The Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association got the 2018 season underway during what seemed like possibly the rainiest spring dirt track racing has ever seen. When the drivers were able to compete, Scotty Thiel quickly showed he would be the man to beat. 3 top fives including a win on the first 3 races put Thiel at the top of the point standing, and a 2nd win in June cemented Thiel as the series front runner.
As spring turned to summer, a new contender emerged. Hanna City, Illinois Jake Blackhurst picked up his first career IRA A main victory at the Dodge County Fairgrounds on July 6th and backed that up with a 2nd place finish the following night at Fairbury American Legion Speedway. Blackhurst then went on to win the next 3 regular points paying events for the IRA.
At the same time a crack started to show in Thiel's armor. The teams engine program was struggling and because of it Thiel had not finished multiple nights. Thiel's problems combined with Blackhursts hot streak closed the points gap and the pair were just a few points apart heading into the season's final stretch.
After a strong run in Superior, Wisconsin, Blackhurst entered Cedar Lake Speedway on September 8th leading Scotty Thiel by a mere 6 points. Another engine gremlin would bite Thiel while leading his heat race, causing him to scratch for the remainder of the night, giving Blackhurst a comfortable points lead.
Thiel however was determined to beat his longtime friend for the championship but with just five nights of racing left, it would be a tall order. Thiel seemed up to the challenge though, as he finished ahead of Blackhurst in every remaining race.
The season would be decided with a doubleheader weekend at the Plymouth Dirt Track, a place Scotty Thiel cut his teeth at, seemingly giving Thiel the advantage, but he entered the weekend trailing Blackhurst by 36 points. Thiel proved Friday night that he came to win, fending off challenges from both Sammy Swindell and Tony Stewart to pick up the victory and cut Jake Blackhursts lead to just 15 points. Saturday night was shaping up to be a dog fight between the two young guns. After the heat races were over Scotty Thiel was now just 10 points behind Blackhurst. The Invert draw worked in Scotty’s favor as it put him on the front row and Jake Blackhurst would have to start 7th. A bad start for Thiel would send him back to the 5th position while Jake Blackhurst moved up into 6th. The duo battled for the 5th position for the duration of the race, with Thiel coming out on top of that battle, but 7 points short of Jake Blackhurst's points total.
As the dust settled it was the Hanna City, Illinois native Jake Blackhurst and his father Paul who stood victorious as season champions. The father son team collected 4 wins, 13 top fives and 18 top tens in route to there championship, and Jack Blackhurst is the first Illinois driver to win the IRA championship since Dave Moulis in 1992.
- Kim Tennyson on Oct 04, 2018
- Article Date: 10/4/2018 by Gared Tennyson