Menomonie WI, May 20 – Ashley Anderson made a high side charge from the forth row to drive by the leaders in the late going and win his first Late Model feature of the season at the Red Cedar Speedway in Friday night racing action. Matt Leer became the first repeat winner as he took the honors in the Midwest Modifieds while other winners tonight included Mike Anderson, Ben Hillman, Jason Havel and Ernie Schultz.
Eighteen cars took the green flag for the Late Model headliner with front row starters Chris Oertel and Cory Mahder battling for the front spot initially. Rookie Late Model driver Scott Duval quickly moved in to challenge along with Scott Gilberts and Jake Hartung. Mahder secured the top spot but when he jumped the cushion in turn two, Duval was right there to take over the lead.
Duval was riding the high side himself as Gilberts moved low and took over second and then began to close on the leader. Meanwhile Anderson was slowly working himself into position as he continued to climb toward the front of the pack. Duval continued to show the way, as Gilberts continued to press on the low side but Duval was smooth on the cushion and continued to fight off every charge that Gilberts could muster.
As the laps ran down, Duval continued to show the lead and it appeared an upset was in the making. However, with just a few laps left, Duval jumped the cushion in turn four and Gilberts was able to drive under him for the lead. When Duval got over the cushion again in turn one, Anderson was there to take over second.
Gilberts had built up a few car lengths advantage but Anderson, flying on the high side quickly reeled in the leader and blew by him on the front chute to take over the top spot.
With only three laps remaining, Rick Hanestad rolled to a halt on the back chute, triggering the only yellow flag of the event. On the green, Anderson powered away from Gilberts and the field as Chad Mahder got a good restart and gained two spots up to third where he finished ahead of Duval and Hartung.
A late race pass in the Modified feature after the race long leader jumped the cushion in the same spot as had happened in the Late Models made that race strangely similar to the Late Model finale. In this case it was Steve Hallquist who led the majority of the event until bad luck caught up with him.
Unlike the other main events Friday, the Modifieds had a tough time getting their finale going with three yellow flags in the first three laps. Once they settled down, Hallquist beat rookie Jesse Glenz to the cushion and took off from the field. Mike Anderson worked into second and repeatedly tried to work the low side to get by Hallquist, but his efforts were unsuccessful. Another rookie, Mark Gerth , was holding off the challenges of Craig Thatcher for third.
Anderson continued to pressure the bottom lane, but Hallquist remained smooth on the top and maintained the lead. That is, until there were only three laps remaining when Steve got too high in tricky turn four and jumped the berm, with Anderson buzzing past him on the bottom to take over the lead. Steve tried to fight back, but when he got too high again he gave up a couple more spots.
Anderson held off the pressure of the rookie Gerth the rest of the way for the win, with Thatcher, Hallquist and Brandon Jensen trailing.
Aaron Wilson took the early lead in the nonstop Super Stock finale, but when he gave up the top side to Ben Hillman, Ben blasted past him to take over the lead. As Hillman stretched his advantage, there was a big battle for second with Mike Keller, Jason Forehand, Dan Gullikson and Steve Thomas all fighting for position. Gullikson was finally able to drive around Forehand and secure the runner up slot and he then proceeded to chase Hillman.
For awhile Gullikson was able to cut into Hillman’s lead and he made a couple of attempts to drive under Hillman, but eventually Hillman picked up the pace and opened up more of a lead. In the closing laps he drove home unchallenged to take the win, with Gullikson, Forehand, Thomas and Keller completing the top five.
Leer made a late race pass to take his second straight Midwest Modified feature win to highlight what was a very good open wheel race. Rich Lofthus got the early jump on Travis Anderson to take the lead but he was soon joined in a battle for the top spot by fellow Bloomer resident Nick Koehler. After a brief battle, Koehler was able to drive around Lofthus and take over the point.
Meanwhile, Leer was working his way up from the forth row but the focus was farther back in the field where Shane Halopka and Cory Crapser were both making dramatic runs through the field as they worked their way into contention.
The race remained under the green with Koehler continuing to lead but Leer was closing in as the laps ran down. Crapser and Halopka continued to roar to the front with both moving into the top five.
Just a couple laps remained in the event when Leer discovered that he could get a great run off the low side in turn two. After closing to the bumper of Koehler, he tried that move with success with two laps to go and shot into the lead. Leer stretched his margin on the final two rounds to take the win over Koehler. Crapser charged from sixteenth to third and was closing at the end. Halopka came from tenth to forth with Lofthus completing the top five.
Scottie Schoettle took the early lead in the Pure Stock feature, only to spin in front of the entire pack in turn two. Disaster was avoiding when everyone missed him and the race stayed under the green flag. Jason Havel found room on the low side of the track and then shot into the lead.
Once in front, he pulled away from the pack in his flamin’ five, and the battle was for the second position. Havel drove home an easy winner with Jeremy Dahl fighting off the field to take second ahead of Chaz Ducommun, Mike Schnider and Nick Traynor.
The Hornets made their first ever appearance at the Red Cedar Speedway and it was Ernie Schultz that put his name in the record books. He started on the pole and drove away from the field, winning by nearly a straightaway over a closely bunched pack behind him. Brad Edington, Rocky Kempe, Chad Edington and Ron Jablonske completed the top five.
A good field of over one hundred cars signed in to race tonight and the Red Cedar Speedway track officials beat the weather, completing the nineteen race program in two and a half hours.
Next Friday night Clear Channel Radio will sponsor the Relay at the Races night with many activities associated with the Relay for Cancer ongoing. Race time is 7 p.m. and all five classes that normally compete will be in action.
SUMMARY
Red Cedar Speedway
Menomonie WI
May 20, 2011
WISSOTA Late Models
20 lap Feature – Ashley Anderson, Elk Mound; Scott Gilberts, Menomonie; Chad Mahder, Eau Claire; Scott Duval, Bloomer; Jake Hartung, Elmwood; Cory Mahder, Elk Mound; Mike Prochnow, Menomonie; John Kaanta, Elk Mound; Jake Redetzke, Eau Claire; Kerry Hanson, Baldwin; Chris Oertel, Marshfield; Lance Matthees, Winona MN; Doug Herrick, West Concord MN; Kerry Hansen, Spencer; Greg Nippoldt, Roberts; Rick Hanestad, Boyceville; Chris Gilbertson, Trempealeau; Don Schaefer, Dover MN
8 lap Heat 1 – Duval; Oertel; Co. Mahder; Hartung; Prochnow; Hansen; Hanestad; Redetzke; Herrick
Heat 2 – Ch. Mahder; Matthees; Gilberts; Anderson; Hanson; Kaanta; Nippoldt; Gilbertson; Schaefer
WISSOTA Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Mike Anderson, Colfax; Mark Gerth, Menomonie; Craig Thatcher, Knapp; Steve Hallquist, Eau Claire; Brandon Jensen, Hammond; Dave Cain, Corcoran MN; Jay Richardson, Spring Valley; Jason Swan, Chippewa Falls; Jesse Glenz, Cadott; Brent Larson, Lake Elmo MN; Mark Hanson, Chippewa Falls; Cory Williams, Spring Valley; Mark Hessler, Menomonie; Robbie Johnson, Wilson; Kevin Adams, Cameron; Don Brightbill, Hudson; Robby Bunkelman, Abbotsford
8 lap Heat 1 – Thatcher; Anderson; Glenz; Richardson; Cain; Hanson; Johnson
Heat 2 – Adams; Larson; Hallquist; Swan; Brightbill; Bryan Nayes
Heat 3 – Jensen; Brent Prochnow; Gerth; Hessler; Bunkelman; Williams
WISSOTA Super Stocks
15 lap Feature – Ben Hillman, Menomonie; Dan Gullikson, Stacy MN; Jason Forehand, Eau Claire; Steve Thomas, Menomonie; Mike Keller, Menomonie; Cory Davis, Turtle Lake; Aaron Wilson, Menomonie; Tommy Richards, Mondovi; Tom Karis, Menomonie; Luke Plank, Eau Claire; Bart Steffen, Eau Claire; Gary Wiersgalla, Fountain City; Jim Harris, Menomonie; Jay Quilling, Menomonie; Bernie Christiansen, Menomonie; Rick Hallquist, Eau Claire
8 lap Heat 1 – Hillman; Forehand; Thomas; Keller; Plank; Steffen; Hallquist; Brad Johnson; Christiansen
Heat 2 – Wilson; Gullikson; Harris; Davis; Wiersgalla; Richards; Karis; Quilling
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Matt Leer, Bruce; Nick Koehler, Bloomer; Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls; Shane Halopka, Greenwood; Rich Lofthus, Bloomer; Travis Anderson, Colfax; Clark Swartz, Bloomer; Dan Wheeler, Columbia Heights MN; Justin Oestreich, Elk River MN; Bryce Johnson, Barron; Jordan Hessler, Elk Mound; Justin Supri, Eau Claire; Kevin Smeltzer, Menomonie; A.J. Roschen, Hudson; Jake Smeltzer, Menomonie; Dan Svee, Colfax; Nate Spence, Spring Valley; Zach Manley, Cameron; Kerry Halopka, Wheeler; Mark Thomas, Menomonie
8 lap B Feature – Crapser; Roschen; Hessler; N. Spence; K. Halopka; Scott Guthrie; Brad Spence; Dusty Brown; Ben Schultz
8 lap Heat 1 – Koehler; Lofthus; Leer; S. Halopka; K. Smeltzer; N. Spence; Hessler; B. Spence
Heat 2 – Anderson; Johnson; J. Smeltzer; Svea; Oestreich; Roschen; Guthrie
Heat 3 – Wheeler; Supri; Swartz; Thomas; Manley; K. Halopka; Brown; Schultz
Pure Stocks
10 lap Feature – Jason Havel, Rice Lake; Jeremy Dahl, Knapp; Chaz Ducommun, Chetek; Mike Schnider, Rice Lake; Nick Traynor, Barron ;Gunnar Watkins, Elk Mound; Scottie Schoettle, Osseo; Jason Supri, Chippewa Falls; Jason Stevens, Menomonie; Jesse Bryan, Menomonie; Donovan Gregory, Baldwin; Colt Hartwish, Chippewa Falls; Randy Burton, Menomonie; Bill Skoug, Osseo; Kory Hathaway, Elmwood; Brandon Davis, Chetek
6 lap Heat 1 – Watkins; Dahl; Havel; Skoug; Hathaway; Supri; Gregory
Heat 2 – Schoettle; Traynor; Burton; Ducommun; Schnider; Davis; Bryan; Hartwish
Hornets
10 lap Feature – Ernie Schultz, Downing; Brad Edington, Elk Mound; Rocky Kempe, Chippewa Falls; Chad Edington, Elk Mound; Ron Jablonske, Hager City; Jeff Quinn, Glenwood City; Bonnie Jablonske, Hager City; Jake Cormican, Glenwood City; Josh Fransway, Elk Mound; Dave Clausen, Mondovi; Derek Knutson, Chippewa Falls; Brendan Uetz, Menomonie