About

The Ultimate Challenge

The Casey's General Stores Ultimate Challenge presented by Don Long's Searsboro Telephone Co. is scheduled for Tuesday night, August 10, 2010!

Hot laps are scheduled for 7:15 with racing to follow!

Directions: The Southern Iowa Speedway is located 1/2 mile West of US 63 on SR 92, then 1/3 mile North on North I St. (at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds)

From Knoxville - Take SR 92 East 20 miles to Oskaloosa. Turn North on North I St. and go 1/3 mile to Fairgrounds.

From Hwy 163 - Take SR 92 Exit East to North I St. Go North 1/3 mile to Fairgrounds.

One night in Indiana, where non-winged sprint car racing is the norm, Terry and his wife, Lori were attendees watching a typical Indiana sprint car race. Lori mentioned to Terry that she had never seen a wingless race and that she just loved watching them. This made the light bulb go off for the racer/promoter and soon later, Terry called Ron Shuman of the Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) and told him that he wanted to put on the largest non-wing sprint car show in the country. Ron chuckled and told Terry that it wasn’t possible.

Perris, California was home of the largest race for the non-winger’s at that particular time holding an annual $25,000 to win $300 to start three-day event. The SCRA, based off the west coast, made a Midwest run throughout the month of June and Terry told Ron that June was just the wrong time of year to do that here in this part of the country, the kids are just getting out of school and everyone isn’t ready for the big sprint car shows. The “Month of Money” is August and that just happened to fall in the same month as the successful Front Row Challenge that was held the Tuesday before the Knoxville Nationals.
A few weeks later, Terry gave some news to Mr. Shuman that knocked him out of his chair. Terry told Ron that he wanted to do an ultimate challenge the night after the Front Row Challenge at the ½ mile dirt track of Oskaloosa. Terry explained that he would pay $30,000 to the winner, $5,000 for second and $400 to start. Soon later, it happened. In 2002, the largest non-wing event in the world was born.

Bringing the Ultimate Challenge to the Front Row Challenge together was one of the greatest things that happened in the world of sprint car racing. People who have the week off for the Historic Knoxville Nationals can take the Monday and Tuesday before the nationals to watch drivers from all over the country competing on a very fast ½ mile dirt track. The fans get to see the best non-winged and winged sprint car drivers in the country tackle the speedway in a way that they normally don’t get to see. Drivers like Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Bryan Clauson, Blake Feese, Boston Reid and Kraig Kinser have all hit the speedway attempting the large payouts and huge contingencies.

History of the Ultimate Challenge (2002-2010)

The Winners

2002 - 1a, Travis Rilat, Forney, TX
2003 - 2B, Boston Reid, Logansport, IN
2004 - 70, Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, IN
2005 - 2B, Levi Jones, Olney, IL
2006 - 69, Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson, AZ
2007 - Rain
2008 - 2B, Dave Darland, Lincoln, IN
2009 - 13, Jesse Hockett, Warsaw, MO
2010 - 29, Bud Kaeding, Campbell, CA

A Main Starts

8, Levi Jones
7, Damion Gardner
5, Cory Kruseman
5, Jesse Hockett
5, Matt Westfall
5, Dave Darland
5, Bill Rose
4, Charles Davis Jr.
4, Jay Drake
4, Jac Haudenschild
4, Don Droud Jr.
4, Darren Hagen
4, Jerry Coons Jr.
4, Casey Shuman
4, Tracy Hines
4, Bud Kaeding
3, JJ Yeley
3, Zach Chappell
3, Dickie Gaines
3, Justin Marvel
3, Terry Pletch
3, Jon Stanbrough
3, Travis Rilat
3, Josh Wise
3, Brady Bacon
3, Kevin Swindell
3, Bryan Clauson

Top Five Finishes

4, Damion Gardner
4, Dave Darland
3, Jac Haudenschild
3, Levi Jones
2, Boston Reid
2, JJ Yeley
2, Jerry Coons Jr.
2, Jesse Hockett
2, Cole Whitt
2, Bryan Clauson
1, Kasey Kahne, Travis Rilat, Matt Westfall, Zach Chappell, Dickie Gaines, Matt Westfall, Johnny Herrera, Cory Kruseman, Don Droud Jr., Darren Hagen, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kevin Swindell, Chad Boat, Bud Kaeding

Top Ten Finishes

5, Cory Kruseman
5, Levi Jones
4, Jac Haudenschild
4, Damion Gardner
3, Matt Westfall
4, Jerry Coons Jr.
4, Dave Darland
3, Jay Drake
3, Jon Stanbrough
2, Boston Reid, JJ Yeley, Zach Chappell, Dickie Gaines, Shane Cottle, Brad Sweet, Jesse Hockett, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kevin Swindell, Cole Whitt, Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Bud Kaeding
1, Richard Griffing, Kasey Kahne, Terry Pletch, Travis Rilat, Troy Cline, Wayne Johnson, Sammy Swindell, Johnny Herrera, Justin Marvel, Don Droud Jr., Darren Hagen, Tim Kaeding, Gary Taylor, Robert Ballou, Chad Boat, Josh Wise, Tracy Hines, Shane Hmiel

Number of Entries (166 Drivers have competed)

9, Levi Jones
8, Damion Gardner
7, Charles Davis Jr.
7, Bud Kaeding
7, Dave Darland
6, Dickie Gaines
6, Cory Kruseman
6, Robert Bell
6, Jesse Hockett
6, Travis Rilat
6, Jerry Coons Jr.
6, Chris Urish
5, Jac Haudenschild
5, Terry Pletch
5, Mat Neely
5, Don Droud Jr.
5, Brad Sweet
5, Matt Westfall
5, Casey Shuman
5, Jon Stanbrough
5, Bill Rose
5, Tracy Hines