BOONE, Iowa — There's nothing quite like the roar of the racetrack. The engines, the fans— its speed and intensity just can't be matched.
Earlier Saturday, all that energy gathered in Boone for the start of the International Motor Contest Association Super Nationals. The Boone Speedway has been hosting the annual event for over 30 years.
"You got to be on your A-game because this track's always heavy. It's always, it's hammer down. You have to be on your A-game to be competitive with Boone Speedway," said James May, owner of Mod Lite Stars.
A former racer himself and a Des Moines native, May knows as well as anyone what the adrenaline of a race feels like.
"It's an awesome rush. I mean, you get to just drive as hard as you can not get in trouble," he said.
There's plenty on the line. More than 900 racers from 27 states will be competing over the course of eight days of racing, and champions will be made in Boone.
"Everybody knows that when someone's crowned champion in Boone. They know it right away, and you can go anywhere in the country and say 'Hey, do you remember the modified champion was last year' and they know who that champion was," said Jerry Vansickel, the Super Nationals announcer.
All the prestige and prize money aside, racers know there's magic in the dirt at Boone, and getting to compete on it is a prize of its own.
"It's just a premiere track, premiere surface. There's nowhere in the country that can tear a track up and put it back together like the Boone Speedway can."