NKF Tour 2000 (Part Two)

Our recap of the NKF Tour 2000 continues with a Monday night Modified Only event at Farley where Kevin Pittman nursed an ailing motor to the checkers.

Pittman Sails To NKF Tour Modified Win At Farley

Farley, Iowa – Kevin Pittman of Waterloo topped a solid field of Modifieds as the National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure visited the Farley Speedway Monday night, but he was lucky that the race was not one lap longer.

Pittman started on the outside of the front row and outran pole-sitter Ryan Dolan to the point at the drop of the green. Russ Olson soon moved past Dolan and began to mount a challenge for the lead until a flat tire took him out of contention with five laps to go in the twenty-lap main event. Pittman’s car showed some signs of smoke during a late caution period and on the restart Dolan was able to stay close, but Pittman was able to get just enough laps out of an ailing engine to take the victory. Dolan was the runner-up while Dan Chapman prevailed in a thrilling battle for third over Scott Megonigle and Bruce Hanford.

The NKF Tour continues for both the Modifieds and the Hobby Stocks on Tuesday, May 23^rd, during the 15^th Annual Iowa Governor’s Cup event at Hawkeye Raceway near Blue Grass, Iowa.

 

Results

NKF Tour Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Russ Olson, Cedar Rapids 2. Mark Curwen, Hazel Green WI 3. Ryan Dolan, Lisbon 4. Jerry Miles, Dubuque

2^nd Heat – 1. Bret Frieden, Walford 2. Scott Megonigle, Cedar Rapids 3. John Bull, Rock Island IL 4. Kevin Pittman, Waterloo

3^rd Heat – 1. Dan Bohr, Decorah 2. Ron Barker, Dubuque 3. Dan Chapman, Clarence 4. Dewayne Stropes, Aledo IL

A-Main – 1. Pittman 2. Dolan 3. Chapman 4. Megonigle 5. Bruce Hanford, Davenport 6. Miles 7. Barker 8. Robbie Verbeck, Annawan IL 9. Jed Hurst, Hazel Green WI 10. Rick Gustin, Marshalltown 11. Bohr 12. Scott Hogan, Vinton 13. Corey Hallahan, Dubuque 14. Bryan Behning, Davenport 15. Randy Less, Hopkinton 16. Curwen 17. Olson 18. Stropes 19. Corey Dripps, Cedar Falls 20. Bob Bollon, Freeport IL 21. Kenny Kostenbader, Freeport IL 22. Frieden 23. Scott Nesteby, Asbury 24. Doug Nigh, Maquoketa 25. Rich Smith, Davenport 26. Jamie Aikey, Cedar Falls 27. Bull

Following you will find snippets that refer to the NKF Tour from my May 22nd Back Stretch column in Hawkeye Racing News

We’ve been to a lot of places recently so to keep this effort under the word limit we’ll touch on just a few of the highlights. Our first-ever visit to the Adrian Speedway was a good one. Promoters Glen and Colleen Portzen put on a very entertaining program and Glen takes great pride in giving the drivers the best track possible to race on. The NKF Tour is exploring the possibilities of a late season swing through the Kansas City area that would include a return trip to Adrian.…The civil defense sirens began to wail in Oskaloosa just after the plug was pulled on the season opener at the Southern Iowa Speedway on April 19^th, and when we returned a week later it was Jim Lynch’s night winning both the Modified and Stock Car features…The following Saturday night was the regular season opener at Missouri’s I-35 Speedway featuring a point race for the NKF Tour in the Modified division. Only Casey Lancaster made the trip south out of Iowa so the event served as a night for the Missouri drivers to earn some points toward the Tour. Gene Claxton nipped Dean Wray by inches at the line for the win. Look for Wray and a few of the other I-35 regulars to make the trip north to some NKF Tour events soon….We were very impressed with the racing program at Missouri’s I-35 in our first visit there. Big car counts, large crowd and plenty of action. Check it out when you get the chance….The second of Al Frieden’s Open Late Model Shootouts was delayed one day due to rain at Farley so it  was a stellar field of 61 Late Models and 28 NKF Tour Modifieds that pulled through the gate on Wednesday night. Kevin Pittman nursed a sick engine across the finish line just before it expired to win the Modified main event. In the Late Models Terry Neal looked strong leading the field for the first half of the main event. A brush with the wall and some mechanical woes sidelined Neal with Dan Schlieper taking over the point. Gary Webb found a groove of his own mid-race and marched to the front. Webb was poised to make the pass on Schlieper with three laps to go, but a caution for Todd Bennett put the field in single-file formation for the restart. Schlieper knew where Webb wanted to be and he changed his line to try to fend him off. On the final lap the two drivers went into turn three side-by-side, did not touch a bit, and charged down the straightaway for the checkers. At the stripe it was Schlieper by not more than a foot for the victory. Frieden’s concept is now two-for-two in drawing big fields and providing some great racing. The next one is this Monday, Memorial Day, at the West Liberty Raceway then on Tuesday, June 13^th, look for another great show at the Dubuque Speedway…..We look forward to being back at 34 this Sunday night, May 28^th, as the NKF Tour Modifieds join the 360 Sprints for some holiday weekend racing. Then on Monday night, May 29^th, we road-trip up to the Hancock County Speedway in Britt for a NKF Tour Modified and Hobby Stock twinbill.

Now keep in mind that back in the old days of the Hawkeye Racing News I had to submit my column on Monday for a publication that would start to arrive in the readers' mailboxes on Thursday so that is why I now slip in the story and results from a Tuesday race at Hawkeye Raceway near Blue Grass. Promoter Verne Schumann had originally scheduled us for June 7th, but he then made the change to put us on the Iowa Governor's Cup event on May 23rd.

Smith Repeats In Governor’s Cup, Lodge Secures NKF Tour Win At Hawkeye Raceway

Blue Grass, Iowa – Rich Smith of Davenport has two career victories on the National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure and both of them have earned him the Iowa Governor’s Cup for Modifieds. Smith was the winner of the 1999 event here at Hawkeye Raceway and he followed it up with a victory again on Tuesday night. Donovan Lodge of Andover, Illinois survived a tight battle with Milo Veloz to pick up the win in the NKF Tour Hobby Stock event.

Pole-sitter Ryan Dolan battled John Bull early for the lead in the thirty-lap Modified finale as Smith worked his way to the front from a third row start. On the fifth lap Smith nosed ahead of Dolan for the lead although the two ran the following five laps in side-by-side fashion. Just behind them Jeff Walker, who had sprinted forward from a sixth row start, pulled alongside Bull to challenge for third giving the crowd a tight pack of four for their racing excitement. Smith finally established himself as the leader on lap twelve and moved on to pick up the $1,000 victory. Walker maintained his march to the front and edged out Dolan for second with Bull and Troy Emerick completing the top five.

In NKF Tour Hobby Stock action Donovan Lodge found an opening from his second row start to claim the lead on lap one of the twenty-lap affair. Lodge looked as though he would walk away from the field, but on a lap eleven restart, Milo Veloz was able to squeeze past on the outside to take the lead. Lodge came storming back on the low groove to regain the lead two laps later as he pulled away for the victory. Veloz was the runner-up followed by Mike Shonts, Joe Carleton and Brian Bushong.

The NKF Heartland Tour for a Cure will be in action twice during the Memorial Day weekend. On Sunday night the Tour Modifieds will be a part of the Open Wheel Shootout at 34 Raceway near Burlington, then on Monday night both the Modifieds and the Hobby Stocks will compete at the Hancock County Speedway in Britt.

 

Results

NKF Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Ryan Dolan, Lisbon 2. Mike Smith, Silvis IL 3. Brian Ashmore, Silvis IL 4. Jason Veloz, Colona IL

2^nd Heat – 1. John Bull, Rock Island IL 2. Rich Smith, Davenport 3. Mike Devol, Davenport 4. Virgil Paul Jr., Reynolds IL

3^rd Heat – 1. Jerry Durbin, Silvis IL 2. Troy Emerick, Geneseo IL 3. Ron Barker, Dubuque 4. Jeff Walker, Davenport

A-Main – 1. R. Smith 2. Walker 3. Dolan 4. Bull 5. T. Emerick 6. Durbin 7. Kevin Blum, East Moline IL 8. Dewayne Stropes, Aledo IL 9. Tim Anderson, Long Grove 10. Leland Bushong, Colona IL 11. Ashmore 12. Devol 13. Paul 14. M. Smith 15. Will Emerick Jr., Geneseo IL 16. Veloz 17. John Fellman, Blue Grass 18. Brian Brinker, Silvis IL 19. George Spence Jr., Cable IL 20. Barker

 

NKF Hobby Stocks

1^st Heat – 1. Tim Koehler, Blue Grass 2. Rick Zaruba, Dixon 3. Casey Wages, Moline IL 4. Dwaine Hasson, Rock Island IL

2^nd Heat – 1. Milo Veloz, Colona IL 2. Brian Bushong, Colona IL 3. Joe Carleton, Silvis IL 4. Mel Saffran, Dubuque

3^rd Heat – 1. Donovan Lodge, Andover IL 2. Chip Kohl, Marion 3. Mike Shonts, Davenport 4. Jim Harland, Buffalo

A-Main – 1. Lodge 2. Veloz 3. Shonts 4. Carleton 5. Bushong 6. Steve Gustaf, Moline IL 7. Harland 8. Zaruba 9. Chris Lawrence, Orion IL 10. Doug Wiatt, Rock Island IL 11. Jason Carillo, Davenport 12. Kevin Hoffman, Princeton IL 13. Wages 14. Saffran 15. Dewayne Stropes, Aledo IL 16. Kohl 17. Hasson 18. A.J. Pappas, Moline IL 19. Bruce Haley, Davenport 20. Koehler 

Now granted, I'm not calling out those feature races here where a driver started from the pole position and led every lap, but it sure felt like we had a lot of races where drivers came from deep in the pack to either challenge for, or take the win. This Tour event at 34 Raceway was one of them and is a good foreshadowing of who just might win the Modified championship of NKF Tour 2000.

Barker From Back To Front To Extend NKF Tour Point Lead At 34 Raceway

Burlington, Iowa – Current National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure Modified point leader Ron Barker made an impressive charge from near the back of the field to win the twenty-lap feature race at 34 Raceway Sunday evening.

Twenty-six cars took the initial green flag that saw a mad scramble when the lead car of Bob Schnathorst went for a spin on lap one. On the restart, the new pole-sitter Dan Chapman snared the lead and opened up a five-car-length advantage as the field sorted out behind him. Several drivers were on the move from deep in the pack including the driver from Dubuque, Ron Barker, who started in the twentieth position. With five laps to go a restart bunched the field once again and two laps later Barker muscled his way past Chapman for the lead. Chapman tried to mount a challenge to regain the top spot, but was too busy trying to hold off the late charges of Darin Thye and Scott Megonigle. Thye had started next to Barker in the tenth row and Megonigle had restarted from the rear after suffering damage in the first lap caution.

As Barker took the checkers Chapman, Thye and Megonigle came across the stripe in three-wide formation finishing in that order. Defending NKF Tour and 34 Raceway track champion Bruce Hanford finished fifth after starting eleventh.

The NKF Tour continues for both the Modifieds and the Hobby Stocks on Monday night, May 29th, at the Hancock County Speedway in Britt.

 

Results

NKF Tour Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Scott Megonigle, Cedar Rapids 2. Bruce Hanford, Davenport 3. Mike Delozier, Carthage IL 4. Tom Goble, Burlington

2^nd Heat – 1. John Bull, Rock Island IL 2. Dan Chapman, Clarence 3. Mike Garland, Morrison IL 4. Bill Roberts Jr., Burlington

3^rd Heat – 1. Dennis LaVeine, Burlington 2. Bob Schnathorst, Burlington 3. Casey Schram, Sterling IL 4. Dan Chapman, Clarence

A-Main – 1. Ron Barker, Dubuque 2. Chapman 3. Darin Thye, Burlington 4. Megonigle 5. Hanford 6. Ray Cox Jr., Maquoketa 7. Schram 8. Delozier 9. Bull 10. Garland 11. Kevin Peters, Monmouth IL 12. Robbie Verbeck, Annawan IL 13. Dewayne Stropes, Aledo IL 14. Todd Holman, Ottumwa 15. Scott Hogan, Vinton 16. John Fellman, Blue Grass 17. Kevin Goben, Sherrard IL 18. Roberts 19. Schnathorst 20. Scott Lemke, Rockford IL 21. Goble 22. Casey Lancaster, Oskaloosa 23. Dean McGee Jr., Galesburg IL 24. Bruce Thuleen, Denmark 25. Terry Kelly Jr., Burlington 26. LaVeine

For the second year in a row we spent our Memorial Day Monday at the Hancock County Speedway in Britt.

Hejna and McCollough Top NKF Tour Fields At Hancock County

Britt, Iowa – Mike Hejna of Ventura rewarded his crew with a victory after their hard work on his Modified during the National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure visit to the Hancock County Speedway in Britt Monday night. In Hobby Stock action the top three drivers in the Tour point standings wound up in the top three on the track as Doug McCollough of Webster City picked up the win.

Hejna won the first Modified heat race and then was looking strong in the Cash Dash when his motor let go. With the Modified main event only a few races ahead on the schedule, his crew frantically changed motors and sent the current track point leader to staging just in the nick of time. Keith Schmitz paced the field for the first twelve laps from his pole position start, but Hejna’s new powerplant was a rocket as he quickly advanced from his eighth starting spot. After a couple of challenges, Hejna was able to charge to the front on lap thirteen and he held off Schmitz for the $500 victory. Jimmy Davis finished third, Kevin Stoa came from the eleventh row to take fourth while Pat Graham completed the top five.

McCollough out-dragged pole-sitter Allen Dixon for the early lead in the Hobby Stock finale. The race was a Webster City affair for the most part with McCollough, Dixon and Ryan Griffith dicing it out up front. Current Tour point leader Dan Hanselman joined the battle for the lead late in the race as McCollough and Griffith swapped the lead in the closing laps. At the checkers it was McCollough by a car length over Griffith with Hanselman close behind in third. Dixon finished fourth followed by Shane Monson.

The NKF Heartland Tour Modifieds and Hobby Stocks return to action on Tuesday night, June 6^th, when they visit Nordic Speedway in Decorah.

 

Results

NKF/IMCA Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Mike Hejna, Ventura 2. Keith Schmitz, Swaledale 3. Rick Schuller, Britt 4. Bill Cook, Algona

2^nd Heat – 1. Pat Graham, Mason City 2. Carl Allbee, Boone 3. Jeff Feaster, Humboldt 4. Mike Christians, Kanawha

3^rd Heat – 1. Jimmy Davis, Janesville MN 2. Larry Portis, Nora Springs 3. Troy Cordes, Cedar Falls 4. Jon Wood, Woden

A-Main – 1. M. Hejna 2. Schmitz 3. Davis 4. Kevin Stoa, Kasson MN 5. Graham 6. Cordes 7. Wood 8. Dean Mahlstedt, Granger 9. Brad Bakken, Forest City 10. Jason Slegh, Lansing MN 11. Ross Wyatt, Britt 12. Dennis Prochaska, Iowa Falls 13. George Gilliland, Lehigh 14. Feaster 15. Matt Donald, Pleasant Hill 16. Allbee 17. Scott Olson, Ellsworth 18. Al Hejna, Ventura 19. Portis 20. Christians 21. Ryan Hiscocks, Britt 22. Schuller 23. Scott Badker, Klemme

 

NKF/IMCA Hobby Stocks

1^st Heat – 1. Brent Hanson, Clear Lake 2. Shane Monson, Clear Lake 3. Dan Hanselman, Algona 4. Jared Dirks, Belmond

2^nd Heat – 1. Rob Hughes, Humboldt 2. Scott Anderson, Mason City 3. Doug McCollough, Webster City 4. John Madson, Britt

3^rd Heat – 1. Allen Dixon, Webster City 2. Brian Stein, Woolstock 3. Jerry Dixon, Webster City 4. Dan Haugland, Forest City

4^th Heat – 1. Rod Miller, Eldon 2. Earl Webner, Garner 3. Ryan Griffith, Webster City 4. Jason Daniels, Britt

1^st B-Main – 1. Tony Smidt, Britt 2. Jim Smith, Belmond 3. Rodney Slagle, Eagle Grove 4. Ben Hoesing, Perry 5. Ron Stein, Woolstock 6. Kevin Schmauss, Eagle Grove 7. Tim Entner, Clear Lake 8. Dan Stromer, Klemme 9. Chad Doyle, Buffalo Center

2^nd B-Main – 1. Randy Hadacek, Britt 2. Ben Becker, Mason City 3. Nick West, Mason City 4. Mike Weitzel, Mason City 5. Jeff Lodin, Kanawha 6. Gerald Santee, Nora Springs 7. Ryan Lund, Mason City 8. Remington Hill, West Lake 9. Jamie Jones, Clear Lake

A-Main – 1. McCollough 2. Griffith 3. Hanselman 4. A. Dixon 5. Monson 6. Webner 7. Miller 8. J. Dixon 9. Haugland 10. Smith 11. Hadacek 12. Slagle 13. Dirks 14. Smidt 15. Stein 16. Daniels 17. Hoesing 18. Madson 19. Becker 20. Hughes 21. Anderson 22. Hanson 23. Weitzel

Our third trip in three years to the Nordic Speedway in Decorah saw Ron Barker once again come from the back of the field to take an exciting feature win while Darrin Walch was victorious in his first ever NKF Tour appearance.

Nordic Speedway NKF Tour Checkers To Ron Barker and Darrin Walch

Decorah, Iowa – Nordic Speedway is one of the shortest racetracks on the 2000 National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure, but it is never short on action as Ron Barker of Dubuque and Postville’s Darrin Walch picked up exciting feature wins here on Tuesday night.

Dean Wagner, driving the Gene Sheetz owned Modified for the first time this season, snared the lead from the outset of the thirty-lap NKF Modified feature and quickly opened up a sizable advantage. The racing action was intense behind him though with plenty of three-wide action on the wide quarter-mile oval. Current Tour point leader Ron Barker spun on lap seven bringing out the caution and sending him to the rear of the field. On the restart Dan Bohr tried to maintain the pace set by Wagner while Barker began his trek back through the nineteen-car field. With five laps to go Barker moved into third and the race was on. On the twenty-sixth lap the crowd came to their feet as Barker, Bohr and Wagner raced through turn two three-wide for the lead. Wagner kept his nose out front of the challengers until the final lap when Barker was able to get just enough bite off of the bottom to win it by a car-length. Wagner was second with Bohr close behind in third followed by Brian Bronner and Tim Heins.

After a solid field of thirty-four Hobby Stocks was whittled down to twenty for the main event, Mel Tieskotter paced the field for the first three laps. On the fourth circuit, 1998 NKF Tour champion Steve Holthaus nosed ahead on the bottom, but he was soon under pressure from Darrin Walch who was flying on the high-side. Walch picked up the lead on lap nine and then held back a late charge from Jason Rohde to take the win in his first-ever NKF Tour Hobby Stock appearance. Rohde, Tory Reicks, Holthaus and Tieskotter rounded out the top five.

The NKF Tour Modifieds make their first trip into South Dakota this Friday night, June 9^th, as they run in support of the of the NCRA Sprint Car show at Park Jefferson Speedway just across the river from Sioux City. The Tour’s Hobby Stocks next action will be on Thursday, June 15^th, at the Eldon Raceway.

Results

NKF Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Vern Jackson, Waterloo 2. Brian Schrage, Cresco 3. Dean Wagner, Evansdale 4. Ed Thomas, Waterloo

2^nd Heat – 1. Ron Barker, Dubuque 2. Tim Heins, Elkader 3. Ken Irvine, Hazelton 4. Jerry King, Waterloo

3^rd Heat – 1. Dan Bohr, Decorah 2. Brian Bronner, Lime Springs 3. Todd Schaufenbuel, New Hampton 4. Tim Anderson, Long Grove

A-Main – 1. Barker 2. Wagner 3. Bohr 4. Bronner 5. Heins 6. Jackson 7. E. Thomas 8. Curt Carey, Ionia 9. Schrage 10. Larry Grube, Cresco 11. Schaufenbuel 12. Garry Stuber, Waterloo 13. John Grube, Cresco 14. Doug Firgard, Hudson 15. Anderson 16. King 17. Todd Ihde, Decorah 18. Irvine 19. Tim Thomas, Waterloo

 

NKF Hobby Stocks

1^st Heat – 1. Tory Reicks, Waucoma 2. Fred Storlie, Mabel MN 3. Jeff Larson, New Hampton 4. Jay Schwamann, Ft. Atkinson

2^nd Heat – 1. Dan Jones, Waterville 2. Mel Tieskotter, Decorah 3. Jason Rohde, Fayette 4. Junior Boyer, St. Lucas

3^rd Heat – 1. Darrin Walch, Postville 2. Steve Holthaus, Cresco 3. Lorin Kurth, Waukon 4. Blaire Benzing, Waterville

4^th Heat – 1. Jeremy Moellers, Elma 2. Ryan Griffith, Webster City 3. Matt Sweeney, Waukon 4. Jason Brink, Waukon

1^st B-Main – 1. Benzing 2. Lynn Panos, Protivin 3. Mike Jones, Waukon 4. Schwamann 5. Tony Severson, Preston MN 6. Greg Mitchell, Decorah 7. Kevin Donlon, Mabel MN 8. Todd Halverson, Decorah 9. Bruce Benzing, Harpers 10. Rick Gunderson, Castalia 11. Mark Folsom, Waukon

2^nd B-Main – 1. Brink 2. Boyer 3. Bryan Webb, Decorah 4. Les Mahlstedt, Waukon 5. Andy Burke, Waukon 6. Rod Miller, Eldon 7. Steve Sweeney, Waukon 8. Larry Franken, Washburn 9. Tim Gebel, New Hampton

A-Main – 1. Walch 2. Rohde 3. Reicks 4. Holthaus 5. Tieskotter 6. Matt Sweeney 7. Boyer 8. Brink 9. M. Jones 10. Panos 11. Griffith 12. Webb 13. D. Jones 14. Larson 15. Miller 16. Storlie 17. Moellers 18. Blaire Benzing 19. Gebel 20. Kurth

The Tour's first visit to the Park Jefferson Speedway just across the state line from Sioux City made it our first event in the state of South Dakota and, with the new point structure where a driver would use his best twelve finishes to make up his point total, not a single one of the point contenders at this point made the trip. Still it was a huge crowd and with the help of several great volunteers nearly $400 was raised for the Siouxland Dialysis Clinic. More on that after the story and results.

NKF Tour Takes A Coffee Break At Park Jefferson

Jefferson, SD - The National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure made its way into the state of South Dakota for the first time Friday night and it was Reese Coffee of Sioux City, Iowa, walking away with the victory. Twenty-five Modifieds were on hand to do battle on a hot and windy evening at Park Jefferson Speedway.

Kyle Koster moved to the lead from his pole position starting spot in the Modified feature, but it did not take long for Coffee to move in for the challenge from his third row start. Coffee picked up the lead on lap five and with Koster busy trying to hold off the challenges of Denny Johnson for the second spot, Coffee was able to cruise on to victory. Koster edged out Johnson by inches at the stripe for the runner-up honors with Charles Clark and Rich Hesse, who started twenty-third, rounding out the top five.

The NKF Tour Modifieds will be at the Dubuque Speedway on Tuesday night, June 13^th, along with the Frieden Inc. Open Late Model Shootout.

 

Results

NKF Tour Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Rich Hesse, Sioux City 2. Mike Jensen, Sioux City 3. Doug Snyder, Sioux City 4. Mark Neal, Sioux City

2^nd Heat – 1. Charles Clark, LeMars 2. Denny Johnson, Sioux City 3. Brad Rowe, Sioux City 4. Kyle Koster, South Sioux City NE

3^rd Heat – 1. Lowell Roeber, Waterbury NE 2. Reese Coffee, Sioux City 3. Matt Edwardson, Sioux City 4. Mark Wenzlaff, Yankton SD

A-Main – 1. Coffee 2. Koster 3. Johnson 4. Clark 5. Hesse 6. Jensen 7. Roeber 8. Wenzlaff 9. Gary March, Sioux City 10. Mark Wagner, Sioux City 11. Ed Jaros, Hinton 12. Neal 13. Rick Schau, Merrill 14. Jay Noteboom, Orange City 15. Nick Mitchell, Waterbury NE 16. Kevin VanKlompenberg, Maurice 17. Derek Smith, Hinton 18. Doug Snyder, Sioux City 19. Edwardson 20. Dan Wagner, Sioux City 21. Rowe 22. Jessie Cowles, Sioux City 23. Jeff Monahan, Jefferson SD

The following is from my column the Back Stretch in Hawkeye Racing News written on June 12th of the year 2000. I am going to leave in the opening segment as well even though it doesn't pertain to the NKF Tour. Hopefully an announcer or two that I know will will give it a read.

Have you been to a Winston Cup race, or a dirt track race staged at, or near, a Winston Cup track (“the next level of dirt racing”) lately? If so, then you know what happens when the green flag is about to appear for the start of a race, or even a restart. Everybody stands up, and not just on the aisle in front of their seats, many of these fans climb right up on their seats in order to get the best possible view of the impending action.

At 6’3” this “on your feet” process doesn’t bother me a bit, except for being self-conscious about the poor people 5’8” or under who are behind me who now have a much more limited view of what is going to transpire. But as a father of three children, who love to go to the races, it really puts me into a slow burn. One of the most hypocritical promos that NASCAR runs during its televised races is the one where it shows smiling children joining their parents at the track for a weekend of Winston Cup action. Obviously this must have been filmed before the event, because if they did it during or afterwards, those smiles would likely be tears after the poor kid spent the entire race trying to look around and between all of the big people standing on the seats in front of them.

The Knoxville Nationals is one the top dirt track races anywhere and I have no problem taking a child to it because I know that the crowd will remain seated. How do I know that? Because for years now the announcers (Jack Miller, Tim Trier, Jack Herwehe, myself, Tony Bokhoven, etc.) have made it a point to remind the race fans to remain seated during the race. After all, when everybody sits, everybody sees. Changing the habits of Winston Cup fans will not happen overnight, but at least the track announcers should begin to make the effort if they really want to make it a great family sport. I just hope we don’t see things go the other direction. While at a dirt track event recently, an over-exuberant announcer blurted out “everybody on your feet for the start of this one!!” I wanted to send my ten-year-old up to thump him upside the head.

If you enjoy action-packed short-track racing you need to add the Nordic Speedway in Decorah to your “must-see list.” The track hosted a NKF Tour Modified and Hobby Stock event on June 6^th and the action was breathtaking from start to finish. Hobby Stock heat races ran in tight packs as the thirty-four-car field was whittled down to twenty and in the feature there was plenty of three-wide racing as well. All of it was going on behind Darrin Walch though as the rookie Hobby Stock chauffeur cruised to his third straight feature win at the track. Ryan Griffith made the long pull over from Webster City and his eleventh place finish was enough to vault him into the Tour’s point lead. In Modified action Dean Wagner looked as if he might win in his first time out driving Gene Sheets’ Modified, but a late charge by Ron Barker was enough for the victory. Barker had spun by himself while in the top five early in the race so he had to come from the rear of the nineteen-car field to take the victory. I have seen Ron win quite a few races over the years, but I don’t think that I have ever seen him more excited in victory lane as he was at Decorah. The Decorah race saw the return of two drivers to Tour action in the Hobby Stocks. Keep an eye on the progress of 1998 champion Steve Holthaus and his travelling partner Jeff Larson as they hit the road again on the NKF Tour.

On Friday night we made the long trip out to Park Jefferson Speedway as the NKF Mods joined the NCRA Sprint Car show at the beautiful facility managed by Evan Schoenfish. The PJ track crew was faced with a no-win situation as it was ninety-four degrees without a cloud in the sky and the wind was blowing out of the south at a sustained speed of thirty-five miles per hour. Once a load of water was put on, by the time the truck was full and ready to go again, the track would be dried out once again. The track itself was as good as the conditions would allow, however when several of the drivers decided that the fast way around included the left front wheel in the infield, the dust really stirred up and blew across the South Dakota flatland. I was surprised to only see sixteen NCRA sprints show up as part of their Northern Tour, but the cars that were there were good ones. Aaron Berryhill paced the field early before Terry McCarl put his slick-track driving skills to good use to slip by for the victory. The Modified feature was a good one as Reese Coffee stormed to the front quickly after starting in the third row and with Kyle Koster and Denny Johnson running side-by-side behind him, Coffee cruised to the victory. Koster prevailed in the race for second with Charles Clark fourth and Rich Hesse, who started twenty-third, finished in fifth. We were pleased with the reception the Tour had at Park Jeff and we were thanked by several of the drivers for finally scheduling a show “out this way.” This probably had a lot to do with the fact that proceeds from the night’s 50/50 raffle were going to the Siouxland Dialysis Unit where one of the star patients is former racer Louie Beatty. Louie was on hand to help sell tickets and he definitely has a lot of friends at Park Jeff. We hope to return to PJ again in 2001 and hopefully we can get a date booked at that neat little track across the street next year as well.

This week we’ll be at the Wapello County Fair race at Eldon on Thursday night, then on Tuesday, June 20^th, the NKF Tour Modifieds and Hobby Stocks will join the Best of the Midwest IMCA Stock Car Series at the Independence Motor Speedway. From there we’ll head on up the road to the Mighty Howard County Fair at Cresco on Thursday night, June 22^nd. Hope to see you on the Back Stretch.

The final race of the 1999 NKF Tour saw two drivers do what they needed to do in order to go from second in the point standings to first and win the championship. While it was a thrilling night and I was happy for both Bruce Hanford and Blaire Benzing, it also broke my heart for two of the nicest gentlemen that I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know. It was great to see both of them get a sense of redemption when we returned to Eldon in June of 2000.

Folkerts and Miller Enjoy Home-Field Advantage At Eldon NKF Tour Event

Eldon, Iowa – Two drivers who came up just one night short of earning divisional titles on the 1999 National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure found a bit of redemption here Thursday night. Tim Folkerts of Albia and Rod Miller of Eldon each picked up NKF Tour victories on their home-track during the Wapello County Fair.

Folkerts started twelfth in the twenty-lap Modified main event and quickly moved his way to the front of the field passing early leader Jerry Pilcher on lap five. Tim’s brother Troy chased him through the field and was able to pull alongside a couple of laps later, but Tim held his ground and pulled away for an easy victory, his fifth career win on the NKF Tour. John VanDenBerg was able to chase down and pass Troy Folkerts late in the race for second while Jeff Kropf and Todd Holman completed the top five.

Miller started on the pole of the fifteen lap Hobby Stock headliner and lead every lap, but the win did not come easily. Kris Walker and Doug McCollough kept the pressure on throughout the race and on the final lap Walker was able to pull even with Miller on the inside of turn one. The two leaders ran the entire final lap side-by-side with Miller edging out Walker by half-a-car-length at the stripe for his first career NKF Tour victory. McCollough came home third with Craig Brown and Bobby Greene rounding out the top five.

The NKF Tour Modifieds and Hobby Stocks have two events on the schedule next week. On Tuesday night, June 20^th, the Tour visits the Independence Motor Speedway for the first time ever and then on Thursday night, June 22^nd, the NKF Tour makes its annual appearance at the Mighty Howard County Fair in Cresco.

Results

NKF Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Tim Folkerts, Albia 2. Troy Folkerts, Albia 3. Todd Holman, Ottumwa 4. Casey Lancaster, Oskaloosa

2^nd Heat – 1. Mark Mundell, Ottumwa 2. Ron VerBeek, Oskaloosa 3. John VanDenBerg, Oskaloosa 4. Joey Kates, Kansas City KS

3^rd Heat – 1. Jeff Kropf, Ottumwa 2. Jerry Pilcher, Ottumwa 3. Jim Lynch, Bloomfield 4. Eric Fullenkamp, Eldon

A-Main – 1. Tim Folkerts 2. VanDenBerg 3. Troy Folkerts 4. Kropf 5. Holman 6. Pilcher 7. Mark Widmar, Ottumwa 8. Fullenkamp 9. Ken Bryant, Ottumwa 10. John Fellman, Blue Grass 11. VerBeek 12. Lancaster 13. Brandon Hainline, Fairfield 14. Mundell 15. Kates 16. Chad McKay, Oskaloosa 17. Lynch 18. Jardin Fuller, Memphis MO  DNS: Greg Cox, Altoona

 

NKF Hobby Stocks

1^st Heat – 1. Jeff Griffiths, Ottumwa 2. Tommy Lathrop, Ottumwa 3. Craig Brown, Eldon 4. Rick Metcalf, Selma

2^nd Heat – 1. T.J. Criss, Oskaloosa 2. Bobby Greene, Tracy 3. Lorne Parks, Ottumwa 4. Rocky Fosdyck, Selma

3^rd Heat – 1. Kris Walker, Oskaloosa 2. Ryan Griffith, Webster City 3. Rod Miller, Eldon 4. Doug McCollough, Webster City

A-Main – 1. Miller 2. Walker 3. McCollough 4. Brown 5. Greene 6. Fosdyck 7. Metcalf 8. Griffith 9. Jeremiah Jones, Eldon 10. Parks 11. Lathrop 12. Wayne Hale, Floris 13. Mike Shelton, Ottumwa 14. Kevin Cook, Ottumwa 15. Eric Flander, What Cheer 16. Robert Rupprecht, Oskaloosa 17. Rob Anderson, Beacon 18. Keith Lester, What Cheer 19. Paul Underwood, Ottumwa 20. Doug Gordon Jr., Ottumwa 21. Todd Phillips, Ollie 22. Eric Pike, Beacon 23. Criss 24. Brad Tursic, Ottumwa 25. Griffiths

I do not have a picture of his Modified on file, so here is one of Todd Holman in his #37 Hobby Stock battling with Larry Embrey at Hawkeye Raceway in the early 90's. Todd was a big supporter of the NKF Tour throughout its run and is another one of those lifelong friends made along the way

We had several drivers who would take up the chase of the Tour over the four years, but one of the car owners that I want to mention is Gene Sheetz who made several appearances at NKF Tour events with a few different drivers behind the wheel of his Modified. Dean Wagner would put Gene in victory lane in the Tour's first ever appearance at the Independence Motor Speedway while the 1998 NKF Tour Hobby Stock champion Steve Holthaus returned to form as well.

Independence NKF Tour Wins To Wagner and Holthaus

Independence, Iowa – There was plenty of action when the National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure visited the Independence Motor Speedway for the first time ever Tuesday night with Dean Wagner of Evansdale and Steve Holthaus of Cresco picking up victories in their respective divisions.

Wagner drew the pole position for the twenty-five-lap NKF Modified main event and immediately took the lead at the drop of the green. Scott Megonigle took up the chase in second with the rest of the field shuffling it up for third. Megonigle was able to poke his nose under the leader on a couple of occasions, but Wagner held his ground for his first NKF Tour win. Megonigle came home second while just behind him the battle for third was intense. Drivers such as Troy Cordes, Darin Duffy, Jamie Aikey and Vern Jackson all appeared to have a top five finish nailed down at some point, but mishaps or mechanical woes pushed all of them back in the finishing order. At the stripe it was Scott Hogan, who started fourteenth, taking third. Tim McBride wound up fourth while Timm Jensen came from nineteenth to take fifth.

The NKF Tour Hobby Stock main event had one caution on the original start and after that the race went twenty laps non-stop. Tory Reicks paced the field for the first half of the distance before 1998 Tour champion Steve Holthaus cruised by on the outside for the lead and the win. Reicks held off a spirited challenge from Jeremy Moellers for the runner-up spot while Brad Forbes and Aaron Kleppe completed the top five.

The NKF Tour returns to the Independence on September 23^rd, while the next event will be this Thursday night, June 22^nd, at the Mighty Howard County Fair in Cresco.

Results

NKF Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Derek Reisner, Oelwein 2. Troy Cordes, Cedar Falls 3. Brian Schrage, Cresco 4. Mike Gill, Cedar Falls

2^nd Heat – 1. Mike VanGenderen, Newton 2. Dean Wagner, Evansdale 3. Ron Barker, Dubuque 4. Tim Heins, Elkader

3^rd Heat – 1. Scott Megonigle, Cedar Rapids 2. Vern Jackson, Waterloo 3. Darin Duffy, Hazelton 4. Shawn Ryan, Waterloo

4^th Heat – 1. Ken Irvine, Hazelton 2. Jamie Aikey, Cedar Falls 3. Tim McBride, Evansdale 4. Ed Thomas, Waterloo

1^st B-Main – 1. Bruce Hanford, Davenport 2. Heins 3. Dan Bohr, Decorah 4. Timm Jensen, Dunkerton 5. Garry Stuber, Waterloo 6. Gill 7. Curt Carey, Ionia 8. Derrick Reidy, Waterloo 9. Kenny Hoeppner, Waterloo 10. Jack Quail, Waterloo

2^nd B-Main – 1. Scott Hogan, Vinton 2. Thomas 3. Robbie Schmueker, Vinton 4. Dave Stricker, Waterloo 5. Todd Schaufenbuel, New Hampton 6. Joey Schaefer, Waterloo 7. Ryan 8. Lou Chipp, Waterloo 9. Jerry King, Waterloo

A-Main – 1. Wagner 2. Megonigle 3. Hogan 4. McBride 5. Jensen 6. Schmueker 7. VanGenderen 8. Barker 9. Thomas 10. Schrage 11. Heins 12. Jackson 13. Stricker 14. Duffy 15. Cordes 16. Aikey 17. Carey 18. Irvine 19. Reisner 20. King 21. Bohr 22. Hanford

 

NKF Hobby Stocks

1^st Heat – 1. Tory Reicks, Waucoma 2. Justin Temeyer, Independence 3. Larry Franken, Washburn 4. Kyle Scheel, Oelwein

2^nd Heat – 1. Rod Miller, Eldon 2. Jeff Larson, New Hampton 3. Chris Schares, Jesup 4. Brad Forbes, Waterloo

3^rd Heat – 1. Steve Holthaus, Cresco 2. Jeremy Moellers, Elma 3. Aaron Kleppe, Cedar Rapids 4. Randy Wheeler, Waterloo

B-Main – 1. Doug McCollough, Webster City 2. Orville Gilbert, Toledo 3. Mike Hiller, Dunkerton 4. Mark McNeece, Albion 5. Bruce Benzing, Harpers 6. Rod Abbas, Waterloo 7. Brett Mather, Lamont 8. Alvin Larsen, Waterloo 9. Wyatt Miller, Brandon 10. Jason Goedken, Oelwein 11. Doug Smith, Center Point 12. Leslie Toothman, Waterloo 13. Dan Geisler, Waterloo

A-Main – 1. Holthaus 2. Reicks 3. Moellers 4. Forbes 5. Kleppe 6. Temeyer 7. McCollough 8. R. Miller 9. Schares 10. Wheeler 11. Larson 12. Franken 13. Goedken 14. Abbas 15. Benzing 16. Gilbert 17. McNeece 18. W. Miller 19. Hiller 20. Larsen 21. Scheel

I didn't care who was asking, or how big of an event that they might want to make it, when it came to putting together a schedule for the NKF Tour Tom Barnes and the Mighty Howard County Fair had first pick of the date that they wanted. After all, Tom was the first to ever book a race with the Tour and it was always my opportunity to go up to northeast Iowa and see some of our Tour regulars in the Hobby Stocks shine in their own environment. I think as race fans we sometimes forget just how much effort goes in to fielding a race car, from a national touring series Late Model all the way to a bomber class or Four Cylinder car and we should recognize each and every competitor as a hero. When I went to Cresco I could see just how well liked drivers like Steve Holthaus, Jeff Larson and Blaire Benzing were by their local fans and it is my hope that by being such a big part of the NKF Hobby Stock Tour that their status was elevated even more, and not just at their home tracks. The Tour gave this budget class of drivers a bigger stage to compete on, and that I am very proud of.

Hanford Likes Cresco, Boyer Also Wins ON NKF Tour

Cresco, Iowa – During its three year run, Bruce Hanford of Davenport has been a regular competitor on the National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure in the Modified division winning the title in 1999. In the three years Hanford had finished in the top five at sixteen events, but only had one victory at a track that he seldom competes at. On Thursday night he repeated that win at the Cresco Speedway during the Mighty Howard County Fair. Junior Boyer of St. Lucas also earned a NKF Tour win on the night in the Hobby Stock division.

Vern Jackson paced the Modified field for the first eight laps before Hanford slipped by in turn four. 1998 Tour champion Corey Dripps followed him into second and with current Tour point leader Ron Barker moving into third, it was setting up to be quite a battle amongst the top names in the Tour’s young history. With two laps to go Dripps was able to put his nose under Hanford in turn one, but just as he jumped on the accelerator to make his move the right rear wheel broke off of the car ending his evening. On the restart Barker tried to mount a challenge, but he found himself under attack from Dan Bohr as Hanford moved away for the win. Barker held back Bohr by a car-length for second with Jackson and Troy Langowski completing the top five.

Boyer and Jeff Larson started on the front row of the Hobby Stock main event and the two ran side-by-side for the first two circuits. Boyer established himself as the leader on lap three with Adam Speicher closing in to challenge for the top spot. Speicher kept the pressure on the leader, even pulling alongside Boyer with two laps to go, as Steve Holthaus closed on the lead pair in third. On the final lap Boyer nosed ahead for the win while Holthaus nipped Speicher at the line by inches for the runner-up honors. Lynn Panos and Larson completed the top five.

The NKF Tour Modifieds have a doubleheader next week starting on Wednesday night, June 28^th, at 34 Raceway in Burlington. Then on Thursday, June 29^th, the Tour returns to the Benton County Speedway in Vinton. The next action for the NKF Hobby Stocks will be on Monday, July 3^rd, at the CJ Raceway in Columbus Junction.

Results

NKF Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Dan Bohr, Decorah 2. Todd Suhr, New Hampton 3. Bruce Hanford, Davenport 4. Ron Barker, Dubuque

2^nd Heat – 1. Larry Schmidt, New Hampton 2. Troy Hale, Grand Meadow MN 3. Dean Riess, Rochester MN 4. Jack Mitchell, Cedar Falls

3^rd Heat – 1. Vern Jackson, Waterloo 2. Troy Langowski, Winona MN 3. Corey Dripps, Cedar Falls 4. Todd Stinehart, Waseca MN

A-Main – 1. Hanford 2. Barker 3. Bohr 4. Jackson 5. Langowski 6. Hale 7. Mitchell 8. Suhr 9. Stinehart 10. Brad Rain, Preston MN 11. Tim Heins, Elkader 12. Brian Bronner, Lime Springs 13. Todd Schaufenbuel, New Hampton 14. Larry Grube, Cresco 15. Ken Hofner, St. Ansgar 16. John Grube, Cresco 17. Dick Brummond, New Hampton 18. Dripps 19. Riess 20. Schmidt 21. Brian Schrage, Cresco 22. Kaleb Himli, Fountain MN

 

NKF Hobby Stocks

1^st Heat – 1. Adam Speicher, Fredericksburg 2. Rod Miller, Eldon 3. Jay Schwamann, Ft. Atkinson 4. Lynn Panos, Protivin

2^nd Heat – 1. Junior Boyer, St. Lucas 2. Jason Rohde, Fayette 3. Jeremy Moellers, Elma 4. Bruce Benzing, Harpers

3^rd Heat – 1. Darrin Walch, Postville 2. Steve Holthaus, Cresco 3. Rick Stockman, Preston MN 4. Andy Burke, Waukon

4^th Heat – 1. Blaire Benzing, Waterville 2. Jeff Larson, New Hampton 3. Jeff Vsetecka, Charles City 4. Tory Reicks, Waucoma

A-Main – 1. Boyer 2. Holthaus 3. Speicher 4. Panos 5. Larson 6. Rohde 7. Bl. Benzing 8. Vsetecka 9. Schwamann 10. Stockman 11. Moellers 12. Miller 13. Reicks 14. Burke 15. Dean Vrba, Ft. Atkinson 16. Mike Hiller, Dunkerton 17. Br. Benzing 18. Les Mahlstedt, Waukon 19. Greg Mitchell, Decorah 20. Walch 21. Todd Halverson, Decorah 22. Dave Mayer, Riceville 23. Mark Rue, West Union

I am going to assume that the show in Burlington was rained out as the next story that I have is from the June 29th race at Vinton. I do not recall why this was booked as a Modified Only event as the Hobby Stocks had put on a great show here each of the last two years. One of the volunteers that night was Deanna Stallman who had stepped in so admirably on a temporary basis after Executive Director Jodi Enger had left the NKF of Iowa. Still no sign of the new Executive Director at any of our events, perhaps XYZ was still out there trying to get one of those potential title sponsors to sign on the dotted line?

Wagner’s Second NKF Tour Victory Comes At Vinton

Vinton, Iowa – The National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure returned to the Benton County Speedway here Thursday night and for the third straight year the tacky fast quarter-mile oval treated the fans to some great racing with Dean Wagner of Evansdale taking the Modified feature win.

After four intense qualifying heats and two B-Main events the field of thirty-six was narrowed down to twenty cars for the thirty-lap main event in front of an enthusiastic “Thirsty Thursday” crowd. Darin Duffy moved quickly from his fourth starting spot to grab the lead on the first lap and he then proceeded to open up a nice advantage. Several drivers were on the move, with the most notable being Dean Wagner who had started in the tenth spot. Wagner moved in to challenge Duffy for the lead and on lap twenty he moved by for the top spot. Three laps later the crowd was stirred into a frenzy when the leaders closed in on a lapped car in turn one. The lapped car bobbled just in front of Wagner causing him to check up. Duffy had no time to hit the breaks and he hit Wagner from behind sending him into a spin that brought out the yellow. The Benton County Speedway uses a “Call Fault” system for their yellow flags, so track officials determined that the bobble by the lapped car had set off the chain reaction, so both Wagner and Duffy were put back in their positions for the restart.

On the restart, Scott Hogan was able to get by Duffy from second, but after coming all the way from the ninth row Hogan had nothing left to challenge Wagner who picked up his second NKF Tour victory of the season. Duffy finished in the third spot with Robbie Schmueker, who started fifteenth, and Ron Barker, who came from the rear after an early flat tire, completing the top five.

The NKF Tour Modifieds and Hobby Stocks will make their first-ever visit to the CJ Raceway in Columbus Junction, Iowa, on Monday night July 3^rd.

Results

NKF Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Bruce Hanford, Davenport 2. Casey Schram, Sterling IL 3. Dave Burrell, Dysart 4. Doug Firgard, Hudson

2^nd Heat – 1. Darin Duffy, Hazelton 2. Ron Barker, Dubuque 3. Dean Wagner, Evansdale 4. Troy Cordes, Cedar Falls

3^rd Heat – 1. Jamie Johnson, Waterloo 2. Mike Sampson, Evansdale 3. Garry Stuber, Waterloo 4. Ed Thomas, Waterloo

4^th Heat – 1. Joey Schaefer, Waterloo 2. Vern Jackson, Waterloo 3. Pat Flannagan, Marion 4. Jack Mitchell, Cedar Falls

1^st B-Main – 1. Bryan Behning, Davenport 2. Robbie Schmueker, Vinton 3. Scott Hogan, Vinton 4. Cordes 5. Dave Stricker, Waterloo 6. Jason Snyder, Dunkerton 7. Clayton Thomas, Waterloo 8. Jeff Hogan, Vinton 9. Russ Olson, Cedar Rapids 10. Firgard 11. Ron Parbs, Urbana 12. Tim McBride, Evansdale

2^nd B-Main – 1. Mitchell 2. Corey Dripps, Cedar Falls 3. Cal Swanson Jr., Waterloo 4. John Fellman, Blue Grass 5. Aric Becker, Cedar Rapids 6. Wayne Struchen, Marion 7. Brett Root, Waterloo 8. Jerry King, Waterloo 9. Ben Metcalf, Evansdale

A-Main – 1. Wagner 2. S. Hogan 3. Duffy 4. Schmueker 5. Barker 6. Hanford 7. Mitchell 8. Schram 9. Behning 10. Cordes 11. Sampson 12. Thomas 13. Stuber 14. Burrell 15. Flannagan 16. Fellman 17. Jackson 18. Schaefer 19. Swanson 20. Dripps

That takes us through the month of June, keep an eye on the Back Stretch for Part Three of NKF Tour 2000 coming soon!