Sunday, August 2, 2015

Richards goes back to back at Boone Speedway

There were carnival games and bouncy houses for the youngsters at the Boone Speedway on Saturday night, to go along with their five classes of racing.  Every class had a winner that had previously won this season.

Josh May was the first of the repeat winners, taking the 15-lap MADCRA Mod Lite feature.  May inherited the lead at lap five.  That's when then leader Cory Sauerman ended up at the back stretch pit entrance after getting into the wall while trying to avoid a lap car.  His night was done.  From there on, May pulled away for a comfortable win, his third of the year.  Cory Dennis ran second most of the race and finished as the runner up.  Third was Charlie Brown, Joe Glick was fourth and fifth went to Travis Stensland.  Josh May leads points in the Mod Lite division.

Rookie, Cory Pestotnik led the opening laps of the IMCA Northern SportMod 18-lap event.  Chad Ryerson was able to swoop under him and take command at lap six.  There were other drivers coming fast and wanting to join in the fun and one of those was Jake McBirnie.  McBirnie....in his bright blue "chrome" car, was spotted when he swung to the topside of the track....his preferred line at Boone....and was on the charge.  He began picking off car after car.  After a yellow flew at lap ten, there were three cars at the front of the pack.  Ryerson was still holding down the lead, Jonathon Logue had moved into the runner up spot, and McBirnie was riding in third....all anxious for the restart of the race.  McBirnie began his quest back on the topside and was able to take over the lead on lap fourteen.  He kept it to the checkers and the win.  Ryerson held on to the runner up spot, Logue was third, early leader Pestotnik was fourth and Doug Smith came from tenth to finish in fifth.  McBirnie, who had started eleventh, padded his lead in the points race.  It was his fourth win of the season at the track.

Eric Stanton also added to his point lead by winning the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock A main.  Stanton started twelfth and was in the lead by lap five.  He never relinquished it on his way to win #3 this year.  Cody Gustoff was second, third went to Matt McDonald, John Watson was fourth and Tim Barber was fifth.

Devon Havlik found victory lane for the second time this year in the IMCA Modified division.  Havlik led the entire 20 laps on the way to the win.  He and Eric Elliott battled each other early on with each throwing a slide job or two.  Four yellows plagued this race, the last at lap sixteen as Mike VanGenderen attempted to make the pass around Elliott in corner one, getting hooked and resulting in Elliott going in spin mode.  This would end the night for both VanGenderen and Elliott, and letting Matthew Meinecke move to the runner up spot as the race restarted.  Scott Davis was moved to start in the third spot, and there in fourth was the car of John Logue.....but being piloted by Jimmy Gustin and with a #19 slapped on the side.  Gustin had won his heat, but experienced mechanical issues as he crossed the checkers....heard it was a flywheel coming apart.  Now things were about to get exciting again as the race began.  Havlik stayed to his preferred topside line and would motor home to the win.  Gustin wasn't done however, and moved his borrowed ride up to finish in the runner up spot.  Third was Meinecke, fourth went to Joel Bushore and Scott Davis finished in fifth.  Gustin keeps his points lead with four more weeks of racing remaining.

The always exciting and action packed 18-lap IMCA Stock Car feature ended the night's racing.  Veteran Larry Crocheck held down the point spot at lap one, but by lap two, it was "Hot" Rod Richards flying to the lead.  From there on out, Richards held the lead to the checkers and the win.  Cory Bushnell ran in second place much of the race, finishing in that runner up spot.  There was a lot of action going on for third and fourth as Trent Murphy and point leader Jay Schmidt went at it.  Murphy won out on this one, finishing in third, Schmidt having to settle for fourth.  Wayne Gifford rounded out the top five.  This was Richards' third win of the season, and his second in as many weeks.

The season is quickly winding down.  Just four more nights of weekly racing remain at Boone Speedway.  The season championship night is August 29.  Then the following week, September 5, it is a draw/redraw "Open" night being called "The Prelude to the Super Nationals".  Any driver can race that night and with the Super Nationals starting on Labor Day, September 7, it is anticipated that there may be a huge field of cars for the night's races.  Hot laps for that night and all remaining weekly racing nights are 6:45 and racing at 7:30.

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