(Racing Every Friday Night)
Race Results
May 5, 2000
By Rob Ristesund
The 2000 racing season kicked off before a large crowd on an unseasonably warm and windy night Friday at Rapid Speedway. In spite of weather conditions that were less than conducive for a desirable racing surface, racing action was fast and exciting in all of the classes.
Veteran Randy Droescher of Larchwood took advantage of his pole position starting spot to lead the entire distance in winning the eighteen-lap sprint car feature. Micah Schliemann came from the third row to eventually take over the second spot after a long battle with Dusty Ballanger with three laps to go, but Schliemann ran out of time as he tried to chase down Droescher, coming up two car lengths short at the finish. Ballanger settled for third ahead of Brian Baker and Troy Meyer.
Hometown driver Darin Korthals came all the way from the last row to snatch the lead from Dale Furby on the fourth lap and went on uncontested to win the fifteen-lap late model stock car feature. Korthals was clearly the class of the field as he took the checkered flag eight car lengths ahead of runner-up Mark DeBoer. Furby, Mike Noteboom and Gus Clark rounded out the top five.
Brad Klaassen came from the third row to pass leader Brad Haas on the fourth lap and went on to win the non-stop twelve-lap sportsman feature. Haas manged to hang on to the runner-up spot as he outfought Rick Vander Weide, Jeff Hertl and Rick Goth in an exciting battle for second.
Jeff Hoogendorn showed that he'll be one of the top contenders in the hobby stocks this year as he came all the way from the sixth row to win the twelve-lap hobby feature. Hoogendorn moved up to challenge leader and defending point champion Steve Folkens with two laps to go, and the pair battle side-by-side the entire lap before Hoogendorn moved slightly ahead as they took the white flag and he held the point to the finish. Darwin Klaassen edged Folkens for second while Mark Vanden Top was fourth.
The team of Leroy Winter and Ken Hoogendorn captured the cruiser feature.
Late Model Stock Cars
FIRST HEAT: 1. Dale Furby, Sioux Falls; 2. David Kruger, Luverne, Minn.; 3. Chad Overgaard, Luverne, Minn.; 4. Mike Noteboom, Orange City.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Doug Brinkhaus, Doon; 2. Darin Korthals, Rock Rapids; 3. Mark DeBoer, Adrian, Minn.; 4. Gus Clark, Sioux Falls.
FEATURE: 1. Korthals; 2. DeBoer; 3. Furby; 4. Noteboom; 5. Clark; 6. Overgaard; 7. Mark Henry, Rock Rapids; 8. Brinkhaus.
360 Sprints
FIRST HEAT: 1. Brent Vande Weerd, Rock Rapids; 2. Dusty Ballanger, Harrisburg, S.D.; 3. Jim Smith, Bigelow, Minn.; 4. Lee Goos, Sioux Falls.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Brian Baker, Rock Rapids; 2. Randy Droescher, Larchwood; 3. Shawn Van Wyhe, Lester; 4. Micah Schliemann, Sioux Falls.
FEATURE: 1. Droescher; 2. Schliemann; 3. Ballanger; 4. Baker; 5. Troy Meyer, Sioux Falls; 6. Mike McMann, Sioux Falls; 7. Tim Krueger, Brandon, S.D.; 8. Vande Weerd.
Sportsmen
FIRST HEAT: 1. Rick Vander Weide, Sioux Falls; 2. Brad Haas, Sioux Falls; 3. Brian McKee, Larchwood; 4. Larry Kracht, Magnolia, Minn.
SECOND HEAT: 1. Brad Klaassen, Adrian, Minn.; 2. Jeff Hertl, Parker, S.D.; 3. Rick Goth, Madison, S.D.; 4. Bob Dafoe, Sioux Falls.
FEATURE: 1. Klaassen; 2. Haas; 3. Vander Weide; 4. Hertl; 5. Goth; 6. Don Grems, Lester.
I.M.C.A. Hobby Stocks