STEVE CARLSON TOPS 17 CAR LATE MODEL FIELD

ARLO BECKER NOTCHES FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON

(Cedar Rapids, IA 05/09/08)—There was a touch of nostalgia in the air during All Seasons Equipment Night at Hawkeye Downs Speedway on Friday night. Seventeen Miller Lite Late Models were in the pits including Wisconsin driver Steve Carlson. Carlson, from west Salem, WI., found himself in Coca-Cola Victory Lane at the end of the 40-lap feature. Both of those things bring back memories of how the late model division was several seasons ago.

Fast forward to 2008 and it looks like late model racing is alive and well at Hawkeye Downs as the count is expected to climb even higher during the season.

Steve Carlson set fast time in qualifying as well, turning the Hawkeye Downs half-mile in 18.561 seconds for a lap speed of 96.987 mph.

All seventeen late models answered the call for the 40 lap feature with Brad Dvorak on the point. A caution on lap 2 scrambled the field and by lap 5 Steve Carlson bolted into the lead and he was only slowed by the caution flag during the remainder of the race. Dudley Fleck, who started fifth, finished second while Brett Moffitt of Grimes crossed the Coors Light Start-Finish Line in third. Dvorak finished fourth and multi-time track champ Johnny Spaw finished fifth.

Arlo Becker picked up the first win of his 50th anniversary season in the Coors Light Modifieds on Friday but it wasn’t easy. Becker started on the pole and was chased early by defending champion Tim Plummer before Chad Willett nabbed second. Willett used the outside groove to take the lead on lap 12 but Becker regained the point one lap later.

The scenario repeated itself on lap 17 with Willett again able to hold the lead for just one lap. Plummer stayed in the mix as well trying to look for an opening as Becker and Willett battled side-by side for the balance of the race. Becker took the checkers by a half car length over Willet with Willett, Plummer, Larry Clausen, and Tony Olson completing the top of the order.

Dave McCalla looked to be cruising to his second straight Budweiser Sportsmen feature win of the 2008 season when the caution waved with just two laps to go as Mel Schappert and Andy tangled. With the field bunched from the restart Kevin Lee pulled alongside McCalla on the backstretch during the final lap. Lee kept his nose under McCalla through the final lap but McCalla prevailed at the stripe in a very close finish. Bob Ahrendsen finished third, Andy Edwards fourth, and Michael Weber was fifth.

Moving to the quarter-mile, Dennis Hundley of Center Point used a start from outside row one to propel himself to his first career win in the Barron Motor IMCA Stock Cars. Hundley battled briefly with Kurt Bohnsack on the opening lap but Hundley pulled away until Bohnsack mounted a final challenge during the last couple laps of the 25 lap feature. Hundley was able to hold off Bohnsack, who won last weeks feature. Bohnsack finished second while Brian Franks was third. Bob Ahrendsen and Greg Hentrich finished fourth and fifth.

In the Barron Motor Supply IMCA Hobby Stocks, Gary Pfantz of State Center made what would be the winning pass at the halfway mark of the 20-lap feature after he slipped under Scott Siems as the pair work down the backstretch. Siems maintained second for the balance of the race with returning champion Tim Dains third. Dennis Klinsky and Roland Bohnsack also posted top five finishes.

Aric Becker dominated the IMCA SportMod feature event in wire-to-wire fashion with Arnie Reif and Ryan Luedtke battling for second. The win was Beckers’ first since moving to the SportMods. Reif maintained second, Luedtke third, Jamie Huff was fourth and Scott Grady finished fifth.

Brad Chandler used a last lap “duck-under” move to take the feature win in the Sunline Hornet division as Shane Hanson, Jim Hanson and Bryce Bailey were battling while trying to negotiate slower traffic. Chandler went from fourth to first on that move before collecting the checkers. Jim Hanson finished second with Shane Hanson, Bryce Bailey and last weeks winner Derek Parrott all running in the top five.

MILLER LITE LATE MODELS

Qualifying- 1. Steve Carlson- 18.561; 2. Brett Moffitt-18.851 ; 3. Brad Osborn- 18.900; 4. Dudley Fleck-19.109; 5. Johnny Spaw-19.208; 6. Jim Ross-19.213; 7. Thor Anderson-19.306; 8. Brad Dvorak- 19.316; 9. Curt Van Der Wal- 19.335; 10. Griffin McGrath- 19.414; 11. Joey Gase- 19.761; 12. Logan Hale- 19.768; 13. Jon Leonard- 20.444; 14. Lane Brenden- 20.815; 15. Nick Greif- 22.265; 16. Ron Boelts-24..288; 17. Jill George- No Time

Heat 1- 1. Curt Van Der Wal, Oskaloosa, IA; 2. Steve Carlson, West Salem, WI; 3. Johnny Spaw, Cedar Rapids, IA; 4. Brad Osborn, Janesville, IA; 5. Joey Gase, Cedar Rapids, IA; 6. Thor Anderson, Bondurant, IA; 7. Jon Leonard, Vinton, IA; 8. Jill George, Cedar Falls, IA; 9. Nick Greif, Monticello, IA

Heat 2- 1. Griffin McGrath, Cedar Rapids, IA; 2. Brett Moffitt, Grimes, IA; 3. Jim Ross, Robins, IA; 4. Dudley Fleck, Cedar Rapids, IA; 5. Brad Dvorak, Lisbon, IA; 6. Logan Hale, Cedar Rapids, IA; 7. Lane Brenden, Mitchell, SD; 8. Ron Boelts, Wellsburg, IA

Feature (40 laps)- 1. Carlson; 2. Fleck; 3. Moffitt; 4. Dvorak; 5. Spaw; 6.McGrath; 7. Anderson; 8. Gase; 9. Ross; 10. Osborn; 11. Hale; 12. Leonard; 13. George; 14. Brenden; 15. Boelts; 16. Van Der Wal; 17. Greif

BUDWEISER SPORTSMEN

Heat- 1. Bob Ahrendsen, Cedar Rapids, IA; 2. Kevin Lee, Cedar Rapids, IA; 3. Andy Edwards, New Hartford, IA; 4. Mel Schappert. Cedar Rapids, IA; 5. Dave McCalla, Cedar Rapids, IA; 6. Doug Simon, Marion, IA; 7. Michael Weber, Ryan, IA; 8. Travis Thompson, Atkins, IA; 9. Scotty Welsh, Marion, IA

Feature( 25 laps)- 1. McCalla; 2. Lee; 3. Ahrendsen; 4. Edwards; 5. Weber; 6. Simon; 7. Schappert; 8. Thompson, Welsh

COORS LIGHT MODIFIEDS

Heat- 1. Arlo Becker, Norway, IA; 2. Larry Clausen, Cedar Rapids, IA; 3. Chad Willett, Alburnett, IA; 4. Tim Plummer, Norway, IA; 5. Tony Olson, Cedar Rapids, IA; 6. Scott Strauss, Cedar Rapids, IA; 7. Darrell Long, Cedar Rapids, IA; 8. Cory Houdek, Marion, IA

Feature (25 laps)- 1. Becker; 2. Willett; 3. Plummer; 4. Clausen; 5. Olson; 6. Houdek; 7. Strauss; 8. Long

BARRON MOTOR SUPPLY IMCA STOCK CARS

Heat- 1. Chad Siems, Cedar Rapids, IA; 2. Brian Franks, Cedar Rapids, IA; 3. Dennis Hundley, Center Point, IA; 4. Bob Ahrendsen, Cedar Rapids, IA; 5. Greg Hentrich, Hiawatha, IA; 6. Mark Bolton, Cedar Rapids, IA; 7. Brian Beatty, Palo, IA; 8. Rodney Grother, Cedar Rapids, IA; 9. Dave Ballstaedt, Cedar Rapids, IA; 10. Kurt Bohnsack, Iowa City, IA

Feature (25 laps)- 1. Hundley; 2. Bohnsack; 3. Franks; 4. Ahrendsen; 5. Hentrich; 6. Bolton; 7. Ballstaedt; 8. Beatty; 9. Siems; 10. Grother; 11. Randy Filling, Toddville, IA

BARRON MOTOR SUPPLY IMCA HOBBY STOCKS

Heat- 1. Scott Siems, Cedar Rapids, IA; 2. Tim Dains, Marion, IA; 3. Shawn Myers, Cedar Rapids, IA; 4. Dennis Klinsky, Ely, IA; 5. Gary Pfantz, State Center, IA; 6. Jeff Franks, Cedar Rapids, IA; 7. Kandi Floyd, Cedar Rapids, IA; 8. Roland Bohnsack, Clutier, IA; 9. Duayne Herb, Cedar Rapids, IA; 10. Deb Mefford, Marion, IA; DNS- Ed-O’Brien, Cedar Rapids, IA

Feature (20 laps)- 1. Pfantz; 2. Siems; 3. Dains; 4. Klinsky; 5. Bohnsack; 6. Myers; 7. Floyd; 8. Herb; 9. O’Brien; 10. Mefford; 11. Franks

SUNLINE HORNETS

Heat 1- 1.Brad Burhite, Cedar Rapids,IA; 2. Bryce Bailey, Cedar Rapids, IA; 3. Jasen Freeman, Cedar Rapids, IA; 4. Blake Carson; 5. Jeff Selfridge, Marion, IA; 6. Jim Hanson, Cedar Rapids, IA; 7. Connie Binder, Clutier, IA

Heat 2- 1. Shane Hanson, Cedar Rapids, IA; 2. Derek Parrott, Marion, IA; 3. Brad Chandler, Vinton, IA; 4. Cory Van Der Wal, Oskaloosa, IA; 5. Jonny Williams, Atkins, IA; 6. Dallas Chandler, Cedar Rapids, IA; 7. Jose DeJesus, Cedar Rapids, IA

Feature( 15 laps) 1. Brad Chandler; 2. Jim Hanson; 3. Shane Hanson; 4. Bailey; 5. Parrott; 6. Freeman; 7. Carson; 8. Van Der Wal; 9. Dallas Chandler, 10. Selfridge; 11. DeJesus; 12. Binder; 13. Williams; 14. Burhite

IMCA SPORTMODS

Heat- 1. Aric Becker, Cedar Rapids; 2. Ryan Luedtke, Norway, IA; 3. Scott Grady, Cedar Rapids, IA; 4. Arnie Reif, Hiawatha, IA; 5. Jamie Huff, Center Point, IA; 6. Jason Doyle, Cedar Rapids, IA; 7. Scott Kositzky

Feature (15 laps) 1. Becker; 2. Reif; 3. Luedtke, 4. Huff; 5. Grady; 6. Doyle; 7. Kositzky