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Six first-time All-Stars elected to Fast Shafts Invitational
field
BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 6) – Six IMCA Modified drivers can now add the title of
All-Star to their racing resumes.
Half a dozen first-time starters have been elected to the field of 10 for
the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, to be held Friday night, Sept. 11
during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals at Boone Speedway.
New All-Stars include the top two rookies in the open wheeled ranks, Gabe
Tucker of Carbon, Texas, and Tim Ward of Mesa, Ariz.
Also appearing in their career first Fast Shafts race will be Chris Bragg of
Springtown, Texas; Rich Lewerke of Garner, Iowa; Brian Mullen of Seymour,
Wis.; and Jeff Taylor of Cave City, Ark.
Completing the field will be two-time race winner David Murray Jr. of
Oberlin, Kan., and a trio of second-time All-Stars: Dale Caswell of Central
Square, N.Y., eighth in the 2005 race; Kevin Stoa of Salisbury, N.C., fifth
in 2006; and Ricky Alvarado of Delta, Colo., fourth last year.
Two drivers were elected from each of the five ButlerBuilt Modified regions,
in electronic balloting through the IMCA website conducted from June 1-July
31. More than 39,000 ballots, with votes for two drivers in each region,
were cast.
Ward and Alvarado will make the trip to Boone from the Western Region,
Tucker and Bragg from the South Central, Murray and Taylor from the Central,
Lewerke and Mullen from the North Central and Caswell and Stoa from the
Eastern.
The 90-plus All-Star candidates included 2008 regional and state champions,
and the winners of designated specials and special series events paying
$1,000 or more held from June of 2008 through May of 2009.
Tucker and Bragg both topped first-of-the-month features boasting four
figure prizes at Boyd Raceway. Ward, son of long-time IMCA Modified driver
Rick Ward, was a Rotating Right Wild West Modified Southern Tour winner at
Mohave Valley Raceway.
Lewerke won five qualifying events, in Iowa, North Dakota and Arizona, along
with the title at Canyon Speedway Park’s Winter Challenge Series. Mullen was
a winner at Luxemburg Speedway’s Badger State Showdown. Taylor ventured
outside his home region to win the Western Region Nationals at Ocean
Speedway.
Winner of the 2004 and 2007 All-Star races, Murray was first across the
finish line in eight qualifiers, among them three Larry Shaw Racing Blood,
Sweat and Tears Series features and the Duel In The Desert at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway.
Caswell collected his second straight regional crown last season.
Stoa is a two-time and defending Super Nationals champion.
Alvarado racked up 11 qualifying event wins, seven of them on the
2008 or 2009 EQ Cylinder Heads Wild West Northern Tour circuits, and was
champion of the 2008 series.
The 2009 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational pays $1,000 to win and is a
qualifying event for the 2010 ballot. Roddy Ranch Racing LLC will also pay
$50 to the leader of each lap.
Super Nationals opens on Monday, Sept. 7 and runs through Saturday, Sept.
12.
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