August
12, 2001; Slinger, WI - Donavan Morgan ended a two-month
drought Sunday night at the Slinger Super Speedway by holding off a determined Brad
Mueller to win the 76 Racing Gas Fan Appreciation 60-lap late model feature.
Morgan and Charlie Thon Jr. led the field to the green flag and traded the top spot for the first three laps before Thon's car became unstable in the inside groove, allowing Morgan to take sole possession of the lead on lap four. Mueller started the event directly behind Morgan and followed in his tire tracks to claim second place while Thon battled Conrad Morgan for third. Conrad took over the third spot on lap 15 and brought fast qualifier David Prunty with him. Mueller made a few attempts to sneak inside of Donavan and was able to pull alongside but could not find enough traction on the inside to complete the pass as Conrad and Prunty closed in. The top four drivers raced nose-to-tail as they began to catch lapped traffic while Dave Teske kept the front runners in sight while holding down the fifth position. Mueller looked to both the high and low sides but Donavan again was able to fend off his challenges and led at the halfway point to collect the $100 Mac Tools Halfway Bonus from Dan Casey. Mueller refused to give up and continued to pull up to Donavan's rear quarter panel as the leaders worked lapped traffic, nearly taking the point on lap 40 when Donavan almost became pinned behind a lapped car. As Mueller and Donavan fought it out for the lead, Conrad and Prunty raced for third while Al Schill and Lowell Bennett engaged in a battle of their own for fifth. Mueller began to use a strategy of driving hard and "diamonding" the corners in an effort to better his exit to catch Donavan as the laps wound down. However, Donavan had his car working well in the outer groove and was able to pull away through more lapped traffic to take the win by two car lengths over the determined Mueller. Conrad held off Prunty for third place while Schill outdistanced Bennett for fifth. The win was Donavan's second of the season and first since early May. In other late model action, John Zimmerman won the semi-feature over Dennis Prunty and Jerry Eckhardt. In addition to his feature win, Donavan Morgan also won the fast dash earning him $100. bonus from Mac Tools while David Prunty was the fastest qualifier for the sixth time this season with a lap of 11.706 seconds. Jeff Holtz spoiled Chris Petersen's bid for a first career win and scored his division-leading ninth Midwest modified 30-lap feature victory of the year. Brian Holtz led the early laps of the event as Petersen and Dan Miller lined up to take the second and third spots ahead of Mike Graczkowski and Kevin Kenealy. Graczkowski slowed suddenly while exiting turn two on lap eight and the chain reaction effect among the drivers behind him resulted in him spinning to the infield and collecting Gregg Pawelski to bring out the caution flag. On the restart, the car of Dan Jung developed some sort of leak and the lost fluid caused him to spin in turn four to slow down the field again with Bryan Holtz still leading. As racing resumed, Petersen was able to gain the advantage on the inside over Holtz to take command of the event on lap ten. While Petersen held the lead, Jeff Holtz began his march to the front as he moved from deep in the field to claim third place by lap 20. Jeff passed his brother, Brian, for second on lap 21 while Petersen enjoyed a sizeable lead and appeared headed for his first career feature victory. That scenario changed rapidly on lap 22 when Brian Holtz developed mechanical problems and pulled to the infield while the caution flag appeared for fluid on the track that leaked from Brian's disabled car. Petersen lined up for the restart as the leader and had the difficult task of fending off both Jeff Holtz and Dale Prunty for the final eight laps. Petersen appeared up to the task but was unable to keep his car in the inner groove and allowed Holtz to duck underneath to take the lead on lap 25. Prunty also took advantage of the opening on the inside and claimed the second spot while Holtz raced to his ninth feature win of the season. Prunty settled for second place while Petersen's strong run netted him a third place finish. Lenny Gallenberg III and Miller completed the top five finishers. In other Midwest modified action, Kenealy won the dash while Prunty set fast time at 12.468 seconds. Scott Ascher walked away with the Slinger stinger 18-lap feature victory as he took the checkered flag nearly a straightaway ahead of second place Paul Wagner. Wagner edged Joe DeStefano Sr. and Pat McIntee for second place while Roger Schmid finished fifth. Slinger Stinger heat race wins were recorded by Schmid and James Littrel. McIntee was the fastest Slinger stinger qualifier with a lap of 13.313 seconds. The Super Mini-Cups took on the Slinger high-banks for a 25-lap feature and Richard Dawson held back the charges of Brian Baldyga and Dick Behrendt in a wild three car finish to score the win. Ken Jones and Joel Schulz finished fourth and fifth respectively. Jack Sutherland won the Figure 8 event and Matt Bohn was the Spectator Eliminator race winner in his Chevy Z-34. Greg Wojcik scored the victory in the Speedway Guest Car event and Debby Gilime from Eden, Wis., was the $100 AAL Fan Challenge winner. For Complete results from the RACESTAT computer CLICK HERE
Special; Slinger, WI - This Sunday night, August 19, It's the
Johnsonville Foods Night at the Slinger Super Speedway. Fans are encouraged to visit their local grocer and pick up their favorite brats as adults who bring a Johnsonville Brat label to the track's ticket windows will receive a $2.00 discount on their admission price for the night compliments of Johnsonville and Slinger Super Speedway. Entries are being accepted for the Spectator 200 lap Enduro and the New Compact cars and 4 Cylinder Enduro Class will run 100 laps set for Sunday, September 23rd with racing action to start at 2 p. m. The starting line up for the Enduro is determined by the order in which the entry forms are received at the Speedway. Interested novice drivers may find out more information by stopping in or calling the track office at the below number. Spectator gates for the Johnsonville Foods 65 open at 4: 45 p.m. for the Sunday event with time trials at 5:15 p.m. and racing scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The Slinger Super Speedway is located ¼ mile West of Highway 41 on Highway 144 in Slinger. For more information on upcoming events and race programs, call the track office during normal business hours Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (262) 644-5921 at www.slingersuperspeedway.com. |
