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Fox Ridge Speedway Crowns Mid-Season Champions
by Dan Bailey
(Arcadia, WI) - - With the change in seasons just four days away, Summer
seemed to make an early appearance and showed up at FOX RIDGE SPEEDWAY in full
bloom! Crystal clear blue skies and high temperatures greeted the fans in the
nearly packed grandstands as well as the competitors ready to attack the high
banking.
Mid-Season Championships mark the halfway point through the season and allow
for a little ‘grand standing’ by those drivers who’ve excelled through
the first half of the year. And the drivers definitely produced an
action-filled night of battles all tightly wrapped up in a family friendly two
and a half hours of action!
EARNEY EARNS THE TROPHY
Cochrane, WI’s Dennis Earney made some minor changes to his #4 before Friday
night’s WISSOTA Super Stock Feature, and that made all the difference.
“The car was strong in the heat race,” commented Earney on his win of the
night’s opening heat-race, “but I knew that I needed to make some changes
for the feature.”
Ironically, Earney returned to a setup that had caused him trouble just a
couple weeks earlier, the change produced a setup that allowed the almost 20
year veteran to keep his ride nailed to the low groove all the way around the
speedway. “A lot of times you’ll try to run the corners low and let the
car sweep up across the groove to run the straights high – like Troy was
doing,” said Earney explaining his strategy and referring to the difference
between his run and that of Troy Langowski – who battled him for the win the
entire feature event.
Earney kept his car low in both the corners and the straights, sloughing off
momentum in favor of bite. Langowski was able to keep his momentum up and race
right along with Earney, but never quite got the chance to steel the position
away.
The highlight of the feature event was an incredibly strong early race run by
division rookie David Nastvold. Nastvold took just the opposite approach,
rocketing his #T2 around the very top of the banking all the way around the
track. His momentum brought him up alongside Earney several times through the
first two thirds of the feature before contact with another car tore the front
bars off of his car – forcing to end his strong run early.
Earney though was the man of the evening, adding the feature win and picking
up the huge Mid-Season Championship trophy in Victory Lane. Langowski, on the
come back after a hard hit last Friday night, finished second with Rodney
Dregney completing the top-three.
IS FENSKE UNBEATABLE?
Winona, MN’s Karl Fenske continued his strangle hold on the competition
Friday night – picking up his fifth feature win en route to being crowned
the Mid-Season Champion in the USRA Modified Division. After winning the
earlier heat races, Fenske and Brad Waits lined up on the front row for the
drop of the green flag and battle for the lead the entire feature.
While Fenske was able to open up some pretty impressive leads through the
20-lap event, several cautions allowed Waits to offer challenges on the
restarts. The end of the race, however, had Waits throwing his strongest
challenges at Fenske. With Fenske running the bottom, Zumbrota, MN’s Waits
would fly through the turns up high and get up along side of Fenske’s #99
entering the straights.
Waits was particularly strong through turns one and two and on several
occasions got up along side Fenske to challenge for the lead down the back
straight. But despite Waits’ offerings, Fenske almost appeared to glide
effortlessly to the win. Some lapped traffic did factor into the battle for
the win over the closing four laps, but even without the obstacles, it might
have required a Herculean effort by Waits to complete a pass for the win.
Fenske collected the Mid-Season Championship crown with Waits settling for
second and Les Duellman rounding out the top-three.
‘MR. ANDERSON’ WINS THIS ROUND
First-time feature wins are an awesome event; add to that the Mid-Season
Championship, and you have a nearly insurmountable occasion to be retold for
years to come. Winona’s Ben Anderson battled back from a lap-one tangle that
sent him to the pits for repairs to collect his first ever feature win and the
Mid-Season Championship crown.
As the field took the green flag the WISSOTA Midwest Modified field stacked up
in turns one and two. Exiting turn two four-wide, the pack simply ran out of
room. The left rear tire of Anderson’s #39 climbed the right front tire of
Bob Bautch’s #74 sending the rear of Anderson’s car high into the air and
the end of the fast back straightaway.
Slamming back to the ground hard enough to rattle his teeth Anderson knew
immediately that something was wrong. With the caution flag out, Anderson
headed to the pits, “Actually broke the shock on the left rear,” he
explained of the damage, “I could hear the thing rattling and banging around
through the entire race. It’s amazing that I was able to run so well.”
Anderson restarted at the rear of the field and despite the damage worked his
way all the way to the front to collect the win. Travis Kraus made him work
for it though as he closed in on Anderson over the final few laps and
challenged for the top spot. The two cars crossed the start finish line
side-by-side with Anderson getting the Mid-Season Championship by only several
feet.
WEHLAGE WINS
It was the second night in a row for a top-three feature finish of Wehlage,
Hanson and Gamez. Stockton, MN’s Shawn Wehlage held off intense challenges
by Alma’s Danny Hanson to pick up his second straight – and third overall
– feature win. After the awesome battle Wehlage narrowed his comments down
to what put him in victory lane, “but I do want to thank my sponsors –
Winona Auto Sales, JJ’s Plumbing and Graphic Designs of Winona; they’re
really a big help to me getting the win.”
Hanson was all over the rear bumper of Wehlage and showed his nose up along
side on several occasions, but never got around Wehlage’s #100. For the
second week in a row, Gamez settled for third.
PETERS VICTORIOUS
It was a three wide battle across the Start / Finish line that decided the
4-Cylinder Hornets feature. Michael Peters, Robert Carpenter and Justin Yahnke
traded the lead on numerous occasions over the closing laps – and several
more times on the final lap.
With all three bumping and banging through the final turn, they were three
wide at the line with Peters winning the Speedway’s second ‘Photo
Finish’ of the season by about the width of his front bumper. Peters popped
from his car in Victory Lane and did a Mid-Season Championship dance on the
roof and then hood of his car before hoisting his trophy triumphantly high
over his head!
Racing resumes next Friday night with the $2000 to win “O’Reilly Auto
Parts Wisconsin Summer Nationals USMTS SPECIAL” at FOX RIDGE SPEEDWAY!
Don’t miss the action!
6/17/2005 - Fox Ridge Speedway Results
USRA Modifieds
A-Main 01 -- 1. Karl Fenske, Winona, Minn.; 2. Brad Waits, Zumbrota,
Minn.; 3. Les Duellman, Winona, Minn.; 4. John Doelle, Arcadia, Wis; 5. Bob
Timm, Winona, Minn.; 6. Rick Hauser, Winona, Minn.; 7. Jesse Frericks, Pine
Island, Minn.; 8. Kerry Ledebuhr, Winona, Minn.; 9. Paul Hamernik, Winona,
Minn.; 10. Jason Marten, Mondovi, Wis; 11. Ron Britain, Winona, Minn.; 12.
Matt Sweeney, Waukon, Iowa; 13. Gary Doelle, Fountain City, Wis; 14. Mick
Glenn, Minnesota City, Minn.; 15. Les Jonsgaard, Winona, Minn.; 16. Jessie
Maynard, Minnesota City, Minn.; 17. LeRoy Scharkey, Rochester, Minn..
Heat 01 -- 1. Waits 2. Timm 3. J. Doelle 4. Scharkey 5. G. Doelle 6.
Sweeney 7. Glenn 8. Maynard 9. Jonsgaard
Heat 02 -- 1. Fenske 2. Hauser 3. Duellman 4. Ledebuhr 5. Frericks 6.
Hamernik 7. Marten 8. Britain
WISSOTA Super Stocks
A-Main 01 -- 1. Dennis Earney, Cochrane, Wis; 2. Troy Langowski, Winona,
Minn.; 3. Rodney Dregney, Mondovi, Wis; 4. Dan Nissalke, Winona, Minn.; 5. Jon
Duffy, Winona, Minn.; 6. Travis Wagner, Arcadia, Wis; 7. Dan Arneson, Eleva,
Wis; 8. Jeff Dregney, Eleva, Wis; 9. Jesse Lutz, Winona, Minn.; 10. David
Nastvold, Galesville, Wis; 11. Gary Wiersgalla, Fountain City, Wis; 12. Mark
Strobel, Holmen, Wis; 13. Troy Brand, Winona, Minn..
Heat 01 -- 1. Earney 2. Langowski 3. Nissalke 4. Brand 5. Arneson 6. J.
Dregney 7. Strobel
Heat 02 -- 1. Nastvold 2. Duffy 3. R. Dregney 4. Wagner 5. Lutz 6.
Wiersgalla
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
A-Main 01 -- 1. Ben Anderson, Winona, Minn.; 2. Travis Krause, Buffalo
City, Wis; 3. Dan Hesch, Arcadia, Wis; 4. Robert Bautch, Winona, Minn.; 5.
Dean Hoffman, Eyota, Minn.; 6. Harlan Morehart, Eyota, Minn.; 7. James Pehler,
Fountain City, Wis; 8. Joel VonHaden, Trempealeau, Wis; 9. Ryan Olson, Strum,
Wis; 10. Matt Steffen, Mondovi, Wis; 11. Tom Brink, Winona, Minn.; 12. Jeff
Brauer, Eyota, Minn..
Heat 01 -- 1. Brauer 2. Krause 3. Brink 4. Morehart 5. Anderson
Heat 02 -- 1. Olson 2. Hoffman 3. Hesch 4. Bautch 5. Pehler 6. VonHaden
7. Steffen
WISSOTA Street Stocks
A-Main 01 -- 1. Shaun Wehlage, Stockton, Minn.; 2. Danny Hanson, Alma,
Wis; 3. Kylan Gamez, Arcadia, Wis; 4. Tom Hund, Fountain City, Wis; 5. Michael
Conrad, Independence, Wis; 6. Keith Tourville, Star Praire, Wis; 7. Dennis
Davis, Fountain City, Wis; 8. Andy Bohnstengel, Winona, Minn.; 9. Fred
Prudoehl, Winona, Minn.; 10. Roger Conrad, Independence, Wis; 11. Erik Kanz,
Winona, Minn.; 12. Gerald Schultz, Arcadia, Wis; 13. Matt Wolfe, Mondovi, Wis;
14. Dan Bork, Alma, Wis; 15. Cory Hanson, Black River Falls, Wis; 16. Darryll
Foegen, Cochrane, Wis; 17. Tagge Pape, Arcadia, Wis; 18. Adam Wilken, Eau
Claire, Wis; 19. Richard Theisen, Arcadia, Wis.
Heat 01 -- 1. D. Hanson 2. M. Conrad 3. Hund 4. Bohnstengel 5. Foegen 6.
Wolfe 7. Schultz 8. C. Hanson 9. Bork
Heat 02 -- 1. Wehlage 2. Gamez 3. Prudoehl 4. Davis 5. Tourville 6. Pape
7. Wilken 8. R. Conrad 9. Kanz 10. Theisen
Hornets
A-Main 01 -- 1. Michael Peters, Whitehall, Wis; 2. Robert Carpenter,
Black River Falls, Wis; 3. Justin Yahnke, Sparta, Wis; 4. Mark Bornitz,
Holmen, Wis; 5. Roger Niederkorn, Ettrick, Wis; 6. Rick Schermerhorn, La
Crosse, Wis; 7. Chris Gilbertson, Trempealeau, Wis; 8. Tommy Richards,
Mondovi, Wis; 9. Coty Slawson, Ettrick, Wis; 10. Dan Carpenter, Black River
Falls, Wis; 11. Danny Richards, Mondovi, Wis; 12. Joel Hesch, Arcadia, Wis;
13. Rick Slawson, Ettrick, Wis; 14. Mike Krause, Buffalo City, Wis; 15. Mike
Thompson, Melrose, Wis; 16. Corey Klink, Fountain City, Wis; 17. James Clark,
Winona, Minn.; 18. Kyle Franson, Strum, Wis; 19. Matt Gleiter, Alma, Wis; 20.
Brandon Gleiter, Alma, Wis; 21. Rich Niederkorn, Galesville, Wis; 22. Brady
Dehnke, Mondovi, Wis; 23. Brad Duellman, Dodge, Wis; 24. Jim Schermerhorn,
Coon Valley, Wis; 25. Steve Bryn, Arcadia, Wis.
Heat 01 -- 1. R. Carpenter 2. Dehnke 3. Bornitz 4. T. Richards 5. D.
Carpenter 6. Krause 7. Ri. Niederkorn 8. D. Richards 9. Hesch 10. Klink 11. M.
Gleiter 12. Bryn 13. Yahnke
Heat 02 -- 1. Ri. Slawson 2. Ri. Schermerhorn 3. Franson 4. Peters 5. C.
Gilbertson 6. C. Slawson 7. Duellman 8. Ro. Niederkorn 9. B. Gleiter 10. J.
Schermerhorn 11. Thompson 12. Clark
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