By Gary Jacob
Dodge City, KS -- Leading all 50 laps from the pole after he had won his heat race from 4th starting, Kelly Boen from Henderson CO drove his Rocket to a $4000 win as the $33,000 1st Annual Midwest Outlaw Late Model Shootout ended it's two night run at the newly clay surfaced Dodge City Raceway Park on Saturday night. Boen had won $900 for his third place finish in the 25 lap preliminary night feature on Friday and his quick pace in the caution free 50 lapper saw him lap everyone except the top five finishers. Boen's effort is crew chiefed by engine expert Doug Hoffman and sponsored by Roadrunner Fabrication. It was the second win of 2004 for the traveling racer as he also won the CLMA season opener in Fort Morgan, CO. Missouri star Terry Phillips came from 9th starting to pocket $2000 for his second place run in a GRT. Friday night winner Al Purkey from Kansas came from sixth starting to win $1250 for third and Missouri MLRA ace Alan Vaughn won $1100 for fourth. Fifth place was worth $1000 for TORA star Delbert Smith from Wichita KS. The two night special was sanctioned by WDRA, MLRA and NCRA. The 3/8 mile track previously was a paved track, but Colorado's Mike Mathis was brought in to get it switched over to a clay surface and the World of Outlaws sprint cars visit here later in June.
Utah's Mike McGinn was the only car to not return for the Saturday racing and the 36 cars were divided into four qualifying heat races with the top 12 in the passing point accumulations advancing to the front half of the 24 car A Main lineup. Boen earned the pole for the 50 lapper by winning heat 1 from the pole as fellow Colorado traveler Ken Brack ran second ahead of front row starter Gary Gorby and Oklahoma's Eddie Tidwell. The second heat was stacked with nationally known stars as Vaughn won from the pole with third starter Phillips second ahead of 8th starting Purkey. Oklahoma City's Randy Timms won heat 3 from the pole with fifth starting Mike Wiarda from Aurora, Nebraska in second ahead of Brett LaFollette and David Turner. Smith won the fourth heat also from fourth with T J Kuykendall second ahead of 9th starting Ryan McAninch and Grand Juntion CO long tow Butch Clark. The 12 drivers to advance through the passing point system were front row earners Boen and Smith along with McAninch, Vaughn, Timms, Purkey, Wiarda, Brack, Phillips, Kuykendall, Clark and Gorby. The remaining cars raced in two B Mains with the top six advancing from each. Kansas City charger LaFollette won the first from the pole with sixth starting ageless Jim Clifton second ahead of Kansas chargers Rod Bencken and Ted Martin. Colorado ace Dave Garmann was fifth ahead of David Barker. Just missing the move up were Colorado racer John Kuchar and Kansas racer Chris Mayes. Dean Moore ran 9th. MLRA point leader Jason Bodenhammer won the 2nd B Main from third starting with pole starter David Turner second ahead of Nebraska racer Tommy Rowe and Colorado's Scott Lewis. Also moving up were Oklahoma charger Eddie Tidwell and Great Bend KS runner David Brock. Colorado's Kevin Lueck and Dodge City's own Mike Martin were next in line.
The talented 24 car grid managed to run the 50 lap distance without a single yellow flag and Boen led all the way from the pole. Phillips and Purkey provided a strong challenge over the closing rounds but settled for 2nd and 3rd ahead of Vaughn and Smith, the final lead lap finisher. McAninch ran sixth ahead of the Nebraska duo of Wiarda and Rowe. Timms was 9th ahead of Bodenhammer, Kuykendall, Gorby and LaFollette.
Summary Heat 1-Kelly Boen, Ken Brack, Gary Gorby, Eddie Tidwell, Scott Lewis. Heat 2-Alan Vaughn, Terry Phillips, Al Purkey, Ted Martin, Rod Bencken. Heat 3-Randy Timms, Mike Wiarda, Brett LaFollette, David Turner, Jason Bodenhammer. Heat 4-Delbert Smith, T J Kuykendall, Ryan McAninch, Butch Clark, Rusty Miller. 1st B Main-LaFollette, Jim Clifton, Bencken, Martin, Dave Garmann, David Barker, John Kuchar, Chris Mayes, Dean Moore, Joe Conway. 2nd B Main-Bodenhammer, Turner, Tommy Rowe, Scott Lewis, Tidwell, David Brock, Lueck, Mike Martin, Herb Nagy, Steve Lewis. A Main-Boen, Phillips, Purkey, Vaughn, Smith, McAninch, Wiarda, Rowe, Timms, Bodenhammer, Kuykendall, Gorby, LaFollette, Turner, Scott Lewis, T Martin, Garmann, Tidwell, Clark, Brock, Barker, Clifton, Brack, Bencken.