Grabouski checks Tanner Pelster Memorial off must-win list

Feature, Hobby Stock, Late Model, Stock Car

Jordan Grabouski had no shortage of company in victory lane after winning Boone County Raceway’s Tanner Pelster Memorial main event for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars. The $6,111 payday was his career-best in the class. (Photo by Nicole Hardwick)

ALBION, Neb. (July 8, 2024) – The one that got away last year didn’t get away Monday night.

Jordan Grabouski led the last 11 laps of Boone County Raceway’s fourth annual Tanner Pelster Memorial, earning an IMCA Sunoco Stock Car career-best $6,111 payday for his efforts.

“This race has been on my mind for about a year,” said Grabouski, runner-up last July after losing the lead and the big payday to Mike Nichols on the final circuit. “This race was one that I’ve had on my list that I’ve really wanted to win and I finally got it done.”

Forty-plus Stock Cars from across the Midwest were entered at Albion after inclement weather forced postponement of the event from Sunday to Monday.

Jacob Anson and Grabouski drew front row starts with Anson setting the fast pace before giving way to Dallon Murty on lap four. Grabouski lurked in third, with Tyler Iverson fourth on the lower line, before catching Anson on lap eight.

Murty held onto the front spot through the first of what would become three lap 15 restarts.

Grabouski was a shade faster on the second of those restarts, crossing the stripe some thousandths of a second ahead of Murty.

“He kept running the bottom of (turns) one and two and I could roll it up top there really well if I hit it right. Finally, I just hit it right. I don’t feel he got off the corner as well and I got a good run down the back straightaway,” Grabouski said. “I felt I had to go for it and I did. That’s what won the race for us.”

Grabouski held onto the lead on the last restart, got into clean air and got some distance on the rest of the field as the rest of the 25-lapper ran green.

Murty, Iverson, Anson and Jeff Ware rounded out the top five. 

“Finally. I finally got it done. I was pretty excited. You win a big race like that, with the grandstands full of people, it’s pretty special,” said Grabouski, now guaranteed a starting spot in the upcoming B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. “It’s a huge win. This is a bucket list race, it’s one of the biggest races around this area. The Pelster family puts it on and you see everybody there. It’s unbelievable.”

The two-car star is knocking on the door of another huge win, now just three checkers shy of his career 300th in a Friesen Performance IMCA Modified.

The event remembers Tanner Pelster, an IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock driver and son of Boone County Raceway promoter Delmar Pelster, who died in a work accident in 2021.

Greg Krohn outran 12th starting Cory Dumpert and 10th starting Matt Haase for the IMCA Sunoco Late Model win at Albion. Dylan Nelson nabbed the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock victory and hard charger honors, starting 13th and beating Austin Bruhn and Skylar Pruitt to the checkers.

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Nichols scores IMCA Stock Car career best payday at Pelster Memorial

ALBION, Neb. (July 9, 2023) – A couple laps in and Mike Nichols knew he had a pretty good car. At the end of 30 laps, that pretty good car took Nichols to the highest paying victory in his remarkable IMCA Sunoco Stock Car career, Sunday’s Tanner Pelster Memorial at Boone County Raceway. Nichols raced from 12th starting, passing Tyler Iverson for second and then Jordan Grabouski for the lead in the waning laps of the $6,111 to win main event. The checkers, Nichols’ IMCA best 617th, were accompanied by an automatic starting spot in the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. “We’ve been out to Albion a dozen times over the years and they always have a good track. They did a great job, with how many cars and races there were. The track was phenomenal. You could run anywhere,” said Nichols, from Harlan, Iowa. “We changed our setup after the heat race for more drive in the feature and everything worked like we wanted it to. We knew in the first couple laps [Read More]

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Pace car wrapped, ready for Pelster Memorial

ALBION, Neb. – Fans and friends will cheer for Tanner Pelster one more time this Sunday, July 11.  The driver from Albion passed away following a work accident in February. His number 11T IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, now displaying a new wrap featuring hundreds of pictures of his family, farm, school and of course racing, will serve as the pace vehicle for the memorial event in his honor at the Boone County Fair race. “There have been so many hits and comments on the photos of the car posted online,” said his father Delmer, promoter of the track at Albion. “It’s still hard to believe how well-liked and how well-known Tanner was. It’s just amazing.” Businesses helping build the pace car included Big Daddy Race Cars, Performance Bodes, Ernie’s Body Shop, Twisted Images LLC, Bruegman Excavating, SA D-Signs, Roth Racing and Outback Motorsports. Future plans for Tanner’s car are for it to be displayed at area car chows. Delmer said it would not be raced again. Top prize for the Stock Cars at the Pelster [Read More]

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