Boone Speedway saw their annual Watermelon Classic, P1P Challenge, and First Time Winner night on Saturday at the track. Dallon Murty doubled up by winning the Watermelon Classic and the P1P features in the IMCA Friesen Performance Modifieds. The Watermelon Classic has become a tradition due to the fact that supposedly, drivers once were heard or told that they would race for watermelons! Cody Gustoff won his first IMCA Sunoco Stock Feature, and it was Cam Reimers taking the honors in the IMCA Friesen Performance Northern SportMods. Mike Smith went back to Victory Lane for winning another IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature, and it was Josh May leading flag to flag in the IMCA Stealth STARS Mod Lite main event. In the SportMod First Time Winner race, Ottumwa's Tommy Lathrop finally got it done! Extra laps were added to the feature events, extra money was on the line, and of course, the drivers were awarded the sought after watermelon!
It was a night filled with some different racing action with the Modifieds running time trials and then also earning passing points in heat races for the P1P Challenge and the Watermelon Classic features.
The P1 Promotions Challenge for the Modifieds ran first after they had earlier qualified through timing. Only the top twelve fastest were locked in for the main event. A redraw was held for the top twelve to set their starting lineup for the 15 lap feature. Dallon Murty and Dan Wagner were the lucky recipients of the front row.
When the green flag flew, Wagner grabbed the lead and Murty tucked right in behind him. Wagner continued his lead through lap four with Murty hounding him. Then just after lap four was in the books, Murty got under Wagner on the backstretch, threw a perfect slider in turns three and four, and had the lead when lap five was scored. It was all smooth sailing for Murty from then on as he pulled away and scored the convincing win. Wagner, finished in second place, Tim Ward just got by Jeremy Mills in the closing seconds as they went third and fourth respectively, and Izac Mallicoat was fifth. Murty took the $1,000 check and hardware.
The Watermelon Classic features came next and first on the track were the Mod Lites, presented by Carquest Auto, Truck & Farm. They ran a 20 lap race.
Josh May, by luck of the draw, sat on the pole for the start. It was all but over when he grabbed the immediate lead when the race went green. Travis Stensland started fifth, and quickly got to second place but that would be all she wrote as he chased May the rest of the way to the checkers, and had to settle for the runner up position. Charlie Brown started twelfth and finished an impressive third, fourth went to Ben George, and Austin Gray came from fourteenth starting spot, to finish in fifth. The race went caution free.
The run for the coveted watermelon for the Northern SportMods, presented by Elmquist Towing, came next, with their 23 lap main event.
Tim Eaton, St. Joseph, Missouri led the first handful of laps holding back Alec Fett, and then Cam Reimers. Reimers made his move on the backstretch after lap five was scored, and was leading when lap six was counted. Reimers had the race in command from there on and took the checkers and the win. He was content to let Fett and Taylor Kuehl duke it out behind him for second place in the latter part of the contest with Kuehl winning out for the runner up spot, Fett going third. Fourth went to Randy Havlik, and track champion Dusty Masolini raced from eleventh to finish in fifth.
The Modified came to the track next, racing for $1,000, hardware, and the watermelon. They had earned passing points in their earlier heat races, and thus were aligned accordingly. They ran a 25 lap feature, presented by D & E Outside Services.
Johnathon Logue got the lucky redraw and started on the pole of the event. He had his hands full with the likes of Jeremy Mills and Kyle Brown, both taking the lead briefly. Logue fought back however and regained the lead again on lap ten. Brown was soon off the pace and into the pits, and now Logue was having to hold back eighth place starter Todd Shute, and eleventh spot starter, Dallon Murty. The fifth yellow of the caution plagued race flew on lap eighteen, Logue still leading, and Murty and Shute eager for the restart. Logue held the lead when nineteen went in the books, but with just five laps remaining, it was Murty to the lead. Yet another yellow flag would fly on lap twenty-two, but Murty had no issue on maintaining his lead and went home to the flying checkers and scored his second win of the night. Todd Shute was second, third went to Nick Meyer, who started thirteenth and had an impressive run, as did fourteenth place starter Zachary Madrid, the Arizona native who now calls Boone, Iowa home, who was fourth. Jeremy Mills completed the top five.
The Stock Cars ran a 25 lap main event, presented by Boone Moose Lodge and paying $1000 to the winner.
It was the duel of two #19s for much of the race, with Alan Van Gorp leading the way, and Jay Schmidt chasing him. The two battled closely for lap after lap with Cody Gustoff giving them both fits. Then on lap nineteen, an unfortunate incident took out both Schmidt and Van Gorp in turn one as contact happened with the two leaders and Gustoff. It looked to be a "bad dog, no biscuit" move to us, but no black flag was shown with Schmidt and Van Gorp got the short end of the stick, and their night would draw to a close. The lead was then handed over to Gustoff for the restart. Gustoff would hold on the final laps to score the win....his first in a Stock Car at Boone. David Smith scored the runner up spot after starting ninth, and Scott Olson was third after a tenth place start. Rod Richards, and Liberty, Missouri's Justin Custer rounded out the top five.
The final Watermelon Classic feature of the night was 20 laps of Hobby Stock racing, presented by Pickett Salvage.
Keith Burg grabbed the immediate lead from his pole starting position as the race began. Eric Knutson tagged on to run second. Knutson took command on lap six and continued his run at the front through four cautions, but on the final yellow at lap sixteen, it was track champion Mike Smith hot on his tail for the restart. Smith swung to the top out of turn two when the race went green, and had the lead when lap seventeen was scored. The final circuits were all Smith's as he raced home to yet another impressive win in the division. Knutson was second, Burg went third, fourth went to tenth place starter Wayne Gifford, and first timer Justin Frederick, Cleghorn, Iowa rounded out the top five.
After a final farming session, the 3rd Annual John Logue First Time Winner's 20 lap race was held. This year, it was the Northern SportMods. The 15 car field was aligned with the oldest driver to the front and the youngest to the back. The parade lap was led by John Logue in his # 69 throwback Stock Car.
Tom Lathrop, the sixty-three year old veteran racer from Ottumwa, Iowa started on the pole as he sought his first ever win in a Sport Mod. Lathrop would get out in front and lead the entire caution free race and take that long overdue victory. There was some shake-up in the final two laps when Jessiah Taylor's last ditch effort to better his position fell short putting him far back at the finish. This allowed twelfth place starter Cam Vincent to take the runner up position, Jason Carney, who ran up front most of the race and finished in third place, fourth went to thirteenth place starter, and rookie Mike Smith making his debut in a SportMod, and David Hoover completed the top five.
We were happy to see a true weekly SportMod racer get his first win. We've watched Tommy Lathrop for years and years at many tracks, but mainly at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Osky....dating back to at least the early '90's. He was one happy camper, getting his first ever SportMod win last night....sporting his ever-present Vikings wrap on his Harris chassis.
Next on tap at the Boone Speedway, will be night #1 of the Prelude to Super Nationals on Saturday, August 31, followed by night #2 on Sunday, September 1. Modifieds, Stock Cars, Sport Compacts, and Mod Lites will run on Saturday. The Sunday night show will feature the Northern Sport Mods, and Hobby Stocks, and the Mod Lites will crown the first of the 2024 Super Nationals champions. Hot laps are scheduled for 1:30 with racing at 3 both days. Then on Labor Day Monday, September it will be the first of six straight days/nights of racing at the 42nd Annual Super Nationals spectacle!
We plan to start our marathon of racing this coming Friday night at the Marshalltown Speedway for the Showdown in MoTown. The next day will start eight days/nights at the Boone Speedway for the Preludes on August 31, and September 1, and then six straight days/nights for the 42nd Annual Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals. Not sure how or if we will hold up for the entire run, but will give it a shot!
Find a track to support and help keep the sport we all love....dirt track racing....alive and well!
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