By Greg Soukup
Friday was to have been a practice night to allow time for participants in the IMCA Racesaver Nationals to get acclimated to the high banks of Eagle Raceway, but that evil deity Mother Nature decided to gift us with her liquid sunshine. That caused the Eagle officials to call off the night’s events.
But Friday saw a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and lots of race teams in the pits just waiting to put on a show for the fans and attempt to lock themselves into the inside 9 rows of Sunday’s Big Dance.
In all 106 sprints filled the pits along with 21 IMCA Hobby Stocks. How many other tracks can claim that for a car count? A total of 14 heats and 8 features resulted and how many fans wouldn’t be thrilled to be treated to so much dirt track action in 1 night?
There were a few incidents in the preliminary action. In heat 5 for the IMCA Racesaver Sprints Joshua Lewis went up and over going into turn 1, ending up flipping the 23L up over the wall. Heat 9 saw Chris Graf’s 24G got too high coming out of turn 4 on lap 1 and hit the wall sending him flipping. Then in the first C Feature Mike Boston’s 51 flipped up and over the Armco wall in turn 1, hit the catch fence and ended up on its top wing. None of the drivers were seriously injured but a couple of people who were standing on the inside of the fence were checked out by the Four Corners Fire & Safety crew and were fine.
Lap1 of the IMCA Racesaver Sprint Car A Feature saw Billy Alley in the 7C and the 03 of Shayle Bade make contact in turns 1 and 2 with Alley spinning and causing the cars behind him to bunch up. The 31Z of Zach Rhodes then made contact with Koby Werkmeister’s 31, sending Rhodes flipping. Rhodes’ car was pushed to the pits while Alley drove to the pits for repair and rejoined the field. The restart saw the #5 of Stu Snyder’s right rear wheel hop the left front of the 74B of Jake Bubak, destroying the front end. Bubak went pit side on the hook. When a lap was finally completed Michalob Voeltz’s 23V, the 30 of Matt Johnson, Trevor Grossenbacher in the 35 and the 88R of Ryder Laplante were the top 4. Johnson passed Voeltz for the lead on lap 2 and Jason Danley put the 4XX into fourth. Voeltz slowed dramatically on lap 4 and headed to the infield, moving Grossenbacher up to second, Danley to third and Laplante back up to fourth. Gunnar Pike passed Laplante on lap 8 to take over the fourth position in his #25. Johnson hit the front stretch wall hard the next time around and ended up rolling over, moving everyone up one spot with Grossenbacher taking over the lead, Danley second, Pike third and Laplante regaining the fourth spot. The restart saw Brady Donnahue pass Laplante on the restart to put the 34DD into fourth. The next lap Kolby Weaver’s 5W jumped the cushion and hit the wall in turns 1 and 2. He was pushed off and rejoined the field. Donnahue got past Pike for third on lap 11. Pike jumped up to the second spot with 4 to go but lost the spot back to Donnahue on the final lap. That made the top 4 Grossenbacher, Donnahue, Pike and Danley. Donnahue was disqualified in post-race tech for being too light, moving Cole Wayman’s 18W into fourth. Also making the transfer to the Big Dance on Sunday where they will fill out the inside 9 spots for the 3-wide start are Laplante, Chase Brewer, Gene Ackland , Cody Ledger and Trevor Serbus.
I kidded Trevor that he reminded me of a driver who used to race at Midwest Speedway back in the 40’s whose name was similar to his and drove a silver #6. He said “Steve Grossenbacher (His father)?” with a smile. He continued stating “We had a really good car tonight, thanks to my crew and my Dad. It was almost perfect. I was running the bottom but when we got to lapped traffic I figured that I had to move to the top. I saw a couple of other cars running there so I had a dilemma. Do I stay on the bottom and wait for someone to pass me or go to the top and worry about those cars? I was running so well on the bottom of 1 and 2 and super good on top of 3 and 4. This is amazing that we made the A Main Sunday, but after the redraw we have to start inside row 8. I know we can do it; we just have to be patient and go”. Trevor’s sponsors include Ron Fox Motorsports, Silver Ridge, WC’s, Gregg Masonry, Cornhusker Heating and Air, Husker Diesel, Speedway Motors, Star’s Raymono’s Pizza, Stop ‘N Shop and Stewart Alley Memorial.
Dan Markham’s 6, the 11 of Eric Chab, Robert Salts in the 10-4 and the 65 of Brad Burhenne were the first four back to the flag stand on lap 1 of the Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stock Feature. Neil Pella passed Burhenne and Salts on lap 2, putting the 3N into third. Brad Schreiner cracked the top 4 the next lap in the 10X. Khrysta Stransky’s 39 and the 6M of Michael McIntire spun out in turn 4 the next time around for a caution. Adam Armstrong put the 32A into fourth on lap6, moved up to third the next lap and took over the second spot the following time around. Brad Schreiner cracked the top 4 again with 8 to go. Schreiner took over third with 6 to go but the pass was negated when McIntire spun out in turn 4. Just 5 laps were left when Schreiner completed the pass to advance to third as Armstrong took over the lead. The yellow lights were lit in the corners with 2 to go when the 94 of Trevor Frisch spun in turn 4 for another caution. From there to the checkers the top 4 remained unchanged with Armstrong, Markham, Schreiner and Chab your top 4.
Adam is well known for driving an IMCA Sportmod at local tracks, including Eagle Raceway, so I asked him “What’s with the hobby stock” to which he replied “Well, sportmods are getting a little too expensive for my racing budget so I posted on Facebook Marketplace that I was interested in trading my sportmod for a hobby stock. Spencer Pavey asked me “Why not just drive my car and you can keep your sportmod”? So, that’s what we’ve been doing the past couple of months, I’ve been driving his hobby stock and that allows me to stay in the game and run some sportmod stuff. I love the sportmods, I love the challenge of the setup but it’s just that the cost is just getting too high for me. And, the hobbies, that’s a whole other challenge. This is just my fifth night in Spencer’s car and we’ve finally put it all together and had a good clean night tonight. These hobbies are no cake walk; it’s tough! It’s a really tough class. You strap into the car and you’ve got what you’ve got. Tonight was a lot of fun. I just wish Dad could have run the feature but unfortunately his motor blew up. That’s the way it always is, we can’t both have good nights the same night. Unfortunately, it was his bad night and my good night”. Adam’s sponsors include S&L Trenching, Matrix Underground, Patriot Plumbing, Party Inflators and Tomahawk Trailers.
The final event of the evening was the qualifying heats for the BlueMax Pay Race of Champions. In heat 3 Justin Fifield got loose coming out of turn 4 and hit the front stretch wall sending him flipping. Your heat race winners were Jake Bubak, John Carney II, Shayle Bade, Tyler Drueke and Kevin Ramey.
Tonight is night 2 of the 2024 IMCA Racesaver Nationals. Front gates open at 4:30 and admission is just $20, youths 6-12 are $5 and kids 5 and under are free. Hot laps start at 5:00 with racing at 6:00.
Pit gates open at 3 PM with pit passes costing $35.
Tonight will set up the middle 9 spots for the A Feature tomorrow.
RESULTS:
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint A-Feature
1. Trevor Grossenbacher Panama, Ne. 2. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 3. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 4. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 5. Ryder Laplante Calera, Ok. 6. Chase Brewer Waxahachie, Tx. 7. Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 8. Cody Ledger Omaha, Ne. 9. Trevor Serbus Olivia, Mn. 10. Shayle Bade Raymond, Ne. 11. Dj Estes Ft Worth, Tx. 12. Tige Jensen Lincoln, Ne. 13. Stuart Snyder Lincoln, Ne. 14. Koby Werkmeister Armour, Sd. 15. Kolby Weaver Everett, Pa. 16. Brody Brown Lawton, Ok. 17. Taylor Velasquez Turpin, Ok. 18. Gaige Weldon 19. Matt Johnson Saint Peter, Mn. 20. Billy Alley Bennet, Ne. 21. Michalob Voeltz Madison, Sd. 22. Jake Bubak Lincoln, Ne. 23. Zach Rhodes Mcveytown, Pa. DQ. Brady Donnahue
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint B-Feature 1
1. Jake Bubak Lincoln, Ne. 2. Taylor Velasquez Turpin, Ok. 3. Trevor Serbus Olivia, Mn. 4. Zach Rhodes Mcveytown, Pa. 5. Koby Werkmeister Armour, Sd. 6. John Carney Amarillo, Tx. 7. Joey Danley Martell, Ne. 8. Ethan Barrow Bloomington, In. 9. Dusty Ballenger Harrisburg, Sd. 10. Carson Bolden Quinlan, Tx. 11. Tyler Hendrickson(r) Lincoln, Ne. 12. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 13. Jake Galusha Bennet, Ne. 14. Nick Barger Madison, Sd. 15. Corby Scherb Decatur, Tx. 16. Jeremy Huish Ness City, Ks. 17. Bret Klabunde Omaha, Ne. 18. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint B-Feature 2
1. Brody Brown Lawton, Ok. 2. Billy Alley Bennet, Ne. 3. Dj Estes Ft Worth, Tx. 4. Stuart Snyder Lincoln, Ne. 5. Cody Ledger Omaha, Ne. 6. Brandon Bosma Rock Rapids, Ia. 7. Jacob Harris Vidor, Tx. 8. Kasey Weaver Everett, Pa. 9. Jeb Sessums Cleburne, Tx. 10. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 11. Cole Garner Sioux Falls, Sd. 12. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 13. Justin Fifield Mesquite, Tx. 14. Cade Richards Lincoln, Ne. 15. Mike Moore Des Moines, Ia. 16. Steven Richardson Liberal, Ks. 17. Tanner Anderson Wynot, Ne. 18. Kevin Ramey Fort Worth, Tx.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint C-Feature 1
1. Carson Bolden Quinlan, Tx. 2. Nick Barger Madison, Sd. 3. Jeremy Huish Ness City, Ks. 4. Bret Klabunde Omaha, Ne. 5. Dylan Ramey Fort Worth, Tx. 6. Conner Thomas Post, Tx. 7. Maverick Elkins Bryan, Tx. 8. Colby Estes Mansfield, Tx. 9. Kevin Rutherford Flowermound, Tx. 10. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 11. Carter Holt(r) Bonner Springs, Ks. 12. Bradley Galedrige Greenwood, In. 13. Philip Heynen Visalia, Ca. 14. Rick Hansen Omaha, Ne. 15. Glenn Worrell Powhatan, Va. 16. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. 17. Sean Jordan Lumberton, Tx. 18. Daniel Estes Sr Mansfield, Tx.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint C-Feature 2
1. Brandon Bosma Rock Rapids, Ia. 2. Justin Fifield Mesquite, Tx. 3. Kasey Weaver Everett, Pa. 4. Cade Richards Lincoln, Ne. 5. Chad Wilson North Richland Hills, Tx. 6. Dewayne White Byhalia, Ms. 7. Bayley Ballenger Harrisburg, Sd. 8. Chad Koch Murdock, Ne. 9. Nathan Weiler Omaha, Ne. 10. Claud Estes Godley, Tx. 11. Jack Hall Yukon, Ok. 12. Brandon Horton Waterloo, Ne. 13. Chase Weiler Lincoln, Ne. 14. Alex Salzman Lincoln, Ne. 15. Dean Barnes Zionsville, In. 16. Tyler Harris Vidor, Tx. 17. Bill Johnson St. Peter, Mn. 18. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint D-Feature 1
1. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. 2. Sean Jordan Lumberton, Tx. 3. Bradley Galedrige Greenwood, In. 4. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 5. Justin Bolte Fremont, Ne. 6. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 7. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 8. John Klabunde Fort Calhoun, Ne. 9. Jeremy Schultz Stewart, Mn. 10. Daren Bolac Moyock, Nc. 11. Ty Ledger Omaha, Ne. 12. Ryan Navratil Altoona, Ia. 13. Brandon Rekow Ellendale, Nd. 14. Jackson Weber Dell Rapids, Sd. 15. Taylor Courtney Fort Worth, Tx. 16. Jack Thomas Bates City, Mo. 17. Daniel Nekolite O`neill, Ne. DNS. Owen Carlson Somerset, Wi.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint D-Feature 2
1. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 2. Dean Barnes Zionsville, In. 3. Bill Johnson St. Peter, Mn. 4. Brandon Horton Waterloo, Ne. 5. Austin Burkham Mansfield, Tx. 6.
Junior Jenkins Greenville, Tx. 7. Kruz Kepner Middleburg, Pa. 9. Heath Nestrick Caddo Mills, Tx. 10. Bill Garrow Lincoln, Ne. 11. Dwight Carter Lincoln, Ne. 12. Dylan Waxdahl Hartford, Sd. 13. Michael Oliver San Antonio, Tx. 14. Cole Vanderheiden Papillion, Ne. DNS. Steve Hurst Fremont, Ne. DNS. Chris Graf Glencoe, Mn. DNS. Kyra Weber Dell Rapids, Sd. DNS. Jacob Dye Albany, Mo. DNS. Joshua Lewis Shawnee, Ok.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 1
1. Matt Johnson Saint Peter, Mn. 2. Brody Brown Lawton, Ok. 3. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne. 4. Carson Bolden Quinlan, Tx. 5. Colby Estes Mansfield, Tx. 6. Bradley Galedrige Greenwood, In. 7. Junior Jenkins Greenville, Tx. 8. John Klabunde Fort Calhoun, Ne.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 10
1. Ryder Laplante Calera, Ok. 2. Billy Alley Bennet, Ne. 3. Tanner Anderson Wynot, Ne. 4. Daniel Estes Sr Mansfield, Tx. 5. Philip Heynen Visalia, Ca. 6. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. 7. Owen Carlson Somerset, Wi.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 11
1. Trevor Grossenbacher Panama, Ne. 2. Trevor Serbus Olivia, Mn. 3. Corby Scherb Decatur, Tx. 4. Jack Hall Yukon, Ok. 5. Carter Holt(r) Bonner Springs, Ks. 6. Brandon Horton Waterloo, Ne. 7. Cole Vanderheiden Papillion, Ne.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 12
1. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 2. Zach Rhodes Mcveytown, Pa. 3. Jeb Sessums Cleburne, Tx. 4. Bayley Ballenger Harrisburg, Sd. 5. Claud Estes Godley, Tx. 6. Michael Oliver San Antonio, Tx. 7. Dwight Carter Lincoln, Ne.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 13
1. Shayle Bade Raymond, Ne. 2. Dj Estes Ft Worth, Tx. 3. Tyler Hendrickson(r) Lincoln, Ne. 4. Conner Thomas Post, Tx. 5. Dewayne White Byhalia, Ms. 6. Steve Hurst Fremont, Ne. 7. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 14
1. Chase Brewer Waxahachie, Tx. 2. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 3. Mike Moore Des Moines, Ia. 4. Kasey Weaver Everett, Pa. 5. Glenn Worrell Powhatan, Va. 6. Bill Garrow Lincoln, Ne. 7. Bill Johnson St. Peter, Mn.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 2
1. Gaige Weldon 2. Taylor Velasquez Turpin, Ok. 3. Dusty Ballenger Harrisburg, Sd. 4. Bret Klabunde Omaha, Ne. 5. Rick Hansen Omaha, Ne. 6. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 7. Ty Ledger Omaha, Ne. DNS. Kruz Kepner Middleburg, Pa.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 3
1. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 2. Jake Bubak Lincoln, Ne. 3. Cole Garner Sioux Falls, Sd. 4. Nick Barger Madison, Sd. 5. Chad Koch Murdock, Ne. 6. Daren Bolac Moyock, Nc. 7. Kyra Weber Dell Rapids, Sd. 8. Heath Nestrick Caddo Mills, Tx.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 4
1. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 2. Jake Galusha Bennet, Ne. 3. Cody Ledger Omaha, Ne. 4. Jeremy Huish Ness City, Ks. 5. Kevin Rutherford Flowermound, Tx. 6. Justin Bolte Fremont, Ne. 7. Jeremy Schultz Stewart, Mn. 8. Brandon Rekow Ellendale, Nd.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 5
1. Kolby Weaver Everett, Pa. 2. Jacob Harris Vidor, Tx. 3. John Carney Amarillo, Tx. 4. Brandon Bosma Rock Rapids, Ia. 5. Maverick Elkins Bryan, Tx. 6. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 7. Ryan Navratil Altoona, Ia. 8. Joshua Lewis Shawnee, Ok.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 6
1. Brady Donnahue 2. Ethan Barrow Bloomington, In. 3. Joey Danley Martell, Ne. 4. Dylan Ramey Fort Worth, Tx. 5. Chad Wilson North Richland Hills, Tx. 6. Dylan Waxdahl Hartford, Sd. 7. Austin Burkham Mansfield, Tx. 8. Daniel Nekolite O`neill, Ne.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 7
1. Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 2. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 3. Kevin Ramey Fort Worth, Tx. 4. Nathan Weiler Omaha, Ne. 5. Alex Salzman Lincoln, Ne. 6. Dean Barnes Zionsville, In. 7. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 8. Jacob Dye Albany, Mo.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 8
1. Michalob Voeltz Madison, Sd. 2. Steven Richardson Liberal, Ks. 3. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 4. Justin Fifield Mesquite, Tx. 5. Chase Weiler Lincoln, Ne. 6. Sean Jordan Lumberton, Tx. 7. Jackson Weber Dell Rapids, Sd. 8. Jack Thomas Bates City, Mo.
RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Heat 9
1. Tige Jensen Lincoln, Ne. 2. Koby Werkmeister Armour, Sd. 3. Stuart Snyder Lincoln, Ne. 4. Cade Richards Lincoln, Ne. 5. Tyler Harris Vidor, Tx. 6. Taylor Courtney Fort Worth, Tx. 7. Chris Graf Glencoe, Mn.
ROC Sprint Heat 1
1. Jake Bubak Lincoln, Ne. 2. Carson Bolden Quinlan, Tx. 3. Chase Brewer Waxahachie, Tx. 4. Steven Richardson Liberal, Ks. 5. Philip Heynen Visalia, Ca. 6. Daren Bolac Moyock, Nc. 7. Dean Barnes Zionsville, In. 8. Kruz Kepner Middleburg, Pa. DNS. Dusty Ballenger Harrisburg, Sd. DNS. Koby Werkmeister Armour, Sd.
ROC Sprint Heat 2
1. John Carney Amarillo, Tx. 2. Jacob Harris Vidor, Tx. 3. Chad Wilson North Richland Hills, Tx. 4. Brady Donnahue 5. Joey Danley Martell, Ne. 6. Jeremy Huish Ness City, Ks. 7. Bill Johnson St. Peter, Mn. 8. Mike Moore Des Moines, Ia. DNS. Zach Rhodes Mcveytown, Pa.
ROC Sprint Heat 3
1. Shayle Bade Raymond, Ne. 2. Cole Vanderheiden Papillion, Ne. 3. Corby Scherb Decatur, Tx. 4. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 5. Nick Barger Madison, Sd. 6. Daniel Nekolite O`neill, Ne. 7. Claud Estes Godley, Tx. 8. Justin Fifield Mesquite, Tx. DNS. Chris Graf Glencoe, Mn.
ROC Sprint Heat 4
1. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 2. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 3. Dwight Carter Lincoln, Ne. 4. Michael Oliver San Antonio, Tx. 5. Tyler Harris Vidor, Tx. DNS. Matt Johnson Saint Peter, Mn. DNS. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. DNS. Stuart Snyder Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Trevor Serbus Olivia, Mn.
ROC Sprint Heat 5
1. Kevin Ramey Fort Worth, Tx. 2. Ethan Barrow Bloomington, In. 3. Dylan Waxdahl Hartford, Sd. 4. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 5. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 6. Jeb Sessums Cleburne, Tx. DNS. Brandon Bosma Rock Rapids, Ia. DNS. Jack Thomas Bates City, Mo.