Final Michigan Points For 2026

We have sailed through the first weekend in October, the true signal that the 2026 racing is drawing to a close here in the central part of the country and it is time to start summarizing our point standings for the fourteen Midwest states that we track. Using the same standard 5-point scale that we use for the All Iowa Points then allows us to pull all of them together at the end of the year to give us our Best of the Midwest standings. 

We start out in Michigan where the final race of the year was held this past Saturday at the the Mount Pleasant Speedway, obviously a track that I need to get to one of these days, and we have just one "first time" state champion and it comes in a class that we are now tracking for the first time in Michigan. The IMCA Stock Cars were officially introduced on a weekly basis at Mount Pleasant and Crystal this season and the first-ever Michigan Points champion in the class is Rob Brillhart who had fourteen top fives with two of those being feature victories. Gary Vandermark is the runner-up with one win in twelve top fives while Kenny Dittenber joins the podium with two victories in eleven top fives.

In the Late Models Travis Stemler scored his third straight and fourth overall Michigan Points title taking the checkers first twelve times in his twenty-four top five outings. Stemler's first title came in 2020. Derrick Hilliker, the 2023 champion who was fourth last year, climbed the ladder to second in 2026 scoring four feature wins in nineteen top fives while the 2017 and 2022 champ Eric Spangler ranks third with three wins in twenty-one top fives. 

Myron DeYoung tallies his second Michigan Points title in the Modifieds as the 2023 champion picked off five feature wins this season while scoring points on twenty-six race nights. Last year's Michigan Points champ and the defending IMCA Modified National Champion Jeff Reay takes second with four wins in twenty-three top fives while Don Proctor Jr. was a winner six times in eighteen top fives to land him in third and after being 41st on this list in 2025. 

The Winged Sprint Car Michigan Points championship was decided by just one marker and it will be the third title for Ohio driver Max Stambaugh. The champion in 2022 and 2023, Stambaugh's one win in ten top fives earned him one point more than Zane DeVault's season of five wins in eight top fives. It was Stambaugh's five runner-up finishes that pushed him to the top. Veteran driver Dustin Daggett was the best of the Michigan natives finishing in third with three wins in nine top fives. 

The track in Escanaba is still the only one that runs the Limited Modifieds and Matt Valiquette is the Michigan Points champion for the third year in a row despite no wins in his track leading nine top five finishes. 

Check in regularly here on the Back Stretch for more state points for 2026 culminated by our Best of the Midwest rundown in December.

Michigan Points

Stock Cars Final 2026

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Rob Brillhart Crystal 42

2 . Gary Vandermark Lowell 34

3 . Kenny Dittenber Crystal 31

4 . Zayden Buskirk Crystal 30

5 . Mike Vandermark Jr. Cedar Springs 29

6 . Myles Spencer Deford 28

7 . Andrew Devers Sheridan 26

8 . Chris Stahl Mount Pleasant 20

9 . Kaden Harrison Mulliken 16

10 . Jeff Kohn Sheridan 15

11 . Mike Lynn Muskegon 15

12 . Joel Field Sheridan 11

13 . Derrick Wyatt Stanton 6

14 . Dwight Crawford Shepherd 5

15 . Ryan Nethers Mount Pleasant 5

16 . Ashlee Scott Vestaburg 4

17 . Elmo Skids Fostoria 4

18 . Timothy DeGroft Jr. Elwell 4

19 . Blake Gokee Owosso 3

20 . Cole Shanteau Weldman 3

21 . Matthew Bowman Mt. Pleasant 3

22 . Mike Epplett Muskegon 3

23 . Peyton Cunningham Sheridan 3

24 . Addy Wade Lake City 2

25 . Dillon Kohn Sheridan 1

26 . Gary Buskirk Edmore 1

27 . William Brandt Lake Odessa 1

Michigan Points

Late Model Final 2026

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Travis Stemler Ionia 90

2 . Derrick Hilliker Midland 68

3 . Eric Spangler Lake City 61

4 . Brandon Thirlby Traverse City 60

5 . Rylee Knoll Lake 55

6 . Jordan Petrat Kinde 53

7 . Ronnie Vannatter 49

8 . Tyler Moore Kinde 44

9 . Shawn O'Connor Elkton 43

10 . Cody Bauer Farwell 38

11 . Rusty Schlenk McClure OH 38

12 . Mike Vandermark Jr. Cedar Springs 37

13 . Austin Harnick Clare 30

14 . John Clark Twin Lake 29

15 . Chad Finley Lansing 28

16 . Tom Sprague Jr. Muskegon 27

17 . A.J. White St. Joseph 26

18 . David Hilliker Midland 26

19 . Kevin Juusola Muskegon 26

20 . Kody Johnson Vestaburg 24

21 . Justin White 22

22 . Matthew Sprague Muskegon 22

23 . Dona Marcoullier Houghton Lake 21

24 . Jeff Erickson Jr. Muskegon 20

25 . Ryan Lanphierd Midland 19

26 . Dillon Kohn Sheridan 18

27 . Zack Swartz Muskegon 16

28 . Lenny Goretski Bay Port 15

29 . Rich Neiser Fruitport 15

30 . Bill Bray Spring Lake 14

31 . Logan Nickerson Vestaburg 13

32 . Marc Super Munger 13

33 . Steve Fairbanks Twin Lake 13

34 . Tanner English Benton KY 13

35 . Karter Juusola Muskegon 12

36 . Jacob Stuhr Harrison 11

37 . Kyle Hunt Bannister 11

38 . Molly Murawski Kinde 11

39 . Scott Wenell Muskegon 11

40 . Devin Shiels Britton 10

41 . Garrett Wiles Hubbardston 10

42 . Mason VanderVeen Six Lakes 10

43 . Ajay Davidson Hudsonville 9

44 . Dustin Weber Riverdale 9

45 . Jason Begeman Caro 9

46 . Ryan Unzicker El Paso IL 9

47 . Luke Anstett Greenville 8

48 . Troy Marciniak Muskegon 8

49 . Johnny Staszak Kawkawlin 7

50 . Joseph Smith Muskegon 6

51 . Matt Murawski Kinde 6

52 . Rob Anderzack Swanton OH 6

53 . Curtis Roberts Coleman 5

54 . Frank Heckenast Jr. Frankfort IL 5

55 . J.C. Witherspoon Kinde 5

56 . Josh Knoll Lake 5

57 . Rob Westergard Bay City 5

58 . Tyler Erb New Waverly TX 5

59 . Ashton Winger Hampton GA 4

60 . Colten Burdette Parkersburg WV 4

61 . Donald Campbell Montague 4

62 . Jeff Boerma Midland 4

63 . Josh Hendershott Houghton Lake 4

64 . Logan Love Vestaburg 4

65 . Mike Spatola Manhattan IL 4

66 . Rich Bell Sheffield IL 4

67 . Chase Burda Columbiaville 3

68 . Colin Shipley McClure OH 3

69 . Gerald Willette Armada 3

70 . Jason Feger Bloomington IL 3

71 . Luke Morey Zeeland 3

72 . Matt Duggan Grand Blanc 3

73 . Ryan Kent Greenville 3

74 . Taylor Wiles Hubbardston 3

75 . Bailey Lynn Fruitport 2

76 . Chevy Romans Davison 2

77 . Jimmy Gallagher St. Johns 2

78 . John Speck Metamora 2

79 . Riley Bowen Sheridan 2

80 . Seth Daniels Jackson OH 2

81 . Shelbi Grabe Ludington 2

82 . Ryan Nethers Mt. Pleasant 2

83 . Adam Harp Gagetown 1

84 . Brady Lajoye Hastings 1

85 . Brayden Wellman Kent City 1

86 . Bryan Hofbauer Ionia 1

87 . Jerid Bisson Muskegon 1

88 . Josh Szyska Columbus 1

89 . Kyle Wright Dowagiac 1

90 . Rachel Snider Salisbury NC 1

91 . Rod Conley Wheelersburg OH 1

92 . Ryleigh Beebe Muskegon 1

93 . Trey Mills St. Augustine FL 1

94 . Michael Sylvester 1

Michigan Points

Modified Final 2026

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Myron DeYoung Stanton 78

2 . Jeff Reay Portland 73

3 . Don Proctor Jr. Ionia 70

4 . Nate Jones Alma 69

5 . Brenten DeYoung Crystal 63

6 . Chad Bauer Farwell 55

7 . Casey Smith Portland 53

8 . T.J. Barton West Branch 53

9 . Collin Thirlby Traverse City 51

10 . Mitchell Hunt Greenville 47

11 . Cody Goodwin Clio 41

12 . Dillon Nusbaum Spencerville IN 40

13 . Chase Rosebrugh West Branch 39

14 . Brody Hose Houghton Lake 38

15 . A.J. Ward Ionia 36

16 . Oliver Hillard Houghton Lake 30

17 . Jaycob Truemner Imlay 27

18 . Kevin Cavanaugh Muskegon 27

19 . Mark Anderson Lowell 27

20 . Scott Payton Gaylord 25

21 . Manix Furqueron Concord 24

22 . Aaron Raby Carson City 22

23 . Corey Bevard Huntington IN 22

24 . Garrett Rons Livonia 22

25 . Casey Tasker Fenwick 21

26 . Colton Bowen Sterling 21

27 . Robby Henderson Angola IN 20

28 . Casey Baker Gagetown 18

29 . Kody Johnson Vestaburg 18

30 . Rich Robinson Jr. Mt. Pleasant 17

31 . Bree Wonch Crystal 16

32 . Greyson Brindley West Branch 16

33 . Hunter Lange Muskegon 16

34 . Michael Butcher Goodrich 16

35 . Chad Spencer Kingston 15

36 . Shannon Fisk Lowell 15

37 . David Gulda Oxford 14

38 . Jeramy Lange Muskegon 14

39 . Nathan Patrick Pewamo 14

40 . Chad Bennett Caro 13

41 . Jack Dalman Portland 13

42 . Tyler Spalding Watervliet 13

43 . Kyle Borgman Muskegon 12

44 . Curt Spalding Watervliet 11

45 . Greg Gokey Buckley 11

46 . Josh Lolmaugh Columbia City IN 11

47 . Rick Gokee Jr. Owosso 11

48 . Tylor Kay Merritt 11

49 . Zach Sweet Fremont 11

50 . David Stremme Mifflintown PA 10

51 . Carson Coulter North Branch 9

52 . Chad Wernette Sheridan 9

53 . Dan Petrie Sunfield 9

54 . Calvin Stemler Ionia 8

55 . Jerry Hunt Kent City 8

56 . Kyle Osentoski Owendale 8

57 . Nick Ely Muskegon 8

58 . Fred Dow Jr. Port Hope 7

59 . Jeramie Raby Riverdale 7

60 . Terry Sroufe Huntington IN 7

61 . Austin Harnick Clare 6

62 . Brian Brindley West Branch 6

63 . Jacob Poel Spring Lake 6

64 . Kevin Miller Mount Pleasant 6

65 . Mark Farber Muskegon 6

66 . Tanner Pray Mt. Morris 6

67 . Todd Sherman Churubusco IN 6

68 . Zeke McKenzie Claypool IN 6

69 . Brent Drobny South Bend IN 5

70 . Brody Bowser Stanton 5

71 . Chris Barton West Branch 5

72 . Dalton Lane Botkins OH 5

73 . James Harris Owendale 5

74 . Joey Williams Lyons 5

75 . Luke Hubbell Hastings 5

76 . Richie Haynes Mount Pleasant 5

77 . Sean Gillis Homer 5

78 . Austin Wonch Crystal 4

79 . Milt Montgomery Sheridan 4

80 . Zach Hawk Rockford OH 4

81 . Brennan Sherman Churubusco IN 3

82 . Casey Keyosky Clinton Township 3

83 . John Toppozini Thunder Bay ON 3

84 . Ted Cooper Whitehall 3

85 . Dan Wieman Traverse City 2

86 . David VanGuilder 2

87 . Gavin Hunyady Chesaning 2

88 . George Ziman Horton 2

89 . John Goodrich Mcbain 2

90 . Justin Clark Hamersville OH 2

91 . Matt Corliss Kalamazoo 2

92 . Megan Wiggins Shepherd 2

93 . Mike McKinney Plainfield IL 2

94 . Blake Gokee Owosso 1

95 . Charlie Mihacsi Sebewaing 1

96 . Ethan Lamberson Saranac 1

97 . Kevin Strehlke Buckley 1

98 . Mason Bevard 1

99 . Matthew Baker Kouts IN 1

100 . David Verhaar Blanchard 1

101 . Mike Harman Muskegon 1

102 . Kelly Morrow Midland 1

103 . Jimmy Hale Jr. Crystal 1

Michigan Points

Winged Sprints Final 2026

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Max Stambaugh Lima OH 35

2 . Zane DeVault Plymouth IN 34

3 . Dustin Daggett Portland 28

4 . Dan McCarron Britton 20

5 . Sterling Cling Tempe AZ 19

6 . Jason Blonde Litchfield 15

7 . Boston Mead Onsted 13

8 . Chase Ridenour Perry 11

9 . Brock Hallett Adelaide SA 10

10 . Phil Gressman Fremont OH 10

11 . Graham Huffman Lebanon IN 9

12 . Logan Julien Oconomowoc WI 9

13 . Darin Naida Adrian 8

14 . Greg Wilson Benton Ridge OH 7

15 . Thomas Messeraull San Jose CA 7

16 . Van Gurley Jr. Valparaiso IN 7

17 . Brad Lamberson Parma 6

18 . Jared Horstman Cloverdale OH 6

19 . Aaron Reutzel Clute TX 5

20 . Aiden Price Huntersville NC 5

21 . Cale Thomas Fairland IN 5

22 . Chase Dunham Leipsic OH 5

23 . Clinton Boyles Greenwood MO 5

24 . Danny Sams III North Port FL 5

25 . Gregg Dalman Bellevue 5

26 . Jett Mann Goshen IN 5

27 . Sheldon Haudenschild Wooster OH 5

28 . Bobby Elliott Allenton 4

29 . Brent Marks Myerstown PA 4

30 . Buddy Kofoid Penngrove CA 4

31 . Darren Dryden Freelton ON 4

32 . John Ivy Fremont OH 4

33 . Josh Turner Osseo 4

34 . Dylan Norris Hanover PA 4

35 . Paul Nienhiser Chapin IL 4

36 . Scott Bogucki Mclaren Vale SA 4

37 . Scotty Thiel Sheboygan WI 4

38 . Travis Arenz Sheboygan Falls WI 4

39 . Cory Turner Tillonsburg ON 3

40 . David Gravel Watertown CT 3

41 . Jac Nickles Harrod OH 3

42 . Ayrton Gennetten Versaillies MO 3

43 . Kody Brewer Pisingsun OH 3

44 . Ryan Ruhl Coldwater 3

45 . Tyler Courtney Indianapolis IN 3

46 . Tyler Gunn Napoleon OH 3

47 . Zeth Sabo Tiffin OH 3

48 . Devon Dobie Wapakoneta OH 2

49 . Garet Williamson Columbia MO 2

50 . Kalib Henry Sacramento CA 2

51 . Logan Easterday Coldwater 2

52 . Ryan Coniam Burlington ON 2

53 . Scott Neitzel Beaver Dam WI 2

54 . Sye Lynch Cowansville PA 2

55 . Thomas Schinderle Warren 2

56 . Corbin Gurley Henron IN 1

57 . Keith Sheffer Jr. Jerome 1

58 . Logan Schuchart Hanover PA 1

59 . Ricky Peterson Rawson OH 1

Michigan Points

Limited Modifieds Final 2026

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Matt Valiquette Rapid River 27

2 . Anthony Harper Rapid River 25

3 . Robby Iverson Escanaba 24

4 . Matt Maki IV Rapid River 19

5 . Rick Gustavson Norway 13

6 . Bradley Viau Van Dyne 11

7 . Kyle Johnson Escanaba 5

8 . Cody Johnson Escanaba 4

9 . Jesse Denome Escanaba 4

10 . Pat Richer Bark River 3

11 . Ryan Lindbert Rapid River 3

12 . Craig Dorner Brussels WI 3

13 . Doug Belongia Jr. Suring WI 2

14 . James Harper Wausaukee 2

15 . Jordan McKnight Gladstone 2

16 . Randy Theys Algoma WI 2

17 . Evin Gagne Escanaba 1

Bloomfield Avoids The Weather, Wraps Up Fall Special Saturday

Some of Mike Van Genderen's friends call him "The Weatherman" because he follows it closely and often shares his view of the apps on Facebook leading up to an event, especially if weather might be a threat. Just like the rest of us, he looks like a sucker when the apps make a big change or are just flat out wrong, but for the most part his attention to the weather often allows him to get a show in where others wouldn't and that was the case this weekend with the annual Fall special at the Mountain Dew Bloomfield Speedway.

The weather forecast itself would have been enough to make a promoter throw in the towel on Monday and while some tracks in the region took on over two inches of rain early in the week helping them to make an early decision, the heavy rain stayed away from Bloomfield for the most part allowing MVG to "stay in the game". Future cast models on Wednesday and Thursday continued to show the rain to the north of the south central Iowa community, so the plan was made to proceed, but with an earlier start time on Saturday.

From reports that I had, the track got a bit rough on Friday due to the rain that the seldom used facility took on earlier in the week, but on Saturday outside of a rough spot entering turn three on the bottom, the track was smooth and multi-grooved offering up some great racing action on a warm and sultry September evening. 

The IMCA Stock Cars would be the first of six main events and while the racing up front was entertaining, the back of the field struggled with six cautions and one red flag through the first fourteen completed laps. Johnny Spaw was the early leader before yielding to Dallon Murty on lap four as the "Game Changer" returned to his roots and had started seventh. There was a lot talent at the front and they were running in tight formation restart after restart with Andrew Schroeder coming from eleventh to take the second spot and that is when "the big one" struck.

Racing in to turn one, from my vantage point it looked like Schroeder tagged Murty and when he stabbed the brakes to allow Murty to gather it back up, the three cars behind the lead duo stacked up with John Oliver Jr. driving up and over the left front of Schroeder, while Derrick Agee and Dustin Griffiths were left sideways  after colliding. The incident would eliminate Schroeder, Oliver and Griffiths who had charged to fifth after starting from the rear after coming to the track late, while Agee was given his spot back in the lineup as an innocent victim.

Once back to green Murty was able to pull away a bit as Aaron Martin and Agee battled it out for second and Murty would cruise to victory with Martin as the runner-up. Agee, who started twelfth, would hold down third ahead of Spaw and David Brandies. 

Three-wide Stock Car action featuring Aaron Martin down low, David Brandies up top and Mike Van Utrecht in the middle - Carroll Hoover photo

 

With draw/redraw shows you never know what you are going to get for a feature lineup, but let's just say that the Sport Mod draw was fan friendly on this night with some of the best in the country starting fourth row on back including last week's Super Nationals champion Dylan Van Wyk who missed his heat race and was now lined up eighteenth in this eighteen lap event. 

Jim Gillenwater would lead the opening lap before Kyle Murty took over on lap two. Brandon Dale, who had started fifth, would make his way to the front on lap four and he would then hold off the challenges of the eighth starter Brayton Carter for a couple of laps before Carter made the pass on lap eight. The only caution of the race would wave on lap ten and after the restart Cam Reimers, who had lined up on the inside of row six for the drop of the green, would now take up the chase of Carter in second.

Meanwhile Van Wyk had steadily made his way through the field and in the closing laps as Carter and Reimers were well out front, the race to watch was between Dale and Van Wyk for third. The checkers would wave over Carter, followed by Reimers and while coming out of turn four Van Wyk would execute the perfect high to low move to nip Dale by a nose at the stripe. Bryson Eckrich who had started sixth would complete the top five so if you add them up the average starting spot for the top five finishers was 9.6.

Only eight Modifieds signed in after sixteen were here on Friday likely due to the challenging conditions on night one followed by the persistent online bitching about it by some of the standard naysayers. The redraw in this one was not as fan friendly though with California hot shoe Cody Laney drawing the front row and he would take full advantage to drive away to a big lead and a convincing victory in the non-stop twenty lapper. It was good to see two-time and defending All Iowa Points champion Jeremy Mills make the trip down from Clear Lake and after taking the heat race win, Mills would come from fifth to be the distant runner-up. Kurt Kile would finish third, Bill Roberts Jr. was fourth and Blaine Bryant would round out the top five.

While the top two in the Crown Vics, Wade Francis and Brendan Nantz would drive away, the rest of the pack gave the crowd some thrills with some fender rubbin', wall bangin', front stretch 360 spinnin' action that never did produce a caution. And in the end it would be the retired Stock Car racer Francis posting the victory over Nantz, Tanner Bainbridge, Nick Charlson and Brian Schafer.

After a couple of entertaining heat races, the Sport Compacts would be up next for twelve laps with teammates Michael Weber and Seth Meinders scoring lap one side-by-side with Weber holding the edge by a bumper. Meinders would then gain the lead on lap two and when Brandon Reu made his way to second after starting fifth, you had two of the best in this corner of the state racing for the win.

The lone caution of the race came on lap six when the right front tire blew on the fourth place car of Carson Hayes nearly putting him into the wall in turn three and once back to green that chase would continue up front. Reu was able to poke his nose under Meinders a couple times in the closing laps, but there would be no stopping "The Outlaw" from taking the victory. Reu would settle for second, Weber held off Brandon Allison for third and Cole Hughes filled out the top five.

A solid field of twenty-two IMCA Hobby Stocks would close out the evening starting with a tight battle up front in the opening laps. Zach Cleghorn would lead lap one before Jake Wenig drove around him on the outside of turn two to take the point. As the leaders scored lap two a scramble mid-pack sent four cars spinning on the front stretch to bring out the first caution and then two more cautions would wave for one driver on laps three and seven.

In the meantime, on lap six, Tom Killen Jr. had slipped under Wenig to take the lead with Briar Kriegel and Wenig still in hot pursuit. On lap ten though, Wenig was perhaps a little too hot as he suddenly steered to the infield and that would leave Kriegel to continue the challenge. Killen was up to it though and would hold off Kriegel to take the win. Jared Miller, a native of Bloomfield, would finish on the podium in third followed by Friday's winner Daniel Wauters while Kale Hemsley completed the top five.

The weather apps were showing storms developing in the area around ten o'clock and with the final checkers falling at 9:10 p.m. it allowed us fans traveling toward the north to get a nice lightning show as, once again, those weather apps proved to be pretty accurate. A big thanks to MVG and everybody with the Davis County Fairgrounds for sticking it out and presenting this doubleheader weekend. The Bloomfield Speedway is definitely a gem that doesn't get raced on often, so keep your eye on the track's Facebook page to see what the plans are for 2027.

Of course my original plan for Saturday was to be with the Sprint Invaders for the first Dirt at the Downs event for 2026 in Cedar Rapids, but the persistent heavy rains up there did not allow Rick and Corey Dripps and their team to get the track together during the week. Plus the morning rain on Saturday would have washed things out anyway. With that rainout I am now a perfect, or imperfect five for five when it comes to announcing for the Dripps this season. They had me scheduled for five different nights between Vinton and Hawkeye Downs and all five were cancelled due to rain. Are you sure you want me to work for you in 2027 Rick?

It looks like the weather will settle down in the week ahead and that is a good thing as we have a big doubleheader coming up to close out the 2026 season for the Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders. On Friday night we will be at the Davenport Speedway and on Saturday it is the annual Fall Haul at 34 Raceway west of Burlington. Hope to see you there!

Newton Snares POWRi Win On Final Lap at 34 Raceway

In three short weeks when we are closing out the 2026 season for the Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders here I will probably be wishing that it was a bit warmer, but on this first Friday night of September it felt more like Arizona than southeast Iowa as the Honest Abe's Roofing POWRi 410 Sprint Cars rolled into 34 Raceway just west of Burlington. With a temp in the mid-90's I strategically waited to arrive at the track just as qualifying wrapped up and it was good to see a nice sized crowd on hand to view the action despite the heat.

Thirty winged 410 Sprint Cars filled the pits and it took me by surprise to see that Aussie wheelman Ryan Newton had set quick time despite being the 24th driver out to trip the clock. It is nice to see this series using a heat race invert of four with drivers then earning passing points to go along with points achieved in qualifying and when Newton failed to advance from his fourth starting spot in the first heat race, it would line him up in seventh for the twenty-five lap main event.

A pair of young rising stars Xavier Doney and Cameron Martin would earn the front row and they would run most of the opening lap side-by-side before Martin nosed ahead to lead lap one. Doney would then throw a slider in one and two and hold off Martin's crossover attempt to establish himself as the leader on lap two. The red flag would fly just two laps later when Colton Fisher missed the entry to turn three and went through a grinding series of end over end flips along the cement retaining wall. And then, to add more drama and concern, the engine compartment broke out into flames briefly before the safety team quickly took care of business. Thankfully Colton was soon able to crawl out of his mangled race car and return to the pits under his own power.

Once back to green Doney started to pull away and my eyes were on Ryder McCutcheon who came into the night as the POWRi series points leader with just a handful of events still on the schedule. This is my first time to see the young 15-year-old phenom from New Mexico in person and I was impressed as he was the first driver to make the bottom line work in turns one and two. He has started sixth and was now up to battle Martin for second and after several laps of challenging he would pick up the spot on lap ten just as Doney was starting to navigate lapped traffic.

McCutcheon was closing the gap and it would be completely erased on lap twelve when Martin slipped off the top of turns one and two and slid to a stop to bring out a caution. With restarts in rows of two using a choose cone, McCutcheon would now start to the outside of the leader and one more lap was scored before Austin McCarl coasted to a halt on the front stretch.

Once back to green this one looked like it would be decided between Doney and McCutcheon with Ryder showing his nose prompting Doney to go the bottom line as well. With the laps winding down and just five remaining, lapped traffic also running in that low line would come into play and suddenly there was Ryan Newton, running third, and using the cushion on both ends to close quickly.

Newton would take second from McCutcheon with two to go and as the white flag waved Doney chose to go to the top in turns one and two trying to get around the lapped car of Scotty Milan, and in doing so he would also shut the door on Newton. The headline "Lapped Car Saves Doney at 34" went through my mind as they went down the back stretch, but when Doney chose to go to the bottom behind the lapper entering turn three, I knew that I could scrap that one as Newton nailed the cushion with perfection and charged around the outside of Doney to steal the win. 

Ryan Newton - Brendan Bauman Photography

This is Ryan's second career win with POWRi and it definitely gave the hearty crowd a thrill! Doney admitted that he was a sitting duck in his post race interview not knowing how good the high line was at the end, especially in turns three and four while McCutcheon maintained his point lead with an impressive podium finish in third. Jace Park, the driver who made a name for himself on the opening night of the Knoxville Nationals a few weeks ago, had a solid night starting fifth and finishing fourth while Joe B. Miller was the hard charger coming from sixteenth to finish fifth. 

As if we didn't have enough young talent already on display tonight, 15-year-old Jett Barnes from Visalia, California, made his POWRi 410 debut and placed the Jason Meyer's owned #14 in sixth after starting from eighth. Creed Kemenah was seventh after starting eleventh, 18-year-old Cam Sorrels finished in eighth and John Barnard was ninth. I failed to mention that the first attempt at a start was waved off after Ayrton Gennetton slowed at the top of turn two. After a stop in the work area the three-time series champion would restart at the rear and race his way back up to tenth at the checkers.

The POWRi 410' now head to the Lake Ozark Speedway for a Saturday/Sunday twin bill along with the Heartland Modified Tour.

Mini Haulers would be the first of three features on the night and once they established their positions on the opening lap, the top four trucks would run the full twelve laps equidistant from each other by three to four truck lengths. It was actually kind of amazing how they maintained that formation throughout with Caleb Ealey posting his seventh win of the season. Dawson Tipps was the runner-up, Cody Webster finished third, Larry Hooper was fourth and Ethan Brown completed the top five.

It was a small, but talent laden roster of twelve IMCA Modified drivers that signed in, but after a huge plume of smoke in his heat race, Bill Roberts Jr. would not make the call for the final event of the night. Outside front row starter Shane Paris would hold the lead by a nose as lap one was scored and they would then stack 'em up four-wide for the lead in turn two.

Fourth-starting Jace Eckrich would emerge from that pack to take the point on lap two and he would then drive away to score a convincing victory in the non-stop twenty lap event. Currently third in the race for the National IMCA Modified Rookie-of-the-Year title, this win should get the second generation driver even closer to that goal. Mark Burgtorf and Chris Zogg waged a good battle for second with Zogg prevailing late. Brandon Banks finished in fourth while Charlie Mohr closed out the top five.

This would be race night number one of four on this Labor Day weekend for me as I now look forward to getting back on the mic with my colleague Bill Wright as the Sprint Invaders return to the West Liberty Raceway on Saturday night, and then on Sunday we make the trip down to the Quincy Raceways. Talk about two completely tracks on back to back nights, it will be fun to see who adapts the best as the Invaders are locked in a tight four way points battle with just five events remaining. Finally on Monday we will make our now annual trip to Boone to watch a full show of IMCA Late Models as well as a bunch of exciting qualifying action in the Sport Mods and the Hobby Stocks as the IMCA Super Nationals starts its week long run.

Look for us somewhere this weekend out on the Back Stretch!

All Iowa Points Heading Into "Specials" Season

Even though a check of the thermometer would tell you that we are in the dog days of summer, it is now September and the regular season, for the most part has come to an end. And with that, the now extended Fall season of special events that run all the way through October, and sometimes into November, will decide the All Iowa Points Champion in seven of the nine divisions.

Tommy Elston

In the Late Models, Nebraska driver Zach Zeitner is looking to repeat his AIP title from 2025, but he has recently been overtaken by the 2023 champion Tommy Elston in recent weeks with just five points separating the top two. Since they are slugging it out for the IMCA National title you can expect both to be in action whenever possible through September, so it actually might come down to when and if they race anywhere in October to determine the winner in our points system. 

Travis Denning is a distant third at this point, Drew Baker is the most improved driver in the class now ranked fourth after finishing in a tie for 32nd in 2025, while Curtis Glover currently ranks fifth.

All Iowa Points

Late Model

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Tommy Elston Keokuk 107

2 . Zach Zeitner Bellevue NE 102

3 . Travis Denning Sterling IL 76

4 . Drew Baker Omaha NE 69

5 . Curtis Glover Knoxville 62

6 . Jake Griffin Quincy IL 54

7 . Logan Veloz Colona IL 50

8 . Chad Simpson Mount Vernon 46

9 . C.J. Horn Cedar Rapids 44

10 . Jordan Krug Council Bluffs 43

The Modified points chase has been fun to watch with the current top five still within a reasonable thirty points of each other. Arizona transplant Chaz Baca is the leader going into this weekend as he would be a first-time All Iowa Points champion if he can hold off former champs Todd Shute and Jeremy Mills. That duo was at the top of the list at mid-season, but have now slipped to fourth and fifth respectively. Spencer Diercks is just eight points back of Baca in second while Jed Freiburger has been on a tear recently and is now third, just sixteen points from the top. 

Chaz Baca

All Iowa Points

Modified

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Chaz Baca Mesa AZ 141

2 . Spencer Diercks Davenport 133

3 . Jed Freiburger Dubuque 125

4 . Todd Shute Des Moines 112

5 . Jeremy Mills Clear Lake 111

6 . Harley Dais Winona MN 75

7 . Jace Eckrich Oxford 75

8 . Kollin Hibdon Waterloo 67

9 . Austen Becerra Carthage IL 66

10 . Jeff Larson Freeport IL 65

In the Stock Cars John Oliver Jr. looked like he was cinch to take his second straight and third overall All Iowa Points title, but Kelly Shryock has pulled to within twenty points of the lead as we head into the Fall. Travis Shipman is still in the hunt as well, but will need to run more than just USRA sanctioned events through September and October is he is going to overtake the top two. Former champion Derek Green stands fourth while Mike Albertson is having another solid season currently ranked fifth. 

John Oliver Jr.

All Iowa Points

Stock Car

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . John Oliver Jr. Danville 149

2 . Kelly Shryock Fertile 129

3 . Travis Shipman Mason City 110

4 . Derek Green Granada MN 104

5 . Mike Albertsen Audubon 102

6 . Nathan Wood Sigourney 101

7 . Jordan Miles Bernard 96

8 . Kodey Miles Bernard 89

9 . David Brandies Wilton 76

10 . Dustin Griffiths Ottumwa 72

At one point this season Brayton Carter had more than a fifty point lead in the Limited Modified standings, but after taking some time off in late July and early August where got married among other things, "Speedy Bray" now finds himself down by four points to IMCA National title contender Jarrett Franzen. We know that Franzen will race hard through the end of the IMCA points season in September, but what will he do in October when Carter has traditionally had a lot of success at tracks that are relatively close to his Oskaloosa home?

If Carter prevails it will be his fourth straight and fifth overall All Iowa Points title while it would be the first for Franzen who has consistently been in the top ten in recent years. And you can't count out Willy Kirk who is also in the National title hunt and is just thirteen points behind Franzen here. Dylan Van Wyk could also be a spoiler with a strong specials season. 

Jarrett Franzen

All Iowa Points

Limited Modified

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Jarrett Franzen Maquoketa 150

2 . Brayton Carter Oskaloosa 146

3 . Willy Kirk Sloan 127

4 . Dylan VanWyk Oskaloosa 119

5 . Dan Hovden Decorah 115

6 . Mike Smith Lake City 111

7 . Taylor Skauge Caledonia MN 103

8 . Colton Livezy New Sharon 102

9 . Ben Moudry Hastings MN 97

10 . Dustin Kruse Brandon SD 88

11 . Will Wolf Lynnville 88

With a thirty-seven point edge going into September, Joshua Monson appears to be headed for his first All Iowa Points Hobby Stock championship, but Brandon Neilsen made a big run in the Fall last year to earn his first AIP title and he could always do it again. Will Smith has made a big run up to third as he was not even in the top ten at Memorial Day and you could say the same for both Parker Anderson and Carson Butt who are now fourth and fifth. 

All Iowa Points

Hobby Stock

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Joshua Monson Clear Lake 148

2 . Brandon Nielsen Spencer 111

3 . Will Smith Lake City 109

4 . Parker Anderson Welcome MN 102

5 . Carson Butt Preston 93

6 . Dustin Gulbrandson Hartford SD 92

7 . Braden Gifford Boone 89

8 . Jeremy Wegner Greattinger 87

9 . Karter Miles Bernard 84

10 . Randy Lamar Buffalo 80

Obviously the three drivers at the top of the Four Cylinder division are all focused on the IMCA National title at this point, so it will likely be the October results that end up determining the All Iowa Points champion for 2026. Levi Volkert leads the way for now with Michael Gardner seven points back and Tyler Fiebelkorn twelve points off the top. While it would be Gardner's second straight AIP crown, it would be the first for either Volkert or Fiebelkorn. Brooke Osler, Gilbert Aldape and Blake Fineran are the next group of three several points back from the lead trio. 

Levi Volkert

All Iowa Points

Four Cylinder

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Levi Volkert Correctionville 134

2 . Michael Gardner Des Moines 127

3 . Tyler Fiebelkorn Stuart 122

4 . Brooke Osler Milford 75

5 . Gilbert Aldape Sioux City 73

6 . Blake Fineran Norwalk 69

7 . Caine Mahlberg Dunlap 56

8 . Dillon Riehle Waukon 55

9 . Cristian Grady Cedar Rapids 51

10 . Johnny Thomas Beatrice NE 49

11 . Seth Meinders Ottumwa 49

Unlike the other six divisions, the three Winged Sprint Car divisions are down to a handful of events in each and the only one that is still up for grabs is the 360 division where defending AIP champion Tasker Phillips holds a narrow eight and nine point edge over the brothers Martin, Chris and Cam. J.J. Hickle can still make a run from fourth if he ventures out of his Knoxville base to run some of the September events as well. 

Tasker Phillips

All Iowa Points

360 Sprint

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Tasker Phillips Pleasantville 36

2 . Chris Martin Ankeny 28

3 . Cam Martin Ankeny 27

4 . J.J. Hickle Quilcene WA 24

5 . Ryan Timms Oklahoma City OK 21

6 . Clint Garner Sioux Falls SD 19

7 . Kade Higday Knoxville 19

8 . Josh Schneiderman West Burlington 12

9 . Sawyer Phillips Pleasantville 12

10 . Cam Sorrels Hallsville MO 11

11 . Tyler Courtney Indianapolis IN 11

In the 410's Ryan Timms has locked in his second straight All Iowa Points championship and in the 305's Lee Goos Jr. has dominated through 2026 to earn his fifth straight AIP honors.

Ryan Timms

All Iowa Points

410 Sprint

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Ryan Timms Oklahoma City OK 86

2 . Austin McCarl Altoona 46

3 . Sheldon Haudenschild Wooster OH 39

4 . David Gravel Waterford CT 29

5 . Kyle Larson Elk Grove CA 26

6 . J.J. Hickle Quilcene WA 23

7 . Buddy Kofoid Penngrove CA 19

8 . Rico Abreu St. Helena CA 19

9 . Brent Marks Myerstown PA 18

10 . Aaron Reutzel Clute TX 17

All Iowa Points

305 Sprint

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Lee Goos Jr. Hartford SD 97

2 . Brandon Bosma Rock Rapids 46

3 . Jeff Wilke Knoxville 43

4 . Andrew Sullivan Arnolds Park 39

5 . Tyler Drueke Eagle NE 36

6 . J Kinder Iberia MO 34

7 . Gaige Weldon Hinton 27

8 . Nick Barger Madison SD 27

9 . Trevor Serbus Olivia MN 26

10 . Aydin Lloyd Brandon SD 24

The full standings for all nine divisions of the All Iowa Points can be found on the Points page of Positively Racing where they are updated weekly.