BOONE, Iowa — Tristan Grape used lapped traffic to perfection in the closing circuits, while Jason Kohl took command after the halfway point to score victories during the opening night of Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock qualifying at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.
The pair of 25-lap qualifiers set the inside column for the Big Dance, with the top four finishers from each earning starting spots.
Ryan Fajman set the pace at the start of the second qualifier, leading the opening circuit before a caution slowed the field on lap three.
The Nebraska racer, a two-time Boone County Raceway track champion, took off on the restart before another caution came on lap five.
Fajman again got a strong start, but three-time defending U.S. 30 Speedway track champion Grape began tracking him down. Grape stayed within striking distance, but Fajman continued to keep the Bellwood, Neb., driver behind him.
The leaders encountered lapped traffic with about 10 circuits remaining, giving Grape an opportunity to turn up the pressure.
Grape looked underneath Fajman on lap 18, and the two battled for the top spot before Fajman was able to fend off the challenge. Grape remained close, waiting for another opportunity.
That opportunity came on lap 23.
Grape timed his move through traffic and worked his way past Fajman for the lead with two circuits remaining. He stayed out front the rest of the way to secure the victory.
Fajman, the 2025 Dave Riley Memorial winner, finished second, while two-time Super Nationals champion Nathan Ballard was third.
The final transfer position came down to the line, with Alex Yoerger edging 2023 National Rookie of the Year Tucker Richardson for fourth.
2024 Lincoln County Raceway champion Tyler Thompson of Nebraska was the hard charger going from 29th to 14th.
Braden Gifford jumped to the lead in the opening 25-lap qualifier and quickly built a sizable advantage.
Gifford, who won the IMCA Summer Nationals at Independence earlier this season, remained comfortably out front until a caution on lap eight erased his advantage.
He again pulled away on the restart, while two-time Shelby County Speedway track champion Kohl moved into second.
Another caution on lap 13 gave Kohl the opportunity he needed.
The Missouri Valley, Iowa, driver went to work on Gifford following the restart, and the pair battled hard for the top spot before Kohl wrestled away the lead on lap 17.
Once in command, Kohl began stretching his advantage and checked out over the closing circuits to secure the victory.
Joey Young finished second, while 2016 Super Nationals champion Andrew Burg put together a charge from 28th to third to earn hard charger honors.
Defending Phillips County Raceway track champion Tylan Lambertus of Nebraska originally crossed the line fourth after starting 20th but was disqualified following a compression infraction. Seth Butler was elevated to fourth and earned the final transfer position.
2026 Hawkeye Challenge winner Eric Knutson, who started 15th, was credited with fifth.
There were 189 Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks on hand.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Advantage Racing TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $25.99/month. And don’t miss Season 3 of the Boone Docuseries, now streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.
