10/5/2015
Park Jefferson International Speedway
Berck Tops 34 SLMR Late Models at Park Jefferson Finale
Jefferson, SD- The Super Late Model Racing Series (SLMR) from Nebraska made the trek north for the season finale at Park Jefferson Speedway on October 3rd. In addition to the Late Models, season champions were determined in the Modified, Stock Car, Sport Mod, Hobby Stock, and Sport Compact divisions.
Sport Compacts kicked off the first of six features on the night. Aaron Edwardson took early command of the lead from the outside pole. Andrew Harris made his way into 2nd before a caution on lap 6. After the restart, every car was locked into battle with another. Race leader Edwardson was racing side by side with Harris, Shannon Pospisil was battling hard with Mike Denney for the 3rd spot, while Corey Frye, Andrew Vogt, Cody Boulware, and Shane Sexton were swapping paint for the 4th position. As laps winded down, Edwardson and Harris remained side by side, with Edwardson taking the win by inches over Harris in a photo finish. Following Edwardson at the finish included Harris, Pospisil, Frye, and Denny. Aaron Edwardson was crowned 2015 Track Champion.
Front Row starters Jake McClure and Aaron Shearn remained even after the completion of lap one in the Hobby Stock feature. McClure was able to inch ahead of Shearn on lap two as Craig Clift joined the battle up front. A restart with nine to go gave Clift the opportunity to jump ahead of McClure and Shearn. Clift timed the restart perfectly to take the race lead in turn one under McClure. Shearn moved by McClure for 2nd while Clift maintained a five car length lead. Clift made no mistakes in the final laps to take the win, followed by Shearn, McClure, Derek Husted, and Andy Hoffman. Andy Hoffman won the 2015 Track Championship.
Matt Morrow led the early portion of the Sport Mod feature with Drew Johnson and Todd Boulware in line behind him. Boulware moved under Johnson for 2nd, and went to the high side to get around Morrow for the lead with 11 laps to go. Rusty Montagne was running the berm on the high side which helped him move through the field to 2nd from his 10th place starting position. A restart with 6 to go gave Montagne a good opportunity to battle Boulware for the lead, but Boulware was flawless to the finish. Boulware took his 5th win of the year at Park Jefferson, followed by Montagne, Karl Brewer, Morrow, and Keith Sanders. Todd Boulware was the 2015 Sport Mod Track Champion.
Max Hoffer led Casey Jones and Paul Wenzlaff to the start in Stock Car feature action. Jason Ward would enter the race for the lead as the top four cars checked away from the rest of the field. A majority of the field was running the top side of the track, while Chris Mills used the bottom of the speedway to make his way to the front from 10th place. A restart bunched up the field allowing Mills to battle for the lead with the top 4. Mills used the bottom to move into 2nd place. Hoffer continued to run the top while Mills ran the bottom. On the last lap in turns three and four, Mills dived hard under Hoffer to pull even, but Hoffer would win the drag race down the front stretch to the finish line in another photo finish. Hoffer won by inches over Mills, followed by Jones, Jay Goosman, and Wenzlaff. Paul Wenzlaff was the 2015 Stock Car Track Champion.
Bob Moore took the early lead in the Modified feature race. Moore passed front row starters Shawn Bearce and Jeff Berens to take the lead on lap 1. Moore had gained a 10 car length lead before Justin Zeitner moved into 2nd from 6th. While the front 2 separated from the field, a pack of six cars battled for 3rd place including Jeff Joldersma, Sean Barragan, Bearce, Chris Amick, Dan Loggins, Jason Schneiders, and Jim Thies. Zeitner had closed the gap on Moore and started applying heavy pressure as they sliced through lap traffic. The leaders finally got clear track and it gave Zeitner an opportunity to pull a big slide job on Moore in turns one and two for the lead. The race for 3rd was still heavily contested among 6 many cars as Chad TenNapel and Jim Cole entered the battle. Zeitner cruised to his 2nd consecutive victory at Park Jefferson, followed by Moore, Joldersma, TenNapel, and Thies. Bob Moore won the 2015 Modified Track Championship.
Front row starters Brad Perdue and Ben Schaller set the pace as they led the field to the green flag in the final race of the 2015 season in SLMR action. Kyle Berck wasted no time getting to the front from his starting position of 4th. Berck drove his late model in deep in turn 3 to take the top spot and lead lap one. Bill Leighton made his way to 4th but a mechanical issue would cause him to bring out the yellow and retire from the race. On the restart, Brian Kosiski challenged under Tad Pospisil for 2nd, but Pospisil fended him off to remain in 2nd. Just after the crossed flags, RC Whitwell moved into 4th and challenged Kosiski for 3rd but could not get the pass completed. Out front, Berck was flying around lap cars on the top side of the speedway. Berck drove a flawless race and dominated the field as he claimed the $2,000 payday. Following Berck included Pospisil, Whitwell, Kosiski, and Corey Zeitner.
Park Jefferson Speedway management would like to thank staff, volunteers, drivers, crew members, fans and sponsors for making 2015 an exciting year as we rebuild Park Jefferson Speedway. For news and updates regarding 2016, check out www.parkjeff.com, https://www.facebook.com/ParkJeffersonSD, or call 712-212-5540.
Submitted By: Michael Lund
