WaKEENEY, Kan. (Sept. 14, 2024) – After starting 11th, Daniel Gottschalk admitted he didn’t think he’d be a contender at WaKeeney Speedway’s inaugural John Fose Memorial.
After being involved in an early-race scuffle and restarting in the back row of the 20-car Friesen Performance IMCA Modified field, he was even more skeptical.
Then he found the fast line.
Gottschalk raced to the first of what would become two weekend feature wins – he’d also top Sunday’s season championship night show at RPM Speedway – and earn $1,527 along with Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility with the Saturday checkers.
“To be honest, with Dylan (Sherfick) starting out front, I didn’t know if anyone had a shot at catching him,” said Gottschalk. “But it all worked out.”
Gottschalk found his speed on the lower line while Kyle Rohleder, who’d also been involved in that early incident and restarted at the back, took a higher line in his own charge toward the front.
Wheeling the 2021 VanderBuilt Chassis that had taken him to a top three finish in this year’s Fast Shafts race, Gottschalk caught and then held off Sherfick in the battle for the lead, with a couple late cautions slowing the 20-lapper.
Sherfick pulled alongside at one point, before Gottschalk moved to the top in turns three and four while staying low in one and two. His margin of victory would be just under three seconds an come ahead of Sherfick, Eddie Belec, Rohleder and Ayden Steffens.
After starting the season with a win at RPM’s Sunflower Classic, Gottschalk juggled his business in the oil field and keeping up with three kids, and still managed to post six more top five finishes running a very part-time schedule.
Kyle Pfeifer, like Gottschalk very familiar with Fose, IMCA’s national Stock Car champion in 1990 and a driver he’d grown up watching race at his home track, topped The Class Too Tough To Tame 20-lap main event, pocketing $1,027 and becoming B & B Facing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible.
He also ran the lower line, got help from two restarts around midway and took the lead on lap 12, going on to win by most of a straightaway.
The checkers were his eighth in just 18 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car starts this season. Win number nine came Sunday at Hays.
Tathan Burkhart started 16th and finished second, Jason Rogers was third, Kyle Vanover fourth and early leader Troy Burkhart fifth.
Zach Olmstead motored from eighth in winning the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature ahead of Dylan Bell and Tyler Heath.
Blaine Walt was best in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, with Carson Lang and Chad Dolan completing the top three.
And Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact checkers flew for Gage Porter, chased across the stripe by Connor Schwien and Brock Leibhart.
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