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Off the track, Danny Gilster’s got a wife, family and home. He’s all set in that regard, but on the race track, Gilster’s still searching for a car, and a team, to call his own. Ever since he won his first, second and third Ray Hutson Chevrolet Sportsman Division track championships at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, Gilster has been itching to find the right fit in the track’s premier class — the Kwik Trip Late Model Division.
He’s filled in here and there, and is driving a Team Menard car for a handful of Late Model races this season. Each time, he’s shown that he’s got the
talent, the savvy, and the determination to perform among the Late Model’s top guns.
Saturday night, he did one better. He won the 25-lap Late Model feature race after engaging in an intense, and edge-of-his-seat, battle with Todd Korish. It was Gilster’s second top-five finish in three weeks. He finished third in the feature on Aug. 12.
So will his latest runs turn somebody’s head enough that he will get a shot to run full-time in the division?
“I would like to put something together for next year,” Gilster said. “It’s so expensive that I couldn’t do it on my own. I would need some sponsors’ help. I want to do it with top-notch equipment. If you have good equipment, you can win.“
Gilster said he would love to simply drive for a car owner, but no one has come forward as of yet. He said there have been no discussions with Team Menard regarding next season.
“I would love for that to happen, but it’s never been discussed,” Gilster said. “This is great equipment and a great team.“
JOHNNY “O” ROLLING: Sparta’s John Olson had a big night Saturday night, staying away from several wrecks to win the Ray Hutson Chevrolet Sportsman Division feature race. He earned 45 points on the night, and padded his division points lead to 21 over second-place Trent Boettcher and 36 over third-place Larry Bolster, Jr., with two weeks remaining.
Unlike the Late Model Division, the Sportsman Division track championship is not settled until Thursday, Oct. 5, which is the first day of the Oktoberfest Race Weekend.
NILES OUT: Holmen, Wis., driver Bill Niles survived a nasty hit into the outside concrete retaining wall last week, but he suffered numerous bumps and bruises. He watched Saturday night’s races from the stands, and is out for the rest of the regular season, according to track officials. Niles was 13th in points before missing this week’s action.
WHAT A FAN CLUB: It was hard to figure out who was having more fun Saturday night — United Auto Supply Thunderstox driver Jamie Dummer, or his 30-plus member fan club.
Members of Dummer’s fan club, who wore matching black T-shirts, rushed to the front stretch fence as Dummer won a B-feature race. Hooting and hollering was only part of their celebration, however, as several members ran back and forth in front of the crowd attempting to get “the wave” started.
Let’s just say Dummer was far more successful in grabbing a checkered flag than the Dummer fan club members were in getting the wave started. It was more like a trickle than a wave.
SPEAKING OF TRICKLE: Legendary Wisconsin short-track driver Dick Trickle will be competing at the Oktoberfest Race Weekend (Oct. 5-6-7-8) once again this year. Trickle told track officials he is determined to come back “for redemption” after last year’s performance in which Trickle simply didn’t have a car that was competitive.
NO WAY: Kevin Nuttleman tried numerous times to get around Tim Nelson in a Kwik Trip Late Model dash, but Nelson wouldn’t budge. Nuttleman, acutely aware that every point counts in the chase for a track championship — and the Dodge Weekly Racing Series Division III title — tried the outside groove, then the inside, then the outside.
It didn’t matter as Nelson hung on for second place, and the five track points that accompany the finish. Nuttleman settled for third place, and four points.
Nuttleman didn’t lose any points to his chief challenger, Andy Burgess, however, as Burgess also finished third in his heat race.
NOT SO FAST: Bloomington, Minn., driver Mark Lamoreaux turned in the fastest lap in Late Model qualifying when he stopped the clock at 20.237 seconds. Lamoreaux, however, was later disqualified in a post-qualifying inspection. It seems Lamoreaux’s car was a bit too low to the track, therefore failing to meet the minimum ride height requirement.
That left Gib Scharpf with the official fast time of 20.285 seconds. It was Scharpf’s second fast time of the season. Lamoreaux remains the driver with the most fast times in the division this season with six.
CAR COUNT: A total of 145 cars were on the track Saturday night. There were 58 Hornets, 30 Thunderstox, 32 Sportsman and 25 Late Model drivers in the 21st night of a 22-week regular season.
Jeff Brown can be reached at (608) 791-8403, or at jbrown@lacrossetribune.com
