Berlin Raceway Recap: September 25th

Lowell's Brian Bergakker wins Berlin Raceway's first Modified points championship

Steve Kaminski
The Grand Rapids Press

MARNE -- Brian Bergakker of Lowell was the last driver to earn a Berlin Raceway track championship this season, but his name will always be first in the track’s record books.

Bergakker became the first driver to win a championship in the Modified division, which Berlin officials introduced this year. The clincher came in Saturday night’s Open Wheel Spectacular when Bergakker captured top honors in the 35-lap feature race.

Bergakker started on the pole and led from start to finish, beating out Mike Bursley of Zeeland by 2.011 seconds for his division-high fourth win of the season.

“This is unbelievable,” said Bergakker, who won Kalamazoo Speedway’s Modified track championship a year ago. “I didn’t think we were very good all day long. We just kept tweaking on the car.

“I have to thank my crew, and everybody who gave me this opportunity to drive this car -- Senneker Performance, Tire 2000, Big Show Motorsports, my whole family and everybody who raced with me all year long. We have had a good time all year. Man, I can’t believe this.”

Bergakker, 30, has been the driver to beat since the season’s midpoint, grabbing the points lead in July and fighting off West Olive’s Billy Shotko the rest of the way. The race for the title got even tighter during the course of Saturday’s program.


THE BUZZ
Winners: Brian Bergakker (Modifieds), Daniel Bedford (USAC Midgets)

Johnny Benson update: Benson participated in the International Supermmodified Association’s 50-lap feature, and he was running ninth when he and the eighth-place driver Ed Whitkum made contact on lap 19, sending Benson off the turn-two backstretch. Benson, who earlier took second in a heat race, returned to action and finished 10th.

Up next: Bus racing, 7 p.m. Saturday
Shotko entered the night 30 points behind Bergakker, but after Saturday’s qualifying, fast car dash and heat race, he was able to claw to within 18 markers by the time the feature started.

Shotko avoided disaster on the feature’s opening lap when he went spinning off the backstretch after the rear differential blew on Jordan Dahlke’s car, spilling oil across the track. The race was red flagged for nearly 20 minutes, and Shotko was able to continue once the race was officially started.

Shotko eventually finished eighth.

Berlin’s other five divisions decided its track championships last weekend. Saturday’s program offered three traveling open wheel series in the International Supermodified Association, the Must See Racing Extreme Sprint Car Series and the USAC Midgets.

Grand Rapids driver Johnny Benson Jr. participated in the Supermodified race, and he took second in a preliminary heat race. It was Benson’s first open wheel race since his fiery accident in June of 2009.

Daniel Bedford of Brentwood, Calif., won the 25-lap USAC Midget feature, holding off Dalton Armstrong by 0.201 seconds.

Two weeks remain in Berlin’s 60th season. Bus racing returns 7 p.m. Saturday, followed an Oct. 9 program featuring the Great Lakes Outlaw Late Models.