Schouten, Martin, Ware, Saathoff & Bartels pick up wins at the Eagle Shootout -Eagle Raceway

Schouten, Martin, Ware, Saathoff & Bartels pick up wins at the Eagle Shootout -Eagle Raceway

By Greg Soukup

WOW!!!!! If there’s a better way to close out the season I don’t know what it might be. With the points championships on the line in all 5 classes the fans who showed up definitely got their money’s worth. Saturday night’s Season Finale, presented by Casey’s, Empire Fence and Netting, A1 Iron and Coors Light gave one and all action that was as hot as the sunny weather’s mid-90’s temperatures with 2 last lap passes for the win.

There were no serious incidents in the preliminary action.

The A1 Iron IMCA Stock Car Feature’s first circuit was led by Ben Boucher in the 5B with Dylan Haney’s 12X, the 21X of Keith Young and Gary Laflin’s 9 rounding out the top 4. Haney moved to second on lap 2 with Eric Bartels taking third and the 29D of Greg Meyers advancing to fourth. Shane Stutzman put the 22S into fourth on lap 9 but lost the spot to the 3AM of Dan Jackson the next time around. Jackson and Stutzman swapped positions until Stutzman took the spot for good with 3 to go. There was just 1 lap left when a car spun coming out of turn 2 to set up a green/white/checkered finish. On the restart Bartels grabbed the lead and Cade Richards put the 1R into fourth and then vaulted up to second on the final circuit. The top 4 were Bartels, Richards, Boucher, and Stutzman. Richards’ second place finish was good to give him the points championship.

Bartels’ victory came from the fourth row inside. “You get moving through the field; I mean, you don’t want to wreck yourself trying to get up there too fast. I tried to pick them off one by one because I knew we had a good car, and I knew we could get there. Once I got into second the leader was out there quite a ways and I probably would never have caught him if it wasn’t for that caution”. I mentioned that this was Eric’s second win at Eagle this year and he said “Yeah. I wish I’d raced here all year”. I told him that he could do it next year to which he replied “Next year I’m hanging it up. Johnny bought the car back and we’re taking a different avenue next year. I’m still a race fan and always will be a race fan, but I’ve done it for a long time now, and it’s time for a break. I took off from 2006 to 2016 to raise my kids because I didn’t want to take time away from them. I bought a Jet Racing car and started back into it, and I’ve had a good run the last 6 years”. We all wish Eric the best in whatever he decides to do.

Next the Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stock A saw Jeff Watts lead the first circuit in the 66 followed by the 66G of Kyle Gannon, Ben Becher’s B4 and Cole Krichau in the 30K. Ryan Gilland passed Krichau on lap 3 to put the 46 into fourth. The next lap saw Dave Carter loop the 2C on the bottom of turn 2 for a caution. Becher got past Gannon on lap 5 for second. The next lap saw Jeff Ware jump up to third in the 83 with Gilland holding onto fourth. Ware got around Becher with 8 circuits remaining but there was a debris caution moving him back to third. Ware made the pass again with 6 to go. Gannon spun in turn 4 with 2 to go. Gilland moved up to third on the restart. Ware made a last lap pass stick to take the win as Mike Hansen put the 94 into fourth. The final top 4 were Ware, Watts, Gilland and Hansen. His win secured Ware’s points victory.

I said to him that he had a heck of a battle towards the end of the race, to which he replied “Yeah!! I think I threw 10 slide jobs there, all of them clean and that was a heck of a race between Watts and I. It was a fast track; a really, really fast track. I need to thank everybody who helps me do what I do. My mom and dad, my girlfriend and all my friends. This was my fifth championship in a row here at Eagle”. I kiddingly asked him if he wasn’t getting bored and he quickly responded “No! I’m not getting bored. I want to set a record that nobody can beat!!!”. Jeff’s sponsors include CPD Shocks, Cork and Barrel, BT’s Bar, Shane’s Repair, Hein Auto Body, T&R Auto Repair, Swift Springs, Quick Performance, Dynamic Drivelines, Charger Chassis and Demon Decals.

Rik Gropp put the 22V out front of the first lap of the Nebraska Lottery IMCA Modified Feature with Norm Ziegenbein’s 1Z, the3A of Aaron Pella and Terry Hurt’s 24T rounding out the top 4. Hurt passed Pella for third the next time around. Lap 3 saw Ziegenbein grab the lead from Gropp as John Saathoff put the 96J into fourth. The next lap saw 2 cars come to a halt in turns 3 & 4 for a caution. 2 laps after the restart Hurt moved up to second. Kyle Olberding put the 75 into fourth the next time around and advanced to third on lap 7. Hurt grabbed the lead after another lap. Ziegenbein spun out in turn 2 with 9 laps left. At that time, it was Hurt, Olberding, Saathoff and the 5S of Bob Zoubek. Saathoff passed Olberding with 8 to go with Zoubek also getting past Olberding 2 laps later to move up to third. There were 4 circuits remaining when Brandon Verbeek looped his 4B in turn 4 to slow the action again. Saathoff and Hurt battled over the final laps with Saathoff getting a huge run around the top on the final circuit to get out front coming out of turn 4. Saathoff, Hurt, Zoubek and Olberding were the top 4. Thanks to his constant high finishes, coupled with coming home tonight in eight, Mike Densberger grabbed the crown for the Modified Division.

The last few weeks seem to have been under the sole ownership of the Saathoffs with Jaxon winning the 7th and 21st and John taking the honors on the 14th and 28th. John stated “Well, the kid can win; I’ve been kind of helping him to get his car set up. But helping him out makes me think I’d better get my own butt in gear! It’s pretty cool to get 2 wins up here this year, so I’m really happy about that. I started third row inside, thanks to the new IMCA points average. But that’s always a good place to start. I’ve got a lot of great people behind the race car. Jet Racing builds the cars, Speedway Motors builds the engines and Northeast Auto. I’ve got a lot of great sponsors. I love being here and I love competing at Eagle Raceway”. I asked about the last few laps of the race, and he said “Yeah! Old Terry Hurt. I went over and talked to him after the race, but it really ticked me off when he told me how old he was!! I had thought he was as old as I was. We’ve been racing each other for a long time. But I found out that he’s a lot younger than I am. That’s okay because we’re good buds and we know each other well. I got into him a little bit those last couple of laps but no problem. We’ll race side by side another day”. John’s other sponsors include Northeast Towing, Penner Insurance, Brad Coordsen, Jerry from Independent Equipment and I-70 Auto Auction.

The Modern Real Estate IMCA Sportmods were next up on the high banks. Lap 1 saw Arie Schouten’s 99RE, the 27W of Noah Williams, Nick Morris in the 11H and Roger Sluka in the 5S the top 4. Sluka moved up to third on lap 3. Trevor Baker put the 25! Into fourth on lap 8 and moved up to third with 9 to go. There was a caution for a spun car in turn 3 with 7 laps remaining. Baker got past Williams on the restart but lost the spot back to Williams after another lap. Trevor Noonan put the 66 into fourth with 6 to go. The top 4 remained unchanged to the finish with Schouten first, Williams second, Baker third and Noonan fourth. Shawn Harker finished in 11th, accumulating enough points for the track championship.

Gunnar Pike led lap 1 of the Duros Dent Works IMCA Racesaver finale in the 25G with Adam Gullion’s 91, the 5 of Stu Snyder and Doug Lovegrove in the 55 in hot pursuit. Lap 2 saw Pike’s right rear wheel center break, causing the wheel to come off and Gullion to run it over. That caused Gullion to flip over the wall and slam into the catch fence hard. As she slowed, Shayle Bade’s 03 was struck in the side by the 14 of Joey Danley causing her to flip also. Nobody was seriously injured with Bade stating “Flipping a sprint car doesn’t hurt nearly as much as giving birth!!”.  Also getting involved was the X of Nick Bryan. All 4 cars were towed or pushed to the pits. When racing resumed, Stu Snyder, Lovegrove, Cody Ledger in the 47 and Jason Martin’s 5X led the field back to green. Ledger passed Lovegrove for second on lap 5 but lost the spot to Martin 2 laps later. Another 2 circuits were in the books when Lovegrove also passed Ledger for third. Ledger regained third the next time around. Trevor Grossenbacher put the 35 into fourth on lap 11 with Martin taking over the top spot the next time around. Joey Danley cracked the top 4 with 7 to go. Maxwell Roseland looped the 84 in turns 1 & 2 with 5 to go. Lovegrove regained fourth on the restart but gave the position back to Danley the next time around. The final top 4 were Martin, Snyder, Ledger and Danley. By finishing in the 5th spot, Jason Danley secured the track points for the sprints.

“The way the format is, you don’t get to start out front. It takes a little bit to work through the traffic. I’m just really thankful to everybody that gives me the opportunity to come out here and do this. I haven’t been here all year, because I’ve just kind of been doing my own thing, racing everywhere. To come in here the first time this season and win is a pretty proud moment for myself and my team. We’re really looking forward to the Nationals next week!! I feel like we always have a good package here. Things change, the racetrack changes, so I won’t use tonight as a judgement of what it will be next week. We’ve got a good baseline and we’ll just tune on it from there. We should be pretty good”. Jason’s sponsors include Trucks Plus Midwest Linings, Rezac Concrete, Meyers Racing Engines and Peterson Auto in Shenandoah.

This coming week is the 9th Annual IMCA Sprint Car Racesaver Nationals, powered by Sunbelt Rentals. It all begins on Thursday the 2nd with a practice night to allow the visiting drivers get reacclimated with the high banks of Eagle Raceway. Finishing out the night will be qualifying for the Precise Racing Products Race of Champions. Front gates and pit gates both open at 5:00. Grandstand admission is just $3 for those 13 & up and pit passes are $15 with 4 day passes available for $105 (a savings of $15). Practice/hot laps run from 6:00 to 8:45. ROC qualifying heats begin at 9:00. The Pit Party begins after qualifying with a DJ, race replays and discounted drinks at the Melon Bar.

RESULTS:

Hobby Stock-IMCA A-Feature

  1. Jeff Ware Columbus, Ne. 2. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 3. Ryan Gilland Sterling, Ne. 4. Michael Hansen Weeping Water, Ne. 5. Ben Becher Lincoln, Ne. 6. Adam Wasserman Fairbury, Ne. 7. Brad Schreiner Weeping Water, Ne. 8. Albert Kiihne Lincoln, Ne. 9. Ian Roschewski Beatrice, Ne. 10. Kile Casteel Roca, Ne. 11. David Carter Fremont, Ne. 12. Roy Armstrong Beatrice, Ne. 13. Brint Lemke Lincoln, Ne. 14. Neil Pella Adams, Ne. 15. Jeff Oehm Eagle, Ne. 16. Cody Muth(r) Fremont, Ne. 17. Tyler Jackson Lincoln, Ne. 18. Kyle Gannon Lincoln, Ne. 19. Tim Lapointe Lincoln, Ne. 20. Cole Krichau Lincoln, Ne. 21. Troy Dowty Fremont, Ne.

 

Hobby Stock-IMCA Heat 1

  1. Albert Kiihne Lincoln, Ne. 2. Cole Krichau Lincoln, Ne. 3. Brint Lemke Lincoln, Ne. 4. Tyler Jackson Lincoln, Ne. 5. Tim Lapointe Lincoln, Ne. 6. Kile Casteel Roca, Ne. 7. Roy Armstrong Beatrice, Ne.

 

Hobby Stock-IMCA Heat 2

  1. Ben Becher Lincoln, Ne. 2. Ryan Gilland Sterling, Ne. 3. Michael Hansen Weeping Water, Ne. 4. Adam Wasserman Fairbury, Ne. 5. Neil Pella Adams, Ne. 6. Jeff Oehm Eagle, Ne. 7. Cody Muth(r) Fremont, Ne.

 

Hobby Stock-IMCA Heat 3

  1. Jeff Ware Columbus, Ne. 2. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 3. Kyle Gannon Lincoln, Ne. 4. Brad Schreiner Weeping Water, Ne. 5. David Carter Fremont, Ne. 6. Ian Roschewski Beatrice, Ne. 7. Troy Dowty Fremont, Ne.

 

Modified-IMCA A-Feature

  1. Johnny Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 2. Terry Hurt Ft. Calhoun, Ne. 3. Bob Zoubek Dorchester, Ne. 4. Kyle Olberding Seneca, Ks. 5. Clint Homan Bellevue, Ne. 6. Chad Andersen Ft Calhoun, Ne. 7. Jaxon Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 8. Mike Densberger Cortland, Ne. 9. Justin Wulf Arlington, Ne. 10. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 11. Rik Gropp Lincoln, Ne. 12. Troy Morris Bakersfield, Ca. 13. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne. 14. Brandon Verbeek Hickman, Ne. 15. Ryan Sample Lincoln, Ne. 16. Norm Ziegenbein Lincoln, Ne. 17. James Mesenbrink Lincoln, Ne. 18. Aaron Pella Lincoln, Ne. 19. Scott Robinson Omaha, Ne. 20. Kevin Staack Lincoln, Ne.

 

Modified-IMCA B-Feature

  1. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne. 2. Scott Robinson Omaha, Ne. 3. James Mesenbrink Lincoln, Ne. 4. Ryan Sample Lincoln, Ne. 5. Kevin Staack Lincoln, Ne. 6. Andrew Bowman Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Dustin Andersen Omaha, Ne. DNS. Josh Blumer Marysville, Ks.

 

Modified-IMCA Heat 1

  1. Kyle Olberding Seneca, Ks. 2. Chad Andersen Ft Calhoun, Ne. 3. Terry Hurt Ft. Calhoun, Ne. 4. Justin Wulf Arlington, Ne. 5. Brandon Verbeek Hickman, Ne. 6. Scott Robinson Omaha, Ne. 7. Kevin Staack Lincoln, Ne. DNS. Josh Blumer Marysville, Ks.

 

Modified-IMCA Heat 2

  1. Norm Ziegenbein Lincoln, Ne. 2. Rik Gropp Lincoln, Ne. 3. Bob Zoubek Dorchester, Ne. 4. Jaxon Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 5. Clint Homan Bellevue, Ne. 6. Jared Deterding Lincoln, Ne. 7. Andrew Bowman Lincoln, Ne. 8. Dustin Andersen Omaha, Ne.

 

Modified-IMCA Heat 3

  1. Johnny Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 2. Mike Densberger Cortland, Ne. 3. Aaron Pella Lincoln, Ne. 4. Troy Morris Bakersfield, Ca. 5. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 6. Ryan Sample Lincoln, Ne. 7. James Mesenbrink Lincoln, Ne.

 

SportMod-IMCA A-Feature

  1. Arie Schouten Omaha, Ne. 2. Noah Williams Ashland, Ne. 3. Trevor Baker Crete, Ne. 4. Trevor Noonan Dorchester, Ne. 5. Roger Sluka Lincoln, Ne. 6. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 7. Adam Vrbka Eagle, Ne. 8. Dion Kovar Rising City, Ne. 9. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 10. Dana Deeke Waverly, Ne. 11. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne. 12. Jacob Swanson Lincoln, Ne. 13. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 14. Shawn Pospisil Lincoln, Ne. 15. Andrew Hille Crete, Ne. 16. Bobby Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 17. Michael Towle Douglas, Ne. 18. Braydon Latture Omaha, Ne. 19. Nick Morris Bellevue, Ne. 20. James Hines Bellevue, Ne.

 

SportMod-IMCA B-Feature

  1. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 2. Braydon Latture Omaha, Ne. 3. Shawn Pospisil Lincoln, Ne. 4. Bobby Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 5. Michael Towle Douglas, Ne. 6. Lane Malchow Beatrice, Ne. 7. Amber Cook Lincoln, Ne. 8. Shawn Davis Burr, Ne. 9. Ahnna Schouten Omaha, Ne. 10. Zachary Kucera Seward, Ne. 11. Rich Flock Malcolm, Ne. 12. Tyler Deeke Waverly, Ne. 13. A.j. Oaks(r) Lincoln, Ne.

 

SportMod-IMCA Heat 1

  1. Roger Sluka Lincoln, Ne. 2. Dana Deeke Waverly, Ne. 3. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 4. Trevor Baker Crete, Ne. 5. Andrew Hille Crete, Ne. 6. Shawn Pospisil Lincoln, Ne. 7. Braydon Latture Omaha, Ne. 8. Tyler Deeke Waverly, Ne. 9. Rich Flock Malcolm, Ne. 10. A.j. Oaks(r) Lincoln, Ne.

 

SportMod-IMCA Heat 2

  1. Noah Williams Ashland, Ne. 2. Arie Schouten Omaha, Ne. 3. Adam Vrbka Eagle, Ne. 4. Shawn Harker Nebraska City, Ne. 5. Trevor Noonan Dorchester, Ne. 6. Joe Feyen Plattsmouth, Ne. 7. Bobby Draper Valparaiso, Ne. 8. Zachary Kucera Seward, Ne. 9. Shawn Davis Burr, Ne.

 

SportMod-IMCA Heat 3

  1. Jacob Swanson Lincoln, Ne. 2. Gary Saathoff Beatrice, Ne. 3. Nick Morris Bellevue, Ne. 4. Dion Kovar Rising City, Ne. 5. James Hines Bellevue, Ne. 6. Michael Towle Douglas, Ne. 7. Lane Malchow Beatrice, Ne. 8. Ahnna Schouten Omaha, Ne. 9. Amber Cook Lincoln, Ne.

 

Sprint-IMCA A-Feature

  1. Jason Martin Crete, Ne. 2. Stuart Snyder Lincoln, Ne. 3. Cody Ledger Omaha, Ne. 4. Joey Danley Martell, Ne. 5. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 6. Doug Lovegrove Waverly, Ne. 7. Trevor Grossenbacher Panama, Ne. 8. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 9. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 10. Ryan King Bennet, Ne. 11. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 12. Jake Galusha(r) Lincoln, Ne. 13. Troy Sanford Lincoln, Ne. 14. Dan Nekolite O’neill, Ne. 15. Maxwell Roseland Carter Lake, Ia. 16. Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 17. Nick Bryan Lincoln, Ne. 18. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 19. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 20. Shayle Helget

 

Sprint-IMCA B-Feature

  1. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 2. Joey Danley Martell, Ne. 3. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 4. Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 5. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 6. Nathan Weiler Omaha, Ne. 7. Chase Weiler Lincoln, Ne. 8. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 9. Jeff Reiman Ft. Worth, Tx. 10. Rod Craddock Alvin, Tx. 11. Junior Jenkins Greenville, Tx. 12. Dan Satriano Omaha, Ne.

 

Sprint-IMCA C-Feature

  1. Junior Jenkins Greenville, Tx. 2. Dan Satriano Omaha, Ne. 3. Nathan Weiler Omaha, Ne. 4. Rod Craddock Alvin, Tx. 5. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne. 6. Kevin Frisbie 7. Justin Bolte Fremont, Ne. 8. Dwight Carter Lincoln, Ne. 9. Dennis Engelhaupt Page, Ne. DNS. Shon Pointer Grand Island, Ne.

 

Sprint-IMCA Heat 1

  1. Nick Bryan Lincoln, Ne. 2. Ryan King Bennet, Ne. 3. Shayle Helget 4. Dan Nekolite O’neill, Ne. 5. Joey Danley Martell, Ne. 6. Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 7. Dan Satriano Omaha, Ne. 8. Nathan Weiler Omaha, Ne. 9. Justin Bolte Fremont, Ne.

 

Sprint-IMCA Heat 2

  1. Maxwell Roseland Carter Lake, Ia. 2. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 3. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 4. Trevor Grossenbacher Panama, Ne. 5. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 6. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 7. Junior Jenkins Greenville, Tx. 8. Kevin Frisbie DNS. Shon Pointer Grand Island, Ne.

 

Sprint-IMCA Heat 3

  1. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 2. Jason Martin Crete, Ne. 3. Doug Lovegrove Waverly, Ne. 4. Troy Sanford Lincoln, Ne. 5. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 6. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 7. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne. 8. Dwight Carter Lincoln, Ne.

 

Sprint-IMCA Heat 4

  1. Tyler Drueke Eagle, Ne. 2. Cody Ledger Omaha, Ne. 3. Stuart Snyder Lincoln, Ne. 4. Jake Galusha(r) Lincoln, Ne. 5. Jeff Reiman Ft. Worth, Tx. 6. Chase Weiler Lincoln, Ne. 7. Rod Craddock Alvin, Tx. 8. Dennis Engelhaupt Page, Ne.

 

Stock Car-IMCA A-Feature

  1. Eric Bartels Plymouth, Ne. 2. Cade Richards Lincoln, Ne. 3. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 4. Shane Stutzman Milford, Ne. 5. Dylan Haney Fremont, Ne. 6. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 7. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 8. Larry Robinson Jr. Underwood, Ia. 9. Bob Ruisinger Bennet, Ne. 10. Keith Young Fremont, Ne. 11. John Meyer Odell, Ne. 12. Hunter Wergin Milford, Ne. 13. Greg Deters Centralia, Ks. 14. Marty Steinbach Fremont, Ne. 15. Tim Horsham Raymond, Ne. 16. Gary Laflin Beatrice, Ne.

 

Stock Car-IMCA Heat 1

  1. Eric Bartels Plymouth, Ne. 2. Dylan Haney Fremont, Ne. 3. Cade Richards Lincoln, Ne. 4. Keith Young Fremont, Ne. 5. Greg Deters Centralia, Ks. 6. Nick Beckman Lincoln, Ne. 7. Bob Ruisinger Bennet, Ne. 8. John Meyer Odell, Ne.

 

Stock Car-IMCA Heat 2

  1. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 2. Marty Steinbach Fremont, Ne. 3. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 4. Shane Stutzman Milford, Ne. 5. Gary Laflin Beatrice, Ne. 6. Larry Robinson Jr. Underwood, Ia. 7. Tim Horsham Raymond, Ne. 8. Hunter Wergin Milford, Ne.

 

 

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