From A to Z Promotions
Fairmont, MN — (May 22, 2012) — Black thunderclouds surrounded the Martin County Fairgrounds while streaks of lightning raced across the half mile of black gumbo as Championship Sprint Car Racing returned to the Fairmont Raceway in Fairmont , Minnesota , for the first time in over a decade. When it was all said and done, it was Chad Meyer of Sioux Falls, SD, taking home the $2,000 first prize and the case of Bud Light at Return of the Thunder courtesy of presenting sponsor Tow Distributing.
The racing action stopped abruptly on the opening lap as Gregg Bakker flipped the State Bank of Fairmont 11x high in the air in turn two. After flipping over15 feet in the air and rolling 30 feet along the ground, Bakker’s machine came to a halt – along with his evening of racing. A broken axle, bent frame, and crushed wing were not enough to harm Bakker as he walked away dazed but otherwise unharmed. Tommy Barber also took his Hoosier Tire 75 machine for a ride flipping 10 feet in an attempt to avoid the Bakker wreck. Barber, did however, receive the Layton Performance $100 Rough Ride award..
When racing action resumed, it was Chad Meyer in the Deberg Flooring 1W working quickly to take the lead from fifth starting position by passing the Hitch Doc 75C of Casey Heser and the CNS Homes 6x of Kaley Gharst. Meyer quickly moved to the lead and held the point while ASCS National competitor Seth Bergman also worked the high side of the track to find his way to second as the race reached the halfway point.
With laps consistently clocking around 105mph averages, the race stayed green until a lap 18 caution by the Lusk Farms driver Derrik Lusk set up what was to be a three lap dash for the grand prize. Another yellow flag flew when Mark Toews clipped an infield tire and spun to the high side of the racetrack.
Meyer alertly held the lead on the final restart and finished 1.4 seconds ahead of the Superior Marine 23 of Bergman. Matt Juhl of Estherville came in third with a tremendous run after starting back in row six. Juhl also met sponsor State Bank of Fairmont in victory lane as he was awarded the $150 hard charger award courtesy of the bank. The three heat races were won by Heser, Meyer, and former Fairmont champion Mark Toews.
The non-sanctioned Sport Modified feature saw a similar fifth place starter take top prize as Tad Reutzel of Burt, Iowa , was able to slice and dice his way to the front. Reutzel was quick to find the high side of the speedway and worked the cushion to pass front row starter Randy Winter for the $400 check. Winter came in second and seventh starter Matt Looft finished third. Heats were won by Greg Sidles of Emmetsburg, Iowa , and Dustin Phillip of Granada .
The non-sanctioned Sport Compacts were able to run a flawless race with Terry Blowers towing in and taking the top prize. Jared Nichoson was runner up after taking the lone Sport Compact heat race.
Fairmont Raceway and promoter Gary Jacobsen will see the JSTS Sprints return on July 20th as the third night of the JSTS Speedweek. The JSTS sprint cars return to action on June 1st at the Jackson Speedway. AtoZ Promotions would like to thank all of the fans for their attendance at the Return of Thunder event. Look for future AtoZ events in 2013 and follow AtoZ on Facebook and Twitter.
JSTS Championship Sprint Cars-Feature 1.1w – Chad Meyer 2. 23 – Seth Bergman 3. 09 – Matt Juhl 4. 6 – Kaley Gharst 5. 75c – Casey Heser 6. 25 – Dylan Peterson 7. 29 – Troy Schmidtke 8. 35 – Skyler Prochaska 9.5T – Mark Toews 10. 93 – Derrik Lusk 11. 10 – Jeff Jacobsma 12. 07 – Derek Anderson 13. 98 – Steve Yarnes 14. 1A – Bruce Anderson 15. 11x – Gregg Bakker 16. 75 – Tommy Barber 17. 18 – Seth Brahmer 18. 13MJH – Brandon Halverson
Heat 1 – 8 laps 75c – Casey Heser, Jackson, MN 25 – Dylan Peterson, Hartford, SD 93 – Derrik Lusk, Jackson, MN 11x – Gregg Bakker, Sioux Falls, SD 09 – Matt Juhl, Estherville, IA 75 – Tommy Barber, Brandon, SD
Heat 2 – 8 laps 1w – Chad Meyer, Sioux Falls, SD 6 – Kaley Gharst, Decatur, IL 29 – Troy Schmidtke, Trimont, MN 10 – Jeff Jacobsma, Hull, IA 07 – Derek Anderson, Estherville, IA 13MJH – Brandon Halverson, Jackson, MN
Heat 3 – 6 laps 5T – Mark Toews, Spirit Lake, IA 35 – Skyler Prochaska, Lakefield, MN 23 – Seth Bergman, Snohomish, WA 1A – Bruce Anderson, Trimont, MN 18 – Seth Brahmer, Wisner, NE 98 – Steve Yarnes, Jackson, MN