JACKSON - Chase Randall (Waco, Tex.) and Jody Rosenboom (Rock Rapids) captured feature victories Friday as racing returned to Jackson Motorplex after a four-week absence.
The Midwest Sprint Touring Series and Midwest Power Series feature got off to a rough start with back-to-back red flags on the opening lap of the 25-lap main event.
Once racing got rolling Jake Bubak (Arvada, Colo.) led the first eight laps before a caution bunched the field together. Randall took advantage and used the bottom of turns three and four to take the lead on Lap 9.
As Randall built a sizeable lead, Kaleb Johnson (Sioux Falls) advanced to third place on Lap 11 and into the runner-up position on Lap 13. The final caution of the race came out on the ensuing lap and after Randall executed a strong restart traffic appeared with seven laps remaining.
Johnson was able to close quickly, but Randall split two drivers to build his lead back to one second. A pair of drivers appeared in front of Randall on the final lap, allowing Johnson to make a last-ditch effort, but Randall was patient on the bottom groove in turns three and four to win by 0.575 seconds.
“We were really good out front,” he said in Victyory Lane after earning his first career win at the track. “Those first few laps I had to figure out where I needed to be to be faster than the guy in front of me. I found the bottom in (turns) three and four worked pretty well. I kept trying it and trying it and worked it in. I finally got by Jake on that restart and checked out from there.”
Randall earned $3,000 for the win. Saturday’s Midwest Power Series feature at Knoxville Raceway also pays $3,000 to win and there’s another $3,000 on the line if Randall can earn a win for the second straight night.
Johnson was second and Matt Juhl (Tea, S.D.) advanced from eighth to third.
Justin Henderson (Tea, S.D.) rebounded from being involved in a pair of cautions to finish fourth and Christopher Thram (Sanborn) placed fifth.
Johnson set quick time during qualifying before the heat races were won by Scotty Thiel (Sheboygan, Wis.), Randall, Brandon Halverson (Jackson) and Skylar Prochaska (Lakefield). Mark Toews (Spirit Lake) won the B Main.
Rosenboom led the final 16 laps to claim his second Wyffels Hybrids RaceSaver Sprint Cars main event win at Jackson this year.
Matt Johnson (St. Peter) held the point for the first four laps before Rosenboom powered into the top spot via the cushion in turns three and four. He then held off Trevor Serbus (Olivia) during a pair of late-race restarts to win by 0.993 seconds.
Serbus placed second with Johnson rounding out the podium. Dusty Ballenger (Harrisburg,m S.D. finished fourth and Monty Ferriera (Lincoln, Neb.) held off Brandon Bosma (Rock Rapids), who tipped over on Lap 3 and had to restart at the back of the pack, for fifth place.
Rosenboom, Jeremy Schultz (Beaver Dam, Wis.) and Mike Stien (Arlington) were heat race winners. Cody Ihlen (Pipestone) captured the B Main.
The next event at Jackson Motorplex is Tuesday, July 26 for the final Bank Midwest IMCA Series race of the season. The program features IMCA modifieds, IMCA stock cars, IMCA sport mods, IMCA hobby stocks and IMCA sport compacts.