(Racing Every Friday Night)
Race Results
June 21, 2002
By Shawn Neisteadt
(Rock Rapids, IA-June 21, 2002) Mike McMahan took the lead of the NMRA 360 Sprint feature at the drop of the green flag. Fellow front row starter, Johnn Cressman, put the petal down and took the lead at the completion of the first lap. With two laps completed, Clint Garner had already charged from tenth place into the top five. Garner passed Mike Sandvig at the exit of turn two for third place on the second circuit of the speedway. On lap four, Garner passed both McMahan and Cressman and took the lead pulling off turn four. Heavy lap traffic became a factor on lap 7, but the yellow soon flew on lap ten when Joe Riedel went off the backstretch.
On the resulting restart, McMahan lost two positions. Sandvig moved up into the third place and Butch Hanssen took fourth. One lap later the red flag waved over the speedway. Brian Baker had lost the handle of his Turf Pros #25 in turn four and Buck Wilson slid into the incident and tipped his Precision Drywall #3B on its side. Both drivers were able to restart the race.
One lap after the restart, Hanssen and Sandvig drag raced down the backstretch with Hanssen taking third place entering turn three. Fourteen laps were in the books when Gordy Vogelaar took fourth place from Sandvig entering the first turn. With three laps to go, Cressman lost the second place to Hanssen on the backstretch.
Garner was well ahead of the field and would hold on for his fourth Rapid Speedway feature win of the season. Hanssen charged from eleventh to take second. Cressman finished third with Vogelaar and Sandvig rounding out the top five. "I felt like I had a confident lead, and if I would have been passed I would have settled for it," commented Garner, driver of the D & G Concrete #17v, on the heavy lap traffic he encountered. "I'm going for some consistency instead of setting the world on fire," added Garner. Heat race wins went to Garner, Cressman and Riedel.
Doug Brinkhous took the early lead of the Short Track Stock Car feature. Mark DeBoer moved passed Jason DeBoer on lap one for the second place. On lap three, Chad Overgaard passed Jason DeBoer for the third place entering turn one. On the fifth circuit of the historic speedway, Darrin Korthals passed Randy Brands for the fifth place. Mark DeBoer and Brinkhous raced door to door on lap six until DeBoer was able to claim possession of the lead as they exited the second turn.
Korthals continued his charge to the front by taking fourth place on lap seven. Three laps later, entering the third turn, Korthals took third place from Overgaard. With two laps to go, Korthals and Brinkhous ran side by side into the first turn. The two cars made contact slowing Korthals just enough to allow Overgaard to retake the third place.
Out front it was Mark DeBoer claiming the win in the flag to flag event. Brinkhous took second followed by Overgaard. Korthals took fourth and Jason DeBoer rounded out the top five. Mark Henry and Randy Vander Weide took the heat race wins.
Brad Haas led the first seven laps of the Sportsmen "A" feature, but an incident would remove him from the top spot. Haas Broke loose pulling off the fourth turn. Haas, Scott Overgaard and Anthony Mann all made contact as those three cars slid into the bottom of the track. All drivers were able to restart, but the incident moved them from the top three to the rear. Mel Elsberry inherited the lead and led the final five laps to claim the win. Evan DeHaan followed in a close second followed by Jeff Hoogendoorn, Todd Huisman, and Pete Kracht. Haas, Overgaard and Casey Hurney won the heat races.
In NMRA Hobby Stock action, Mark Van Den Top claimed the lead when Larry Kracht stalled during a caution period with five of twelve laps completed. Van Den Top never looked back on the way to the feature win. James Brower took second followed by Darwin Klaassen. Chris DeHaan took fourth followed by Don Gerritsen, Jr. The heat races were won by Kracht, DeHaan and Gerritsen, Jr. Nick Bahr won the "B" feature.
NMRA 360 Sprints
Heat #1: 1. 11 Joe Riedel; 2. 8h Butch Hanssen; 3. 7 Mike Sandvig; 4. 75 Gordy Vogelaar; 5. 25 Brian Baker; 6. 2D Dusty Ballenger
Heat #2: 1. 17V Clint Garner; 2. R19 Mike Mc Mahan; 3. 3c Chase Wilson; 4. 28x Mike Jensen; 5. 2D Dusty Ballenger; 6. 99 Shawn Van Wyhe
Heat #3: 1. 56 Johnn Cressman; 2. 24 Randy Droescher; 3. 3b Buck Wilson; 4. 76 Butch Evink; 5. 48 Paul Veen
A Feature: 1. 17V Clint Garner; 2. 8h Butch Hanssen; 3. 56 Johnn Cressman; 4. 75 Gordy Vogelaar; 5. 7 Mike Sandvig; 6. 3c Chase Wilson; 7. 76 Butch Evink; 8. 11 Joe Riedel; 9. 25 Brian Baker; 10. R19 Mike Mc Mahan; 11. 3b Buck Wilson; 12. 2 Gary Winter; 13. 2D Dusty Ballenger; 14. 28x Mike Jensen; 15. 48 Paul Veen; 16. 24 Randy Droescher; 17. 99 Shawn Van Wyhe
NMRA Short Track Stock Cars
Heat #1: 1. 23 Mark De Boer; 2. 43 Mark Henry; 3. 17 Doug Brinkhous; 4. 82 Howard Baartman; 5. 42 Chad Overgaard; 6. 28 Mark Van Voorst
Heat #2: 1. 8 Randy Vander Weide; 2. 22W Heath Warntjes; 3. 44 Jason De Boer; 4. 27 Randy Brands; 5. 11K Darrin Korthals
A Feature: 1. 23 Mark De Boer; 2. 17 Doug Brinkhous; 3. 42 Chad Overgaard; 4. 11K Darrin Korthals; 5. 44 Jason De Boer; 6. 27 Randy Brands; 7. 43 Mark Henry; 8. 82 Howard Baartman; 9. 8 Randy Vander Weide; 10. 28 Mark Van Voorst; 11. 22W Heath Warntjes
NMRA Sportsmen
Heat #1: 1. C4 Casey Hurney; 2. 63 Todd Huisman; 3. 7x Evan DeHaan; 4. 86 Marty Halouska; 5. 11k Kevin Broesder; 6. 6 Rick Vander Weide
Heat #2: 1. 72 Brad Haas; 2. 20 Anthony Mann; 3. 45K Brad Klaassen; 4. 36 Glenn Wynia; 5. 2h Joseph Hofer; 6. 00 Gary Mulder
Heat #3: 1. 40 Scott Overgaard; 2. 5 Mel Elsberry; 3. 21X Mike Deutsch; 4. 91 Jeff Hoogendoorn; 5. 15 Pete Kracht
A Feature: 1. 5 Mel Elsberry; 2. 7x Evan DeHaan; 3. 91 Jeff Hoogendoorn; 4. 63 Todd Huisman; 5. 15 Pete Kracht; 6. 11k Kevin Broesder; 7. C4 Casey Hurney; 8. 20 Anthony Mann; 9. 72 Brad Haas; 10. 40 Scott Overgaard; 11. 21X Mike Deutsch; 12. 86 Marty Halouska; 13. 00 Gary Mulder; 14. 36 Glenn Wynia; 15. 45K Brad Klaassen; 16. 6 Rick Vander Weide; 17. 2h Joseph Hofer
NMRA Hobby Stocks
Heat #1: 1. 7x Chris DeHaan; 2. 81 Mark VandenTop; 3. 89 Gary Dieren; 4. 19 Kevin Frodermann; 5. 33 Nick Bahr; 6. 28 Denton Potter
Heat #2: 1. 21 Larry Kracht; 2. 80 James Brower; 3. 45 Darwin Klaassen; 4. 16J Jon De Boer; 5. 1 Scott Borkowski; 6. 2 Dereck Van Der Brink
Heat #3: 1. 27 Donald Gerritsen Jr; 2. 5 Colter Deutsch; 3. 28x Josh Klay; 4. 9B Bob DeBoer; 5. 55t Terry Penning
B Feature: 1. 33 Nick Bahr; 2. 28 Denton Potter; 3. 2 Dereck Van Der Brink; 4. 55t Terry Penning; 5. 1 Scott Borkowski
A Feature: 1. 81 Mark VandenTop; 2. 80 James Brower; 3. 45 Darwin Klaassen; 4. 7x Chris DeHaan; 5. 27 Donald Gerritsen Jr; 6. 5 Colter Deutsch; 7. 28 Denton Potter; 8. 28x Josh Klay; 9. 16J Jon De Boer; 10. 33 Nick Bahr; 11. 89 Gary Dieren; 12. 21 Larry Kracht; 13. 9B Bob DeBoer; 14. 19 Kevin Frodermann