Aaron Reutzel topped the IRA feature at 34 Raceway Friday (Mark Funderburk Photo)
8/25/23
34 Raceway
West Burlington, IA
IRA
32 cars
Drivers were split into two groups for qualifying. Brenham Crouch (11th car out in the group) set quick time in the first group and overall on the 3/8-mile at 12.961 seconds. Austin McCarl (5th car out) was second quick, followed by Sawyer Phillips (6th), Austin Hartmann (15th) and Danny Schlafer (4th). Aaron Reutzel (7th car out) set quick time in the second group, followed by Brandon Wimmer (6th), Jordan Goldesberry (11th), Will Armitage (5th) and Dave Uttech (2nd).
Heat one (started): 1. Schlafer 25 (2) 2. Scott Neitzel 2w (1) 3. Crouch 1 (4) 4. Phillips 3P (3) 5. Tyler Duff 9 (5) / 6. Kris Spitz 4K (6) 7. Cole Mincer 15 (7) DNS – Josh Schneiderman 49
8-lap heats transferred the top five to the feature, and the winner and the three best qualifiers not winning the heat in each qualifying group. Schneiderman pulled off right before the heat began. Schlafer led Neitzel for the distance. Crouch used the low side of turn two to take third from Phillips on lap two. Duff held off Spitz and Mincer in a good battle for the final transfer.
Heat two (started): 1. Zach Hampton 35 (2) 2. Paul Nienhiser 50 (1) 3. McCarl 88 (4) 4. Kevin Newton 16TH (5) 5. Tyler Lee 7 (6) / 6. Ion Steer 19CW (7) 7. William Huck 39V (8) 8. Hartmann 87A (3)
Hampton went wire to wire ahead of Nienhiser and McCarl. Newton grabbed fifth from Lee on lap two, but both would end up in transfer spots as Hartmann crashed hard while running fourth on the final lap. He was uninjured.
Heat three (started): 1. Riley Goodno 22 (1) 2. Reutzel 8 (4) 3. Uttech 68 (2) 4. Goldesberry 65 (3) 5. Joel Myers Jr. 46JR (6) / 6. Jake Neuman 3N (5) 7. Jack Vanderboom U2 (7) 8. Jack Conger 24 (8)
Little changed in the top four, but the battle was on for the final transfer. Neuman held it most of the way, but a three-way battle raged for the spot between he, Myers and Vanderboom. Myers would claim it on the last lap.
Heat four (started): 1. Jake Blackhurst 96 (2) 2. Wimmer 6 (4) 3. Armitage 7A (3) 4. Travis Arenz 25T (1) 5. Russel Borland 23 (7) / 6. Kyle Schuett 9K (5) 7. Tyler Tischendorf 26 (6) 8. McCain Richards 31 (8)
Blackhurst led the distance. Tischendorf held the fifth and final transfer early, but Schuett and Borland were all over him. Schuett took the spot on lap three, only to have Borland get under him with three to go using the low side of turn two.
Dash #1 (started): 1. McCarl (2) 2. Schlafer (4) 3. Crouch (1) 4. Hampton (5) 5. Phillips (3)
The 4-lap Dash set up the feature lineup inside rows one through five. McCarl led green to checker, while Schlafer got by Crouch to snag second on the final lap.
Dash #2 (started): 1. Reutzel (3) 2. Blackhurst (1) 3. Wimmer (2) 4. Goldesberry (5) 5. Goodno (4)
Blackhurst led early before Reutzel passed him on the high side of turn two on lap two.
B main (started): 1. Schneiderman (1) 2. Vanderboom (6) 3. Schuett (2) 4. Neuman (9) / 5. Stear (3) 6. Mincer (7) 7. Tischendorf (4) 8. Conger (8) 9. Spitz (5) 10. Richards (10) DNS – Huck, Hartmann
The 10-lap B took the top four to the feature. Schneiderman led Schuett, Tischendorf and Vanderboom early. Vanderboom, passed Tischendorf on the high side on lap two for third. Neuman had worked his way from the tail to pass Tischendorf for the final transfer spot by the third lap. Vanderboom, passed Schuett for second on the white flag lap.
A main (started): 1. Reutzel (2) 2. Wimmer (6) 3. McCarl (1) 4. Hampton (7) 5. Crouch (5) 6. Nienhiser (13) 7. Goldesberry (8) 8. Blackhurst (4) 9. Arenz (16) 10. Goodno (10) 11. Schlafer (3) 12. Armitage (12) 13. Borland (20) 14. Neitzel (11) 15. Schneiderman (21) 16. Neuman (24) 17. Lee (19) 18. Schuett (23) 19. Vanderboom (22) 20. Phillips (9) 21. Duff (17) 22. Uttech (14) 23. Newton (15) 24. Myers Jr. (18)
Reutzel led McCarl, Schlafer, Wimmer and Crouch early in the 30-lapper. Schlafer passed McCarl to take over second on lap two. McCarl returned the favor, driving back under Schlafer on lap six. Wimmer was committed to the top and passed Schlaffer for third on the next circuit. Reutzel entered lapped traffic on lap nine. At the halfway point, McCarl pulled to Reutzel’s rear bumper. Reutzel turned on the juice in traffic. Wimmer was also on McCarl’s tail and passed him for second with two to go, just before the caution came out or a stopped Myers Jr. A green, white, checker finish saw Wimmer with momentum on the leader. Coming off the turn four cushion coming for the white flag, Reutzel slid from bottom to top. Wimmer made pretty heavy contact with him, but both continued to finish in that order, followed by McCarl.