A picture perfect evening was in store for night #2 of the IMCA American Stock Car Shootout series event held at the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta Tuesday night. Another stout field of forty-eight competitors were on hand to try their luck at the fast oval along with the rest of the weekly order of classes.
The first feature event held would be the bombers. Just six cars were in attendance Tuesday night, a number that soon dwindled to three in a matter of a couple laps. Shawn Halder would take the win ahead of Colby Davis and Kevin Blume of the running cars.
Next up would be the four-car field of IMCA sport compacts. Pole sitter Cory Flanigan wasted no time, and for that matter energy and effort, in securing the top spot. At the halfway point Mike Brabec lost a tire in turn two that wound up flying over the catch fence, onto and over Highway 7, and followed the railroad tracks for a moment before coming to a rest. A motorcyclist saw the tire and removed it from the intersection as far as I could tell before a track official picked it up. Flanigan would go on to take the win ahead of Mark Lindgren as they were the only two cars left running when the checkers waved.
The IMCA hobby stocks would be next to the track with twenty-four cars set to do battle. And trust me when I say battle. Devin Smith powered his machine to the lead from the pole, but Shannon Anderson quickly moved into second following an early restart as he passed Bill Woehler for the position. Just as it appeared Justin Nehring was going to add his name to the list of potential winners by climbing into the top five on lap four, his luck would run out as he spun his machine in turn three to bring out the caution.
An old fashion Devin Smith/Shannon Anderson duel was shaping up to be a good one for the win, but Merle Bass was staying within striking distance just behind. As Smith and Anderson exchanged the lead several times, Anderson would get the advantage late by utilizing the inside lane. After the two had made somewhat light contact throughout much of the race, apparently more was to come as Smith and Anderson got together in turn two to send Anderson around. Merle Bass was in the right spot at the right time as he came out smelling like a rose for the time being as he crossed the finish line to take the win ahead of Devin Smith, Bill Woehler, Matt Mahoney, and Kyle Robinson. However, Smith would be penalized for the contact with Anderson and Bass would relinquish the win as he failed post-race tech. That handed the win over to Bill Woehler with the rest of the top five looking like Mahoney, Robinson, Nick Meyer, and Jason Kohl. Unfortunately that was the extent of the results I was able to jot down.
The hobby stock feature definitely provided a lot of excitement for the crowd as they really got into the event. Cheers and boos were heard throughout the covered grandstand with the loudest pop coming when Bass crossed the finish line for what appeared to be the win. Unfortunately the crowd was never informed that Bass failed post-race tech, or at least I didn't hear it announced.
Sixteen IMCA sportmods would be led to the green flag by Doug Smith. Brett Meyer moved into second after passing Chris Grothe before a caution appeared. Following another quick yellow, Smith would lose the handle on his machine in turn four, handing the reigns over to Meyer. Two more yellows would keep the field closely bunched, but Meyer would go on to take the win ahead of Zach Norgaard, Clay Evans, Tim Rupp, and Chris Grothe.
1. 1M Brett Meyer
2. 14z Zach Norgaard
3. 54E Clay Evans
4. 33 Tim Rupp
5. 90 Chris Grothe
6. 99 Jesse Sobbing
7. 1and Brady Joynt
8. 57 Doug Bartels
9. 11c Chad Dills
10. 33R Ryan Roder
11. 3 Dale McGuire
12. 1 Greg Sidles
13. 12 Doug Smith
14. 65 Matt Sangwin
15. 7w Tim Wilcox
16. 69M Garrett Merrill
Mike Albertsen would take control early on in the IMCA modified feature field of twelve cars. Two early cautions saw the field closely stacked on top of each other, and that was evident as the top six were within a carlength or so when trouble struck in turn three. I didn't see what happened, but the end result was Albertsen's fuel cell laying on the track and Craig Reetz's car being towed to the pits. Brian Schmitt and Brad Williams were also involved in the incident. With Albertsen out of the mix, Jay Noteboom would assume command of the ship. Clayton Christensen would apply pressure early on following a lap seven caution, but Noteboom was able to distance himself as the laps clicked off late to pick up the win. Christensen would finish second, Justin Sackett third, Jim Thies fourth, and Nick Deal in fifth.
1. 7N Jay Noteboom
2. 1cc Clayton Christensen
3. 17 Justin Sackett
4. 23 Jim Thies
5. 55D Nick Deal
6. 22BW Brad Williams
7. 10E Stacey Mills
8. 61 Brian Schmitt
9. 23 Scott Sturm
10. z3 Mike Albertsen
11. 1R Craig Reetz
12. 52 Mark Gaskill
The stage was now set for the headliner, the thirty-lap IMCA stock car showdown. Inside row two starter Donavon Smith jumped out front in the early running while Jake Masters slipped by Randy Brands for second. Smith would extend his lead to a comfortable margin with in the first four laps as the action heated up behind him. Damon Murty and Dustin Smith were on the prowl as they found themselves fourth and fifth before the first caution waved on lap ten. A double-file restart behind the leader was used, which allowed Dustin Smith to slip under Murty for third. Murty would not go away quietly, though, as he battled back and engaged in a fierce battle with Smith for several laps.
Both Murty and Dustin Smith made their way by Masters for the runner up and third positions, respectively. With those two fighting it out, Donavon Smith was loving it as he pulled away once again to a sizable margin. Donavon Smith would cruise to the easy victory and an $1,100 payday as Wade Sembach donated an extra $100 to the winner's share of the purse. Dustin Smith would come home in second, Damon Murty in third, Jeffrey Larson finished fourth after starting seventeenth, and Brian Blessington rounded out the top five.
While the action was hot and heavy on the track, the evening would have to be considered a success for promoter Jeff Herrig. The stands were packed and the pits were near capacity for a rare Tuesday night race at the Beaver. My only complaint was the time factor as it was somewhat late getting the show over.
The American Stock Car Shootout series will travel a couple hours east along Highway 20 as they make their third stop at the Independence Motor Speedway on Wednesday. Along with the stock cars will be the IMCA Deery Brothers late model series. This event last year was a good one as the two features ran eighty laps with only two cautions combined. For more complete results and information, check out www.imca.com, www.buenavistaraceway.net, or www.independencemotorspeedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
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