No Final Weekend Heroics Needed This Year, Taft Repeats As All Iowa Points Four Cylinder Champion

As the final events of the 2017 racing season played out Argyle's Barry Taft was trying to catch two-time All Iowa Points Four Cylinder Champion Nate Coopman (2009-10) in hope of earning his first AIP title and it all came down to the final two weekends of the season with events scheduled at Donnellson, Columbus Junction and Quincy. Taft trailed Coopman by seven points and since the Four Cylinder class is the only one that sets its point scale based upon the car count (ten or more cars uses the traditional 5-point scale, six to nine cars gets a 3-point scale and with two to five cars the winner only gets one point) not only did he need to have the weather cooperate in late October and early November, he needed a good car count at each race so that he would have the opportunity to catch the leader.

The weather cooperated just enough for all three events to be run and on the first weekend Taft was able to tie Coopman before besting him in the final race with a four point effort at Columbus Junction's inaugural Turkey Dash.

No such late season heroics were needed this year though as Taft emerged from a tight battle with Jake Benischek to pull away over the final month to his second straight Aii Iowa Points title. Scoring points in fifty-two events along the way Taft had seventeen "full field" feature wins while the runner-up Benischek had fourteen full field wins earning points on thirty-nine race nights as the two raced head to head on several occasions.

Barry Johnson photo

Oliver Monson was the best of the north central Iowa competitors finishing third overall even though he was hampered by short fields through much of the year and the 2015 champion Jay DeVries ranked fourth this year. Western Iowa's Curtis Miller filled out the top five, the 2016 champ Kimberly Abbott was seventh and this year's IMCA National Champion Ramsey Meyer ranked ninth in these standings.

The Newcomer of the Year, going to the highest ranked driver who had not scored points in the division before is Seth Scholl of Holmen, Wisconsin, who finished in a three way tie for 30th.

The final rundown of the 2018 All Iowa Points will conclude tomorrow with all three Sprint Car divisions and you can follow the Points throughout the racing season on the Points page at Positively Racing.

		All Iowa Points	Final 2018
		Four Cylinder		Iowa
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Barry Taft	Argyle	183
2	.	Jake Benischek	Durant	155
3	.	Oliver Monson	Clear Lake	124
4	.	Jay DeVries	Spencer	102
5	.	Curtis Miller	Lewis	98
6	.	Andrew Harris	Dakota City NE	83
7	.	Kimberly Abbott	Camp Point IL	79
8	.	David Bates		75
9	.	Ramsey Meyer	Pierce NE	71
10	.	Brett Marshall	Maquoketa	67
11	.	Brandon Housley	Ottumwa	66
12	.	Denny Berghahn Jr.	Plattsmouth NE	65
13	.	Riley Paysen	Wall Lake	64
14	.	Steven Struck	Atalissa	63
15	.	Bubba Brown	Jackson MN	62
16	.	Chris Vannausdle	Villisca	62
17	.	Josh Barnes	Keokuk	58
18	.	Luke Benischek	Durant	56
19	.	Ryan Bryant	Mason City	52
20	.	Steffen Oaks	Lincoln NE	50
21	.	Kyle Boyd	Ottumwa	49
22	.	Brandon Reu	Donnellson	48
23	.	Jared Gross	Spencer	47
24	.	David Coenen	Harlan	45
25	.	Cody Van Dusen	Atalissa	44
26	.	Cory Peters	Spencer	44
27	.	Kaytee DeVries	Spencer	44
28	.	Chris LaFoy	Audubon	42
29	.	Daniel Vander Veen	Sioux City	41
30	.	Nathan Ballard	Marengo	40
31	.	Rob Harding Jr.	Maquoketa	40
32	.	Seth Scholl	Holmen WI	40
33	.	Nate Coopman	Mankato MN	39
34	.	Brad Stahl	Ossian	38
35	.	Bill Whalen Jr.	Riverside	37
36	.	Darin Weisinger Jr.	Mendon IL	37
37	.	Dustin Thompson	Villisca	37
38	.	Dustin Forbes	Rock Island IL	35
39	.	Tyler Shady		35
40	.	Caine Mahlberg	Dunlap	34
41	.	Dallas Chandler	Cedar Rapids	34
42	.	Dean Richards	Creston	32
43	.	Eric Beau	Benton WI	32
44	.	Dakota Schroyer	McGregor	31
45	.	Brian Long		30
46	.	Cody Brewster		30
47	.	Jake Dietrich	Keokuk	30
48	.	Travis Losenicky	Garrison	30
49	.	Lucas Parsons	Bancroft	29
50	.	Matt Baker	Britt	29
51	.	Josh Young	Beatrice NE	28
52	.	Cameron Wahl		27
53	.	Jake Houston	Burlington	27
54	.	Lucas Foster	Cedar Rapids	27
55	.	Eric Alexander	Indianola	26
56	.	Cameron Poci		25
57	.	Josh Lane		25
58	.	Justin Neilson	Luverne	25
59	.	Evan Hrabik	Bellevue NE	24
60	.	Justin Callendar	Lincoln NE	24
61	.	Seth Keiser	Fruitland	24
62	.	Trenten Fugett	Homesville NE	24
63	.	Chuck Fullenkamp	West Point	23
64	.	Dustin Frymoyer	Davenport	23
65	.	Jacob Tacheny	Burt	23
66	.	Joe Zrostlik	Long Grove	23
67	.	Larry Miller	Burlington	23
68	.	Luke Ramsey	Bedford	23
69	.	Austin Friedrich	St. James MN	22
70	.	Bobby Key	Corning	22
71	.	Dylan Clinton	Elkader	22
72	.	Tim Glick		22
73	.	Andrew Francis		21
74	.	Dillon Embree		21
75	.	John Gill	Marshalltown	21
76	.	Justin Vargason	Postville	21
77	.	Shawn Hein	Beatrice NE	21
78	.	Terry Edge Jr.		21
79	.	Tony Kerger	Woodbine	21
80	.	Alex Davis	Manilla	20
81	.	Cody Phillips	Ottumwa	20
82	.	Collin Rodgers	Britt	20
83	.	Kent Miller	Milroy MN	20
84	.	Troy Scott	Cedar Rapids	20
85	.	Brian Adams	Shakopee MN	19
86	.	Conner Brown	Yankton SD	19
87	.	Devin Jones	Clear Lake	19
88	.	Justin Anderson	Holmen WI	19
89	.	Scott Brown	Council Bluffs	19
90	.	Trent Orwig	Ottumwa	19
91	.	Zach Bohlmeyer	Beatrice NE	19
92	.	Brad Chandler	Cedar Rapids	18
93	.	Buddy Haidsiak		18
94	.	Dustin Grout		18
95	.	Jason Ash	Burlington	18
96	.	Matt Pool		18
97	.	Mike Reu	Donnellson	18
98	.	Ryan Havel	Iowa City	18
99	.	Tyler Hoover		18
100	.	Landon White	Creston	17
101	.	Matt Oberhelman	Fort Dodge	17
102	.	Max Bonine	Sioux City	17
103	.	Scott Espey	Alpha MN	17
104	.	Adam Gates	Cedar Rapids	16
105	.	Austin Honeycutt	Sioux City	16
106	.	Colton Garside	Greenfield	16
107	.	Kolby Sabin	Des Moines	16
108	.	Kyle Balik	Fort Atkinson	16
109	.	Kyle Rhoads		16
110	.	Stephanie Coopman	Mankato MN	16
111	.	Tommy Etherton	Lincoln NE	16
112	.	Wayne Haidsiak II	Bedford	16
113	.	Andy Wagener	Maquoketa	15
114	.	Dillon Richards	Beatrice NE	15
115	.	Don Tank	Blencoe	15
116	.	Eric Stogdell	Silvis IL	15
117	.	Lucas Jones	Fort Dodge	15
118	.	Terry Blowers	Waseca MN	15
119	.	Darin Smith	Wapello	14
120	.	David Prim	Hamilton IL	14
121	.	Dylan Kuhl		14
122	.	Hunter Patrick	St. Charles	14
123	.	Jeremiah Anderson	LaCrosse WI	14
124	.	Mick Evans	Fort Dodge	14
125	.	Mitch Balik	Fort Atkinson	14
126	.	Tyler Housley		14
127	.	Cullen Gossage	Onawa	13
128	.	Justin Hempstead		13
129	.	Larry Cronin	Lincoln NE	13
130	.	Mitchell Bunch	Des Moines	13
131	.	Shannon Mahlberg	Dunlap	13
132	.	William Michel	Columbus Jct.	13
133	.	Alyssa Steele	Keokuk	12
134	.	Brad Lamont		12
135	.	Chris Wilson	Britt	12
136	.	Jason Breuklander	Oskaloosa	12
137	.	Joe Baker	Plattsmouth NE	12
138	.	Travis Tedrow	Batavia	12
139	.	Ashley Bell	Farmington MN	11
140	.	Jason Barsema		11
141	.	Joshua Uhl	Luverne MN	11
142	.	Ken Stogdell	Silvis IL	11
143	.	Tyler Thompson	Sioux City	11
144	.	Zak Sickles	Fontanelle	11
145	.	Alex Hayes	Iowa City	10
146	.	Andy Knutson	Rochester MN	10
147	.	Brad Mayland	Britt	10
148	.	Dan Markham	Plattsmouth NE	10
149	.	Drake Bohlmeyer	Beatrice NE	10
150	.	Jeff Creek	Beatrice NE	10
151	.	John Martinez	Beatrice NE	10
152	.	Kris Foote	Stanton	10
153	.	Roberto Esqueda	Madelia MN	10
154	.	Ryan Walker	Wilton	10
155	.	Bobby Taggart	Maquoketa	9
156	.	Cody Cleghorn	Des Moines	9
157	.	James Peterson	Webster City	9
158	.	Jerry Coopman	Mankato MN	9
159	.	Mitch Bielenberg	Charlotte	9
160	.	Noah Boller	Beatrice NE	9
161	.	Shawn Grabinger	Farmington MN	9
162	.	Tim Horsham	Raymond NE	9
163	.	Austin Shepherd		8
164	.	Autumn Turner	Knoxville	8
165	.	Brad Gallagher	Plattsmouth NE	8
166	.	Derek Boggs		8
167	.	Nathan Wahlstrom	Beatrice NE	8
168	.	Nick Lindblad	Beatrice NE	8
169	.	Spencer Pavey III	Sterling NE	8
170	.	Adam Reifler	Lincoln NE	7
171	.	Alex Dostal	Glencoe MN	7
172	.	Billy Cain	Floris	7
173	.	Brian Vannausdle	Nebraska City NE	7
174	.	Dan Jensen	Slayton MN	7
175	.	Daniel Morris	Bellevue NE	7
176	.	Joseph Mastin	Des Moines	7
177	.	Josh McIntire		7
178	.	Looney O'Brien	Muscatine	7
179	.	R.J. Maas	Wilber NE	7
180	.	Terry Tritt	York NE	7
181	.	Austin Reuman	Hills	6
182	.	Colten Point	Denison	6
183	.	Corey Namanny	Alta	6
184	.	Jimmy Haring	Oskaloosa	6
185	.	Josh Stanley	Paullina	6
186	.	Korey Lana	Center Point	6
187	.	Ryan Petta		6
188	.	Shawn Kraft	Sumner	6
189	.	Tim Sibley		6
190	.	Tyler Haring	Oskaloosa	6
191	.	Anthony Clark	Omaha NE	5
192	.	Brandon Ruffcorn	Donnellson	5
193	.	Caleb Slouha	Newhall	5
194	.	Cole Krichau	Lincoln NE	5
195	.	Cole Phillips	Ridgeway	5
196	.	Curt Gibbs	Cedar Rapids	5
197	.	Devin Bruce	Bennet NE	5
198	.	Dirk Davis	Peoria IL	5
199	.	Dustin Virkus	Clarkfield MN	5
200	.	Gavin Maass		5
201	.	Jacob Ellithorpe		5
202	.	Jake Newsom	Sioux City	5
203	.	Kyle Owen	Nebraska City NE	5
204	.	Lyle Oberhelman	Fort Dodge	5
205	.	Nathan Castellano	Des Moines	5
206	.	Neil Forsberg	Slayton MN	5
207	.	Seth Bodlak		5
208	.	Seth Eischeid	Algona	5
209	.	Steve Lane	Elgin	5
210	.	Tim Wagner		5
211	.	Todd Tacheny	Mankato MN	5
212	.	Tom Blum	Cedar Rapids	5
213	.	Trevor Carpenter		5
214	.	Bailey Wolff	Waseca MN	4
215	.	Brandon Setser	Davenport	4
216	.	Bryce Stone		4
217	.	Chris Denner	New Hampton	4
218	.	Daniel Knish	Kilkenny MN	4
219	.	Jason KlerkDeReus	Wilton	4
220	.	Joe LaFrenz		4
221	.	John Campbell	Dubuque	4
222	.	Jonathan Walton		4
223	.	Josh Werkmeister		4
224	.	Justin Lee	Spencer	4
225	.	Nate Hughes	Humboldt	4
226	.	Nathan Chandler	Cedar Rapids	4
227	.	Nick Sillman	Minnesota Lake MN	4
228	.	Rick Girard	Columbia MO	4
229	.	Sam Umbarger	Garner	4
230	.	Taylor Kuper	Algona	4
231	.	A.J. Myott	Early	3
232	.	Andrew Akers		3
233	.	Ashley Reuman	Hills	3
234	.	Austin Barnes		3
235	.	Austin Brusse	Decorah	3
236	.	Brad Havel	Iowa City	3
237	.	Brandon Allison	Oskaloosa	3
238	.	Brandon Feit		3
239	.	Caylie Blowers	Waseca MN	3
240	.	Cody Torkelson	Elgin	3
241	.	Danny Mohr		3
242	.	Duke Ruf		3
243	.	Fred Johnson	Lincoln NE	3
244	.	Gary Grabill	Ellsworth MN	3
245	.	Jake Smith	St. Joseph MN	3
246	.	Jeffrey DeLonjay	Quincy IL	3
247	.	Jeremy Bohlen	Percival	3
248	.	John Berg		3
249	.	John Millang		3
250	.	Lennon Jones	Cedar Rapids	3
251	.	Levi Heath	Wilton	3
252	.	Logan Richards	Creston	3
253	.	Mike Meier	Chilton WI	3
254	.	Nick Proehl		3
255	.	Phillip McKee		3
256	.	Ryan Timm	Austin MN	3
257	.	Ryan Zuck		3
258	.	Shawn McDermott		3
259	.	Timmy Houtakker		3
260	.	Wayne Newbury		3
261	.	Wes Millians		3
262	.	Auggie Halverson	Jefferson	2
263	.	B.J. Charlson		2
264	.	Bradyn Thompson		2
265	.	Bryce Walker	Omaha NE	2
266	.	Chris Kissell		2
267	.	Cody Bowman	Mt. Pleasant	2
268	.	Colby Olson	Blair NE	2
269	.	Jadon DeLonjay	Quincy IL	2
270	.	Jason Kurth		2
271	.	Jeremy Wheeler	Vinton	2
272	.	Joe Blake		2
273	.	Josh Black	Beatrice NE	2
274	.	Josh Johnson	Lincoln NE	2
275	.	Josh Sink	Corning	2
276	.	Karson Crooks	New Hampton	2
277	.	Kyle Jarrett	Farmington MO	2
278	.	Lucas Short	Maquoketa	2
279	.	Luke Jackson	Sioux City	2
280	.	Maggie Lies	Britt	2
281	.	Marissa Wolff	Waseca MN	2
282	.	Rick Harris		2
283	.	Robert Sturms	Burlington	2
284	.	Ryan Brown	Fontanelle	2
285	.	Taylor Pearson	Prior Lake MN	2
286	.	Tim Cass	Onawa	2
287	.	Wes Staley		2
288	.	Zach Jackson	Bemidji MN	2
289	.	Adam Christy	Fort Madison	1
290	.	Al Lahr	Nicollet MN	1
291	.	Ashlee Kelly	Fairmont MN	1
292	.	Austin Kaplan	Des Moines	1
293	.	Bobby Blowers	Waseca MN	1
294	.	Brandon Damold	Emerson	1
295	.	Brock Klaith	Marshall MN	1
296	.	Bryerson Tharp	Grandview	1
297	.	Camney Hast	Arion	1
298	.	Craig Bangert	Golden IL	1
299	.	Craig Gertsema	Slayton MN	1
300	.	D.J. Fuller		1
301	.	Dakota Girard	Columbia MO	1
302	.	Drew Nickell	Cedar Rapids	1
303	.	Dylan Schantz		1
304	.	Elliott Vogel	Cedar Rapids	1
305	.	Jake Rose		1
306	.	Jamie Staely	Webster City	1
307	.	Jason Rhoads		1
308	.	Jason Wynia	Garvin MN	1
309	.	Jeff Carlton	Titonka	1
310	.	Justin Temeyer	Independence	1
311	.	Kenny Smith	Donnellson	1
312	.	Kyle Sudduth		1
313	.	Levi Selly	St. Peter MN	1
314	.	Mark Dennis	Burlington	1
315	.	Mark Dorcey	Dakota City NE	1
316	.	Mason Edwards		1
317	.	Michael Brown		1
318	.	Nathan Moody	Oskaloosa	1
319	.	Owen Richards	Creston	1
320	.	Paul Seabrooke	Elgin	1
321	.	Rob Harding Sr.	Maquoketa	1
322	.	Ryan Westman	Odin MN	1
323	.	Stewart Hall	Cedar Rapids	1
324	.	Terry Fedde	Amiret MN	1
325	.	Thomas Adams		1
326	.	Todd Hines		1
327	.	Tommy Staggs		1
328	.	Travis Graspy	Des Moines	1
329	.	Tyler Debouer		1
330	.	Tyler Moore		1