Boone Speedway held its season opener on Saturday night after last week's initial scheduled date was washed out. The pits were packed with 143 race cars. There was exciting racing action in all six divisions, that this year includes the IMCA RaceSaver Sprints for the first time.
The defending track champion in the Mod Lite division, Bryan Zehm, picked up where he left off by leading the entire 15-lap feature for the win. Josh May chased Zehm much of the latter portion of the race, but had to settle for second. Travis Stensland came from sixteenth starting spot to finish third, fourth went to Joe Glick, and Randy Bryan was fifth. The race went red on lap three, when Charlie Brown and Joel Keenan, in what looked like a synchronized swimming move, got upside down in corner two. Neither driver was injured.
Johnathon Logue won the time-limit shortened IMCA SportMod feature. Numerous yellows plagued the race, but Logue was captain of the ship throughout. Jake McBirnie started eleventh and took the runner up spot. Third went to Hunter Longnecker, fourth to Brian Efkamp, and Austin Luellen rounded out the top five.
This race had it's issues as it all began with Curtis Veber rolling his ride on the back shoot before even one lap was scored. He was okay, but this just began the first of many stoppages in the scheduled 18-lap race. The time limit loomed after the fifth yellow...and only five laps in the books. The race was finally called complete right before lap nine was scored.
The IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature was next on the agenda. Michael Moore, Des Moines driver, secured the first ever weekly race in the division. He passed Mike Houseman at lap eleven of the 20-lap event, and never looked back from there on. Kaleb Johnson was the runner up, Houseman finished third, fourth was pole sitter Michael Johnston, and Justin Allen was fifth.
The Sprints didn't get their initial introduction off to the greatest of starts either. Their feature saw more than a handful of yellow flags, with it ending at the full 20-laps under a yellow-checkered as they approached a time-limit also.
Gatlin Leytham led the entire 20-lap IMCA Modified feature to win for the first time at the Boone Speedway. Jimmy Gustin chased him from the beginning, but had his final attempt for a pass fail when he lost a wheel on the white flag lap. (Jimmy's quote was, "I drove the wheels off the thing".) This would set up a green-white-checkered finish that saw Leytham hold the lead for the win, as Russ Dickerson followed him across the finish line in second place. Eric Elliott was third, defending track champion Mike VanGenderen started twelfth, and finished fourth, and pole sitter Matthew Meineke completed the top five. This may have been Leytham's first ever career win, or at least, that we have witnessed.
Jay Schmidt prevailed in the IMCA Stock Car feature, taking the victory. Schmidt, who started thirteenth, caught up to then leader Todd Reitzler by lap five, continued to pester him, until finally making the pass on lap eleven. Schmidt never looked back from there until the flying checkers. Trent Murphy finished second after starting eleventh, tenth place starter Donavon Smith was third, fourth went to Todd Reitzler, and Robert Stofer finished in fifth.
The 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature concluded the night's racing. Aaron Rudolph snagged himself the win in this division, holding off Shannon Anderson who finished in the runner up spot. Dustin Graham finished third, fourth was Dustin Lynch, and Todd Bass finished in the fifth position.
Sixteen of the 305 winged RaceSaver Sprints came to try and tame the track last night. As mentioned earlier, they were having some issues learning the new track. They will be on the schedule weekly this year, allowing them a track to race after the closing....and sadly, the tearing out, of the Iowa State Fair Speedway.
Next week, April 29 will be a regular points night with racing in all six divisions. Scheduled starting time for hot laps is 5:30, with racing at 6:30. Then in May, the times should be returning to racing starting at 7:30.
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