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Weinfurter Captures Victory #3 In Super Late Action! Manternatch Collects
Career First Super Stock Win!
By Jeffrey Sachse |
June 11, 2004;
Plover, WI - Jeff
Weinfurter matched his car number in Super Late Model victories this season as his yellow
#3 machine lead the field to the checkered flag in the Super Late Model headliner. On a
cool damp night more befitting of late fall and early summer a group of dedicated fans
witnessed Weinfurter fend off both Eugene Gregorich and Brian Back for the win on a race
that ran 40 laps non-stop.
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Jeff Weinfurter (#3) earned his third Super Late
Model feature win of the 2004 season at Golden Sands Speedway.
Jeff Weinfurter (#3) works the low line past Eugene Gregorich (#14) for the lead in
the Super Late Model main event.
The final laps of the Super Late Model main event saw a great battle between Eugene
Gregorich (#14) and Brian Back (#61) for the runner-up position.
Brandon Selle (#98) turned in a solid showing taking the fast Super Late Model heat
and later finishing sixth in the feature event..
Travis Sauter (#01) made his first appearance of the year at Golden Sands Speedway
and turned in the fastest qualifying lap of the Super Late Models.
Galen Manternatch (#5) scored his first career Super Stock feature victory.
Using the low line Galen Manternatch (#5) and Tim Hintz go by former race leader
Brian Schmutzer (#55) during the Super Stock feature race..
Tim Plowman (#80) sets fast time again this evening in the Super Stock division.
Brad Guralski (#16) holds a slim point lead in the Pure Stock division after
capturing another feature event.
Eric Nelson (#94) works the low line past a pair of competitors in the Pure Stock
feature.
Troy Engman (#99) rebounded from this tip off the raceway in the Pure Stock heat,
to turning in a second second place showing in the feature contest. |
In Super Stock action Galen Manternatch spent the feature contest with Tim Hintz
nipping at his heels. Manternatch drove a smooth line around the high banked third
mile oval and was rewarded with his first career feature victory. In Pure Stock
action, current point leader Brad Guralski would lead just the final 20 feet of the
contest, taking the lead from Troy Engman coming out of the final turn. He would
reach the finish line inches ahead of Engman to score the victory. The 2-man
Cruisers completed the evening with the teams of Netzel and Jesko taking the first feature
and the team of Clark and Boyer earning the victory in the second feature contest.
The entire show was completed before 10 p.m., and the final checkered flag in the Cruiser
division was waving just as a light rain began to fall.
The opening laps of the 40 lap Super Late Model contest looked like a Back family
reunion with Greg Back and Brian Back sharing the front row for the drop of the green
flag. Brian Back using the outside lane surged ahead for the lead brining Eugene
Gregorich and Jeff Weinfurter with him. The outside line proved to be the fast
groove and on lap three, Eugene Gregorich surged past Brian Back for the lead.
Weinfurter followed suit and found himself in second before the conclusion of the lap.
Gregorich's ran a solid pace and both he and Weinfurter managed to separate themselves
from the field. Weinfurter applied the pressure to Gregorich looking both high and
low for a passing opportunity. He found that opportunity running the low line and on
lap seven he drew alongside Gregorich to battle for the lead. The pair ran wheel to
wheel for a cou8ple laps before Weinfurter secured the lead position.
Though he had convincingly taken the lead Weinfurter only managed a small cushion over
Gregorich as the laps quickly clicked by. At the halfway point of the contest
Weinfurter, Gregorich and Brian Back occupied the top three positions and had created a
dozen car length advantage on the fourth place car of defending track champion and current
point leader Mark Eswein, while fifth was being held by top rookie in the class Keith
Bohmsach.
With no cautions to bunch the field it became apparent the win would be decided between
the lead trio. Weinfurter clung tenaciously to the lead, with Gregorich on occasion
looking to his inside but he was unable to draw alongside to attempt a serious challenge.
In the closing laps Weinfurter's run to victory received some addition assistance as
Brian Back began to pressure Gregorich for the runner-up spot. Jeremy Lepak, who
started deep in the field had slowly worked forward since the green flag fell, had worked
by Eswein for the fourth spot with ten laps to go in the contest.
Weinfurter would reach the checkered with a five car length advantage over Gregorich.
Gregorich successfully defended his second position after Brian Back had worked to
his inside trying to make a final lap bid for the position. Back would settle for third.
Lepak would take fourth with Eswein completing the top five runners.
The Super Stock main event had but a single caution to slow the pace during the
contest. Brian Schmutzer and Matt Raykowski were the pair doing battle for the
opening lead with Schmutzer securing the top spot. Schmutzer would set the pace,
while Manternatch began to march forward. Manternatch would reach the runner-up spot
on lap six with Tim Hintz in tow.
Schmutzer having the strongest run of the young season kept Manternatch in his tire
tracks until lap 8, when Manternatch worked the low groove to take the lead position from
Schmutzer. On the following lap Hintz lower Schmutzer another position as he
captured the runner-up position. Schmutzer would continue to fade as the contest
progressed.
The only slowdown in the contest occurred on lap 15 when Raykowski and David Pagels
became tangled in turn one. The race resumed with Manternatch holding the lead and
Hintz seeking the top. They managed to pull away from third place runner Tim Zuehlke
for a private battle for the top spot. Running a flawless race Manternatch was able
to repel all challenges by Hintz and he reached the finish line with a one car length lead
for his first career feature checkered. Hintz followed in second. All the
while third place was hotly contested with several drivers doing battle for the position.
Scott Hamel, finally put a solid claim on the spot with eight laps remaining.
Mike Brooks with a solid showing took fourth followed by the evening's fast
qualifier and last weeks feature winner Tim Plowman in fifth.
The Pure Stock contest appeared to be in the hands of Troy Engman who had a solid lead
with five laps remaining in the feature race. Brad Guralski who had taken the
runner-up spot at the halfway point of the race had other plans however as he cut Engman's
lead with each passing lap. As the white flag flew Guralski reached Engman's rear
bumper, before drawing alongside him going down the backstretch. Coming out of the
final turn, the pair were dead event and a drag race to the finish line had begun.
Guralski would reach the line a foot ahead in one of the closest contests of the
season. Engman would finish second after a great race. defending division
champion Eric Nelson earned third, followed by Christopher Rindfleisch and Michael Gwidt
in the top five.
Next Friday evening weekly racing will continue with a show presented by Werner
Electric featuring Super Late Models, Super Stocks, Pure Stocks and a return of the 2-Man
Cruisers. The evening will also feature the second appearance of the Bus Racing event,
which always provide plenty of thrills and spill for the fans.
Friday evening shows begin with qualifying at 6:30 p.m., and racing at 7:45 p.m.
Golden Sands Speedway "Central Wisconsin's Power Playground" is located
between Wisconsin Rapids and Plover, Wisconsin on Highway 54. For additional
information please call (715) 423-4660 or consult the track website at www.goldensandsspeedway.com
For
complete RACESTAT Race Results Click Here!
Late Models
40 Lap Feature: 1.) Jeff Weinfurter;
2.) Eugene Gregorich; 3.) Brian Back; 4.) Jeremy Lepak; 5.) Mark Eswein; 6.) Brandon
Selle; 7.) Travis Sauter; 8.) Jason Weinkauf; 9.) Kirby Kurth; 10.) Monte Gress
20 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Banejamin Brinkmain; 2.) Steve Gress; 3.)
Nicholas Anderson; 4.) Mark Mackesy; 5.) Allen Check; 6.) John Totzke Jr.
First 12 Lap Heat: 1.) John Totzke Jr.; 2.) Joel Schulz; 3.) Rene
Sceinoha
Second 12 Lap Heat: 1.) Check; 2.) Brinkman; 3.) S. Gress
Third 12 Lap Heat: 1.) Weinfurter; 2.) G. Back; 3.) Eswein
Fourth 12 Lap Heat: 1.) Selle; 2.) J. Weinkaf; 3.) Lepak
Fast Qualifier: Sauter, 12.227 Seconds
Super Stocks
25 Lap Feature: 1.) Galen Manternatch;
2.) Tim Hintz; 3.) Scott Hamel; 4.) Mike Brooks; 5.) Tim Plowman; 6.) Shawn Stelzer; 7.)
Tim Zuehlke; 8.) Matt Pyburn; 9.) Brian Schmutzer; 10.) Dan Gollen
15 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) David Pagels; 2.) Brad Scholze; 3.) Wally
Kallman; 4.) Don Cline; 5.) Matt Komatz
First 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Scholze; 2.) Ken Soyka; 3.) Cline
Second 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Pagels; 2.) Zuehlke; 3.) Brooks
Third 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Manternatch; 2.) Hintz; 3.) Gollen
Fast Qualifier: Plowman, 13.593 Seconds
Pure Stocks
15 Lap Feature: 1.) Brad Guralski; 2.)
Troy Engman; 3.) Eric Nelson; 4.) Christopher Rindfleisch; 5.) Michael Gwidt; 6.) Scott
Strigel; 7.) Shane Floistad; 8.) Andrew Hintz
First 8 Lap Heat: 1.) Floistad; 2.) Rindfleisch; 3.) Bob Cook
Second 8 Lap Heat: 1.) Strigel; 2.) Nelson; 3.) Guralski
Fast Qualifier: Guralski, 15.396 Seconds
2 Man Cruisers
First 10 Lap Feature: 1.) Netzel/Jisko;
2.) Wierzba/Wierzba; 3.) Kampert/Kluck; 4.) No Card; 5.) Bitsky/Wogernese
Second 10 Lap Feature: 1.) Clark/Boyer; 2.) Kampert/Kampert; 3.)
Turzinski/Turzinski; 4.) Szymkowiak/Pionek; 5.) Pingel/Williams |