The race night also brought an end to the community's annual Sweet Corn Festival, along with the Stars & Cars Party. Stars & Cars gave fans an opportunity to get up close with the drivers, collect autographs, and pick up plenty of free goodies. Once the festivities wrapped up, it was time to turn the attention to the racing action.
A total of 61 cars signed in to take on the 1/5-mile, high-banked dirt oval at the Dallas County Fairgrounds. Kudos to promoter Jimmy Keenan and the entire staff for putting together a fantastic race night, as fans were treated to plenty of action and excitement throughout the evening.
Final checkered flag waved at 10:21 p.m., but the night wasn't quite over. A Bags Tournament followed shortly after the races in the pit area. Once the racing wrapped up, I headed for home and arrived back in Marshalltown right around midnight.
The first feature of the night was the Castellano Racing Open Figure 8 15-lap feature, with a $1,000 top prize on the line. Dylan McKasson wrestled the lead away from his sister, Aubrey McKasson, in the early going, while Aubrey settled into a battle with "The Iceman" Raymond Cornelius for second. The first caution flew on lap three when the yellow tires marking the center of turns three and four in the Figure 8 were knocked onto the racing surface. Dylan McKasson got a great restart, but behind him, Aubrey McKasson and Cornelius made contact. The incident resulted in Aubrey slowing on lap four with a left-front flat tire. From there, Dylan McKasson remained in control and drove on to capture his third win of the season. Cornelius, piloting his Pro Stock car, finished second, while Casey McKasson took third. Levi Mathes finished fourth, and "The Boogieman" Braden Anschutz rounded out the top five.
Next up was the Mitchell's Mobile Repair Pro Stock Figure 8 15-lap feature. After breaking his own car in the staging area, Chris Mitchell was grateful when his good friend Ryan Langille loaned him a car for the feature. Mitchell made the most of the opportunity, leading all 15 laps to capture the feature victory. Raymond Cornelius chased Mitchell throughout the feature but couldn't find a way around him and settled for second. Seth Parker finished third, Garrett Shinn was fourth, and Damon Bennewitz rounded out the top five.Blake Mitchell led the opening two laps of the Tori's Timeless Captures Junior Front-Wheel Drive feature before the race's only caution came out. Rowan Cumpton briefly took over the lead from Mitchell, but slight contact from Mitchell sent Cumpton spinning. Race officials penalized Mitchell and returned Cumpton to the lead. Cumpton took full advantage of the opportunity, holding off Mitchell for the remainder of the feature to score his first career feature victory.
The J & A Trucking Dirt Trucks were next on the schedule for their 15-lap feature, but it took a few attempts to get the race underway. Before a lap could be completed, the caution flag flew when Will Shivers jumped the start. On the following restart, Quinten Shivers developed a fuel leak, bringing out another caution. Once the race finally got going, Will Shivers grabbed the lead, with Travis Shivers running third and making it look like it could be a Shivers family sweep of the podium. However, the caution came out on lap six when Quinten Shivers spun in turns three and four with a flat tire. On the ensuing restart, Will Shivers spun in turn two, handing the lead to Travis. Travis maintained control despite another caution on lap nine for debris on the backstretch at the entrance to turn three. He held on the rest of the way to capture his first victory of the 2026 season. Will Shivers recovered to finish second, Jason Collins took third, Dustin Boles was fourth, and Quinten Shivers rounded out the top five.Before the New World Trailer Front-Wheel Drive 15-lap feature, promoter Jimmy Keenan offered an additional $100 to any driver willing to start from the tail. Dennis Hoover declined the offer, giving Blake Fineran the opportunity to make the bold move. Fineran accepted, electing to start at the back and put on a show. His decision moved Matt Pool to the outside of the front row, and Pool took full advantage by grabbing the early lead. Logan Stevens stayed close behind Pool, but shortly after lap one was completed, the caution flag flew when William Post came to a stop on the backstretch. Pool held off Hoover and Stevens on the restart, while Fineran quickly worked his way into fourth. Pool continued to lead as Fineran methodically moved forward, passing Stevens and Hoover to take over second before the caution came out on lap six when Hunter Stanley spun in turns three and four. Pool remained in command until lap eight, when he left the door open and Fineran capitalized, taking over the lead. The final caution came on lap 11 when Joseph Carolus made contact with the wall in turn two. Fineran remained in control through the final laps to score his seventh victory of the season at Adel after starting from the rear of the field. Pool finished second, Stevens was third, Matthew Howard crossed the line in fourth, and Hoover rounded out the top five.
The father-daughter duo of Ryan and Julia Langille led the opening six laps of the Van Wyk Garage Cruisers 15-lap feature before the father-son team of Corey and Raymond Cornelius raced their way into the lead. The Cornelius duo went on to capture their fourth victory of the season, but the win came with plenty of drama. With approximately six laps remaining, heavy smoke began pouring from their car. The pair admitted in victory lane that the engine had finally given up as they approached the checkered flag. Ryan and Julia Langille finished second, while Chris and Audrey Nigon crossed the line in third. The husband-and-wife team of Chris and Shelbie Mitchell was awarded fourth after overcoming an earlier breakdown.Gerald Ford led the opening three laps of the Gregg's Garage Crown Vic 15-lap feature before Greg Dollens of Dallas Center raced his way into the top spot. The only caution of the feature came on lap four when Isaac Norton made contact with the wall in turn two. Dollens handled the restart with ease, holding off Ford and pulling away from the field. He went on to capture his fourth victory of the season. Ford finished second, TJ Fickbohm crossed the line in third, Nate Fountas was fourth, and Chris Tolle rounded out the top five.
The final feature of the night was the Sta-Rite Transmission Hobby Stocks 15-lap main event. Zachary Cleghorn jumped out to the early lead, with Phil Castellano close behind applying pressure. The first caution came on lap two for debris on the backstretch. Cleghorn continued to control the race after the restart, fending off Castellano and looking like he was on his way to another victory. However, the complexion of the race changed on lap eight when Matthew Kopaska spun in turns three and four directly in front of the leader. Cleghorn was unable to avoid the incident and suffered front-end damage, forcing him to retire from the race. Castellano inherited the lead, but the caution flag flew once more on lap nine when Alex Fickbohm spun in turn four. Castellano remained in control through the final laps to capture the feature victory. Points leader Travis Fenton finished second, Garrett Croy crossed the line in third, "Cupcake" Jacob Reiter was fourth, and Alex Willemsen rounded out the top five.
The season continues with Season Championship Night on Saturday, September 5. The evening will also feature a Pit Party following the races, along with a Bags Tournament.
For more information about the Dallas County Fairgrounds Speedway check out the Dallas County Fairgrounds Speedway on Facebook.
Saturday August 8th, 2026
OPEN FIGURE 8
