Six New Champions In 2020?

With the regular season all but finished and the 2020 Fall Specials season set to begin this Labor Day weekend, it looks like we could see six new names added to the All Iowa Points "Wall of Fame" if they are able to maintain their current position at the top of their division.

There will not be a new champion in the Late Models as two-time and defending champion Matt Ryan holds a 26 point margin over three-time champion Justin Kay in the August 30th update of the standings. Young Logan Duffy has risen to the third spot in the standings, but he is all but mathematically eliminated from the title trailing Ryan by 49 markers. The 2003 champion Jeff Aikey holds down the fourth spot with Andy Nezworski in fifth.

From Medford, Oregon, to Newburg, North Dakota, and now Des Moines, it doesn't matter where Tom Berry Jr. has based his racing operation out of lately, he has had success. Berry was the 2019 North Dakota Points champion and he is on track to take his first All Iowa Points Modified title in 2020 currently boasting a 25 point edge over Jeff Larson. Larson is the only driver that could catch him as three-time champ Chris Abelson is third, but 65 points, or at a minimum thirteen feature wins off the leader's pace. Newly crowned Dirt Knights Tour champion Ethan Braaksma ranks fourth and Tim Ward is fifth. 

Tom Berry Jr. - Barry Johnson photo

The chase for the Limited Modified All Iowa Points title has been tight between several drivers throughout 2020, but with the August 30th update Oskaloosa's Brayton Carter has opened up an 18 point advantage over Doug Smith and 22 points over the 2018 champion Cody Thompson. If Carter can close out the season with a championship he will join his first cousin Carter Vandenberg who etched his name on the Wall of Fame with the 2013 championship. Ty Griffith, Jared Boumeester and Dan Hovden are all still in the hunt though.

Brayton Carter - Barry Johnson photo

The Stock Car race for the title will be interesting to watch. As of August 30th Dallon Murty holds a one point lead over his father, four-time All Iowa Points champion Damon Murty. However, past history shows that Damon's race schedule is not as heavy once harvest season rolls around and, with Dallon showing up at Vinton with a Modified on Sunday night, who knows what his plans are for the rest of 2020. Mitch Hovden who came up just short of a title last year is ready to pounce, only 28 points back and with plenty of USRA sanctioned specials on the calendar. Jake Masters is just 29 points out and he has been spotted at events of both IMCA and USRA sanctions this season. And don't count out the 2018 champion John Oliver Jr. who is now 35 points out of the lead, but will have plenty of races to choose from over the next nine weeks that are not far from his southeast Iowa home of Danville.

Hartford, South Dakota's, Dustin Gulbrandson continues to lead the way in the Hobby Stock division with many of his twenty-one feature wins thus far coming from a fifth or sixth row starting position. It would be his first All Iowa Points title if his 25 point lead over Cody Nielsen holds up, or it would be the second championship for Nielsen (2016). Defending champion Eric Stanton is third just 36 points back while Kaden Reynolds and Brandon Nielsen complete the top five as of August 30th.

The points chase in the Four Cylinder division is still wide open and we are virtually guaranteed to have a new champion as you have to go down to a tie for 30th to find a former champion in two-timer Nate Coopman. Ryan Bryant continues to lead the way, but his lead is now just 3 points over Jade Lange in second and 5 points over Chris Vannausdle in third. Kaytee DeVries, Ramsey Meyer and Cody Staley are all within twenty points of the top of the chart with Jason Ash, Bryan Vannausdle and William Michel still within 28 points of the leader as well.

Ryan Bryant - Barry Johnson photo

Kyle Larson - Barry Johnson photo

 t With Knoxville closing up shop early it looks like there are only three nights of 410 Sprint Car racing left at All Iowa Points tracks and believe it or not the current leader in the All Iowa Points is none other than Kyle Larson. Brian Brown is just five points back, or one feature win from his third straight title while Austin McCarl, Brad Sweet and Logan Schuchart still have a shot. One more win at Husets though would lock it up for "Yung Money".

At least five nights are still possible for the 360 Winged Sprint Car drivers, but that will probably not be enough for anybody to catch Jack Dover who appears to be headed for his third straight and sixth overall All Iowa Points championship. Carson McCarl and Jamie Ball are tied for second 22 points behind Dover while Justin Henderson is one point further back in fourth.

Two drivers are tied for the lead of the 305 Sprint Cars All Iowa Points as of August 30th. One of them is the 2003 360 Champion Dusty Ballenger and the other is two-time and defending champion Tyler Drueke. Elliott Amdahl and Stu Snyder are both nine points behind the leaders while Cody Wehrle ranks fifth although the schedule for his set of rules for the 305's appears to be complete for 2020.

For an explanation of how the Points are tabulated and why, visit the Points page at Positively Racing, and for our "best guess" at the remaining special events schedule for the entire Midwest check out the Calendar page at Positively Racing.