Creek County Speedway
Boen drives Pannell's car to Creek County victory
By David Smith Jr.
O'Reilly NCRA
Kelly Boen (33) turns back Will Vaught (1). (Ron Mitchell)
SAPULPA, Okla. (May 7) — After five-time MARS champion Terry Phillips won the Showdown in the Heartland opener at 81 Speedway, O'Reilly NCRA's five-time champion Kelly Boen fired back in Friday's Round 2 with a victory at Creek County Speedway. Boen, running as a teammate to Gary Christian in a Terry Pannell-owned car, earned $2,500 in the second of four consecutive MARS-NCRA events. | Slideshow
“I wanted real bad to get this one for Terry as I feel I have let him down these past three races,” said Boen, who notched his series-leading 45th NCRA victory but first-ever on the MARS circuit. "He was nice enough to give me a phone call over the winter to drive his car and I was glad to do it. I am available any time he is ready to race."
The polesitting Boen led all 30 laps in the first-ever Late Model race at the quarter-mile oval in northeastern Oklahoma, fending off late pressure from Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., for the victory. Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark., rallied from 11th to finish third while Eric Turner of Springfield, Mo., made a 17th-to-fourth charge. Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark., rounded out the top five.
Former NCRA champion Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., ran second most of the way, but he got too high battling Vaught in the final laps and slipped back to finish seventh.
Four cautions slowed the action, the first for debris midway through the race and then for Ronnie Warman's spin on the restart. Dean Moore of Grand Junction, Colo., was running sixth when he slowed to bring out the fourth yellow on lap 16. Bill Koons spun in turn four on lap 27 for the final caution.
Notes: Boen's Terry Pannell-owned Rocket Chassis is sponsored by Pannell Chipping and Boen's Roadrunner Fabrication. ... Gary Christian, Boen's teammate for the night, was 13th as the top-finishing home-state driver. ... The series heads to Brill Motor Speedway in Meeker, Okla., for Saturday's stop on the four-race stretch. Monett (Mo.) Speedway caps the action Sunday.
Showdown in the Heartland: (1) Kelly Boen, (2) Will Vaught, (3) Jack Sullivan, (4) Eric Turner, (5) Wendell Wallace, (6) Ken Schrader, (7) Al Purkey, (8) Terry Phillips, (9) Rylan Long, (10) Larry Campbell, (11) Jeremy Payne, (12) Dean Moore, (13) Gary Christian, (14) Jason O'Brien, (15) Jase Kaser, (16) Justin Asplin, (17) Bill Koons, (18) Darrell Mooneyham, (19) Dustin Mooneyham, (20) Raymond Merrill, (21) Zac Simmons, (22) Waylan Petrie, (23) Corey Zeitner, (24) Shawn Harker. Heat race winners: Moore, Boen, Wallace, Vaught. Consolation winner: Turner.
