7/5/2021
Marshalltown Speedway
Nagle, Schmidt, Jackson, Reynolds, and Raffurty take win out over Mother Nature
June 25, 2021
It was KMJ Performance Free Grandstand Night and Iowa Seamless Gutter VIP Night at the Marshalltown Speedway Friday. The weather forecast was a question all day, but in the late afternoon the decision to proceed with the show was made. The constantly changing sky was still a concern, but the show was hurried along, and was completed in its entirety shortly after 9 p.m.,...a win over Mother Nature this time.
Three new faces would visit Victory Lane this season, Paul Nagle in the IMCA Modifieds, Jay Schmidt in the IMCA Stock Cars, and veteran racer Vern Jackson in the IMCA Northern SportMods. Kaden Reynolds made it three in a row in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Dillon Raffurty matched his win from last week in the IMCA STARS Mod Lite division.
Things kicked off with the IMCA STARS Mod Lite 15 lap feature. Doug Byers led the opening laps but tenth place starter Dillon Raffurty, Kansas City, Missouri racer, moved swiftly through the field and into the lead by lap three. It was all Raffurty's race from there on out, as he swept easily to the win. Following a distant second place was Josh May, third went to Mike Kennedy, Austin Gray was fourth, and Doug Byers was fifth. Raffurty repeated his win from last week.
Next up was 18 laps of IMCA Northern SportMod racing. This one would go flag-to-flag and be led the entire distance by veteran racer Vern Jackson. A big slide out of corner four looking at the checkers by tenth place starter Johnathon Logue came up short, and he had to settle for second place. Third went to Kalin Lopez, fourth was Tony Olson, and Izac Mallicoat completed the top five. This was Jackson's first win at Marshalltown.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks also ran their 15 lap main event caution free. Ben Newhouse led the opening laps with William Klosterman slipping by for the lead on lap three. Meanwhile, tenth place starter Kaden Reynolds had already moved into third place. It took just two more laps before Reynolds took over the reins, flying into the lead. From there on, he pulled away, and took the easy win....his third in as many weeks, and his sixth of the season...plus the Frostbuster win. William Klosterman finished a distant second, Ben Newhouse was third, Carter Koop, the Rockwell, Iowa racer, was fourth, and Jeremiah Andrews was fifth.
The winds were shifting and the clouds looked more ominous as the IMCA Stock Cars came to the track for their 18 lap A main. Scott Rice took the lead from his outside front row starting spot, but it didn't last long as Kyle Everts took over at lap two, with Grinnell's Jason Hall following in third place. On lap seven, the red flag came out when Scott Bailey took an easy rollover in corner one. He was okay. When the race restarted, it was still Everts at the helm, Hall in second, and Rice in third. Jay Schmidt had been throwing his hat into the ring early on as well, moving from seventh starting spot, and by the halfway mark was running fourth. Moments later, he had taken over the lead, getting around Everts. Schmidt then drove off to secure the win comfortably over second place Everts. Jeff Wollam started eighth, and finished third, early leader Scott Rice was fourth, and Independence, Iowa's Mitchell Evens rounded out the top five. Schmidt took his first win at Marshalltown this season.
As the sky grew more angry, the final feature of the night, the IMCA Modifieds were up for their 20 lap feature. Jacob Murray and Paul Nagle would lead the field to green. Nagle immediately grabbed the lead as Murray settled in to run second. Ronn Lauritzen stared eighth and took over second from Murray with just three laps remaining in the contest. In the closing circuits, Nagle pulled away and took the easy win, with Lauritzen trailing a good distance to take the runner up spot. Murray held on to finish third, Tony Hofbauer was fourth, and Gat Leytham was fifth. This was Nagle's first Modified feature win at the speedway. This feature went caution free to end the night's show...beating Mother Nature and completing the show shortly after 9 p.m.
Next Friday night, July 2, is Wolf Seeds Night at the races. The green flag drops at 7:30.
Submitted By: Jerry Vansickel