Cordes scores victory in IMCA Modified thriller at Independence Motor Speedway

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (June 1) – Although Troy Cordes only led for a couple of feet, it was the two feet that mattered Saturday night at Independence Motor Speedway.

Cordes, who started outside of row five, worked through traffic and snuck past Mark Schulte at the line to take the win in the 20-lap IMCA Modified feature.

J.J. Scott led the 25-car field to green and showed the way while Schulte worked past Shawn Ryan for second following a lap two caution. Schulte ran the high side and sped past Scott on lap five, then pulled away from the pack while Cordes made his charge through the pack.

Cordes raced into the top five on the seventh circuit and found himself in third by the time the caution flag waved with four laps to go. By the time the yellow flag waved a final time one lap later, Cordes made his way past Ryan for second.

On the final restart, Cordes worked both high and low to keep pace with Schulte before going to the top groove in turns three and four on the final lap. Cordes squeezed around the top to pull even with Schulte exiting turn four, then inched ahead at the stripe to take the thrilling win, his second of the season.

Justin Stander won in similar fashion in the 15-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. From his fifth row starting spot, Stander survived a number of multi-car battles to make his way through the pack and into second place on lap 10.

By that time, Vince Buchholz built a five car-length lead, however a pair of cautions on laps 11 and 12 bunched the field.

On the final restart, Stander shot to the low side of Buchholz as the leaders ran door-to-door before Stander broke free when the white flag waved. He led the final lap to score his first win of the season.

Brennen Chipp continued his hot streak in the IMCA Northern SportMod division. From a third row starting spot, Chipp made his way into second by the time the yellow flag waved on lap three.

On the restart, Chipp ran the low groove past Kevin Hurst to take command, then survived a late caution to drive to his third win in Independence in as many weeks. Alex Zwanziger made a late race charge to finish second.

Two-time defending IMCA Stock Car track champion Sean Johnson earned his first win of the season in convincing fashion. Following a lap three caution, at which time he was running fourth, Johnson rocketed to the inside of his competitors and came away with the lead one lap later. He won the event going away ahead of Jarod Weepie.

Luke Pestka led all but the final two laps of the 25-lap IMCA Late Model headliner. The huge lead Pestka built disappeared when caution slowed action late to force a green, white, checkered finish. Tyler Bruening took advantage of the restart and drove the low side to the front when the leaders exited turn two. Bruening beat Pestka to the checkers to earn his third win this season.

Adam Gates held off the pesky challenges of Merv Chandler to score his third IMCA Sport Compact win of the season.

Saturday’s event was Pink Night with area Relay for Life volunteers on-hand to raise money to help fight cancer. In addition to souvenirs that were sold, a handful of drivers made their way through the stands during intermission to help raise funds. In all, $1,212.19 was raised in the fight against cancer.

Two events are on tap at Independence this week, starting with the Entry Level Entravaganza scheduled for Thursday, June 6. That event will feature IMCA sanctioned SportMods, Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts with gates opening at 5 p.m., hot laps at 6:45 and racing to follow.

Weekly racing action resumes Saturday, June 8, for Ferguson Enterprises Scout Night. Gates open at 4 p.m. Saturday, with hot laps at 6 and racing to follow.

Complete details of both events will be posted Monday on the track web site, www.independencemotorspeedway.com.

RESULTS
IMCA LATE MODEL
Feature – 1. 16 Tyler Bruening (Decorah); 2. 99 Luke Pestka (Robins); 3. 38S Dain Sires (Cedar Falls); 4. 88 Drew Johnson (Belle Plaine); 5. 60 Dean Wagner (Evansdale); 6. 7 Greg Hunter (Independence); 7. 2P Jon Passick (Waterloo); 8. 77A Jeff Aikey (Cedar Falls); 9. 53 Darren Ackerman (Readlyn); 10. 73 Greg Kastli (Waterloo); 11. 98X Jason Rauen (Farley); 12. 1 Rick Dralle (Waterloo); 13. 45 Curt Martin (Independence); 14. 77 Dirk Hamilton (Jesup); 15. 35 Curran Beckler (Tiffin); 16. 83 Russell Hesse (waterloo); 17. 4 Leon Thomsen (Waverly); 18. 14 Tracey Rigel (Waterloo); 19. 145 Dale Hackwell Jr. (Washburn); 20. 2 Rory Metcalf (West Union); 21. 89 Tom Pestka (Maquoketa); 22. 21B Joel Brasch (Dunkerton); 23/DNS. 68 Tysus Pattee (Vinton).
First heat – 1. Metcalf; 2. Wagner; 3. Bruening; 4. Martin; 5. Ackerman; 6. Beckler; 7. Hesse; 8. Rigel.
Second heat – 1. Passick; 2. Hackwell; 3. Brasch; 4. Johnson; 5. Hamilton; 6. Thomsen; 7. Pattee; DNS Rauen.
Third heat – 1. Hunter; 2. Aikey; 3. L. Pestka; 4. Sires; 5. Kastli; 6. T. Pestka; 7. Dralle.

IMCA MODIFIED
Feature – 1. 71 Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 2. 27M Mark Schulte (Delhi); 3. 92 Tyler Droste (Waterloo); 4. 91 Shawn Ryan (Waterloo); 5. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 6. 19D Darin Duffy (Urbana); 7. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 8. 26P Kevin Pittman (Waterloo); 9. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 10. 10K Ronn Lauritzen (Jesup); 11. 24R Adam Johnson (Independence); 12. 23 J.J. Scott (Iowa City); 13. 12D Joe Docekal (Dysart); 14. 98 Jason Snyder (Dunkerton); 15. 01 Ed Thomas (Waterloo); 16. 33D Scott Hogan (Vinton); 17. 5 Jason Morehouse (Evansdale); 18. 93K Jeff Kriz (Waterloo); 19. 66 Terry Johnson (Waterloo); 20. 41P Keith Pittman (Waterloo); 21. 11B Mike Burbridge (Delhi); 22. 9 Leon Wilson (Hopkinton); 23. 49 Mike Manson (Manchester); 24. 32 Chris Snyder (Raymond); 25/DNS 27 Jamie Johnson (Waterloo).
First heat – 1. Lauritzen; 2. Ryan; 3. Flannagan; 4. Schulte; 5. Hogan; 6. Wilson; 7. Manson; 8. C. Snyder; 9. Docekal.
Second heat – 1. Jackson; 2. Droste; 3. Kevin Pittman; 4. Duffy; 5. Burbridge; 6. Johnson; 7. Keith Pittman; 8. J. Johnson.
Third heat – 1. Scott; 2. Kriz; 3. J. Snyder; 4. Cordes; 5. Auringer; 6. Thomas; 7. T. Johnson; 8. Morehouse.

IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature – 1. 8R Sean Johnson (Independence); 2. 3 Jarod Weepie (Dunkerton); 3. 56T Justin Temeyer (Independence); 4. 9 Austin Evens (Independence); 5. 7H Phil Holtz (Manchester); 6. 15 Norman Chesmore (Rowley); 7. 87 John Emerson (Waterloo); 8. 11 Jesse Brown (Nashua); 9. JR3 Jason Hocken (Independence); 10. 12 Cole Mather (Fairbank); 11. 81 K.C. Ansel (Dubuque); 12. 87A Aaron Matthias (Fairbank); 13. 11J Jerome Jacoby (Waterloo); 14. 83E Thomas Thompson (Hopkinton).
First heat – 1. Hocken; 2. Chesmore; 3. Temeyer; 4. Holtz; 5. Johnson; 6. Mather; 7. Matthias.
Second heat – 1. Emerson; 2. Thompson; 3. Evens; 4. Weepie; 5. Brown; 6. Ansel; DNS Jacoby.

IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature – 1. 21 Brennen Chipp (Waterloo); 2. 32Z Alex Zwanziger (Nashua); 3. 96 Lucas Lundry (Maynard); 4. 63 Matt McCahen (Waterloo); 5. 3R Danny Dvorak (Vinton); 6. 14 Shane Ebaugh (Evansdale); 7. S16 Kip Siems (Cedar Falls); 8. 4 Ryan Maitland (Waterloo); 9. J2 Dave Schulze (Keystone); 10. 20T Scott Thomas (Waterloo); 11. 29 Sean Vogt (Watkins); 12. 23 Synjun Bauer (Prairie du Chien, Wis.); 13. 15B Troy Burkhart (Urbana); 14. 339 Kevin Hurst (Janesville); 15. 39 Brian Hilbert (Independence); 16. 7 Dave Fangman (Marion); 17. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 18. 114 Mike Nielsen (Evansdale); 19. 22H Curt Hilmer (Dysart); 20. 21J Joe Harken (Waterloo); 21. 00 Jim Buhlman (Cedar Falls); 22. 115 Bob Ebaugh (Raymond).
First heat – 1. Dvorak; 2. Chipp; 3. Schulze; 4. Zwanziger; 5. S. Ebaugh; 6. Maitland; 7. Harken; DNS B. Ebaugh.
Second heat – 1. Hurst; 2. Lundry; 3. McCahen; 4. Buhlman; 5. Scott; 6. Hilbert; 7. Sellers.
Third heat – 1. Hilmer; 2. Siems; 3. Vogt; 4. Thomas; 5. Burkhart; 6. Fangman; 7. Nielsen.

IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature – 1. 67 Justin Stander (Vinton); 2. 55 Vince Buchholz (Waterloo); 3. 166 Justin Lichty (Waterloo); 4. 79 Benji Irvine (Cedar Falls); 5. 73 Quinton Miller (Independence); 6. 45 Justin Wacha (Vinton); 7. 7B Jim Ball (Independence); 8. 25 Jamie Whitaker (Oelwein); 9. 4T3 T.J. Mortenson Jr. (Rowley); 10. 87M Milo Matthias (Cocoa, Fla.); 11. 35B Shawn Kuennen (Hazleton); 12. 20B Matt Burmeister (Dunkerton); 13. 126 Nathan Christie (Waterloo); 14. 58B Randy Byerly (Tipton); 15. 2 Nick Welch (Cedar Falls); 16. 09 Brad Forbes (Waterloo); 17. 95 Matt Lundry (Oelwein); 18. 18 Chris Luloff (Independence); 19. 35 Brett Vanous (Quasqueton); 20. M35 Tyler Mannion (Waterloo).
First heat – 1. Wacha; 2. Mortenson; 3. Irvine; 4. Whitaker; 5. Burmeister; 6. Christie; 7. Matthias.
Second heat – 1. Buchholz; 2. Stander; 3. Keunnen; 4. Forbes; 5. Vanous; 6. Welch; 7. Byerly.
Third heat – 1. Miller; 2. Luloff; 3. Lichty; 4. Ball; 5. Mannion; DNS Lundry.

IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature – 1. 007 Adam Gates (Marion); 2. 2 Merv Chandler (Urbana); 3. 13 Reggie Rema (Clermont); 4. 2K Derek Ihde (Fayette); DQ 4 Mike Tedesco (Jesup); DNS 111 A.J. Witten (Cedar Rapids).
Heat – 1. Gates; 2. Chandler; 3. Rema; 4. Ihde; 5. Tedesco; 6. Witten.

Category: Independence, Iowa