Independence Motor Speedway
August 17, 2014
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Ackerman dominates for fourth IMCA Late Model win

by Ryan Clark
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (Aug. 16) – IMCA Late Model driver Darren Ackerman has been known to excel on a dry slick race track. He proved it once again Saturday night at Independence Motor Speedway.

After taking the lead on the ninth circuit, Ackerman pulled away from the pack to win by half of a lap in the caution-free 25-lap feature.

Pole-sitter Rory Metcalf took the lead at the drop of the green and paced the field while Ackerman worked from a fifth row starting spot.

Ackerman made his way into the top five on lap four and then worked the low side into second on lap seven. He raced past Metcalf two laps later on his way to victory ahead of Jon Passick.

With the win, Ackerman took over the points lead heading into next Saturday’s Budweiser Season Championships. Although he is tied in the points with Curt Martin, Ackerman owns the tiebreaker with four feature wins.

What was a two-car battle throughout much of the 15-lapper turned into a thrilling four-wide finish at the line in the IMCA Northern SportMod feature.

Brian Hilbert held the early advantage before a flat tire sidelined the leader, leaving Lucas Lundry and Kip Siems on the front row for a lap nine restart.

Lundry assumed command when racing resumed with Siems in tow. Meanwhile, Jared VanDeest and Jenae Gustin reeled in the leaders.

Siems inched ahead as the white flag waved with VanDeest and Gustin closing in. While Siems worked to hold off Lundry, both VanDeest and Gustin swept to the inside and made it four-wide across the line. Siems held on for the exciting win, his first of the season. Lundry ran second.

Jarod Weepie worked past Cole Mather for the lead following a lap six restart in the 18-lap IMCA Stock Car feature. Weepie survived a trio of additional mid-race stoppages while Scott Pippert worked his way into the runner-up spot.

Pippert chased Weepie for a handful of laps during the final green flag run before sneaking past the leader with two laps to go. Weepie fought back on the inside off turn four on the final circuit, however Pippert held on for the win, his second straight, by less than a car-length.

Ed Thomas and Adam Johnson split time at the front of the Performance Bodies IMCA Modified feature while Vern Jackson worked his way into contention.

Jackson slipped past Johnson for the lead on the eighth circuit and then drove the high groove to victory, his first of the season. J. D. Auringer came from row five to finish second.

Shawn Kuennen made his way around early leader Randy Byerly on the third lap of the IMCA Hobby Stock feature.

Kuennen showed the way while Justin Wacha worked his way into a challenge for the lead after starting in row four.

Wacha and Kuennen battled side-by-side before Wacha took the lead in the waning laps. He held off Brian Happel following a late restart to earn his second win of the year.

RESULTS
IMCA LATE MODEL
Feature – 1. 53 Darren Ackerman, Readlyn; 2. 2P Jon Passick, Waterloo; 3. 45 Curt Martin, Independence; 4. 16 Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 5. 8R Sean Johnson, Independence; 6. 2 Rory Metcalf, West Union; 7. 77 Dirk Hamilton, Jesup; 8. 73 Greg Kastli, Waterloo; 9. 1 Travis Smock, Independence; 10. 87 John Emerson, Waterloo; 11. 70 Jerry King, Waterloo; 12. 99 Luke Pestka, Robins; 13. 60 Dean Wagner, Evansdale; 14. 31 Tyler Droste, Waterloo; 15. 88 Drew Johnson, Belle Plaine; 16. 83 Russell Hesse, Waterloo; 17. 21B Joel Brasch, Dunkerton; 18. 5W Scott Welsh, Cedar Rapids; 19. 99D Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; DNS 4 Leon Thomsen, Waverly.
First heat – 1. Emerson; 2. Ackerman; 3. Hamilton; 4. Droste; 5. Smock; 6. Hesse; DNS Thomsen.
Second heat – 1. S. Johnson; 2. Martin; 3. Passick; 4. Pestka; 5. D. Johnson; 6. Welsh.
Third heat – 1. Bruening; 2. Metcalf; 3. Kastli; 4. Wagner; 5. King; 6. DeFrance; 7. Brasch.

IMCA MODIFIED
Feature – 1. 64 Vern Jackson, Waterloo; 2. 00J J.D. Auringer, Waterloo; 3. 71 Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 4. 92 Tyler Droste, Waterloo; 5. 10K Ronn Lauritzen, Jesup; 6. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids; 7. 33D Scott Hogan, Vinton; 8. 75 Josh Sherbon, Cedar Falls; 9. 01 Ed Thomas, Waterloo; 10. 8 Tony Snyder, Dunkerton; 11. 57B Dennis Betzer, Central City; 12. 21 Brennen Chipp, Waterloo; 13. 93K Jeff Kriz, Waterloo; 14. 5 Jason Morehouse, Evansdale; 15. 13X Clifford Schimmels, Denver; 16. 24R Adam Johnson, Independence; 17. 17 Justin Buehler, Oelwein; 18. 98 Jason Snyder, Dunkerton; 19. 10 Kaleb Bentley, Fairbank.
First heat – 1. Jackson; 2. Auringer; 3. Sherbon; 4. T. Snyder; 5. Morehouse; 6. Buehler; 7. Betzer.
Second heat – 1. Lauritzen; 2. Hogan; 3. Kriz; 4. Johnson; 5. Chipp; 6. Schimmels.
Third heat – 1. Thomas; 2. Flannagan; 3. Droste; 4. Cordes; 5. Bentley; 6. J. Snyder.

IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature – 1. 47 Scott Pippert, Elberon; 2. 3 Jarod Weepie, Dunkerton; 3. 15 Norman Chesmore, Rowley; 4. 37C Roger Ciesielski, Waterloo; 5. 7H Phil Holtz, Manchester; 6. 15T Tim Helle, Garnavillo; 7. JR3 Jason Hocken, Independence; 8. 87T Travis Shipman, Mason City; 9. 23 Justin Hanson, Waterloo; 10. 74C Cole Mather, Dundee; 11. 3C Ryan Coleman, Vinton; 12. 22K Kevin Rose, Waterloo; 13. 11J Jerome Jacoby, Waterloo; 14. 4JR Russell Damme Jr., Waterloo; 15. 3T Scooter Dulin, Cedar Rapids; 16. 8 Mitchell Evens, Independence; 17. 69 Jake Ludeking, Decorah; 18. 13 Rick Milks, Jesup; 19. 11 Jesse Brown, Nashua; 20. 14 Shane Ebaugh, Evansdale.
First heat – 1. Hanson; 2. Weepie; 3. Rose; 4. Jacoby; 5. Coleman; 6. Milks; 7. Brown.
Second heat – 1. Mather; 2. Pippert; 3. Ciesielski; 4. Dulin; 5. Holtz; 6. Ludeking; 7. Ebaugh.
Third heat – 1. Hocken; 2. Chesmore; 3. Shipman; 4. Damme; 5. Helle; 6. Evens.

IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature – 1. S16 Kip Siems, Cedar Falls; 2. 96 Lucas Lundry, Maynard; 3. 80J Jared VanDeest, Holland; 4. 19J Jenae Gustin, Marshalltown; 5. 32Z Alex Zwanziger, Nashua; 6. 3R Danny Dvorak, Vinton; 7. 339 Kevin Hurst, Janesville; 8. 00 Jim Buhlman, Cedar Falls; 9. J2 Dave Schulze, Keystone; 10. 43 Creston Williams, Newhall; 11. 15N Ross Neal, Marion; 12. 17 Mike Krall, Evansdale; 13. 24R Kevin Robinson, Dewar; 14. 39 Brian Hilbert, Independence; 15. 21J Joe Harken, Waterloo; 16. 63 Matt McCahen, Waterloo; 17. CH19 Colby Heishman, Brooklyn; DQ 50H Steve Wimer, Toddville; DQ 6 Jim Aschenbrenner, Aplington.
First heat – 1. Siems; 2. Gustin; 3. McCahen; 4. Hurst; 5. Harken; 6. Wimer.
Second heat – 1. Hilbert; 2. Dvorak; 3. Robinson; 4. Ashcenbrenner; 5. Buhlman; 6. Williams.
Third heat – 1. Lundry; 2. VanDeest; 3. Zwanziger; 4. Schulze; 5. Heishman; 6. Krall.

IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature – 1. 45 Justin Wacha, Vinton; 2. 46 Brian Happel, Vinton; 3. 35B Shawn Kuennen, Hazleton; 4. 79 Benji Irvine, Stanley; 5. 7B Jim Ball, Independence; 6. 1S Greg Sweerin, Evansdale; 7. 20B Matt Burmeister, Dunkerton; 8. 58B Randy Byerly, Tipton; 9. T64 Jeremiah Wilson, Waterloo; 10. 17 Nathan Forey, Waterloo; 11. 25 Jamie Whitaker, Oelwein; 12. 5 Marcus Wayne, Independence; 13. 357 Brett Vanous, Quasqueton; 14. 2 Nick Welch, Cedar Falls; 15. 95 Matt Lundry, Oelwein.
First heat – 1. Wacha; 2. Whitaker; 3. Irvine; 4. Byerly; 5. Welch; 6. Burmeister; 7. Forey; 8. Wayne.
Second heat – 1. Wilson; 2. Happel; 3. Kuennen; 4. Vanous; 5. Ball; 6. Sweerin; 7. Lundry.