Season Ending Night At The Marshalltown Speedway
By Denny Grabenbauer

MARSHALLTOWN, IA. (Sept. 1, 2006) - The final chapter for first year promoter Toby Kruse was played out on Friday night during Larry Wollam Season Championship Night at the quarter mile raceway. “Where has the summer gone,” responded Kruse when first asked about his inaugural season. “I almost can’t believe how we got to this point, we started last December and now in September it’s all over with.” Kruse would take over a historic racing event, at the speedway and never once looked back. “To promote a race track has always been a dream of mine. I started flagging here at Marshalltown in the late 80’s, I always new of it’s tradition and always thought maybe someday if the right opportunity would come around it might be possible. When I heard the track was up for bid, I put my name in, I was awarded the contract, signed the agreement for the next ten years, and now I only have nine years left”.

Kruse Motorsports was born in October 2005. In November, work began on replacing the out-dated lighting to the racetrack surface. Through the cold of winter, Kruse and his crew started to replenish dirt on the racetrack. “The surface had eroded away, we needed to build the track back to the way it was when it was first built back in 1963. I had engineers come out to look at what we had to work with, and then they surveyed some more, and it was decided that if we bring dirt back over the corners and dig out the infield all of the dirt that would be needed was right under our noses. The volunteer army of people helped us and donated time and equipment is priceless, we built the track back up, straightened out the track and after about the first six weeks, we now can boast that the track is near perfect, very racy and wide.”

Twenty-four race nights were run this season, which is the most that have been run for more than two-decades. “The average that you try to hit is seventeen, our regular season ran twenty-one and with our three special shows, the total night figure would jump to twenty-four.” Many highlights during this first season have left the race fans with a big smile on their faces. Kruse will be known as the promoter that brought Late Model race back to its root’s. “Through out the years, Marshalltown has been the track that all Late Model races wanted to compete in, I just happened to be the one who was around when we were able to work out the timing, to have them back.” The timing was right, but Mother Nature would not go along with it, because during the fair in July when the I.M.C.A. Late Models was to return, the rains fell, prolonging the very popular return. But again, Kruse would have to step up, make a decision; he then would plead with I.M.C.A. for a rain date. He was granted the night after a state fair race, and much to the surprise of everyone, it worked out great, plenty of cars, fans and close racing. The idea worked so well, that next year’s schedule already includes an August date, after the state fair event, and Kruse is also looking for any date. “Late Models are what the people want, and I am going to ask for two dates, because it doesn’t hurt to ask.”

Championship feature events were run in all of the weekly I.M.C.A. sanctioned classes plus the addition of Dwarf Cars would run on this final night of the season. The starting lines up for all of the championship features were determined by their point totals.

Donovan Smith would take his I.M.C.A. Hobby Stock point lead to the front of the starting grid and lead start to finish for the seventeen-lap feature event. Kevin Sather would pose a threat in the early going but would have mechanical problems that would side line him on lap ten. Smith would score his fourteenth victory at the speedway this season, setting a new track record for single season victories. Mike Zeman, Neil Follett and Dustin Elliott followed Smith across the finish line.

The number two driver in the I.M.C.A. Sport Mod point chase would end up winning his seventh feature of the season. Brett Ladehoff would only be slowed by one yellow flag to out distance point leader Jason Mallicoat in the twenty-lap championship feature. “This has just been a fun season,” said Ladehoff in victory lane. “My grandpa and Larry Wollam were close friends and this year I was able to win both of these special races, it’s been a great thrill for me and all of my fans.” Behind Ladehoff and Mallicoat were Danny Dvorak and Tony Olson.

As always in the I.M.C.A. Stock Car feature, the drama and close racing always seems to be the name of the game. And on this championship night why would anyone expect anything different. Point lead and pole sitter Tracy Gienger would take the lead from the drop of the green flag and pull away from the rest of the field. But on lap eleven; his night was changed by a motor that would blow up, sending him to the pits ending his night. Coming into the night Gienger would have a forty-five-point lead, all he had to do was to start the feature and the championship would be his. Now the new leader would be Damon Murty. On lap fifteen, Shawn Hoskins would make a low side pass coming off of turn two for the lead. Luke Veren along with Rick Brown was keeping things very interesting as the four drivers were racing each other two wide. On lap sixteen Hoskins would push up in turn two giving to lead to Veren. Veren looked like maybe he would put his car into victory lane that is until the final lap. On the white flag lap, in heavy lap traffic, Hoskins would make his pass coming off of turn two for the lead again, a lead this time he would not give up. This would be Hoskins forth win of the season. Veren would finish second followed by Brown and Jeff Wollam.

The final race of the night would be a green to checkered twenty-five lap I.M.C.A. Modified feature. Vern Jackson would get by point leader Jeff Schroyer on the first set of corners then it was working through lap traffic through out the event to get the win. This would be Jackson’s third win of the year. Schroyer would finish second behind Jackson and score his track championship. Adam Bolin and Todd Conrad would follow Jackson and Schroyer across the finish line.

Next up for Kruse and his staff will be the year ending awards banquet. “We are going to have our banquet on Friday night November 3rd”, say’s Kruse. “I just want to thank all of our sponsor’s race teams and fans who have supported us all summer long. Without all of them I would not be able to live my dream. Our goal has been and always will be to put on a safe and timely program for family entertainment, and I feel we have done just that,” concludes a now seasoned promoter. To stay on top of special announcements through out the off-season, you are invited to go to the official Marshalltown Speedway web site at www.marshalltownspeedway.com.

I.M.C.A. MODIFIED SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP RACE:

FEATURE: Vern Jackson—Jeff Schroyer—Adam Bolin—Todd Conrad—Mike O’Lear—David Brown—Scott Simatovich—Heath Kusel—Todd Luther—Marv Halverson—Tom Rawlins—Don Portwine—Leroy Staub—Duane Peterson



I.M.C.A SPORT MOD SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP RACE:

FEATURE: Brett Ladehoff—Jason Mallicoat—Danny Dvorak—Tony Olson—Scott Jorpeland—Austin Kaplan—Mark McNeece—Heath McReynolds—Shawn Ritter—Rob Olson—Bill Hildreth—John Dumer



I.M.C.A. STOCK CAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP RACE:

FEATURE: Shawn Hoskins—Luke Veren—Rick Brown—Jeff Wollam—Andy Bryant—Damon Murty—Steve Meyer—Don Vis—Aaron Wendel—Scooter Dulin—Robert Engelkes—Max Leonard—Mike Miller—Wendy Reisinger—Dave Atcher—Andy Huffman—Chris West—Tommy Thompson—Tracy Gienger—Dusty Vis



I.M.C.A HOBBY STOCK SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP RACE:

FEATURE: Donovan Smith—Mike Zeman—Neil Follett—Dustin Elliott—Joe Bown—Chad Sawyer—Eric Knutson—Zach Rawlins—Josh Saunders—Donovan Nunnikhoven—Todd Reitzer—Chad Witte—Josh Bly—Kevin Sather—Herbie Wilson—Brad Bartling—Shawn Simatovich—Phil Morrison—Alan Damme—Mike Vibbard—Bo Hunter—Jesse Jungst



DWARD CAR:

HEAT 1: Matt Goodin—David Schmalzried—Jeff Stensland

HEAT 2: Troy Hudson—Ed Zehm—Tim Hennigar

FEATURE: Tim Hennigar—Troy Hudson—Mike Kennedy—Jason Toppenberg—Jeff Stensland—Charlie Brown—Kyle Dirks—Joe Wood—Ed Zehm—Matt Goodin—Brad Melton—David Schmalzried