Chad Andersen, Gary Saathoff, Jordan Grabouski and Dylan Schmeer were victorious at Friday’s Portion of the Icebreaker Challenge Special Event!

Chad Andersen, Gary Saathoff, Jordan Grabouski and Dylan Schmeer were victorious at Friday’s Portion of the Icebreaker Challenge Special Event!

Story by Greg Soukup
Photos by Joe Orth
If you let the chilly temperatures keep you away from Eagle Raceway Friday, shame on you!! You not only missed out on some great racing action you didn’t have the chance to witness a near miracle. Something that hasn’t happened since 2019 finally occurred; we finally got night #1 of the Icebreaker Challenge in!!! Between Covid-19 and Mother Nature it’s been a tough few years.
The rain on Thursday didn’t set too well with the new dirt and made for a challenging racing surface, but that didn’t deter the drivers from putting on a whale of a show!!!
The only serious incident in the preliminary action came in heat one for the Avid Realty IMCA Sportmods. Dylan Zimmerman’s 08Z appeared to have mechanical issues, causing his racer to make a hard right turn in turn 2. The left tires dug in and sent the car into 2 barrel rolls, coming to rest on its wheels. Roger wasn’t significantly injured, but the car was too damaged to continue.
The first A Feature was for the IMCA Late Models. Jacob Kubicka put the #23 out front of lap 1 with the J2K of Jordan Krug second, Dylan Schmeer’s 5S in third and the 35 of Kale Kosiski fourth. Schmeer passed Krug on lap 3 for second and got around Kubicka 2 laps later to snag the lead. Lap 6 saw Jesse Sobbing put the 18S into fourth and move to third the next circuit. Drew Baker cracked the top 4 with 6 to go, putting 136 into the fourth spot. Schmeer went unchallenged to the checkered flag for the victory, Kubicka was second, Sobbing third and Baker fourth.
Dylan is a 22 year racing veteran. He moved to Aurora from Wyoming 12 years ago. “There wasn’t much racing out there, so I came here where there’s more racing”. I asked Dylan if this was his first visit to Eagle Raceway, to which he replied “I’ve been here a couple times before with the SLMR, running a crate motor. That was like bringing a spoon to a nuke fight! Those times I was kind of unequal motor wise. I’ve always liked Eagle, but my 2 other experiences here were not great, but the third time is the charm!”. I inquired about his sponsors and he said “Myself. I don’t have any. I work, I afford what I can. I’ve got a nice car and a used motor”. Perhaps this showing will help convince someone to step up and help Dylan.
Next on the track were the A1 Iron IMCA Stock Cars. Gary Laflin spun his #9 on lap 1, causing a complete restart. The first official lap swathe X7 of Cole Wayman out front, Jordan Grabouski second in the 30, Nick Beckman’s 22 third and Benji Legg in the 84 in the fourth spot. Legg moved up to third on lap 2. Grabouski kept battling passing Wayman for the lead on lap 4 as Thomas Etherton took over fourth in the 24T. Lap 5 saw a slowing of the action as the 53E of Tyler Easterday spun at the top of turns 3 & 4 collecting the 21 of Eric Rempl, Tyler Jackson’s 13T and the 6 of Jeremy Down. Legg took advantage of the restart to advance to second with Kyle Vanover putting the19 into fourth. Vanover jumped up to second on lap 7 and started closing the gap to Grabouski. Legg regained the second spot with 6 laps left. Matt Fraling put the7P into position # 4 the following lap. One final caution came with 2 circuits left when the 17TK of Travis Patterson looped it in turn 4. The green/white/checkered finish saw Grabouski hold off the field for the win with Legg, Vanover and Patterson rounding out the top 4.
Grabouski related “The track was cowboy up tonight. With new dirt on the racetrack I think it’s going to provide some great racing here all year because it will hold moisture better. Roger is going in the right direction”. Jordan’s sponsors include Twin Rivers Auto Group, Friesen Chevrolet crate engines, Chad Smith, Integra Racing Shocks, Wehrs Machine and Schmidt’s Inc.
Gary Saathoff led the first circuit of the A Main for the Avid Realty IMCA Sportmods in the 96 with Lee Horky’s 7, the 33J of Josh Pfeifer and Joe Feyen’s 25X second through fourth. Pfeifer spun to the infield on lap 3, bringing out the yellow flag. On the restart, the top 4 were Saathoff, Horky, the 7X of
Brayton Carter and Feyen. Carter passed Horky for second on lap 6 but lost the spot back to him the next time around. Carter regained second on lap 8 but lost it back to Horky with 10 to go. Carter again moved past Horky with 6 circuits left. Feyen also passed Horky with 4 to go, making the final top 4 Saathoff, Carter, Feyen and Horky.
Saathoff said “I drew #1 in the computer draw for the heat, then drew #1 again for the feature. I was watching the stock cars and they were all running around the top, then the track started changing on them and they started getting down in 3 and 4. Sobbing was running hard low in 1 and 2 so I decided to start running the bottom and see what happens. That was a safe bet for me. The track was a little bumpy tonight but the car drove smooth with very little tire spin. I got some new tires from Jeremy at ProCut Tires tonight, ran them in the heat and feature and they still had the nibs showing after the feature, so I need to thank him”. I asked him how many more wins he expected to get this year, to which he replied “My girlfriend Kathy told me that I’ve been too much of a nice guy lately and that I need to be more of a jackass like I used to be and start driving harder. So, I’m going to shoot for 4 more this year”. Gary’s sponsors include Baker Boys Racing Shocks, Stone Cold Restoration and Travis Gillman Construction.
The finale for the evening was the feature for the Nebraska Lottery IMCA Modifieds. Lap 1 saw Jared Deterding’s 13J, the 96 of Jaxon Saathoff and Clint Homan’s 27 come to a halt in turns 3 & 4 after the 11 of Drew Jenssen slowed coming out of turn 3. On the restart Chad Andersen’s 8C was first back to the flag stand with Terry Richards’ 18, the 30 of Jordan Grabouski and John Saathoff in the 96J fourth. Lap 2 saw the 6 of Ryan Jenkins get a huge run out of turns 3 & 4 to jump all of the way up to second, moving Richards to third and Grabouski to fourth. Grabouski passed Richards for third the following lap. The next circuit saw the 7M of Daniel Miller come to a halt on the front stretch and the yellow lights were lit in the corners and went to the pits on the hook. Lap 6 saw the 8A of Dustin Andersen pass Richards for fourth. Chad Andersen pulled out to a straightaway lead as Jenkins and Grabouski battled for second. Grabouski finally got past Jenkins for second with 7 to go. The final change in the top 4 came 2 laps later when Janssen passed Dustin Andersen for fourth., making the final top 4 Chad Andersen, Grabouski, Jenkins and Janssen who had made a fantastic run after being a part of the yellow on lap 1.
Andersen is the 2023 track points champion. Chad stated “I think the track was pretty good tonight. It was a little different from last year with the new dirt. It was smooth with a couple of dips, but for the first race of the year it was awesome. Props to Roger. It’s going to be racey and will be a lot of fun this year. We came up with a game plan after the heat race because we felt really good. I just wasn’t quite as comfortable as I wanted to be in the heat, so we made a couple of changes for the feature and it felt like the car came to life. Hopefully, that means that we’re on to something sooner than everybody else so we can keep this going. Everything is just clicking for us right now. There is a lot of great competition here so we just take the wins when we get them. I wouldn’t be able to win if it wasn’t for my crew guy Andy. We didn’t go to any specials and we missed practice last Sunday with the kids and their activities. We’ll go through the car, regroup and see what the car will do tomorrow and hopefully wind up in victory lane again”. I asked if he thought he could win the $1000 Twice As Nice Bonus to which he replied “I hope so! We’ve come to the Icebreaker ever since I started racing a modified and we’ve been close, but we get a third or a second but never seem to have enough to lead the final lap”. He continued with “I couldn’t do this without all of the people who help me, especially my sponsors”. Chad’s sponsors include Five Star Frameworks, Utility Trenching, Bobcat of Omaha, Countryside Contracting, Flatfoot Trucking, Carquest, Logeman Automotive, Only Pro Decals, Paddy McGowens, Dinkers Bar and Grill and Jerovitz Motorsports.
Saturday brings night 2 of the 2024 Icebreaker Challenge presented by AutoTransmatic with the Nebraska Septic IMCA Racesaver Sprints replacing the IMCA Late Models on the card.
Will Gary Saathoff or Chad Andersen manage to grab the $1000 Twice As Nice Bonus? Better come out and see.
Front gates open at 4:45. Adult admission is $18, youths 6-12 are $5 and children 5 and under are free. Hot laps start at 5:00 with racing kicking off at 6:00.
Pit gates open at 3:00 with pit passes being $35.
RESULTS:
Late Model-Icebreaker A-Feature
1. Dylan Schmeer 2. Jacob Kubicka Juniata, Ne. 3. Jesse Sobbing Malvern, Ia. 4. Drew Baker Omaha, Ne. 5. Mike Collins New Orleans, La. 6. Jacob Brown 7. J.j. Rodeman Cairo, Ne. 8. Jordan Krug Council Bluffs, Ia. 9. Kale Kosiski Omaha, Ne. 10. Cory Beckstrom Omaha, Ne. 11. Matt Haase Winside, Ne.

Late Model-Icebreaker Heat 1
1. Jesse Sobbing Malvern, Ia. 2. Mike Collins New Orleans, La. 3. Kale Kosiski Omaha, Ne. 4. Cory Beckstrom Omaha, Ne. 5. Jordan Krug Council Bluffs, Ia. 6. Matt Haase Winside, Ne.

Late Model-Icebreaker Heat 2
1. Dylan Schmeer 2. Jacob Kubicka Juniata, Ne. 3. Drew Baker Omaha, Ne. 4. J.j. Rodeman Cairo, Ne. 5. Jacob Brown

Modified-Icebreaker A-Feature
1. Chad Andersen Ft Calhoun, Ne. 2. Jordan Grabouski Beatrice, Ne. 3. Ryan Jenkins Blair, Ne. 4. Drew Janssen Pella, Ia. 5. Dustin Andersen Omaha, Ne. 6. Mike Densberger Cortland, Ne. 7. Johnny Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 8. Ricky Stephan South Sioux City, Ne. 9. Clint Homan Bellevue, Ne. 10. Brandon Verbeek Lincoln, Ne. 11. Terry Richards Denton, Ne. 12. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 13. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 14. Hunter Weber Council Bluffs, Ia. 15. Scott Bivens Elmwood, Ne. 16. James Mesenbrink Lincoln, Ne. 17. Cameron Thompson(r) Fremont, Ne. 18. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne. 19. Daniel Miller Bar Nunn, Wy. 20. Bob Zoubek Dorchester, Ne. 21. Jaxon Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. DNS. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne.

Modified-Icebreaker Heat 1
1. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne. 2. Ryan Jenkins Blair, Ne. 3. Johnny Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 4. Bob Zoubek Dorchester, Ne. 5. Mike Densberger Cortland, Ne. 6. Clint Homan Bellevue, Ne. 7. Daniel Miller Bar Nunn, Wy. 8. Cameron Thompson(r) Fremont, Ne.

Modified-Icebreaker Heat 2
1. Ricky Stephan South Sioux City, Ne. 2. Scott Bivens Elmwood, Ne. 3. Jordan Grabouski Beatrice, Ne. 4. Terry Richards Denton, Ne. 5. Jaxon Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 6. Brandon Verbeek Lincoln, Ne. 7. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne.

Modified-Icebreaker Heat 3
1. Drew Janssen Pella, Ia. 2. Chad Andersen Ft Calhoun, Ne. 3. Dustin Andersen Omaha, Ne. 4. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 5. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 6. Hunter Weber Council Bluffs, Ia. 7. James Mesenbrink Lincoln, Ne.

SportMod-Icebreaker A-Feature
1. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 2. Brayton Carter 3. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 4. Lee Horky Fairbury, Ne. 5. Matt Andrews Malcolm, Ne. 6. Adam Armstrong Pickrell, Ne. 7. Lance Borgman Beatrice, Ne. 8. Trevor Noonan Lincoln, Ne. 9. Adam Vrbka Eagle, Ne. 10. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 11. Mason Richards Denton, Ne. 12. Noah Williams Ashland, Ne. 13. Drake Bohlmeyer Beatrice, Ne. 14. Jacob Swanson Lincoln, Ne. 15. Josh Pfeifer St. Paul, Ne. 16. McLain Reed Lincoln, Ne. 17. Riley Osantowski 18. Michael Sherwood Beatrice, Ne. 19. Shawn Hein Beatrice, Ne. 20. Gregg Hamman Kingsley, Ia.

SportMod-Icebreaker B-Feature
1. Noah Williams Ashland, Ne. 2. Drake Bohlmeyer Beatrice, Ne. 3. Riley Osantowski 4. McLain Reed Lincoln, Ne. 5. Richard Flock Malcolm, Ne. 6. Shawn Pospisil Lincoln, Ne. 7. James Hines Bellevue, Ne. 8. Hunter Poston Villisca, Ia. 9. Theron Ahlman(r) Lincoln, Ne. 10. Breanna Pfanstiel Lincoln, Ne. 11. Brady Papineau Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Robert Draper Valparaiso, Ne.

SportMod-Icebreaker C-Feature
1. Riley Osantowski 2. Richard Flock Malcolm, Ne. 3. James Hines Bellevue, Ne. 4. Theron Ahlman(r) Lincoln, Ne. 5. Nick Morris Bellevue, Ne. 6. Ray Harrington Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Trenten Fugett Homesville, Ne. DNS. Jared Jackson(r) Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Dylan Zimmerman(r) Elk Horn, Ia.

SportMod-Icebreaker Heat 1
1. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 2. Josh Pfeifer St. Paul, Ne. 3. Jacob Swanson Lincoln, Ne. 4. Mason Richards Denton, Ne. 5. Drake Bohlmeyer Beatrice, Ne. 6. Shawn Pospisil Lincoln, Ne. 7. Riley Osantowski 8. Nick Morris Bellevue, Ne. 9. Dylan Zimmerman(r) Elk Horn, Ia.

SportMod-Icebreaker Heat 2
1. Lee Horky Fairbury, Ne. 2. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 3. Shawn Hein Beatrice, Ne. 4. Michael Sherwood Beatrice, Ne. 5. Breanna Pfanstiel Lincoln, Ne. 6. Brady Papineau Lincoln, Ne. 7. Theron Ahlman(r) Lincoln, Ne. 8. Trenten Fugett Homesville, Ne.

SportMod-Icebreaker Heat 3
1. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 2. Brayton Carter 3. Adam Vrbka Eagle, Ne. 4. Matt Andrews Malcolm, Ne. 5. Noah Williams Ashland, Ne. 6. McLain Reed Lincoln, Ne. 7. James Hines Bellevue, Ne. 8. Richard Flock Malcolm, Ne.

SportMod-Icebreaker Heat 4
1. Lance Borgman Beatrice, Ne. 2. Trevor Noonan Lincoln, Ne. 3. Adam Armstrong Pickrell, Ne. 4. Gregg Hamman Kingsley, Ia. 5. Robert Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 6. Hunter Poston Villisca, Ia. 7. Ray Harrington Lincoln, Ne. 8. Jared Jackson(r) Lincoln, Ne.

Stock Car-Icebreaker A-Feature
1. Jordan Grabouski Beatrice, Ne. 2. Benji Legg Beatrice, Ne. 3. Kyle Vanover Beatrice, Ne. 4. Matt Fralin Beatrice, Ne. 5. Jesse Sobbing Malvern, Ia. 6. Lance Borgman Beatrice, Ne. 7. Arie Schouten(r) Lincoln, Ne. 8. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 9. Tim Drake Louisville, Ne. 10. Thomas Etherton(r) Eagle, Ne. 11. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 12. Shane Stutzman Milford, Ne. 13. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 14. Gary Laflin Beatrice, Ne. 15. Eric Rempel Lincoln, Ne. 16. Tyler Easterday Kearney, Ne. 17. Jeremy Down Nebraska City, Ne. 18. Travis Patterson Ashland, Ne. 19. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 20. Tyler Jackson(r) Lincoln, Ne.

Stock Car-Icebreaker B-Feature
1. Arie Schouten(r) Lincoln, Ne. 2. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 3. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 4. Tyler Jackson(r) Lincoln, Ne. 5. John Meyer Odell, Ne. 6. Dana Rasmussen 7. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 8. Jerod Bussen Fremont, Ne. 9. Riley Ruisinger(r) Bennet, Ne. 10. Roger Elliot Omaha, Ne. 11. Jeremy Bohlen Percival, Ia. 12. Dylan Haney Fremont, Ne. DNS. Jeff Ware Columbus, Ne.

Stock Car-Icebreaker Heat 1
1. Jesse Sobbing Malvern, Ia. 2. Shane Stutzman Milford, Ne. 3. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 4. Gary Laflin Beatrice, Ne. 5. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 6. Arie Schouten(r) Lincoln, Ne. 7. Jeremy Bohlen Percival, Ia. 8. Roger Elliot Omaha, Ne.

Stock Car-Icebreaker Heat 2
1. Kyle Vanover Beatrice, Ne. 2. Jordan Grabouski Beatrice, Ne. 3. Benji Legg Beatrice, Ne. 4. Lance Borgman Beatrice, Ne. 5. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 6. Dylan Haney Fremont, Ne. 7. Jerod Bussen Fremont, Ne.

Stock Car-Icebreaker Heat 3
1. Matt Fralin Beatrice, Ne. 2. Thomas Etherton(r) Eagle, Ne. 3. Tyler Easterday Kearney, Ne. 4. Travis Patterson Ashland, Ne. 5. Jeff Ware Columbus, Ne. DNS. Dana Rasmussen DQ. Riley Ruisinger(r) Bennet, Ne.

Stock Car-Icebreaker Heat 4
1. Tim Drake Louisville, Ne. 2. Eric Rempel Lincoln, Ne. 3. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 4. Jeremy Down Nebraska City, Ne. 5. Tyler Jackson(r) Lincoln, Ne. 6. John Meyer Odell, Ne. 7. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne.