ALGONA, Iowa — He’s won a lot of races at Kossuth County Speedway but Jeremy Mills was hard pressed to name a bigger one than Thursday night’s Salute to Veterans powered by Performance Bodies main event.
The veteran from Clear Lake drew the pole start and stayed in front through four restarts and despite the best efforts of a determined Joel Rust in winning the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature and $3,500.
“I could win everything else here. These big races have kind of gotten away from me,” Mills said following his sixth win of the season and IMCA career 140th in the division. “We just had a good night and that started with a good draw. When you’re racing against this many good guys, you’ve got to have a good draw. I was lucky enough to pull the one (pill).”
The Salute to Veterans win was a first for Mills, however and came after he was able to pull away from the tussle over second between Rust and Dylan Thornton.
Rust finally got the upper hand in that quarrel, but too late to catch up with the leader. Twelfth starting Izac Mallicoat and Kelly Shryock, coming off his second IMCA Sunoco Stock Car Salute to Veterans win in as many nights, was fifth.
“It helps to know this place. It was good to see the top (of the track) that far to the wall,” said Mills, already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible. “Hats off to this track crew, especially with the rain they had earlier.”
“I don’t know what else to say, I got it done here.”
Shryock prevailed in what was easily the most exciting feature of the evening, completing his run from ninth starting with a last-lap, last-corner pass of Jim Horejsi for the $3,500 Stock Car checkers.
“He was running a conservative line out there. I had to make two good laps and was able to do it,” said Shryock, now tied with Colby Fett with six career Salute to Veterans wins. “Any time you can win on a night like this and in front of a great crowd like we have here, it’s special.”
Shryock has already raced his way onto the starting grid for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. Horejsi ended in second and 10th-starting Chanse Hollatz was third.
Jake Masters was the $1,000 Stock Car race of champions winner.
Alec Fettled the last half of the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature and earned $1,500 while Dylan Nelson dominated in the $1,000 to win IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock main.
“We had some heavy hitters here. I just knew I had to do whatever I could,” said Fett, who had checked out before a late caution, then outran Matt Avila and brother Colby three more times around the track. “I can’t believe I was finally able to pull one of these off. It’s been one of the top races I’ve wanted to win.”
Six cautions, four of them on lap seven, slowed the Hobby Stock feature. Nelson posted an impressive win over 12th starting Mike Smith an early leader Chris Krug.
“I’m so pumped up, I wanted this trophy so bad,” Nelson said after his fourth Salute to Veterans victory. “I kept running my own race and we got it done. We’ve got a fast car and we’re getting faster at the right time.”
All four divisions are in action in Saturday’s Salute to Veterans finale at Boone Speedway, to be broadcast by SPEED SPORT.TV affiliate IMCA.TV.