Tanner, Nunnikhoven breakthrough in Iron Man Challenge affair at I-35 Speedway

Mike Tanner won the Out-Pace USRA B-Mod feature.

Mike Tanner won the Out-Pace USRA B-Mod feature.


Two new names were etched into the Iron Man Challenge record books Saturday night when Mike Tanner and Donovan Nunnikhoven claimed a pair of hard-fought victories at the I-35 Speedway.

Making his 27th career Iron Man start, Tanner held off a swarm of Out-Pace USRA B-Mod challengers from start to finish to notch his first win in the tough-as-nails series.

Tanner held off the challenges of Eddie Schwope Jr. in the early stages of the feature, but as the race progressed Jake Richards climbed through the field to challenge Tanner but come up short.

Richards placed second with Bud Wilson third, fourth belonged to Doug Keller and Tim Eaton completed the top five.

In the Holley USRA Stock Car finale, Sam Scott set the pace for the first dozen laps only to have contact with Dean Wray, sending both front-runners to the back of the field.

On the restart, Steve Jackson assumed the lead and appeared to be the car to beat until Donovan Nunnikhoven used the high line to grab the top spot and lead the final four laps for the win.

Jesse Brown used a daring last-lap pass to nip Jackson for second, fourth went to Mich Ross and Wray recovered to finish fifth.

Ross, however, was disqualified during post-race technical inspections which moved Wray to fourth and Todd Staley to the fifth spot.


Donovan Nunnikhoven won the Holley USRA Stock Car feature.

The next Iron Man Challenge clash takes place Saturday, May 27, at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., with both Out-Pace USRA B-Mods and Holley USRA Stock Cars in action with the USMTS Modifieds.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Racing Association
Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series / Iron Man Challenge
I-35 Speedway, Winston, Mo.
Saturday, April 22, 2017

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, laps completed and money won.

OUT-PACE USRA B-MODS

Heat Race #1 (8 laps):
1. (1) 211 Tim Eaton, St. Joseph, Mo.
2. (2) 14m Brian Mahlstedt, Ionia, Iowa.
3. (4) 10 Johnny McGinnis, Hardin, Mo.
4. (8) 15 Ed Noll, Excelsior Springs, Mo.
5. (5) 07 Daniel Harris, Excelsior Spring, Mo.
6. (3) 47x Connor Masoner, St. Joseph, Mo.
7. (6) 02 Cole Denner, New Hampton, Iowa.
8. (7) 16 Paul Lanfermann, Atchison, Kan.

Heat Race #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) 57 Randy Ainsworth, Excelsior Springs, Mo.
2. (4) 20t Mike Tanner, Smithville, Mo.
3. (3) 7+ Jared Timmerman, Norwalk, Iowa.
4. (6) 17t Shadren Turner, St. Joseph, Mo.
5. (7) 17j Jake Richards, Lansing, Kan.
6. (2) 9m Derrick Mahoney, Liberty, Mo.
7. (5) 32p Jeremy Pittsenbarger, Cameron, Mo.

Heat Race #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 91 Eddie Schwope Jr., St. Joseph, Mo.
2. (4) 18k Danan Knott, Coffey, Mo.
3. (3) 20y Yancy Shepard, Smithville, Mo.
4. (5) 66x Chris Wright, Chillicothe, Mo.
5. (7) 7 Doug Keller, Easton, Mo.
6. (6) 22wy Wyatt Shepard, Edgerton, Mo.
7. (1) 20x Bud Wilson, Trenton, Mo.

Summit Racing Equipment “A” Main (18 laps):
1. (2) 20t Mike Tanner, Smithville, Mo., 18, $600.
2. (13) 17j Jake Richards, Lansing, Kan., 18, $325.
3. (21) 20x Bud Wilson, Trenton, Mo., 18, $270.
4. (14) 7 Doug Keller, Easton, Mo., 18, $220.
5. (8) 211 Tim Eaton, St. Joseph, Mo., 18, $180.
6. (7) 57 Randy Ainsworth, Excelsior Springs, Mo., 18, $150.
7. (9) 7+ Jared Timmerman, Norwalk, Iowa, 18, $205.
8. (11) 17t Shadren Turner, St. Joseph, Mo., 18, $115.
9. (20) 32p Jeremy Pittsenbarger, Cameron, Mo., 18, $105.
10. (22) 16 Paul Lanfermann, Atchison, Kan., 18, $95.
11. (3) 18k Danan Knott, Coffey, Mo., 18, $90.
12. (5) 14m Brian Mahlstedt, Ionia, Iowa, 18, $145.
13. (6) 15 Ed Noll, Excelsior Springs, Mo., 18, $80.
14. (16) 47x Connor Masoner, St. Joseph, Mo., 18, $75.
15. (17) 9m Derrick Mahoney, Liberty, Mo., 17, $70.
16. (1) 10 Johnny McGinnis, Hardin, Mo., 8, $65.
17. (15) 07 Daniel Harris, Excelsior Spring, Mo., 8, $60.
18. (19) 02 Cole Denner, New Hampton, Iowa, 5, $110.
19. (18) 22wy Wyatt Shepard, Edgerton, Mo., 3, $50.
20. (10) 20y Yancy Shepard, Smithville, Mo., 3, $50.
21. (12) 66x Chris Wright, Chillicothe, Mo., 3, $50.
22. (4) 91 Eddie Schwope Jr., St. Joseph, Mo., 3, $50.

Lap Leader: Tanner 1-18.
Total Laps Led: Tanner 18.
Margin of Victory: seconds.
Time of Race: 21 minutes, 51.753 seconds (8 cautions).
Provisional Starters: none.
Entries: 22.
Next Race: Saturday, May 27, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Points Standings: Tanner 394, Richards 360, Andy Bryant 350, Timmerman 335, Denner 333, Mike Striegel 280, Mahlstedt 269, J.C. Morton 254, Curt Drake 240.

HOLLEY USRA STOCK CARS

Heat Race #1 (8 laps):
1. (2) 34x Mich Ross, Maysville, Mo.
2. (4) 2n Donovan Nunnikhoven, Sully, Iowa.
3. (7) 77 Dean Wray, Jamesport, Mo.
4. (5) 11 Jesse Brown, Nashua, Iowa.
5. (3) 19 Jay Barnes, Kearney, Mo.
6. (1) 14 Todd Staley, Webster City, Iowa.
7. (6) 83a Aaron Sauter, St. Joseph, Mo.

Heat Race #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) 93 Sam Scott, Excelsior Springs, Mo.
2. (6) 2j Steve Jackson, Polk City, Iowa.
3. (2) 20j Jayden Bears, Smithville, Mo.
4. (5) 33 Mark Ronnebaum, Centralia, Kan.
5. (3) 20x John Boller Jr., St. Joseph, Mo.
6. (4) 25 Justin Merriman, Onaga, Kan.

Summit Racing Equipment “A” Main (20 laps):
1. (5) 2n Donovan Nunnikhoven, Sully, Iowa, 20, $600.
2. (4) 11 Jesse Brown, Nashua, Iowa, 20, $545.
3. (2) 2j Steve Jackson, Polk City, Iowa, 20, $425.
4. (3) 77 Dean Wray, Jamesport, Mo., 20, $250.
5. (11) 14 Todd Staley, Webster City, Iowa, 20, $290.
6. (10) 20x John Boller Jr., St. Joseph, Mo., 20, $165.
7. (9) 19 Jay Barnes, Kearney, Mo., 20, $140.
8. (6) 20j Jayden Bears, Smithville, Mo., 20, $120.
9. (7) 33 Mark Ronnebaum, Centralia, Kan., 20, $110.
10. (13) 83a Aaron Sauter, St. Joseph, Mo., 20, $100.
11. (12) 25 Justin Merriman, Onaga, Kan., 8, $90.
DQ – (8) 34x Mich Ross, Maysville, Mo., 20, $0.
DQ – (1) 93 Sam Scott, Excelsior Springs, Mo., 19, $0.

Lap Leaders: Scott 1-12, Jackson 13-16, Nunnikhoven 17-20.
Total Laps Led: Scott 12, Jackson 4, Nunnikhoven 4.
Margin of Victory: 0.349 second.
Time of Race: 15 minutes, 15.715 seconds (4 cautions).
Provisional Starters: none.
Entries: 13.
Next Race: Saturday, May 27, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Points Standings: Jackson 186, Brown 186, Barnes 159, Staley 154, Kevin Anderson 100, Nunnikhoven 100, Tom Fogarty 87, Wray 87, Nick Zinn 84, Boller 81.

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