It was deja vu all over again for Street Stock racing fans at North Central Speedway Saturday.
2006 points champion Dave Read returned to the winners podium after executing a pass on turn four to move past leader Robert Young Jr. on the restart of lap six of the feature event.
Read almost made it a sweep with his two cars as he led the Super Stock race for 17 laps before giving way to Tim Johnson. Johnson passed Read on the high side of turn four and held Read off for the win.
The Street Stock win was a special one for Read, who had taken five years off from the class to concentrate on his ride in the Super Stock car.
“To get a win back here again it felt really good and it brought back memories,” Read said. “As soon as I hopped into it in April, and picked up my first win in Deer Creek. It feels so much slower and I have time to think and react. It’s just going great and I love it.”
After winning the points championship in 2006, Read decided to move to Super Stock at the end of that year.
There were two tough learning years before Read saw success. It culminated with his first North Central feature win in the Super Stock car last season. Read also won the points championship for the Super Stock class over Tim Johnson in 2011.
“When I hopped into a Super Stock and struggled the first couple of years, I thought it my be fun to get back into the Street Stock,” Read said. “But I knew we would figure out the Super Stock, but to be back in the Street Stock is fun.”
Read received a call from car owner Ernie Wollack, who sponsors a number of drivers at North Central Speedway. Wollack was looking for a driver for one of his Street Stock cars
“In the off season, Ernie Wollack called me up and told me, ‘Dave, I have the second Street Stock here and I am either going to sell it or I would like you to drive it. I see something in you and we developed a good relationship in 2011, and I would like to see you run it.’ I got the call and said, heck yeah, I will drive it.”
That decision paid off Saturday. Read was in fifth place after the first two races of the season.
Read was in fifth place in the Super Stock class, too, as he attempted to defend his title. He had a frustrating run last week as he got sent to the back of the field, but turned it around with the second-place finish Saturday.
“Last weekend things just did not go our way,” said Read. “I tried every thing that I could to stay out of Shane (Sabraski) and then I got tapped from behind and got turned and the call did not go our way. But to bounce back tonight and run like that and lead 18 laps. That’s fun when you can race like that and put on a good show for the crowd.
“Tim (Johnson) is one of the best drivers in Wissota in my opinion. He can hop in anything and drive it. He worked for that one and deserved to win.”
Cole Shake won the feature event in the Hornets class and Gary Ohnstad Jr. won in the Pure Stock feature.
Points leader Josh Abrahamson won the Mod 4’s and Midwest Modified points leader Shane Sabraski also won.
In the Modified feature, Matt Weisman led the race for the first 16 laps before spinning out on his own in turn four of lap 17. That allowed Justin Jones to seize the opportunity and get the win.
NCS Hornets
Feature: 1-Cole Shake, 2-Hannah Jones, 3-Greg Kohl
NCS Pure Stock
Feature: 1- Gary Ohnstad Jr., 2-Aaron Johnson, 3-Craig Paul
Heat 1: 1-Craig Paul, 2-Robert Mueller, 3-Aaron Johnson
Heat 2: 1-Tim Bergerson, 2-Lance Sprague, 3-Gary Sack
Heat 3: 1-Gary Ohnstad Jr., 2-Josh Tomberlin, 3-David Dosh
NCS Street Stock
Feature: 1-Dave Read, 2-Robert Young Jr., 3-Jack Peterson
Heat 1: 1-Dave Read, 2-Dan Bartick, 3-Robert Young Jr.
Heat 2: 1-Tom Anderson, 2-Jack Peterson, 3-Doug Miller
NCS Mod 4’s
Feature: 1-Josh Abrahamson, 2-Brandon Kellen, 3-Dean Blanchard
Heat 1: 1-Josh Abrahamson, 2-Tom Kellen, 3-Dean Larson
NCS Midwest Modified
Feature: 1-Shane Sabraski, 2-Danny Vang, 3-George Sniezek
Heat 1: 1-Shane Sabraski, 2-Clayton Caird, 3-Marc Miller
Heat 2: 1-Danny Vang, 2-George Sniezek, 3-Allen Gessell Jr.
NCS Super Stock
Feature: 1-Tim Johnson, 2-Dave Read, 3-Max Dondelinger
Heat 1: Dexton Koch, 2-Jake Goetze, 3-Max Dondelinger
Heat 2: 1-Dave Read. 2-Tim Johnson, 3-Erick Thiesse
Heat 3: 1-Shane Sabraski, 2-Seth Kramer, 3-Kevin Kraemer
NCS Modified
Feature: 1-Justin Jones, 2-Tim Johnson, 3-Shawn Fletcher
Heat 1: 1-Matt Weisman, 2-Justin Jones, 3-Rick Jacobson
Heat 2: 1-Shawn Fletcher, 2-Shane Sabraski, 3-Don Eischens
