By Joyce Eisele
BOONE, Iowa (July 6, 2024) – Boone Speedway was back in action on Saturday night for their weekly racing series with 161 cars checking in for some fun. Thanks to Sauerman Trucking, all heat winners got $50. Storm clouds were in every direction, but no rain fell.
Todd Shute nabbed his second feature win of the year in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Nick Roberts made it to victory lane for the first time in taking the checkers in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars.
It was Jake Sachau seeing the winner’s circle for his first regular season victory in the Friesen Performance Northern SportMods after just winning at the Eve of Destruction on July 4 in a non-track points race. Making it to victory lane for the first-time ever at Boone was second generation racer Dayton Ullrich in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Charlie Brown was an easy winner of the IMCA Stealth STARS Mod Lites.
Feature racing kicked off with the Mod Lite 15-lap main.
Brown started fourth and quickly made his way to the lead by the time the first lap was scored. It was smooth sailing for Brown in the rest of the caution-free race as he pulled away and easily took his second feature win of the year. Polesitter Scott Bailey chased Brown the entire race from a distance and finished as the runner-up. Joe Glick took third.
It was 18 laps of Northern SportMod feature racing next.
Chris Webb led through lap eight when the yellow flew. It would be his undoing as when the race restarted, Sachau, who started 12th and was in fifth place when the caution came out, was on it immediately when the race returned to green.
By the following lap he was leading. Sachau easily weathered another yellow at lap 14 and pulled away in the final circuits to take the comfortable win. Ironically, it was also 10 years to the day that he had won his first-ever SportMod feature at the very same place.
Dusty Masolini sliced through the field from 10th starting to take second. Third went to Cory Pestotnik.
IMCA Modifieds ran 20 laps in their feature.
It was third time’s the charm in getting the race started after two yellows flew before the first lap was scored. When it did get underway, Mike VanGenderen was at the helm and was still leading when caution number three waved.
When things got back underway, Ridgeway, Mo., racer Kaden Cochran got around the leader and Jimmy Gustin followed to take over second. Cochran had company close behind in Gustin, Ron Lauritzen, and Shute had made his way from 12th starting to run in fourth.
Early leader VanGenderen pulled to the infield with mechanical issues putting him out of the game as Cochran continued to lead with Shute now on his tail. With a handful of laps still remaining, Shute got around Cochran and took the helm. The final laps saw Shute pull away to go home to the flying checkers, and seal his second victory of the 2024 season.
Cochran finished a distant runner-up and it was Johnathon Logue taking third.
Stock Cars came next for their 20-lap main event.
Jeff Mueller appeared destined to go to victory lane after taking the lead on lap four as he hugged the corners, his preferred line. Roberts worked his way from starting 17th to catch the leader at lap 14 and was weighing his strategy on how to get around.
After taking the white flag, Roberts somehow nosed under Mueller in corner two, took the lead on the backstretch and made it to the checkers first for the win. Devin Smith and Donovan Smith were also able to get around Mueller in the closing moments as they went second and third, respectively, in a race that went flag to flag.
The IMCA Hobby Stock 15-lap feature concluded the night’s racing.
After the initial start was yellow flagged, it was Jimmy Johnson taking advantage of his pole starting spot as he flew off into the lead. Meanwhile, it was Mike Smith ripping the lip on the topside after starting eighth, and by lap four he had the lead.
Smith led easily for the next four laps, until a flat tire would put him out of the game. Two laps later, it was second generation racer and 10th place starter Dayton Ullrich taking over the lead from Johnson. Ullrich would then keep that lead the rest of the contest and take home his first-ever win at the track.
Johnson finished in second and 15th place starter Joe Doran finished third. The race continued caution-free after the initial yellow before lap one was scored.
Saturday, July 13, will be another IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing program at the track with all five IMCA divisions in competition. Pits open at 4:30 p.m., stands at 5:30 p.m., hot laps are at 6 p.m. and racing is at 7 p.m.
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