By Jane Burd
BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 15, 2026) — Jake McBirnie charged from 12th starting and emerged from a slider-filled battle with Owen Barnhill to capture the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature Saturday night at Boone Speedway.
Griffin Taylor grabbed the early advantage before losing power on lap four as a caution waved for a separate incident. Owen Barnhill inherited the lead for the restart and remained strong out front following another yellow.
McBirnie, meanwhile, was steadily working his way through the field from the sixth row.
The Boone driver eventually caught Barnhill, and the two went side-by-side while exchanging sliders for the top spot. Their battle continued until lap 17, when Barnhill got loose exiting turn two and McBirnie powered ahead.
McBirnie completed his 11-position charge by taking the checkers for his fourth Razor Chassis North Central Region victory of the season and third at Boone Speedway.
Barnhill advanced six positions for second, Corey Sauerman gained seven spots for third, Todd Shute moved forward seven positions for fourth, and Jay Noteboom charged 15 positions to finish fifth.
Gustin and Jaennette Split Stock Car Victories
A field of 45 Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars required a pair of features, with Jimmy Gustin and Michael Jaennette collecting the victories.
The first feature was stopped by a red flag before a lap could be completed when Jason McDowell got loose while running second in turn three and collected nine other cars. A complete restart followed, with those involved restarting at the rear.
Chris Luloff emerged with the early lead, but Marshalltown’s Gustin was quickly moving forward from 12th. Gustin advanced 11 positions and took command from Luloff on lap nine before driving away for the victory.
It was Gustin’s eighth EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region win of 2026, with six coming at Boone.
Thor Anderson gained six positions to finish second, Luloff was third, Scott Olson took fourth, and Bob Daniels rounded out the top five.
Taylor Musselman led early in the second Stock Car feature before Chaz Baca took command on lap eight. Jaennette joined the battle at the front and eventually emerged with the lead after racing side-by-side for the position.
The Kellogg driver went on to score his third EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region victory of the season and second at Boone.
David Smith charged forward eight positions for second, Kevin Opheim was third, Tyler Pickett finished fourth, and Hunter Smith completed the top five.
Hill and Young Divide Hobby Stock Honors
Fifty Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks also required split features, with Dylan Hill and Joey Young taking home victories.
Brian Ashburn led early in the first feature before Hill moved to the front. Hill later got loose while running the high side and collected Wayne Gifford and Scott Knutson, with neither able to continue.
Hill recovered and went on to earn his first B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region victory of the season.
Kurtis Bonneson charged forward 13 positions for second, while Will Smith climbed an impressive 21 positions to finish third. Braelynn Long was fourth and Matt Breeden fifth.
Shane Butler and Tanner Jones each spent time out front in the second feature before Indianola’s Young worked his way through the field from 10th starting.
Young ultimately took command and drove to his third B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region win of the season and second at Boone.
Josh Moorman finished second, Shane Butler was third, Seth Butler gained eight positions for fourth, and Alex Yoerger also advanced eight spots to fifth.
Smith Charges to 11th SportMod Win
Dustin West set the early pace in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod feature before Brayden Shepherd reeled him in and moved to the front.
Shepherd held the point for several laps, but Lake City’s Mike Smith was charging through the field from 11th.
Smith advanced 10 positions before taking over the lead and driving to his 11th feature victory of 2026, with four of those wins coming at Boone.
David Schwartz advanced six positions for second, Shepherd finished third, Will Wolf gained six spots for fourth, and Hunter Longnecker charged forward 11 positions to complete the top five.
Gray Rallies From 12th for Mod Lite Victory
Garrett Barber controlled the opening 10 circuits of the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite feature before Story City’s Austin Gray came charging through the field.
Gray advanced 11 positions from his 12th starting spot to take the lead from Barber and drive on to his seventh victory of the season. Six of those triumphs have come at Boone Speedway.
Barber settled for second, Bryan Zehm advanced eight positions for third, Tracen Glick finished fourth, and Randy Bryan rounded out the top five.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $25.99/month. And don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.
