(Racing Every Friday Night)
Race Results
July 28, 2000
By Rob Ristesund
In spite of it being the twelth race of the season, three of the four feature winners captured their first wins of the season in racing action Friday night at Rapid Speedway.
Gordy Vogelaar was the only repeat winner as he won his second sprint feature this year. The race got off to a rough start when Shawn Van Wyhe spun in turn two on the first lap. With most of the 16-car field right behind him, Van Wyhe’s spin quickly turned into a mult-car pile-up as a number of drivers had nowhere to go. The crash involved six cars and four of them - Van Wyhe, Dusty Ballenger, Micah Schliemann and Bill Fredin - were too damaged to continue. Once the race resumed, it was Tom Platt taking the lead and Vogelaar moving up from the fourth row to challenge. As the pair battled for the lead on lap five, contact was made between the two that resulted in Platt’s car spinning and bringing out the caution. Platt was forced to restart the race at the rear of the field led by Vogelaar with Chad Meyer in second. Even though Meyer was in second, many figured him to be the one to beat as he had already moved from twelth to second in just four laps, but Vogelaar had other thoughts in mind as he pulled away on the restart and maintained his advantaged all the way to the finish, taking the win by half a straightaway ahead of Meyer. Third went to Brian Baker followed by Gerald Cressman and Steve Ballenger.
After dogging leader Mark Henry most of the race, Mark DeBoer pulled alongside Henry at the white flag and took the lead on the final circuit for the late model stock car feature win. In spite of being the point leader, the win was DeBoer’s first feature victory of the year. Henry held on to take second ahead of Darrin Korthals, Pat Connell and Chad Overgaard.
Billy Sprock passed Bryan McKee on lap five and went on to win the 12-lap sportsmen feature. Sprock had point-leader Brad Klaassen all over him throughout the final laps but it was Sprock keeping his car in the fast groove and making no mistakes to lead him to his first win of the year. Following the pair across the finish were Rick Goth, Todd Huisman and Rick Vander Weide.
The hobby stock feature had one of the wildest finishes seen at the track this year and it was Mark Vanden Top coming out the winner. Dereck Vanderbrink led from the drop of the green flag until he was hit by another car coming out of the final turn to take the checkered. As Vanderbrink’s car spun in turn four, the left rear tire, wheel and axle broke loose and bounced crazily down the straightaway in front of the grandstand. While a number of cars missed the wheel and axle, John Briggs was unfortunately not one of them. Briggs’ first trip to the track will probably one he will always remember as he squarely ran over the wheel, sending his car almost as high as the flagstand in front of the crowd. Fortunately, he landed square on all four tires and avoided rolling. Ken Roemen ended up second ahead of Steve Folkens, Mike Deutsch and Glenn Wynia.
Late Model Stock Cars
First Heat: 1. Wayne Kruger, Luverne, Minn.; 2. Darin Korthals, Rock Rapids; 3. Pat Connell, Sioux Falls; 4. Doug Brinkhouse, Doon; 5. Pete Kracht, Steen, Minn.
Second Heat: 1. Mark Henry, Rock Rapids; 2. Chad Overgaard, Luverne, Minn.; 3. Dale Furby, Sioux Falls; 4. Mark DeBoer, Adrian, Minn.; 5. Gus Clark, Sioux Falls.
Feature: 1. DeBoer; 2. Henry; 3. Korthals; 4. Connell; 5. Overgaard; 6. Brinkhouse; 7. Furby; 8. Kruger; 9. Clark; 10. Kracht.
360 Sprints
First Heat: 1. Chad Meyer, Sioux Falls; 2. Steve Ballenger, Harrisburg, S.D.; 3. Randy Droescher, Larchwood; 4. Dusty Ballenger, Harrisburg, S.D.
Second Heat: 1. Tom Platt, Ashton; 2. Brent Vande Weerd, Rock Rapids; 3. Todd Wessels, Hills, MInn.; 4. Bill Fredin, Windom, Minn.
Third Heat: 1. Shawn Van Wyhe, Lester; 2. Mike McMahan, Sioux Falls; 3. Brian Baker, Rock Rapids; 4. Gordy Vogelaar, Worthington, MInn.
Feature: 1. Vogelaar; 2. Meyer; 3. Baker; 4. Gerald Cressman, Hartford, S.D.; 5. Steve Ballenger; 6. Kevin Ingle, Huron, S.D.; 7. Vande Weerd; 8. Droescher; 9. Platt; 10. Johnn Cressman, Hartford, S.D.
Sportsmen
First Heat: 1. Bryan McKee, Larchwood; 2. Billy Sprock, George; 3. Rick Goth, Madison, S.D.; 4. Kevin Konda, Marion, S.D.; 5. Todd Huisman, Rock Rapids.
Second Heat: 1. Don Grems, Larchwood; 2. Brad Klaassen, Adrian, Minn.; 3. Perry Klosterbuer, Rock Rapids; 4. Russ Peterson, Sioux Falls; 5. Jeff Wittrock, Sioux Falls.
Feature: 1. Sprock; 2. Klaassen; 3. Goth; 4. Huisman; 5. Vander Weide; 6. Wittrock; 7. McKee.
I.M.C.A. Hobby Stocks
First Heat: .1 Derek Vanderbrink, Rock Rapids; 2. Ken Roemen, Rock Rapids; 3. Mike Deutsch, Ellsworth, Minn.; 4. Kirk Maasdam, Orange City.
Second Heat: 1. Jeff Hoogendorn, Rock Rapids; 2. Darwin Klaassen, Little Rock; 3. Steve Folkens, Lester; 4. Jack Boatright, Hartford, S.D.
Third Heat: 1. Mark VAnden Top, Rock Rapids; 2. Shawn Jurrens, Little Rock; 3. Anthony Mann, Luverne, Minn.; 4. Jeremy Franken, Sioux Falls.
B Feature: 1. Glenn Wynia, Sioux Center; 2. Paul Korthals, George; 3. John Briggs, Calumet; 4. Craig Smith, Sioux Falls; 5. Korey Woelber, Boyden.
A Feature: 1. Vanden Top; 2. Roemen; 3. Folkens; 4. Deitsch; 5. Wynia; 6. Smith; 7. Mann.