Shute and Stofer Win Night Before Nationals

admin | September 5, 2016

Stuart, IA (September 4) – After a week off for rain, the action was fast and furious on the last night of 2016 at Stuart Speedway! Frank Galusha, Kevin Blum, Cody Vandusen, Robert Stofer and Todd Shute were the winners at the Kinzie Services Night Before the Nationals special.

Skylar Hunter and Frank Galusha brought out the Heartland Micro Sprints first with Galusha leading at the start. Hunter and Jayce Jenkins fought hard to try and reel in the leader, but they would settle for second and third as Galusha went on to the win. Kelby Watt and Jackson Frisbie finished fourth and fifth, and Galusha and Frisbie were the heat race winners.

MADCRA Mod Lites came out next with Drew Hilt and Chad Shartzer on the front row. Hilt would go out before a lap was completed, and Shartzer led the first time around. Erin Turner led lap two, but the show was taken over by thirteenth starting Kevin Blum on lap three. Blum would lead through three caution flags and was seriously challenged at the end by Mike Morrill, but he was up to the challenge and went on to take the Clint Walrod Memorial feature win. Morrill finished a close second with Josh May third, Ryan Ayers fourth and Randy Bryan fifth. Ed Griggs, May and Morrill were the heat race winners.

Curtis Miller and Jeremy Bohlen set the pace for the IMCA Sport Compacts next with Miller leading at the start. Only one caution slowed the field on lap three, and Miller looked to be the one to beat. Cody Vandusen began to pull close to Miller on lap eight, and took over the lead on lap eleven. Miller snagged the top spot back on lap thirteen, but Vandusen was stout and led the last two laps to take the win. Miller finished in second with Dillon Richards third, Kyle Owen fourth and Zach Bohlmeyr fifth. Bohlmeyr and Richards were the heat race winners.

IMCA Stock Cars were up next with Dan Mackenthun and Chris Pruitt out front. Mackenthun led the first two laps with Marcus Fagan rocketing by on the bottom to take the lead on lap three. A four car melee on lap twelve slowed the field, but Fagan picked up where he left off and led over Mackenthun and Pruitt until debris was spotted on lap seventeen. Unfortunately for Fagan, he ran over the debris and cut down a tire. This handed the lead over to Pruitt, but that was short lived as Robert Stofer moved by to take the lead the next time around. Terry Pruitt made it to second a lap later, but ran out of time as Stofer went on to the win. Terry Pruitt finished second with Mackenthun third, Brian Blessington fourth and Fagan fifth after going to the back with the flat. Stofer, Chris Pruitt and Fagan were the heat race winners.

Last up was the IMCA Modifieds with Clay Hale and Nicholas Carpenter on the front row. Kody Scholpp slipped past to take the early lead with Josh Gilman and Todd Shute in tow. Shute made the pass for second on lap four, and a yellow bunched up the field on lap six. Shute followed Scholpp for five more laps and made his move to take the lead on lap eleven. One more stoppage on lap sixteen gave Scholpp another chance, but Shute was too strong and went on to take the win. Scholpp finished second with Tom Berry third, Steven Bowers Jr fourth and Jeff James fifth. Scholpp and Matt Webb were the heat race winners.

After the Modified feature, five ladies took part in a powder puff in the Mod Lites with Anne Davis taking the win.

We’d like to thank all who came out to support the race track at our fourteenth and final event of 2016. We will have details for the banquet forthcoming on our website and Facebook page. See you next season and thank you all for a great 2016!

Story by Josh Reynolds

Modifieds – NBN Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 4 5 Todd Shute Des Moines, Ia 0.00
2 3 02 Kody Scholpp Estevan , Sk 0.00
3 6 11X Tom Berry Boone , Ia 0.00
4 7 77 Steven Bowers Jr Topeka , Ks 0.00
5 10 71 Jeff James Stanton , Ia 0.00
6 5 83G Josh Gilman Earlham , Ia 0.00
7 8 51X Matthew Webb Des Moines, Ia 0.00
8 11 24R Regan Tafoya Farmington , Nm 0.00
9 14 88 Sean Barragan Seargent Bluff, Ia 0.00
10 12 14B Scott Bash Windsor Heights, Ia 0.00
11 13 17R Derek Reimer St Anthony, Ia 0.00
12 2 33 Nicholas Carpenter Leavenworth , Ks 0.00
13 9 80 Steve Reetz Arcadia , Ia 0.00
14 15 13 Jerry Frydrych Austin , Tx 0.00
15 1 22H Clay Hale Cameron , Mo 0.00 DNF

Stock Cars – NBN Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 6 50 Robert Stofer Jefferson , Ia 0.00
2 7 78P Terry Pruitt Dexter , Ia 0.00
3 1 92 Dan Mackenthun Hamburg , Mn 0.00
4 21 92B Brian Blessington Breda , Ia 0.00
5 5 1F Marcus Fagan Adair , Ia 0.00
6 15 98 Derrick Rohe Audubon , Ia 0.00
7 11 3 Joe Zadina Corning , Ia 0.00
8 4 7 Clay Christian Avoca , Ia 0.00
9 13 54 Robbie Merkle Van Meter, Ia 0.00
10 14 55X Brandon Hill Des Moines, Ia 0.00
11 9 3S Bryan Snell Coon Rapids, Ia 0.00
12 16 7K Andrew Knode Adel , Ia 0.00
13 10 17F John Frydrych Austin , Tx 0.00
14 2 22 Chris Pruitt Stuart , Ia 0.00
15 8 77C Craig Carlson Madrid , Ia 0.00 DNF
16 12 83 Mike Harris Avoca , Ia 0.00 DNF
17 22 10B Brandon Pruitt Stuart , Ia 0.00 DNF
18 18 M36 Clay Mercer Corning , Ia 0.00 DNF
19 17 J7B Jon Braathun Story City, Ia 0.00 DNF
20 3 64 Scott Bailey Carlisle , Ia 0.00 DNF
21 19 16W Jeff Whiting Gothenburg , Ne 0.00 DNS
22 20 59 Jerry Leary Little Suamico, Wi 0.00 DNS

Spt Compact – NBN Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 3 53 Cody Vandusen Atalissa , Ia 0.00
2 1 411 Curtis Miller Lewis , Ia 0.00
3 6 24R Dillon Richards Beatrice , Ne 0.00
4 7 3B Kyle Owen Nebraska City, Ne 0.00
5 9 24Z Zach Bohlmeyr Beatrice , Ne 0.00
6 2 10J Jeremy Bohlen Percival , Ia 0.00
7 5 4 David Coenen Harlan , Ia 0.00
8 4 5H Shawn Hein Beatrice , Ne 0.00
9 8 32M Vicki Meeker Ankeny , Ia 0.00
10 11 56 John Sopoci Lemars , Ia 0.00 DNF
11 10 2 Nathan Chandler Norway , Ia 0.00 DNS

Mod Lites – NBN Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 13 54 Kevin Blum Colona , Il 0.00
2 11 6 Mike Morrill Altoona , Ia 0.00
3 9 99 Joshua May Des Moines, Ia 0.00
4 14 19 Ryan Ayers Salina , Ks 0.00
5 8 64 Randy Bryan Ames , Ia 0.00
6 6 47 Ed Griggs Pleasant Hill, Mo 0.00
7 5 7 Erin Turner Van Meter, Ia 0.00
8 12 01 David Schmalzried Nevada , Ia 0.00
9 3 3 Nathan Wolfe Lee’s Summit, Mo 0.00
10 7 4T Tim Sterner Adrian , Mo 0.00
11 2 56S Chad Shartzer Abilene , Ks 0.00
12 16 18M Chelsea May Desoto , Ia 0.00
13 4 95 Mike Kennedy Boone , Ia 0.00 DNF
14 10 X50 Joel Huggins Des Moines, Ia 0.00 DNF
15 15 29W Wyatt Wilkerson Morning Sun, Ia 0.00 DNF
16 17 4B Douglas Byers Grinnell , Ia 0.00 DNF
17 1 12H Drew Hilt Salina , Ks 0.00 DNF
18 18 18 Dylan Koester Webster City, Ia 0.00 DNS
19 19 17 Cory Sauerman Johnston , Ia 0.00 DNS

Micro Sprints – NBN Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 2 12 Frank Galusha Lincoln , Ne 0.00
2 1 7S Skylar Hunter Afton , Ia 0.00
3 3 33 Jayce Jenkins Colfax , Ia 0.00
4 5 1K Kelby Watt Adel , Ia 0.00
5 4 38 Jackson Frisbie Kansas City, Mo 0.00
6 9 16T Alec Carberry Omaha , Ne 0.00
7 7 11 Riley Goodno Knoxville , Ia 0.00
8 13 20D David Abell Ackworth , Ia 0.00
9 8 2 Ryan Arbogast Kearney , Ne 0.00
10 14 12X Doug Sylvester Ottumwa , Ia 0.00
11 11 91 Ali Wood Massena , Ia 0.00
12 15 99 Rich Koop Maize , Ks 0.00 DNF
13 6 92M Ryan Mills Pleasant Hill, Ia 0.00 DNF
14 10 35 Charles Aman Lincoln , Ne 0.00 DNF
15 12 76 Kale Mueller Savannah , Mo 0.00 DNS