|
Eilen Wins ASA Midwest Tour Inaugural Event Elko 125
ELKO, MN (April 28, 2007) – Jonathan Eilen won the inaugural event for the American Speed
Association Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by Echo Outdoor Power Equipment on
the high banks of Minnesota’s Elko Speedway Saturday.
Fifty-one of the
nation’s top Super Late Model drivers turned out to put on an amazing show in
the Elko 125 for a full-house crowd in ideal weather. The feature field started
28 cars. Sponsors Echo, Kwik Trip, Heat N Glo, and Scag Power Equipment greeted
fans with displays in the pedestrian mall inside Speedway grounds with free
product samples and actual power tools for people to handle and learn about. The
full-house crowd and packed pit area further demonstrate the ASA Midwest Tour is
going to be a hit this season and beyond.
The top sixteen in qualifying
were locked into the show, and the top fourteen were inverted based on a dice
roll plus eight. The inversion put Jamie Iverson and Brandon Hill on the front
row and fast time “Blow Your Competition Away” award winner hometown hero Dan
Fredrickson in the outside of the seventh row.
Hill took the early lead
officially on lap three after a side-by-side battle with row mate Iverson. Jason
Schneider then passed Hill on the outside on the seventh lap for the top spot,
but only held it for six laps until Haseleu took command.
The first
caution of the Elko 125 wasn’t until lap 29 when Jacob Goede spun solo in turn
two. At the restart it was Haseleu at the point, Schneider in second, and
Jonathan Eilen in the third spot. Haseleu was able to open his lead by working
lapped traffic until the second caution came on lap 52 when Darrin Gilles and
Bradley “JJ” Mueller made contact in turn two. At the restart Eilen made the
charge on the inside of Schneider to take over second place just before the lap
75 mandatory pit stop.
The running order at the break (30 minutes into
the fast-paced event) was Haseleu, Eilen, Schneider, Donny Reuvers, Hill, Dean
Cornelius, Dave Feiler, Kenny Richards, Josh Vadnais, and Iverson in the top
ten; followed by Steve Anderson, Kevin Cywinski (up from the 28th starting
spot), Goede, Jake Ryan, Brian Johnson Jr., Travis Sauter, Steve Carlson, Adam
Royle, Gilles, and Mueller closing out the top twenty.
Eilen was hungry
for victory upon restarting the race and was tight on Haseleu’s tail for several
laps with Reuvers right behind, waiting for the slightest mistake to make his
move to the front. The caliber of racing and number of side-by-side clean laps
through the field illustrated that these 28 cars really are the best of the best
in the Midwest.
Haseleu surrendered the lead to Eilen on lap 114 when the
ignition wire burned on his car and he quickly dove to the infield, ten laps shy
of the victory. Eilen took the checkered flag in what he cited as the greatest
win of his career, followed by Reuvers a mere 0.203 seconds behind, Dean
Cornelius in third, Schneider in fourth, and Dave Feiler crossing the line
fifth.
“The inaugural event was a great success. It was very well
organized and the competitors were professional throughout. This was a great
showcase for what American Speed Association racing is all about and I couldn’t
be more pleased with what I saw tonight – the Midwest Tour has a bright future
ahead after this historical night,” said Dennis Huth, president of ASA
Racing.
All of the Kwik Trip Touring Stars qualified into the Elko 125
field by time or transfer. Touring Stars include Dan Fredrickson (Elko, MN),
Josh Vadnais (White Bear Lake, MN), Donny Reuvers (Dundas, MN), Adam Royle
(Farmington, MN), Kenny Richards (Montello, WI), Nathan Haseleu (Pardeeville,
WI), Rod Wheeler (Appleton, WI), Brad “JJ” Mueller (Random Lake, WI), Dave
Feiler (Sun Prairie, WI), Steve Carlson (West Salem, WI), Travis Sauter
(Necedah, WI), and Jamie Iverson (Escanaba, MI).
Local heroes Kevin
Cywinski and Joey Miller also registered for the Elko 125 and both were forced
to compete in Last Chance races. Cywinski has won three American Speed
Association National Tour championships and competed at the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck and Busch Series levels. He is the Team Director of Country Joe Racing
located just south of Lakeville, Minnesota. Miller is a full-time competitor on
the ARCA RE/MAX Challenge Series circuit and also has NASCAR
experience.
Drivers traveled from all over the country to compete in this
great spectacle of auto racing. Wade Lynn made the haul from Florida, Bruce
Yackey, Darrin Bucklen, and Dan Savage all came up from Colorado, and open-wheel
sensation Michael Pickens relocated to the Midwest for the summer months from
New Zealand to participate in the Tour.
Elko 125 Results: (1-10) Jonathan
Eilen, Hampton MN; Donny Reuvers, Dundas MN; Dean Cornelius, Chaska MN; Jason
Schneider, New Market MN; Dave Feiler, Sun Prairie WI; Kenny Richards, Montello
WI; Brandon Hill, Lake Geneva WI; Jacob Goede, New Germany MN; Josh Vadnais,
White Bear Lake MN; Jamie Iverson, Escanaba MI (11-20) Steve Anderson, Lakeville
MN; Kevin Cywinski, Lakeville MN; Adam Royle, Farmington MN; Bradley “JJ”
Mueller, Random Lake WI; Darrin Giles, New Market MN; Travis Sauter, Necedah WI;
Steve Carlson, West Salem WI; Brian Johnson Jr., Roscoe IL; Rod Wheeler,
Hortonville WI; Jake Ryan, Farmington WI (20-28) Nathan Haseleu, Pardeeville WI;
Bryan Roach, Goodhue MN; Nick Murgic, Rosemount MN; Dan Lensing, Roscoe IL; Dan
Fredrickson, Elko MN; Benny VanCleve, Prior Lake MN; Joey Miller, Lakeville MN;
Kris Kelly, Norway MI.
Fast Qualifier: Dan Fredrickson, Elko MN 13.660
seconds
Odd Dash Winner: Bryan Roach, Goodhue MN
Even Dash Winner: Dave
Feiler, Sun Prairie WI
Qual. 1 Transfers: Steve Anderson, Lakeville MN and
Bradley "JJ" Mueller, Random Lake WI
Qual. 2 Transfers: Rod Wheeler,
Hortonville WI and Steve Carlson, West Salem WI
Qual. 3 Transfers: Kris
Kelly, Norway MI and Adam Royle, Farmington MN
Last Chance 1 Transfer: Joey
Miller, Lakeville MN
Last Chance 2 Transfer: Dan Lensing, Roscoe
IL
Minnesota’s Elko Speedway is a high-banked, 3/8-mile; paved oval track
located ten minutes south of Burnsville on I-35, Exit 76. The track allows for
two- and three-wide racing. The pit area is completely paved and offers paved
areas for the cars. The track is well lighted with lights around the entire
track. With its rich 40-year racing history, Elko Speedway is the premier racing
facility in the area.
Elko Speedway’s hospitality program can accommodate
groups of 50-1200 with packages including gourmet meals, special seating
area/pavilion usage, pace car rides, driver autographs, commemorative VIP badges
and more.
More information about Elko Speedway is available online at www.elkospeedway.com.
To learn more about the American Speed Association
Midwest Tour please contact the ASA Midwest Tour office by calling 608-884-0388
or by e-mailing Tim Olson at tim@asamidwesttour.com
or Steve Einhaus at steve@asamidwesttour.com.
Information is also available online at www.asamidwesttour.com.
To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Florida-based
Racing Speed Associates or the ASA Racing Member Track program, call (386)
258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com.
For news and information from
all the racetracks and regional tours involved in the ASA, visit www.asa-racing.com.
|
|
|
