Prelude Night #2

 September 4, 2022

Sunday was Night #2 of the Wild Rose Casino Prelude to the Super Nationals and also the crowning of the first of the 2022 Super Nationals Champions. 

The IMCA STARS Mod Lites completed their qualifying from Night #1 with 10 more drivers filling in the outside row of the three-wide 30 lap feature for their Big Dance.

Brandon Freeburg, Metamora, Illinois started on the outside front row and grabbed the immediate lead as the race went green.  Dillon Raffurty tagged on his tail to run in second place.  The two ran as such as the race wore on, with Raffurty giving a peek now and then until lap 25 when Freeburg lost the handle low in turn four, spun, and handed the lead over to Raffurty.  Freeburg got going, but the unfortunate incident resulted in Freeburg being handed the black penalty flag since he did not stop after driving below the light poles in the infield....a long standing rule at the track for the safety of the photographers and infield workers.

Raffurty had no problem in then holding on to that inherited lead the rest of the way to the flying checkers....and defended his 2021 Super National's title.

John Padilla, Silvis, Illinois finished in second place, Austin Gray, Story City, Iowa was third, fourth went to Bakersfield, California racer Zack Forster and New Yorker, Joe Isabell rounded out the top five. 

Earlier, the Mod Lites ran their Race of Champions with ten drivers that had qualified.  Dillon Raffurty also won this race handily, leading all ten laps as he pulled away from the field to take another checkers. Raffurty's record is nearly perfect at the Boone Speedway as he also won the ROC race last year.  

The IMCA Friesen Motors Northern SportMods ran a 25 lap Prelude feature event.  Eddyville, Iowa's Logan Anderson, led all laps on his way to victory in the race that went caution free.  Robbie Thome, Spalding, Nebraska chased Anderson the entire race, mounted several challenges, but was never able to do more than that, and had to settle for second.  Cam Reimers, Kelley, Iowa ran third, Oskaloosa hot shoe Brayton Carter was fourth, and Miles Morris, Yuma, Arizona was fifth.

The night ended with 25 laps of IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature racing.  Mike Smith had the field covered in this one. He started on the outside front row, and jumped immediately to the lead.  One yellow would mar the race at lap nine, but it was no issue for Smith as he once again pulled away on the restart and continued the rest of the way to the checkers and a 2022 Wild Rose Casino Prelude championship. 

Eric Stanton started eighth and took second place, as his engine erupted in a ball of flames at the finish line. Tyson Overton ran at the front of the pack all race long, and took third.  Cherokee, Iowa's Jimmy Johnson was the hard charger, coming from twenty-fourth starting spot, to take fourth, and Craig Brotherton, Clear Lake, Iowa was fifth.

The 40th Annual IMCA Super Nationals now beings it's six day run on Labor Day.  The Labor Day show begins with hot laps scheduled for 1 p.m. and racing at 2.