Morgan and
Fransen take home Slinger April 29, 2001; Slinger, WI - Conrad Morgan and Eric Fransen each took home wins in the 75 lap late model features Sunday afternoon in the Fox 6/ Miller Lite Twin 75's Spring Opener at the Slinger Super Speedway.
Todd Thelen started on the pole of the first late model feature and paced the opening laps while Morgan and Fransen threaded their way towards the top five. Morgan worked his way to fifth place by lap 15 and then moved into third on lap 20 as Thelen and Dave Teske held the top two spots. After moving around Teske, Morgan tracked down Thelen and used the lower groove to take the lead on lap 35 as Fransen cracked the top five after battling with Rich Loch, Donavan Morgan, and Butch Miller. Morgan led at the halfway mark to win monetary awards and prizes from Mac Tools, Miller Brewing Co, WOW Distributing, and Hoosier Tire. Teske and Thelen continued to run strong in the lead pack before beginning to fade slightly as Fransen and Donavan Morgan raced into second and third by lap 55. The top three positions remained steady until Thelen and Teske tangled while racing for fourth place on lap 71, setting up a four lap sprint to the finish. Conrad Morgan made his car stick in the lower groove on the restart and kept Fransen and D. Morgan at bay to take the checkered flag as the top three crossed the line nose-to-tail. Defending track champion Lowell Bennett was fourth and Butch Miller was fifth. Charlie Thon, Scott Hansen, David Prunty, Thelen, and Teske rounded out the top ten. The lead lap finishers in the first feature were inverted for the start of
the second event and Teske took command of the first ten laps before Hansen took over the
lead with D. Morgan, Bennett, Brad Mueller, and Fransen racing for positions behind. D.
Morgan asserted himself at the front on lap 25 and along with Hansen and Bennett staged an
excited three car battle for the lead. Bennett clipped the back of Hansen's machine while
exiting turn four to bring out the caution flag, sending both drivers to the rear of the
field and moving Mueller and Fransen into second and third place behind Morgan. Fransen was able to break free from Mueller and Zimmerman and dogged Morgan over the final 15 circuits around the high-banked 1/4 mile oval. With two laps remaining Morgan bobbled slightly on the inside in turn four allowing Fransen to ease into the lead. Morgan could not recover and had to settle for second as Fransen took the victory while Zimmerman held off Mueller for third. Thelen completed his strong day with a fifth place finish. Thon, Butch Miller, Prunty, Teske, and Hansen rounded out the top ten. Toby Rott won the 30 lap late model semi-feature while Fransen won the dash and Mueller was the fastest qualifier at 11.630 seconds. Ron Weyer appeared to be on his way to his second career Midwest Modified feature win as he led the first 27 laps of the 30 lap event before Larry Reihbrandt hooked his car up to the outside groove and motored by into the lead. Reihbrandt held on to take the season opening victory over Weyer while first year modified driver Dan Jung finished an impressive third. Veterans Dale Prunty and Alan Keppert completed the top five. In other Midwest Modified action, Dan Miller was the fastest qualifier at 12.485 seconds. Defending track champion Bill Shavlik passed Jay Bleskin for the lead on lap 14 of the 20 lap Slinger Stinger feature and then held off a hard charging Scott Ascher for the win. Paul Wagner crossed the finish line in third ahead of Lyle Messinger and Bleskin. Scott Ascher was the fastest qualifier with a lap of 13.485 seconds. Jason Sharp and Jack Southerland were declared the winners of the Figure 8 event when several cars spun at the finish and Joe LaBarbera won the special Fox 6 Speedway Guest Car race over Gus Gnorski and Allison Gillman. Terry Van Roy of Appleton won the $100 AAL/Jim Fischer Agency Fan Challenge. This Sunday night, May 6th, Al's Auto Salvage, Champion Chicken, and Pro Power Engines present the Al Schill Jr. Memorial Race highlighted by a 77 lap late model feature along with a complete program in the Midwest Modified, Slinger Stinger, Figure 8, Team Cruisers, Speedway Guest Car, and Spectator Racing divisions. Kids 11 and under will receive free checkered flags as they enter the track while supplies last and other free giveaways will take place throughout the night. The program is an official track point night. Gates open at 4:45 p.m. with time trials at 5:15 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. For more information on this event as well as the Speedway Guest Car and Spectator races call the track office during normal business hours at (262) 644-5921 or check out the website at www.slingersuperspeedway.com For Complete results from the RACESTAT computer CLICK HERE |
