Getting a Frostbuster win takes more than speed

MARSHALLTOWN - Within today's auto racing landscape, any time 207 cars and drivers converge on a racetrack, it's a boon for fans, the track and the racers alike.

But when among those 207 are a former NASCAR driver, national champions, multi-time track champions and winners of hundreds of races, it gets downright brutal to navigate. Such was the case Friday night for Night 3 of the IMCA Frostbuster at Marshalltown Speedway.

There were 71 IMCA Modifieds on hand, racing for a spot in the 24-car A-main and the $1,000 check to the winner. And for the third night in a row, Des Moines' Todd Shute was in contention. He finished third at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Night 1 and was beat by a bumper in a three-wide finish at Benton County Speedway in Vinton on Night 2. He broke through in Marshalltown with the dominant car.

Getting a win among that stout competition wasn't as simple as tuning the car along the way. To get a win against those drivers requires a series of steps.

'First of all, you've got to be prepared; races are won in the shop,” Shute said. 'Second of all, we've benefited from good draws the last three nights. Draw is big, but you've got to put yourself in a position to win these things, too.”

Shute started on pole in Vinton and again at Marshalltown, and before the A-main on Friday night, there was a bit of frustration setting in over the course of the first two nights of the Frostbuster, because - as racers often say - sometimes just finishing well isn't enough.

A team wants to have their car in a position to handle well and have the speed it takes to beat a field like the one at Marshalltown. Shute and his team finally found it.

'The frustrating part was I didn't feel like the car was right the first two nights,” Shute said. 'We had a great finish, but we didn't have the car where it needed to be.

'We got the car freed up finally in the feature. We found some stuff component-wise we needed to change and that was the difference, really. The thing did everything I wanted to do in the feature.”

Shute beat Ankeny's Adam Larson to the line by about a half straightaway. Larson, who finished 13th on Night 1 in Oskaloosa and did not race in Vinton, echoed much of what Shute said about wading through such a vast field of cars.

What he added, though, was something that gets handed down to young racers all the time: laps. Having time at a particular track gives an advantage ahead of those who have limited or no time in a car wherever an event is held.

That showed through clearly Friday, as the top three were all central Iowa drivers who have spent years tuning their setup for Marshalltown.

'Running here weekly helps so much,” Larson said. 'Every single time I've been here, the fast line in 3 and 4 has been the same. Even if it's slick, and the top line moves farther and farther up, there's still moisture there and still fast. Knowing how to race this track is key. And yeah, having a good draw helps. No one's going to come off the back of a heat here, there's too many good cars.”

To that end, and even with the supreme desire to win, the racers know what they've done if they're in tech inspection after the race - they know exactly who they've beaten, even if they didn't take home the big check.

Being in the conversation of racers to beat brings with it pride and confidence that's invaluable going forward.

'It's what you hope for. You want to be among the elite,” Shute said. 'I'm not saying we (always) are, but tonight we were. That's the ultimate goal when you come to these things is to run up front. My goal is to make all these shows, then the goal is to run top three and the last goal is to win. We just kept at it, kept digging and kept trying stuff, and we finally found it.”

In other competition, Boyden's Randy Brands won in IMCA Stock Cars, Lake City's Doug Smith won IMCA SportMod and Minburn's Austin Luellen won IMCA Hobby Stock. The final night of the IMCA Frostbuster is Saturday night at Boone Speedway.

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