BOONE, Iowa – Nathan Ballard topped the third and final hobby stock qualifier on Wednesday evening as the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s finally got back underway after a day of rain.

The qualifier was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but lengthy weather delays forced the qualifier to be held Wednesday night. Wednesday’s race set the outside line of the first eight rows for Saturday’s hobby stock championship feature.

The 25-lap race started with polesitter Jake Benischek launching into the lead on the muddy track as Ballard quickly went from his fourth starting position to second. Just as Benischek was starting to catch traffic on the fourth lap the caution waved for an incident in turn four.

Benischek held serve on the ensuing restart, but the field was only able to complete one lap before the caution waved again for two cars stopped against the outside wall at the exit of turn four on the frontstretch.

When racing resumed Benischek looked like he was shot out of a cannon, quickly pulling away from Ballard and the rest of the field. However, he soon found himself working through traffic and that allowed Ballard to close back in.

With 10 laps left Benischek found himself stuck behind a lap car and Ballard seized the moment, going to the outside to get a run in turns one and two. Ballard was able to take the lead down the backstretch, pushing Benischek back to second.

The leaders stayed nose-to-tail as they worked traffic and were soon joined by third-place Jeff Ware before the final caution of the night waved with six laps left for an incident in turn one just as Benischek was working back under Ballard to challenge for the lead.

When the green flag waved for the final six-lap dash to the checkered flag, Ballard quickly pulled away and drove to the victory to earn a front row starting position for Saturday’s championship feature.

“I actually lost tear offs about six (laps) in, I used them way too fast,” Ballard said in reference to the muddy track surface. “I was losing ground there and I was trying to figure out a way to take my gloves off and tried to clean it (his face shield) back off. Thank God there was that caution because I just couldn’t say were I was going.

“I thought about not pushing the issue and just taking my second, but I knew my old man would be out there screaming, ‘Go for it!’”

Benischek settled for second, but in doing so earned his first trip to the Super Nationals hobby stock championship feature. Jeff Ware, Jesse Vanlaningham, Wayne Gifford, Brandon Cox, Brandon Nielsen (who started 23rd) and Darin Johnson also punched their tickets to Saturday’s championship feature by finishing third through eighth.

The finish:

Nathan Ballard, Jake Benischek, Jeff Ware, Jesse Vanlaningham, Wayne Gifford, Brandon Cox, Brandon Nielsen, Darin Johnson, Keeran Sampson, Matt Olson, Dawson Deboer, Solomon Bennett, Matt Wahl, Kyle Davis, Anthony Nelson, Shaun Wirtz, Parker Anderson, David Crimmins, David Carter, Seth Butler, Brandon Honrud, Drew Barglof, Eric Stanton, Jay Sidles, Tom Killen Jr., Brett Vanous, Travis Blythe, Dillon Richards. 

All six nights of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s on Sept. 7-12 will be broadcast live via SPEED SPORT TV affiliate IMCA.TV.