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ABC Opens '06 With Three First-Time Winners
by Nick Gima
Ashland, WI, May 20 -- Canadian driver Jeff Lindsey and long-haulers Steve
Tesch of Prentice and Ricky Davis of Bruno, MN, captured their first-ever ABC
Raceway feature wins during the track's Budweiser season opener Saturday. Dean
Yrjanainen and Steve Anderson were also victorious, as 99 cars registered for
action on a cool but clear evening presented by Oneida Sales & Service of
Rhinelander.
Lindsey, of Thunder Bay, ON, started outside on the front row and fought off
steady challenges throughout the WISSOTA super stock 20-lapper for his first
ABC A-main win. Defending track champ Scott Lawrence spun in front of most of
the field in turn 3 on the opening lap, and on the restart Lindsey drew away
before being chased down by Paul Erikson and Randy Spacek.
A Brian Mikkonen spin forced another restart, during which Spacek used a slick
inside move to capture second just before another three-car mess brought out
another caution flag on lap 9. From that point on Lindsey held off Spacek's
threats, as well as those from Greg Kuklinski. In fact, Spacek's last strong
inside run with four laps left drew him even with Lindsey, but the Canadian
beat the 1993 champ into turn 3 and kept him at bay from there.
Kuklinski came home a strong third, followed at length by Erikson and
tenth-starting Randy Silverness, Jr.
Tesch's win in the six-cylinder feature was a thriller, as he had to start
seventh on the 21-car grid and chase down race-long leader Shawn McFadden,
Jr., with the benefit of only two caution flags. Polesitter Greg Jaeger shot
up the track in front of the field on the opening corner of the 15-lapper,
causing several cars to spin and stall, and on the restart McFadden won the
drag race with Scott Ovaska to the lead. After Mike McKay lost a tire while
running midpack on lap 4, the lead duo pulled away while Tesch methodically
climbed his way through the field, eventually slipping inside on Nick
Oreskovich and Chris Lustig to take third by midrace.
With six laps left Tesch had caught Ovaska and took second with an inside
move, and with two laps remaining he used a similar move on McFadden in
traffic, just before Bob Holly's car stalled in turn 3. From there Tesch led
McFadden, while Ovaska held off a charging Steve Stuart for third. Pat Cook
claimed a solid fifth, just ahead of defending champ Chuck Hawkinson.
The 12-lap pure stock feature nearly ran green-to-checkered, but rookie
Brittany Kalmon, in her first feature race, rolled her car in turn 4 on lap 10
after losing a tire. Davis and Chad Carlson started together on the front row
and raced side-by-side for better than half the event before Davis pulled away
in lapped traffic.
Davis, who finished a career-best third in points here last year, held the
point over the final two laps after the restart, while Carlson, Tom Morinville,
rookie Derek Milligan and Marty Passuello followed.
In the WISSOTA modified A-main, four-time track champ Yrjanainen started on
the pole alongside two-time defending and three-time champ Al Uotinen, and
after each of three early restarts Uotinen led Yrjanainen as the two drew away
to decide the win. But after challenging for four laps, Yrjanainen moved
inside on Uotinen to take the lead on lap 9 and used his mastery of the
dry-slick track conditions to pull steadily away to a surprisingly easy win,
the 61st of his career at Ashland.
Uotinen also held a strong margin over Rick Rivord, who ran an impressive
third throughout, while Canadian visitor Kevin Monteith led a wild scramble
for fourth. Jerry Hartman crossed the finish line fifth but was later
disqualified for his car weighing light at the scales, so the position was
awarded to sixth-finishing Jeff Lien.
Anderson's win in the WISSOTA street stock main was his eighth at ABC and
capped off a sweep for the Ironwood, MI, veteran. Anderson beat impressive
rookie Mike Truscott to turn 1 of the 15-lap feature and led every lap,
although he had to fight off a determined challege from Roger Walker at
midrace.
After a lap 10 Rob Weber spin Anderson sprinted to the finish, with Walker in
tow. Kuklinski, doing double-duty in 2006, charged to a third-place finish,
followed by Truscott and fellow rookie Kevin Eder.
The 40th season of stock car racing action at the 3/8th-mile red clay oval
continues on Saturday, May 27. Hot laps will begin at 6:15 pm and the first
green flag of the season will drop at 7. The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2
miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth
Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track's
website, . "Racenight Live" will air Saturday on
WJJH, 96.7 & 102.3 FM, with up-to-date track news and weather information.
Results
WISSOTA Modifieds
Heat 1: Dean Yrjanainen, Lake Nebagamon; Rick Rivord, Superior; Scott Hudack,
Ashland.
Heat 2: Al Uotinen, Superior; Dennis Checkalski, South Range; Jeff Lien,
Zimmerman, MN.
Heat 3: Bill Byholm, Glidden; Kevin Monteith, Thunder Bay, ON; Kent Baxter,
Dorchester.
Feature: Yrjanainen; Uotinen; Rivord; Monteith; Lien; Byholm; Rick Przybylski,
Ashland; Baxter; Checkalski; Hudack.
WISSOTA Super Stocks
Heat 1: Paul Erikson, Abbotsford; Randy Spacek, Phillips; Joe Oliver,
Superior.
Heat 2: Jeff Lindsey, Thunder Bay, ON; Larry Haderly, Marengo; Todd Bonney,
Bayfield.
Heat 3: Greg Kuklinski, Ironwood, MI; Scott Lawrence, Superior; Ken Truscott,
Greenland, MI.
Semi-Feature: Brian Mikkonen, Iron River; Peter Jokinen, Mellen; Bryan Lund,
Ashland.
Feature: Lindsey; Spacek; Kuklinski; Erikson; Randy Silverness, Jr., Superior;
Mikkonen; Rob Erickson, Ashland; Truscott; Haderly; Ron Hmielewski, Washburn.
WISSOTA Street Stocks
Heat 1: Mike Truscott, Greenland, MI; Butch Kummer, Medford; Roger Walker,
Phillips.
Heat 2: Steve Anderson, Ironwood, MI; Tim Baum, Superior; Cory Casari, Hurley.
Feature: Anderson; Walker; Greg Kuklinski, Ironwood, MI; Truscott; Kevin Eder,
Ashland; Baum; Dennis Groom, Ashland; Kummer; Pete Paulus, Phillips; Bill
Muhlig, Ironwood, MI.
Six-Cylinders
Heat 1: Greg Jaeger, Mellen; Scott Ovaska, Marengo; Nick Oreskovich, Mason.
Heat 2: Shawn McFadden, Jr., Ashland; Chris Lustig, Ashland; Pat Cook,
Washburn.
Feature: Steve Tesch, Prentice;
McFadden; Ovaska; Steve Stuart, Ashland; Cook; Chuck Hawkinson, Mellen;
Jaeger; Ron Swanson, Ashland; Lustig; Adam Jack, Washburn.
Pure Stocks
Heat 1: Chad Carlson, Superior; Tom Morinville, Duluth, MN; Don Bush,
Washburn.
Heat 2: Ricky Davis, Bruno, MN; Nathan Dees, Ironwood, MI; George Dalbeck,
Wakefield, MI.
Feature: Davis; Carlson; Morinville; Derek Milligan, Ashland; Marty Passuello,
Ironwood, MI; Dalbeck; Bush; Bob Hagstrom, Ashland; Roland Gordon, Bayfield;
Britany Kalmon, Ashland.
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