BOONE, Iowa — After long runs at the front, Tony Olson and Jarett Franzen made their plans to go dancing.
Olson led all but the first two laps in winning his Monday night qualifier and will start on the pole of Saturday’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s main event for Northern SportMods at Boone Speedway.
Franzen was scored first across the stripe all 25 circuits of the second qualifier, outrunning hard-charging and defending champion Jake Sachau the final time around the track, and will start at the front of the middle row.
One hundred and seventy-six Northern SportMods vied Monday at Iowa’s Action Track.
Olson qualified for a career record 12th Big Dance, beating Joe Docekal to the checkers by three tenths of a second.
“We threw it up top and the car was amazing. This is awesome,” he said.
Docekal would fail compression in post-race tech and be disqualified while Taylor Kuehl gave up her eighth place finish to run for a better starting spot on Tuesday.
With that shuffling, the next seven drivers lining up behind Olson on Saturday night will be Dusty Masolini, Shane Paris, 20th starting and 2016 champion Doug Smith, 28th starting Corey Madden, Nathan Speten, Tyler Bannister and Mitchell Morris.
Franzen wired the field in a night cap slowed by cautions early on, while two yellows added to late-race drama.
He ran ahead of Robbie Thome and Hunter Longnecker past midway as Sachau advanced from 14th.
Sachau was forced to detour around a car stopped on the top of the track in turns three and four in the late going, somehow avoiding that car and getting back onto the racing surface with no harm done, then edging Thome for second at the line.
“This one of my biggest wins ever,” said Franzen. “It hasn’t even sunk in yet. I’m just glad to be in.”
Thome, Longnecker, Tyler Nerud, Tyler Inman, Ty Rogers and Logan Veloz line up third through eighth in the middle row on Saturday.
Qualifying for both Hobby Stocks and Northern SportMods continues Tuesday at Boone, along with races of champions for both divisions and complete Sport Compact card rounding out the program.
SPEED SPORT. TV affiliate IMCA.TV broadcasts the entire week of the Sept. 2-7 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.