(Racing Every Friday Night)
By Justin Zoch
Ah, what a night for a wing dance! Dell Rapids, SD native Mike Ellingson won his first career feature event at Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids last Friday and immediately proceeded to perform his trademark wing dance. Always a crowd pleaser, Ellingson let loose with emotion in victory lane, much to the crowd's delight. Last week's feature winner, Bill Fredin, jumped his red #14 out into the early lead in the Pam Oil/Valvoline/AC Delco/Lewis/Pepsi 360 sprints feature. However, on lap two, Fredin slid a little high and Ellingson's #2 dove underneath him and overtook the lead. Following spins for Mark Slendy and Mike Duffey, hometown hero Brent Vande Weerd had moved up to second place. Last year's rookie of the year began putting some real pressure on the veteran and looked to be on his way to his first victory. Meanwhile, Chad Meyer, who took the green in eighth, had charged up to 5th and was looking very strong. Vande Weerd chased Ellingson through lapped traffic and closed right up to his nerf bar several times. The youngster appeared to be quicker but was unable to get a strong enough run to pull pass the determined leader. Ellingson held on for the win and Vande Weerd was forced to settle for his fourth straight top 3 finish, but is still chasing that elusive first victory. Larchwood's Randy Droescher finished third and Meyer and Chuck McGillivray made banzai moves past Gordy Vogelaar in the final corner to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
In the Late Model Stock Car feature, it was Orange City, IA's Mike Noteboom who charged from the fourth row to claim his first feature victory of the season. Darin Korthals jumped his #11K into the lead at the drop of the green and lead until Sioux Falls native Gus Clark took over the lead. Several cautions slowed the pace and allowed for great racing among the leaders. The top seven cars ran door-to-door for several laps and Noteboom used the high side to pull away from the pack for the victory. Points leader Terry Dieren used his patented low groove to work his way to second followed by Pat Connell, Korthals, and Leon Mulder driving his son David's #32.
The Sportsman feature was a true battle to the finish with major championship implications. Points contenders, Jason DeBoer and Chad Overgaard started alongside each other in the fifth row and both sliced through the field and quickly pulled away from the field. DeBoer slipped past Overgaard on the seventh lap and continued to hold him off despite constant pressure. However, with the white flag waving, Overgaard drove extremely hard into turn one and pulled alongside DeBoer. The two stayed side-by-side the entire last lap and DeBoer won the drag race out of turn four by half a car length. The two are now tied for the points championship with just two weeks remaining. Jeff Coster, Russ Peterson, and Mike Koepke rounded out the top five.
Jeff Hoogendorn was definitely on a mission as he rocketed from the sixth row to claim the IMCA Hobby Stock A-Feature. Hoogendorn had worked his way up to third by lap five and when leaders Denton Potter and David Bosma tangled in turn four, He slipped to the inside and cruised to his second victory of the season. Potter recovered for second followed by Heath Warntjes. Allendorf's Bosma slipped back to fourth and points leader Steve Folkens finished in the fifth spot.
The cruiser division feature race was won by the team of VanBeek and Woelber in their #27 car. This was their first feature victory of the season. Hoogendorn and Winter claimed the second position. DeBoer and DeBoer's John Deere #8 and the Roeman and Dreesman team rounded out the field.
SPRINT CARS
LEWIS/PEPSI HEAT: 1. Butch Hanssen, Sioux Falls; 2. Bill Fredin, Windom, Minn. 3. Chad Meyer, Sioux Falls; 4. Brent Vande Weerd, Rock Rapids; 5. Mark Slendy, Sioux Falls; 6. Brian Baker, Rock Rapids; 7. Steve Haman, Egan, SD; 8. Chad Larson, Sioux Falls.
PAM OIL/VALVOLINE/AC DELCO HEAT: 1. Randy Droescher, Larchwood; 2.Chuck McGillivray, Madison, SD; 3. Buck Wilson, Sioux Falls; 4. Mike Ellingson, Dell Rapids, SD; 5. Gordy Vogelaar, Worthington, Minn.; 6. Mike Duffey, Sioux Falls; 7. Mike McMehen, Sioux Falls; 8. Shawn Van Whye, Lester.
A FEATURE: 1. Ellingson; 2. Vande Weerd; 3. Droescher; 4. Meyer; 5. McGillvray; 6. Vogelaar; 7. Baker; 8. Hanssen; 9. Wilson; 10. Haman; 11. Fredin; 12. Duffey; 13. Slendy; 14. Larson
LATE MODEL STOCK CARS
FIRST HEAT: 1. Wayne Kruger, Luverne, Minn.; 2. Darin Korthals, Rock Rapids; 3. Mike Grevengoed, Hull; 4. Dale Furby, Sioux Falls; 5. Pat Connell, Rock Rapids; 6. Jay Noteboom, Orange City.
SECOND HEAT: 1.Rick VanderWeide, Sioux Falls; 2. Gus Clark, Sioux Falls; 3. Leon Mulder, Doon; 4. Mike Noteboom, Orange City; 5. Terry Dieren, Brandon, SD; 6. Brad Van Voorst, Canton, SD; 7 Moose Shuldt, Sioux Falls.
A-FEATURE: 1. M. Noteboom; 2. Dieren; 3. Connell; 4. Korthals; 5. Mulder; 6. Clark; 7. Schuldt; 8. J. Noteboom; 9. Grevengoed; 10. Van Voorst; 11. Deboer; 12. Kruger; 13. Furby.
SPORTSMAN
FIRST HEAT: 1. Greg Roeman, Ellsworth, Minn.; 2. Jason DeBoer, Sioux Center; 3. Jeff Whittrock, Sioux Falls; 4. Mark Henry, Rock Rapids; 5. Bryan McKee, Larchwood; 6. Bill Sproke, Doon.
SECOND HEAT: 1.Jesse Akkerman, Luverne, Minn.; 2. JJ Zebel, Parker, SD; 3. Chad Overgaard, Luverne, Minn.; 4.Russ Peterson, Sioux Falls; 5. Jeff Custer, Sioux Falls; 6. Mike Koepke, Brandon, SD; 7. Donald Brady, Sioux Falls.
A-FEATURE: 1. DeBoer; 2. Overgaard; 3. Coster; 4. Peterson; 5. Koepke; 6. Wittrock; 7. Henry; 8. McKee; 9. Akkerman; 10. Brady; 11. Zebel; 12. Roeman; 13. Sproke.
I.M.C.A. HOBBY STOCKS
FIRST HEAT: 1. Ken Roeman, Rock Rapids; 2. Craig Smith, Sioux Falls; 3. Kirk Maasdam, Orange City; 4. Mark VandenTop, Rock Rapids; 5. Doug Brinkhaus, Doon; 6. Robert Norem, Ocheydan; 7. Randy Vanderweide, Sioux Center; 8. Larry Kracht, Magnolia, Minn.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Shawn Jurrens, Little Rock; 2. David Bosma, Allendorf; 3. Denton Potter, Larchwood; 4. Heath Warntjes, Boyden; 5. Steve Folkens, Lester; 6. Jeff Hoogendorn, Rock Rapids; 7. Marlo DeJage, Doon.
A-FEATURE: 1.Hoogendorn; 2. Potter; 3. Warntjes; 4. Bosma; 5. Folkens; 6. VandenTop; 7. DeJager; 8. VanderWeide; 9. Maasdam; 10. Brinkhaus;11. Smith; 12. Roeman; 13. Jurrens; 14. Kracht
CRUISERS
A-FEATURE: 1. VanBeek/Woelber, Hull; 2. Hoogendorn/Winter, Boyden; 3. DeBoer/DeBoer, Little Rock; 4. Roeman/Dreesman, Rock Rapids