Haney, Drueke, Williams, Carter & Wayman are victorious at Eagle’s Back to School Bash

By Greg Soukup

Summer returned with a vengeance to America’s Home Track, Eagle Raceway Saturday as the Nebraska Lottery, Empire Fence and Pepsi-Cola of Lincoln presented Back To School Bash. A heat index of well over 110 kept the crowd count down slightly but those who braved the temps were rewarded with a great night of racing.

No serious incidents occurred in the preliminary competition.

Lap 1 of the A1 Iron IMCAHan Stock Car A saw Travis Patterson put the 17TK out front with Bob Ruisinger’s 7 second, Nick Beckman third in the 22 and Dan Jackson fourth in the 3. Beckman moved up to second on lap 2. Debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow flag on lap 3. The restart saw Patterson spin coming out of turn 4 and hit the infield. That allowed Beckman to take the lead with Ruisinger second, the 24R of Dillon Richards jumping up to third and Jackson holding onto fourth. Richards got past Ruisinger the next lap to grab second. Lap 6 saw Don Hall Jr. spin to a stop at the bottom of turn 4 for another caution. Richards grabbed the lead on the restart. Dylan Haney passed Jackson on lap 7 to put the 12X into fourth. 2 laps later Jackson stopped at the flag stand with a flat right rear tire. Richards was penalized one position for rough driving, moving Beckman back to the lead but Richards regained the spot on the restart with Ruisinger falling back to fifth. Haney moved up to third and Marty Steinbach put the 5ELI into fourth. Jerrod Bussen’s 71JJ and Jacob Boucher’s 5A came to a halt in turns 1 and 2 with 4 laps to go and the yellow lights were again lit in the corners. Beckman spun in 1 & 2, going into the infield but getting his engine refired. That moved Haney to second, Boucher to third and Steinbach to fourth. The top 4 remained unchanged to the finish with Richards first, Haney second, Boucher third and Steinbach fourth. In post-race tech Richards’ car was found to have an illegal wheelbase, moving him back 2 spots to third. The ensuing verbal confrontation with an IMCA official resulted in him being disqualified for the night. In turn, Haney was awarded the win with Boucher second, Steinbach third and the 6 of Jeremy Down fourth.

This was Dylan’s second victory of the 2023 season. He said “I don’t want to win a race by default like that but I’ll take the win any day of the week. After the start I kind of got around a couple of cars and into the open it was a nice, smooth and racey track. It has been a good track the past few weeks”. Dylan’s sponsors include Charger Chassis, Matco Tools, Jack’s Automotive, Contractor’s Maintenance Service, Keystone Trucking, Farmer’s Union Midwest Agency and Demon Decals.

Mike Leonard was the first back to the flag stand on the first circuit of the Avid Realty IMCA Sportmod Feature in the 82 followed by the 5H of Shawn Hein, Rich Flock’s 88F and the 8X of Justin Bell. Hein grabbed the lead on lap 2 with Tyler Deeke putting the 15 into third and Josh Pfeiffer snagging fourth in the 33J. Noah Williams jumped up to third on lap 4 with Leonard falling to fourth. Williams passed Deeke on lap four to advance to second but a 4 car pileup in 3 & 4 negated the pass. Involved were the 7F of Aiden Floyd, Justin Bell’s 8X, Amber Cook in the 9 and Benji Legg in the 6B. Willams passed Hein on the low side of 3 and 4 on the restart for the lead. Hein got loose the following lap, ending up with Deeke making hard contact as they both stopped in turns 1 and 2. Williams remained in the lead followed by Pfeiffer, Mason Richards in the 18 and Adam Vrbka’s 7V. Austin Jochum in the 3 and Bobby Draper’s 62 came to a halt out of turn 4 with 6 down for a caution. With 9 to go Floyd attempted to leave the track but Draper slammed into the right side of the pit entrance as he went high into turn 1 to avoid a slower car. Both cars went into the pits. Joe Feyen’s 25! Stopped at the top of 3 & 4 with 8 to go for yet another caution. Vrbka passed Richards for third on the restart. Richards lost his driveshaft on the front stretch with 4 to go to slow the action one more time. That moved Flock up to the fourth spot. Vrbka got past Pfeiffer with 3 laps left to take over second. Williams held on for the victory with Vrbka second, Pfeiffer third and Flock fourth. Vrbka’s second place was good enough to lock up the points championship.

This was Noah’s third win this year. I congratulated him on a great run, to which he replied “Thank you. We’ve had a great car this weekend. It was really fast tonight so I’m super excited. I started seventh and kind of fell back aways the first 2 laps. I was a little worried for a second, but we found some good momentum on the top and I was able to get back up to the front. Luckily I ended up picking up the win tonight”. Noah’s sponsors include Amberly Dental, No Limits Tree Service, Little Giants, Farmer’s Mutual Bank of Ashland, Sons of the American Legion in Ashland, Siemer’s Body Shop, Galioda Landscaping, CB Enterprises and BTS Detailing.

Aaron Pella’s 3A, the 1Z of Norm Ziegenbein, Cole Wayman in the 18W and Nate Thompson’s 3T were the top 4 after 1 circuit of the Nebraska Lottery IMCA Modified A Main. Wayman moved up to second on lap 2 with Shawn Harker putting the 40 into fourth. Anthony Roth’s 60IV made contact with Harker the next lap and came to a halt on the front stretch, damaging Harker’s ride and he went into the pits. That moved Thompson back into the fourth spot. Ziegenbein went very high in 1 & 2 on lap 6, moving Thompson up to third and allowing Dustin Andersen to put the 8C into fourth. Wayman managed to pass Pella on the high side on lap 8 for the lead. Andersen moved up to third the following circuit. Roth passed Thompson with 4 to go to take over fourth. Andersen passed Pella for second on the final lap to make the top 4 Wayman, Andersen, Pella and Roth.

Tonight was win #2 for Cole in the Modifieds with another victory in the Twin Rivers IMCA Racesaver Sprints. I told him that one of these days he was going to pull off a double win, Modifieds and Sprints. He related “Yeah, it’s been difficult, but we still have next weekend here with both cars. Hopefully we can make it happen next week! It’s just been so tough this year with 2 cars. It seems like you have a bad night with one car and then do really good in the other. That makes a bad night turn into a decent night if you have a good night with one of the cars. It’s definitely tiring. We changed a few things on the car tonight that we tried the other day at Deshler. It worked here tonight and might have been a tick too tight if I was in traffic but luckily we got to the front really quickly”. Cole’s sponsors include Vermeer High plains, Cherney Enterprises, LLC, American Trailer Co., Ashley Terry at Woods Brothers Realty, Hertz Car Rental, Bill Howell at Kings Auto Supply, Uribe Refuse Services, Baker Boys Racing Suspension, Arnold Motor Supply, Jet Racing, Speedway Racing Shocks.

Next up was the Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Cody Muth spun the Z00M coming out of turn 4 on the first lap after starting on the pole. Nick Jensen put the 48J out front, Dave Carter’s 2C was second, Brandon Fisher put the 25 into third and Neil Pella snagged fourth in the 3N. Carter and Fisher both got past Jensen on lap 2 to move up to first and second. Lap 3 saw Fisher get very loose and fall back. Pella moved up to second, Jensen held third and John Martinez put the 00J into fourth. Martinez passed Jensen for third the next time around as Ryan Gilland moved to fourth in the 46. Gilland did a half spin in his car with 7 to go but kept going, losing just 2 positions but avoiding a caution. Pella got past Carter with 5 to go but Jackson slowed in 1 and 2 to bring out the only caution of the race. That moved Gilland back to fourth position. Carter held on for the victory with Pella second, Martinez third and Gilland fourth.

He related “That was a good run for us. It was a little tight racing there for a while, but we pulled it out. The front four cars spread open on the start, I shot the gap and never looked back once I got out front. The track was good and fast. There was a little lip on the top but I stayed away from it so I didn’t pop a tire and went hammer down. The track really held moisture in it and it was really racey”. Dave’s sponsors include Village Pointe Toyota, T3 Fabrications and Baker Boys Suspension.

The Twin Rivers IMCA Racesaver Sprint Cars rolled out onto the track for the final A Main of the evening. Jake Neal put the 45 out front on the first lap with Ty Ledger’s 35L second, Jacob Dye third in the 20D and Gene Ackland holding fourth in his 14G. Ackland moved past Dye on lap 3 for third before advancing to second on lap 5. Dye passed Ledger for third on lap 10 with Tyler Drueke following him into fourth the next time around. Drueke went around Dye for third on lap 12. 3 cars ending up stopping coming out of turn 4 on lap 14 after Josh Riggins’ 14J got sideways collecting Jay Russel’s 76 and the 25A of Alex Davenport. Drueke used the high line to pass both Neal and Ackland for the lead on the restart. Mike Boston’s 51 slowed to a stop on the back stretch the next lap and the yellow flag flew again. Jason Danley vaulted all the way up to third on the restart and advanced to second the next time around. Ackland passed Neal for third with 7 to go. Trevor Grossenbacher put the35 into fourth place with 3 to go. Drueke held off a hard-charging Danley for the win, Ackland was third with Grossenbacher fourth.

Tyler’s fourth victory of the year and second in a row provided enough points to ensure the 2023 track championship. He said “The bottom was good early, and I used it to pass some cars, but it got top dominant I thought for the most part with some crumbs through the middle of 1 and 2. My radiator cap was going bad and dumping water out on the right rear tire so after that last restart when I took the lead I was going into the corner and it was skating the right rear. If I didn’t get in there right it would get on the right front and take a push, so I was kind of wounded so I needed it to stay green and just get it over with”. I told him it seemed like he was hitting his stride going into the IMCA Racesaver Nationals in 2 weeks, to which he replied “Yeah, we’ve been running pretty good since mid-June. We’ve been more consistent and tonight we tried a little something different for the racetrack tonight. The tracks was a little different than it’s been all year. It’s always good to be able to adjust to what you see like that. I need to thank all of my guys for the great job that they do for me; Matt, Justin, Dad and Austin “. Tyler’s sponsors include Cherney Enterprises LLC, MySalesman, American Trailer Co., Drueke Trucking and Ranch, Jeffries Trucking, Johnson Farms, King Auto Supply, Angel Energy Services and Zoz Farms.

Next weekend is the final points night of the season. Three class winners have yet to be decided. Hobby Stock drivers Ryan Gilland and Adam Wasserman have just 8 points separating them. There are only 2 points between Anthony Roth and Chad Andersen for the Modified crown and Nate Thompson leads Dillon Richards by 3 in the Stock Car battle.

Be sure to come out  next Saturday as Avid Realty and A1 Iron present Eagle Shootout. Bring out your best artwork supporting your favorite driver to be judged at intermission.

It’s NAVY week in Lincoln! The US NAVY CEREMONIAL GUARD WILL BE DOING OPENING CERIMONIES.
THE NAVY BAND GREAT LAKES -HORIZON WILL BE IN TH COURTYARD FROM 5-5:45PM FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT AND WILL ALSO BE SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM!

After the regular racing concludes there will be mechanic’s races.

Front gates open at 5:15 with adult front gate admission is $15, youths 6-12 are just $5 and children 5 and under are free. All 5 classes will be competing including the Twin Rivers Sprint Cars, Nebraska Lottery Modifieds, Avid Realty SportMods, A1 Iron Stock Cars & Valentino’s Hobby Stocks. Track, State, Regional & National Points for all classes.

After the races Eagle Raceways famous Hillbilly Slip ‘n Slide will be held so bring a change of clothes and chill out.

Hot laps kick off at 5:30 with racing at 6:30.

Pit gates open at 3:45 with pit admission being $30.

RESULTS:

Hobby Stock-IMCA A-Feature

1. David Carter Fremont, Ne. 2. Neil Pella Adams, Ne. 3. John Martinez Beatrice, Ne. 4. Ryan Gilland Sterling, Ne. 5. Trenton Dowty Fremont, Ne. 6. Adam Wasserman Fairbury, Ne. 7. Kyle Gannon Lincoln, Ne. 8. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 9. Nick Jensen Hickman, Ne. 10. Brandon Fisher Lincoln, Ne. 11. Tanner Dowty Fremont, Ne. 12. Khrysta Stransky Lincoln, Ne. 13. Cody Muth Fremont, Ne. 14. Dan Markham Plattsmouth, Ne. 15. Ian Roschewski Beatrice, Ne. 16. Jason Hansen(r) Glenwood, Ia. 17. Jason Halagarda Plattsmouth, Ne. 18. Brad Schreiner Weeping Water, Ne. 19. Dave Blanton Bellevue, Ne. 20. Tyler Jackson Lincoln, Ne. 21. Ben Becher Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Troy Dowty Fremont, Ne.

Hobby Stock-IMCA Heat 1

1. John Martinez Beatrice, Ne. 2. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 3. Adam Wasserman Fairbury, Ne. 4. Cody Muth Fremont, Ne. 5. Khrysta Stransky Lincoln, Ne. 6. Tanner Dowty Fremont, Ne. 7. Jason Halagarda Plattsmouth, Ne. 8. Dave Blanton Bellevue, Ne.

Hobby Stock-IMCA Heat 2

1. David Carter Fremont, Ne. 2. Brandon Fisher Lincoln, Ne. 3. Dan Markham Plattsmouth, Ne. 4. Ryan Gilland Sterling, Ne. 5. Tyler Jackson Lincoln, Ne. 6. Ben Becher Lincoln, Ne. 7. Troy Dowty Fremont, Ne.

Hobby Stock-IMCA Heat 3

1. Trenton Dowty Fremont, Ne. 2. Neil Pella Adams, Ne. 3. Kyle Gannon Lincoln, Ne. 4. Nick Jensen Hickman, Ne. 5. Brad Schreiner Weeping Water, Ne. 6. Ian Roschewski Beatrice, Ne. 7. Jason Hansen(r) Glenwood, Ia.

Modified-IMCA A-Feature

1. Cole Wayman(r) Lincoln, Ne. 2. Chad Andersen Ft Calhoun, Ne. 3. Aaron Pella Lincoln, Ne. 4. Anthony Roth Columbus, Ne. 5. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 6. Terry Hurt Ft. Calhoun, Ne. 7. Clint Homan Bellevue, Ne. 8. Brandon Verbeek Lincoln, Ne. 9. Scott Bivens Elmwood, Ne. 10. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne. 11. Reed Payne Idaho Falls, Id. 12. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne. 13. Norm Ziegenbein Lincoln, Ne. 14. Jeremy Baker Nebraska City, Ne. 15. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 16. Dustin Andersen Omaha, Ne.

Modified-IMCA Heat 1

1. Aaron Pella Lincoln, Ne. 2. Cole Wayman(r) Lincoln, Ne. 3. Dustin Andersen Omaha, Ne. 4. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne. 5. Anthony Roth Columbus, Ne. 6. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne. 7. Terry Hurt Ft. Calhoun, Ne. 8. Scott Bivens Elmwood, Ne.

Modified-IMCA Heat 2

1. Norm Ziegenbein Lincoln, Ne. 2. Brandon Verbeek Lincoln, Ne. 3. Clint Homan Bellevue, Ne. 4. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 5. Chad Andersen Ft Calhoun, Ne. 6. Jeremy Baker Nebraska City, Ne. 7. Reed Payne Idaho Falls, Id. 8. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne.

SportMod-IMCA A-Feature

1. Noah Williams Ashland, Ne. 2. Adam Vrbka Eagle, Ne. 3. Josh Pfeifer St. Paul, Ne. 4. Richard Flock Malcolm, Ne. 5. Terry Richards Denton, Ne. 6. Jacob Swanson Lincoln, Ne. 7. Benji Legg Beatrice, Ne. 8. Drake Bohlmeyer Beatrice, Ne. 9. Shawn Pospisil Lincoln, Ne. 10. Austin Jochum(r) Roca, Ne. 11. Lauren Cook Lincoln, Ne. 12. Tyler Deeke Waverly, Ne. 13. Mike Leonard Fremont, Ne. 14. Mason Richards Denton, Ne. 15. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 16. Aiden Floyd Lincoln, Ne. 17. Robert Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 18. Shawn Hein Beatrice, Ne. 19. Justin Bell Louisville, Ne. 20. Amber Cook Lincoln, Ne.

SportMod-IMCA B-Feature

1. Terry Richards Denton, Ne. 2. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 3. Benji Legg Beatrice, Ne. 4. Lauren Cook Lincoln, Ne. 5. James Hines Bellevue, Ne. 6. Tyler Harr(r) Ashland, Ne. 7. Drew Hobaugh(r) Adams, Ne. 8. Nick Morris Bellevue, Ne. 9. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 10. Brady Papineau(r) Lincoln, Ne. 11. McLain Reed Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Dana Deeke Waverly, Ne.

SportMod-IMCA Heat 1

1. Richard Flock Malcolm, Ne. 2. Jacob Swanson Lincoln, Ne. 3. Josh Pfeifer St. Paul, Ne. 4. Amber Cook Lincoln, Ne. 5. Brady Papineau(r) Lincoln, Ne. 6. Tyler Harr(r) Ashland, Ne. DNS. Nick Morris Bellevue, Ne.

SportMod-IMCA Heat 2

1. Austin Jochum(r) Roca, Ne. 2. Mason Richards Denton, Ne. 3. Mike Leonard Fremont, Ne. 4. Robert Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 5. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 6. James Hines Bellevue, Ne. 7. Benji Legg Beatrice, Ne.

SportMod-IMCA Heat 3

1. Tyler Deeke Waverly, Ne. 2. Adam Vrbka Eagle, Ne. 3. Shawn Hein Beatrice, Ne. 4. Aiden Floyd Lincoln, Ne. 5. Dana Deeke Waverly, Ne. 6. McLain Reed Lincoln, Ne. 7. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne.

SportMod-IMCA Heat 4

1. Noah Williams Ashland, Ne. 2. Drake Bohlmeyer Beatrice, Ne. 3. Justin Bell Louisville, Ne. 4. Shawn Pospisil Lincoln, Ne. 5. Terry Richards Denton, Ne. 6. Drew Hobaugh(r) Adams, Ne. 7. Lauren Cook Lincoln, Ne.

Sprint-IMCA A-Feature

1. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 2. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 3. Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 4. Trevor Grossenbacher Panama, Ne. 5. Cody Ledger Omaha, Ne. 6. Jake Neal(r) Omaha, Ne. 7. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 8. Cole Vanderheiden Papillion, Ne. 9. Shayle Bade Raymond, Ne. 10. Jacob Dye Albany, Mo. 11. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 12. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 13. Ryan Kitchen Seward, Ne. 14. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. 15. Ty Ledger Omaha, Ne. 16. Bret Klabunde Omaha, Ne. 17. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne. 18. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 19. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 20. Cole Wayman(r) Lincoln, Ne.

Sprint-IMCA B-Feature

1. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 2. Bret Klabunde Omaha, Ne. 3. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 4. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 5. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne. 6. Brandon Horton Waterloo, Ne. 7. Bill Garrow Lincoln, Ne. 8. Alex Salzman Lincoln, Ne.

Sprint-IMCA Heat 1

1. Ty Ledger Omaha, Ne. 2. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 3. Jake Neal(r) Omaha, Ne. 4. Trevor Grossenbacher Panama, Ne. 5. Ryan Kitchen Seward, Ne. 6. Bret Klabunde Omaha, Ne. 7. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne. 8. Brandon Horton Waterloo, Ne.

Sprint-IMCA Heat 2

1. Jacob Dye Albany, Mo. 2. Cole Wayman(r) Lincoln, Ne. 3. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 4. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 5. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 6. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 7. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 8. Bill Garrow Lincoln, Ne.

Sprint-IMCA Heat 3

1. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. 2. Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 3. Cole Vanderheiden Papillion, Ne. 4. Shayle Bade Raymond, Ne. 5. Cody Ledger Omaha, Ne. 6. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 7. Alex Salzman Lincoln, Ne.

Stock Car-IMCA A-Feature

1. Dylan Haney Fremont, Ne. 2. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 3. Marty Steinbach Fremont, Ne. 4. Jeremy Down Nebraska City, Ne. 5. Gary Laflin Beatrice, Ne. 6. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 7. Bob Ruisinger Bennet, Ne. 8. Travis Patterson Ashland, Ne. 9. Jeremy Bohlen Percival, Ia. 10. Don Hall Jr(r) Lincoln, Ne. 11. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 12. Jerod Bussen Fremont, Ne. 13. Jakob Boucher(r) Murdock, Ne. 14. Nate Desive Oneill, Ne. 15. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. DQ. Dillon Richards(r) Wymore, Ne.

Stock Car-IMCA Heat 1

1. Dylan Haney Fremont, Ne. 2. Jeremy Down Nebraska City, Ne. 3. Bob Ruisinger Bennet, Ne. 4. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 5. Dillon Richards(r) Wymore, Ne. 6. Gary Laflin Beatrice, Ne. 7. Don Hall Jr(r) Lincoln, Ne. 8. Jerod Bussen Fremont, Ne.

Stock Car-IMCA Heat 2

1. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 2. Travis Patterson Ashland, Ne. 3. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 4. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 5. Marty Steinbach Fremont, Ne. 6. Nate Desive Oneill, Ne. 7. Jeremy Bohlen Percival, Ia. 8. Jakob Boucher(r) Murdock, Ne.