(Racing Every Friday Night)
Race Results
June 2, 2000
By Rob Ristesund
Troy Meyer took the lead with three laps to go and went on to score his first-ever sprint feature win at Rapid Speedway Friday night. Bill Fredin took the lead from fellow front row starter Rick Adams on lap seven of the eighteen-lap event and it was Meyer moving up from the fourth row to challenge Fredin two laps later. Meyer got a little too high in turn four of the ninth lap, dropping him the length of the straightaway behind Fredin and as the laps unwound it appeared Fredin would notch his first win of the year. Misfortune struck the Windom, Minn. driver with three laps to go when a heim joint broke, causing him to clip the front stretch wall and sending him to the infield. Meyer benefited from Fredin's misfortune, inheriting the lead on the restart and holding it to the finish. Brent Vande Weerd finished second by four car lengths, followed by Dusty Ballenger, Shawn Van Wyhe and Gerald Cressman.
On Papik Motors night at the track, it was the Papik Motors-sponsored car of Pat Connell taking the late model stock car feature win. Connell led the entire fifteen laps, but the win was anything but easy as he fended off numerous challenges by Mark DeBoer. DeBoer's final failed attempt at the lead with two laps to go saw him lose a considerable amount of ground, and at the finish it was Connell taking the win by three car lengths while DeBoer held on to second ahead of Darin Korthals, Chad Overgaard and Doug Brinkhouse. Dale Furby, the point leader going into the evening's races, suffered mechanical problems and was unable to start the feature.
Brad Klaassen just held off Rick Vander Weide
to take an exciting win in the sportsman feature. Front-row-starter
Jeff Coster led the first seven laps of the twelve lap event
before pulling in with overheating problems, giving the lead to
Vander Weide. The Sioux Falls driver held the point until making
a slight bobble in turn one with three laps to go, giving a hard-running
Klaassen the opportunity he needed to take the lead. Vander Weide
fought back, and the pair entered the third turn side-by-side on
the final lap, with Klaassen getting a little more momentum from
the upper groove to pull ahead out of turn four to take the win
by a car length. Fortunately for Klaassen, the race didn't last
another lap as his left rear tire was completely flat as he drove
up to accept his trophy. Following Vander Weide
across the stripe were Jeff Hertl, Brad Haas and Rick Goth.
Mike Deutsch was the second driver of the evening to win his first career feature at the track as he won the hobby stock feature. Deutsch passed race-long leader Denton Potter with three laps to go to take the win. Potter settled for second ahead of Heath Warntjes, Craig Smith and Kirk Maasdam.
Late Model Stock Cars
First Heat: 1. Mark Henry, Rock Rapids; 2. Mark DeBoer, Adrian, Minn.; 3. David Kruger, Sioux Falls; 4. Darrin Korthals, Rock Rapids; 5. Chad Overgaard, Luverne, Minn.
Second Heat: 1. Pat Connell, Sioux Falls; 2. Dale Furby, Sioux Falls; 3. Doug Brinkhouse, Doon; 4. Gus Clark, Sioux Falls; 5. Howard Baartman, Sioux Falls.
Feature: 1. Connell; 2. DeBoer; 3. Korthals; 4. Overgaard; 5. Brinkhouse; 6. Marty Barber, Brandon, S.D.; 7. Henry; 8. Clark.
360 Sprints
First Heat: 1. Rick Adams, Sioux Falls; 2. Gerald Cressman, Hartford, S.D.; 3. Dusty Ballenger, Harrisburg, S.D.; 4. Shawn Van Wyhe, Lester; 5. Troy Meyer, Sioux Falls.
Second Heat: 1. Kevin Burd, Sioux Center; 2. Brent Vande Weerd, Rock Rapids; 3. Lee Goos, Sioux Falls; 4. Brian Baker, Rock Rapids; 5. Bill Fredin, Windom, Minn.
Feature: 1. Meyer; 2. Vande Weerd; 3. Ballenger; 4. Van Wyhe; 5. Cressman; 6. Baker; 7. Goos; 8. Burd; 9. Adams; 10. Fredin; 11. Mark Slendy, Sioux Falls.
Sportsmen
First Heat: 1. Rick Vander Weide, Sioux Falls; 2. Bryan McKee, Larchwood; 3. Moose Schuldt, Sioux Falls; 4. Bob Dafoe, Sioux Falls.
Second Heat: 1. Brad Klaassen, Adrian, Minn.; 2. Perry Klosterbuer, Rock Rapids; 3. Don Grems, Lester; 4. Brad Haas, Sioux Falls.
Third Heat: 1. Jeff Hertl, Parker, S.D.; 2. Todd Huisman, Rock Rapids; 3. Jeff Coster, Sioux Falls; 4. Larry Kracht, Magnolia, Minn.
B Feature: 1. Randy Vander Weide, Sioux Center; 2. Rick Goth, Madison, S.D.; 3. Gary Mulder, Canton; 4. Greg Roemen, Ellsworth, Minn.
A Feature: 1. Klaassen; 2. Rick Vander Weide; 3. Hertl; 4. Haas; 5. Goth; 6. Kracht; 7. McKee; 8. Grems; 9. Dafoe.
I.M.C.A. Hobby Stocks
First Heat: 1. Steve Folkens, Lester; 2. Denton Potter, Larchwood; 3. Dereck Vanderbrink, Rock Rapids; 4. Heath Warntjes, Boyden.
Second Heat: 1. Larry DeBoer, Sibley; 2. Craig Smith, Sioux Falls; 3. Mark VandenTop, Rock Rapids; 4. Kirk Maasdam, Orange City.
Third Heat: 1. David Bosma, Allendorf; 2. Darwin Klaassen, Little Rock; 3. Mike Deutsch, Ellsworth, Minn.; 4. Glenn Wynia, Sioux Center.
B Feature: 1. Ken Roemen, Rock Rapids; 2. Jeff Hoogendorn, Rock Rapids; 3. Anthony Mann, Luverne, Minn.; 4. Marlo DeJager, Doon; 5. Paul Korthals, George.
A Feature: 1. Deutsch; 2. Potter; 3. Warntjes; 4. Smith; 5. Maasdam; 6. Bosma; 7. VandenTop; 8. DeJager; 9. Klaassen; 10. Mann.