Gallatin Speedway
Matthees fights off Doar, wins $10,000 at Gallatin
By Rob Palmer
WISSOTA Late ModelsBELGRADE, Mont. (July 19) — Lance Matthees of Winona, Minn., completed a profitable trip to Montana with a $10,000 victory at the Rumble in the Rockies at Gallatin Speedway. Matthees, who won his heat, the dash and the feature at Gallatin, earned more than $12,000 on his trip West, including a $2,000 victory on July 17 in Dart Challenge Series action at Electric City Speedway in Great Falls.
The second victory on the first-year Rumble Dirt Series wasn't easy for Matthees, who started on the pole position for the 66-lap feature. He took command at the outset, but fellow front-row starter Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis., stayed with him and was hot on his heels approaching the race's midpoint. Doar briefly slipped back to fourth at lap 34, but following the race's second and final caution on lap 38, Doar turned up the heat and got around Matthees to lead lap 40.
With positions being shuffled in the top five, Matthees stayed on his game and regained the point on lap 53 as Steve Laursen of Cumberland, Wis., had moved into the picture. Matthees held on the rest of the way to take the checkered flag ahead of Doar, Laursen, Jeff Wildung of Nassau, Minn., and Matt Aukland of Fargo, N.D., who held the second spot at the halfway point.
Notes: The winning No. 90 car is sponsored by Extreme Performance Lubricants, MBM Logistics, Yaggy Trucking and Matthees Enterprises. ... The event was compacted from two days to one day because of Friday rain. ... Matthees previously won on the series June 14 at Hibbing (Minn.) Raceway. ... The race's first caution appeared on lap 13 for Jason George's turn-four spin. ... The lap-38 yellow was for a slowing Eric Mass. ... The WISSOTA-sanctioned Rumble Dirt Series wraps up its inaugural season Aug. 8-9 with a $6,000-to-win event at Rice Lake (Wis.) Speedway.
Rumble @ Gallatin: (1) Lance Matthees, (2) Pat Doar, (3) Steve Laursen, (4) Jeff Wildung, (5) Matt Aukland, (6) Don Shaw, (7) Joel Cryderman, (8) Kyle Peterlin, (9) Ricky Weiss, (10) Kelly Hample, (11) Rock Degele, (12) Jody Kropp, (13) Mike Stadel, (14) Jim Zaremski, (15) Darryn Waldo, (16) Jim Dowson, (17) Rich Herman II, (18) Ronnie Harvie, (19) Joe Johnson, (20) Scott Johnson, (21) Wes McKenney, (22) Dave Mass, (23) Eric Mass, (24) Jason George. Heat race winners (among 30 cars): E. Mass, Matthees, Shaw, Wildung. Dash winner: Matthees. Consolation winners: Degele, Waldo.
