Richards, Drueke, Pfeifer, Wayman & Armstrong are victorious at Fan Appreciation Night
To be honest, I had great fears that we wouldn’t get to see Fan Appreciation Night presented by Avid Realty and Empire Fence last evening at Eagle Raceway. As I neared the Lincoln city limits Mother Nature opened up the skies and let go with a deluge so hard that we were slowed to a near crawl. Thankfully, as I got 3 or 4 miles east of town the rain ceased and was never to be seen again that night. The grandstands were filled with a huge crowd ready to see action on the high banked 1/3 mile of America’s Home Track.
There were no serious incidents in the preliminary action.
Gary Laflin’s 9 led the first circuit of the A1 Iron IMCA Stock Car Feature followed by Dylan Haney’s 12X, the 3 of Dan Jackson and Matt Boucher’s 5B. Boucher moved up to third on lap 2 but Nate Thompson’s 3T and the 5ELI of Marty Steinbach spun in turns 3 & 4 for a caution. Laflin slowed dramatically on the restart, shuffling the field before stopping. The restart saw Boucher with the lead, Haney Jackson and the 84 of Benji Legg rounding out the top 4. Legg moved up to third on lap 5. Dillon Richards jumped to third the next circuit in his 24R. Jackson again took up the fourth spot on lap 8. Richards advanced to second the following lap and took over the top spot with 7 to go. Unfortunately for him, Steinbach stopped at the bottom of 3 & 4 for another caution. One lap after the restart Brandon Conkwright moved to fourth in his 24C and eventually grabbed third. 6 laps were left when Richards passed Boucher for the lead. The top 4 at the checkers were Richards, Boucher, Conkwright and Haney.
This marked Dillon’s fifth victory of the season. “Been awhile” were the first words from Dillon when we met up. He’s correct as it’s been since June 3rd since he visited victor lane. He continued by saying “We just had to get this monkey off of our backs finally. I think it started in the heat race. We haven’t had a good run in the heat race all year and we finally won our heat race. I think I finally got a little bit of a confidence booster. I like racing here because the track’s got a little bit of character and I like that. I think that when it get rough I’m better than a lot of people. Cowboy up!!” Dillon’s sponsors include JGR, CPD Shocks, S&L Trenching and Fester’s Bait and Tackle.
The Avid Realty IMCA Sportmod A saw Dave Cook’s 7X, the 33J of Josh Pfeifer, Trevor Noonan in the 66 and the 18 of Dion Kovar the top 4 back to the flag stand on lap 1. Breanna Pfanstiel put the 33B into fourth the next time around. Pfeifer moved up to second the following lap and snagged the lead after another circuit as Noonan advanced to second. McLain Reed joined the top 4 the next time around in the 44. Reed moved up to third with 7 to go. Noah Williams put the 27W into fourth place the following circuit before moving up to third with just 3 laps left.. The final top 4 were Pfeifer, Noonan, Williams and Reed. Since there were no cautions in their feature, all sportmod A Feature participants get into the pits next week free!!
Josh related “This was my first win here at Eagle. Several years ago, I was close here. I’ve kind of just faded out of racing the past few years and haven’t raced much. We came out last week and I debated whether to come tonight or not. I just had a different kind of feeling all week and usually when you get that different kind of feeling and you’re getting in a race car that’s a good sign! Right at the beginning I slipped back a few spots and I’m like ‘Man, I’ve got to change my driving style a little bit or it’s just going to keep being more of the same’. So, I tried slowing up my entry and tried sneaking around the bottom a little bit. I talked to the guys at BHE before the race. They were giving me some ideas and we made a few small changes and that was enough. Most of all I want to thank my family who have supported me forever. We’re just a small family racing team, small farm, small town. We get out on the road when we can, try to be presentable and be fast when we’re there. My girlfriend and her kids are here tonight and a good friend of mine showed up tonight to help me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had any help tonight at all”. Josh’s sponsors include Kevin Bitterman, Pat Juergena, Winkler Farms Produce, BHE and Hagberg Farms.
Aaron Pella in the 3A led lap 1 of the Nebraska Lottery IMCA Modified Main with the 21 Of Josh Blumer, Clint Homan’s 27 and the 18W of Cole Wayman rounding out the top 4. Nate Thompson took fourth the second lap in his 3T. The next circuit saw both Homan and Thompson move up one position to second and third. Wayman regained fourth on lap 5 as Thompson passed Homan for second. Thompson took the lead from Pella on lap 8. Wayman advanced to third with 10 to go and grabbed second the next time around with Pella falling to third. 2 circuits later Homan passed Pella for third. Brandon Verbeek’s 4B came to a halt at the top of turn 1 the next time around for a caution. Anthony Roth took advantage of the restart to put the 60IV into fourth place. Blumer stopped at the top of turn one the next lap collecting Verbeek and the yellow lights were again lit in the corners. Roth moved up to third with 2 to go. Chad Andersen spun to the infield with 3 to go for yet another caution. Wayman snatched the lead and Roth moved up to second on the restart. Wayman won, Roth was second, Thompson third and Homan fourth.
Cole said “The track was pretty rough tonight, but with all of the rain we’ve gotten I’m just happy that we were able to come race. I finally got to the lead with 6 or 7 to go, but the yellow came out. I kind of fell behind because Nare took away the bottom as he had to. We had another yellow with 2 to go and I tried a different line up top, kept it to the floor and got around him. I want to thank my Mom and Dad, Kaleb Gaines for having the car dialed in every week and Steven for all of his help plus everyone who helps me”. 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.
Brandon Fisher hit an implement tire and lost the entire rear end from his #25 on the initial circuit of the Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stock A Main, causing a huge pileup in turn 3. Collected in the incident were the 6 of Dan Markham, the 51B of Brandon Bombardo and Trenton Dowty. The complete restart saw Brandon Schreiner put the 10 into first, Roy Armstrong was second in the 6R, Ian Roschewski’s 2 third and Adam Wasserman holding fourth in the 41. Lap 3 saw John Martinez lose a tire and come to a halt in turns 1 & 2 for a caution. The restart saw Armstrong grab the lead but the pass was called back when Dave Carter’s 2C came to a stop at the bottom of turn 1 for the 3rd caution of the race. Armstrong again passed Schreiner on the restart. Roschewski also got past Schreiner the next time around for second. Carter again came to a halt the next lap, this time in turn 4. Wasserman used the restart to take over third place and Neill Pella put the 3N into fourth as schreiner went extremely high in turn 1 and hit the armco. Troy Dowty smacked the backstretch wall hard the next lap and the yellow lights came on again. Trenton Dowty suffered a flat left rear tire in the incident and went to the pits. Troy Dowty came to a halt on the front stretch during the caution and the ambulance and safety crew rushed to the 17T. Troy was transported to the hospital and is recovering there ap 8 saw Pella advance to third. The next circuit Roschewski passed Pella for third. Pella got back past Roschewski with 8 to go for third. Tanner Dowty moved up to fourth 2 laps later when Roschewski tangled with the 46 of Ryan Gilland, allowing Tanner Dowty to move to fourth. The final change in the top 4 came with 3 circuits left when Bombardo got past Tanner Dowty. The final top 4 were Armstrong, Wasserman, Pella and Bombardo.
This was yet another case of a driver curing a long time drought of winning. Roy related “Well, we’re not racing up here every week, so we do the best we can whenever we’re here. We had a good start tonight from the second row so that helped a ton. The track was heavy, but it was a pretty good race. The track was a little tricky and there were 2 lanes that you could choose from but it was FAST! I need to thank Mark and Kathy Wasserman from Beatrice, my girlfriend Jo, my sister Bonnie. We’re really short on sponsors this year, but we do have a couple”. Roy’s sponsors include Schmidt Machine and Icon Pistons.
The finale showcased what is probably the biggest Hard Charger of the year!! Nate Weiler held the lead on lap 1 of the Twin Rivers IMCA Racesaver Sprint Car Feature. Close behind were the 18W of Cole Wayman, Gene Ackland’s 14G and the 35 of Trevor Grossenbacher. Ackland passed Wayman for second on lap2. Max Roseland spun the 84 in turn 2 the next lap for a caution. Clint Benson’s 100 spun out in turns 3 & 4 on lap 6 to slow the action. Tyler Drueke had quietly been working his way forward from his 17th spot on the starting grid after transferring from 5th starting the B. He got up to fourth with 10 to go and moved up to third 3 laps later. Drueke again advanced one position with 3 circuits remaining, taking second from Weiler who fell to third with Grossenbacher holding down fourth. He continued his pursuit of Wayman and managed to squeak past him on the final corner for the victory.
I asked Tyler what the heck happened to him in the heat where he finished far back in the field. He stated “I changed some stuff on the motor today and I think it may have slowed us down some. The track has been a lot rougher these last two weeks than it was at the beginning of the year. I thought we were closing in on it. We made a bar change after the heat race and that woke the car up for the B. And I had to make some changes on the motor to make it run a little harder for the feature”. I then inquired about what lit the fire in him for the A Feature. He laughed and said “Starting in the back you have to just charge hard. Put your head down and your foot down and go as hard as you can. It helps if the car goes into the corner and comes off the corner. You can manipulate it and do things to help yourself. The track got slick and widened outs and slowed down enough that guys started moving around”. Tyler’s sponsors include Cherney Enterprises LLC, MySalesman, American Trailer Co., Drueke Trucking and Zoz Farms
Next Saturday Pepsi and Platte Valley Equipment present Kick Your Boots Up Night at Eagle Raceway. 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
- Roy Armstrong Beatrice, Ne. 2. Adam Wasserman Fairbury, Ne. 3. Neil Pella Adams, Ne. 4. Brandon Bombardo New Prague, Mn. 5. Tanner Dowty Fremont, Ne. 6. Dan Markham Plattsmouth, Ne. 7. Ben Becher Lincoln, Ne. 8. Ryan Gilland Sterling, Ne. 9. Trenton Dowty Fremont, Ne. 10. Spencer Pavey 3rd(r) Waverly, Ne. 11. Ian Roschewski Beatrice, Ne. 12. Kyle Gannon Lincoln, Ne. 13. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 14. Troy Dowty Fremont, Ne. 15. Tyler Jackson Lincoln, Ne. 16. Brad Schreiner Weeping Water, Ne. 17. Khrysta Stransky Lincoln, Ne. 18. David Carter Fremont, Ne. 19. John Martinez Beatrice, Ne. 20. Brandon Fisher Lincoln, Ne.
Hobby Stock-IMCA B-Feature
- Spencer Pavey 3rd(r) Waverly, Ne. 2. Brandon Bombardo New Prague, Mn. 3. Khrysta Stransky Lincoln, Ne. 4. Troy Dowty Fremont, Ne. 5. Trenton Dowty Fremont, Ne. 6. Nick Jensen Hickman, Ne. 7. Matt Rotschafer(r) Denton, Ne. 8. Scott Santee Omaha, Ne. 9. Jesse Docter Firth, Ne. 10. Kile Casteel Roca, Ne. DNS. Sam Blanton Bellevue, Ne.
Hobby Stock-IMCA Heat 1
- Brad Schreiner Weeping Water, Ne. 2. Roy Armstrong Beatrice, Ne. 3. Neil Pella Adams, Ne. 4. David Carter Fremont, Ne. 5. Dan Markham Plattsmouth, Ne. 6. Troy Dowty Fremont, Ne. 7. Scott Santee Omaha, Ne. 8. Trenton Dowty Fremont, Ne. 9. Jesse Docter Firth, Ne.
Hobby Stock-IMCA Heat 2
- Ian Roschewski Beatrice, Ne. 2. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 3. John Martinez Beatrice, Ne. 4. Brandon Fisher Lincoln, Ne. 5. Ben Becher Lincoln, Ne. 6. Spencer Pavey 3rd(r) Waverly, Ne. 7. Nick Jensen Hickman, Ne. 8. Brandon Bombardo New Prague, Mn. DNS. Sam Blanton Bellevue, Ne.
Hobby Stock-IMCA Heat 3
- Tyler Jackson Lincoln, Ne. 2. Adam Wasserman Fairbury, Ne. 3. Tanner Dowty Fremont, Ne. 4. Ryan Gilland Sterling, Ne. 5. Kyle Gannon Lincoln, Ne. 6. Khrysta Stransky Lincoln, Ne. 7. Kile Casteel Roca, Ne. 8. Matt Rotschafer
Modified-IMCA A-Feature
- Cole Wayman(r) Lincoln, Ne. 2. Anthony Roth Columbus, Ne. 3. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 4. Clint Homan Bellevue, Ne. 5. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne. 6. Aaron Pella Lincoln, Ne. 7. Mike Densberger Cortland, Ne. 8. Terry Hurt Ft. Calhoun, Ne. 9. Norm Ziegenbein Lincoln, Ne. 10. Jeremy Baker Nebraska City, Ne. 11. James Mesenbrink Lincoln, Ne. 12. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 13. Sean Manning Bennington, Ne. 14. Brandon Verbeek Lincoln, Ne. 15. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne. 16. Chad Andersen Ft Calhoun, Ne. 17. Reed Payne Idaho Falls, Id. 18. Josh Blumer Marysville, Ks. 19. Johnny Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. DNS. James Patterson Ashland, Ne. DNS. Andrew Bowman Lincoln, Ne.
Modified-IMCA Heat 1
- Josh Blumer Marysville, Ks. 2. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 3. Mike Densberger Cortland, Ne. 4. Clint Homan Bellevue, Ne. 5. Norm Ziegenbein Lincoln, Ne. 6. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 7. James Patterson Ashland, Ne.
Modified-IMCA Heat 2
- Cole Wayman(r) Lincoln, Ne. 2. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne. 3. Aaron Pella Lincoln, Ne. 4. Anthony Roth Columbus, Ne. 5. Brandon Verbeek Lincoln, Ne. 6. Reed Payne Idaho Falls, Id. 7. Johnny Saathoff Beatrice, Ne.
Modified-IMCA Heat 3
- Jeremy Baker Nebraska City, Ne. 2. Chad Andersen Ft Calhoun, Ne. 3. Terry Hurt Ft. Calhoun, Ne. 4. Sean Manning Bennington, Ne. 5. James Mesenbrink Lincoln, Ne. 6. Andrew Bowman Lincoln, Ne. 7. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne.
SportMod-IMCA A-Feature
- Josh Pfeifer St. Paul, Ne. 2. Trevor Noonan Lincoln, Ne. 3. Noah Williams Ashland, Ne. 4. McLain Reed Lincoln, Ne. 5. Dave Cook(r) Lincoln, Ne. 6. Adam Vrbka Eagle, Ne. 7. Adam Armstrong Pickrell, Ne. 8. Mason Richards(r) Denton, Ne. 9. Drake Bohlmeyer Beatrice, Ne. 10. Dana Deeke Waverly, Ne. 11. Tyler Nerud Dorchester, Ne. 12. Matt Andrews Malcolm, Ne. 13. Dion Kovar Rising City, Ne. 14. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 15. Ryan Arbogast Goeher, Ne. 16. James Hines Bellevue, Ne. 17. Terry Richards Denton, Ne. 18. Breanna Pfanstiel Lincoln, Ne. 19. Shawn Hein Beatrice, Ne. 20. Shawn Pospisil Lincoln, Ne.
SportMod-IMCA B-Feature
- Tyler Nerud Dorchester, Ne. 2. Matt Andrews Malcolm, Ne. 3. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 4. Ryan Arbogast Goeher, Ne. 5. Jacob Swanson Lincoln, Ne. 6. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 7. Derek Hall Lincoln, Ne. 8. Tyler Harr(r) Ashland, Ne. 9. Roger Sluka Lincoln, Ne. 10. Amber Cook Lincoln, Ne. 11. Steve Devitt Lincoln, Ne. 12. Richard Flock Malcolm, Ne.
SportMod-IMCA C-Feature
- Roger Sluka Lincoln, Ne. 2. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 3. Richard Flock Malcolm, Ne. 4. Derek Hall Lincoln, Ne. 5. Zane Woodman Seward, Ne. 6. Robert Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 7. John Schwindt Council Bluffs, Ia. 8. Nick Morris Bellevue, Ne. DNS. Shawn Davis Burr, Ne. DNS. Brady Papineau(r) Lincoln, Ne.
SportMod-IMCA Heat 1
- Adam Vrbka Eagle, Ne. 2. Shawn Pospisil Lincoln, Ne. 3. McLain Reed Lincoln, Ne. 4. Shawn Hein Beatrice, Ne. 5. Tyler Nerud Dorchester, Ne. 6. Amber Cook Lincoln, Ne. 7. Roger Sluka Lincoln, Ne. 8. Derek Hall Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Brady Papineau(r) Lincoln, Ne.
SportMod-IMCA Heat 2
- Dana Deeke Waverly, Ne. 2. Noah Williams Ashland, Ne. 3. Breanna Pfanstiel Lincoln, Ne. 4. Terry Richards Denton, Ne. 5. Ryan Arbogast Goeher, Ne. 6. Steve Devitt Lincoln, Ne. 7. Shawn Davis Burr, Ne. 8. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 9. Nick Morris Bellevue, Ne.
SportMod-IMCA Heat 3
- Dave Cook(r) Lincoln, Ne. 2. Trevor Noonan Lincoln, Ne. 3. Drake Bohlmeyer Beatrice, Ne. 4. Mason Richards(r) Denton, Ne. 5. Matt Andrews Malcolm, Ne. 6. Jacob Swanson Lincoln, Ne. 7. Robert Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 9. Zane Woodman Seward, Ne.
SportMod-IMCA Heat 4
- Josh Pfeifer St. Paul, Ne. 2. Dion Kovar Rising City, Ne. 3. James Hines Bellevue, Ne. 4. Adam Armstrong Pickrell, Ne. 5. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 6. Tyler Harr(r) Ashland, Ne. 7. Richard Flock Malcolm, Ne. 8. John Schwindt Council Bluffs, Ia.
Sprint-IMCA A-Feature
- Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 2. Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 3. Nathan Weiler Omaha, Ne. 4. Cole Wayman(r) Lincoln, Ne. 5. Cole Vanderheiden Papillion, Ne. 6. Trevor Grossenbacher Panama, Ne. 7. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 8. Ryan Kitchen Seward, Ne. 9. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 10. Jordan Boston 11. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 12. Brandon Bosma Rock Rapids, Ia. 13. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 14. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 15. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 16. Shayle Bade Raymond, Ne. 17. Tim Hilfiker Greenwood, Ne. 18. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 19. Maxwell Roseland Carter Lake, Ia. 20. Bill Garrow Lincoln, Ne.
Sprint-IMCA B-Feature
- Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 2. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 3. Ryan Kitchen Seward, Ne. 4. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 5. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 6. Daniel Nekolite O`neill, Ne. 7. Alex Salzman Lincoln, Ne. 8. Brandon Horton Waterloo, Ne. DNS. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Doug Lovegrove Waverly, Ne.
Sprint-IMCA Heat 1
- Cole Wayman(r) Lincoln, Ne. 2. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 3. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 4. Jordan Boston 5. Bill Garrow Lincoln, Ne. 6. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. 7. Ryan Kitchen Seward, Ne. 8. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 9. Doug Lovegrove Waverly, Ne.
Sprint-IMCA Heat 2
- Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 2. Nathan Weiler Omaha, Ne. 3. Brandon Bosma Rock Rapids, Ia. 4. Trevor Grossenbacher Panama, Ne. 5. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 6. Alex Salzman Lincoln, Ne. 7. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 8. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne.
Sprint-IMCA Heat 3
- Maxwell Roseland Carter Lake, Ia. 2. Cole Vanderheiden Papillion, Ne. 3. Tim Hilfiker Greenwood, Ne. 4. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 5. Shayle Bade Raymond, Ne. 6. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 7. Daniel Nekolite O`neill, Ne. 8. Brandon Horton Waterloo, Ne.
Stock Car-IMCA A-Feature
- Dillon Richards(r) Wymore, Ne. 2. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 3. Brandon Conkwright Wamego, Ks. 4. Dylan Haney Fremont, Ne. 5. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 6. Shane Stutzman Milford, Ne. 7. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 8. Benji Legg Beatrice, Ne. 9. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 10. Eric Rempel Lincoln, Ne. 11. Don Hall Jr(r) Lincoln, Ne. 12. Travis Patterson Ashland, Ne. 13. Bob Ruisinger Bennet, Ne. 14. John Meyer Odell, Ne. 15. Tanner Steinbach Elkhorn, Ne. 16. Jerod Bussen Fremont, Ne. 17. Jakob Boucher(r) Murdock, Ne. 18. Marty Steinbach Fremont, Ne. 19. Jeremy Down Nebraska City, Ne. 20. Zachary Gray 21. Gary Laflin Beatrice, Ne.
Stock Car-IMCA Heat 1
- Gary Laflin Beatrice, Ne. 2. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 3. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 4. Marty Steinbach Fremont, Ne. 5. Jeremy Down Nebraska City, Ne. 6. Travis Patterson Ashland, Ne. 7. Jerod Bussen Fremont, Ne.
Stock Car-IMCA Heat 2
- Dylan Haney Fremont, Ne. 2. Benji Legg Beatrice, Ne. 3. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 4. Bob Ruisinger Bennet, Ne. 5. Shane Stutzman Milford, Ne. 6. Eric Rempel Lincoln, Ne. 7. Jakob Boucher(r) Murdock, Ne.
Stock Car-IMCA Heat 3
- Dillon Richards(r) Wymore, Ne. 2. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 3. Brandon Conkwright Wamego, Ks. 4. Don Hall Jr(r) Lincoln, Ne. 5. John Meyer Odell, Ne. 6. Tanner Steinbach Elkhorn, Ne. 7. Zachary Gray