Brunssen, Moyer and Sobbing victorious Night 1 of the Icebreaker Challenge

By Greg Soukup

Mother Nature did something Friday night that she has seemed very reluctant to do in recent years; she allowed the Icebreaker Challenge, presented by AutoTrans Matic, to be run at Eagle Raceway. The folks who turned out braved cool temperatures and a stiff south breeze, but were rewarded with plenty of great racing to open the 2014 season at America’s Home Track.

Cole Krichau went for a ride in the first heat for the Sam’s Club IMCA Sport Compacts after contact in turn 4. After the roll-over stopped, Cole left the car uninjured. No further incidents happened in the preliminary events.

The first A Feature was for the NAPA IMCA Sport Modifieds and saw Joe Feyen’s 25X and Jeff Brunssen in the 00X lead the first lap. Defending track champion Gary Saathoff moved his #96 up to third on lap 4 and Shawn Harker put the #40 into fourth on lap 8. Brunssen passed Feyen a lap later for the lead. Shortly after that the yellow lights were lit as a tire rolled loose through turn 3. At that time it was Brunssen, Feyen, Saathoff and Harker. Harker moved past Saathoff on the restart, but Saathoff retook the position. Kevin Anderson’s 22K and the 57 of Jared Cote spun and stopped in turns 3 & 4 with 12 to go. Saathoff moved to second on the restart but Harker and Feyen both got past him the next lap. With 7 laps left Saathoff again moved up to third as Greg Metz took the #30 to fourth. The caution flag was shown with 5 to go as the 7V of Adam Vrbka spun in turn 4. Harker used the restart to move to the lead but Brunssen regained the spot the next time around. The final position change in the top 4 came with 3 to go as Metz moved under Saathoff for third. The final top 4 were Brunssen, Harker, Metz and Saathoff.

“I know that race had to be exciting for the fans, because it sure was for me. The problem with leading is you don’t know if the line changes. I was racing for Thomas Kosinski. He’s a young boy who was diagnosed with brain cancer a couple of years ago” Brunssen said. Major contributors to Jeff’s racing are Ditzy the Clown, Aaron’s Sign Shop, Holiday Horsepower and Razor Chassis.

Next up was the finale for the Sam’s Club IMCA Sport Compacts. Kevin Fearing’s 48, the 29 of Matt Moyer, James King in the 13 and Tyler Fralin in the 1X were the top four at the completion of the first circuit. Justin Olsen moved the 14J into 4th on lap 4 and Moyer took over the top spot a lap later. King moved up to second with 8 laps remaining. 6 circuits were left when Olsen advanced to third and the took over the second position on the final lap. Moyer, Olsen, King and Fearing were the first four at the completion of the race.

“This makes up for getting crashed out in the Eagle Shootout at the end of last season” Moyer related. Moyer’s sponsors include General Siding, Luddeman Construction, Kinnersley Grading and Scott Angel at the Design Shop.

The concluding A Main was for the Kaplan University IMCA Modifieds. When the first two rows of a race feature 3 past IMCA Modified Champions and the man who not only has IMCA Sport Modified Championships to his credit but was runner-up last year in the Modified division by a tie-breaker, you know you are in for a barn-burner!! Johnny Saathoff’s 96J, the 99 of Jesse Sobbing, Jordan Grabouski’s #30 and the 95 of Dylan Smith were the first 4 back to the flag stand. Lap 3 saw the 11N of Nathan Landauer spin going into turn 3 but he kept going. Shane Hiatt’s 21H and the 86 of Justin Wulf spun in turn 3 trying to avoid him. This caution rebunched the field. Grabouski moved past Sobbing on the restart to take 2nd. Aaron Pella looped the 3A on lap 5 and ended up in the infield of turns 1 & 2 and the yellow lights came on again. Grabouski passed Saathoff on lap 9 for the lead. Sobbing advanced 1 spot each of the next 2 laps to move to third, then second. Smith moved to third with 14 to go and Mike Densberger took the 81 to fourth the next lap. Grabouski’s racer came to a sudden halt coming out of turn 4 shortly after that in a huge cloud of smoke. That made the running order Sobbing, Smith, Densberger and the 3B of Eddie Belec. From there to the checkers Smith tried high and low, but could not get past Sobbing. The final top 4 were Sobbing, Smith, Densberger and Belec.

Although he has numerous wins at Eagle Raceway in a Sport Modified, this was Sobbing’s first Modified victory at the track. “Those guys ahead of me taught me well where to run. I learned a lot sitting behind Johnny for sure. The track had plenty of character tonight, so I just hit the gas and held on” Sobbing stated. Sobbing’s sponsors include Home Pride, Jet Racing, Friesen Chevrolet, DSR and Protech Electric.

The action continues Saturday evening as night #2 of the Icebreaker Challenge, presented by Auto Trans Matic features the Mud In America IMCA Racesaver Sprints, Kaplan University IMCA Modifieds and Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stocks. Front gates open at 5 PM with adult admission being $15, youths 6-12 are just $5 with children 5 and under free. Pit gates open at 4 PM and pit passes cost $25.

RESULTS:

IMCA Modified 4/18/2014

A Feature:1. Jesse Sobbing (Glenwood, IA), 2. Dylan Smith (Osceola, NE), 3. Mike Densberger (Lincoln, NE), 4. Eddie Belec (Lakewood, CO), 5. Clint Homan (Bellevue, NE), 6. Mike Mullen (Seymour, WI), 7. Chris Alcorn (Lincoln, NE), 8. Rik Gropp (Lincoln, NE), 9. Chad Andersen (Omaha, NE), 10. Jeff Joldersma (McClelland, IA), 11. Nathan Landauer (Lincoln, NE), 12. Justin Wulf (Arlington, NE), 13. Jim Mathieson (Sioux City, IA), 14. Johnny Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 15. Jordan Grabouski (Beatrice, NE), 16. Matthew Kiner (Aurora, NE), 17. Josh Blumer (Marysville, KS), 18. Lyle Shepard (Manhatten, KS), 19. Aaron Pella (Lincoln, NE), 20. Shane Hiatt (Rising City, NE)

B Feature:1. Chris Alcorn (Lincoln, NE), 2. Josh Blumer (Marysville, KS), 3. Aaron Pella (Lincoln, NE), 4. Jim Mathieson (Sioux City, IA), 5. Matthew Kiner (Aurora, NE), 6. Dustin Gray (Omaha, NE), 7. Brian Cudly123 (Lincoln, NE), 8. Jan Korth (Lincoln, NE), 9. Jared Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 10. Ronnie Warren (Oglesby, TX), 11. Lowell Holland (Omaha, NE), 12. Brian Mullen (Seymour, WI), 13. Doug Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 14. Bob Zoubek (Dorchester, NE), 15. Phillip Byfield (Auburn, NE)

Heat 1:1. Jordan Grabouski (Beatrice, NE), 2. Jesse Sobbing (Glenwood, IA), 3. Johnny Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 4. Lyle Shepard (Manhatten, KS), 5. Chad Andersen (Omaha, NE), 6. Chris Alcorn (Lincoln, NE), 7. Brian Mullen (Seymour, WI), 8. Aaron Pella (Lincoln, NE), 9. Jan Korth (Lincoln, NE), 10. Brian Cudly123 (Lincoln, NE)

Heat 2:1. Jeff Joldersma (McClelland, IA), 2. Dylan Smith (Osceola, NE), 3. Nathan Landauer (Lincoln, NE), 4. Eddie Belec (Lakewood, CO), 5. Clint Homan (Bellevue, NE), 6. Josh Blumer (Marysville, KS), 7. Ronnie Warren (Oglesby, TX), 8. Dustin Gray (Omaha, NE), 9. Jim Mathieson (Sioux City, IA), 10. Bob Zoubek (Dorchester, NE)

Heat 3:1. Mike Densberger (Lincoln, NE), 2. Justin Wulf (Arlington, NE), 3. Shane Hiatt (Rising City, NE), 4. Rik Gropp (Lincoln, NE), 5. Mike Mullen (Seymour, WI), 6. Matthew Kiner (Aurora, NE), 7. Lowell Holland (Omaha, NE), 8. Jared Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 9. Doug Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 10. Phillip Byfield (Auburn, NE)

IMCA Sport Compact 4/18/2014

A Feature:1. Matt Moyer (Gretna, NE), 2. Justin Olsen (Lincoln, NE), 3. James King (Bennet, NE), 4. Kevin Fearing (Lincoln, NE), 5. Josh Johnson (Lincoln, NE), 6. Anthony Skinner (Lincoln, NE), 7. Amanda Rhiley (Bennington, NE), 8. Erica Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 9. Elliott Halvorsen (Eagle, NE), 10. Tim Horsham (Raymond, NE), 11. Jeremy Baker (Nebraska City, NE), 12. Larry Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 13. Kevin Staack (Lincoln, NE), 14. Nick Jensen (Hickman, NE), 15. Spencer Pavey III (Sterling, NE), 16. Chris McAtee (Firth, NE), 17. Brian Haller (Lincoln, NE), 18. Dustin McQuigg (Beatrice, NE), 19. Tyler Fralin (Beatrice, NE), 20. Brandon Thornton (Nebraska City, NE)

B Feature:1. Elliott Halvorsen (Eagle, NE), 2. Nick Jensen (Hickman, NE), 3. Spencer Pavey III (Sterling, NE), 4. Chris McAtee (Firth, NE), 5. Rick Hollandsworth (Lincoln, NE), 6. Brooke Fluckiger (Columbus, NE), 7. Tanner Schmitz (Nebraska City, NE), 8. Melissa Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 9. Tyler Vukonich (Lincoln, NE), 10. Thomas Powell (Hickman, NE), 11. Evan Hrabik (Bellevue, NE), 12. Maison Frahm (Ashland, NE), 13. Mitchell Wachter (Syracuse, NE), 14. Ole Olsen123 (Carter Lake, IA), 15. Sarah Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 16. Kyle Owen (Nebraska City, NE), 17. Anna Hiebert (Raymond, NE), 18. Kurt Beckstrom (Omaha, NE), 19. Trent Brown (Dewitt, NE), 20. Drew Johnson (Sioux City, IA), 21. Jacob Miller (Omaha, NE), 22. Tyler Aufenkamp (Nebraska City, NE), 23. Cole Krichau (Lincoln, NE)

Heat 1:1. Brian Haller (Lincoln, NE), 2. Amanda Rhiley (Bennington, NE), 3. James King (Bennet, NE), 4. Tim Horsham (Raymond, NE), 5. Elliott Halvorsen (Eagle, NE), 6. Tanner Schmitz (Nebraska City, NE), 7. Drew Johnson (Sioux City, IA), 8. Spencer Pavey III (Sterling, NE), 9. Maison Frahm (Ashland, NE), 10. Cole Krichau (Lincoln, NE)

Heat 2:1. Kevin Fearing (Lincoln, NE), 2. Jeremy Baker (Nebraska City, NE), 3. Anthony Skinner (Lincoln, NE), 4. Brandon Thornton (Nebraska City, NE), 5. Chris McAtee (Firth, NE), 6. Tyler Vukonich (Lincoln, NE), 7. Brooke Fluckiger (Columbus, NE), 8. Melissa Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 9. Ole Olsen123 (Carter Lake, IA), 10. Kyle Owen (Nebraska City, NE)

Heat 3:1. Josh Johnson (Lincoln, NE), 2. Justin Olsen (Lincoln, NE), 3. Tyler Fralin (Beatrice, NE), 4. Larry Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 5. Rick Hollandsworth (Lincoln, NE), 6. Nick Jensen (Hickman, NE), 7. Evan Hrabik (Bellevue, NE), 8. Kurt Beckstrom (Omaha, NE), 9. Mitchell Wachter (Syracuse, NE), 10. Sarah Cronin (Lincoln, NE)

Heat 4:1. Erica Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 2. Kevin Staack (Lincoln, NE), 3. Matt Moyer (Gretna, NE), 4. Dustin McQuigg (Beatrice, NE), 5. Thomas Powell (Hickman, NE), 6. Anna Hiebert (Raymond, NE), 7. Jacob Miller (Omaha, NE), 8. Trent Brown (Dewitt, NE), 9. Tyler Aufenkamp (Nebraska City, NE)

IMCA Sport Modified 4/18/2014

A Feature:1. Jeff Brunssen (Lemars, IA), 2. Shawn Harker (Nebraska City, NE), 3. Greg Metz (Washington, KS), 4. Gary Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 5. Joe Feyen (Plattsmouth, NE), 6. Benji Legg (Beatrice, NE), 7. Eddie Schwope III 123 (St Joseph, MO), 8. Josh Pfeifer (Spencer, ne), 9. Nelson Vollbrecht123 (Stanton, NE), 10. Sean Manning (Firth, NE), 11. Nate Thompson (Fremont, NE), 12. Mary Lenz (Elmwood, NE), 13. Don Rinke (Lincoln, NE), 14. Dion Kovar (Rising City, NE), 15. Adam Vrbka (Eagle, NE), 16. Jared Cote (Lincoln, NE), 17. Kevin Anderson (Lincoln, NE), 18. Joe Schidler (Lincoln, NE), 19. Trevor Noonan (Lincoln, NE), 20. Shane Adams (Nebraska City, NE)

B Feature:1. Nelson Vollbrecht123 (Stanton, NE), 2. Kevin Anderson (Lincoln, NE), 3. Adam Vrbka (Eagle, NE), 4. Don Rinke (Lincoln, NE), 5. Taylor Metz (Washington, KS), 6. Derek Hall (Lincoln, NE), 7. Eddie Schwope Jr. 123 (St. Joseph, MO), 8. Mike Morton, Jr (Waterloo, NE), 9. Gunnar Pike (South Bend, NE), 10. Kenny Danley (Lincoln, NE), 11. Blake Haas (Eagle, NE), 12. Gary Joens Jr. (Elkhorn, NE), 13. James Hines (Bellevue, NE), 14. Chris Langdale (Beatrice, NE), 15. Joe Baker (Omaha, NE), 16. Terry Callendar (Lincoln, NE), 17. Dan Jackson (Crete, NE), 18. Peter Shoup (Lincoln, NE), 19. Jason Trent (Omaha, NE), 20. Bob Ruisinger (Bennet, NE), 21. Bryan Adams (Nebraska City, NE), 22. Ken Eckhoff (Hooper, NE)

Heat 1:1. Joe Feyen (Plattsmouth, NE), 2. Gary Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 3. Mary Lenz (Elmwood, NE), 4. Jared Cote (Lincoln, NE), 5. Kevin Anderson (Lincoln, NE), 6. Bob Ruisinger (Bennet, NE), 7. Derek Hall (Lincoln, NE), 8. Gunnar Pike (South Bend, NE), 9. Jason Trent (Omaha, NE), 10. James Hines (Bellevue, NE)

Heat 2:1. Sean Manning (Firth, NE), 2. Shawn Harker (Nebraska City, NE), 3. Joe Schidler (Lincoln, NE), 4. Nate Thompson (Fremont, NE), 5. Chris Langdale (Beatrice, NE), 6. Nelson Vollbrecht123 (Stanton, NE), 7. Kenny Danley (Lincoln, NE), 8. Mike Morton, Jr (Waterloo, NE), 9. Bryan Adams (Nebraska City, NE), 10. Ken Eckhoff (Hooper, NE)

Heat 3:1. Benji Legg (Beatrice, NE), 2. Eddie Schwope III 123 (St Joseph, MO), 3. Trevor Noonan (Lincoln, NE), 4. Shane Adams (Nebraska City, NE), 5. Adam Vrbka (Eagle, NE), 6. Taylor Metz (Washington, KS), 7. Blake Haas (Eagle, NE), 8. Dan Jackson (Crete, NE), 9. Terry Callendar (Lincoln, NE)

Heat 4:1. Josh Pfeifer (Spencer, ne), 2. Jeff Brunssen (Lemars, IA), 3. Dion Kovar (Rising City, NE), 4. Greg Metz (Washington, KS), 5. Eddie Schwope Jr. 123 (St. Joseph, MO), 6. Don Rinke (Lincoln, NE), 7. Joe Baker (Omaha, NE), 8. Gary Joens Jr. (Elkhorn, NE), 9. Peter Shoup (Lincoln, NE)