GUSS TAKES IMCA LM VICTORY AT DAVENPORT
by Mike McGuireDAVENPORT, Ia. (May 9) - Great weather, over one hundred
racecars, and a photo finish to close the show, made for an excellent night
of racing at the Davenport Speedway, Friday. The evening’s race program was
sponsored by Barak’s Truck Repair of Fulton.
Twenty-five IMCA Late Model racers were on hand, including several
out-of-town drivers chasing IMCA national points. When the dust settled, it
was the ‘River City Hustler’, Ray Guss Jr., standing in victory lane.
Guss started the feature in the sixth position and started to advance at
the drop of the green flag. Guss had made his way to second by lap 9, when
the yellow flag waved. On the restart, Guss roared past early race leader
Mike Murphy Jr. and would lead the rest of the way to the win. Murphy would
hold off a trio of point chasers for second. Third was Matt Strasshiem (W.
Burlington, Ia.), followed by Boone McLaughlin (Mediapolis, Ia.) and Keith
Pratt (Mendon, Ill.).
IMCA Late Model heat wins went to Guss, McLaughlin, and Terry Neal. Matt
Ryan won the semi-feature.
Pro Mod action saw another winner come from ‘junior nation’ as Mike Zemo
Jr. took the checkers. Zemo came from his second row starting spot to pass
Chad Patch and take the lead. Zemo was able to hold off the field the
remainder of the race that saw only one caution.
John Bull made a strong showing in second with Kevin Blum racing his way
through the pack to take third. Patch and Rick Ratliff rounded out the top
five. Bull, Bob Dominacki, and John Ahlers won Pro Mod heats.
Tim Koehler captured the win in a rough and tumble Street Stock main.
Koehler’s victory came in a race that saw only eight of the fifteen starters
reach the finish line. Andrew Burk came from 7th to finish second, with pole
sitter Cary Brown third. Rob Nylin and Tom Riggs rounded out the top five.
Jeremy Marquette and Brown were winners in the heats.
The night’s photo finish came in the B-Mod feature, the final race of the
evening. Tod Stickler edged Kelly Meyer by less than a foot to take the win.
Stickler jumped to the early lead from a second row start and managed to
hold the lead despite a number of cautions that dotted the race.
On lap nine, Meyer stuck his car under Stickler and took away the lead.
Stickler regained the lead coming to the white flag, then Meyer went to the
bottom again. The two crossed the stripe side-by-side with Stickler getting
the win.
A last lap crash put Perry Gellerstadt into third, with Jim Hickenbottom
fourth, and Hunter Wilson fifth. Stickler, Mike Fluegel, and Chris Stein won
the heats.
Warren Ropp of Kalona, Ia., was the class of the field in the INEX Legend
Car division. After winning his heat race, Ropp started the feature deep in
the field, and quickly worked his way to the front. Early race leader and
heat winner, Dennis Begyn would survive to finish second, with Craig
Peekenschnieder third. Jeremy Meyer and Lane Swearinger closed out the first
five.
Wade Dahl became the first driver to win two features on the young season
as he took the win in the 4 Stock feature. Chris Zrostlik was second with
Jim McKinney third.
Davenport Speedway
May 9, 2008
Results -
IMCA Late Model
Heat 1: 1. Boone McLaughlin; 2. Mike Murphy Jr; 3. Dave Engelkens; 4. Keith
Pratt; 5. Jason Masengarb;
Heat 2: 1. Ray Guss Jr; 2. Hershel Roberts; 3. Matt Strasshiem; 4. Nate
Buesling; 5. Cory Goldbeck;
Heat 3: 1. Terry Neal; 2. Mike Garland; 3. Marty Diercks; 4. Joe Zrostlik;
5. Stephan Kammerer;
Semi: 1. Matt Ryan; 2. Cory Goldbeck; 3. Andy Nezworski; 4. Stephan Kammerer;
5. Mike Guldenpfennig; 6. Jeremy Gustaf; 7. Kevin Williams; 8. Jason
Masengarb; 9. Adam Oppendike; 10. Todd Malmstrom; 11. Leroy Brenner; 12.
Kevin Dickey;
Feature: 1. Ray Guss Jr; 2. Mike Murphy Jr; 3. Matt Strasshiem; 4. Boone
McLaughlin; 5. Keith Pratt; 6. Matt Ryan; 7. Terry Neal; 8. Nate Buesling;
9. Andy Nezworski; 10. Mike Garland; 11. Hershel Roberts; 12. Jeremy Gustaf;
13. Stephan Kammerer; 14. Dave Engelkens; 15. Kevin Williams; 16. Joe
Zrostlik; 17. Marty Diercks; 18. Cory Goldbeck; 19. Mike Guldenpfennig; 20.
Jason Masengarb;
Pro Mod
Heat 1: 1. John Ahlers; 2. Kevin Blum; 3. Doug Crampton; 4. Jim Sandusky; 5.
Brian Webb;
Heat 2: 1. Bob Dominacki; 2. Donovan Lodge; 3. Rick Ratliff; 4. Matt Stein;
5. Scott Olson;
Heat 3: 1. John Bull; 2. Thad Wilson; 3. Chad Patch; 4. Mike Zemo Jr.; 5.
Tony VonDresky;
Feature: 1. Mike Zemo Jr; 2. John Bull; 3. Kevin Blum; 4. Chad Patch; 5.
Rick Ratliff; 6. Bob Dominacki; 7. Thad Wilson; 8. Doug Crampton; 9. John
Ahlers; 10. Matt Stein; 11. Scott Olson; 12. Jim Sandusky; 13. Craig
Crawford; 14. Randall VerPlaeste; 15. Tony Von Dresky; 16. Donovan Lodge;
17. Brian Webb;
Street Stock
Heat 1: 1. Jeremy Marquette; 2. Tim Koehler; 3. Rick Schriner; 4. Andrew
Burk; 5. Gerald Ward;
Heat 2: 1. Cary Brown; 2. Donnie Louck; 3. Randy Exline; 4. Rob Nylin; 5.
Tom Riggs Jr;
Feature: 1. Tim Koehler; 2. Andrew Burk; 3. Cary Brown; 4. Rob Nylin; 5. Tom
Riggs Jr; 6. Donnie Louck; 7. Ron Turner; 8. Ray Jefferson; 9. Rick Schriner;
10. Randy Exline; 11. Matt Jefferson; 12. Chris Lawrence; 13. Henry Carson;
14. Paul Elliott; 15. Gerald Ward;
B-Mod
Heat 1: 1. Tod Stickler; 2. Craig Crawford; 3. Derrick Carlson; 4. Kevin
fitzgibbon; 5. Drew Otten;
Heat 2: 1. Mike Fluegel; 2.Brad Lucy; 3. Tod Diekema; 4.Perry Grellerstadt;
5. Keith Silvers;
Heat 3: 1. Chris Stein; 2. Kelly Meyer; 3. Pat Fennelly; 4. Dan Anderson;
Feature: 1. Tod Stickler; 2. Kelly Meyer; 3. Perry Gellerstadt; 4. Jim
Hickenbottom; 5. Hunter Wilson; 6. Kevin Fitzgibbon; 7. Greg Wilson; 8.
Dustin Schram; 9. John Reedy; 10.Mike Fluegel; 11. Derrick Carlson; 12.
Chris Stein; 13. Pat Fennelly; 14. Craig Crawford; 15. Drew Otten; 16. Dan
Anderson; 17. Tod Dikema; 18. Brad Lucy; 19. Rick Schriner;
INEX Legend Car
Heat 1: 1. Dennis Begyn; 2. Jeremy Meyer; 3. Chad Hale; 4. Craig
Peekenschnieder; 5. Bill Hamilton;
Heat 2: 1. Warren Ropp; 2. Aaron Meyer; 3. Darrick Calhoun; 4. Lane
Swearinger; 5. David Dvorak;
Feature: 1. Warren Ropp; 2. Dennis Begyn; 3. Craig Peekenshnieder; 4. Jeremy
Meyer; 5. Lane Swearinger; 6. Ken Burns; 7. Chad Hale; 8. Bill Harvey; 9.
David Dvorak; 10. Bill Hamilton; 11. Darrick Calhoun; 12. Ryan Bales; 13.
Keith Hentges; 14. Craig Morris; 15. Terry Elsbury; 16. David Jarrin; 17.
Aaron Meyer;
4 Stock
Heat 1: 1. Chris Zrostlik; 2. Jim McKinney; 3. Josh Hazen; 4. Wade Dahl; 5.
Kevin Haury;
Feature: 1. Wade Dahl; 2.Chris Zrostlik; 3. Jim McKinney; 4. Josh Hazen; 5.
Bill Morrow; 6. Bob Gustafson; 7.Joe Grant; 8. Stacy Nall; 9. Bryan Ritter;
10.Kevin Haury;
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