Saturday night at the Boone Speedway, the fans were treated to the once a year spectacle of topless racing in the IMCA Friesen Performance Modifieds and Northern SportMods. The Capital Signs Co. Dirty 30's saw the roofs and sails removed from the two divisions as they raced for $1,200 for the Modified victory, and $1,000 for the SportMods. Jake McBirnie and Taylor Kuehl got the distinct honors of taking home those prizes. Johnathon Logue clawed his way to the front and took checkers in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Braden Gifford got his first ever win in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks....in a wild and crazy incident filled feature, and Charlie Brown got back to Victory Lane in the IMCA Stealth STARS Mod Lites.
Feature racing kicked off with the 15 lapper for the Mod Lites, presented by Carquest Auto, Truck & Farm.
Charlie Brown, who just returned to the racing scene this season after several years off, started on the pole and drove off. He was still leading at lap seven, when veteran Mike Kennedy took a violent multi roll down the frontstretch when contact was made. Everyone was very thankful when he emerged from the mangled car, alert and talking. When racing action picked back up, Brown shot off to the lead once again, with defending track champion, Josh May and Cory Sonner ready to make their challenge for the lead. It wasn't to be however, as Brown held the top spot, and finished comfortably ahead of the field to score the win. Sonner made the pass on May in the closing moments as they went second and third respectively, with Bryan Zehm right there in fourth. Ben George rounded out the top five. This was only Brown's third night back racing after coming out of "retirement".
Now it was time for the SportMod 30 lap Dirty 30, presented by Elmquist Towing. The draw/redraw format for the class saw Taylor Kuehl get the lucky #1 to start on the pole. She wasted no time in shooting off to the lead, and was pulling away, slicing through lap traffic easily when the only caution flag flew at lap 20 for a spinning car. Her 3.5 second lead vanished for the restart with Willy Kirk, Sloan, Iowa and Woodward, Iowa racer Hunter Longnecker anxious for the restart as they envisioned the $1,000 payday waiting for the winner. Kirk took over the second spot, and tried his all for a way around Kuehl, but she kept her cool, running the topside, and took the popular win with the crowd. Kirk took the runner up spot with Longnecker going third. Fourth went to Dusty Masolini, and Logan Anderson was fifth.
The Modifieds, presented by D & E Outside Services, followed up with their 30 lap Topless Dirty 30. Chase Weimer, and Green Bay, Wisconsin's Tyler DeBouche drew the lucky front row, but it was third place starter Trevor Fitz, a California transplant, who was leading at lap one. Fitz was still leading when the second and final caution flew at lap ten, but he had brother's Jimmy and Richie Gustin right behind for the restart. Richie Gustin made a topside pass to take over the lead at lap thirteen and was looking strong. Fitz didn't go away however, and took back the lead a couple of laps later. Sliders were being thrown shortly with Jake McBirnie now in the mix. At lap nineteen, it was McBirnie taking over as captain of the ship, then Fitz regaining the lead! Fitz was looking strong and he could see visions of the $1200 pay off when he suddenly experienced mechanical issues....driving off the race track with four laps left and...no yellow coming out. This put McBirnie now back in front and he would hold it to the waving checkers and the win. Ninth place starter Richie Gustin took the runner up position, Cory Sauerman rallied in the last part of the race, with a plus fourteen run to take third place. Richie Gustin and Riley Simmons rounded out the top five.
The IMCA Stock Cars, presented by Boone Moose Lodge ran their 20 lap A main next. Front row starters Bryan Snell and Craig Carlson swapped the lead in the first two laps, but "The Bobcat", Johnathon Logue quickly clawed his way to the front by lap three, after starting sixth. It would be a spot he would never relinquish, weathering four cautions, to take the win. Fifth place starter David Smith bested the challenge of Buck Schafroth as they went second and third respectively. Eleventh place starter Jay Schmidt took fourth place, and Tyler Pickett raced from thirteenth starting spot, to take fifth. This was Logue's second feature win of the season.
The nightcap, the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature, presented by Pickett Salvage was one for the books! Pole sitter Aron Fye was leading the race until an incident in corner one halted the action at lap nine. Seth Butler had taken over second place and last week's winner John Watson was running third. Then when the race restarted and going into corner one, Butler's car suddenly broke/stopped and Watson ended up under his rear end, and Andrew Burg with no place to go, made it a three car pile up. When things were cleaned up and racing picked back up, Fye was still leading, but meanwhile, it was young Mike Smith, eighteenth place starter, who had been coming fast and furiously on the topside, and two laps later, made it to the lead. Fye was then out of the race with a flat tire, leaving Eric Knutson in second and trying to run down Smith. The wild and crazy happenings weren't done yet, as a caution came out on lap eleven, Smith still leading, and then....another yellow before a lap was scored when a tap by Knutson sent Smith spinning in corner two, getting him a "bad dog, no biscuit", and bringing out yet another halt to the action. By this time, about nine cars were left on the track, and on the restart, Smith had to tag the field for the race to the checkers. Now it was veteran Wayne Gifford setting in the catbird seat when things picked back up and Solomon Bennett in second. Crazy circumstances in this race were still not over as on unlucky lap thirteen, Bennett went for a roll in corner one, leader Gifford had a flat tire under yellow and had to go to the hot pits, and now Gifford's son, and recent high school graduate Braden Gifford found himself in the lead for the restart! Thankfully, the final laps were without incident, and young Gifford held off Mike Smith (yes he raced himself back to second) and scored his first career win. Smith went second, third went to twenty-third place starter Joe Doran, fourth was tenth place starter Matt McDonald, and Seth Janssen started twentieth, and finished fifth. Braden Gifford was a happy camper in Victory Lane, and grateful to survive the attrition from wrecks, mechanical issues, roll overs, black flags, and flat tires in the wild and chaotic contest.
It was certainly an entertaining and action packed night at Boone and the Hobby Stock feature that ended the night....finally...will go down in the books as "the chaos" night. It was entertaining though, but a lot of headaches and repairs lie ahead for the drivers who got the short end of the stick. It was great to see a driver get his first ever win when Braden Gifford saw the checkers. He is the son of veteran Wayne Gifford and I believe it is just his sophomore season of racing.
Find a track to support, and help keep the sport we all love....dirt track racing....alive and well!
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