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Nitzke and Plowman Take Mid-Season Championship Checkereds!
By Jeffrey Sachse |
July 15, 2005;
Plover, WI - The
Coca-Cola / Charter Communications Mid-Season Championship events at Golden Sands Speedway
provided their share of thrills and spills as action took to the high-banked third mile
oval.
Frank Nitzke would outrun Jason Weinkauf for his second Super Late Model feature win of
the 2005 season. In the Super Stock division, defending division champion and
current point leader Tim Plowman charged through the field to earn his third feature this
year. The Pure Stock class was a wild affair with roll overs, red flags and assorted
mayhem. When the dust settled and the smoke cleared it was Dean Zakrezwski sitting
in victory lane with his first career feature win in hand. The final class of the evening,
the 4 cylinders, also saw their share of wild racing action, and when the checkered flag
fell Chris Luedtke had his first feature win of the year on the high-banked third mile
oval.
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Frank Nitzke (#18) earned his season feature win
of 2005 by capturing the Mid-Season Championship Super Late Model main event at Golden
Sands Speedway.
Frank Nitzke (#18) works under Mark Van (#66)
during the opening laps of the Super Late Model feature race.
Dillon Kralovetz (#2) captured the Super Late Model semi-feature event.
Smokin' Joe Krzykowski (#77) has been on a roll,
having won a pair of Super Late Model feature back to back. This evening he turned
in the fastest qualifying effort.
Defending Super Stock champion Tim Plowman (#80)
set fast time and later came back to win the feature to score the overall Mid-Season
Championship title.
Collin Wilcott (#16) works under Tim Plowman (#80) in the closing laps of the Super
Stock feature, but a wiggle on the last turn allowed Plowman to reach the checkered first.
An unfortunate meeting between Randy Storlie (#53) and Wally Kallman (#7) hindered
their evening in Super Stock action.
Dean Zakrezwski (#19) collected his first career Pure Stock feature victory.
Mike Gwidt (#25) got upside down during the
early laps of the Pure Stock feature race. He was not injured in the accident.
14 year old Dallas Kralovetz (#21) earned the
overall Mid-Season Championship title in the 4 cylinder class. 
Curt Luedtke (#51) came away with the feature
win in a wild 4 cylinder main event. |
The 50 lap Super Late Model feature race would be presented
with Frank Nitzke and Mark Van making up the front row. Nitzke and Van squared off
over the opening laps with Nitzke running the high line and getting the opening lead.
Van found himself having to defend second from a hard charging Jason Weinkauf.
Before the battles had opportunity to settle themselves out the first
and only caution of the contest appeared on lap five when Casey Chase got turned around in
turn four.
The field came back to the green with Nitzke, Van, Weinkauf, Monte
Gress and Brandon Selle occupying the top five slots. Nitzke went back to the lead
while the outside groove proved fruitful for both Weinkauf and Selle. On lap ten,
Weinkauf used the high line to work past Van for the runner-up spot, while Selle's efforts
in the high line paid off with a move into the fourth spot at the expense of Gress. Selle
then switched lanes working the bottom of the track and quickly dispatched Van for the
third position.
By lap 15 the lead trio of Nitzke, Weinkauf and Selle began to break
away from the pack behind them, with Nitzke's bright green car turning in blistering laps.
The top five remained the same when the halfway point of the race was
reached with Niztke working out to a five car length lead.
Gress would work past Van for the fourth spot on lap 26 brining Jeff
Weinfurter with him to reach the top five. Just behind them Joe Krzykowski who won
the feature contests the prior two weeks began to surge forward.
On lap 30, Weinfurter managed to work under Gress for the fourth spot
brining Krzykowski with him to fifth. The top three runners of Nitzke, Weinkauf and
Selle, had nearly a quarter-lap lead on Weinfurter by this point with the field strung out
all the way around the third-mile oval.
The leaders began to work lapped traffic as the final ten laps
approached with Nitzke managing to keep a small lead as he worked traffic. Nitzke's
victory was assured over the final five laps as he made some good moves through lapped
cars and further extended his lead. Nitzke would reach the finish line with a eight
car length margin on Weinkauf. Selle would reach the finishing in third, his
strongest run of the 2005 season so far. Krzykowski would work by Weinfurter for
fourth before the checkered but was unable to close on the lead trio. Weinfurter
would complete the top five runners.
Brian Schmutzer and visiting racer Cale Laessig bought the Super
Stock main event to the green flag. Schmutzer, knowing his home raceway well would
shoot into the opening lead while Laessig found himself quickly challenged by the local
drivers. Collin Wilcott and Tim Plowman were among the first drivers to jump to the
outside and found themselves moving forward rapidly reaching second and third by lap five.
Schmutzer soon found both Wilcott and Plowman testing him for the
lead position. Schmutzer clung to the bottom groove and would set the pace until lap
16 when Plowman jumped to the outside of the lead pair and managed to work past both
drivers for the top spot.
Plowman then sought to stretch out his lead. Wilcott however
had other plans. In a move similar to Plowman, Wilcott worked the high line past
Schmutzer to reach the second position. The lead pair of Plowman and Wilcott then
slowly pulled away from the field.
The only slowdown occurred with eleven laps to go in the contest as
Chris Brooks spun in turn three. This tightened the field and when the race resumed
Plowman and Wilcott continued their tussle for the lead. The battle for third
between Schmutzer and Roger Stanczyk became heated as the pair traded paint on several
occasions before Stanczyk wiggled past for possession of the third position. Out
front Plowman continued to click off laps with Wilcott in his tire tracks. As the
final laps approached Plowman managed to gain a small cushion and reached the checkered
two car lengths ahead of Wilcott. Stanczyk finished the contest in third ahead of
Schmutzer and Scott Hamel in the top five.
The 4 cylinder contest was spiced with several spins and spills
before action finally settled in during the last half of their main event. Curt
Luedtke driving a smooth race was rewarded with the lead as he was chased by Casey Koback
to the line scooting his first victory in the division of the 2005 season. 14 year
old Dallas Kralovetz who made his debut several weeks ago turned in a steady performance
this evening with a fast qualifying effort, a win in his heat and a top five feature run,
to be named the overall Mid-Season championship winner in the class.
The Pure Stock main event was even more dramatic with several
cautions the first few laps including one which was necessitated when a pack of cars got
together and resulted in Michael Gwidt getting upside down off turn two. Though he
was uninjured he was forced to drop from the contest.
By the midway point Dean Zakrezwski had worked past Marcus Marti for
the lead of the race and continued to click off smooth laps allowing him to pull away from
those behind him. Frank Calabrese would rumble into the second spot with a handful
of laps to go but the veteran driver was unable to close on Zakrezwski who made his way to
the checkered flag for his first career feature win in the class. Calabrese would
settle for second followed by current point leader Brad Guralski who was also the
evening's fast qualifier. Marti and Andrew Hintz would complete the top five runners.
Next week, Friday Night, July 22nd, will be Team Schierl Night at the
races featuring Super Late Models, Super Stock and Pure Stocks. Children will also
be part of the evening's action with a Big Wheel Demo Derby! The racing program itself
will feature extender main events for the Super Late Models and Super Stocks, with Pure
Stocks and 2-Man Cruisers also on the program. The Friday Night activities on the
high-banked third mile oval will begin with time trails at 6:30 p.m. and the first race
taking place at 7:45 p.m.
The following week will be a double-header weekend with the Wisconsin
Challenge Series making it's final appearance of the season on the high-banked third mile
on Friday evening July 29th, featuring many of the Midwest's finest Super Late Model
racers. The highlight of the evening will be a 100 lap main event. A pair of
30 lap qualifying races will set the field for the big event. The show will also
feature Wisconsin Sport Trucks and 2-Man Cruisers. Time trails will be at 6:30 p.m. and
the first race taking place at 7:45 p.m.
The on Sunday Afternoon, July 31st, will be a special 10th
Anniversary Party event. The show will present Super Late Models, Super Stocks, Pure
Stocks and 4 cylinders. Fans will be able to take advantage of reduced admission
thanks to special carload pricing. Time trials will take place at 12:30 p.m. and
racing will get underway at 2:00 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
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