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Slizewski scores in
Pure Stocks, Blamberg back in victory lane in A-Mods
at Riverside Raceway!
By Don Scharf |
July 31, 2001; Eagle River, WI. - It
was yet another perfect night under stars and fine skies at the Riverside Raceway, Tuesday
the 31st of July, with the usual racing and excitement capping off another
fun?filled summer race night for racing fans of the Northwoods.
The Bandits first heat race kicked things off with Tim Miller, Rich Rosemark and
Rob Rodziczak holding an unchanging 1-2-3 green flag to checker finish. In the second lap
of the second heat, Jim Nieckula passed into the lead and never turned things off. Bruce
Belland drove to a second place with Mark Schuenemann winning a hard-fought battle for
third over fourth place finisher Phil Malouf.
Dennis LaCrosse got things underway in the first heat of the Street Stock races, beating
Shawn Bialas out for the win. Things took a less predictable turn in the second heat, with
Fritz Scharf momentarily holding on to second place tailing eventual winner Mike Vogt.
On the fourth lap, Scharf dropped to last place paving the way for Mike Boyd to cross
the finish line in second. Vogt held a continuous lead over the pack, clenching a final
victory. Mike Boyd came in second, with Kevin Maulson third.
The twists and turns of the track seemingly equaled the course of action taken in the
first heat of the Pure Stocks. Chad Rosinski started things off with an early lead, but a
blown right, rear tire knocked away his almost sure shot chance of victory.
Bo Bennish took first place leading the last four laps. Brian Slizewski came from the
back to finish second. Marlys Scharf stole the show in the second heat ahead of second
place Chad Belland. Jeremy Melton won the third heat from the drop of the green flag,
followed by Tom Nolda.
In the A-Mod heat, Ken Smith played a game of cat and mouse with Bob Kleinschmidt going
home with the win. Mark Albertus rounded out third in the standings.
In the street feature Mike Vogt kept an unchallenged lead. Dennis LaCrosse battled with
Ollie Schoonover for second place for over ten straight laps before getting overtaken by
Ken Valeria and Fritz Scharf. LaCrosse went on to finish sixth, with Schoonover and
Valeria taking second and third respectfully.
Thirteen cars spent time on the track during the Bandit feature, which presented an
exciting contest. The spotlight was on Rich Rosemark, Jim Nieckula, Bruce Belland and Rob
Rodziczak, all of them engaging in an up and down, front-of-the pack race.
Rosemark led the battle from the fourth to tenth lap, when Nieckula made his move and
clenched the lead. Belland tailed Nieckula past Rosemark, and after an eleven-lap
challenge, Rodziczak dropped to sixth place. Nieckula went away victorious, with Belland
and Rosemark following him out accordingly in the standings.
The early leaders in the A-Mod feature were Mark Albertus and Ken Smith. Bob Kleinschmidt
maneuvered himself into a well fought out second place finish, and Scott Blamberg rose
from the ranks to notch out the competition for first place. Smith ended in third and
Albertus faded out.
For the final race of the night Marlys Scharf went from tenth to second, before taking the
checkers in the Pure Stock feature. A protest, later found to be rightfully disproved,
didn't stop Brian Slizewski from taking a come from behind second place finish. Someone
had been concerned that Slizewski had an illegally equipped car, but upon disassembling
the motor, all was found to be legal.
For those interested in racing and the rules contact Don Scharf at (715) 479-8911. For
those of you simply interested in grabbing a seat for a night of Riverside racing, come to
the Riverside Raceway three miles West of Eagle River on Hwy 70, with a marked entrance
across from the Honey Bear. You can also visit the web page at www.racingonline.com. |
