 |
Travis Sauter Collects First Super Late Victory at Sands!
Storlie Remains Hot in Super Stocks!
By Jeffrey Sachse |
July 31, 2005;
Plover, WI - A hearty group of sun soaked fans were on hand to witness Travis Sauter
capture his first career Super Late Model victory at Golden Sands Speedway after a
thrilling duel with speedway regular Jeff Weinfurter during a special Sunday Afternoon
program at Golden Sands Speedway. The program, a special, 10th Anniversary
commemorative event celebrated the 10th year of ownership of the high banked third mile
oval by Darrell and Shela Bassuener.
|
Travis Sauter (#01) scored his first career
Super Late Model victory when he took home the main event on a warm Sunday afternoon at
Golden Sands Speedway.
Jeff Weinfurter (#3) and Travis Sauter (#01)
went wheel to wheel for the win during the closing stages of the Super Late Model main
event.
Monte Gress (#107.5) gets the jump on Mark Van (#66) at the start of the Super Late
Model feature race.
Steve Gress (#4) captured the Super Late Model
semi-feature to earn his way into the main event.
Troy Nelson (#66) turned in the fastest
qualifying lap of the day in Super Late Model action.
Randy Storlie (#53) has been a frequent visitor to the winner's circle this season
after the Super Stock feature races.
Randy Storlie (#53) works the high line past Brian Weinfurter (#24) for the lead in
the Super Stock feature race.
Current division point leader Tim Plowman (#80)
turned in fast qualifying honors in the Super Stocks..
Dean Zakrezwski (#19) earned his first feature
win a couple weeks ago in Pure Stock action, and decided to make another trip to victory
lane this week.
Troy Engman (#99) turned in the fastest lap
during Pure Stock qualifying.
Though his machine was slightly battered after an accident at the finish of the
race, Dallas Kralovetz (#21) was all smiles after taking the checkered flag in the 4
cylinder contest. |
In the Super Stock division, Randy Storlie continued his
winning ways turning in a dominating performance on his way to the checkered in the
feature race. The Pure Stock division saw Dean Zakrezwski come away with top honors
in the main event after a hard fought battle in the closing laps of the race. The
final checkered of the day fell with a bang as 14 year old Dallas Kralovetz captured the 4
cylinder feature crossing the finish line first in spite of being sent spinning into the
safety barrier just past the finish line by another competitor as the race completed.
The Late Model main event would see some excellent side by side
battles throughout the field, and the most notable was the duel for the lead during the
closing laps of the contest.
Monte Gress and Mark Van brought the field to the green flag for
the 40 lap main event, with Gress getting the upper hand on Van. Gress would set the pace
during the opening rounds. Jason Weinkauf and Jeff Weinfurter would contest the
third spot while Travis Sauter would crack the top five for the first time on lap two
after starting mid-pack.
Weinfurter would maneuver past Weinkauf with a slick inside move
on lap seven to take the third spot and Sauter followed shortly thereafter to advance to
fourth.
The only slowdown of the contest would occur on lap nine when
defending champion Mark Eswein suffered a flat tire and spun heading into turn one.
Underway again Gress went back to the lead, but Weinfurter was on
the move. As soon as the green flag flew Weinfurter darted past Van for the second
spot and quickly closed on Gress. At the halfway point of the race Gress found his
lead being challenged as Weinfurter continued to rumble toward the front working by on the
outside.
Sauter had been following Weinfurter's every move and was soon
challenging Gress for the second spot. After a brief battle Sauter would secure the
second spot setting up the stage for a thrilling battle for the lead.
Weinfurter a veteran of many season's on the high banked third
mile oval would watch his lead shrink over the young hard-charging Sauter. With a
dozen laps to go in the contest, Weinfurter would opt to take the lower line around the
racetrack, while Sauter began to experiment with a higher groove, while Gress, Weinkauf
and Allen Check gave chase in the top five spots.
Sauter would succeed in moving alongside Weinfurter in the high
line as the pair raced side by side around the raceway. For several laps the two ran
wheel to wheel with neither gaining the advantage. That began to change with five
laps left in the race when Sauter began to sneak ahead. After a tenacious battle Sauter
would secure the top spot with just three laps to go as Weinfurter fell in behind the new
leader looking to rally. Gress continued to hold third, with Check working past
Weinkauf for the fourth slot.
Sauter was able to keep Weinfurter in his tire tracks for the
final trips around the raceway, earning his first career feature win at the facility.
Weinfurter would finish second followed by Gress, Check and Weinkauf.
Brian Weinfurter and Randy Storlie brought the Super Stock
feature up to speed in their main event. Storlie would get the upper hand at the
drop of the green flag. Weinfurter would fall into the second slot followed by Roger
Stanczyk and Chris Brooks. The 30 lap contest would go the entire distance without a
single slowdown, and as a result some of Storlie's biggest challenges came early as
Weinfurter and Stanczyk looked to advance.
Storlie would began to motor away from the pack and found himself
with a six car length lead on Weinfurter by lap ten. Stanczyk would maintain the
third spot, while fourth became a battle of the Brook's family as Mike Brooks began to
work by Chris Brooks, making the pass to take fourth. Mike Brooks continued his
march forward working past Stanczyk before the halfway point of the contest for third.
With no yellows to slow his pace, Storlie increased his margin in
Weinfurter with each passing lap stretching his lead to a dozen car lengths with ten laps
to go. With Storlie's only real challenge being surpassing lapped cars, second
place began to be contested between Weinfurter and Mike Brooks who closed on Weinfurter's
rear bumper. With five laps to go Brooks would sweep into the second spot, but Storlie
remained out front with a straight-away lead.
The final laps clicked off with Storlie reaching the line for the
victory. Brooks would close slightly over the final circuits but would settle for
second. Weinfurter would lay claim to third. A late charge by current division
point leader and the fast qualifier of the day, Tim Plowman would net a fourth place
finish. Stanczyk would complete the top five runners.
The Pure Stock feature contest was another well run event with
only a single caution to slow the pace. Dean Zakrezwski would rumble past Raymond
Kramer for the top spot before the halfway point of the race and looked to have his sights
set on an easy victory. However a spin by Casey Wulf would bunch the field with five
laps to go.
Zakrezwski would have Marcus Marti, Mike Gwidt and division point
leader Brad Guralski on his tail for the restart. Zakrezwski would be pressure by
Marti for the top spot at the drop of the green flag with Marti right on Zakrezwski's rear
bumper. Marti would slip slightly temporarily slowing himself and Gwidt and allowing
Guralski to work the high groove to sweep past both drivers.
Over the final few laps Guralski attempted to close on
Zakrezwski, but he was unable to unseat the leader with Zakrezwski earning his second
feature win of the season, Guralski would settle for second followed by Gwidt, Marti and
Kramer in the top five positions.
The final race of the day saw Dallas Kralovetz take a wild wide
as the checkered fell in the 4cylinder feature. After making a pass for the lead on
Curtis Luedtke in the final turn, Luedtke made contact with Kralovetz as the pair raced
toward the stripe. Kralovetz slide acrossed the finish line sideways taking the win,
but his momentum carried him into the wall just beyond the flagstand.
The young driver was unhurt and the fans cheered as the young
driver accepted accolades in victory lane.
Next week, Friday Night, August 5th will be CARQUEST Auto Parts Kid's
Night. The racing program itself will feature Super Late Models, Super Stocks and 4
Cylinders, with the 2-Man Cruiser's joining the show. 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.
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! |