Kouba
Captures First ASCS Win
in Mighty Axe Nationals Opener at NCS!
Lonnie Wheatley,
BRAINERD, Minn. (August 30, 2008) – Joseph Kouba collected his first
career American Sprint Car Series Northern Plains Region feature win
by leading the final 15 circuits of Saturday's 25-lap main event to
top the opening night of North Central Speedway's Mighty Axe
Nationals.
Kouba took the
lead away from Brad Barickman for good on the 11th round
en route to taking the checkered flag in front of Eric Lutz, current
ASCS Northern Plains points leader Lee Grosz, Curt Lund and Brett
Geldner.
Starting outside
the front row, Kouba gunned into the early lead before surrendering
the point to Barickman on the third round. Barickman, Kouba and
Grosz diced for the lead for several rounds before Kouba took
command of the race on the eleventh circuit.
Lutz climbed to
second two laps later, with Grosz taking over third after another
pair of rounds.
Barickman, Jerry
Richert, Jr., and Lund won Saturday's heat races.
ASCS Northern Plains Region Results from I-90 Speedway:
Heat One (8
Laps): 1. 34-Brad Barickman, 2. 5x-Dave Glennon, 3. 97-Alan
Gilbertson, 4. 1b-Brett Geldner, 5. 5m-Troy Manteufel, 6. 10-Kevin
Nickel.
DNS: 45-Tony Norem.
Heat Two (8
Laps): 1.
62-Jerry Richert, Jr., 2. 55-Joseph Kouba, 3. 34tw-Roger Rager, 4.
29-Leigh Thomas, 5. 14-John Nelson, 6. 20g-Chris Graf.
Heat Three (8
Laps): 1.
87-Curt Lund, 2. 5-Eric Lutz, 3. 18-Ryan Wilson, 4. 4J-Lee Grosz, 5.
37-Sye Anderson, 6. 25-Ken Melanson.
"A" Feature (25
Laps): 1.
55-Joseph Kouba, 2. 5-Eric Lutz, 3. 4J-Lee Grosz, 4. 87-Curt Lund,
5. 1b-Brett Geldner, 6. 62-Jerry Richert, Jr., 7. 14-John Nelson, 8.
18-Ryan Wilson, 9. 34tw-Roger Rager, 10. 37-Sye Anderson, 11.
97-Alan Gilbertson, 12. 25-Ken Melanson, 13. 5m-Troy Manteufel, 14.
20g-Chris Graf, 15. 5x-Dave Glennon, 16. 34-Brad Barickman, 17.
10-Kevin Nickel. DNS: 29-Leigh Thomas, 45-Tony Norem.
ASCS Northern
Plains Region Points
(Top Ten): 1. Lee Grosz 1,260, 2. Eric Lutz
1,228, 3. Dave Glennon 705, 4. Jody Rosenboom 627, 5. Jack Dover
596, 6. Clint Garner 564, 7. Jason Tostenson 510, 8. Jake Peters
430, 9. Curt Lund 422, 10. Gordy Vogelaar 416.
