April 25, 2024

Chuck Barnes takes checkers at Iowa Speedway

By Dustin Turner

Chuck Barnes' No. 5 car makes a victory lap around Iowa Speedway following Barnes' victory in the Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals race on Friday. Barnes led much of the way en route to a commanding victory over the 100-lap contest. (Dustin Turner)

Iowa Speedway's summer is in full swing with some hot racing in July. This past weekend was highlighted by NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday night, but the speedway hosted some street stock action on Friday to kick things off.

On Friday night, Chuck Barnes Jr. started in the front row of the Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals race, and he dominated from start to finish. The win for the 31-year old Louisville, Ky., native was his first over the track.

Barnes' win should shake away whatever demons he may have had about competing at Iowa Speedway. In the 2006 Prairie Meadows 250, Barnes failed to qualify. However on Friday, his number five car was commanding, and despite an early hiccup on a caution flag, Barnes cruised home in the 100-lap contest.

There was a heated race for second place coming at the end of the first 50 laps. Willie Reyns (No. 87) and Roger Williams (No. 32) went back-and-forth for the number two spot coming into the intermission, but Reyns ultimately edged out Williams and was given the second spot on the restart on lap 51.

That initial positioning proved crucial in the end, because although it became a very tight race for second-place the whole way home, with Reyns ultimately coming out on top.

At one point, Williams was shuffled back into the fourth position on lap 55, when he was passed by No. 11 Ronnie Newsome. Newsome battled with Reyns for second, but he began to lose some steam toward the end of the race. On lap 80, Williams regained his third place position, pushing Newsome back to where he would ultimately finish in fourth place.

The namesake of the circuit — Frankie Kimmel — sat in fifth position in his No. 88 car for a good portion of the first 50 laps, but he encountered some traffic toward the end of the first 50 laps, and started closer to the back of the pack on the restart. Kimmel was unable to recover and finished in 15th.