One hundred sixty-one race cars packed the pits at Boone on Saturday night for their second weekly show of 2018. Thankfully, the wind was less violent than it had been for the previous two nights, though it did get cold before the races were complete about 10:45. Ricky Thornton, Jr. won a thrill packed IMCA Modified feature, Johnny Spaw took the win in the IMCA Stock Car class, and Austin Luellen repeated his win from last week in the IMCA Northern SportMod A main. Andrew Burg was victorious in the IMCA Hobby Stock main event, it was Mike Moore taking the checkers in the IMCA Racesaver Sprints debut of the season, and Travis Stensland won the feature in the Mod Lite division.
The early portion of the 15-lap Mod Lite feature was a battle between Bryan Zehm and Travis Stensland. Zehm made a slide for life around Charlie Brown at lap two to take the top spot, and Stensland tagged in right behind him to give chase. Stensland was finally able to make the pass for the lead on lap six and then put distance between himself and the rest of the field as he motored to a comfortable win. Zehm held the runner up spot, third went to Randy Bryan, Joe Glick went fourth and Mike Morrill completed the top five. Stensland started ninth on the field to take his first win at Boone in 2018. The race went caution free.
It was Johnathon Logue, Doug Smith, and Austin Luellen duking it out in the early going of the IMCA Northern SportMod main event. Smith nearly lost it in corner four at one point, which allowed both Logue and Luellen to slip around him. He was able to recover, and only dropped to third as the chase continued. The three continued their tight battle as the race wound down. Luellen managed to get the upper hand on the white flag lap, and held on for the win. Smith and Logue finished a close second and third in that order. Jake McBirnie was fourth and Hunter Longnecker had an impressive run from twenty-second starting spot, coming out of a B main, to finish in fifth. Luellen, who started eleventh, repeated his win from last week. Luellen has looked impressive this early season, also winning the season opener at Marshalltown Speedway on Friday night, and finishing third on Thursday night from starting twenty-second, on the first night of the High Banks Hustle also at Marshalltown.
The IMCA Racesaver Sprint Cars made their debut for the 2018 season, with a dozen of the winged warriors in attendance. Mike Moore, last year's track champion put it in victory lane again. Moore took command at lap eleven, and never looked back as he endured through a caution at lap fifteen and another at lap seventeen. Tyler Thompson finished as the runner up, C. J. Houseman took third over Devin Wignall and Joel Thorpe in fourth and fifth respectively.
Johnny Spaw won an amazing IMCA Stock Car race that thrilled the crowd. Spaw started tenth and was able to get the best of Wayne Gifford. Spaw just nipped Gifford at the finish line after the two battled lap after lap, getting the crowd on it's feet. Third place finisher, Troy Jerovetz was in the thick of the battle up front much of the time as well, and just managed to hold off Michael Murphy who finished fourth, and close behind, Donavon Smith in fifth. Spaw, a veteran racer from Cedar Rapids, who has raced both asphalts and dirt, took his first ever win at Boone...well since 1974 he explained in victory lane...on a mini-bike.
Not to be out done, the IMCA 20-lap Modified feature was quite the thriller as well. Eric Elliott led the opening laps but it was Ricky Thornton that quickly made his way from ninth starting spot, to be on Elliott's tail. Thornton made the pass for the lead at lap seven, and pulled away looking destined for the easy win. However, a caution at lap fourteen bunched the field, and made for an interesting restart. As the race went green, Tim Ward flew from fifth starting spot, into second and then the two Arizona natives went to battle in the closing laps. Ward briefly took the lead on lap nineteen, only to have Thornton snatch it away in the final run to the checkers. Thornton took the win, and tenth place starter Ward, had to be content with second. Eric Elliott finished third, fourth went to Josh Gilman and eleventh place starter, Josh Most rounded out the top five.
The 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature closed out the night's racing action. Andrew Burg started tenth, reeled in leader Daniel Smith and quickly took advantage of Smith's slip up the track in turn one. Burg scooted to the lead and pulled away to claim an easy victory. Finishing a distant second was Minnesota driver Dylan Nelson, Daniel Smith was third, fourth place was Adair, Iowa's Adam Ayers, and Ryan Wells was fifth.
It was noted that there several disqualifications in the Modified heat races, all for an illegal mud plug. A new rule this season in the Modified class specifies that the outer plug cover must be WELDED to the wheel, and some drivers obviously missed that new rule.
Racing action continues next Saturday night, May 5, when it will be the first of several Super Saturdays presented by IMCATV. The IMCA Modifieds will run Twin Qualifiers for $500 to win. The Modified feature will then pay $1,000 to the winner. The IMCA Hobby Stocks will also be vying for $500 to win. They are the first of the other classes that will be vying for extra cash in the coming weeks.
We completed our fourth straight night of racing last night, and Sunday is going to indeed be a day of rest and recovery for us. Here's hoping Mother Nature is now going to give forth to some much more pleasant temperatures and calm winds for us race fans.
It was announced last evening, that the weekly Saturday races during the month of May, will also be starting one hour earlier. Hot laps are 5:45 and racing at 6:30.
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