6/2/2017
Rapid Speedway
Familiar Faces Find Victory Lane
It was a night of checkers or wreckers for many drivers on a hot Friday night. The USRA Ironman Challenge Series Stock Cars and B-Mods invaded the Rapid Speedway to take on the track regulars. There were season-high car counts in the Stock Cars and B-Mods, with 26 entries in each class.
The Sportsman feature event had nine cars take the initial green flag, but after two laps of green flag racing, the field was down to four cars. On the initial start, coming out of turn four, Leon Sneller got very loose and collected Marni DeBoer. Both drivers hit the front stretch wall significantly. Marni DeBoer was taken to hospital for further evaluation, but returned to the track later in the night in great spirits. The ensuing restart was no different, with Brian Kroon spinning up the racetrack, leaving Bryant Klaassen with nowhere to go. Klaassen t-boned Kroon in the middle of the corner, sending Kroon up in the air and landing hard on his roof. Both drivers walked away unharmed. The next restart was the final restart, with Andy Wieczorek, Roger DeBoer, Brandon Jurrens, and Rick Egan remaining in the race. DeBoer jumped out to the lead for one lap after the restart, but two-time winner Andy Wieczorek found the bottom of the track to get around him after battling side-by-side for a couple laps. Wieczorek was able to hold on for his third victory in four races this season. DeBoer, Egan, and Jurrens rounded out the rest of the field.
The Summit Racing USRA Lems Auto Recyclers Hobby Stocks picked up where the sportsman feature left off. Alex Wiertzma jumped out to lead lap one, and the next lap the problems began for Cory Kelderman as he spun, collecting five more cars. Every car involved was able to continue in the race. Dustin Gulbrandson restarted second, but didn’t stay there long, as he grabbed the lead from Wiertzma. Tracy Halouska spun a lap later mid-pack and was slammed into by James Adams, ending both of their nights. The first red flag of the race, second of the night, came out on the next restart after Brian Hoing and Dylan Vanden Top made contact, sending Hoing into the tractor tires coming out of turn four. Remarkably, Hoing was able to continue after the hard hit. A couple restarts later brought the third red flag of the night. Kelderman’s day got much worse after he spun up the track on the front stretch, leaving Nick Brady with nowhere to go but into Kelderman’s car. Kelderman went upside down, sending Brady’s car up in the air, landing on top of the upside down racecar of Kelderman. Kelderman walked into the ambulance for tests, but was released from the ambulance several minutes later. After one more caution, officials called for a green-white-checkered finish. Gulbrandson was able to hold off the strong field behind him to pick up his second victory of the season at Rapid Speedway. Brady Klaassen charged from the 13th starting position to take home 2nd place. Wiertzma held on for third, Chad Lonneman in fourth, and Blake Arends rounded out the top-five.
The final features saw only two yellow flags between the two. The Summit Racing USRA Corral Lanes B-Mods opened up the feature with a wonderful battle between Ironman Series regular Andy Bryant and Rapid Speedway regular Chris Huisman. Bryant was able to lead each lap at the line around the top line of the track, while Huisman hugged the bottom of the track. The only caution came early in the race when Ironman Series regular Ryan Mahlstedt suffered mechanical issues, leaving debris on the track. A few laps after the following restart is when Tyler Johnson found his groove around the middle and high-side of the track picking off drivers one-by-one the rest of the race. Johnson was able to beat Huisman by a nose to finish second in the feature, as nobody had anything for Andy Bryant. Bryant picked up his first win of the season at Rapid Speedway in his first appearance. Johnson, Huisman, Dave Kennedy, and Dan Hovden rounded out the top-five.
20 cars took the green flag for the Summit Racing USRA Precision Auto Body Stock Cars. Elijah Zevenbergen was looking to back-to-back in the Ironman Series after picking up the win Thursday at Sioux Speedway, and he had a great starting spot to do so. Zevenbergen took his front row starting spot to the lead on the opening lap over Scott Overgaard. The only caution of the race came early for a flat tire on the Luke Sathoff racecar. The caution did not slow Zevenbergen as he continued his dominance in the stock car class. Derek Green and Scott Overgaard went back and forth for second place for many laps, but neither of them had anything for Zevenbergen. Zevenbergen has started the season at Rapid Speedway with back-to-back-to-back-to-back (four) victories. Overgaard picked up his fourth straight top-four finish to begin the season coming home second on Friday. Green, Steve Jackson, and Randy Brands rounded out the top-five.
Along with the Summit Racing USRA Weekly Racing Series program, the Tailgator’s Late Model Street Stocks will make their second visit of the season next Friday at Rapid Speedway. Tickets are $10 for adults with hot laps beginning at 7 P.M.
Submitted By: Geoff Kruse
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