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Gregorich Jr. Dominates
Non-Stop Super Late Headliner!
Manternach Collects Super Stock Victory!
By Jeffrey Sachse |
July 7,
2006;
Plover, WI -
Switching to his own car this evening Eugene Gregorich Jr. stepped
behind the wheel of his familiar #14 machine and then set off to turn in
a dominating performance to win his first Super Late Model feature
victory of the season at Golden Sands Speedway in dominating fashion.
In the Super Stock division, it was Galen Manternach getting the upper
hand early in the feature event and fending off Matt Raykowski for his
second win of the young season. The Pure Stock class would see
visiting driver Brad Lucky collect his first career feature win at the
raceway.
The evening concluded with the 2-Man Cruiser contests, the first of
which included many metal mangling mishaps. Though none of the
driver's were injured in the accidents, those hoping for a little metal
grinding mayhem got their money's worth. Victories in the three
contests went to the teams of Pezewski / Auclair, Kelley / Resheski and
Green / Wheelock.
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Eugene
Gregorich Jr. (#14) captured his first Super Late Model feature
victory of the 2006 season at Golden Sands Speedway in convincing
fashion.
Eugene
Gregorich Jr. (#14) works the high line past Joe Krzykowski (#77)
for the lead in the Super Late Model feature, while Blake Horstman
(#75) gives chase.
Defending track champion Mark Eswein (#71) slips past Mark Mackesy
who was carrying the number (#25) to honor the memory of Larry
Detjens. Eswein would finish third in the contest. Mackesy
would settle for fifth.
Jeff Weinfurter (#3) collected the checkered flag in
the Super Late Model semi-feature race.
Kenny Richards (#9) the current Super Late Model point leader turned
in the fastest qualifying lap.
Galen Manternach
collected his second Super Stock victory of the 2006 racing season.
Galen Manternach (#5) works past Dan Gilster (#23)
for the lead in the Super Stock feature. Manternach would pace the
rest of the contest for the win.
Whoops! An early heat race accident collected
several machine in Super Stock action. All would be able to
return later in the evening.
Brad Luck (#61) made his way to victory lane in his first visit to
Golden Sands Speedway, by topping the Pure Stock main event.
Dean Zakrezwski (#19) the current point leader in the Pure Stocks,
turned in the evening's fast qualifying lap.
The 2-Man Cruisers had nearly 30 participants
resulting in three feature races. They were won by the teams
of Pezewski/Auclair (#23); Kelley/Resheske (#96); and the familiar
faces of Green/Wheelock (#73). |
The 40 lap Super Late Model main event began with veteran racer
Joe Krzykowski and hard charging youngster Eugene Gregorich Jr. brining
the field to the green flag/ The pair would run door to door for
the opening rounds, with Gregorich using the high line to surge ahead by
the end of lap two. His fellow competitors would spend the balance
of the race following in Gregorich's wake in the non-stop contest. Still
the battles behind the leader raged throughout the contest.
Krzykowski would surrender the runner-up spot to Blake Horstman on
lap three, as Horstman set out after Gregorich. By lap ten Krzykowski
was still fighting hard to maintain his position, but lost another spot
as Mark Mackesy, sporting the #25 this week to honor the memory of Larry
Detjens, whose memorial race Mackesy won the evening before.
By the halfway point of the contest, Gregorich Jr. had opened up a
dozen car length lead on Horstman, who had a cushion of his own on
Mackesy who was caught up in a battle with defending track champion Mark
Eswein for third spot. The side by side battle between Mackesy and
Eswein thrilled the fans but allowed the lead pair of Gregorich Jr., and
Horstman to pull even further away. Eswein would gain the upper hand on
Mackesy for the third spot with 14 laps to go in the contest.
While the lead trio held their positions Mackesy would find himself
having to defend his position again as Jim Duchow, turning in his best
performance of the season, had charged through the pack from deep in the
field after setting the second quickest qualifying effort third evening.
Duchow would make the pass on Mackesy for fourth but fewer then ten laps
remained to catch the lead trio.
Though Gregorich's pace would cause him to encounter lapped traffic
during the final laps of the event he was able to take the victory by a
comfortable 12 car length margin. Horstman would settle for second
after an impressive run. Eswein held onto third. Duchow claimed
fourth and Mackesy would reach the stripe in fifth.
The Super Stock feature event was a unique contest. The first
have of the race was unsettled with a couple accidents, while the second
half of the race settled in as the fast pace allowed for very little
advancement among the leaders.
Visiting driver Dan Gilster from the LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway
worked ahead of Galen Manternach at the start of the 25 lap feature
contest, but Manternach would rally and muscle by Gilster for the lead
on five as the pair raced off turn four. Gilster would bobble a bit the
next circuit allowing Matt Raykowski to fly by for the runner-up spot on
the following lap.
Lap ten would be the undoing of two of the front runners as Tim
Plowman and Scott Hamel touched coming off turn one sending Plowman
spinning off the raceway. Both drivers would resume the contest
from the tail of the field after having reached the top five.
Plowman's woes continued moments later as the defending division
champion retired to the pits with mechanical ills.
When the race resumed Manternach went back to setting the pace with
Raykowski, Wes Coon, Gilster and Josh Oleson giving chase.
Manternach would extend his lead to four car lengths over Raykowski who
had Coon pressuring for the runner-up spot.
The lead pack continued to run nose to tail throughout the balance of
the race as everyone's pace was nearly equal. Manternach would
reach the stripe first to score the win, his second of the 2006 season.
Raykowski would settle for second ahead of Coon, while Gilster and
Oleson completed the top five finishers.
Matt Ciesielski took the opening lead in the Pure Stock contest with
Todd Kuehl and visiting racer Brad Luck following. Luck adapted
quickly to the high-banked oval as he continued his march forward.
Ciesielski would lead the way until Luck worked to his inside on lap six
taking over the top position.
Dean Zakrezwski the evenings fast qualifier and division point leader
was making rapid progress to the front working into the second spot with
eight laps to go. Zakrezwski would close in on Luck's rear bumper
with five laps to go in the contest, but Luck held tenaciously to the
lead, hugging the lower groove. Though Zakrezwski made several
attempts to wrestle away the top spot it would be Luck reaching the
finish line first for the win. Zakrezwski would settle for a close
second followed by Michael Gwidt, Troy Engman and Ron Grabarski.
Next week, July 14th, Charter Communications will present an action
packed evening which will include the Faster Pastor races.
Ministry leaders from area congregations will take to the high banked
oval in a special event. The night will also feature racing in the
Super Late Model, Super Stock and 4 cylinder divisions. The night
will conclude with your chance to take to the high-banked third mile
oval, as Spectator Drags will take place.
Golden Sands Speedway 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
50
Lap Feature:
1.) Eugene Gregorich Jr.; 2.) Blake
Horstman; 3.) Mark Eswein; 4.) Jim Duchow; 5.) Mark Mackesy; 6.) Joe
Krzykowski; 7.) Kenny Richards; 8.) Tim Hintz; 9.) Keith Bohmsach; 10.)
Brandon Selle
25 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Jeff Weinfurter; 2.)
Frank Nitzke; 3.) Chris Weinkauf; 4.) Elliott Weiler; 5.) Steve Gress;
6.) Ted Reichenberger
First 12 Lap Heat: 1.) Weiler; 2.) Rene
Scheinoha; 3.) Steve Gress
Second 12 Lap Heat: 1.) C. Weinkauf; 2.) Check;
3.) Nitzke
Third 12 Lap Heat: 1.) Monte Gress; 2.) Selle;
3.) Eswein
Fast Qualifier: Richards, 12.112 Seconds
Super Stocks
30
Lap Feature:
1.) Galen Manternach; 2.) Matt
Raykowski; 3.) Wes Coon; 4.) Dan Gilster; 5.) Josh Oleson; 6.) Brian
Weinfurter; 7.) Dave Neitzke; 8.) Randy Storlie; 9.) Brian Back; 10.)
Scott Hamel
15 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Brad Scholze; 2.) Roger
Stanczyk; 3.) Adam Krzykowski; 4.) Dennis Crass; 5.) Duane Robinson
First 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Crass; 2.) Bert Soyka;
3.) Scholze
Second 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Storlie; 2.) Gilster;
3.) Manternach
Third 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Tim Plowman; 2.) Back;
3.) Coon
Fast Qualifier: Plowman, 13.307 Seconds
Pure
Stocks
15 Lap Feature:
1.) Brad
Luck; 2.) Dean Zakrezwski; 3.) Michael Gwidt; 4.) Troy Engman; 5.) Ron
Grabarski; 6.) Dean Aschbacher; 7.) Andrew Hintz; 8.) Matt Ciesielski
10 Lap B-Feature:
1.) Troy Porter; 2.) Matt Hansen; 3.) Coletta Gomes; 4.) Mark
Kaeliher; 5.) Shane Bates
First 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Kaeliher; 2.) Porter; 3.) Robert Hinz
Second 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Chuck Stebbens; 2.)
Ciesielski; 3.) Jason Dunn
Third 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Engman; 2.) Aschbacher; 3.) Grabarski
Fast Qualifier: Zakrezwski, 14.912 Seconds
2 Man
Cruisers
First 10 Lap Feature:
1.) Pezewski/Auclair; 2.) Dominick/Gaetz; 3.) Kolbus/Lepak; 4.)
Oltesvig/McDonald; 5.) Firkus/Peterson
Second 10 Lap Feature: 1.) Kelley/Resheske; 2.)
Mangen/Mancheski; 3.) Zellner/Kuhn; 4.) Koback/Nicholson; 5.)
Carter/Caves
Third 10 Lap Feature: 1.) Green/Wheelock; 2.)
Wellens/Bauer; 3.) Wierzba/Wierzba; 4.) Kampert/Kampert; 5.)
Kampert/Kluck |