Kemna Auto Night Thrills the Crowd at Sports Park Raceway

With my normal Friday night race track, Karl Auto Group of Marshalltown Speedway, taking Friday night off because it was the 4th of July, that meant my schedule was free to go somewhere else. After thinking about my choices of Figure 8 racing in What Cheer, Sports Park Raceway in Fort Dodge, or CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction, I settle on heading to Fort Dodge for racing and fireworks. 

I rolled in to Jeff Frevert's Palace of Speed, Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Sports Park Raceway, around 5:30p for Kemna Auto Night at the races. Half-price admission to the grandstands, plus fans were treated to a firework show after the races. 

Seventy-one cars signed in to tame the half-mile dirt oval. Jeff Frevert and the track prep team did an amazing job with the track; it was very racy all night. The final checkered flag was waved at 10:25p, and fireworks started around 10:35p and wrapped up around 11p. 

It was a great night. It was also nice to meet up with some familiar faces like Braxton Flattery; it was nice to chat with him briefly after the drivers meeting. Your announcing is amazing. Another familiar face was Rodney Tomlinson, who is one of the announcers in Marshalltown on race nights where I flag. It was fun, so now let's get back to talking about the racing that happened.

The first feature of the night was the Matt's Tire Service USRA Tuners 10-lap feature. Braxton Wallace outwrestled David Kimmel for the race lead early. Wallace and Kimmel ran one and two the entire distance, with Wallace capturing the feature win in the caution-free event. Kimmel was second, and Dale Gatton, Charles Prime, and Danielle Lenz rounded out the top five.

In the Dillion Tree Service Vintage Series 10-lap feature, Todd Jansonius led from start to finish in the caution-free feature event. Rex Jansonius took second away from Brent McClendon on lap seven. Brent McClendon was third, and Josh McClendon finished fourth.

The initial start was called back in the Culver's of Fort Dodge and Carroll 4.6L Crown Vics 10-lapper. They went three wide on the following restart, and Andy Williams led the first lap. Tyler Crimmins took the top spot away on lap two. Crimmins lead was short-lived, as Nick Hogan took the lead away on lap four. Then the caution flags waved on lap six, three times in total for spins in turn two. Nick Hogan held off Nate Hogan on the restart to capture his third feature win at Sports Park. Nate Hogan finished second, Crimmins took third, Mike Layne finished fourth, and Larry Dupuy finished fifth.

Only four United Plant Services USRA Modifieds showed up; unfortunately, two of them broke in the heat race, so only two made the call for their 10-lap feature. Lyle Sathoff from Sherburn, Minnesota, jumped out to the lead and never looked back, taking win number two. Robert Bennett finished second.

The Pickett Auto Salvage USRA Hobby Stocks 15-lap feature saw a pair of Crimmins, Riley and Jeremy Crimmins, battling for the race lead, while they would go three wide for third behind them. Riley Crimmins led lap one, but Jeremy Crimmins took the race lead on lap two. The first caution came out on lap three; Jonathon Hynes spun in turn two. Jeremy Crimmins continues to lead the way; the next two cautions come out on laps ten and eleven. Jeremy Crimmins continued to lead the way until Jeremy Wegner took it away briefly on lap 14. Jeremy Crimmins regained the lead when Wegner went off the top side; for Crimmins, it was win number three. Bryce Sommerfeld, Riley Crimmins, Branden Schaer, and Andrew Inman rounded out the top five.

Ty Griffith started sixth in the White Transfer & Storage USRA B-Mods 15-lap feature event, but by the end of lap one, he was the leader. "Rockstar" Rocky Caudle snatched up second early. A pair of race cautions on laps three and four for Eric Baker spinning. Griffith pulled away and went on to take the feature win; James Richert got by Caudle for second; Beemer also got by for third; Caudle finished fourth, and Hunter Poston was fifth.

The final feature of the night was the Marsh Concrete USRA Stock Cars 15-lap feature event. They went 4 wide on lap one with Myles Michehl, who started sixth going up on the cushion. Michehl took the top spot and began to pull away. Jason Purvis and Kyle Rose battle for second and third until Kansas City, Kansas' racer Rodney Schweizer reenters the battle. Schweizer took second away. The caution was displayed twice on lap six. Michehl looked to be taking the easy win until Schweizer tried a last-ditch effort on lap 15. Michehl edged out Schweizer to capture the feature win; Schweizer was in second. Rose, Jason Minnehan, and Purvis finished third through fifth.

Racing action was scheduled to continue at Sports Park Raceway on Saturday with the Pickett Auto Salvage USRA Hobby Stock Special; however, Mother Nature had other plans, and speedway officials decided to cancel the July 5th races. The next scheduled racing event is on Saturday, July 19th, for Kids Night. USRA-sanctioned Modifieds, Stock Cars, B-Mods, Hobby Stocks, and Tuners, along with the Vintage Cars and 4.6 Crown Vics, are on the card. Pits open at 5p, grandstands open at 6p, hot laps at 7p, and racing to follow.

The Iowa ATV and UTV Hare Scramble Series takes over the grounds on July 25-27, and the Dick Marsh Memorial USRA B-Mod Special is on August 9th. The Iowa Moto Series takes to Sports Park for the Fort Dodge motocross on August 23 and 24. XR Stock Car Rampage, $100,000 to win, takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 26 and 27, for the XR Stock Car Rampage, $100,000 to win. The King of the Crown Special for the Crown Vics is on August 30th, and the Season Championships are on September 6th.

For more information, check out Sports Park Raceway on Facebook or sportsparkraceway.com. 

OFFICIAL RESULTS

United States Racing Association
Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series

Kemna Auto Night 

Sports Park Raceway, Fort Dodge, Iowa
Friday July 4th, 2025

USRA MODIFIEDS
presented by United Plant Services

Feature (10 laps) : 1. 8L Lyle Saathoff (Sherburn, Minn.); 2. 911 Robert Bennett (Woolstock); DNS 35 Bill Crimmins (Fort Dodge); DNS 11X Kyle Heckman (Bakersfield, Calif.). 

Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Crimmins; 2. Sathoff; 3. Bennett; 4. Heckman. 

USRA STOCK CARS

presented by Marsh Concrete

Feature (15 laps) : 1. 21 Myles Michehl (Fort Dodge); 2. 74 Rodney Schweizer (Kansas City, Kan.); 3. 123 Kyle Rose (Cambridge); 4. 7 Jason Minnehan (Churdan); 5. 18X Jason Purvis (Boone); 6. 4D Daniel Ayers (Webster City); 7. 85T Brandon Toftee (Otho); 8. 10 John Ades (Webster City); 9. 54 Allen Govig (Madrid); 10. 2A Jamie Andreasen (Lytton); 11. 7R Rick Todd (Des Moines); 12. 101 Marvin Henriksen (Corning); 13. JD1 Justin DeBoer (Granada, Minn.); DNS 95 Chance Larson (Welcome, Minn.). 

Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Minnehan; 2. Purvis; 3. Govig; 4. DeBoer; 5. Ades; 6. Ayers; 7. Todd. 
Heat 2 (6 laps) : 1. Michehl; 2. Schweizer; 3. Andreasen; 4. Rose; 5. Toftee; 6. Henriksen; 7. Larson. 

USRA B-MODS
presented by White Transfer & Storage

Feature (15 laps) : 1. 56 Ty Griffith (Blairsburg); 2. 5R Jesse Richert (Comfrey, Minn.); 3. 17 Klay Beemer (Fairmont, Minn.); 4. 99 Rocky Caudle (Ellsworth); 5. 58 Hunter Poston (Villisca); 6. 14 Ted Gould (Sheldahl); 7. 25 Dan Paplow (Dundee, Minn.); 8. 16C David Crimmins (Dubuque); 9. 13 Lucus Jones (Fort Dodge); 10. 40 George Gilliland (Lehigh); 11. 74X Eric Baker (Boone). 

Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Griffith; 2. Beemer; 3. Caudle; 4. Baker; 5. Jones; 6. Poston. 
Heat 2 (6 laps) : 1. Richert; 2. Crimmins; 3. Paplow; 4. Gould; 5. Gilliland. 

USRA HOBBY STOCKS

presented by Pickett Auto Salvage

Feature (15 laps) : 1. 15 Jeremy Crimmins (Fort Dodge); 2. 50 Bryce Sommerfeld (Fort Dodge); 3. 35 Riley Crimmins (Fort Dodge); 4. 27 Branden Schaer (Garner); 5. 27X Andrew Inman (Mason City); 6. 21W Wade Gilliland (Callender); 7. 55G David Gilliland (Fort Dodge); 8. 91 Mark Kennedy (Webster City); 9. 13R Adam Rodamaker (Iowa Falls); 10. 10S Sarah Gilbert (Kamrar); 11. 7RO Jeremy Wegner (Graettinger); 12. 57H Jonathon Hynes (Winnebago, Minn.); 13. 51 Ethan Dirks (Belmond); DNS 38 Ryan Darling (Webster City). 

Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Wegner; 2. Riley Crimmins; 3. Inman; 4. Dirks; 5. Sommerfeld; 6. David Gilliland; 7. Rodamaker. 
Heat 2 (6 laps) : 1. Jeremy Crimmins; 2. Hynes; 3. Schaer; 4. Wade Gilliland; 5. Kennedy; 6. Gilbert; DNS Darling. 

USRA TUNERS
presented by Matt's Tire Repair

Feature (10 laps) : 1. 22 Braxton Wallace (Greenfield); 2. 33K David Kimmel (New Virginia); 3. 24G Dale Gatton (Fairmont, Minn.); 4. 7P Charles Prime (Britt); 5. J2 Danelle Lenz (Fort Dodge); 6. 0K Katelynn Kimmel (New Virginia); 7. 53 Josh Winegarden (Clare). 

Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. David Kimmel; 2. Wallace; 3. Prime; 4. Gatton; 5. Lenz; 6. Winegarden; 7. Katelynn Kimmel. 

4.6 CROWN VICS

presented by Culver's of Fort Dodge

Feature (15 laps) : 1. 20TP Nick Hogan (Fort Dodge); 2. 20N Nate Hogan (Fort Dodge); 3. 15 Tyler Crimmins (Fort Dodge); 4. 17 Mike Layne (Darwin, Minn.); 5. 99 Larry Dupuy (Fort Dodge); 6. 7A Andy Williams (Fort D0dge); 7. 00 Reese Oglesbee (Messena); 8. 60T Leo Hoover (Fort Dodge); 9. 98T T.J. Williams (Fort Dodge); 10. 7M Nolan Machovec (Algona); 11. 12 John Berg (Creston); 12. 717 Paul Eyrich (Fort Dodge); 13. 21J John Miller (Fort Dodge); 14. 33S Nick Sawdy (Fort Dodge); 15. 814 Dakota Flogstad (Fort Dodge); 16. 20J Jim Hogan (Fort Dodge); DNS 3S Jim Sawdy (Gowrie). 

Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Crimmins; 2. Nate Hogan; 3. Layne; 4. Nick Sawdy; 5. Jim Hogan; 6. Oglesbee; 7. Jim Sawdy; 8. Miller; 9. T.J. Williams. 
Heat 2 (6 laps) : 1. Nick Hogan; 2. Andy Williams; 3. Flogstad; 4. Berg; 5. Dupuy; 6. Hoover; 7. Eyrich; DNS Machovec. 

VINTAGE CARS
presented by Dillon Tree Services

Feature (10 laps) : 1. 1 Todd Jansonius (Carroll); 2. M1 Rex Jansonius (Geneva); 3. 72 Brent McClendon (Ames); 4. 11B Josh McClendon (Ames). 

Heat 1 (6 laps) : 1. Todd Jansonius; 2. Rex Jansonius; 3. Brent McClendon; 4. Josh McClendon.