Hardesty Returns to Minneapolis Raceway Victory Lane
by Dusty Wiegert
MINNEAPOLIS, Kan. -- Another exciting night at the Minneapolis Raceway is in the books and a familiar face has returned to Airgas Victory Lane.
That face is none other than Dave Hardesty, the 2 time defending champion. Hardesty sat on the outside pole position of the IMCA Modified A Feature and quickly jumped into the lead at the start. He was never challenged during the Main Event and opened a large lead at times. Brad Morris ran second for most of the event after starting on the pole while Corey Lagroon worked his way through the field to catch Morris near the end. Hardesty sailed smoothly across the line for his seventh career win at Minneapolis Raceway. Morris followed in second, Lagroon in third, and Lyle Shepard in fourth. In post-race inspection Morris was disqualified for being too light on the scales, moving up the balance of the field one position. Chase Junghans and Rodger Peck took the B Feature wins while Dustin Huehl, Morris, Joe Cleveland, and Hardesty were the heat winners.
In action for the first time ever was the SMRS Midgets. Fifteen cars checked in to the pits for the inaugural event with Donnie Ray Crawford taking the win by leading every lap. Jonathan Beason tried desperately to get around Crawford, even making contact a few times but couldn't get it done. Local driver Joe Cleveland, doing double duty as he also ran in the IMCA Modifieds, mounted a charge on the high side of the track but came up short, finishing fourth.
In Coors Light IMCA Hobby Stock action another track record was set by the same driver who set it the week before. Marquette's BJ Dauer won his 7th consecutive A Feature in the division, dating back to last season. He did it without a challenge and cruised across the stripe in first. The dueling of the night occured in the top 5 after BJ as Mike Traskowsky won that battle for second with GW Fuller in third and Barry Schoen in fourth. Brian Fink, Fuller, Schoen, and Dauer won the heat races with Matthew Crowell winning the B Feature.
In fitting style to open up the T&R Dirt Sportsman Modified show Minneapolis driver Chris Vogan, after his father's death 2 weeks ago, took the win in the heat race and was then presented with a checkered flag signed by all of the 132 drivers in attendence. In the A Feature Vogan had a decent run finishing 7th, but on this night the win would go to a driver who has come so close so many times, Minneapolis' Josh Rice. Rice started on the front row and was pressured at times but prevailed for his first ever A Feature win in his second year of competing. Chris Rohloff turned in a great performance finishing second, followed by Brady Schoen in third and Don Morris in fourth. Shaylon Holloway picked up the win in the other heat race.
Finishing out the evening this week was the Lott Implement Mosquito division. It looked as though the Rice family would have 2 reasons to celebrate as Josh's father Allen led throughout the race in a new car after rolling last week. With 1 lap to go Alex Loveless closed in and got the bite he needed off of turn 2 to pull alongside and then rub door to door with Rice to pull away just enough off of turn 4 for the win, his second of the season. Rice came home a close second with Shelbie Thummel in third and Josh Haesemeyer in fourth. Corey Kindlesparger and Randy Hake won the heat races while Donnie Cleveland won the B Feature.
Racing continues next Saturday night May 10 at the Minneapolis Raceway with IMCA Modifieds, Advance Auto Parts IMCA Stock Cars, T&R Dirt Sportsman Modifieds, Coors Light IMCA Hobby Stocks, and the Long McArthur Mod Lite Series.
RESULTS
Lott Implement Mosquitos
A Feature
1. 1L Alex Loveless, Lincoln
2. 3CG Allen Rice, Minneapolis
3. 8S Shelbie Thummel, Salina
4. 99 Josh Haesemeyer, Lincoln
5. 8C Jamie Rice, Minneapolis
6. 15 Donnie Cleveland, Minneapolis
7. 32R Rashelle Monasmith, Salina
8. 19D Dean Levi, Salina
9. 11K Corey Kindlesparger, Salina
10. 4B Montee Benien, Lincoln
11. 33 DeEtta Forsberg, Salina
12. 7R David Rock, Minneapolis
13. 16 Seth Cleveland, Gypsum
14. 66 Russ Black, Lincoln
15. 44R Bill Rogers, Salina
16. 1H Randy Hake, Concordia
17. B55 Brian Davidson, Bennington
18. 7M Blake Michels, Salina
19. 29 Kevin Hackett, Minneapolis
20. 2H Garret Hake, Concordia
21. 11 Jeremy Milum, Oak Hill
22. 8 Branston Arnder, Salina
23. 17 Mark Colton, Oak Hill
24. 10 Allen Thornton, Cawker City
25. 34 David Forsberg, Assaria
B Feature
1. D. Cleveland
2. Monasmith
3. Colton
4. G. Hake
5. S. Cleveland
6. 20 David Graf, Salina
7. 6 Phillip Brown, Salina
8. 19 Ryan Ayers, Salina
9. 27 Trisch Claman, Salina
10. 48 Edna Colton-Gonser, Clay Center
11. 44 Alex Colosimo, Wells
Heat 1
1. Kindlesparger
2. Thornton
3. Levi
4. Hackett
5. DeEtta Forsberg
6. Thummel
7. A. Rice
8. J. Rice
9. Arnder
10. Rogers
11. Monasmith
12. S. Cleveland
13. G. Hake
14. Claman
15. Ayers
Heat 2
1. R. Hake
2. Davidson
3. Benien
4. Haesemeyer
5. Milum
6. Michels
7. Kindel
8. Black
9. Rock
10. David Forsberg
11. Loveless
12. Graf
13. Brown
14. Colton
15. D. Cleveland
16. Colton-Gonser
17. Colosimo
Coors Light IMCA Hobby Stocks
A Feature
1. 33 BJ Dauer, Marquette
2. 23 Mike Traskowsky, Woodbine
3. 1X GW Fuller, Tescott
4. 21 Barry Schoen, Downs
5. 12 Brian Fink, Beloit
6. 38 Cole Emerson, Beloit
7. 1S Brent Schoen, Cawker City
8. 412 Jacob Williams, Belleville
9. 22 Dennis Berry, Salina
10. 4L Michael Lauber, Belleville
11. 1J Jason Caldwell, Salina
12. 83 Tommy Shomaker, Salina
13. 87 David Piersee, Salina
14. 4N Jason Nelssen, Beloit
15. 69C Tim McBurney, Salina
16. 34 Justin Hopp, Marquette
17. 19 Bill Clanton, Salina
18. 39 Jake Hedlund, McPherson
19. 2C Matthew Crowell, Clearwater
20. 331 Bob Dauer, Marquette
21. 72D Duane McAnarney, Salina
B Feature
1. Crowell
2. Traskowsky
3. Caldwell
4. McBurney
5. Shomaker
6. 51 Brandon Belville, Concordia
7. 11 Chris Thornton, Cawker City
8. 30 Tim Snethen, Salina
9. 51N Darren Nobert, Salina
10. 61 Mike Lehman, Abilene
11. 83P Jeff Picking, Abilene
12. 34J Martin Schneider, Florissant, CO
13. 88 Nikki Lofing, McPherson
Heat 1
1. Fink
2. Hopp
3. Lauber
4. Brent Schoen
5. Crowell
6. Belville
7. Picking
8. Lofing
Heat 2
1. Fuller
2. Bob Dauer
3. Nelssen
4. Clanton
5. Thornton
6. Shomaker
7. Snethen
Heat 3
1. Barry Schoen
2. Hedlund
3. Piersee
4. Berry
5. Traskowsky
6. Lehman
7. Nobert
Heat 4
1. BJ Dauer
2. Emerson
3. Williams
4. McAnarney
5. Caldwell
6. McBurney
7. Schneider
T&R Dirt Construction Sportsman Modifieds
A Feature
1. 8J Josh Rice, Minneapolis
2. 222JR Chris Rohloff, Salina
3. 12S Brady Schoen, Downs
4. 70 Don Morris, Junction City
5. 32 Ryan Ohlde, Linn
6. 3H Shaylon Holloway, Osborne
7. 1V Chris Vogan, Minneapolis
8. 11K Rod Klinkner, Manhattan
9. 21H Aaron Hupfer, Glen Elder
10. 12 Tyler Post, Salina
11. 1X Troy Wachsnicht, Morganville
12. 42J Joe Brown, Clyde
13. 5 Jim Stolzenburg, Clifton
14. 3G Tyler Sutton, Beloit
15. 222 Gary Rohloff Jr., Salina
16. 9T Fred Traskowsky, Woodbine
17. 55 Tyler Frye, Belleville
18. 54M Josh McCarrell, Chapman
19. 4M Matt Miller, Concordia
Heat 1
1. Holloway
2. Rice
3. Rohloff Jr.
4. Frye
5. Ohlde
6. Hupfer
7. Post
8. Klinkner
9. Sutton
10. McCarrell
Heat 2
1. Vogan
2. Traskowsky
3. Morris
4. Schoen
5. Rohloff
6. Wachsnicht
7. Brown
8. Stolzenburg
9. Miller
IMCA Modifieds
A Feature
1. 73 Dave Hardesty, Minneapolis
2. 24 Corey Lagroon, Salina
3. 2X Lyle Shepard, Manhattan
4. 627 Rodger Peck, Minneapolis
5. 77JR Jarrod Johnston, Concordia
6. 77K Kurt Johnston, Concordia
7. B6 Brian Knoell, Falun
8. 59W Jeff Welsh, Abilene
9. D99 Loren Dauer, Lindsborg
10. 11 Steve Burch, Junction City
11. 56 Gary Clements, Minneapolis
12. 14 Danny Morrison, Minneapolis
13. 11W Tim Watts, Beloit
14. 719 Joe Cleveland, Delphos
15. 53T Larry Sutton, Beloit
16. 819 Shannon Johnson, Salina
17. 98 Kyle Chase, Abilene
18. 67 Adam Martens, Inman
19. 50 Brandon Payne, Manhattan
20. 94 Dustin Huehl, Salina
21. 18 Chase Junghans, Manhattan
22. 14M Danny Morrison Jr., Minneapolis
23. 20 Wes O'Bannon, Lincoln
24. 70M Brad Morris, Junction City
B Feature #1
1. Junghans
2. O'Bannon
3. Burch
4. Watts
5. 57HH Dan Heina, Lincoln
6. 57 Kenny Cross, Salina
7. 97 Charlie Huehl, Vesper
8. 70T Terry Malm, Lindsborg
9. 7J Jeremy Hedberg, Lindsborg
10. 92 John Rawson, McPherson
11. D25 Dillon Shaw, Salina
B Feature #2
1. Peck
2. Sutton
3. Johnson
4. Martens
5. WFO Warren Huffman, Salina
6. 66 Jerry Phillips, Galva
7. F14 Brent Fielder, Chapman
8. 70 Billy McBride, Salina
9. 1 Corey Burch, Junction City
10. 2G George Goracke, Salina
Heat 1
1. D. Huehl
2. Shepard
3. J. Johnston
4. Morrison Jr.
5. Junghans
6. S. Burch
7. Hedberg
8. C. Huehl
9. Cross
10. Shaw
Heat 2
1. Morris
2. Chase
3. Morrison
4. Welsh
5. Phillips
6. Sutton
7. Johnson
8. Martens
9. Goracke
Heat 3
1. Cleveland
2. Knoell
3. Dauer
4. Clements
5. O'Bannon
6. Heina
7. Rawson
8. Malm
9. Watts
Heat 4
1. Hardesty
2. Lagroon
3. K. Johnston
4. Payne
5. Peck
6. McBride
7. Fielder
8. Huffman
9. C. Burch
SMRS Midgets Results will be Posted on SMRSmidgets.com
