Boston holds off Back Row charge

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BY CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star

EAGLE — It took Mike Boston racing near his single-lap track record speed to keep Chris Roseland from pulling off the Back Row Challenge at Eagle Raceway on Friday night.

Roseland — who opted to give up the pole position and start from the rear of the split 30-lap sprint car feature to try to win an addition $1,000 — had rocketed to second place when the race went to a mandatory stoppage at the two-thirds point.

But Boston, regularly clipping off the fastest laps since the drop of the checkered flag — had no problem giving up a full straightaway lead and pulled away for his first Eagle feature win of the season.

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Flag man Larry White gives Tige Jensen (71) a thumbs up and a checkered flag after winning the qualifying round of the second heat. (MICHAEL PAULSEN)

Flag man Larry White gives Tige Jensen (71) a thumbs up and a checkered flag after winning the qualifying round of the second heat. (MICHAEL PAULSEN)

“I don’t think I would’ve beat Mike anyway if I’d started in front of him,” said the Carter Lake, Iowa, driver Roseland while being saluted by an appreciative crowd for his effort.

Boston, who took the Eagle points lead last week, had the obvious advantage of starting Friday’s race from the inside of row two. And by the time last week’s feature winner Bobby Becker brought out an early red flag after rolling in turn four, Boston was in front.

But Roseland was in seventh by the 11th lap, and he moved from fourth to second just in time for the five-minute break that came after 20 circuits had been completed.

“We set the car up to run high because we didn’t think that’s where the rest of the people would be at,” Roseland said. “We took a chance, and it paid off.”

Roseland also made a change with his left rear shock that allowed him to get through ruts better. But he would’ve needed Boston to run into more than choppy clay to overtake him in the race’s final stage.

“He was running high. We were good high, also,” Boston said. “That’s why I mixed it up the last restart and went high. I knew he wasn’t going to pass me on the bottom.

“Usually, the first lap you can slide. There’s a lot more opportunities when things get bunched up. That’s why I went up top, and after that I got in my own groove.”

“We were good.”

Roseland, who came the closest anyone ever has to pulling off the Back Row Challenge, was coming off back-to-back Eagle finishes in which he went from 19th to fourth. On Friday, he was followed to the checkered flags by Brad Krutz and Jack Dover, who came back strong after rolling while braking hard to avoid Becker on the first red incident.

The Eagle Nationals weekend continues with tonight’s running of the World of Outlaws sprints.

Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.