(Racing Every Friday Night)
Race Results
May 18, 2001
By Shawn Neisteadt
Rock Rapids, IA-Gordy Vogelaar used traffic to his advantage in taking the checkereds in Friday's NMRA 360 Sprint feature. Jermy Fey took the lead as the field received the green flag. During the next six laps, Fey distances himself from the rest of the field, and was continuing to do so as he caught lap traffic. The slower moving cars held Fey up, which allowed Vogelaar to pull up to the rear bumper of the Wild Willy's #8 as they entered turn one on lap seven. Still held up in traffic, the leaders raced down the backstretch. As the cars entered turn three, Vogelaar split a lap car and Fey, moving the Summer Racing Group #75 into the lead position. "I've been in the situation before," commented Vogelaar, the 19-year veteran. "It was the right time and the right move. I think that's what won it for me." Vogellar manipulated the lap traffic flawlessly to take the win. Fey held on for second. Doug Martens, Jim Smith and Brent Vande Weerd rounded out the top five. The strong finish for Vande Weerd moves him into a tie with Dusty Ballenger for first place in the points battle. Fey won the first heat race; Ballenger won the second.
Mark DeBoer and Darrin Korthals came from the fifth row to the top two spots in the NMRA Late Model Stock Car feature. Jason DeBoer took the lead from Greg Mulder during the second lap of the fifteen-lap event. Many cars raced three wide for several laps. Mark DeBoer pulled door to door with Jason DeBoer at the halfway point, but was unable to produce a lead change. The DeBoer and DeBoer show continued until three laps remained. Mark dipped under and passed Jason to take the lead. Korthals followed Mark and moved into the second spot. Although Korthals mounted several charges on the final laps, Mark DeBoer held on for his first win of the season. Korthals settled for second. Jason DeBoer finished third. Rouding out the top five were Mark Henry and Chad Overgaard. Mark and Jason DeBoer won the heat races.
Mel Elsberry wasn't having a good rookie Sportsmen season. On his first two trips to Rapid Speedway, he had spun out while leading the feature and went off the track and smashed into a tree. His luck was about to change though. Elsberry overtook Brad Haas for the lead position in the Sportsmen main event on the fourth lap and drove the Ashley Furniture Home Store #5 to the win. Rick Vander Weide came from the tenth starting spot to finish second. Third went to Rick Goth. Haas held on for fourth, and Todd Huisman finished fifth. "I told myself I had to be patient," said Elsberry, who claimed his first ever Sportsmen class victory. "I had to stay out there to have a chance at the end." Goth and Haas won the heat races.
Darwin Klaassen led every lap of the NMRA Hobby Stock "A" feature to take the win. Larry Kracht used a last lap pass to claim second. Chris DeHaan came in a close third. Jeff Hoogendoorn and points leader, James Slawson, rounded out the top five.
NMRA 360 Sprints
Heat 1: 1. Jeremy Fey, Lemars; 2. Brent Vande Weerd, Rock Rapids; 3. Doug Martens, Wentworth; 4. Bill Fredin, Windom; 5. Shawn Van Whye, Lester
Heat 2: 1. Dusty Ballenger, Harrisburg; 2. Mike McMahan, Tea; 3. Gordy Vogelaar, Worhtington; 4. Randy Droescher, Larchwood; 5. Jim Smith, Sheldon
A feature: 1. Vogelaar; 2. Fey; 3. Martens; 4. Smith; 5. Vande Weerd; 6. Van Whye; 7. Fredin; 8. Ballenger; 9. McMahan; 10. Droescher; 11. Dave Becker, Belle Plain, MN; 12. Tom Martens, SF; 13. David Beman Jr., SF
NMRA Late Model Street Stocks
Heat 1: 1. Mark DeBoer, Adrian; 2. Doug Brinkhous, Rock Rapids; 3. Chad Overgaard, Luverne; 4. John DeGroot, Sioux Center; 5. Greg Mulder, Omaha, NE
Heat 2: 1. Jason DeBoer, Sioux Center; 2. Darrin Korthals, Rock Rapids; 3. Randy Brands, Boyden; 4. Mark Henry, Rock Rapids; 5. Curt Van Beek, Sioux Center
A Feature: 1. Mark DeBoer; 2. Korthals; 3. Jason DeBoer; 4. Henry; 5. Overgaard; 6. Gus Clark, SF; 7. DeGroot; 8. Van Beek; 9. Mulder; 10. Steve DeKam, Rock Valley
NMRA Sportsmen
Heat 1: 1. Rick Goth, Madison; 2. Scott Overgaard, Ellsworth, MN; 3. Mel Elsberry, Orange City; 4. Todd Huisman, Rock Rapids; 5. Brad Klaassen, Adrian
Heat 2: 1. Brad Haas, SF; 2. Rick Vander Weide, SF; 3. Marty Halouska, Worthing; 4. Glenn Wynia, Sioux Center; 5. Gary Mulder, Canton
A feature: 1. Elsberry; 2. Vander Weide; 3. Goth; 4. Haas; 5. Huisman; 6. Overgaard; 7. Wynia; 8. Halouska; 9. Mulder; 10. Billy Sprock, George, IA
NMRA Hobby Stocks
Heat 1: 1. Darwin Klaassen, Little Rock; 2. Mark Vanden Top, Rock Rapids; 3. Mike Deutsch, Ellsworth, MN; 4. Kevin Frodermann, Magnolia, MN; 5. Jeremy Franken, Sioux Center
Heat 2: 1. Dereck Van Der Brink, Rock Rapids; 2. Anthony Mann, Luverne; 3. Bob DeBoer, Little Rock; 4. James Slawson, Spencer, IA; 5. Jeff Hoogendoorn, Rock Rapids
Heat 3: 1. Chris DeHaan, Alton, IA; 2. Denton Potter, Larchwood; 3. Larry Kracht, Magnolia, MN; 4. Chad Johnson, Aurora, SD; 5. James Brower, Sanborn
A feature: 1. Klaassen; 2. Kracht; 3. DeHaan; 4. Hoogendoorn; 5. Slawson; 6. Deutsch; 7. Franken; 8. DeBoer; 9. Frodermann; 10. Van Der Brink