By Joyce Eisele
BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 24, 2024) – Boone Speedway saw its annual Watermelon Classic, P1P Challenge, and First Time Winner Night on Saturday at the track.
Dallon Murty doubled up by winning the Watermelon Classic and the P1P features in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds. Cody Gustoff won his first IMCA Sunoco Stock feature and it was Cam Reimers taking the honors in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods. Mike Smith went back to victory lane for winning another IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature and it was Josh May leading flag to flag in the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite main event.
Extra laps were added to the feature events, extra money was on the line, and of course the drivers were awarded the sought after watermelon!
The P1 Promotions Challenge for the Modifieds ran first after they had earlier qualified through timing. Only the top 12 fastest were locked in for the main event. A redraw was held for the top 12 to set their starting lineup for the 15 lap feature. Murty and Dan Wagner were the lucky recipients of the front row.
When the green flag flew, Wagner grabbed the lead and Murty tucked right in behind him. Wagner continued his lead through lap four with Murty hounding him.
Then, just after lap four was in the books, Murty got under Wagner on the backstretch, threw a perfect slider in turns three and four and had the lead when lap five was scored. It was all smooth sailing for Murty from then on as he pulled away and scored the convincing win.
Wagner finished in second place and Tim Ward just got by Jeremy Mills in the closing seconds as they went third and fourth, respectively. Murty took the $1,000 check and hardware.
The Watermelon Classic features came next and first on the track were the Mod Lites. They ran a 20-lap race.
May, by luck of the draw, sat on the pole for the start. It was all but over when he grabbed the immediate lead when the race went green. Travis Stensland started fifth and quickly got to second place but that would be all she wrote as he chased May the rest of the way to the checkers and had to settle for the runner-up position.
Charlie Brown started 12th and finished an impressive third. The race went caution free.
The run for the coveted watermelon for the Northern SportMods came next with their 23-lap main event.
Tim Eaton led the first handful of laps holding back Alec Fett and then Cam Reimers. Reimers made his move on the backstretch after lap five was scored and was leading when lap six was counted.
Reimers had the race in command from there on and took the checkers and the win. He was content to let Fett and Taylor Kuehl duke it out behind him for second place in the latter part of the contest with Kuehl winning out for the runner-up spot, Fett going third.
The Modifieds came to the track next, racing for $1,000, hardware and the watermelon. They ran a 25-lap feature.
Johnathon Logue got the lucky redraw and started on the pole of the event. He had his hands full with the likes of Mills and Kyle Brown, both taking the lead briefly. Logue fought back, however, and regained the lead again on lap 10.
Brown was soon off the pace and into the pits, and now Logue was having to hold back eighth place starter Todd Shute and 11th spot starter Murty. The fifth yellow of the race flew on lap 18, with Logue still leading and Murty and Shute eager for the restart.
Logue held the lead when 19 went in the books, but with just five laps remaining, it was Murty to the lead. Yet another yellow flag would fly on lap 22, but Murty had no issue on maintaining his lead and went home to the flying checkers and scored his second win of the night. Shute was second while third went to Nick Meyer, who started 13th.
Stock Cars ran a 25-lap main event.
It was the duel of two number 19’s for much of the race, with Alan Van Gorp leading the way and Jay Schmidt chasing him. The two battled closely for lap after lap with Gustoff giving them both fits.
Then on lap 19, an unfortunate incident took out both Schmidt and Van Gorp in turn one as contact happened with the two leaders and Gustoff. Schmidt and Van Gorp got the short end of the stick and their night would draw to a close.
The lead was then handed over to Gustoff for the restart. Gustoff held on the final laps to score the win, his first in a Stock Car at Boone and first in The Class Too Tough To Tame since 2018. David Smith scored the runner-up spot after starting ninth and Scott Olson was third after a 10th place start.
The final Watermelon Classic feature of the night was 20 laps of Hobby Stock racing.
Keith Burg grabbed the immediate lead from his pole starting position. Eric Knutson tagged on to run second. Knutson took command on lap six and continued his run at the front through four cautions, but on the final yellow at lap 16, it was track champion Mike Smith hot on his tail for the restart.
Smith swung to the top out of turn two when the race went green and had the lead when lap 17 was scored. The final circuits were all Smith’s as he raced home to yet another impressive win in the division. Knutson was second and Burg went third.
After a final farming session, the third annual John Logue First Time Winner’s 20-lap race was held. This year, it was the Northern SportMods.
The 15-car field was aligned with the oldest driver to the front and the youngest to the back. The parade lap was led by John Logue in his number 69 throwback Stock Car.
Tom Lathrop, the 63-year-old veteran racer from Ottumwa, started on the pole as he sought his first-ever win in a SportMod. Lathrop would get out in front and lead the entire caution free-race to take that long overdue victory.
There was some shake-up in the final two laps when Jessiah Taylor’s last-ditch effort to better his position fell short, putting him far back at the finish. This allowed 12th place starter Cam Vincent to take the runner-up position. Jason Carney ran up front most of the race and finished in third.
Next on tap at Boone Speedway, will be the Double Down Prelude on Saturday, Aug. 31, and Sunday, Sept. 1. Then on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 2 it will be the first of six straight days and nights of racing at the 42nd annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.
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