From Justin Zoch
The richest race on the 2011 IRA schedule drew a strong field of travelers to Cedar Lake Speedway for the Jerry Richert Memorial but it was IRA point leader and current king pin Bill Balog who held them off to score the $5,000 victory.
Balog, fresh off a win the night before in Superior, Wisconsin, started the 30-lap main event on the outside of the front row and immediately darted off into the lead. Fourth starting Davey Heskin began his pursuit of Balog by moving into second while sixth starting Mark Dobmeier quickly moved into the third spot. An early caution for a tangle between John Sernett and Austin Johnson bunched the field and Dobmeier took advantage of the restart to take second from Heskin.
Fifth-starting Terry McCarl moved into the third spot on lap 10 and remained there when contact between Davey Heskin and Robbie Wolfgang caused the former to spin, bringing out a yellow flag and sending Heskin to the tail. While under yellow, McCarl and defending Richert Memorial winner Scott Winters both went to the work area to change tires.
On the restart, Balog again started stretching the advantage over Dobmeier and Wolfgang. With the track starting to take rubber in the middle groove, especially in turns three and four, Balog attempted to go around the outside of a lapped car and slid up into the loose dirt, which allowed Dobmeier to pull even and actually lead lap 28. Balog, however, retook the lead in turn 1 on the high side and beat Dobmeier down the backstretch before cruising to his first career IRA win at Cedar Lake. Dobmeier was second with Wolfgang third.
Heats for the 36 car field were won by Balog, Scott Biertzer, Bill Warren and Scott Neitzel. In heat race number four, Brooke Tatnell crashed hard on the backstretch and started the B-main in Duane Nelson’s 360 car, which he was running in the companion UMSS show. Tatnell finished second in the B-main to Robbie Wolfgang but did not complete the A-main. He did, however, win the UMSS portion of the Richert Memorial. Mark Dobmeier set quick time for the field with a lap of 11.377.
Osborne and Sons Trucking Qualifications: Mark Dobmeier (11.377)
Weld Racing Heat Race #1: 1. Bill Balog, 2. Mike Reinke, 3. Mark Dobmeier, 4. Mike Kertscher / 5. Lynton Jeffrey, 6. John Sernett, 7. Kris Spitz, 8. Scott Uttech, 9. Brandon Thone
Lane Automotive Heat Race #2: 1. Scott Beirtzer, 2. Wayne Modjeski, 3. Terry McCarl, 4. Phillip Mock / 5. Rob Kubli, 6. John Haeni, 7. Ty Bartz, 8. Michael Decker. 9. Bryan Dobesh
DMI Heat Race #3: 1. Bill Warren, 2. Dusty Zomer, 3. Davey Heskin, 4. Todd King / 5. Dave Uttech, 6. Bill Wirth, 7. Andy Hunt, 8. Duane Olson, 9. Robbie Wolfgang
King Racing Heat Race #4: 1. Scott Neitzel, 2. Scott Winters, 3. Travis Whitney, 4. Austin Johnson / 5. TJ Luedtke, 6. Brooke Tatnell, 7. Matt Vandervere, 8. Jody Rosenboom
Behling Racing Products B-main: 1. Wolfgang, 2. Tatnell, 3. D. Uttech, 4. Jeffrey, 5. Sernett, 6. Haeni / 7. Spitz, 8. Wirth, 9. Vandervere, 10. S. Uttech, 11. Luedtke, 12. Kubli, 13. Thone, 14. Decker, 15. Olson, 16. Dobesh, 17. Bartz, 18. Hunt (DNS) 19. Borland (DNS)
30-Lap Jerry Richert Memorial A-Feature: 1. Balog, 2. Dobmeier, 3. Wolfgang, 4. Whitney, 5. Warren, 6. Beirtzer, 7. Reinke, 8. Neitzel, 9. Zomer, 10. Kertscher, 11. Heskin, 12. D. Uttech, 13. Winters, 14. McCarl, 15. Mock, 16. King, 17. Haeni, 18. Spitz, 19. Modjeski, 20. Wirth, 21. Tatnell, 22. Johnson, 23. Sernett