ALGONA, Iowa – Years ago, the IMCA offered Kossuth County Speedway the opportunity to move off of Thursday to Saturday as their race night.
After considering the offer, officials decided Thursday was working well and they stayed with it. Having a race night with no other track operating helped offset the work night factor and having a racy three-tenths created excellent action.
June 24 saw five IMCA divisions draw 64 entries, plus another seven in the cruiser class.
Sport mods were the night’s special division with a $1,000 to win main. Running last, the track was bottom-groove favorable by then.
Gerald Curry won the $1,000 by leading all 25 laps in non-stop fashion. Dustin Schrage was second and put pressure on Curry for a bit before slipping back. Alec Fett took third.
The mods had Zach Dockter leading for the first four laps until Nick Meyer drove under Dockter into turn one to take the lead and eventual win.
The stock cars were led by Ryan Watnem for 10 laps, then lap 11 was a tie with Donavon Smith. Smith took the lead out of turn two a lap later and went on to win yet another for the Lake City-based Smith family of racers.
The hobby stock drivers had a good main, especially the racing between Doug Wickman and James Burns. The Algona-based duo traded the lead several times before Wickman won the race to the checkered flag out of turn four on the final lap.
Thursday’s sport compact main event was controlled by 10th-starting Jake Benischek, after he got past Jaedon Erickson on lap three.
Perhaps the most excited winners were Thomas Gronbach and Dalton Lewis after winning the cruiser race, one on the brake and one on the gas.