. 74 Camdan Vincent (Nevada); 10. 9J Jeremiah Reed (Otho); 11. 4 Gage Hilgenberg (Waukee); 12. 8 Ton Lathrop (Ottumwa); 13. 193 Jessiah Taylor (Boone); 14. T15 Tim Parrott (New Market); 15. 28B Curt Smeins (Dike); 16. 7M Steve McLaughlin (Newton); DNS 117 Zach Hovell (Pella); DNS 198 Sam Wieben (Dysart).
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. Olson; 2. Taylor; 3. King; 4. Reed; 5. Smeins; 6. Parrott; 7. Reimers; 8. Hovell; 9. Wieben.
presented by Big 8 Tyre Center
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. Klosterman; 2. West; 3. Ramsey; 4. Kriegel; 5. Fees; 6. Foster; 7. Thomas; 7. LeBeau; 8. Jake Nelson.
presented by Knight Sanitation
A Feature (20 Laps): 1. 11P Jon Padilla (Silvis, Ill.); 2. 9C Riley Clem (Bakersfield, Calif.); 3. 99 Josh May (Des Moines); 4. 2 Jason Toppenberg (Ames); 5. 46Z Bryan Zehm (Ames); 6. 4G Ben George (Altoona); 7. 48G Austin Gray (Story City); 8. 8N William Nobles (West Des Moines); 9. 99X Darrick Knutsen (Cedar Rapids); 10. 18M Chelsea Ladurini (Desoto); 11. 19DD Derek Foster (Maxwell); 12. 3 Austin Glick (Des Moines); 13. 21 Scott Bailey (Carlisle); 14. 3G Joe Glick (Madrid); 15. 64 Randy Bryan (Ames); 16. X50 Joel Huggins (Des Moines); 17. 14 David Bailey (Carlisle).
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. Padilla; 2. Toppenberg; 3. Zehm; 4. Nobles; 5. Bryan; 6. Scott Bailey; 7. Foster; 8. David Bailey.
presented by Hy-Vee
A Feature (15 Laps): 1. 31D Blake Driscol (Dysart); 2. 83B Mitchell Bunch (Des Moines); 3. 63B Terry Bickford (Shannon City); 4. 16 Curtis Masterson (New Virginia); 5. 9 Kolby Sabin (Des Moines); 6. 5 Larry Werner (Tama); 7. 46 John Patterson (Marshalltown); 8. 8A Anthony Clark (Omaha, Neb.); 9. 33NK Nikole Kimmel (New Virginia); 10. 07 Marcus Nece (Altoona).
Heat 2 (6 Laps): 1. Sabin; 2. Bickford; 3. Masterson; 4. Patterson; 5. Kimmel.
