Burgtorf Banks Three Grand for Slocum 50 Win at 34

Mark Burgtorf is making a habit of collecting big paychecks at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. After drawing out the highest number in the bag Burgtorf stormed through the field from eleventh to win the third of six qualifying heats and then drew the number nine starting position for the fifty-lap feature event. Many in the large crowd that had gathered for the second annual Slocum 50, an event honoring Late Model driver Brent Slocum who lost his life in a pit accident here a few years back, figured that it wouldn’t be long before Burgtorf would be at the front of the field. After all, he did it in just ten laps earlier in the night, but young Nate Beuseling was going to make him work for it now.

It was another youngster Ryan Giles who jumped to the early lead as the twenty-five car field took the green and he enjoyed the view from the front for three circuits before Beuseling, who started fourth, slipped by him. While the field battled two and three wide behind him, Beuseling marched away opening up more than a straightaway lead by the time that Burgtorf moved into the second spot on lap seventeen. As Beuseling struggled to get by the lapped car of Mark Preston, it took him nearly eight laps to dispose of him, Burgtorf slowly closed the gap. And when Preston slapped the frontstretch wall and slid to a stop on the topside of turn one, the only caution of the event appeared totaling erasing the advantage.

It took four laps for Burgtorf to nose ahead of Buesling for the lead, but to the surprise of almost everyone, Beuseling fought back. He would regain the lead on lap thirty-one, only to see Burgtorf regain the advantage on lap thirty-two and on the following lap Beuseling ran the high groove to perfection and put himself back out front forcing Burgtorf to settle in behind him and regroup. The 3/8-mile oval started the evening dry, slick and dusty from a brilliant April sun and a warm breeze, nut now the moisture had worked its way back up to the surface and there were two distinct lines with Beuseling running high and Burgtorf down low. With nine laps remaining Burgtorf finally made the low line win out as he pulled ahead of Beuseling down the frontstretch and then slid up in front of him in one and two to seal the deal. Nate stayed within striking distance the rest of the way, but was unable to mount a challenge over the final laps as Burgtorf claimed the $3,000 top prize in the season opener for the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models.

Rob Toland perhaps put on the drive of the night coming from the twenty-second starting spot to finish third. Toland started deep in his heat race and a made a little bit of progress, then started eighth in the second B-Main before finishing fourth, one spot away from the final transfer position. He would start the feature as the recipient of the Hard Charger provisional that goes to the driver who passed the most cars in the heat and the B-Main, a great idea for a draw-redraw format that the series’ officials implemented last year. Local favorite Tom Goble made an impressive run late to finish fourth after starting next to Burgtorf in row five while Matt Strassheim was equally impressive coming to fifth after starting sixteenth.

The front row starters, Giles and Todd Malmstrom, were sixth and seventh followed by the "Iron Man" Darrell DeFrance in eight. Terry Neal came all the way from row eleven to finish ninth and Ray Guss Jr. completed the top ten. After the Deery Series and 34 Raceway staged one of the best one hundred lap features in memory last September, a race that Mark Burgtorf had slip away from him late, they followed it up nicely with a fifty-lapper that was full of action.

The IMCA Modifieds was the first of the three features to be run on the night and they, quite frankly struggled with multiple cautions and long delays in getting realigned for double file restarts. A lap seven restart saw front runners Scott Hogan and Jim Lynch get together coming to the green and while those two drivers made brilliant saves, the rest of the twenty-eight car field scrambled and stacked up behind them. Officials put the field in a single-file formation for the next restart and told them that they would either run the remaining thirteen laps under green or that the race would be checkered at the next caution. They made it five more laps before one of the backmarkers spun in turn three and the checkers waved for Dusty Kraklio. Kraklio started from the pole and had held off an early challenge from Darin Duffy to maintain the lead throughout. Duffy would be credited with second, Brandon Rothzen came from tenth to third, Rich Smith came all the way from row nine to earn fourth and the defending track champion Hogan rounded out the top five.

The Hobby Stocks had some early cautions as well, but they recovered nicely and went the full fifteen-lap distance as Randy Wachter won his first career main event in the division. Wachter looked like he has done this winning thing many times before as he started seventh and overtook early leader Dan Wenig on lap four. He then had to fight off the challenges of Tanner Thomann over the final few laps to take the victory by a little less than a car length. Ray Raker came from deep in the field to finish behind Thomann in third while Rob Wilsey and Wenig rounded out the top five.

34 Raceway/Slocum 50 Notes…….Sixty-four IMCA Late Models checked in for action bolstered by a few of the Simmons Promotions drivers who are making the transition to IMCA in 2010 including Andy Eckrich, Joel Callahan, Jeremiah Hurst, Jason Rauen and Dan Shelliam. Callahan and Rauen made the show while Eckrich was passed late by defending IMCA Late Model National Champion Kevin Blum for the final transfer out of the first B-Main……Jason Frankel, who won both series events here last year, spun while running fifth in the first heat race, started last in his B and then took a series provisional for the A-Main but was never a factor this night……Cory Goldbeck was holding off Tommy Elston for the final transfer in the second B-Main before he slipped over the top in turn one, perhaps with mechanical issues. This made for a happy group of fans where I was seated as I watched the heats and the B-Mains from the Richard Realty and Auction mobile VIP suite that pulls Elston’s #15 to the track.


Thanks to Karen, Coach Bob, Dick and Renee for letting me join them for the qualifying action! For more info on "Team 15" and Tommy Elston click here http://www.richardrealtyauction.com/　

The Modified field featured several visitors from the Independence area including Duffy, Justin O’Brien, Adam Johnson, Chris Snyder and Jason Snyder, plus the husband and wife team of Mike and Julie Wedelstadt made the trip in from Wisconsin….Kraklio also won the night before in the B-Mod feature at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton.....The Deery Series is back in action again tonight at Quincy while 34 Raceway will be the place where the Ideal Ready Mix Sprint Invaders will open their sesaon next Saturday April 17th.