| Driver Profiles | Photos | Racing Links | |
| Discussion Board | Live Chat | News Archives | Advertising |
| Weather |
 |
Excitement Abounds on Opening Night of “Thunder on The Plains” at McCook Speedway By Darin Racek McCOOK, NE (June 20) - The night was full of exciting racing, wild crashes, and some big time explosions at McCook Speedway June 20 for the opening night of Thunder on the Plains. Cars and fans from the three state area were on hand for the entertainment and adventure. At the end of the night, Nick Tubbs of Colby, Kan., Zach Schultz of North Platte, Austin Davis of Benkelman, Max Pollmann of Trenton, and Dalton Dolan of Oberlin, Kan. were the fortunate ones who were the winners of the exciting racing. The first seventeen laps of the IMCA Modified A Feature went caution-free, and heat winner Nick Tubbs had the field covered. However, that was when the lone caution came out, moving Jay Steffens of North Platte and Jeremy Frenier of Fort Morgan, Colo. on his back bumper. On the restart, Tubbs and Steffens went back to the high line they were running. Frenier was on the low side of the track, and picked off Steffens on lap eighteen. When the cars came to take the white flag, Frenier had taken the lead. On corner two of the last lap, Frenier spun his tires a little too much out of corner two, allowing Tubbs to come back around on the high side. The cars were virtually side-by-side from there to the finish line, where Tubbs had the advantage by two feet. Jay Steffens finished in third place, followed by Brandon Hagan of McCook and his father Don Hagan. Don was also an IMCA Modified heat race winner. After the races, as Steffens left the track, the axle broke on his trailer causing a loud boom. No one was injured, but as of writing time, the trailer was still where it was left Friday night. It looked as though there might be a new winner in the IMCA Stock Car division. Larry Pollmann of McCook took the lead from Dave Plowman of Gretna before the half way point, and had a steady lead over cash dash winner Zach Schultz when a rash of cautions hit lap thirteen, bunching up the field. When racing resumed, Schultz was able to drive underneath Pollmann and drive off with the victory. Pollmann still notched his Stock Car-best second place. Casey Werkmeister of Maywood was followed by his brother Kyle to the finish line for third and fourth places. Bob Chalupa of McCook finished in fifth place. Plowman and Brandon Clough of Wallace took the heat races. Carnage took it’s toll during the IMCA Hobby Stock A Feature, as nearly half of the field was crashed or blown up by the end of the race. Michael Brunswig of Benkelman was leading the race when his drive shaft came out, digging into the track, and making him go for a while barrel roll. He got out of the car very quickly. Later in the race, Jim Buss of Blue Hill disintegrated a transmission on the front stretch, leaving parts and oil from the front stretch to where his car rested in the pits. Austin Davis was the one who rolled the previous week, but this week, he rolled his car to the lead, and then rolled on for the feature win. Leland Stute of Benkelman took second place, ahead of his future son-in-law Hans Houfek of Emerson. Kyle Bond from Kearney came down and finished in fourth place. Allen Wissmann of Bertrand came home fifth. Brunswig and Aaron Koch of Cambridge were the winners of the Hobby Stock Heat races. Max Pollmann won the Classic Modified heat races and A Feature, but had some challenges. In the heat race, his little brother (in age) Alex paced the race until Max found a way by with two laps to go. In the A Feature, Devin Allen of Culbertson brought his car out of the flower garden, and it had plenty of spunk. He was able to stay with Max, and let Max he was there a couple of times, but was unable to put his car in the win column. Rick Touslee of Oberlin, Kan. finished in third place, ahead of Alex Pollmann and Imperial driver Billy Aeby. Dalton Dolan kept his A Feature win streak at McCook Speedway perfect for the year, as he captured the down-and-dirty Mini-Truck A Feature. On the opening lap, Royal Fisher of Oberlin, Kan., and Alex Runge of Paxton somehow found themselves buried in the mud on corner two. The trucks spent several laps working in the mud and water that splashed on the track. Before the race restarted, Dennis Wasson of Lebanon somehow rolled his truck onto it’s side. After it was placed on it’s wheels, he actually continued the race, actually passing his dad Bud late in the race to finish in fifth place. Mitch Hamilton of McCook started dead last in the A Feature, coming to the track from his sister’s wedding reception to run only that race. He motored through the field to finish in second place. Fisher’s dirty truck took home third place, and Delbert Ridenour of Culbertson’s Silver Bullet Dirt Rocket was fourth. The second night of Thunder on The Plains is Saturday, June 21. The SportMods will join the classes running that night. The IMCA Modifieds will run for $750 to win. The gates open at 5 PM, and the races will start at 7 PM, Central Time. June 20 results IMCA Modifieds Heat 1 94H-Don Hagan, Jr. 21H-Brandon Hagan 17J-Jeremy Frenier Heat 2 737-Nick Tubbs 12J-Jay Steffens 3RW-Ronnie Wallace A Feature 737-Nick Tubbs 17J-Jeremy Frenier 12J-Jay Steffens 21H-Brandon Hagan 94H-Don Hagan, Jr. 3RW-Ronnie Wallace 3-John Huffmann 19-Chuck Stryker 20K-Kyle Clough 10T-Todd Hartley 5-Jeff Meeker (DNF) 23-Royce Clapp (DNF) 42-John Fabrizius (DNF) IMCA Stock Cars Heat 1 P42-Dave Plowman 55Z-Zach Schultz 32-Lloyd Meeske Heat 2 20B-Brandon Clough 413-Larry Pollmann 24-Bob Chalupa Cash Dash 55Z-Zach Schultz A Feature 55Z-Zach Schultz 413-Larry Pollmann 24W-Casey Werkmeister 42W-Kyle Werkmeister 24-Bob Chalupa 5S-Shane Stout 32B-Jason Bieker 42P-Dave Plowman (DNF) 74KO-Jason Koch (DNF) 20B-Brandon Clough (DNF) 32-Lloyd Meeske (DNF) IMCA Hobby Stock Heat 1 32M-Michael Brunswig 2AW-Allen Wissmann 8C-Corey Cruzan Heat 2 70KO-Aaron Koch 12-Jim Buss 3L-Leland Stute A Feature 22-Austin Davis 3L-Leland Stute 59-Hans Houfek 0-Kyle Bond 2AW-Allen Wissmann 34-Josh Bopp 12-Jim Buss (DNF) 32M-Michael Brunswig (DNF) 70KO-Aaron Koch (DNF) 33-Richard Boon (DNF) 8C-Corey Cruzan (DNF) Clasic Modified Heat 1 P82-Max Pollmann P83-Alex Pollmann 26RT-Rick Touslee A Feature P82-Max Pollmann 41A-Devin Allen 26RT-Rick Touslee P83-Alex Pollmann 711-Billy Aeby 2-Trent Jollensten (DNS) Mini-Trucks Heat 1 3D-Dalton Dolan 14F-Royal Fisher 54-Dennis Wasson A Feature 3D-Dalton Dolan 33-Mitch Hamilton 14F-Royal Fisher 69-Delbert Ridenour 54-Dennis Wasson 75-Bud Wasson 13-Tregg Reiss 28-Alex Silos 12JX-Alex Runge (DNF) |