Wray checks forecast, then checks out at Beatrice Octoberfest

Hobby Stock, Modified, Northern SportMod, Results, Sport Compact, Stock Car

Cory Wray put the wraps on his season with the $2,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified win Saturday at Beatrice Speedway’s Octoberfest. (Photo by Joe Orth)

BEATRICE, Neb. (Oct. 11-12, 2024) – Cory Wray checked the forecast, then he checked out.

The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified hotshoe from Trenton, Mo., made his first visit to Beatrice Speedway in five years for the season-ending Octoberfest special, leading all 25 laps of Saturday’s $2,000 to win feature.

“We looked at the weather, saw it was going to be nice and decided to race one more weekend,” said Wray, newly eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “It was a good way to end the season.”

He’d started third and took the lead coming to the line at the end of lap one. A lap four caution bunched the field back together but Wray pulled away and was running in traffic late in the contest.

Johnny Saathoff was second, Braxton Yeager third. Justin Zeitner motored from 15th starting to fourth for hard charger honors.

Jordan Grabouski, most recently a three-time Octoberfest main event winner in 2020, topped Friday’s $1,000 to win feature for the Modifieds and both $750 to win features for the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars.

“We probably had one of the best cars we’ve ever had at Beatrice” Grabouski said of the Modified checkers in Friday’s caution-free contest, which made him Fast Shafts qualifying eligible.

He was denied a chance at a career 13th Modified win at Octoberfest the next night, sidelined by mechanical issues before his heat and then by a flat tire before he’d completed a lap in the main event.

The new B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational eligible driver won from fifth on Friday, passing Kyle Vanover with five laps to go, and from second on Saturday.

Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod winners were Adam Armstrong on Friday and Lance Borgman on Saturday. IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock checkers flew for 10th starting Nick Ronnebaum on Friday and for Brendon Stigge on Saturday.

Dillon Richards won both Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact features and Tyler Furrell topped the weekend’s Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite main events.

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