Schmitt, Hilmer, Wroten, Cielslelski And a Pop Up Shower Take Hall of Fame Night Wins At Independence

Usually when rain comes before all of the features have been completed I rush to the car disappointed. But on Saturday night at the Independence Motor Speedway that was not the case as the track's Hall of Fame night festivities had already given me a very special night at the race track.

What a spectacular way of honoring those who have played a major role in the sixty year history of this facility as not only did they have a table setup for fans to meet and greet that new inductees that I will list for you soon, but there were also seats at the table for several of those who had already been enshrined. What a treat to shake hands with and to talk with drivers who have made me the fan of this sport that I am today; Curt Hansen, Ed Sanger, Karl Sanger, Jack Mitchell, Duane Van Deest, Jerry Luloff and Drew Johnson and to have the cars of Hansen, Sanger and Gary Crawford on display as the fans entered the facility was a great touch. 

Legendary announcer Jim Roper would give the introductions of the seven new members to the Hall of Fame at intermission with two of them, Curt Martin and Greg Kastli, both having feature wins in five different decades here at Indee. And both of them were in action tonight with the PRO Late Model series in town. Martin joins his father Glenn in the track's Hall of Fame as did Brian Irvine who follows in his father Ken's footsteps. Roper had great stories to tell about Rick Johnson, Lavern Tarpy and Gene Buzine as well showing just how important each have been to the Independence Motor Speedway over the years and the seventh member of the class of 2025 was the primary reason that I made the trip on this night.

Ryan Clark with Gary and Karen Crawford

It was somewhere around twenty years ago that I met Ryan Clark when he was working at Hawkeye Racing News and we soon became good friends, perhaps due to our love of recording the history of our sport and hoping to make heroes out of all of the drivers that work hard to be there each and every race night. With his dry wit, Ryan is the perfect announcing partner to Jerry Vansickel, and his knowledge of both the past and present make him one of the best there is on the microphone. That deep, smooth voice doesn't hurt either! For several years he also displayed his writing skills with his blog that we shared at Positively Racing, something that I know that many of us have missed, but when he went to work for IMCA he had to put that to rest although I hope that he someday reconsiders. Congratulations Ryan, and to all of those now in the Independence Motor Speedway's Hall of Fame, what a special honor and the large crowd that was on hand shows what all of you have meant to this race track! 

The pits were jammed with 142 cars in seven divisions as the American Iron Racing Series (AIRS) along with the PRO Late Models were special guests. Co-promoter Dana Benning told me before the races that Mike Van Genderen had checked with the Southeast Minnesota Modified Midget Association (SEMMMA) to see if they could be there as well, but found that there was no such thing. (Two people will get a chuckle out of that, so it was well worth it)

Hot laps started ten minutes prior to schedule and the sixteen heat races clicked off in fine fashion with plenty of action as the weekly classes here use the IMCA average points inverted lineup system that I believe enhances the car counts and improves the racing. The Hall of Fame festivities filled the intermission and a check of Facebook and the radar showed that the features had already been washed out at both Boone and Decorah, but there was nothing within sixty miles of Independence on the radar at 9 p.m.

The AIRS cars would be up first on the list of features and as I told Brian Gade in the pits earlier, I love this class because not only are they nostalgic, they race hard as well and that was definitely the case here in this eighteen lap event. Owen Hayes would set the pace for the first four circuits of the freshly groomed surface, but he would exit the track on the back stretch and head for the pits on lap five turning the point over to Dennis Etten. Roger Cielsielski and Leighton Potter were in hot pursuit and when Etten checked up behind two slower cars in turn two, Cielsielski would take the lead on lap eleven with Potter following him into second.

A similar circumstance would create the next lead change as Dan Jordan got sideways in front of the leaders in turn one two laps later allowing to Potter to go to the front as Jordan drove into the infield keeping the race under green. However, Potter would slip off the back stretch on the following lap and before he could recover Cielsielski was back in front. The only caution waved as the leaders were taking the white flag when Tim Quigley spun in turn two and the field would bunch back together for a green, white, checkers finish.

On that first lap back under green Terry Shaffar dove low into turn three looking for fourth, but as he drifted back up the track he would get sideways collecting six cars in all. Only six of the original seventeen starters would remain for the final two laps with Cielsielski holding off Etten to take the win. Tracy Quigley started twelfth and finished third, Potter was fourth and Bruce Yoerger filled out the top five.

The eighteen lap Sport Mod feature was slowed by four different minor incidents at the back of the field that interrupted some pretty good racing up front. Tyler Ball and Brady Hilmer crossed the stripe side-by-side on lap one with Hilmer taking control on the second time around before that first caution. Once back to action the ninth starter Tony Olson was now applying the pressure to the leader with Hilmer hitting his marks to maintain the lead.

With the final restart coming with just four laps to go Austin Kemp was running the low line to take second from Olson and while he was able to get a nose under Hilmer in the final two laps, Brady again kept his cool and held off this new challenger to take the win. Kemp and Olson were close behind at the checkers, Will Wolf finished fourth and Janae Gustin started tenth and finished fifth.

Sixteen laps of Hobby Stock action would be up next and a quick check of the radar still showed nothing close as Quinton Miller would set a quick opening pace. This was a tight three car battle for the point when on lap eight Miller got sideways in turn two and as he came down the track his left front clipped the right rear of Joren Fisher's car turning him to the right and into the third place car of Bradly Graham.

Fisher's car required a tow back to the pits while the front end damage on Miller's #73 forced him to the infield while Graham would bring the field back to green following the clean up. Leah Wroten who had started this one from seventh was there to challenge and when Graham went a bit too high in turn four, Wroten grabbed the lead with four laps to go. She would then old off Graham to her first feature win in over two seasons. Graham's runner-up finish started from tenth, Dalton Weepie came from ninth to third, Trenton Neuhaus was fourth while Garret Ball moved from fourteenth to fifth.

A strong field of twenty IMCA Stock Cars were up next for twenty laps with third starting Ty Hill holding the lead through lap three. Hometown driver Tom Schmitt was coming fast from the outside of row five and he would storm to the lead on lap four with the first caution of the event coming on lap nine when Dru Kueker stopped on the front stretch with a flat right rear. His crew would make the quick change to allow him to restart at the ear and one more lap was completed before three cars spun in turn one.

As the field was being realigned I took a peek at the radar and one small blip was now showing just to the north of our location, so when the field went back to green one more lap was scored before I felt the first big raindrop and knowing what was about to come I quickly gathered my stuff and scooted down the steps before the rest of the crowd. That little blip really cut loose with a heavy dose of rain in just a couple of minutes leaving several race fans soaked as they headed for their cars. With more than half of the race complete Schmitt was awarded the victory, well earned with the quick ascent from tenth, while Cole Mather, Tyler Ball, Tony Olson and Hannah Chesmore would complete the top five. 

Yes, I am disappointed that the rest of the show could not be completed as I was looking forward to seeing how a pair of Wisconsin visitors, Dylan Waldvogel in the Modifieds and Jay Orr in the Sport Compacts, would fare plus the PRO Late Model feature was shaping up to be a good one. The Mods and Compacts will run their makeup features on June 28th while the PRO Late Models will double up when they return on July 5th. Next up on the schedule at Indee will be the return of the World of Outlaws Late Models on Monday June 23rd.

A big thanks to Dana, Mike, John, Jeff, Bucky, Jim, Kevin and the entire crew for their warm welcome as I also enjoy seeing everybody when I make the trip north to Independence. I also want to thank Chris Calvert for his kind words, I love doing the All Iowa Points and it is always a treat when someone tells me how they follow them year to year.

Happy Father's Day to all of you, I will be leaving soon to celebrate with a return to the Double X Speedway in California, Missouri, my first time there in over twenty-five years, then on Thursday night I am looking forward to the debut of the UMP Summer Nationals at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Following that we have a weekend tripleheader of Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders action on Friday night at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Saturday at 34 Raceway west of Burlington and Sunday at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy. I will be looking for you here on the Back Stretch!

Reutzel Rings Up Ten Grand With POWRi Win At 34

With three different 410 Winged Sprint Car series running Friday and Saturday within a four hour radius, 34 Raceway picked the Thursday night leading into the busy weekend to host the Honest Abe's Roofing POWRi 410 Sprint League for the first time ever and the pits were packed with an interesting field of forty-three drivers.

True, none of the World of Outlaws teams that will be at Knoxville the next two nights used this as one of their "open events", and only a couple of drivers who will be with the IRA at Jacksonville on Friday and at Pevely on Saturday were in attendance, but with $10,000 on the line there were plenty of free agents that joined the POWRi regulars on this Thursday evening before this series heads south to run at Callaway Raceway on Friday and at Lake Ozark on Saturday. 

Track conditions were darn near perfect for Sprint Car racing on the high banked three-eighths mile oval as evidenced by Aaron Reutzel setting the overall quick time as the forty-first driver to trip the clock. A four car invert made for some good racing action in the heats with passing points helping to set the field and the two B-Mains were each hotly contested as only the top three in each would make the thirty lap main event.

Colton Fisher and Reutzel would bring the field to green and while Fisher would lead the way down the back stretch, Reutzel would slide him exiting turn four to lead the opening lap. Jy Corbett is spending his first summer racing in the states and the Aussie soon moved to second and was able to keep pace with Reutzel until the caution waved on lap seven for Cam Martin who had spun off the top of turn two.

On the double file restart the field jumbled up on the back stretch sending Jason Martin for a spin and that would be the final stoppage of this thirty lap headliner. Once back to green Corbett could not maintain Reutzel's pace until he encountered traffic mid-race. That allowed Corbett to get back in the hunt and as Reutzel tried to drive under a lapped car that was riding the cushion, Corbett nearly pulled even with the leader in turn two.

Once he cleared the lapped car of Brandon Wimmer though, Reutzel would again build a lead as Corbett was now under pressure from Kerry Madsen. With ten laps remaining Madsen threw a slider that sent both cars up the track in turn two and when Corbett's right rear slipped over the edge momentarily that allowed Madsen to get to second while Parker Price-Miller also slipped by before Corbett could regain his momentum.

With Reutzel now more than a full straightaway ahead, the battle was for second as the eighth starting PPM drove under Madsen with five to go, but the leader was now nearly a half lap ahead as Reutzel cruised to the win. Price-Miller and Madsen completed the podium, Austin McCarl finished fourth while Corbett slipped to fifth at the checkers. Chris Martin, Emerson Axsom, Ayrton Gennetten, Kaleb Johnson and Kevin Thomas Jr. filled out the top ten while Paul Nienhiser was the hard charger driving the Midland Performance #50 from twenty-first to eleventh.

A talented field of twelve IMCA Modified drivers were on hand to provide support and race for some good money as well with a $1,000 check going to the winner. Chris Zogg would lead the opening lap before Denny Eckrich took over on lap two. The only caution of the race came on lap five of twenty when the fourth place car of Austen Becerra spun in turn four and on the restart Cayden Carter was able to clear Zogg for second and then set his sights on the leader.

Eckrich was able to hold him off until lap nine when Carter found the bite that he needed off the bottom of turn four to take the lead and he would then drive away for the win. Eckrich and Zogg were next in line with California native Trevor Fitz out dueling Spencer Diercks for fourth.

A big thanks to Brad, Jessi and the entire team at 34 for the hospitality and for the well run program that wrapped up before 10:30. I brought three of my friends who are much more familiar with a golf course over a race track and they all had a great time!

34 Raceway will be back in action this Saturday night with a $5 admission special and then on Saturday June 21st the Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders will be in action here as the middle show of a big three-race weekend with races in Memphis, Missouri, on Friday night and Quincy, Illinois, on Sunday. Hope to see you there!

No Need To Turn On The Lights; Quick Show At Vinton

Making a late decision to make the trip, and with my fourteen-year-old niece Phoebe on board for her first ever race, we headed for the Benton County Speedway in Vinton for some Sunday evening racing action. And even though the hot laps did not start at the advertised time of 4:30, once underway and on a well prepared racing surface the show ran off in quick fashion with the final checkered flag waving at 7:40 p.m. It didn't even get dark until we were halfway home on our 101 mile drive and I arrived in time to watch the Thunder even the series with the Pacers.

One of the reasons that I love the weekly shows at Vinton is because I know that they will use the IMCA average points inverted lineup procedures and on a weekend where the use of an invert has been called out once again in our sport, I will have some additional comments on that at the end of this story.

Following a brief intermission of ten minutes or less, the Sport Compacts would be up first for their twelve lap feature with front row starter Justin Tharp setting the pace for the first four laps. The top drivers in the current point standings were making their way to the front from the fourth and fifth row with eighth starting Robert Rundle leading the way and he would slip by Tharp followed closely by Cristian Grady and Jake Anderson. Having stormed to the front of his heat race from a back row start, I thought that Anderson might have something for the top two, but Rundle was flawless over the closing laps to take the victory. Grady, who is currently tied with Michael Gardner at the top of this week's All Iowa Points, was the runner-up with Anderson, Spencer Roggentien and Ryan Cheney next in line.

The Sport Mods were up next for fifteen laps and they would not be able to match the green-to-checkers form set by the Compacts. Brandon Tharp started third, but would lead the opening lap with fellow row two starter Will Wolf in hot pursuit. Wolf would take the point on lap three and the first caution of the race would fly on lap six when Beckett Flanagan went off the top side of turn three. Once back to racing Wolf and Tharp would continue to lead the way as Tony Olson and sixteen-year-old Payce Herrera from Utah waged war for the third spot. Contact between the two in turn two would send both drivers off the top of the banking and while Olson retired to the pits, Herrera was sent to the rear for the restart.

This now opened the door for cousin Kyle Olson to go to work on the pair of sevens up front and he would swipe the lead from Wolf with two laps remaining and then pull away for his first win of 2025. Wolf and Tharp would complete the podium as Rayce Mullen and Austin Kemp filled out the top five. Mullen, the young college student from northwest Illinois, gave an entertaining interview during the intermission.

Fifteen laps for the Hobby Stocks was next on the card with pole-sitter Michael Kimm setting a stuttered pace as four cautions waved in the first eight laps. The second one came on lap five when Joren Fisher spun in turn four and when Race Control determined that Connor Clubine was the culprit, he went to the back while Fisher returned to his spot in the running order prior to the caution. Fisher would then take the lead from Kimm as lap number ten was scored and he would weather two more cautions before posting the win, his first here at Vinton and third overall in 2025. Leah Wroten started seventh and finished second, Kimm settled for third, while a pair of Justins, Stander and Wacha closed out the top five.

The Stock Car field was short on numbers tonight with eight, but they still ran the scheduled twenty laps come feature time. Dakoda Sellers paced the first two circuits of the quick quarter-mile, but there would be no holding back the charges of Tony Olsen and John Oliver Jr., two of the top Stock Car drivers in the state right now. Olsen would take the lead on lap three with Oliver making a couple of runs at him until about lap ten when Olsen opened up a solid lead.

The only caution of the race came with three laps remaining when Sellers and Kyle Olsen made contact in turn two while racing for third with both drivers retiring to the pits in the aftermath. The restart gave Oliver one final chance to challenge the leader and when he could not find the grip on the bottom, Olsen again used the cushion on both ends to drive to his third straight Stock Car win here at Vinton. Oliver slipped off the top of turn four coming to the white flag slipping to fourth, but he would recover one of those positions in the final lap to finish third behind Brett Vanous. Kevin Rose would take fourth and Austin Schuring claimed fifth as the final car on the track at the checkers.

The Modifieds would close out the evening and I liked the fact that with eighteen cars they ran just two heats instead of three and with several of the top average point drivers not getting to the top five in their heats to make the ten car invert, the feature lineup left this twenty lapper wide open for the taking. Florida transplant Owen Barnhill would drive from the inside of row two to take the lead on the opening lap before the caution waved on lap two for an Ed Thomas spin in turn two.

On the restart, as Barnhill continued to lead, my eyes were on current point leader Troy Cordes who had started from fifteenth and was on the move until lap five when he and Tommy Belmer tangled while racing for sixth with both spinning. On the restart last week's feature winner here, Trevor Fitz who also missed the invert and started eleventh was now up to challenge Barnhill for the lead and the California native would get the advantage on lap nine.

Barnhill would keep it close until the caution waved with three laps remaining when the left rear axle broke sending Thomas for a spin exiting turn four and on this restart Ben Chapman, who started tenth, would take up the chase on Fitz. Chapman would make one final dive to the bottom in turns three and four coming to the checkers, but Fitz was too strong up top as he scored his second straight victory here at the birthplace of the IMCA Modified. Chapman and Barnhill were next in line with Chris Snyder and Ethan Krall closing out the top five.

So did you notice that by using the average points invert not a single one of the five feature races was lead flag-to-flag by one driver? That's why it is called "Racing" and not "Chasing" and it is just one of the reasons why the weekly racing program here in Vinton is one of the best. Give me the invert any day over a draw/redraw format and especially over the "I'm Fast, Start Me Up Front" method of qualifying and then starting straight up.

Mike Marlar has long been one of my favorite personalities in the sport, but I was disappointed to see his post "Eldora Speedway, why bother to work to get what you earn?? Had to start 4th in a heat race that I should have been on the pole of. Now we're fixing a wreck. There is plenty of competition to see a good show WITHOUT INVERTS!!! No need to penalize guys who work hard. #dobetter #inverstgottago"

My old friend Myron Pembleton would have likely responded as follows if he was promoting The Dream. "I'm paying $30,000-to-win on each of two qualifying nights and $100,000-to-win in the finale. You want it, you have to earn it in the format that you knew was in place before you made the trip. There were plenty of other races in this country this weekend where you could have set quick time, started from the pole of the first heat, win it, and then start from the pole of the feature and lead every lap to take the top prize without passing a single car all night. If you don't like performing for what my ticket buying fans came to see, then stay home! #youdobetter #it'scalledracinnotchasin"

I love watching Tyler Erb race, but my opinion of him was tarnished back in 2017 when as a young up and comer he bitched about the format at Knoxville and if you click on this link to see how things played out that week, you will see how ridiculous his argument was. It has been eight years and I still have not shaken my opinion of him, while with Marlar I want to remain a fan. Hopefully his post was made in frustration and that he truly understands why Eldora's Dirt Late Model Dream remains the richest event in Dirt Late Model racing.

If you like watching drivers set quick time and then go on to win without having to pass a car, more power to ya, but we will have to agree to disagree. And that is why I thank promoters like Rick and Corey Dripps at Vinton who give me an alternative, and one that more than impressed a first time race fan who had to spend more than three hours in the car listening to her uncle's music!

Next up for me will be the first ever visit by to POWRi 410 Sprint Cars to 34 Raceway west of Burlington this Thursday night. Hope to see you there!

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!