(Racing Every Friday Night)
By Rob Ristesund
On an evening when extreme weather conditions presented drivers with a much different type track than they usually compete on, three drivers scored their first feature wins of the year Friday night at Rapid Speedway. A combination of hot temperatures, near 100% humidity and calm winds saw the track surface actually take on moisture throughout the evening and presented some drivers with handling problems.
Butch Hanssen was one driver that had no problem at all with the track as he padded his Pam Oil/Valvoline/AC Delco/Lewis Drug/Pepsi 360 sprint point lead with a convincing feature win. The eighteen lap event had a tough time getting underway when the runner-up in points, Chad Meyer jumped a tire and flipped hard in turn two following a false start. Meyer was transported to the hospital where he was treated and released while his car was heavily damaged in the incident. On the restart, turn two was once again the sight of a flip, this time by Steve Haman who was uninjured in the mishap. The third time was the charm as the race finally got underway and it was Mike Ellingson taking a commanding lead over the sixteen car field. Ellingson maintained the point until a freak incident in which his hood came loose and blocked his vision, forcing him to the infield on lap eight. Randy Droescher inherited the lead on the restart and held it until rookie Brett Vonk triggered the red with a roll-over on lap ten. By this time, Hanssen had powered his way from the sixth row to second and on the restart he wasted no time blasting his way past Droescher and into a lead that he would stretch out to over a quarter of a lap by the finish. Droescher held on to take second ahead of Steve Ballanger, Chuck McGillivray and Micah Schliemann.
Mark DeBoer led all the way to win his first late model stock car feature of the year. DeBoer outlasted a bunch of cautions to take the win ahead of Pat Connell, Terry Dieren, Darrin Korthals and Mike Noteboom. Rick Goth took the lead from Jeff Wittrock with five laps to go and went on to win his first sportsmen feature ever at the track. Point leader Chad Overgaard had a strong run coming from the sixth row to challenge Goth on the final lap but came up two car lengths short at the finish. Third went to Wittrock followed by Mark Henry and Jason DeBoer.
Doug Brinkhaus came from the fourth row to take the lead on lap two and went on to take his first hobby stock feature win of the year. Brinkhaus was never seriously challenged in the event which saw Kirk Maasdam hold off Larry Kracht for third with “B” feature transfers Steve Folkens and Heath Warntjes right behind.
Enough cruiser cars were on hand for a feature race and it was the team of Hoogendorn and Winter taking the win.
SPRINT CARS
FIRST HEAT: 1. Steve Haman, Egan, S.Dak.; 2. Butch Hanssen, Sioux Falls; 3. Brian Baker, Rock Rapids; 4. Brent Vande Weerd, Rock Rapids.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Mike Ellingson, Dell Rapids, S.Dak.; 2. Steve Ballanger, Harrisburg, S.Dak.; 3. Bill Fredin, Windom, Minn.; 4. Dusty Ballanger, Harrisburg, S.Dak.
THIRD HEAT: .1 Randy Droescher, Larchwood; 2. Gordy Vogelaar, Worthington, MInn.; 3. Chad Meyer, Sioux Falls; 4. Chuck McGillivray, Madison, S.Dak.
FEATURE: 1. Hanssen; 2. Droescher; 3. Steve Ballanger; 4. McGillivray; 5. Micah Schliemann, Sioux Falls; 6. Fredin; 7. Baker; 8. Vogelaar; 9. Vande Weerd; 10. Buck Wilson, Sioux Falls; 11. Shawn Van Wyhe, Lester; 12. Dusty Ballanger; 13. Brent Vonk, Hudson, S.Dak.; 14. Ellingson; 15. Haman; 16. Meyer.
LATE MODEL STOCK CARS
FIRST HEAT: 1. Mark DeBoer, Adrian, Minn.; 2. Rick Vander Weide, Sioux Falls; 3. David Mulder, Doon; 4. Terry Dieren, Brandon, S.Dak.; 5. Pete Kracht, Steen, Minn.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Mike Grevengoed, Hull; 2. Gus Clark, Sioux Falls; 3. Dale Furby, Sioux Falls; 4. Darrin Korthals, Rock Rapids; 5. Pat Connell, Sioux Falls.
FEATURE: 1. DeBoer; 2. Connell; 3. Dieren; 4. Korthals; 5. Mike Noteboom, Orange City; 6. Vander Weide; 7. Mulder; 8. Furby; 9. Bob Dafoe, Sioux Falls; 11. Gary Bockorny, Sioux Falls; 12. Wayne Kruger, Luverne, Minn.; 13. Clark; 14. Kelly Harmelink, Brookings, S.Dak.; 15. Kracht; 16. Kevin Kremin, Lismore, Minn.
SPORTSMAN
FIRST HEAT: 1. Jeff Wittrock, Sioux Falls; 2. Russ Peterson, Sioux Falls; 3. Rick Goth, Madison, S.Dak.; 4. Jason DeBoer, Sioux Center; 5. Greg Roemen, Ellsworth, Minn.
SECOND HEAT: 1. J.J. Zebell, Parker, S.Dak.; 2. Mark Henry, Rock Rapids; 3. Jamie Tieszen, Parker, S.Dak.; 4. Mike Koepke, Brandon, S.Dak.
FEATURE: 1. Goth; 2. Chad Overgaard, Luverne, Minn.; 3. Wittrock; 4. Henry; 5. DeBoer; 6. Zebell 7. Tieszen; 8. Roemen; 9. Koepke; 10. Jesse Akkerman, Luverne, Minn.; 11. Peterson; 12. Perry Klosterbuer, Rock Rapids; 13. Don Brady, Sioux Falls.
I.M.C.A. HOBBY STOCKS
FIRST HEAT: 1. Denton Potter, Larchwood; 2. Kirk Maasdam, Orange City; 3. Larry Kracht, Magnolia, Minn.; 4. Larry DeBoer, Sibley.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Shawn Jurrens, Little Rock; 2. Randy Vander Weide, Sioux Center; 3. Craig Smith, Sioux Falls; 4. Doug Brinkhaus, Doon.
THIRD HEAT: 1. Ken Roemen, Rock Rapids; 2. Jeff Hoogendorn, Rock Rapids; 3. Tammy Kracht, Steen, Minn.; 4. Jeremy Heerde, Sioux Falls.
A FEATURE: 1. Brinkhaus; 2. Maasdam; 3. Larry Kracht; 4. Steve Folkens, Lester; 5. David Bosma, Allendorf; 6. Jurrens; 7. Heath Warntjes, Boyden; 8. Hoogendorn; 9. Smith; 10. Mark Vanden Top, Rock Rapids; 11. Vander Weide; 12. Larry DeBoer, Sibley; 13. Roemen; 14. Heerde; 15. Potter; 16. Tammy Kracht.
CRUISERS
FEATURE: 1. Hoogendorn/Winter, Boyden; 2. DeBoer/DeBoer, Little Rock; 3. Roemen/Dressman, Rock Rapids; 4. Van Beek/Woelber, Hull.