Donny Goeden took the Bob Walden-owned No. 11 from the fourth starting spot to the lead with five laps completed in the 30-lap IRA Sprint Car feature Friday night at the Superior Speedway.
Goeden never looked back as he defended his 2006 title in the annual IRA Sprint Spring visit to the Superior Speedway.
The main event for the sprints got off to a poor start when Kim Mock spun in turn two and Billy Balog's mount suffered a flat right rear tire. Both drivers restarted as the last row in the 22-car field, Mock was able to make his way back to a seventh place finish, but Balog was one of the first cars out of the event, finishing 21st.
Scott Biertzer shot to the lead on the restart with Goeden quickly to second ahead of Travis Whitney, Billy Hafemann and Dustin Lindquist. A red flag condition occurred when pole sitter Tim Vandervere flipped the 7v in turn four. Vandevere was not injured in the incident.
On the restart, Goeden made a strong move in the third turn to take the lead with Biertzer falling to second ahead of Whitney, Lindquist and Dave Uttech in the top five. Uttech fell off the pace and was replaced in the top five by John Haeni.
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The caution flag flew once again when Lindquist spun in turn two in an attempt to take second from Biertzer. At the restart Goeden checked out on the field with the top five remaining the same except for Scott Nietzel, who had replaced Lindquist in the top five.
At the midway point, the order stood at Goeden, Biertzer, Whitney, Haeni and Nietzel leading the second echelon of Hafemann, IRA point leader Steve Meyer, Mock (up from the rear) and John Sernett. With nine laps remaining, Goeden had pulled out a near straightaway lead on Biertzer and appeared to be lapping cars with ease.
The big lead disappeared, however, when Lindquist tried a banzai move on Sernett for ninth and the two cars clashed sending Lindquist on his top and both cars to the pits.
The incident occurred with two laps remaining, setting up a green/white/checkered shootout. Goeden survive a challenge by Biertzer and took the win with Whitney, Haeni and Neitzel finishing the top five.
The Midwest Modifieds were the support class for the sprint cars and their 20-lap feature also got off to a ragged start when pole sitter Al McDougall stalled in turn two. McDougall restarted in the rear moving Greg Chesley, who had a second and a feature win at the speedway in 2007, to the pole position.
Chesley wasted no time in grabbing the lead at the green with Willy Thompson to second followed by defending track champion Nick Lavato, Joe Olson and Loren Inman.
Chesley and Lavato, who had slipped into second, drove away from Thompson but the caution lights blinked on when the No. 88x of Dan Russell slowed on the track with eight laps completed. Chesley had little trouble pulling away from Lavato and the pack at the green flag. At the midpoint he led Lavato, Skeeter Estey, Thompson, and Olson in the top five. The second five included Inman, opening night feature winner Jeff Pohjonen, Clint Larson, Randy Vezina and Matt Sorenson in a second Pohjonen car.
The caution flag again appeared when Brock McCarthy took a spin in turn four right in front of the leaders. The caution lights again flashed on right after the restart when Rookie Dan Doran and Terry Inman crashed in turn four. The restart alignment was the same as the previous green flag alignment with Chesley leading off. But Lavato got a great run and slipped inside of Chesley and took the lead at the line with five to go.
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With two circuits remaining the final caution flag for the stalled car of Loren Inman set up a two lap shootout. Chesley shot back around Lavato on the restart with Estey also getting by to second. Chesley won his second feature of the season with Estey, Lavato, Thompson and Olson in the top five.
Jake "the Snake" Gondik, son of track promoter Rick Gondik, led much of the 4-cycle Go Kart feature before dropping out leaving the win to Randy "Fender" Bender. Adam Shinn and Harry Bjorkland were the top three, the only finishers.
Jared Goerges pulled a last lap pass on race-long leader Ron Freitag for the win in the 2-cycle Go Kart feature. Ray Archambeau, Shawn Rivord and Stan Nordwall rounded out the top five.
Results IRA Sprint Special
IRA Sprints (29 cars)
Heat 1: Tim Vandervere, Bill Wirth, Kim Mock, John Haeni, Mike Reinke, John Sernett, David O'Neal, Scott Uttech, Kenny Melanson, Joseph Kouba. Heat 2: Billy Hafemann, Dustin Lindquist, Joe Symoens, Travis Whitney, Ty Bartz, Bill warren, Tim Sernett, Andy Hunt, Dave Uttech. DNS: Russell Borland. Heat 3: Scott Biertzer, Donny Goeden, Steve Meyer, Billy Balog, Scott Mietzel, Ryan Irwin, Leigh Thomas, Wayne Modjeski, Ryan Wilson. B Main: J Sernett, D Uttech, Warren, S Uttech, Irwin, Hunt, O'Neal, Modjeski, Thomas, Melanson, Wilson, Kouba. DNF: T. Sernett, Borland.
Sprint Feature (30 laps): Goeden, Biertzer, Whitney, Haeni, Neitzel, Mock, Meyer, Hafemann, Reinke, Wirth, S Uttech, O'Neal, Warren, Symoens, Bartz, Hunt. DNF: Irwin, J. Sernett, Lindquist, D. Uttech, Balog, Vandermere.
Midwest Modified (26 Cars)
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Heat 1: Skeeter Estey, Willy Thompson, Jesse Ogston, Al McDougall, Brock McCarthy, Terry Inman, Dan Doran, Tom Morinville. DNF: Dave Kruckeberg.
Heat 2: Clint Larson, Joe Olson, Nick Lavato, Loren Inman, Randy vezina, Dan Russell, Clint Wittlief. DNF: Cory Jorgenson, Deven VanHouse.
Heat 3: Greg Chesley, Brad Anderson, Jeff Pohjonen, Matt Sorenson, Nick Baker, Bart Porter, Scott Herrick. DNS: Taylor Leuthner.
Feature (20 Laps) Chesley, Estey, Lavato, Thompson, Olson, Pohjonen, Larson, Sorenson, Baker, Anderson, Porter, T Inman, Doran, Vezina, L Inman, Kruckeberg, Leuthner, Herrick, Morinville, McCarthy, Ogston, Wittlief, Russell, Jorgenson, McDougall. DNS: VanHouse.
Go Karts
2 Cycle (11 cars)
Heat: Ron Freitag, Randy Archambeau, Brabdon bebder, Shawn Rivord, Stan Nordwall DNF Tom Marcuniak, Jared Goerges, ray Archambeau DNS Jamey Ogston, Dan Peterson, Darrel Valure.
Feature: (10 laps) Goerges, Freitag, R Archambeau, Marciniak DNF B Bender, Rivord, R Archambeau, Nordwall, Peterson. DNS: Ogston, Valure.
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4 Cycle (5 cars)
Heat: Randy Bender, Adam Shinn, Harry Bjorkland. DNF: Jacob Gondik, Lucy Cary.
Feature (6 laps) Bender, Shinn, Bjorkland. DNF: Gondik, Carey.
