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Neitzel Back In Victory Lane At Rice Lake
Rice Lake, WI (Aug 26, 2006): Initial impressions are everything and
both the O’Reily/Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series and the Rice Lake
Speedway made the most of the situation as the series visited the venue for
the first time on Saturday night. The track welcomed the series with a
perfectly manicured surface and a huge crowd. The winged outlaws
responded with one of the season’s best shows. In the end, the only
ones probably happier than the fans in attendance was Scotty Neitzel, who
found his way back to victory lane, beating John Haeni and Donny Goeden to the
line.
With no established track record to this point, the time chart was fair game
as the field of 25 consistently laid laps down under 13 seconds around the 3/8
mile facility. ASCS Sooner Region point leader Sam Hafertepe wrote the
record book with a lap of 12.225 seconds (110.429 mph). Hafertepe (under
the guidance of Hall of Famer, Rick Ferkel) had placed finished second to
Billy Balog the night before at the Red Cedar Speedway and his quick time on
Saturday night sent a message quickly that the duo were more than ready to
improve on their performance. Hafertepe’s quick time was far from
secure as laps continued to flirt with his own until the final car tripped the
timing light.
Three heat races set the tone for the racing action. It was to be fast
and furious, yet as clean as a brand new t-shirt. Claiming heat race
wins were Ty Bartz, John Haeni and Billy Warren while Kim Mock took the
B-Main. The stage was set for the 30 lap A-Main.
With much of the packed house witnessing the four-abreast parade lap for
the first time, the image of the twenty-two car field touring the track will
be forever engraved in their memory. Topping this would require an
action packed feature jammed packed with everything expected. Up to the
task, the field responded with 30 laps of slicing and dicing. Ty Bartz
was quick at the start as he lead the field to the green, but Billy Warren was
ready and got the advantage as the field exited turn two. Warren paced
the field until the caution waved on lap three for a helpless Hafertepe
who’s #15 spun exiting turn four. The caution would wave again on lap
seven when the leader, Billy Warren lost spun in turn two. Second place
Scotty Neitzel now found himself the benefactor of circumstances as opposed
the victim and was ready to take full advantage of the situation. Lap eleven
would see the final caution for a disabled Wayne Modjeski who slapped the wall
exiting turn two. On the restart, John Haeni and Donny Goeden would
battle through traffic trailing Neitzel as the trio worked traffic
masterfully. Neitzel would go on to his first victory of the 2006 season
ahead of Haeni, Goeden, Balog and series point leader, Travis Whitney.
The IRA Outlaw Sprint Series roars back into action on Labor Day weekend with
a visit to the Jackson Speedway (Jackson, MN) on Saturday night, September
2nd, followed up with the traditional stop at the Cresco Speedway (Cresco,
IA). The western swing is sure to bring out the best racers in the
region as it marks the return of the series to the western MN half mile where
the local competition has been waiting feverishly for the return of the IRA
travelers. The Cresco event has traditionally seen many visitors from
the Knoxville area s well as many unexpected surprises over the years and this
years trip should be no different. For complete race information, please
contact the individual track offices. For complete scheduling and series
information, visit the IRA’s website at www.irasprints.com.
OFFICIAL RESULTS: Rice Lake Speedway – August 27, 2006
Osborn & Son Trucking Time Trials (25 cars): Sam Hafertepe (G-H
Plumbing #15) 12.225 seconds (NTR)
MPD Race Products Heat: Ty Bartz (AC Signs/Heim Plumbing #75)
Lane Automotive Heat: John Haeni (Jim’s Welding & Repair/KIN-X
Motorsports #21J)
Weld Racing Heat: Billy Warren (Bob Warren Automotive #95)
Behling Race Equipment B-Main: Kim Mock (Osborn/Mock/Hoyt/Dubin Racing
#1M)
O’Reily Auto Parts A-Main (30 laps): Scotty Neitzel (T&D
Jewelry/Velocity Wings #2W), John Haeni, Donny Goeden, Billy Balog,
Travis Whitney, Scott Biertzer, Ty Bartz, San Hafertepe, Mike Reinke, Steve
Meyer, Jerry Richert Jr., Scott Uttech, Jason Johnson, Dave Uttech, Kim Mock,
Ryan Irwin, Bill Wirth, Todd King, Joe Symoens, Billy Warren, Joseph Kouba,
Wayne Modjeski
Lap Leaders: Billy Warren 1-7, Scotty Neitzel 8-30
DMI Hard Charger: Scott Uttech (Trinity Racing #7): Started: 21
– Finished: 12 (+9)
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