Menomonie WI, May 25 – Mike Prochnow recovered from a less than scintillating heat race performance to blitz his Late Model competitors and take the main event in racing action Friday night at the Red Cedar Speedway. Other winners on Friday night included Kevin Adams, Ben Hillman, Cory Crapser, Cody Kummer and Dustin Doughty. There were no new winners Friday night as the dominant players in each division are starting to emerge with four drivers winning their second Red Cedar features of the season while two are now three time winners.
Prochnow started on the pole of his heat race but faded badly, dropping all the way to fourth at the finish so the team set about making some changes for the main event. They definitely made their car faster as Mike came charging up from the third row to eventually take the win. Rick Hanestad was the early leader and fought off some early pressure from Brent Larson to maintain the lead. As Hanestad controlled the front spot, Prochnow made his run to the front, getting past Steve Isenberg and then sliding past Larson for second.
He closed on Hanestad and drove under him down the back chute, taking over the top spot. Mike then put distance on the field as the battle then shifted to the second spot where Jake Redetzke had raced his way through traffic from the seventh starting spot and closed on Hanestad. However, Rick held him off in the closing laps to get his best finish of the year as Prochnow raced home for his second win at Red Cedar. Redetzke settled for third ahead of Isenberg and Cory Mahder in the nonstop Late Model main event.
Adams used a dominating performance to win his second Modified feature of the year at Red Cedar. He started in the second row and quickly moved past Keith Tourville into second where he then challenged Mark Hanson for the lead. Adams was able to get to the low side of Hanson and sling past him into the lead. Once in front, Adams started to put distance on the field while the battle for second intensified as Jesse Glenz raced Hanson hard for the spot while Craig Thatcher started to move up from the fourth row and fought Rich Lofthus for position.
The yellow waved with six laps complete for a spin, bunching the field. Bad luck hit Hanson on the green as he jumped the cushion and impacted the first turn wall hard, slowing his efforts and eventually ending his night. Thatcher continued his charge and he moved into third and pressured Glenz for the position. Craig nearly pulled off the pass but Glenz fought back hard and retained the spot. The rest of the race remained under green and Adams gradually extended his lead while Glenz fought off Thatcher and then solidified the position. Lofthus hung tough as he finished fourth ahead of Cory Williams.
Steve Thomas looked to claim his first Super Stock feature win of the year as he took the early lead with Tom Karis and Mike Keller challenging. Hillman started in the third row and wasted little time charging to the front as he successfully worked the low side and was able to drive under Karis to take over second. Also on the move was Aaron Wilson as he passed cars and moved into a challenging position.
Hillman continued to press the issue and he raced to the inside of Thomas to take over the top spot. Hillman then checked out on the field, building a comfortable lead until a late yellow bunched the field. Ben again pulled away on the restart and had a comfortable margin at the finish. Hillman’s win was his third here, tying him for the top winner so far this year at the speedway. Thomas finished a strong second and Wilson raced past Karis in the late going for third with Shawn Huse completing the top five.
Hillman is tied for the track lead in wins with Crapser, who used a late yellow flag to charge up from third and steal the win in the Midwest Modifieds. Clark Swartz had led the entire contest and was only five laps away from win number one when the yellow waved after Justin Supri got into the wall on the front chute. Swartz had fought off race long challenges from Travis Anderson while the brothers Halopka battled behind them. Crapser started ninth on the grid, moved up to fifth and then seemed stuck there. However, he continued to work the track and found a burst of speed that carried him up to third just before the yellow waved.
Swartz brought the field down slow for the lap eleven restart and Crapser took advantage, charging to the cushion from the second row and powering past both Anderson and Swartz as they raced off corner two. Once in front, Crapser immediately stretched his advantage while there was much shuffling behind him. Shane Halopka also took advantage of the late yellow, moving from fourth into second while Anderson moved up to third and Swartz slumped to fourth at the finish. Nick Koehler came on late to secure a top five finish too.
Kummer took his second Street Stock feature race of the year, quickly moving from the second row to duck under both Mike Knudtson and Sam Fankhauser on the opening lap and take the lead. Fankhauser lost his nose piece which triggered an early yellow flag and then Fankhauser and Knudtson got together on the green which triggered another yellow.
Kummer continued to hold the lead as racing continued with Adam Soltis moving past Knudtson for second. Keith Tourville was having a good run until he slowed with problems, triggering yet another slow down.
Kummer continued to lead on the green with Knudtson retaking second from Soltis as Doug Wojcik also moved into contention. As the race continued, Knudtson started to move in and he provided a late challenge to Kummer, but Cody hung on for the win with Knudtson and Soltis close behind. Jared Lindner was able to complete the top five.
Doughty took his second straight Pure Stock main, leading from start to finish in the nonstop main event. Doughty was pressured early by Randy Burton and just as it looked like Burton might drive by on the high side for the lead, he slowed with mechanical issues and pulled into the pits.
Doughty then had to fight off the challenges of Jesse Bryan but he managed to hold the groove and keep Bryan behind him for the duration of the event, taking the win. Jeremy Dahl finished in the third spot and was trailed by Scottie Schoettle and Bill Skoug.
Next Friday the Hornets return for their second appearance of 2012 and the seven class program will commence at 7 p.m.
SUMMARY
Red Cedar Speedway
Menomonie, WI
May 25, 2012
WISSOTA Late Models
20 lap Feature – Mike Prochnow(Menomonie), Rick Hanestad(Boyceville), Jake Redetzke(Eau Claire), Steve Isenberg(Marshfield), Cory Mahder(Elk Mound), Brent Larson(Lake Elmo MN), John Kaanta(Elk Mound), Scott Gilberts(Menomonie), Kerry Hanson(Baldwin), Greg Nippoldt(Roberts), Keith Tourville
8 lap Heat 1 – Kaanta, Redetzke, Co. Mahder, Prochnow, Nippoldt, Chad Mahder
Heat 2 – Isenberg, Hanestad, Gilberts, Larson, Hanson, Tourville
WISSOTA Modifieds
18 lap Feature – Kevin Adams(Cameron), Jesse Glenz(Cadott), Craig Thatcher(Knapp), Rich Lofthus(Bloomer), Cory Williams(Spring Valley), Ross Prochnow(Boyceville), Mark Gerth(Menomonie), Brent Prochnow(Colfax), Keith Tourville(Dairyland), Dave Baxter(Eau Claire), Jake Hartung, Jerry Weigel, Larry Prochnow, Jay Richardson, Brandon Jensen, Mark Hanson, Robbie Johnson, Robbie Bunkelman, Mark Hessler, Matt Leer, Mike Anderson
8 lap Heat 1 – R. Prochnow, Anderson(Colfax), Glenz, Weigel(Jim Falls), B. Prochnow, Hessler, L. Prochnow, Hartung
Heat 2 – Adams, Lofthus, Tourville, Thatcher, Steve Hallquist(Eau Claire), Gerth, Baxter
Heat 3 – Williams, Bunkelman(Abbotsford), Hanson(Chippewa Falls), Jensen(Hammond), Richardson(Spring Valley), Johnson, Leer
WISSOTA Super Stocks
18 lap Feature – Ben Hillman(Menomonie), Steve Thomas(Menomonie), Aaron Wilson(Menomonie), Tom Karis(Menomonie), Shawn Huse(Bloomer), Luke Plank(Eau Claire), Brad Johnson(Wilson), Tony Falkner(Menomonie), Brad Edington(Elk Mound), Mike Keller(Menomonie), Gunnar Watkins, Jason Forehand
8 lap Heat 1 – Wilson, Forehand(Eau Claire), Edington, Karis, Huse, Watkins, Rick Hallquist, Johnson
Heat 2 – Keller, Hillman, Jesse Redetzke(Eau Claire), Thomas, Falkner, Plank
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Cory Crapser(Chippewa Falls), Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Clark Swartz(Bloomer), Nick Koehler(Bloomer), Kerry Halopka(Wheeler), Jake Smith(Eau Claire), Kevin Smeltzer(Menomonie), Mitch Anderson(Spring Valley), Jake Smeltzer(Menomonie), Ross Fuhrman, Travis Schilling, Josh Smith, Shawn Wihren, Brad Spence, James Green, Justin Supri, Levi Alton, Dusty Brown
8 lap Heat 1 – Crapser, Swartz, K. Halopka, Supri(Eau Claire), Spence(Spring Valley), Green, Grant Southworth
Heat 2 – Koehler, T. Anderson, Ja. Smith, K. Smeltzer, J. Smeltzer, Wihren, Alton
Heat 3 – S. Halopka, Jo. Smith(Eau Claire), Brown(Rice Lake), M. Anderson, Fuhrman(Ashland), Schilling, Chris Huther
WISSOTA Street Stocks
15 lap Feature – Cody Kummer(Medford), Mike Knudtson(Osseo), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Doug Wojcik(Ladysmith), Jared Lindner(Greenwood), Ron Hanestad(Glenwood City), Gary Kasperek(Tigerton), Troy Fransway(Eau Claire), Ashley Husby(Menomonie), Mitch Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), Josh Wahlstrom, Keith Tourville, Sam Fankhauser
8 lap Heat 1 – Kummer, Tourville(Dairyland), Hanestad, Wojcik, Husby, Wahlstrom, Fransway
Heat 2 – Fankhauser(Chetek), Soltis, Kasperek, Knudtson, Lindner, Kesan
Pure Stocks
10 lap Feature – Dustin Doughty(Ladysmith), Jesse Bryan(Menomonie), Jeremy Dahl(Knapp), Scottie Schoettle(Osseo), Bill Skoug(Osseo), Krysta Swearingen(Little Canada MN), Kolby Kiehl(Cameron), Colt Hartwich(Chippewa Falls), Randy Burton(Menomonie)
8 lap Heat – Dahl, Bryan, Doughty, Burton, Schoettle, Kiehl, Skoug, Hartwich, Swearingen