Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Thursday, May 08, 2008

Pfaff poised to challenge for track championship

Shawn Pfaff

By JEFF BROWN / Tribune Sports Editor

WEST SALEM, Wis. — Shawn Pfaff certainly respects the big blue wave known as the Dutch Mill Trucking team, but he doesn’t fear them.

“It feels good to be able to run up front and win one,” Pfaff said after Saturday night’s feature win in the Kwik Trip Late Model Division. “The DMT team (Steve Carlson, Kevin Nuttleman, Emily Sue Steck) has some really good cars and some good drivers, but everybody can be beat.”

Pfaff proved that in the in the third week of the season — Week 2 was canceled because of cold weather — and certainly appears to be one of the drivers who could challenge for a track championship. Pfaff, who purchased Andy Burgess’ car after last season, has a strong car and a strong motor. Now, he’s able to show off his driving talent, too.

“We’re running for points,” said Pfaff, a former track champion who lives in Sparta, Wis. “To win in the second night out with this car, it feels pretty good, especially with the competition out here. We’re still not where we need to be, but we’ll take it.”

SKID, SKID, SKIDDERS: Go ahead, think of the zaniest race you can imagine. That must be what happens during the week with some members of the Fairgrounds Speedway staff as they came up with what is called “Skidders.” Skidders are front-wheel drive cars that have no rear wheels. In place of the wheels are metal plates that are welded to the steel rims.

Yes, cars — on the edge of control — skid around the quarter-mile track, sparks flying, and the sound of metal scratching the asphalt. Five cars turned out for the debut of the Skidders Saturday night, and all five did something interesting, including Kevin Herold who slid into a large water puddle inside the quarter-mile track on the first turn of the first lap. And that’s where he stayed for the entire five laps of the heat race.

Mark Bornitz of Holmen won the heat race.

SPLASH: He didn’t win the race, but he made one heck of a splash — literally. Thunderstox driver Steve Flinkinger went up the quarter-mile track — with some help from his fellow drivers — where he brushed the wall, then shot back across the track and into a huge mud puddle in the infield area called Lake Speed. The crowd loved it, but Flinkinger might not have as he was stuck in water that was more than halfway up the side of his tires.

LAST LAP CRASH: Rob Curran, Dave Woelhoefer and Adam Gallagher got tangled up coming out of Turn 4 of the last lap of a North Country Contractors Sportsman Division heat race, and all three cars appeared to suffer significant damage. Curran’s car had heavy right front-end damage, and Woelhoefer’s car had mangled metal in a number of different spots. None of the drivers were injured. Randy Hass won the race.

BLUE STREAK: Bangor’s Kevin Nuttleman, a 10-time track champion at the Fairgrounds Speedway, has turned thousands of laps on the five-eighth’s mile track . In other words, he knows his way around it. That was evident Saturday night as he was the fast qualifier in the Kwik Trip Late Model Division.

Nuttleman, driving one of three blue wave cars that comprise the Dutch Mill Trucking team, turned a 19.780-second lap, or an average speed of 99.67 mph. Mike Carlson, the feature winner two weeks in the season opener, had the second-fastest time at 19.928 seconds, or an average speed of 98.530 mph.

In two weeks of racing events, a DMT driver has captured the fast time both times as Steve Carlson had the fast lap in the season opener.

SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING: Randy Humfeld of Chaseburg, Wis., had the fastest qualifying lap in the North Country Contractors Sportsman Division when he stopped the clock at 22.002 seconds, or an average speed of 89.242 mph. Jes Tenner of Melrose, Wis., was second with a time of 22.076 seconds. The top rookie qualifier was Rick Johnson, who was 22nd with a time of 22.802 seconds.

John Olson of Sparta, Wis., had the fastest qualifying lap in the season opener two weeks ago.

CAR COUNT: A total of 20 Kwik Trip Late Model drivers turned out for Saturday night’s program, while there were 32 North Country Contractors Sportsman Division drivers. Combine that with 36 United Auto Supply Thunderstox car and five Skidders, and there were 93 total cars that were on the track.

Jeff Brown can be reached at (608) 791-8403, or at jbrown@lacrossetribune.com