Boone Speedway held it's third annual Prelude to the Super Nationals on Saturday night as well as celebrating 50 years of racing at the track. Many former racers were on hand as well as cars on display and memorabilia from days gone by. The racing was top notch as well, with 287 cars racing on the night...90 Modifieds, 81 Northern SportMods, 60 Stock Cars and 56 Hobby Stocks entertained the huge crowd on hand. Track champion Mike VanGenderen took the IMCA Modified feature, Trent Murphy captured the IMCA Stock Car victory, Lucas Lamberies took the win in the IMCA Northern SportMod main event, and Jesse VanLaningham won the IMCA Hobby Stock feature.
Mike VanGenderen followed up his track championship title by besting the field of IMCA Modifieds. VanGenderen started eleventh and overtook then leader Jordy Nelson at lap 25 of the 30 lap event. VanGenderen held off Nelson the rest of the way to the checkers and the win. Following second place Jordy Nelson was hard charging Chris Abelson who started sixteenth and finished third. Clint Luellen came from tenth starting spot to take fourth place, and Kyle Brown, in his brand new Harris vintage Wood Brothers look car, completed the top five.
The IMCA Northern SportMod 25 lap A main saw Wisconsin racer Lucas Lamberies in victory lane. Lamberies took command at lap three and never looked back, winning comfortably over second place, and current national point leader, Tyler Soppe. Jake McBirnie came from thirteenth starting spot to finish in third place. Fourth was early leader, Carter VanDenBerg and sixteenth place starter Hunter Parson, was fifth.
The IMCA Stock Cars put on their usual exciting racing, with the outcome being decided in the closing moments. Defending Super Nationals champion, Elijah Zevenbergen from Ocheyedan, Iowa, was looking to step back into victory lane as he got out to the early lead and pulled away. Meanwhile, another former Super National's champion, Wisconsin's Brandon Czarapata, and Trent Murphy were going at it for position a distance behind. Zevenbergen then developed a bad push exiting the corners, allowing Czarapata and Murphy to rapidly close in. Zevenbergen and Murphy swapped the lead in the final laps, and Murphy was able to get the advantage and sweep to the 25 lap feature win. Zevenbergen had to be content with the runner up spot, with Czarapata taking third. Todd Inman hustled through the field of cars from twentieth starting spot, to finish in fourth, and track champion Donavon Smith was fifth. The race went caution free.
The final feature was the IMCA 25 lap Hobby Stock feature. Beatrice, Nebraska's Jesse VanLaningham saw victory lane in this one. He lead from lap five and held the top spot the rest of the way to the checkers. He finished well ahead of second place Eric Cross who had started back in seventeenth starting spot. Chanse Hollatz was third, fourth went to Justin Wacha, and Scott Pippert was fifth.
It was just like a Super Nationals night at Boone. Race cars filled the pits, and campers and fans were everywhere. Prior to the racing, the 50th year celebration of racing at the track was held, along with a drivers reunion for drivers from the past. The very first feature winner at Boone Speedway was on hand....Carl VanDerWal, and he was joined by many other former racers that put their mark in the record book at Boone. Those that I can recall in attendance were Bob Bonzer, Denny Hovinga, Curt Hansen, Butch Householder, Joe Merryfield, Don Hoffman, Curt Houge, Ray Busch, Gary Lindgren, Denny Rosenberg, Brian Efkamp (who was a big part of getting the gathering together) Tony Efkamp, Mike Smith, Arlo Dorenbush, and Greg Davis. It was great to see some of these heroes of the past.
It was a late night what with all the cars and festivities going on. The racing was done at 2:29 a.m., and after our drive home, I landed in bed at 5:20 a.m. Now we will soon be heading back that way.
We will begin our annual six day run of the Super Nationals on Labor Day, September 4. The first race is scheduled for 2 p.m. with qualifying for the IMCA Northern SportMods and the IMCA Hobby Stocks. What a change we've seen since we first attended back in 1988. We look forward to the coming week as we enjoy the festivities with drivers and race fans from across the country. Check www.raceboone.com for an up to date schedule of each day's racing.
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