Prochaska, Richards and Gustoff first time winners at Boone
August 16, 2014
The Boone Speedway just keeps adding new winners to the list in 2014. Saturday night, the Modified, Stock Car and Hobby Stock classes put new names in the book, while the SportMod and Mod Lite classes had repeat winners. The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks also ran for the second time this season, adding even more machines to the 168 total in the five regular classes.
The Mod Lite 15 lap feature was won by Travis Stensland. Stensland got to the front early, took his machine to the topside and enjoyed his ride to the checkers, taking the win by a comfortable margin. It was a different story behind him as it was a three-wide battle for position as the cars came to the checkers. Randy Bryan won the shoot out for the runner up position, finishing just ahead of Mike Kennedy in third and Bryan Zehm in fourth. Joel Keenan rounded out the top five. Stensland won for the third time at Boone this year.
Bruce Egeland led the troops early in the 18-lap SportMod feature only to have ninth place starter Jake McBirnie on his tail by lap seven. McBirnie tussled with Egeland until lap ten, when McBirnie was finally able to take over the top spot. From then on, McBirnie had no trouble in keeping his lead, stretching it out at the flying checkers, and capturing the victory. Egeland held on to the runner up spot, Chad Ryerson and Bryan Johnson, who had challenged each other the entire race, finished third and fourth respectively. Point leader Ben Kates, started thirteenth, and finished in fifth. This was McBirnie’s second win of the year at the speedway.
There were six Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks on hand and they ran a 10-lap feature. Carl Knight was the guy in charge from the drop of the green flag. Kevin Sather tucked in right behind him in second place and Lou Sipolt was hanging with the leaders in third place. Knight held tight to his point position with Sather applying pressure in the closing laps. As the cars approached the checkers out of turn four, Sather swung to the outside and beat Knight to the finish line and snatched the win. Knight had to be content with second place, Sipolt held on to third, fourth was AJ Nelson, Bret Moyer was fifth and Pat Gordin finished sixth.
Ryan Grochala held down the lead in the 12-lap Hobby Stock A main but Cody Gustoff, who started ninth, was up to challenge just past the halfway mark. Gustoff was able to make the pass for the lead with just two laps remaining and kept it to the finish and the win. Grochala held on to second place, third was Ross Marshall, point leader John Watson was a close fourth, and Andrew Burg was fifth. This was Gustoff’s first win at the track this year.
Tyler Prochaska went home with the win this week in the IMCA Modified 20-lap feature. After finishing second last week, Prochaska got redemption by leading the entire 20-laps on his way to his first feature win at the Speedway in 2014. Much of those 20 laps he
Tyler Prochaska went home with his first win of season at Boone Speedway in the IMCA Modified 20-lap feature on Saturday, August 16, 2014.
held off Nebraska racer Matthew Kiner and Devon Havlik. After a restart at lap fourteen, there was a lot of action going on behind the leader. Kiner got loose in the top of turn two, losing many positions and the shuffling of cars began. The closing laps saw Mike VanGenderen move from sixth place up to take the runner up spot at the finish line, but unable to catch winner Prochaska. Devon Havlik finished third, Joel Bushore was fourth and Jimmy Gustin, point leader, moved from eleventh starting spot, up to fifth. Prochaska’s win, makes thirteen different weekly winners in the Modified division for 2014.
It was the typical entertaining IMCA Stock Car 18-lap feature. Cars were running three and four wide from the opening laps. Rod Richards established the lead at lap six after fighting past Cory Bushnell and Larry Crocheck. Jay Schmidt was soon to throw his hat into the ring, grabbing the runner up spot at lap seven, and in hot pursuit of leader Richards. Not to be out done, Donavon Smith also joined in, and the battle was on between Schmidt and Smith. Richards, Smith and Schmidt made it quite a show for position in the final laps, running so closely together. Schmidt worked past Smith and into the runner up spot as the cars took the white flag. Then, when entering turn one, a huge cloud of smoke erupted from Schmidt’s car, and it came to a stop as the rest of the cars raced by. The race ended with Rod Richards keeping the lead and taking the win. Donavon Smith was second, third went to Wayne Gifford who had started in sixteenth spot, Robert Stofer was fourth and Jerry Gifford rounded out the top five. Richards won for the first time this season.
Racing continues next Saturday night, August 23rd, at the Boone Speedway. Hot laps are 6:45 and racing at 7:30.
