Island Speedway Delivers Big Time Battles at JConcepts INS16 Round 3
JConcepts INS Round 3 at Island Speedway delivered one of the most competitive stops of the season, with packed mains, standout winners, and major movement in the series points race.
Track designer Jamie Thompson made the most of Island Speedway’s new high-grip carpet, creating a fast, technical layout that rewarded precision, rhythm, and clean driving.
MORE THAN RACING: FAMILY, FUN & GREAT TIMES AT ISLAND SPEEDWAY
MUSCATINE MAYOR BRAD BARK GETS BEHIND THE WHEEL
Dr. Brad Bark, Mayor of the City of Muscatine, stopped by to check out the action and even got behind the wheel to experience RC racing firsthand. He drove alongside some of the pro drivers using Mark Talley’s 2WD buggy, and it was awesome to see someone from outside the RC world jump in, smile, and enjoy racing with us.
Huge thanks to Mayor Bark for visiting, to Island Speedway Off-road for the hospitality, and to everyone who helped make today special. This is what RC racing is all about community, fun, and bringing new people into the hobby
Race Facts
Driver Entries: 311 entries
Total Race Laps: 9,432
Fastest Mod Lap: Brennan Schimmel — 13.849
4wd Mod Buggy A2 Main
Fastest Expert Lap: Domnic Paccione — 14.785
13.5 Expert 4wd Buggy A3 Main
Most Podium Appearances: Daniel Chavez (2), Stephen Shuey (2), Ethan Maki (2), Lane Lazarz (2), Geoffrey Ketler (2), Daniel Kobbevik (2), Broc Champlin (2), Brent Thielke (2), Brad Borneill (2), Casey Blasczyk (2)
Top Qualifiers
Lower Mains Set the Tone at JConcepts INS16 Round 3
Before the headline classes took center stage, the lower mains gave Island Speedway its first wave of drama.
Those races carried real pressure because every transfer spot mattered. Drivers had to be aggressive enough to move forward, but smooth enough to survive a layout that punished rushed decisions. That balance created some of the best stories of the day. Several racers had to climb through the program one main at a time, and every bump-up felt earned.
In the lower rounds of 2wd Mod Buggy, Dawson Camacho delivered one of the standout comeback drives of the event, putting together the kind of steady run that can change the feel of a long race day. In 13.5 Stadium Truck, Trevor Warner controlled his race up front while the fight for transfer spots stayed intense behind him. In Expert 17.5 2wd Buggy, Tyler Davis broke through with an emotional lower-main victory that showed just how much every result mattered on race day.
Brian Fraley added another recovery story in 13.5 Independent 4wd Buggy, fighting back from trouble to keep his momentum alive, while Luke Pravechek took charge late in a strong 13.5 Expert 4wd Buggy lower-main battle. Ed Fiore worked his way into the lead in 40+ 2wd Modified Buggy, Juan Lopez kept his day moving forward with a composed 4wd Mod Buggy B Main win, and Leo Dake made the most of his opportunity in 17.5 Independent 2wd Buggy.
Lex Mott also turned heads in 13.5 Stadium Truck, charging from fourth on the grid to the win in one of the day’s best lower-main drives. Rylan Hunt added another important bump-up result in 21.5 Independent 2wd Buggy, proving again that smooth laps and patience were often more valuable than desperation.
Tom Rinderknecht wins 2wd Mod Buggy after a three-main fight
Daniel Kobbevik struck first by winning A1, immediately putting pressure on the rest of the field. Tom Rinderknecht answered in A2, keeping the overall alive and setting up a decisive third leg. Broc Champlin then came through to win A3, capping one of the most competitive modified classes of the weekend.
The class had everything a major race needs. Kobbevik was fast from the start, Rinderknecht kept responding when he had to, and Champlin stayed close enough the whole time to make every main feel open. The overall win eventually came down to the tie-break, where Rinderknecht’s 2-1 in the counted mains edged Kobbevik’s 1-2, giving Rinderknecht the overall victory. Kobbevik finished second, Champlin took third, with Davey Batta fourth and Brennan Schimmel fifth.
That result said a lot about the track and the class. 2wd Mod Buggy was fast, close, and aggressive, but the winner still had to be measured enough to survive all three mains.
Daniel Kobbevik controls 4wd Mod Buggy with A1 and A2 wins
If 2wd Mod Buggy was a grinder, 4wd Mod Buggy was a high-speed pressure class from the opening tone.
Kobbevik took command by winning both A1 and A2, and those two runs were enough to secure the overall before the final leg. Brennan Schimmel stayed second in both counted mains and kept the pressure on, but Kobbevik’s early work gave him control of the class. In A3, Broc Champlin closed the night with the win, while the overall had already been decided.
That left the final podium with Kobbevik first, Schimmel second, and Champlin third. Chase Lemieux finished fourth and Tom Rinderknecht fifth.
Winning both A1 and A2 in a class like 4wd Mod Buggy is never accidental. On a high-grip layout where the cars looked explosive all day, Kobbevik put together the cleanest and most complete two-main stretch in the field.
Daniel Chavez secures Expert 17.5 2wd Buggy with A1 and A2
Expert 17.5 2wd Buggy belonged to Daniel Chavez when the counted mains mattered most.
Chavez won A1, then backed it up with another victory in A2, locking up the overall before the final leg. Aaron Mitchell finished second overall with a pair of strong counted runs, while Benjamin Decker’s rebound in A2 helped him climb onto the podium in third. Domnic Paccione finished fourth and Kyle Holmberg fifth.
An A3 was still run later in the evening, and Maccoy Martin closed that final leg with the win, but under the double-main format the overall was already Chavez’s. That distinction matters in a race report like this because it shows how Chavez built the victory. He did not back into the result. He won the first two mains and removed the suspense himself.
Domnic Paccione answers in A2 and wins 13.5 Expert 4wd Buggy
One of the day’s strongest expert-class stories came in 13.5 Expert 4wd Buggy.
Maccoy Martin opened the class with the A1 win, putting himself in a strong position early. Domnic Paccione responded exactly the way a contender has to by winning A2, and that later counted finish gave him the overall on tie-break under the double-main format. A3 still delivered one of the best late-race battles of the event, with Paccione and Martin staying close deep into the run, but the official overall was already leaning Paccione’s way after his answer in the second main.
The final top five came out Paccione first, Martin second, Daniel Chavez third, Braeden Banci fourth, and Benjamin Decker fifth.
That class captured what made Island Speedway such a good stop. It had speed, but it also had pressure, and Paccione handled both.
Independent Buggy
In 13.5 Independent 4wd Buggy, Ethan Maki won A1, but Shuey answered by taking A2, Ethan Maki took the win, followed by Lex Mott and Stephen Shuey .
Stephen Shuey swept the counted mains by winning both A1 and A2. John Eidsmoe finished second overall, Blaine Gould took third, Ethan Maki was fourth, and Lane Lazarz completed the top five.
Doubling up at a round this deep is a major result, and Shuey built both wins the right way by answering pressure in one class and removing it entirely in the other.
Ryan Benedict, Kyle Holmberg, and Geoffrey Ketler add major wins
21.5 Independent 2wd Buggy also came down to the main-by-main story. Lane Lazarz won A1, Ryan Benedict answered with the A2 win, and that gave Benedict the overall on the later-main tie-break. Lane Lazarz finished second ,Ryan Hovis finished third, Tyler Heinzelmann fourth, and Tyler Steele fifth.
In 13.5 Stadium Truck, Kyle Holmberg was in control from the front. He won both A1 and A2, turning the class into one of the weekend’s cleanest sweeps. Geoffrey Ketler finished second overall, Ryder Himanek took third, with Owen Vanderbeek fourth and Evan Cook fifth.
13.5 Short Course followed a similar pattern. Ketler swept the counted mains with wins in A1 and A2, earning the overall ahead of Ethan Maki, DJ Shepherd, Ryan Benedict, and Kyle Kosek.
Those classes helped give the event depth. They were not filler between the headline divisions. They were a major part of why the race stayed entertaining all day.
Brad Borneill and Casey Blasczyk top the 40 plus modified classes
In 40+ 2wd Modified Buggy, Brad Borneill won A1, but Brent Thielke answered with the A2 win and took the overall on the later-main tie-break. Casey Blasczyk finished third overall, Jamie Thompson fourth, and David Joor fifth.
In 40+ 4wd Modified Buggy, Casey Blasczyk removed the drama by sweeping the class with wins in both A1 and A2. Brad Borneill finished second overall, Brent Thielke took third, Jamie Thompson fourth, and T.J. Bradley fifth.
Those classes showed the same thing the whole event showed: experience matters on a layout where one rushed lap can undo a great run.
Ins Points
Brady Carrico leads 13.5 Expert 4WD Buggy, while Ethan Maki sits on top in three divisions: 13.5 Independent 4WD Buggy, 13.5 Short Course, and 17.5 Independent 2WD Buggy.
Evan Ciresi holds the advantage in 13.5 Stadium Truck, Lane Lazarz leads 21.5 Independent 2WD Buggy, and Aaron Mitchell remains out front in Expert 17.5 2WD Buggy.
In the modified classes, Aydin Horne continues to lead 2WD Mod Buggy, Chase Lemieux holds the top spot in 4WD Mod Buggy, Brent Thielke leads 40+ 2WD Modified Buggy, and Casey Blasczyk remains the driver to catch in 40+ 4WD Modified Buggy.
Zach Shannon charged forward 52 positions in 17.5 Independent 2WD Buggy. Lincoln Dake climbed 45 spots in 21.5 Independent 2WD Buggy, Rylan Hunt gained 43 positions, and Maddie Stuker moved up 40 spots.
Nick Malato surged 35 positions in 13.5 Stadium Truck, while Josh Cyrul delivered one of the strongest modified-class pushes of the weekend in 2WD Mod Buggy.
The championship fights are tightening, and there is still plenty of racing ahead.
Final Thoughts
JConcepts INS16 Round 3 at Island Speedway delivered the race weekend that keeps a series building momentum. The new office carpet provided excellent grip, Jamie Thompson’s layout gave racers a track they genuinely enjoyed, and the mains produced a full day of meaningful competition from the first bump-up races to the final expert showdowns. With standout drives, hard-earned wins, and several classes decided by how drivers responded from one main to the next, Island Speedway proved to be a fitting stage for one of the most entertaining rounds of the INS16 season. The INS16 series now turns its attention to Round 4 at Hobbytown Hobbyplex in Omaha, Nebraska, scheduled for July 31 through August 2.
Jconcepts INS Champions
