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Grabouski grabs $5,000 payout at RPM

It’s not that Jordan Grabouski was slow.

In fact, the modified driver from Beatrice, Neb., was faster than fast all weekend long while piloting his car to the front of the field — no matter if it was a heat race or qualifier.

So Saturday night’s A-main performance at RPM Speedway in Hays was no surprise at all. And the end result was a $5,000 payout for Grabouski as he claimed the champion’s crown at the fifth annual Fall Nationals.

“I had a good car all weekend,” Grabouski said. “(Friday) night, I started mid-pack of the heat race and won it. The car’s been fast. It’s not like I haven’t been fast. A lot of it is conserving and not using up your tires in a 30-lap race.”

Grabouski is no stranger to success. He won the IMCA national championship in the modified division this year, and the win Saturday night — coupled with the large payout — helped put an exclamation point on his spectacular season.

“This is the biggest win I’ve ever had,” Grabouski said. “I’ve never had a win pay $5,000. The biggest win of my career.”

Grabouski had a dominating performance Friday night to lock himself into Saturday’s 24-car field. He then finished second in the pole dash to start outside the front row, alongside Dominic Ursetta.

But at the drop of the green flag, Grabouski got the jump and took the lead. He’d go on to lead all 30 laps.

“That was the key to everything tonight,” Grabouski said about the start. “The way the race track was, it was kind of one-lane on the bottom. The big thing was track position. Not to sound like NASCAR or anything, but it’s the truth. I started up front and got the jump on the start. I think that made all the difference.”

Ursetta settled into the second spot, followed by Darin Duffy and Jay Noteboom. Noteboom got by Duffy into third on lap five, and Aaron Turnbull continued to hold down the fifth spot.

“That’s tough,” Ursetta said. “It sucks when you’re back there. It makes you want to give it more, but every time you do you lose ground. You have to keep your composure and try to go. That’s all you can do.”

Ursetta had his share of chances, thanks to six caution flags once the race got started. But each time, Grabouski would get a solid jump coming out of turn four to edge out to a comfortable lead.

“He would take off on me, but I felt like I could run with him,” Ursetta said. “I just needed to be up front. That’s all there is to it.”

“My car was really good coming out of four on the restarts,” Grabouski said. “That helped a little bit. I could put the power down and go in a straight line. It felt like I couldn’t get in a rhythm the first couple of laps, but I think three or four or five laps into the run I had a little bit of a lead. Once I got going, I got in more rhythm and was more consistent.”

Ursetta would stay in second the entire race, while Noteboom settled comfortably into third, Duffy into fourth and Turnbull into fifth. That would be the running order the final 24 laps.

“I’ve led these things the last couple of years,” Grabouski said. “Finally, it was my year.

“With the national championship and this … ,” Grabouski said, then stopped to ponder. “If somebody was going to retire on this deal, now would be the time. My car owner, this is his 15th year. He said, ‘This is my year to retire, to retire while I’m on top.’ But I don’t think he’ll do that. It’s a big accomplishment to put in the books, and this was a big win for us and our team.”

Northern sport mods
In a feature race that showcased the top three drivers in the nation — Bryan LaRiviere, Jesse Sobbing and Tyler Frye — the win and $2,000 payout escaped all three.

Jeremy Chambers started on the pole and won his first Fall Nationals title. Sobbing started alongside him, but both slid high in the first corner.

“We both did it,” Chambers said. “We both drove in hard and slid up. It surprised me for sure. We both probably had our cars a little too tight, and it took a little bit to get adjusted to it.”

Clayton Wilson would run second until lap nine, and he’d eventually have his night cut short with mechanical issues.

Sobbing would suffer the same fate after moving into the top four on lap 18. Carburetor issues later ended his forward movement.

Chambers would lead all the way to the finish, followed by Dylan Book and Frye in third. Trenton Kleweno finished fourth, and IMCA national champion LaRiviere was seventh.

Hobby stocks
Angel Munoz has made RPM Speedway his second home, winning the hobby stock feature Saturday night for the second year in a row. He started fifth and quickly made his way to the front, leading the majority of the race.

G.W. Fuller finished second, followed by Cody Ghumm and Garret Hager. Luke Pfannenstiel made a pass coming out of turn four on the final lap to sneak into fifth. Fuller later was disqualified at post-race inspection, moving Ghumm to second, Hager to third and Pfannenstiel to fourth.

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