MAQUOKETA, Iowa – It is like waving a magic wand.
Jeremiah Hurst and the Roberts Racing Team have found that magic again as Hurst topped his second straight Andover Meat IMCA Late Model 25-lap feature Saturday evening at Maquoketa Speedway.
“We’ve found some things and worked on some things, yes,” Hurst said in Hoker Trucking/C&W Trucking/Kam Koncepts Victory Circle. “But my guys have worked their butts off to get us to keep moving forward.”
Last year’s track and national champion moved past early leader B.J. Jackson and held off a late charge from Jeff Tharp in the non-stop affair after starting eighth.
“We just had to drive where the car ahead of me wasn’t,” Hurst added. “I figured the cars would blow off the crumbs up top so we could run there or the bottom. I backed off a little early on that last lap to hit my mark and Tharp was right there.”
Doug Nigh, Andy Nezworski and Dalton Simonsen completed the top five.
Jeff Larson returned to the track, weaved through early traffic and won the 20-lap QCJeeps.com IMCA Modified feature. He pulled away late as Bryce Garnhart moved to second and gave chase. Jordan Hicks, Jaden Fryer and Ray Cox, Jr. followed.
Mitch Boles rolled his Modified during the heat race, but was not injured.
Tyler Soppe continued his B&D Pit Stop IMCA SportMod dominance, but with a little different challenge. He won the 15-lap feature after starting on the tail of the field due to a mechanical failure in his heat race.
Jacob Ellithorpe, Joe Grant, Scott Williams and Tony Olson followed.
Chase Zaruba led all 15 circuits of the GRE / REV Chassis IMCA Stock Car finale for his first official win of 2019.
The Sabula, Iowa, pilot was first past the checkered a couple weeks ago, but forgot to go to the tech area and was disqualified.
He did not forget this night as he beat point leader Jimmy Comins, Tim Bader, Chris Hinrichs and Terry Dulin.
Daniel Wauters threaded through traffic to capture a long and wild 15-lap Shawn’s Auto Service IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Kile Vohringer finished right on the bumper and beat Randy Byerly, Shane Oberbreckling and Brandon White.
Cody VanDusen captured his second Obie’s Bar and Restaurant / B&C Liquor 4 Cylinder main of the season over point leader Ashley Reuman, Dustin Forbes, Brett Marshall and Tyler Shady.