9/5/2021
Boone Speedway
Prelude wins go to Becerra, Olmstead, and Bielenberg, Raffurty is Inaugural Mod Lite Super Nationals winner
Boone Speedway held Night 2 of the Wild Rose Casino and Resort Prelude to Super Nationals, with 145 IMCA Northern SportMods, 91 IMCA Hobby Stocks, 50 IMCA Sport Compacts, and 44 IMCA STARS Mod Lites on hand. There were full shows for the SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts. After qualifying 20 cars the previous night, the Mod Lites qualified their final 10 cars to set their three-wide, 30 car Big Dance for the first ever Super Nationals title in the division.
The IMCA Sport Compacts ran a 20 lap feature. It was a tight contest to start the race with Brandon Hartmann, Fairmont, Minnesota out pacing Mankato, Minnesota's Jerry Coopman. Twelfth place starter Mitch Bielenberg, Charlotte, Iowa was quick to move into third place at lap five, and then two laps later, he had the lead. From there on out, Bielenberg would lead the rest of the way, taking the comfortable win. Jerry Coopman finished as the runner up, Bobby Douglas, Bowen, Illinois was third, fourth went to early leader Brandon Hartmann, and Mason City, Iowa's Randy Bryant completed the top five. The race went flag to flag.
The IMCA Northern SportMods ran 25 laps for their Prelude championship event. Austen Becerra, the Carthage, Illinois racer, started third, and had the lead at lap four, never to look back. Becerra weathered four cautions, to take the victory. He held off the late race challenges of Tyler Soppe, who finished as the runner up. Two hard chargers were next across the line. Beloit, Kansas racer Tyler Watts started fourteenth and finished third, and seventeenth place starter, Bo Partain, Casa Grande, Arizona was fourth. Local young racer Izac Mallicoat rounded out the top five.
The IMCA STARS Mod Lites had their first ever Super Nationals run, going 25 laps in a three-wide, 30 car feature event. Things did not go well as the race took the green. The race was quickly red flagged when Justin Kinderknecht Salina, Kansas snap rolled violently into the infield on the backstretch just after the race went green. Thankfully, he was okay. Then at lap one, the race was red flagged again, when Texarkana, Texas racer Robert McCollett also rolled. He too was okay. When the race did get going, polesitter, and current national point leader Dillon Raffurty, Kansas City, Missouri was off like a shot, and pulled away from the pack. He was never touched from there on out, and claimed the title of the Inaugural IMCA STARS Mod Lite Super Nationals champion. Hometown racer Mike Kennedy would claim second place, after starting in tenth position. Garrett Stonum, Lawson, Missouri finished a close third place after starting seventeenth. Bryce Vowan made the trip from Memphis, Tennessee and took fourth place, and Bryan Zehm finished in fifth.
The STARS Mod Lite's earlier ran their Race of Champions. It was Dillon Raffurty going home with that first ever title as well. Dustin Rude, Danbury, Texas finished as the runner up, Bakersfield, Californian Zac Forster was third, track champion Josh May came from tenth spot to finish in fourth, and Bryce Vowan, the Tennessee driver was fifth.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks completed the night's show with the running of their 25 lap feature. Polesitter Andrew Burk from Milan, Illinois jumped to the lead, with Overton, Nebraska's Zach Olmstead, and regular weekly racer Braden Richards in tow. The three would run nose to tail lap after lap until Olmstead was able to make the pass for the lead on lap seven....never to relinquish it. He finished a good distance ahead of second place Braden Richards, Burk claimed third place, fourth went to tenth place starter and track champion Eric Stanton, and Jason Ruby, Minot, North Dakota was fifth.
The 39th IMCA Super Nationals starts on Labor Day for their six day run. There will be a complete show for the IMCA Late Models, and qualifying for the IMCA Northern SportMods, and the IMCA Hobby Stocks. Hot laps are scheduled for 1 p.m. with racing at 2.
Article Credit: Joyce Eisele
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