(Racing Every Friday Night)
Race Results
July 7, 2000
By Rob Ristesund
Gordy Vogelaar scored a popular win as he captured the sprint car feature on a warm, humid Friday night at Rapid Speedway. Vogelaar shot from the second row on the first lap to take the lead and held it the entire 18-lap distance to take his first win at the track this year. Vogelaar maintained a solid lead over the field until two laps to go when a slower car nearly spun in front of him. As Vogelaar slowed and narrowly missed the lapped car, Butch Hanssen was able to make up a bunch of ground on the leader. Vogelaar was able to quickly gather himself up, however, and raced to the win by three car lengths over Hanssen. Third went to Todd Wessels ahead of Bill Fredin and Steve Ballenger, who subbed for an ailing Kevin Burd. Randy Droescher’s woes at the track continued when his car flipped on the final lap of his heat race. It was the second week in a row that Droescher got on his top at the track. He was transported to the hospital where he was treated and released.
Darin Korthals got things back on track as he won the late model stock car feature. Korthals, who started the season hot but has had problems as of late, led all the way to take his second feature win of the year. Chad Overgaard and Pat Connell ran second and third much of the race until they both slid off turn four with one lap to go. Overgaard recovered to finish third behind Mark DeBoer while Connell finished ninth.
Randy Vander Weide notched his first sportsman feature win ever as he outran the field to win the 12-lap event. Vander Weide took the checkered by a car length over a wild four-car battle for second, which saw Jeff Wittrock take runner-up honors over Rick Goth, Brad Klaassen and Marty Barber.
Mike Deutsch became the first repeat feature winner this year in the hobby stocks as he topped the field in the feature. Deutsch took the checkered by five car lengths over Anthony Mann. Shawn Jurrens was third followed by Robert Norem and Kirk Maasdam.
Late Model Stock Cars
First Heat: 1. Mark Henry, Rock Rapids; 2. Gus Clark, Sioux Falls; 3. Mark DeBoer, Adrian, Minn.; 4. Dale Furby, Sioux Falls; 5. Chad Overgaard, Luverne, Minn.
Second Heat: .1 Darin Korthals, Rock Rapids; 2. David Kruger, Sioux Falls; 3. Pat Connell, Sioux Falls; 4. Doug Brinkhouse, Doon.
Feature: 1. Korthals; 2. DeBoer; 3. Overgaard; 4. Brinkhouse; 5. Brad Van Voorst, Canton, S.D.; 6. Henry; 7. Furby; 8. J.J. Zebell, Parker, S.D.; 9. Connell.
360 Sprints
First Heat: 1. Steve Ballenger, Harrisburg, S.D.; 2. Butch Hanssen, Black Hawk, S.D.; 3. Bill Fredin, Windom, Minn.; 4. Brent Vande Weerd, Rock Rapids.
Second Heat: 1. Todd Wessels, Hills, Minn.; 2. Gordy Vogelaar, Worthington, Minn.; 3. Troy Meyer, Sioux Falls.
Third Heat: 1. Shawn Van Wyhe, Lester; 2. Brian Baker, Rock Rapids; 3. Lee Goos, Jr., Sioux Falls; 4. Mike McMahon, Sioux Falls.
Feature: 1. Vogelaar; 2. Hanssen; 3. Wessels; 4. Fredin; 5. Steve Ballenger; 6. Baker; 7. Vande Weerd; 8. Dusty Ballenger, Harrisburg, S.D.; 9. Goos; 10. Joe Peterson, Hartford, S.D.; 11. Meyer; 12. Van Wyhe; 13. McMahon; 14. Micah Schliemann, Sioux Falls.
Sportsmen
First Heat: 1. Randy Vander Weide, Sioux Center; 2. Marty Barber, Brandon, S.D.; 3. Gary Mulder, Canton, S.D.; 4. Jeff Coster, Sioux Falls.
Second Heat: 1. Jeff Wittrock, Sioux Falls; 2. Rick Goth, Madison, S.D.; 3. Brad Haas, Sioux Falls; 4. Greg Roemen, Ellsworth, Minn.
Third Heat: 1. Billy Sprock, Geoger; 2. Rick Vander Weide, Sioux Falls; 3. Brad Klaassen, Adrian, Minn.; 4. Don Grems, Lester, Iowa.
Feature: 1. Randy Vander Weide; 2. Wittrock; 3. Goth; 4. Klaassen; 5. Barber; 6. Coster; 7. Bryan McKee, Larchwood; 8. Larry Kracht, Magnolia, Minn.; 9. Mulder; 10. Haas; 11. Perry Klosterbuer, Rock Rapids.
I.M.C.A. Hobby Stocks
First Heat: 1. Mike Deutsch, Ellsworth, Minn.; 2. Craig Smith, Sioux Falls; 3. Kirk Maasdam, Orange City; 4. Marlo DeJager, Doon.
Second Heat: .1 Jeff Hoogendorn, Rock Rapids; 2. Anthony Mann, Luverne, Minn.; 3. David Bosma, Allendorf; 4. Darawin Klaassen, Little Rock.
Third Heat: 1. Robert Norem, Ocheydan; 2. Ken Roemen, Rock Rapids; 3. Shawn Jurrens, Little Rock; 4. Mark Vanden Top, Rock Rapids.
B Feature: 1. Heath Warntjes, Boyden; 2. Steve Folkens, Lester; 3. Paul Korthals, George; 4. Dereck Vanderbrink; 5. Korey Woelber, Boyden.
A Feature: 1. Deutsch; 2. Mann; 3. Jurrens; 4. Norem; 5. Maasdam; 6. Roemen; 7. Klaassen; 8. Folkens; 9. Bosma; 10. Warntjes; 11. DeJager; 12. Vanden Top; 13. Vanderbrink; 14. Smith.
Cruisers
Feature: 1. DeBoer/DeBoer, Little Rock; 2. Bruns/Jurrens, Little Rock; 3. Hoogendorn, Hull; 4. Van Engen/Latrenz, Melvin/Sheldon.