Tech Tent Upgrades; Luellen interview

The familiar tech tent at Boone has been replaced with palatial paved digs, at the same location on the speedway grounds, that can accommodate four lines of cars.

“It’s wonderful,” IMCA Competition Director Tom Gutowski  said after more than 250 cars had been inspected and tech resumed Monday.

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In contention for the national title, Clint Luellen came to Boone with his sites set on a Super Nationals championship and a second career-type highlight in as many weeks.

From Minburn, Luellen won Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod features last Friday at the Nebraska State Championships in Beatrice and on Saturday during the Sprint Car Super Nationals program at Raceway Eagle.

He’s now won seven straight features at six different tracks, having also taken checkers at Marshalltown, Stuart, Shelby County Speedway and Benton County Speedway.

“The longest streak I’d had before that was three,” said Luellen, runner-up at the Frostbuster this spring at Boone and the winner of eight features at Marshalltown and seven at Stuart this year. “Things are really starting to align for us. The highlight was last weekend. To go into good competition’s back yard and win was definitely our highlight of the year so far.”

Noting that more seat time had a part in his success this year, Luellen also attributed his success to a new R&D Razor; he’d driven a 2012 Razor last season.

Luellen ran a partial season in the Hobby Stocks and is now in his fifth SportMod campaign. Third at Super Nationals last year, he had first qualified for the big dance in 2009, in just his fifth career start in the division.