Golden Sands Speedway hosts 3rd Annual Banquet!

By Amy Kolo

April 19, 1998; Plover, WI: - Warm weather brought the largest opening crowd to the Power Playground. Fans were able to see the new Short Track Jr. Fan Club Cars that will start racing every Friday night after time trials, and all the other promotions that the 1998 racing season has to offer.

The Mid-American 50 lap feature started of the 1998 racing season with a bang! Jay Kassera started out leading the feature, but was short lived as Mike Monroe flew past him for the lead.

Bill Prietzel won the special Mid-American Stock Car Series event at Golden Sands Speedway on a sunny afternoon before a large crowd.  Prietzel took over the lead with less than 10 laps to go and held on for the win his first ever at Golden Sands. ma982a.jpg (19425 bytes)

Kassera and Monroe battled for the next 9 laps until a caution came out and gave Bill Prietzel the chance to overtake the second position. As lap 27 came around lapped traffic started to become a problem. With 11 laps to go Monroe was caught behind lapped traffic and Prietzel was able to take the lead. For the last ten laps Monroe tried to get by Prietzel, towards the white flag lap it looked like Monroe was going to get around but Prietzel ended up with the win Monroe took second and Jeff Storm took third.

sands981a.jpg (8169 bytes) Jeff Weinfurter (#3)   got CWRA Late Model action underway on the high banks of Golden Sands speedway.   Weinfurter set fast time and would later move through the pack in feature action to take fourth place.

The Late Model class once again dazzled the crowd.  New cars, new drivers, and new paint schemes put an interesting twist to the race. Jeff Weinfurter ended up with the fast time and the roll of the dice. Weinfurter opted not to take the Hot n' Now Ultimate challenge in which if he would start from the back of the pack and win, he would end up with what was in the pot for the ultimate challenge.

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Joe Krzykowski started his season off on a winning note taking top honors in the CWRA Late Model feature race. Late Model action! Monte Gress (#107.5) held the early lead in the Late Model featue before falling to the charge of Joe Krzykowski (#77)

Next week the pot will be higher. Monte Gress took a jump at the start of the race but Larry Lepak was quick to go around him. After 5 laps Gress took the lead back from Lepak. Then Lepak started having troubles and kept slipping further and further back. This gave Smokin' Joe Krzykowski a chance to fight for the winning position. Gress and Smokin' Joe battled it out for the next ten laps Finally Smokin' Joe took the lead. Gress started to fall behind, as Rex Rossier and Greg Weinfurter came up from the back. Greg Weinfurter maneuvered his way around Rossier for the second position. Smokin Joe finished first, Greg Weinfurter second, and Rossier in third

Greg Back (#62) won his first ever Super Stock feature at Golden Sands Speedway holding back the challenges of Larry 'Putz' Braunsky (#4) who finished a very close second. sands981d.jpg (8405 bytes)

The Super Stocks showed off their new truck bodies. As of right now the Super Stock division has only three truck bodies and the rest of them cars. More and more drivers are switching to the truck bodies. Many fans have commented on how much they like the new truck bodies.

The feature was an edge of the seat excitement Greg Back jumped on the lead early fighting off Putz Braunsky. Merle Weinfurter was behind Braunsky vying for the lead. It was a very close race Back, Braunsky, Weinfurter and Jason Szymkiowiak were all about 5 car lengths ahead of the rest of the pack. Towards the white flag lap it looked like Braunsky was going to take the lead, but Back held on and was able to hold off Braunsky for the checkered. Braunsky took second with Szymkiowiak third.

sands981e.jpg (11108 bytes) The Pure Stocks are pure action!!  Here drivers Brian Stroik (#7), Jim Stratton (#8) and fast qualifier Shawn Stelzer (#40) do battle.  All three tried in vain to catch eventual winner Mike Merriam.  Stelzer would fair best of this group taking second.

During the Pure Stock feature Mike Merriam started out in front with Jeff Gruber on his heels. Marv Flick and Jim Stratton were close behind.. All the cars banged each other trying to fight out one another for the lead. They raced as if this was the end of the season, deciding the title championship.

Mike Merriam was the man to catch in the Pure Stock division.  In the end no one was able to pass Merriam and he would up with the first Pure Stock feature victory of the season! sands981f.jpg (15760 bytes)

Merriam was able to hold his position with Gruber right behind, But on the white flag lap Shawn Stelzer flew past Gruber for the second position, Stratton was able to get by Gruber before the checkered. Merriam finished first, with Stelzer in second and Stratton in third.

Race Summary

CWRA Late Model Division
30 Lap Feature Event Time Trials
1. #77 Joe Krzykowski  1. # 3 Jeff Weinfurter  12.965 Secs.
2. #13 Greg Weinfurter 2. #13 Greg Weinfurter 12.987 Secs.
3. #21 Rex Rossier 3. #31 Bobby Turzinski 13.003 Secs.
4. # 3 Jeff Weinfurter 4. #12 Mark Mackesy 13.054 Secs.
5. #31 Bobby Turzinski 5. #41 Larry Lepak 13.067 Secs.
6. #107.5 Monte Gress Dash
7. #85 Kirby Kurth 1. #41 Larry Lepak
8. #26 Gary Back 2. #12 Mark Mackesy
9. # 7 Sam Brundidge 3. #31 Bobby Turzinski
10. #98 Brian Back

Semi-Feature: 1.) Gary Back; 2.) Mike Brahmstedt; 3.) Chris Wimmer; 4.) Leroy Pettis; 5.) Jack Greenwood
First Heat: 1.) Greenwood; 2.) Wimmer; 3.) Steve Gress
Second Heat: 1.) Wayne Cottrell; 2.) Brahmstedt; 3.) Brian Back
Third 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Krzykowski; 2.) Rossier; 3.) Brundidge

CWSSA Super Stock Division
25 Lap Feature Event Time Trials
1. #62 Greg Back 1. #  7 Chad Brundidge 13.942 Secs.
2. # 4 Larry Braunsky 2. #27 Judd Brandl 13.965 Secs.
3. #17 Jason Szymkowiak 3. #24 Keith Bohmsach 14.178 Secs.
4. #99 Jason Kirsling 4. #80 Tim Plowman 14.358 Secs.
5. #24 Merle Weinfurter 5. #99 Jason Kirsling 14.431 Secs.
6. #61 Gary Wosick Dash
7. #80 Tim Plowman 1. #61 Gary Wosick
8. #44 Greg Gustin 2. #80 Tim Plowman
3. #99 Jason Kirsling

Semi-Feature: 1.) David Pagels; 2.) Andy Simons; 3.) Bernie Fritz Jr; 4.) Jim Marquard
First Heat: 1.) Simons; 2.) Fritz Jr; 3) Marquard
Second Heat: 1.) Braunsky; 2.) Gustin; 3.) Cale Laessig
Third Heat: 1.) Szymkowiak; 2.) Kirsling; 3.) Brandl

Pure Stock Division
20 Lap Feature Event Time Trials
1. #17 Mike Merriam 1. #40 Shawn Stelzer 15.326 Secs.
2. #40 Shawn Stelzer 2. #26 Curtis Turner 15.403 Secs.
3. # 8 Jim Stratton 3. #27 Tony Christman Jr. 15.569 Secs.
4. #26 Jeffrey Gruber Dash
5. # 9 Marv Flick 1. # 8 Jim Stratton
6. #78 Bradley Scholze 2. # 7 Brian Stroik
3. #27 Tony Christman Jr.

Semi-Feature: 1.) Scholze; 2.) Cal Greening;   3.) Neal Soyka; 4.) Scott Marquard
First Heat: 1.) Rob Ciesielski; 2.) Greening; 3.) Marquard
Second Heat: 1.) Roland Kuhn; 2.) Scholze; 3.) Merriam
Third Heat: 1.) Flick; 2.) Stratton; 3.) Todd Radtke

Mid-American Stock Car Series
50 Lap Feature Event Time Trials
1. # 5 Bill Prietzel  1. #16 Pat Kelly 13.405 Secs.
2. # 3 Mike Monroe 2. #25 Jeff Storm 13.494 Secs.
3. #25 Jeff Storm 3. #97 Mark Pluer 13.497 Secs.
4. #16 Pat Kelly 4. #30 Greg Haese 13.555 Secs.
5. #20 Jeff Holtz 5. #44 Steve Moenck 13.623 Secs.
6. #97 Mark Pluer Last Chance
7. #10 Bobby Gutknecht 1. #29 Dave Faitz
8. #88 Rick Corso 2. #40 Warren Doranski
9. #30 Greg Haese 3. # 9 Mike Combs
10. # 2 Jay Kassera 4. #77 Neric Chitwood
5. # 8 Jimmy Becker

First Heat: 1.) Combs; 2.) Faitz; 3.) Becker
Second Heat: 1.) Curt Van Der Wal; 2.) Kassera; 3.) Monroe
Third Heat: 1.) Holtz; 2.) Moenck; Gutknecht