Fans were finally allowed back in the grandstands Saturday night at the Boone Speedway for the first time this season. Not only were the fans happy to be once again setting in the stands, but the drivers were happy to see them there as well! More than one winning driver expressed in Victory Lane just how much the fans being there meant to them.
Kyle Brown was impressive in taking the Snap-On Tools IMCA Modified victory. Two Smith brothers prevailed again this week, Donavon claiming the Arnold Motor Supply IMCA Stock Car win, and Doug capturing the win in the Elmquist Towing IMCA Northern SportMod class. Young Miciah Hidlebaugh went to Victory Lane when he took the checkers in the Pickett Salvage IMCA Hobby Stock division, and Charlie Brown won the Mod Lite trophy. The Cruiser cars also ran for the first time this season. Five cars hit the track...one a house car, and it was the team of Donnie Mason and Michael Agan taking the checkers. They look to be picking up where they left off last year, winning nearly every week. You can't miss their light sticks on the trunk of their hot rod.
Charlie Brown took home his first trophy of the year in winning the Mod Lite 15-lap feature. Brown, who started tenth, had to run down Randy Bryan and Mike Kennedy who were out front through the halfway mark of the race. Brown was in third spot when a yellow flew at lap ten, and he was Johnny on the spot for the restart, slipping into the lead. He and Randy Bryan would then race side by side for several laps, drag racing down the frontstretch. However it was Brown maintaining that top spot to the checkers and the win. Bryan had to be satisfied with the runner up spot, Kennedy went third, Randy Zehm and Joel Huggins rounded out the top five.
Pole sitter Thomas Egenberger jumped to the immediate lead in the IMCA Northern SportMod contest. Egenberger was still leading when a caution flew at lap eleven. By the time lap twelve was scored, Doug Smith, who had restarted in twelfth position , was the new leader. Two more yellows would fly, but were of no hindrance to Smith as he motored off from the field to secure his second win of this early season. Cam Reimers took the runner up spot, third going to Egenberger. Austin Kaplan came from eleventh starting position to score a fourth place, and Colton Nelson was fifth. Smith was one of those drivers glad to see the fans in the stands, and expressed his thanks to them for being there. This was the third win within the week for Smith, having won Alta and Denison earlier.
Up next was the 20-lap IMCA Modified feature. This one saw Gatlin Leytham and Jimmy Gustin lead the field to green, but by corner one, sixth place starter Kyle Brown was already leading the race! From there on Brown showed total domination in securing his first win of the 2020 season. Joel Rust chased Brown across the finish line in second place, Tim Ward came from ninth starting spot to finish third, Russ Dickerson was scored in fourth, and rookie to the class, Jake McBirnie, was fifth. Brown was another of those drivers who said just how much seeing fans in the stands meant to him.
IMCA Stock Cars came next for their 20-lap A Main event. Pole sitter Kyle Everts looked to be on his way to a win as he held back the trio of Jeff Mueller, Devin Smith, and Donavon Smith who were busy vying for position behind him. Then Donavon Smith decided to try his hand at the top of the track, not usually where he runs, and made it pay off. He took the lead on lap sixteen and then sailed home the victor for the night. Everts kept the runner up spot, Devin Smith started eleventh and was third, Mueller finished fourth, and Tyler Pickett finished fifth. Winner Donavon Smith took his first win of the season after starting back in tenth starting spot.
Shaun Wirtz led the early portion of the IMCA Hobby Stock 15-lap feature. with seventh place starter Miciah Hidlebaugh giving chase. Hidlebaugh was able to get the upper hand on the backstretch, and had the lead when lap ten was scored. Hidlebaugh, the youngster out of Adel, was then able to hold the top spot the rest of the way to the checkers. Hard charging Eric Knutson came from fourteenth starting spot and tried his best to run down the leader, but had to settle for second. Early leader Shaun Wirtz was third, fourth went to Solomon Bennett who started eleventh, and Dylan Nelson, who had won the two previous weeks and was fighting an ill handing machine, was fifth. I believe this was Hidlebaugh's first win at Boone. He had a good early 2020 season when he traveled to Texas to run the Sniper Speed tour, getting a win under his belt there according to announcer Jerry Vansickel.
Racing continues next week with early start times. Pits open at 3:30, grandstands at 4, hot laps 5, and racing at 6. Those early starting times will continue through the month of June. Then in July, it will be grandstands at 5, hot laps at 6, and racing at 7. And yes, the IMCA Super Nationals are on as scheduled.
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