(Racing Every Friday Night)
Race Results
June 9, 2000
By Rob Ristesund
Hometown driver Brent Vande Weerd took advantage of a front-row starting spot and a dry-slick track to win his first ever sprint car feature Friday night at Rapid Speedway. On a surface that had been buffetted by high winds and scorched by temperatures in the nineties for two consecutive days, Vande Weerd jumped into the lead at the start of the 18-lap event and cruised to the victory. The third-year driver took the checkered flag flag ahead of Lee Goos, Jr., who gained some on Vande Weerd in the closing stages of the race but came up four car lengths short at the finish. Brian Baker took third ahead of Randy Droescher, Dusty Ballenger, Troy Meyer and Butch Hanssen in the race that ran non-stop start to finish.
Doug Brinkhouse had another impressive run in his first year in the late model stock cars as he captured the feature win, his second in the young season. Brinkhouse passed Mark Henry for the lead on lap six and led the rest of the 15-lap event. Last week's winner, Pat Connell, looked to have something for Brinkhouse as he moved up to challenge him late in the race, but Connell's hopes for a win were dashed when he slid off the track in first turn with two laps to go. Chad Overgaard, another first-year driver in the class, took second just ahead of Connell while Dale Furby and Darin Korthals rounded out the top five.
The sportsmen "A" feature was an action-filled event as Rick Vander Weide scored his second win of the year. Multi-time track champion Marty Barber, driving the Huisman #63, took the lead on the second lap of the 12-lap event and led until Vander Weide moved up to challenge on lap seven. After Vander Weide passed Barber for the lead the two cars made contact, sending Vander Weide's machine spinning to the bottom of turn two and triggering a caution. On the restart, Vander Weide was placed back at the head of the field while Barber was sent to the rear. Vander Weide then went unchallenged the rest of the way to take the win, while Barber worked his way back up to second ahead of Matt Steuerwald, Larry Kracht and Perry Klosterbuer.
Defending champion Steve Folkens grabbed his first win of the year as he won the hobby stock "A" feature. Folkens was riding in second when he got a great jump on a restart with four laps to go to take the lead from Denton Potter. Folkens led the rest of the 12-lap event while Potter finished just one car length behind at the finish. Third went ot Anthony Mann followed by "B" feature winner David Bosma and Clint Potter.
Late Model Stock Cars
First Heat: 1. Pat Connell, Sioux Falls; 2. Gus Clark, Sioux Falls; 3. Mark Henry, Rock Rapids.
Second Heat: 1. Dale Furby, Sioux Falls; 2. Chad Overgaard, Luverne, Minn.; 3. Mark DeBoer, Adrian, Minn.; 4. Doug Brinkhouse, Doon.
Feature: 1. Brinkhouse; 2. Overgaard; 3. Connell; 4. Furby; 5. Darin Korthals, Rock Rapids; 6. Henry; 7. DeBoer; 8. Clark.
360 Sprints
First Heat: 1. Butch Hanssen, Black Hawk, S.D.; 2. Brent VandeWeerd, Rock Rapids; 3. Brian Baker, Rock Rapids; 4. Randy Droescher, Larchwood; 5. Tom Platt, Ashton.
Second Heat: 1. Troy Meyer, Sioux Falls; 2. Dusty Ballenger, Harrisburg, S.D.; 3. Gordy Vogelaar, Worthington, MInn.; 4. Lee Goos, Sioux Falls; 5. Kevin Burd, Sioux Center.
Feature: 1. VandeWeerd; 2. Goos; 3. Baker; 4. Droescher; 5. Ballenger; 6. Meyer; 7. Hanssen; 8. Vogelaar; 9. Baker; 10. Burd; 11. Shawn Van Wyhe, Lester.
Sportsmen
First Heat: 1. Rick Vander Weide, Sioux Falls; 2. Cory Mulder, Canton; 3. Rick Goth, Madison, S.D.; 4. Don Grems, Lester.
Second Heat: 1. Perry Klosterbuer, Rock Rapids; 2. Billy Sprock, George; 3. Marty Barber, Brandon, S.D.; 4. Brad Klaassen, Adrian, Minn.
Third Heat: 1. Jeff Coster, Sioux Falls; 2. Bryan McKee, Larchwood; 3. Matt Steuerwald, Madison, S.D.
B Feature: 1. Larry Kracht, Magnolia, Minn.; 2. Jeff Hertl, Parker; 3. Brad Haas, Sioux Falls; 4. Moose Schuldt, Sioux Falls.
A Feature: 1. Vander Weide; 2. Barber; 3. Steuerwald; 4. Kracht; 5. Klosterbuer.
I.M.C.A. Hobby Stocks
First Heat: .1 Anthony Mann, Luverne, Minn.; 2. Craig Smith, Sioux Falls; 3. Mark Vanden Top, Rock Rapids; 4. Denton Potter, Larchwood.
Second Heat: 1. Clint Potter, Sioux Falls; 2. Marlo DeJager, Doon; 3. Jeff Hoogendorn, Rock Rapids; 4. Heath Warntjes, Boyden.
Third Heat: 1. Mike Deutsch, Ellsworth, Minn.; 2. Ken Roemen, Rock Rapids; 3. Steve Folkens, Lester; 4. Shawn Jurrens, Little Rock.
B Feature: 1. David Bosma, Allendorf; 2. Darwin Klaassen, Little Rock; 3. Glenn Wynia, Sioux Center; 4. Troy Kampmann, Elkton, S.D.; 5. Dereck Vanderbrink, Rock Rapids.
A Feature: 1. Folkens; 2. Denton Potter; 3. Mann; 4. Bosma; 5. Clint Potter; 6. Warntjes; 7. Klaassen; 8. Kampmann; 9. Hoogendorn; 10. Wynia.
Cruisers
Feature: 1. DeBoer/DeBoer, Little Rock; 2. Robar/Hawkey, Sioux Falls; 3. Van Engen/Latrenz, Melvin-Sheldon; 4. Hoogendorn; 5. Van Beek/Paulson, Sheldon-Lemars.