Luloff comes from 22nd to win I.M.C.A. modified feature at Benton County Speedway
by Ryan Clark

VINTON, Iowa (July 15) - Engine problems during his heat race and a dead last starting position in the feature didn't deter I.M.C.A. modified driver Jerry Luloff as he did the unthinkable, coming from an 11th row starting position to take the win at Benton County Speedway.

After suffering engine problems early in the qualifier, Luloff and his crew spent much of the evening changing motors in his No. 18. By virtue of a speedway provisional, Luloff was able to get engines changed in time to join the tail of the 22-car starting field. The provisional allows the top two in points not automatically qualified for the feature a starting position in the A feature, as long as they are in the top 10 in the standings entering the night.

Luloff, along with points leader J.D. Auringer, took advantage of the provisional starts and proved worthy as they raced through the field to impressive finishes.

At the drop of the green, Dennis Betzer took the early lead after starting inside the second row. Troy Cordes, who came from a fifth row starting spot, settled into second on the fifth lap and went to work on the leader.

Betzer ran the middle of the speedway to perfection as Cordes reeled him in. Trying high and low, Cordes pestered the pace setter as Luloff and Auringer worked through traffic. By the midway point of the 20-lapper, Auringer found himself in fifth with Luloff two positions behind him.

As Cordes continued to challenge Betzer for the lead, Luloff went to work on the high side of the 1/4-mile oval and shot past Auringer for fifth before the caution flag waved on lap 12.

Before racing resumed, Cordes was forced to the pits with a flat tire allowing Luloff to restart fourth. Luloff returned to the high side of the speedway when the green flag replaced the yellow. He swept past Betzer on the completion of the 16th lap right before the caution flag waved again. With the one minute per lap time limit expired, Luloff was awarded the victory. Betzer was scored in second and Auringer, who started alongside Luloff in 21st, finished third.

Scooter Dulin proved the bottom groove was fast, as well, as he scored the win in the 15-lap I.M.C.A. stock car feature. When the initial green waved, pole-sitter Kevin Rose took the early lead. He paced the field while Dulin worked under the competition from a fourth row start.

Dulin worked his way into second after just three laps, then applied pressure to Rose. After running nose-to-tail for a few laps, Dulin moved to the bottom of the speedway and pulled even with Rose halfway through the event. With only four laps remaining, Dulin stole the lead.

Also making his way through traffic, fifth row starter Brian Irvine worked his way into a battle for the lead late in the event. Irvine made his way past Rose for second with only two laps remaining and quickly ran down Dulin.

As the leaders came to the checkers, Irvine slipped to the bottom side of the leader as the two took the checkers side-by-side. Dulin held off Irvine by a bumper to score the exciting victory. Rose finished third.

Wes Stanek led early in the 15-lap I.M.C.A. hobby stock feature. He held the point until Nick Murty drove his way into a battle out front after starting three rows deep. Murty edged ahead on the fourth lap as Nathan Ballard was making a charge to the front on the high side of the speedway.

Ballard, who started ninth, worked his way into second place just prior to a lap seven caution. Following the restart, Ballard wasted little time completing his trip to the front as he snagged the lead one lap later. He then held off the challenges of Curt Hilmer to score the thrilling win. Josh Irvine crossed the line in third.

National I.M.C.A. sport compact points leader Jena Barthelmes continued her impressive season as she scored another win in the 10-lap feature. From a third row start, Barthelmes charged her way into second after only three laps and then worked the low groove into a side-by-side battle with Gary Peiffer at the front of the pack.

Barthelmes took command with only three laps remaining to drive to victory. Peiffer and Randy Van De Vegte ran second and third.

Troy Burkhart took advantage of his pole position start to lead the I.M.C.A. sportmod feature wire-to-wire. Burkhart took the checkers ahead of Shane Ebaugh and James Kuhn.

The cruiser team of Doug Steggall and Mitch Lewis continued their recent dominance in the division to take the 10-lap victory. Shane Mazur and Rob Miller earned second place honors, crossing the finish line a straightaway behind the victors.

RESULTS
I.M.C.A. MODIFIED
First heat - 1. 069 Mike Krall, Waterloo; 2. 17 Brian Krall, Readlyn; 3. 7S Robbie Schmuecker, Vinton; 4. 25 Shawn Fisher, Garrison; 5. 7 Todd Jensen, Waterloo; 6. W12 Don Wharton, Central City; 7. 98 Jason Snyder, Dunkerton; 8. 24 Shane Krafka, Dysart.
Second heat - 1. 71 Troy Cordes, Raymond; 2. 7SS Brandon Savage, Keokuk; 3. 57B Dennis Betzer, Central City; 4. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids; 5. 111 Buster Pate, Hiawatha; 6. 17B Brian Sondag, Vinton; 7. 00 J.D. Auringer, Waterloo; 8. 18 Jerry Luloff, Independence.
Third heat - 1. 14 Randy Trefz, Vinton; 2. 33D Scott Hogan, Vinton; 3. 01 Ed Thomas, Waterloo; 4. 56 Heath Kusel, Belle Plaine; 5. 8 Tony Snyder, Sumner; 6. 13 Jim Schaefer, Waterloo; 7. 92 Shawn Bistline, Marengo; 8. 1RM Jeff Hogan, Vinton.
B feature - 1. Jensen; 2. Pate; 3. Schaefer; 4. T. Snyder; 5. Krafka; 6. Sondag; 7. Bistline; 8. J. Snyder; 9. Wharton; 10. Auringer (DNS); 11. Luloff (DNS); 12. J. Hogan (DNS).
A feature - 1. Luloff; 2. Betzer; 3. Auringer; 4. Flannagan; 5. Jensen; 6. B. Krall; 7. Thomas; 8. Schmuecker; 9. Savage; 10. Cordes; 11. Krafka; 12. M. Krall; 13. Schaefer; 14. Bistline; 15. T. Snyder; 16. Pate; 17. Fisher; 18. Trefz; 19. S. Hogan; 20. Sondag; 21. Kusel; 22. J. Snyder.

I.M.C.A. STOCK CAR
First heat - 1. 22 Kevin Rose, Waterloo; 2. 26 Brian Irvine, Oelwein; 3. 75 Ron Tharp, Vinton; 4. 3T Scooter Dulin, Cedar Rapids; 5. 15 Norman Chesmore, Quasqueton; 6. 17 Jason Niedert, Fairbank.
Second heat - 1. 31S Paul Shepherd, Marengo; 2. 21 Jason Deshaw, Hopkinton; 3. 99D Damon Murty, Chelsea; 4. 6X Bob Ahrendsen, Cedar Rapids; 5. 99LM Mike Galli, Urbana; 6. 4Q Richard Quail, Waterloo.
Feature - 1. Dulin; 2. Irvine; 3. Rose; 4. Shepherd; 5. Chesmore; 6. Murty; 7. Deshaw; 8. Quail; 9. Niedert; 10. Tharp; 11. Ahrendsen; 12. Galli.

I.M.C.A. HOBBY STOCK
First heat - 1. 29 Nathan Ballard, Marengo; 2. 70R Ron Phelps, Vinton; 3. 47 Scotty Pippert, Elberon; 4. 11 Al Sweerin, Waterloo; 5. 4 Russel Damme Jr., Waterloo; 6. 1S Greg Sweerin, Evansdale.
Second heat - 1. 99JR Nick Murty, Chelsea; 2. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 3. 35 Josh Irvine, Oelwein; 4. 2 Robert Quail, Waterloo; 5. 8 Billy Koepke, Garrison; 6. 86H Steve Higham, Cedar Rapids.
Third heat - 1. 77 Rod Grother, Cedar Rapids; 2. 67 Justin Stander, Vinton; 3. 20 Wes Stanek, Buckingham; 4. 09 Brad Forbes, Waterloo; 5. 115 Nathan Sweerin, Waterloo; 6. 78 Matt Brown, Fairbank.
Feature - 1. Ballard; 2. Hilmer; 3. Irvine; 4. Grother; 5. Forbes; 6. Pippert; 7. Brown; 8. Stanek; 9. A. Sweerin; 10. Koepke; 11. Phelps; 12. Murty; 13. Quail; 14. N. Sweerin; 15. Stander; 16. Higham; 17. Damme; 18. G. Sweerin (DNS).

I.M.C.A. SPORTMOD
First heat - 1. 3 James Kuhn, Urbana; 2. K3 Kyle Olson, Cedar Rapids; 3. 7R Michael Roster, Vinton; 4. 18 Doug Smith, Center Point; 5. 5o Jared Otis, Center Point; 6. 35 Kyle Bentley, Fairbank; 7. 19 Gary Squires, Center Point.
Second heat - 1. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Falls; 2. T23 Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids; 3. 15B Troy Burkhart, Center Point; 4. 23 Dan Higdon, Vinton; 5. 45B Jeremy Berstler, Fairfax; DNS 8 Brad Iverson, Grinnell.
Third heat - 1. 99D Damon Murty, Chelsea; 2. 14 Shane Ebaugh, Evansdale; 3. 45 Danny Dvorak, Vinton; 4. 86 Rod McDonald, Manchester; 5. 7T Jim Tompkins, Newhall; 6. 49 Justin Hempstead, Manchester.
Feature - 1. Burkhart; 2. Ebaugh; 3. Kuhn; 4. Buhlman; 5. T. Olson; 6. Dvorak; 7. Bentley; 8. Higdon; 9. K. Olson; 10. Tompkins; 11. Roster; 12. Berstler; 13. Hempstead; 14. Otis; 15. Squires; 16. Murty; 17. Smith; 18. McDonald; DNS Iverson.

I.M.C.A. SPORT COMPACT
Heat - 1. 74 Jeremy Heim, Marion; 2. 48J Jena Barthelmes, Marion; 3. 36DD Gary Peiffer, Troy Mills; 4. 11 Brian Bries, Norway; 5. 6 Randy Van De Vegte, Manchester; 6. 3 Mike Mitchell, Fairfax; 7. 25 Doug Laughridge, Garrison; 8. 07 Joe Goodenbaur, Garrison; 9. 33 Travis McCombs, Center Point; 10. 03 Neil Nabholz, Waterloo.
Feature - 1. Barthelmes; 2. Peiffer; 3. Van De Vegte; 4. Laughridge; 5. Kuhn; 6. Bries; 7. Goodenbaur; 8. Heim; 9. McCombs (DNS); 10. Nabholz (DNS).

CRUISER
Heat - 1. M-00 Mike McDonald/George Lewis, Cedar Rapids; 2. 19 Ben Beer/Ryan Coleman; 3. 9-11 Doug Steggall/Mitch Lewis, Cedar Rapids; 4. 07 Jacob Keiser/Harley Schumacher, Marengo; 5. 37 John Kruse/Michael Kimm, Cedar Rapids; 6. 36DD Gary Peiffer/Adam Finger, Troy Mills; 7. 81 Jesse Belez/Steven Keiser, Marengo; 8. 95 Shane Mazur/Rob Miller, Vinton.
Feature - 1. Steggall/Lewis; 2. Mazur/Miller; 3. Kruse/Kimm; 4. Keiser/Schumacher; 5. Belez/Keiser; 6. McDonald/Lewis; 7. Peiffer/Finger; 8. Beer/Coleman (DNS).