Bushore and Rudolph score first Boone victories

July 09, 2016

Three new drivers found their way to victory lane at the Boone Speedway on Saturday night and two were repeat winners.  Joel Bushore captured his first win of the season in the IMCA Modified division, Aaron Rudolph made it win #1 in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Josh May went to the winner’s circle for the first time in the Mod Lite class. Repeat winners were Jake McBirnie in the IMCA Modified’s, and Tyler Pickett captured his second ever IMCA Stock Car victory at Boone.

Mod Lite racer Josh May, who has not raced full time at Boone this season, got back to his winning ways from past years, and went to victory lane for the first time.  May started sixth and closed in quickly on leader Angelo Montgomery.  May made the pass for the lead at lap nine, and then pulled away to win the 15-lap feature by a comfortable margin.  Angelo Montgomery took the runner up spot, Travis Stensland held off Bryan Zehm as they finished third and fourth in that order, and Joel Keenan finished fifth.  The race went green to checkers.

Jake McBirnie scored his third regular season win in the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod main event.  He started ninth, and by lap two was already hounding leader Andy Tiernan.  The two battled closely until lap nine, when McBirnie made the pass on the outside, and took command.  He held the lead the remaining laps to the checkers and the win.  Jonathon Logue took second after starting eleventh, Randy Roberts hustled through the pack from tenth, to finish in third.  Fourth went to early leader Andy Tiernan, and Lynn Brockett rounded out the top five.  The race went caution free.

Up next was the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock A main.  It took four tries before the first lap got in the books in this one.  Two more cautions would fly by lap three.

Aaron Rudolph started the IMCA Hobby Stock feature in tenth spot, worked his way forward and with just two laps remaining, was able to make the pass for the lead marking his first win of the 2016 season on Saturday, July 9, at Boone Speedway.

Jordan Peters got around early leader David McQuiston but was soon having to hold back Aaron Rudolph.  Rudolph, who had started tenth, put the pressure on Peters and with just two laps remaining, was able to make the pass for the lead.  He kept that top spot to the finish line and the win.  Peters finished in second, third went to Solomon Bennett, Dustin Lynch came home in fourth and twelfth place starter Eric Stanton was fifth.  This was Rudolph’s first win of the year.

The 20-lap IMCA Modified feature had more than it’s share of cautions….six in all.  Joel Bushore got to the lead by lap two and never let those cautions deter his march to the checkers.  Jon Snyder took second place, Russ Dickerson was third, Mike VanGenderen, who had won the last two features, was fourth, and Tony Cox finished fifth.  Bushore won for the first time this year at the speedway.

The night’s racing concluded with the 18-lap IMCA Stock Car feature.  Cory Bushnell grabbed the early lead, but eighth place starter Tyler Pickett was tailing him by lap three.  Pickett continued his chase and was able to get inside of Bushnell as they came out of turn four, and was scored the leader at lap eleven.  From there on, Pickett eased away from the field, and scored the comfortable win, his second of the year at Boone.  Veteran racer Terry Pruitt took second, third went to eleventh place starter Donavon Smith, Bushnell dropped to fourth and Josh Daniels was fifth.

Racing continues next Saturday at the Boone Speedway with hot laps at 6:45 and racing at 7:30.