Lanigan Triumphs again at NAPA Gopher 50
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After all Qualifying racing was completed Josh Richards set fast time for the night turning a 14.541 second lap around the high bank speedway on the running of the 36th annual NAPA Gopher 50 Late Charity Late Model event at the Deer Creek Speedway. A great crowd was on hand for the racing action with the NAPA AutoCare USRA Modifieds also on hand. Awesome activities throughout the night with some of the best features for the Gopher 50 in recent years.
In the World of Outlaw Late Model feature event Boom Briggs jumped out to the early lead with Darrell Lanigan in second. The first caution came out on lap two and Jimmy Mars and Shane Clanton made contact with Mars spinning and restarting at the tail of the field. Briggs continued to lead on the restart with Josh Richards moving ahead of Lanigan for the second spot. Chub Frank and Frank Heckenast Jr. rounded out the top five. Richards and Lanigan has a great race for second until Heckenast Jr. found the high side to his liking and flew around them both to take over the second spot on lap ten. By lap twelve Briggs started working the back of the field while Heckenast Jr. started to make up ground still trying to stay on the top side of the speedway. Lanigan and Richards were now side by side for third while working through lapped traffic. By the half way point Briggs was out to a half straight lead over Heckenast Jr. as the top side started to slow a little. The caution flew on lap thirty three bunching the field back up. On the restart Briggs led while Lanigan moved into the runner up spot and started to pressure Briggs for the lead. Lanigan took control of the race on lap thirty eight. Chub Frank started working on Briggs for the second spot now and on lap forty four took over the second spot. Over the last six laps Frank was the fastest car on the track but ran out of time to take home the win as Lanigan Triumphed once again at the speedway. Frank, Shane Clanton, Briggs and Heckenast Jr. rounded out the top five. Heat races were won by Richards, Heckenast Jr. and Mars.
The final feature of the night was the NAPA AutoCare USRA Modifieds. Cory Crapser jumped out to the early lead with Jimmy Mars pulling double duty on this night sitting in the second spot. Jay Ihrke sat in third early on while Nick Stroup from Iron Station NC sat in the fourth spot ahead of Joey Jensen. Crapser pulled out to a comfortable lead until lap ten when Mars started to slowly gain on the leader. By this time Brandon Davis had moved into the top five after starting thirteenth on the field. With twelve down Davis moved into third working past Ihrke for the position. At the halfway point on lap fifteen Mars and Crapser were in a heated battle up front also trying to work through a back marker. Davis slowly closed up and by lap twenty two the three cars were battling for the top spot. Mars took over the top spot on lap twenty five with Davis taking over the second spot on lap twenty seven. At the finish it was Mars with his first Modified feature win at the speedway, Davis, Crapser, Joey Jensen and Brad Dierks rounding out the top five from his fourteenth starting spot. Jacob Bleess won the B-Feature while heat races were won by Brent Larson, Steve Wetzstein, Josh Angst and Kelly Shryock.
A big thanks to the Blooming Prairie Lions for their help in putting on the event. NAPA, Miners Outdoor and Rec, and many other businesses and people who help put these shows on.
NAPA AutoCare USRA Modifieds
Feature – Jimmy Mars, Brandon Davis, Cory Crapser, Joey Jensen, Brad Dierks, Jay Ihrke, Nick Stroup, Kelly Shryock, Lucas Schott, Keith Foss, Steve Wetzstein, Jacob Bleess, Jason Cummins, Joe Horgdal, Tommy Myer, Mark Motl, Bryan Hessler, Darwyn Karau, Mark Noble, Todd Stinehart, Doug Hillson, Josh Angst, Brent Larson, Dan Ebert
B-Feature – Bleess, Hessler, Motl, Karau, Ted Marrs, Bill Clemens, Bob Sammann, Nick Nevins, Robby Bunkelman, Greg Jensen, Jake Timm
Heat 1 – Larson, Cummins, Ebert, Davis, Horgdal, Bleess, Motl, Karau
Heat 2 – Wetzstein, Ihrke, Crapser, Dierks, Hillson, Marrs, Nevins, Bunkelman
Heat 3 – Angst, Mars, J. Jensen, Noble, Stinehart, Clemens, G. Jensen, Timm
Heat 4 – Shryock, Foss, Stroup, Schott, Myer, Hessler, Sammann
World Of Outlaw Late Models
Feature – Darrell Lanigan, Chub Frank, Shane Clanton, Boom Briggs, Frank Heckenast Jr., Rick Eckert, Eric Wells, Josh Richards, Morgan Bagley, Jimmy Mars, Tim McCreadie, Chase Junghans, Brandon Overton, Tyler Bruening, Lance Matthees, Mike Prochnow, Jordan Yaggy, Justin Hirt, John Winge, Nick Herrick, Jason Rauen, David Fieber
Heat 1 – Richards, Lanigan, Clanton, Wells, Hirt, Junghans, Bruening, Fieber
Heat 2 – Heckenast Jr., Frank, Overton, Eckert, Bagley, Matthees, Prochnow
Heat 3 – Mars, Briggs, McCreadie, Rauen, Yaggy, Herrick Winge
