Degele Outduels Freeman For Montana Late Model Feature

By Gary Jacob

Great Falls, MT -- After being rained out the previous weekend in Billings, the Montana Dirt Late Model Tour made it’s first 2005 season visit to Electric City Speedway and Glasgow’s Rock Degele outdueled Great Falls’ own Dave Freeman for the $600 feature win Saturday night. Freeman had won the series opener in his Ford and 23 year racing veteran Degele put his Moody Chassis into the winner’s circle tonight to move into the season point lead, 4 points ahead of Freeman. Degele also won his heat race and he had run second to Freeman in Billings back in May. Degele’s sponsors are Rock’s Auto Mall and Eugene’s Pizza and his car is crewed by Kelly Degele, Mark Wesen, Brad Olsen and Kyle Degele. Freeman earned $450 for second and young Billings racer Rich Herman was a $350 third in his Rayburn. Jim Zaremski and Bob Scott rounded out the top five.

Ten teams checked in and the track provided fast and tacky racing conditions after a week of rain in the area. Running a Mastersbilt that he purchased from 2004 Montana champion Josh Adams, Whitehall’s Ron Fuller led all the way to win heat 1. Herman got around Warren Drazich for second and chased Fuller to the checkered flag. Jim Zaremski debuted a new car with a fourth behind Drazich. In heat 2, Rory Minster led Degele into turn 1 but both Degele and Freeman got around him before lap 1 was finished. Degele outraced Freeman and Minster ran third. In the feature, Fuller and Degele shared the front row and the initial start was ragged with the front row cars making contact. John Dowson ran over the left rear corner of teammate Zaremski, but the race continued without a caution. Freeman quickly moved into second and began to challenge Degele. Drazich suffered a suspension failure and was the first car to retire. Fuller lost power on the restart and Herman raced into third. Dowson spun to force another yellow flag. Degele and Freeman traded the lead several times in the last half of the race, but it was Degele out front at the checkered flag. He was only a single car length in front of hometown favorite Freeman. Herman ran third ahead of Zaremski and Bob Scott, Kelly Hample was sixth ahead of Dowson, Minster and Fuller.

The teams have two nights of racing this weekend as they make their first visit to Belgrade on Friday and then move down the road to Billings on Saturday night. Degele is four points up on Freeman and 14 ahead of Fuller. Scott is one point back of Fuller and looking forward to the first visit of 2005 to his home track on Friday. Hample is 4 behind Scott and 4 ahead of Drazich. The projected point fund for 2005 pays $1000 to the champion, $750 to second, $500 to third, $400 fourth and $300 fifth.

Summary Heat 1-Ron Fuller, Rich Herman, Warren Drazich, Jim Zaremski, Bob Scott. Heat 2-Rock Degele, Dave Freeman, Rory Minster, John Dowson, Kelly Hample. Main-Degele, Freeman, Herman, Zaremski, Scott, Hample, Dowson, Minster, Fuller, Drazich.

Deagele And Freeman Share Wins At Montana Roundup

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.

Degele Gets Second Montana Tour Win

By Gary Jacob

Great Falls, MT -- Rock Degele from Glasgow joined series point leader Josh Adams as a multiple feature winner on the 2004 Montana Outlaw Late Model Tour with his $600 win at Electric City Speedway on Saturday night. The dirt late model portion of the show was hastily scheduled when Gallatin Speedway elected to make up a rainout on Friday night and Great Falls jumped in to give the teams two nights of action. The last minute scheduling limited the field to ten teams and the feature race had 9 starters after Len Brinlee scratched. Degele drove his Rayburn to the win with Great Falls own Rory Minster driving his Fegrs to the $450 runnerup slot. Bob Scott from Bozeman was third and Friday night Gallatin winner Adams ran fourth ahead of Gallatin fourth place finisher Dave Herman. Third paid $350, fourth $300 and fifth $250.

Adams went into the weekend as the point leader and his win and a fourth where the best combined effort of anyone on the weekend. Herman put together a 4th and a 5th. Jim Zaremski was only 11 points back of Adams starting the weekend, but he ran 7th and 8th on the two nights. Degele was only 13 points back of Zaremski and his fifth and a win will push him up to second place. Herman remains the other series title contender. Both Gallatin runnerup Mike McCord and third place Darryn Waldo were among the missing cars tonight. The feature track was extremely dry slick after unsual 100 degree daytime temperatures hit the area. Degele, Minster, Scott, Adams and Herman were trailed by John Dowson, Pee Wee Drazich, Zaremski and Dave Freeman tonight.

The Montana Outlaw Tour continues with co-sanctioned action at Gallatin and Billings on July 23-24. The Gallatin event has already announced a $1000 to win purse structure to draw more of the Wyoming and western South Dakota teams north.

Summary Main-Rock Degele, Rory Minster, Bob Scott, Josh Adams, Rich Herman, John Dowson, Pee Wee Drazich, Jim Zaremski, Dave Freeman.

Clean Sweep For Rock Degele As Montana Tour Visits Great Falls

By Gary Jacob

Great Falls, MT -- Rock Degele from Glasgow drove his Eugene's Pizza and Rock's Auto Plaza sponsored Rayburn to a $600 win as the Montana Outlaw Late Model Tour ran leg 2 of it's 17 race 2004 schedule Friday night at 3/10 mile clay Electric City Speedway. Degele also drives a dirt modified painted exactly like his dirt late model. He enjoyed a perfect night as he also won his heat race. He was chased to the checkered flag in the dirt late model feature by Molt's Mike McCord, Great Falls own Jim Zaremski and previous week Billings winner Josh Adams from Helena. McCord won $450, Zaremski $350 and Adams $300.

Nine of the 14 dirt late models that checked in for the race had run the Billings event the previous weekend. Bob Scott broke before the heat action. The cars were divided into a pair of heat races with wins going to Degele and 30 year racing veteran Ron Fuller from Whitehall. McCord and Russ Wolfe gained the second place finishes, but Wolfe was unable to start the main event leaving a dozen cars in the feature action. Zaremski and the Fegers chassis of Rory Minster gained third place heat runs. Degele was chased to his feature win by McCord, Zaremski, Adams, Minster, Darryn Waldo, Pee Wee Drazich, Rick Herman, Fuller and John Dowson. Adams is off to the fastest start with a win and a fourth while McCord has combined a 2nd and a 4th. Degele was 8th in the Billings opener.

The tour returns to BMP Speedway in Billings for a May 22nd race. The first two race weekend of 2004 will find them in Belgrade on June 11 and back here at Great Falls on June 12.

Summary Heat 1-Rock Degele, Russ Wolfe, Jim Zaremski, Tim Ames, Pee Wee Drazich. Heat 2-Ron Fuller, Mike McCord, Rory Minster, Josh Adams, Jody Kropp. Main-Degele, McCord, Zaremski, Adams, Minster, Darryn Waldo, Drazich, Herman, Fuller, John Dowson, Ames, Kropp.