By Joyce Eisele
BOONE, Iowa (July 30, 2022) – It was a pretty big deal when Jake McBirnie won Saturday’s rescheduled Hunting With Heroes Salute to Veterans feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds at Boone Speedway.
And the money wasn’t the biggest reason.
McBirnie was fast from the get-go in this one, never really being challenged and winning the 25-lapper going away. Jeremy Mills started 10th and finished a distant second, followed by ninth starting Mike VanGenderen, Cory Sauerman and Chris Snyder.
“This was a pretty big deal, getting $5,000 to put back into your program this late in the season,” said McBirnie already eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “It was very special when I was asked to put a veterans’ wrap on my car. I was very honored to do that and to win this event at my hometown track means a lot.”
There were 178 cars packing the pits for double feature night. Also winning Salute to Veterans features postponed from the previous week by inclement weather were Josh Daniels in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Colby Fett in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Wayne Gifford in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks.
Daniels started from the pole and had Kelly Shryock to contend with in the first half of the 25-lap main event. Shryock snatched the lead away for a couple of laps but Daniels regained it just before halfway.
Daniels led the rest of the way to the $2,000 payday and B & B Race Cars All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility. Jeff Larson finished as the runner up, getting by Shryock in the closing laps. Dustin Larson and Jay Schmidt completed the top five.
Fett was leading as the Northern SportMod race picked back up two laps in and would not relinquish the top spot in the $1,300 to win feature
Logan Anderson reeled in the leader, but had nothing for him and had to settle for second. Tim Eaton, Izac Mallicoat and Chris Burke were next.
The Hobby Stock feature paid $1,100 for the win and it was a happy Gifford standing in victory lane at the conclusion of the 20-lap race.
Gifford led from start to finish and returned to the winner’s circle at Boone after several years’ absence. He led Curt Reed, Josh VanCannon, Seth Janssen and Mike Smith to the checkers.
Winners of scheduled race night features were Mills in the Modifieds, Doug Smith in the Stock Cars, Dylan VanWyk in the Northern SportMods, Mark Hidlebaugh in the Hobby Stocks and Charlie Brown in the IMCA STARS Mod Lites.
