Six Or Seven First Time All Iowa Points Champions In 2025?

Now that we have wrapped up the Memorial Day weekend it is time to take a look at how the All Iowa Points stand through the Spring portion of the season. Yes, there is still a lot of racing ahead of us, but by this time of year we often have identified the contenders in each of the nine divisions and we just might see a bumper crop of first time champions in 2025.

Starting in the Late Models where Curtis Glover stands out as perhaps the most improved driver in the state. Leading the class on the strength of four feature wins in ten top five finishes thus far, Glover's 37 points already surpasses his previously best full season total of 29 points and the driver from Knoxville last scored points in the 2022 season. Late Model rookie Logan Veloz is currently second and already has six wins under his belt while national star Bobby Pierce sits in third on the strength of his March and April big money trips into Iowa. Young Jackson Frankel holds down fourth while three-time Stock Car champion Dallon Murty is fifth in his rookie season driving a Late Model.

All Iowa Points

Late Model

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Curtis Glover Knoxville 37

2 . Logan Veloz Colona IL 34

3 . Bobby Pierce Oakwood IL 27

4 . Jackson Frankel Quincy IL 25

5 . Dallon Murty Chelsea 24

6 . Kale Kosiski Ralston NE 18

7 . Ricky Thornton Jr. Martinsville IN 18

8 . C.J. Horn Cedar Rapids 17

9 . Darin Weisinger Jr. Mendon IL 17

10 . Denny Woodworth Mendon IL 17

11 . Dylan Thornton Orcutt CA 17

12 . Travis Denning Sterling IL 17

Cody R. Papke Photo

Now in his third year behind the wheel of an IMCA Modified, Izac Mallicoat has hit his stride already posting sixteen top five finishes with four of them ending in victory lane as he sets the early pace in the All Iowa Points for the Modifieds. Mallicoat finished in a tie for 22nd in these standings last season. Two-time Limited Modified champion Logan Anderson is just three points back in second and if not for a couple of hard crashes already this season he might be at the top of the list. Anderson scored 16 points in the class back in 2018 and has burst back into the Modifieds in 2025 with six feature wins thus far. Spencer Diercks is right there in third followed by the 2009 champion Jeremy Mills while the 2008 champ Todd Shute is currently fifth. 

All Iowa Points

Modified

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Izac Mallicoat Boone 50

2 . Logan Anderson Eddyville 47

3 . Spencer Diercks Davenport 42

4 . Jeremy Mills Clear Lake 40

5 . Todd Shute Des Moines 35

6 . Jeff Larson Freeport IL 29

7 . Kurt Kile West Liberty 27

8 . Ethan Braaksma Newton 26

9 . Charlie Mohr Bettendorf 25

10 . Cayden Carter Oskaloosa 23

11 . Cody Laney Torrance CA 23

12 . Tripp Gaylord Lakewood CO 23

13 . Troy Cordes Dunkerton 23

After finishing second the past two seasons John Oliver Jr. is looking to duplicate his 2018 All Iowa Points Stock Car title as he leads the pack already winning four times in sixteen top five finishes. A former Hobby Stock champion in 2014, Dustin Griffiths currently ranks second ahead of young Maguire DeJong. Veteran driver Mike Albertson is off to a good start in fourth while three time Modified champion Kelly Shryock is in fifth. Shryock, Albertson and Griffiths finished third through fifth respectively in the final 2024 Stock Car standings. 

All Iowa Points

Stock Car

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . John Oliver Jr. Danville 58

2 . Dustin Griffiths Ottumwa 49

3 . Maguire DeJong Montezuma 38

4 . Mike Albertsen Audubon 37

5 . Kelly Shryock Fertile 34

6 . Derrick Agee Huntsville MO 31

7 . Tony Olson Cedar Rapids 31

8 . Buck Schafroth Orient 27

9 . Dallon Murty Chelsea 26

10 . Kyle Vanover Beatrice NE 26

Saif Grafke photo

Brayton Carter is looking to dominate the Limited Modified field once again in 2025 and he is well on the way to this third straight and fourth overall All Iowa Points title in the division. He already has seventeen feature wins with six of those coming in a six day stretch from May 4th to May 10th and he is just one point shy of the century mark before the month of June. Dylan VanWyk has scored more All Iowa Points thus far than any other driver, except for Carter, and he still finds himself 22 points behind in second.  Two-time champion Tony Olson is third, Cam Reimers ranks fourth and Jarrett Franzen is fifth. In 2024 Franzen finished fourth, Olson was sixth, VanWyk was ninth and Reimers finished thirteenth. 

All Iowa Points

Limited Modified

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Brayton Carter Oskaloosa 99

2 . Dylan VanWyk Oskaloosa 77

3 . Tony Olson Cedar Rapids 46

4 . Cam Reimers Kelley 45

5 . Jarrett Franzen Maquoketa 42

6 . Cole Suckow Cresco 36

7 . Logan Cumby Quincy IL 31

8 . Kaeden Bronner Austin MN 27

9 . Matt Avila Boone 27

10 . Colton Livezy New Sharon 25

11 . Tyler Nerud Dorchester NE 25

12 . Willy Kirk Sloan 25

Cody R. Papke photo

Another driver off to a hot start is Dillon Richards as the Beatrice, Nebraska, native has tallied twelve feature wins to set the pace in the Hobby Stock All Iowa Points. Richards tied for sixteenth in the final 2024 standings and with two-time defending champion Mike Smith moving on to a Sport Mod, that leaves the top spot open for the taking. Corey VanDerwilt has already surpassed his 2024 point total of 33 to sit in the second spot after the Memorial Day weekend while the 2022 champion Randy Lamar is third. Daniel Wauters is fourth and Jordan Miles ranks fifth as both finished in the top ten last season eighth and third respectively. 

All Iowa Points

Hobby Stock

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Dillon Richards Beatrice NE 63

2 . Corey VanDerwilt Lynnville 46

3 . Randy Lamar Buffalo 40

4 . Daniel Wauters Tipton 38

5 . Jordan Miles Bernard 35

6 . Dustin Griffiths Ottumwa 33

7 . Jeremy Crimmins Fort Dodge 28

8 . Bradly Graham Victor 27

9 . Briar Kriegel Brooklyn 26

10 . Kolby Sabin Des Moines 25

With three time champion Cyle Hawkins taking some time off before moving to a Stock Car, the All Iowa Points title in the Four Cylinder division is up for grabs in 2025 and as of right now it is last year's runner-up to Hawkins, Michael Gardner that leads the way by a slim three point margin. Cristian Grady, who finished in third in 2024, is hot on his heels with Spencer Roggentien next in line. Caine Mahlberg ranks fourth and two time champion Barry Taft is currently in fifth. Taft and Mahlberg finished eighth and ninth in the final rundown last season. 

All Iowa Points

Four Cylinder

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Michael Gardner Des Moines 45

2 . Cristian Grady Cedar Rapids 42

3 . Spencer Roggentien Amana 31

4 . Caine Mahlberg Dunlap 28

5 . Barry Taft Argyle 24

6 . Jacob Welter Farley 24

7 . Corwyn Whisler Des Moines 23

8 . Dustin Forbes Rock Falls IL 23

9 . Seth Meinders Ottumwa 23

10 . Colbin Funke Menlo 21

11 . Mitch Bielenberg Charlotte 21

12 . Tyler Hoover Villisca 21

Moving to the three Winged Sprint Car divisions, Ryan Timms leads the way in the 410's with two time champion Brian Brown in second. After breaking the ice with his first career 410 win at Husets on May 11th, Kaleb Johnson made it three in a row there this past Sunday night and is now third in the All Iowa Points with the 2022 champion Austin McCarl in fourth and 2017 champion Kerry Madsen in fifth. 

All Iowa Points

410 Sprint

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Ryan Timms Oklahoma City OK 22

2 . Brian Brown Grain Valley MO 17

3 . Kaleb Johnson Sioux Falls SD 16

4 . Austin McCarl Altoona 14

5 . Kerry Madsen St. Marys NSW 12

6 . Rico Abreu Rutherford CA 10

7 . Aaron Reutzel Clute TX 5

8 . Mark Dobmeier Grand Forks ND 5

9 . Emerson Axsom Franklin IN 4

10 . Kyle Larson Elk Grove CA 4

In the 360's Tasker Phillips has parlayed some early season success at Knoxville and with the Sprint Invaders to hold the lead through Memorial Day. Just behind him though is the driver who has more All Iowa Points titles than any other as Terry McCarl looks to make it a baker's dozen with his thirteenth championships. His first came back in 1994 and his most recent title was in 2014 with all twelve coming in the 410 division for the National Sprint Car Hall of Famer. Three time champion Clint Garner is tied for third with Ryan Giles while Saturday night's feature winner at Knoxville, Tyler Groenendyk is fifth. 

All Iowa Points

360 Sprint

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Tasker Phillips Pleasantville 18

2 . Terry McCarl Altoona 15

3 . Clint Garner Sioux Falls SD 10

4 . Ryan Giles Grimes 10

5 . Tyler Groenendyk Oskaloosa 9

6 . Paul Nienhiser Chapin IL 8

7 . Chris Martin Ankeny 7

8 . Jamie Ball Knoxville 7

9 . Sawyer Phillips Pleasantville 6

10 . Aaron Reutzel Clute TX 5

11 . Chase Porter St. Joseph MO 5

12 . J.J. Hickle Quilcene WA 5

13 . Joe B. Miller Millersville MO 5

14 . Josh Schneiderman West Burlington 5

Brendon Bauman Photography

Tanner Gebhardt is the leader at the Memorial Day mark in the 305 division, but he has three time defending champion Lee Goos Jr. in hot pursuit in second. Central Missouri's J Kinder sits in the third spot with two time champion Tyler Drueke in fourth and Knoxville regular Devin Kline in fifth. 

All Iowa Points

305 Sprint

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Tanner Gebhardt Burlington 24

2 . Lee Goos Jr. Hartford SD 21

3 . J Kinder Iberia MO 17

4 . Tyler Drueke Eagle NE 14

5 . Devin Kline Knoxville 11

6 . Cole Helmerson New London 10

7 . Riley Scott Quincy IL 10

8 . Brett Moffitt Mooresville NC 9

9 . Joey Danley Lincoln NE 9

10 . Dusty Ballenger Harrisburg SD 8

11 . Matthew Stelzer Omaha NE 8

You can keep up with the All Iowa Points including the full rundown in each division on the All Iowa Points page at Positively Racing where they are updated weekly.

Murty Scores Another Dirt Duel, Richards Takes Hobby Stock Headliner At Stuart

Since its inception the Dynamic Drivelines Dirt Duel at the Stuart Speedway has been a bucket list event for me. No, this doesn't feature a Late Model or Sprint Car touring series, it is a special event that not only highlights the Stock Car and Hobby Stock divisions, but the title sponsor gives out some goodies to the support classes as well making for an entertaining evening where I get to see some drivers tow in from tracks that I have either never been to, or just rarely visit. Plus, if you have been a reader of the Back Stretch in the past, you know that I am more than happy to make a nearly three hour trip to see any show that is being presented by promoter, race director and track prep guru Mike Van Genderen.

Dallon Murty has dominated this event over the years and when he drew the pole position for the thirty lap Stock Car main event it looked like a sure bet that he would continue to be the only winner on the list. However, Dallon was behind the wheel of his Dad's #99D tonight after a less than stellar performance in his own car at Marshalltown the night before and when he was passed for third on the final lap of his heat race, the "Game Changer" looked like he might be vulnerable. And that would continue at the drop of the green of the headliner as fellow front row starter Buck Schafroth beat him back to the line to lead lap one and then Oregon native Dillon Solum soon dropped Murty to third as he then prepared his challenge on the leader.

That battle for the lead was classic Stuart Speedway action as Solum threw two sliders at Schafroth in turns one and two only to have "Buck Wild" ward him off with a crossover until lap seven when Solum did a "short slider" in turn one and then shut the door on Schafroth to take the lead. As soon as this lap was scored the caution would wave for Brad Derry's spin in turn two and on the restart, everything changed up front.

With Solum and Schafroth both drifting to the top in turn two, Murty found a bite off the bottom and went past both of them down the back stretch to take his first lead and then he would lead the remaining twenty-three laps and through another three restarts to score the win. In fact, his scariest moment came as he was coming to the white flag when fluid from Bryan Snell's car at the top of turns three and four caused Murty to slide up and into the concrete barrier, but the caution for the fluid allowed him to regroup and lead those final two laps for the $2,000 victory. 

The pass for the lead, Dallon Murty to the inside of Dillon Solum and Buck Schafroth - Barry Johnson photo

Schafroth would finish second, Mike Albertson made it a three car battle for that runner-up spot late as he finished third, Solum gave the best performance that I have seen from him in person here even though he slipped to fourth at the checkers and Josh Daniels was one of the few using a low line on both ends as he came from the ninth row to finish fifth. 

Dallon owns The Duel - Barry Johnson photo

The Hobby Stocks were doing battle for a $1,000 top prize and a couple of Nebraska drivers that I have not seen before, Joe Beller and Dillon Thompson impressed me with heat race wins earlier in the night. But all eyes would be on another Nebraska driver, Dillon Richards from Beatrice who started his 2025 season with a trip to Arizona and who came into the night with nineteen feature wins in twenty-five nights and he is currently the leader in our All Iowa Points. 

Dillon was not pleased when drew the #11 for the feature race, knowing that there was very fast drivers in front of him and two of those would be front row starters Cody Williams and Andrew Burg. Williams, who made the tow in from Minneapolis, Kansas, would lead the opening lap before Burg took the point on lap two and he would set a quick pace as Richards used the top side to claw his way into the top five by mid-race.

Cautions on laps seventeen, twenty and twenty-one would see Richards get up to third for the final restart with just four laps remaining and he would use an upper groove that still had some life in it to allow him to sail around Burg with two laps to go to for his twentieth win of the season in an impressive fashion. Burg would hold off persistent challenges from Kolby Sabin to finish second while Minnesota driver Blake Luinenburg would also find the high line useful to come from tenth to fourth. Cody Williams would complete the top five.

Earlier in the evening the feature race action started off with the Outlaw Mini-Mods where Ben Kraus made the pass on Bobby Daniels on lap four and then cruise to victory. The race was red flagged on lap eleven when young Hayden Glover got loose on the turn two cushion and when he over corrected his car climbed the embankment behind the back stretch and he ended up on the gravel road that runs to the north of the speedway. Hayden was okay after the harrowing ride and I still can't see how any Mini-Mod could replicate the accident even if they tried as that embankment is probably four times taller than the height of these race cars.

From his looks to the way he ran the cushion, you could tell that runner-up Bradyn Gustin is the son of Ryan while Bobby Daniels, Justin Winkler and Lucas Daniels filled out the top five.

In the fifteen lap Sport Compact feature your current All Iowa Points leader Michael Gardner drew the pole position and appeared to have this one well in hand. But on the final lap, and with a lapped car looming ahead, I'm not sure whether the leader hesitated or if something went amiss on his race car as both Blake Fineran and Colbin Funke caught him and passed him with Fineran taking his first win here at Stuart. Funke came from tenth to second at his hometown track as Gardner slipped to third with Mark Smith and Daniel Clayton closing out the top five.

Brayton Carter was the third of four current All Iowa Points leaders in action tonight and he would start from ninth in the twenty lap Sport Mod main event that would see Taylor Kuehl race out to the early lead. Jenae Gustin would apply the pressure on Kuehl through the first six laps until she went too high entering turn one on lap six and with Gustin now back to eighth in the running order, Kuehl now seemed well in control. 

Behind her the racing for position was intense and at the mid-race point Carter made his way past Cam Reimers to take the second spot. Kuehl was still the captain of the ship when the caution waved on lap sixteen and on the restart with Carter, Reimers and Matt Avila going at it behind her, it looked like Taylor might hold on as, after contact, Carter had dropped briefly to fourth. He had battled his way back to second though as the white flag was about to wave before the caution was needed again when Cody Center spun in turn one.

On this restart there would be no stopping Carter as he would make the pass on Kuehl to take the white flag first and then ease away on the final to score his fourteenth Sport Mod win of the season with seven of them coming in the past nine days! Kuehl was impressive in second, Avila edged out Reimers for third and Caleb Woodard charged from the eleventh row to finish in fifth.

You can find the weekly updates of the All Iowa Points at this link and if you are clicking this the week of May 12, 2025, you will see that Izac Mallicoat was the fourth current points leader in action tonight as he started the twenty-lap Modified feature from the outside of row one and was never headed on his way to victory. Both Todd Shute, a former All Iowa Points champion in 2008, and former IMCA Super Nationals Champion Cody Laney would make runs at the young driver only to have Izac hold them off for the win. Shute would be the runner-up ahead of Laney, Kyle Brown started ninth and finished fourth while Drew Janssen filled out the top five.

After whistling through the heat races in record time, there were more cautions than you usually see here through the features, likely due to the extra money on the line, so the final checkered flag waved around 10:30 and let's just say that those late night drives get harder and harder once you get into your sixties. Nonetheless the Dynamic Drivelines Dirt Duel will be circled on my calendar again in 2026 and don't be surprised to see me back at Stuart again sometime this season.

Up next for me will be the Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders traditional Memorial Day weekend return to 34 Raceway west of Burlington on Sunday May 25th. Come on back and visit the Back Stretch again soon!

Miller, Anderson, Gebhardt, Timmerman And The Carters Prevail at 34 Raceway

A change in our travel plans this weekend allowed me to slip down to nearby 34 Raceway on Saturday for a night of weekly racing that would offer up plenty of action and some interesting storylines as well. It's late, so let's get to it!

It was a sunny and warm day for early May and with hot laps starting at 6:30, following some entertaining heat races, the high banked 3/8th-mile oval needed some work during a thirty minute intermission and while it was still a bit slippery during the early laps of the first feature, the extra manicure made for some great racing the remainder of the night. 

The Mini Hauler division would be up first for a twelve lap main event and that first story line that I referred to above would be the guest driver in the Brian Tipps owned pickup truck #20. Retired Late Model superstar Brian Birkhofer would be in the pits on this night as his son Cruz would be competing in the IMCA Late Model division and while I don't exactly know the connection (yet), Tipps had offered his ride for the night and Birky accepted. He would draw the pole position for the opening heat race and would take the lead at the drop of the green only to spin in turn four to bring out the caution. Birkhofer would then go to the back for the restart and again he would spin in turn four before, so he would then head for the pits for causing two cautions without even completing a lap.

Obviously driving one of these trucks is nothing like wheeling a Super Late Model so apparently the former track champion and owner of the #20 truck must have gave him some "truck driving Tipps" before the feature race because there would no more spinning, and Birkhofer would be very involved in a very entertaining finish to the main event.

Bob Cowman would get up in the slick stuff entering turn three on the opening lap and get into the wall ending his night. Then on the next try at a start Payton Lain would get crossed up exiting turn four coming to score lap one and he would nose into the outside wall. Caleb Ealey, who won the opener here in April, would lead that opening lap, but on the restart Brett Timmerman would go charging to the front after starting from seventh. He would then slip up and over the top of turn two though, losing several positions and giving the lead back to Ealey until lap five when Dawson Tipps got too high in turn three and sent the sparks flying as his rear bumper scraped along the concrete wall bringing out another caution.

Sheldon Brockett had started tenth and made up some ground early, but contact with another truck would mangle his right front fender and when it fell of his truck on lap six the caution for debris would be the final one of the race.

The final six laps would be nothing short of spectacular as the Timmermans, Brett and Lyle, as well as Birkhofer picked up the challenge on Ealey and we had a four truck battle for the win. Lyle would get the advantage on lap ten only to have his son Brett diving into the turns below him and nearly pulling even. Birkhofer was right behind them waiting for a mistake and Ealey wanted to get back to the front as well. On the final lap the Timmermans exited turn four side-by-side with the sixty-five-year-old Lyle Timmerman taking the win by half a car length over Brett with Birkhofer and Ealey next in line.

Darin Ronner who took a couple of trips off the top of turns one and two under green recovered from each to finish fifth and as Lyle climbed out of his truck to celebrate in victory lane both Brett as well as Tasker Timmerman, Lyle's grandson, joined in the fun.

The 305 Sprint Cars were up next and only one caution would wave in this fifteen lap event as Nate Parks slowed with mechanical issues on lap one. Once back to green there would be no touching Tanner Gebhardt who pulled out to a sizeable advantage while the race to watch was for second as Riley Scott tried to ward off a rim-riding Matt Krieger. There would only be a few laps left when Krieger completed the pass and he was cutting into lead quickly as Gebhardt worked traffic, but Matt could not get close enough to challenge before Tanner scored the win. Scott continues to improve in third while Lincoln Martin finished fourth and Nick Guernsey filled out the top five.

The IMCA Late Models were not even on the original schedule for tonight, but after drawing solid fields each of the last two weeks in this class, the Late Models were subbed in for tonight especially with Maquoketa having a scheduled night off and the result was a solid field of twenty cars on hand.

Jeremy Pundt would start beside National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Gary Webb in the front row and it would be Pundt that would race out to the lead and steadily build up a nice adantage ahead of the third starting Tommy Elston. Eleven of the twenty-five laps had been completed as Pundt closed in on the back of the field and they were three-wide ahead of the leader who may just have breathed a sigh of relief when the caution waved a lap later for Joe Beal's spin in turn two.

With a clear track ahead of him on the restart, Pundt went right back to working the bottom line only to be passed a lap later by Evan Miller who used a higher line to come from fifth to the lead on lap fourteen. Pundt would try to counter for a couple of laps only to see Miller start to pull away until the caution waved with three laps remaining when Cruz Birkhofer missed the lip and went off the top of turn two before sliding to a halt. The most improved Late Model driver in the state in 2025, Curtis Glover would restart alongside Pundt in the first double row and when those two, along with Travis Denning battled for second, Miller would ease away to take the $1,000 top prize. With his second place finish here, Glover will likely be at the top of the All Iowa Points with this week's update while Pundt held off Denning to finish in third. Travis had started the race from ninth, but the hard charger award goes to Jesse Bodin who came from thirteenth to complete the top five.

The IMCA Stock Cars would be up next for twenty laps and when you see John Oliver Jr. starting from the front row here at 34 Raceway, that usually means that this will be a race for second. Not tonight though, and not just in this feature. Oliver would take the early advantage with Jacob Ellithorpe and Kirk Kinsely in hot pursuit, but it would be the fifth starting Cayden Carter on the move making his way up to second on lap six.

The leader was hugging the bottom in turns one and two, but he would enter turn three midway up the banking and then drive low to exit turn four and as Carter gained ground on Oliver he could see where he might be able to make his move. On lap twelve Cayden was able to get his nose under Oliver in turn, taking away the diamond exit off of turn four, but when Carter's brother Brayton slowed with a flat tire in turn two the caution would wave with seven laps remaining. 

As the field circled the track at a slow speed to get the realignment correct, somehow both David Brandies and Jacob Ellithorpe ended up side-by-side on the apron entering turn three with one driver getting out of the car to exchange pleasantries. Frankly, I was checking my phone under caution to see how some other events in the region had gone so I did not see what started this "meeting" and once the officials calmed things down, both drivers would be sent to the pit area.

Once back to racing Oliver would stay glued to the bottom now on both ends and after Carter saw Kirk Kinsley making a run at him one line higher in turns one and two, Cayden would also start working that groove and he would take the lead by a bumper on lap sixteen. Oliver would not let him go though and they would essentially run side-by-side until Carter finally cleared Oliver as the white flag waved and the new leader would then go to the bottom to shut the door on Oliver and take the hard fought victory. Corey Strothman had come from eighth to third and may have been a factor for the win in this one if there had been a few more laps. Kinsley would finish in the fourth spot while Andrew Burk took fifth.

My Positively Racing colleague Danny Rosencrans had texted me that the features at Donnellson were already being checkered shortly after eight o'clock so when I saw a late arriving enclosed hauler entering the pits just as the intermission was wrapping up, I wondered who it might have been. The answer came when the Sport Mods entered the track for their twenty lap headliner as starting in the sixteenth and final spot on the grid would be Logan Cumby who earlier in the evening had finished second at the Lee County Speedway.

The top two ranked Sport Mod drivers in Iowa, Brayton Carter and Dylan Van Wyk would race away from the rest of the field at the drop of the green and when the caution waved mid-race for Pat Emerick who had both right side tires go flat, the field was bunched back together for a restart with Cumby now in the sixth position. Again Carter and Van Wyk would pull away on the restart as a three car battle for fourth waged on involving Tom Bowling Jr., Jarrett VandeBerg and Logan Cumby. One final caution for Shane Vancil, who stepped up from the Four Cylinder ranks this year, brought the field back together, but it would still be Brayton Carter's night as he would take the win over his fellow Oskaloosa resident Van Wyk. Cumby would make it to third for his second podium finish  on the night at two tracks separated by about a forty mile drive. Sean Wyett would hold down fourth and VandenBerg was fifth at the checkers.

Carter's night? How about this calendar week for "Speedy Bray" as announcer Mike Sunken noted that he had won at Spencer on Monday, had taken both the make-up feature and the regular main event at Oskaloosa on Wednesday, he was the Thursday Night Thunder winner at Marshalltown on Thursday and on Friday Brayton won at Stuart in support of the SLMR show there. Six wins in six nights, simply amazing for the driver who is seeking his fourth All Iowa Points Limited Modified title here in 2025!

The IMCA Modifieds would close out the night with John Oliver Jr. again racing to the early lead from a front row starting position. Logan Anderson, who got upside down here last week, would pick up the chase in second and the only caution of this race would wave on lap eight when Spencer Diercks and Blaise Lewis tangled and spun in turn one while battling for third.

On the restart Anderson would snatch the lead away from Oliver and with laps winding down the seventh starting Chris Zogg would make his way into second. Zogg would be able to keep the leader in his sights, but there would be no catching Anderson who continues to impress in his first full season in an IMCA Modified after taking a couple of All Iowa Points Limited Modified championships of his own in 2021 and 2022. Zogg would finish second, Bill Roberts Jr. came from eighth to third, Oliver slipped to fourth and Cayden Carter finished out the top five.

The final checkered flag waved at 10:41 bringing an interesting and exciting night of racing to an end and it was definitely fun for me to just kick back, relax, and enjoy a night of racing at my "home track". Plans for next week include a trip to Stuart on Wednesday night for the Dynamic Drivelines Dirt Duel featuring the Dirt Crown Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks, then on Friday night we will be back with the Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders for the highly anticipated return to the CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction. Hope to see you again soon here on the Back Stretch!

Three Wins, One Loss For Dustin Griffiths At Osky

With the non-wing Sprints off the card for the night, and three make-up features to be run, I made the trip up to Oskaloosa despite the fact that scattered thunderstorms had been added into the forecast late in the day. Every time I walk into the grandstands at the Southern Iowa Speedway memories from now forty-four years of watching races there run through my mind and it was time to add some new ones on this Wednesday night.

I was going to go to the season opener here last week, but with a chilly night and a chance of rain I stayed home and as it turned out that was a good call as the night ended on lap four of the Stock Car feature with the Sports Mods and Hobby Stocks yet to run. So on this night the weather was warmer, but the chance for rain was added in where the storms were moving from east to west, something that we don't often see here in Iowa. One batch stayed just north of Oskaloosa giving us all quite the light show as the races continued while a couple of more were developing two counties to the east so track officials did everything that they could in order to keep the four division, seven feature race program on the move.

Maguire DeJong - Saif Grafke photo

The conclusion of last weeks Stock Car feature would be first on the card with Dustin Griffiths bringing the field back to green with four laps down and ten remaining, Griffiths would quickly open up a lead as drivers battled for position behind him, but as he was coming to score lap number seven Dustin spun the car in turn four bringing out the caution. A rare mistake from one of the best drivers in the region.

Maguire DeJong and Brayton Carter would start from the front row on the restart and DeJong would take the point and then pull away over the remaining laps to score the win. Carter finished second, Griffiths passed five cars over the final eight laps to take third, Steve Byers was fourth and Clinton Goff took fifth. 

Seven cars lined up for the fourteen lap Sport Mod make-up feature and when the initial start was waved off three of them tangled on the front stretch and that would send Chase Johnson to the pits with issues. When the green flag waved Kyle Harwood would set a quick pace keeping about a ten car length advantage over Brayton Carter. At the mid-race mark though Carter would start to close in and when Harwood pushed up the track a bit in turns three and four on lap eight, Brayton pounced driving under him for the lead and the eventual victory. Harwood would be the runner-up with Colton Livezy third, Jason Van Zomeron fourth and Tony Johnson fifth.

The Hobby Stocks would close out the events from opening night with a fourteen-lapper of their own and with Dustin Griffiths lined up on the outside of row one, it didn't take a genius to guess the outcome of this one. Kris Walker kept him honest through the early laps and the only caution waved on lap six when Rick VanDusseldorp spun in turn three. His displeasure with Jacob Sytsma as the field was under caution indicated that it wasn't a solo effort.

Once back to green there was no staying with Griffiths who cruised to the win. Peyton Stephens, who had started the race from twelfth, passed Walker late to finish second as Keaton Gorden and James Pilkington filled out the top five.

Qualifying heats for the four divisions would run next and the second Sport Compact heat was worth the price of admission in itself as the top five raced in a tight formation the entire five laps with several lead changes before Clayton Webster secured the win after starting sixth.

The Stock Cars would be up first again for tonight's four features and you knew that Dustin Griffiths had redemption on his mind as he started from the pole position. Derrick Agee quickly moved from fourth to second and would provide a stout challenge sticking his nose under the leader a couple of times during the first three laps. But after fighting off Agee, Dustin would gradually pull away to win this one convincingly over Agee and Maguire DeJong. Brayton Carter finished fourth and Jason rounded out the top five. 

Derrick Agee (14) challenges Dustin Griffiths (10G) for the lead - Saif Grafke photo

The team cars of Clayton Webster and Seth Meinders would bring the field to green for the ten lap Sport Compact headliner with Meinders taking the point. The only caution of the race would wave on lap three as Webster slowed in turns one and two and as he tried to make the left hand turn to the infield on the back stretch he collected Dalton Sowers sending both cars for a spin.

On the restart Meinders would continue to lead the way as Des Moines driver Michael Gardner took up the chase in second. Gardner was the runner-up in the All Iowa Points in 2024 on the strength of his short track performances and he was looking good on a rare half-mile appearance here, but he was not going to catch Meinders who would go flag to flag for the win. Brandon Pickney was able to slip past Gardner in turn four coming to the checkers to take second with James Haring fourth and Colton Zaputil coming home fifth.

Brayton Carter - Saif Grafke photo

The Sport Mods would be up next and the second verse was pretty much like the first, except this time Kyle Harwood would stay glued to the bottom as he tried to hold off the challenges of Brayton Carter. As Hall of Fame starter Doug Haack gave the leaders the "two to go" signal, Carter decided to give a higher line a try and as they came back to take the white flag they were side-by-side at the stripe. Carter would then find the bite that he needed up top to take the lead in turns one and two and while Harwood battled back, it would be another win for "Speedy Bray" at his hometown track. The top five would read the same from the first feature; Carter, Harwood, Livezy, Van Zomeran and Johnson. 

With the lightning from the storms to the east now filling the skies beyond turns one and two, the Hobby Stocks would close out the evening with fourteen laps of action as the fourth starting James Pilkington would get to the front to lead lap one. His fellow row two starter Peyton Stephens would take over the point on lap two with the caution waving for a spin on lap five.

Dustin Griffiths, who had started sixth, would now restart in the first double row and he would immediately go to work on Stephens for the lead. Using the outside line Dustin would lead the way as lap seven was scored only to have Stephens battle back to lead lap eight. But that outside line was good and Griffiths would takeover for good and lead the final six laps to not only take his third feature win of the night, but to also rob me of seeing a car with the number 623R win a feature race. Stephens finished second, Kris Walker was third and Brayden Wood passed Keaton Gorden in the closing laps to take fourth.

It was an entertaining night of racing that started with hot laps on time at 7:15 and after seven heat races and seven features the final checkered flag waved at 9:15 ahead of the approaching weather. Great job by everybody involved in putting on this show! I also want to thank my good friend Jerry Mackey for the recognition and his promotion of our work at Positively Racing, that is always greatly appreciated Jerry! I also want to thank Saif Grafke who sent me the photos used above while I was sitting in the stands still watching the races. Great pics, Saif!

Next up for me are a pair of Mohrfeld Sprint Invader events, this Friday May 9th at the Davenport Speedway and next Friday May 16th at the CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction. Hope to see you again soon on the Back Stretch!

Thrills, Spills and Some Controversy As The Bullring Opens For 2025

Every inch of available pit space was needed on Sunday as the Benton County Speedway's 2025 season opener would pull in an amazing 159 cars to do battle on the quarter-mile "Bullring" in Vinton. And when all was said and done nine drivers would visit victory lane in the seven division program.

Wait, what?

Yes, you read that correctly and that was attributed to the "C" word used in the title above, so let's start from the beginning with the first of those seven feature races. 

They were pitted all the way out to the neighbor's house at Vinton

Kyle Olson would lead the opening lap of this fifteen lap headliner for the Sport Mods from the pole position and on lap two a hard crash would take place right in front of the large opening night crowd. Kole Quam would get sideways and nose into the concrete just past the flagstand and he would get drilled by both Jason Niedert and Noah Beenken. Thankfully all drivers were okay and that statement will also apply to any future crashes that are referenced here.

Once back to action northwest Missouri driver Daniel Harris would put the pressure on Olson finally taking the lead on lap seven. Olson would try to battle back though as the lead duo pulled away from the rest of the field, but on lap ten Kyle would get sideways in turn three and he could not get the car back in motion before the caution waved sending him to the rear of the pack for the restart.

With the green flag back in play Cole Suckow found the high side to his liking as he quickly moved from the middle of the field up to third and he was about to take second when the caution waved again as Will Wolf and Olson both sat motionless in turn three. It looked like we might be set up for a sizzler with just three laps remaining, but Harris nailed his line and actually pulled away a bit from the battle for second as he repeated his victory from the night before at the Boone Speedway to make for a nice weekend visit to Iowa. Brady Hilmer would edge out Suckow for second, while hometown drivers Austin Kemp and Brandon Tharp would complete the top five.

Twenty-three drivers from six states including Tennessee and South Carolina would start the eighteen lap Legend Cars feature with Dylan Manning outrunning pole-sitter Eric Blumer into turn one to lead the opening lap. Griffin McGrath's spin entering turn three would reset the field and on the restart Blumer would drive under Manning to take the point. A red flag would fly on lap four when Joe VanNatta and Cody Moline tangled in turn four with Moline's #33 tipping onto its side before settling back down on all fours.

Two more cautions would slow the field over the remaining fourteen laps as Blumer went unchallenged for the most part while the battle for positions behind him went two and three wide. Michael Weber would come from eighth to second to finish right on the rear bumper of the winner as Dave Eberle finished third ahead of South Carolina driver Zach Miller and Cedar Rapids favorite Kacey Korsmo.

It was good to see a full field of Sport Compacts up next for twelve laps and as they often do here at Vinton, the swarm would go from green to checkers with no cautions. The front row of Jake Anderson and Blake Driscoll would complete the first lap side by side with Anderson just a nose ahead before Driscoll took control on lap number two. The driver on the move was Cristian Grady who had started eighth and was looking for a better finish to his weekend than how it started after getting upside down at Marshalltown on Friday night.

Grady would clear Anderson for second with two laps remaining and after the white flag waved he would make his run at the leader driving to the inside of the rim riding Driscoll. His run would come up just short though as Driscoll scored the win, but Grady's second place finish did put him to the top of the May 4th update of the All Iowa Points for the division. Anderson would come home third, Stephen Randall rallied from twelfth to fourth as Robert Rundle finished in fifth.

The twenty-five lap PRO Late Model Tour headliner would be up next, an event that would see six lead changes involving two drivers with three of them coming after the checkered flag had waved!

Tom Berry Jr. would set a quick early pace from the pole position, but the third starting Tim Ward was finding the grip on the bottom and soon charged to the front on lap five. Berry would battle back with a high to low move in turns one and two to get back to the front on lap six and then the only caution of the race would wave three laps later when Brandon Davis spun in turn four collecting Bobby Hansen.

On the restart both Ward and Matt Ryan would keep the heat on Berry and on lap eleven Ward would get back to the lead with another nifty move. Berry would then stay close over the next several laps only to see Ward pull away to take the checkers and that is where the fun started.

There was a long delay as Ward went up and down on the scales apparently having a tough time making the minimum weight and then finally Berry was brought to victory lane. However, as he started his interview I noticed that a tech official was still checking things over with a flashlight on Ward's car, something that wouldn't be needed if he had been disqualified at the scales.

Berry's interview ended abruptly mid-sentence and he climbed back in his car and quickly drove off to the pits as now Ward's car was parked in victory lane and another uncomfortable interview was conducted. Then a few minutes later it was announced that Ward had been disqualified for grooving his tires, apparently a no-no in the PRO Late Model Tour rule book and during a red flag in the Stock Car feature that we will get into here shortly, Tom Berry Jr. returned to victory lane where he had some choice words for how this whole scenario had played out. But let me tell ya, you ain't seen nothing yet!

The official finish, at least as of Monday morning, would have Berry with the victory, Matt Ryan taking second, J.D. Auringer hustled from sixteenth to be credited with third, C.J. Horn was fourth and Dallon Murty finished fifth. 

Several drivers on the night, including Berry described the track as having character while still being raceable. The one division that really had a challenge with it though was the Stock Cars with several of them apparently setup to run rolled over to the right rear with the left front coming off the ground as they entered the corners. A ridge entering turn one was the culprit though as at least three Stock Cars bicycled during the heat races and after pole-sitter Johnathon Logue paced the field into turn one for the second time a car mid-pack caught the ridge and snap rolled several times shedding all of the body parts except for the rear bumper cover.

The only way to identify who had endured this wild crash was a method of elimination and it was southeast Iowa racer Austin Staley who thankfully emerged from the stripped clean car uninjured. As the Late Model winner at that moment was brought back to victory lane to resume his interview with the other announcer, some quick track work was done to knock down that ridge for awhile and we were soon back to racing with Logue still leading the way.

Not another caution would be needed in this one and when the seventh starting Tony Olsen slipped past Dustin Vis for second he would start to close the gap on the leader with the laps winding down. As they were coming to three laps remaining the lapped car of Dakota O'Connor drifted high causing Logue to stand on the brakes, and when O'Connor corrected and went back to the low groove he would be right in front of Olson allowing Logue to pull away to what seemed like an insurmountable advantage.

However, coming to the white flag Logue got a bit crossed up entering turn four and that allowed Olson to get back into contention and on the final lap, when Logue again stumbled in turn four, Olson dove to the bottom and squeezed between the big infield tire and the left front of Logue's car for what looked like an apparent last lap victory. As Logue's car drove up the track after contact exiting turn four, Dustin Vis would slip by for second before Logue could scramble across the line for third ahead of John Oliver Jr. and Shaun Bistline.

Olson would park his car in victory lane and was soon joined in by several family and friends striking a pose, but the photographers did not engage as the announcement came that "Race Control" was reviewing the situation. The family and friends soon dispersed and Olson climbed back in his car and headed for the scales and the announcement soon came that he would be disqualified for rough driving and that Dustin Vis would be awarded the win. To his credit, Vis did not drive to victory lane as that would have given us ten drivers in seven divisions as the final decision was made that Logue would be awarded the victory and his car would later be brought to the stage in front of the judges stand on a wrecker for an unusual photo op.

In this writer's opinion, without the aid of any video replay and obviously with nowhere near as close of a view as "Race Control" would have had as I sat near the top of the grandstands, this situation was over officiated with the leader getting out of shape and the challenger going as low as he could go to take advantage of the situation. But hey, right or wrong, love it or hate it, this is the kind of stuff that will have that grandstand nearly full once again when the Benton County Speedway gets back to action on May 18th after taking Mother's Day off.

The official finish would read like this, Johnathon Logue with the win, Dustin Vis in second, John Oliver Jr. who was behind the wheel of Chad Krogmeier's #12 for the second night in a row after winning on Saturday at 34 Raceway was credited with third, Shaun Bistline was fourth and Dakoda Sellers joined the top five as Olson was regulated to eleventh, the final car on the lead lap.

You know what else fills the stands here at Vinton? Races like the twenty-lap feature for the IMCA Modifieds where there were six lead changes amongst three drivers and all of these took place BEFORE the checkered flag!

Pole-sitter Kollin Hibdon would out run his former mentor Jeff Aikey from the front row to take the early lead before New Mexico native Zane DeVilbiss stole the point on lap four. The only caution of this thriller would wave a lap later when Kaylin Lopez and Dustin Kroening would tangle on the back stretch and on the restart the battle between DeVilbiss and Hibdon would resume. Ethan Braaksma who had started ninth was on the move and once he made it up to third all of us were treated to an amazing three car battle for the lead.

Hibdon was now using the cushion on both ends and that momentum off the top would take him back to the lead on lap fourteen only to have DeVilbiss nose back to the front a lap later. Meanwhile Braaksma was really finding the bite on the bottom and he would lead the trio at the stripe on lap fifteen only to have Hibdon regain the lead one lap later. Finally, with just three laps to go, Braaksma again used the bottom to take the lead and he would not give it up from there taking an impressive victory where there was no confusion as to who was the winner.

Hibdon actually jumped the cushion in turn four with two laps remaining and faded to a nineteenth place finish as DeVilbiss was the runner-up ahead of Izac Mallicoat and Troy Morris III. Morris had started eighth and Mallicoat came from twelfth, but the hard charger was Joel Rust who filled out the top five after starting twentieth on the grid.

The Hobby Stocks would close out the evening with fifteen laps where Matt Brown would lead the first two before the third-place car of Brad Graham got sideways in turn three and collected Daniel Wauters taking two top drivers out of contention. On the restart Nathan Ballard would race to the lead and just three laps later Brown would clip an infield tire exiting turn two and get upside down to bring out the red.

Once back to racing the eleventh starting Tucker Richardson was now up to second and he would pull door to door with Ballard for the lead down the back stretch before the caution waved again at the back of the field. Unfortunately Richardson's night would come to a close with a flat right rear tire as he exited the track under caution. There would be one more race stoppage on lap eleven and while Joren Fisher was able to stay close, he could not make a run at Ballard who would score the victory with the final checkers waving just before ten o'clock. Briar Kriegel, Justin Wacha and Jarod Weepie would complete the top five.

It was one of the most unusual and entertaining nights that I have had at a race track in sometime and while the promotional team of Rick and Corey Dripps as well as the officials with the PRO Late Model Tour are taking some arrows today, you can bet that each and every one of those angry race fans will either be back in the grandstands or tuning in on IMCA.tv the next time that the green flag waves at the Benton County Speedway.

Next up for me will be a trip to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Wednesday night where the roster will be trimmed to four divisions with a couple of make-up features sprinkled in. Then, on Friday night May 9th, the Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders return to the Davenport Speedway for a night of action on the wide and racey quarter-mile.

Hope to see you at the track again soon!