By Gary Jacob
Great Falls, MT -- Rock Degele from Glasgow MT raced from fourth starting to score a $1000 win in the dirt late model feature Friday night as Electric City Speedway opened it’s season closing, $18,000 Montana Roundup weekend. The feature was lined up off the heat finishes and Degele’s second put him 4th. He passed Rich Herman, series champion Josh Adams and Dave Freeman for the $1000 win with Adams ending up the $750 second ahead of Herman’s $400 third. The 12 cars returned on Saturday night and Great Falls’ own Freeman got a clean sweep with a win in his heat and the $1000 main event win. Freeman suffered a broken shock in the race and he barely fought off the challenge of 8th starting Jody Kropp as Kropp ran a $750 second ahead of Billings MT charger Kelly Hample who won $400. Freeman topped the weekend’s money list with $1200, Degele got into the back wall on Saturday and had $1175 for the weekend with both Adams and Kropp at $1000. These two events closed the season for the Montana Outlaw Late Model Tour and Helena’s Adams ended up with the series title, 55 points ahead of rookie Herman and 87 in front of Jim Zaremski. Degele climbed to fourth in the final standings ahead of Rory Minster as Mike McCord was absent and dropped back to sixth place. Kropp, Degele and Freeman all did double duty in the dirt modifieds. Kropp won both nights, getting $325 on Friday night and $700 on Saturday night. Degele was a $330 second on Saturday night and
Freeman won $200 for second on Friday night.
The 12 car turnout included Ron Brisbois from Hinton, Alberta Canada. On Friday night, Herman won heat 1 from 2nd with 4th starting Freeman second over sixth starter Kropp. Adams won heat 2 from the pole and 4th starter Degele ran second over 2nd starting Minster. The feature lineup was straight up off the heat finish, but Degele was on fire as he raced to the win from 4th over 2nd starter Adams and pole starter Herman. Minster ran fourth ahead of Hample, Belgrade’s Bob Scott, Kropp and Zaremski. On Saturday night, Freeman won heat 1 from the pole with sixth starting Ron Fuller second over fifth starter Hample. Degele drew outside front row and won heat 2 over pole starter Warren Drazich and fourth starter Minster. In the feature, Degele made contact with the back wall and broke a lower control arm to end his night. Freeman built a huge lead from the pole, but slowed with the broken shock and Kropp nearly caught him. Hample came from fifth to third and 7th starter Scott ran fourth over 9th starting Herman, Fuller, 10th starter Adams and Minster. Brisbois combined an 11th and a 10th for the two nights.
Summary
Friday Heat 1-Rich Herman, Dave Freeman, Jody Kropp, Jim Zaremski, Ron Fuller. Heat 2-Josh Adams, Rock Degele, Rory Minster, Kelly Hample, Bob Scott. Main-Degele, Adams, Herman, Minster, Hample, Scott, Kropp, Zaremski, Warren Drazich, Freeman, Ron Brisbois, Fuller.
Saturday Heat 1-Freeman, Fuller, Hample, Scott, Herman. Heat 2-Degele, Drazich, Minster, Kropp, Adams. Main-Freeman, Kropp, Hample, Scott, Herman, Fuller, Adams, Minster, Drazich, Brisbois, Zaremski, Degele.