Last year the annual IMCA Spring Nationals came to a premature end when the snow flurries that had been flying during Saturday night's finale started to accumulate around the top side of the racing surface. At least that is what I was told, I have only been to two races in my life where there were snowflakes in the air and I don't intend on making it three . So with with sunny skies and temperatures in the low seventies I decided to make my first ever trip over to the southeast Nebraska oval for Friday night's Spring Nationals opener and what a treat it was! Amazing the difference from one year to the next.
I wasn't the only one lured in by the sudden change in the weather as not only did 234 cars in four divisions overflow the pits, but the big, roomy covered grandstand gradually filled in as well and by the seven o'clock race time there were not many open spaces to be found. It truly was a beautiful night for racing!
With promoter Toby Kruse at the helm I knew that this would be a well-run show and thank goodness, as even with starting right on the advertised time and having the next race pulling onto the track immediately at the conclusion of the one before it the final checkered flag waved at 12:40 a.m. Honestly? Pretty darn good for a forty-three event program!!
The action in all twenty-six heat races was intense as drivers had to pick their way to the front just to transfer to the main event and this was the best racing of the night and the B-Mains had their moments as well to determine the 24-car starting field for each of the four main events.
The Sport Mods were up first and when Tyler Frye drew the outside front row starting spot it seemed a good bet that he would be posing in victory lane after twenty laps. Whittemore, Iowa's Nick Meyer had other plans though as he started from the pole and outran Frye into turn one at the drop of the green. Meyer would maintain about a two or three car-length cushion over the Kansas speedster until lap nine when they closed in on the back of the field. Just as Frye was sizing up his prey though the caution waved for a slowing Cameron Meyer and the leader would again have open track ahead of him for the restart.
Again "Nitro Nick" would keep Frye a short distance back until lap seventeen when Tyler was able to stick a nose under the leader entering turn three. Meyer shook off that bid though and then started to pull away once again before taking the checkers. Long-time Late Model competitor Delbert Smith out of Wichita, Kansas, finished where he started in third followed by Beatrice residents Lance Borgman and Gary Saathoff. After restarting at the rear Cameron Meyer was the driver on the move in the second half of the race finishing in eighth.
Hobby Stocks were up next and it was pretty apparent during the qualifying races that it would be tough for an outsider to beat the locals in this division. The field was scrambled at the drop of the green as third-starting Bill Bonnett spun through the middle of the race track and amazingly nobody hit him, well very hard at least, and the green light would stay on. Minot, North Dakota driver Brock Beeter would lead the first two circuits of the twenty-lap affair before the caution waved and on the restart Beatrice's own Adam Armstrong charged past Beeter. Another hometown Hobby Stocker Jesse Vanlaningham would take up the chase for second while track regular Shawn Slezak would move from a fifth row start to third and that is the way that they would take the checkers. Beeter would be the first intruder in fourth while the next four finishers all made big moves through the pack. Corning, Iowa regular Jeremy Purdy came from twelfth to fifth, the winner's father Roy Armstrong charged from 19th to sixth, hometowner Ryan Roschewski started 21st and finished seventh while northwest Iowa's Drew Barglof came from 15th to eighth at the checkers.
The Stock Cars were up next and it looked like North Platte's Casey Werkmeister had this one well in control racing away from the field from his pole position starting spot. There were drivers making some big moves in this one as well though and when the cation waved with nine laps remaining for Jim Larson's spin in turn two that was just what both Damon Murty and Jason Rogers needed to round out their evening in a successful manner. Murty had drawn the back of his nine car heat race and had to work just to get to the third and final transfer position, one spot out of the re-draw and therefore he started 17th on the grid. Rogers who is from Selden, Kansas, did make the re-draw but he pulled the "11" and when Marty sailed by him mid-race it almost seemed to motivate him to follow along with the two-time defending All Iowa Points Stock Car champion.
With five laps remaining Murty drove under Werkmeister in turns three and four and it seemed to surprise the race-long leader as he exited turn four too high and nearly climbed over the universal barriers down the front stretch. As Murty pulled away to victory, Rogers continued to chase him in second and Werkmeister was thankful for the big advantage that he had built following the lap eleven caution as we was able to limp his damage Stock Car in for third ahead of Minnesota's Derek Green and central Iowa's Jay Schmidt.
The Modifieds would close out the night with Jesse Dennis and Jared Hoefelman starting from the front row just ahead of hometown favorite Jordan Grabouski. It was obvious in the opening laps that the track that had been three grooves wide for the entire night was now going to lock down so drivers had to make their move early. It was also obvious that the local fans know that when Grabouski gets out front on a track like this, the race is over as evidenced by the group of young fans sitting a few rows down from us. They cheered for "Grabo" as he challenged Dennis and as soon he drove around him for the lead on lap five they packed up their stiff and left.
They were right, Grabouski was gone as he cruised the rest of the thirty-lap distance to score the victory. Dennis would still impress in second while the fourth starting Jeremy Leiting would hold back Jesse Sobbing and Ricky Alvarado over the final laps to take third. Sobbing did advance from ninth to fourth while Wisconsin's Brian Mullen came from twelfth to sixth.
I just returned to my southeast Iowa home and as I finish this up the green flag is flying on the first heat race of night number two of the Spring Nationals and with the Sport Compacts joining the program tonight (Saturday) it will be another full house. You can still tune in to SpeedShiftTv to watch tonight's show live from Beatrice.
A big thanks to good friend Gary Lee who held a spot for me in the top row of the grandstand after I made my traditional "Nebraska dining option", the grand buffet at Valentino's. It was also great to see traveling fans Ed Reichert, Bob Litton, Kevin Babcock and Nick McCarrick on hand. It was just like a normal night in the stands at Osky!
And for more notes from Beatrice, click here
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