KANSAS CITY, KS, June 15 --  Steve Ostling powered the Fischer Motorsports Watt Enterprises No. 29 Okie to a convincing nonstop 30 lap win Friday night at Lakeside Speedway. The victory was Ostling's first Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) triumph since 1997 and the first of his Non-Winged World Championship (NWWC) career.

In April, Ostling ended his longtime association with owner Bill Pratt. Taking his crew chief, Steve Williby, with him to the Fischer Motorsports Team, Ostling now has ten top-ten finishes in just  eleven starts with his new team. "It was time for a change," Ostling said.  "I have nothing bad to say about Bill's car, it was all about me having to work on the car.  I get up too early in the morning to go to work and it just made for some long days. To be honest, I just couldn't put the effort into that deal that was needed. Now, I don't have to work on the car and this team has everything that I need to win.  It's just a matter of me getting the job done."

For the second time in as many nights, Ostling also got the job done in the JE Pistons Dash, winning the six lap event in track record time (1:43.34). Ostling started on the pole for the feature race, but fell behind the Mark Priestley / California Clutch & Gear No. 7 Stinger driven by Mike English. Ostling ran second at the end of the opening lap and was followed by Rickie Gaunt, Troy Cline, Troy Rutherford and Sander Engineering Fast Time Award winner Richard Griffin.  Cory Kruseman had the Harlan Willis / Omni Turn No. 45 TCR on the move early.  After starting 12th, Kruseman blasted his way into the sixth position in just five laps.

Back up front, Ostling was done track testing and began hounding the leader. English reached lapped traffic on lap eleven.  Momentarily indecisive, English left the cushion and tried to pass a slower car down low.  Without hesitation, Ostling stayed in the throttle, rode the cushion and darted off the turn four banking with the lead in hand.

"English was really fast on the top and showed me the fast way around the track after the first couple laps.  He just left a little spot open getting around a lapped guy and I filled it as soon as I could," Ostling laughed. "This (Snyder) engine is just a horsepower motor and we've been killing it on the drier tracks.  After the dash, we decided that we were killing the horsepower too much, so we put the bigger headers on to let it breath a little more and get a little more bottom end coming off the corner and it really made a big difference."

Ostling proceeded to work lapped traffic better than the cars behind him and built  nearly a full straightaway lead over the course of the race. Finding that a turn one slide-job can be effective at Lakeside Speedway, Griffin moved the Ron Chaffin / Arizona Race Mart No. 50 Jon Boy ahead of Cline and took the fourth spot on lap 14.  Able to hold a lower line than most of the other competitors, Kruseman moved into the fifth position five laps later.

Knowing that the top-four finishers transfer directly to Saturday's finale, Kruseman passed Griffin on lap 27 for the all important fourth position. Not done yet, Kruseman moved ahead of the Mark Alexander-Brad Geurin / Statewide Towing No. 5x driven by Gaunt on the following lap. As blue smoke started to pour from the engine, Ostling accepted the white flag with a pack of slower cars in front of him.  Not wanting to take any unnecessary risks on the final lap, Ostling simply followed a slower car across the line to earn his second track record of the night (8:49.69) and his fifth lifetime SCRA win.

"Lapped traffic was really kind to me.  Everyone did a great job and left me a car width on the top and I didn't have to slow down until the last corner of the last lap.  Since I hadn't heard anyone, I figured I'd be a little careful there and not wad her up," Ostling said before addressing his engine situation.  "(The motor) is not so good.  I don't know what we hurt, but we're not going to be able to run it tomorrow.  We've got another good done, so we'll be okay."

English, Kruseman and Gaunt will join Ostling in tomorrow's dash while fifth place Griffin will have qualify again on Saturday.

SCRA RACE #19 - LAKESIDE SPEEDWAY, KANSAS CITY, KS (NWWC #5) 
 Date of Race: 06/15/01

SANDER ENGINEERING TIME TRIALS
1. Richard Griffin, Chaffin 50, 16.925 *New Track Record
2. Troy Cline, Cline 11, 17.090
3. John Scott, Scott Mtrsprts 83, 17.115
4. Troy Rutherford, Gardner 4, 17.164
5. Jimmy May, Witherill 61x, 17.185
6. Rickie Gaunt, Geurin 5x, 17.325
7. Steve Ostling, Fischer Mtrspts 29, 17.467
8. Brian Venard, Pratt 12 , 17.471
9. Mike English, Priestley 7 , 17.477
10. Charles Davis, Jr, Morales 94, 17.505
11. Danny Sheridan, Sertich 92, 17.577
12. Mike Kirby, Geurin 5, 17.595
13. Cory Kruseman, Willis 45, 17.621
14. Lance Gremett, Gremett 85, 17.623
15. George Gervais, Gervais 9, 17.759
16. Tony Everhart, Everhart 55, 18.000
17. Shane Alach, Witherill 16x, 18.285
18. Adam Mitchell, Mitchell 99, 18.340
19. Rip Williams, Jory 3, 18.493
20. Bob Ream, Jr., BRAT Racing 8, 18.498
21. Ronnie Clark (R), Winter 138, 18.854
22. Glenn Crossno (R), Crossno 38, 19.065
23. Casey Shuman, Lake Mtrsprts 6, 19.216
24. Michael Hinrichsen (R), Lake Mtrsprts. 16, 19.345
25. Jon Robertson, Pratt 12x, 19.761
26. Jeff Tryon, Thomas 2t,  No Time
27. Hank Winter, Winter 33,  No Time

HEDMAN HEDDERS HEAT 1
1. Kruseman, 2. Williams, 3. Rutherford, 4. Ostling, 5. Griffin, 6. Crossno, 7. Robertson, 8. Everhart, 9. Davis

SHAVER ENGINES HEAT 2
1. Alach, 2. Sheridan, 3. Gremett, 4. Cline, 5. Ream, 6. May, 7. Venard, 8. Shuman

KSE PRODUCTS / SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS HEAT 3
1. Kirby, 2. Mitchell, 3. Clark, 4. Gaunt, 5. English, 6. Scott, 7. Gervais, 8. Hinrichsen.

JE PISTONS DASH
1. Ostling, 2. English, 3. Rutherford, 4. Gaunt, 5. Griffin, 6. Cline, 7. Kirby, 8. Sheridan

JB ENTERPRISE B FEATURE
1. May, 2. Crossno, 3. Scott, 4. Shuman, 5. Robertson, 6. Venard, 7. Gervais, 8. Tryon

A FEATURE (30 Laps - 8:49.69)
1. Ostling,  2. English,  3. Kruseman, 4. Gaunt,  5. Griffin,  6. Kirby, 7. Cline,  8. Rutherford,  9. May, 10. Sheridan,  11. Scott,  12. Williams, 13. Gremett,  14. Alach,  15. Shuman,  16. Ream,  17. Clark,  18. Crossno,
19. Mitchell,  20. Gervais,  21. Venard,  22. Robertson,

Laps Led:  English 1-10, Ostling 11-30