Icebreaker Challenge Night #1

By Greg Soukup

It took 3 weekends, but the 2018 season at Eagle Raceway finally kicked off Friday evening as night 1 of the Icebreaker Challenge, presented by Miller Lite and Auto Trans Matic ran under cloudy skies with cool temperatures.

But, the pits were packed, and the action was fast and furious on the high banks.

At the start of the fourth heat for the Runner Freight IMCA Modifieds, Jason Brinkman’s 93 went straight into the tire guarding the pit entrance road at full speed. Brinkman was assisted to the ambulance. No further word was received on his condition, but his racer was damaged too badly to continue.

The first completed lap of the Purdue University IMCA Sport Modified A Feature saw Josh Pfeifer’s 33J out front with Derick Noonan’s 21G second and the 76 of Lance Borgman third. Borgman wasted no time at all, snagging the lead on lap 2 as Noonan also passed Pfeifer to take over second. Shawn Harker advanced to fourth the next time around and jumped all the way up to second after another circuit with Pfeifer following him into the third position. Joe Feyen cracked the top 4 the following lap in his #25X. Feyen moved to third with 4 laps left. From there to the checkers Borgman lengthened his lead, ending up a straightaway out front at the finish. Your top 4 were Borgman, Harker, Feyen and Pfeifer.

“There was a lot of character in the track tonight. It was a little rough in spots, but we managed to survive it. We got to start second row inside and kind of got to second then I just maneuvered the car wherever I needed to. It made the car get around there better. I didn’t do very good here last year, but the year before I won both nights. Hopefully we can do that again. It all depends on the luck of the draw!”. Borgman’s sponsors include Hergott Farms, Penner Insurance, Coordsen Farms, Jordan Grabouski, Novotny Ag, Snyder Car Care, Wehrs Machine and Biggs Sports Bar.

The ATV Motorsports A Main was up next. Nick Lindblad’s 26, the 7B of Brian Petro, Trenten Fugett in the 3T and RJ Maas’ 88K were the top 4 after lap #1. Fugett vaulted to first on lap 2 with Drake Bohlmeyer moving the 24 into third and Shawn Hein putting the 5H into fourth. Bohlmeyer kept advancing, moving to second the next time around and taking over the lead after another lap. Fugett also passed Lindblad with 8 to go. Ramsey Meyer moved up to fourth in the 21R the next time around and took over third with 5 laps remaining. The final top 4 were Bohlmeyer, Fugett, Meyer and Lindblad.

Bohlmeyer could not be located for an interview.

The Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stock Feature saw Corey Madden’s 2T out front, followed closely by the 35S of Shawn Slezak, Brandon Wergin in the 2 and Roy Armstrong’s 6R. Jeff Ware put his #83 into fourth on lap 3 and moved up to third 2 laps later. Ware and Wergin got together on lap 7, making the top 4 Madden, Slezak, Armstrong and Chad Borgman’s #20. Borgman moved up to third with 9 laps remaining and passed Slezak for second with 2 to go. The final top 4 were Madden, Borgman, Slezak and Armstrong.

“I think that the last time I was here was wither 2013 or 2014. I’m pretty glad I came back tonight though. It got a little rough in the feature, but it was fun! It was pretty rough in 3 and 4, and 1 and 2 were getting pretty chopped up too, but there’s one thing that’s hard to do this time of year; get a smooth track. I want to thank my Dad and the pit crew who came to help me tonight. Also, my brother and all of my sponsors and everyone else who helps out”.

The finale for the night was the A Main for the Runner Freight IMCA Modifieds. Shane Hiatt jumped into the lead in his #21H with Mike Densberger’s 81 hot on his rear bumper followed by the 3B of Eddie Belec and Jesse Dennis in the 70. Jordan Groubouski put the #30 into fourth on lap2. 2 laps later AJ Valim’s 22T came to a stop at the top of turn 4 and the yellow lights came on in the corners. Grabouski used the restart to take over the third spot but went high in turns 3 & 4 the following circuit, falling to fifth as Hunter Marriott moved his 62 into fourth. Grabouski wasn’t going to settle for that and jumped back up to third after another circuit. Mariott wasn’t sleeping either and retook the third spot the next lap. Densberger pulled to the infield with 5 to go with a severe left rear tire rub. That put Belec back into the fourth spot. Nathan Landauer’s 11N came to a halt at the bottom of turns 3 & 4 with 4 to go. On the restart the 28 of John Burrow Jr. stopped at the top of turn 2. Marriott jumped up to second on the restart, lost the spot back to Grabouski on the next lap but repassed Grabouski the same lap. As the checkers flew it was Hiatt, Marriott, Grabouski and the 95X of Dylan Smith who grabbed fourth on the final circuit.

Hiatt was the 2017 Eagle Raceway IMCA Modified champion. “Man! I tell you what!! It was a crazy race tonight. I mean, the track had plenty of character in it. It was a little bumpy, but you just had to find the right line to get around there. I just can’t believe it!!! It was a huge win for us. I don’t know if we can do it again tomorrow night, but I hope so. If we can draw good, that’s the main thing. Draw good, get out of your heat and then draw good in the feature, anything’s possible. But with the caliber of guys racing here in the Icebreaker Challenge this year, it’s probably going to be really tough!”. Hiatt’s sponsors include Speedway Crate Engines, Anderson North Collision Center, Dynamic Drivelines, CPD Shocks, BSB Manufacturing, Knuth Farms, Mad Max Motorsports, Moock Trucking, Skytop Towers, Rerucha Ag and Auto Supply, J & K Motorsports, Billy’s Bar and the Shelby Hotel.

Tonight will be night #2 of the 2018 Icebreaker Challenge, presented by Auto Trans Matic. Front gates open at 4:30, hot laps begin at 5 and racing starts at 6. Adult admission is Just $15, youths 6-12 are only $5 and children 5 and under are free.

The Runner Freight IMCA Modifieds, Purdue University IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and IMCA Racesaver Sprints will all be in action. State, Regional and National ICA points will be on the line.

Pit gates open at 3 P.M. and pit passes are $25.

RESULTS:

IceBreaker Hobby Stock A-Feature 1. Corey Madden Avoca, Ia. 2. Chad Borgman 3. Shawn Slezak Milligan, Ne. 4. Roy Armstrong Beatrice, Ne. 5. Tyler Saathoff Holland, Ne. 6. Jeff Ware Columbus, Ne. 7. David Carter Fremont, Ne. 8. Ben Becher Lincoln, Ne. 9. Brett Saathoff Lincoln, Ne. 10. Albert Kiihne Lincoln, Ne. 11. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 12. Chuck Madden Jr 13. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 14. Justin Busboom Lincoln, Ne. 15. Rowan Mason(r) Lincoln, Ne. 16. Brandon Wergin Milford, Ne. 17. Brandon Nelson 18. Dillon Richards Beatrice, Ne. 19. Kevin Vanlaningham Beatrice, Ne. 20. Eric Chab Dewitt, Ne.

IceBreaker Modified A-Feature 1. Shane Hiatt Rising City, Ne. 2. Hunter Marriott Bookefield, Mo. 3. Jordan Grabouski Beatrice, Ne. 4. Dylan Smith Osceola, Ne. 5. Eddie Belec Arvada, Co. 6. Jesse Dennis 7. Bob Zoubek Dorchester, Ne. 8. Jacob Hobscheidt Plattsmouth, Ne. 9. Randy Foote Stanton, Ia. 10. Clint Homan Bellevue, Ne. 11. Chad Andersen Ft Calhoun, Ne. 12. Jesse Skalicky Fargo, Nd. 13. Terry Hurt Ft. Calhoun, Ne. 14. Mike Densberger Lincoln, Ne. 15. Nathan Landauer Davey, Ne. 16. John Burrow Jr Denver, Co. 17. Jordy Nelson Marysville, Ks. 18. Ethan Dotson 19. Aj Valim Palmer Lake, Co. 20. Josh Blumer Marysville, Ne. 21. Ricky Thornton Jr

IceBreaker Sport Compact A-Feature 1. Drake Bohlmeyer Beatrice, Ne. 2. Trenten Fugett Homesville, Ne. 3. Ramsey Meyer Pierce, Ne. 4. Nick Lindblad Beatrice, Ne. 5. Shawn Hein Beatrice, Ne. 6. Terry Tritt York, Ne. 7. Brian Petro Exeter, Ne. 8. Tommy Etherton Lincoln, Ne. 9. Steffen Oaks Lincoln, Ne. 10. Andrew Harris 11. Justin Callender Lincoln, Ne. 12. Jeff Creek Beatrice, Ne. 13. Bryan Vannausdle Nebraska City, Ne. 14. Tim Horsham Raymond, Ne. 15. Jeremy Bohlen Percival, Ia. 16. Fred Johnson Lincoln, Ne. 17. Daniel Morris Bellevue, Ne. 18. Tyler Masek Raymond, Ne. 19. Rj Maas Wilber, Ne. 20. John Martinez Beatrice, Ne.

IceBreaker SportMod A-Feature 1. Lance Borgman Beatrice, Ne. 2. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne. 3. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 4. Josh Pfeifer St. Paul, Ne. 5. Arie Schouten Blair, Ne. 6. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 7. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 8. Adam Armstong Beatrice, Ne. 9. Dillon Schultz(r) Lincoln, Ne. 10. Colby Langenberg Norfolk, Ne. 11. Derick Noonan Lincoln, Ne. 12. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 13. Mary Lenz Lincoln, Ne. 14. Jeff Brunssen Lemars, Ia. 15. Anthony Kobus David City, Ne. 16. Joe Schidler Omaha, Ne. 17. Nicholas Peters 18. Bobby Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 19. Trevor Noonan Dorchester, Ne. 20. Dion Kovar Rising City, Ne.