Duffy, Emerson among opening night winners at Independence Motor Speedway

 

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (April 27) – Independence Motor Speedway started its 2013 season with 113 race teams into the pit area for opening night action. By night’s end, six of those drivers were standing in victory lane. 

In the 20-lap IMCA Modified feature, front row starter J.D. Auringer took the lead at the drop of the green and quickly pulled away from the pack. While Auringer led, Patrick Flannagan, Darin Duffy and Jason Snyder battled for second until a lap seven caution bunched the field. 

On the restart, Auringer pushed high in turns one and two, which allowed Flannagan and Duffy to sneak past the leader. Flannagan briefly took over the top spot until Duffy powered past the leader just before the final stoppage on lap nine. 

When racing resumed, Duffy took charge and marched to the opening night win. Flannagan held off a hard-charging Vern Jackson for second. Snyder ran fourth. 

John Emerson led the 15-lap IMCA Stock Car feature in its entirety, although his room for error was minimal. Emerson, who started outside of row one, took the lead at the drop of the green while defending champion Sean Johnson ran third. 

Johnson made his way around Jason Hocken for second after two laps, then chased down Emerson. Johnson cut into the five-car deficit and reeled in the leader a few laps later. He tried both high and low to pass for the lead, however his attempts were unsuccessful as Emerson drove to the win. 

Defending IMCA Late Model track champion Tyler Bruening found himself on the pole for the draw/redraw event. After a couple of cautions slowed action early, Bruening pulled away to take command. 

While Bruening entered lapped traffic after just eight laps, Dale Hackwell Jr. battled Curt Martin and Greg Kastli for second. Hackwell maintained the runner-up spot for most of the event, but lapped traffic kept the leader in his sights. 

Although Bruening was slowed by the traffic, he navigated his way through the backmarkers to take the win. Hackwell successfully fought off Martin and Kastli to finish second. Kastli made his way around Martin in the waning laps to come home third. 

Shane Ebaugh, Lucas Lundry and Danny Dvorak made it a three-car race at the front of the 15-lap IMCA SportMod feature. After Ebaugh showed the way for the first six laps, Lundry made his way to the front a short time later. Lundry then survived a pair of late cautions to take the win ahead of a hard-charging Dvorak. Ebaugh ran third. 

Shawn Kuennen and Vince Buchholz split time at the front of the IMCA Hobby Stock feature before Benji Irvine powered to the front six laps into that 15-lapper. Irvine made his way around Buchholz and Chris Luloff before entering lapped traffic on lap nine. 

Luloff remained close throughout the event, but Irvine held on for the win. A lapped car slowed Luloff at the stripe, which allowed Nathan Ballard to sneak by for second. 

Adam Gates dominated the 12-lap IMCA Sport Compact main event. Gates went from a fourth row starting spot into the lead in just under half of a lap. He set sail to take the checkers nearly half of a track ahead of Justin Vargasan and Merv Chandler. 

Weekly racing resumes next Saturday, May 4. Gates will open at 4 p.m., with hot laps at 6 and racing to follow.

 

RESULTS

IMCA LATE MODEL

Feature – 1. 16 Tyler Bruening (Decorah); 2. 145 Dale Hackwell Jr. (Washburn); 3. 73 Greg Kastli (Waterloo); 4. 45 Curt Martin (Independence); 5. 77 Dirk Hamilton (Jesup); 6. 60 Dean Wagner (Evansdale); 7. 2P Jon Passick (Waterloo); 8. 44 Luke Goedert (Guttenberg); 9. 4C Chad Lerch (Cedar Rapids); 10. 53 Darren Ackerman (Readlyn); 11. 98 Travis Smock (Independence); 12. 1 Rick Dralle (Waterloo); 13. 88 Drew Johnson (Belle Plaine); 14. 7 Greg Hunter (Independence); 15. 4 Leon Thomsen (Waverly); 16. 68 Tysus Pattee (Vinton); 17. 19 Kelly Pestka (Preston); 18. 5W Scott Welsh (Cedar Rapids); 19. 38S Dain Sires (Cedar Falls); 20. 78 Rick Wendling (Hazleton); 21. 99 Luke Pestka (Robins).

First heat – 1. Wendling; 2. Sires; 3. Martin; 4. Ackerman; 5. L. Pestka; 6. Goedert; 7. Hunter.

Second heat – 1. Lerch; 2. Wagner; 3. Kastli; 4. Hamilton; 5. Passick; 6. Smock; 7. Johnson.

Third heat – 1. Bruening; 2. Pattee; 3. K. Pestka; 4. Hackwell; 5. Welsh; 6. Dralle; 7. Thomsen.

 

IMCA MODIFIED

Feature – 1. 19D Darin Duffy (Urbana); 2. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 3. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 4. 98 Jason Snyder (Dunkerton); 5. 27M Mark Schulte (Delhi); 6. 41P Keith Pittman (Waterloo); 7. 24R Adam Johnson (Independence); 8. 91 Shawn Ryan (Waterloo); 9. 10K Ronn Lauritzen (Jesup); 10. 01 Ed Thomas (Waterloo); 11. 11 Timm Jensen (Dunkerton); 12. 57B Dennis Betzer (Central City); 13. Tyler Droste (Waterloo); 14. 27 Jamie Johnson (Waterloo); 15. 49 Mike Manson (Manchester); 16. 26P Kevin Pittman (Waterloo); 17. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 18. 25 Jake Bowman (Maquoketa); 19. 75 Josh Sherbon (Cedar Falls); 20. 71 Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 21. 11B Mike Burbridge (Delhi); 22. 5 Jason Morehouse (Evansdale); 23/DNS. Terry Johnson (Waterloo).

First heat – 1. Lauritzen; 2. Kevin Pittman; 3. A. Johnson; 4. Keith Pittman; 5. Sherbon; 6. Manson; 7. Burbridge; DNS T. Johnson.

Second heat – 1. Jackson; 2. Ryan; 3. Snyder; 4. Schulte; 5. Jensen; 6. J. Johnson; 7. Betzer; DNS Droste.

Third heat – 1. Cordes; 2. Auringer; 3. Duffy; 4. Flannagan; 5. Bowman; 6. Thomas; DNS Morehouse.

 

IMCA STOCK CAR

Feature – 1. 87 John Emerson (Waterloo); 2. 8R Sean Johnson (Independence); 3. JR3 Jason Hocken (Independence); 4. 3 Jarod Weepie (Dunkerton); 5. 15 Norman Chesmore (Rowley); 6. 11 Jesse Brown (Nashua); 7. 7C Blake Cole (Nashua); 8. 5K Stefan Klym (Moose Jaw, Sask., Can.); 9. 15T Tim Helle (Garnavillo); 10. 11J Jerome Jacoby (Waterloo).

Heat – 1. Emerson; 2. Johnson; 3. Brown; 4. Hocken; 5. Weepie; 6. Helle; 7. Chesmore; 8. Cole; 9. Jacoby; 10. Klym.

 

IMCA SPORTMOD

Feature – 1. 96 Lucas Lundry (Maynard); 2. 3R Danny Dvorak (Vinton); 3. 14 Shane Ebaugh (Raymond); 4. 00 Jim Buhlman (Cedar Falls); 5. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 6. 29 Sean Vogt (Watkins); 7. CH19 Colby Heishman (Brooklyn); 8. 22H Curt Hilmer (Dysart); 9. 49 Brandon Smith (Waterloo); 10. 1X Steven Streeter (Vinton); 11. 32Z Alex Zwanziger (Nashua); 12. 93 Josh Burrell (Dysart); 13. 63 Matt McCahen (Waterloo); 14. 23 Synjun Bauer (Prairie du Chien, Wis.); 15. 7 Dave Fagman (Marion); 16. 50H Steve Wimer (Toddville); 17. 114 Mike Nielsen (Evansdale); 18. 21 Brennen Chipp (Waterloo); 19. 86 Rod McDonald (Manchester); 20. 4 Ryan Maitland (Waterloo); 21. 339 Kevin Hurst (Janesville); 22. J2 Dave Schulze (Keystone); 23. 21J Joe Harken (Waterloo); 24/DNS. 115 Bob Ebaugh (Raymond).

First heat – 1. Smith; 2. McDonald; 3. Streeter; 4. Fangman; 5. B. Ebaugh; 6. Wimer; 7. McCahen; DNS 114 Nielsen.

Second heat – 1. Hurst; 2. Sellers; 3. Lundry; 4. S. Ebaugh; 5. Zwanziger; 6. Schulze; 7. Bauer.

Third heat – 1. Dvorak; 2. Buhlman; 3. Vogt; 4. Maitland; 5. Heishman; 6. Burrell; 7. Chipp; 8. Hilmer; 9. Harken.

 

IMCA HOBBY STOCK

Feature – 1. 79 Benji Irvine (Cedar Falls); 2. 29 Nathan Ballard (Marengo); 3. 18 Chris Luloff (Independence); 4. 55 Vince Buchholz (Cedar Falls); 5. 35B Shawn Kuennen (Hazleton); 6. 166 Justin Lichty (Waterloo); 7. 67 Justin Stander (Vinton); 8. 7B Jim Ball (Independence); 9. T64 Jeremiah Wilson (Waterloo); 10. 25 Jamie Whitaker (Oelwein); 11. 126 Nathan Christie (Waterloo); 12. 64 Jerome Wilson (Waterloo); 13. 35 Brett Vanous (Quasqueton); 14. 20B Matt Burmeister (Dunkerton); 15. 26 Gary Goudy Jr. (Stoughton, Sask., Can.); 16. 7 Gary Goudy Sr. (Stoughton, Sask., Can.); 17. 87R Aaron Matthias (Fairbank); 18. 14C Leah Wroten (Independence); 19. 95 Matt Lundry (Oelwein); 20. 73 Quinton Miller (Independence); 21. 99 Erick Knutsen (Center Point); 22. 45 Justin Wacha (Vinton); 23. 8 Dave Wheeler (Fairbank).

First heat – 1. Luloff; 2. Miller; 3. Buchholz; 4. Jerome Wilson; 5. Wheeler; 6. Goudy Sr.; 7. Matthias; 8. Wroten.

Second heat – 1. Ballard; 2. Ball; 3. Kuennen; 4. Knutsen; 5. Stander; 6. Whitaker; 7. Vanous; 8. Jeremiah Wilson.

Third heat – 1. Irvine; 2. Wacha; 3. Lichty; 4. Christie; 5. Burmeister; 6. Lundry; 7. Goudy Jr.

 

IMCA SPORT COMPACT

Feature – 1. 007 Adam Gates (Marion); 2. 30 Justin Vargasan (Waukon); 3. 2 Merv Chandler (Urbana); 4. 111 A.J. Witten (Cedar Rapids); 5. 18 Dylan Clinton (Elkader); 6. 22T Travis Losenicky (Garrison); 7. 7X Zach Marmann (Elkader); 8. 4 Mike Tedesco (Jesup); 9. 78 Jeffrey Vislisel (Springville); 10. 84 Nick West (Waverly); 11. 83 Travis Ross (Waterloo); DNS 55 Will Schott (Clermont).

First heat – 1. Gates; 2. Marmann; 3. Tedesco; 4. West; DNS Schott; DNS Ross.

Second heat – 1. Clinton; 2. Chandler; 3. Losenicky; 4. Vargasan; 5. Vislisel; 6. Witten.

Category: Independence, Iowa