Source: Jeff Nunn
Date: 05/15/2008

OSKALOOSA, Iowa -- The Southern Iowa Speedway saw a healthy field of 67 cars checked in Wednesday night to take on the Mahaska County Half-Mile Monster for the first time in 2008.

New weekly ticket prices of $7 for adults ($2 less than last year) attracted a large crowd for the season-opener, and the addition of a new Kid’s Club was a big hit with the young fans. Add to that a perfectly-prepared racing surface and four classes of cars with some of the best drivers from the surrounding area competing in the USRA Casey’s General Stores Weekly Racing Series, and it looks like 2008 could be one of the best yet for the famed Osky oval.

In the USRA Hobby Stock feature, defending track champion Jason McDaniel of Eldon passed Don Nunnikhoven of Kellogg for the lead and drove to victory lane with Nunnikhoven in second and Dustin Griffiths of Ottumwa in third, while Jesse Sobbing of Glenwood took the fourth spot.

The second feature of the night was the USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Car main event with local driver A.J. Johnson leading the field to the green. Johnson paced a pack of two- and three-wide battles until Nathan Wood of Keswick made the pass and raced to the checkers. Johnson took second with last year's track champion Matt Greiner of Washington in third and Zack VanderBeek of New Sharon in fourth.

A bit of history was made in the Carter’s Intl. USRA B-Mod feature race. Andrew Schroeder of Keswick took the lead on the first lap and paced the field until Oskaloosa’s Brian Edel made his return to the Southern Iowa Speedway in style by passing Schroeder for the lead and grabbing the win. With the win, Edel became the first driver utilizing a GM Performance Parts crate engine to find victory lane since the engine option was added to the USRA-sanctioned class prior to the start of this season. Schroeder finished second while Bill Gibson of Knoxville, who moved up from the Hobby Stock division, took third. Paul Underwood of Ottumwa was fourth.

The MUSCO Lighting USRA Modifieds saw 17-year-old Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown take the win over a field of 20 top-notch competitors. New Sharon’s Zack VanderBeek started 11th and finished second with Brad Pinkerton of New Sharon racing from 12th to finish third. Al Hejna of Ventura turned in a fourth-place finish as he was on hand as part of his whirlwind tour of the Hawkeye State to spread awareness of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). More information about the JDRF is available online at www.jdrf.org.

Next week will feature America’s Hottest Ticket on Dirt as the O’Reilly USMTS National Tour rolls into town for the 7th Annual Spring Classic featuring the mud-slinging Modified masters of the O’Reilly USMTS National Tour. Also on the racing card will be USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Cars, Carter’s Intl. USRA B-Mods and USRA Hobby Stocks as they race for track and national points in the USRA Casey's General Stores Weekly Racing Series.

Pit gates open at 4 p.m., grandstands open at 5, hot laps begin at 6:45 and the first green flag waves at 7:15. Adult tickets are just $15, kids ages 6 to 12 are $5 and children under 6 are admitted FREE. Pit passes are $25.

Race fans can also pick up $2-off grandstand admission coupons on race day at any of the three Casey's General Stores locations in Oskaloosa.

For more information call the Southern Iowa Speedway office at 515-832-6000. The Southern Iowa Speedway is located 0.5 mile west of US 63 on SR 92 (“A” Ave. W), then four blocks north on N. I St. (at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds). For day-of-race information, call the track hotline at (507) 634-4281 or visit www.rlpromotions.com/oskaloosa online. For more information about the USRA, visit www.usraracing.com.

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