McBirnie takes first SportMod win

July 12, 2014

First time winners were in abundance at the Boone Speedway on Saturday night.  The Modified, Stock Car, SportMod and Hobby Stock classes all had new faces in victory lane.  The Mod Lite class was a different story as a driver made it three-in-a-row.  The pits were full with the 131 cars that came to try their hand at the track.

The Mod Lite 15-lap feature saw Travis Stensland at the helm past the halfway mark of the race, but brothers Terry and Charlie Brown were hounding him.  Terry Brown made his way to the lead at lap twelve and maintained that hold to the checkers and the win.  Stensland held of Charlie Brown as they finished second and third respectively.  Andy Hennigar finished fourth and Robert See was fifth.  Terry Brown took his third win in as many weeks, and fourth of the season.

Pole sitter Brian Eppert led the charge through the first handful of laps in the SportMod 18-lap event.  Jake McBirnie had just taken the lead at lap six when a caution flew for a skirmish at the bottom of

Jake McBirnie never flinched when racing got back underway after a restart, pulling away and sailing home to his first ever career victory at Boone Speedway on Saturday, July 12, 2014.

turns one and two, setting up a restart situation.  McBirnie never flinched when the racing got back underway,pulling away and sailing home to his first ever career victory.  Second place went to point leader Ben Kates.  Kates worked his way through the field from starting eleventh, to score the runner up spot.  Johnathon Logue came from tenth position to finish in third.  Early leader Brian Eppert was fourth and Randy Roberts rounded out the top five.

Another first time winner came out of the Hobby Stock 12-lap A main.  Tyson Overton took the lead at lap four and held off all challenges the rest of the way to the checkers and the win.  Ross Marshall finished in second,  just ahead of Eric Stanton in third.  Point leader John Watson had to hustle through the pack from starting fourteenth, to take fourth place and Tyler Pickett was scored in fifth.

The Modified feature was up next for their 20-lapper.  Kent Croskey led the opening laps.  He was soon to have some heavy competition breathing down his neck in Mike VanGenderen and veteran John Logue.  VanGenderen took it to the outside of Croskey and led it at lap seven, and Logue followed suite, taking the runner up spot.  Tenth place starter, Russ Dickerson moved up to third and made a challenge on the leaders at the halfway mark.  As the race wound down, Dickerson was able to move past Logue and into the runner up spot, but fell short of more.  VanGenderen took the checkers for his first win of 2014 at Boone.  Dickerson had to settle for second place, and Logue for third.  Kent Croskey was fourth and Nick Roberts completed the top five.  VanGenderen became the tenth different Modified winner of the regular season at the Speedway this year.  The race went flag-to-flag.

The night ending finale was the 18-lap Stock Car feature.  Veteran Robert Stofer passed Corey Piffer for the lead at lap seven and from there on, never looked back.  Stofer scored the comfortable win ahead of two battling brothers, Wayne and Jerry Gifford in second and third.  Donavon Smith was fourth and point leader Jay Schmidt finished fifth.  This race also went green to checkered.  Stofer made his way to victory lane for the first time of the 2014 season.  He is the eighth different winner to come out of the Stock Car class this year.

Next Saturday night, July 19, The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Trucks will join the  five regular classes.  Hot laps at 6:45 and racing at 7:30.