Season championship wins to Rust, Smith, Logue, Watson

Results

By Joyce Eisele

BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 24) – The 2019 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season came to a close Saturday at Boone Speedway with season championship night. 

Jake McBirnie held a thirty-two point lead over Cory Pestotnik going into the final go around of the season in the Elmquist IMCA Northern SportMod 23-lap feature.  McBirnie shot to the lead as the race went green and continued to hold it through three early cautions.  When the yellow flew on lap 10, Johnathon Logue had moved from sixth starting to third and on the restart made the move into second and began to hound leader McBirnie.

His persistence paid off a handful of laps later when he made the pass at the flagstand to take over the top spot. He would then keep it the rest of the way to the checkers and the win.  Cory Pestotnik came home in second place and McBirnie finished third. McBirnie is the 2019 track champion.

The Pickett Salvage IMCA Hobby Stocks had an eight point separation between Aaron Rudolph and John Watson for their 20-lap main.  Rudolph held the upper hand on lap one but by lap two, Watson had the lead. 

From there on, he held it to the flying checkers and the win in the caution-free race. Shaun Wirtz took second and Rudolph was third.  Rudolph is the 2019 track champion. 

Sixteen points separated Scott Davis and Donavon Smith before the Arnold Motor Supply IMCA Stock Car 23-lap feature. Smith led this one from start to finish to take the checkers.  Drivers behind him were battling it out for position through much of the race, with Josh Daniels taking the runner-up spot. Devin Smith finished third while Davis, with a seventh place finish took the track title.

It was no contest for the track championship in the Snap-on Tools IMCA Modified class.  Jimmy Gustin held a whopping 109 point lead, and had the track title wrapped up. Gustin led the 25-lap race through lap six when a caution flew, then exited the track content to have no further wear and tear on his hot rod.

This handed the lead over to Al Wolfgram until Joel Rust came calling and took over the top spot just a lap later.  After Rust got the lead, he pulled away and scored the comfortable win.  Wolfgram held the runner-up spot. Tim Ward was third.

Next Saturday, Aug. 31 is the Prelude to the Super Nationals when drivers arriving early for the 37th running of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s come to test the waters of Boone Speedway. Then starting on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 2, it will be six straight days of racing for the annual Super Nationals extravaganza.

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