Larry Wollam Season Championship at Marshalltown
by Denny Grabenbauer

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (Aug 31) - After a one-week lay off because of rainy weather, the final regular season night of the 2007-racing season took place in front of a capacity crowd on Friday night. With point battles still up in the air, race fans were greeted with another over one-hundred race teams in the pit area doing battle on the high banked quarter mile raceway. Also adding to the drama of the final night would be the “King of the Speedway” event which promoter Toby Kruse has been working for during the past month of the season. “To put all four I.M.C.A. classes on the track against each other in a challenge race has always been my dream. So we used our monthly King of the Hill events as a qualifier and tonight it all came together”, say’s Kruse. Jason Mallicoat, the tracks 2006 I.M.C.A. track champion would take the lead with two laps to go by passing I.M.C.A. Hobby Stock driver Luke Wanninger for the victory. “This was really neat”, said Mallicoat in victory lane. “You just never know what might happen. All the drivers are the best in there divisions so you know if you stay straight and out of trouble everything should work out, and for us it did.”

Friday night marked the Larry Wollam Season Championship; a night when friends and family would come back together to remember how important he was to many people in the racing community. Larry’s son Jeff would start the Aarons I.M.C.A. Stock Car feature in the second position in point battle which would earn him a front row starting spot for the twenty-three lap championship event. Wollam would lead the opening two laps before Luke Veren would make his charge to the front. After the pass for the lead, then working his way through lap traffic Veren was never really challenged for the top spot. Rick Brown would finish in second followed by Wollam and point leader and track champion Donovan Smith.

In the most contested point battle in modern day history, Jimmy Gustin would hold a one-point lead over Vern Jackson in the I.M.C.A. Modified division. From the drop of the green flag Jackson would take the lead. Jackson who has posted seven feature wins on the season would run the low side with Gustin working the top position. The two veteran drivers would race each other side by side until Gustin would move low to take the lead. Gustin who was on a victory mission would pull away from the field and at one point would have nearly a full straight-a-way lead over Jackson. An emotion Gustin in victory lane thanking his family, crew and sponsor’s. With the win Gustin would be crowned the I.M.C.A. Modified Track Champion for 2007.

Eric Knutson would become another first time winner in the I.M.C.A. Hobby Stock division. Knutson at the midway point of the event would take over the lead, then hold off a hard charging Todd Reitzler to score his first career victory. Jamie Schirm who started in the twentieth position would work his way to finish third followed by Bo Hunter. Jennifer Hulin who was the fans choice to compete in the King of the Speedway event would finish fifth, and wrap up the rookie of the year away in the division.

Danny Dvorak would make things look easy in the I.M.C.A. Sport Mod championship feature by taking the lead from the start and lead the entire twenty-lap event to pick up his third feature win of the year. Brett Meyer, rookie of the year Neil Follett and Kevin Sather followed Dvorak across the line. With Dvorak’s win and consistent season would be crowned the Track Champion.

Tim Hennigar would also lead from start to finish in the Dwarf Car Championship feature. Only one yellow flag would slow the field, as Hennigar would post his eighth feature win of the year. Mike Morrill would finish second followed by Mike Kennedy and Jeff Stensland. Andy Hennigar would start in the final spot in the field and would finish fifth, giving him the point championship in the Dwarf Car division.

Also on hand were the cars of yesteryear competing in the Nostalgic Stock Club of Iowa event. Drivers from day’s gone by were back in action. Chuck Anderson would out duel John Schroyer to score the victory.

Now with the regular season done and complete, race fans now will have to wait until September 14th & 15th when the Havoc on the High Banks return to the speedway. “We are bringing back an end of the year tradition”, say’s Kruse, “we will be running two one-day programs in September, we are adding some extra prize money, and I expect many new drivers to come here and compete. The season is winding down, and race fans want to keep racing so we are going to give them what they want, the last race of the season that will keep them talking all winter long”.


AARONS I.M.C.A. STOCK CAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP RACE:

FEATURE: Luke Veren-Haverhill—Rick Brown-Kellogg—Jeff Wollam-Marshalltown—Donovan Smith-Lake City—Damon Murty-Chelsea—Don Vis-Marshalltown—Mike VanGenderen-Newton—Jay Schmidt-Tama—Eric Flanders-Barns City—Tracy Gienger-Newton—Jarred Daggett-Marshalltown—Jeff Adams-Bondurant—Joe Luethje-Zearing— Dale VanderWal-Maxwell—Dennis Anderson-Haverhill—Wendy Reisinger-Marshalltown—Aaron Wendel—Rob Schneider—Clay Deppe-Kellogg—Steve Meyer Grundy Center—Cory Bushnell-Boone—Andy Bryant-Clemons—Jason Batt-Waco Texas


I.M.C.A. MODIFIED SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP RACE:

FEATURE: Jimmy Gustin-Marshalltown—Vern Jackson-Waterloo—Scott Simatovich-State Center—Jeff Schroyer-Marshalltown—Todd Conrad-Waterloo—Brett Ladehoff-Marshalltown—Jay Schmidt-Tama—David Brown-Kellogg—Marv Halverson-Marshalltown—Tom Pestka-Robbins—Tom Rawlins-Kellogg—Heath Kusel-Elberon—Rod Clement-Rhodes—Dan Arp-Traer


I.M.C.A SPORT MOD SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP RACE:

FEATURE: Danny Dvorak-Vinton—Brett Meyer-Ames—Neil Follett-Conrad—Kevin Sather-Ankeny—Austin Kaplan-Ankeny—Austin Lucas-Ames—Eric Becker-Cedar Rapids—Tim Love-Ames—Scott Jorpeland-Marshalltown—Mark McNeece-Albion—John Dumer-Waterloo—Joel Cox-Evansdale—Dustin Filloon-Tama—Ryan Engelkes-Dike—Jason Mallicoat-Boone—Shawn Simatovich-Marshalltown—Zach Rawlins-Kellogg—Joel Bushore-Boone—Kyle Brown-Kellogg—Doug McCullough-Eldora


I.M.C.A HOBBY STOCK SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP RACE:

FEATURE: Eric Knutson-Huxley—Todd Reitzler-Grinnell—Jamie Schirm-Dexter—Bo Hunter-Saint Anthony—Jennifer Hulin-Marshalltown—Josh Saunders-Newton—Dustin Elliott-Marshalltown—Nick Murty-Chelsea—Scott Durlin-State Center—Michael Vibbard-Marshalltown—Adam Rickett-Marshalltown—Luke Wanninger-Jefferson—Matt Brown-Des Moines—Josh Bly-Tama—Gene Nicklas-Grinnell—Jeff Gunderson-Liscomb—Brad Bartling-Tama—Bill Neasham-Marshalltown—Phil Morrison-Tama—Joe Bown-Marshalltown


DWARF CARS SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP RACE:

FEATURE: Tim Hennigar-Clarion—Mike Morrill-Altoona—Mike Kennedy-Boone—Jeff Stensland-Nevada—Andy Hennigar-Ankeny—Mike Thomas-Des Moines—Duane Coffman-Grimes—Dusty Masolini-Des Moines—Craig Schrader-Story City—Johnny Mordock-Creston—Nathan Hovick-Roland—Ron Bergmann-Grimes—Michael Thomas-Des Moines—David Schmalzried-Colo—Terry Brown-Marshalltown—Gale Worthington-Story City—Randy Bryan-Ames—Eric Hendrickson-Pleasant Hill—Travis Tinken-Story City—Charlie Brown-Nevada



HOBBY STOCK KING OF THE HILL: Luke Wanninger-Jefferson

KING OF THE SPEEDWAY 2007: Jason Mallicoat-Boone

NOSTALGIA STOCK CAR CLUB OF IOWA:

HEAT RACE: John Schroyer-Laurel—Bob Bonzer-Liscomb—Jim Klipping-Cedar Rapids

FEATURE: Chuck Anderson-Legrand—John Schroyer-Laurel—Jim Clayton-Brooklyn—Bob Bonzer-Liscomb—Jim Klipping-Cedar Rapids—Ben Holt-Center Point—Bill Meier-Cedar Rapids—Mark Holt-Marion