Johnson tops Late Models at Abe Lincoln Memorial

By Ben Deatherage

COLUMBUS, Neb. (Sept. 14, 2024) – At the age of 15, when most American teens are just starting to learn the ropes of driving, Beau Johnson has been making a name for himself in the dirt track scene of his native Cornhusker State in the IMCA Sunoco Late Model division.

The young Plainview pilot showed remarkable determination as he chased down the early leader, mastered three restarts, and emerged victorious on the final night of the Abe Lincoln Memorial at US 30 Speedway. The win was his second of the season.

The 50-lap finale started with Matt Haase running away from the pack. He was chased down and passed by Johnson on lap six. Johnson was a smooth operator as the first half of the race went incident-free.  

There was a caution on lap 23 before the red flag was released for a fuel stop. Johnson’s dominance remained in the second half as he smoothly sailed ahead of all other contenders. The only thing to slow him down were yellow flags on the 34th and 40th circuits, but the restarts proved to be no difficulty en route to being the first car to the checkered flag.

The race for the second and third positions was a thrilling affair. Anthony Roth surged towards the front in the second half of the main event, grabbing third on lap 26 and seizing second five circuits later. The battle for third was intense, swinging in the balance for several laps between Cory Dumpert and Haase, with Dumpert securing the position on the final restart.

Four additional IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing divisions were in the house, the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Sunoco IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks.

Double-duty runner Roth, Cameron Wilkinson, Devyn Peterson, and Ryan Fajman were the four winners.

Roth dominated the main event of the IMCA Modifieds. The hometown driver got the lead at the opening start and didn’t slow down from then on. The only thing to woe things up was a stoppage around the midway point, but it allowed him to construct a sizable lead and win by an advantage of 3.624 seconds. 

Jacob Anson began the race in complete control of first place in the Stock Cars. The battles behind him would be an intense affair as, at times, it was a Delaware Double file restart at full speed. Wilkinson entered the picture after moving into second on lap seven.

Wilkinson’s strategic use of the high side, followed by a transition to the bottom to pursue the leader, added an element of thrill to the race. His patience paid off when, on lap 16, he made a bid for the top spot. By exploiting the space on the inside edge of the racing surface, Wilkinson successfully took the lead, adding a strategic twist to the race.

Just before that pass, Austin Brands moved into third and was on his way to grab second. Unfortunately, Brands and Anson got together on lap 19 and both drivers pulled off of the track under caution. That changed the landscape of the front runners, with Jake Kubik and Tyler Barribo now in second and third.

Wilkinson’s consistent speed in the last laps was a testament to his resilience. Kubik was a close second. Barribo held on to third despite repeated charges from Tejay Mielke and Jeff Ware.

After several attempts to get the first lap in, Peterson immediately seized control of the Northern SportMod feature. Restarts were the game’s name, and the Milford racer was sensational in all of them.

The eight stoppages allowed for lapped traffic to be removed from the equation, and Peterson ran away with it in the final laps of the last green flag run. The race for second had some exciting moments, with Robbie Thome moving and staying in the position on lap 13. Justin Klynsma was a respectable third. 

Fajman grabbed the lead from the get-go in the Hobby Stock finale, and the race stayed clean and green for 13 laps. In that span, Fajman was under immense pressure from Kirk Westring.  Westring remained in the leader’s tire tracks but could not put himself in a position to perform the overtake.

On the restart, utter chaos would erupt as Westring, Travis Landauer, and Chris Oberg all battle three-abreast for second right behind Fajman.  Three trips around the park later, Westring, via the inside groove, claimed the advantage for second and mustered another charge to try and take over the lead.

As the laps wound down, Westring tried to perform a pass in turns three and four, but the two front runners got together, resulting in another stoppage. Fajman retained the lead. 

When the green flag greeted the field for the final time, Fajman was flawless on the restart. The race for second came down to the wire, with Landauer beating out Colin Hein for the position.

IMCA TV affiliate Advantage TV broadcast the event.