The sky looked threatening when we left for our usual trip to the Boone Speedway Saturday. Those clouds soon turned into raindrops and we ran into some torrential rain pockets as we headed west. The skies parted however, and it turned into a beautiful, but muggy night of entertainment at Iowa's Action Track. One hundred sixty-two race cars checked in for a full night of racing fun.
The Boone Speedway held its first Super Saturday of the 2020 season Saturday night. Nick Roberts took home the $1,000 prize in the Snap-On-Tools IMCA Modified class as well as securing a berth on the IMCA Super Nationals All-Star Invitational ballot. Extra money was also on the line for the Elmquist IMCA Northern SportMods, and it was Johnathon Logue taking home that $750 prize. Both of those featured classes were a draw/redraw program.
Donavon Smith won his second Arnold Motor Supply IMCA Stock Car feature of the season, and his nephew Mike Smith took the checkers in the Pickett Salvage IMCA Hobby Stock class. It was Jeff Stensland taking the trophy in the Mod Lite division, and the team of Don Mason and Mike Again returned to victory lane for the third time this season when they won the Cruiser feature....their familiar light sticks flashing on the back of their Buick.
Up first for feature racing was the 15-lapper for the Mod Lites. Jeff Stensland was back in his own car Saturday after son Travis had been behind the wheel the night before at Marshalltown. Travis had it all fine tuned for his dad as Jeff took his first win of the season at Boone. He grabbed the lead quickly from his fifth starting position, weathered three yellow flag restarts, and held off the pack to secure the win. Bryan Zehm took the runner up spot, just squeaking by third place Mike Kennedy as they crossed the finish line. Randy Bryan and Cody Yaw rounded out the top five.
The IMCA Northern SportMods ran a 25-lap feature for the extra pay day on Super Saturday. Most of the race was a side by side shoot out between early leader Colby Fett, and Johnathon Logue. Logue caught up to Fett at lap seven and the two battled back and forth, side-by-side, lap after lap, until Logue finally established the top spot for good on lap seventeen. He would go on to take the checkers first and pocket the $750 pay off. Fett would finish as the runner up, Ely, Iowa racer Gage Neal was third, fourth went to Josh Appel, and Dusty Masolini was fifth. Logue also won the opening race of the season on May 16, sans fans in the stands. The race went flag to flag.
The IMCA Modifieds ran a 30-lap main event for their $1,000 to win contest. Nick Roberts went home with this prize, leading all laps to take the checkers in convincing fashion. Two caution would fly during the trace, the second at lap seventeen when two #3 cars tangled. Randy Havlik and Kelly Shryock were locked in a good battle for fourth when Havlik lost a wheel and Shryock had no place to go, retiring both racers for the night.
Roberts had no trouble on the restarts of those cautions, shooting off to the lead. He finished comfortably ahead of second place Tim Ward. Ethan Braaksma ran at the front of the pack all race long and finished third. Fourth went to twelfth place starter, and rookie to the class, Jake McBirnie, and Paul Nagle was hard charger, coming from seventeenth to finish fifth.
Donavon Smith scored his second win of the season in the IMCA Stock Cars, in a race that would go green to checkers. Smith, who started eleventh, over took then leader Scott Davis at lap ten, took the low road out of turn four and had the lead at the flag stand. Smith then motored off from the field to take the easy win. Davis held on to second, Chanse Hollatz was third, fourth went to Tyler Pickett, and Kyle Everts finished fifth.
Mike Smith, sixteen year old son of David Smith, matched his uncle's win in the Stock Cars when he captured the IMCA Hobby Stock A main. Smith had the lead before a handful of laps were in the books and then never looked back on his way to victory. There were clusters of cars vying for position behind him however and the "chrome horns were honking" as announcer Jerry Vansickel says. When it all got sorted out, Seth Janssen came out as the runner up to chase the leader across the line. Finishing a close third was Miciah Hidlebaugh, Shaun Wirtz was fourth, and Solomon Bennett took fifth. Mike Smith has had success at other tracks, taking wins this season, but this was his first ever at Boone.
Next Saturday is the 4th of July, and the Boone Speedway will be racing. All classes will be running except the IMCA Hobby Stocks and the Cruisers. Also on the docket will be a roll over contest and leap of death, as well as a 4th of July fireworks display. Grandstands open at 4, hot laps are 5 p.m. with racing at 6.
Enjoy your 4th of July holiday, stay safe, and find a race to attend in support of the sport we all love....dirt track racing!
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