5/26/2018
Boone Speedway
Cox scores First IMCA Modified win
It was another action packed night of racing at the Boone Speedway on Saturday night, with 142 cars checked into the pits. Tony Cox claimed his first ever IMCA Modified win, Dave Smith went to victory lane in the IMCA Stock Car class, and Jake McBirnie took the win in the IMCA Northern SportMod division. John Watson got back to his winning ways in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, Mike Houseman won his third IMCA RaceSaver Sprint A main of the year, and Bryan Zehm won for the second time in the Mod Lites.
Scott Naggatz, the racer from Carter Lake, Iowa led the Mod Lite field to green in their feature event. Bryan Zehm quickly got to second place and began reeling in the leader. Naggatz held the top spot until lap eight when Zehm made the pass for the lead. From there on, Zehm kept that lead the remaining distance to the checkers and the win. Last week's winner, Travis Stensland worked his way from eight starting spot, to finish as the runner up, Joe Glick was third, fourth went to Tanner Gannon, and early leader Naggatz, rounded out the top five. Zehm won for the second time at the track this season.
Much of the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod contest was led by Thomas Egenberger. Egenberger took the lead on lap four, and had to hold off the challenges of Dusty Masolini and Chase Rudolph. A yellow flew at lap fourteen, and bunched up the field for the restart. Lap sixteen proved to be Egenberger's undoing. He lost the handle in turn four, and Jake McBirnie, who had moved from eleventh starting spot to tail the leader, seized the moment and flew to the lead. McBrinie kept that lead in the closing moments, and snatched up his first win at the speedway this year. Chase Rudolf took the runner up position, Dusty Masolini was third, twenty-first place starter, Austin Luellen was fourth in an impressive run, and Tyler Inman was fifth.
Mike Houseman took win number three in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint 20-lap A main. He led from lap five and then went the distance in the caution free race. Second place went to Mike Moore, third was Devin Wignall, Tyler Thompson fell to fourth after nearly spinning out while in second as they raced to the checkers, and Ben Woods was fifth.
David Smith started on the pole of the 18-lap IMCA Stock Car race, and never looked back on his way to the winner's circle. Scott Davis tailed Smith the entire race to finish second. Third went to veteran racer, Robert Stofer, Jay Schmidt started tenth and finished third, Rod Richards was fourth and last week's winner, Jeff Mueller, was fifth.
There was a $500 bounty out on Ricky Thornton, the Arizona driver who now resides in Clive, Iowa. The hot shoe had won four weeks in a row and there was now a price on his head for anyone that could dethrone him if he was still running at the end of 20-laps. Thirty-seven IMCA Modifieds came to give it a shot. The twenty-four that qualified for the A Main were up for the challenge.
Nevada racer Wade Taylor and Ames, Iowa's Tony Cox would be the front row starters. Cox led lap one, but Taylor grabbed the lead away at lap two. His lead lasted for another handful of laps, only to have Tim Ward, who started tenth, take command on lap eight. Meanwhile, Thornton had followed Ward through the field from his eleventh starting spot, and was soon on his bumper. Then the curse of the flat tires began to hit! First it was leader Ward, then Thornton, then Wade Taylor, and more throughout the field as well. Car after car had to leave because the track rule is that all four tires must be inflated. No one was probably happier to see the cars exiting the track than Tony Cox, who now found himself back in the lead. Cox held on the final laps to take the flying checkers and put his first ever IMCA Modified feature win in the books. Tyler Prochaska chased the winner across the finish line to score second place, third was Clint Luellen, who had started twenty-third, Mike VanGenderen came from thirteenth starting spot to finish fourth, and Mark Elliott came from twenty-fourth, to finish fifth.
The finale of the evening was 12-laps of IMCA Hobby Stock racing. John Watson would lead this one the entire distance to take his first trip to victory lane this year. Andrew Burg started eighth and finished a close second. Third went to Solomon Bennett, Dylan Nelson was scored fourth, and Todd Bass rounded out the top five. The race went flag to flag.
Next up at the Boone Speedway is the annual Memorial Day IMCA Deery Brothers Late Model spectacular on Monday, May 28. Also racing will be the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Northern SportMods, and the IMCA Hobby Stocks. Grandstands open at 3, hot laps are scheduled for 4, and racing at 5. Then regular Saturday night racing continues on June 2, with racing in all six regular divisions. Early start times will continue through the month of June, with grandstands opening at 5, hot laps at 5:45, and racing at 6:30.
Article Credit: Joyce Eisele
