DECORAH, Iowa - With Nordic Fest in full swing, area race fans put down the lefse and rommegrot for a few hours and headed to the Upper Iowa Speedway for one of the season’s best nights of racing thus far. Mother Nature was a kind ol’ gal once again, and all was good.

Keith Schwartzhoff started pole in the USRA Hobby Stock feature and used that it to his full advantage by taking an early lead. There was some amazing racing going on throughout the field in this one, with three- and four-wide racing throughout. One of the three-wide battles was for third with Dan Hovden, Chris Hovden and Brandon Hare putting on a great show. Hare would eventually take second while Schwartzhoff enjoyed a five-car-length lead. Chris Hovden battled back on the low side, and the two would go back and forth as the laps wound down. Dan Hovden made his way back into the mix with two laps to go, and with the white flag waving, a caution flew for a corner 2 spin by Justin Kupka. The race restarted under green-white-checkered terms with Schwartzhoff leading when Chris Hovden and Hare, battling each other for second and the possible win, got together to bring out another caution. Hovden was penalized to the back of the pack, while Hare had to make a run to the pits for repairs, though he would return. This set-up points leader Scott Spilde in a great spot on the restart, and he would put all kinds of heat on Schwartzhoff on the final lap but would be denied as Schwartzhoff claimed his first Upper Iowa Speedway feature win of the year by mere inches ahead of Spilde, Steve Larson and Adam Cline.

Twenty cars started the USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mod feature, but things were slowed early on by a corner 4 spin by Bill Richter. Shortly after the restart, it was Brian Mahlstedt moving to the lead. A second caution flew for a corner 4 spin on lap 5. Soon after, Mahlstedt, who was leading the race at the time, spun, bringing out the third caution. Greg Mitchell, trying to avoid Mahlstedt, planted his #20 in the corner 2 wall - a near repeat of a similar incident he was involved in earlier in the year. Eric Verthein was shown as the leader following the restart, with Andy Kelly running second and points leader Matt Jones in third. The leaders worked into lapped traffic and Jones negotiated it just a bit better than Kelly on the final lap to take second, but the win would go to Verthein, his second of the season.

A three-wide battle for the lead between Kevin Bidne, Dale Halverson and Danny Cole, Jr. on lap 1 was just a sign of the great racing about to take place in the USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Car feature. Mitch Hovden and Kevin Donlan worked their way into the battle, as did Dan Jones who made it a six-car fight for the top spot. One lap 6, a caution flew for a corner 3 spin by Lynn Panos. At the restart, Hovden was leading while Cole and Jones were hot on his tail. At the halfway point, it was still three wide for the lead between Hovden, Jones and Donlan. Jones would move to second and set-up a great battle with Hovden with Jones running high and Hovden low. Jones gained an advantage in corners 1-2, but Hovden would get the better of Jones in 3-4. With two laps to go, Jones moved to the bottom as well and was all over Hovden as the white flag flew but Hovden would not be denied as he claimed the thrill win ahead of Jones, Cole and Donlan.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series
Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Friday, July 24, 2009

USRA Hobby Stocks: Schwartzhoff , Spiilde, Larson, Cline, Anderson, Dan Hovden, Lewis, Sacquintne, Hare, Stinson.

USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mods: Verthein, Jones, Kelly, Moudry, Freilinger, Kelly, Shane Panos, Broszeit, Howard, Casey Panos.

USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Cars: Hovden, Jones, Cole, Donlan, Bidne, Christopher, Krauskopf, Panos, Ludeking.