Eat My Dirt Night wins go to Saathoff, Specht, Saathoff, Meyer and Benson

Eat My Dirt Night wins go to Saathoff, Specht, Saathoff, Meyer and Benson

By Greg Soukup

Mother Nature sent a cold front through during Eat My Dirt Night, presented by Rotella’s and Pepsi Saturday night. Rather than causing rain and stopping the racing, the evening cooled off and provided a perfect night for the large crowd to enjoy the action at America’s Home Track.

No major incidents occurred during the preliminary events.

Lap 1 of the NAPA IMCA Sport Modified A Feature was led by Dana Deeke’s 36 followed by Mary Lenz in the 17, the 2R of Don Rinke and Dion Kovar in the 18. Kovar moved up to third and Lenz took over the lead on lap 3. Kovar was shuffled back to fourth on lap 4 as Scott Bivens moved the S56 to third. Kovar relinquished his spot to the 96 of Gary Saathoff the next lap. Rinke took over the point after another circuit with Bivens and Saathoff following him into second and third after another lap. One more lap was in the books when Bivens snagged the lead and Benji Legg moved the 25B into fourth. Saathoff moved to the lead on lap 13 with Shawn Harker’s 40 jumping up to third and Legg retaining fourth. The first and only caution of the race came with 2 to go as Rinke stopped in turns 3 & 4. Legg passed Harker on the restart, but gave the spot back on the last lap. The final top 4 were Saathoff, Bivens, Harker and Legg.

This was Saathoff’s 2nd victory of the season at Eagle Raceway and came after starting 12th. Saathoff stated “I love it when the wind is out of the north, because Roger waters the track more! Everybody drove a good race tonight, and there was both a low and high line for us to run”. Saathoff’s sponsors include Schmidt Machine, Jet Racing, Homes 101 and Home Instead Health Care.

Russ Specht’s 26X, the 16T of Tyler Saathoff, Ben Becher in the B4 and the 18 of Tim LaPointe led the initial lap of the Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stock Main event. Justin Busboom in the 62 and the 26 of Nick Lindblad spun in turns 1 & 2 on lap 3 to light the yellow lights in the corners. Nick Beckman moved the #22 into fourth on the restart before advancing to third the next lap. Beckman lost the spot to Jason Kohl’s 27 the next time around and Becher moved to fourth. Chad Fegley passed Becher on lap 8 to put the 13F into fourth. Kohl advanced to second with 7 to go. Luke Nicholson spun the 55N in turns 1 & 2 with 6 to go. Roy Armstrong lost his right rear on the restart. Fegley was moved to the back after losing a front fender. Contact with another racer sent Saathoff hard into the front stretch wall. That made the top 4 Specht, Kohl, the 23 of Mark McKinney and Mark Saathoff in the 97M. From there to the finish the top four remained unchanged with Specht winning, Kohl second, McKinney third and Saathoff fourth.

This was Specht’s first Eagle victory in just his second start at the track. “The track was incredibly smooth tonight. Roger works so hard and does such a great job here. I’d say this is one of the top 2 track in the country, and I don’t know whether it’s #1 or #2, but its way up there. The other drivers here are really great too” Specht said. Specht’s sponsors include Ripper Motorsports, Mike Goldfuss Shocks, After Hour Grafix, Sample Racing Transmissions and Culligan of Hastings.

There was a big tangle at the start of the NAPA IMCA Modified A. Bob Zoubek’s 5S, the 42K of Jan Korth, Tim Pickens in the 00 and Stacey Wilhelm’s 3W all came to a halt in turns 3 & 4. Phil Penny’s 21P led the first official lap with Matt Boucher’s 5B, the 25! Of Trevor Baker and Rik Gropp’s V45 rounding out the top 4. Baker moved to the lead on lap 2 as Mike Densberger put the 81 in third and Johnny Saathoff advanced to fourth in the 96J. Densberger moved to second the next time around. Lap 5 saw someone make contact with and implement tire and knock it onto the track, bringing out a caution. At that time it was Baker, Densberger, Saathoff and Gropp out front. Jared Hoefelman used the restart to pass Gropp and put the 15H into fourth. Saathoff moved to the lead the next circuit. Lap 7 Hoefelman moved up to third and took second 2 laps later as Densberger remained in third. Shane Hiatt put the 21H in fourth and then advanced to third the next lap before going into second after another lap as Zoubek moved back to fourth and then took third on lap 15. At the checkers it was Saathoff, Hiatt, Zoubek and Hoefelman.

Tonight’s win was Saathoff’s 2nd at Eagle after starting in 12th. “The car was really good tonight, and we’re finally getting it together after trying something new this year that really wasn’t working. Roger puts on a really good show, and it’s nice to have such good cars to run against” said Saathoff. Saathoff’s sponsors include Toobey’s Lumber, Jet Racing and Penner Insurance.

Melissa Etherton led the Sam’s Club IMCA Sport Compact A Feature in her 14m with the 30K of Cole Krichau, RJ Maas’ 88K and Ramsey Meyer in the 21R in hot pursuit. Meyer passed Maas on lap 2 and Mitchell Wachter’s 13M following him to take fourth. Meyer moved into the lead the next lap and Krichau advanced to second. Brooke Fluckiger jumped up to 3 after another circuit in the 2B. The next circuit saw Krichau stop, making the top 4 Meyer, Wachter, Nick Jensen in the 48J and Fluckiger after Fluckiger was put back 2 spots. Fluckiger moved to second with 8 to go as Jensen took over third. The next lap saw Wachter move to fourth again before giving up the spot to the 13 of James King with 6 to go. The final top 4 were Meyer, Fluckiger, Jensen and King.

Meyer was claimed by the 14J of Justin Olsen and declined to be interviewed.

The last race was for the Mud In America Racesaver IMCA Sprint Cars. Dwight Carter’s 4U led the first lap followed by Brandon Horton’s 1B, the 57 of TJ Artz and Richard Weers in the 55. Artz jumped up to first on lap 2 and Weers pass Horton on lap 3. Carter again took over the lead on lap with Neil Dvorak’s 9D moving to fourth. Dvorak contacted one of the implement tires on lap 7. That put the 45 of Tadd Holliman into fourth. Lap 9 saw Weers advance to second and Holliman took over third the next time around. Gene Ackland moved into fourth in his 14G on lap 13 before losing the spot to the 100 of Clint Benson after 2 more circuits. Holliman and Benson advanced to first and second the next lap with Benson taking the lead after another lap. Weers moved into third the next lap before losing the position to Carter after another lap. Ackland again took fourth the next time around and moved up to third after another lap. Toby Chapman’s 1BX slowed with 5 to go for a caution. Nick Bryan’s 52 spun in turn 4 on the restart. After another restart Adam Gullion put the 91 into fourth, but Mike Boston spun out at the top of turns 3 & 4, collecting the 18 of Terry Richards. Horton and Artz also stopped as the yellow flag flew yet again. At that time it was Benson, Holliman, Ackland and Gullion. Gullion jumped up to second on the restart. Ackland moved up to third the next lap and advanced to second after another lap with Doug Lovegrove also passing Holliman. At the finish it was Benson, Ackland, Lovegrove and Holliman.

Benson, who currently sits in the 6th spot of the IMCA Points chase, won his 3rd this season at America’s Home Track and 7th overall. “I’m positive that I can win the IMCA Championship this year, even though the guys in Texas can race 70 times a season or something like that. I want people to respect the racers here at Eagle Raceway, and show them what we can do. Thanks to Roger for the great track tonight, because there’s nothing I like better than a high cushion! Tonight’s win is dedicated to my Dad” related Benson. Benson’s sponsors include Engler Machine, Trail Performance, J & T Auto Body and Liberty Tax.

Next weekend is Dirt Cheap Night-Fan Appreciation, presented by Great Clips. Front gate admission is just $5, with children 5 and under free. Front gates open at 5:30 with hops lap starting then and racing beginning at 6:30. Jolly Bean Pirate will be on hand from 5:30 until 7:30.

RESULTS:

IMCA Hobby Stock 7/12/2014

A Feature:1. Russ Specht (Hastings, NE), 2. Jason Kohl (Missouri Valley, IA), 3. Mark McKinney (Omaha, NE), 4. Mark Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 5. John Cain (Homer, NE), 6. Ben Becher (Lincoln, NE), 7. Justin Busboom (Lincoln, NE), 8. Tim LaPointe (Lincoln, NE), 9. Mike Hansen (Weeping Water, NE), 10. TeJay Mielke (Norfolk, NE), 11. Rob Brown (Nebraska City, NE), 12. Chad Fegley (Eagle, NE), 13. Nick Lindblad (Beatrice, NE), 14. Kenny Roberts (Lincoln, NE), 15. Luke Nicholson (Ashland, NE), 16. Tyler Saathoff (Holland, NE), 17. Don Hall Jr (Lincoln, NE), 18. Nick Beckman (Lincoln, NE), 19. Roy Armstrong (Beatrice, NE), 20. David Carter (Fremont, NE)

B Feature:1. Roy Armstrong (Beatrice, NE), 2. Don Hall Jr (Lincoln, NE), 3. Rob Brown (Nebraska City, NE), 4. Kenny Roberts (Lincoln, NE), 5. David Carter (Fremont, NE), 6. Charlie Bartels (Lincoln, NE), 7. Ron Novak (Blair, NE), 8. Khrystal Stransky (Lincoln, NE), 9. Troy Mabbitt (Council Bluffs, IA), 10. Sydney Yost (Nebraska City, NE), 11. Michael Rice (Elmwood, NE), 12. Dale Hoyle (Nebraska City, NE), 13. Denny Berghahn Sr. (Plattsmouth, NE)

Heat 1:1. John Cain (Homer, NE), 2. Nick Beckman (Lincoln, NE), 3. Tim LaPointe (Lincoln, NE), 4. Justin Busboom (Lincoln, NE), 5. Luke Nicholson (Ashland, NE), 6. Don Hall Jr (Lincoln, NE), 7. Troy Mabbitt (Council Bluffs, IA), 8. Dale Hoyle (Nebraska City, NE), 9. Sydney Yost (Nebraska City, NE), 10. Ron Novak (Blair, NE)

Heat 2:1. Russ Specht (Hastings, NE), 2. Jason Kohl (Missouri Valley, IA), 3. TeJay Mielke (Norfolk, NE), 4. Nick Lindblad (Beatrice, NE), 5. Chad Fegley (Eagle, NE), 6. Roy Armstrong (Beatrice, NE), 7. Kenny Roberts (Lincoln, NE), 8. Michael Rice (Elmwood, NE), 9. David Carter (Fremont, NE)

Heat 3:1. Ben Becher (Lincoln, NE), 2. Tyler Saathoff (Holland, NE), 3. Mark McKinney (Omaha, NE), 4. Mark Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 5. Mike Hansen (Weeping Water, NE), 6. Rob Brown (Nebraska City, NE), 7. Charlie Bartels (Lincoln, NE), 8. Khrystal Stransky (Lincoln, NE), 9. Denny Berghahn Sr. (Plattsmouth, NE)

IMCA Modified 7/12/2014

A Feature:1. Johnny Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 2. Shane Hiatt (Rising City, NE), 3. Bob Zoubek (Dorchester, NE), 4. Jared Hoefelman (Coumbus, NE), 5. Clint Homan (Bellevue, NE), 6. Chad Andersen (Omaha, NE), 7. Mike Densberger (Lincoln, NE), 8. Rik Gropp (Lincoln, NE), 9. William Nusser (Larned, KS), 10. Trevor Baker (beatrice, NE), 11. Phil Penney (Percival, IA), 12. Matt Boucher (Murdock, NE), 13. Stacey Wilhelm (Martell, NE), 14. Doug Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 15. Jared Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 16. Lowell Holland (Omaha, NE), 17. Tim Pickens (Omaha, NE), 18. Terry Berg (South Sioux City, NE), 19. Phillip Byfield (Auburn, NE), 20. Jan Korth (Lincoln, NE), 21. Justin Wulf (Arlington, NE), 22. Dustin Gray (Omaha, NE)

Heat 1:1. Johnny Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 2. Rik Gropp (Lincoln, NE), 3. Jared Hoefelman (Coumbus, NE), 4. Trevor Baker (beatrice, NE), 5. Clint Homan (Bellevue, NE), 6. Dustin Gray (Omaha, NE), 7. Doug Deterding (Lincoln, NE), 8. Phillip Byfield (Auburn, NE)

Heat 2:1. Phil Penney (Percival, IA), 2. Mike Densberger (Lincoln, NE), 3. Shane Hiatt (Rising City, NE), 4. Stacey Wilhelm (Martell, NE), 5. Terry Berg (South Sioux City, NE), 6. Jan Korth (Lincoln, NE), 7. Lowell Holland (Omaha, NE)

Heat 3:1. Bob Zoubek (Dorchester, NE), 2. Chad Andersen (Omaha, NE), 3. Justin Wulf (Arlington, NE), 4. Matt Boucher (Murdock, NE), 5. William Nusser (Larned, KS), 6. Tim Pickens (Omaha, NE), 7. Jared Deterding (Lincoln, NE)

IMCA Sport Compact 7/12/2014

A Feature:1. Ramsey Meyer (Pierce, NE), 2. Brooke Fluckiger (Columbus, NE), 3. Nick Jensen (Hickman, NE), 4. James King (Bennet, NE), 5. Matt Moyer (Gretna, NE), 6. Justin Olsen (Lincoln, NE), 7. Tim Horsham (Raymond, NE), 8. Amanda Rhiley (Bennington, NE), 9. Mitchell Wachter (Syracuse, NE), 10. Brandon Thornton (Nebraska City, NE), 11. Josh Johnson (Lincoln, NE), 12. Kevin Staack (Lincoln, NE), 13. Spencer Pavey III (Sterling, NE), 14. Cole Krichau (Lincoln, NE), 15. Elliott Halvorsen (Eagle, NE), 16. Melissa Etherton (Lincoln, NE), 17. Kurt Beckstrom (Omaha, NE), 18. RJ Maas (Wilbur, NE), 19. Melissa Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 20. Larry Cronin (Lincoln, NE)

B Feature:1. Matt Moyer (Gretna, NE), 2. Brandon Thornton (Nebraska City, NE), 3. James King (Bennet, NE), 4. Melissa Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 5. Elliott Halvorsen (Eagle, NE), 6. Evan Hrabik (Bellevue, NE), 7. Thomas Powell (Hickman, NE), 8. Rick Hollandsworth (Lincoln, NE), 9. Chelsea Zysset (Omaha, NE), 10. Allyn Shivley (Lincoln, NE), 11. Sarah Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 12. Kevin Fearing (Lincoln, NE), 13. Ole Olsen (Carter Lake, IA), 14. Jeremy Baker (Nebraska City, NE), 15. Jimmy Grasso (Omaha, NE)

Heat 1:1. Brooke Fluckiger (Columbus, NE), 2. Justin Olsen (Lincoln, NE), 3. Nick Jensen (Hickman, NE), 4. Kevin Staack (Lincoln, NE), 5. Kurt Beckstrom (Omaha, NE), 6. Melissa Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 7. Matt Moyer (Gretna, NE), 8. Thomas Powell (Hickman, NE), 9. Ole Olsen (Carter Lake, IA), 10. Allyn Shivley (Lincoln, NE)

Heat 2:1. Ramsey Meyer (Pierce, NE), 2. Larry Cronin (Lincoln, NE), 3. RJ Maas (Wilbur, NE), 4. Cole Krichau (Lincoln, NE), 5. Amanda Rhiley (Bennington, NE), 6. James King (Bennet, NE), 7. Kevin Fearing (Lincoln, NE), 8. Evan Hrabik (Bellevue, NE), 9. Chelsea Zysset (Omaha, NE), 10. Sarah Cronin (Lincoln, NE)

Heat 3:1. Melissa Etherton (Lincoln, NE), 2. Spencer Pavey III (Sterling, NE), 3. Tim Horsham (Raymond, NE), 4. Mitchell Wachter (Syracuse, NE), 5. Josh Johnson (Lincoln, NE), 6. Brandon Thornton (Nebraska City, NE), 7. Elliott Halvorsen (Eagle, NE), 8. Rick Hollandsworth (Lincoln, NE), 9. Jeremy Baker (Nebraska City, NE), 10. Jimmy Grasso (Omaha, NE)

IMCA Sport Modified 7/12/2014

A Feature:1. Gary Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 2. Scott Bivens (Waverly, NE), 3. Shawn Harker (Nebraska City, NE), 4. Benji Legg (Beatrice, NE), 5. Mary Lenz (Elmwood, NE), 6. Kevin Anderson (Lincoln, NE), 7. Dion Kovar (Rising City, NE), 8. Adam Vrbka (Eagle, NE), 9. Sean Manning (Firth, NE), 10. Nate Thompson (Fremont, NE), 11. Joe Feyen (Plattsmouth, NE), 12. Jared Cote (Lincoln, NE), 13. Jeremy Noonan (Lincoln, NE), 14. Bob Ruisinger (Bennet, NE), 15. Jeremy Peckham (Lincoln, NE), 16. Don Rinke (Lincoln, NE), 17. Steven Muhlecke (Omaha, NE), 18. Blake Haas (Eagle, NE), 19. Dana Deeke (Waverly, NE), 20. Joe Schidler (Lincoln, NE)

B Feature:1. Shawn Harker (Nebraska City, NE), 2. Sean Manning (Firth, NE), 3. Jeremy Peckham (Lincoln, NE), 4. Bob Ruisinger (Bennet, NE), 5. Steven Muhlecke (Omaha, NE), 6. Gary Joens Jr. (Elkhorn, NE), 7. Terry Callendar (Lincoln, NE), 8. Roger Sluka (Lincoln, NE), 9. Mike Scheinost (Ashland, NE), 10. Jason Trent (Omaha, NE), 11. Bryan Adams (Nebraska City, NE), 12. Trevor Noonan (Lincoln, NE), 13. Gunnar Pike (South Bend, NE)

Heat 1:1. Dana Deeke (Waverly, NE), 2. Nate Thompson (Fremont, NE), 3. Mary Lenz (Elmwood, NE), 4. Scott Bivens (Waverly, NE), 5. Adam Vrbka (Eagle, NE), 6. Shawn Harker (Nebraska City, NE), 7. Jeremy Peckham (Lincoln, NE), 8. Steven Muhlecke (Omaha, NE), 9. Gary Joens Jr. (Elkhorn, NE)

Heat 2:1. Benji Legg (Beatrice, NE), 2. Jared Cote (Lincoln, NE), 3. Jeremy Noonan (Lincoln, NE), 4. Joe Schidler (Lincoln, NE), 5. Kevin Anderson (Lincoln, NE), 6. Mike Scheinost (Ashland, NE), 7. Bryan Adams (Nebraska City, NE), 8. Terry Callendar (Lincoln, NE), 9. Roger Sluka (Lincoln, NE)

Heat 3:1. Don Rinke (Lincoln, NE), 2. Gary Saathoff (Beatrice, NE), 3. Joe Feyen (Plattsmouth, NE), 4. Dion Kovar (Rising City, NE), 5. Blake Haas (Eagle, NE), 6. Jason Trent (Omaha, NE), 7. Sean Manning (Firth, NE), 8. Bob Ruisinger (Bennet, NE), 9. Gunnar Pike (South Bend, NE), 10. Trevor Noonan (Lincoln, NE)

IMCA Sprint 7/12/2014

A Feature:1. Clint Benson (Papillion, NE), 2. Gene Ackland (Martell, NE), 3. Doug Lovegrove (Waverly, NE), 4. Tadd Holliman (Murray, ne), 5. Joey Danley (Lincoln, NE), 6. Mark Pace (Lincoln, NE), 7. Neil Dvorak (Stuart, NE), 8. Brandon Horton (Omaha, NE), 9. Eric Reichwaldt (Plattsmouth, NE), 10. Dwight Carter (Lincoln, NE), 11. Dustin Andersen (Omaha, NE), 12. Shayle Bade (Lincoln, ne), 13. Terry Richards (Denton, NE), 14. Richard Weers (Lincoln, NE), 15. Mike Boston (Alvo, NE), 16. Nick Bryan (Lincoln, NE), 17. Chase Weiler (Lincoln, NE), 18. TJ Artz (Lincoln, NE), 19. Toby Chapman (Panama, NE), 20. Adam Gullion (Lincoln, NE)

B Feature:1. Gene Ackland (Martell, NE), 2. TJ Artz (Lincoln, NE), 3. Eric Reichwaldt (Plattsmouth, NE), 4. Toby Chapman (Panama, NE), 5. Nick Bryan (Lincoln, NE), 6. Kyle Flodman (Hickman, NE), 7. Shon Pointer (Grand Island, NE), 8. Tim Hilfiker (Greenwood, NE), 9. Sonny Manley (Gretna, NE), 10. Keith Dragoo (Lincoln, NE), 11. Dan Satriano (Papillion, NE), 12. Jason Rakes (Hastings, NE), 13. Bob Dvorak (Stuart, NE), 14. Justin Hanson (Platte Center , ne)

Heat 1:1. Mark Pace (Lincoln, NE), 2. Clint Benson (Papillion, NE), 3. Neil Dvorak (Stuart, NE), 4. Shayle Bade (Lincoln, ne), 5. Dustin Andersen (Omaha, NE), 6. Eric Reichwaldt (Plattsmouth, NE), 7. Gene Ackland (Martell, NE), 8. Jason Rakes (Hastings, NE), 9. Tim Hilfiker (Greenwood, NE), 10. Bob Dvorak (Stuart, NE)

Heat 2:1. Mike Boston (Alvo, NE), 2. Terry Richards (Denton, NE), 3. Chase Weiler (Lincoln, NE), 4. Dwight Carter (Lincoln, NE), 5. Joey Danley (Lincoln, NE), 6. TJ Artz (Lincoln, NE), 7. Dan Satriano (Papillion, NE), 8. Kyle Flodman (Hickman, NE), 9. Shon Pointer (Grand Island, NE), 10. Sonny Manley (Gretna, NE)

Heat 3:1. Brandon Horton (Omaha, NE), 2. Adam Gullion (Lincoln, NE), 3. Richard Weers (Lincoln, NE), 4. Tadd Holliman (Murray, ne), 5. Doug Lovegrove (Waverly, NE), 6. Toby Chapman (Panama, NE), 7. Keith Dragoo (Lincoln, NE), 8. Nick Bryan (Lincoln, NE), 9. Justin Hanson (Platte Center , ne)

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