7/20/2024
Boone Speedway
Murty is King of the Katwalks winner, Fitz, Kuehl, Gifford, and Glick also visit Victory Lane
The fans were treated to some great racing at Iowa's Action Track on Saturday night, which at times provided three and four wide racing. The main attraction of the night was the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars with the running of the $5,000 to win King of the Katwalks. The "Game Changer", Dallon Murty walked away with that crown. Trevor Fitz, the transplanted Californian, got his first win in the IMCA Friesen Performance Modified class, and Taylor Kuehl was smooth and cool in taking the IMCA Friesen Performance Northern SportMod feature. Veteran racer Wayne Gifford took the honors in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock division, and it was Joe Glick winning the IMCA Stealth STARS Mod Lite main event in a borrowed car.
First up for the night was the 15 lap Mod Lite feature, presented by Carquest Auto, Truck, & Farm.
Jason Masengarb, Colona, Illinois jumped to the immediate lead from his pole starting spot. He was still leading the pack when a caution flew at lap nine when Cole Paul's machine erupted in flames on the backstretch and the race was red flagged. Paul was not injured, and when the racing action picked back up, Randy Bryan, and tenth place starter Joe Glick were ready to pounce on the leader. It didn't take long until Bryan took over the top spot, but Glick wasn't done yet either! When the green was held high with two laps to go, Glick had made the pass for the lead, and then he would hold that to the flying checkers and the win. Bryan had to be content with second place, Masengarb went third, fourth went to fourteenth place starter Charlie Brown, and Ben George started eleventh, and raced his way to fifth place. Glick, who is in the points race at the track, had suffered damage the previous night, and with his own ride out of commission, was in the borrowed hotrod belonging to Jeff Stensland. This was Glick's first feature win of the season at the track.
The Northern SportMod feature, presented by Elmquist Towing, was 18 laps.
Chris Webb led from the pole but Taylor Kuehl came out of nowhere, starting eighth, and was on Webb's bumper by lap three. Kuehl had the lead the following lap. Kuehl then ran away and hid, and was oh so smooth and cool on her run to the finish in the caution free race. She finished over six seconds ahead of second place Jake Sachau who started fourteenth on the starting lineup. Dusty Lynch finished in third, fourth went to last week's winner Curtis Veber, and early leader Chris Webb completed the top five. This was Kuehl's second feature win of the season.
Up next was 20 laps of IMCA Modified racing, presented by D & E Outside Services.
Jason Bass, Fort Dodge, Iowa racer, started on the pole and held the lead the first two laps until Trevor Fitz slid his way into the lead on lap three. Fitz, the Camarillo, California native who now calls Marshalltown, Iowa home, would never relinquish that top spot the rest of the race and took home his first win at Boone. Jake McBirnie started twelfth, and pestered Fitz for most of the latter part of the race, trying everything at times for a way around the leader, but to no avail. McBirnie had to settle for the runner up spot on this night. Todd Shute started deep in the field in fifteenth spot, caught and challenged McBirnie late in the race, but had to be content with a third place run. Owen Barnhill, the Florida racer who is spending his summer in Iowa, came from thirteenth to finish fourth, and Johnathon Logue moved up seventeen spots and finished in fifth.
Fifty-one IMCA Stock Cars checked in for the night to try their hand at winning the $5,000. The King of the Katwalks was presented by Van Eaton Pork & Fox Welding/Vermeer. The 28 car starting field for the 40 lap feature was determined by heat winners, and passing points through the heats, plus four provisionals were added on to the back of the starting grid. The top twelve starters were brought to the frontstretch for a draw for their starting spots.
Tommy Fain, Abilene, Texas was the lucky recipient of the pole starting position, with Chelsea, Iowa's Dallon Murty starting in position two. Murty immediately took advantage of that starting spot, took to the topside of the track, and led the field. Six cautions would mar the race, but each time Murty had no trouble on the restarts and would lead every lap to seal the title of King of the Katwalks. Jeff Mueller started tenth and challenged Murty at times as he dug his way on the bottom of the track in an attempt to catch him. Ninth place starter Jake McBirnie was also a late race contender, getting to second spot, but could do no better. McBirnie finished in second, with Mueller going third. Fourth went to Blairsburg, Iowa's Scott Olson, and veteran racer Kelly Shryock came from thirteenth starting spot to finish in fifth. The post race interview with Murty was a nostalgic one as his dad Damon Murty had stood in last year's King of the Katwalks Victory Lane, but was not at the track on this night to join his son in celebration.
The finale of the evening was 15 laps of Hobby Stock feature racing, presented by Pickett Salvage.
Seth Butler led lap number one, but at lap two, veteran racer Wayne Gifford, who started sixth, was at the helm. The race was red flagged on lap two when Keith Burg took an easy rollover in turn one. When the race restarted, Gifford continued his run at the front of the field, challenged at times by Solomon Bennett, Butler, his son Braden Gifford, and Mike Smith. It was not a lead however, that Gifford would ever relinquish as he went home to the flying checkers, and the win....his second of the season. Solomon Bennett took second place, outlasting young Mike Smith in third place. The winner's son Braden Gifford finished in fourth, and Seth Butler was fifth.
Next Saturday night, July 27, is Salute to Veterans night at the races. Grandstand will open at 3:30 for a special night honoring all veterans in attendance with free admission, a meal, a goodie bag, and other giveaways. The fan zone will have specially wrapped cars on display for fans to see along with their drivers. The Modifieds will be racing for $3,000 to win, the Stock Cars $2,000, and SportMods and Hobby Stocks $1,000. Hot laps are scheduled for 5:30, with opening ceremonies to follow, and racing at 7.
Photo Credit: Motorsports Photography
Article Credit: Joyce Eisele
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