By TJ Buffenbarger
Lake Odessa, MI – (4/24/1999) — Four and a half inches of rain since Wednesday, and repeated challenges from Mike Reinke and John Ivy could not stop Toledo, Ohio’s Chuck Wilson from taking the opening night feature win at the New 96 Speedway. The track crew did a heroic job to pump the facility out Friday afternoon for racing. Even though the grounds were soggy, a great crowd turned out on the first night of racing sponsored by the Ionia Chamber of Commerce.
Wilson and Greg Wheeler started on the front row for the feature event. Wilson jumped into lead with Reinke in tow. After two caution flags for spins by Mark Stemen, John Ivy joined the duo of Wilson and Reinke in the battle for the lead until Steve Suever flipped hard in turn three. Suever was uninjured.
After the restart Reinke and Wilson swapped the lead back and forth. Wilson finally regained the top spot on lap eight. Shortly after that Ivy passed Reinke and began his pursuit of the leader Wilson. Ivy and Wilson put on a great battle for the lead through lapped traffic as they split lapped cars and swapped lines several times. Then on lap 18 Ivy drove the car too hard into turn four, clipped the infield berm, and flipped in turn four. Ivy was was shaken, but okay.
After the restart Wilson, the 1996 New 96 Speedway track champion, had clear sailing to his first feature victory of the 1999 season. Reinke, Charlie Baker, Greg Litten, and Todd Wohlford rounded out the top five.
1998 track champion Brett Mann set fast time, and then was involved in a scary looking flip at the start of the first heat race. Mann was taken to a hospital for a checkup, and was released later that night with minor injuries. Wilson, Larry Rix, and Ivy won the heat races.
In IMCA Modified action, visiting driver Jeep VanWormer from Pinconning, Michigan was able to hold off multiple time track champion Rick Stout for the feature victory. VanWormer and Stout ran side by side for most of the 20-lap feature. During the last five laps VanWormer was able to pull away from Stout for the victory. Shannon Fisk, Joe Baker, and Tim Stemler rounded out the top five. Joe Nordor, Shannon Fisk, Stout, Gary Vandermark, and Joe Baker won heat races. Jake Meyerink and Brook Brasington won the B-Main events.
Mad Max Wirebaugh from Wyoming, Michigan was able to capitalize on early leader Mark Anderson’s mechanical problems to win another street stock feature at the New 96 Speedway. Mark Anderson, Ryan Disterhoff, and Wirebaugh won heats. Rich Sweet won the B-Main Event.
Next week the New 96 Speedway features Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, and Street Stocks. Hot laps will start at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00 p.m. The New 96 Speedway is located off I-96 exit 64 on Portland Road in beautiful Lake Odessa, Michigan.
Summary:
Sprint Cars:
Time Trials
1. 19 Brett Mann 15.820
2. 36s Steve Suever 16.310
3. 2a Bobby Adamson 16.380
4. o2 Mike Reinke 16.470
5. 8s John Ivy 16.670
6. 16c Greg Wheeler 16.730
7. 31 Chuck Wilson 16.730
8. 12 Greg Litten 17.030
9. 28 Tim Kern 17.130
10. 14h Todd Heller 17.390
11. 1c Charlie Baker 17.430
12. 17s Mark Stemen 17.500
13. 0 Todd Wohlford 17.870
14. 2t Doug Deuel 18.190
15. 38 Larry Rix 18.470
16. 18 Stephan Perlmutter 18.530
17. 80 Bob Dooley 18.530
18. 1r Sean Robinson 18.860
19. 64m Chuck Mohr 18.910
20. 46 Robert Huisken 19.060
21. 60 Keith Stepke 19.190
22. 84 Kyle Poortinga 21.770
23. 38p David Davis 99.000
24. 3 Eddie Smith 99.000
Heat 1: Wilson, Wohlford, Heller, Reinke, Mohr, Perlmutter, Poortinga, Mann.
Heat 2: Rix, Adamson, Wheeler, Stepke, Kern, Stemen, Robinson. DNS – Eddie Smith.
Heat 3: Ivy, Baker, Suever, Deuel, Litten, Huisken, Dooley, Ely.
Feature: Wilson, Reinke, Baker, Litten, Wohlford, Perlmutter, Ely, Dooley, Rix, Kern, Adamson, Ivy, Stepke, Huisken, Mohr, Deuel, Seuver, Stemen, Heller, Pourtenga, Wheeler, Robinson.
IMCA Modifieds:
Heat 1: Joe Norder, Barry Roscoe, Tim Stemler, Brook Brasington, Jeff Roodvotes, Jim Coil, Randy Lentz, Bruce West, Tim Lytle.
Heat 2: Shannon Fisk, Mike Stencel, John McClure, Hank Siwecki, Mike Harding, Tim Easey, Ryan Steig, Todd Feutz, Mike Grassman.
Heat 3: Rick Stout, Jason Seeley, Dan Hubbel, Gabe High, Mike Miller, Brett Bartels, Larry VanPutten, Dave Holcomb.
Heat 4: Gary Vandermark, Roger Steig, Randy Ruesink, Daryl Price, Ronnie Zinn, Jackie Frye, Buzz Lawrence, Tom Brady, John Eash.
Heat 5: Joe Baker, Joe Fowler, Jeep VanWormer, Mark Kurth, Jake Meyerink, Jeff Sherwood, Doug Allison, Gordy Petrie, Todd Cowan, Jim Woldfogel.
B-Main #1: Brasington, Petrie, Feutz, Frye, Siwiecki, Easey, Bartels, Price, Woldfogel, Kurth, Holcomb, Sherwood, High.
B-Main #2: Meyerink, Hoppies, Cowan, Doug VanderWoude, Harding, VanPutten, Lytle, Lawrence, Allison, Zinn, Lentz, Eash.
A-Main: VanWormer, Stout, Fisk, Baker, Stemler, Fowler, Brasington, Stensel, Petrie, Fuetz, Meyerink, Hoppies, Ruesink, Roscoe, Hubble, Seeley, McClure, VanderMark, Steig, Norder, Cowan.
Street Stocks:
Heat 1: Mark Anderson, Scott Estep, Steve Sawicki, Frank Thompson, Scott Ralston, Ben Curtis, Mark Wagner, Jason McGraw, Matt Seeley.
Heat 2: Ryan Disterhoff, Doug Hoort, Brian Nelson, Bruce Alford, Bob Parson, Donna Depew, Duane Crum, Doug Reippe.
Heat 3: Max Wirebaugh, Ben Christie, Jeff Vandermark, Bob Wieberdink, Kevin Abendroth, Gordy Abendroth, Rich Sweet, Carl Forsythe.
B-Main: Sweet, Wagner, Abendroth, Curtis, Fisk, Crum, Depew.
A-Main: Wirebaugh, Disterhoff, Estep, Nelson, Wieberdink, Sweet, Ralston, Wagner, Fisk, Hoort, Curtis, Alford, Parson, Abendroth, Thompson, Anderson, Sawecki, Abendroth, Vandermark, Christy.
Photo Gallery
