Jeff Weinfurter takes main in the 4th Annual Copp's Food Centers Mid-Season Championship!

By Amy Kolo

June 26, 1998; Plover, WI: - Copp’s Food Centers held their 4th Annual Mid-Season Championship this last Friday night. Jeff Weinfurter walked away with the late model mid-season trophy. Gary Wosick took the super stock mid-season, and Shawn Stelzer took home the pure stock mid-season trophy. Presentation of the trophies will be held during the July 3rd race.

Jeff Weinfurter won a late race duel with Gary Back in the CWRA "Mid-Season Championship" feature race for Late Models.   Weinfurter also won his heat race earlier in the evening.

Golden Sands witnesses it’s first cautionless 50 lap feature! Jeff Weinfurter pulled out in front of the pack at the first green flag. Larry Lepak fell right behind him. But by the 7th lap Gary Back was able to slam his car around Lepak for the second position. MG Gajewski started having car problems and went out on the fifth lap.

Monte Gress took the third position away from Lepak by lap nine. Rex Rossier started moving up from the back of the pack to start working on the leaders. Fast timer and Hot n’ Now Ultimate Challenger, Sam Brundidge, was stuck in the back of the pack behind the slower cars. Weinfurter pulled ahead of the pack by at least 3 car lengths and started lapping the slower cars by lap 37. As lapped traffic came into place it looked like Gary Back was going to take the first position away from Weinfurter. Weinfurter held on fast to his position. On the white flag lap it looked like Back was going to take the win, but Weinfurter once again held on fast. Back took second, with Gress in third.

Fast qualifier, Sam Brundidge took the Hot N' Now challenge where the fast qualifier would receive a big bonus if he could come from the tail of the field and win the feature.  Brundidge has trouble working traffic early and only made it up to ninth place when the checkered flag fell in the Late Model feature.

Cary Lyons jumped in the lead during the super stock 30 lap feature. He was running fast and hard, until Tim Plowman took the lead away by the lap 10. Plowman charged ahead. Lyons started falling back as Merle Weinfurter took the second position. Dale Robinson spun coming out of turn 2, but the green stayed out. Robinson soon became a part of lapped traffic. Keith Bohmsach moved up the pack and started working on the leaders. Jason Kirsling and Jason Szymkowiak were only one point away from each other in the point standings.

He's got the point lead!!  Jason Szymkowiak (right)   moved into the point lead in the Super Stock division when rival Jason Kirsling experienced mechanical troubles.  Jason is shown here in victory lane with his brother Josh who was celebrating his birthday.

Szymkowiak raced hard to protect his points lead. And bad luck found Kirsling again as he had more car troubles. By lap 21 Szymkowiak was able to pass three positions and take the lead away from Plowman. Wosick followed suit and took the second position. Greg Gustin in his super stock truck, who also had to start in the rear of the feature for winning the feature last week, soon came all the way up from the back of the pack to work on the leaders. Szymkowiak held on fast to his position. Szymkowiak took the checkered with Wosick in second and Gustin in third.

Jim Stratton took the early lead in the Pure Stock feature and drove away from his competitors en route to the feature victory.   Earlier he also won his heat race. Stratton is the currently second in the point standings to Shawn Stelzer.

With a field of 14 cars, the pure stock feature took place. Jim Stratton jumped into the lead and started pulling away from the rest of the pack. Curt Blenker slammed into position right behind him. Fast timer Todd Radtke and Shawn Stelzer started taking cars three wide trying to get to the front to work on Stratton. Marv Flick got loose coming out of turn one and became lapped traffic. This gave Stratton more of a chance to extend his lead out in the front. Stratton took the checkered with Blenker in second and Reed Rossier in third.

Golden Sands Speedway is a hig-banked 1/3 mile oval, located bwtween Wisconsin Rapids and Plover, WI, on highway 54.  Time Trials for the program start at 6:30 p.m. with racing at 7:45 p.m.  Each week the show features CWRA Late Models, Super Stocks and Pure Stocks with many added special events.  For those special nights please consult our schedule.

Semi-Feature: 1.) Jason Weinkauf; 2.) M.G. Gajewski; 2.) Brian Lambie; 4.) Greg Weinfurter; 4.) Mike Budleski; 5.) Joe Krzykowski; 6.) Brian Seubert
Consolation: 1.) Aaron Roehl; 2.) Bob Macksey; 3.) Scott Beyer; 4.) Jack Greenwood
First Heat: 1.) Donald Trapp; 2.) Gajewski; 3.) Greenwood
Second Heat: 1.) Robert Stolze; 2.) Budleski; 3.) Dean LaPointe
Third 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Jeff Weinfuter; 2.) Larry Lepak; 3.) Kurth

Semi-Feature: 1.) Darwin Brunow; 2.) Dale Robinson; 3.) Wesley Krause; 4.) Scott Hamel; 5.) Dustin Brillowski
First Heat: 1.) John Pleuss; 2.) Hamel; 3.) Robinson
Second Heat: 1.) Pagels; 2.) Weinfurter; 3.) Brillowski
Third Heat: 1.) Storlie; 2.) Bohmsach; 3.) Mike Doughty

First Heat: 1.) Stratton; 2.) Turner; 3.) Blenker
Second Heat: 1.) Stelzer; 2.) Anney Turzinski; 3.) Brooks