Lights Out at Park Jeff

Jay Noteboom is “Lights Out” at Park Jefferson Speedway
July 18, 2009
Jefferson, SD
LeRoy Beck

Every once in a while you want to remember where you are when something unusual happens. Most fans in the grandstand will definitely remember Saturday Night as the Night the Lights Went out at Park Jefferson Speedway. Jay Noteboom, Harvey VandeWeerd, Brad Green, John Cain, Brian Tenold, and Lucas Morton and Trent West were all “lights out” in picking up feature wins.

Reese Coffee would lead the majority of the VerHoef Automotive NASCAR All American Series Modified Feature. At the drop of the green Rich Heese would take the lead and run at the front until a lap four caution. That caution would bring the night to a screeching halt as during that caution the power would go out all around the speedway. A power surge would knock out power to the surrounding area and put the track under complete darkness. Hesse would pit under the red flag giving the lead to Coffee who led as Jay Noteboom worked his way from the back to take over the runner up spot chasing down Coffee. Noteboom would try for numerous laps to get around Coffee but would need to take advantage of a Coffee mistake to get the lead and pick up the win. Coffee would hold on for second ahead of Dirk Kirk, Jay Goosman, and Bob Moore.

Drivers may go their entire career without picking up a win at a track near their home. Brad Green has been a long time racer in the B&B Salvage Stock Car division, but through bad luck, and various other means, had never gotten a feature win. Ryan Harris would jump to the lead at the drop of the green flag with Green in tow. Harris and Green would run nose to tail lap after lap, Green waiting for a chance to move to the front. Harris would enter turn one very high in the closing laps, and the long awaited chance presented itself. Green darted to the bottom of the speedway, got some grip, and took the lead. Green would distance himself from the field in the closing laps and pick up the win. Green was very gracious in victory lane calling the win “a long time coming,” and mentioned his grandfather and wishing he could see the win. Harris would hold on for second with Tom McKenzie, Jason Ward, and Mitch Dowhower rounding out the top five.

Feature racing in the Motor Parts Central 360 Bmods has been full of heartache for Greg Golden. Many times Golden had been leading only to suffer misfortune. This night would be no different. Golden would dominate the feature events, only to have something break in the drivetrain. Harvey VandeWeerd would inherit the lead and fight off all challenges from Rich Headid and Jeff Brunssen to get the win and extend his point lead. Brunssen, Headid, Dan VanBruggen, and Kyle Nordquist would follow VandeWeerd to the finish.

Impressive is the only word to describe John Cain’s performance in the Yankton Automotive Machine Hobby Stock feature. Cain would have no peer on this night as he easily won the feature by nearly a full straightaway. Behind Cain was incredibly close racing between five drivers. Paul Menard, Justin Regnerus, Paul Wenzlaff, Rusty Montagne, and Bill Woehler would swap position lap after lap to the delight of the crowd. Montagne and Woehler would get together to bring out a caution and finish 7th and 8th respectively. Menard would take the runner up spot ahead of Regnerus, Wenzlaff, and Jeff Thomas, who started the night on his roof.

Brian Tenold took the lead and held on for the win in the Steve’s Roofing Hornet division. Tenold would be under constant pressure from Zach Ankrum, until Ankrum had a tire go down on the white flag lap. Chuck Rose, Kyle Davis, Tim Cass and Randy Cass would finish in the top five.

Next Friday Night, Park Jefferson Speedway hosts the rescheduled Patrick M Pinney Best of the Midwest 40, featuring the MLRA and NCRA late models as a part of a three day swing. On Friday, gates open at 5:00pm with racing at 7:30pm, with a huge fireworks display after the races.

Then next Saturday Night, KSUX 105.7 presents the 2009 NASCAR Whelen All American Series at Park Jefferson Speedway. For more information on Park Jefferson Speedway visit http://www.parkjeffersonspeedway.com or visit the NASCAR Home Tracks page at http://localracing.nascar.com/tracks

RESULTS
VerHoef Automotive NASCAR Modified
Heat Winners
Rich Hesse, Dirk Kirk, Jay Noteboom
Feature
1. Jay Noteboom, Hinton, IA
2. Reese Coffee, Hinton, IA
3. Dirk Kirk, Sloan, IA
4. Jay Goosman, Hinton, IA
5. Bob Moore, Sioux City, IA
6. Chris Abelson, Sioux City, IA
7. Bo Lundquist, Sioux City, IA
8. Dean Palmer, Beresford, SD
9. Jim Mathieson, Sioux City, IA
10. Jesse Cowles, Council Bluffs, IA

Motor Parts Central 360Mods
Heat Winners
Jon Felix, Greg Golden
Feature
1. Harvey VandeWeerd, Granville, IA
2. Jeff Brunssen, LeMars, IA
3. Rich Headid, North Sioux City, SD
4. Dan VanBruggen, Hospers, IA
5. Kyle Nordquist, Beresford, SD
6. Chad TenNapel, Sioux City, IA
7. Nate Mosterd, Ireton, IA
8. Ty Merrill, Salix, IA
9. Darin Roepke, LeMars, IA
10. Greg Golden, Sioux City, IA

B&B Salvage Stock Cars
Heat Winners
Bob McCoy, Jason Ward
Feature
1. Brad Green, Sioux City, IA
2. Ryan Harris, Thurston, NE
3. Tom McKenzie, Sioux City, IA
4. Jason Ward, Sioux City, IA
5. Mitch Dowhower, Homer, NE
6. Curt VanBeek, Sioux Center, IA
7. Glenn Wynia, Sioux Center, IA
8. Bob McCoy, South Sioux City, NE
9. Doug Fontenot, Sioux City, IA
10. Lenny Tucker, Sioux City, IA

Yankton Automotive Machine Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners
Rusty Montagne, John Cain
Feature
1. John Cain, Dakota City, NE
2. Paul Menard, Hinton, IA
3. Justin Regnerus, Sioux Center, IA
4. Paul Wenzlaff, Yankton, SD
5. Jeff Thomas, Winnebago, NE
6. Tom Love, Sioux City, IA
7. Rusty Montagne, North Sioux City, SD
8. Bill Woehler, South Sioux City, NE
9. Casey Jones, Sioux City, IA
10. Jake McClure, Sgt Bluff, IA

Steve’s Roofing Hornets
Heat Winners
Brian Tenold, Luke Jackson
Feature
1. Brian Tenold, Sioux City, IA
2. Chuck Rose, Sioux City, IA
3. Kyle Davis, Merrill, IA
4. Tim Cass, Onawa, IA
5. Randy Cass, Onawa, IA
6. Luke Jackson, Sioux City, IA
7. Cody Thompson, Sioux City, IA
8. Michael Denney, Sioux City, IA
9. Brian Sorenson, Sioux City, IA
10. Mark Dorcey, Dakota City, NE

Craziness at Park Jeff

A Wild Night at Park Jefferson Speedway
July 11, 2009
Jefferson, SD
LeRoy Beck

Simply put it was a wild night at the races as Yankton Automotive Machine presented the NASCAR Whelen All American Series at Park Jefferson Speedway. Wild racing, wild finishes, a memorable night was had by all as Justin Regnerus, Jeff Larson, Reese Coffee, Brian Sorenson, and Dan VanBruggen all picked up feature wins.

The end of the night would definitely be the highlight and main event of the evening as the NASCAR Whelen All American Series VerHoef Automotive Modifieds would take to the speedway. After a few attempts, green flag racing would have Mark Gaskill, Chris Abelson, and Rich Hesse racing for the lead. As Hesse fell back to third, Gaskill and Abelson would get together on the outside of turn four, damaging Abelson and ending Gaskill’s night. Hesse would inherit the lead with Reese Coffee second and Abelson would restart on the rear. Coffee was unable to find a line around Hesse, but Abelson was. During a green flag run Abelson worked all the way to the lead before the fireworks really began. Hesse would get back past Abelson and tried to drive deep into turn one, jumping the cushion, and falling back in the pack giving Abelson the lead with two to go. Abelson would bring the field to the white flag, before getting sideways in turn two giving the lead to Coffee who would lead the last half lap for the win ahead of Bob Moore, Hesse, Jesse Cowles, and Denny Johnson.

The B&B Salvage Stock Cars would have some trouble getting started. After many failed attempts green flag action would quickly come to a halt when a melee on the backstretch would collect the cars of Brad Green, Ryan Harris, and others. As the laps clicked off, Jeff Larson would establish his supremacy on this night. Larson took the lead at the drop of the green and would lead the entire race with Jason Ward on his bumper the entire way. Glenn Wynia and Curt VanBeek would battle all race long for position with Wynia taking third ahead of VanBeek and Mark Wenzlaff.

Dan VanBruggen has been having a relatively tough season in the Motor Parts Central 360bmods. VanBruggen is used to running at the front of the field and competing for wins on a weekly basis. Dan “the man” has not had as much success in 2009 as previous years, but this night would belong to the Hospers, IA driver. VanBruggen would lead every lap and pick up the win. Behind the leader though was racing was fierce highlighted by Greg Peck’s return to the speedway with a run from the rear of the starting lineup to the third spot. Jeff Brunssen, Peck, Ty Merrill, and Harvey VandeWeerd would follow VanBruggen to the line.

The night of crazy events would really get underway with the Yankton Automotive Machine Hobby Stock Feature. Derek Smith would dominate the early parts of the feature avoiding an early tangle which caught up John Cain, Paul Menard, Carl Monroe, and others. Smith would lead until his motor appeared to give way. Justin Regnerus would inherit the lead, but would not hold it for long as Rusty Montagne would take the top spot. Montagne and Regnerus would battle for the lead as both drivers flew under the white flag. Heading down the back stretch, both cars would race up to the Craig Clift machine who was struggling. Clift tried to hold his line, per the rules, but Montagne would make contact and Regnerus would capitalize and get the feature win ahead of Montagne and Bill Woehler. Paul Menard would recover to finish fourth ahead of Paul Wenzlaff.

Brian Sorenson would dominate the feature once again in the Steve’s Roofing Hornet division. Sorenson has been one of the hottest drivers in the division and would pick up the win over a quickly closing Chuck Rose ahead of Tim Cass, Randy Cass, and Vince Trometer.

Next Saturday Night, Champion Propane present the 2009 NASCAR Whelen All American Series at Park Jefferson Speedway. For more information on Park Jefferson Speedway visit http://www.parkjeffersonspeedway.com or visit the NASCAR Home Tracks page at http://localracing.nascar.com/tracks

RESULTS
VerHoef Automotive NASCAR Modified
Heat Winners
Chris Abelson, Dirk Kirk
Feature
1. Reese Coffee, Hinton, IA
2. Bob Moore, Sioux City, IA
3. Rich Hesse, Hinton, IA
4. Jesse Cowles, Council Bluffs, IA
5. Denny Johnson, Council Bluffs, IA
6. Chris Abelson, Sioux City, IA
7. Leon Mulder, Doon, IA
8. Jim Mathieson, Sioux City, IA
9. Dean Palmer, Beresford, SD
10. Mark Gaskill, Dakota City, NE

Motor Parts Central 360Mods
Heat Winners
Dan VanBruggen, Greg Golden
Feature
1. Dan VanBruggen, Hospers, IA
2. Jeff Brunssen, LeMars, IA
3. Greg Peck, Sioux City, IA
4. Ty Merrill, Salix, IA
5. Harvey VandeWeerd, Granville, IA
6. Kirk Beatty, Sioux City, IA
7. Todd Saunders, Sioux City, IA
8. Chad TenNapel, Ireton, IA
9. Rich Headid, North Sioux City, SD
10. Kyle Nordquist, Beresford, SD

B&B Salvage Stock Cars
Heat Winners
Bob McCoy, Jeff Larsen
Feature
1. Jeff Larsen, Worthington, MN
2. Jason Ward, Sioux City, IA
3. Glenn Wynia, Sioux Center, IA
4. Curt VanBeek, Sioux Center, IA
5. Mark Wenzlaff, Yankton, SD
6. Doug Fontenot, Sioux City, IA
7. Mark Stanley, Storm Lake, IA
8. Shane Klaassen, Little Rock, IA
9. Bob McCoy, South Sioux City, NE
10. Ryan Harris, Thurston, NE

Yankton Automotive Machine Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners
Paul Menard, John Cain
Feature
1. Justin Regnerus, Sioux Center, IA
2. Rusty Montagne, North Sioux City, SD
3. Bill Woehler, South Sioux City, NE
4. Paul Menard, Hinton, IA
5. Paul Wenzlaff, Yankton, SD
6. Carl Monroe, Sioux City, IA
7. Craig Clift, Sioux City, IA
8. John Cain, Dakota City, NE
9. Derek Smith, Sioux City, IA
10. Jake McClure, Sgt Bluff, IA

Steve’s Roofing Hornets
Heat Winners
Brian Sorenson, Chuck Rose
Feature
1. Brian Sorenson, Sioux City, IA
2. Chuck Rose, Sioux City, IA
3. Tim Cass, Onawa, IA
4. Randy Cass, Onawa, IA
5. Vince Trometer, Onawa, IA
6. Cody Thompson, Sioux City, IA
7. Zack Ankrum, Sioux City, IA
8. Kyle Davis, Merrill, IA
9. Zach Denney, Sioux City, IA
10. Michael Denney, Sioux City, IA

Damn...really??

Ok, so it has been a while since my last post. I apologize for that, but life has been quite strange as of late. First, rain keeps wiping out the races. Blackbird Bend was rained out four weeks in a row. Then they CLOSED. AGAIN...damn. I would like to thank all of the folks who told me working there was a bad idea, mainly because they haven't jumped up and did the told ya so dance.

I have gotten some races in as of late. As per my yearly tradition, I made the long ass drive east to Eldora for the Prelude and the Dream. Well the Prelude was added to the list of rainouts for 09, but the Dream was SPECTACULAR!! Me, Swailes, and worldwide Madonna made the trip east and the folks at the "Big E" didn't disappoint. I will try to post some pictures here soon. I got some great ones. I also had the pleasure of announcing for the USMTS at their annual race at Park Jefferson. I love that series, and look forward to working with Todd and the rest of the USMTS crew again someday. But rain has been the dominant force in my racing life this year, hopefully its all gone, and we can go back to racin. See ya at the races.