Double Features part of Big Show at Golden Sands!

By Amy Kolo

May 17, 1998; Plover, WI: - Friday’s race ended after the Super Stock semi feature. A strong thunderstorm hit the track with high winds, making Sunday’s race a double feature and semi feature show.

Smokin' Joe Krzykowski won the first CWRA Late Model feature event of the day.  Due to a rainout on Friday evening, fans were treated to double features in each class. Krzykowski took advantage of a tangle between the race leaders to take the win in this first feature. sands983b.jpg (13239 bytes)

The first Late Model Feature started with Bobby T in the lead. Chris Wimmer was hot on Bobby’s heals, but not for long. Fast runner Mark Mackesy was able to pass Wimmer for the second position. Smokin’ Joe Krzykowski was fast coming up the field also. All four drivers battled it out until lap 22 when Mackesy started experiencing engine troubles. Mackesy went into the pits. Allowing Jeff Weinfurter to have a chance at some of the top positions. Suddenly on lap 27, Bobby T and Wimmer tangled giving in the lead to Smokin’ Joe and second position to Weinfurter. Smokin’ Joe held on to the end taking the checkered with Weinfurter in second. Gary Back ended up in the third position.

sands983a.jpg (13163 bytes) Mark Mackesy won the second CWRA Late Model feature race, Mackesy took over the lead early in the event and held off all challengers to win his first feature of the year at Golden Sands Speedway.

The second Late Model feature was just as exciting as the first. Fast timer Rex Rossier opted for the Hot N’ Now Ultimate challenge, in which he would have to start from the back of the pack and win the feature to qualify for the $500.00 pot. Mark Mackesy’s engine problems subsided and was able to pull out into the lead, with veteran driver Tom Reffner right behind him. Pete Kempf came back to racing after a year off and moved up into the third position.

By the 9th lap, Bobby T took the third position away from Kempf. Rex Rossier was running had trying to make it to the front. By lap 9 he was already in the 8th position. On lap 26, Bobby T and Reffner tangled sending both drivers to the back of the pack. This gave way to Jeff Weinfurter and Smokin’ Joe once again to come from the back of the pack to the top positions. Rossier was now in the 7th position fighting his way to the top. As the checkered flag dropped Mackesy took first, with Weinfurter in second, and Smokin’ Joe in third. Rex Rossier ended up in the 7th position. A heck of a try.

Merle Weinfurter gave up the lead on the way to victory!!  Weinfurter took over the top spot in the first Super Stock feature only to lose the lead on lap 10.  By being persistent he was able to regain the top running spot on lap 15 and he held it to the checkered flag for his first feature win of 1998 at Central Wisconsin's Power Playground! sands983d.jpg (10740 bytes)

The first Super Stock feature had Scott Hamel in the early lead with John Bell right behind him. On lap 8, Hamel got loose giving the top position to Merle Weinfurter. Bell still held on hard to the second position. By lap 10, Hamel regained the top position from Weinfurter. They battled it out hard for the next 5 laps. Finally Weinfurter took back the first position. By lap 17, both #99 cars got into a snag. Kirsling ended up with a flat and Bell was able to hold his position, until Bell was black flagged for tearing tires.

Everytime someone got a little to close to Bell something sharp on his car would cut a tire. Jason Szymkowiak started making his way to the top. With four laps to go Szymkowiak was able to get around Hamel for the second position. Weinfurter finished first with Szymkowiak in second, and Hamel in third.

sands983c.jpg (11680 bytes) Jason Kirsling who ran into a little bad luck in the first feature getting a flat tire.  In the second feature he had much better luck coming from the back of the pack and charging out front to snare the win!!

During the second Super Stock feature, a lot of action started taking place. Cary Lyons took the lead for the first two laps, then Scott Hamel took the lead for the next four laps, then Keith Bohmsach took the lead. Randy Storlie came up fast behind Bohmsach, as Lyons and Hamel started slipping back.

Jason Kirsling started running hard fighting his way up the from the back of the pack. Kirsling has had the worst luck this year, through blowing a motor and flat tires. Kirsling wanted the win. He started working hard on Bohmsach. Within the next couple of laps he was able to get around Bohmsach for the win. Bohmsach finished second with Storlie in third.

Curt Blenker took the early lead in the first Pure Stock feature. With Brian Stroik hot on his heels. On lap ten a four car collision occurred sending a lot of the fast runners to the pits. At the restart, and just five laps to go, Stroik took the lead with Curtis Turner in second, and Jeff Gruber in third. They were all able to hold their positions for the checkered.

sands983e.jpg (11739 bytes) sands983f.jpg (9543 bytes)
Pure Stock feature winners!!   Left:  In this photo Brian Stroik collected his plaque for winning a pure stock feature, while in the right photo, point leader Shawn Stelzer does the same.

By the second Pure Stock feature the fast runners were back out on the playing field. Roland Kuhn started out in the lead with Curtis Turner stealing it away from him after just four short laps. Then hard charger Jim Stratton banged his way up the field for the top position. Fast runner and new track record holder, Shawn Stelzer was right behind Stratton. The two battled it out for the lead. On the white flag lap Stelzer was able to get around Stratton for the win. Stratton took second with Curtis Turner in third.

The Great North Legends showed for Golden Sands Speedway’s Sunday show. One of Golden Sands Speedway’s old pure stock drivers Danny Dye is now driving a legend car. Galen Manternach started out in the lead with Dwayne Vetrone in second. The two battled it out the whole race dealing with lapped traffic. It was hard to say what cars were on the lead lap, with so many lapped cars. At the end of the race Manternach finished first with Vetrone in second, and Paul Barth in third.

Race Summary - 5/17/98

CWRA Late Model Division
30 Lap Feature Event Time Trials
1. #12 Mark Mackesy 1, #21 Rex  Rossier 12.890 Secs.
2. # 3 Jeff Weinfurter 2. # 3 Jeff Weinfurter 12.934 Secs.
3. #77 Joe Krzykowski 3. #26 Gary Back 12.938 Secs.
4. #26 Gary Back 4. #31 Bobby Turzinski 12.997 Secs.
5. #88 Rory Melbinger 5. #77 Joe Krzykowski 13.002 Secs.
6. #95 Pete Kempf Dash
7. #21 Rex Rossier 1. #26 Gary Back
8. #13 Greg Weinfurter 2. #31 Bobby Turzinski
9. #18 Mike Brahmstedt 3. # 3 Jeff Weinfurter
10. #85 Kirby Kurth

Semi-Feature: 1.) Garrett Fair; 2.) Kurth; 3.) Wayne Cottrell; 4.) Dean LaPointe
First Heat: 1.) Kurth; 2.) Beyer; 3.) Greenwood
Second Heat: 1.) Tom Reffner; 2.) Chris Wimmer; 3.) Melbinger
Third 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Keith Witt; 2.) Troy Nelson; 3.) Back

CWSSA Super Stock Division
25 Lap Feature Event Time Trials
1. #99 Jason Kirsling 1. #91 Andy Simonis 14.079 Secs.
2. #24 Keith Bohmsach 2. #99 Jason Kirsling 14.153 Secs.
3. #53 Randy Storlie 3. #61 Gary Wosick 14.128 Secs.
4. #17 Jason Szymkowiak 4. #27 Judd Brandl 14.159 Secs.
5. #61 Gary Wosick 5. #17 Jason Szymkowiak 14.224 Secs.
6. #78 Scott Hamel Dash
7. # 3 Alan Sansky 1. #17 Jason Szymkowiak
8. #24 Merle Weinfurter 2. #99 Jason Kirsling
9. #44 Greg Gustin 3. #27 Judd Brandl
10. #91 Andy Simonis

Semi-Feature: 1.) Larry Braunsky; 2.) Gustin; 3.) Matt Wisz; 4.) Jim Marquard; 5.) Jame Wojik
First Heat: 1.) Braunsky; 2.) Wisz; 3.) John Bell
Second Heat: 1.) Gustin; 2.) Bohmsach; 3.) Weinfurter
Third Heat: 1.) Greg Back; 2.) Szymkowiak; 3.) Storlie

Pure Stock Division
20 Lap Feature Event Time Trials
1. #40 Shawn Stelzer 1. #40 Shawn Stelzer 15.132 Secs.
2. # 8 Jim Stratton 2. #78 Bradley Scholze 15.218 Secs.
3. #26 Curtis Turner 3. # 8 Jim Stratton 15.308 Secs.
4. #78 Bradley Scholze Dash
5. # 7 Brian Stroik 1. #40 Shawn Stelzer
6. #42 Roland Kuhn 2. # 7 Todd Radtke
7. #301 Curt Blenker 3. #26 Curtis Turner
8. #27 Tony Christamn Jr.

Semi-Feature: 1.) Anney Turzinski; 2.) Blenker; 3.) Marlowe Greening; 4.) Brian Mielke
First Heat: 1.) Turzinski; 2.) Marlow Greening 3.) Blenker
Second Heat: 1.) Stroik; 2.) Kuhn; 3.) Radtke

Legends Division
Feature Event Time Trials
1. # 5 Galen Manternach 1. #27 Charlie Menard 14.461 Secs.
2. #11 Dwayne Vertone 2. #28 Ben Pettis 14.483 Secs.
3. #80 Paul Barth 3. # 7 Scott Brandt 14.499 Secs.
4. #25 Phil Bickley Dash
5. # 6 Curt Gnatzig 1. # 4 B.J. Goodin
6. #878 Aaron Soderberg 2. #55 Dean Fisher
7. #27 Charlie Menard 3. #27 Charlie Menard
8. # 4 B.J. Goodin

First Heat: 1.) Tom Silver; 2.) Milt Kemp; 3.) Kim Hedberg
Second Heat: 1.) Barth; 2.) Tony Robertson; 3.) Mike Bula
Third Heat: 1.) Goodin; 2.) Brandt; 3.) Menard

Race Summary - 5/15/98 (Make Up Events)

CWRA Late Model Division
30 Lap Feature Event Semi-Feature
1. #77 Joe Krzykowski 1. #21 Rex Rossier
2. # 3 Jeff Weinfurter 2. #98 Brian Back
3. #26 Gary Back 3. #38 Garret Fair
4. #18 Mike Brahmstedt 4. #40 Jeremy Lepak
5. #55 Mike Budleski
6. #88 Tom Reffner
7. #21 Rex Rossier
8. #13 Greg Weinfurter
9. #98 Brian Back
10. #85 Kirby Kurth
CWSSA Super Stocks
25 Lap Feature Event Semi-Feature
1. #24 Merle Weinfurter 1. # 4 Larry Braunsky
2. #17 Jason Szymkowiak 2. # 7 Jim Cormack
3. #78 Scott Hamel 3. #53 Randy Storlie
4. #99 John Bell 4. #37 Matt Wisz
5. #62 Greg Back
6. #61 Gary Wosick
7. #91 Andy Simonis
8. #24 Keith Bohmsach
9. #44 Greg Gustin
10. # 3 Alan Sansky
Pure Stocks
20 Lap Feature Event Semi-Feature
1. # 7 Brian Stroik 1. #26 Curtis Turner
2. #26 Curtis Turner 2. #43 Marlowe Greening
3. #26 Jeffrey Gruber 3. #42 Roland Kuhn
4. #78 Bradley Scholze 4. #27 Tony Christman Jr.
5. # 7 Todd Radtke
6. #40 Shawn Stelzer
7. #41 Cal Greening
8. #43 Marlowe Greening