Martin comes from the back for impressive mid-season win at Independence Motor Speedway
By Ryan Clark

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (July 1) – After three consecutive rain-outs, racing action resumed at Independence Motor Speedway in front of a packed house and 120 cars signed in to the pit area.

Although the pyrotechnics weren’t scheduled until the July 3 Deery Brothers Summer Series special, race fans were provided with a different form of fireworks during mid-season championships. I.M.C.A. late model driver Curt Martin provided much of the holiday excitement as he took a different route to the winner’s circle.

At the start of the 25-lapper, Tysus Pattee held the advantage. Pattee moved to the front from his third row start and quickly pulled out to an early lead. Jerry Dedrick, Greg Kastli and Martin battled behind him for second.

A handful of cautions slowed the event through the first nine laps with Pattee and Kastli holding their positions at the front of the pack. Contact between Kastli and Martin on the ninth lap sent Martin to the rear of the field for the ensuing restart with 16 laps remaining.

When the race resumed, Pattee continued to impress the crowd as he held off the veteran Kastli. The race was slowed again on lap 15 with the lead pair unchanged. By that time, Martin worked his way into sixth.

One final caution was displayed on lap 18 by which time Kastli worked around Pattee for the lead and Martin settled into third. Pattee regained control of the event driving below Kastli with only five laps remaining. Martin then entered a side-by-side battle with Kastli for second, taking over that position and setting his sights on Pattee.

Pattee remained glued to the bottom of the track, leaving Martin no room to pass until the final lap when Martin was able to sneak around Pattee and drive to the impressive come-from-behind victory. Pattee crossed the line second and Tyler Bruening, who was also involved in an early caution, sped back through the field to collect third place honors. Kastli crossed the line in fourth.

In the I.M.C.A. stock car 20-lapper, Jason Goedken paced the field early. From his pole position start, Goedken assumed command at the drop of the green followed by Tony Schimmels, Sean Johnson and Damon Murty.

Just past the midway point, Schimmels took charge until the field was slowed for caution on lap 12. While under caution for a situation in turns three and four, contact between cars at the front of the pack in turn two prematurely ended the night for Goedken and Murty.

Following the restart, former track champion Dan Trimble worked through traffic and engaged in a battle for the lead with Schimmels and Nick Wroten. Trimble made his way around the high side of Schimmels with five laps remaining to take home the victory, his second of the year. Schimmels and Wroten rounded out the top three.

Mike Stanek held the early lead in the I.M.C.A. hobby stock feature. Stanek remained out front as Chris Luloff, who started 12th, masterfully worked his way through the field. Luloff rocketed into the lead after just four laps and appeared to be on his way to the easy victory.

With only five laps remaining, Luloff was sidelined with a flat tire, handing over the lead to Paul Shepherd. Shepherd led the final five laps to score his second win of the season ahead of Rod Grother and Bill Meyer.

Jason Snyder inherited the lead of the I.M.C.A. modified feature after just one lap when pole-sitter Todd Conrad retired to the pits. Snyder was first challenged by Vern Jackson and then Troy Cordes during his stay out front. Snyder was able to hold off all challengers as he motored to his second win of the season, his first since opening night. Cordes and Jackson ran second and third.

From his fourth row start, Joe Docekal quickly worked through the field in the B modified feature to take the lead from Alan Wessels on lap two. Docekal survived a number of cautions to take the win in the time-shortened event ahead of Brian Kunkle and Wessels.

The next event on the schedule is Monday, July 3, when the Deery Brothers Summer Series for I.M.C.A. Late Models makes its annual stop at the speedway. Joining the late models for the holiday show will be modifieds, stock cars and B modifieds. Those three divisions will run regular, weekly track rules, however they will not be sanctioned. I.M.C.A.-type rules will apply. Indee Open rules do NOT apply for this event.

Gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps set for 6 and the first green flag to wave at 6:30.

RESULTS

I.M.C.A. LATE MODEL

First heat – 1. 68 Tysus Pattee, Garrison; 2. 45 Curt Martin, Independence; 3. 14B Levi Benn, Dyersville; 4. 78 Dale Stolte, Springville; 5. 8 Randy Wheeler, Cedar Falls; 6. 145 Dale Hackwell Jr., Washburn; 7. 85 LaVern Carey, Ionia; 8. 4 Leon Thomsen, Waverly; 9. Z1 Rick McGill, Independence.

Second heat – 1. 69B Joel Brasch, Dunkerton; 2. 16 Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 3. 9 Bobby Hansen, Center Point; 4. 80 Jerry Dedrick, Vinton; 5. 53 Darren Ackerman, Waterloo; 6. 77 Dirk Hamilton, Jesup; 7. 7 Greg Hunter, Independence; 8. 25 Kenny Pint, Independence; 9. 86 Rick Dralle, Waterloo.

Third heat – 1. 73 Greg Kastli, Waterloo; 2. 2P Jon Passick, Waterloo; 3. 88 Drew Johnson, Belle Plaine; 4. 31$ Dave Stricker, Waterloo; 5. 06 Dean Wagner, Evansdale; 6. 17 Brian Hunter, Independence; 7. 44 Luke Goedert, Holy Cross; 8. 4B Brian Lillie, Independence; 9. H2O Paul Watters, Parkersburg.

First B feature – 1. Wheeler; 2. Wagner; 3. Goedert; 4. Hamilton; 5. Pint; 6. Carey; 7. McGill; 8. Watters.

Second B feature – 1. Ackerman; 2. Hackwell; 3. B. Hunter; 4. Lillie; 5. Thomsen; 6. G. Hunter; 7. Dralle.

A feature – 1. Martin; 2. Pattee; 3. Bruening; 4. Kastli; 5. Hamilton; 6. Johnson; 7. Wheeler; 8. Dedrick; 9. Stricker; 10. Brasch; 11. Benn; 12. Passick; 13. Hackwell; 14. Lillie; 15. B, Hunter; 16. Ackerman; 17. Wagner; 18. Hansen; 19. Goedert; 20. Stolte.



I.M.C.A. MODIFIED

First heat – 1. 18 Jerry Luloff, Independence; 2. 93 Erik Haupt, Sumner; 3. 64 Vern Jackson, Waterloo; 4. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids; 5. 02 Mike Gill, La Porte City; 6. 4S Garry Stuber, Waterloo; 7. 100 Cliff Schimmels, Denver; 8. 24R Adam Johnson, Independence; 9. 87 Terry Folkers, Central City.

Second heat – 1. 83C Todd Conrad, Cedar Rapids; 2. 78 Adam Bolin, Waterloo; 3. 00 J.D. Auringer; 4. 3 Max Corporon, Marion; 5. 111 Buster Pate, Hiawatha; 6. 13 Jim Schaefer, Waterloo; 7. 57B Dennis Betzer, Central City; 8. 11 Timm Jensen, Waterloo.

Third heat – 1. 71 Troy Cordes, Raymond; 2. 33D Scott Hogan, Vinton; 3. 98 Jason Snyder, Dunkerton; 4. 49 Mike Manson, Manchester; 5. 6 Don Erger, Brandon; 6. 7H Phil Holtz, Manchester; 7. 14 Randy Trefz, Vinton; 8. 85 Johnathan Thimmesch, Aurora.

B feature – 1. Erger; 2. Stuber; 3. Gill; 4. Betzer; 5. Thimmesch; 6. Jensen; 7. Trefz; 8. Holtz; 9. Pate; 10. Schaefer; 11. Johnson; 12. Schimmels; 13. Folkers.

A feature – 1. Snyder; 2. Cordes; 3. Jackson; 4. Luloff; 5. Auringer; 6. Corporon; 7. Flannagan; 8. Jensen; 9. Betzer; 10. Erger; 11. Thimmesch; 12. Haupt; 13. Stuber; 14. Conrad; 15. Gill; 16. Trefz; 17. Bolin; 18. Hogan; 19. Holtz; 20. Manson.



I.M.C.A. STOCK CAR
First heat – 1. 69 Kurt Kastli, Waterloo; 2. 8R Sean Johnson, Independence; 3. 15 Norman Chesmore, Quasqueton; 4. JR3 Jason Hocken, Independence; 5. 11R Roger Samec, New Hartford; 6. K38 Kenny Taylor, Strawberry Point; DNS LaVerne Weber, Waterloo.

Second heat – 1. 99D Damon Murty, Chelsea; 2. 26 Brian Irvine, Oelwein; 3. 7G Jason Goedken, Fairbank; 4. 00 Tony Schimmels, Readlyn; 5. 28X Chip Kohl, Marion; 6. 3 Jarod Weepie, Dunkerton; 7. 38 Dain Sires, Cedar Falls.

Third heat – 1. 21 Shane Manson, Manchester; 2. 83Z Nick Wroten, Rowley; 3. 20 Dan Trimble, Fairbank; 4. 29A Jeff Adams, Bondurant; 5. 94 Steve Meyer, Grundy Center; 6. 8B Scott Beauregard, Center Point; 7. 58I Eric Weber, Jesup.

Feature – 1. Trimble; 2. Schimmels; 3. Wroten; 4. Weepie; 5. Johnson; 6. Meyer; 7. Sires; 8. Adams; 9. Taylor; 10. Chesmore; 11. Manson; 12. L. Weber; 13. Samec; 14. Kastli; 15. Irvine; 16. Murty; 17. Goedken; 18. Hocken; 19. Kohl; 20. Beauregard; DNS E. Weber.



I.M.C.A. HOBBY STOCK

First heat – 1. B62 Brandon Davis, Cedar Rapids; 2. 35 Josh Irvine, Oelwein; 3. 25 Jamie Whitaker, Nevada; 4. 8 Bill Meyer, Sumner; 5. 12J Jeremy Floyd, Cedar Rapids; 6. 64JR Jeremiah Wilson, Waterloo; 7. 8T Perry Thomsen, Cedar Rapids; 8. 6G Keven Gonzales, Fairbank; 9. 24R Kevin Robinson, Independence.

Second heat – 1. 77 Rod Grother, Cedar Rapids; 2. 78 Matt Brown, Dysart; 3. 22 Patrick Stansbery, Evansdale; 4. 20 Wes Stanek Jr., Cedar Falls; 5. 88S Joe Sprague, Independence; 6. 48 Travis Michels, Hazleton; 7. 95 Jason Spece, Rowley; 8. 7B Jim Ball, Independence.

Third heat – 1. 18 Chris Luloff, Independence; 2. 31S Paul Shepherd, Marengo; 3. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 4. 30 Mike Stanek, Dewar; 5. 55 Vince Buchholz, Cedar Falls; 6. 1S Greg Sweerin, Evansdale; 7. 8W Lynn Wheeler, Cedar Falls; 8. 32 Don Arnold, Stanley.

B feature – 1. Buchholz; 2. Sprague; 3. Thomsen; 4. Sweerin; 5. Ball; 6. Wilson; 7. Arnold; 8. Gonzales; 9. Floyd; 10. Michels; 11. Spece; 12. Wheeler; 13. Robinson.

A feature – 1. Shepherd; 2. Grother; 3. Meyer; 4. Irvine; 5. Hilmer; 6. Ball; 7. Whitaker; 8. Buchholz; 9. Sprague; 10. Thomsen; 11. Brown; 12. Stansbery; 13. Wilson; 14. Sweerin; 15. Luloff; 16. W. Stanek; 17. M. Stanek; 18. Gonzales; 19. Arnold; 20. Davis.



B MODIFIED
First heat – 1. 75 Josh Sherbon, Cedar Falls; 2. 5 Bob Ebaugh, Raymond; 3. 20 Brian Kunkle, Oelwein; 4. 3D Ryan Coleman, Mooresville, N.C.; 5. 19 Chuck Lewis, Coggon; 6. 7 Tim Swope, Waterloo; 7. 52R Marty Rouse, Grundy Center; 8. 95 Todd Temeyer, Independence.

Second heat – 1. 12D Joe Docekal, Dysart; 2. 069 Mike Krall, Waterloo; 3. 99 John Bates, Fairbank; 4. 6 Steve Swope, Waterloo; 5. 35 Kyle Bentley, Fairbank; 6. 61 Lloyd Bacon, Cedar Falls; 7. 69 Joel Cox, Waterloo.

Third heat – 1. 25 Alan Wessels, Strawberry Point; 2. 24 Travis Brown, Cedar Rapids; 3. T23 Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids; 4. 1C Bebby Kesl, Vining; 5. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Rapids; 6. 95H Mary Handberg, Waterloo; DNS 66 Brian Kauffman, Cedar Rapids.

Feature – 1. Docekal; 2. Kunkle; 3. Wessels; 4. Olson; 5. Ebaugh; 6. Coleman; 7. Buhlman; 8. Temeyer; 9. Bates; 10. T. Swope; 11. Handberg; 12. Krall; 13. Kauffman; 14Feature – 1. Docekal; 2. Kunkle; 3. Wessels; 4. Olson; 5. Ebaugh; 6. Coleman; 7. Buhlman; 8. Temeyer; 9. Bates; 10. T. Swope; 11. Handberg; 12. Krall; 13. Kauffman; 14. Brown; 15. S. Swope; 16. Bentley; 17. Rouse; 18. Lewis; 19. Sherbon; 20. Bacon; 21. Cox; DQ Kesl.