Dylan Smith wins IMCA Modified Nat'l. Title, Rech Takes Compact Crown

VINTON, Iowa (Oct. 2) - A division-best 28 feature wins and bonus
points from three local track titles paved the way for Dylan Smith's
first national IMCA Modified championship.

The Osceola, Neb., driver edged Garner's Jeremy Mills by five points
for the title. Mills won 25 features and was the only driver in the
division with four track crowns to his credit this season.

Smith's banner season also included the championship in the
ButlerBuilt Central Region and Boone County Raceway, I-80 Speedway
and US 30 Speedway crowns.

Also capturing national titles were Dustin Smith of Lake City in the
Sunoco Stock Cars, Neil Stevens of Bing ham Lake, Minn., in the KSE
Racing Products Sprint Cars, Jesse Sobbing of Glenwood in the Karl
Chevrolet Northern SportMods, Garrett Rech of Davey, Neb., in the
Mach-1 Sport Compacts and John McNeil of Denton, Texas, in the GM
Performance Crate Models.

Shannon Anderson of Atlantic and Keith White of Little River Academy,
Texas, defended their titles in the Sunoco Hobby Stock and Southwest
Racing Specialties Southern SportMod divisions, respectively.

The point season for all eight classes ended on Sept. 27. Standings
become official at noon on Monday, Oct. 26.

Dustin Smith became the third driver to win national IMCA crowns in
different divisions. The 2004 Hobby Stock king bested three-time
champion Mike Nichols of Harlan and defending champ Rod Snellenberger
of Pulaski, Wis., in the drive for this year's prize.

The track champion at Buena Vista Raceway, Marshalltown Speedway and
Shelby County Speedway, Smith won 23 features. Nichols was tops in
point standings at Dawson County Raceway and I-35 Speedway LLC and
had 26 wins; Snellenberger was track champion at Shawano Speedway and
won 25 times.

A dozen feature wins gave Stevens the inside track toward his second
career national title in the winged class. Also the 2005 champion,
Stevens was first in points at both Arlington Raceway and Redwood
Speedway.

Sobbing is the third straight driver to earn both the national title
and rookie of the year honors in the Northern SportMod division in
the same season. He won 20 features and raked in the maximum 60 bonus
points for track titles at I-80, Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway and
Shelby County.

Runner-up Tyler Frye of Belleville, Kan., had 27 wins and was first
in the standings at Beatrice Speedway and Minneapolis Raceway. Kevin
Sather of Ankeny was third after winning 26 times and leading point
races at Marshalltown and Stuart.

Anderson won an IMCA single division season record 43 features this
season, a title difference-making dozen more than runner-up B.J.
Dauer of Marquette, Kan. Both won four track crowns and earned the
maximum number of bonus points.

The son of five-time national Stock Car champion Jeff Anderson,
Shannon topped point standings at Buena Vista, the Iowa State
Fairgrounds, Shelby County and Stuart Speedway in repeating as Jet
Racing Northern Region king.

White's fourth career Southern SportMod prize came by virtue of his
20-9 advantage over Chris Meyers of Eunice, N.M., in feature wins.

While White was champion at Heart O' Texas, Meyers topped points at
both Cardinal Motor Speedway and Lady Luck Speedway. Jeff Turner was
third with 18 wins and the Boyd Raceway title to his credit.

Rech won nine Sport Compact features this season and was the only
national champion not to have won a local track title as well this
season. He was runner-up at Eagle Raceway and at Butler County
Motorplex.

McNeil topped a pair of Crate Model main events and also won the
track championship at Kennedale Speed way Park.

All five Modified drivers winning ButlerBuilt regional titles did so
for the first time.

Mills scooped up the North Central Region prize. The 1998 national
Hobby Stock champ, Mills earned track titles at Algona Raceway, Buena
Vista Raceway, Hancock County Speedway and I-35 Speedway.

White did double-division duty, capturing the South Central Region
trophy. He was track champion at Heart O' Texas Speedway and
Kennedale Speedway Park.

Eastern Region king Kevan Cook of Constantia, N.Y., ruled at
Brewerton Speedway and Skyline Raceway.

Justen Yeager of Green River, Wyo., reigned in the Western Region.
He'd also won the EQ Cylinder Heads Wild West Northern Tour.

White collected 25 Modified checkers for a total of 45 multi-division
sanctioned wins in 2009.

Cook was a 17-time winner this season. Yeager won 14 features.

Bloomfield, N.M.'s Rex Higgins is champion of the Stephenville
Starter Southern Region for Stock Cars. He won 11 features and was
first in the point race at Fairgrounds Speedway.

Charles Cosper of Belton, Texas, repeated as champion of the
Stephenville Starter Southern Region for Hobby Stocks. The 281
Speedway and Heart O' Texas king won 14 features.

Dauer paced the points at Minneapolis Raceway, RPM Speedway, Thomas
County Speedway and WaKeeney Speedway.

Joining Sobbing as national rookies of the year are Gabe Tucker of
Carbon, Texas, Modified; Phil Holtz of Manchester, Stock Car; Dylan
Book of Adel, Hobby Stock; Dustin Sargent of Cleveland, Minn., Sprint
Car; Steven Abbey of Comanche, Texas, Southern SportMod; and Jeff
Davis of Lincoln, Neb., Sport Compact.

Top ButlerBuilt Modified regional rookies are Tucker in the South
Central; Tim Ward of Mesa, Ariz., in the West; Shane Hiatt of Rising
City, Neb., in the Central; Chris Stein of Davenport in the North
Central; and How ard Jones of Freeville, N.Y., in the East.

Steffan Carey of Bloomfield, N.M., is Stock Car ROY and Joe Williams
of Waco, Texas, is the Hobby Stock ROY in the Southern Region.

David Murray Jr. of Oberlin, Kan., had set the previous single-season
record with 41 Modified wins in 2004. The single-season multi-
division feature win mark is 47, established by Dave Trauernicht of
Beatrice, Neb., in 2001.

Kevin Blum of Colona, Ill., was national champion and Ryan Giles of
West Des Moines the top rookie in the IMCA Late Model division. Final
point races for that class were Aug. 30.

All IMCA champions and rookies of the year will be honored during the
national awards banquet on Saturday, Nov. 28 in Lincoln, Neb.

UNOFFICIAL Top 10 Standings

Modifieds - 1. Dylan Smith, Osceola, Neb., 1,248; 2. Jeremy Mills,
Garner, Iowa, 1,243; 3. Keith White, Little River Academy, Texas,
1,235; 4. Kevan Cook, Constantia, N.Y., 1,221; 5. Jordan Grabouski,
Beatrice, Neb., 1,206; 6. David Murray Jr., Oberlin, Kan., 1,192; 7.
Justen Yeager, Green River, Wyo., 1,189; 8. Max Cor poron, Marion,
Iowa, 1,185; 9. Corey Lagroon, Salina, Kan., 1,185; 10. Scott Hogan,
Vinton, Iowa, 1,185.

Sprint Cars - 1. Neil Stevens, Bingham Lake, Minn., 790; 2. Keith
Beckler, Litchfield, Minn., 720; 3. Dwain Wilmes, Kasota, Minn., 710;
4. Bruce Allen, Mankato, Minn., 709; 5. Chris Graf, Glencoe, Minn.,
686; 6. A.J. Stevens, Bingham Lake, Minn., 679; 7. Brandon Allen, St.
Peter, Minn., 668; 8. Brad Lund, Fairfax, Minn., 653; 9. Curt Lund,
Redwood Falls, Minn., 615; 10. Richard Smith, Mankato, Minn., 608.

Stock Cars - 1. Dustin Smith, Lake City, Iowa, 1,247; 2. Mike
Nichols, Harlan, Iowa, 1,228; 3. Rod Snellen berger, Pulaski, Wis.,
1,218; 4. Kevin Opheim, Mason City, Iowa, 1,206; 5. Cory Struckhoff,
Kensington, Kan., 1,202; 6. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill., 1,193; 7. Trent
Murphy, Jefferson, Iowa, 1,183; 8. Mike Jergens, Plover, Iowa, 1,180;
9. Damon Murty, Chelsea, Iowa, 1,170; 10. Kelly Henderson, Minot,
N.D., 1,164.

Hobby Stocks - 1. Shannon Anderson, Atlantic, Iowa, 1,260; 2. B.J.
Dauer, Marquette, Kan., 1,260; 3. Charles Cosper, Belton, Texas,
1,206; 4. Allen Montgomery, Fort Worth, Texas, 1,198; 5. Devin Smith,
Lake City, Iowa, 1,197; 6. Austin Davis, Benkelman, Neb., 1,189; 7.
Eric Stanton, Hartford, Iowa, 1,180; 8. Michael Mur phy, Jefferson,
Iowa, 1,162; 9. Frank Paul, Kewaunee, Wis., 1,133; 10. Matthew
Crowell, Clearwater, Kan., 1,133.

Northern SportMods - 1. Jesse Sobbing, Glenwood, Iowa, 1,243; 2.
Tyler Frye, Belleville, Kan., 1,238; 3. Kevin Sather, Ankeny, Iowa,
1,237; 4. Austin Kaplan, Ankeny, Iowa, 1,202; 5. Scott Davis, Madrid,
Iowa, 1,197; 6. Tim Jorgenson, Seymour, Wis., 1,183; 7. Travis Van
Straten, Hortonville, Wis., 1,182; 8. Eric Arne son, Oconto Falls,
Wis., 1,160; 9. Luke Wanninger, Jefferson, Iowa, 1,134; 10. Jim
Hendricks, Council Bluffs, Iowa, 1,126.

Southern SportMods - 1. Keith White, Little River Academy, Texas,
1,205; 2. Chris Meyers, Eunice, N.M., 1,205; 3. Jeff Turner, Kaufman,
Texas, 1,199; 4. Ronnie Welborn, Princeton, Texas, 1,179; 5. Zach
Hamilton, Farmington, N.M., 1,164; 6. Steven Abbey, Comanche, Texas,
1,158; 7. Gabe Tucker, Carbon, Texas, 1,157; 8. Robert Black, Waco,
Texas, 1,118; 9. Matt Winnett, Colbert, Okla., 1,104; 10. T.J. Green,
Robinson, Texas, 1,088.

Sport Compacts - 1. Garrett Rech, Davey, Neb., 1,156; 2. Gary
Peiffer, Troy Mills, Iowa, 1,140; 3. John Sed lachek, Eagle, Neb.,
1,130; 4. Allen Rice, Minneapolis, Kan., 1,100; 5. Justin Wacha,
Vinton, Iowa, 1,086; 6. Jeremy Noonan, Lincoln, Neb., 1,072; 7. Jeff
Davis, Lincoln, Neb., 998; 8. Mike Simpson, Ashland, Neb., 978; 9.
Nicholas Hintz, Lincoln, Neb., 915; 10. John Irvine, Omaha, Neb., 831.

Crate Models - 1. John McNeil, Denton, Texas, 818; 2. Jay Bransom
Jr., Burleson, Texas, 787; 3. Damon Hammond, Burleson, Texas, 759; 4.
Charlie Wilson, Sanger, Texas, 737; 5. Ronnie Davis, Hurst, Texas,
556; 6. Darryl Campbell, Everman, Texas, 488; 7. Eric Winnett, Fort
Worth, Texas, 467; 8. Ronnie Pennington, Saginaw, Texas, 401; 9.
Steven Saunders, Bellevue, Neb., 319; 10. Robert Ferron, Venus,
Texas, 315.