Bruening, Emerson go back-to-back at Independence Motor Speedway
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (May 11) – Tyler Bruening and John Emerson joined elite company Saturday night. They joined very short lists by winning the first two features of the season in their respective divisions at Independence Motor Speedway.
Bruening chased pole-sitter Jon Passick at the drop of the green in the 25-lap IMCA Late Model feature. After cutting into Passick’s sizable lead, a lap five caution put Bruening on the leader’s rear bumper for the ensuing restart.
Bruening tried both high and low to get around the leader and was stuck in the runner-up spot until a lap 14 stoppage. On the restart, Bruening powered to the inside of Passick to assume command, then held off Passick’s challenges to take the victory. Passick ran second ahead of Greg Kastli.
With the win, Bruening joined Ed Sanger, Glen Martin and Curt Martin as the only drivers to win back-to-back Late Model features to start the season at the speedway. It was the first such feat since Curt Martin did it in 1990.
Emerson started in the fourth row of the 18-lap IMCA Stock Car main and raced into third place after just three laps. He worked around Norman Chesmore three laps later to take second, then set his sights on leader Sean Johnson.
Running the low groove, Emerson reeled in Johnson and surged past the leader at the midway point. He held off pressure from Johnson over the final half of the event to take his second straight win. Emerson joined Lon Gadow, Dan Trimble and Brian Irvine as the only Stock Car drivers in track history to start the season with consecutive wins.
Brennen Chipp led all 15 laps of the IMCA Northern SportMod feature to secure his first-ever win in Independence. Chipp quickly pulled away at the drop of the green only to see his big leads disappear during a handful of cautions. Chipp held off a hard-charging Danny Dvorak to take the milestone win.
Quinton Miller took the early lead in the IMCA Hobby stock feature until a lap five restart drastically changed the running order of that 15-lapper. Miller was cited for bringing the field to green too early on back-to-back restarts, leaving Chris Luloff and Benji Irvine on the front row after Miller was repositioned at the rear of the field.
Irvine and Luloff battled back and forth until Luloff assumed command on lap eight. When Luloff pushed high in turn four with five laps to go, he allowed Irvine and Nathan Ballard to sneak by. Luloff was again able to work his way back to the front when that pair made contact battling for the lead. Luloff regained the top spot on the 11th circuit, then led the remainder of the event to score the win.
Troy Cordes held off early pressure from J.D. Auringer early in the IMCA Modified feature, then pulled away at the end to score his first win of the season. Meanwhile, Dylan Clinton led the 12-lap IMCA Sport Compact feature in its entirety to take his first career win on the Independence oval.
Next Saturday, May 18, is Armed Forces/Veterans Night at the speedway. All active and past service men and women will be admitted free into the grandstands by presenting their military IDs. Those currently active in the service are encouraged to dress in uniform for that night’s program.
RESULTS
IMCA LATE MODEL
Feature – 1. 16 Tyler Bruening (Decorah); 2. 2P Jon Passick (Waterloo); 3. 73 Greg Kastli (Waterloo); 4. 99 Luke Pestka (Robins); 5. 45 Curt Martin (Independence); 6. 145 Dale Hackwell Jr. (Washburn); 7. 77A Jeff Aikey (Cedar Falls); 8. 77 Dirk Hamilton (Jesup); 9. 4C Chad Lerch (Cedar Rapids); 10. 53 Darren Ackerman (Readlyn); 11. 7 Greg Hunter (Independence); 12. 35 Curran Beckler (Tiffin); 13. 21B Joel Brasch (Dunkerton); 14. 60 Dean Wagner (Evansdale); 15. 88 Drew Johnson (Belle Plaine); 16. 4 Leon Thomsen (Waverly); 17. 14 Tracey Rigel (Waterloo); 18. 1 Rick Dralle (Waterloo); DNS 54 Wayne Hesse (Waterloo).
First heat – 1. Wagner; 2. Martin; 3. Johnson; 4. Rigel; 5. Thomsen; DNS Hesse.
Second heat – 1. Pestka; 2. Hamilton; 3. Aikey; 4. Dralle; 5. Lerch; 6. Hackwell.
Third heat – 1. Bruening; 2. Passick; 3. Ackerman; 4. Kastli; 5. Brasch; 6. Hunter; 7. Beckler.
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature – 1. 71 Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 2. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 3. 26P Kevin Pittman (Waterloo); 4. 24R Adam Johnson (Independence); 5. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 6. 12J Justin O’Brien (West Union); 7. 10K Ronn Lauritzen (Jesup); 8. 92 Tyler Droste (Waterloo); 9. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 10. 41P Keith Pittman (Waterloo); 11. 91 Shawn Ryan (Waterloo); 12. 93K Jeff Kriz (Waterloo); 13. 98 Jason Snyder (Dunkerton); 14. 19D Darin Duffy (Urbana); 15. 49 Mike Manson (Manchester); 16. 75 Josh Sherbon (Cedar Falls); 17. 27M Mark Schulte (Delhi); DNS 415 Josh Barta (Cedar Falls).
First heat – 1. Auringer; 2. Cordes; 3. Droste; 4. Snyder; 5. Ryan; 6. O’Brien; 7. Keith Pittman; 8. Flannagan; DNS Barta.
Second heat – 1. Jackson; 2. Johnson; 3. Kevin Pittman; 4. Lauritzen; 5. Sherbon; 6. Schulte; 7. Manson; 8. Kriz; 9. Duffy.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature – 1. 87 John Emerson (Waterloo); 2. 8R Sean Johnson (Independence); 3. 3 Jarod Weepie (Dunkerton); 4. 15 Norman Chesmore (Rowley); 5. 15T Tim Helle (Garnavillo); 6. 96 Chris Wiltse (Charles City); 7. 7C Blake Cole (Nashua); 8. K38 Ken Taylor (Strawberry Point); 9. 11J Jerome Jacoby (Waterloo); 10. 7H Phil Holtz (Manchester); 11. 11 Jesse Brown (Nashua); 12. 56T Justin Temeyer (Independence); 13. 85C Bryce Carey (Nashua); 14. JR3 Jason Hocken (Independence).
First heat – 1. Chesmore; 2. Emerson; 3. Cole; 4. Jacoby; 5. Carey; 6. Hocken; 7. Temeyer.
Second heat – 1. Helle; 2. Weepie; 3. Johnson; 4. Holtz; 5. Taylor; 6. Brown; 7. Wiltse.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature – 1. 21 Brennen Chipp (Waterloo); 2. 3R Danny Dvorak (Vinton); 3. 96 Lucas Lundry (Maynard); 4. S16 Kip Siems (Cedar Falls); 5. 00 Jim Buhlman (Cedar Falls); 6. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 7. 32Z Alex Zwanziger (Nashua); 8. 22H Curt Himer (Dysart); 9. 29 Sean Vogt (Watkins); 10. 63 Matt McCahen (Waterloo); 11. 4 Ryan Maitland (Waterloo); 12. 20T Scott Thomas (Waterloo); 13. 25 Travis Peterson (Gladbrook); 14. 7 Dave Fangman (Marion); 15. 115 Bob Ebaugh (Raymond); 16. 23 Synjun Bauer (Prairie du Chien, Wis.); 17. 21J Joe Harken (Waterloo); 18. 6 Bobby Six (Keokuk); 19. 25M Austin Moyer (Dubuque); 20. 86U Rod McDonald (Manchester); 21. 339 Kevin Hurst (Janesville); 22. 14 Shane Ebaugh (Evansdale); 23. CH19 Colby Heishman (Grinnell); 24. 198 Sam Wieben (Dysart); 25. 114 Mike Nielsen (Evansdale); 26. J2 Dave Schulze (Keystone); DNS 49 Brandon Smith (Waterloo).
First heat – 1. Hurst; 2. Siems; 3. Buhlman; 4. Lundry; 5. Zwanziger; 6. Wieben; 7. B. Ebaugh; 8. Harken; 9. Heishman.
Second heat – 1. Chipp; 2. Maitland; 3. Moyer; 4. Thomas; 5. Vogt; 6. Bauer; 7. Nielsen; 8. S. Ebaugh; DNS Smith.
Third heat – 1. Dvorak; 2. Hilmer; 3. Peterson; 4. Sellers; 5. Six; 6. McCahen; 7. Fangman; 8. Schulze; 9. McDonald.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature – 1. 18 Chris Luloff (Independence); 2. 79 Benji Irvine (Cedar Falls); 3. 29 Nathan Ballard (Marengo); 4. 67 Justin Stander (Shellsburg); 5. 4T3 T.J. Mortenson Jr. (Rowley); 6. 25 Jamie Whitaker (Oelwein); 7. 7B Jim Ball (Independence); 8. 166 Justin Lichty (Waterloo); 9. 73 Quinton Miller (Independence); 10. 35J Josh Irvine (Oelwein); 11. 126 Nathan Christie (Waterloo); 12. 8 Dave Wheeler (Fairbank); 13. 95 Matt Lundry (Oelwein); 14. 31 David Balik (Fort Atkinson); 15. 14C Leah Wroten (Independence); 16. 18X Dru Kueker (West Union); 17. 45 Justin Wacha (Vinton); 18. 55 Vince Buchholz (Waterloo); 19. 47 BRayton Boyer (St. Lucas); 20. 35 Brett Vanous (Quasqueton); 21. 23 Justin Hanson (Hawkeye); 22. 20B Matt Burmeister (Dunkerton); 23. 57 Malena Betzer (Cedar Rapids).
First heat – 1. Ballard; 2. Lichty; 3. Wheeler; 4. Stander; 5. Christie; 6. Hanson; 7. Balik; 8. Wroten.
Second heat – 1. B. Irvine; 2. Whitaker; 3. Miller; 4. Wacha; 5. Buchholz; 6. J. Irvine; 7. Burmeister; 8. Kueker.
Third heat – 1. Luloff; 2. Ball; 3. Mortenson; 4. Lundry; 5. Betzer; 6. Vanous; 7. Boyer.
IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature – 1. 18 Dylan Clinton (Elkader); 2. 2 Merv Chandler (Urbana); 3. 13 Reggie Rema (Clermont); 4. 86 Mitchell Bolin (Fort Atkinson); 5. 55 Will Schott (Clermont); 6. 30 Justin Vargason (Waukon); 7. 78 Jeffrey Vislisel (Springville); 8. 4 Mike Tedesco (Jesup); 9. 2K Derek Ihde (Fayette); 10. 83 Travis Ross (Waterloo); 11. 7X Zach Marmann (Elkader); 12. 111 A.J. Witten (Cedar Rapids); 13. 1418X Arthur Schott (Clermont); 14/DNS. 007 Adam Gates (Marion); DNS 84 Nick West (Waverly).
First heat – 1. Vargason; 2. Bolin; 3. Ross; 4. Marmann; 5. Witten; 6. Chandler; 7. Vislisel; DNS A. Schott.
Second heat – 1. Clinton; 2. Gates; 3. Chandler; 4. Rema; 5. W. Schott; 6. Tedesco; DNS West.
Category: Independence, Iowa
