By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

BEAVER DAM – Bill Rose knows the feeling of getting his first career feature victory.
He also knows the feeling of making the winning move on the last lap.

On Saturday, April 26, at Beaver Dam Raceway, Rose was the victim of a last-corner pass by Phillip Mock in the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Car Series “A” main.

It was the first career victory for Mock, a 22-year-old second generation driver from Pleasant Prairie who is in his fourth season with the series.

As the field took the white flag of the 30-lap feature, Rose was on the backend of Mock’s car and made a bold move around the outside of turns 1 and 2 as Mock tried to protect his position. On the back straight, Rose got about a car length or two distance on Mock.

Heading into the final two corners, Mock drove his car into the corner deep, hoping it’d stick on the bottom as Rose rode the high line.

Mock and Rose appeared to have touched as they rounded the final turn. Mock got on the gas and was able to win the drag race to the finish line for another thrilling finish. Mock beat Rose to the line by 0.222 seconds.

“I didn’t think I was going to hold on it,” Mock said.

“I’m just ecstatic right now,” he added.
It was the second straight year where the winner of the Jim Wipperfurth Memorial made the winning move coming off the last corner.

In last year’s event, Bill Balog pulled off a similar move coming off turns 3 and 4 to dip under Mike Kertscher and win the race by 0.009 seconds.

Mike Reinke went on to take third in the feature, followed by Bill Balog and Bill Wirth. Ben Schmidt was sixth, followed by Jeremy Schultz, the 2013 series Rookie of the Year out of Beaver Dam, Jordan Goldesberry, Russell Borland and Scotty Thiel to round out the top 10.

“I got a good run around (turns) 1 and 2 to get by him,” Rose said. “I went into the bottom to kind of block him, then my car got a little bit of a push.”

Balog was the event’s fast qualifier with a time of 11.772, still trying to chase down and break the track record set Sept. 29, 2011, by World of Outlaw Sprint Car star Daryn Pittman (11.275).
Balog got a flat left-front tire after the initial start was waved off. He restarted the feature 20th. Balog had four of the last five features at Beaver Dam, including the last three in a row.

Beaver Dam’s Scott Neitzel took the first checkered flag of the season, winning the IRA’s first of three heat races. Blake Nimee and Rose won the others.

In the final heat race, Rose pulled off a similar move that he lost the “A” main to against Goldesberry, who dominated the heat race before Rose’s pass. Rose stuck an inside move on Goldesberry to win that race.

Russell Borland won the “B” main.

“We were happy with the car the whole night,” Rose said.

Of course Rose wanted to win the “A” main, but if he was going to lose, it might as well come at the hands of someone picking up career victory No. 1.

“That was cool,” Rose said.

“I’m excited for him,” he added. “He got a good win. Of course, I wish it would’ve been me.”
Rose has a history of late-race passes to win a race, specifically his first.

His first career feature victory in a winged sprint car came when he made a last-lap pass on Bobby Kinser, the father of World of Outlaws Series legend Steve Kinser.

“You get so excited,” Rose recalled about his first career victory.

Rose is a veteran sprint car driver. Last season, he finished 15th in the World of Outlaw Series points standings.

“I had a ball tonight,” Rose said.

During the offseason, the track was resurfaced with new clay, which gave the drivers better traction. It was immediately a hit with the drivers.

“It was the best I’ve ever raced on,” Rose said.

“Everytime I’ve been here it’s been so black and slick,” he added. “The traction is a lot better. I don’t know what they did, but it was definitely an improvement.”

The new surface appeared to have a say in the outcome of the race.

“With the way the track was tonight, you can run the top or the bottom,” Rose said. “It definitely made it racey.”