By Ben Deatherage
BOONE, Iowa (Apr. 12, 2025) —Eighteen-year-old Izac Mallicoat thrilled his hometown crowd at the 2025 Boone Speedway season opener, scoring his first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified win of the campaign Saturday night.
Mallicoat took off from the green and built a comfortable lead in the 20-lap caution-free main event. Meanwhile, 2007 IMCA Super Nationals champion Todd Shute slotted into second and tried to keep pace.
The battle for second intensified as Jeremy Mills, an eight-time track title winner at Hancock County Raceway, applied pressure on Shute. Mills eventually worked his way into the runner-up spot on lap 14.
Despite dealing with lapped traffic in the closing laps, Mallicoat never missed a beat, crossing the line with a healthy advantage. It marked his first victory in Razor Chassis North Central Region action in 2025. Mills was second and Shute held strong for third.
Daniels Outduels Mackenthun in Stock Car Showdown
Josh Daniels led the opening lap of the 20-lap Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature, edging out Tyler Pickett to start things off. Daniels, the 2022 Boone track champion, maintained the top spot through the first half as the battle for second heated up behind him.
Pickett, the 2021 Marshalltown Speedway champion, mixed it up with 2006 IMCA national champ David Smith and Minnesota’s Dan Mackenthun—the 10-time reigning state titleholder in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Mackenthun eventually secured second and began chipping away at Daniels’ advantage, but a late caution with six laps to go gave Daniels a clean restart. He made the most of it, holding off Mackenthun to earn his first EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region win of the year.
Mackenthun settled for a strong second, while Devin Smith—twice a Super Nationals winner and two-time National Hobby Stock champion—rounded out the top three.
Smith Seals First SportMod Victory in Third Start
Two-time Boone Hobby Stock champion and former Super Nationals winner Mike Smith wasted no time asserting himself in the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod main, charging into the lead early over two-time defending track champ Dusty Masolini.
Cam Reimers, the 2023 Harris Clash winner and Frostbuster victor just a week prior, took over second by lap four, setting his sights on Smith. A caution at that point paused the action, but Smith was sharp on the restart.
Another yellow with three laps left bunched the field one final time. Reimers had his hands full with a surging Matt Avila, who started 11th and made a late push.
Smith held steady out front, scoring his first-ever SportMod feature win in just his third career start in the class. Reimers held on for second and Avila completed the top three.
Stigge Returns to Boone After 13 Years, Scores Hobby Stock Victory
Three-time Beatrice Speedway champion Brandon Stigge returned triumphantly to Boone Speedway on Saturday night, scoring the win in the 15-lap Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock main event.
It was Stigge’s first appearance at “Iowa’s Action Track” since 2012, but the long layoff didn’t show. He jumped to the high side to challenge for the early lead, trading the top spot with Jeff Fink before taking control for good on lap two. Fink, the two-time defending Crawford County Speedway champ, retired early with a flat tire.
Once in clean air, the Fairbury, Nebraska racer cruised the rest of the way to secure his first B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region victory of the season. Stigge was followed at the line by Eric Knutson in second and Tom Killen Jr. in third.
McDowell Charges from 10th for Mod Lite Win
The Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite division kicked off its Boone Speedway season with a 15-lap barnburner.
Josh May, the two-time reigning Iowa State champion and 2023 Boone track titleholder, took the early lead and built a gap while a heated battle ensued behind him between last year’s National Rookie of the Year, Tracen Glick, and Randy Bryan.
Bryan, the 2022 Corn Belt Clash winner, eventually claimed second before coming under fire from Jaedon McDowell. McDowell, the defending Tennessee Mod Lite Racing Association champion and 2025 Sugar Bowl winner, climbed to second by lap six after starting 10th.
The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, pilot turned up the heat on May, edging ahead by lap 12 and pulling away in the final laps to score his fourth win of the season—across three states: Georgia, Florida, and now Iowa. May was second and Austin Gray crossed in third.
The entire event was broadcast live on IMCA TV. A full replay is now available to subscribers through the IMCA TV Replay Subscription for just $24.99. Already subscribed? Don’t miss the upcoming premiere of the second season of the Boone Docuseries, coming soon to the IMCA TV Replay platform.
