6/16/2024
Marshalltown Speedway
Murty Takes "Money Month" Modified Win, Meyers, Carter, Dhondt, May, and Bonk Also Find Checkers
JUNE 14, 2024
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa
It was P & D Welding Night at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday night with a good field of 124 cars checked in that provided the fans with some exciting racing action. June is Money Month for the IMCA Friesen Performance Modifieds, and it was the "Game Changer", Dallon Murty taking home the $1,000. Steve Meyer got back to Victory Lane in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Brayton Carter was dominant in his win in the IMCA Friesen Performance Northern SportMods, and Calvin Dhondt repeated his win from last week in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks. Josh May took his first win of the season in the IMCA Stealth STARS Mod Lites, and a visiting driver from Missouri, Dyllan Bonk put a win on his resume at the Marshalltown Speedway in the Mach-1 Sport Compact division.
Feature racing kicked off with the 15 lapper for the Mod Lites, presented by Knight Sanitation. The early leader was Cory Sonner with Jon Padilla and Josh May falling in line behind him to pester him. Josh May made the topside work when he took command at lap eleven, and from there on, he never looked back on his way to the checkers. When things got sorted out in the fight behind him among the hard running cars, it was Jon Padilla taking the second spot, early leader Cory Sonner came home in third, fourth went to Joe Glick, and Alex Eischeid rounded out the top five. May started in tenth spot on the starting line up and took his first win of the season.
The 20 lap feature for the SportMods, presented by Rugged Radios came next to the track. This one would have its race plagued by cautions and a red flag.
Cam Vincent led the first two laps of the race,...which already had three yellows waved....but Brayton Carter, who started seventh, flew to the top of the track, and had the lead when lap three was scored. He was still leading when the red flag flew at five, when Joslyn Elmquist and William Klosterman disappeared off the track in turn three, causing a lengthy halt to the action for their retrieval.
When things returned to action, the cars were aligned in single file order for the restart, and Carter once again shot off like a rocket on the topside. One more caution would fly at lap seventeen, with Carter still in command, and now Kyle Olson was running in second place and hoping the restart would be to his advantage. It wasn't to be, however, as Carter completed the final three laps strongly in command and took the convincing win. Following a good distance behind was Olson in second place, Cam Vincent ran a great race and finished in third, fourth went to visiting Norfolk, Nebraska racer Jonathan Janssen who started tenth on the field, and twelfth place starter, Cory Van Zante, Sully, Iowa in just his first outing of the season, rounded out the top five. This was Carter's second regular season win of the year.
The Stock Car 20 lap feature, presented by Drury Automotive found Steve Meyer getting back to Victory Lane after a lengthy absence, despite being the defending track champion with his consistency last year.
Garrett Corn led the opening laps but a slip off the tricky topside saw him exit the track, handing the lead over to Todd Reitzler. Fighting hard for position right behind him were Michael Jaennette and Steve Meyer. Meyer made that thin line topside work for him as he grabbed the lead at lap three. Meyer had some challenges however, as Michael Jaennette was on his tail. Meyer then put a bit of distance between himself and the field a bit later, but it was a whole sale battle behind him then as Jaennette, eleventh place starter Jimmy Gustin, and Todd Reitzler went at it. Meyer was content to let them battle behind him, and he went home to the checkers and the win. Jimmy Gustin won out over Jeannette as they went second and third respectively, it was early contender Todd Reitzler in fourth, and twelfth place starter Jeff Mueller rounded out the top five. This was the first time Meyer has been back in Victory Lane at Marshalltown since August of 2022, as his weekly consistent top finishes earned him the Stock Car track title in 2023.
The month of June is "Money Month" for the IMCA Modifieds and they were running for $1,000 again Friday night. Their 20 lap feature was presented by Tire Demon by Love Tap.
Dallon Murty started on the outside pole, and Todd Shute started third, and most people were thinking it was going to be a shoot out between those two for the win. It was. Murty immediately grabbed the lead as the race went green, and Shute tucked in right behind to run second. Those two circled the treacherous thin lined topside for the entire caution free race. Shute took a couple of looks under, contemplated some slide jobs, but nothing worked to get by Murty as he raced home to the win. Shute had to be content with second. Johnathon Logue finished a distant third, ninth place starter and last week's winner Joel Rust was fourth, and Izac Mallicoat ran at the front all race long, and finished in fifth. This was Murty's first feature win of the year at the speedway.
Earlier in the evening, a shoot-out, courtesy of P & D Welding Solutions, paying $500 for the Modifieds was run, pitting four cars in several rounds to begin the contest. This sent two on to the next round until the final round found Izac Mallicoat, Joel Rust, Tripp Gaylord, and Jake McBirnie pitted for the final run. Jake McBirnie took home that $500.
The Hobby Stock 20 lap feature, presented by Big 8 Tyre Center had more than it's share of cautions on the night.
Chad LeGere led the troops through the opening laps, as meanwhile it was last week's winner Calvin Dhondt slicing and dicing his way from tenth starting spot, to take command by lap five! He was distancing himself from the pack when a late yellow came out to set up a green-white-checkered run to the checkers. It was no hindrance to Dhondt however, as he raced home to the checkers for the second consecutive week, and his third of the year. Eleventh place starter Eric Knutson finished as the runner up, seventeenth place starter Corey VanderWilt, in a borrowed car, hard charged it to a third place finish, and Solomon Bennett and Bradly Graham went fourth and fifth.
The Sport Compacts put a nightcap on the racing with their 15 lap A main, presented by Hy-Vee of Marshalltown. Coming out of a 3-wide run down the backstretch on the start of the race, and into the lead at lap one, was David Kimmel. He hung on until lap six, when visiting Hannibal, Missouri racer Dyllan Bonk came calling and took the lead. Bonk never gave up that top spot the rest of the caution free race, to seal the win. Following a distant second, was Mason City's Devin Jones, a two-time Super Nationals Champion. Third place went to eleventh place starter Michael Gardner, fourth to Kimmel, and Cristian Grady took fifth.
Next Friday, June 21, will be another weekly racing series, with the IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, Hobby Stocks, Mod Lites, and Sport Compacts in action and an appearance by the Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks. It will also be another $1,000 to win for the Modifieds in "Money Month" at the track, thanks to Midwest Liquid Systems. Hot laps are 6:45 with racing at 7:30.
Article Credit: Joyce Eisele
Submitted By: Jerry Vansickel
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