Wauters scores thrilling win at CJ Speedway

COLUMBUS JUNCTION — Following a missed Friday due to heavy rains, Friday night of a holiday weekend was a special one at the CJ Speedway located on the Louisa County Fairgrounds.

Larry Richardson enabled a great night of racing with his work through wet conditions to harden the 4/10ths of a mile dirt oval into a smooth, fast, wide track. The closest finish of the night was in the CJ Auto Parts NAPA Stores IMCA Hobby Stock main event and the track hosted the Nostalgia Stock Car Club.

The club brought 10 cars to the track, most were throwback tributes, replicating racers in eastern Iowa and western Illinois in the 1970s and 80s. The 12-lap win went to Matt Fulton whose No. 32 car is painted as tribute to his father. Fulton scored the win ahead of Brian Ashmore in a Gary Webb look-a-like car.

Aaron Martin wrestled the Hobby Stock lead away from Jared Miller to lead the majority of the race. CJ and National Hobby Stock point leader Daniel Wauters advanced to second from a third-row start.

Martin held back Wauters' constant challenges until the white flag came out. Wauters moved to the top side of the track in Turn 3. Wauters and Martin came off Turn 4 with the checkered flag waving. Wauters was able to lead the last 100 feet, and Martin finished less than half a car length back.

Defending track champion Adam Bell won the 20-lap Mincer Ford IMCA Stock Car feature. A perennial bottom-line driver, Bell took advantage of a great redraw to lead flag to flag from the outside front row. Pat Rachels took second from a 14th-position start. John Hemstead also advanced from the seventh row to take third.

Drew Janssen won the Stewart & Sons Fuel main event in just his 21st start in a modified following a successful go-kart career.

“Driving a modified is a whole different animal than driving a go-kart, but this feels great to get my first career win under my belt,” Janssen said.

When the checkers flew in the Huston Brothers Trucking IMCA Sportmods 15 -lap main event, it was Pip Squeak, Shane Paris. Starting in the second row, Paris shot out in front of the other 25 cars early to take the point from Scott Brau.

Jake Benischek drove his No. 3 Midwest Towing IMCA Sport Compact to the feature win ahead of Tim Long and Darin Smith.

The CJ Speedway will host another full night of racing Friday with hot laps taking to the track at 7:15 p.m.

CJ Speedway Friday, July 2 Top 5 Feature Results

CJ Auto Parts/NAPA IMCA Store Hobby Stocks

1.09 Daniel Wauters-Tipton

2.73 Aaron Martin-Delta

3.4R Randy Lamar-Buffalo

4.77 Keaton Gordon-Ottawa

5.3 Jake Benischek-Durant

Mincer Ford IMCA Stock Cars

1.23B Adam Bell-Frytown

2.34 Pat Rachels-China Grove, NC

3.34 John Hemstead-Riverside

4.08S Rod Stats-Columbus Junction

5.21M Kirk Kinsley-Wapello

Stewart & Sons Fuel IMCA Modifieds

1.127 Drew Janssen-Pella

2.22 Brandon Banks-Washington

3.88 Jarrett Brown-Ainsworth

4.40 Dakota Simmons-Douds

5.43 Derrick Stewart-Ainsworth

Huston Brothers Trucking IMCA Sportmods

1.17 Shane Paris-Muscatine

2.9W Ryan Walker-Wilton

3.29 Colton Livezey-New Sharon

4.92 Dustin Schram-Sterling, IL

5.7T Trey Rock-New Boston, IL

Midwest Towing IMCA Sport Compacts

1.3 Jake Benischek-Durant

2.86 Tim Long-New Boston, IL

3.27 Darin Smith-Wapello

4.55 Jason Staley-Letts

5.3X Cody Montgomery-Tipton

Nostalgia Car Club

1.32 Matt Fulton-Muscatine

2.56 Brian Ashmore-Davenport

3.35 Mark Claeys-Eldridge

4.01 Kurt Zimmerman-Muscatine

5.95 Cruze Birkhofer-Muscatine