(Racing Every Friday Night)
Race Results
August 31, 2001
Ballenger Claims Second Rapid Speedway Win of Season
By Shawn Neisteadt
Rock Rapids, IA-One week after Mother Nature took the checkered flags at Rapid Speedway, racing would resume on a beautiful Friday evening. Jeremy Fey and Dusty Ballenger led the field of sprint cars to the drop of the green flag. After running side by side, it was Fey who claimed the initial lead of the 18-lap event. As Todd Wessels and Ballenger began to duke it out for the second position, the races first and only caution would wave. Blaine Foreman, a former mini-sprint star, had mechanical problems set in on the rear end of his #70 and stopped in turn two. Fey led Ballenger and Wessels to the ensuing restart and continued to lead as they entered traffic on lap seven. On lap 10, Ballenger would get under the Reuter Flooring #8 of Fey entering turn one and take the lead on the backstretch. Three laps later, Wessels split between and lap car and Fey and took the second position. It was too late to real in Ballenger though, as the defending track champion would take his second Rapid Speedway win of the season. Wessels finished second with Fey bringing his car to the line without power steering and in third place. Clint Garner came from tenth to finish fourth and Shawn Van Whye rounded out the top five. "It boosts it big time," said Ballenger what a win does to one's confidence level. "We've had a lot of bad luck," continued Ballenger, "everything you can imagine has gone wrong." Heat race wins went to Ballenger, Wessels, and Van Whye.
Howard Baartman and Dale Furby battled side by side for the lead in the opening eight laps of the Late Model Stock Car feature, but the battle ended on the eighth revolution as the Zecol #10 of Furby had to retire for the evening with mechanical problems. After starting seventh, Chad Overgaard would make a challenge for the lead entering turn three on the final lap, but Baartman, the racing grandfather, would hold on to take his fourth career Rapid Speedway win. Overgaard finished second with Mark Henry in third. Steve DeKam and Jason DeBoer rounded out the top five. Furby and John DeGroot claimed heat race wins.
Brad Haas claimed the early lead of the Sportsmen main event. The race was slowed with two laps in the books as Evan DeHaan lost the rear bumper off his car, and in the resulting melee Bill Sprock and Mel Elsberry would tangle on the front stretch. Elsberry would introduce his car to the interior cement wall, which ended the night for the #5 car. Brad Klaassen moved around Glenn Wynia on the restart and claimed the second position. Again the race slowed on lap four as Rick Goth suffered a flat tire. On the resulting restart, Klaassen would challenge Haas for the lead, but Haas would fight off the challenge and hold the top spot. But, on the next lap, Klaassen dove under Haas in turn two and exited the corner holding the lead. While the pack exited turn four on lap six, Wynia, who was now running fourth, would get out of shape causing several cars to get together. Among the cars tangling were the #25 of Gary Mulder and the #63 of Todd Huisman. Both of those cars flipped several times, bringing out the only red flag of the evening. Moments later, the drivers climbed out of their cars uninjured. Unbelievably, Huisman changed a tire and rejoined the race. Klaassen held the restart lead, and the defending track champion would never look back as he claimed his fourth win of the season. Rick Vander Weide finished second. Haas finished third with DeHaan coming back to finish fourth. In his first ever race at Rapid Speedway, Casey Hurney finished fifth. Heat races went to Wynia and Goth.
Anthony Mann claimed the lead on the seventh lap of the NMRA Hobby Stock feature and would never relinquish the top spot to go home with his third feature win of the season. Jeremy Fedeler finished second. Mark VandenTop, Jeff Hoogendoorn, and Darwin Klaassen rounded out the top five. Hoogendoorn and Bob DeBoer scored heat race wins.
NMRA 360 Sprints
Heat #1: 1. 28W Todd Wessels; 2. 8 Jeremy Fey; 3. 17 Clint Garner; 4. 24 Randy Droescher; 5. 70 Blaine Foreman; 6. 2xs Rex Stark
Heat #2: 1. 2D Dusty Ballenger; 2. 33 Jim Smith; 3. 47 Brent VandeWeerd; 4. 15 Tom Martens; 5. 75 Gordy Vogelaar; 6. 17B Ryan Bickett
Heat #3: 1. 99 Shawn Van Whye; 2. R19 Mike Mc Mahan; 3. 25 Brian Baker; 4. 4K Kory Rawstern; 5. 9 Micah Schliemann; 6. 4 Brett Stegenga; 7. 51 Doug Martens
A Feature: 1. 2D Dusty Ballenger; 2. 28W Todd Wessels; 3. 8 Jeremy Fey; 4. 17 Clint Garner; 5. 99 Shawn Van Whye; 6. 9 Micah Schliemann; 7. R19 Mike Mc Mahan; 8. 47 Brent VandeWeerd; 9. 25 Brian Baker; 10. 4K Kory Rawstern; 11. 33 Jim Smith; 12. 24 Randy Droescher; 13. 15 Tom Martens; 14. 17B Ryan Bickett; 15. 51 Doug Martens; 16. 4 Brett Stegenga; 17. 2xs Rex Stark; 18. 70 Blaine Foreman; 19. 75 Gordy Vogelaar
NMRA Late Model Street Stocks
Heat #1: 1. 10 Dale Furby; 2. 82 Howard Baartman; 3. 11K Darrin Korthals; 4. 44 Jason De Boer; 5. 17 Doug Brinkhous; 6. 22W Heath Warntjes
Heat #2: 1. 35 John De Groot; 2. 42 Chad Overgaard; 3. 43 Mark Henry; 4. 7 Steve DeKam; 5. 23 Mark De Boer; 6. 39 Neil Hansen; 7. 87 Jesse Akkerman
A Feature: 1. 82 Howard Baartman; 2. 42 Chad Overgaard; 3. 43 Mark Henry; 4. 7 Steve DeKam; 5. 44 Jason De Boer; 6. 11K Darrin Korthals; 7. 23 Mark De Boer; 8. 39 Neil Hansen; 9. 22W Heath Warntjes; 10. 17 Doug Brinkhous; 11. 87 Jesse Akkerman; 12. 35 John De Groot; 13. 10 Dale Furby
NMRA Sportsmen
Heat #1: 1. 36 Glenn Wynia; 2. 63 Todd Huisman; 3. 6 Rick Vander Weide; 4. 45K Brad Klaassen; 5. 40 Scott Overgaard; 6. 25 Rick Tarbox; 7. C4 Casey Hurney
Heat #2: 1. 90 Rick Goth; 2. 72 Brad Haas; 3. 8 Randy Vander Weide; 4. 7x Evan DeHaan; 5. 66 Marty Halouska; 6. 27B Billy Sprock
A Feature: 1. 45K Brad Klaassen; 2. 6 Rick Vander Weide; 3. 72 Brad Haas; 4. 7x Evan DeHaan; 5. C4 Casey Hurney; 6. 63 Todd Huisman; 7. 36 Glenn Wynia; 8. 40 Scott Overgaard; 9. 66 Marty Halouska; 10. 90 Rick Goth; 11. 8 Randy Vander Weide; 12. 25 Rick Tarbox; 13. 27B Billy Sprock; 14. 5 Mel Elsberry
NMRA Hobby Stocks
Heat #1: 1. 9B Bob DeBoer; 2. 24 Randall Kurth; 3. 21X Mike Deutsch; 4. 45 Darwin Klaassen; 5. 7x Chris DeHaan; 6. 2K Mike Kiggins; 7. 17S James Slawson
Heat #2: 1. 91 Jeff Hoogendoorn; 2. 80 James Brower; 3. 81 Mark VandenTop; 4. 20 Anthony Mann; 5. 2 Dereck Van Der Brink; 6. 28 Denton Potter
A Feature: 1. 20 Anthony Mann; 2. 24 Randall Kurth; 3. 81 Mark VandenTop; 4. 91 Jeff Hoogendoorn; 5. 45 Darwin Klaassen; 6. 21X Mike Deutsch; 7. 17S James Slawson; 8. 9B Bob DeBoer; 9. 7x Chris DeHaan; 10. 28 Denton Potter; 11. 2 Dereck Van Der Brink; 12. 2K Mike Kiggins; 13. 80 James Brower