A Site For all Race Fans

If you haven't been there yet, check out this great site with articles and photos from racing's past.

Former Hawkeye Racing News editor Kyle Ealy and Omaha World Herald writer Lee Ackerman have put together a collection of articles from 10, 20, even 50 years ago, presented as a "this week in history" format, along with commentary about racing's past, so it's regularly updated with "fresh" material. It's a great approach to historical information.

Just go there:

Midwest Racing Archives

Eagle Bootlegger's Run Oct. 3

The final event of 2009 at "America's Home Track" Eagle Raceway, the Bootleggers Run Race of Champions, will be held on Saturday October 3rd.

The fastest 1/3 mile dirt track in the country will host NASCAR icons Casey Mears, Michael Waltrip, Bobby Labonte and Jimmy Spencer competing in two eight-lap Late Model races.

As a bonus attraction, "The King" Richard Petty will also be in attendance. Mr. Petty does only a handful of appearances each year, so this is very possibly a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see him.

The support classes for the evening will be IMCA Modifieds, Sport Mods and Hobby Stocks. There will be a draw for starting positions.

Reserved seating is available at just $20 for those 6 and up, but will be limited to the first 3962 requests.

General admission seating will be only $15 for those 6 and older.

Tickets can be ordered by calling the office at (402) 238-2595 (a $2 processing fee will apply) or by visiting participating NAPA stores. Prices for "day-of" tickets are $25 for reserved seating and $20 for general admission seating.

Children 5 and under are free with a paid admission (1 child per paid admission).

Autograph vouchers will also be sold for $5 each, but will be limited to 1200 total autographs and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Purchaser will be guaranteed one of five driver autographs per voucher using a lottery based system. The autograph session will run from 5:30 to 6:30 (rain or shine).

Pit gates open at 2:30. Pit passes are just $20.

The front gates will open at 3:00. There will be live music from 3:00 until 5:00.

A press conference will be held from 4:30 until 5:30 (rain or shine).

Hot laps for the IMCA Modifieds, Sport Mods and Hobby Stocks will begin at 5:30 with heat races for those classes starting at 6:30.

Hot laps for the Race of Champions will be at 6:55 and the feature races start at 7:00. Post race interviews, photos and etc. will be done immediately following them.

Feature races for the IMCA Modifieds, Sport Mods and Hobby stocks are scheduled to take the green flag at 7:15.

Drivers and times are subject to change due to NASCAR scheduling or flight delays.

Come out and see how the NASCAR boys handle the dirt high-banks!!!!

Greg Cooper Benefit

Follow up:

There will be a fund raiser at I-80 this weekend for the Cornhusker Classic. You can make donations and/or purchase window decals in honor of Greg. If you are unable to attend, you can still make contributions to the Greg Cooper Benefit Fund at TierOne Bank. If you are interested in purchasing window decals, please email: s.biltoft@yahoo.com

* * *

On Friday, September 4th, while at the car races at State Fair Park,
Greg lost his balance while leaning on the top rail and fell backwards
off of the bleachers. He was taken to BryanLGH West with critical head
injuries.

According to the carepages.com site set up for him, he passed away recently.

A benefit fund has been set up at TierOne Bank and deposits may be
made at any branch or mailed to:

Greg Cooper Benefit Fund

TierOne Bank
P O Box 83009
Lincoln NE 68508-2083

Greg was the car owner/driver of #37 ProAm and raced primarily at I-80
Speedway. He began racing a Friday Night Flyer at Eagle, Columbus and
Beatrice. After several years of being just a race fan, he started
back up in the ProAm division at I-80, winning the Rookie of the Year
Award in 2002, Cornhusker Classic in 2004 and finishing the 2009 ProAm
Season 8th in points.

Look back at a big weekend

I'm going to kick off a run of editorials here. Well, maybe a "few" more than a run. I'm starting with a look back at what was one of the biggest weekends for sprint car racing in Nebraska.

Unfortunately, the 9/11 tribute race at Butler County Motorplex got off to a wet start. I, along with several others read the message boards in disbelief when the track reported only recieving sprinkles after a line of storms went through the vicinity. But, upon arriving at the track the reports were true as we kicked up dust in the pits. The news wasn't good, as I and others stared at their smart-phones watching the impending storm moving closer. The sky darkened, drizzle, then a slow soaking rain fell on the track. BCM promoter Jacy Todd was adamant about outlasting the storm, but practicality set in and the race was postponed to Sunday afternoon.

The $5000 to win Nebraska Cup greeted 52 sprinters, with a stellar field. To give an idea of the competition: the A feature was stocked with at least 15 A feature winners/championship winners/series winners in 2009 that I could name off the top of my head. Despite the actual number being iffy - the fact that the field was packed with talent is not. Here's another tidbit, ASCS N. Plains (and soon Midwest) champion Jason Danley, four-time track champ Mike Boston, former ASCS 360 Nationals, Eagle and Knoxville track champ Billy Alley and ASCS National Tour winner and 2008 NE Cup champ Jack Dover all had to qualify through B features! Nobody "lucked" into the A.

What I love about 360's, especially the likes of Eagle and BCM is that a dry track doesn't mean lock-down to the bottom. The surface was very racy and the slide-fest back and forth battle between eventual winner Tony Bruce, Jr. and Jesse Hockett left fans agape at the action. There was plenty of action throughout the field. Like this, and this, and this, and...well, as Bruce said, "What a race, if anybody here didn't like that one, then you're not gonna like any kind of racing."

THIS event showcased what 360's are capable of on the short track and harkened back to the halcyon days of the early 2000's with 40 cars and a dozen feature winners. Yes Virgina, Santa can run a wing. More on this later.

Let it be known, I'm not just sprint-centric. The Modified feature, as it usually is at Eagle, was pretty darn good too.

Butler County didn't disappoint. A PERFECT day greeted fans and racers, a 180 from Friday. A somber tribute to 9/11 victims and first responders was brightened by the "Husker Copter" owned by Midwest Medical Transport bringing in the trophies, and a flyover by vintage aircraft. Twenty-nine strong sprints were on hand. A dry track remained racy with the sprint heats coming off without major incident.

Topless Modifieds were on hand for a $911 winner's share. I like today's IMCA Modified. But I wish they'd always run without the lid, though according to some, the setup is quite different.

Unfortunately, things were delayed after a NASTY crash in turn four when a chain of sport compacts crashed into a stopped car on the track. The wreckage took some time to clear up.

Kyle Berck took out most of the front runners at Eagle Saturday with a rare mistake, he made up for it by pulling away to take the modified feature.

The A once again, saw a dry but racy track. Much like Saturday the action was furious throughout. Chad Humston dueled pole-sitter Brian Brown briefly until establishing a comfortable lead. The show was watching Brown and Mike Boston put slide after slide on each other dueling for the runner up spot. Tony Bruce, Jr. had to qualify from the B but worked his way up the field and finished fifth.

It was some of the most intense action I'd witnessed all season.

Thumbs up:

- Roger Hadan and Jacy Todd, let's not forget: without their willingness to "go big" this weekend wouldn't have happened. Both were willing to take a risk.

- The Nebraska Cup committee, headed by Lori Dover who worked hard to generate interest in the two shows. A bounty of contingency prizes awaited drivers, many of whom came as a result of committee encouragement. The first "Miss Nebraska Cup" contest elicited huge response from the fans.

- The BCM tribute to the soldiers, fallen, and first-responders was very fitting and well done.

- The drivers and teams who decided to forgo races closer to home to make the trip up to Eagle and face the competition. Tony and Chad took the money, but the fans were the winners this week.

- Well, the fans - a late arriving crowd turned an iffy count into a respectable one at Eagle, with a solid group making the trip to the cornfields of Butler County on a Sunday night. Good attendance both nights.

- The quick-responding Butler County safety crew. They were quite literally, on top of every incident within seconds of it happening.

- Jason Danley - claiming the Midwest Region championship along with his Northern Plains title. What's impressive is that unlike a lot of "touring" series, the Midwest region had 13 of 15 scheduled events. That's a full season at some tracks.

- The push trucks. Getting a 52-car show rolling like it did is no small feat. BCM races were kicked off in no time. The bunch that pushes off in Nebraska is one of the best anywhere and they do it with only a handful of trucks.

- The decision to go topless with the Modifieds. I really like those things. Each track running mods needs to do it once. It's great to see the driver work.

- What can be done with good competition. I tire of criticism of winged sprint cars. Yes, you can get lock-down nights like the World of Outlaws. But, seeing what a strong field can do on a multi-groove track like this weekend and the earlier races at I-80 should remind fans what these are capable of, and they race like NO other class on dirt. It also confirms my preference for a dry track come feature time.

- Tony Bruce Jr. just seems like one of the most amiable, friendly but tough as nails behind the wheel kind of guys out there. Count me as a fan.

- Chad Humston and Mark Burch putting the Banana Wagon at the forefront of 360 racing again.

Thumbs down (oh come on, you expect me to be nothing but sunshine?):

- Unnecessary delays. The Miss NE Cup competition was the chunk of a 47-minute Eagle intermission. The 40+ minute Butler County break was unnecessarily long, especially since the show got started late and was started early due to the Sunday night reschedule. I understand the unforeseen delays with the opening ceremony, and the compact wreck afterward was certainly beyond control. But, the intermission was something that should have been cut given the circumstances - 10 minutes to water the track then get going. While listening to the radio I could tell 26 compacts in the A at Butler were too much and it seemed to overwhelm the scorers at times causing delays. Maybe I care too much about that stuff - but it's my site.

- Accusations of "fixing" the aforementioned pageant. The bellyaching afterward was just silly and doesn't merit any further comm....

- Sprint drivers demanding tow money. I'm sorry, but NO 360 driver merits tow money.

Butler County 9/11 Tribute Race Photos

Photos from the Butler County 9/11 tribute race are online. Sprints and Modifieds.

Butler County 9/11 Tribute Race Photos

Eagle Nebraska Cup Photos

Photos are online from Saturday's Nebraska Cup. Sprints and Modifieds.

Eagle Nebraska Cup 9-12-09 Photos

I-80 Cornhusker Classic

Shelby County's Tiny Lund Memorial sports six IMCA divisions

HARLAN, Iowa (Sept. 14) - Six IMCA divisions fill the card for the
Tiny Lund Memorial Nationals at Shelby County Speedway.

Total purse for the 18th annual special this Friday and Saturday,
Sept. 18-19 at Harlan tops $50,000. The Modified feature pays $3,000
to win and is a quali fying event for the 2010 Fast Shafts All-Star
Invitational ballot.

Late Models race for $2,500 to win, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $2,000
to win, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Hobby
Stocks both for $1,000 and the Mach-1 Sport Compacts for $500.

National, regional and Smiley's Racing Products State points will be
awarded to Modified, Stock Car and Hobby Stock drivers. National and
state points are at stake in the Northern SportMod and Sport Compact
divisions.

Tow money will be paid to drivers who compete both days but don't
make their feature. Modified and Late Model non-qualifiers will get
$100, Stock Car non-qualifiers get $75 and Hobby Stock, SportMod and
Sport Compact non-qualifiers each get $50 tow.

Feature winners from the track's Dwight Wrich Memorial held Aug. 1
who don't qualify through their heat or "B" races will receive
provisional starts.

A Thursday, Sept. 17 practice session starts at 7 p.m. and will be
followed by a free supper served to purchasers of $10 pit admission.

Friday's race program begins at 7 p.m. and includes heat races for
all divisions and pole dashes for Modifieds, Late Models and Stock
Cars. Pit passes are $25 and grandstand admission is $10 for adults
and $6 for students.

The Saturday program starts at 6 p.m. and sports "B" features and all
main events. Pit passes are $30. Grandstand admission is $15 for
adults and $10 for students. Kids 10 and under get in free both nights.

Rain date is Sunday, Sept. 20. Camping and shower facilities are
available on the fairgrounds.

More information is available at the www.racescs.com website.

What's Up - What's Coming Up

OK, when Lee Ackerman of the Omaha World Herald asks why I haven't updated
much lately, then I need to explain myself.

Obviously, this site isn't my day job. My day job involves a lot of sitting
in front of a computer, and it's related to colleges. So, I've been very
busy with the ramp up of fall semester. When I get home, about the last
thing I've wanted to do is stare at a computer screen.

But, things are settling down, and I've got plenty of stuff on my mind,
including a look back at what was arguably the biggest weekend for Nebraska
sprint car racing and a piece that details some other issues I've had
regarding updates.

I'm also going to ask for some input on the future of this site.

So stay tuned.
 

Butler County ASCS Postponed

Evening rain forced the postponement of Friday's 9/11 Race to Remember featuring ASCS Sprints, Topless Modifieds and Sport Compacts. The race has been rescheduled for Sunday Sept. 13, with racing starting at 5:00PM.

Holliman Cleared to Race, Looking for Ride

Tadd Holliman, who suffered a broken arm this season in a sprint car accident at Eagle Raceway is healed, cleared to race and is looking for someone who has a sprint ride open for the Nebraska Cup Saturday September 12.

He is willing to help out on the car as much as possible, whether it's a tire or perhaps fuel.

Anyone with an opportunity please call him at 402-297-2740.

Two Great Nights of Racing

From Eagle Raceway

This is going to be a fabulous weekend for dirt track racing in our area.

Friday the two-night ASCS weekend kicks off with racing at Butler County
Motorplex outside of Rising City. The ASCS 360 sprints are racing for a top
prize of $2001 and will be joined by the topless modifieds competing for
$911. The sport compacts will be racing to put the topping to the action.
Racing starts at 8 p.m. Front gate admission is only $15 and pit passes are
$25. The Miss Nebraska Cup contestants will be in attendance, so come out
for a look at these lovely young ladies.

Saturday night is The Nebraska Cup at Eagle Raceway. The ASCS 360 sprints
will be racing for $5000 to win, the topless modifieds will be trying for
the winner's share of the purse which is $1000. The IMCA Sport Compacts will
also race. The 1st Annual Miss Nebraska Cup will be crowned by a vote of the
fans Saturday night. Be sure to cheer for your favorite. Front gates open at
5 with racing at 7. The pit gates will open to competitors at 2 o'clock with
fans being allowed to come in from 3 until 5 to mingle with the race teams.

Some of the best drivers from around the country will be competing with the
best that our area has, so these 2 shows are going to be great.

You won't want to miss a minute of the action, so come out for both
evenings.

ASCS Midwest Season Closes with a Bang This Weekend!

Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (September 8, 2009) – The American Sprint Car Series Midwest Region brings the curtain down on the 2009 season on a high note with a pair of events in Nebraska this weekend, with a potential weekend sweep worth $7,001.

On Friday night, the ASCS Midwest forces invade Rising City's Butler County Motorplex for the $2,001-to-win Tribute to 9/11 "Race to Remember". Then, on Saturday night, the ASCS Midwest season championship finale takes place at Eagle Raceway's $5,000-to-win Nebraska Cup.

The lone ASCS Midwest stop of the year at both tracks, it marks the series return to the Butler County Motorplex for the first time since 2007 after a pair of tries last year were washed out. Springfield, Nebraska's Jack Dover topped last year's edition of Eagle Raceway's Nebraska Cup to put the wraps on the 2008 series title.

While a stellar field of competitors is expected for this weekend's pair of events in Cornhusker territory, Lincoln, Nebraska's Jason Danley will try to put the finishing touches on a second ASCS Regional championship for the 2009 season.

Danley finished off the ASCS Northern Plains slate at the end of July with a 33-point cushion over Sioux Falls racer Eric Lutz and carries a 100-point advantage over Giltner, Nebraska's Chad Humston into the Midwest season-ender.

Danley can safely put away the Midwest title by simply making the feature cut on both nights. However, any stumble against the stout field could open the door for Humston, who celebrates his 23rd birthday this week.

While Danley has built his advantage on the strength of seven top-ten feature runs in eleven events, Humston is one of just two drivers to post two Midwest feature wins this season along with Missouri's Brian Brown.

Humston picked off series wins at Nebraska Raceway Park's I-80 Speedway (May 21) and South Dakota's I-90 Speedway (June 26), while Brown added a win in the series most recent event at Sedalia's State Fair Speedway (August 23) to an earlier score at I-80 (July 2).

While Danley and Humston settle the top spot this weekend, Lutz enters the weekend ranked third in Midwest points with Lucas Oil Sprint Car Rookie of the Year contender Jack Dover in fourth. Two-time ASCS Northern Plains champion Lee Grosz of Harwood, ND, rounds out the current top five in ASCS Midwest points.

Friday's racing action at Butler County Motorplex goes green at 8:00 p.m., while Saturday's Nebraska Cup at Eagle Raceway fires off at 7:00 p.m.

The high-banked, 3/8-mile Butler County Motorplex clay oval is located near Rising City, NE, eight miles south of U.S. 30 on U.S. 81, then two miles east on CR 38, then 0.7 mile south on CR C, then east. For more information, contact the track at 308-940-1970.

The high-banked, 1/3-mile Eagle Raceway clay oval is located in Eagle, NE, off I-80 Exit 420, then eleven miles south on SR 63, then west. For more information, contact the track at 402-781-2243.

This weekend's Nebraska double completes a slate of 15 nights of competition for the ASCS Midwest Region at eight tracks throughout Nebraska and the surrounding areas of Missouri and South Dakota.

Thus far, 125 drivers have competed in at least one ASCS Midwest event in 2009 with nine different drivers reaching victory lane in eleven completed events. While Humston and Brown have each posted two triumphs, single wins have been recorded by Lutz, Jonathan Cornell, Billy Alley, Jesse Hockett, Shane Stewart, Bronson Maeschen and Gary Wright. Two events were rained out.

Past ASCS Midwest Winners at Butler County Motorplex:
6/15/07 – Mike Boston
7/28/06 – Garry Lee Maier

Past ASCS Midwest Winners at Eagle Raceway:
9/7/09 – Jack Dover
7/21/08 – Mike Boston


The American Sprint Car Series, in its 18th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing events, brings the best of Sprint Car racing to nearly 100 different tracks throughout 25 states and Canada in 2009. Anchored by the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters, ASCS also consists of a dozen different Regions throughout the nation.

Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com.

Eagle 9-6-09 Photos

Here's a panorama shot of the crowd at Eagle Raceway. Click on the image for the full pic.






Photos from Saturday's action are here:

Eagle 9-6-09 Photos

Poessenecker, Grabouski, Vrbka and Jordan win A Features at The Eagle Shootout

September 7th, 2009

by Greg Soukup

The largest crowd in Eagle Raceway history was present for The Eagle
Shootout presented by Oriental Trading Company Saturday evening. A throng of
fans estimated at WELL over 10,000 filed through the gates of "America's
Home Track" to witness some of the best racing of the season. A beautiful
afternoon turned into an even better evening for racing as the track surface
improved throughout the card.

Before the races the fans were allowed to visit the pit area to obtain
autographs from the drivers, including NASCAR's Ken Schrader. They also were
treated to the sounds of "Booby Trap" who performed in the pits before and
after the races.

Heat races in all classes were run without serious incident.

After the Valentino's IMCA Hobby Stock heats were run the crowd in the
stands helped in setting a new world's record for the most whoopie cushions
sat on at one time. 8500 folks participated in the effort.

Shortly after 9:00 the first A Feature cars came out onto the high banks as
the Valentino's IMCA Hobby Stocks were the first feature. Lonnie Greten in
the 9X was the first one back to the flag stand, followed by Don Hall Jr. in
the #92, Mike Hansen's 94 and the 22JR of Dusty Poessenecker. Poessenecker
moved past Hansen on lap #2 followed by Nick Beckman who took over 4th in
the #22. Greten slowed the next time around with a flat tire, allowing Kevin
Anderson's 22K to grab the 4th position. 2 laps later Poessenecker jumped
all the way into the lead. On lap #8 Anderson advanced into the 3rd spot.
With 5 to go Anderson moved up another position to take 2nd. Hall Jr. spun
in turn 4 the next lap, allowing Anderson to take fourth and Beckman to come
up to third. Shortly after that Anderson got past Beckman and at the finish
it was Poessenecker, Anderson, Beckman and Hansen.

"First I want to thank Roger Hadan for a great night of racing. This was the
first time I've ever raced here at Eagle and I can't say enough about the
place" Dusty said. "I also need to thank my pit crew, Big Daddy Race Cars
and my wife because I couldn't win without them" he stated. Dusty's sponsors
include Dorcey Inc . Big Daddy Race Cars, D & J Machine and Jono's Race
Engines.

Dustin Andersen's 8A was in the lead at the end of the first A Main lap for
the Monster Energy Drink IMCA Modifieds. He was followed by the 8C of Chad
Andersen, Brian Cuddly in the 57 and Clint Homan's 27. Chad Andersen grabbed
the lead on the 2nd lap and the V45 of Rik Gropp vaulted all the way up to
third. Gropp took only 2 more laps to take over 2nd from Dustin, but the
yellow flag flew when Scott Bivens' S56 stopped between turns 3 & 4. That
made the running order Chad Andersen, Dustin Andersen, Gropp and Cuddly.
Homan regained the 4th spot on lap 7 and 3 laps later Gropp again got past
Dustin for 2nd. Track modified point champion Jordan Grabouski moved around
Homan the same lap to snare the fourth position. There were 8 laps remaining
when Shane Stutzman's #22S spun in turn 4, causing the yellow to come out
again. Grabouski took advantage of the restart to get around Dustin. The
next time around Chad went very high, giving Grabouski the opening he needed
to take the lead and Gropp followed his lead by also passing Chad to grab
second. On the next circuit Doug Deterding moved up to 4th in the 13. The
final caution of the race came with 5 laps to go when Tyler Snyder's #20
spun out in turn four. The top four racers as the checkered flag flew were
Grabouski, Gropp, Chad Anderson and Doug Deterding.

Grabouski started the interview by saying "This is without a doubt the
hugest crowd that I've ever raced in front of and won in front of. I think
it made me race a little harder in fact." He continued by relating "We
downgraded in the engine department when we had to change after we lost our
main motor in the heat race, but it didn't seem to hurt us much." He
concluded by stating "We're going to be out here next week for The Nebraska
Cup to see if we can do it again". Grabouski's sponsors are Belleville
Motorsports,Twin Rivers Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge, Reedy Machine & Fab, Beatrice
Motor Mart, Redline Grafix, Sasse Farms, Vision Sports, Friend Freightways,
Novotny Construction, Booth Feed & Supply, Schmidt Machine, Side Trek Bar &
Grill, Filley Customer Powder Coating and FX Suspension.

The Auto Trans Matic IMCA Sport Compacts first lap was red flagged as a mess
was created between turns 3 & 4 after one of the cars lost a tire. Those
coming to a stop included Mary Lenz's #17, the A1 of Joe Jura, Jack Prall
IV's 45, and the 21P of Jeremy Peckham. After a complete restart Larry
Cronin's #5 led with the 95C of Bob Cigelman, Mike Simpson's 63 and the 7V
of Adam Vrbka behind him. Vrbka moved into the 3rd spot on lap #4 and the
lead changed the next circuit when Cigelman moved inside of Cronin. The
lineup was juggled again on lap 5 when Cronin again regained the lead and
Vrbka followed him into second, Simpson moved to 3rd and John Sedlachek
advanced the #93 to fourth. Simpson passed Vrbka with 4 to go, only to lose
the spot again 2 laps later when Vrbka got back around him and Sedlachek
again took over fourth. Cronin suffered a flat tire going into turn #4 on
the final lap and fell to fifth as Vrbka won, Simpson finished second,
Sedlachek took third and Cigelman settled for fourth.

"It was cool to get my third win of the season tonight. The track was really
good and it turned out just the way I like it in the feature" Adam said.
Adam's sponsors include Eagle Automotive, Big Dan's Auto Body & Paint and
Low Budget Customs.

The Budweiser 360 Sprints were the final A Main of the evening. Two
second-generation drivers help the top two position at the conclusion of the
first circuit. Jordan Boston, son of the 4-time track points champion Mike
Boston was in the lead in the #57 with Tige Jensen who is the son of sprint
racing legend Lonnie Jensen in second in the #71, John Klabunde's 77 third
and Jason Danley's 82 in fourth. Billy Alley had advanced his #22 all the
way to 13th after starting dead last, but his first time at Eagle Raceway in
quite awhile ended on lap #3 when he flipped in turn 4 after contact with
the wall. He was unhurt, but his racer was damaged too severely to continue
competing. Jensen used a slide job as the cars went into turns 1 & 2 on the
restart to momentarily snare the lead, but Boston used a crossover move to
regain the spot. The next time around Jensen made the slide job stick to put
Boston in second. The first caution of the race came out when Bobby Becker's
8B came to a stop between 3 & 4. Boston regained the lead with 12 down but
the yellow caution light was turned on when Adam Gullion's 96KX sprinter
slowed to a stop in turn 1. With 11 laps left Nick Bryan's #6 spun coming
out of turn #4 and he was sent off after he spun again in turn #4 with 10 to
go. Boston again got past Jensen on the restart but Jensen relegated him
back to second the same lap. Gullion's racer stopped again the next time
around for the final caution of the evening. With just 8 to go Boston took
the lead for good. Terry Holliman moved his #23 up to 4th with 7 laps
remaining setting up a fierce battle between his #23 and Danley. Holliman
and Danley fought tooth and nail right up to the checkered flag as Holliman
nipped him at the finish. The results showed Boston winning, Jensen second,
Klabunde third and Holliman rounding out the top 4.

Boston related "This is only my 4th time ever in a 360 sprint, but I've been
racing 600 mini-sprints for quite awhile now. In fact, I'm battling for the
track championship elsewhere and there's only 2 point separating me and
another racer. We heard that the Bogues had a car they weren't racing, so we
rented a motor for 3 nights to see if we could turn this into something for
next year". He finished by saying "I want to give a big thanks to Jeff and
Jay Bogue. I need to thank my dad, my mom and my whole family. Also my pit
crew and of course all of the fans in the stands".

Eagle Raceway's season continues Saturday September 12th as Budweiser and
Auto Trans Matic present The Nebraska Cup. Drivers from several states will
be on hand as the ASCS 360 sprints compete for $5000 to take home the A
Feature win and the non-sanctioned modifieds try to grab the winners share
of a purse that has a $1000 winner's share. The support class for the
evening will be the Auto Trans Matic IMCA Sport Compacts. The pit gate will
open to the racers at 2:00 and fans will be allowed through the front gate
at 5. Fans who show up early will be allowed into the pits from 3 until 5 to
get autographs, take pictures and even buy merchandise from the racers.
Front gate prices for adults are just $15, youngsters 6-12 are only $5 and
those 5 and under are free with an accompanying adult. Pit passes are only
$25. Come out and see some of the countries finest racers compete on the
high banks.

October 3rd will be the rescheduled Bootleggers Run Race of Champions as
several drivers from both NASCAR and Indy racing compete in Late Models.
Among those in attendance will be Casey & Roger Mears, Michael Waltrip,
Jimmy Spencer and there's rumors that a NASCAR superstar may show up also.

Results:

360 Sprint 9/6/2009

A Feature:1. Jordon Boston (Crete, NE), 2. Tige Jensen (Lincoln, NE), 3.
John Klabunde (Fort Calhoun, NE), 4. Terry Holliman (Hamburg, IA), 5. Jason
Danley (Lincoln, NE), 6. Ken Klabunde (Omaha, NE), 7. Gene Ackland (Lincoln,
NE), 8. Roger Sluka (Lincoln, NE), 9. Rick Hansen (Norfold, NE), 10. Bobby
Jr Becker (Denton, NE), 11. Bill Garrow (Lincoln, NE), 12. Joshua LaPage
(Bennett, NE), 13. Adam Gullion (Beatrice, NE), 14. Nicholas Bryan (Lincoln,
NE), 15. Billy Alley (Lincoln, NE), 16. Trevor Grossenbacher (Holland, NE),
17. Mark Schmidt (Lincoln, NE)

IMCA Hobby Stock 9/6/2009

A Feature:1. Dustin Poessnecker (Atkinson, NE), 2. Kevin Anderson (Lincoln,
NE), 3. Nick Beckman (Lincoln, NE), 4. Mike Hansen (Weeping Water, NE), 5.
Don Kros (Weston, NE), 6. Ben Becher (Lincoln, NE), 7. Ron Novak (Blair,
NE), 8. Eric Hanson (Scribner, NE), 9. Jim Buss (Blue Hill, NE), 10. Justin
Busboom (Lincoln, NE), 11. Troy Mencke (Blair, NE), 12. Joe Ryan (Lincoln,
NE), 13. Mike Barton (Nebraska City, NE), 14. Jacques Smit (Wynore, NE), 15.
Greg Post (Blue Springs, NE), 16. Don Jr Hall (Lincoln, NE), 17. Kevin
Jochum (Roca, NE), 18. Lonnie Greten (Grand Island, NE), 19. EARL SCHMITT
(Omaha, NE), 20. THOM MARSH (Lincoln, NE)

B Feature:1. Justin Busboom (Lincoln, NE), 2. Jim Buss (Blue Hill, NE), 3.
Troy Mencke (Blair, NE), 4. EARL SCHMITT (Omaha, NE), 5. Mike Barton
(Nebraska City, NE), 6. Scott Santee (Omaha, NE), 7. Josh Kennell (Bennet,
NE), 8. DAVID CARTER (Fremont, NE), 9. Mark McKinney (Omaha, NE), 10. Matt
Draeger (Dunbar, NE), 11. Jason Edwards (Lincoln, NE), 12. ROGER ELLIOT JR
(Omaha, NE), 13. Joe Schidler (Lincoln, NE)

IMCA Modified 9/6/2009

A Feature:1. Jordan Grabouski (Beatrice, NE), 2. Rik Gropp (Lincoln, NE), 3.
Chad Andersen (Omaha, NE), 4. Doug Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 5. Clint Homan
(Bellevue, NE), 6. Matt Richards (Lincoln, NE), 7. Brian Cudly (Lincoln,
NE), 8. Scott Bivens (Ceresco, NE), 9. Joe Borer (Lincoln, ne), 10. Sean
Manning (Firth, NE), 11. Dan Bohlmeyer (Blue Springs, NE), 12. Tim Pickens
(Omaha, NE), 13. Tyler Snyder (Beatrice, NE), 14. Dustin Andersen (Omaha,
NE), 15. Shane Stutzman (Milford, ne), 16. Lucas Robinson (Missouri Valley,
IA), 17. STEVE DEVITT (Lincoln, NE), 18. Ken Schrader (Fenton, MO), 19. Jan
Korth (Lincoln, NE), 20. Bob Zoubek (Dorchester, NE)

B Feature 1:1. Matt Richards (Lincoln, NE), 2. Tim Pickens (Omaha, NE), 3.
Scott Anderson (Omaha, NE), 4. Patrick Donovan (Sterling, NE), 5. Lowell
Holland (Omaha, NE), 6. Darren Hosick (Lincoln, NE), 7. George Haney
(Fremont, NE), 8. Jay Schilling (McCook, NE), 9. Bob Ruisinger (Bennet, NE)

B Feature 2:1. Bob Zoubek (Dorchester, NE), 2. Jordan Grabouski (Beatrice,
NE), 3. Dan Rhiley (Bennington, NE), 4. Darren Meinke (Crete, NE), 5. Justin
Wulf (Arlington, NE), 6. CLINT HUMMER (Western, NE), 7. James Oaks (Lincoln,
NE), 8. Jarrod Herfel (Diller, NE), 9. Ethan Christiansen (Nebraska City,
NE)

IMCA Sport Compact 9/6/2009

A Feature:1. Adam Vrbka (Eagle, NE), 2. Mike Simpson (Ashland, NE), 3. John
Sedlachek (Eagle, NE), 4. Bob Cigelman (Lincoln, NE), 5. Larry Cronin
(Lincoln, NE), 6. Elliott Halvorsen (Eagle, NE), 7. Amanda Rhiley
(Bennington, NE), 8. SCOTT LEE (Lincoln, NE), 9. Tyler Saathoff (Lincoln,
NE), 10. David Tadlock (LaVista, NE), 11. KYLE GANNON (Lincoln, NE), 12. Joe
Jura (Bellevue, NE), 13. Jack Prall III (Union, NE), 14. Garrett Rech
(Davey, NE), 15. BRANDON BOLIN (Lincoln, NE), 16. Mary Lenz (Elmwood, NE),
17. Jack Prall IV (Union, NE), 18. Joe Johnson (Ashland, NE), 19. Jeremy
Peckham (Lincoln, NE), 20. Brandon Thornton (Nebraska City, NE)

B Feature:1. SCOTT LEE (Lincoln, NE), 2. Tyler Saathoff (Lincoln, NE), 3.
Joe Jura (Bellevue, NE), 4. BRANDON BOLIN (Lincoln, NE), 5. Mary Lenz
(Elmwood, NE), 6. Ole Olsen (Carter Lake, IA), 7. Jessie Fuller (Beatrice,
NE), 8. Ray Harrington (Eagle, NE), 9. Kevin Staack (Lincoln, NE), 10. Brian
Haller (Lincoln, NE), 11. Jeff Davis (Lincoln, NE), 12. Jeremy Noonan
(Lincoln, NE), 13. Nick Focken (Douglas, NE), 14. Melissa Cronin (Lincoln,
NE), 15. Skylair Johnson (Ashland, NE)

I-80 Season Championship Results

Jim Brennan

Greenwood, Ne., 09/06/09 It was Season Championship night at I-80 Speedway
on Sunday night with Mike Wallace winning the NASCAR Whelan Racing Series
Late Model feature, Rick Negrete winning the Pro-ams, Dylan Smith winning
the IMCA Modified feature, Jesse Sobbing winning the IMCA Sports Mod
feature, Steven Saunders winning the Crate Late Model feature and Joe Baker
winning toe Sports Compact feature. "Lightning Leon" Zeitner took the
checkers first in the Ed's SLMR class.

All championship features were started heads up by the point standings. Bill
Leighton and Mike Wallace started the Late Model feature on the front row
and Leighton jumped out front at the start. But on the back stretch Wallace
took the lead and never looked back in winning his first feature of the
year. Leighton kept going backwards and ended up in 7th place. This dealt a
huge blow to his outside chances for the NASCAR National Championship. Les
Siebert, who finished 2nd, never had a chance to close in on Wallace. Andrew
Kosiski, Todd Hipnar and Brad Soll rounded out the top 5.

The Pro-am Feature was all Rick Negrete who led wire to wire for the win and
also was crowned the track champion for 2009. Shawn Bulin won a hard fought
2nd place from Matt Boucher. Dr. Nick Steier and Chad Sanders rounded out
the top 5.

The IMCA Modified feature saw point leader Dylan Smith wire the field of 11
race cars. Jeff Jones came on to challenge Smith but was unable to pass him
using the low side of the track. Now Smith has to sit back and wait to see
how his competition does for the National Championship. Smith also won
Friday night at the Nebraska State Fair Championships and has 3 track title
at I-80, US30 and Albion.

Once again in the Sports Mod feature Jesse Sobbing was too hot to handle as
he won going away over Robert Tippery. Jim Hendricks Jr., Dennis Cook and
Joe Feyen rounded out the top 5. Sobbing also won 3 track championships at
I-80, Harlan and Des Moines, so he should be in good shape for a National
title. Hendricks is the Nebraska State Champion for IMCA.

The Crate Late Models came down to a last lap pass by Steven Saunders over
Tyler Zander. And with that win Saunders also took the track championship.
Saunders was in a borrowed car after wrecking his the week before. Lindsey
Yost, Shawn Lee and Steven Powell rounded out the top 5.

Track Point leader Pete Fink Jr. did not even compete in the season
championship Sports Compact feature which gave Jake McCloud an opening to
tie Fink for the points lead. But McCloud's early lead after the green flag
did not last long as Justin Soule passed him for the lead. And then Joe
Baker came on to challenge Soule. Baker took the lead on lap 9 and went on
to record his 1st feature win of the season.

Then it was time for the big boys in the Ed's Super Late Model Racing
Association. Veteran driver Al Humphrey took the eary lead only to lose it
on lap 2 to Jase Kaser. Kaser stayed out front til lap 13 when "Lightning
Leon" Zeitner passed him for the lead. Zeitner who said, "my car was dialed
in just right tonight" lead the rest of the way with a hard charging Mike
Wiarda taking 2nd over Kaser, Humphrey and Travis Dickes. Zeitner said now
he's even with his son Justin, who won a SLMRA race earlier in the year.
Zeitner, Robbie Andersen and Dickes won the heat races while Craig Preble
won the B-Feature.


I-80 Speedway Results for 9/06/09


NASCAR Whelen Racing Series

Late Models: 1) 1w Mike Wallace, 2) 51 Les Siebert, 3) 2x Andrew Kosiski, 4)
12 Tod Hipnar, 5) 50 Brad Soll, 6) 17v Rick Vanderheiden, 7) 28 Bill
Leighton Jr., 8) 97d Dave Doll, 9) 43 Matt Buller, 10) 00 Clint Benson, 11)
Dave Cook, 12) Micah Brown, 13) Josh Krug, 14) Al Humphrey, 15) Jacob Brown,
16) Gary Joens Jr, 17) Jason Longmeyer, 18) Tom Svoboda, 19) Kent Schimenti,
20) Dwane Pospisil, 21) Mike Morton Jr., 22) Brent Baker, 23) Kortney
Kosiski, 24) Mollee Collins

Pro-ams: 1) 72 Rick Negrete, 2) 36 Shawn Bulin, 3) 5B Matt Boucher, 4) 8
Nick Steier, 5) 49x Chad Sanders, 6) 55 Ray Dessel, 7) 3T Tim Podraza, 8) 12
Terry Cleveland, 9) 28 Casey Cleveland, 10) 24 Don Mohr, 11) Dana Deeke, 12)
Herb Slough, 13) Justin Bertschinger, 14) Frank Timperly, 15) Don Atkins, 16
Jeff Atkins

IMCA Modifieds

1) 95 Dylan Smith, 2) 19j Jeff Jones, 3) 1s Scott Carlson, 4) 21h Shane
Hiatt, 5) 16b Randy Brown, 6) 8 Larry Goertz, 7) Z00 Lacey Tuttle, 8) 48
Larry Robinson Jr., 9) 69 Bill Bader Jr., 10) 12 Tyler Smith, 11) Nick
Sagamiller

SportMods: 1) Jesse Sobbing, 2) 121 Robert Tippery, 3) 33 Jim Hendricks Jr.,
4) 45 Dennis Cook, 5) 25x Joe Feyen, 6) 6 Denny Berghahn Jr., 7) 2 Mike
Brown, 8) 56 Jeremy Longmeyer, 9) 239 Stave Swarthout, 10) 10d Dustin
Thayer, 11) Brian Kosiski, 12) Cory Hutchison, 13) Nick Hermsen, 14) Nathan
Kobus, 15) Buddy Ray Jones, 16) Kyle Harpster, 17) Joe Thomas, 18) John
Riggleman, 19) Phil Brown, 20) Brian Florian, 21) David Nicholson, 22) Marty
Steinbach, 23) Ron Allen

Crate Late Model: 1) 44 Steven Saunders, 2) 2 Tyler Zander, 3) 20 Lindsey
Yost, 4) 40 Shawn Lee, 5) 14 Michael Powell, 6) 34 Michalea Kosiski, 7) 5c
Shevi Collins, 8) 33m Stephen McConnell

Sport Compacts

A-Feature: 1) 9x Joe Baker, 2) 16j Justin Soule, 3) Alex Fink, 4) 40 Jake
McCloud, 5) 6 Dan Markham, 6) 7 Kennin Colestock, 7) 97 John Irvine, 8) 74c
Dave Christensen, 9) 15 Jamie Spanel, 10) 18 Will McConnell, 11) Amanda
Christensen, 12) Brett Smith, 13) Skip Brown, 14) Andrew Cuva, 15) Tim
Cortney, 16) Wayne Stricklett, 17) David Neesen, 18) Preston Gigax, 19)
Trisha Hultgren, 20) Tammy Clark, 21) Kevin Zeitner, 22) Steve Niederhaus

SLMR Late Models

A-Feature: 1) 62 Leon Zeitner, 2) 1w Mike Wiarda, 3) 15x Jase Kaser, 4) 6 Al
Humphrey, 5) 21h Travis Dickes, 6) z62 Justin Zeitner, 7) 26jr Corey
Zeitner, 8) 53 Joe Kosiski, 9) 76 Al Zeitner, 10) 5x Mike Marushak, 11)
Jason Hobscheidt, 12) Curt Drake, 13) Keith Mander Jr., 14) Steve Kempt, 15)
Troy Daly, 16) Craig Preble, 17) John Nicholson, 18) Robbie Andersen, 19)
Dan Jackson, 20) Mel Zeitner, 21) Micah Brown, 22) Todd Bell

State Fair Races

Well, at least somebody is putting some advance press out there.

grumble, grumble, grumble.

Lincoln Journal Star: Neb. Championships may be final auto races at State Fair Park