Summer Time Has Officially Arrived at BVR
by: By Denny Grabenbauer

BUENA VISTA, IA. (June 21, 2006) - The second half of the 2006 racing season started on Wednesday night at the Buena Vista Raceway with the first full day of summer greeting the race fans, during Larson Oil Night. Eighty-five race teams and a large grandstand crowd was on hand to cheer on their favorite drivers in competition. One driver even won more than he had bargained for as Ramon Luna, was the lucky winner of the Bomber racecar that was given away. For the second year in a row promoters Lee & Becky Meyer had a racecar build, then just gave it a way to one lucky person. “This year one of our own drivers won the car. It’s a great promotion and we really enjoy doing it.”

Week number eleven and the start of the second half of the season would prove to be and interesting night as first time feature winners again would find there way to victory lane, along with changes at the top of the point standings, in the I.M.C.A. Modified division, and a heart break in the BVR Bomber class. Only three yellow flags would fly through out the entire evening of racing, which allowed the night to come to an end with the sun still lighting up the sky.

Colby Winter would experience the biggest heartbreak that a racer would experience in the Rasmussen Ford BVR Bomber feature, as he would take the lead from the drop of the green flag and would pull away from the rest of the field. As the field would race each other for position, Winter was driving away to a commanding lead. Taking the white flag with one lap to go Winter was untouchable. Going through turn three Winter now could see the checkered flag getting ready to wave him on to victory when the unthinkable happened. As his car started to exit turn four for his final straight a way run, his left rear tire and wheel would break loose from his car, allowing Jeff Bieret to take the lead and go on to win the ten lap event. A surprised Bieret would win his first career feature, and a limping Winter would cross the finish line in the forth position.

Next onto the raceway would be the Storm Lake Truck & Trailer I.M.C.A. Hobby Stocks. Mark Hill would be the early leader, but would give way to the Hobby Stock dominator in 2006, Donovan Smith on lap eight. Unstoppable this season, Smith would lead the final four laps to score his ninth win in the first eleven weeks of the season. Brother Dustin would finish second followed by Hill and KyleTimmerman.

Moving into the Storm Lake Honda Artic Cat 360 B-Mods this season rookie driver Travis Schuller would lead the first five laps of the twelve-lap race before defending track champion Mark White would take over the top spot. White would hold off challenges by Chris Grothe until the checkered flag to post his first win of the season and become the seventh driver to win a feature event this season. Behind White and Grothe was Matt Sangwin and Mike Bailey who posted his first top four of the season.

Randy Lawrey another first year driver would win his heat race then lead in the early going of the Scooters Bar & Grill I.M.C.A. Stock Car feature before giving way to Brian Blessington on lap four. Blessington would be unchallenged through out the fifteen lap event as he would go on to score his fifth feature win of the year. Point leader David Smith would finish second followed by Lawrey and Bud Mattson.

Four features and all would run green to checkered with no yellow flags. Would this be a night when the unthinkable would happen? A no-hitter in motorsports, all feature events being run with no yellows flags. James Slawson would jump into the lead in the Fitzpatrick Auto Center I.M.C.A. Modified feature with Brian Schmitt running right on his back bumper. Another six cars behind them would join Schmitt and Slawson as they made there way around the 3/8-mile raceway. Five time feature winner Jay Noteboom would take the lead at the half way point of the race and would hold off the challenges from Brad Williams to score his sixth win of the year and regain the coveted point lead that was held by Ricky Stephan. The race would run until the eighteenth lap before a yellow flag would fly, the first in the night’s features with two laps to go. On the restart, Williams would stay close to the front but would not be able to make a final challenge, and would finish second. Schmitt and Jeff Stephens would round out the top four.

Racing action will continue next Wednesday night with Grothe Graphics giving away a bicycle to a lucky fan in the stands. Hot laps begin at 6:45 and the first race of the night gets underway at 7:30.

Wednesday Race Results:

FITZPATRICK AUTO CENTER I.M.C.A. MODIFIED:

HEAT 1: Brian Schmidt-Wall Lake—Jeff Stephens-Dow City—Jay Noteboom-Orange City
HEAT 2: Bruce Bonnesen-Aurelia—Brad Williams-Lytton—Clay Christensen-Spencer

FEATURE: Jay Noteboom—Brad Williams—Brian Schmidt—Jeff Stephens—Mike Hansen—Jim Thies—Joel Ziegmann—Bruce Bonnesen—Ricky Stephan—Randy Brands—Mark Gaskill—Roger VanBeek—Mike Albertson—James Slawson—Clay Christensen



SCOOTERS BAR & GRILL I.M.C.A. STOCK CAR:

HEAT 1: Randy Lawrey-Cherokee—David Smith-Lake City—Jason Mickelson-Storm Lake
HEAT 2: Brian Blessington-Breda—Bud Mattson-Alta—Mark Stanley-Storm Lake

FEATURE: Brian Blessington—David Smith—Randy Lawrey—Bud Mattson—Brian Mattson—Randy Andreason—Mike Scharn—Matt Hagedorn—Josh Suhr—Jason Mickelson—Roger Verdoorn—Mark Stanley—Greg Sidles—Bill Reetz—Stephan Sebesma



STORM LAKE TRUCK & TRAILER I.M.C.A HOBBY STOCK:

HEAT 1: Donovan Smith-Lake City—Trent Murphy-Jefferson—Kyle Robinson-Cherokee
HEAT 2: Mark Hill-Cherokee—Drew Barglof-Sioux Rapids—Tony Pogeler—Cherokee
HEAT 3: Dustin Smith-Lake City—Kyle Timmerman-Lake City—Josh Bieret-Wall Lake

FEATURE: Donovan Smith—Dustin Smith—Mark Hill—Jared Timmerman—Matt Schmillen—Trent Murphy—Cody Lucas—Josh Bieret—Matt Mahoney—Merle Bass—Tony Pogeler—Paul Toms—Bill Woodcock—Galen Freese—Luke Wanninger—Ross DeWall—Kyle Robinson—Drew Barglof—Kenny Hansen



RASMUSSENS FORD BVR BOMBERS:

HEAT 1: Devin Smith-Lake City—Justin Nehring-Newell—Jess Bieret-Wall Lake
HEAT 2: Colby Winter-Lake City—Nick Smith-Storm Lake—Adam Hicks-Lake City

FEATURE: Jess Bieret—Eric Puhrman—Adam Hicks—Colby Winter—Devin Smith—Justin Nehring—Nick Smith—Shawn Halder—Gary Duitsman—Tim Hansen—Thomas Haukap—Ramon Luna



STORM LAKE HONDA ARTIC CAT BVR 360 B-Mods:

HEAT 1: Brandon Lucas-Cherokee—Jason Grage-Remsen—Harvey VanDeWeerd-Granville
HEAT 2: Chris Grothe-Schaller—Mark White-Spencer—Austin Lucas-Cherokee
HEAT 3: Matt Sangwin-Aurelia—Mike Bailey-Schaller—Dan Hanselman-Algona

FEATURE: Mark White—Chris Grothe—Matt Sangwin—Mike Bailey—Dan Hanselman—Travis Schuller—Harvey VanDeWeerd—Brandon Lucas—Tom VanGruggen—Casey Frederickson—Jason Grage—Austin Lucas—Brett Meyer—Tony Ross—Greg Hammon—Robert Lundquist—Doug Ockerman—Drew Barglof—Ronnie Fogelman