(Racing Every Friday Night)
Race Results
September 1, 2000
By Rob Ristesund
Veteran Todd Wessels completed his successful return to sprint car racing as he captured the sprint feature at the season championships Friday night at Rapid Speedway. Wessels, a former track champion in the 1980s, took a number of years off from racing before returning to the track this season. While he has suffered a number of mechanical problems this year, Friday night his car performed flawlessly as he led all the way to take the win. Butch Hanssen came from the fourth row to pass Shawn Van Wyhe for second with six laps to go but wasn’t able to make up much ground on Wessels. Micah Schliemann also made a run through the field, coming from 11th to take third ahead of Troy Meyer and Van Wyhe. Dusty Ballenger took the points title.
Darrin Korthals survived a couple of mult-car wrecks before the field completed one lap and captured the late model stock car feature. Point champion Mark DeBoer was second followed by Lee Schlumbohm and J.J. Zebell.
Demco put on a special race for the late model stock cars with perfect attendance and it was Mark Henry taking the win worth $600. Korthals collected $400 for second and Gus Clark $300 for third while Doug Brinkhouse pocketed $200 for the fastest pit stop.
Billy Sprock took the lead on lap two and went on to win the sportsmen feature. Bryan McKee and point-champion Brad Klaassen battled side-by-side nearly the entire last half of the race for second and it was McKee holding on to take the runner-up spot. Don Grems led the first lap before sliding off the second turn and barrel-rolling several times. Grems was uninjured.
Heath Warntjes outran the field to win his first hobby stock feature of the year. Last week’s winner Dereck Vanderbrink was second followed by Glenn Wynia and Marlo DeJager. Darwin Klaassen was the points champion.
Late Model Stock Cars
First Heat: 1. Mark Henry, Rock Rapids; 2. Lee Schlumbohm, Garretson; 3. Chad Overgaard, Luverne, Minn.; 4. Mark DeBoer, Adrian, Minn.; 5. David Kruger, Sioux Falls.
Second Heat: 1. Gus Clark, Sioux Falls; 2. Pat Connell, Sioux Falls; 3. Darrin Korthals, Rock Rapids; 4. Doug Brinkhouse, Doon; 5. J.J. Zebell, Parker, S.D.
Feature: 1. Korthals; 2. DeBoer; 3. Schlumbohm; 4. Zebell; 5. Clark; 6. John DeGroot, Sioux Center; 7. Henry; 8. Kruger; 9. Connell; 10. Overgaard; 11. Curt Van Beek, Sioux Center; 12. Brinkhouse.
Demco Street Stock Special: 1. Henry; 2. Korthals; 3. Clark; 4. DeBoer; 5. Connell; 6. Schlumbohm; 7. Brinkhouse.
360 Sprints
First Heat: 1. Shawn Van Wyhe, Lester; 2. Dusty Ballenger, Harrisburg, S.D.; 3. Bill Fredin, Windom, Minn.; 4. Gary Zitterich, Sioux Falls.
Second Heat: 1. Todd Wessels, Ellsworth; 2. Randy Droescher, Larchwood; 3. Brian Baker, Rock Rapids; 4. Butch Hanssen, Black Hawk, S.D.
Third Heat: 1. Troy Meyer, Sioux Falls; 2. Micah Schliemann, Sioux Falls; 3. Tom Platt, Ashton; 4. Brent VandeWeerd, Rock Rapids.
Feature: 1. Wessels; 2. Hanssen; 3. Schliemann; 4. Meyer; 5. Van Wyhe; 6. Droescher; 7. Gordy Vogelaar, Worthington, Minn.; 8. Baker; 9. Fredin; 10. Platt; 11. Vande Weerd; 12. Ballenger; 13. Zitterich; 14. Jerry Kramer, Sibley; 15. Tim Martens, Harrisburg, S.D.
Sportsmen
First Heat: 1. Rick Goth, Madison, S.D.; 2. Don Grems, Lester; 3. Bryan McKee, Larchwood; 4. Brad Klaassen, Adrian, Minn.; 5. Larry Kracht, Magnolia, Minn.
Second Heat: 1. Todd Huisman, Rock Rapids; 2. Billy Sprock, George; 3. Rick Vander Weide, Sioux Falls.
Feature: 1. Sprock; 2. McKee; 3. Klaassen; 4. Huisman; 5. Vander Weide; 6. Kracht; 7. Brad Haas, Sioux Falls; 8. Goth; 9. Gary Mulder, Canton; 10. Jeff Wittrock, Sioux Falls.
I.M.C.A. Hobby Stocks
First Heat: 1. Jeff Hoogendorn, Rock Rapids; 2. David Bosma, Allendorf; 3. Ken Roemen, Rock Rapids; 4. Glenn Wynia, Sioux Center.
Second Heat: 1. Mike Deutsch, Ellsworth, Minn.; 2. Steve Folkens, Lester; 3. Kirk Maasdam, Orange City; 4. Dereck Vanderbrink, Rock Rapids.
Third Heat: 1. Marlo DeJager, Doon; 2. Heath Warntjes, Boyden; 3. Craig Smith, Sioux Falls; 4. Darwin Klaassen, Little Rock.
Feature: 1. Warntjes; 2. Vanderbrink; 3. Wynia; 4. DeJager; 5. Smith; 6. Bosma; 7. Hoogendorn; 8. Deutsch; 9. Maasdam; 10. Folkens; 11. Mark Vanden Top, Rock Rapids; 12. Klaassen; 13. Roemen; 14. Korey Woelber, Boyden; 15. Ryan Bickett, Ramona, S.D.