The Vault
ETCHIE BIERTZER COPS MOD MAIN; WISER CAPTURES TITLE AT PLYMOUTH
Posted on: Wednesday January 1, 2025
(REPRINTED FROM THE MIDWEST RACING NEWS THURSDAY, SEPT. 18, 1975)
ETCHIE BIERTZER COPS MOD MAIN; WISER CAPTURES TITLE AT PLYMOUTH
by Connie Shulz
Plymouth, Wis., Sept. 13 – Etchie Biertzer won the 50-lap feature and assorted mechanical problems helped Gib Wiser dethrone Bill Goeden as modified point champion in the final night of Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car, Inc. racing at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds here, Saturday.
Goeden entered the evening 27 points behind Wiser in search of repeating his modified driving crown. But, the defending champion blew his engine during time trials and had to borrow an engine from Ken Biertzer.
Goeden got his car running in time for the headliner, but then disaster struck again on lap 13 of the main event when he lost his left rear wheel.
Bob Warren and Ralph Stern tangled on the same lap, forcing a restart with Kermit Schulz in the lead.
When the green reappeared, Etchie outsprinted Schulz for first place and went on to lead the remainder of the way to the checkered flag for his second main event triumph of the campaign.
Schulz placed second ahead of Don Diener, while Wiser came in fourth to ice the driving title.
Fran Heimerl outdistanced Darold Werkmeister to win the 25-lap semi-feature.
Heat winners were Don Schmitt, Heimerl, Rick Lemanski and Etchie Biertzer. Bob Ruh lead all qualifiers.
Dave Free took command on a fifth-lap restart necessitated by an accident involving Greg Otte and Tom Fraser, and led the rest of the way to win the 40 lap sportsman feature. Roger Boeckman placed second, Jordan Brill third and Bob Brion fourth.
The win, Free’s fifth of the season, was not enough, however, to prevent Dave Larson from winning the point championship.
Randy Tracy won the hobby stock main event after taking the lead when pacesetting Randy Radloff spun out. Ken Luedtke, Mike Yancey and Gary Laack rounded out the first four in the feature.
The club will hold its awards dance at the Belgium Community Center on Saturday, Oct. 25.
SUMMARY
MODIFIEDS
50-lap Feature – Etchie Biertzer, West Bend; Kermit Schulz, Plymouth; Don Diener, Sheboygan; Gib Wiser, Neosho; Ken Blaine, Germantown
25-lap Semi-feature – Frank Heimerl, West Bend; Darold Werkmeister, West Bend; Ken Painter, Sheboygan Falls; Greg Hartlaub, Sheboygan
Heats – 1st) Don Schmitt, Sheboygan; Andy Hall, Campbellsport 2nd) Heimerl; Blaine 3rd) Rick Lemanski, Fox Lake; Ralph Stern, West Bend 4th) E. Biertzer; Wiser
Fastest Qualifier – Bob Ruh, Elkhart Lake, 17.68
SPORTSMAN
40 lap Feature – Dave Free, Branch; Roger Boeckman, Plymouth; Jordan Brill, Kiel; Bob Brion, Sheboygan; Dan Espen, West Bend
15-lap Semi-feature – Rick Pietenpol, Sheboygan Falls; Dave Becker, Plymouth; Darrell Trowbridge, Fond Du Lac; Chris Hauch, Adell
Heats – 1st) Mark Froh, Sheboygan; Roy Kaat, Sheboygan Falls 2nd) Dave Mentink, Sheboygan; Don Mahlberg, New Holstein 3rd) Dave Larson, Sheboygan; John Veldman, Sheboygan Falls 4th) Free; Boeckman
Fastest Qualifier – Ray Reiss, Elkhart Lake, 19.00
HOBBY STOCKS
Feature – Randy Tracy, Plymouth; Ken Luedtke, Sheboygan; Mike Yancey, Sheboygan
Heats 1st) Yancey; Tracy 2nd) Gary Laack, Plymouth, Mark Yancey, Sheboygan Falls