A gorgeous Wednesday afternoon prompted me to make a return visit to the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta. While the car count was down a bit, the crowd was still pretty good and the racing was action packed throughout the night.
First to hit the track for feature action would be the BVR bombers. Jake Bieret took control at the drop of the green flag after starting on the pole. Keith Demey would keep pace, but was unable to seriously challenge Bieret as Jake Bieret pocketed the win. Demey would finish second, Colby Davis finished third, Nicholas Smith fourth, and Mike Draper rounded out the top five of the nine-car field.
Next up would be the IMCA sport compacts. At the drop of the green flag the field managed to race four-wide down the front straight away to set up a tense moment entering turn one. Merv Chandler emerged with the lead on lap one after starting seventh with Megan Lappegard following closely behind. Nate Coopman was on the move a bit further back as the first-time visitor to the speedway made his way to third after starting tenth. Coopman would motor to the outside of Lappegard to complete that pass before using the same line to get by Chandler for the lead at the halfway point. Coopman would pull away in the closing laps and pick up the win ahead of Chandler, Lappegard, Cory Flanigan, and Caine Mahlberg.
The most popular division by the numbers were the IMCA hobby stocks as twenty-two drivers checked in for competition. Craig Brotherton would take command on lap one, but the caution quickly came out a lap later to bunch the field up again. Devin Smith would take advantage of the restart as he split a couple of cars entering turn three to move into the third position. He worked to the inside of Kyle Robinson to climb into second while Michael Murphy and Shannon Anderson were advancing into the top five. Brotherton would bobble a bit in turn four and cut down a right rear tire, handing the race lead over to Devin Smith. Murphy used the low line to get by Robinson for second as Robinson began to slow. A lap later Anderson would slow and come to a stop outside of turn two to bring out the caution. The restart did not phase Smith as he continued on to pick up the win. Michael Murphy came home second, Brandon Nielson was third, Bill Woehler fourth, and Matt Mahoney completed the top five. Cody Nielson crossed the line in third, but was scored as the last finishing car after he made contact with Andy Boeckman that sent Boeckman into a spin on the final corner.
Sixteen IMCA sportmods were next to hit the track as Keagan Scott led the opening laps in this one. Brett Meyer quickly worked his way up to third while Jesse Sobbing used the high side to climb to fourth. Up front Tim Rupp challenged Scott on the inside and took over the lead as Scott pushed up the track, losing several spots. Meyer would close in on Rupp at the midpoint of the race and hound the leader, but Rupp continued to hit his marks lap after lap. Meyer finally closed the gap to within a car length on the final lap, but his car pushed up in turn two and opened the door for Jesse Sobbing to race by for second. Sobbing was too far back and ran out of time as Tim Rupp scored the win. Sobbing finished second, Meyer was third, Zach Norgaard finished fourth, and Doug Smith rounded out the top five.
While only having ten cars show up, the IMCA stock cars proved once again they are the "Class Too Tough To Tame" on Wednesday night. Pole sitter Adam Klocke would lead the opening lap, but Brian Blessington quickly found the bottom groove to his liking and took control on lap two. David Smith found the right line as he worked his way into the fourth spot after starting eighth. Smith, who picked up his 100th career IMCA stock car victory Saturday night in Algona, would continue making his way towards the front as he passed Klocke for third. Stefan Sybesma would challenge Blessington on the inside and pull even exiting turn two, but Blessington's momentum allowed him to maintain the lead until the caution waved on lap six. Blessington opted for the inside of the front row on the restart, but it was Sybesma using the top side that emerged with the lead upon the exit of turn two. Point leader Donovan Smith threw his hat into the mix as he worked the outside of brother David for third and passing Blessington for second. Sybesma slowed down the front stretch momentarily and Donovan Smith was there to take the lead with three laps to go. Blessington would bring out the caution as he slid off turn two and on the restart Sybesma regained the lead using the inside line this time. Entering turn three Sybesma looked primed to take the checkered flag but Donovan Smith got a great run on the cushion and out powered him down the front stretch to pick up a thrilling win!! Sybesma had to settle for second, Chris Ullrich finished third, David Smith fourth, and Brian Blessington rebounded for fifth.
Pole sitter Brad Williams took control early in the IMCA modified feature, but his time out front was short-lived as Justin Sackett would take the lead away on lap three. Jason Briese would coast to a stop in turn three to bring out the caution on lap five. Soon after the restart Josh Most dove to the inside of Brian Schmitt entering turn one. The two made heavy contact with Most's car driving up over the nose of Schmitt's. Schmitt would come to a stop to bring out another caution, and both machines went to the work area to survey the damage. Dustin Smith was working his way to the front of the field as he passed Jim Thies for the second position around the midpoint of the race. The final yellow of the race came with nine laps remaining, giving Smith a chance to challenge Sackett on the restart. Sackett proved to be too fast on the bottom, however, as he outran Smith to the checkers. Josh Most rebounded to finish third, Brad Williams was fourth, and Jim Thies rounded out the top five.
A King of the Hill race for both the stock car and modifieds followed the modified feature, but I opted to leave at that point for the lengthy trip back home. Despite the low car counts I thought all the features were extremely competitive. The season is winding down quickly as I believe August 10 is season championship night, so if you're in the area and haven't checked it out yet be sure to do so. For a full-field rundown of results and a look at the schedule and updated point standings, log on to the Buena Vista Raceway website.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
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