Burke bags first SportMod win, Durbin, Morrill and Watson go back-to-back
June 30, 2012
After last week’s rain out, the Boone Speedway sprung back to life with hot racing action to go along with the hot June night. Three drivers scored back-to-back victories and two saw the winner’s circle for the first time this season. During the farming session, a frozen tee shirt contest and a water balloon toss provided relief from the heat to a few lucky contestants.
The Mod Lite 15-lap feature went to Mike Morrill for two-in-a-row. Morrill snatched the lead away from Bryan Zehm by lap five and never looked back. A caution at lap ten and subsequent restart did not bother Morrill as he pulled away to another victory; his third of the year. Josh May slipped by Bryan Zehm with just a couple of laps remaining as they finished second and third. Randy Bryan was fourth and Joel Huggins, fifth.
Matt Pinegar led the charge in the 18-lap IMCA SportMod feature with Tom Burke tucked on his tail. Pinegar’s chance for the win slipped away with a lap remaining when his car pushed up the track. Burke seized the opportunity, made the pass and went home to the win; his first in the SportMod division. Burke is a former Hobby Stock driver, having made the move up a couple of years back. Scott Davis followed suite and advanced around Pinegar as did Nick Roberts as they finished second and third respectively. Pinegar hung on for fourth and Jerry Hinton followed him to nab fifth spot.
Texas driver Greg Dinsmore made his second appearance of the year in the IMCA Modified class and showed some muscle in the early going by leading the pack in the 20-lap feature event. Jake Durbin had other ideas and would then take over the helm at the halfway mark. Durbin would then motor home to his second consecutive win at the speedway; Dinsmore having to settle for the runner up spot. Russ Dickerson was third, followed by Randy Havlik in fourth and Kelly Lyons in fifth.
The IMCA Stock Car feature had a new winner for the regular season when Donavon Smith found victory lane. Smith, who won the Frostbuster, had not paid a visit to the winner’s circle yet in the regular point season, but did it up in fine style on this night. Smith, who started twelfth, fought through the tight competition and to the lead by lap eight of the 18-lap affair, and would then pull away at the finish line for the win. There was plenty of swapping of positions behind Smith, but as the checkers flew, it was veteran Robert Stofer who had fought his way to second, ahead of Jerry Gifford who finished third. Fourth went to Cory Bushnell and fifth was Michael Murphy.
The night ended with the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Curt Reed led the first two circuits, but John Watson took his familiar place at the point by lap three. Scott Pippert ran out of laps to make it more interesting at the finish, as he finished second. Curt Reed was third over Matt McDonald in fourth and Aaron Rudolph in fifth. This was Watson’s ninth regular season win.
The next event at the Boone Speedway will be this Wednesday night, the 4th of July, for the Annual Eve of Destruction along with racing action in the IMCA SportMod division. This will all be followed by a huge fireworks display. Then it will be back to regular points racing in all five divisions next Saturday night, July 7th. Hot laps are 6:45, with racing at 7:30.
