Strickler goes back to back at IMCA Supernationals

BOONE - A few years ago, Modified racer Kyle Strickler walked into former NASCAR driver David Stremme's race shop with a plan.

He wanted to go IMCA racing because rising costs in the UMP ranks on the east coast were making it hard to race and stay competitive. Stremme balked at first, but eventually relented and they went to work to design a Lethal Chassis that would work for IMCA racing.

Fast forward to 2015, and Strickler's idea sure has turned out well. The Mooresville, N.C. driver became just the third driver in the 33-year history of the IMCA Supernationals to win back to back Modified championship main events.

'To win it twice at all is great, but to win it back to back is by far my greatest career accomplishment,” Strickler said in Victory Lane. 'There's almost 300 cars and you're just one guy against all those guys. It takes a lot of luck and getting in a decent heat race.

'Just the sheer numbers of how hard it is. It's such a huge event and there's nothing else like it in the country.”

Strickler started in the middle of Row 2 in the 33-car field and took the lead around 10 laps into the 40-lap main event. He had pulled well away from the field before hitting lapped traffic, which allowed eventual second-place finisher Dylan Smith to make up some ground.

A caution with four laps to go reset the field, and for a moment on the restart it looked like Strickler had given it away. He jumped the cushion into Turn 1 and both Smith and Matt Hagen got underneath him, but he turned hard left, shot down the banking and retook the lead by Turn 3.

After Hagen fell out a lap later and brought out another caution, Strickler survived a final restart and pulled away from Smith on the final lap to secure his second Supernationals crown.

'That was a heck of an exciting race there at the end with those restarts,” Strickler said. 'That's what the fans come out to see and that's why this place is a packed house. They want to see a great race. I can't be happier.”

Stremme stood beaming next to Victory Lane as Strickler took pictures with any who wanted one, any lingering doubt about diving head first into IMCA racing long gone.

The Lethal Chassis IMCA program isn't focused only on Strickler - his teammate Jason Beaulieu made the championship main event as well - but Stremme said he's the focal point. It's taken some time to get the car the way they want it, but clearly something is working.

'He did a great job. We've done a lot of development on this car, especially over the last few months trying to get the IMCA program better and it's been great,” Stremme said. 'The IMCA program is all based around him. We didn't really want to get into it and he convinced us, ‘Hey, we've got Boone, we've got all this stuff.'

'We built that (first) car and he went to Britt and some other places, then he came back and we worked on it some more. We work really tight as a group and we can develop and definitely get a lot more. I'm really proud.”

For his part, Strickler certainly feels vindicated for pushing Stremme and that whole group in this direction.

He lauded IMCA and the contingency programs in an event like this that awards winners with a new crate engine, tires and an assortment of other parts that will go right back into making his car stay competitive. After watching what's happened back home, he's even grateful when IMCA puts him through the tech barn ringer.

'The open stuff out our way has gotten out of hand. So many Super Late Model racers drop down into the Modified ranks and they want to turn their Modified into a Super Late Model,” Strickler said. 'The costs go through the roof. IMCA does an amazing job with the contingency sponsors because I can't take these (prizes) to the bar and spend it. I'm going to put it back on my racecar.

'They're hard on me when I roll through tech, but I appreciate it because it makes the field extremely close and we put on one hell of a race, and that's what it's all about. We'll be coming back for a long time.”

The beer was flowing before Strickler even had his car off the Victory Lane ramp at Boone Speedway, and Stremme - visiting Supernationals for the first time - said 'it's a mini-Talladega with all the partying.”

To that end, Strickler gave a wide smile when asked how hard he'd party after the win.

'Oh, I'd say we'll have a few,” Strickler said.

IMCA SUPERNATIONALS

MODIFIED RESULTS

1. 8k Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, N.C.; 2. 95 Dylan Smith, Osceola, Neb; 3. 20rt Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz.; 4. 30g Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb.; 5. 2L Adam Larson, Ankeny; 6. 5t Jeff Taylor, Cave City, Ark.; 7. 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.; 8. 10rm Ryan McDaniel, Olivehurst, Calif.; 9. 1XX Chris Abelson, Sioux City; 10. 26b Brian Irvine, Oelwein; 11. 66p Paul Stone, Winton, Calif.; 12. 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.; 13. 28r Russ Dickerson, Boone; 14. 10c Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa; 15. 21d David Brown, Kellogg; 16. 5 Todd Shute, Des Moines; 17. G5 Johnny Scott, Arroyo Hondo, N.M.; 18. 00j J.D. Auringer, Waterloo; 19. 90 Jason Beaulieum Campbell River, British Columbia; 20. 55d Nick Deal, Walnut; 21. 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha; 22. 21a Aaron Turnbull, Estevan, Sascatchewan; 23. 31 Corey Dripps, Reinbeck; 24. 27x Mike Hagen, Willston, N.D.; 25. 92m Josh Most, Red Oak; 26. 83g Josh Gilman, Earlham; 27. G60 William Gould, Calera, Okla.; 28. 02 Kody Scholpp, Estevan, Sascatchewan; 29. 85 Dustin Smith, Lake City; 30. 21w Wade Cross, Phillips, Neb.; 31. 49j Jason Murray, Hartford; 32. 29 Drew Christianson, Minot, N.D.; 33. 102 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.

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