Baldry’s misfortune aids Monday in White Race By Tom Goff WIR/FRRC Media Director Andy Monday has been fast all season, but Lady Luck hasn’t smiled on him – until Thursday night. The 31-year-old Appleton driver inherited the lead with just 10 laps to go when Terry Baldry’s car developed mechanical problems and went on to win the Budweiser/WAPL/Kurz Electric White Race at Wisconsin International Raceway in Buchanan. Baldry, the 12-time Fox River Racing Club champion, had led every lap of the 84-lap feature until something in the front suspension broke and his car slowed to a stop in turn 2 in a shower of sparks on lap 74. The problem was traced to a broken lower control arm on the left side, according to Baldry’s car owner Dennis Chase. Monday wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. “You put yourself in that position and running second, anything can happen,” said Monday. “Fortunately for us that did.” But after Baldry’s misfortune, Monday was hardly home free. He had to deal with fast-closing Gregg Haese in the final laps, which got really interesting when the car of Frank Kreyer went around in turn four with one lap to go while running in third place. That created a green-white-checkered finish, something that Monday could have done without. “Those yellows at the end, I just kept thinking ‘Why are they taking this away from us?’ “ Monday said. “I have to thank my crew. They did an awesome job. It’s been a busy last two weeks for us, racing four times. This thing’s on the money.” Would he have been able to pass Baldry if Baldry had not broken down, Monday said, “I definitely think we were faster than him, but catching him and passing is one thing. I could beat him coming into the corner and it would rotate to the center, but then he would get the pull coming off because I was just a little tight. With that scenario, it’s tough to get underneath and get position on a guy to pass him.” On the restart, Monday was concentrating on keeping it clean. “We had the lead in week one with seven (laps) to go and we lost it,” he said. “We ended up getting spun out. Thinking back to that race, if I had a better start on the restart there and got away then I could just maintain the last couple laps versus having to drive it real hard and possibly slide the car around. Haese, racing for former FRRC champion Mark Schroeder, was able to close on Monday in turn one, but Monday was strong off turn two and Haese, who started 16th in the 22-car field, couldn’t keep pace. “At the end, I kind of used her up,” said Haese, the 2007 RW&B champ. “If it would have stayed green, maybe I would have had a little something for him, but it’s a long race coming from the back and to get up to second, that’s not bad at all.” Tim Rothe, the 2008 series winner, finished third, followed by rookie Ty Majeski in fourth with Brett Piontek rounding out the top five. Jeff Van Oudenhoven, winner of the Red Race, also had his problems. Smoke billowed from Van Oudenhoven’s machine on lap 23, but he was able to continue and eventually wound up 10th to maintain his lead in both the FRRC and RW&B points. Van Oudenhoven has 587 points to 548 for Maxwell Schultz and Monday in overall FRRC points. In the Red, White and Blue, a three-race series within the FRRC’s Thursday Night Thunder program, Van Oudenhoven leads Schultz by just a point 132-131. Monday moved up to third in RW&B points with 126, one more than Rothe. “There was no fluid leaking. As far as we know, it was just rubber from the tires hitting the headers,” said Terry Korth, Van Oudenhoven’s crew chief. Baldry came off his front row outside starting spot and led the first 42 laps when a mandatory caution period gave drivers 10 minutes to make changes to their machines. At the break, Monday was second, Lowell Bennett third, Kreyer fourth and Schultz fifth. On the restart and again during a caution period on lap 47, when the cars of Michael Anthony and Kyle Rhoades went around in turn two, Baldry chose the outside grooves and both times he had strong starts to maintain the lead. The feature was 84 laps, a tribute to Bobby McDonald, a popular and successful super late model driver in the 1980s and 90s, who carried No. 84 when he raced. McDonald passed away during the last year Late models Brent Strelka set up Sawyer Effertz with a beautiful slingshot pass on lap 17 en route to a win in the 30-lap late model feature. Strelka took the outside groove through turn one, but ducked to the inside coming out of turn two and went on to win his second feature of the season and first since the initial week of the season. “I worked a couple of laps before that and I kept, looking, looking,” said Strelka. “Sawyer was a little bit losse off the corner and I was just waiting and biding my time. I went a little bit high and just shot underneath and it worked out great. I backed off the corner a little bit and just got great traction off.” Strelka won by a three-second margin over Effertz, the defending champion in the division, while rookie Alex Stump was third, Tim Springstroh fourth and Cory Kemkes, the night’s fastest qualifier, wound up fifth. Strelka took over the Thursday night point lead with 630 to 628 to previous leader Mike Meyerhofer Jr., who was involved in an early fender bender and wound up sixth in the feature. Wisconsin sport trucks Appleton’s Kyle Quella ran away with the win in the 20-lap Wisconsin sport truck division. After winning in each of the first two weeks, Quella returned to victory lane by passing Bryan Monday on lap seven and went on to a convincing 2.32-second victory over Taylor Vandermoss. Super stocks Dylan Wenzel of Fremont grabbed the lead on a restart on lap 10 and pulled away to a victory in the 20-lap super stock feature. Wenzel, the defending division champ, started outside of the third row, and drove to his second feature win of the season, finishing 1.53 seconds ahead of Mark Truckey. Sizzlin’ 4 Braison Bennett of Neenah scored his second win in three weeks in the sizzlin’ 4 division. Bennett passed Cody Booth on the first lap and was never headed as he won the 15-lap main by almost three seconds over Ethan Beattie. Figure 8 Freedom’s Craig VandeWettering, the defending class champion, won the 15-lap figure 8 feature, his second of the season. Race summary Super late models 84-lap feature: First: 1, Andy Monday, Appleton; 2, Gregg Haese, Manitowoc; 3, Tim Rothe, Stephensville; 4, Ty Majeski, Seymour; 5, Brett Piontek, Green Bay; 6, Maxwell Schultz, Reedsville; 7, Bobby Kendall, Montello; 8, Tom Gee Jr., 9, Pete Vandermolen Jr., Oshkosh ; 10, Jeff Van Oudenhoven, Kimberly; 11, Randy Schuler, Mequon; 12, Kyle Rhodes, Pulaski; 13, T.J. Smith, Menasha; 14, Frank Kreyer, Wisconsin Dells; 15, Kyle Calmes, Freedom; 16, Brandon Conrad, Freedom; 17, Terry Baldry, Omro; 18, Tanner Bohlen, Hortonville; 19, Lowell Bennett, Neenah; 20, Nate Van Wychen, Kaukauna; 21, Brady Baldry, Omro; 22, Michael Anthony, Appleton. Fastest qualifier: Schultz 19.406 seconds. Late models 30-lap feature: 1, Brent Strelka, Freedom; 2, Sawyer Effertz, Darboy; 3, Alex Stumpf, Woodville; 4, Tim Springstroh, Freedom; 5, Cory Kemkes, Appleton; 6, Mike Meyerhofer Jr., Hilbert; 7, Brad Anthony, Appleton; 8, Jesse Oudenhoven, Freedom; 9, Brandon Reichenberger, Appleton; 10, Cody Kippenhan, Neenah. Fastest qualifier: Kemkes 20.757 seconds. Wisconsin sport trucks 20-lap feature: 1, Kyle Quella, Appleton; 2, Taylor Vandermoss, Darboy; 3, Matt Rhode, Menasha; 4, Jason Plutz, Appleton; 5, Bryan Monday, Appleton; 6, Sam Haven, Kaukauna; 7, Todd Kostichka, Green Bay; 8, Brian Vixmer, St. Peter; 9, Kylee Vandermoss, Darboy; 10, Nick Boldt, Appleton. 8-lap heats: First: 1, Rhode; 2, B. Monday. Second: 1, T. Vandermoss; 2, Jacob Boldig, Kaukauna. Fastest qualifier: Haven 16.198 seconds. Super stocks: 20-lap feature: 1, Dylan Wenzel, Fremont; 2, Mark Truckey, Freedom; 3, Evan Beattie, Little Chute; 4, Ed Howard, Kaukauna; 5, Larry Raygo, Omro; 6, Erik Turner, Two Rivers; 7, Rick Wenzel, Fremont; 8, Chaz Van Ooyen, Seymour; 9, T. J. Spierowski, Neenah; 10, Brian Johnson, Kaukauna. 8-lap heats: First; 1, Chaz Van Ooyen, Seymour; 2, D. Meyerhofer. Second: 1, R. Wenzel; 2, Evan Beattie. Fastest qualifier: Casavant 16.040 seconds. Sizzlin’ 4’s: 15-lap feature: 1, Braison Bennett, Neenah; 2, Ethan Beattie, Little Chute; 3, Roger Braun, Kaukauna; 4, Corey Romenesko, Kaukauna; 5, Randy Sonkowsky, Combined Locks; 6, Pat Braun, Kaukauna; 7, Steve Van Oudenhoven, Two Rivers; 8, Cody Huven, Green Bay; 9, Devin Yaeger, Appleton; 10, Evan Beattie, Little Chute. 8-lap heats: First: 1, Huven; 2, R. Braun. Second: 1, Evan Beattie; 2, P. Braun. Figure 8’s 15-lap feature: 1, Craig VandeWettering, Freedom; 2, Jared Baughman, Kaukauna; 3, Ryan Krol, Sherwood; 4, Willy Van Camp, Appleton; 5, Ryan Krol, Sherwood. Thursday night FRRC point standings: Super late models: 1, Van Oudenhoven 587; 2 (tie), Schultz and Monday 548; 4, Baldry 539; 5, Rothe 533; 6 (tie) Piontek 527; 8, Conrad 473; 9, Bennett 468; 10, Kendall 465. Late models: 1, Strelka 630; 2, Meyerhofer Jr. 628; 3, Kemkes 596; 4, Springstroh 580; 5, B. Anthony, 566; 6, Stumpf 564; 7, Effertz 550; 8, Reichenberger 529; 9, Corey Manders, Hilbeert, 446; 10, Brett Wenzel, Manitowoc, 441. Wisconsin sport trucks: 1, Quella 637; 2, Brett Van Horn, Green Bay, 611; 3, Plutz 592; 4, B. Monday 587; 5, Jacob Boldig, Kaukauna, 573; 6, Kostichka, 563, 7, T. Vandermoss 524; 8, Vixmer 510; 9, K. Vandermoss 455; 10, Tyler Nettekoven, Appleton 446. Super stocks: 1, D. Wenzel 382; 2, Raygo 344, 3, Turner 331; 4, R. Wenzel 299; 5, Sannes 282; 6, Van Roy/Casavant 264; 7, Treml 256; 8, Truckey 254; 9, Ed/Trevor Howard 238; 10, Denny/Matt Crass 222. Sizzlin 4’s: 1, Romenesko 381; 2 Ethan Beattie 369; 3, Bennett 368; 4, Sonkowsky 359; 5, Huven 356; 6, P. Braun 347; 7, R. Braun 337; 8, Van Oudenhoven 325; 9, Alex Seidl, Appleton, 282; 10, Brandon Hough, Appleton, 277. Figure 8’s: 1, Baughman 477; 2, Van Camp 405; 3, T. Van Roy 372; 4, VandeWettering 252; 5, Krol 242. Red, White and Blue points Super late models: 1, Van Oudenhoven 132; 2, Schultz 131; 3, Monday 126; 4, Rothe 125; 5, Majeski 120; 6, Kendall 111; 7, Haese 109; 8, Piontek 108; 9, Baldry 105; Gee 99. Late models: 1, Meyerhofer 153; 2, Kemkes 147; 3, Effertz 143; 4, Oudenhoven 142; 5, Stumpf 141; 6, Anthony 140; 7, Strelka 138; 8, Gary Natrop, Kaukauna, 129; 9, Springstroh 128; 10, Widis, Manistique, Mich.; 118. Wisconsin sport trucks: 1, T. Vandermoss 174; 2, Quella 170; 3, Boldig 168; 4, Plutz 161; 5, Kostichka 154; 6, Van Horn 151; 7, Vixmer 142; 8, B. Monday 138; 9, Rhode 127; 10, K. Vandermoss 124. Super stocks: 1, D.Wenzel 111; 2, Turner 94; 3, Evan Beattie 89; 4, Truckey 80; 5, Raygo 79; 6, Ed/Trevor Howard 74; 7, R. Wenzel 68; 8, Jeff Treml, Greenleaf, 60; 9, Jessie Van Roy/Andy Casavant 59; 10 (tie), Rachel Meyerhofer, Kaukauna, and Sannes 58. Sizzling 4’s: 1, Huven 97; 2 (tie), Ethan Beattie and R. Braun 96; 4 (tie), Romenesko and Sonkowsky 94; 6 (tie), B. Bennett and Evan Beattie 91; 8 (tie), S. Van Oudenhoven and P. Braun 81; 10, Yaeger 80. Figure 8s: 1, VandeWettering 150; 2, Baughman 120; 3, Van Camp 90; 4, Van Roy 75; 5, Krol 65. Attendance: 2,000.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 18:43:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015