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The Checkers Wave For The First Time At Deer Creek Speedway In 2006
By Bill Nelson
Spring Valley MN - April 8, 2006 - Damp weather the past week dampened some
spirits but Mother Nature pulled through at the last minute to allow the track
crew at Deer Creek Speedway to be able to put on the first night of racing
action in 2006. A great practice on Wednesday night firmed up the track enough
so that the rains that came through the area on Thursday night and Friday
morning would be manageable. The crews started pumping water off the
edge of the track on Friday and by 3:00 were out with the equipment working
things in. By late Saturday morning the water truck was back on the
track applying the correct moisture in the right spots.
A huge field of 172 cars checked into the back gate on opening night while a
very nice crowd gathered in the grandstands and pits. With temperatures
hovering around 50 degrees at the start time of 5:00 and under clear and calm
skies the drivers and fans were treated to a great opening night.
Drivers and fans from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Canada, North Dakota, South Dakota
and even Wyoming were on hand for this festive event.
The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds took to the track first for their feature event
as the 49 cars were dwindled down to the final 24 cars starting in the A
main event. The drivers did the first green, white, checker race of the
season as the clicked off the 18 lap feature event in short order.
Travis Krause showed early that he will be a force to reckon with in his
sophomore season in the Midwest Modifieds as he took the lead from his pole
starting position after winning heat 1 in qualifying action. Tim Siercks
moved quickly into second as he powered outside of front row starter Joe Bunne.
The early laps saw the field running two wide throughout most of the pack
while Krause cruised up front all alone. With sixteen to go Dan Wheeler
pulled alongside of Siercks for second as Danny Bayer and Bunne raced for
fourth. Shane Sabraski sat directly behind the fourth place battle
looking for his opening. Two laps later Jeff Brauer and Bryan Hernandez
joined up with Sabraski in a five car battle for fourth as Wheeler pulled
solidly into second. This battle for fourth raged on for the next five
circuits as Wheeler started to reel in the leader Krause. Wheeler found
a higher line to his liking with eight laps remaining closed in on the bumper
of Krause. Bayer, Sabraski and Bunne separated themselves from the rest
of the field as they continued to swap the fourth, fifth and sixth
positions. With three laps remaining Wheeler moved high in 1 and 2 and
dove love exiting two to take the lead from Krause as they entered turn
three. Wheeler came home with the win the first checker flag of the
season with Krause and Siercks rounding out the top three with the crowd
cheering their approval of the caution free event.
The eighteen lap WISSOTA Street Stock event was on tap next for the
fans. The street stocks had a little problem getting started and after
two tries were put into single file formation. Scot Nelson led early on
with Cory Crapser working the high side of the speedway in second. Rod
Debenardeaux moved quickly up from sixth to take over the third spot. Danny
Hanson then started to put pressure on Debenardeaux as Crapser took over the
top spot as another caution flew. On the restart Crapser led with Nelson
battling Debenardeaux for the second spot. Nelson had the preferred line
and held onto the spot. Hanson was now trying to hold off the charges
from Jim Gustafson as they ran on the bumpers of those in front in a tight
battle for those four positions. Just past halfway and Cory Rosen came
to life as he moved past Hanson for fifth as the front runners had sorted out
to a nose to tail race. Gustafson had gained third but Debenardeaux
worked back under him for third with eight to go. Rosen followed his
lead and on the next lap sent Gustafson back to the fifth position. The
top five ran nose to tail for the following five circuits with Crapser taking
home the win, Nelson second and Debenardeaux in third.
The first three laps of the WISSOTA Super Stock feature was just a prelude to
the final seventeen laps of racing action. Mike Weber and Tim Johnson
ran side by side for those first three laps with the next group running three
and four wide as they jockeyed for position. A yellow was thrown for an
accident involving Dan Nissalke, Wyatt Wolfe Jr., Dustin Nelson and Bobby
Swanson as they were racing for the fourth spot on the speedway. Dan
Gullikson was sitting in third on the restart as Johnson and Weber resumed
their race up front with Weber having the edge. With fifteen to go
Gullikson went high on the track in one and while exiting two dove low to get
under Johnson and above Weber as they exited side by side. Gullikson
flew through the middle of that three wide parade like a bullet from a gun and
took over the lead. A great job by all three drivers as nobody had a
mark on them from that race. Another caution flew with thirteen to go.
Johnson and Weber resumed their race for second with Eric Thiese sitting
behind them until his nose piece came loose and folded up over the hood
sending him into the infield shortly after that. With eight to go most
of the eyes started to watch two drivers charging up through the field.
Twenty-third starting Cole Queensland and seventeenth starting Mike Stearns
were working through the field at a torrid pace. Each took turns picking
their way to the front as the other followed and were soon in sixth and
seventh spots respectively. Another strong runner ended his night after
running fourth for most of the race as Ferlin Miller put out a smoke show
bringing out the third caution. On the restart Mike Weber slowed
drastically out of three with Queensland collecting the back of him damaging
his nose cone. The field restarted with Weber and Miller now gone and
Queensland and Stearns inside the top five. Unfortunately Stearns had
the car push up hard in the middle of two collecting another car ending his
strong run as he went rearward. Gullikson powered out front take home
the win followed by Johnson and Ryan Siegle who patiently ran in fourth most
of the night and took advantage of Webers misfortune to finish third.
Mike Sorensen took the early lead in the USRA modifieds with Steve Arpin and
Corey Dripps locked in a great battle for second. Defending track
champion Tim Donlinger quickly moved up into fourth from his eighth starting
position as he watched the Arpin and Dripps battle. Great battles were
going throughout the field with cars two and three wide for most of the early
laps. A restart with twenty-one to go bunched the field back up.
Dripps used the restart to his advantage and worked the high side of the track
and when he got his momentum built up moved past Sorensen to take the
lead. Arpin soon caught up to Sorensen and the two of them raced for
second. With sixteen to go Sorensen pushed up in two and Arpin moved
past into second. Rookie driver Terry Timmermans night ended with
fifteen to go as he slowed on the front straight. Dripps led on the
restart with Arpin and Sorensen still racing for second. Behind them
Craig Shaw and Nate Wasmund were side by side for fifth and Mike Mashl sitting
in sixth behind them. Sorensen regained control of the second spot and
soon he and Dripps were putting distance on the field. The final caution flew
with three to go as Arpins car slowed with fire and smoke pillowing from
the engine compartment. Dripps was fastest on the night and led from the
restart to the checkers with Sorensen and Donlinger rounding out the top
three.
Twenty-Five WISSOTA Late Models checked into the back gate for competition
with Ron Schreiner starting on the pole and taking the early lead. Adam
Hensel followed through from his second row starting spot to take over second
as lap one was completed. John Seitz and Jerry Bloom raced side by side
for fourth behind Ben Mattick. Marshall Fegers, Lance Matthees and John
Kaanta had a great race going early on inside the top ten as they swapped
lines and spots early on. Twenty circuits left and Seitz and Bloom were
still going at it as the top three started to pull away. Kaanta and
Fegers continued to race for sixth as Schreiner started to lap traffic.
Bloom slipped up allowing Fegers and Kaanta to move into fifth and sixth
respectively. With fourteen to go Fegers powered low under Seitz for
fourth. A rookie to the Late Model division Jay Ihrke moved up from
thirteenth starting spot to move past Seitz to take over sixth with eleven to
go as a caution slowed the field. Schreiner paced the field while Ihrke
moved under Fegers and Mattick in one move to jump up into the third
position. Fegers soon worked past Mattick to move into fourth as the
final caution flew for a slowing Kaanta. On the restart Fegers moved
into third past Ihrke but on the next corner slid up slightly allowing Ihrke
to move back past. Schreiner came home with the win with Sophmore Late Model
pilot Adam Hensel in second. Rookie Late Model drivers took home the
next three spots with Ihrke, Fegers and Jake Redetzke rounding out the top
five.
Next week racing action resumes on the high banked speedway with racing action
in all five classes. Racing starts at 5:00 in the month of April and May
so enjoy the warm sunny afternoons and evenings at the speedway.
WISSOTA Late Models
Feature - Ron Schreiner, Adam Hensel, Jay Ihrke, Marshall Fegers, Jake
Redetzke, John Seitz, Paul Novotny, Nick Herrick, Jerry Bloom, Lance Matthees
Heat 1 Schreiner, Bloom, Seitz, John Kaanta, Ihrke, Herrick
Heat 2 Ben Mattick, Barry Underdahl, Matthees, Joe Ludemann, Doug Hillson
Heat 3 Hensel, Redetzke, Fegers, Novotny, Steve Yaggy
USRA Modifieds
Feature - Corey Dripps, Mike Sorensen, Tim Donlinger, Nate Wasmund, Brian
Shaw, Mike Mashl, Steve Wetzstein, Dain Schultz, Todd Dart, Bobby Sorensen
B Feature Wetzstein, Ben Rippentrop, Ron Konkel, Kerry Ledebuhr,
Jacob Dahle
Heat 1 Donlinger, Dripps, B. Sorensen, Brad Waits, Eddie Muenster
Heat 2 Wasmund, Shaw, Brian Mullen, Mashl, Terry Timmerman
Heat 3 M. Sorensen, Steve Arpin, Hank Rollinger, Dave Siercks, Eric Dailey
Heat 4 Schultz, Dart, Dave Schoenberger, Darin Walsh, Doug Hillson
WISSOTA Super Stocks
Feature - Dan Gullikson, Tim Johnson, Ryan Siegle, Cole Queensland, Bobby
Swanson, Kyle Peterlin, Kevin Hager, Chris Groth, Kurt Kromschroeder, Dave
Haberman
B main #1 Chris Manner, Queensland, Brian Nayes, Luke Strandlund,
Dave Solumn
B main #2 Kromschroeder, Brad Banitt, Dave Mass, Jason Gabrielson,
Lucas Peterson
Heat 1 Mike Weber, Dan Nissalke, Haberman, Peterlin, Manner
Heat 2 Johnson, Siegle, Dustin Nelson, Mike Stearns, Mass
Heat 3 Swanson, Ferlin Miller, Groth, Zach Schultz, Solum
Heat 4 Gullikson, Chris Klinger, Chris Quast, Hager, Kromschroeder
Heat 5 Wyatt Wolfe Jr., Eric Thiesse, Brian Fetting, Josh Bartel, Jason
Vejtruba
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
Feature - Dan Wheeler, Travis Krause, Tim Siercks, Danny Bayer, Shane Sabraski,
Erik Peterson, Tyler Clark, Joe Bunne, Bryan Hernandez, Kenny Wytaske
B Main 1 Wytaske, Andrew Wiste, Jake Wildman, Lonny Loeschke, Jason
Hall
B Main 2 - Mike Paulson, Peterson, Dan Svee, Sam Siskow, Chris Mack
B Main 3 Ben Anderson, Eric Condit, Greg Kral, Jason Born, Matt
Larson
Heat 1 Krause, Greg Pfeifer Jr., Bob Bunne, K. Wytaske, Wildman
Heat 2 - J. Bunne, Hernandez, Micheal Greg, Morehart, S. Siskow
Heat 3 Bayer, Jeff Brauer, Ryan Kriese, Anderson, Born
Heat 4 - T. Siercks, Clark, Dustin Steinbrink, Wiste, Troy Dahle
Heat 5 Sabraski, Chris Adams, Sean Hemker, Mike Paulson, Peterson
Heat 6 Wheeler, Alan Bohlman, Tom Paulson, Condit, Matt Weisman
WISSOTA Street Stocks
Feature - Cory Crapser, Scot Nelson, Rod Debernardeaux, Cory Rosen, Jim
Gustafson, Danny Hanson, Jason Vandekamp, Mark Zvorak, Andrew Miskowic, Scott
Olson
B Main 1 Shaun Wehlage, Olson, Zvorak, Shawn Reed, Ryan Goergen
Heat 1 Nelson, Fred Prudoehl, Rosen, Tony Horsman, Vandekamp
Heat 2 Troy Fransway, Debernardeaux, Hanson, Miskowic, Travis Forcier
Heat 3 Crapser, Gustafson, Ron Rucker, Kole Gamez, Allen Gessell Jr.
Heat 4 Tyler Rubin, Chuck Nerland, Jamie Johnson, Erik Kanz, Joe Sattre
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