2006 News Articles
August 12 Two Big Specials Scheduled For Rice Lake Speedway
August 5 Cain and Adams Are Rice Lake Open Wheel Warriors
July 29 Youngsters Earn Second Wins at Rice Lake
July 8 Chanda Fjorden-Nord Tops Rice Lake Streets
July 3 Jake Redetzke Tops Rice Lake Late Models
July 1 Mayala Masters Rice Lake Modifieds
June 24 Rice Lake Soggy; Double Header Slated
June 17 Cain Joins New Winners With Rice Lake Victory
June 10 Hanestad Back On Track At Rice Lake
June 3 Brust Tops Rice Lake As New Winners Abound
May 28 Diemel Tops Rice Lake Holiday Special
May 27 Peterson and Bahr Become Rice Lake Repeaters
May 20 More New Winners In Rice Lake Action
May 13 Rice Lake Speedway Drenched
May 6 Chad Mahder Surprises Rice Lake Late Models
April 29 Rice Lake Speedway Wet
April 22 Hanestad and Randall Win Rice Lake Thrillers
Rice Lake Speedway Set To Start 2006 SeasonApril 13 Rice Lake Speedway Awarded 2006 WISSOTA 100
March 22 Rice Lake Speedway Car Show Set
February 25 Rice Lake Speedway Honors Champions
Rice Lake Speedway Car Show Set
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI – Rice Lake’s Cedar Mall will again be the site as the annual car show featuring cars that race at the Rice Lake Speedway will be held from March 23rd to March 26th .
The cars will enter the mall on Thursday evening and will be on display through the conclusion of mall hours on Sunday. Cars from all six classes that race at the Rice Lake Speedway are expected to be show cased. That would include WISSOTA Late Models, Modifieds, Midwest Modifieds, Super Stocks, Street Stocks and the Rice Lake Pure Stocks. Schedules and other information pertaining to the 2006 racing season will be available.
The Rice Lake Speedway is planning for perhaps the greatest season in their history. Their schedule is one of the most varied in track history and includes a number of special events including the first visit in over thirty years for the winged sprint cars. Opening night is slated for April 22nd and spectators will immediately notice a number of improvements made to the facility since last fall that will make their visit to the track a more pleasurable experience. A practice session, free to the public, has been tentatively slated for April 19th .
Rice Lake Speedway Honors Champions
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, February 25 – Smith-Bisonette Inc., the owners and operators of the Rice Lake Speedway, presented their annual speedway recognition banquet Saturday night at Lehman’s Supper Club in Rice Lake.
Honored were the top ten point drivers in all six divisions that race weekly at the Rice Lake Speedway along with the rookies of the year in all divisions.
Track announcer Scott Tiefs served as master of ceremonies and he presented the top ten drivers in each division. High ranking drivers received plaques, trophies and the point champions also received Rice Lake Speedway coats.
Leading the way in the Pure Stocks was Joel Hinrichs of Chetek. He was trailed by Bobby Kaufman Jr, Tony Luell, Josh Amans, Jim Miller, Jamey Fisher, Zach Ellis, Sam Fankhauser, Coltan Ellis and Randy Conner.
Wayne Dean of Fall Creek was a three point winner in the Street Stocks. He was followed closely by Jay Kesan, Cory Crapser, Terry Sirek, Steve Golat, Butch Madsen, Scott Clark, Benji Ott, Shane Kisling and Jimmy Randall.
The new division at the speedway, the Midwest Modifieds, was dominated by a familiar face as Kevin Adams of Cameron ran away with the title. He was chased by Kevin Vought, Tom Johnson, Frank Soucek, Mark Hanson, Scott Erickson, Shane Halopka, Matt Leer, Darrin Vought and Mark Thomas.
Kori Richter is retiring from the sport and he went out in style as he won the Super Stock point chase. Next in line behind Richter were Jason Forehand, Don Drew, Todd Madsen, Rick Ellis, Kevin Adams, Greg Alling, Jake Redetzke, Eric Olson and Scott Zitelman.
Todd Siddons concluded a tremendous season with his second point title of the year as he guaranteed the Modified title on the last night of racing. Following the Eau Claire driver were Jed Moore, Jamie Bisonette, Buddy Mayala, Brent Prochnow, Paul Harelstad, Shaun Kreyer, Aric Lindberg, Mike Anderson and Larry Prochnow.
Boyceville’s Rick Hanestad was also a multi track champion as he dominated the Late Model division, winning the title by over one hundred points over WISSOTA National Rookie of the Year Adam Hensel. Trailing them were Keane Laakson, Casey Mincoff, Chad Mahder, Mike Goodremote, Jerry Weigel, Duane Mahder, Tony Bahr and John Kaanta.
Named as Rookies of the Year were Josh Amans-Pure Stock; Jesse Redetzke-Street Stock; Tom Johnson-Midwest Modified; Jake Redetzke-Super Stock; Brian Siddons-Modified and Adam Hensel-Late Model.
Marketing Specialist Loren Miller then addressed the group with information relative to the 2006 racing season. Many new corporate partners have been signed on for the upcoming season including O’Reilly Auto Parts and while the entire racing schedule couldn’t be released due to some pending sponsorships yet to be finalized, he highlighted some of the attractions to be presented in 2006.
The annual car show will be held at Rice Lake’s Cedar Mall on March 24-26 with the cars slated to enter the mall on Thursday night. A practice session has been tentatively slated for April 19th with the season opener scheduled for April 22nd .
Included in the schedule are a doubleheader on Memorial Day weekend with regular racing on Saturday, May 27th and the Miller Lite Bonus Bucks night on Sunday, May 28th . The Firecracker Special will be held on Saturday, July 1st and there will also be a full night of racing on Monday, July 3rd . The final leg of the WISSOTA Challenge Series will once again be held at the Rice Lake Speedway on Wednesday, August 23rd with a rain date of August 24th . Along with the WCS finale will be the wildly popular Street Stock Little Dream race. This year the event will be sponsored by Smirnoff. The Season Championship is slated for Saturday, August 19th. On Saturday, August 26th an exciting new event will be presented with the first ever appearance of the O’Reilly Bumper to Bumper IRA outlaw winged sprint cars. This traveling series appears at many of the top race tracks in the Midwest and the Rice Lake Speedway is fortunate to be able to present them to the local race fans. The last appearance of the winged 410 sprint cars at Rice Lake has been well over thirty years ago and all existing track records are sure to be shattered that night. Also featured on an open wheel extravaganza night will be WISSOTA Modifieds and Midwest Modifieds. The scheduled season concluding race will be the annual Labor Day weekend doubleheader, to be contested on Friday, September 1st and Saturday, September 2nd with all classes participating.
Co-owner of the speedway Dale Bisonette then addressed the crowd. He thanked everyone for their participation in 2005 and stated that he is looking forward to an even better 2006. A number of improvements have already been made to the facility since racing concluded last fall with even more scheduled as soon as the weather cooperates. Among those are new blacktopped walkways in the bleacher areas, a new wall behind the bleachers, residing of all the VIP booths, additional landscaping between the bleachers and the track as well as remodeling of the ticket booths, concession stands and restrooms.
The pit area has received an extensive makeover and has been greatly expanded with an eye catching new sign in the plans.
Track photographer Doug Zimmer continued a long standing tradition as he gave copies of some of his favorite photos taken during the year to drivers.
The evening concluded with a large number of door prizes courtesy of area sponsors.
The complete speedway schedule should be released soon on the track website, rlspeedway.com.
Rice Lake Speedway Awarded 2006 WISSOTA 100
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI – The 2006 WISSOTA 100, the most prestigious race on the entire WISSOTA racing calendar, has been awarded to the Rice Lake Speedway.
At a recent meeting of the WISSOTA Board of Directors in St. Cloud MN, the proposal of the Rice Lake Speedway was accepted over proposals presented by three other WISSOTA sanctioned tracks. “The Rice Lake Speedway is both thrilled and honored to be chosen to host this nationally recognized event,” stated speedway co-owner Dale Bisonette. “It was a tough screening process and we are pleased to have been accepted to play host to drivers and spectators from throughout the upper Midwest.”
The WISSOTA Promoters Association sanctions over fifty race tracks in seven states and Canada and each year the best of the best meet at the WISSOTA 100 to determine the best drivers in all of WISSOTA. Each year, over four hundred different race teams and thousands of spectators journey from all parts of the sanctioning area for the four day showdown that is the WISSOTA 100.
The 2006 dates for the WISSOTA 100 will be Wednesday, September 13th through Saturday, September 16th . While the precise order of events has not yet been determined, WISSOTA Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks will be competing during that four day period.
There are expected to be a number of city wide promotions and activities associated with the 100. “ The entire city of Rice Lake and the surrounding area will be very excited and fired up for this event” said Bisonette, who expects the event to be a large economic boon for the entire community and surrounding cities.
For more information on WISSOTA, log on to their website at www.WISSOTA.org. More information on the Rice Lake Speedway can be found by visiting their website, www.rlspeedway.com. People interested in reserving campsites should contact WISSOTA board member Gus Omundson at 218-722-8855 or 218-726-1237.
Rice Lake Speedway Set To Start 2006 Season
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI – The Rice Lake Speedway is set to embark on what may very well be the most exciting and memorable season in the fifty plus year history of auto racing in Rice Lake. With a spectacular schedule, continuing track improvements and the recent announcement that Rice Lake will host the WISSOTA 100, the crown jewel race in this area, interest and anticipation for the coming season is at a fever pitch.
The season is set to begin with a free to the public practice session slated for Wednesday, April 19th for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Many drivers in various racing divisions are expected to be on hand to test out their new or improved mounts for the coming season. Then on Saturday, April 22nd, everything begins for real with the season opener slated for 6:30 p.m. with the Don Johnson Auto Group as the opening night sponsor. Six classes of racing action are slated for opening night and for most nights during the regular season with WISSOTA sanctioned Late Models, Modifieds, Midwest Modifieds, Super Stocks and Street Stocks being joined by the Rice Lake Pure Stocks.
Regular Saturday night racing action is scheduled to continue throughout the summer with the Season Championships slated for August 19th . One of the highlight events of the summer is the annual Firecracker special with the fireworks which is scheduled for Saturday, July 1st .
There are a large number of special events slated to supplement the regular Saturday night action. Double header racing is on the card Memorial Day weekend with racing on both Saturday, May 27th and the Miller Lite Bonus Bucks race on Sunday, May 28th . Vintage cars will entertain twice during the season and after a number of years the July 3rd race will return to the schedule. Due to the Barron Co. Fair, there will be no racing on July 22nd , but the month of August is very busy.
Right after the Season Championships, The Tri Star Engine Supply WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series will visit on Wednesday, August 23rd . This will be the final leg of the Challenge Series and the titlist will be named on that night. Along with the Late Models, the extremely popular Street Stock Little Dream race will also be run. The following Saturday, August 26th , a new event will grace the racing calendar. The first annual Open Wheel Spectacular will be held featuring the winged 410 Sprint Cars of the Interstates Racing Association. The unlimited Winged Sprints haven’t raced in Rice Lake in over thirty years and all track records are sure to fall that night. Completing the open wheel flavor of the night, WISSOTA sanctioned Modifieds and Midwest Modifieds will also be racing.
The regular season concludes with the Labor Day weekend doubleheader which will be held on Friday, September 1st and Saturday, September 2nd . Normally that would conclude the racing season at Rice Lake , but not this year. On April 6th it was announced that the Rice Lake Speedway would be hosting the 2006 version of the WISSOTA 100. Over four hundred competitors and thousands of race fans will converge on Rice Lake from September 13th through September 16th as WISSOTA’s premier fall event is contested on Rice Lake’s third mile oval. Five divisions will determine champions during the four nights of racing action which will showcase the Rice Lake Speedway to many race fans for the first time.
The speedway’s continuing improvement program will be readily apparent to spectators and competitors as they visit the facility this year. Since last fall, the pit area has undergone a major expansion program to provide space for all the cars expected this season. The spectator booths have all been resided since last year and more physical improvements to the grounds will be seen as the summer progresses. Extra seating will be added during the summer and a track scoreboard is also in the planning stages. A new retaining wall has been built behind the bleachers and the walk ways have all been blacktopped. These improvements are all a part of the master plan to continue to improve the facility.
Race fans should log on to the new speedway website to get the lastest news and information about the track. The address is www.rlspeedway.com. The speedway phone number is 715-236-2002.
Hanestad and Randall Win Rice Lake Thrillers
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, April 22 – Rick Hanestad and Jimmy Randall warmed up a cool April night for the race fans as both won tight opening night feature races as the Rice Lake Speedway marked the beginning of the 2006 racing season. Other winners on opening night included Shane Sabraski, Kevin Adams, Cory Davis and Bobby Kaufman Jr.
Despite an early threat of rain, 0ne hundred fourty one cars signed in at the pit gate tonight to compete and a full house was in attendance to witness the action as the new season sprang to life.
Hanestad, the defending track champion wasted little time in letting the competition know that he is intent on making the Rice Lake Speedway his turf again in 2006. He jumped off the outside pole and led all the way to take the Late Model feature event but it was not nearly as easy as it might sound. He was stalked the entire distance by rookie driver Jake Redetzke who came within a car length of earning his first ever victory in the division.
Hanestad went to the cushion immediately and opened several car lengths on the field as Redetzke and John Kaanta battled for second. An early yellow when Chad Mahder was turned around marked the only slow down of the race and when the green returned, Hanestad again jumped to the point while Redetzke and Kaanta continued their side by side battle for second. Paul Brust, Troy Kuyoth and Mike Goodremote were locked in a battle farther back behind the leaders.
Hanestad continued to work the cushion as Redetzke moved away from Kaanta and started to close on the leader. By the halfway point, Redetzke had caught Hanestad and the battle was on. Hanestad ran the high side and Redetzke worked low as they raced side by side for several laps. They got into lapped traffic and on several occasions, the action got frantic as both leaders somehow managed to work through the traffic and yet still race beside each other. As Hanestad took the white flag, he dropped low in turn one and Redetzke immediately swapped lanes with him. Jake nearly got a run past Rick but Hanestad held on by a car length for the tough earned victory. Kaanta finished third while Duane Mahder moved to the fourth spot running an unfamiliar car to him as he held of Brust to round out the top five.
The Street Stock feature was a four car battle that saw Randall prevail after some heavy pressure. Chris Peterson used his new car to take the early lead over Chanda Fjorden-Nord and Randall. As Peterson opened up several car lengths, Randall moved past Fjorden-Nord to take the second spot. He then began to close on Peterson while farther back, Scott Clark and Shane Kisling were both on the move. Peterson was running the high side and Randall dropped down a groove and closed up beside Chris while Clark was reeling in the leaders at a rapid pace.
At the halfway point, it was a three car duel with Randall looking under Peterson and Kisling right behind. Just as a couple of cars got tangled and the yellow came out, Peterson slowed and was off the pace with transmission problems and Randall inherited the lead.
However, his troubles weren’t done yet as on the green, Clark moved under him and they raced side by side for the lead. Kisling continued to challenge and went to the low groove. As the white flag was ready to fly, the leaders came three wide down the front chute but a stalled car forced the yellow flag to fly again.
Randall got a good jump on the start and while Clark challenged, Randall kept him a car length behind to take the win with Kisling close behind. Butch Madsen moved up from the fourth row to pass Fjorden-Nord for the fourth spot.
Cory Davis got his season off to a strong start and brought home his first win in his new chassis as he fought off an extremely competitive field to take the Super Stock win. Wayne Harris Jr. was the initial leader of the event with Davis working hard to get past him. Kyle Peterlin, Mike Keller and Ryan Aho were lined up tight behind the leaders as most of the field worked the low line on the track.
Harris Jr. slipped up the track just one time and that was the opening Davis needed to take over the lead with Peterlin moving in to challenge Harris Jr for second. Aho managed to get past Keller to gain a spot as the front runners remained tightly bunched.
Peterlin was able to get under Harris Jr. for the second spot and he set off after Davis. Aho rode the bumper of Harris Jr. looking for an opening so that he could move up also. Davis was hooked up and he began to pull away from Peterlin who couldn’t stay with him.
A late yellow bunched the field for a three lap dash, but Davis pulled away to gain the win. Peterlin settled for second ahead of Harris Jr, Aho and Keller.
Defending Midwest Modified National Champion Shane Sabraski showed that he will be tough to deal with in the WISSOTA Modified class also as he destroyed the field tonight and took an easy win in the main event. Kevin Adams sat on the pole but he had mechanical problems right at the drop of the green. Fortunately, he was able to stay out of the way and not get run over in a dicey first lap but by the time things had shuffled out, Sabraski had already built up a considerable lead.
John Carpenter moved into second and fought off several challenges from Paul Harelstad to hold that spot. Mike Anderson, Brent and Ross Prochnow and Dean Yrjanainen were locked in a close battle for position behind the second place duel.
Sabraski continued to add to his lead as the race remained under the green while Carpenter continued to hold second as Harelstad eventually dropped from the race with a flat tire. Brent Prochnow and Yrjanainen began to work the slick lower side of the track and they started to advance. Both were able to get under Carpenter but neither had anything for Sabraski. Shane built his lead to a full straightaway as he drove on to the easy win over Prochnow and Yrjanainen.
Adams fought off the disappointment of his Modified troubles to come back and dominate the Midwest Modified main event. He started on the pole and dominated the event although things got a little tenuous after a late race restart. As Adams built up a big lead, the battle was for second as Greg Thell and Kevin Vought fought for the position with Thell holding it for several laps. Vought then made another charge and took the spot with Mark Hanson then following Vought to take over third.
As Adams continued to lead, Vought started to close in somewhat using the low line but the driver making progress was Ryan Kriese who moved up from the fourth row to challenge Hanson for third. As Thell fell back slightly , Kriese was on the move.
With only two laps to go, the yellow waved for a spin and the field was bunched. Adams elected to continue to run the top side and Vought stuck a nose under him. Adams was able to fight him off but the margin at the line was only a car length as Vought was closing fast. Kriese finished up a strong run in third ahead of Hanson and Thell.
Bobby Kaufman Jr. continued his domination from last year as he led all the way in the Pure Stock main event. He started on the pole and quickly pulled away in the nonstop finale of the evening. The battle for second was a good one as Jim Miller, Joel Hinrichs and Tony Luell swapped spots as they raced through traffic.
While Kaufman Jr. cruised home an easy winner, Luell worked the traffic to get second as he led Hinrichs, Miller and Sam Fankhauser across the line.
Racing action continues next Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. The Best Appearing Car Awards will be presented with the program sponsored by Maxine’s Family Restaurant, Kitchen Kleen Potatoes and CenturyTel.
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, April 29 – Steady rains which started at mid afternoon and continued throughout the night, forced the first weather cancellation of the 2006 racing season Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway.
Regular racing action in all six divisions will continue next Saturday with race time being 6:30 p.m. The Best Appearing Car Awards will be presented during the program which will be sponsored by Kitchen Kleen Potatoes, Maxine’s Family Restaurant, Mist-er G’s Mist On Tanning and Rod’s Painting and Sandblasting.
The first special event on the 2006 schedule will be May 27 and 28 with a regular racing program on Saturday the 27th and the Memorial Day Championships on Sunday the 28th featuring the Miller Lite Bonus Bucks.
Chad Mahder Surprises Rice Lake Late Models
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, May 6 – Chad Mahder earned his first ever Late Model feature win to highlight the racing action on week two for 2006 at the Rice Lake Speedway. Mahder, in his third year of Late Model racing, had gone two years without a win and now has won two straight nights having also won Friday night at the Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie. Other feature winners tonight were Tony Luell, Chris Peterson, Steve Thomas, Kevin Adams and Paul Harelstad.
With four of the six main events being battles right down to the end, Mahder’s victory was one that was in doubt right down to the final corner. Keane Laakson had the pole for the main event but it was Casey Mincoff who jumped into the early lead. Laakson was quickly engaged in a fight with Mark Weisnicht and Mahder with Chad driving by both of those drivers eventually. Mike Goodremote and Troy Kuyoth were also advancing toward the front.
Mahder was able to drive past Mincoff and take over the lead. He started to put a little distance on the field until the yellow flew when Tony Bahr lost his brakes and spun in turn four. Mahder continued to lead on the restart with Goodremote challenging Mincoff for second and Kuyoth also closing in. Farther back in the pack, Chad’s father Duane was on the charge after starting ninth. Goodremote began to close on Chad Mahder slightly while Duane Mahder got past Kuyoth for third.
A second yellow for another spin bunched the field once again and now the race was on. Goodremote began to pressure Chad Mahder for the lead as Goodremote looked low and then high for a fast route by Mahder. He settled on the cushion and closed with two laps to go. However , Goodremote jumped the cushion in turn one and lost valuable time. He made one last charge on the final lap. Pulling beside Mahder down the back chute, Goodremote once again jumped the cushion and Chad drove home for his memorable win. Duane Mahder maintained third ahead of Kuyoth and John Kaanta who started in the sixth row.
The Modified feature was another of the closely contested events with Paul Harelstad able to repass Luke Schilling near the end for the win. Tim Shackleton had the pole but the early leader was Carey LePage off the outside. LePage opened up a little distance on the field as Harelstad used the outside to move up from row three. He closed on LePage and was able to drive past him for the lead. Schilling and Dean Yrjanainen were both moving up rapidly and after a spin bunched the field, it became a three car battle for the lead. Harelstad continued to use the high line but Schilling was quick low on the track and he moved in to pressure Paul for the lead. Driving under Harelstad, Schilling took the lead off turn four with Harelstad and Yrjanainen joined by Brent Prochnow in the lead pack.
Harelstad continued to hound Schilling as he looked for a way to re pass Luke. Paul got a great run off the banking in turn one and ducked under Schilling down the back chute to take over the lead with only a few laps left. Schilling remained glued to Harelstad’s bumper but Paul gave him no openings on the final few tours to take the win. Yrjanainen finished a solid third ahead of Prochnow and Paul Knauf.
The Super Stock feature was one of the few main events not closely contested. Steve Thomas started on the outside pole and he put distance on the field immediately. In the early going he was chased by Steve Hallquist and Jason Forehand.
As Thomas eased away from the field, there was intense action behind him with the pack going three and four wide. The inevitable crash under such circumstances occurred in turn three with the yellow flag waving and Forehand and Cory Mahder being eliminated from further action.
The last seventeen laps went nonstop and Thomas was able to pull out to a nice sized lead on the pack. Scott Zitelman was having a strong run while Curt Myers, Wayne Harris Jr and Cory Karshbaum were all running well also. Myers eventually worked his way into second and tried to track down Thomas. Harris Jr. was also flying as he used the low line to drive into third.
In the late going Myers started to close up some on Thomas but Steve cruised home for his second career win at Rice Lake and first since the 2000 racing season. Myers finished a strong second in his initial outing here ahead of Harris Jr and Zitelman while Randy Spacek made a determined run to finish in the top five.
The Midwest Modifieds started out in a wild fashion as a first lap pileup eliminated Kevin Vought and Scott Meeds. On the second attempt at a start, the first lap was absolute frantic action. The pack raced three and four wide out of turn four and at the completion of the opening circuit, Shane Halopka had moved from ninth into the lead. Kevin Adams was on a tear from the sixth row, as he passed Mark Hanson and Ryan Olson and started to close in on Halopka. Adams was using the cushion as he flew up and caught the low running Halopka. They raced side by side for the lead when the yellow came out as Shane Roy stalled in turn two.
Once again the battle for the lead resumed, with Adams up against the wall while Halopka rode the low side. Adams edged in front, only to jump the cushion and have to regain the position. Finally he made the pass stick, and once in front he began to pull away as Halopka started to lose power.
By the checkered, Adams had opened up a nice cushion while Halopka was barely able to hold off Olson, Hanson and Darin Vought.
Chris Peterson had his new car out again tonight and for the first time he made it a winner as he controlled the Street Stock main event. Peterson jumped into the lead early and opened up some ground as Benji Ott and rookies Kevin Eder and Adam Soltis battled for position. It would not end well for the rookies as Eder got a flat tire and Soltis would later spin and have mechanical difficulties. Peterson continued to hold the top spot but after a restart, Butch Madsen would suddenly charge from the fourth row to move into second. Jay Kesan had a strong run early but the restart messed him up and he had to work his way back up through the field.
Peterson continued to cruse up front and no matter what Madsen tried, he wasn’t able to close in on the leader. Kesan and Chanda Fjorden-Nord had an excellent battle for third before Kesan won out, with Shane Kisling chasing them home for position.
To complete the evening, the Pure Stocks also raced right down to the wire with the winning pass being accomplished with less than two laps to go. Josh Amans grabbed the early lead away from Bob Wahlstrom with Alan Amborn and Randy Visger close behind. Sam Fankhauser did a donut on the back chute but he was able to keep the car running and continue on.
Amans continued to lead but there was plenty of action as cars were going in all directions and drivers using the entire track. Tony Luell was one of the biggest chargers as he moved up from the eleventh position and closed on Amans. Joel Hinrichs was also advancing on the pack from his fifth row starting position.
Luell caught Amans and tried several times to get under him but Josh gave him no room and they raced nose to tail around the track. With only two laps to go, Amans pushed up the track in turn one and Luell was right there to drive under him and take over the lead. Amans tried to come back but Luell had the groove as he drove on to his first win of the year. Hinrichs limped across the line with front end damage for third ahead of Wahlstrom and Fankhauser who had driven back up through the field.
Honored as Best Appearing cars tonight were: Coltan Ellis-Pure Stock; Peterson-Street Stock; Hanson-Midwest Modified; Dan Gullikson-Super Stock; Harelstad-Modified and Kuyoth-Late Model.
The green flag drops at 6;30 p.m. next Saturday, May 13th on O’Reilly Bumper to Bumper night at the speedway. For more information on the Rice Lake Speedway, check the web at www.rlspeedway.com.
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, May 13 – All day rains on Friday and the continuation of the precipitation throughout Saturday made the decision an easy one as the racing program Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway was cancelled early on Saturday. This marks the second lost show already this season.
Hopefully , racing will resume on Saturday, May 20 on Drag’s Restaurant & Roman Lounge/ Cozy Creations and O’Reilly Bumper to Bumper night at the speedway. The six division program will begin at 6:30 p.m.
More New Winners In Rice Lake Action
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, May 20 – On a cold and windy May evening , six more new names were added to the feature win list for 2006 at the Rice Lake Speedway. Among the highlights of the evening were the first ever WISSOTA Modified feature win for Kevin Adams and the first ever Midwest Modified feature win at Rice Lake for Mickey Nosser. Other first time winners for the season here included Tony Bahr, Jay Kesan, Eric Olson and Darwin Brown.
With a week off to cool their heels, many new and first time drivers were in the field tonight and a nice total of 125 cars signed in for racing action in the six classes tonight.
The first feature event contested tonight was the most tedious as the Super Stocks had a tough time keeping their cars straight and off other people’s tin as the yellow flew eight times during their twenty lap main event. Despite the high number of yellow flags, only five cars failed to complete the distance and when the race was able to continue unabated, some good action was the result.
Aaron Wilson got the jump on Mark Severson to lead the opening couple of laps but he was soon pressured by Steve Hallquist. Hallquist was flying as he moved in to challenge Wilson and he was able to drive around Aaron and take over the lead. Wilson remained close behind but he was soon challenged by Todd Madsen for second. They fought hard for the position just behind Hallquist.
The first major change of the event took place as the battle for second raged, with the combatants getting together in turn four and Madsen stalling with a flat tire. He retired from the event and then on the restart, Curt Myers looped in turn one and another challenger was relegated to the tail of the field.
Meanwhile, largely unnoticed, Eric Olson was making steady progress through the field. After starting thirteenth on the gird, he gradually worked his way to the front, picking up positions and gaining on each restart. Bad luck struck the leader , Hallquist on lap fourteen as his car’s engine made a bad banging noise down the front chute and he rolled to a halt soon after.
This opened up the door for Wilson who regained the lead but now he had Olson on his rear bumper. Wilson opened the door on the green just a little bit, and that was all Olson needed as he nosed under Wilson and took over the lead. Cory Mahder, who had started beside Olson also was working his way up and he too got under Wilson for position. Olson maintained his two car length lead for the final few laps and he drove home for his first victory here since 2003. Cory Karshbaum had a great run to finish fourth ahead of Cory Davis.
The Modifieds also had a tough time getting their event going, but after three yellow flags in the first four laps, the rest of the event went nonstop and the action was spectacular. Mike Anderson(Colfax) took the early lead with Aric Lindberg chasing him. Kevin Adams quickly moved into the second position and began to pressure Anderson for the lead. A big pack of cars battled behind them with all three of the Prochnows along with Paul Harelstad, Mike Anderson(Dallas) and Dave Cain in the mix.
Adams continued to look to the inside of Anderson and he was finally able to get under him in turn one and take over the lead. Ross Prochnow was having a strong run on the outside and he moved in to challenge for second but was soon joined by Harelstad and Cain.
Cain was the man on the move and he drove around Anderson to take over second. He then set out after Adams who had opened up about an eight car length lead by this time. Cain tried working different lines on the track and would gain some on Adams but then seem to lose most of it back. He never stopped trying but Adams was just too strong tonight as he drove on to his first Modified feature win ever under the WISSOTA banner. Harelstad drove up to the third place with Ross Prochnow trailing while A.J. Heuer, in his first night out, came from fourteenth to round out the top five.
Tony Bahr is as hot as a pistol as he drove to his second Late Model feature win of the weekend tonight. A winner at Red Cedar on Friday, Bahr started on the outside of row one, quickly disposed of Curt Myers in the opening laps and then drove off into the night as he disappeared from the field.
While Bahr was in a different zip code, there was a great battle for second as Myers and Mike Goodremote raced side by side for at least half the event before Goodremote was able to edge past on the high side and take off after Bahr. Another good battle saw Troy Kuyoth, Paul Brust, Ashley Anderson and the Mahders jockey nearly the entire race for position.
Goodremote was able to cut into Bahr’s lead somewhat as Tony got into traffic but he was never able to make a serious charge as Bahr drove home for the win. Myers had a good run to hold onto third ahead of Kuyoth and Brust.
The Midwest Modifieds showed the crowd how a race could and should be conducted when they got on the track. Twenty cars started their main event, twenty cars finished the distance and there was green flag racing for the duration of the contest, uninterrupted by a single yellow flag.
Nosser, who has had a terrible time finishing an event so far this season, started on the pole and immediately moved to a comfortable lead. Behind him , the battle for position raged as Darin Vought got past Mark Gerth and Mark Turner to take the runner up slot. He was then pressured by Nick Lavato and Kevin Vought along with Ryan Olson. Meanwhile, Mark Hanson, Kevin Adams and Shane Halopka were charging to the front after starting midpack and the action was intense as everyone jockeyed for position.
Nosser continued to motor up front while Hanson was the one best able to get through traffic as he moved into third and challenged Darin Vought for the spot. Adams got by Lavato for position but Nick fought back and they had a great duel.
Hanson and Darin Vought fought side by side for a number of laps with Hanson finally able to drive past Vought on the high side and take second. He set off after Nosser but ran out of laps as Mickey earned his first ever MM feature win at Rice Lake. Darin Vought finished a strong third while Lavato fought off everything Adams could throw at him to finish fourth.
After a first lap spin, the Street Stocks also ran nonstop and they had a great two car battle for the lead that continued for most of the event. Tito Viltz jumped into the early lead but Jay Kesan was on the move from the third row as he drove past Steve Golat and Benji Ott to take second and close on Viltz. He pulled to the outside of Viltz and they proceeded to race around the oval side by side for probably at least half the race. Lap afte lap, they raced wheel to wheel, each running hard and not giving an inch, but not once did they touch or rub on each other.
Finally, Kesan was able to keep his momentum up off the corners just a little better and he edged past Viltz to take the lead. Although Viltz remained close, Kesan was able to hold on to his two car length lead for the win. Scott Clark made a late rush into third and was perhaps the fastest car on the track at the finish with Chanda Fjorden-Nord and Golat in the top five.
The Pure Stocks finished off the evening in fine fashion with a nonstop event after a first laps tangle. Darwin Brown, making his first appearance of the year, drove his Ford in the GM dominated class to the victory after starting in the third row.
Coltan Ellis and Jamey Fisher battled in the early going but Brown quickly moved up and took over the lead. Once in front, he opened up some distance while Bobby Kaufman Jr. and Fisher had a hard battle for second. Joel Hinrichs and Tony Luell were also moving up from deep in the pack into the top five.
Brown continued to motor up front with Kaufman Jr. finally getting past Fisher late in the contest. However Brown had too big of a lead and he drove home to the win in his Thunderbird. Kaufman Jr settled for second ahead of Fisher, Hinrichs and Luell.
Next weekend will mark the biggest races so far of the 2006 season. On Saturday, May 27th , a regular race program featuring all six classes that normally compete will be held sponsored by Crystal-Pierz Marine. Then on Sunday, May 28th , it will be the Miller Lite Bonus Bucks night with extra money on the line for all six classes. The Late Models will be racing for $1,600 to win, the Modifieds $850, the Super Stocks $650, the Midwest Modifieds $360, the Street Stocks $300 and the Pure Stocks $150. With the extra money on the line and no other area tracks racing, a large turnout of competitors is expected. Race time both nights will be 6:30 p.m
Peterson and Bahr Become Rice Lake Repeaters
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, May 27 – Chris Peterson and Tony Bahr became multiple feature winners to highlight the racing program Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway. First time winners for the season emerged as Ron Mahder, Todd Madsen, Shane Halopka and Jim Miller all visited victory lane for the first time. For Miller it was his first feature win ever.
A season high 154 cars signed in for racing action on the first night of the holiday doubleheader and a thirty one race program gave the fans more than their monies worth.
After a first lap tangle between Terry Sirek and Tito Viltz, Peterson earned the pole position for the restart and that was more than he needed as he quickly jumped into the lead, a position he wouldn’t relinquish during the course of the event. Viltz took the second spot with Shane Kisling, Butch Madsen and Chanda Fjorden- Nord close behind.
Cory Crapser and Darrel Hazelton were also on the move as the battle for second heated up. Viltz continued to hold off Madsen until a mid race yellow for debris during which Tito headed for the pits and turned over the second spot to Madsen.
Jay Kesan moved to the second lane and his charge from fourteenth was successful as he drove up to the fourth spot and began to pressure Fjorden-Nord. Peterson continued to maintain a comfortable lead with Madsen unable to cut into his advantage as he took his second win of the season here. Fjorden-Nord continued her consistent finishes while Crapser moved around Kesan for fourth in the late going.
The Late Model feature was an uncharacteristically long event , with six yellow flags during the main event, more than have flown during the three previous feature events so far this season. Bahr started on the outside pole and moved past Kerry Hanson to take the early lead. As Bahr opened up some distance on the field, Hanson and Chad Mahder battled for the second spot followed by Tom Nesbitt. On the move were A.J. Diemel, John Kaanta, Duane Mahder and Adam Hensel along with Darrin Meierotto.
Diemel was the first contender to drop by the way side. He was charging and had moved up to fourth when he got too high in turn four and cracked the front stretch wall. Troy Kuyoth had no where to go and slammed into the back of Diemel with A.J. eliminated and Kuyoth also eventually forced to drop out.
Chad Mahder moved into second and began to challenge Bahr but he lost control and spun in turn four, sending another contender to the tail. A real battle now developed for second as Hanson tried to hold off Duane Mahder, Nesbitt, Kaanta and Meierotto. Mahder used the high side to drive into second and he began to close on Bahr.
Two more contenders were eliminated when Hensel broke and then, with only four laps to go, Meierotto hammered the front stretch wall also.
Bahr moved up the track for the final restart, and while Mahder pushed hard, Tony maintained his advantage as he drove on for his second straight here and fourth win in the last eight days. Ashley Anderson, who started fifteenth , very quietly worked his way to the front and he edged past Nesbitt on the final turn to take third with Kaanta rounding out the top five.
Ron Mahder had a strong run to take his first Modified victory of the season after Todd Siddons led much of the early going. Siddons had taken the lead from Tyler Hynnes with Mahder quickly moving into second. Robby Bunkelman, Kevin Adams and Paul Knauf were all moving well as they raced in the lead group. Mahder stepped to the second lane and gradually closed on Siddons, finally passing him on the back chute. Adams had raced into fourth and seemed on the move until he suddenly slowed with problems.
Only two yellows slowed the race but the second for a spin bunched the field with only seven laps remaining. Mahder continued to show the way with Siddons following him closely. Knauf continued to run strong as he got around Hynnes for third. They finished in that order with A.J. Heuer making another strong charge as he moved up from thirteenth to round out the top five.
The Super Stocks, who have had their problems in recent weeks, squared things away tonight with a nonstop main event that was dominated by Todd Madsen. Madsen started on the pole , raced briefly with Jason Forehand, and then pulled away from the pack to open up a comfortable lead. Scott Zitelman was having a strong run as he edged past Aaron Wilson to take third and closed on Forehand. Rick Ellis was also on the move as was Cory Davis.
The battle for second was the best race on the track as Madsen continued to pull away. Forehand seemed to pick up the pace after the halfway point and he did have some success cutting into Madsen’s lead as Todd got into lapped traffic. Wilson also found the high side to be good and he passed Zitelman and started to close on the top two. They finished in that order with Ellis rounding out the top five.
Shane Halopka has been due for a win for several weeks now, and tonight everything fell into place as he dominated a big field of Midwest Modifieds to take his first win in his new car. Frank Soucek had the pole position but bad luck struck him immediately as he lost power right at the green. Fortunately , he was able to get out of the way and not get crashed as he successfully got off the track without incident and the race stayed under the green.
Mickey Nosser, last week’s winner, jumped into the lead but Halopka quickly moved in to challenge him. Halopka dropped to the inside of Nosser and took over the lead, after which he quickly began to extend it. Nosser fell into a battle for second with Darin Vought and Vought was running strong and took the spot.
Meanwhile, Kevin Adams and Dan Wheeler were working their way to the front along with Mark Thomas. Thomas was running strong as he closed into contention with the pack battling for second. Halopka was in a different zip code as he built up nearly a straightaway lead but the battle for second was a dandy. Nosser picked the pack back up and he and Thomas split Vought for second, with Thomas on the low side and Nosser up the track. Also in the late going Brady Peterson became a factor. After starting nineteenth in the field in his first visit ever to the track, he raced past Vought on the final lap, despite the fact his car was blowing smoke and steam from the engine.
Speaking of smoke, Jim Miller solved a major smoking problem to his car that occurred during his heat race, and the result was his first ever feature win as he controlled the Pure Stock main event. The second year driver started on the pole and quickly pulled away from the field in the nonstop main event. Coltan Ellis stayed with Miller for a few laps, but Miller gradually pulled away. Bob Wahlstrom battled with Jamey Fisher and Ryan Greener with Fisher eventually taking the position.
Many of the high point cars found themselves buried in the field and they found it difficult to advance in the well balanced field.
Miller continued to maintain his lead as the laps quickly rolled by. With no major challenges, he drove home for the special win. Second year driver Ellis had his best ever run also and he finished a solid second with Fisher, Greener and Joel Hinrichs rounding out the top five
Diemel Tops Rice Lake Holiday Special
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, May 28 – A.J. Diemel, who has been fast at area tracks in recent weeks but for one reason or another has failed to visit victory lane, tonight found the welcoming doors wide open as he drove to a dominating win in the Miller Lite Bonus Bucks special Sunday at the Rice Lake Speedway. Diemel led all the way in a race where his only major competition proved to be Adam Hensel. Other winners tonight sharing in the extra cash on the line included Ashley Anderson, Jason Forehand, Kevin Vought, Jimmy Randall and Darwin Brown.
The Late Model feature was a nonstop event that saw only one car not go the scheduled distance. Diemel earned the pole position and he and Hensel raced hard on the opening lap with Diemel edging ahead as they crossed the line on the opening circuit. Diemel then began to edge away from Hensel as the battle turned to the fight for third between Jake Redetzke, Keane Laakson and Paul Brust. Redetzke held the position briefly but Brust was strong on the bottom and drove under Jake for the position.
Diemel began to pull away as the pack got strung out and most cars filtered to the low groove. Diemel began to approach the rear of the field just as the race ended, making his timing excellent. He drove under the finish line with several car lengths advantage over Hensel. Brust had his best run of the year in third ahead of Redetzke and Tony Bahr whose attempt at a third straight win was repelled while Mike Goodremote got credit for gaining the most positions in the main.
Ashley Anderson has won in just about every class of car that has ever raced at the Rice Lake Speedway but tonight he won for the first time in a Modified in a hotly contested event. Mike Anderson(Colfax) took the early lead with Anderson and Ross Prochnow putting on the pressure. Anderson continued to hold the point in the early going but he was receiving much pressure as the top five cars ran in a tight group. Prochnow started to pick up the pack as he moved to the second lane and was able to drive around A. Anderson and close on M. Anderson. Just as Prochnow drove past Mike, the lone yellow of the event came out for a three car spin in turn three.
The complexion of the event changed drastically after the race resumed as Prochnow seemed to have lost the special edge he had previously while A. Anderson picked up the pace. Ashley dipped inside Mike Anderson to take over the lead with Prochnow also able to pull off the move a few laps later. Back in the pack, the fastest car on the track appeared to be Craig Thatcher. After starting ninth, he moved around the track looking for a line and when he found the upper part of the track to be fast, he quickly began picking off cars in his rush to the front.
A. Anderson however, was not to be denied as he drove home for the win. Prochnow hung on for second as he barely nipped Thatcher with Mike Anderson holding on for fourth and A.J. Heuer recording yet another top five finish.
Jason Forehand led all the way to take the Super Stock headliner. He got a good jump at the start to take the lead with Aaron Wilson then settling in to battle with Cory Mahder, Jesse Redetzke and Eric Olson for position. Forehand was able to pull away from the field and he built up a comfortable lead which was ended by a mid race spin and resulting yellow flag.
Forehand opened his advantage back up while Mahder and Wilson continued to battle for second. Forehand would not be denied as he continued to hold a comfortable edge as he drove to his first win of the year. Wilson worked hard but he couldn’t get past Mahder for second with Olson and Cory Davis also in the top five.
Another first time winner was Kevin Vought who took the Midwest Modified main event. Matt Leer had the pole but the second year driver had back luck as he lost power right at the green and the yellow light came on early. The restart saw Vought move to the pole and he jumped into the early lead with Scott Erickson moving into second and Alan Bohlman moving in to challenge.
Vought continued to hold the lead with Bohlman moving into second and trying to close the gap on Vought. Kevin Adams started tenth and was working the high line on the track as he gradually moved into contention. Meanwhile, strong competitors Mickey Nosser, Dan Wheeler and Mark Hanson were all sidelined during the race.
Adams continued his charge as he swept past Bohlman and closed on Vought. Kevin pushed as hard as he could but Vought remained steady and held off the late rush to take the win. Bohlman remained third while Erickson had his best run yet for fourth with Bryce Johnson rounding out the top five.
Jimmy Randall became a repeat winner as he took home the Street Stock main event after the top two cars took themselves out of the action. Steve Golat, the second year driver looking for his first ever win, took the early lead with Terry Sirek and Randall pressuring him. The lead pack was a tight group with Danny Hanson, Scott Clark and Ron Hanestad all jockeying for position. Butch Madsen started eleventh but he was soon a factor also. Golat continued to lead with Sirek and Randall challenging him every second.
Just at the halfway point, Randall dived low but Sirek also tried the same move and he and Golat came together in turn one with both spinning and the rest of the field taking evasive action.
Sirek was sent to the rear, however Golat suffered front end damage and was forced to pit and that opened the door for Randall. He inherited the lead and took advantage of the opportunity to open some distance on the field. Hanestad tried the high side and had some success while Madsen continued to move up. Randall drove on unchecked for the win while Madsen squeezed under Hanson on the last lap for second. Clark and Hanestad rounded out the top five.
Passing move cars than anyone else on the night, Pure Stock driver Darwin Brown became the first repeat winner in the division as he came from twelfth in the starting lineup to take the win with a late race pass of Jim Miller. Miller, looking for a weekend sweep, had taken the lead from the start with Sam Fankhauser chasing him. Miller remained on top despite pressure from the pack while, as the race continued under the green, Brown gradually worked his way to the front. His car was handling great as he ducked under car after car on the slick track and he soon had caught the leaders.
With just a couple laps to go, he used the same move to drop under Miller and take over the lead. He stretched it the last couple of laps to take the win, with Miller holding on for second against the pressure of Fankhauser, Bobby Kaufman Jr was next in line ahead of Joel Hinrichs.
After a grueling two race weekend, drivers will have a chance to rest up as the speedway gets back to a more normal schedule. Regular racing will resume next Saturday, June 3rd , at 6:30 p.m. All six regular classes will be in competition and they will be joined by the Northern Vintage cars as Ricci Tire, Inc.& Lehman’s Supper Club are the sponsors.
Brust Tops Rice Lake As New Winners Abound
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, June 3 – Five more first time winners graced victory lane Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway as the season long balance continued. Included among the winners was Matt Leer who won his first feature race ever while Darwin Brown became the only repeat winner with another Pure Stock win. Others to taste victory for the first time included Scott Duval, Curt Myers, Terry Sirek and Paul Brust.
Brust won the headliner event, the Late Model feature, as he came from the third row to quickly become a factor and then, when the opening occurred, he jumped on the opportunity to make what would be the winning pass.
Troy Kuyoth and Kerry Hanson raced side by side on the opening lap before Kuyoth was able to edge into the lead. John Kaanta quickly moved in to challenge Kuyoth while Brust also moved in rapidly. In turn four, Kuyoth got a little sideways and as Kaanta had to back off to avoid a collision, Brust found an opening on the low side of the track and moved from third to first just that quickly. Once in front , he pulled away and opened up a healthy advantage while the fight for second continued.
Kaanta would eventually take the second spot as Tony Bahr, Chad Mahder and A.J. Diemel began to move up. Bahr looked like he was going to put on one of his charges again, as he moved to third but the driver really eating up the distance was Diemel as he worked both high and low. He moved past Bahr and then Kaanta to take over second when the yellow came out for debris on the track at the midpoint of the event.
However, on this night no one had anything for Brust. Diemel stayed with him for a few laps but Brust gradually began to pull away again and no matter how hard Diemel pushed, he was going to have to settle for second. Brust won his first feature win here since the 2004 season with Mahder and Bahr working past Kaanta to round out the top five.
The best race of the night may very well have been the Modified feature that saw Duval and Ross Prochnow battle for much of the event, most of that time running wheel to wheel. The race got off to a bad start as much of the field stacked up on the first corner with the cars of Ron Mahder, Buddy Mayala and Mike Anderson being eliminated.
Duval took the early lead from the outside front row but he was being pressured from the start by Larry and Ross Prochnow. Paul Harelstad and Robby Bunkelman were also in the mix and Brent Prochnow also advanced in the field.
Ross Prochnow found the second groove to his liking and he gradually closed in on Duval. He pulled up beside Duval and they raced side by side for a number of laps before Prochnow was able to edge into the lead. Harelstad had now taken the third spot and he pushed to try and make it a three car battle. Although Prochnow was now the leader, Duval stayed close and just past the halfway point, a yellow flag for a two car spin bunched the field again.
Prochnow continued to lead but Duval drove hard into the corners and was able to pull up beside Prochnow once again. The battle raged for the lead but this time it was Duval with the edge and he pulled past Prochnow and took over the lead. Prochnow was able to stay close, but Duval maintained his slight edge to the finish for the win in only his third outing in his new car. Harelstad drove home third with Brent Prochnow and A.J. Heuer trailing.
The Super Stock feature also saw the leaders spend much of the event side by side as it was Myers and Steve Hallquist that battled it out in this event. Hallquist got the jump at the start but Myers worked the cushion to stay very close. After an early caution, Myers continued to work the cushion and was able to drive up beside Hallquist. They raced together before Myers was able to get a strong run off turn two and take over the top spot.
Once in front, as the race stayed under the green, he was able to put several car lengths on Hallquist. Scott Zitelman was having a strong run of this own as he maintained the third spot and stayed within striking distance of the leaders.
Myers was all over the track, experimenting with different lines as he worked to maintain his lead over Hallquist. Near the end of the event, he dropped low and was once again able to entend his advantage as he drove home for the win. Zitelman concluded a strong run for third with Rick Ellis having his best outing in fourth followed by Jason Forehand.
Second year driver Leer earned his first ever Midwest Modified feature win in one of the strangest races of the early season.Leer started on the pole and got off to a strong start as he led Barry Smith, Mark Gerth and Kevin Vought in the early going. Ryan Olson, Mickey Nosser, Mark Thomas and Kevin Adams were all on a charge to the front along with Charlie Hillukka as a great deal of passing and repassing was going on amongst the swarm of lead cars.
Leer, despite a couple of bobbles, continued to lead as his car showed great straightaway speed. Gerth had moved into second but he spun and was sent to the rear following the yellow. That moved Olson into second and he closely chased Leer as Thomas and Adams led the charge to catch him. Olson lost the handle in turn one and spun with Thomas not being able to avoid him. During the resulting yellow, both second place Thomas and third place Vought had tires go down and both were out of the competition.
Still Leer maintained his lead as Mickey Nosser now put the pressure on Leer with Adams riding the cushion as he charged into contention. Once again the yellow waved for a spin and Adams was docked two positions on the restart for jumping an earlier restart. This put Nosser on Leer’s rear bumper but he got too close under green, as he clipped the leader and sent him spinning. Nosser went to the tail as the last four laps finally ran under the green. Adams charged back up to take second and he pushed for all he was worth, but Leer was just a little too quick down the chutes and he held of for the big win. Smith and Hillukka kept their noses clean and ended up third and fourth while Bryce Johnson came from deep in the pack to finish fifth.
The Street Stock feature had only one yellow flag but it was a big one as the leaders clashed on the front chute after battling for the top spot. Steve Golat took the early lead with Terry Sirek and Tito Viltz chasing him. The pack soon bunched up to some very tight racing as Jimmy Randall went to the high side to move up as Shane Kisling, Scott Clark, Chanda Fjorden-Nord and Butch Madsen all gave chase.
Sirek moved in to challenge Golat for the lead with Terry looking for a hole to pass. They pulled up side by side through turn four and raced down the front chute as which time they got together with both going for a slide.
Golat was judged to be the cause of the accident and he went to the tail with Sirek taking over the top spot. Randall and Viltz then began to apply the pressure but it was Madsen who was making the most moves. He worked his way up from the fifth row to find the inside of Randall and take over second. The race remained under the green the rest of the distance, and while Madsen was able to cut into the lead, he never got into a challenging position as Sirek drove home for his first win of the year. Clark finished behind Randall in fourth with Viltz filling out the top five.
After Tony Luell got turned around early in the Pure Stock feature bringing out the yellow, the race then went nonstop and Brown showed off the handling abilities of his Thunderbird as he came from the fifth row to take his second straight win. Jamey Fisher had driven into the lead and was being chased by Jim Miller and Joel Hinrichs as Bobby Kaufman Jr. and Brown were working their way through the pack.
There were cars going in all directions but all were able to keep running and the race stayed under the green. Brown was cutting a swatch through the competition and he soon found the bumper of Fisher. He drove under the previous leader in turn three and took over the top spot. Once in front, his major challenge was weaving through the heavy traffic which he managed to do successfully as he drove on for the win. Fisher had his best run as he came home second trailed by Kaufman Jr, Hinrichs and Luell.
Another six class program of racing is scheduled next Saturday night with the first green flag scheduled to wave at 6:30 p.m. Long time race supporter Don Johnson Auto Group will be the event sponsor. Regular Saturday night events are on the schedule now through the month of June.
Hanestad Back On Track At Rice Lake
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, June 10 – Rick Hanestad started out the year on fire, but since has struggled through some difficult outings and even the loss of a car, but tonight he put that all behind him as he led flag to flag for the late model feature win at the Rice Lake Speedway. Other winners on week seven of the racing season included Kevin Adams, Dan Wheeler, Steve Thomas, Shane Kisling and Sam Fankhauser.
Hanestad started on the outside pole for the late model headliner and jumped into an immediate lead as Duane Mahder and John Kaanta battled for second. After a brief tussle, it was Kaanta who took the position as Duane slumped back to battle with his son Chad for third. A.J. Diemel started scratch on the field but was working his way up through the pack until a flat tire ended his run.
One yellow flag for a spin with eight laps completed bunched the field but once again Hanestad pulled away from the pack. Duane Mahder jumped the cushion and Chad got past him for third. In the late going Hanestad started to have some trouble getting his car through the corners and Kaanta closed rapidly on him. John made a couple of passing attempts on the final two circuits, but Hanestad was able to hold on for his second win of the season and first since opening night. Jake Redetzke rounded out the top five.
By far the most exciting race of the night was the modified feature which saw the lead exchanged twice on the final tour of the speedway. Brandon Kallenbach led the opening two laps off the outside pole but he was soon challenged for the lead by Pat Hoffman and Scott Duval. Hoffman went sailing by Kallenbach on the outside to take over the lead with Kallenbach soon spinning and collecting Mike Anderson.
That would be the first of five yellow flags during the event which would keep the field bunched throughout the race. Hoffman took over the lead but he was soon being challenged by Paul Harelstad who had moved up from the forth row as he rode the cushion to the front. Harelstad pulled in to challenge Hoffman for the lead while the other charger was Kevin Adams who was making up ground at a spectacular rate after starting fourteenth on the grid after problems during his heat race.
Harelstad was able to duck under Hoffman and take over the lead with Adams quickly moving in to challenge also. He got past Hoffman to take over second and set Harelstad in his sites. Another yellow bunched the field and on the green, Adams ducked to the inside of Harelstad in turn four to take over the lead. Adams built up a few car lengths advantage but Harelstad started to close up again as the laps ran down.
One last spin gave Harelstad a chance with four laps remaining. He pulled to Adams’ rear bumper and on the final lap made a big run down the back chute. He blasted low in turn three and slid up under Adams to take over the lead. However , he couldn’t hold his car down and Adams ducked back under him as they left turn four with Adams beating him home by a car length in a thriller. Duval finished third with Hoffman and Buddy Mayala trailing.
It took six tries to get the first lap completed in the super stock feature but once they finally got over the hump, the cars managed to run fifteen laps nonstop in the time limit shortened main event. Steve Hallquist got the jump for the initial green but it took several tries before the first lap was finally scored official. When racing finally did commence, Steve Thomas came off the high side to take the lead with Hallquist closely trailing him. Rick Ellis moved into strong contention with Greg Alling and John Feirn also in the mix. Thomas opened up a slight lead over Hallquist but the distance continued to remain small.
Attrition hit the field as a number of cars dropped off the pace including Alling and Eric Olson. Hallquist attempted to muster a charge at the finish and while he got close several times, Thomas always managed to hold him off as he took his second feature win of the year. Wayne Harris Jr. crossed the line third but was docked a number of positions for not properly realigning himself on one of the restarts. Cory Karshbaum was officially scored third ahead of Feirn and Cory Davis.
The Midwest Modifieds saw a new winner as veteran Dan Wheeler held off all challenges to win his first feature race ever at Rice Lake. The Midwest feature saw more than its share of yellows also as for the second straight week, the Midwest Mods had a tough time keeping their cars pointed the right direction and off other peoples cars. In between all the spins and slowdowns, there was some good racing for the lead.
Ralph Stark took the early lead, and with a strong run continued to maintain the point for the first couple of laps. Wheeler and Mark Hanson then moved in to challenge Stark and Wheeler took over the lead. Hanson was right there to pressure him as Mickey Nosser, Barry Smith, Shane Halopka and Kevin Adams were charging to the front. Hanson put some heavy pressure on Wheeler and on at least two occasions, he appeared ready to take over the lead when the yellow would fly for a spin.
Wheeler continued to fend off Hanson but Adams was now a factor as he moved into third and was challenging Hanson for the spot. However, Kevin pushed too hard in turn two and he also went for a spin, ending his evening. Again the battle for the lead continued, and this time Hanson made a strong run in turn four. He was nearly past Wheeler when he also decided to join the spin club, and around he went handing the lead back to Wheeler.
The last few laps of the event Wheeler went fairly unchallenged as he held on for the win with Halopka, Smith, Mark Kangas and Kevin Vought next in line.
In a rarity on this night, the Street Stocks managed to go nonstop in their main event and it was all Shane Kisling has he dusted the field tonight, winning by a straightaway over the pack. Clark Swartz and Adam Soltis battled for the lead in the early going but Kisling moved up to the cushion and blew by both the contenders to take over the lead. Once in front, he rapidly motored away from the pack leaving them to battle for second. Tito Viltz was having a good run as he moved in to challenge for second with Cory Crapser trailing him. Soltis and Swartz, both rookies in the class, hung tough but eventually they were over taken by Viltz and Butch Madsen, who had started eleventh in the field but was making a big charge.
Kisling was long gone as he drove home for his first win of the year with Viltz and Madsen trailing. Scott Clark came from twelfth to finish fourth trailed by Swartz.
Sam Fankhauser has been trying since the Pure Stock class was started to get a feature win, and tonight it finally happened for him as he made an exciting last lap pass for the historic win. Brandon Distel started in the front row and held off the snarling pack for two laps, until a yellow flag for a spin bunched the field behind him.
On the green, Jamey Fisher got a strong run from the second row to take over the lead. Fisher was soon challenged by Bobby Kaufman Jr. for the lead after Kaufman Jr came from the fifth row. They battled hard for several laps with Kaufman finally squeezing by on the low side for the lead. As the pass was made, they brushed together and Fisher received a flat tire and was out of the race. With the divisions hottest driver, Darwin Brown sidelined after he was spun out and his radiator damaged, Kaufman Jr looked to be in good shape until Fankhauser started to make his charge.
Sam started ninth on the grid but he went to the cushion which was fast but hard to hold on to. However, he made it work and in the last few laps he rapidly closed on Kaufman Jr who was riding the low side. As the white flag came out, Fankhauser caught Kaufman Jr. and they raced side by side down the back chute. The high side was better and Fankhauser got the traction he needed to ease ahead and he crossed the line one car length in front for the big win. Behind Kaufman Jr, Randy Visger drove a smooth race to come home third. Coltan Ellis was restored to fourth in the final running order after a last lap tangle with Joel Hinrichs coming from seventeenth to complete the top five.
Racing action will continue next Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. with another six class program. Wynn’s Automotive Products will be the title sponsor for next week’s action featuring five WISSOTA sanctioned classes plus the pure stocks.
Cain Joins New Winners With Rice Lake Victory
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, June 17 – Dave Cain added to the list of new winners this week at the Rice Lake Speedway as the modified hot shoe won an exciting battle over Paul Harelstad and A.J. Heuer to highlight the racing action on a steamy, stormy Saturday night. Other first time winners Saturday included Mark Hanson, Scott Clark and Morgan Crotteau while Curt Myers and Chad Mahder both found victory lane for the second time this season.
With storms in the area the program was moved along at a fever pace with the final checkered flag waving at 9:25 p.m. and while there were a few sprinkles from time to time, the harder rains held off until just moments after the final checkered flag was waved.
The modified feature was a dandy with three and four car battles the norm as Aric Lindberg was the early leader with Buddy Mayala pressuring him and nearly getting by on a couple occasions. Harelstad quickly went to the cushion as he moved up from the fourth row and began to pressure the leaders. Harley worked right up against the wall as he squeezed by Mayala and Lindberg to take over the lead. However, Paul didn’t have time to relax as Heuer then became a factor working the low side. Heuer would close up next to Harelstad in the corners but then Paul would edge ahead down the chutes.
After a yellow flag on lap six, Cain suddenly became a factor as he moved to the cushion also and began to flag down the leaders after starting ninth while Scott Duval was also on the move. Cain moved to the middle lane as he caught the leaders and they raced three wide around the speedway for several laps. Heuer worked the low side, Cain would edge in front in the middle but then Harelstad would come off the banking and the three would still be side by side. Eventually Cain was able to edge ahead slightly until the yellow waved again on lap fifteen for another spin.
Cain pulled away on the restart and Harelstad was left to battle with Duval for second. Cain pulled away by six car lengths for the win while Harelstad and Duval battled right down to the wire before Paul edged out Duvy by inches for second. Heuer and Larry Prochnow completed the top five with Cain becoming the seventh different modified driver to grave victory lane so far in 2006.
Hanson won his first career main event at Rice Lake as he led from flag to flag in the nonstop Midwest Modified feature race. Even though he led the entire distance, the win was not an easy one as he had to battle with first Tom Smart and then Frank Soucek for the win. Hanson and Smart started side by side and they raced hard for the lead with Hanson edging in front but Smart nearly working by on the high side. Soucek then picked up the pace from the third row as he worked the high side and had success, moving past Darin Vought and then Smart to take over second. Soucek tried to drive by Hanson but Mark held him off and then started to edge away.
Kevin Adams and Shane Halopka were on the move from midpack as Adams started ninth and Halopka just in front of him. Adams was surgically cutting through the field as he drove past Vought, Smart and then with just a few laps left, Soucek. Kevin took off after Hanson but Mark had too much of a lead to be eliminated in the few laps remaining, and Hanson drove on for the memorable win for him. Soucek ran a strong third with Smart and Halopka trailing as Hanson becomes the seventh different winner in the division already this season.
Clark became the sixth different Street Stock winner of the season as he came from the fourth row to out duel Jay Kesan and Jimmy Randall for the victory. Steve Golat jumped into the early lead but a first lap spin slowed the action and sent the cars of Butch Madsen, Adam Soltis and Terry Sirek to the work area as all three suffered flat tires.
From then, the race went nonstop as Golat again jumped into the lead but he was soon challenged by Kesan for the front spot. Kesan worked the second groove and was able to drive up by and then edge past Golat for the lead.
Meanwhile, Randall was on the move as he raced up against the wall where he likes to run and he caught the leaders. They raced in a pack as first Kesan and then Randall would edge back into the lead. Suddenly Clark became a factor as he moved in to challenge the leaders. Clark was very strong and he edged past both of the front runners to take over the lead. The battle continued right to the checkered but Clark had the answers tonight as he drove on for the win with Randall edging Kesan for second. Madsen stormed all the way from the back up to fourth at the line ahead of Golat.
Morgan Crotteau has raced less than one full year but it didn’t the youngster long to figure out the sport as he drove to his first ever feature win tonight as he topped the Pure Stock main event. He started on the outside pole and fought off early challenges from Jerry Wojcik and then Jamey Fisher to lead the opening laps. Tony Luell, Joel Hinrichs, Bobby Kaufman Jr and Darwin Brown were all on the move as they advanced into contention but Crotteau continued to run smooth and hold off all challengers.
A lap nine spin bunched the field and on the green, Crotteau and Fisher got together in turn one with Crotteau coming to a halt. The yellow slowed the action again with Crotteau retaining the top spot.
Luell was then the chief challenger and he looked to the outside on a couple occasions but couldn’t quite get by Crotteau. The last couple of laps saw a wild scramble as Luell seemed to lose the handle as he started to slide around in the corners and lose ground and there was a mad dash to get his position. Brown came flying through to take over second but the dicing gave Crotteau a little breathing room and he drove home for the win. Wojcik ended up third with Hinrichs and Kaufman Jr trailing.
Chad Mahder had a strong weekend of racing with tonight being his second straight feature win in the Late Models. Troy Kuyoth took the early lead over Duane Mahder and Keane Laakson with Chad Mahder quickly moving in to challenge for second. As Kuyoth continued to hold the point, Chad drove into the second spot and started to pressure the leader with Tony Bahr and Paul Brust also moving into contention.
The yellow waved with eight laps complete when Davin Larson pounded the wall in turn two. The result proved fatal for Kuyoth as his car pushed out badly in turn four and he fell back to fourth as both Mahders and Brust got past him. Chad really got going at this point and while his father chased as best he could, Chad gradually pulled away until he had nearly a straightaway on the field. Duane held on for second over a charging Brust, Kuyoth and Bahr.
With no feature race having more than two yellow flags, the Super Stocks were unfortunately the exception again tonight as six yellow flags saw their main event be cut to fifteen laps as the weather threatened. The opening action was exciting as Keane Laakson and Curt Myers exchanged the lead four times on the opening two rounds as in each corner they traded the lead. Finally , Myers settled in as the leader but before too much more racing could occur, the yellow started to fly with regularity.
Myers continued to hold the lead while Laakson struggled to hold off a series of challenges. The race finally got to the scheduled half way point when contenders Cory Karshbaum and Eric Olson got together and ended up sitting in the infield to trigger yet another slowdown and result in the shortening of the contest.
Myers continued to hold the point and he drove home basically unchallenged for the win. Todd Madsen made the most moves of anyone as he got up in the second lane and with a late charge, drove all the way from fourteenth to third as he finished behind Laakson. Scott Zitelman and Rick Ellis rounded out the top five.
Racing action continues next Saturday, June 24th , on Taylor’s ABC Seamless & WITC night at the track. Six classes of action will begin at 6:30 p.m
Rice Lake Soggy; Double Header Slated
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, June 24 – The skies opened up just as the majority of the race cars were in line to sign in at about 5:30 p.m., ending all chance of racing activity Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway on what was scheduled to be Taylor’s ABC Seamless & WITC night at the track.
While everyone was disappointed at the rainout, the focus is now on the upcoming holiday weekend which will bring some of the biggest racing events of the season.
On Saturday, July 1st , The annual Firecracker special will be held sponsored by South Lake Motors, White City Glass and TJ Trophies. All six classes will be in full racing action but the highlight of the evening is the spectacular fireworks display presented by Smith-Bisonette Inc. that has been a tradition at the speedway for many, many years. It is always one of the best displays around and typically draws a huge spectator crowd so race fans are advised to arrive early and pick out their seats.
A great racing tradition returns after several years of being off the schedule when the holiday weekend is capped by the return of the July 3rd special program of racing at the speedway. Monday, July 3rd, another full program of racing will be held to mark the holiday, an event that Rice Lake hosted for many years and has now returned to the racing schedule. The Monday program will be sponsored by County Market & Charter Communications and with few tracks racing on Monday, a huge field of cars is expected in all six classes. Drivers should note that in anticipation of many new, out of town drivers, the draw, redraw system will be in effect for that night only.
On both nights, the gates will open at 4 p.m., hot laps will be at 6 p.m. with racing to follow.
The Rice Lake Speedway is located one mile north of Rice Lake and the track phone number is 515-236-2002. For more information, check out the speedway website at : www.rlspeedway.com.
Mayala Masters Rice Lake Modifieds
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, July 1 – It was a night for the veteran drivers to shine Saturday at the Rice Lake Speedway as two of the drivers with the longest longevity streak in the state, Buddy Mayala and Butch Madsen, both came up winners in feature racing action. There were three other first time winners for the season in John Kaanta, Joel Hinrichs and Mark Thomas while Curt Myers was the only previous winner during the 2006 racing season.
Mayala and Madsen are both big sentimental favorites at the track, and the big holiday crowd gave them both a loud vote of approval when they reached victory lane.
Brandon Kallenbach started on the pole for the modified main event and he jumped into the early lead over Kevin Adams. The yellow flew for a first lap spin but after that the race went nonstop the remainder of the contest. Kallenbach was sharp in the early going as he put some distance on the field. Mayala started in row two and he was able to drive past Adams and close on Kallenbach while Ross Prochnow and A. J. Heuer also moved up.
Mayala pulled beside Kallenbach but Brandon wasn’t ready to turn over the point, and they raced side by side for three laps before Mayala was able to edge into the lead. As Mayala pulled to a slight lead, Heuer, Prochnow, Adams and Scott Duval all bunched up behind Kallenbach. Brandon fought hard but Heuer was finally able to get under him and take over second. The laps began to run down as Heuer began to reel in Mayala. With two to go, Heuer put a nose under Mayala but Buddy picked up the pace and pulled away on the last lap to win by two car lengths.
For Mayala, it was his first win at Rice Lake since June 28, 2003 and the twenty ninth of his storied modified career here. At seventy one years of age, Mayala may very well have become the oldest driver in track history to win a main event. Behind Heuer, Duval made a strong charge to move to third with Prochnow and Kallenbach rounding out the top five.
Madsen’s win in the street stock feature was just as popular with the spectators as the Rice Lake veteran is well known at tracks throughout the area. Although he is the current point leader at the speedway, he had yet to taste victory lane until tonight’s strong performance in the nonstop main event. Steve Golat started on the pole and took the early lead as Madsen was on the move after starting seventh on the grid. Golat continued to lead the early laps but he was soon challenged by Jimmy Randall and Shane Kisling.
Randall went to the high side and pulled up beside Golat while Kisling worked low. Suddenly, Madsen became a factor and there was a four car battle for the lead. As Randall edged past Golat, Madsen dove under Kisling and found himself in second and closing on Randall. Madsen continued his charge as he drove under Randall to take over the lead and he then extended his advantage as the laps ran down. He drove home with a comfortable advantage over Randall, Golat, Kisling and Chanda Fjorden-Nord. It was the twenty fourth feature win at Rice Lake in the streeters for Madsen.
Mark Thomas has been trying to win his first ever Midwest Modified main event at Rice Lake was awhile, and tonight the goal was achieved as he drove away from a strong field to take that initial win. He started on the outside pole and got the jump on Brad Hudson to take the early lead with Hudson and Brandon Bowe following. As Thomas continued to hold the top spot, Shane Halopka, Mark Hanson and Kevin Adams were on the move to the front. Two yellow flags in the early going kept the field bunched, but the last ten laps went under the green with Thomas pulling away from the field after the last restart.
Halopka was on the charge as he got past Hudson to take over second and set off after Thomas. Some of the best racing saw Adams and Hanson battle to get by Bowe who was having a strong run.
With the race staying under the green, Thomas continued to stretch his advantage despite Halopka’s best efforts as he drove home for the win. Adams finally got through as he moved to third at the checkered over Hudson and Hanson.
John Kaanta was struggled to reach victory lane so far with his late model but a strong effort tonight saw him drive away from the field for the win. Rick Hanestad was the early leader but Kaanta quickly moved up from the third row to challenge Rick for the lead. Kaanta’s car was sticking right in the middle of the track and he was able to drive past Hanestad and take over the lead.
Duane Mahder was also on the march as he started seventh and moved past Hanestad to take over second. The yellow flew at the midpoint when Kerry Hanson socked the turn one wall and under the green, Mahder tried to stay with Kaanta but John gradually drew away from the field.
Tony Bahr experimented and found a lane up the track that worked for him and he then moved forward smartly after starting tenth on the grid. In the late laps he drove around Jake Redetzke and then Paul Brust to finish third.
Curt Myers moved to the front in feature wins in the Super Stocks as he took his third win of the season after a tough early battle with Wayne Harris Jr. They battled from the start with Myers able to edge into the lead. Harris Jr. was right on his bumper and challenging until the lone yellow flew for a spin on lap six. Harris Jr. had motor problems just as the yellow waved and he was forced to call it a night.
Myers moved away on the green as Rick Ellis moved into second after starting ninth on the field as he got past Cory Karshbaum and Steve Thomas to take second. Scott Zitelman picked up the pace also as he moved up from the fourth row. He closed on Ellis in the late going but wasn’t quite able to get past Ellis who had his best finish of the year. Thomas settled for fourth ahead of Eric Olson.
Joel Hinrichs has been incredibly consistent so far this year with top five finishes in all nine nights of racing , but the point leader had yet to taste victory lane until he did so tonight. In order to do so, he had to charge from the fifth row as he was able to negotiate the heavy traffic.
Josh Bazey and Morgan Crotteau battled in the early going with Bazey eventually able to secure the top spot. After two early yellows for spins, the action went nonstop thereafter with Bazey continuing to fight off Crotteau as Hinrichs and Tony Luell charged up through the field. Hinrichs was able to get inside Bazey and take over the lead. Once in front, he was able to stretch his advantage to several car lengths over the field. Bazey continued his strong run as he finished a strong second over Crotteau, Luell and Darwin Brown who charged up from eighteenth to round out the top five.
Jake Redetzke Tops Rice Lake Late Models
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, July 3 – Rookie late model driver Jake Redetzke thrilled the audience Monday night at the Rice Lake Speedway as he swept past early leader Jeremy Hedrick and then held off a late charge from Tony Bahr to win his first late model feature race ever to top the holiday card. Other winners tonight included Cory Crapser, Mark Hanson, Todd Madsen and Paul Harelstad.
Hedrick held the pole position for the late model headliner and he eased past Mike Goodremote to take the early lead. Hedrick held the top spot for a few laps while Redetzke started to move up on the low side. He was finding great traction on the inside line and he swept under the rim riding Hedrick to take over the lead. Jeff Broking got turned around with five laps complete, triggering the first of several yellow flags that slowed the event and kept the field bunched.
Redetzke continued to lead with Hedrick still pressuring him until Goodremote and Bahr were able to move past him. Bahr would eventually move into second and close on Redetzke while John Kaanta was also on the move after starting tenth. Using both the outside and low lines, he swept past Rick Hanestad to move into the top five and continue to press the front.
Bahr continued to run a couple car lengths behind Redetzke but he wasn’t able to get any closer. The white flag was replaced quickly by the yellow when a car stalled on the back chute, setting up a two lap sprint to the finish. Redetzke didn’t falter as he got a nice jump on Bahr and held him off for the memorable win. Goodremote maintained third ahead of Kaanta and Hedrick at the finish.
The modified feature also had its share of yellow flag slowdowns, but between yellows there was an excellent battle up front. Scott Duval and Paul Harelstad shared the front row with the Bloomer Blackhawks battling early until Harelstad was able to use the outside to take the lead. Harelstad edged out by several car lengths on the field as the action heated up from second with Duval joined by Brent Prochnow in a battle for that position. In behind yellows , which slowed the field on several occasions, the battle for second was very intense with sheet metal and bumpers the order of the night.
Finally, Prochnow was able to pull past Duval and he quickly closed on Harelstad. They also traded some tin as the fight for the lead continued with them leaning on each other at several points.
With only a few laps left, they were battling very hard again with both going into turn three on the edge of control. Harelstad made it through but Prochnow went for a spin and he was relegated to the tail for the restart. The two lap sprint saw Harelstad continue to hold off Duval to take his second win of the year here. Tyler Hynnes had another good run as he finished third ahead of A.J. Heuer and Jason Schill.
Compared to most of the features, the Super Stocks put on a wonderfully smooth event. The race went nonstop for twenty laps, there was a great three car battle for the lead, a minimum of banging and only two cars failed to complete the distance with all finishers on the lead lap at the end.
Scott Zitelman, in quest of his first win, started on the pole and led the opening lap with Steve Hallquist running right beside him. Hallquist was able to edge into the lead but he was soon joined by Mike Keller in the battle. Zitelman bobbled in turn two, and the other two contenders were able to split him and move into first and second. Meanwhile, Todd Madsen was on the move after starting eighth and he quickly closed on the top two.
Keller ran the inside and Hallquist was up top and they circled the track side by side for several laps with Madsen right behind them looking for an opening.
Gradually Keller was able to edge away from Hallquist until he put a car length on Steve. This opened the door for Madsen, who had been waiting for an opening and he eased past Hallquist on the bottom and then moved back up the track. Todd then quickly closed up beside Keller as they battled for the lead. But Madsen’s car was working great in the second groove, and he edged past Keller and then started to drive away from him.
With the race staying under the green, Madsen continued to pull away and he recorded his second feature win of the year with a strong effort. Keller remained in second ahead of Hallquist and Zitelman with Eric Olson coming from deep in the field to round out the top five.
The Midwest Modifieds got off to a shaky start with a first lap tangle in turn three that eliminated Mickey Nosser. After that, they did a lot of clean racing with a great battle up front. Two rookies to the class, Tim Vought and Mark Turner battled for the lead in the early going. Vought led for several laps until Turner got under him in turn four to take over the point. Mark Hanson was running right with the leaders and looking for an opportunity while Kevin Adams was also charged along with Matt Leer and Zack Drews.
Turner continued to hold the lead with Hanson looking for an opening as Vought still hung around . Hanson moved to the second lane