Weinfurter Wins Late Model Main & Laessig Wins Fifth Super Feature
May 15, 2004

Mid-States Equipment Inc. Hydraulics and Meyer's Equipment Mfg. Corp. saw Eugene Gregorich Jr. set his first quick time for the season in the Super Lates.  Cale Laessig set his fifth fast time for the season and would go on to win his fifth Super Stock feature.  Pat Dickman had a clean sweep in the 1-Man Cruisers.

The first seven laps of the CARQUEST Super Late Model feature were led by Darek Gress.  Rory Melbinger dove to the inside of Gress to take the lead for lap eight as Judd Brandl went to the inside of Brian Back to take over third and then second spot.  Melbinger led laps eight and nine.  Brandl then took the lead.  Jeff Weinfurter quickly moved up to take third and then second.  Back challenged back to reclaim third from Melbinger on lap 13.  Ten laps Weinfurter chased Brandl and took the lead from him on lap 21.  Weinfurter held on for the win despite Brandl's challenges to take back the lead.  Brandl finished second, Back third, rookie Elliott Weiler fourth and Melbinger fifth.

Chad Scholl led the first two laps of the CARQUEST Super Stock feature.  Randy Meyer then took the lead and began to stretch it out as Roger Stanczyk, Scholl, Travis Zvolena, Tim Hintz and Cale Laessig all fought to move up.  By lap ten, Meyer had a big lead with Zvolena second, Scholl third, Hintz fourth and Laessig fifth.  Hintz passed Scholl and then Zvolena for second.  Laessig right behind Hintz moved up and then passed him to start reeling in Meyer.  At the white flag lap, Laessig took over the lead for the win.  Meyer finished second, Hintz third, Randy Emmerich fourth and Zvolena fifth.

BOTH DIRT TRACK STYLE MOTORCYCLES AND SPORT BIKES RACED TONIGHT.   BRAD SEAVERS OF JUNCTION CITY HELD OFF MARSHFIELDS' CLIFF ECKES AND HATLEYS' STEVE KASTEN FOR THE HEAT WIN IN THE DIRT TRACK CLASS.  IN THE 10 LAP FINAL RACE BETWEEN ELEVEN RIDERS, CLIFF ECKES OF MARSHFIELD PUT HIS CLIFFS CYCLE SERVICE YAMAHA OUT IN FRONT FOR FIVE LAPS, BUT HATLEYS STEVE KASTEN WOULD NOT BE DENIED ON HIS SK SERVICE/ CLIFFS CYCLE SERVICE YAMAHA.  FINISHING THIRD WAS BIG FALLS TROY JOHNSON ON HIS WAGS GUNSMITHING/SK SERVICE/ JOHNSON RACING MOUNT.
RESULTS:  1.STEVE KASTEN 2.CLIFF ECKES  3.TROY JOHNSON 4.DANNY VRANA  5.BRAD SEAVERS  6.ADAM ZWASCHKA  7.RANDY RUFFI  8.JAKE SEAVERS 9.WOODY ECKES  10CRAIG LEWIS  11.RON BEAN
IN THE SPORT BIKE CLASS, MARSHFIELDS' BILL LARSEN WAS THE HEAT RACE WINNER OVER SHAWN PURKIS. PURKIS TURNED THE ORDER AROUND FOR THE FINAL RACE, WINNING HANDILY ON HIS MILLER/CRAFTS TRADING CENTER/LARRYS AUTO BODY/UTOPIA LOUNGE/GESSERT CONSTRUCTION 636 KAWASAKI.  HIS TEAMATE BILL LARSEN HELD OFF WALLY HEDA ON HIS P&M MONOGRAMMING R6 YAMAHA.
RESULTS: 1.SHAWN PURKIS 2.BILL LARSEN 3.WALLY HEDA 4.DAVE EDBLOM  5.JOHN SMRECEK  6.JOSH HILT  7.JUSTIN GESSERT

The IMCA Oldtimers returned this season for their annual spring visit.  The #70 car of Jerry Sullivan won the opened wheeled heat race.  Sullivan hails from Hugo, Minnesota with his USAC Dirt Champ Car.  The car was built in 1979 and restored to its 1982/1983 racing appearance by Sullivan in 2001.  The Vaughn Gerke, driving the #34 car won the second heat with his 1957 Chevy.  The open wheeled feature was won by #92 David Hoska in his 1970 Sprinter with a 360 Chevy engine.  The car was raced through the 70's and early 80's.  Hoska restored the car in 1991.  In a close battle between for the win of the stock car feature between #81 Gary Stein and #15 Chris Loberg, Stein took the win by a narrow margin.  Stein drives a 1975 Camero.  The car was the record holder at Elko Speedway for 26 years until the track was repaved and banked.  It was also a four time track champion at Elko Speedway.

Matt Curnoyer led the first two laps of the 1-Man Cruiser feature until point leader Pat Dickman took the lead for the win.  Curnoyer held on in second for a couple of laps until being passed by Sam Sudduth.  Dickman won his third 1-Man Cruiser feature, Sudduth second, Curnoyer third, Dave Knauf fourth and Larry Larsh fifth.

A big thank you to all the drivers and crews for having good safe racing and getting done by 10 p.m.  Excellent job everyone.

Next Saturday's races are sponsored by Sternweis & Sons Concrete.  Racing includes CARQUEST Super Late Models, CARQUEST Super Stocks, 4-Cylinders and 2-Man Cruisers.  Pit Gate opens at 3:30, Grandstand Gates 5 p.m., Time Trials 6 p.m. and Racing 7:30.  Saturday's race is raindated for Sunday Same Times.

Summary
Qualifying
CARQUEST Super Late Models:  Eugene Gregorich Jr. 17.922
CARQUEST CWSSA Super Stocks:  Cale Laessig 20.270
CWMSA 4-Cylinders:  Didn't race
1-Man Cruisers:  Pat Dickman 23.154

Heats
CARQUEST Super Late Models
Heat 1:  VanDerGeest, Melbinger, Wisz, D. Gress, Krzykowski.
Heat 2:  Pettis, LaPointe, B. Back, Weinfurter, Brandl

CARQUEST CWSSA Super Stocks:
Heat 1:  Scholl, Schultz, Emmerich, Stanczyk, R. Meyer.
Heat 2:  Hintz, Laessig, Zvolena, Hetzel, Stanley.

CWMSA 4-Cylinders
Heat 1:  
Heat 2:  

1-Man Cruisers
Heat 1:  Dickman, Curnoyer, Sudduth, Knauf, Larsh.

Features
CARQUEST Super Late Model:  Weinfurter, Brandl, B. Back, E. Weiler, Melbinger, Pettis, LaPointe, D. Gress, Totzke, VanDerGeest.

CARQUEST CWSSA Super Stock:  Laessig, R. Meyer, Hintz, Emmerich, Zvolena, Scholl, Hetzel, Raykowski, Stanczyk, Stanley.

CWMSA 4-Cylinder:  

1-Man Cruiser:  Dickman, Sudduth, Curnoyer, Knauf, Larsh, Denny, Meyer, Moore, Fuchs.

2-Man Cruiser:  Didn't race


POINT STANDINGS
CARQUEST Super Late Models
1. Judd Brandl251
2. Dean LaPointe246
3. Brian Back 243
4. Rory Melbinger215
5. Ben Pettis214
6. Jeff Weinfurter202
7. Eugene Gregorich Jr. 199
8. Elliott Weiler (R) 179
9. DuWayne Davis 159
10. Kyle Davis (R) 147

CARQUEST CWSSA Super Stocks
1. Cale Laessig281
2. Tim Hintz245
3. Matt Raykowski216
4. Travis Zvolena (R) 205
5. Rick Hetzel196
6. Randy Meyer (R) 188
7. Randy Emmerich179
8. Chad Scholl 172
9. Bruce Stanley 169
10. Larry Schultz 124

CWMSA 4-Cylinders
1. Keith Wirtz157
2. Kevin Eckes Sr. 153
3. Paul Berg 147
4. Steve Hauser137
5. George Brandl104
6. Adam Eckes100
7. Torey Nitzsche98
8. Jeremiah Strauss 96
9. Don Elmhorst93
10. Curt Luedtke90

1-Man Cruisers
1. Pat Dickman160
2. Sam Sudduth148
3. Matt Curnoyer141
4. Justin Moore 137
5. Cody Meyer 136
6. Dave Knauf122
7. Mike Denny 103
8. Larry Larsh79
9. Scott Davis 44
10. Rick Dickman33

2-Man Cruisers
1. Dickman/Zopfi25
2. Szymkowiak/Pionek24
3. Boyer/Clark 23
4. Larsh/Becker 22
5. Koplien/Allen 21