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Gopher 50 Race Is June 1, Long In History With A New Tradition
By: Bucky Doren
May 31, 2006
[Spring Valley, MN] - - The World of Outlaws Late Model Series travels to
Southern Minnesota for one of the Upper Midwest’s most prestigious
events. The 27th running of the "Featherlite Gopher 50" takes
place at Deer Creek Speedway on Thursday, June 1, 2006. The rain date is
set for the following night.
After twenty-five years of Gopher 50 racing at the Steele County Fairgrounds
(Owatonna, MN), the Blooming Prairie Lions decided they needed a change to
elevate their race to the next level. The event was started and still
serves as a fund raising event for the Lions. They saw that the world of
dirt track racing had progressed beyond what the Steele County Fairgrounds
could provide; enter Deer Creek Speedway.
Nestled in the southeastern corner of Minnesota, Deer Creek Speedway has
quickly become a speedplant known for excellent racing. The facility is
owned and operated by the Queensland family. Randy and Deb along with
their four children (Justin, Susie, Ryan, and Cole) become the new track
owners in November 2001. Each year, they have learned from each race to
improve the property, the facility, and the overall racing environment.
"Every event we put on is a learning experience," stated Justin
Queensland. "It's what you do with that knowledge that makes the
difference." The 2005 Featherlite Gopher 50 was the first to be
held at Deer Creek, and it too was a learning experience for the Queensland
family.
"Honored was obviously the strongest feeling," answered Justin
Queensland when asked what type of reaction the track had when asked to host
this event last year. "But having a show such as the Featherlite
Gopher 50 brings excitement, pressure, and the stress of having to give the
fans what they expect. It was a tremendous compliment to our staff,
sponsors, and the facility as a whole for all the hard work and dedication so
many have shown over the years.
"We definitely walked away from the Gopher 50 better promoters than we
were going into it," Justin Queensland went on to say. "The
facility as a whole experienced things they've never had to deal with
before. Everything from how to prep a track to withstand a premier field
of modified and late models to dealing with the first every televised race at
the facility"
Combined with the pull of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, and you have
an event that is also loaded with a huge stress of balancing sponsors, race
teams, and race fans and their demands. The Queensland family saw some
things that they wanted to work on. With help from the Blooming Prairie
Lions and some great sponsors, they feel confident that this year’s
Featherlite Gopher 50, the second ever at Deer Creek, will be better yet.
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series was also a new addition in 2005.
The World of Outlaws banner will return in 2006. The Queensland family
had several meetings with the Blooming Prairie Lions to discuss what sanction
body to go with. A lot of different things were tossed around. The
group talked about schedules, payout, drivers, other events in the area and
more, but when it came down to it the World of Outlaws seemed to be the best
fit for the event.
"It wasn't an easy decision to make," Justin Queensland said.
"But all said and done, we were happy with how things turned out, and we
are excited that it worked out to have the World of Outlaws back for this
years event."
Hosting the Gopher 50 has opened some doors for Deer Creek. The track is
buried deep in the heart of the dirt track racing world. There are
several teams and fans that support the sport.
"Hosting this event has allowed us to meet some great people,"
Justin Queensland expressed. "We’ve been able to show the Nation
what Southern Minnesota, as a whole, has to offer to the racing world.
We are fortunate to live in an area that loves dirt track racing, because
it’s the fans, competitors, and sponsors that make an event (like this)
happen. That dedication is a big reason DIRT Motorsports and the World
of Outlaws wanted to come back."
Not only will some of the best names in dirt late model racing battle for the
$10,000 top prize, but some of the best modified drivers will fight for the
$2,000 win top prize. The USRA Pro-Modified rules will apply for the
open-wheel warriors during the Featherlite Gopher 50. The SPEED-TV
cameras will be on hand to tape the event. SPEED-TV has currently
scheduled Sunday, July 30, 2006 as the airdate. Coverage will start at
6:00 PM (eastern).
Racing action for the 2006 running of the Featherlite Gopher 50 is slated for
Thursday, June 1, 2006. The Pit Gates and Grandstand Gates open at 3:00
PM with racing scheduled to start at 6:30 PM. The rain date is set for
Friday, June 2, 2006.
Deer Creek is located 15 miles South of Rochester, MN on U.S. State Highway
63. It is a highly visible and extremely accessible location. For
more information on the 27th running of the Gopher 50 or Deer Creek Speedway,
log onto the track’s web site at www.deercreekspeedway.com.
To learn more about the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, log onto their web
site at www.woolms.com.
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