BRITT, Iowa – The game plan Joel Rust brought to Hancock County Speedway and the third installment of the Speed Shift TV Dirt Knights Tour for IMCA Modifieds played out to perfection Tuesday night.
Rust led all but the opening circuit in the 25-lap contest, outrunning Ethan Braaksma and Jeremy Mills to the $1,000 checkers.
“We had a good draw, got to the lead quick and had to keep hitting our marks,” said Rust, who took the initial green flag from inside row two. “There were a lot of good cars here tonight and we got it done.”
Rust was pulling away from the rest of the field when cautions came out on lap seven and again on lap 16, when his advantage over the second-running David Brown was nearly six seconds.
Braaksma, winner of the first two tour events of the summer, started 11th and took over the runner-up spot for good on the ensuing restart.
After spinning out of second on lap eight, Mills restarted at the tail and worked his way back to third with six laps left.
Brown and Jake Pike completed the top five.
The tour victory was the third career win for Rust, who is also the defending Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational race winner, and his first since winning back-to-back Dirt Knights outings in 2016.
Cody Nielsen topped the $1,000 to win Joel Showalter Memorial for IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks.
Other Tuesday night winners at Britt were Jason Briese in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Alec Fett in the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods and Tyler Fiebelkorn in the Mach-1 Sport Compacts.
Round four of the 2020 Dirt Knights Tour takes IMCA Modifieds to Clay County Fair Speedway for another $1,000 to win show on Aug. 3.
The Monday show also features IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts.
Pit gates and the grandstand open at 5 p.m. Hot laps are at 7 p.m. with racing to follow.