Bad luck plagues Eastern Iowans at IMCA Supernationals

BOONE - When you get right down to it, IMCA Supernationals ultimately boils down to one thing: luck.

Yes, racers need to prepare, maintenance the car, make the right changes and be up on the wheel when they hit. But all the preparation and hard driving will only go so far when racing against 150-250 other people in one of the biggest racing events in the country.

It's about luck when drawing starting position for your heat race, luck when you're in those qualifying races and luck in the main event.

In Saturday night's last chance qualifiers and championship main events at Boone Speedway, Eastern Iowa racers didn't have much of it.

'We all pretty much had bad luck; it's just one of those deals. We've had good luck all season, it was just a matter of time before we had bad luck,” said Marengo's Nathan Ballard. 'Our car is in one piece. We're obviously fast and won a lot of races this year. We made the big show up here, which is an accomplishment, and I had a really fast car. We can't be upset too much.”

Nearly every Eastern Iowa racer who made a championship A-main had some sort of trouble, save for IMCA Modified. Brian Irvine drove from 14th to 10th at the finish.

Ballard clipped a spinning car and got a flat tire, giving him a DNF in Hobby Stock. Cedar Rapids' Tony Olson had a broken spindle after contact and took a DNF in Sport Mod. Dysart's Sam Wieben spun and also took a DNF in Sport Mod. Chelsea's Damon Murty was run into by another car on the third lap, got a flat and took a DNF in Stock Car.

With so many variables during the 'Big Dance,” the luck-to-performance ratio shifts quickly toward luck playing a bigger role than normal.

'It's probably 60 percent luck. The luck of the draw part and who you start next to, what kind of track it is. We set up out there for a slick track and for the first five laps, our car was really good,” Olson said. 'I was hanging back, just trying to wait for the top to come around. And we knew it was going to be tight for 5-10 laps. Right after it started getting better, we got hit on the 10th lap and broke a spindle. I made it, I think, 12 or 13 laps with a broken spindle. But it's one of those deals where if I'd braked I'd have lost five spots.

'It's a lot of luck, especially in a deal like that. Starting on the bottom is usually good, but it depends on who you start next to.”

Supernationals has many quirks, including how track workers prepare the racing surface and continually rework and rewater - called 'farming” the track - and how they line up to start. Eleven rows of three cars fill up the grid for the start, and when the track conditions aren't consistent, it makes what row you're in a crapshoot.

'They farm it over here so much - and I guess they have to to keep the dust down - but like when we took off (at the start) I knew I was going to be terrible in the grease,” Murty said. 'It was greasy on the bottom from the get-go. I'm terrible in the grease. You have no car control - I don't anyway.

'It's all about luck. I got lucky Monday and drew the outside pole for the heat, then drew third for that A-main. I've been here and drawn last every time and not made the show. I'm happy to make the show and just be here I guess.”

Waterloo's J.D. Auringer was 18th and Reinbeck's Corey Dripps was 23rd in Modified. Rowley's Norman Chesmore was 23rd and Murty was 28th in Stock Car. Independence driver Leah Wroten was 20th, Oelwein's Benji Irvine was 21st and Ballard was 30th in Hobby Stock. Maquoketa's Jarrett Franzen was 13th, Olson was 27th, Wieben was 29th and Sherrill's Tyler Soppe was 30th in Sport Mod.

With so many of them having incidents or other misfortune in their main events, the talent in Eastern Iowa wasn't as well-represented as they might've hoped or expected.

'Usually everyone that's in the big show are pretty good drivers,” Olson said. 'We watch (all the Eastern Iowa drivers) week-in and week-out and we know how good they are. They're always smart with where they run. But luck comes in with who you're next to and how aggressive they're going to be.”

IMCA SUPERNATIONALS RESULTS

MODIFIEDS

1. Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, N.C.; 2. Dylan Smith, Osceola, Neb.; 3. Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz.; 4. Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb.; 5. Adam Larson, Ankeny; 6. Jeff Taylor, Cave City, Ark.; 7. Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.; 8. Ryan McDaniel, Olivehurst, Calif.; 9. Chris Abelson, Sioux City; 10. Brian Irvine, Oelwein; 11. Paul Stone, Winton, Calif.; 12. Jason Cum¬mins, New Richland, Minn.; 13. Russ Dickerson, Boone; 14. Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa; 15. David Brown, Kellogg; 16. Todd Shute, Des Moines; 17. Johnny Scott, Arroyo Hondo, N.M.; 18. J.D. Auringer, Waterloo

; 19. Jason Beaulieu, Campbell River, B.C.; 20. Nick Deal, Walnut; 21. Ryan Ruter, Kanawha; 22. Aaron Turnbull, Estevan, Sask.; 23. Corey Dripps, Reinbeck; 24. Mike Hagen, Williston, N.D.; 25. Josh Most, Red Oak; 26. Josh Gilman, Earlham; 27. William Gould, Cal¬era, Okla.; 28. Kody Scholpp, Estevan, Sask.; 29. Dustin Smith, Lake City; 30. Wade Cross, Phil¬lips, Neb.; 31. Jason Murray, Hartford; 32. Drew Christianson, Minot, N.D.; 33. Lucas Schott, Chat¬field, Minn.

STOCK CARS

1. Dustin Larson, Worthington, Minn.; 2. Mike Nichols, Harlan; 3. Chris Mills, Sioux City; 4. Jeffrey Larson, Lakefield, Minn.; 5. Lynn Panos, Calmar; 6. Heath Tulp, Britt; 7. Brandon Czarapata, Pulaski, Wis.; 8. Dalton Flory, Williston, N.D.; 9. John Heinz, Green Bay, Wis.; 10. Gary Bass, Des Moines; 11. Randy Brands, Boyden; 12. Bob Daniels, Des Moines; 13. Shaun Bruns, Danube, Minn.; 14. Dan Mackenthun, Hamburg, Minn.; 15. Wayne Gifford, Boone; 16. Joe Flory, Williston, N.D.; 17. Marcus Fagan, Adair; 18. Kenneth Tietz, Belle Plaine, Minn.; 19. Kevin Opheim, Mason City; 20. Jason Minnehan, Churdan; 21. Devin Snellenberger, Pulaski, Wis.; 22. Josh Daniels, Carlisle; 23. Norman Chesmore, Rowley; 24. Chad Sterling, Stockton, Kan.; 25. Lance Deal, Fort Dodge; 26. Kyle Vanover, Beatrice, Neb.; 27. Casey Woken, Norton, Kan.; 28. Damon Murty, Chelsea;

29. Matt Guillaume, Haslet, Texas; 30. Donavon Smith, Lake City.

HOBBY STOCK

1. Jason Wilkinson, Neligh, Neb.; 2. Andrew Burg, Grimes; 3. Brandon Nielsen, Spencer; 4. John Watson, Des Moines; 5. Corey Madden, Avoca; 6. Jeremy Purdy, Bedford; 7. Michael Prutt, Redfield; 8. Sal Hernandez, Columbus, Neb.; 9. Jason Fusselman, Shelby; 10. Myles Michehl, Fort Dodge; 11. Andy Roller, Bellmead, Texas; 12. Luke Ramsey, Bedford; 13. Jason Kohl, Missouri Valley; 14. Brandon Beeter, Minot, N.D.; 15. Trevor Holm, Chandler, Minn.; 16. Steve Larson, Decorah; 17. Brock Beeter, Minot, N.D.; 18. Dana Brandt, Minot, N.D.; 19. Jus¬tin Nehring, Storm Lake; 20. Leah Wroten, Independence; 21. Benji Irvine, Oelwein; 22. Adam Armstrong, Beatrice, Neb.; 23. Eric Stanton, Carlisle; 24. Matthew McAtee, Minburn; 25. Craig Graham, Webster City; 26. Eric Cross, Salina, Kan.; 27. Bryant Johnson, Graettinger; 28. Jamie Songer, Ankeny; 29. Tim Barber, Story City; 30. Nathan Ballard, Marengo.

SPORT MOD

1. Clint Luellen, Minburn; 2. Johnathon Logue, Boone; 3. Nick Meyer, Whittemore; 4. Lucas Lamberies, Clintonville, Wis.; 5. Daniel Gottschalk, Ellis, Kan.; 6. Jared VanDeest, Holland; 7. Kyle Prauner, Norfolk, Neb.; 8. Benji Legg, Beatrice, Neb.; 9. Jerry Hinton, Adel; 10. Gary Dutton, Bakersfield, Calif.; 11. Greg Metz, Washington, Kan.; 12. James Kleinhes¬kel, Columbus, Neb.; 13. Jarett Franzen, Maquoketa; 14. Arie Schouten, Blair, Neb.; 15. George Nordman, Mason City; 16. Chad Shaw, Trimble, Mo.; 17. Randy Roberts, Boone; 18. Matthew Looft, Swea City; 19. Shane Swanson, Forest City; 20. Shawn Harker, Nebraska City, Neb.; 21. Nelson Vollbrecht, Stanton, Neb.; 22. Brayton Carter, Oskaloosa; 23. Jacob Krone, Beloit, Kan.; 24. Jeff Schmuhl, Fall River, Wis.; 25. Jake McBirnie, Boone; 26. Doug Smith, Lanesboro; 27. Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids; 28. Tory Mack, Surrey, N.D.; 29. Sam Wieben, Dysart; 30. Tyler Soppe, Sherrill.

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