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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