The biggest car count of the season...179 cars....was on hand at the Boone Speedway on Saturday night where it was Christmas in July as well. Santa was hand and the facility was in holiday decor.
It was Fox Welding Stock Car King of the Katwalks night, presented by VanEaton Pork. The IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars were running for a $2500 to win payday, as well as an impressive trophy, and eligibility for qualifying for the B & B Chassis All-Star Invitational at the Super Nationals. Damon Murty not only walked away with those honors, but in doing so, got his elusive 300th IMCA Stock Car win. In the IMCA Friesen Performance Northern SportMods, another record fell, when 16 year old Josalyn Elmquist found her way to Victory Lane for the first time in her racing career. Other winners on the night were Jake McBirnie in the IMCA Friesen Performance Modifieds, Andrew Burg took the checkers in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, and Josh May got back to the winner's circle in the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites.
The IMCA Mod Lites, presented by Carquest Auto, Truck & Farm ran their 15 lap main event first.
Mike Kennedy led the field to green, and kept the top spot through lap eight. That's when Josh May took command of the ship and would then pull away from the pack and win going away. Jason Toppenberg ran at the front of the field all race long, and finished as the runner up. Early leader Mike Kennedy took third spot, fourth went to eighth place starter Randy Bryan, and Austin Gray started ninth, and took fifth. The race went flag to flag. This was May's fifth feature win of the season.
The IMCA Northern SportMod feature, presented by Elmquist Towing, was one for the record books. Josalyn Elmquist, who is 16 years old, would lead the 18 lap feature the entire race and take her ride home to the flying checkers for the very first time in her racing career. Chasing her the entire event was Summer Anderson, finishing in second, making it a 1-2 finish for the ladies. Jackson Harpole, who calls Farmington, New Mexico home, but is spending the summer racing in Iowa, finished in third. Another lady racer, Taylor Kuehl came from eleventh starting spot to take fourth, and Chris Burke completed the top five. This race also went caution free. Elmquist was the eighth different winner of the points season this year.
The headliner of the evening, the running of the IMCA Stock Car 25 lap feature came next and the quest for title of King of the Katwalks. Fifty-nine different drivers competed on the night, qualifying 24 cars through heats, and three B Mains. Two provisionals with the most points at the track who did not qualify, tagged the field.
Gage Neal started on the outside front row, and led the opening circuits, but it was Damon Murty taking over at lap four. Murty continued to lead though lap fifteen when the race was yellow flagged for debris on the track. By this time, son Dallon Murty had gotten into the number two spot after getting past Troy Jerovetz, and had erased dad's comfortable lead for the restart. Damon Murty however, continued his lead, taking to his preferred top line as the race concluded, and took the prestigious win, as well as securing his elusive 300th IMCA Stock Car feature win. Son Dallon Murty took second place, eleventh place starter, Jake McBirnie made a late race rally and finished in third place. Last years King of the Katwalks winner, Kaden Reynolds, Cedar Rapids, Iowa hard charged his way through the field from starting seventeenth, and finished fourth, and Troy Jerovetz was fifth. Murty was the seventh different Stock Car winner this season.
The IMCA Modifieds, presented by D & E Outside Services ran a 20 lap feature.
Jake McBirnie took his ride to Victory Lane when he led all but the first four laps of the feature event. He then pulled away from the field and checked out in the latter part of the race, winning for the second time this year. Joel Bushore finished a distant second, third went to Green Bay, Wisconsin's Tyler DeBouche, Paul Nagle started sixteenth, and finished fourth, and tenth place starter Cory Sauerman rounded out the top five. McBirnie was a happy camper in his Victory Lane interview with Coty Mallicoat. He was pleased with his ride, sporting a "new dress", and getting fine tuned this week, as well as praising the great track to race on. He became the sixth different Modified winner this season.
The 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, presented by Pickett Salvage put a nightcap on the racing.
Braden Gifford led the opening lap of the event, but veteran racer Andrew Burg was leading when lap two was scored. Burg never looked back from there on out, as he continued his run at the front the remainder of the race and took the win by a comfortable margin. Second place finisher was Mike Smith, third went to Seth Butler, Zach Henningsen, Marne, Iowa took fourth after starting twelfth, and John Watson made his way to a fifth place finish, coming from sixteenth starting position. Burg, an Iowa native who now calls Maricopa, Arizona home, comes back to Iowa to race in the summer the last several years. His last trip to Victory Lane at Boone came back in 2018, when he was the Hobby Stock track champion.
It was nice to see fellow Positively Racing cohort, Barry Johnson in the house last night. He spent most of his night in the infield, camera in hand. It was Ryan Clark alone on the mic last night, as Jerry Vansickel is off on a few days vacation.
Next Saturday, July 29, is Hunting with Heroes Salute to Veterans at the speedway. This is one of my favorite shows of the year. It's quite a moving program paying honor to those special veterans who served their country. Boone Speedway will be the last of three stops for the Salute to Veterans as they start out in Spencer, Iowa on Wednesday, July 26, race at the Kossuth County Speedway on Thursday, July 27, and end their tour at Boone on Saturday, the 29th. Several drivers are chosen to represent the Salute to Veterans and have special wraps on their cars and will be on display prior to the races. Veterans, active duty, and widows get in free at the races on those nights.
Find a race to support, and help keep the sport we all love alive and well....dirt track racing!
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