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Second Wind Nets Gress Super Late Win, Hamel Hot in Super Stocks!
By Jeffrey Sachse |
June 17, 2005;
Plover, WI - In
short track racing it's not often you give up the lead, and then get it back, but a second
wind and a burst of speed brought Monte Gress back to the lead after surrendering the
position during the Super Late Model main event on Friday evening at Golden Sands
Speedway. Interestingly enough his win in the main event was almost exactly one year
to the day since his last feature checkered on the high-banked third mile raceway. In the
Super Stock division, Scott Hamel would record his second feature win of the 2005 season
after coming out on top of a side by side duel with Randy Storlie in a contest which went
from green to checkered without interruption. The Pure Stock main event saw fast
qualifier Brad Guralski slice though the field for a convincing win. The evening
concluded with 14 year old Dallas Kralovetz, who was making his debut at the raceway edge
out current division point leader Mike Oehmichen for the victory in their feature contest.
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Monte Gress (#107.5) scored his first Super Late
Model feature win of the 2005 season at Golden Sands Speedway.
Pat Williams (#27) and Monte Gress (#107.5) ran
wheel to wheel for the for a good portion of the first half of the Super Late Model
feature race.
Wayne Mackesy (#93) did a balancing act between
the backstretch hill and the hood of Jason Kirsling (#99) after a tangle during one of the
Super Late Model events. 
Dillon Kralovetz captured the Super Late Model
semi-feature contest. 
Brandon Selle (#98) posted the fastest time of the evening in Super Late Model
action.
Scott Hamel (#78) scored his second Super Stock feature victory of the 2005 season.
Randy Storlie (#53) fought hard to hold the lead in the Super Stock feature, but
Scott Hamel (#78) would make the pass and go on for the victory.
Dan Gollen (#3) had a hard hit with the outside wall during a Super Stock heat
race. He was unhurt, but the same could not be said of his car.
Brian Schmutzer (#55) scored his first career fast qualifying effort in the Super
Stock division.
Brad Guralski set fast time and came back to win the feature in Pure Stock action.
Young Dallas Kralovetz (#21) right, became the youngest driver to win a feature at
Golden Sands Speedway. The 14 year old racer was joined in victory lane after
topping the 4 cylinder main event.
Dale Robinson opening the evening with fast time
in the 4 Cylinder class. |
The Super Late Models rolled out with Pat Williams and Monte
Gress bringing the field to the green flag for their 40 lap feature. Gress using the
outside line would edge out Williams for the opening lead. Williams however clung
tenaciously to the inside line and would stay next to Gress during the opening circuits
never surrendering the battle for the top spot. Further back John Totzke Jr. was
working the high line to progress forward filtering into the fourth spot behind Burton
Brown who held the third position by lap five.
With Gress and Williams still engaged in a side by side duel out
front ten laps into the contest, a similar battle began for third between Brown and
Totzke. However the battles were interrupted on lap 18 when the event was slowed to
reposition Mark Van who was placed back two positions for using to much raceway after
being notified to pick a line by the flagman.
It would be the only slowdown of the contest. The race
restarted with Gress, Williams, Totzke, Brown, Jason Weinkauf and Joe Krzykowski in the
top six spots. When the green flag flew again Totzke got a good jump on Williams and
shot into the runner-up spot using the low line. His momentum would carry him
alongside Gress to battle for the lead position. Gress sticking to the outside line
which he prefers, allowed Totzke to nose ahead for the lead on lap 25, as Gress settled
into second ahead of Williams.
Totzke appeared to be in position to head for his first career
feature win until Gress began to reel him back in with ten laps to go. Further back
Krzykowski has been making steady progress toward the front, sneaking past Brown and
Weinkauf for fourth and then closing on Williams to challenge for third. Perhaps the
fastest car on the raceway, Krzykowski continued to press toward the front reaching second
with six laps to go.
Meanwhile out front Gress would maneuver back past Totzke to regain
the lead he had held throughout much of the contest. Once out front this time, Gress
was able to pull away. Totzke however appeared to begin sliding in the turns
allowing Krzykowski to close quickly and challenge for the second spot. Using the
high line Krzykowski sailed past Totzke for the second spot with four laps
remaining. Gress however has built a small cushion which would suffice in allowing
him to complete the 40 lap distance in first place. At the white Gress still has a
car length on Krzykowski. It would prove to be the final lap as a tangle between
Travis Sauter and defending champion Mark Eswein forced the event to finish under
caution. This allowed Gress to cruise across the line for the win. Krzykowski
would settle for second after a solid charge. Totzke's efforts netted a third place
finish ahead of Williams strong showing rewarded with a fourth place run. When the dust
settled it was Weinkauf rounding out the top five followed by last week's feature winner
Allen Check and the evening's fast qualifier Brandon Selle.
The Super Stock 30 lap feature race proved equally as dramatic, but
that event would go non stop from green to checkered. Randy Storlie would get the best of
Roger Stanczyk after a side by side battle during the opening laps of the contest.
Hamel who started in the second row moved forward under Stanczyk on lap three, squirting
past for the position. Stanczyk would bobble a bit the following lap allowing Galen
Manternatch to rumble into the third slot.
Hamel would opt for the outside line using the outer grooves momentum
to allow him to draw alongside Storlie for the lead. For the next dozen laps Hamel and
Storlie thrilled the fans with clean, hard racing for the top spot. Slowly but
surely Hamel began to gain the advantage finally clearing Storlie for the lead with ten
laps to go in the contest. Once he was able to drop into the lower groove Hamel
began to distance himself from Storlie who now had to content with Manternatch in effort
to hold the second spot.
The race would go to it's conclusion without any slowdowns and Hamel
would secure his second win of the season. Manternatch would manage to work
alongside Storlie on the high side with a pair of laps to go and in a drag race to the
checkered Manternatch would reach the line by a foot ahead of Storlie for second.
Storlie's efforts this evening were rewarded with a third place finish. Fourth would
go to Brian Schmutzer who earlier in the evening recorded his first career fast qualifying
effort. Current point leader Tim Plowman would complete the top five finishers.
Brian Blenker would pace the first two laps of the Pure Stock feature
which had just one caution on the second lap of the fifteen lap contest. On the
restart Blenker would give up his lead to Wally Higgins who then paced the contest until,
while Guralski came from deep in the field picking off cars in rapid order. Guralski
was into the second spot on by the halfway point of the contest and before lap eight began
he burst into the lead.
The only driver who seemed able to match Guralski's pace was Troy
Engman who also worked his way forward quickly reaching the second position on lap
ten. By this time however Guralski had built up a quarter-lap lead and Engman could
do little with that margin on the way to the checkered. At the line it was Guralski
ahead of Engman, Higgins, Dean Zakrezwski, and Andrew Hintz in the top five.
The final event of the evening was the 4 cylinder contest, which
would see young Dallas Kralovetz become the youngest feature winning in Golden Sands
Speedway history. At the age of 14, Kralovetz has already had seven seasons of
racing in karts at area tracks, but this night was his debut in the 4 cylinder
class. Kralovetz was in the third spot in the feature contest when the lead pair
would tangle, leaving Kralovetz in the top spot. On the restart Kralovetz was able
to pull away from the majority of the field with the exception of current point leader
Mike Oehmichen who closed within a couple car lengths over the final five laps waiting for
a mistake by the young driver. The mistake never came and Kralovetz was rewarded for
that effort by winning the contest. Oehmichen would finish second ahead of Timoth
Gorecki, Randy Polansky and Jennifer Nitzsche.
This Sunday afternoon June 19th, it will be the first appearance of
the Limited Late Models on the high-banked third mile oval as those machines lead the way
in a program. Also on hand will Super Stocks and Pure Stocks as they present a full points
awarded program for those two weekly classes. 4 Cylinders will also be on hand for a
show which will allow both front and rear wheel driver cars. Time trials will take place
at 12:30 p.m. and racing will get underway at 2:00 p.m. for the special event.
Next week, Friday Night, June 24th, the regular weekly racing program
will take place with Super Late Models, Super Stocks, 4 Cylinders and Cruisers all taking
to the raceway. In addition fans will have an oppertunity to get invovled with the
"Lete's Make a Deal" live event giveaway. The Friday Night activities 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!
Super Late Models
40 Lap Feature: 1.) Monte Gress; 2.)
Joe Krzykowski; 3.) John Totzke Jr.; 4.) Pat Williams; 5.) Jason Weinkauf; 6.) Allen
Check; 7.) Brandon Selle; 8.) Chris Weinkauf; 9.) Troy Nelson; 10.) Burton Brown
20 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Dillon Kralovetz; 2.) Keith
Bohmsach; 3.) Mark Mackesy; 4.) Blake Horstman; 5.) Brady Baldry; 6.) Dick Coleman
First 12 Lap Heat: 1.) D. Coleman 2.) Gene Coleman; 3.) Blake
Horstman
Second 12 Lap Heat: 1.) Baldry; 2.) Steve Gress; 3.) Keith
Bohmsach
Third 12 Lap Heat: 1.) Frank Nitzke; 2.) Williams; 3.) Mark
Mackesy
Fourth 12 Lap Heat: 1.) Troy Nelson; 2.) Mark Eswein; 3.) Travis Sauter
Fast Qualifier: Selle, 12.023 Seconds
Super Stocks
30 Lap Feature: 1.) Scott Hamel; 2.)
Galen Manternatch; 3.) Randy Storlie; 4.) Brian Schmutzer; 5.) Tim Plowman; 6.) Wes Coon;
7.) Mike Brooks; 8.) Roger Stanczyk; 9.) Sam Anderson; 10.) Collin Wilcott
15 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Ken Soyka; 2.) Tim
Zuehlke; 3.) Dan Braun; 4.) Brad Scholze; 5.) Matt Osowski; 6.) David Pagels
First 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Matt Osowski; 2.) Ken Soyka; 3.) Duane
Robinson
Second 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Tim Zuehlke; 2.) Bradley Scholze; 3.)
Randy Storlie
Third 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Sam Anderson; 2.) Wes Coon; 3.) Scott Hamel
Fast Qualifier: Schmutzer, 13.293 Seconds
Pure Stocks
15 Lap Feature: 1.) Brad Guralski; 2.)
Troy Engman; 3.) Wally Higgins; 4.) Dean Zakrezwski; 5.) Andrew Hintz; 6.) Todd Kuehl
Fast Qualifier: Guralski; 15.216 Seconds
4 Cylinder
Feature
15 Lap Feature: 1.) Dallas Kralovetz;
2.) Mike Oehmichen; 3.) Timothy Gorecki; 4.) Randy Polansky; 5.) Jennifer Nitzsche 6.)
Brandon Polansky
First 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Randy Nitzsche
Second 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Dale Robinson
Fast Qualifier: Robinson; |