SPRINGVALLEY, Minn. (July 6, 2002) - With the thunderstorms in the area the car count was slightly down, but the crowd showed up in force for another great night of racing activities. A quality field of WISSOTA Late Model competitors were on hand for the Firecracker 40 which paid $1,500 to the winner along with the chance for an additional $500 fast dash someone could take home $2,000 in winnings. Tonight's racing activities were sponsored by the Essig Insurance Agency with Valley Featherlite Trailers of Rochester providing the Black #3 GM Goodwrench car driven by Dale Earnhardt at a car show earlier in the day. Yaggy trucking and Sun Place tanning sponsored the $9,000 Late Model purse for the Firecracker 40 along with each business adding an additional $250 to the winner of the Modified race. With the added money the Open Modified race paid $1,250 to the winner. One Hundred eleven cars checked into the back gate for the show.

The street stock feature was on the track first for their feature with Jim Gustafson and Jeff Brauer on the front row. Brauer started off the season strongly in his quest for a National points title and Gustafson has won the last six features going into tonight. Gustafson jumped into the early lead with Brauer running a close second with a bunch of 2-wide battles being waged from fifth on back. A couple other strong runners were found far back in the field with John Bushman starting ninth and Greg Erickson at the rear of the fifteen car field. The top four cars of Gustafson, Brauer, Steve Goodenough and Steve Eischens started to pull away from the rest of the field as Bushman worked into the fifth spot. The only caution of the race flew just past the halfway point, and on the restart Eischens worked past Goodenough to take over the third spot. Three laps later Bushman cleared Goodenough for the fourth spot. Upfront Gustafson ran a smooth line taking home his seventh feature win in a row.

The Midwest Modified feature was up next and Neil Eckhart started right back up where he left off on Wednesday night. Eckhart won the MW Mod special in Brainerd this week taking home the $1,000 check, and tonight he started on the front row for the feature along side of Nick Kramer. Eckhart jumped into the early lead followed closely by Jeremy Laures in the second spot while Nick Kramer, Dan Fagerlind and Scott Anderson ran three wide for two laps. Fagerlind finally settled into the third spot as Laures slipped up in corner two allowing all three to move past. Kramer battled with Anderson for two more laps until the field settled in for a long green flag run. With only one caution flying early on Eckhart came home with the win, his fifth at the track.

The super stocks had a little problem getting going tonight and it took a single file restart to get things moving. George Batzel took the early lead from the pole position on the start with Bill Clemens moving into the second spot on the second lap. After another early restart Clemens pulled along side of Batzel and the two ran that way for two laps until Clemens was able to pull into the lead. The final caution of the race was brought out by two drivers getting together in corner one. Stewart Blair and Jeff Martin both spun out and were both given the black flag for rough driving and sent pitside. Clemens remained strong out front taking home the win for his fourth win at the track this year.

The modified feature was excellent with a little drama ending the show. Dean Riess started out with the early lead running the high side of the track with a 3-wide battle for the fourth position. Two laps into the feature Steve Wetzstein got hooked up on the bottom of the track and put a slide job on Riess coming out of four. Behind the front two Bruce Angst and Jay Ihrke were side by side for the third lap. These two ran side by side for most of the early stages of the race. Up front Wetzstein slowly pulled away as Mark Noble, Mike Sorenson and Jim Arnold battled for the seventh spot three wide at times until both Noble and Arnold slipped a little allowing Sorenson to take the spot. Noble moved up to battle with Jay Poindinger for position next as a late caution slowed the field for the stalled car of Bruce Angst. On the restart Noble pulled off with problems while up front Sorenson and Wetzstein battled for the top spot. Sorenson got a good run off corner four and pulled along side Wetzstein for the position. Coming off two the two touched slightly and it seemed to really slow up Wetzstein for a second but Sorenson backed off long enough for the leader to regain his composure. The two ran the final laps to the checkers with Wetzstein taking home the win for his third of the year at the track.

The Late Model feature was a dandy tonight with a 40 lap run for the checkers on tap. A very good quality field was on hand with a couple notables missing. Bob Timm flipped his car as Cedar Lake on Wed. and will be out for a couple weeks while getting a new car ready. Keith Foss was also not on hand tonight and both have been frontrunners at the track this year. The track was in perfect condition with a little cushion in the corners and a little tackiness on the bottom of the corner. Mike Sorenson used the bottom line from his front row starting spot to move into the early lead. Mitch Johnson made the long haul from the Dakota's and was running the high side of the track in his battle with Sorenson for the top spot. Early on the bottom seemed a little quicker as Johnson had a little problem maneuvering around the top. As the first few laps ticked off Johnson got the momentum built up and pulled along side Sorenson on lap eleven. The two ran side by side for two laps until Johnson pulled into the lead. Shortly after the first caution flew as Eric Breeschoten was sent to the rear for spinning in three and four. Pat Doar started seventh on the field and was slowly making the run forward working both the high and low lines. With fifteen laps to go Doar moved alongside Sorenson for the second place battle as Mark Teske and Brad Waits battled directly behind them. Doar took the spot two laps later as Johnson cruised home to the win.

Next week races will be the mid-season championship night at Deer Creek speedway. The night's sponsor will be Budweiser Beer.

RESULTS

STREET STOCKS

Feature - Jim Gustafson (7-in a row), Jeff Brauer, Steve Eischens, John Bushman, Steve Goodenough, Greg Erickson, Mark Hovland, Chuck Buchan, Troy Bentz, Ron Rucker

Heat 1 - Bushman, Eischens, Brauer, Bill Steinberg, Rucker

Heat 2 - Goodenough, Gustafson, Buchan, Mike Schroer, Tony Shaner

MIDWEST MODIFIEDS

Feature - Neil Eckhart, Dan Fagerlind, Nick Kramer, Scott Anderson, Jesse Frericks, Ryan Weber, Harlan Morehart, Mike Paulson, Pete Wytaske, Jade Anderson

Heat 1 - Chad Herman, Morehart, Jeremy Laures, J. Anderson, Frericks

Heat 2 - S. Anderson, Eckhart, George Schrumpf, Fagerlind, Kramer

SUPER STOCKS

Feature - Clemens, Batzel, Hager, Dave Haberman, Justin Pogones, Bloom, Tyler Rubin, Mark Oeltjenbruns, Huinker, Arlan Smith

Heat 1 - Clemens, Batzel, Stacy Edgar, Matt Durnen, Bloom

Heat 2 - Mark Teske, Huinker, Derrick Bridley, Jeff Martin, Hager

MODIFIEDS

Feature - Steve Wetzstein, Mike Sorenson, Jay Ihrke, Leroy Scharkey, Davis Siercks, Jay Poindinger, Joradan Steier, Jim Arnold, Mick Glenn, Mike Mehling

Heat 1 - Dean Riess, Siercks, Steier, Scharkey, Jerry Bloom

Heat 2 - Bruce Angst, Wetzstein, Mark Noble, Arnold, Glenn

Heat 3 - Sorenson, Novotny, Ihrke, Poindinger, Mike Rumsey

LATE MODELS

Feature 40-laps $1,500 to win - Mitch Johnson, Pat Doar, Mike Sorenson, Mark Teske, Chad Cummings, Eric Breeschoten, Brad Waits, Marty Wold, Jon Chrest, Chris Adams

Fast Dash $500 to win - Johnson, Chrest, Sorenson, Waits, Teske

Heat 1 - Teske. Sorenson, Johnson, Doar, Breeschoten, Cummings

Heat 2 - Waits, Ben Mattick, Chrest, Wold, Adams

MODIFIED LITES

Feature - Brian Shaw, Craig Shaw, Dan Wendt, Dave Lewison, Josh Buckmeier, Tate Bestor, Brian Kiehne, Roni VanRiper, Rick Utley, Jeremy Anderson

Heat 1 - Jeff Jech, Kiehne, Buckmeier, Jeff O'Connor, Anderson

Heat 2 - B. Shaw, Wendt, Lewison, C. Shaw, Bestor