Many Same Faces In All The Right Places At BVR
by: Dennis Grabenbauer

BUENA VISTA, Ia. (May 10, 2006) - It was just a mere five weeks ago when it was opening night at the Buena Vista Raceway, when everyone was in shirt sleeves commenting on how this was the warmest opening night ever, well this past Wednesday night no one remembered anything about that night. It has been four Wednesday nights in a row that “mother nature” has let us know just who is the boss.

Strong westerly winds would make keeping moisture on the race track virtually impossible as track crews worked hard, spent a lot of time, but it would prove to be a lost cause in getting the track in the condition that promoter Lee Meyer would of liked it. “We just couldn’t keep the moisture in the ground. With the strong wind, you could almost see the ground dry as we put on the water, I guess just one of those things.”

The evening started off strong with recording artist Shawn Mayer singing the National Anthem, as eighty-five race teams signed in to compete in Hondo Sales & Service; Electronic Specialists Night in front of a warmly dressed grandstand crowd. “Every week you just say that it will warm up soon,” said Becky Meyer, “but this year the cold of winter past, just seems to hang on.”

One driver who was just hanging on in the Storm Lake Truck & Trailer I.M.C.A. Hobby Stock feature was crowd favorite Galen Freese. Freese would start on the pole position, and would stay in the top four spots the first two laps of competition, but it was going into turn three where the crowd favorite would become a hero. As Freese entered turn three his number 37 could slide high on the track, and then would go off the track. As the car went out of sight, the car was barrel rolling over and over. With the red lights on, safety crews heading his way and the quiet crowd watched in disbelief, Freese would warm everyone up by driving his car back to the track ready to continue. The crowd went crazy, one lady said, “that’s one of the coolest things I have ever seen.” Freese himself admits that he didn’t think it was that big of a deal. “I knew I was in trouble, I remember after the car went over the first time, I just shut the car off, for the second and third rolls I just hung on. When the car stopped, I just reached up hit the switch and drove away, I guess I thought when the car started, that is what I was supposed to do, and so I did it.”

While Freese was driving off the track, Donovan Smith would keep his streak alive on the track, as he would go on to score his forth feature in the first five weeks. Tony Pogeler, Josh Bieret and Luke Wanninger would finish in the top four behind Smith.

Eric Puhrman would take the lead from Jess Bieret on lap three then hold off the hard charging Adam Hicks to score his second win of the season, and his second win in a row in the Rasmussen Ford BVR Bomber feature event. Hicks, Bieret and Justin Nehring would round out the top four.

Chris Ullrich would celebrate the birth of his new baby boy one week earlier by winning his first Scooters Bar & Grill I.M.C.A. Stock Car feature event of the year. As in the past weeks, three wide racing would thrill the fans as Randy Lawrey would lead the opening lap of the fifteen lap event. By lap three, Ullrich would move to the inside of Lawrey on lap three as the two would square off in a side-by-side battle. On lap five the two would be tied. On lap six Lawrey was back in the lead. On lap seven, Dale Woodard’s night would end, as the hard luck driver would climb the wall backwards on the back straight a way, sending him to the pits. When the racing resumed, Lawrey would have a flat tire sending him to the pits and to a thirteenth place finish. With five laps to go, it would be Randy Andreason’s turn to make a try for the lead, but Ullrich would not be denied the win. Andreason would finish second followed by Brian Blessington and Jason Mickelson who started fourteenth.

Jake Simpson’s return to the speedway would give him his third Storm Lake Artic Cat 360 B-Mod feature win of the year. Posting wins in weeks one and two the Algona “hot-shoe” would take the lead from Mark Utesch on lap four and never look back. Dan Hanselman would give Simpson all the challenges he could on restarts but Simpson would just drive away. Finishing behind Simpson and Hanselman were Dan VanGruggen and Harvey VanDeWeerd.

Yellow flags would slow the twenty-lap Fitzpatrick Auto Center I.M.C.A. Modified feature, but not the eventual winner Jay Noteboom. Pole sitter Brad Williams would lead the first half of the race but Noteboom, after starting twelfth, would take the lead on lap thirteen, and coast to his forth win of the year. Ricky Stephan would start eleventh and finish second with Williams and last week’s winner Jeff Stephens rounding out the top four.

Next week, Farm Bureau will host week number six with the gates opening at 6:00 hot laps at 6:45 and the first race of the evening will begin at 7:30.


Wednesday Race Results:

FITZPATRICK AUTO CENTER I.M.C.A. MODIFIED:

HEAT 1:Brad Williams-Lytton—Rod Scheuermann-Scranton—Mike Hansen-Alton

HEAT 2: Randy Brands-Boyden—Loren Reuter-Allen, Neb—Jim Thies-Mapleton

HEAT 3: Derek Smith-Merrill—Brian Schmidt-Wall Lake—Jay Noteboom-Orange City

FEATURE: Jay Noteboom—Ricky Stephan—Brad Williams—Jeff Stephens—Rod Scheuermann—Clay Christensen—Randy Brands—Bruce Bonnesen—Justin Sackett—Brian Schmidt—Loren Reuter—Jason Briese—Derek Smith—Mike Hansen—Jeff Anderson—Joel Ziegmann—Jim Thies—James Showers



SCOOTERS BAR & GRILL I.M.C.A. STOCK CAR:

HEAT 1: Chris Ullrich-Kiron—Brian Mattson—Alta—Bud Mattson-Alta

HEAT 2: Brian Blessington-Breda—Randy Lawrey-Marcus—Mike Scharn-Sac City

HEAT 3: David Smith-Lake City—Dale Woodard-Storm Lake—Mark Stanley-Storm Lake

FEATURE: Chris Ullrich—Randy Andreason—Brian Blessington—Jason Mickelson—Brian Mattson—Mark Stanley—Josh Filmer—Bud Mattson—Jay Brannon—David Smith—Matt Scharn—Tom Sierck—Randy Lawrey—Dale Woodard—Josh Suhr—Mike Scharn



STORM LAKE TRUCK & TRAILER I.M.C.A HOBBY STOCK:

HEAT 1: Tony Pogeler-Cherokee—Mark Hill-Cherokee—Trent Murphy-Jefferson

HEAT 2: Donovan Smith-Lake City—Luke Wanninger-Jefferson—Josh Bieret-Wall Lake

HEAT 3: Kyle Timmerman-Lake City—Matt Mahoney-Pierson—Dustin Smith-Lake City

FEATURE: Donovan Smith—Tony Pogeler—Josh Bieret—Luke Wanninger—Dustin Smith—Matt Mahoney—Kyle Timmerman—Cody Lucas—Trent Murphy—Tanner Powers—Troy Woelbur—Paul Toms—Merle Bass—Matt Schmillen—Kyle Robinson—Drew Barglof—Galen Freese



RASMUSSENS FORD BVR BOMBERS:

HEAT 1: Adam Hicks-Lake City—Shawn Halder-Spencer—Thomas Haukap-Lake View

HEAT 2: Jess Bieret-Wall Lake—Justin Nehring-Newell—Tim Hansen-Newell

FEATURE: Eric Puhrman—Adam Hicks—Jess Bieret—Justin Nehring—Devin Smith—Shawn Halder—Tim Hansen—Dan Morrow—Thomas Haukap—Chris Duitsman—David Hildreth—Joe Ladehoff—Nick Smith—Steve Wetherell



STORM LAKE HONDA ARTIC CAT BVR 360 B-Mods:

HEAT 1: Harvey VanDeWeerd-Granville—Mark Utesch—Sioux Center—Casey Friedrichsen-Arthur

HEAT 2: Chris Grothe-Schaller—Dan VanGruggen-Hospers—Matt Sangwin-Aurelia

HEAT 3: Mark White-Spencer—Jake Simpson-Algona—Dan Hanselman-Algona

FEATURE: Jake Simpson—Dan Hanselman—Dan VanGruggen—Harvey VanDeWeerd—Casey Friedrichsen—Austin Lucas—Tony Ross—Ronnie Fogelman—Nick DeLeeuw—Matt Sangwin—Doug Ockerman—Travis Schueller—Mark White—Brandon Lucas—Mark Utesch—Mike Bailey—Joe Hoffman—Chris Grothe