BOONE, Iowa — All the would have’s and could have’s of Kelly Shryock’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s were forgotten, while Dylan Thornton raced his way into the record book at America’s Racin’ Vacation again on Saturday night.
Shryock, 59, won an epic battle with Dallon Murty for the Stock Car checkers, earning his first Super Nationals title in his 23rd career main event start.
Thornton, 23, became the first driver to win championships in three different divisions, holding off Tanner Black in the nightcap, the 40-lap Modified feature.
The IMCA Super Nationals were broadcast LIVE by SPEED SPORT affiliate IMCA.tv.
Nathan Ballard won a career second Hobby Stock title while Logan Anderson posted a convincing win in earning his first Northern SportMod crown.
A record 1,036 cars competed at the Sept. 2-7 Super Nationals, coming to Boone from 30 states, two Canadian provinces and Australia.
Jake McBirnie and Dallon Murty ran up front in the Stock Car feature before Shryock passed both following a lap 16 restart. Another caution came on lap 26; Shryock and Murty made contact at the line taking the white flag, but Shryock held on for the popular win.
“There have been some would have’s and could have’s here over the years. We probably should have had a few Modified wins but this is pretty cool. I’ve been wanting one of these (Super Nationals checkered flags) for a long time,” said Shryock, who drives for Mike Hauan of Lake Mills Motorsports.
“Of course we had to have that late yellow, that situation, but we overcame it, he added. “Yes, there have been heartbreaks here, somebody else got a flat tire and I should have gone low instead of high or another year when my brakes went out on me running second, but today I can say I am a Super Nationals champion.”
Murty, first-time qualifier Jonny Carter and Jeff Mueller rounded out the top four.
“This year we decided to come to Boone, just have fun and see what we could do. There was a lot less pressure,” Shryock said. “The young guys are trying to keep me young. I feel young, until I look in the mirror and see an old guy looking back at me. Racing these young guys keeps me young and hopefully keeps me going.”
Thornton, one of those young guys, was the defending Stock Car champion, won the Late Model main event on Monday and then led the last 35 laps in the Modified finale.
After crossing the stripe bumper-to-bumper-to bumper with Murty and Troy Morris, Thornton pulled away and sped through heavy lapped traffic.
Black made his way to the runner-up spot and closed to within two car lengths but could not get closer despite laps 31 and 38 restarts. Zack VanderBeek and Murty completed the podium.
“My goal for the last four years was to win both the Modified and the Stock Car the same night and I’ve come close. Coming into this year, winning all three was 100 percent the goal,” Thornton said. “Obviously we started off really good on Monday but we didn’t lock the Modified in until Friday and didn’t make the Stock Car feature at all.”
“Winning three different divisional championships was another goal and that was a huge accomplishment in its own,” he continued. “I think it will take a little while for me to really appreciate what I accomplished tonight. It’s incredible. I can’t really describe it right now.”
Ricky Thornton Jr. – he and Dylan are not related – was the first driver to win two main events the same year, also the Modified and Late Model crowns, in 2020.
Anderson swapped the lead early and often with Tony Olson before pulling ahead to win by half a straightaway. Robbie Thome, Dylan VanWyk and Olson ran 2-3-4.
And Ballard added a trophy to match his hardware from 2020, passing defending champion on a restart or the front spot late in the Hobby Stock feature and motoring to the win ahead of 14th starting Cody Williams, 15th starting Cory Probst and John Watson, who raced onto the NAPA Fan Zone stage from 25th.
Last-chance heats and features earlier in the Saturday program sent the final nine Modifieds and the final six Stock Cars to their respective main events.
Michigan’s Mitchell Hunt led all 12 laps in winning the Rage Chassis Race of Champions for Modifieds and Devin Smith did the same in winning the Sunoco Race Fuels Race of Champions for Stock Cars.
New divisional car count records set at Super Nationals were 266 Stock Cars, 168 Hobby Stocks and 78 STARS Mod Lites.