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Pure Stock Special To Offer Big Money At ABC Saturday
by Nick Gima
Ashland, WI, July 15 -- Drivers in the most basic, grass-roots level of local
stock car racing will run for a purse that the “big boys” will envy
Saturday night when the ABC Raceway hosts its third-ever Pure Stock Special.
The event, which is unique in this region, will lure upwards of 40 of the
low-budget, entry-level racers to the track with the offer of a purse in
excess of $4,000. First place in the 20-lap A-main pays a whopping (for this
division) $500 minimum, and just to start the show will earn drivers $100 each
- the equivalent of a feature win here on any other night of the season.
And that purse is still growing. At press time area businesses were reportedly
still offering lap monies and other positional donations that could push the
winner’s share to over $600 and increase all the other starters’ earnings
as well.
Behind this one-of-a-kind event each year has been local pure stock driver and
car builder Bruce Kalmon. The Ashland native, who has built cars for several
area racers over the past few years, has gone literally door-to-door to fans,
drivers and supportive businesses from the Upper Peninsula to the Twin Ports,
collecting contributions both for the purse and for the fans.
As a result, the total payout has grown dramatically, while there will be
plenty of door prizes for the fans as well.
Assisting Kalmon in the project is his daughter Brittany, who is halfway into
her rookie season in the division in another car built by her dad.
Cory Casari is the two-time defending champion of the event, but he has been
concentrating on a quickly-growing career in the nationally-sanctioned WISSOTA
street stocks. This could leave the door open for several drivers to claim the
coveted winner’s trophy, including current ABC points leader Tom Morinville,
top Proctor and Superior Speedway points racer Rick Kesty, and other area
frontrunners like Ricky Davis, Al Rapp and Glenn Dammer, as well as potential
visitors like Mike Knudtson, who leads the standings at Menomonie, and Robert
Kaufman, the top man in points at Rice Lake.
Donations to the purse will be accepted right up until race time, and can be
general or specific, such as for lap leaders or finishing positions. All pure
stock entries must meet the Ashland track’s rules for the division, which
can be found on the web at www.abcraceway.com.
More information is available by calling Bruce Kalmon at (715) 682-2631.
The other four regular-running divisions at the track will also be in action
Saturday night. In the WISSOTA modifieds Jeff Spacek comes off his third
feature win of the season, while Al Uotinen’s slim points lead over Dean
Yrjanainen is just seven marks.
In the WISSOTA super stock ranks Randy Silverness, Jr., collected his
first-ever feature win of his career at Ashland, and he will try for his
second while chasing down Scott Lawrence in the standings. Lawrence’s lead
over new second-place man Ron Hmielewski is 35 points.
Steve Anderson has retaken the points lead in the WISSOTA street stock class -
albeit by just four over Butch Kummer - but all eyes last weekend were on Greg
Kuklinski, who collected his track-record 78th career feature win and third of
the season.
Scott Ovaska continues to lead the six-cylinder standings, extending his lead
over Scott Stuart to nine, while Greg Jaeger earned his second division
main-event win of the year last Saturday.
Morinville strengthened his pure stock points lead over Davis to 11 by
finishing second to rookie George Dalbeck, who won his first-ever feature here
last weekend.
Action at the 3/8th-mile red clay oval will start with hot laps at 6:15 pm,
while the first green flag of the evening will fly 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. “Racenight Live” will air Saturday on WJJH, 96.7 &
102.3 FM, with up-to-date track news and weather information. For raceday
information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, .
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