Holsteen, Griffin get first wins of the season at 34 Raceway
By Dana Royer/34 Raceway

WEST BURLINGTON, IA ( June 16) ­ This coming Saturday, June 23, will be Mid Season Championship night at 34 Raceway as drivers continue to battle for those all important points. After Saturday¹s racing action two of the five classes saw first time winners this year including Todd Holsteen, Burlington (stock cars) and Craig Griffin, Monmouth, Il. (hobby stocks). Mediapolis¹ Boone McLaughlin raced to his third late model feature win, Darin Thye, Burlington got his second modified feature win and Brian Hetrick, Stronghurst, Il., got win number 3 in the 305 sprints.

Boone McLaughlin took the lead from Keith Pratt in the twenty five lap, eighteen car IMCA Late Model feature and never looked back. The Mediapolis driver pulled away from the field on his way to his third feature win this year at the local track. The battle for the second spot would go on behind him with Colby Springsteen working hard to hold of Matt Ryan and Jay Johnson. But the Morning Sun driver couldn¹t hold on with Johnson getting by Ryan and then Springsteen to finish second. Tom Bowling, Jr. leads the late model point standings with 267 followed by Lonnie Bailey with 252 and Matt Ryan with 240.

Newcomer to 34 Raceway this year, Craig Griffin of Monmouth, Illinois, got his first hobby stock feature win Saturday topping the twenty-one car field. Griffin took the lead from his front row start and went on to take the checkered flag holding off Jake Wenig at the end. Wenig pulled up to Griffin¹s bumper with one lap to go but couldn¹t get by as Griffin took the checkered flag by 2 car lengths. Luke McLaughlin leads the hobby stock points battle with 263 followed by closely by Tanner Thomann with 260 and Chuck Underwood with 251.

Darin Thye, Burlington, took the lead from Tyler Cale with five laps to go to win his second IMCA modified feature this year. The young Cale took the lead from Dennis LaVeine in the nineteen car field on lap five and began to pull away. By lap ten of the twenty lap race, Thye would move up to the second spot chasing down the leader. Five laps later, Thye would slip past Cale with five laps to go and went on to pull away for the win. Cale would finish second and Bill Roberts, Jr., moved up to finish third. Davenport¹s Rich Smith leads the point standings with 305 followed by Dean McGee with 297.

The twenty-three car IMCA Stock Car feature saw Burlington¹s Todd Holsteen get his first win this year. Corey Strothman, New London and Cole Simmons, Morning Sun, battled early on exchanging positions for the lead the first five laps of the fifteen lap race. Then on lap six, following a caution, Holsteen got by Strothman to take the lead and went on to take the checkered flag by several car lengths. Simmons would then hold off John Oliver, Jr., to finish second. Holsteen¹s win put him in the lead in the point standings over Oliver, 254 to 253. Jason Cook of Mt. Pleasant follows with 235.

Brian Hetrick got his third win this year after taking the lead from Dustin Whiting with three laps to go. Whiting and Jayson Ditsworth put on a show for the crowd as they battled for the lead early on. Then, Ditsworth and Whiting got together and Hetrick took advantage taking the lead with three laps to go. He went on to take the checkered flag with Whiting finishing second and Ditsworth third. Ditsworth holds a narrow 3 point lead over Justin Newberry 261 to 258 in the points standings while Donnie Steward follows closely with 256.

COMING UP
This Saturday, June 23 will be H & L Mack Mid Season Championship Night and USG Employee Night. There will be a driver autograph session in the grandstands from 5:45 ­6:15, special 1/2 price 34 Raceway T-shirts and special giveaways as well as 5 classes of racing action.

34 Raceway results from June 16, 2007

J & J STEEL/IDEAL READY MIX IMCA LATE MODELS

FEATURE: 1. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis, 2. Jay Johnson, West Burlington, 3. Tom Bowling, Jr., Danville, 4. Colby Springsteen, Morning Sun, 5. Matt Ryan, Davenport, 6. Sam Halstead, New London, 7. Matt Bailey, Quincy, Il, 8. Ron Elbe, Augusta, Il., 9. Lonnie Bailey, Quincy, Il., 10. Ned Palmer, Blandinsville, Il., 11. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun, 12. Johnny Johnson, Burlington, 13. Matt Strassheim, Burlington, 14. TJ Criss, Oskaloosa, 15. Tom Goble, Burlington, 16. Gary Russell, Biggsville, Il., 17. Keith Pratt, Mendon, Il., 18. Leroy Brenner, Aledo, Il., HEAT WINNERS: L. Bailey, Pratt, Elbe.

 

MILLER LITE IMCA MODIFIEDS


FEATURE: 1. Darin Thye, Burlington, 2. Tyler Cale, Donnellson, 3. Bill Roberts, Jr. Burlington, 4. Dean McGee, Galesburg, Il., 5. Rich Smith, Davenport, 6. Kevin Cale, Donnellson, 7. Brandon Savage, Keokuk, 8. Kevin Goben, Sherrard, Il., 9. Mike Weikert, Jr., Muscatine, 10. Bill Parks, Colchester, Il., 11. Phillip Cossel, Montrose, 12. Kyle Kaestner, Burlington, 13. Andy Krieger, West Burlington, 14. Josh Foster, Montrose, 15. Mike Hill, New London, 16. Dennis LaVeine, Burlington, 17. Brad Carson, Colchester, Il., 18. Scott Boles, New London, 19. Mitch Higdon, Fort Madison. HEAT WINNERS: T. Cale, Weikert, Thye

IMCA STOCK CARS

FEATURE: 1. Todd Holsteen, Burlington, 2. Cole Simmons, Morning Sun, 3. John Oliver, Jr.,, Danville, 4. Chris Webb, Biggsville, Il., 5. Chris Wibbell, Dallas City, Il., 6. Kirk Kinsley, Wapello, 7. Ryan Jamison, Mediapolis, 8. Derek Goble, Burlington, 9. Corey Strothman, New London, 10. Brandon Rothzen, Media, Il., 11. Rod Staats, Columbus Junction, 12. Derek Coleman, New London, 13. Abe Huls, Carthage, Il., 14. Tim Breuer, Burlington, 15. Brett Swyter, 16. Shawn Whiting, West Burlington, 17. Greg Johnson, Burlington, 18. Jason Cook, Mt. Pleasant, 19. Jeff Mueller, New London, 20. Doug Huls, Carthage, Il., 21. Otto Christofferson, Niota, Il., 22. Darin Thye, Burlington, 23. Nick Fenton, Mt Pleasant. HEAT WINNERS; Holsteen, Strothman, Oliver.

ZAISER FABRICATION 305 SPRINTS

FEATURE; 1. Brian Hetrick, Stronghurst, Il., 2. Dustin Whiting, Burlington, 3. Jayson Ditsworth, Gladstone, Il., 4. Donnie Steward, West Burlington, 5. Justin Newberry, West Burlington, 6. Kevin Hetrick, Gladstone, Il., 7. Gary Bonar, Burlington, 8. Seth Wilke, Burlington, 9. Cale Hutchings, Bloomfield, 10. Scott Boles, New London. HEAT WINNERS . Ditsworth, Steward.

PEPSI HOBBY STOCKS

FEATURE: 1. Craig Griffin, Monmouth, Il., 2. Jake Wenig, Burlington, 3. Dean Kratzer, Montrose, 4. Cale Samberg, Burlington, 5. Doug Fenton, Burlington, 6. Jason Gerdes, Lomax, Il., 7. Luke McLaughlin, Mediapolis, 8. Alex Buffington, Wapello, 9. Tanner Thomann, West Burlington, 10. Brodie Dopler, Wapello, 11. Chad Krogmeier, Burlington, 12. Chuck Underwood, Burlington, 13. Blaine Dopler, Wapello, 14. Shane Richardson, Morning Sun, 15. Jarod Conrad, Wayland, 16. Ray Raker, Danville, 17. Joe Laue, Wapello, 18. Jamie Smith, Monmouth, Il., 19. Todd Lange, Stronghurst, Il., 20. Brandon Peitz, Burlington, 21. Tony Witte, Danville, 22. Kent Rhum, Burlington, 23. Brian Holmes, Wapello. HEAT WINNERS: Conrad, Griffin, Samberg.