White, Gustin get first Independence Motor Speedway wins.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (May 3) – Matt White made his first career visit to Independence Motor Speedway a memorable one as the IMCA Hobby Stock driver used a late race pass to drive to victory Saturday night.

White rolled off 10th on the starting grid and worked his way through the field while pole-sitter Brian Happel held the lead. Happel was pestered by Jamie Whitaker and Jacob Keiser as White made his way into the top six before the race’s first caution on lap 10.

White powered into the runner-up spot one lap after racing resumed and just before the final caution on the 11th circuit of the 15-lapper. White took two laps following that restart to work past Happel on his way to the win. Happel ran second ahead of teammate Chad Albert.

Jenae Gustin also earned her first Independence win – that coming in the 15-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature.

From a second row start, Gustin quickly worked the low side into the lead and pulled away from traffic. She survived a trio of mid-race cautions to maintain the point while Alex Zwanziger made his way through the field.

Running the high side, Zwanziger raced from a fifth row start and into second place with three laps to go, however Gustin proved to be too strong as she motored to the win. Curt Hilmer finished third.

Ed Thomas and Dennis Betzer shared time at the front of the 20-lap Performance Bodies IMCA Modified feature while Troy Cordes and J.D. Auringer positioned themselves to challenge after mid-pack starts.

Cordes snared the lead just prior to the first stoppage on lap five and Auringer followed him to the front a few laps after racing resumed. Auringer restarted on Cordes’ rear bumper following the final caution with four laps to go.

Auringer challenged to the inside of Cordes, but was unable to work past the leader until he surged ahead as the white flag waved. Cordes stayed close over the final lap, but Auringer held on for the exciting win. Scott Hogan ran third.

IMCA Stock Car driver Paul Shepherd hadn’t visited victory lane in Independence since 2006 – the year he was the IMCA Hobby Stock track champion. He changed that Saturday night.

Shepherd, who started 13th, quickly worked through the pack while Blake Cole led the 17-car field. Shepherd was running third when the caution flag waved just prior to the midway point of the 18-lapper, placing him outside of row two for the ensuing restart.

Shepherd slipped by Jarod Weepie shortly after racing resumed, then made his bid for the lead with five laps to go. Shepherd pulled away in the waning laps to secure the win ahead of Weepie and Phil Holtz.

Tyler Bruening survived numerous stoppages to score his first win of the year in the IMCA Late Model division. Pole-sitter Bruening held nearly half a track lead by the time first-year Late Model driver Tyler Droste made his way into the runner-up spot with nine laps to go in that 25-lapper.

Bruening masterfully worked lapped traffic to score the win by over a straightaway ahead of Droste. Darren Ackerman, who started 20th, came home third.

RESULTS
IMCA LATE MODEL
Feature – 1. 16 Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 2. 31 Tyler Droste, Waterloo; 3. 53 Darren Ackerman, Readlyn; 4. 2P Jon Passick, Waterloo; 5. 99 Luke Pestka, Robins; 6. 77 Dirk Hamilton, Jesup; 7. 70 Jerry King, Waterloo; 8. 45 Curt Martin, Independence; 9. 98 Jason Rauen, Farley; 10. 88 Drew Johnson, Belle Plaine; 11. 83 Russell Hesse, Waterloo; 12. 145 Dale Hackwell Jr., Washburn; 13. 5W Scott Welsh, Cedar Rapids; 14. 25 Kenny Pint, Independence; 15. 54 Wayne Hesse, Waterloo; 16. 60 Dean Wagner, Evansdale; 17. 32 Chris Snyder, Raymond; 18. 12 Ron Klein, Sherrill; 19. 2 Rory Metcalf, West Union; 20. 11 Lyle Klein, Sherrill; 21. 78 Rick Wendling, Hazleton; 22. 4 Leon Thomsen, Waverly; DNS 21B Joel Brasch, Dunkerton.
First heat – 1. Pestka; 2. Martin; 3. Johnson; 4. Hackwell; 5. Wendling; 6. Metcalf; 7. R. Hesse; 8. Welsh.
Second heat – 1. Passick; 2. Rauen; 3. L. Klein; 4. R. Klein; 5. W. Hesse; 6. Thomsen; 7. Ackerman.
Third heat – 1. King; 2. Bruening; 3. Hamilton; 4. Wagner; 5. Droste; 6. Snyder; DNS Pint; DNS Brasch.

IMCA MODIFIED
Feature – 1. 00J J.D. Auringer, Waterloo; 2. 71 Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 3. 33D Scott Hogan, Vinton; 4. 24R Adam Johnson, Independence; 5. 26J Joel Rust, Grundy Center; 6. 92 Tyler Droste, Waterloo; 7. 27M Mark Schulte, Delhi; 8. 12D Joe Docekal, Dysart; 9. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids; 10. 57B Dennis Betzer, Central City; 11. 01 Ed Thomas, Waterloo; 12. 41P Keith Pittman, Waterloo; 13. 5 Jason Morehouse, Evansdale; 14. Tom Hanson, Vinton; 15. 80 Jerry Dedrick, Vinton; 16. 93K Jeff Kriz, Waterloo; 17. 10K Ronn Lauritzen, Jesup; 18. 64 Vern Jackson, Waterloo; 19. 10 Kaleb Bentley, Fairbank; 20. 75 Josh Sherbon, Cedar Falls; 21. 17 Justin Buehler, Oelwein.
First heat – 1. Thomas; 2. Lauritzen; 3. Cordes; 4. Betzer; 5. Jackson; 6. Schulte; 7. Buehler.
Second heat – 1. Auringer; 2. Kriz; 3. Rust; 4. Pittman; 5. Docekal; 6. Dedrick; 7. Bentley.
Third heat – 1. Johnson; 2. Hogan; 3. Droste; 4. Sherbon; 5. Flannagan; 6. Hanson; 7. Morehouse.

IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature – 1. 31S Paul Shepherd, Marengo; 2. 3 Jarod Weepie, Dunkerton; 3. 7H Phil Holtz, Manchester; 4. 7C Blake Cole, Nashua; 5. 15T Tim Helle, Garnavillo; 6. 6X Bob Ahrendsen, Cedar Rapids; 7. 4JR Russell Damme Jr., Waterloo; 8. 11 Jesse Brown, Nashua; 9. 15 Norman Chesmore, Rowley; 10. 87A Aaron Matthias, Fairbank; 11. 37C Roger Ciesielski, Waterloo; 12. 11J Jerome Jacoby, Waterloo; 13. 17 Jason Niedert, Evansdale; 14. 67 Justin Stander, Shellsburg; 15. 22K Kevin Rose, Waterloo; 16. 47 Scott Pippert, Elberon; 17. JR3 Jason Hocken, Independence.
First heat – 1. Cole; 2. Damme; 3. Weepie; 4. Pippert; 5. Matthias; 6. Rose; 7. Shepherd; 8. Jacoby; 9. Hocken.
Second heat – 1. Brown; 2. Stander; 3. Helle; 4. Ciesielski; 5. Chesmore; 6. Holtz; 7. Ahrendsen; DNS Niedert.

IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature – 1. 19J Jenae Gustin, Marshalltown; 2. 32Z Alex Zwanziger, Nashua; 3. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 4. CH19 Colby Heishman, Brooklyn; 5. 63 Matt McCahen, Waterloo; 6. 339 Kevin Hurst, Janesville; 7. S16 Kip Siems, Cedar Falls; 8. 57R Ryan King, Montour; 9. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Falls; 10. 15N Ross Neal, Marion; 11. 7SR Shawn Ritter, Keystone; 12. 3R Danny Dvorak, Vinton; 13. 4 Ryan Maitland, Waterloo; 14. J2 Dave Schulze, Keystone; 15. 24R Kevin Robinson, Dewar; 16. 72 Brett Lowry, Montezuma; 17. 198 Sam Wieben, Dysart; 18. 39 Brian Hilbert, Independence; 19. 6 Jim Aschenbrenner, Waterloo; 20. 15B Troy Burkhart, Urbana; 21. 199 Dave Burrell, Dysart; 22. 7D Dakoda Sellers, Vinton; 23. 96 Lucas Lundry, Maynard; 24. 80 Steve Miller, Bellevue.
B feature – 1. Dvorak; 2. Lowry; 3. Aschenbrenner; 4. Miller; 5. 35 Kyle Bentley, Independence; 6. 40J Jason Doyle, Cedar Rapids; 7. 50H Steve Wimer, Toddville; 8. 21J Joe Harken, Waterloo; 9. 7 Dave Fangman, Marion; 10. 49 Brandon Smith, Quasqueton; 11. 86U Rod McDonald, Manchester; DNS/12. 36 Jacob Salisbury, Dunkerton.
First heat – 1. King; 2. Zwanziger; 3. Buhlman; 4. Sellers; 5. Burrell; 6. Doyle; 7. Lowry; 8. Wimer.
Second heat – 1. Gustin; 2. Hilmer; 3. Wieben; 4. Neal; 5. Maitland; 6. Dvorak; 7. McDonald; 8. Fangman.
Third heat – 1. Hurst; 2. McCahen; 3. Heishman; 4. Schulze; 5. Ritter; 6. Miller; 7. Aschenbrenner; 8. Salisbury.
Fourth heat – 1. Burkhart; 2. Hilbert; 3. Lundry; 4. Siems; 5. Robinson; 6. Smith; 7. Bentley; 8. Harken.

IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature – 1. 83W Matt White, Nashua; 2. 46 Brian Happel, Vinton; 3. 23 Chad Albert, Cedar Rapids; 4. 45 Justin Wacha, Vinton; 5. 7B Jim Ball, Independence; 6. T64 Jeremiah Wilson, Waterloo; 7. 17K Kyle Parizek, Belle Plaine; 8. 35B Shawn Kuennen, Hazleton; 9. 31 David Balik, Fort Atkinson; 10. 25 Jamie Whitaker, Oelwein; 11. 87M Milo Matthias, Cocoa, Fla.; 12. 12 Jake Doubek, Elgin; 13. 357 Brett Vanous, Quasqueton; 14. 20B Matt Burmeister, Dunkerton; 15. 19B James Sheldon, Marion; 16. 5 Marcus Wayne, Independence; 17. 95 Matt Lundry, Oelwein; 18. 07 Jacob Keiser, Marengo; 19. 79 Benji Irvine, Stanley.
First heat – 1. Whitaker; 2. Happel; 3. Irvine; 4. Kuennen; 5. Albert; 6. Wayne; 7. Parizek; 8. Lundry; 9. Balik; 10. Sheldon.
Second heat – 1. Keiser; 2. White; 3. Wacha; 4. Wilson; 5. Ball; 6. Matthias; 7. Vanous; 8. Burmeister; 9. Doubek.

Category: Independence, Iowa