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CHAD SIMPSON POSTS WDRL WIN IN BRAINERD Exciting finish for the first race of the Northern Swing By Rusty Daufeldt Brainerd, Minn. (June 18, 2009) -- The WORLD Dirt Racing League was up for
Round Twenty-nine WDRL Late Models made trip to the beautiful North Central Speedway here. The No. 25 Gator Volvo/Leibe Trucking Mastersbilt of Chad Simpson set fast time in group qualifying with a time of 14.80 around the beautifully prepared 3/8s-mile track. Second quick time was awarded to the WDRL Rookie of the Year candidate Chad Mahder. Three competitive heat races prepared those who made the trip to North Central Speedway for the fireworks that ensued in the 40-lap main event. Some notable names in the pits were the No. 28 car of Jimmy Mars and the 66 of Bill Frey, who are not series regulars but will be running the series’ entire Northern Swing. The front row of the feature saw Mahder on the pole as he took the checkers in the Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash. To his outside was the 19 of Steve Laursen, who was making his first WDRL start of 2009 in convincing fashion. Al Purkey started third with Jake Redetzke fourth and Jimmy Mars fifth.
Strong cars throughout the field made for an exciting night of racing once
again. Mahder led the first several laps with challenges from Laursen until
mechanical problems forced Laursen to the pit area a few laps later. On the
first restart, Mars jumped to the high side of the speedway and made a move from
third position to the lead in just one lap. While Mars was extending that lead,
Chad Simpson was on move on the top side of the speedway. While Simpson moved to third, Mahder continued to hold on to a solid second during a long green flag run. Mars was opening up almost a straightaway lead over second place, but lapped traffic was going to play a factor. With five laps to go, Mahder and Simpson caught Mars, and for the third WDRL
race in a row, there was a three-way battle for the lead. As Mars and Mahder got
hung up behind a couple of lapped cars, Simpson blasted around Mahder’s
outside in turns three and four only to do the same to Mars in turns one and two With three laps to go, Mars was on a mission to recapture the lead and challenged Simpson but failed to catch him. Then the fireworks began! On the last lap, going into turn three and four, there were two lapped cars running side by side. Mars was right there to capitalize on that and regain the lead. Simpson was able to drive to the bottom coming off four, getting together
with the lapped cars while Mars was railing the top side, trying to squeeze by. Simpson commented in Victory Lane, “I tried the top there a couple of laps, and I like the top anywhere I go. Then I was working so well up there I decided to stay, and it worked.” Simpson said that he had both of his major sponsors in the stands Wednesday Second-place finisher Mars commented that “running up front you just sometimes do not know where to run. Looks like I should have been running the top. I’ll just try and get him tomorrow (Thursday) night.” Up next is Round 5 for the cars and stars of the WDRL at Superior Speedway in Superior, Wis. RACE REPORT Group Qualifying: 1. Chad Simpson (14.809), 2. Chad Mahder (15.063), 3. Adam
Hensel (15.116), 4. Justin Fegers (15.135), 5. Dave Eckrich (15.171), 6. Jeremy
Grady (15.239), 7. Al Purkey (15.250), 8. Jimmy Mars (15.297), 9. Tim Isenberg
(15.336), 10. Eric Pember (15.358), 11. Lance Matthees (15.419), 12. Jake
Redetzke (15.449), 13. Bill Frey (15.455), 14. Bryant Goldsmith (15.483), 15. First Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Jake Redetzke (27), 2. Tim Isenberg (9t), 3. Second Qualifying Heat Race: 1.Chad Mahder (55c), 2.Jimmy Mars (28), 3.Lance Matthees(90), 4.Steve Laursen(19L), 5.Dave Eckrich(58), 6.Joel Cryderman(51), 7.Bill Koons(29), 8.Bryant Goldsmith(24), 9.Pat Doar(11) Third Qualifying Heat Race: 1.Al Purkey (33), 2.Eric Pember(90x), 3.Chad
Simpon(25), 4.Jason Utter(31), 5.Justin Fegers(15f), 6.John Kaanta(85), First Consolation Race : 1.Hensel, 2.Kaanta, 3.Grady, 4.Koons, 5.Goldsmith, Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash: 1. Mahder, 2.Laursen, 3.Purkey, Feature: 1.Chad Simpson, 2.Mars, 3.Mahder, 4.Redetzke, 5.Purkey, 6.Seegert,
7.Utter, 8.Frey, 9.Isenberg, 10.Pember, 11.Denny Eckrich, 12.Chris Simpson,
13.Hensel, 14.Fegers, 15.Grady, 16.Moss, 17.Kaanta, 18.Dave Eckrich, 19.Martin, INFORMATION OF INTEREST: CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS: For more information on the WORLD Dirt Racing League or the latest WDRL Late Model Series schedule, check out the WORLD Dirt Racing League's Web site, www.worldraceleague.com.
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