Whitehurst nips Griffith in thriller while Zieman, Gulbrandson also win in Mason City

July 29, 2018 | by Jared Patterson

Nate Whitehurt won the Out-Pace USRA B-Mod feature.

If you’re making a list of races of the year at Mason City Motor Speedway, Sunday’s Out-Pace USRA B-Mod feature is on the short list of top contenders.

And if you’re creating a list of the best rivalries of the 2018 season at MCMS, Josh Zieman and Derek Green would likely sit at the top.

Even with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series on the docket, the weekly guys put on a show that left the crowd buzzing Sunday night.

The emotion was real from Zieman. The driver of the No. 24 Holley USRA Stock Car knows the challenges involved in winning a feature.

It’s about having solid equipment, it’s about having a crew that’s willing to spend hour after hour turning wrenches and sometimes it’s about being faster than the other guys by fractions of a second. Sunday night, the pieces fell into place that allowed Zieman to get his sought-after first victory of the season.

“This is what I work for all week long,” Zieman said, “and my entire life, really. It’s to get to this point. It’s really special.”

A runner-up four times this season at MCMS to one of the best in the Midwest in Green, Zieman finally cleared the hurdle of the No. 32 Car Sunday night by a matter of feet. Zieman led throughout and withstood a last-lap charge from Green.

Still relatively new to the Holley USRA Stock Car class (Sunday was his 26th start), it’s become clear Zieman is one of the drivers to beat every Sunday night.

“Last year I picked up my first win, and it popped up out of the blue,” he said.

Zieman isn’t a surprise winner any longer. He’s running near the front on a near weekly basis. He broke through Sunday.

“Learning the car is the main issue, and you can put all the motor you want into it but applying the traction to the track means everything,” he said.

Josh Zieman won the Holley USRA Stock Car feature.

A few minutes later, the Out-Pace USRA B-Mods, featuring Nate Whitehurst and Ty Griffith, authored one of the most memorable races of the season.

Lap after lap, Whithurst rode around the cushion on the top side of the racetrack. Griffith stayed glued to the bottom

And with one lap to go, Griffith finally cleared Whitehurst. Fortunately for the driver of the No. 49, there was a half-mile left to go.

Entering turn 3 on the final lap, Whitehurst could have easily finished first, second or third.

“I just drove it in real deep,” he said.

And it stuck.

Once he hit the front straight-away, he pulled next to Griffith. The momentum he carried from the top pushed his No. 49 machine to the line first. It was a thrilling finish to a race that delivered from start to finish.

“That was probably the most side-by-side we’ve had. It was a good time,” Whitehurst said. “Side-by-side with Griffith. He’s a good runner. Can’t really complain there.”

While the two raced door-to-door for laps, Whitehurst said his objective was to race Griffith clean.

And when the white flag flew, Whitehurst thought his night was going to end with a second-place finish. Instead, it ended with him winning for the second time this season at MCMS.

“I thought he had it,” Whitehurst said of Griffith.

Griffith came home second, followed by Jared Boumeester, who caught the lead duo in the final lap.

In the Cook Racing Supplies USRA Hobby Stock main event, Dustin Gulbrandson brought home his second victory and his fifth top-four finish in seven starts at MCMS.

The Sioux Falls, S.D., driver emerged from a great early-race battle with Zac Smith and Eric Stanton to park his No. 6 machine in victory lane.

It was a season-best finish at MCMS for Smith, who took second.

Dustin Gulbrandson won the Cook Racing Supplies USRA Hobby Stock feature.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Racing Association
Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series
Mason City Motor Speedway, Mason City, Iowa
Sunday, July 29, 2018

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

HOLLEY USRA STOCK CARS

Heat #1:
1. (5) 21 Andrew Borchardt, Plymouth, Iowa.
2. (3) 32x Derek Green, Granada, Minn.
3. (1) 11 Jesse Brown, Nashua, Iowa.
4. (4) 87T Travis Shipman, Mason City, Iowa.
5. (6) 60 Wyatt Medlin, Rockford, Iowa.
6. (2) 7T Rick Todd, Des Moines, Iowa.

Heat #2:
1. (2) 2J Steve Jackson, Polk City, Iowa.
2. (1) 34 Mike Blowers, Waseca, Minn.
3. (4) 24 Josh Zieman, Plymouth, Iowa.
4. (6) 87 Dylan Suhr, Waterloo, Iowa.
5. (3) 32 Dan Feltus, Allison, Iowa.
6. (5) 121G Arlen Hoy, Marble Rock, Iowa.

Feature:
1. (6) 24 Josh Zieman, Plymouth, Iowa, $600.
2. (10) 32x Derek Green, Granada, Minn., $450.
3. (8) 11 Jesse Brown, Nashua, Iowa, $350.
4. (2) 2J Steve Jackson, Polk City, Iowa, $250.
5. (7) 87T Travis Shipman, Mason City, Iowa, $225.
6. (3) 34 Mike Blowers, Waseca, Minn., $200.
7. (4) 87 Dylan Suhr, Waterloo, Iowa, $175.
8. (1) 32 Dan Feltus, Allison, Iowa, $150.
9. (12) 121G Arlen Hoy, Marble Rock, Iowa, $125.
10. (9) 21 Andrew Borchardt, Plymouth, Iowa, $110.
11. (11) 7T Rick Todd, Des Moines, Iowa, $100.
12. (5) 60 Wyatt Medlin, Rockford, Iowa, $95.

OUT-PACE USRA B-MODS

Heat #1:
1. (1) 56H Brandon Hare, Elma, Iowa.
2. (4) 56 Ty Griffith, Webster City, Iowa.
3. (7) 81 Jared Boumeester, Waseca, Minn.
4. (2) 73 Kenny Boge Jr., Orchard, Iowa.
5. (6) 97 Rich Lewerke, Mason City, Iowa.
6. (5) 86 Dan Tenold, Northwood, Iowa.
7. (3) 12b Rick Baxter, Nashua, Iowa.

Heat #2:
1. (2) 49 Nate Whitehurst, Mason City, Iowa.
2. (4) 32z Alex Zwanziger, Nashua, Iowa.
3. (6) 66 Levi Chipp, Latimer, Iowa.
4. (3) 11x Alex Yohn, Clear Lake, Iowa.
5. (5) 69 Kyle Germundson, Mason City, Iowa.
6. (1) 52 Carter Koop, Rockwell, Iowa.

Feature:
1. (4) 49 Nate Whitehurst, Mason City, Iowa, $600.
2. (3) 56 Ty Griffith, Webster City, Iowa, $450.
3. (8) 81 Jared Boumeester, Waseca, Minn., $350.
4. (1) 56H Brandon Hare, Elma, Iowa, $250.
5. (5) 66 Levi Chipp, Latimer, Iowa, $225.
6. (2) 11x Alex Yohn, Clear Lake, Iowa, $200.
7. (11) 86 Dan Tenold, Northwood, Iowa, $175.
8. (7) 32z Alex Zwanziger, Nashua, Iowa, $150.
9. (6) 73 Kenny Boge Jr., Orchard, Iowa, $125.
10. (10) 69 Kyle Germundson, Mason City, Iowa, $110.
11. (9) 97 Rich Lewerke, Mason City, Iowa, $100.
12. (12) 52 Carter Koop, Rockwell, Iowa, $95.
13. (13) 12b Rick Baxter, Nashua, Iowa, $90.

COOK RACING SUPPLIES USRA HOBBY STOCKS

Heat #1
1. (2) 6 Dustin Gulbrandson, Sioux Falls, S.D.
2. (4) 6H Chanse Hollatz, Clear Lake, Iowa.
3. (3) 1 Derek Willert, Rockford, Iowa.
4. (5) 7b Eric Stanton, Carlisle, Iowa.
5. (9) 14 Cory Gansen, Clear Lake, Iowa.
6. (1) 55B Blaine Hanson, Klemme, Iowa.
7. (8) 97cc Colby Christensen, Albert Lea, Minn.
8. (6) 136 Tanner Green, Hampton, Iowa.
9. (7) 42T Tyson Overton, Carlisle, Iowa.

Heat #2
1. (6) 83w Matt White, Nashua, Iowa.
2. (3) 32j Austin Jahnz, Lewisville, Minn.
3. (8) 83 Scott Dobel, Manly, Iowa.
4. (9) 18z Zac Smith, Mason City, Iowa.
5. (2) 01 Kory Adams, Stacyville, Iowa.
6. (5) 86 Tracy Halouska, Worthing, S.D.
7. (7) 81 Zack Smidt, Ventura, Iowa.
8. (1) 15 Travis Johnson, Fertile, Iowa.
9. (4) 74L Jim Lokenvitz, Charles City, Iowa.

Feature:
1. (8) 6 Dustin Gulbrandson, Sioux Falls, S.D., $450.
2. (1) 18z Zac Smith, Mason City, Iowa, $350.
3. (6) 7b Eric Stanton, Carlisle, Iowa, $250.
4. (4) 6H Chanse Hollatz, Clear Lake, Iowa, $200.
5. (2) 14 Cory Gansen, Clear Lake, Iowa, $175.
6. (7) 83w Matt White, Nashua, Iowa, $150.
7. (5) 32j Austin Jahnz, Lewisville, Minn., $125.
8. (3) 01 Kory Adams, Stacyville, Iowa, $100.
9. (9) 83 Scott Dobel, Manly, Iowa, $90.
10. (17) 42T Tyson Overton, Carlisle, Iowa, $80.
11. (12) 86 Tracy Halouska, Worthing, S.D., $70.
12. (11) 55B Blaine Hanson, Klemme, Iowa, $60.
13. (14) 81 Zack Smidt, Ventura, Iowa, $55.
14. (18) 74L Jim Lokenvitz, Charles City, Iowa, $50.
15. (16) 15 Travis Johnson, Fertile, Iowa, $50.
16. (15) 136 Tanner Green, Hampton, Iowa, $50.
17. (13) 97cc Colby Christensen, Albert Lea, Minn., $50.
18. (10) 1 Derek Willert, Rockford, Iowa, $50.