The three race IMCA Frostbuster weekend closed out at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton on a warm and windy Sunday evening and if your last name started with the letter "S" you stood a good shot at being a winner in one of the four sanctioned divisions.
The Sport Mods were up first and with Tyler Soppe drawing the pole position for the twenty lap main event this one was essentially decided even before it took the green as the driver who finished a close second in the National points chase in 2016 has been on a tear during the opening weeks of this season already earning more than $5,000 with three wins. Make it four after this one as Soppe was never challenged with Jonathan Logue chasing him the entire distance. Sam Wieben settled into third early and that is where he finished with outside pole sitter Kyle Olson in fourth. Jake McBirnie, who earlier in the night waged a thoroughly entertaining battle with last year's Sport Mod National Champion Tony Olson during the second heat race, started eighth and finished fifth.
Scooter Dulin would lead the opening lap of the Stock Car feature before Colorado driver Angel Munoz drove by him on the outside. The winner last night at Boone, Munoz then had to deal with Damon Murty who would drive under him on a lap four restart. The groove was on the bottom now and Munoz was trying get a nose under Murty when the engine compartment in John Adams' car fittingly numbered 911 went up in flames to bring out a caution. On the restart all of the leaders again lined up on the bottom, but when Murty pitched it too far sideways in turns one and two it caused a six car pileup that Murty would then drive away from unscathed.
Officials determined though that he was the cause of the caution though so Murty was sent to the rear for the restart with six laps remaining and Jay Schmidt, the driver who was scored in seventh on lap fourteen, inherited the lead. Kyle Brown in Murty's backup car who had started at the back of the field was now second and while he was able to keep pace with the new leader, Brown was unable to mount a challenge as Jay Schmidt was a surprised winner. In victory lane he noted that the groove was around the bottom, but that he had just decided to try the high line on that lap and it wound up being a winning move. Wisconsin's Larry Karcz finished in third with front end damage from the incident and John Oliver Jr. somehow raced his battered Stock Car back up to fourth at the checkers ahead of Devin Snellenberger. Murty would finish in sixth.
August Bach would establish a quick pace in the 18-lap Hobby Stock main event until the caution waved on lap ten for a spin in turn two. This was a lucky break for Nathan Ballard who had just had a right rear tire go down while running fourth so he was able to duck into the pits and make the tire change before going back to green. On the restart Eric Stanton moved into second and began to pressure Bach for the lead. With Bach protecting the bottom Stanton showed his nose to the outside and the two would swap the lead during lap fourteen, but as Stanton got under Bach in turn one with three to go the right rear tire went down on Bach's car dropping him out of the lead and the event. Stanton would then close out the final two laps to take his second Frostbuster win in a row after winning at Boone on Saturday. Matt Pohlman posted a strong second-place showing ahead of Leah Wroten and Justin Wacha while Ballard made his way back into the top five at the checkers.
It was a stout field of twenty-four IMCA Modifieds that lined up for the 25-lap headliner as Patrick Flannagan would put the #57B out front at the drop of the green. A stack up in turn three left Corey Dripps and Casey Skyberg sideways on lap two and when David Brown stopped on the front stretch another caution was needed on lap five. Once back to racing Kyle Brown would make his way past Flannagan for the lead on lap seven and following him right into second would be Johnny Scott before caution waved again, this time for Mitch Manternach who was off the top side of turn four.
On the restart things got wild in the top ten as drivers raced four-wide into turn three sending Hunter Marriott for a spin where he then collected three other cars including Jeff Aikey who was giving his Modified a ride for the first time tonight.
Scott had started twelfth on the field and after coming to the front quickly he now settled in to size up the leader who was hugging the bottom on both ends of the speedway. On lap seventeen when Brown left just the slightest of openings, Scott dove to the inside and pulled even with Brown. If there was contact it was minimal as Brown fought off this first challenge, but when Scott did it again on lap nineteen this time he did not give an inch entering turn one forcing Brown up and out of his groove. And after Justin Medler mailed the tire marking the entrance to turn one before going for a spin to require one more caution on lap twenty-one, Brown pulled even with Scott to express his thoughts as they slowly circled the track.
You know that Brown would have liked to have returned the favor over the closing laps, but he could not catch up to Scott as the New Mexico native who now has a shop in Cameron, Missouri, earned his second Frostbuster win on the weekend. He had raced his way up from deep in the pack at Marshalltown on Friday to take the win as well. Kyle Brown would be the runner up holding off Jason Wolla in third, Scott Hogan finished in fourth with Joel Rust completing the top five.
Young Dallon Murty was the winner of a single-file Micro Mod feature with Curt Hilmer in second.
Other than the Stock Car pileup the show was fast moving and we were on our way home by 8 p.m., something that happens quite often on Sunday nights here in Vinton. Perhaps you should check it out sometime in 2017!
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