Eagle Raceway 8/18/18

Saturday night at Eagle Raceway saw Rotella’s present High Stakes Showdown. Beautiful weather, a great crowd and lots of racing on the high banks made for a great evening. With just 2 weeks left in the regular season, the points races are heating up and that became even more obvious after racing finished for the night.

All racing leading up to the features went by without significant problems.

The Hoosier Racing Tire IMCA Sportmod feature’s first circuit had Jason Harms’ 6H, the 10 of Bradley Schreiner, Bobby Draper in the 62 and Dion Kovar’s 18 out front.  Draper moved to second on lap 2 with Kovar also passing Schreiner for third. Gunnar Pike put the #25 into fourth the next time around. Joe Schidler’s K00 jumped into third after another lap with Pike holding fourth. Pike passed Schidler the next lap and moved to second on lap 8. With 6 circuits remaining Schreiner and the 66 of Trevor Noonan spun in turn 4. Gary Saathoff moved his #96 into fourth on the restart. Shawn Davis’ 88X went up in smoke with just 2 laps left. Pike snagged the lead on the restart. Saathoff took over third the next lap and the final circuit saw Joe Feyen’s 25X take the fourth spot. The final top 4 were Pike, Harms, Saathoff and Feyen.

This was Pike’s second victory on the season in 2018. “That was interesting. I started fifth row inside and just rolled the bottom. This is just the second night on this car and I wasn’t expecting much. We got it set up just right and it’s a rocket right now. After that big wreck we had I was just planning on running my A Mod in specials, but we got an opportunity with a guy; this is his whole set-up. So, we went from a bare frame to winning in just 3 days. It’s just really fast, so I can’t complain. I want to thank my Mom and Dad, my girlfriend and my pit guy Anthony” said Pike. Pike’s sponsors include Larson Motors, Prevention Health Care, Speedway Shocks and Afco.

The Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stock Feature saw Brint Lemke lead lap 1 in the 26L with Ryan Gilland in the 46, Tyler Jackson’s 13T and Brooke Fluckiger in the 2B rounding out the top 4. The yellow lights came on in the corners on lap 2 for debris on the track. David Carter passed Fluckiger on lap 5 to put the 2C into fourth. Carter got past Jackson for third the next time around. Roy Armstrong put the 6R into fourth with 8 to go. Gilland passed Lemke with 2 laps remaining but lost the spot back to Lemke the last time around making the top 4 Lemke, Gilland, Carter and Armstrong.

This was Lemke’s first victory at Eagle Raceway in this, his tenth year in racing.  The feature saw him take off from the fourth spot on the starting grid. “I love Eagle Raceway. We tried racing a Sportmod last year and we just decided to go back to racing a hobby stock. We got to the front pretty fast and then the 12 lost it. We just tried to hold our line and it worked out tonight. I want to than my wife and kids for their support and my brother has helped me out more than I can thank him for. Nick Beckman, Don Hall and Tyler Jackson have all also helped me a lot this yea” related Lemke. Lemke’s sponsors include Marget Motorsports, Jet Racing, Extreme Decals and Shawn Slezak Carburetors.

The first lap of the Runner Freight IMCA Modified Feature saw 2 cars spin out in turns 3 and 4, collecting another racer who could not avoid the mess. The yellow flag was brought out slowing the action. Bob Ruisinger’s 7, the 21H of Shane Hiatt, Trevor Baker’s 25! And the 96 of Jaxon Saathoff were the top 4 when a lap was officially in the books. Aaron Pella’s 3A and the 1Z of Norm Ziegenbein got together in turns 1 and 2 on lap 2 for another caution. On the restart Baker and Ruisinger got tangled together with Baker ending up on top of Ruisinger. A long time was taken to separate the two racers. That made the top 4 Hiatt, Saathoff, Jordan Grabouski in the 30 an the 5S of Bob Zoubek. At that time the racers and the crowd were advised that due to the time limit of 20 minutes per lap in the feature that the next yellow or red flag would conclude the action. Grabouski took over second on the restart. Zoubek passed Saathoff 2 laps later but Brandon Verbeek’s 4B stopped on the front stretch. That caused the race to be called on time with the top 4 being Hiatt, Grabouski, Saathoff and Zoubek.

This was #2 on the year for Shane. Hiatt stated “I hate to win a feature like that, but I felt like we had a good car. I think that Jordan and I were the two fastest cars, and I would have liked to have found out how it would have turned out. Whatever would have happened, I feel like we would have been right up there. I have to say hats off to Roger Hadan for an awesome track! This is probably the best track that we’ve had all year. I know that he’s been trying really hard to make it better for us and he hit a home run tonight!”. Hiatt’s sponsors include BSB Manufacturing, Knuth Farms, Anderson North Collision Center, Mad Max Motorsports, Speedway Crate Engines, Dynamic Drivelines, CPD Shocks, D-Sign Shoppe, Billy’s Bar, Shelby Hotel, J & J Motorsports, Mook Trucking, Skytop Towers, Dominator Race Products and Rerucha Ag and Auto Supply.

Brad Gallagher’s 26X, the 23 of Tyler Masek, Michelle Nicholson in the 88 and the 55 of Adam Reifler led the field after the first circuit in the ATV Motorsports IMCA Sport Compact A Feature. Fred Johnson’s 69 stopped on the front stretch on lap 2 for a caution period. Nicholson went to the pits during the slowing of the action, putting the 52D of Devin Bruce in fourth and moving Reifler to third. Justin Callender put his 13BS into fourth on the restart and moved to third the next time around and took over second after another circuit with Reifler third and Steffen Oaks fourth in the 17. There were 10 laps left when Oaks moved to third. 2 laps later Oaks moved up to second with Josh Young’s 13J advancing to fourth. Oaks slowed with 6 to go. Bruce made hard contact with the front stretch wall as the field slowed to avoid Oaks and the caution flag flew again. At that point it was Gallagher, Callender, Young and Reifler. Callender and Young both passed Gallagher on the restart. The next circuit saw Shawn Hein’s 5H move up to fourth, but Hein went extremely high the next lap and hit the turn 4 wall. The caution period put RJ Maas’ 88K fourth. Maas slowed on the restart, moving Tim Horsham’s 3 into fourth, making the final top 4 Callender, Young, Gallagher and Horsham.

Callender could not be located for an interview.

Austin McLean’s 83 led the initial circuit of the Racesaver IMCA Sprint Car A Main with Chase Weiler’s 0, the 62 of Tim Fricke and the21 of Ryan Kitchen hot on his tail tank. Kitchen jumped up to second on lap 2. Mike Boston moved the 51 into fourth on lap 3 and advanced to third the next lap. Kitchen passed McLean after another circuit to take the lead, but Matt Richards’ 1R spun in turns 1 and 2. Adam Gullion moved the 91 into fourth on the restart and took over third on lap 7. Gullion passed Kitchen for second on lap 14 but was put back to third when the red lights were lit for a crash in turn 3. Shon Pointer had made extremely hard contact with the large implement tire that guards the back pit entrance. Pointer was finally extracted and walked to the ambulance to be examined. Josh Riggins’ 14J was caught up in the mess and was towed to the pits. At that time, it was McLean, Kitchen, Gullion and Boston the top 4. Jason Danley took the fourth position on the restart in the 4X. Boston and Danley made contact the next lap and both spun out. That put the 93 of Ryan King into fourth. Doug Lovegrove passed King a lap after the restart in the #1. Gullion snagged the lead the next lap when McLean hit the wall in turns 3 and 4 and brought out another caution. At that time, it was Gullion, Kitchen, Lovegrove and King. On the restart Joey Danley put the 14 into fourth and took over the third position the next lap. The final top 4 were Gullion, Kitchen, Lovegrove and the 100 of Clint Benson who moved to fourth in the last 2 laps.

This victory, after starting 11^th, made Gullion just the third multi-time winner on the 2018 regular season at Eagle Raceway. He said “Austin was really running good. Honestly, I think he was better than us. He could roll the top in 1 and 2 better than we could. We were having an issue trying to get through there. I was trying to cowboy up too much. I was really costing myself a lot of speed in the middle of the apex, because it was pushing the front end. Later in the race I moved down a little bit and that really helped me through. There was some left rear rubber getting laid down late in the race in 3 and 4, and that made me able to make some speed through there. The stars lined up for us tonight. The last 6 or 7 weeks we’ve had a really, really good run wherever we’ve gone. We’ve had to do very little to the race car because we’ve found a sweet spot and we’re not very far off from that lately. Any time you can give me a cushion up on the wall I’m a happy guy. I love running the cushion at this place. It’s near and dear to my heart because I’ve been doing it for a long time. Sometimes I just LOVE watching people shake their heads in disbelief when we do that. I still get my adrenalin going running the top. It’s just a fine art. You’ve got to be brave and bold, but you have to be meticulous too” stated Gullion. Gullion’s sponsors include Walker Performance, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Maxim, Weld Wheels, Filley Custom Powder Coating, Cheetah Racing Engines, Pro Shocks, Speedway Shock Technology, Butler, Simpson and PT Steering Gear Service.

Next weekend is the regular season finale at Eagle Raceway when the Nebraska Lottery presents Fold ‘Em Finale and Prelude to the RaceSaver IMCA Nationals. All of the points champions will be crowned. There are hotly contested battles in each of the classes, so you won’t want to miss a minute of the action.

Blinky the Clown will be there from 5:30 to 7:30 for the young fans. The evening’s 50/50 raffle will benefit Blue Star Moms.

Front gates open at 5:15 with hot laps at 5:30 and racing at 6:30. Adult and youths 6-12 are just $5 and children 5 and under are free. Those 55 and older receive free front gate admission.

The Racesaver Sprint Cars, Runner Freight Modifieds, Hoosier Racing Tire Sport Modifieds, Valentino’s Hobby Stocks and ATV Motorsports Sport Compacts will all be in competition.

Pit gates open at 4 P.M. with pit passes costing $25.

RESULTS:

IMCA Hobby Stock A-Feature 1. Brint Lemke Lincoln, Ne. 2. Ryan Gilland Sterling, Ne. 3. David Carter Fremont, Ne. 4. Roy Armstrong Beatrice, Ne. 5. Jeff Ware Columbus, Ne. 6. Tyler Jackson Lincoln, Ne. 7. Brooke Fluckiger(r) Columbus, Ne. 8. Albert Kiihne Lincoln, Ne. 9. Tyler Saathoff Holland, Ne. 10. Mark McKinney Omaha, Ne. 11. Brett Saathoff Lincoln, Ne. 12. Casey Moyer Auburn, Ne. 13. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 14. Michael Wade Dorchester, Ne. 15. Khrysta Stransky Lincoln, Ne. 16. Tanner Dowty Fremont, Ne. 17. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 18. Anthony Petersen Brock, Ne. 19. Chantel Bade Lincoln, Ne.

IMCA Hobby Stock Heat 1 1. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 2. Ryan Gilland Sterling, Ne. 3. Jeff Ware Columbus, Ne. 4. Brooke Fluckiger(r) Columbus, Ne. 5. Brett Saathoff Lincoln, Ne. 6. Khrysta Stransky Lincoln, Ne. 7. Chantel Bade Lincoln, Ne.

IMCA Hobby Stock Heat 2 1. Tyler Jackson Lincoln, Ne. 2. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 3. Brint Lemke Lincoln, Ne. 4. Mark McKinney Omaha, Ne. 5. Tanner Dowty Fremont, Ne. 6. Casey Moyer Auburn, Ne.

IMCA Hobby Stock Heat 3 1. David Carter Fremont, Ne. 2. Michael Wade Dorchester, Ne. 3. Roy Armstrong Beatrice, Ne. 4. Albert Kiihne Lincoln, Ne. 5. Tyler Saathoff Holland, Ne. 6. Anthony Petersen Brock, Ne.

IMCA Modified A-Feature 1. Shane Hiatt Rising City, Ne. 2. Jordan Grabouski Beatrice, Ne. 3. Jaxon Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 4. Bob Zoubek Dorchester, Ne. 5. Mike Densberger Lincoln, Ne. 6. Justin Wulf Arlington, Ne. 7. Jan Korth Lincoln, Ne. 8. Rik Gropp Lincoln, Ne. 9. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne. 10. Norm Ziegenbein Lincoln, Ne. 11. Johnny Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 12. Trevor Baker Omaha, Ne. 13. Aaron Pella Lincoln, Ne. 14. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 15. Brandon Verbeek Hickman, Ne. 16. Bob Ruisinger Bennet, Ne.

IMCA Modified Heat 1 1. Shane Hiatt Rising City, Ne. 2. Jordan Grabouski Beatrice, Ne. 3. Bob Ruisinger Bennet, Ne. 4. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 5. Brandon Verbeek Hickman, Ne. 6. Norm Ziegenbein Lincoln, Ne. 7. Justin Wulf Arlington, Ne. DNS. Aaron Pella Lincoln, Ne.

IMCA Modified Heat 2 1. Trevor Baker Omaha, Ne. 2. Rik Gropp Lincoln, Ne. 3. Bob Zoubek Dorchester, Ne. 4. Mike Densberger Lincoln, Ne. 5. Jaxon Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 6. Jan Korth Lincoln, Ne. 7. Johnny Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 8. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne.

IMCA Sport Compact A-Feature 1. Justin Callender Lincoln, Ne. 2. Josh Young Beatrice, Ne. 3. Brad Gallagher Plattsmouth, Ne. 4. Tim Horsham Raymond, Ne. 5. Noah Boller Beatrice, Ne. 6. Tyler Masek Raymond, Ne. 7. Bryce Walker(r) Omaha, Ne. 8. Jared Jackson Crete, Ne. 9. Josh Johnson Lincoln, Ne. 10. Mark Lamer Carter Lake, Ia. 11. Louis Pavey Douglas, Ne. 12. Kasha Hall Lincoln, Ne. 13. Rj Maas Wilber, Ne. 14. Shawn Hein Beatrice, Ne. 15. Adam Reifler Lincoln, Ne. 16. Steffen Oaks Lincoln, Ne. 17. Devin Bruce Bennet, Ne. 18. Michelle Nicholson Ashland, Ne. 19. Fred Johnson Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Bryan Vannausdle Nebraska City, Ne.

IMCA Sport Compact B-Feature 1. Bryce Walker(r) Omaha, Ne. 2. Josh Johnson Lincoln, Ne. 3. Jared Jackson Crete, Ne. 4. Mark Lamer Carter Lake, Ia. 5. Kasha Hall Lincoln, Ne. 6. Robert Greser Fremont, Ne. 7. Billy Roberts(r) Lincoln, Ne. 8. Justin Myre Carter Lake, Ia. 9. Lucas Kaffenberger(r) Plattsmouth, Ne. DNS. Kyle Grobeck(r) Omaha, Ne.

IMCA Sport Compact Heat 1 1. Rj Maas Wilber, Ne. 2. Justin Callender Lincoln, Ne. 3. Brad Gallagher Plattsmouth, Ne. 4. Tyler Masek Raymond, Ne. 5. Bryan Vannausdle Nebraska City, Ne. 6. Bryce Walker(r) Omaha, Ne. 7. Josh Johnson Lincoln, Ne. 8. Lucas Kaffenberger(r) Plattsmouth, Ne. 9. Justin Myre Carter Lake, Ia.

IMCA Sport Compact Heat 2 1. Steffen Oaks Lincoln, Ne. 2. Josh Young Beatrice, Ne. 3. Devin Bruce Bennet, Ne. 4. Fred Johnson Lincoln, Ne. 5. Michelle Nicholson Ashland, Ne. 6. Jared Jackson Crete, Ne. 7. Kasha Hall Lincoln, Ne. 8. Robert Greser Fremont, Ne.

IMCA Sport Compact Heat 3 1. Adam Reifler Lincoln, Ne. 2. Shawn Hein Beatrice, Ne. 3. Tim Horsham Raymond, Ne. 4. Noah Boller Beatrice, Ne. 5. Louis Pavey Douglas, Ne. 6. Mark Lamer Carter Lake, Ia. 7. Billy Roberts(r) Lincoln, Ne. 8. Kyle Grobeck(r) Omaha, Ne.

IMCA SportMod A-Feature 1. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 2. Jason Harms David City, Ne. 3. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 4. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 5. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne. 6. Joe Schidler Omaha, Ne. 7. Matthew Andrews Malcolm, Ne. 8. Bobby Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 9. Arie Schouten Blair, Ne. 10. Dion Kovar Rising City, Ne. 11. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 12. Adam Vrbka Eagle, Ne. 13. Mike Scheinost Ceresco, Ne. 14. Rich Flock Malcolm, Ne. 15. Jeremy Baker Nebraska City, Ne. 16. Trevor Noonan Dorchester, Ne. 17. Ahnna Schouten Blair, Ne. 18. Bradley Schreiner(r) Weeping Water, Ne. 19. Hunter Weber Council Bluffs, Ne. 20. Shawn Davis(r) Burr, Ne.

IMCA SportMod B-Feature 1. Trevor Noonan Dorchester, Ne. 2. Jeremy Baker Nebraska City, Ne. 3. Hunter Weber Council Bluffs, Ne. 4. Rich Flock Malcolm, Ne. 5. Shawn Davis(r) Burr, Ne. 6. Cole Nadrchal(r) Springfield, Ne. 7. Kyle Trout Bellevue, Ne. 8. Amber Cook Lincoln, Ne. 9. Nick Morris Bellevue, Ne. 10. Jason Heaps Lincoln, Ne. 11. Terry Callender Lincoln, Ne. 12. Braydon Latture Omaha, Ne. 13. Alex Donovan Sterling, Ne. 14. Randy Fox Lincoln, Ne.

IMCA SportMod Heat 1 1. Arie Schouten Blair, Ne. 2. Joe Schidler Omaha, Ne. 3. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 4. Jason Harms David City, Ne. 5. Mike Scheinost Ceresco, Ne. 6. Braydon Latture Omaha, Ne. 7. Randy Fox Lincoln, Ne. 8. Jason Heaps Lincoln, Ne. 9. Alex Donovan Sterling, Ne. 10. Kyle Trout Bellevue, Ne.

IMCA SportMod Heat 2 1. Matthew Andrews Malcolm, Ne. 2. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne. 3. Bradley Schreiner(r) Weeping Water, Ne. 4. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 5. Adam Vrbka Eagle, Ne. 6. Jeremy Baker Nebraska City, Ne. 7. Trevor Noonan Dorchester, Ne. 8. Amber Cook Lincoln, Ne. 9. Rich Flock Malcolm, Ne. 10. Cole Nadrchal(r) Springfield, Ne.

IMCA SportMod Heat 3 1. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 2. Bobby Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 3. Dion Kovar Rising City, Ne. 4. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 5. Ahnna Schouten Blair, Ne. 6. Terry Callender Lincoln, Ne. 7. Hunter Weber Council Bluffs, Ne. 8. Shawn Davis(r) Burr, Ne. 9. Nick Morris Bellevue, Ne.

IMCA Sprint A-Feature 1. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 2. Ryan Kitchen(r) Lincoln, Ne. 3. Doug Lovegrove Waverly, Ne. 4. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 5. Kaleb Johnson Sioux Falls, Sd. 6. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 7. Neil Nickolite Bellwood, Ne. 8. Danny Nekolite O'neill, Ne. 9. Tim Hilfiker Greenwood, Ne. 10. Joey Danley Lincoln, Ne. 11. Tim Fricke Lincoln, Ne. 12. Chase Weiler Lincoln, Ne. 13. Austin McLean Loveland, Co. 14. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. 15. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 16. Josh Riggins(r) Lincoln, Ne. 17. Shon Pointer Grand Island, Ne. 18. Jimmy Grasso Omaha, Ne. 19. Matt Richards Lincoln, Ne. 20. Ryan King Bennet, Ne.

IMCA Sprint B-Feature 1. Neil Nickolite Bellwood, Ne. 2. Shon Pointer Grand Island, Ne. 3. Kaleb Johnson Sioux Falls, Sd. 4. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 5. Stuart Snyder Lincoln, Ne. 6. Mike Houseman Jr Des Moines, Ia. 7. Nathan Weiler Lavista, Ne. 8. Trey Gropp(r) Lincoln, Ne. 9. Frank Rodgers Lucas, Ia. 10. Dwight Carter Lincoln, Ne. 11. Bill Garrow Lincoln, Ne. 12. Nick Bryan Lincoln, Ne. 13. Paul Hendrickson Lincoln, Ne. 14. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne. DNS. Toby Chapman Panama, Ne.

IMCA Sprint Heat 1 1. Matt Richards Lincoln, Ne. 2. Tim Fricke Lincoln, Ne. 3. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 4. Joey Danley Lincoln, Ne. 5. Shon Pointer Grand Island, Ne. 6. Nathan Weiler Lavista, Ne. 7. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 8. Frank Rodgers Lucas, Ia.

IMCA Sprint Heat 2 1. Jimmy Grasso Omaha, Ne. 2. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 3. Josh Riggins(r) Lincoln, Ne. 4. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 5. Neil Nickolite Bellwood, Ne. 6. Toby Chapman Panama, Ne. 7. Nick Bryan Lincoln, Ne. 8. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne.

IMCA Sprint Heat 3 1. Austin McLean Loveland, Co. 2. Ryan King Bennet, Ne. 3. Chase Weiler Lincoln, Ne. 4. Doug Lovegrove Waverly, Ne. 5. Kaleb Johnson Sioux Falls, Sd. 6. Stuart Snyder Lincoln, Ne. 7. Paul Hendrickson Lincoln, Ne. 8. Trey Gropp(r) Lincoln, Ne.

IMCA Sprint Heat 4 1. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. 2. Ryan Kitchen(r) Lincoln, Ne. 3. Danny Nekolite O'neill, Ne. 4. Tim Hilfiker Greenwood, Ne. 5. Dwight Carter Lincoln, Ne. 6. Bill Garrow Lincoln, Ne. DQ. Mike Houseman Jr Des Moines, Ia.