The racing schedule for Marshalltown Speedway kicks off March 30, 2017. New in 2017, late models will race weekly, and the 11th annual World Nationals has a new date.

It's been almost 30 years since the late model class was a permanent part of Marshalltown Speedway's weekly racing program. That all changes in 2017. Track Promoter Toby Kruse made the announcement during the tracks year-end banquet celebrating the 2016 season.

“It's crazy to think about it,” Kruse told Townsquare Media Waterloo. “It was 1989 when late models last raced weekly. I always remembered Marshalltown as a late model track, and I want people to think of Marshalltown as a place were late models race again.”

Kruse added the late models to the weekly program a handful of times in 2015 and 2016. Fans were very excited to see them, and the buzz to add them to the weekly program kept stinging social media. Then an opportunity presented itself.

In September 2016, the Iowa State Fair announced that racing had been discontinued indefinitely. They described it as a pause to the racing action, and they hoped to have a return in 2019. That left several drivers without a place to race on Friday in central Iowa including late models.

Kruse sited that situation as just one of the reasons he elected to bring late models back to Marshalltown Speedway on a weekly basis. Attendance and crowd response when he added them to the program were a few of the other reasons.

“We're still working on the purse,” Kruse stated when asked about the late model weekly payout. “We're talking with a few sponsors right now, and we hope to have details released in February.”

The rest of the track's racing schedule looks the same as it has for the past few years with one major change. The 11th annual World Nationals has been moved from its traditional September date to March. In fact it will kick off the 2017 racing season.

“It's just so hard (to run a race) in September,” Krusie admitted. “You're competing against high school football, farming, the weather, and other tracks and their big shows. You're also coming off of the (IMCA) Super Nationals, and a lot of other factors. In March, I only have to compete against the weather. Personally, I'd rather battle one thing instead five things.”

If that is not a big enough change for you, the event will be 100% sanctioned by IMCA, which governs the track's weekly racing rules, for the first time in the event's history. With the IMCA banner flying over the event, it will mark the first time that both engine options that IMCA offers (open or crate) with their rules package will be able to compete for the World Nationals title.

IMCA Modifieds will race for a top prize of $10,000. IMCA Stock Cars and SportMods race for $1,000 to win each day. IMCA Hobby Stocks will race for $500 to win each day.

The other major markers on the 2017 Marshalltown Speedway schedule includes the IMCA Frostbuster on April 7, and the annual visit by the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series on June 6. The IMCA Hawkeye Dirt Tour will also run that night on the Central Iowa Fair Grounds track. The final night on the schedule is Showdown at Motown on September 2 featuring a $1,000 to win event for the modified division.

MARSHALLTOWN SPEEDWAY
2017 RACING SCHEDULE
MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA

MAR 30-APR 01 - 11th. Annual World Nationals, $10,000 to win for IMCA Modifieds
APR 07 - Frostbuster Presented By 141 Speedway/Left Turn Lounge
APR 14 - Ryan Ashton Racing Season Opener/Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks
APR 21 - Sleeping Angels Night at the Races
APR 28 - Kruse Family Night/Casey’s General Stores

MAY 04 - Thursday Night Thunder/Cliff Chambers Memorial/UAW Local 893/Nostalgia Cars
MAY 12 - Scout Night/Midwest Liquid Systems
MAY 19 - Rumours Sports Bar & Grill Night
MAY 26 - Midwest Liquid Systems/Salute to Military

JUN 02 - Minute Man Printing
JUN 06 - Miller Lite 50 Deery Brothers Late Models, Hawkeye Dirt Tour
JUN 09 - State Center Night/Salute to Marshalltown Firemen
JUN 16 - Karl Performance/Casey’s General Stores
JUN 23 - Wolf Seeds/Clement Heating & Cooling Kids Candy Toss
JUN 30 - Shawn’s Custom Hay Grinding

JUL 07 - Central Iowa Farm Stores
JUL 14 - J & V Napa
JUL 21 - Fast Shafts Night/Salute to Marshalltown Police Night
JUL 28 - Elliott Installations Night

AUG 04 - Balmer Day Care
AUG 1 - Toby K’s Hideaway
AUG 18 - Old Timer Lounge Night
AUG 25 - Dairy Queen Larry Wollam Season Championship

SEP 02 - Showdown at Motown $1,000 to win IMCA Modifieds.

Get more details at MarshalltownSpeedway.com.

The 2017 Iowa's Virtual Dirt Track Classic Runs Jan. 27-Feb. 17

2017 Iowa's Virtual Dirt Track Classic presented by Bill Colwell Ford
2017 Iowa's Virtual Dirt Track Classic presented by Bill Colwell Ford
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