MARNE -- Father’s Day was last weekend, but Berlin Raceway drivers Ryan Hamm and Darrell Holtzlander found ways to honor their dads Saturday night.
Hamm, of Norton Shores, captured his first Modified feature race, and he thanked his father and car owner, Jamie Hamm, afterward. Holtzlander, of Wyoming, won his first 4 Cylinders A main, and he dedicated the victory to his dad, Denny Holtzlander, who died in October of 2009.
"This is the car we built for my dad," Holtzlander said. "He had cancer, and he had a hard time getting in and out of a regular car, so we put this one on the back burner. He beat cancer, but he ended up getting a cold, and he passed away from pneumonia.
"I won a couple of heat races, and I said I was going to get a feature sometime. I’m sure he is looking down saying, 'Good job.'"
Holtzlander led from start to finish to capture the 15-lap main, while Hamm overtook Ben Kleis on Lap 19 and went on to win the 30-lapper. Hamm won a 4 Cylinders championship a year ago before debuting his brand new Modified this season.
"We wanted to lead one lap and finish in the top-five in one race this season, and we have already crushed that goal," Hamm said. "It hasn’t been easy. It is a lot of time, lot of money. I owe it to my whole crew and sponsors. I owe them a lot."
Nick Gebben, of Zeeland, collected his first Super Stock feature after holding off Nate Walton and Josh Hobson in the 30-lap main. Gebben, a 2004 West Ottawa graduate, hadn’t raced Berlin in three years before receiving an offer to run for Castle Motorsports this season.
"I ran at Kalamazoo last year and had a little bit of success, but it’s good to be back at Berlin," said Gebben, whose father, Bud Gebben, was a successful car owner in the ASA ranks. "I had some feelers out there about getting back into Berlin, and I got a call about a week-and-a-half before the season started from John Castle, and one thing led to another. It was very last minute, but it has been a great relationship."
Brandon Hermiller, of Coopersville, won his fourth Pro Stock feature. Hermiller, the division’s points leader, slipped underneath Brian Tillema for the lead with two laps to go in the 25-lap feature, then held off Tillema at the stripe.
Tyler Nawrocki, the 4 Cylinders B points leader, won his second feature of the season after passing Steve Thompson with two laps to go. Nawrocki used lapped traffic as a pick to overtake Thompson.
"I wouldn’t have been able to win without the lapped car," said Nawrocki, of Grand Rapids. "My car got really tight coming out of every corner with six laps to go, and I almost knocked the wall down coming out of four. But I saw the
No. 32 car (Jim Woltanski) wash up a little bit and get Steve Thompson out of the way, and I went low."
Hamm, of Norton Shores, captured his first Modified feature race, and he thanked his father and car owner, Jamie Hamm, afterward. Holtzlander, of Wyoming, won his first 4 Cylinders A main, and he dedicated the victory to his dad, Denny Holtzlander, who died in October of 2009.
"This is the car we built for my dad," Holtzlander said. "He had cancer, and he had a hard time getting in and out of a regular car, so we put this one on the back burner. He beat cancer, but he ended up getting a cold, and he passed away from pneumonia.
"I won a couple of heat races, and I said I was going to get a feature sometime. I’m sure he is looking down saying, 'Good job.'"
Holtzlander led from start to finish to capture the 15-lap main, while Hamm overtook Ben Kleis on Lap 19 and went on to win the 30-lapper. Hamm won a 4 Cylinders championship a year ago before debuting his brand new Modified this season.
"We wanted to lead one lap and finish in the top-five in one race this season, and we have already crushed that goal," Hamm said. "It hasn’t been easy. It is a lot of time, lot of money. I owe it to my whole crew and sponsors. I owe them a lot."
Nick Gebben, of Zeeland, collected his first Super Stock feature after holding off Nate Walton and Josh Hobson in the 30-lap main. Gebben, a 2004 West Ottawa graduate, hadn’t raced Berlin in three years before receiving an offer to run for Castle Motorsports this season.
"I ran at Kalamazoo last year and had a little bit of success, but it’s good to be back at Berlin," said Gebben, whose father, Bud Gebben, was a successful car owner in the ASA ranks. "I had some feelers out there about getting back into Berlin, and I got a call about a week-and-a-half before the season started from John Castle, and one thing led to another. It was very last minute, but it has been a great relationship."
Brandon Hermiller, of Coopersville, won his fourth Pro Stock feature. Hermiller, the division’s points leader, slipped underneath Brian Tillema for the lead with two laps to go in the 25-lap feature, then held off Tillema at the stripe.
Tyler Nawrocki, the 4 Cylinders B points leader, won his second feature of the season after passing Steve Thompson with two laps to go. Nawrocki used lapped traffic as a pick to overtake Thompson.
"I wouldn’t have been able to win without the lapped car," said Nawrocki, of Grand Rapids. "My car got really tight coming out of every corner with six laps to go, and I almost knocked the wall down coming out of four. But I saw the
No. 32 car (Jim Woltanski) wash up a little bit and get Steve Thompson out of the way, and I went low."
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