BOONE, Iowa (May 24) – Big changes are in store for the biggest event in IMCA racing.
The Sept. 6-11 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals will see a switch in qualifying nights for Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Stock Cars.
Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks will qualify Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 6-7, while Stock Cars qualify Wednesday, Thurs¬day and Friday, Sept. 8-10.
Thirty heats and a single qualifying feature are in store each night Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the Modifieds.
“Everything is based on time. That’s why we’re making these changes,” explained IMCA Vice President of Opera¬tions Brett Root. “We can’t continue to push the starting time up every afternoon and then race until early the next morning.”
Main events for Modifieds, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks and Northern SportMods, as well as the respective races of cham¬pions, remain on Saturday.
Super Nationals entries have topped the 800 mark each of the last two years.
Northern SportMods have made the biggest impact on car count numbers, debuting at Boone Speedway with 54 en¬tries in 2005 and growing to 165 last year.
Modifieds have averaged 318 entries, Stock Cars 170 and Hobby Stocks 141 over the same period.
“We’re basically swapping four days, moving Stock Cars from Monday and Tuesday and SportMods from Thursday and Friday,” said Root. “This addresses our main concern, based on Thursday night at last year’s Super Nationals when we raced until well past midnight. We are anticipating more SportMods in 2010 and that eventually the division will rival the Modifieds number-wise. It’s one thing when weather causes a delay but it’s another when you have your two biggest divisions racing the same night.”
Hobby, SportMod and Stock drivers will advance from both heats and “B” races to qualifying features.
The top 10 in the two Hobby qualifiers Monday advance to the inside and middle rows of Saturday’s big dance. The top 10 in Tuesday’s qualifier make up the outside row.
SportMods will qualify the inside row on Monday and the middle and outside row on Tuesday.
Both the Hobbies and SportMods will redraw for Tuesday starting spots instead of lining up by points earned on the first day.
Stocks draw Wednesday and Thursday before lining up by points Friday. Heat and “B” winners on Wednesday and Thursday advance to qualifying features to determine the inside and middle row of 10 in the main event field. The outside row of 10 will be set on Friday.
Long-time fans will be familiar with the format, previously employed at Super Nationals, for Modifieds.
Winners of 30 heats races each night Wednesday, Thursday and Friday advance to qualifying features. The top eight on Wednesday advance to the inside row for the main event, Thursday’s top eight to the inside row and Friday’s top eight to the outside row.
Points awarded for “B” races those evenings determine starting grids for 15 last chance heats on Saturday. Three cars advance from each of three last chance features to complete the Modified field of 33.
“Again, time is an important element. Eliminating second and third qualifying features and pole dashes for Modifieds will shorten all three race programs,” Root said. “We need to keep formats as precise as possible to get feature events in place for the grand finale on Saturday night.”
Both the Deery Brothers Summer Series program for Late Models and Arnold Motor Supply Race of Champions for SportMods qualifying are on Labor Day.
Arnold Motor Supply RoC qualifying for Hobby Stocks is set for Tuesday. The Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, Sunoco Race Fuels RoC qualifying for the Stocks and Harris Auto Racing RoC qualifying for the Modifieds are on Fri¬day.
“The length of a show is largely a product of car counts and laps run. Obviously, we don’t know yet how many cars will be at Boone for Super Nationals,” Root said. “We have to be very cognizant of how this event affects the community of Boone. They’ve been very supportive of Super Nationals but racing until 2 or 3 in the morning is not fair to the city or its residents.”
The Sept. 6-11 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals will see a switch in qualifying nights for Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Stock Cars.
Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks will qualify Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 6-7, while Stock Cars qualify Wednesday, Thurs¬day and Friday, Sept. 8-10.
Thirty heats and a single qualifying feature are in store each night Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the Modifieds.
“Everything is based on time. That’s why we’re making these changes,” explained IMCA Vice President of Opera¬tions Brett Root. “We can’t continue to push the starting time up every afternoon and then race until early the next morning.”
Main events for Modifieds, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks and Northern SportMods, as well as the respective races of cham¬pions, remain on Saturday.
Super Nationals entries have topped the 800 mark each of the last two years.
Northern SportMods have made the biggest impact on car count numbers, debuting at Boone Speedway with 54 en¬tries in 2005 and growing to 165 last year.
Modifieds have averaged 318 entries, Stock Cars 170 and Hobby Stocks 141 over the same period.
“We’re basically swapping four days, moving Stock Cars from Monday and Tuesday and SportMods from Thursday and Friday,” said Root. “This addresses our main concern, based on Thursday night at last year’s Super Nationals when we raced until well past midnight. We are anticipating more SportMods in 2010 and that eventually the division will rival the Modifieds number-wise. It’s one thing when weather causes a delay but it’s another when you have your two biggest divisions racing the same night.”
Hobby, SportMod and Stock drivers will advance from both heats and “B” races to qualifying features.
The top 10 in the two Hobby qualifiers Monday advance to the inside and middle rows of Saturday’s big dance. The top 10 in Tuesday’s qualifier make up the outside row.
SportMods will qualify the inside row on Monday and the middle and outside row on Tuesday.
Both the Hobbies and SportMods will redraw for Tuesday starting spots instead of lining up by points earned on the first day.
Stocks draw Wednesday and Thursday before lining up by points Friday. Heat and “B” winners on Wednesday and Thursday advance to qualifying features to determine the inside and middle row of 10 in the main event field. The outside row of 10 will be set on Friday.
Long-time fans will be familiar with the format, previously employed at Super Nationals, for Modifieds.
Winners of 30 heats races each night Wednesday, Thursday and Friday advance to qualifying features. The top eight on Wednesday advance to the inside row for the main event, Thursday’s top eight to the inside row and Friday’s top eight to the outside row.
Points awarded for “B” races those evenings determine starting grids for 15 last chance heats on Saturday. Three cars advance from each of three last chance features to complete the Modified field of 33.
“Again, time is an important element. Eliminating second and third qualifying features and pole dashes for Modifieds will shorten all three race programs,” Root said. “We need to keep formats as precise as possible to get feature events in place for the grand finale on Saturday night.”
Both the Deery Brothers Summer Series program for Late Models and Arnold Motor Supply Race of Champions for SportMods qualifying are on Labor Day.
Arnold Motor Supply RoC qualifying for Hobby Stocks is set for Tuesday. The Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, Sunoco Race Fuels RoC qualifying for the Stocks and Harris Auto Racing RoC qualifying for the Modifieds are on Fri¬day.
“The length of a show is largely a product of car counts and laps run. Obviously, we don’t know yet how many cars will be at Boone for Super Nationals,” Root said. “We have to be very cognizant of how this event affects the community of Boone. They’ve been very supportive of Super Nationals but racing until 2 or 3 in the morning is not fair to the city or its residents.”
