KURTH CAPTURES MARVELOUS MARV 91 IN WISCONSIN CHALLENGE SERIES DEBUT! PLOVER, WI. (July 8, 2001) -- Kirby Kurth of Nekoosa, Wisconsin survived oppressive heat and fended off rivals to capture the opening event of the Wisconsin Challenge Series held at Golden Sands Speedway in Plover, Wisconsin.. Held under sunny skies, with temperatures in the low 90's the Marvelous Marv 91 presented by WIFC was the debut event of the Wisconsin Challenge Series. In spite of trying weather conditions a large crowd of dedicated race fans were in attendance for the show. Kurth, who started in the fourth position, would slip past Jason Weinkauf for the lead and then fend off the challenges of Burton Brown, and later Jesse Haase to win the $1,800 top prize.
A field of 22 cars started the 91 lap main event on the high-banked third mile paved oval. Jason Weinkauf and Frank Kreyer brought the field to the green flag as Weinkauf took the immediate advantage, while Kreyer slipped back in the challenging out groove. Doug Drost would slip into the runner-up spot with Todd Stapleman moving to third by the conclusion of the second circuit. Kurth had just moved into the fourth spot before a tangle on the frontstretch between Scott Beyer and Jeff Weinfurter necessitated the first caution flag of the event on lap nine. Weinfurter's mount was too damaged to continued, while Beyer returned for a handful of laps later in the event minus some front end sheet metal. The cars of Kreyer and Joe Fischer were also involved with some minor incidental contact and each returned after a quick trip to the pit area. Underway again Weinkauf continued to set the pace with Drost in tow. Kurth managed to pull off an outside pass on Stapleman for third and Bryan Roach followed in his tire tracks to nab fourth as the field completed 20 laps. The lead trio would line up nose to tail each waiting for a slip. On lap 26 Kurth darted to the inside of Drost coming off turn two to grab the second spot, then setting sail for Weinkauf. On the very next lap Weinkauf pushed up the track slightly allowing Kurth to ease by for the lead. With 32 laps in the books a second yellow flag flew when Jeremy Lepak looped in turn four. Under the caution Gary Back, who had climbed to fifth retired to the pit area. When action resumed Kurth pulled away from his adversaries. Just three more laps went in the books before the second and third place cars of Weinkauf and Drost made contact sending both spinning. As a result both restarted the race from the rear of the field. With Kurth again in command Roach was now on Kurth's rear bumper for the restart, with fast qualifier Burton Brown up to third from his 14th place start. As the green flag flew Kurth pulled away, while Roach and Brown diced for second. Brown would get the upper hand taking the spot with an inside pass in turn two on lap 38. The third yellow flag flew on lap 49, when Joe Krzykowski got turned around in turn four. Kurth would find himself under heavy pressure from Brown as the race past the halfway point. Brown was able to match Kurth's pace but was unable to find away by. A lapped car of Leroy Pettis provided a temporary opportunity for Brown to nose under Kurth and take the lead briefly before Kurth was able to fight back on the outside and resume command. Brown continued to apply the pressure to Kurth who was up to the challenge as laps quickly passed by. Roach was running solidly in third until lap 81 when he slipped up the track allowing Haase to claim the third position. On the very next lap, fifth running Rick Corso lost the handle and spun in turn two necessitating the events fourth caution. The pace laps under caution would prove to be Brown's undoing as the dry sump belt broke on his machine forcing him to fall from competition while running second. This changed the running order at the head of the field to read, Kurth, Haase, and Roach. Lepak rebounded from his earlier spin to run fourth, while Allen Check entered the top five for the first time as the green waved for the remaining nine laps. Check unfortunately would bring out the final yellow with three laps remaining when he spun in turn four. With a three lap sprint to the checkered Haase made one brief attempt to pass Kurth, before Kurth was able to pull away to a two car length lead at the checkered. Haase would finish second, Roach third, Lepak fourth and defending track champion Mark Eswein making up the top five finishers. Finishing sixth through tenth were defending Dells Motor Speedway champion Ken Reiser, Benjamin Brinkman, Check, Corso and Stapleman. In earlier action, two 30 lap qualifying events were held to set the balance of the field. In the first event Neil Knoblock inherited the lead when the lead duo of Judd Brandl and Mark Mackesy collided. Once in the lead Knoblock would pace the remainder of the race to score the victory. Jeff Weinfurter would finish a very close second while Brinkman would just edge Brandl for the final transfer position. Greg Ives made up the top five runners. In the other 30 lap qualifier it was Check, slipping past Joe Fischer in the waning laps of the event to score the victory. Fischer would finish second while Beyer would claim the final transfer spot. Frank Nitzke finished fourth and Mike Strupp rounded out the top five in the event. All totaled 40 cars attempted qualification runs for the day. Burton Brown was the only car to crack the 12 second barrier with a lap of 11.968 seconds. That mark eclipsed the previous fast time effort of Ken Reiser who had turned a lap of 12.038 second. Reiser would eventually end up with the second fastest lap of the day. Third quick was Gary Back with a 12.065 second orbit of the third mile oval. Joe Krzykowski was fourth with a 12.090 second lap and Tony Strupp was fifth with a 12.102 second tour of the track. Heading into the next event, the Reffner Race 88 on August 5th, Kirby Kurth who has 138 points, holds an eight point advantage in the current standings over fellow Dells Motor Speedway competitor Jesse Haase. Multi-time track champion at I-94 Raceway, Bryan Roach holds down the third position in the standings with 126 markers. Defending Dells Motor Speedway champion Ken Reiser lies fourth in the standings with 118 points, while Jeremy Lepak rounds out the current top five in the standings with 115 points. The next round of the Wisconsin Challenge Series will be held on August 5th, and the show will honor another Wisconsin short track racing legend, Tom Reffner. Named the Reffner Race 88, the headline event will be contested at 88 laps, the number Reffner drove on short tracks throughout the Midwest in a career which spanned some 40 years. Twin 30-lap qualifying races will also be on the card. The Wisconsin Sport Trucks, which are snowmobile engine powered mini-trucks will join the program and battle four and five wide on the high-banked third mile with a full show including heats and features, while the 2-Man Cruisers will round out the day. A total of four events are on the 2001 Wisconsin Challenge Series schedule. The two other remaining events on the 2001 schedule will include the Dick Trickle 99 at Dells Motor Speedway on Labor Day, September 3rd, and the Wisconsin Challenge Season will wrap up on September 8th at Golden Sands Speedway. Golden Sands Speedway is a high-banked third-mile paved oval located on Highway 54 between Wisconsin Rapids and Plover, Wisconsin. For complete RACESTAT Computer Results Click Here Marvelous Marv 91 -
Results 91 Lap Feature: 1.) Kirby Kurth, Nekoosa; 2.) Jesse Haase, Wausau; 3.) Bryan Roach, Becker, MN; 4.) Jeremy Lepak, Wausau; 5.) Mark Eswein, Wisconsin Rapids; 6.) Ken Reiser, Waukon, IA; 7.) Benjamin Brinkman, Oshkosh; 8.) Allen Check, Shantytown; 9.) Rick Corso, McHenry, IL; 10.) Todd Stapleman, Wautoma; 11.) Doug Drost, Merrill; 12.) LeRoy Pettis, Ringle; 13.) Burton Brown, Neenah; 14.) Neil Knoblock, Wausau; 15.) Joe Krzykowski, Junction City; 16.) Tony Strupp, West Bend; 17.) Jason Weinkauf, Merrill; 18.) Frank Kreyer, Cottage Grove; 19.) Gary Back, Vesper; 20.) Scott Beyer, Plover; 21.) Jeff Weinfurter, Wisconsin Rapids; 22.) Joe Fischer, McHenry, IL First 30 Lap Qualifier: 1.) Knoblock; 2.) Weinfurter; 3.) Brinkman; 4.) Judd Brandl, Arpin; 5.) Greg Ives, Bark River, MI; 6.) Aaron Roehl, Fond Du Lac; 7.) Mark Mackesy, Wausau; 8.) Luke Westenberg, Palmyra; 9.) Jerry Schneider, Kaukauna; 10.) Paul Block, Tomahawk Second 30 Lap Qualifier: 1.) Check; 2.) Fischer; 3.) Beyer; 4.) Frank Nitzke, Berlin; 5.) Mike Strupp, West Bend; 6.) Troy Nelson, Antigo; 7.) Jack Pankratz, Kaukauna; 8.) Chad Devine, Appleton; 9.) Dave Philipps, Menominee, MI; 10.) Ron Baciak, Vulcan, MI For additional information check out the series website at www.wisconsinchallenge.com |
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