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Rich Snyder Takes Challenge Series Win At I-94 Raceway
By Dean Reller
(SAUK CENTRE, MN) June 14th--Just minutes before the race, Rich Snyder felt he
had a fifth or sixth place car, but that didn’t stop Snyder’s will to win
as he turned in a dominant run in winning the Optimum Mortgage Services
Incorporated Minnesota Late Model Challenge Series 40 Lap Feature at the I-94
Raceway in Sauk Centre. The race was the second in a four race series between
I-94 Raceway and Raceway Park. Snyder took the lead from his front row
starting spot as Blake Bjorklund and Eugene Dick pulled in right behind. This
three car freight train pulled away as everyone bunched up behind. Bryan Roach
and Stacy Rossell broke through the pack and began to run down the top three.
This pair of drivers would tangle and bring out a caution near the race’s
midpoint. Snyder maintained the lead as Bjorklund and Dick remained close. A
couple of more cautions for spins kept all cars running on the lead lap and
gave Tim Olson a chance to run down the top three. Late in the race, Olson
moved alongside Bjorklund, but then the two got crossed up on the front
stretch, sending both to the pits with damaged cars. In the short dash to the
finish, Snyder kept his car out front and took the win as he led all 40 laps
in the process.
John Notch found that seven is lucky as won his seventh straight Modified
Feature. The warm weather had only a minimal effect on Notch’s setup as he
worked his way up from the 11th spot on the starting grid. Jon Olson and Brady
Barker swapped the lead a couple of times in the early stages of the race as
Barker solidified the top spot. Notch came rolling up and snatched the lead
away on lap eight. Terry Merten has his car tuned in as he gave Barker a run
for the money in the closing laps and Merten was able to grab second on the
last lap as Notch took care of business up front.
Pat Maloney sported a slightly different look, but that didn’t seem to make
much difference in his performance as he took home his fourth straight feature
win in the Super Stocks. Pat Henry took the lead on the opening lap. Henry
pushed his car hard, heating up his brakes as he set the pace. Meanwhile,
Maloney gathered momentum and slowly closed in on Henry. Maloney was able to
grab the lead on lap 14, when Henry smacked the front stretch wall, while
trying to pass a lapped car, subsequently ending his bid for the win. Back out
front, Maloney kept things cruising and completed the distance to take the
win.
Jon Lewerer drove hard and was rewarded with another trip to Victory Lane in
the Great North Legends Feature. Cory Lease led the first trip around the
track, but then ninth starting Lewerer and eleventh starting Jay Rickert came
blasting to the front. Rickert pulled in right behind Lewerer as the two cars
battled for the lead. Lap ten saw Rickert take the lead in turn three, but
Lewerer turned down low and took it back in turn four as the top pair rallied
for the lead. No more than a car’s length separated them the rest of the way
as Lewerer held on to take the win. Scott Brandt filled in for Rob Thurston,
who had got sick on his way to track and Brandt did the job he was asked to do
as he came home in third.
With a full moon shining down on the track, things were destined to be
interesting and Jerry Messer came out as the beneficiary as he won the Thunder
Car Feature. Scott Schwab Sr., Pat Rothfork and Patrick Amelung each spent
time at the head of the field. Ace Valencour and Dirk Henry zeroed in on
Amelung to make it a three car race for the win. Valencour edged ahead, but
with three laps to go, the top three cars all tangled with each other in turn
two. This totally reset the field and suddenly Messer found himself inheriting
the lead. Messer held off Rothfork for the win, while Valencour came storming
by everyone else to finish third.
On the back of Andy Heying’s car it says "Drive Smart" that
message could also describe Heying’s driving style as won the UCAR Feature.
On the opening lap, David Atkinson took the lead. Rick Third moved up to
challenge and the two traded paint and a little bit more as they got together
on lap seven and damaged their cars enough that neither could continue. Ben
Mayers drove around them to take the lead as Heying was moving up. Mayers and
Heying raced wheel-to-wheel for a few laps, before Heying motored into the
lead. Heying followed the advise written on the back of his car as his
finished out the race and took the win.
Chris Farnum was very excited as he hopped out of his car following his first
career TQ Stock Feature win. Leroy Nelson took the lead from the pole, before
Darin Nelson took his ride to the lead. Farnum closed-in and raced alongside
Nelson for a few laps before moving to the front with three laps to go. Farnum
ran hard the remainder of the race and was rewarded for the effort with the
win.
I-94 Raceway Results June 14, 2003
Optimum Mortgage Services Incorporated Minnesota Late Model Challenge Series
First Heat
1.) Eugene Dick (Watkins) 2.) Blake Bjorklund (Isanti) 3.) Rich Snyder
(Alexandria) 4.) AJ Rhoads (Hastings) 5.) Brittany Fischer (Villard) 6.) Gary
Petrash (Lakeville)
Second Heat
1.) Jeff Lofquist (Fergus Falls) 2.) Tom Quade (Richfield) 3.) Lucas Grosinger
(St. Louis Park) 4.) Scott Brandt (Olivia) 5.) Nick Binsfeld (St. Cloud)
Fast Dash
1.) Tim Olson (Hamel) 2.) Bryan Roach (Becker) 3.) Todd Hansen (Minneapolis)
4.) Stacy Rossell (Atwater) 5.) Trent Snyder (Ironton) 6.) Gary Mueller (Chisago)
Fast Qualifiers
1.) Gary Mueller (17.03 sec.) 2.) Todd Hansen (17.13 sec.) 3.) Trent Snyder
(17.15 sec.) 4.) Bryan Roach (17.22 sec.) 5.) Stacy Rossell (17.36 sec.) 6.)
Tim Olson (17.36 sec.)
40 Lap Feature
1.) Rich Snyder 2.) Eugene Dick 3.) Trent Snyder 4.) Bryan Roach 5.) Gary
Mueller 6.) AJ Rhoads 7.) Stacy Rossell 8.) Todd Hansen 9.) Brittany Fischer
10.) Jeff Lofquist 11.) Tom Quade 12.) Gary Petrash 13.) Lucas Grosinger 14.)
Blake Bjorklund-DNF 15.) Tim Olson-DNF 16.) Pat Maloney (Alexandria)-DNF 17.)
Scott Brandt-DNF
Modifieds
Heat
1.) Dave Ostendorf (St. Cloud) 2.) Aaron Marthaler (Glenwood) 3.) Pat Hornick
(Sauk Centre) 4.) Brady Barker (Grove City) 5.) Jon Olson (Hamel) 6.) Matt
Anderson (Atwater) 7.) Nick Olson (Burnsville) 8.) Jerry Voigt (Cold Spring)-DNF
Fast Dash
1.) John Notch (St. Cloud) 2.) Dave Schafer (Glenwood) 3.) Oren Hoeper
(Dalton) 4.) Jeff Rohner (Willmar) 5.) Stacy Rossell (Atwater) 6.) Terry
Merten (Sauk Centre)
Fast Qualifiers
1.) John Notch (17.70 sec. ) 2.) Stacy Rossell (17.94 sec.) 3.) Oren Hoeper
(18.12 sec.) 4.) Jeff Rohner (18.29 sec.) 5.) Terry Merten (18.33 sec.) 6.)
Dave Schafer (18.37 sec.)
Feature
1.) John Notch 2.) Terry Merten 3.) Brady Barker 4.) Dave Schafer 5.) Stacy
Rossell 6.) Jeff Rohner 7.) Jon Olson 8.) Aaron Marthaler 9.) Oren Hoeper 10.)
Matt Anderson 11.) Dave Ostendorf 12.) Pat Hornick 13.) Jerry Voigt-DNS
Super Stocks
Heat
1.) Molly Rhoads (Hastings) 2.) Pat Maloney (Alexandria) 3.) Pat Henry (Sauk
Centre) 4.) Jim Larkin (Monticello) 5.) Joe Roberts (Otsego) 6.) Gordy Mason
(Excelsior) 7.) Paul Milford (Savage) 8.) Rob Dubnecay (Maple Grove) 9.) Josh
Eddy (Alexandria) 10.) Tom Chrest (Ramsey)-DNS
Feature
1.) Pat Maloney 2.) Jim Larkin 3.) Molly Rhoads 4.) Paul Milford 5.) Tom
Chrest 6.) Rob Dubnecay 7.) Joe Roberts 8.) Gordy Mason 9.) Josh Eddy-DNF 10.)
Pat Henry-DNF
Great North Legends
First Heat
1.) Rick Dubay (Coon Rapids) 2.) Cory Lease (Pierz) 3.) Nick Velardi (Northfield)
4.) Shimon Casper (Cottage Grove) 5.) Stan Davis (Maple Grove) 6.) Lew Lunsman
(Centuria, WI)-DNF
Second Heat
1.) Doug Petty (Oak Grove) 2.) Ed Velardi (Northfield) 3.) Rollie Davidson
(Burnsville) 4.) Brad Haugen (Hutchinson) 5.) Brandi Fischer (Villard)
Fast Dash
1.) Andy Hansen (Ramsey) 2.) Clint VanHeel (Eden Prairie) 3.) Jon Lewerer
(Stillwater) 4.) Scott Brandt (Olivia) 5.) Todd Tracy (Belle Plaine) 6.) Jay
Rickert (Brownton)
Fast Qualifiers
1.) Jay Rickert (18.93 sec.) 2.) Scott Brandt (18.98 sec.) 3.) Jon Lewerer
(19.07 sec.) 4.) Andy Hansen (19.17 sec.) 5.) Clint VanHeel (19.29 sec.) 6.)
Todd Tracy (19.43 sec.)
Feature
1.) Jon Lewerer 2.) Jay Rickert 3.) Scott Brandt 4.) Andy Hansen 5.) Todd
Tracy 6.) Cory Lease 7.) Clint VanHeel 8.) Rick Dubay 9.) Doug Petty 10.) Stan
Davis 11.) Nick Velardi 12.) Rollie Davidson 13.) Shimon Casper 14.) Brad
Haugen 15.) Brandi Fischer 16.) Ed Velardi-DNF 17.) Lew Lunsman-DNF
Thunder Cars
First Heat
1.) Ace Valencour (Sauk Centre) 2.) Todd Maciey (St. Michael) 3.) Daryl Harth
(Glenwood) 4.) Pat Rothfork (Melrose) 5.) Scott Schwab Sr. (Sauk Centre) 6.)
Doug Olmscheid (Elrosa) 7.) Matt Miller (Glenwood)
Second Heat
1.) Dirk Henry (Sauk Centre) 2.) Jerry Messer (Sauk Centre) 3.) Pat Amelung
(St. Joseph) 4.) Lance Stueve (Greenwald) 5.) Tim Wojtowicz (Minneapolis) 6.)
Jonathan Olmscheid (Elrosa) 7.) Keith Nohner (Grey Eagle)
Feature
1.) Jerry Messer 2.) Pat Rothfork 3.) Ace Valencour 4.) Lance Stueve 5.)
Jonathan Olmscheid 6.) Tim Wojtowicz 7.) Pat Amelung 8.) Keith Nohner 9.)
Scott Schwab Sr. 10.) Doug Olmscheid-DNF 11.) Daryl Harth-DNF 12.) Todd
Maciey-DNF 13.) Matt Miller-DNF 14.) Dirk Henry-DNF
UCARs
First Heat
1.) Adam Fronning (Dalton) 2.) Dan Bolstad (Fergus Falls) 3.) Ben Mayers (Sauk
Centre) 4.) David Atkinson (Long Prairie) 5.) Joe Karl (Osakis) 6.) Tony
Hallerman (Sauk Centre) 7.) Kris Wensman (Elmdale) 8.) Kevin Messer (Sauk
Centre) 9.) Jesse Reynolds (Albany)
Second Heat
1.) Andy Heying (St. Cloud) 2.) Rick Third (Alexandria) 3.) Marc Rosenow (Grey
Eagle) 4.) Billy Weyer (Sartell) 5.) Mike Megher 6.) Jamie Messer (Sauk Centre)
7.) Andy Hornick (Browerville) 8.) Bob Casperson 9.) Chris Merten (Sauk Centre)-DNF
Feature
1.) Andy Heying 2.) Ben Mayers 3.) Dan Bolstad 4.) Adam Fronning 5.) Marc
Rosenow 6.) Billy Weyer 7.) Joe Karl 8.) Mike Megher 9.) Kris Wensman 10.)
Jamie Messer 11.) Bob Casperson 12.) Jesse Reynolds 13.) Chris Merten 14.)
Andy Hornick-DNF 15.) Kevin Messer-DNF 16.) Rick Third-DNF 17.) David
Atkinson-DNF 18.) Tony Hallerman-DNF
TQ Stock Cars
Heat
1.) Chris Farnum (Isanti) 2.) Al Jacobsen (Coon Rapids) 3.) Darin Nelson (Isanti)
4.) Leroy Nelson (Isanti) 5.) Steve Strandland (Martin Lake) 6.) Mike Farnum (Isanti)
7.) Josh Farnum (St. Francis) 8.) Jim Beck Jr. (Elk River) 9.) Nathan
Johanneck (Hutchinson)-DNF
Feature
1.) Chris Farnum 2.) Darin Nelson 3.) Leroy Nelson 4.) Al Jacobsen 5.) Steve
Strandland 6.) Josh Farnum 7.) Nathan Johanneck 8.) Jim Beck Jr. 9.) Mike
Farnum-DNS
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