Boen Wins Fourth Race, Takes over NCRA Late Model Point Lead
By Randy Fisher

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (July 27, 2007) – It was a wild and wooly night of racing at Hutchinson Raceway Park Friday as Kelly Boen took the lead from Al Purkey halfway through the feature and went on to win in the O’Reilly NCRA Late Model Series, presented by ICM/Ethanol.

The event, also co-sanctioned by the Topless Outlaw Racing Association (TORA), drew 28 cars in the first head-to-head contest between the two sanctioning bodies in several years. It turned out to be one of the wildest NCRA shows of the season, and not just from the competition standpoint.

Gary Gorby captured the pole in the feature with former NCRA series champion Kyle Berck on his outside. Berck stayed up top and took the early lead from Gorby, who spun in Turn 4 and brought out a caution before the field completed a lap.

That moved Gorby to the back of the 24-car field on the restart and pushed the inside row up one spot, which elevated Delbert Smith to the pole with Berck still on the outside.

Berck again took the lead but as Smith went through the first two turns on lap two, he spun. Four other drivers either spun to avoid Smith or hit him, which brought out a red flag.

After a lengthy cleanup, Smith and Bo Egge retired for the evening while Kelly Dunn, Ryan Rairden, and Shaun Buckley were able to continue.

When the race restarted with just one lap in the books, Berck stayed in front with point leader John Anderson running the bottom. Purkey was third with Boen fourth and rookie Jimmy Segraves in fifth.

As the leaders completed lap five, Anderson slipped in front of the high-riding Berck as they exited Turn 2. Berck dropped low and went down the back straight alongside Anderson. There was contact, which caused Anderson to spin and brought out another caution.

Anderson hit a utility tire when he slid towards the infield. The spin put him at the back of the pack but he retired before they resumed racing with right front suspension damage. TORA officials also sent Berck to the back of the field for rough driving.

Another caution means another restart, this time Purkey had the point followed by Boen, Dave Conkwright, Segraves, and Ryan McAninch. The first three drivers put a little distance between themselves and the others.

Purkey moved to a comfortable margin until Boen started to reel him in. Purkey still held the point at the end of the 14th circuit. Boen slid to the inside and briefly took the lead going through the first two turns.

They ran side-by-side down the back straight and into the last two turns before Boen slid up high exiting Turn 4 and took the lead just before the starter’s stand to complete lap 15.

From there, it was Katie-bar-the-door as the Henderson, Colo., driver pulled away. He opened up a straightaway lead before the final caution came out on lap 26. With five laps to go, Boen held the lead followed by Purkey, Conkwright, McAninch, and Bryant Goldsmith, who passed Segraves for fifth on lap 17.

Not even the restart could slow Boen as he easily held the lead to the checker for his third win of the season. That enabled him to take over the season point lead from Anderson.

“Sometimes things don’t go your way on restarts and it didn’t look like it was going to go my way early,” he said. “I don’t know how things happened but I’m happy we got a good start when it counted and we were able to pull out the win.”

The win was the 24th in Boen’s NCRA career, which tied him with the late Larry Phillips for second on the all-time list. First on that list is Purkey, who finished a disappointing second.

“When you get to the lead no matter how you get there you’re supposed to win. I’m pretty upset we didn’t get it done,” he said. “He (Boen) got better but I didn’t. Even after he passed me, he was just better than me.”

Goldsmith, Conkwright, and McAninch rounded out the top five. Goldsmith, the teenager from Corning, Iowa, completed his run from ninth on the grid by passing McAninch and Conkwright in the waning laps.

Heat #1:

1. Gary Gorby, Caney, Kan.; 2. Kelly Boen, Henderson, Colo.; 3. John Anderson, Omaha, Neb.; 4. Mike Conkwright, Manhattan, Kan.; 5. Mike Collins, Carter Lake, Iowa; 6. Bo Egge, Kearney, Neb.; 7. Earl Kinderknecht, Salina, Kan.; 8. Justin Kinderknecht, Salina, Kan.; 9. Gerald Spurgeon, Ponca City, Okla.; 10. Mollee Collins, Carter Lake, Iowa.

Heat #2:

1. Kyle Berck, Marquette, Neb.; 2. Jimmy Segraves, Valley Center, Kan. 3. Mike Wiarda, Aurora, Neb.; 4. Ryan McAninch, Goddard, Kan.; 5. Greg Larsen, Plattsmouth, Neb.; 6. Kelly Dunn, Salina, Kan.; 7. Shaun Buckley, Andover, Kan.; 8. Jason Schobinger, Wiggins, Colo.; 9. Justin Hoepker, Iola, Kan.

Heat #3:

1. Delbert Smith, Wichita, Kan.; 2. Al Purkey, Coffeyville, Kan.; 3. Bryant Goldsmith, Corning, Iowa; 4. Dave Conkwright, Manhattan, Kan.; 5. Brad Fortney, Wichita, Kan.; 6. Brian Bolster, Belle Plaine, Kan.; 7. David Brack, Great Bend, Kan.; 8. Ryan Rairden, Brookville, Kan.; 9. Ted Martin, Bennington, Kan.

B feature:

1. Mike Collins, 2. Ryan McAninch, 3. Greg Larsen, 4. Mike Conkwright, 5. Earl Kinderknecth, 6. Bo Egge, 7. Ryan Rairden, 8. Kelly Dunn, 9. Brad Fortney, 10. Justin Kinderknecht, 11. Brian Bolster, 12. Justin Hoepker, 13. Shaun Buckley, 14. Mollee Collins, DNS: David Brack, Jason Schobinger, Gerald Spurgeon, Ted Martin.

A feature:

1. Kelly Boen, 2. Al Purkey, 3. Bryant Goldsmith, 4. Dave Conkwright, 5. Ryan McAninch, 6. Jimmy Segraves, 7. Mike Conkwright, 8. Mike Wiarda, 9. Kyle Berck, 10. Ryan Rairden, 11. Mike Collins, 12. Gary Gorby, 13. Brad Fortney, 14. Brian Bolster, 15. Mollee Collins, 16. Justin Kinderknecht, 17. Shaun Buckley, 18. Justin Hoepker, 19. Kelly Dunn, 20. John Anderson, 21. Earl Kinderknecht, 22. Delbert Smith, 23. Bo Egge, 24. Greg Larsen.