WEBSTER CITY, Iowa — Hamilton County Speedway hosted a special Thursday Night Thunder with the program highlighted by the Christie Door Company Iron Man Challenge built by Medieval Chassis.
While restrictions enforced by Iowa’s political leaders, fans were not permitted in the grandstands but many were able to watch the action live online.
USRA B-Mods kicked off the Iron Man main events with Jim Chisholm leading all 20 laps to take home a $500 paycheck.
In a repeat of the May 9 season opener at the historic half-mile clay oval, Ty Griffith finished second after a strong late-race charge.
Doug Smith held on for third-place honors after a hotly-contested battle with Ben Moudry while Trevor Fecht rounded out the top five.
The 20-lap American Racer USRA Stock Car main event, Jesse Brown jumped out to the early lead with a swarm of fierce competitors following in his tire tracks.
Mitch Hovden went low and Dillon Anderson went high as the Decorah drivers split Brown with four laps down. Anderson took the lead three laps later with a cross-over move coming out of turn four.
While Anderson pulled away and Hovden enjoyed a six-car-length cushion over the rest of the field, a feisty four-way battle for third ensued between Kevin Donlan, Brown, Phil Holtz and Pat Graham.
Less than two laps remained when the left front of Cole Mather’s machine lifted into the air and sent him into a series of roll-overs in turn two.
Back under green, Anderson was untouchable the rest of the way as he snagged the $600 top prize with Hovden in tow. Graham was third, Brown finished fourth and Donlan rebounded to take the final spot in the top five.
That money looked to be headed to the town of New Sharon with Zack VanderBeek who amassed a huge lead on Calvin Iverson and Lucas Schott, who battled each other for second throughout the first 10 laps.
Schott, who won here on May 9, got by Iverson for runner-up spot at the halfway mark of the 20-lap feature just before the race’s first caution slowed the action.
VanderBeek pulled away again when the race restarted while defending USMTS National Champion Rodney Sanders bolted into fourth and then ducked underneath Iverson to snag third with six laps to go.
Battling for the same piece of real estate with two laps remaining in the race, Sanders and Schott collided in turn three with both cars spinning but Schott was able to keep running while Sanders limped into the pits under caution.
It was a wire-to-wire win for ‘The Z-Man’ while Schott, Iverson and 11th-starting Jacob Bleess finished second, third and fourth, respectively. Casey Skyberg’s long tow ended with a fifth-place result.
The Mensink Racing Products USRA Hobby Stock feature saw five-time USRA National Champion Dustin Gulbrandson draw the pole for the main event but it was outside front row starter Scott Dobel who steered his race car into Integrity Trucking Victory Lane at the conclusion of the 15-lapper.
Defending track champ Eric Stanton was third, Eric Knutson took home fourth-place money and Jeremy Crimmins rounded out the top five.
It was 2018 USRA National Champion Ryan Bryant of Mason City claiming the checkers in the 10-lap USRA Tuner nightcap.