BOONE, Iowa — One of the lessons to be learned from Thursday Modified qualifying at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s was to never doubt Jeff Aikey.
Tim Ward was pretty convincing, too.
A night after passing up a guaranteed seventh or eighth row spot in Saturday’s Big Dance at Boone Speedway, Aikey marched from 10th to win the evening’s first qualifier. He’ll start first or second in the middle row come main event time.
“I’m pumped,” a beaming Aikey said from victory lane. “I really think we have a shot at this.”
The all-time leader in career Super Nationals crowns with seven — six in a late model plus the 2018 Modified title — Aikey was on leader Justin O’Brien’s back bumper with five laps to go, took over the front spot before a lap 23 caution and then held on through a green-white-checkered finish.
O’Brien, J.D. Auringer and Troy Morris III rounded out the four transfer spots.
Cayden Carter was disqualified from his transfer, and from the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational berth he’d earned earlier in the evening, for an illegal crate engine.
Ward led the distance and was chased by first-time Super Nationals competitor Jeff Reay the last 19 laps in the nightcap. Caught up in traffic late, his margin of victory was a deceptive .4 seconds.
Cory Sample and two-time Super Nationals champion Richie Gustin completed the top four.
Auringer makes his career ninth Super Nationals start, Gustin his seventh, O’Brien his fifth, Ward his fourth, Aikey his third in a Modified and Morris, Reay and Sample each their first.
A pair of stock car qualifying features were also run with Dylan Thornton and Tom Berry Jr. claiming the victories.
Fans who can’t be at Boone Speedway in person can watch every lap of both the Prelude and the complete week of Super Nationals via SPEED SPORT TV affiliate IMCA.TV.
The finishes:
Modified feature 1: Jeff Aikey, Justin O’Brien, J.D. Auringer, Troy Morris III, Jay Noteboom, Clay Money, Ethan Dotson, Kyle Brown, Chase Rudolf, Chris Palsrok, Matthew Meinecke, Chris Abelson, D.J. Shannon, William Gould, Ryan McDaniel, Ronn Lauritzen, Cody Knecht, Shane DeMey, Hunter Parsons, Ricky Stephan, Scott Simatovich, Jeff Taylor, Nick Meyer, Kelsie Foley, Keaton Atkinson, Zane DeVilbiss, Tom Berry Jr., Todd Shute, Troy Morris Jr., Cayden Carter.
Modified feature 2: Tim Ward, Jeff Reay, Cory Sample, Richie Gustin, Chance Allen, Mike Van Genderen, Jimmy Gustin, John Webb, Jake Pike, Bobby Hogge IV, Steven Bowers Jr., Cody Thompson, Randy Havlik, Jordy Nelson, Joel Rust, Trent Loverude, Gat Leytham, Mike Petersillie, Corey Lagroon, Jesse Skalicky, Robert Avery, Grey Ferrando, Paul Nagle, Chris Mills, Collen Winebarger, Jeff Larson, Michael Thing, Todd Stinehart, Dakota Sproul.
This story is part of the LIVE From the IMCA Super Nationals Presented by MyRacePass.com.
