There was more than just racing going on at the Boone Speedway on the 4th of July. The stands were packed with not only race fans, but those who were there for the roll over contests, the car jumps and of course, the big fireworks display afterwards. It was amazing to see how many people were dressed in red, white and blue finery in celebration of Independence Day and showing their patriotism.
Feature racing kicked off with the MADCRA Mod Lites and their 15-lap main event. The one and only yellow came at lap four and by that time, it was Terry Brown holding down the top spot. He soon had Josh May to contend with when the action picked back up and three laps later, May was in command. May kept hold of that coveted spot the rest of the way to the checkers. Bryan Zehm raced his ride from starting tenth up to the runner up spot. Third went to ninth place starter Randy Bryan, fourth was early leader Terry Brown and school bus driver...thus known as "The Bus Man", Mike Kennedy, finished fifth. May won for the second time at Boone this season.
The 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod contest took a bit to get completed. Six yellows would fly before the race was completed. Early leader Darin Rothfus kept a tight hold on the top spot through four of those yellows, but Jonathan Logue had been on the move and gotten up to second place and had been pestering him. When things picked back up after that fourth yellow came out at lap nine, Logue wasted no time in slipping by for the lead just after the green fell. The final caution came out at lap twelve, with a warning to the drivers that they were now under the time limit......"race to the checkers, or the next yellow and the race was over". The race did go the full distance, with Logue holding firm to the top spot, scoring the win. Doug Smith came from eleventh starting spot to capture second place. Rothfus held on for a third place finish, Brandon Williams was fourth and Curtis Veber rounded out the top five. Logue went to Victory Lane for the second time this year.
A driver visited the winner's circle for the first time this year in the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Dustin Lynch led all laps on his way to victory. He was pestered the entire way by Solomon Bennett who could muster no more than the runner up spot, try as he may. Aaron Rudolph was third after starting eleventh on the field. Fourth place finisher was Curt Reed who had started in row seven, and row six starter Eric Stanton was fifth. As soon as the cars passed the checkered flag, it appeared that winner Lynch's car had his throttle stuck, as he made a scary beeline right off of turn one! When the cloud of dust settled, he had managed to dodge the posts of the catwalk and ended up in the fencing. Good thing the fencing was there or he may have entered the pit shack! He exited his disabled ride on his own.
The winner of the 20-lap Modified feature also led from start to finish. Cole Ferguson, the driver out of Dexter, Iowa held off some fast company on his way to winning for the first time ever at Boone. Jon Snyder got by Joel Bushore in the waning laps as they finished second and third respectively. Fourth was ninth place starter Scott Davis, and twelfth place starter Russ Dickerson, was fifth.
The last feature race was the IMCA 18-lap Stock Car A main. Don Vis led the opening laps, pushed up the track about lap seven and then the race was taken over by veteran Robert Stofer.....Vis fading back in the field. Trent Murphy made his way to Stofer's bumper, and hounded the leader by dipping low in the corners. He made it pay off at lap fourteen, taking command of the race. Meanwhile, Wayne Gifford had also made the pass on Stofer and was mounting a charge on leader Murphy---but to no avail. Murphy took the checkers, and Gifford had to settle for the runner up spot. Stofer held on to the third place, fourth was Jay Schmidt, who had started eleventh, and Donavon Smith came from 21st starting spot, to capture a top five. Murphy now has three regular season wins under his belt.
Since we still had our 78 mile journey home, we headed out as soon as the racing was completed. We found the parking lot stuffed to capacity and the roads and nearby business parking lots filled with vehicles awaiting the fireworks show. The crowd in the grandstands last night, many that we know were not the usual race fans, but those that had come out for the city fireworks and roll over contests, car jumps, etc. may just be returning after getting a taste of the racing action last night. We hope so, anyway. Dirt track racing needs all the fans and support at tracks it can get to keep the sport going successfully.
Last night was our fifth night of racing in a row. Time for some rest and regrouping. Right now, it looks like our next race on the agenda will be our usual trip to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa.....our regular Wednesday night home. Thanks for reading!
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