BOONE, Iowa -- The normal fan might not have noticed the forward movement David Murray Jr. made Saturday night in the modified feature of the 2011 IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa.

Typically, there's not a lot of eyes on the guys starting in the back of the pack. But the Oberlin driver did his best to turn some heads in stiff competition of the modified feature.

Murray started 30th in the 33-car field and finished 14th after the 40-lap race.

"There's a lot of them going home who have a bunch of stuff tore up,"  Murray said. "Ours has a little sheet metal damage, but the car is intact. We made the feature, and I guess our goals were accomplished. When we left the house, that's what our goal was, to make the show. I guess we'll leave here with success."

Murray, a four-time IMCA national champion and the 2004 winner of the super nationals, had been teetering on the edge all week long. It took a pair of late surges in races to keep his hopes alive of making Saturday's main event.

The final time came earlier Saturday, when he inched ahead of a competitor in one of three last-chance qualifying races. His bumper inched across the line to claim third place by fractions of a second. Only the top three finishers in those heats transferred to the big dance.

"That's the biggest deal, just trying to get in that deal,"  Murray said. "I'd never thought the way the qualifying feature was going we'd get in, then everything just clicked on the final lap. You can never give up here. That's the main thing."

While Richie Gustin of Gilman, Iowa, powered his way to the modified A-main win, Murray was laying back for the first few laps of the 40-lap feature, trying to let thing settle out a bit.

"In those first few laps, anything can happen, then you're out of the race right away," Murray said. "I kind of let things sort out, and then it looked like everyone had a handle on it. Then I tried to maneuver, but it was pretty tough all the way from the bottom to the top."

Then Murray slowly worked his way up 16 spots before the checkered flag waved for Gustin. Most of his movement came when the track started to slick off, similar to what he is used to racing on in this region.

"It felt like it was better for me, then of course the high line was good,"  Murray said. "Then they'd do a double file restart, and I'd get hung out on the bottom. You'd gain five, six or eight spots before, then you might give them back up and have to work your way back through. But it was the same for everybody. ... It was fun racing, just wish we had a little better luck."

Salina's Corey Lagroon, who also competed in the modified Race of Champions, finished 33rd after pulling off the track early.

* NICK SCHWIEN, HDN