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Mr. Foss Goes To School
by Scott Malotke
April 25, 2003
The offseason for most racers allows them time to get caught up on racing bills, tend to family matters, and do a little tuning on the car for the coming season. Winona’s Keith Foss went in another direction, Mr. Foss went to school.
The education Foss received has paid big dividends in the early weeks of the racing season as Foss, winless in 2002, picked up the feature win outlasting Justin Fegers to notch his second triumph of the young racing season at Fox Ridge Speedway, Friday night.
Foss blew by Jeff Provinzino on the second lap of the 20 lap late model main and then held off a fierce challenge from Fegers on the last lap. Foss had built a large margin throughout the feature until a caution on lap 16 bunched the field.
Rick Hanestad’s stalled mount turned the event from a cinch Foss victory to a white knuckle win. On the last lap, Fegers drew even with Foss as the two blazed into turn three and took the slightest of margins. Foss hooked his Rocket chassis up on the cushion and outgunned Fegers to a narrow win in one of the closest late model races in the tracks brief history.
“What can I say, it works”, said a humble Foss after the race about his new race mount. Foss credited his win to an offseason trip to Tennessee at the Dale McDowell driving school. “I got a give those guys a lot of credit. We learned so much down there, and it has really helped. Last year we did a lot of changes to the car, sometimes just some stupid things”, Foss said. “Now, we talk to the McDowell’s at least once a week and it’s really helped.
Foss said his car tightened up after the lap 16 caution. Fegers benefited from the yellow as he was nearly ten car lengths behind and battling with Brady Smith as the two threaded their way through traffic. Fegers was pleased with his second place finish after a competing at the track on part-time basis last season.
“I was hoping I could get him in the corner and maybe he’d skip berm or something,” Fegers said about his last lap strategy. “Its great to finish second, last year it seemed like every time we’d come here, we’d have some bad luck, motor problems or a flat tire. We’d be fast, and then something would go wrong. ”
Finishing behind Foss and Fegers were Bob Timm who took advantage of the late caution to jump from seventh to third, Pat Doar and Canadian Joel Cryderman in his best finish at the track.
Karl Fenske has finally kicked the monkey off his back. The veteran Winona modified driver notched his first career win at the track. . Fenske got the jump on inside polesitter Bob Timm and was never headed during the modified main. Behind Fenske the race for second and third was hotly contested among Timm, Wayne Engen, Craig Scott, Eric Pember, and Dan Hesch. All five drivers swapped positions throughout the course of the race. Timm was able to hold off Scott for second until Jason Marten spun in front of the leaders on lap 16.
Marten’s spin blocked the backstretch and nearly spelled disaster for Fenske.. “That 43 car spun right in front of me and I had nowhere to go. I knew that if I went to the bottom, I was going to hit him. Luckily, there was just enough room on the high side. I don’t know if I hit the wall, but the marbles went flying,” Fenske said. Fenske controlled the restart and secured the win. Timm was unable to hold Scott off and had to settle for third.
Pember and Engen rounded out the top five.
Fesnke added that the switch to Wissota sanctioning has helped him “It feels good to finally win one here. We had so many seconds here last year, and nobody ever remembers who finished second. I knew this car would be good on these Hoosier tires. We’re finally able to get some stagger in this car. It was hooked up really good, we were on a rail all night,” said Fenske. The win was his first in nearly three years. “I think last years, the only year, since I’ve been racing that I didn’t win a feature.”
The late model main might have had a wild finish, but it was the super stock feature that the fans were buzzing about. Dennis Earney, Mark Teske and Bill Clemens put on a show. Throw in Nick Herrick and Jason Johnson and cover the five with a blanket and close your eyes.
Dan Arneson led the first two laps, until Earney in a new Gator chassis was able to make the pass. Teske, the 2002 super stock national champ followed Earney with Clemens in hot pursuit. Teske and Earney battled side by side for the next 13 laps and fans held their breath watching the two swap the lead. Earney was able to the lead back from Teske on lap 17, only to see his charge end when mechanical gremlins struck.
One lap later, the caution was thrown for Earney’s stalled racer, and Teske faced a shootout with Clemens, Herrick, and Johnson. Teske withstood the challenge and gained the win. Clemens held on to second, Kelly Anderson made a late charge to third while Dan Nissalke was able to pick off Johnson to finish fourth with Johnson placing fifth.
Scott Clark picked up, right were he left off last season. Clark won the Street Stock main at last falls Thunder at the Ridge. Polesitter Tom Hund led the first four laps, until a yellow for Brad Dennis’ stalled car. Hund and Clark battled door to door with Clark gaining the advantage on lap six.
Defending track champ Travis Krause was on the move from his ninth starting spot and passed Hund for second on lap nine. Krause was able to pull up on Clark but unable to make a pass on the bottom. “It just wasn’t fast down there,” said Krause about his last lap effort. Clark won a car length with Krause in tow. Shawn Wehlage was able to fight his way through traffic to garner the show position. Hund finished a strong fourth and Randy Bradford was fifth.
Mark Anderson made the long haul from Aitken, Minn. to win the Midwest modified feature. Anderson passed Dan Koziol on lap five and pulled away from the pack. Jeff Ringenberg made a late charge through the field to gather runnerup honors. Rookie driver, Jim “Buddy” Pehler finished third. Leigh Volkman and Harlan Morehart rounded out the top five as 14 cars took the green in the classes inaugural event.
Results
WISSOTA LM
1.Keith Foss, Winona 2. Justin Fegers, Mound, Minn. 3. Bob Timm, Winona 4. Pat Doar, New Richmond, Wis. 5. Joel Cryderman, Thunder Bay, ONT. 6. Darrel Nelson, Hermantown, Minn. 7. Eric Pember, Pittsville, Wis. 8. Steve Isenberg, Marshfield, Wis. 9. Lance Matthees, Winona 10. Mark Teske, Spring Valley, Minn. 11. Jeff Provinzino, Hibbing, Minn. 12. Steve Laursen, Cumberland, Wis. 13. Jeff Keeney, River Falls, Wis. 14. Jeff Matejka, Winona 15. John Henkemeyer, Sauk Rapids, Minn. 16. Andy Simonson, Sartell, Minn. 17. Troy Brand, Winona 18. Tom Nesbitt, Thunder Bay, Ont. 19. Mike Hesselink, Deer Park, Wis. 20. Brady Smith, Solon Springs, Wis.
Heats
1. Isenberg, Smith, Pember
2. Fegers, Doar, Nesbitt
3. Foss, Cryderman, Nelson
WISSOTA MODIFIEDS
1. Karl Fenske, Winona 2. Craig Scott, Rosemount, Minn. 3. Timm 4. Pember 5. Wayne Engen, Shell Lake, Wis. 6. Nelson 7. John Doelle, Arcadia, Wis. 8. Scott Duval, Bloomer, Wis. 9. Ron Britain, Winona 10. Lonnie Earney, Cochrane 11. Isenberg 12.Steve Speltz, Fountain City 13. Rick Hauser, Winona 14. Jonah Daffinson, Galesville, Wis. 15. Jason Nordhagen, St. Paul, Minn. 16.Ben Anderson, Winona 17. Gary Doelle, Fountain City 18. Dan Hesch, Arcadia 19.Jason Marten, Mondovi, Wis. 20. Craig Christianson, New London, Minn.
Heats
1.Fenske, Isenberg, Hauser
2. Hesch, Scott, J. Doelle
3. Engen, Duval, Nelson
WISSOTA SUPER STOCKS
1. Teske 2. Bill Clemens, Chatfield, Minn. 3. Kelly Anderson, Hager, City, Wis. 4. Dan Nissalke, Winona 5. Jason Johnson, Ettrick, Wis. 6.Troy Langowski, Winona 7. Shawn Huse, Bloomer, Wis. 8.Chris Groth, Plymouth, Minn. 9.Curt Meyers, Marshfield, Wis.10.Kevin Hager, Kellogg, Minn. 11.Dan Arneson, Eleva, Wis. 12.Nick Herrick, West Concord, Minn. 13.Jon Duffy, Winona 14.Kevin Glander, Pepin, Wis. 15. Matt Durnen, Winona 16. Mark Oeltjenbruns, Claremont, Minn. 17.Brian Erdman, Winona 18. Travis Wagner, Arcadia, Wis. 19.Justin Sass, Alma Wis. 20. Jesse Hanson, Alma Wis.
Heats
1. Brand, Arneson, Hager
2. Rod Dregney, Mondovi, Wis., Clemens, Sass
3. Dennis Earney, Cochrane, Wis., Johnson, Huse
WISSOTA STREET STOCKS
1. Scott Clark, Cameron, Wis. 2. Travis Krause, Buffalo City 3. Shaun Wehlage, Stockton 4. Tom Hund, Fountain City 5. Randy Bradford, Altoona, Wis. 6. Darryl Foegen, Cochrane 7. Danny Hanson, Alma, Wis. 8.Dennis Davis, Fountain City 9.John Laumb, Rushford, Minn. 10. Brock Wright, Fall Creek, Wis. 11.Phil Wernert, Centerville, Wis. 12.Lee Hager, Kellogg, Minn. 13.David Nastvold, Galesville, Wis. 14.Andy Bohnstengel, Winona 15. Rick Loppnow, Buffalo City 16. Roger Champlin, Arcadia 17. Kylan Gamez, Arcadia 18.Brad Dennis, Winona 19. Nathan Rauter, Osseo, Wis. 20.Michael Conrad, Independence, Wis.
Heats
1. Bradford, Laumb, Hanson
2. Wehlage, Krause, Gamez
3. Clark, Nastvold, Hund
WISSOTA MIDWEST MODIFIEDS
1. Mark Anderson, Aitken, Minn 2. Jeff Ringenberg, Eyota, Minn.3.Jim Pehler, Fountain City 4. Leigh Volkman, Rushford, Minn. 5.Harlan Morehart, Eyota, Minn. 6.Tom Brink, Winona 7.Lonnie Seipel, Maiden Rock, Wis. 8.Dan Fagerlind, Dover, Minn. 9. Jack Larson, Marshfield, Wis. 10.Quinn Arnoldy, Arcadia 11. Dareck Volkman, Winona 12. Dan Hesch, Arcadia 13.Jim Struckman, Stewartville, Minn. 14. Dan Koziol, Bangor, Wis.
Heats
1. Ringenberg, Larson Koziol
2. Brink, Anderson, Pehler
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