Arkansas driver takes home top prize in modified special

WARRENSBURG — Johnny Bone Jr. took home the $3,000 prize Saturday night for winning the final modified class special event of the year at Central Missouri Speedway.

The Pea Ridge, Ark., resident defeated a field that included 32 cars.

Jason Bodenhamer, of Centerview, won the United Late Models Association feature race.

James McMillin took the  15-lap street stocks final.

Qualifying continued for the modified final Saturday. The starters on the inside row, including pole winner Rick Beebe, were determined Friday night.

The outside spots were determined Saturday.

Johnny Fennewald and Dustin Boney were heat winners. Bone won the scramble and started on the front row.

As the green flag waved for the start of the 40-lap feature, Beebe sailed out front with Bone in second and Jim Reid in third.

It didn’t take long for some three-wide action to add to the excitement, as Jason Thompson, Aaron Marrant and Jim Moody raced hard inside the top 10.

Through lap 10, Beebe held the lead until a yellow flag flew for Bubba Harvey in turn four and then again shortly after for Reid in turn three with a fourth of the race completed.

Mike Higley’s night ended by lap 10, just as the cars took the green flag for the restart.

By lap 15, Beebe had an eight-car-length lead over Bone, and Shad Badder was in third, with Austin Siebert and Dustin Boney in tow.

At the lap-20 mark, Bone was still in hot pursuit of the lead, as Badder tried to fend off Boney for third with Siebert close behind in fifth and Jeff Cutshaw in sixth.

On lap 24, Bone continued to pressure Beebe hard for the lead, but Beebe held strong to deny Bone the pass.

As Beebe and Bone raced through lapped traffic, Beebe chose the low side  and it was a costly decision because Bone powered around for the pass to take the lead by lap 30.

With just 10 laps remaining, Bone began pulling away to distance himself from Beebe, who now had his hands full with Boney pressuring him on the high side for second.

Boney was flying around the high side of the track from his eighth starting spot in turns three and four and gaining position throughout the event.

Josh Everhart pulled off the track by lap 33 as the top five was Bone, Beebe, Badder, Siebert and Cutshaw.

In the end, Bone pulled away with Boney placing second.

Beebe slipped to third. Badder finished  fourth with Siebert fifth and Thompson sixth.

Bodenhamer, the track’s ULMA points leader, started on the pole of Saturday’s feature  race, but Jon Binning led the first lap.

The Centerview resident took the lead away from Binning on lap two.

Bodenhamer was never seriously challenged again, as he cruised to victory with Binning taking second, Clancy third and Brett Wood fourth.

Bodenhamer and Binning were the heat winners.

Bodenhamer leads Binning by 44 points in the championship standings with one race remaining.

Brian Johnson earned the pole position for the street stocks final, but McMillin led the opening lap.

McMillin never surrendered the lead, avoiding trouble on a yellow and a red flag.
Johnson was second, Chad Eickleberry third, Bryce McMillin fourth, Brian Ziegler fifth, and T.J. Faulkenberry sixth.

Herb Dannar and Johnson were the heat winners.

Johnson carries a 90-point lead over Eickleberry into Saturday night’s races.
CMS will host a sprint car special on Friday night with the track’s championship night set for Saturday.

Normal start times apply for both Friday and Saturday night with pit gates opening at 4:30 p.m., admission gates swinging open at 5, driver’s meeting starting at 6:30, hot laps beginning at 7, and racing getting under way at 7:30.

Visit centralmissourispeedway.net. for starting times and ticket prices.