IMCA national title possible for Olson

CEDAR RAPIDS - Before the 2015 racing season began, the goal Tony Olson and his dad Randy set out was 10 wins and at least one track championship.

As of Aug. 31, he's at 27 wins this season after going 3 for 3 this weekend and has already wrapped up two track championships - one at Davenport Speedway on Friday and another on Saturday at Independence Motor Speedway. He's on the verge of a third at Benton County Speedway in Vinton, but has one race to go to seal that up.

Oh, and not to mention the fact that the Cedar Rapids driver has a great shot at the IMCA Northern Sport Mod national points championship.

He had one other year (2007) in which he won three track championships, but has never approached what he has this season.

'We had a good year in 2007, but it's nothing compared to this year,” Olson said Saturday night after his win at Independence. 'We had less than 20 wins. This year is unbelievable. It's hard to imagine a better year. Looking into this year, 10 wins was kind of our goal.

'It's pretty crazy looking back. We've got to stay strong, though, and hopefully finish as strong as we have so far.”

The national points structure for IMCA is a bit complicated, but it involves weekly wins, track championships and car count averages. In Sport Mod (it's different among different classes), IMCA takes a driver's best 30 finishes out of his or her first 55 weekly points races. From there, bonuses are awarded for up to two track championships, and then based on the average car count for the tracks at which the driver won the title(s).

Olson's finishes include those 27 wins and three second-place finishes as his best 30. When IMCA released its latest update on national points last Friday, Olson trailed Belleville, Kan. driver Tyler Frye, 1,197 points to 1,194. Olson said his win Sunday should have moved the two into a tie.

'We have (one) more at Vinton, and then there's a couple specials. I think the Yankee (Dirt Track Classic at Farley Speedway) is national points,” Olson said. 'We have hopefully (four) more nights of national points. He's got, I think, four more shots at it.”

Olson has done his part so far by nearly maxing out in points, but with the remaining chances so few, he's not going to stress out about it. There likely won't be, he said, any effort to chase points at race tracks they don't normally run.

If it's meant to happen, it will happen. But that's not to say they won't go try to win all the races remaining.

'Three weeks ago, I got about three or four messages on Facebook saying I was sitting second or third in (national) points, and that was the first time I realized I even had a shot at it,” Olson said. 'We haven't raced for (national) points all year.

'We're getting to the point where we're only going for wins. That's what we've done all year. Second would be great, too, but winning would be a huge accomplishment.”

MORE MILESTONES FOR KAY

Justin Kay added to his ever-growing list of accomplishments over the weekend.

The IMCA Late Model (and sometimes Modified) driver sealed the track championship at Dubuque Speedway with a second-place finish to Joel Callahan on Sunday, and with it came his third straight IMCA Late Model national championship.

Kay has 17 weekly IMCA Late Model wins, six Deery Brothers Summer Series for Late Models wins, two unsanctioned Late Model wins and one IMCA Modified win this season. With strong runs on Friday and Saturday in the Liberty 100, he can lock up his second straight Summer Series championship as well.

RYAN COMPLETES THE TRIPLE

Davenport driver Matt Ryan put up the biggest fight for the IMCA Late Model national points chase against Justin Kay - coming up short in second - but didn't go without his own accolades this season.

Ryan piloted his No. 07 to 11 wins (so far) this year, including two this weekend at Davenport Speedway and Quad City Speedway in East Moline, Ill. Those wins - plus a rainout at Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa - meant Ryan sealed three track championships of his own as well.

KILE BROTHERS MAKE HISTORY AT WEST LIBERTY

West Liberty has always been home to the Kile family (and Kile Motorsports), so it stands to reason milestones Kurt and Kevin's home track of West Liberty Raceway mean that much more.

The two became the first brothers in track history to win track championships in the same season over the weekend. Kevin Kile closed out a championship campaign in IMCA Late Model and Kurt Kile in IMCA Modified.

Kevin finished second on the final night to Brian Harris, while Kurt was fifth behind first-time winner Brad Tyler in Modified.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com