On Wednesday, Todd Shute won his 100th IMCA modified feature. In victory lane, Shute presented veteran Rich Kehr with a rifle, with Hunting with Heroes’ Joshua Kerns in the background. The victory lane tradition occurs with the Hunting with Heroes Salute to Veterans series.
“To present a veteran with a rifle for the Hunting with Heroes program is absolutely the highlight of my night,” Shute, 45, of Norwalk, Iowa, said. “Any time you have a chance to give back to those who served this country is a great honor.”
Shute downplayed the significance of win No. 100. He began racing modifieds in 2004. Shute’s first modified victory came in 2005. In 2008, he tailed 17 wins, a personal best for a season.
“Couple of years ago, I was told my wins were numbered in the 80s,” said Shute. “This season we had a hot streak — 11 wins — and I knew I was getting close to 100.”
Shute achieved his milestone victory at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa. He started 11th and battled Brandon Beckendorf and Joel Rust for the win.
“This IMCA region is the hardest to compete in,” Shute said. “Drivers come from as far away as California and the Eastern states to race. The Salute to Veterans brought even more cars to the region.”
Of his 100 feature wins, one does stand out above the rest. His IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals win at Iowa’s Boone Speedway in 2007.
“My goals for the future are to win another Super Nationals and to win the Harris Clash,” said Shute. “Those are two of the toughest races to win.”
However, to give you an idea of the difficulty of racing in Iowa, Todd Shute went from winner on Wednesday to sitting on the sidelines on Thursday. He finished fifth in the B-main, one spot out of qualifying at Kossuth County Speedway in Algona, Iowa. He’ll head to Boone Speedway on Saturday to finish out the Hunting with Heroes Salute to Veterans series.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
