Month Of August Starts At The Speedway
By Denny Grabenbauer

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (Aug. 4, 2006) - The final complete month of the racing season got underway on Friday night at the Marshalltown Speedway as two new drivers would find there way to victory lane during Hogeland Auto Plaza Kid’s Night at the races. Ninety-six race teams were on hand to tame the high-banked quarter mile speedway during week number seventeen. Cooler temperatures would bring a relief to the capacity crowd in the grandstand as promoter Toby Kruse smiled when asked about the condition of his racetrack. “You never want to boast and say something is perfect but I think the track tonight is just about as close as you could ever ask for. It has been at times a struggle through the year, but the guys that have been working on this surface have hit on the right combination, and I can only see it staying this way through out the remaining five nights we will be racing on it, this year. Tonight is the way we want it to be when the I.M.C.A. Late Models come back here on Tuesday August 15th, for the Deery Brothers Summer Series event.”

The picture perfect night would have it’s tense moments before the final checkered flag would fly at 9:58. On lap four of the I.M.C.A. Hobby Stock feature the red flag would come out as two cars would come rolling down the front straight a way in two unrelated incidents. Rod Grother from Cedar Rapids would start the action as something appeared to break in the rear end of the car sending him rolling at the end of the front straight a way. Then at the same time, Adam Rickett from Marshalltown found himself into the corner of the front straight a way wall sending his car in a wild high barrel roll. Grother’s car would end up on his wheels and he quickly emerged from damaged car. Rickett’s car ended up on his side and after a few anxious moments, climbed from his destroyed car. Both drivers were uninjured. After a 20-minute delay of track clean up, the feature resumed.

It would be one year ago during week number seventeen 2005 since Dustin Elliott found victory lane. And one year to the week, Elliott would find it again. Elliott would take the lead on the opening lap, wait out a 20-minute red flag, get passed by point leader Donovan Smith, only to retake the lead with two laps to go, and go on to score his first win in over a year. “Coming into tonight, I just had that feeling. Call it suppositious or whatever, but I just figured I won on this week last year, I should be able to do it again this year,” said Elliott in victory lane. Smith would finish second followed by Jamie Schirm and Neil Follett.

Pat Graham would become the twelfth different feature winner in the I.M.C.A. Modified feature this season. This would be the first time that the Ames driver would make the trip to Marshalltown to compete. “I am just so glad that it worked out for me tonight to drive this car here at Marshalltown, I have heard nothing but good around the state on what Toby has been doing here, and I couldn’t be happier in the out come,” said Graham in his post race interview. Graham would take the lead with two laps to go when Vern Jackson and Kendall Sather would make contact with each other, turning over the opportunity to Graham. Scott Simatovich, Jimmy Gustin and Jeff Schroyer would round out the top four.

Shawn Hoskins would take the lead from Steve Meyer on lap seven in the I.M.C.A. Stock Car feature. From the start of the green to checkered eighteen-lap event, fans would witness three and four wide racing. With Hoskins holding down the top spot the battle was for the second spot as Tracy Gienger and Damon Murty would battle each other side by side. Behind Hoskins it would be Murty, Gienger and Rick Brown. This would be the third feature win of the season for Hoskins.

Brett Ladehoff will be celebrating his twenty-first birthday this weekend and the party actually started Friday night in victory lane. Ladehoff would take back-to-back feature wins in the I.M.C.A. Sport Mod division, as he was able to stay ahead of a pesky Jacob Murray for the feature win. “I knew he was running high, so I just stayed where my car was running the best and that was down low. I think I could hear him back there but I couldn’t see him, and I was glad of that.” Murray finished second followed by Austin Kaplan and Jason Mallicoat.

Next Friday night will be New Hope Christian Church Cardboard Classic night at the races. All kids, or adults are encouraged to make cardboard racecars for there favorite drivers to compete in. The drivers will climb into the homemade cardboard cars and race them. Free supplies will be available if anyone would like to make a car at the track next Friday night. Also New Hope’s Children Ministry will be offering a free gift to the first 200-kids who come through the gate next Friday night. Hot laps will begin at 6:45 and the first green flag event will get underway at 7:30; the Cardboard Classic will follow after the heat race action.


I.M.C.A. MODIFIED:

HEAT 1: Marv Halverson-M’town—Tim Stevens-Cedar Rapids—Vern Jackson-Waterloo
HEAT 2: Billy Davis-Des Moines—Todd Conrad-Waterloo—Todd Luther-Laurel
HEAT 3: JJ Scott-Dallas Center—Pat Graham-Ames—Adam Larson-Ames

FEATURE: Pat Graham—Scott Simatovich—Jimmy Gustin—Jeff Schroyer—Richie Gustin—Doug Lauterwasser—Mike O’Lear—Don Portwine—Heath Kusel—Rick Speck—Tim Stevens—Vern Jackson—Marv Halverson—David Brown—JJ Scott—Todd Conrad—Todd Luther—Adam Larson—Dennis Betzer—Billy Davis—Don Erger—Tom Rawlins—Jason Murray—Kevin Sather



I.M.C.A SPORT MOD:

HEAT 1: Brett Ladehoff-M’town—Austin Kaplan-Ankeny—Scott Jorpeland-M’town
HEAT 2: Chris Mosher-Melbourne—Jason Mallicoat-Boone—Tony Olson-Cedar Rapids

FEATURE: Brett Ladehoff—Jacob Murray—Austin Kaplan—Jason Mallicoat—Tony Olson—Danny Dvorak—Mark McNeece—Don Boucher—John Dumer—JD Albright—Scott Jorpeland—Cody Warrick—Chris Mosher—Kyle Wahlert



I.M.C.A. STOCK CAR:

HEAT 1: Damon Murty-Chelsea—Stacy Clark-Boone—Jeff Wollam-M’town
HEAT 2: Tracy Gienger-Newton—Rick Brown-Kellogg—Steve Meyer-Grundy Center
HEAT 3: Shawn Hoskins-M’town—Andy Bryant-Clemens—Scooter Dulin-Vinton

FEATURE: Shawn Hoskins—Damon Murty—Tracy Gienger—Rick Brow—Jeff Wollam—Steve Meyer—Jay Schmidt—Dusty Vis—Luke Veren—Kyle Krampe—Scooter Dulin—Andy Bryant—Tommy Thompson—Don Vis—Aaron Wendel—Wendy Reisinger—Stacy Clark—Randy Killen



I.M.C.A HOBBY STOCK:

HEAT 1: Donovan Smith-Lake City—Joe Bown-M’town—Neil Follett-Conrad
HEAT 2: Mike Zeman-Tama—Donovan Nunnikhoven-Sully—Jamie Schirm-Dexter
HEAT 3: Dustin Elliott-M’town—Larry Fricke-Clemens—Kevin Sather-Ankeny
B-Main: Mark Lamar-Melbourne—Rod Grother-Cedar Rapids—Eric Knutson-Huxley

FEATURE: Dustin Elliott—Donovan Smith—Jamie Schirm—Neil Follett—Joe Bown—Larry Fricke—Donovan Nunnikhoven—Eric Knutson—Josh Saunders—Chad Witte—Beau Kaplan—Josh Bly—Andrew Berg—Mark Lamar—Alan Damme—Bo Hunter—Zach Rawlins—Michael Smith—Rod Grother—Adam Rickett—Kevin Sather—Mike Zeman