BOONE, Iowa — Tim Ward made more history Saturday at Boone Speedway.
Then Jake McBirnie wrote some of this own.
Defending IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s champion Ward won the first of two Friesen Performance IMCA Modified features for his fourth consecutive victory during the NAPA Auto Parts Double Down Prelude. Brother-in-law and former Northern SportMod victor McBirnie then followed with a Modified win of his own, making him the first driver to win Prelude crowns in different divisions.
Both nights of the Prelude and the entire week of the Sept. 2-7 Super Nationals will be broadcast by SPEEDSPORT.tv affiliate IMCA.tv.
A record 416 cars in four divisions saw action during the Saturday show.
Ward chased and caught pole starter Izac Mallicoat four laps into their feature, then led another 21 fast-paced times around Iowa’s Action Track.
The sole caution came on lap 16 but Ward quickly caught up with the back of the pack and beat Mallicoat to the $1,500 checkers, his Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying 11th dating to last September.
“I figured it was going to be really tough to get four in a row. There’s just something about the Prelude – it likes me,” he said. “It was fun there running with Izac and it was fun racing in traffic.”
Ethan Braaksma, Cory Sauerman and Ryan McDaniel ran 3-4-5.
McBirnie got the best of Cody Laney in the Modified nightcap, leading the last 16 circuits. They’d threatened to make that feature a two-car contest before back-to-back cautions just after midway, then crossed the stripe with Austin Kuehl, Todd Shute and Brandon Schmitt in tow.
“We went out, made the right (setup) decisions for the feature. The track came into our favor and man, what a race there with Cody,” McBirnie said. “The car was good. I couldn’t be happier right now.”
McBirnie was also previously eligible for Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying. Kuehl had started 16th, Shute 14th.
Taking the checkers in $1,000 to win IMCA Sunoco Stock Car features were Troy Jerovetz and John Oliver Jr.
Jerovetz led start to finish of a 25-lap contest punctuated by five cautions, holding off 17th starting Jake Sachau after the last of them with six circuits to go.
“The track just came into my style. It just worked out. It means a lot to start the week off this way,” Jerovetz said. “This was a big one. We lost a good buddy in Wisconsin who was a past Super Nationals SportMod champion. He and I had some great battles. This one was for Tracy Wassenberg.”
Josh Daniels, the 29th starting Casey Woken and Bob Daniels were scored next.
Oliver had to catch Jay Schmidt for the lead, then keep a determined Justin Luinenburg at bay to make his own trip to victory lane, while Jimmy Gustin moved into third with four laps left.
“I wanted to win this but as clean as he (Luinenburg) was driving me and everything, I would have been happy for him,” Oliver said.
David Smith was fourth while hard charger Elijah Zevenbergen motored from 24th to fifth.
Both Jerovetz and Oliver were already eligible to qualify for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational.
And winner of the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature was Hannibal, Mo., star Dyllan Bonk.
“This was probably the biggest win of my life by far,” said Bonk, who led the last 16 of 20 caution-free laps, inching ahead on the last circuit after crossing the stripe maybe a bumper width ahead of Mitch Bielenberg. “I haven’t won this many races and we did not expect to be running up front.”
Jake Benischek, Bobby Douglas and Randall Martin completed the top five.
Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks are on the Sunday NAPA Auto Parts Double Down Prelude card, along with final qualifying, the race of champions and the Super Nationals main event for STARS Mod Lites.