The racing action was smoking hot at the first annual Summer Heat Sprint Nationals opening night at Dawson County Raceway in Lexington, Nebraska on Saturday evening.
Putting on a dominating performance to claim the ticket to the winners circle was URSS hotshoe Jake Bubak along with IMCA speedsters: Colton Osborn, Chad Dolan, Chad Sterling and Brady Weinman.
Leading the way from the drop of the green flag until the checkered threads were thrown was reigning URSS National Series champion Jake Bubak of Arvada, Colorado. Bubak was able to work through traffic with authority during the waning laps to never relinquish the lead to cruise to the victory. Staying near the front throughout the feature event was Jed Werner of Codell, Kansas. Werner was able to hold off all charges during the final laps during a green-white-checkered finish to earn the runner-up accolades. Riding on the cushion for much of the late circuits paid off big for Plains, Kansas pilot Luke Cranston as he rocketed from deep in the field to finish third overall. Earning top five finishes during opening night of the Summer Heat feature was Zach Blurton of Quinter, Kansas and Jordan Randles of Sublette, Kansas. Blurton, Cranston and Scott Cochran were earlier in the evening heat race victors.
Pulling the rabbit out of the hat in the early going and dazzling the large crowd in attendance was the Mike ‘The Magic Man’ Densberger of Lincoln, Nebraska in the IMCA Modified division, as he snared the lead on the fifth lap and he never looked back, building up a full straightaway lead before all the smoke cleared. Densberger went across the scales late during the tech inspection, which resulted in Cozad’s Colton Osborn being named the winner in the highly competitive division. Osborn was heavy on the loud pedal during the waning laps to move into the podium position. Chuck Stryker of Eddyville, Nebraska was running inside the top five for much of the feature event and during the final laps, the Eddyville Flyer was able to power his way to a third place finish. Cale Osborn of Cozad was the early leader in the feature as he paced the field for the initial four laps.
Finding the fastest way around Dawson County Raceway during the final laps to win the IMCA Northern Sport Modified Feature was Chad Dolan of Gibbon, Nebraska. Dolan was able to drive his way to the point during the 13th lap and he stayed in the front for the remainder of the event. Driving with gumption and avoiding all incidents by being in the top five throughout the feature was a rewarding experience for Gothenburg’s Jamey Kennicutt who finished second overall. Finishing strong after working through traffic was Devyn Peterson of Milford to earn third place accolades. Dolan and fellow veteran wheelman Steve Kempt of Shelton were the heat race victors in the division.
Making an amazingly great first impression was Chad Sterling of Stockton, Kansas in winning the IMCA Stock Car feature during his first visit to Lexington’s high banks on Saturday. Sterling grabbed the lead on the eighth lap and never looked back. Putting the pressure on Sterling during restarts in the final laps was Casey Woken of Norton, Kansas. Woken held his position with authority to earn a runner-up finish. Mikey Dancer of North Platte, Nebraska was engaged in battles throughout the feature event for top five honors. Dancer was able to finish with a fury and earn third place overall when the checkered flag flew. Woken, Sterling and Kyle Clough of Wallace, Nebraska were the winners in heat race action.
Leading the laps that meant the most was Brady Weinman of Arnold, Nebraska in winning the feature in the Hobby Stock division. Weinman was able to drive his way to the front of the field to lead the final three laps and claim the victory. Making the charge from deep in the field to earn a podium finish in second place was Dillon Thompson of Hastings. Overton’s Zach Olmstead finished third overall in the feature event. Looking to score his first feature victory in the division was Nate Refior of Sutton, Nebraska as he led the way for the first 11 laps of the feature event. Weinman and Tyler Easterday of Lexington were the heat race winners in the division.
(Unofficial Results):
–URSS Feature: 1. 9x-Jake Bubak; 2. 50-Jed Werner; 3. 20-Luke Cranston; 4. 2j-Zach Blurton; 5. 007-Jordan Randles; 6. 88j-Jeremy Huish; 7. 9d-Lance Davis; 8. 97-Brian Herbert; 9. 6x-Mark Walinger; 10. 86-Zac Taylor.
Heat race winners: 2j-Blurton; 16-Scott Cochran; 20-Cranston.
–IMCA Modified Feature: 1. 50c-Colton Osborn; 2. 19-Chuck Stryker; 3. XII-Jay Steffens; 4. 71-Cale Osborn; 5. 4p-Dave Pederson; 6. 21b-Jason Brees; 7. 83d-Denton Duncan; 8. 81-Mike Densberger.
Heat race winners: 81-Densberger.
–IMCA Northern Sport Modified Feature: 1. 87d-Chad Dolan; 2. 15k-Jamey Kennicutt; 3. 5d-Devyn Peterson; 4. 68-Craig Howard; 5. 21-Billy Oliva; 6. 20-Hunter Cantrall; 7. 25-Toph Harmon; 8. 0hp-Bryan Herrick; 9. 190-Steve Kempt; 10. 15r-Robbie Kosmacek.
Heat race winners: 190-Kempt; 87d-Dolan.
–IMCA Stock Car Feature: 1. 183-Chad Sterling; 2. 35jw-Casey Woken; 3. 45-Mikey Dancer; 4. 76-Jason Davis; 5. 16w-Jeff Whiting; 6. 24-Bob Chalupa; 7. 19-Dana Morgan; 8. 72h-Jim Hagan; 9. 33oz-Ozzie Romero; 10. 561-Kurt Trusty.
Heat race winners: 35jw-Woken; 183-Sterling; 11k-Clough.
–IMCA Hobby Stock Feature: 1. 22w-Brady Weinman; 2. 11-Dillon Thompson; 3. 98z-Zach Olmstead; 4. 54p-Kyle Pfeifer; 5. 01-Jacob Wolsleben; 6. 2w-Luke Wassom; 7. R89-Nate Refior; 8. 26-Ryan Gardine; 9. 53e-Tyler Easterday; 10. 5-Chuck Ledbetter.