Olsen, Andersen and Carney see victory lane during the Racesaver IMCA Sprint Nationals finale
By Greg Soukup
The finale to the 2015 Racesaver IMCA Sprint Nationals, presented by Precise Racing and NMC Cat Rental was pushed back to Monday after only 1 race was run Sunday at Eagle Raceway. That race saw Russell Shoulders of Forney, Texas pilot his #29 to victory in the E Feature.
At that point, the skies opened up and began dumping a total of 5 ¼ inches of rain onto the grounds. Near monsoon conditions with high winds lasted for over an hour and a half. Finally, the towel was thrown in and the event was rescheduled to Monday.
The Eagle track prep crew spent hours getting the racing facility ready. By the time the large crowd filed through the gates the weather was muggy, but the track was ready for the preliminary competition that would set up the A features.
Justin Olsen put the 14J out front on lap 1 of the Sam’s Club IMCA Sport Compact A Main with Melissa Cronin’s 5M, the 10K of Kyle Owen and Brian Haller’s 2CS rounding out the top 4. Haller advanced to third and Cole Krichau moved the 30K to fourth on lap 2. Krichau passed Haller with 5 to go. The next time around Kevin Staack looped his 13K in turn 4 and the yellow flag flew. Krichau got past Cronin on the restart, but Haller and the 88S of Scott Spellmeier tangled and came to a stop in turn 4. At that point the race was declared official with Olsen winning, Cronin second, Krichau third and the 88k of RJ Maas fourth.
Olsen left before being interviewed.
Next was the finale for the Kaplan University IMCA Modifieds. Chad Andersen’s 8C, the 27 of Clint Homan, Roger Hadan’s 4 and the 86 of Justin Wulf were out front of the field after the first circuit. Although he was never out of the lead, the path to Andersen’s victory was not an easy one. As Andersen took to the high side of the track, Homan made the bottom work well enough to pull alongside Andersen multiple times, and even inch ahead of him once or twice. Try as he might though, Homan could never hold that advantage at the start/finish line. The top four remained the same to the finish.
Andersen said “I was sure glad to get a win here at the end of the season. It’s not been the best year for us. Thanks go out to my crew guys Jeff, Larry and also to Pat for all of their help. The biggest thanks goes to my girlfriend Kaleigh”. Andersen’s sponsors include Goldfuss Racing, Runner Freight, Renner Wraps, Alpine Inn and Integra Shocks.
Then it was time for the “Big Dance”; the finale to the Racesaver IMCA Sprint Nationals. The 3-wide start saw 9 rows of sprinters hurtle through the first lap with John Carney’s 74B in the lead, Jason Martin in the 5X, Chad Wilson’s 20 and the 18 of Terry Richards making up the top 4. Jason Danley got past Richards to put the 4X into fourth on lap 6. Danley then moved up to third on lap 12, but fell back behind Wilson shortly after that. Lap 16 saw Trevor Grossenbacher smack the wall in turn 1, ending the #35’s race weekend. Unfortunately, John Ricketts had nowhere to go and ended up sliding his 5R hard into Grossenbacher. Both drivers were unhurt, but their mounts went to the pits on a hook. Danley used the restart to move to third, and then advance to second. By the time there were 10 laps left, Carney had moved to a straightaway lead, slicing and dicing through traffic as though they weren’t there. But, the race for second through fourth was getting hotter and hotter with every corner. Wilson and Martin both passed Danley to move to second and third. 4 laps later Martin got around Wilson for second, but the next lap Danley jumped back up to second. 2 more laps were in the books when Wilson again took second and Martin also passed Danley for third. At the end it was Carney, Wilson, Martin and Danley the top 4.
When he was kidded that he could have made it a little closer he stated “When you got to go, you have to go as hard as you can!! The race went really great for me; it was a good run. I want to thank the track crew for the huge extra effort to let us race today. After all of that rain, I was really worried”. Carney also grabbed the A Main on Friday night as well as the Jake Ita Memorial Race of Champions Saturday evening and took home nearly $3,000, not counting contingency prizes. Carney’s sponsors include Coyote Cattle Company, Briley Trucking Company, Momentum Racing, MSD Ignition, DuBose Automotive Machine and Safe-T-Stepper.com.
There is still one more evening of racing on the schedule for America’s Home Track this season, and that sees the National Sprint League come to the high banks this coming Friday, September 11th for the Nebraska Cup. The 911 Tribute is being presented by the Nebraska Lottery. The fire-breathing 410 winged sprints of the National Sprint League will share the card with the Sprint Series of Nebraska Racesaver IMCA Winged Sprints.
RESULTS:
Sprint Nationals Modified 09/07/2015 A Feature: 1. Chad Andersen (Omaha, NE), 2. Clint Homan (Bellevue, NE), 3. Roger Hadan (Bennington, NE), 4. Justin Wulf (Arlington, NE), 5. Shane Hiatt (Rising City, NE), 6. Bob Zoubek (Dorchester, NE), 7. Rik Gropp (Lincoln, NE), 8. Matt Boucher (Murdock, NE), 9. Doug Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 10. Jared Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 11. Peter Shoup (Lincoln, NE), 12. Tim Pickens (Bellevue, NE), 13. Josh Blumer (Marysville, KS)
Heat 1: 1. Chad Andersen (Omaha, NE), 2. Rik Gropp (Lincoln, NE), 3. Roger Hadan (Bennington, NE), 4. Clint Homan (Bellevue, NE), 5. Doug Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 6. Jared Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 7. Peter Shoup (Lincoln, NE)
Heat 2: 1. Shane Hiatt (Rising City, NE), 2. Justin Wulf (Arlington, NE), 3. Bob Zoubek (Dorchester, NE), 4. Matt Boucher (Murdock, NE), 5. Tim Pickens (Bellevue, NE), 6. Josh Blumer (Marysville, KS)
Sprint Nationals Sport Compact 09/07/2015 A Feature: 1. Justin Olsen (Lincoln, NE), 2. Melissa Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 3. Cole Krichau (Lincoln, NE), 4. RJ Maas (Wilbur, NE), 5. Spencer Pavey III (Sterling, NE), 6. Melissa Etherton (Lincoln, NE), 7. Ray Harrington (Lincoln, NE), 8. Jacobi Evans (Lincoln, NE), 9. Sarah Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 10. Rick Hollandsworth (Milford, NE), 11. Tim Horsham (Raymond, NE), 12. Duke Bourassa (Lincoln, NE), 13. Justin Callender (Lincoln, NE), 14. Kevin Staack (Lincoln, NE), 15. Brian Haller (Lincoln, NE), 16. Michelle Nicholson (Omaha, NE), 17. Larry Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 18. Tom Powell (Hickman, NE), 19. Larry Schultz (Lincoln, NE), 20. Kyle Owen (Nebraska City, NE), 21. Tommy Etherton (Lincoln, NE), 22. Jeremy Bohlen (Percival, IA), 23. Scott Spellmeier (Beatrice, NE), 24. Michael Rice (Elmwood, NE), 25. Jeremey Byfield (Auburn, NE), 26. Steven Rol (Hastings, NE)
Heat 1: 1. Cole Krichau (Lincoln, NE), 2. Kyle Owen (Nebraska City, NE), 3. Tom Powell (Hickman, NE), 4. Larry Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 5. Sarah Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 6. Tim Horsham (Raymond, NE), 7. Larry Schultz (Lincoln, NE), 8. Jeremy Bohlen (Percival, IA), 9. Jeremey Byfield (Auburn, NE)
Heat 2: 1. Justin Olsen (Lincoln, NE), 2. Melissa Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 3. Brian Haller (Lincoln, NE), 4. Melissa Etherton (Lincoln, NE), 5. Ray Harrington (Lincoln, NE), 6. Justin Callender (Lincoln, NE), 7. Rick Hollandsworth (Milford, NE), 8. Scott Spellmeier (Beatrice, NE), 9. Steven Rol (Hastings, NE)
Heat 3: 1. Spencer Pavey III (Sterling, NE), 2. RJ Maas (Wilbur, NE), 3. Michelle Nicholson (Omaha, NE), 4. Tommy Etherton (Lincoln, NE), 5. Kevin Staack (Lincoln, NE), 6. Jacobi Evans (Lincoln, NE), 7. Duke Bourassa (Lincoln, NE), 8. Michael Rice (Elmwood, NE)
Sprint Nationals Sprint 09/07/2015 B Feature: 1. Justin Melton (Flower Mound, TX), 2. Jeff Day (Greenville, TX), 3. Matt Richards (Lincoln, NE), 4. Tom Humphries (Raphine, VA), 5. Tadd Holliman (Beaver Lake, NE), 6. Michael Day (Greenville, TX), 7. Mark Pace (Lincoln, NE), 8. Dustin Woods (Forney, TX), 9. Claud Estes (Godley, TX), 10. Logan Scherb (Decature, TX), 11. Ryan King (Bennet, NE), 12. Toby Chapman (Panama, NE), 13. Jed Werner (Codell, KS), 14. Doug Lovegrove (Waverly, NE), 15. Ethan Fleetwood (Smithville, IN), 16. Mike Boston (Lincoln, NE), 17. Blake Robertson (Visalia, CA), 18. Brandon Allen (St Peter, MN), 19. Chad Wilson (North Richland Hills, TX), 20. Koby Walters (Liberal, KS), 21. Nate Eakin (Lake Park , IA), 22. Jerry Hammock (Ennis, TX)
C Feature: 1. Mike Boston (Lincoln, NE), 2. Michael Day (Greenville, TX), 3. Doug Lovegrove (Waverly, NE), 4. Ethan Fleetwood (Smithville, IN), 5. Chase Brewer (Springtown, TX), 6. Brian Herbert (Dodge City, KS), 7. Taylor Velasquez (Liberal, KS), 8. Dan Satriano (Papillion, NE), 9. Keith Dragoo (Lincoln, NE), 10. Jerald Harris (Harrisonburg, VA), 11. Tim Fricke (Lincoln, NE), 12. Nate Weiler (Omaha, NE), 13. Tony Everhart (El Cajon, CA), 14. TJ Artz (Lincoln, NE), 15. Victoria Knutson (Montecello, MN), 16. Adam Trimble (Pueblo, CO), 17. Josh Hawkins (Whitehouse, TX), 18. Ben Woods (Newton, IA), 19. Jesse Mack (Visalia, CA), 20. Ron Love (Lincoln, NE), 21. Colin Smith (Sheldon, IA), 22. Troy Severin (Ashland, VA)
D Feature: 1. Keith Dragoo (Lincoln, NE), 2. Nate Weiler (Omaha, NE), 3. Chase Brewer (Springtown, TX), 4. Taylor Velasquez (Liberal, KS), 5. Brandon Horton (Omaha, NE), 6. Boyd Peterson (Ithaca, NE), 7. Dwight Carter (Lincoln, NE), 8. Mark Klis (Waxahachie, TX), 9. Trevor Serbus (Olivia, MN), 10. Jason Howell (Azle, TX), 11. Daren Bolac (Moyock, NC), 12. Nick Bryan (Lincoln, NE), 13. Charlie Ware (Hallieford, VA), 14. Jeff Radcliffe (Hill City, KS), 15. Shon Pointer (Grand Island, NE), 16. Joey Danley (Lincoln, NE), 17. Bart Gray (Turtleford, SK), 18. Richard Weers (Lincoln, NE), 19. Gary Kelley (Ardmore, OK), 20. Eric Reichwaldt (Plattsmouth, NE), 21. Blain Petersen (Essex, IA)
E Feature: 1. Russell Shoulders (Forney, TX), 2. Matt Etzelmiller (Keller, TX), 3. Jeremy Schultz (Hutchinson, MN), 4. Taylor Velasquez (Liberal, KS), 5. Mark Klis (Waxahachie, TX), 6. Trevor Serbus (Olivia, MN), 7. Rod Ort (Lewisberry, PA), 8. Brian Lawson (Orange, VA), 9. Bruce Allen (Mankato , MN), 10. Chase Weiler (Lincoln, NE), 11. Joe Miller (Vail, IA), 12. Glenn Worrell (Powhatan, VA), 13. Dalyn Cody (Prior Lake, MN), 14. Jason Becker (Seward, NE), 15. Bart Gray (Turtleford, SK), 16. Regan Hawkins (Whitehouse, TX), 17. Clint Benson (Papillion, NE)
Heat: 1. John Carney (Horizon, TX), 2. Dustin Woods (Forney, TX), 3. Ethan Fleetwood (Smithville, IN), 4. Jason Howell (Azle, TX), 5. Chase Weiler (Lincoln, NE), 6. Jeff Day (Greenville, TX), 7. Adam Trimble (Pueblo, CO), 8. Brandon Horton (Omaha, NE), 9. Matt Etzelmiller (Keller, TX), 10. Blake Robertson (Visalia, CA), 11. Josh Hawkins (Whitehouse, TX), 12. Jeff Radcliffe (Hill City, KS), 13. Joe Miller (Vail, IA), 14. Justin Melton (Flower Mound, TX), 15. Ben Woods (Newton, IA), 16. Keith Dragoo (Lincoln, NE), 17. Russell Shoulders (Forney, TX), 18. Tom Humphries (Raphine, VA), 19. Michael Day (Greenville, TX), 20. Shon Pointer (Grand Island, NE), 21. Mark Klis (Waxahachie, TX), 22. Dusty Ballenger (Harrisburg, SD), 23. Doug Lovegrove (Waverly, NE), 24. Chase Brewer (Springtown, TX), 25. Glenn Worrell (Powhatan, VA), 26. Tadd Holliman (Beaver Lake, NE), 27. Brian Herbert (Dodge City, KS), 28. Joey Danley (Lincoln, NE), 29. Taylor Velasquez (Liberal, KS), 30. Matt Richards (Lincoln, NE), 31. Jesse Mack (Visalia, CA), 32. Nate Weiler (Omaha, NE), 33. Jeremy Schultz (Hutchinson, MN), 34. Koby Walters (Liberal, KS), 35. Ron Love (Lincoln, NE), 36. Nick Bryan (Lincoln, NE), 37. Dalyn Cody (Prior Lake, MN), 38. Claud Estes (Godley, TX), 39. Mike Boston (Lincoln, NE), 40. Tucker Doughty (Heath, TX), 41. Jason Becker (Seward, NE), 42. Nate Eakin (Lake Park , IA), 43. Jerald Harris (Harrisonburg, VA), 44. Daren Bolac (Moyock, NC), 45. Rod Ort (Lewisberry, PA), 46. Brandon Allen (St Peter, MN), 47. TJ Artz (Lincoln, NE), 48. Boyd Peterson (Ithaca, NE), 49. Bart Gray (Turtleford, SK), 50. Toby Chapman (Panama, NE), 51. Victoria Knutson (Montecello, MN), 52. Richard Weers (Lincoln, NE), 53. Bruce Allen (Mankato , MN), 54. Mark Pace (Lincoln, NE), 55. Dan Satriano (Papillion, NE), 56. Dwight Carter (Lincoln, NE), 57. Regan Hawkins (Whitehouse, TX), 58. Logan Scherb (Decature, TX), 59. Tim Fricke (Lincoln, NE), 60. Gary Kelley (Ardmore, OK), 61. Trevor Serbus (Olivia, MN), 62. Ryan King (Bennet, NE), 63. Colin Smith (Sheldon, IA), 64. Eric Reichwaldt (Plattsmouth, NE), 65. Clint Benson (Papillion, NE), 66. Jed Werner (Codell, KS), 67. Tony Everhart (El Cajon, CA), 68. Charlie Ware (Hallieford, VA), 69. Brian Lawson (Orange, VA), 70. Jerry Hammock (Ennis, TX), 71. Troy Severin (Ashland, VA), 72. Blain Petersen (Essex, IA)
Super Nationals Main Event: 1. John Carney (Horizon, TX), 2. Chad Wilson (North Richland Hills, TX), 3. Jason Martin (Lincoln, NE), 4. Jason Danley (Lincoln, NE), 5. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE), 6. Tyler Drueke (Eagle, NE), 7. Terry Richards (Denton, NE), 8. Adam Gullion (Lincoln, NE), 9. Mark Pace (Lincoln, NE), 10. Jake Bubak (Arvada, CO), 11. Michael Day (Greenville, TX), 12. Shayle Bade (Lincoln, ne), 13. Luke Cranston (Ness City, KS), 14. Justin Melton (Flower Mound, TX), 15. Ryan Hall (Midlothian, TX), 16. Tadd Holliman (Beaver Lake, NE), 17. Zach Blurton (Quinter, KS), 18. Lindell Jenkins Jr. (Greenville, TX), 19. Tom Humphries (Raphine, VA), 20. Dustin Woods (Forney, TX), 21. Gene Ackland (Martell, NE), 22. Matt Richards (Lincoln, NE), 23. Claud Estes (Godley, TX), 24. Jeff Day (Greenville, TX), 25. Trevor Grossenbacher (Hickman, NE), 26. John Ricketts (Burleson, TX), 27. Robby Wolfgang (Sioux Falls, SD)