Cooney, St. Arnold open week with wins
BOONE — Advice from a five-time champion helped Todd Cooney win his second IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals title.
Cooney led all 50 laps of Monday’s opening night Late Model feature at Boone Speedway, taking the checkers nearly half a lap ahead of Josh Most.
“I just ran the top,” Cooney said. “Steve Jackson told me to get on top here and don’t turn ‘til I had to. I’ve lived and breathed by that.”
Jackson owns five Super Nationals Stock Car crowns, and Cooney did his best to emulate Jackson’s dominating runs with a flag-to-flag showing after drawing the pole start.
Sprint Cars raced Tuesday at Boone Speedway. Tim St. Arnold didn’t look like a driver who’d been away from the sport for two years when he took to the track.
St. Arnold left the rest of the field well behind in winning the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals Sprint Car feature, leading all 20 laps and pocketing $1,000 for his efforts.
He’d come to Boone before to watch buddy Matt Stephenson race in the winged classs but never raced on the 1⁄3-mile oval himself before Tuesday.
“I’ve been retired. This is my first race in two years,” St. Arnold said. “This track resembles West Burlington and Sioux Falls. I like bullrings and that’s pretty much what this is. I used to race at Des Moines and won a track title there and was a rookie of the year at Knoxville. This win tonight ranks up there with either of those accomplishments.”
Late Model Feature: 1. Todd Cooney, Des Moines; 2. Josh Most, Red Oak; 3. Terry Neal, Ely; 4. Rob Toland, Bettendorf; 5. Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove; 6. Jason Hahne, Webster City; 7, Dale Hackwell, Waterloo; 8. Ryan Griffith, Webster City; 9. Adam Larson, Ames; 10. Craig Jacobs, Des Moines; 11. Chad Cooney, Des Moines; 12. Luke Goedert, Holy Cross; 13. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis; 14. Jason VanSickel, Webster City; 15. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo; 16. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 17. Jeff Segebart, Westside; 18. T.J. Criss, Oskaloosa; 19. Stephan Kammerer, Blue Grass; 20. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun; 21. Luke Pestka, Robins; 22. Riley Larson, Roland; 23. Ben Nading, Ankeny; 24. Kyle Wahlert, Des Moines.
Sprint Feature: 1. Tim St. Arnold, Des Moines; 2. Curt Lund, Redwood Falls, MN.; 3. Lyle Howey III, Brookings, SD; 4. Jennifer Eriksen, Burnsville, MN; 5. Brad Lund, Fairfax, MN; 6. Keith Beckler, Litchfield, MN.; 7. Brandon Allen, St. Peter, MN.; 8. Shannon Eriksen, Lakeville, MN.; 9. Donovan Peterson, Brookings, SD; 10. Nate Laugen, Lake Mills; 11. Sid Denzer, LeSeuer, MN; 12. John Greenwood, Woodward; 13. Dwain Wilmes, Kasota, MN; 14. Bruce Allen, Mankato, MN; 15. Mike Sargent, Cleveland, MN; 16. Brett Allen, Kasota, MN; 17. Gary Serbus, Olivia, MN; 18. Neil Stevens, Bingham Lake, MN
