Drivers enjoy their experience at Valley Speedway

by Michael Smith
 
     When Liberty resident Stanley Boose was digging through his toolbox last week while working on his racecar, he asked his father for help.
     Last February, his father, Richard Boose, died from complications from COVID-19. While he was not there physically to help his son, Richard might have been there spiritually. Boose ended up pulling out an envelope from the toolbox. He opened it and it contained a photo of his father.
     His father’s passing inspired Boose to participate in dirt track racing full time. Afterall, Richard Boose was named Rookie of the Year at the Valley Speedway racetrack in Grain Valley in 2018. Richard loved racing at the track.
     Some people suggested that he drive his dad’s United States Racing Association sports mod car at Valley Speedway. It did not take him long to make a decision.
     “I thought about it for about 10 seconds,” Boose said. “I decided I needed to do that for him.”
     So far, Boose has been in every race at Valley Speedway, and has enjoyed his time on the dirt track like many other race car drivers. He also competed Saturday.
     “I raced a couple times here before, but this is my first year fully racing,” said Boose, who is in the Sport B Mod division. “I came out here with my dad before and took care of whatever he needed on the track. My whole life poured into this car this weekend.
     “I didn’t think I was going to make it here today, but I did.”
    Boose is a 10-year Army veteran, who had to have his shoulders and his legs rebuilt after a horrible accident during a training session. He said he had three crushed discs in his back and two in his neck. It took 18 surgeries for him to be able to walk again.
     Although he admits to being in pain after races on a bumpy track, there’s still more pros than cons.
     “To be doing this is truly a blessing,” Boose said. “Knowing the struggles, you have to go through before race day and the time you and your crew puts in, and showing it out on the track and doing it for the fans and yourself makes it fun.
    “It’s like being a kid and riding go carts at a much bigger level.”
     Going forward, Boose has a couple of big goals in mind. Win a race and earn Rookie of the Year like his father. So far, he has finished as high as ninth in a race.
     “It would be awesome to be rookie of the year like he was,” Boose said. “I just want to win and kick some (rear end).”
     Austin Charles, a former Grain Valley resident who now resides in Bashor, Kan., is enjoying the success Boose is aiming for in the International Motor Contest Association North Sports Mod division. He is currently second in points in Missouri with 317, seven behind the first-place driver.
     Charles is a fourth-generation race car driver and competes against his father, Dan Charles, who is fifth in the IMCA Missouri points race.
     He races on tracks all around the Midwest area. Like Boose, he is a frequent competitor at Valley Speedway. He, too, enjoys the thrill of race day.
     “It’s fun spending time with family on the track,” he said. “And driving these cars as fast as they go is a lot of fun. Racing on the track is like being in your own world. I come out here every Saturday.
     “My aim is to win the Missouri state points championship.”
     Another fun aspect of being on the track for Charles is going against his father to see who can take first place.
     “We threw most of them away or gave them away,” Austin Charles said of all the trophies his family has earned, including his grandfather, Tom Charles, who had 320 career feature race wins and 20 points championships. “(Dan) got second and I won last week. It was pretty nice.”
     Added Dan Charles: “And we have to ride together on the way home, too.”
     The experience at Valley Speedway is not only fun for the drivers, it is a good experience for the fans, too.
     Lee’s Summit resident Eric Schumacher, who is a frequent visitor of Valley Speedway, said he loves coming to the track on Saturday nights.
     “I love the noise and it’s really a family atmosphere here,” he said. “The food is always great, and it’s an upbeat and positive place. This is good ol’ home time, good fun. It’s an experience you don’t get at the NASCAR races.”
 

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Results: 6/5/2021 at Valley Speedway
​Dirt Demons A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 121-Eric Schmidt[2]; 2. 19-Richard McCaulley[4]; 3. 13-Dylan Bruhn[7]; 4. 68-Darrick Brisbin[5]; 5. 15-Roman Stump[6]; 6. 10B-Jeremy Byfield[3]; 7. (DNF) 2-Robert Chase[1]; 8. (DNF) 14-Mikel Solberg[8]
Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 121-Eric Schmidt[2]; 2. 2-Robert Chase[7]; 3. 10B-Jeremy Byfield[3]; 4. 19-Richard McCaulley[5]; 5. 68-Darrick Brisbin[6]; 6. 15-Roman Stump[8]; 7. (DNF) 13-Dylan Bruhn[4]; 8. (DNF) 14-Mikel Solberg[1]
E ModsA Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 554-Eddie Ingram[2]; 2. 86-Doug Brisbin[7]; 3. 1M-Mike Ryun[3]; 4. 65-Jason Smith[8]; 5. 75-Rayce Martin[10]; 6. 28-John Haynie[9]; 7. 22-Dustin Dillon[13]; 8. 37-Leroy Morrison[12]; 9. (DNF) 42-Dalton Krysa[6]; 10. (DNF) 33-Jeremy Curless[4]; 11. (DNF) 21T-David Towers[5]; 12. (DNF) 38-Gary Mcginnis[11]; 13. (DNF) 32-Shawn Burns[1]; 14. (DNS) 41-Ashlyn Piburn
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 554-Eddie Ingram[2]; 2. 32-Shawn Burns[7]; 3. 21T-David Towers[6]; 4. 65-Jason Smith[5]; 5. 28-John Haynie[3]; 6. (DNF) 22-Dustin Dillon[4]; 7. (DNF) 41-Ashlyn Piburn[1]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 1M-Mike Ryun[2]; 2. 33-Jeremy Curless[4]; 3. 42-Dalton Krysa[5]; 4. 86-Doug Brisbin[7]; 5. 75-Rayce Martin[3]; 6. 38-Gary Mcginnis[1]; 7. 37-Leroy Morrison[6]
IMCA Northern SportModA Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 81-Austin Charles[3]; 2. 81JR-Dan Charles[4]; 3. 29-Stanley Boose[1]; 4. 73-Bobby Grove[2]; 5. (DNS) 23-Daniel Wills
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 81-Austin Charles[3]; 2. 81JR-Dan Charles[4]; 3. 73-Bobby Grove[2]; 4. 29-Stanley Boose[1]
IMCA Stars Mod LitesA Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 47-Ed Griggs[9]; 2. 46-Dillon Raffurty[10]; 3. 75-Justin Raffurty[6]; 4. 41-Michael Raffurty[4]; 5. 03-James Beebe[1]; 6. 73-Tony Kerr[2]; 7. 4K-Garrett Stonum[8]; 8. 34-Tyler Furrell[11]; 9. 5D-Dustin Dennison[12]; 10. 84-Joe Gunn[13]; 11. (DNF) 3XL-Josh Guy[3]; 12. (DNF) 64-David Raffurty[5]; 13. (DNF) 3-Nathan Wolfe[7]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 41-Michael Raffurty[4]; 2. 46-Dillon Raffurty[7]; 3. 4K-Garrett Stonum[6]; 4. 73-Tony Kerr[2]; 5. 75-Justin Raffurty[5]; 6. 34-Tyler Furrell[3]; 7. (DNF) 84-Joe Gunn[1]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 64-David Raffurty[4]; 2. 47-Ed Griggs[6]; 3. 3-Nathan Wolfe[5]; 4. 03-James Beebe[1]; 5. 3XL-Josh Guy[3]; 6. 5D-Dustin Dennison[2]

Photo credit: Michael Smith

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