4/8/2023
Marshalltown Speedway
Five winners find Victory Lane at Marshalltown Speedway Frostbuster
Marshalltown , Iowa (April 7)
Marshalltown Speedway held its first race of the season on Friday night with the running of its Frostbuster. Thursday was to have been night #1 of the Frostbuster series, but predicted below freezing temperatures, forced the cancellation of that race night. Many in attendance of Friday night's race would have said Frostbuster was a fitting name for Night #2 as well, as the strong south winds made it more than a bit chilly. It still brought out the race cars however, as a car count of 166 swelled the pits.
The IMCA Friesen Performance Modifieds were running for $1,000, and the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars were seeking a $750 payday. Those two winners also were eligible to qualify for Fast Shafts and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitationals.
The IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, IMCA Friesen Performance Northern SportMods, and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts ran for $500 each.
First on the track were the IMCA Northern SportMods, running a 20 lap feature event. Alec Fett and Brayton Carter put on a good battle for the lead in the early laps, with Fett having the upperhand. A yellow at lap seven and subsequent restart, saw Carter overtake the leader and take command of the race.
Fett continued to chase Carter the remainder of the race, but to no avail, as Carter swept home to the comfortable win. Following second place Fett in third place was hometown favorite, Jenae Gustin who had started in eight position. Malone, Wisconsin's Timothy Warner started eleventh and took fourth, and Dorchester, Nebraska's Trevor Noonan drove from sixteenth starting spot, to round out the top five positions.
The IMCA Stock Cars, "The Class too Tough to Tame" ran a 25 lap A main. It was no contest as Tom Berry, Jr. jumped to the lead on lap one, after starting sixth. Berry pulled away from the field until Troy Jerovetz closed in at the halfway point, but could not overtake the leader. Berry crossed first under the checkered flag, with Jerovetz taking second. Dan Mackenthun, Hamburg, Minnesota crossed in third place, Johnathan Logue was fourth, and Cole Czarneski, Denmark, Wisconsin racer was fifth. However, a post race inspection deemed that Berry and Logue had rule infractions, and both were disqualified. This handed the win over to Troy Jerovetz. Mackenthun was awarded second place, Czarneski took third, Buck Schafroth, who started twentieth, was fourth, and David Brandies was fifth.
Tim Ward, the Arizona native who now calls Harcourt, Iowa home, was the class of the field in the IMCA Modified 25 lap feature event. Ward passed lap one leader Jimmy Gustin on lap two, and never looked back. Ward captured the Frostbuster $1,000 win, finishing well ahead of second place, Todd Shute. Gustin held third place, holding back fourth place Jeff Aikey. Jake McBirnie completed the top five.
It was the "Flying Fireman, Kellogg, Iowa's Calvin Dhondt capturing the victory in the IMCA Hobby Stock 20 lap feature. Dhondt started fourth, and quickly caught leader Eric Knutson. Dhondt snatched the lead on lap five, only to have Knutson come right back and have the lead on lap six. The two ran tightly, sometimes going side-by-side until Dhondt took the lead for good on lap thirteen, and then took it home to the checkers. Knutson had to be content with the runner up spot. Third went to Scott Herro, Brainard, Minnesota, fourth was Blake Luininberg, Reading, Minnesota, and Bedford, Iowa's Luke Ramsey raced from sixteenth starting spot, to capture fifth place.
The night cap was 15 laps of IMCA Sport Compact racing. Blake Driscol took home the $500 and the win in this contest. He had to hold off the hard charging of Kolby Sabin in the closing laps, but Sabin had to settle for second on this night. Newton, Wisconsin's Adam Broehm took third, fourth went to Josh Barnes, and James Riske, Newton, Wisconsin, was fifth.
Next week there are two nights of racing scheduled for the Marshalltown Speedway as they run both Thursday and Friday night. It will be the two night special for IMCA Stock Cars as they vie for $5,000 in the running for the King of the High Banks.
Thursday, April 13 will be the first night for Stock Car qualifying with full shows for the IMCA Modifieds, Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts. Then on Friday, April 14, the Dirt Trucks will also join in the fun. There will be a practice night on Wednesday, April 12. The green flag drops both race nights at 7:30.
Article Credit: Joyce Eisele
Submitted By: Jerry Vansickel
Article Media
