ROCKFORD, Illinois -- Justin Diercks, of Davenport, Iowa, won the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Midwest Series Spring Classic 150, Sunday afternoon at Rockford (Ill.) Speedway.
“I’m exhausted and so excited, because this is Rockford,” said Diercks. “I told (track owner) Mrs. Deery today that if I could win, this would be the best one yet, because this track has just given me fits.”
Diercks inherited the lead on lap 30 when leader Dave Finney, of Sycamore, Illinois, crashed on a restart and held off a determined Josh Vadnais, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Finney had just taken evasive action to miss the spinning A.J. Rhoads, of Hastings, Minnesota. When he did so, he made slight contact with the outside wall causing damage to his right front suspension.
For Vadnais, the runner-up finish was his best career Midwest Series run.
“We thought we had a good car going in, but I didn’t qualifying as well as I would have liked,” said Vadnais. “But there is something about Rockford Speedway that I just love and we always seem to race well here.”
Eddie Hoffman, of Wheaton, Illinois, made a spirited late race run from his eighth starting spot to finish third, just inches behind Vadnais. Rookie Josh Bauer, of Random Lake, Wisconsin, ran near the front of the field all day and finished fourth with Sparta, Wisconsin driver Tim Schendel rounding out the top five.
“We just ran out of laps,” said Hoffman. “Traffic was really tough and it was really tough passing cars; even the lapped cars aren’t that much slower than the leaders.”
For Diercks, the win begins defense of his 2004 Midwest Series championship.
“We’re going into this season the same way we did last year: Go out and win races and let the points take care of themselves,” said Diercks.
The Midwest Series returns to action, June 4, at Colorado National Speedway, just outside of Denver.
NASCAR AUTOZONE ELITE DIVISION, MIDWEST SERIES
Rockford Speedway April 3, 2005
Finish with starting position in parenthesis, driver name, hometown, car make, laps completed, average speed, money won and status
1. (5) Justin Diercks, Davenport Iowa, Chevrolet, 150, 54.867 mph, $4,900
2. (3) Josh Vadnais, White Bear Lake Min, Chevrolet, 150, $2,550
3. (8) Eddie Hoffman, Wheaton Ill, Chevrolet, 150, $1,950
4. (4) Josh Bauer, Random Lake Wis, Chevrolet, 150, $1,700
5. (9) Tim Schendel, Sparta Wis, Chevrolet, 150, $1,700
6. (10) Nathan Haseleu, Marshall Wis, Ford, 150, $1,850
7. (13) Steve Carlson, West Salem Wis, Chevrolet, 150, $1,600
8. (12) Jeff Way, Burlington Wis, Chevrolet, 149, $1,250
9. (11) Brent Kirchner, LaCrosse Wis, Chevrolet, 149, $1,225
10. (22) Andrew Morrissey, DeForest Wis, Chevrolet, 149, $1,925
11. (6) Bryan Roach, Becker Min, Chevrolet, 149, $1,200
12. (20) Dexter Bean, Westby Wis, Chevrolet, 149, $825
13. (14) Russ Blakeley, Palmyra Wis, Chevrolet, 149, $1,100
14. (2) Nick Joanides, Woodland Hills Cal, Chevrolet, 149, $725
15. (21) Greg Fowler, Longmont Col, Chevrolet, 147, $950
16. (19) A J Rhoads, Hastings Min, Chevrolet, 97, $975
17. (7) Erik Darnell, Beach Park Ill, Chevrolet, 96, Brakes, $900
18. (17) Mark Kraus, Stratford Wis, Chevrolet, 87, Oil Line, $525
19. (16) Kelly Bires, Mauston Wis, Chevrolet, 72, Handling, $500
20. (15) Nick Schumacher, Hartford Wis, Chevrolet, 67, Accident, $500
21. (1) David Finney, Sycamore Ill, Chevrolet, 29, Tie Rod, $800
22. (18) Les Ferris, Northfield Min, Chevrolet, 10, Damage, $800
Time of Race: 47 mins, 44 secs Average Speed: 54.867 mph
Margin of Victory: 2.292 Seconds
BUD POLE AWARD: Nathan Haseleu, G&M Auto Service/Affordable Plumbing Ford, 13.580 seconds (77.143 mph)
FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER: Josh Bauer *, B&B Engines Chevrolet
POWERADE "POWER MOVE OF THE RACE": Andrew Morrissey *, Perry Dahl Soil Testing/Payne Performance Chevrolet
Caution Flags: Laps 11-17 (#51 spin); 24-29 (#97 spin); 30-41 (#26 accident); 69-77 (#16 & #97 accident); 82-85 (#22 spin). 5 for 38 laps.
Lap Leaders: David Finney 1-29, Justin Diercks 30-150.
Total Laps Led: Justin Diercks 121, David Finney 29. 1 changes involving 2 drivers.
Top 10 Driver Points: Justin Diercks 180, Josh Vadnais 170, Eddie Hoffman 165, Josh Bauer * 160, Tim Schendel 155, Nathan Haseleu 150, Steve Carlson 146, Jeff Way 142, Brent Kirchner 138, Andrew Morrissey * 134
Next Race: June 4, Colorado National Speedway
* Denotes Rookie of the Year Contender
