(Racing Every Saturday Night)
Race Results
July 10, 1999
By Rob Ristesund
Near-perfect weather conditions provided the background for a great night of racing at the Prostrollo All-American Auto Mall mid-season championships Saturday night at Lake County Speedway.
In the late model stock cars, it was the Plimpton #19 car taking the win for the second week in a row, but this time with a different driver behind the wheel. With Kent Plimpton absent to be with his wife who is still recovering from injuries from an auto accident on the way to the speedway several weeks ago, nine-time track champion Marty Barber steered the car to his sixty-fifth feature win at the track, his first win since “retiring” three years ago. Barber took the lead from his front row starting spot and after an early challenge from Scott Freet pulled away to take the win. While Freet drove a strong race to take second, a wild six-car battle raged right behind him most of the fifteen lap event. With cars running three and sometimes four wide throughout the race, it was Todd Sterzinger coming out on top of the “mini-race” to take third just ahead of Rick Eich, Perry Tschetter, Brad Wollman, Larry Dixon and Don Bickett.
Mike Ellingson’s three-race win streak in the Pam Oil/Valvoline/AC Delco/Lewis Drug/Pepsi 360 sprints was snapped by a driver who scored his first sprint feature win ever. Brad Nelson slipped under Chuck McGillivray in the third turn of the first lap and then led the rest of the way to take his first win ever. While the race ran non-stop, Ellingson was able to move up late in the event and challenge Nelson for the lead, but Nelson was up to the task as he held his car in the desired line on the track and fended off Ellingson, who came up less than a car length short at the finish. McGillivray and Chad Meyer had a race of their own going on most of the way and it was Meyer finally getting by McGillivray with two laps to go to take third.
Chris Ellingson outran the field and outlasted a number of cautions to win his third sportsman feature of the year. Ellingson came from the fifth row to pass leader Gary Gonyo on the fourth lap and quickly pulled away to a relatively easy win. With Ellingson long gone, the race was for second and it was Tony Callies having his best run of the year as he outfought Gonyo and Matt Steuerwald for the runner-up spot.
The hobby stock feature also had a number of yellows and it was veteran Doug Van Liere taking a well-deserved win. Van Liere came from the third row to pass Chad Lemme for the lead on the fourth lap of the twelve lap event and went on to take his first feature win of the year. He was followed at the finish by point-leader Tim Dann, Dale Tomes and Jason Armstrong, who came all the way from the eighth and final row to place fourth.
For the second week in a row, it was the team of Paugh and McGillivray taking the front-wheel drive feature win. Second went to Anderson and Michelke just ahead of point-leaders Schmidt and Grayson. The race was red-flagged on the first lap when the car of Lavin and Grayson got sideways and went into a wild series of barrel-rolls and flips. All in attendance were greatly concerned for the safety of the drivers following the horrible crash, but much to everyone’s relief both drivers walked away unscathed.
360 Sprint Cars
PAM OIL/VALVOLINE/AC DELCO HEAT: 1. Mike Ellingson, Dell Rapids; 2. Gary Johnson, Madison; 3. Brad Nelson, Brookings; 4. Kim Muntefering, Mitchell.
LEWIS DRUG/PEPSI HEAT: 1. Chuck McGillivray, Madison; 2. Chad Meyer, Sioux Falls; 3. Steve Haman, Egan; 4. Brent VandeWeerde, Rock Rapids, Iowa.
FEATURE: 1. Nelson; 2. Ellingson; 3. Meyer; 4. McGillivray; 5. Haman; 6. Johnson; 7. Muntefering; 8. Vande Weerde.
Late Model Stock Cars
FIRST HEAT: 1. Rick Eich, Colman; 2. Todd Sterzinger, Colman; 3. Dale Furby, Sioux Falls; 4. Gus Clark, Sioux Falls; 5. Curt Bauman, Brookings.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Marty Barber, Brandon; 2. Rob Anderson, Chester; 3. Perry Tschetter, Bridgewater; 4. Brad Wollman, Bridgewater; 5. Scott Freet, Madison.
FEATURE: 1. Barber; 2. Freet; 3. Sterzinger; 4. Eich; 5. Tschetter; 6. Wollman; 7. Larry Dixon, Ramona; 8. Don Bickett, Ramona; 9. Clark; 10. Bauman; 11. Furby; 12. Anderson; 13. Ross Dixon, Ramona.
Nordstrom's Sportsman
FIRST HEAT: 1. Gary Gonyo, Madison; 2. Richard Holbrook, Sioux Falls; 3. Jeff Ellingson, Madison.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Al Barnhart, Madison; 2. Rick Goth, Madison; 3. Mike Husman, Madison.
THIRD HEAT: 1. Josh Tangen, Bruce; 2. Darin Duffy, Dell Rapids; 3. Matt Steuerwald, Madison.
FOURTH HEAT: 1. Tony Callies, Wentworth; 2. Russ Peterson, Sioux Falls; 3. Chris Ellingson, Madison.
FIRST B FEATURE: 1. J.J. Zebell, Parker; 2. Jeff Hertel, Parker; 3. Matt Ayres, Parker; 4. Ryan Nelson, Madison; 5. Kenny Berens, Parker.
SECOND B FEATURE: 1. Jeff Wittrock, Sioux Falls; 2. Todd Holter, Humboldt; 3. Chris Tilberg, Ogilvie; 4. Don Brady, Sioux Falls; 5. Russ Englund, Hartford.
A FEATURE: 1. Chris Ellingson; 2. Callies; 3. Gonyo; 4. Steuerwald; 5. Barnhart; 6. Peterson; 7. Holbrook; 8. Wittrock; 9. Zebell; 10. Goth; 11. Duffy; 12. Jeff Ellingson; 13. Tangen; 14. Husman; 15. Hertel; 16. Holter.
I.M.C.A Hobby Stocks
FIRST HEAT: 1. Dean Dunkelberger, Hartford; 2. Andy Ullom, Madison; 3. Chad Lemme, Wentworth; 4. Doug Van Liere, Madison; 5. Dale Tomes, Dell Rapids.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Justin Selken, Hartford; 2. Mark Janke, Madison; 3. Josh Schmidt, Marion; 4. Tim Dann, Lennox; 5. Jeff Beck, Winfred.
FEATURE: 1. Van Liere; 2. Dann; 3. Tomes; 4. Jason Armstrong, Flandreau; 5. Beck; 6. Derck Uthe, Madison; 7. Ullom; 8. Rick Wibeto, Sioux Falls; 9. Dunkelberger; 10. Lemme; 11. Kevin Konda, Marion; 12. Steve Carmody, Ramona; 13. Selken; 14. Josh Schmidt, Marion; 15. Curt Ottoson, Madison; 16. Janke.
Front Wheel Drives
FIRST HEAT: 1. Harmon/Ludwig, Canton; 2. Lavin/Grayson, Brookings; 3. Haynes/Walter, Bridgewater.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Fedeler/Tooker, Nunda; 2. Schmidt/Grayson, Brookings; 3. Paugh/McGillivray, Madison.
THIRD HEAT: 1. Olson/Gluhn, Madison; 2. Eickman/Van Emmerick; 3. Larson/Ryan, Madison.
B FEATURE: 1. Anderson/Michelke, Madison; 2. Gross/Schmidt; 3. Cain/Cain, Egan; 4. Bender/Nielson, Madison; 5. Harney/Lien, Brandon.
A FEATURE: 1. Paugh/McGillivray; 2. Anderson/Michelke; 3. Schmidt/Grayson; 4. Harmon/Ludwig/ 5. Olson/Gluhn; 6. Haynes/Walter; 7. Gross/Schmidt.