September 2, 2024 | By Greg Soukup

Jake Bubak wins his third RaceSaver Nationals at Eagle Raceway

EAGLE, Nebr. — Well, the 2024 IMCA Racesaver Nationals is in the books, and what a story it was! Actually, 106 stories in the Sprint Cars and many more in the support classes over the 3 nights. I think that the only thing I love more than watching dirt track racing is getting to meet and write about the racers themselves.
As every year, those racers came from all over the country to show that they deserved a shot at wearing the championship belt and taking home the $12,000 top prize. So many drivers, so many stories unfolded this past weekend.

A clear blue sky and temperatures in the mid-80’s set the stage for the final battles.

In the first E Feature for the sprint cars Andrew Jackson’s 5A bicycled in turns 3 and 4, made contact with the wall and went for a ride; flipping and collecting the 10K of Dewayne White. Then in the initial sprint D Main the 12P of Ryan Navratil flipped on the backstretch after not clearing the 5T of Tanner Anderson. Lastly, the final serious incident in the preliminary racing came in E Feature #2 when the 21C of Carter Holt jumped the cushion in turn 3 and ended up flipping. None of the drivers were seriously injured, but their 2024 IMCA Racesaver Nationals were done.

The A1 Iron IMCA Stock Cars A Main saw the 53R of Larry Robinson Jr. spin in turn 1 on the first lap, slowing the action before it could get started. When a lap was finally completed Marty Steinbach’s 5ELI was out front followed by the 21 of Eric Rempel, Shane Stutzman’s 22S and Tyler Jackson in the 13T. Jackson passed Rempel for third on lap 2 as Mike Scheinost also got past Rempel for fourth in his #51. Kyle Vanover put the #19 into fourth the next time around and moving up to third on lap 6. Tommy Etherton’s 24T spun in turn 4 the following circuit and the yellow flag flew. The restart saw Mat Boucher spin out in turns 3 and 4 to slow the action again. With 7 to go Vanover got around Rempel to grab the second spot, then passed Steinbach for the lead 2 laps later. Steinbach spun out in turns 1 and 2 the next time around for another caution. That made the top 4 Vanover, Rempel, Jackson and the 64 of Dusty Blake. From there to the checkered flag the top 4 remained unchanged with Vanover winning, Rempel second, Jackson third and Blake fourth.

I said to Kyle that it had been quite a while since his last Eagle Raceway victory. He said, “It’s been a while; since the Lucas Oil Late Model race in July”. I then teased him saying it was possibly because he kept letting a young kid by the name of Mike Nichols beat him, to which he replied with a laugh “That’s probably why we won tonight because he didn’t show up!

We were up after the sprint car B and we thought that there would be a lot more juice left in the track, but obviously after 25 laps with that many sprint cars it was pretty far gone. It kind of got to be a train race around the bottom and obviously you aren’t going to win following everybody, so we had to get out of line and try to make something happen. So, that’s what we did and that’s how we got to where we got. Kyle’s sponsors include Green’s Furnace and Plumbing, Cadillac Chassis, Speedway Shocks, Elite Signs and Wichita Dyno.

The B Feature for the sprint cars was the last chance for a driver to grab a spot in the Big Dance where they would fill the middle 9 rows. Making the transfer were Jeremy Huish in the 20J, Brandon Bosma’s 23, Joey Danley in the #14, Carson Bolden’s B2, the #5E of Maverick Elkins, Steven Richardson’s 0Z, the 63 of Jack Thomas, Koby Werkmeister in the 31 and the 7M of Kevin Ramey.

The lights were turned out for the introduction of the drivers who would be up next. Light wands glowed in the stands as each one of them stepped into the spotlight to be recognized.

Finally, to borrow one of James Roland’s favorite sayings it was ‘Time for a war to settle the score’. 27 IMCA Racesaver Sprint Cars, lined up 3 wide on the high banks of the one-third mile track known far and wide as America’s Home Track, Eagle Raceway. With $12,000 to win and the custom made belt on the line, everyone knew that this was going to be one very heated event.

There was a change in the A Feature this year as the lap count jumped from 35 to 50 with a scheduled stoppage after 30 circuits to allow the teams to fuel up and check air pressure in the tires or grind them. There was an option for drivers to go to the back stretch and make any and all changes that they wished to. All of this was done under a 5 minute time limit and only 2 crew members per car were allowed to do the necessary work with no jacks allowed. IMCA officials observed every car on the front stretch to make sure that teams complied with the rules. In addition the driver on the pole which in this case was Gunnar Pike, chooses where to start; either inside, in the middle or outside the starting grid.

Gunnar Pike put the #25 in the lead after lap 1 with the 14 of Joey Danley second, Brandon Bosma third in the 23 and the J2 of John Carney II hot on his push bumper. Debris in turn 1 slowed the action on lap 2. The restart saw Ethan Barrow pass Carney for fourth and then move up to third on lap 4. Danley passed Pike to take over the top spot on lap 10. Bosma got past Barrow for third on lap 12 but lost the position back to him on lap 15. Carney again joined the top 4 on lap 17 as Bosma fell back several spots. Lap 20 saw Barrow pass Pike on the low side to move up to second. Carney got past Pike for third on lap 23. The yellow lights were lit in the corners the next time around when Jack Thomas’ #63 slowed on the front stretch and stopped by the back stretch pit entrance. Carney passed Barrow for second on the restart. Lap 25 saw the 10 of Trevor Serbus and Maverick Elkins’s 5E come to a halt in turns 3 and 4 after Elkins hit the Armco in turn 3, started flipping and collected Serbus. Carney passed Danley for the lead on lap 28 as Jake Bubak got past Pike to put the 74B into fourth place. Danley retook the top spot after another lap. The following circuit saw Trevor Grossenbacher’s 35 go for a spin in 1 and 2 after making contact with Pike’s push bumper. Bubak got past Barrow on the restart to move to third. Brandon Bosma spun his #23 out in turn 3 to end the first stage of the race. Bosma may have been the luckiest driver on the track at the time because the yellow flag had already come out and he didn’t lose his position. After the crews completed their adjustments it was time to pull the safety belts tight, buckle down and get it on!! The 2-wide restart saw Bubak pass Carney for second and grab the lead from Danley the next lap. Barrow jumped past Carney on lap 37 to advance to third but lost the spot back to Carney the following circuit. Jason Danley’s 4X stopped on the front stretch on lap 40 and the yellow was thrown. Fron the restart to the checkers it was just a matter of how much Bubak was going to win by. The final change in the top 4 came with 9 to go when Pike got past Barrow for fourth place. Your top 4 were Bubak by nearly 3 seconds over second place Danley with Carney third and Pike coming home in fourth place.

I stopped at Joey’s trailer to chat with him. He related “I came up a little short, but Friday and Saturday were nothing but struggles for us. We didn’t even make the show until 1 hour before the A started because we had to run the B. Roger’s new format worked for us because I feel we won the lottery to be able to start on the front row. That may never happen to me again. We tried to make the most of it, leading 35 laps or so. Then Bubak showed me the bottom and I couldn’t get him after that”. Joey’s sponsors include Empire Fencing and Netting, MySalesman, The Wave, Meyers Racing Engines, High Performance Lubricants and Adams Automotive and Automotive Services.

Jake’s interview was slightly delayed as his car owner’s birthday was being celebrated in the trailer. As usual, he was all smiles when we finally met up. I told him that I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to grab the win, to which he replied “It took us a little while to get going. I’m actually glad that it was a long race because it benefited the way our car was. I think the biggest part of the win was getting up to third and being able to chose our line on the restarts during the 2-wide restarts in the second stage. I’m still not sure about the new format; I think it’s not a sprint car race with a break. It should just be a set number of laps, whether it’s 35 or 40 laps and you run what you’ve got. I need to thank my car owner Ben Aufill my awesome car owner. We’ve had so many wonderful years together. Thanks too for having this car brought up here since I now live in Lincoln, Kelly Simmons with KRS Fabrications, all of the guys from Lubbock, of course my Dad, my fiancé Ashley and Ashley’s parents for giving us a shop to work out of this week”.

Next Sunday will see the Stewart Alley Memorial, presented by Tyler Perry Enterprises  wrap up the year at Eagle Raceway.


RESULTS:

RaceSaver Nationals Sprint A-Feature
1. Jake Bubak Lincoln, Ne. 2. Joey Danley Martell, Ne. 3. John Carney Amarillo, Tx. 4. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 5. Ethan Barrow Bloomington, In. 6. Jeremy Huish Ness City, Ks. 7. Brandon Bosma Rock Rapids, Ia. 8. Steven Richardson Liberal, Ks. 9. Trevor Grossenbacher Panama, Ne. 10. Carson Bolden Quinlan, Tx. 11. Chase Brewer Waxahachie, Tx. 12. Kevin Ramey Fort Worth, Tx. 13. Cole Vanderheiden Papillion, Ne. 14. Ryder Laplante Calera, Ok. 15. Koby Werkmeister Armour, Sd. 16. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 17. Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 18. Claud Estes Godley, Tx. 19. Dusty Ballenger Harrisburg, Sd. 20. Chad Koch Murdock, Ne. 21. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 22. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. 23. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 24. Maverick Elkins Bryan, Tx. 25. Trevor Serbus Olivia, Mn. 26. Jack Thomas Bates City, Mo. DNS. Cody Ledger Omaha, Ne.

RaceSaver Nationals Sprint B-Feature
1. Jeremy Huish Ness City, Ks. 2. Brandon Bosma Rock Rapids, Ia. 3. Joey Danley Martell, Ne. 4. Carson Bolden Quinlan, Tx. 5. Maverick Elkins Bryan, Tx. 6. Steven Richardson Liberal, Ks. 7. Jack Thomas Bates City, Mo. 8. Koby Werkmeister Armour, Sd. 9. Kevin Ramey Fort Worth, Tx. 10. Kevin Rutherford Flowermound, Tx. 11. Dj Estes Ft Worth, Tx. 12. Stuart Snyder Lincoln, Ne. 13. Matt Johnson Saint Peter, Mn. 14. Billy Alley Bennet, Ne. 15. Michalob Voeltz Madison, Sd. 16. Conner Thomas Post, Tx. 17. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 18. Shayle Bade Raymond, Ne. 19. Zach Rhodes Mcveytown, Pa. 21. Mike Moore Des Moines, Ia. 22. Brandon Horton Waterloo, Ne. 23. Tige Jensen Lincoln, Ne. 24. Gaige Weldon  DNS. Kasey Weaver Everett, Pa.

RaceSaver Nationals Sprint C-Feature 1
1. Kevin Rutherford Flowermound, Tx. 2. Zach Rhodes Mcveytown, Pa. 3. Steven Richardson Liberal, Ks. 4. Mike Moore Des Moines, Ia. 5. Jack Thomas Bates City, Mo. 6. Brandon Horton Waterloo, Ne. 7. Kasey Weaver Everett, Pa. 8. Cole Garner Sioux Falls, Sd. 9. Jacob Harris Vidor, Tx. 10. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 11. Jake Galusha Bennet, Ne. 12. Kolby Weaver Everett, Pa. 13. John Klabunde Fort Calhoun, Ne. DNS. Brady Donnahue  DNS. Corby Scherb Decatur, Tx.

RaceSaver Nationals Sprint C-Feature 2
1. Matt Johnson Saint Peter, Mn. 2. Tige Jensen Lincoln, Ne. 3. Kevin Ramey Fort Worth, Tx. 4. Conner Thomas Post, Tx. 5. Billy Alley Bennet, Ne. 6. Gaige Weldon  7. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 8. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 9. Jeb Sessums Cleburne, Tx. 10. Colby Estes Mansfield, Tx. 11. Chase Weiler Lincoln, Ne. 12. Cade Richards Lincoln, Ne. 13. Tyler Hendrickson(r) Lincoln, Ne. 14. Bret Klabunde Omaha, Ne. 15. Chad Wilson North Richland Hills, Tx.

RaceSaver Nationals Sprint D-Feature 1
1. Jack Thomas Bates City, Mo. 2. Brady Donnahue  3. Corby Scherb Decatur, Tx. 4. Jake Galusha Bennet, Ne. 5. John Klabunde Fort Calhoun, Ne. 6. Heath Nestrick Caddo Mills, Tx. 7. Chris Graf Glencoe, Mn. 8. Jack Hall Yukon, Ok. 9. Bayley Ballenger Harrisburg, Sd. 10. Justin Bolte Fremont, Ne. 11. Dylan Ramey Fort Worth, Tx. 12. Nick Barger Madison, Sd. 13. Tanner Anderson Wynot, Ne. 14. Ryan Navratil Altoona, Ia.

RaceSaver Nationals Sprint D-Feature 2
1. Chad Wilson North Richland Hills, Tx. 2. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 3. Jeb Sessums Cleburne, Tx. 4. Tyler Hendrickson(r) Lincoln, Ne. 5. Colby Estes Mansfield, Tx. 6. Bradley Galedrige Greenwood, In. 7. Bill Johnson St. Peter, Mn. 8. Nathan Weiler Omaha, Ne. 9. Philip Heynen Visalia, Ca. 10. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 11. Daniel Nekolite O`neill, Ne. 12. Austin Burkham Mansfield, Tx. 13. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 14. Carter Holt(r) Bonner Springs, Ks.

RaceSaver Nationals Sprint E-Feature 1
1. Chris Graf Glencoe, Mn. 2. Bayley Ballenger Harrisburg, Sd. 3. Ryan Navratil Altoona, Ia. 4. Heath Nestrick Caddo Mills, Tx. 5. Dean Barnes Zionsville, In. 6. Brandon Rekow Ellendale, Nd. 7. Tyler Harris Vidor, Tx. 8. Michael Oliver San Antonio, Tx. 9. Bill Garrow Lincoln, Ne. 10. Dwight Carter Lincoln, Ne. 11. Owen Carlson Somerset, Wi. 12. Dewayne White Byhalia, Ms. 13. Jeremy Schultz Stewart, Mn. 14. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne.

RaceSaver Nationals Sprint E-Feature 2
1. Carter Holt(r) Bonner Springs, Ks. 2. Bill Johnson St. Peter, Mn. 3. Colby Estes Mansfield, Tx. 4. Bradley Galedrige Greenwood, In. 5. Daren Bolac Moyock, Nc. 6. Taylor Courtney Fort Worth, Tx. 7. Sean Jordan Lumberton, Tx. 8. Alex Salzman Lincoln, Ne. 9. Jackson Weber Dell Rapids, Sd. 10. Joshua Lewis Shawnee, Ok. 11. Rick Hansen Omaha, Ne. 12. Junior Jenkins Greenville, Tx. 13. Daniel Estes Sr Mansfield, Tx.

RaceSaver Nationals Sprint Qualifying 1
1. Ethan Barrow Bloomington, In. 2. Trevor Grossenbacher Panama, Ne. 3. John Carney Amarillo, Tx. 4. Gunnar Pike South Bend, Ne. 5. Jake Bubak Lincoln, Ne. 6. Jason Danley Lincoln, Ne. 7. Clint Benson Papillion, Ne. 8. Cole Wayman Lincoln, Ne. 9. Cole Vanderheiden Papillion, Ne. 10. Ryder Laplante Calera, Ok. 11. Mike Boston Lincoln, Ne. 12. Chase Brewer Waxahachie, Tx. 13. Claud Estes Godley, Tx. 14. Gene Ackland Martell, Ne. 15. Chad Koch Murdock, Ne. 16. Cody Ledger Omaha, Ne. 17. Dusty Ballenger Harrisburg, Sd. 18. Trevor Serbus Olivia, Mn. 19. Carson Bolden Quinlan, Tx. 20. Koby Werkmeister Armour, Sd. 21. Michalob Voeltz Madison, Sd. 22. Dj Estes Ft Worth, Tx. 23. Stuart Snyder Lincoln, Ne. 24. Joey Danley Martell, Ne. 25. Brandon Bosma Rock Rapids, Ia. 26. Shayle Bade Raymond, Ne. 27. Jeremy Huish Ness City, Ks. 28. Maverick Elkins Bryan, Tx. 29. Mike Moore Des Moines, Ia. 30. Billy Alley Bennet, Ne. 31. Kevin Rutherford Flowermound, Tx. 32. Matt Johnson Saint Peter, Mn. 33. Jacob Harris Vidor, Tx. 34. Tige Jensen Lincoln, Ne. 35. Cole Garner Sioux Falls, Sd. 36. Conner Thomas Post, Tx. 37. Zach Rhodes Mcveytown, Pa. 38. Gaige Weldon  39. Steven Richardson Liberal, Ks. 40. Adam Gullion Lincoln, Ne. 41. Brandon Horton Waterloo, Ne. 42. Kevin Ramey Fort Worth, Tx. 43. Kolby Weaver Everett, Pa. 44. Chase Weiler Lincoln, Ne. 45. Jay Russell Wathena, Ks. 46. Bret Klabunde Omaha, Ne. 47. Kasey Weaver Everett, Pa. 48. Cade Richards Lincoln, Ne. 49. Jake Galusha Bennet, Ne. 50. Josh Riggins Lincoln, Ne. 51. Brady Donnahue  52. Chad Wilson North Richland Hills, Tx. 53. Jack Thomas Bates City, Mo. 54. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 55. Corby Scherb Decatur, Tx. 56. Tyler Hendrickson(r) Lincoln, Ne. 57. Dylan Ramey Fort Worth, Tx. 58. Nathan Weiler Omaha, Ne. 59. Nick Barger Madison, Sd. 60. Daniel Nekolite O`neill, Ne. 61. Jack Hall Yukon, Ok. 62. Philip Heynen Visalia, Ca. 63. Justin Bolte Fremont, Ne. 64. Alex Davenport Lincoln, Ne. 65. John Klabunde Fort Calhoun, Ne. 66. Jeb Sessums Cleburne, Tx. 67. Tanner Anderson Wynot, Ne. 68. Austin Burkham Mansfield, Tx. 69. Chris Graf Glencoe, Mn. 70. Carter Holt(r) Bonner Springs, Ks. 71. Andrew Jackson Fremont, Ne. 72. Colby Estes Mansfield, Tx. 73. Bayley Ballenger Harrisburg, Sd. 74. Bill Johnson St. Peter, Mn. 75. Dewayne White Byhalia, Ms. 76. Junior Jenkins Greenville, Tx. 77. Dean Barnes Zionsville, In. 78. Bradley Galedrige Greenwood, In. 79. Ryan Navratil Altoona, Ia. 80. Daren Bolac Moyock, Nc. 81. Bill Garrow Lincoln, Ne. 82. Sean Jordan Lumberton, Tx. 83. Jeremy Schultz Stewart, Mn. 84. Rick Hansen Omaha, Ne. 85. Tyler Harris Vidor, Tx. 86. Alex Salzman Lincoln, Ne. 87. Brandon Rekow Ellendale, Nd. DNF. Jackson Weber Dell Rapids, Sd. DNS. Michael Oliver San Antonio, Tx. DQ. Daniel Estes Sr Mansfield, Tx. 91. Heath Nestrick Caddo Mills, Tx. 92. Taylor Courtney Fort Worth, Tx. 93. Dwight Carter Lincoln, Ne. 94. Joshua Lewis Shawnee, Ok. 95. Owen Carlson Somerset, Wi.

Stock Car-IMCA A-Feature
1. Kyle Vanover Beatrice, Ne. 2. Eric Rempel Lincoln, Ne. 3. Tyler Jackson(r) Lincoln, Ne. 4. Dusty Blake Hebron, Ne. 5. Benji Legg Beatrice, Ne. 6. Mike Scheinost(r) Ceresco, Ne. 7. Tim Drake Louisville, Ne. 8. Jeremy Down Nebraska City, Ne. 9. Dana Rasmussen Rising City, Ne. 10. Shane Stutzman Milford, Ne. 11. Jarret Wood  12. Nick Steier Bennington, Ne. 13. Travis Patterson Ashland, Ne. 14. Nate Desive Oneill, Ne. 15. Jakob Boucher Murdock, Ne. 16. Jerod Bussen Fremont, Ne. 17. Marty Steinbach Fremont, Ne. 18. Larry Robinson Jr. Underwood, Ia. 19. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 20. Thomas Etherton(r) Eagle, Ne.

Stock Car-IMCA B-Feature
1. Dana Rasmussen Rising City, Ne. 2. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 3. Jarret Wood  4. Nick Steier Bennington, Ne. 5. Rick Barton Riverton, Ia. 6. Riley Ruisinger(r) Bennet, Ne. 7. Heath Vanden Bosch Whiting, Ia. 8. Scott Carlson Plattsmouth, Ne. 9. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne. 10. Austin Boucher Murdock, Ne. 11. Nathan Meyer Ohiowa, Ne. 12. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 13. Dylan Haney Fremont, Ne. DNS. Larry Robinson  DNS. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. DNS. Chris Cherney 

Stock Car-IMCA Heat 1
1. Tyler Jackson(r) Lincoln, Ne. 2. Kyle Vanover Beatrice, Ne. 3. Eric Rempel Lincoln, Ne. 4. Travis Patterson Ashland, Ne. 5. Matt Boucher Murdock, Ne. 6. Dana Rasmussen Rising City, Ne. 7. Nick Steier Bennington, Ne. 8. Austin Boucher Murdock, Ne.

Stock Car-IMCA Heat 2
1. Jeremy Down Nebraska City, Ne. 2. Thomas Etherton(r) Eagle, Ne. 3. Dusty Blake Hebron, Ne. 4. Tim Drake Louisville, Ne. 5. Jarret Wood  6. Dylan Haney Fremont, Ne. 7. Rick Barton Riverton, Ia. 8. Nathan Meyer Ohiowa, Ne.

Stock Car-IMCA Heat 3
1. Mike Scheinost(r) Ceresco, Ne. 2. Shane Stutzman Milford, Ne. 3. Nate Desive Oneill, Ne. 4. Jerod Bussen Fremont, Ne. 5. Jeff Watts Beatrice, Ne. 6. Larry Robinson  7. Nate Thompson Fremont, Ne. 8. Chris Cherney 

Stock Car-IMCA Heat 4
1. Marty Steinbach Fremont, Ne. 2. Benji Legg Beatrice, Ne. 3. Larry Robinson Jr. Underwood, Ia. 4. Jakob Boucher Murdock, Ne. 5. Scott Carlson Plattsmouth, Ne. 6. Riley Ruisinger(r) Bennet, Ne. 7. Heath Vanden Bosch Whiting, Ia. 8. Dan Jackson Ceresco, Ne.