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Gille, Wilberg, And Ace Set The Pace At MIS
By John Wells
Friday, May 11, 2007 (Oregon, WI) - It was the season opener at Madison
International Speedway and fans were treated to a night of exciting racing
action in five divisions. The combination of a very diverse and competitive
field of cars and great spring weather proved to be a winning recipe for a
great night of family fun and entertainment.
Six winners took home checkered flags in the five divisons led by Tom Gille in
the Weaver Auto Parts Madison Late Models, Bobby Wilberg in the Rockweiler
Insulation Limited Late Models, Chester Ace in the Roto Rooter Bandits, Joel
Wyttenbach in the Legends, Caylie Duncanson in the Jr. Bandoleros and Vern
Fagerberg in the Sr. Bandoleros.
Patience Pays Off for Gille
Tom Gille of Winnebago, Illinois, proved that patience has its rewards as he
won the fifty lap feature for the Weaver Auto Parts Madison Late Models with a
late race pass.
Nathan Oppliger and Michael Pickens paced the field of seventeen cars to the
green flag. Grabbing the early lead was Pickens, the open wheel star
from New Zealand who is driving this season for the Urban Force Race
Team. His lead would be short-lived as Jesse Saunders was able to get by
him with an inside pass on lap 3. Saunders would keep the lead for the next
nine circuits before surrendering the top spot to Jason Tyler.
Tyler’s lead would also be brief as fast qualifier and defending track
champion Bobby Wilberg pulled up alongside him on lap 15 and took over the
lead. Also moving up quickly were Zack Riddle, who took the second spot
from Tyler one lap later, and Gille who was up to fourth.
On lap 22 with lapped traffic now becoming a factor, Riddle was able to get by
Wilberg for the lead with Gille right behind in third. Following a
caution on lap 28 for a stalled car, Riddle was able to maintain his lead over
Wilberg with Gille and Andrew Morrissey starting to apply the pressure to
Wilberg for second place. On lap 37 Gille and Morrissey were now second
and third respectively with their eyes set on Riddle who still maintained a
comfortable advantage.
By lap 43 Gille had cut Riddle’s lead to a car length and was just looking
for the right opportunity. “Patience was important and I knew we could get
him in the next few laps,” said Gille. By lap 46 he was right on
Riddle’s bumper and three laps later it was time for Gille to make his move
as he passed Riddle on the inside coming out of turn two and powered his way
to victory.
In a post race interview, Gille made his goals for the 2007 season very
clear. “We’re going to be here every week and we’re going for the
championship.” Gille also thanked his crew for their efforts and again
proved that patience can pay big dividends in racing.
Rounding out the top five were Riddle, Morrissey, Wilberg, and Tyler.
Wilberg was fast qualifier with a lap of 18.051 with heat race wins going to
Mike Adams Jr. and Jeremy Miller.
Wilberg Best in Limited Late Models
Tonight was definitely a sign of things to come as far as great racing goes in
the Rockweiler Insulation Limited Late Model divison as Bobby Wilberg held off
Ryan Goldade to win the thirty lap feature event.
Twenty cars answered the call for the feature event Todd Schmitz and Cliff
Rucks comprising the front row that came to the green flag. Schmitz
would take the early lead for the first two laps before Mark Miller would take
over the number one position with John Baumeister right behind him in second.
Miller looked very strong early on with Baumeiseter running a solid second
place and Wilberg up to third. On lap 8 Wilberg got by Baumeister for second
and set his sights on the leader, Miller. On lap 10 Wilberg and Miller
were racing side by side with Wilberg making the outside pass on lap 11 to
take the lead.
Wilberg wasted no time in building his advantage over the field.
However, Ryan Goldade, driving a former Wilberg car, was working his way up
through the field. Goldade, who was making his debut in the division
after moving up from the Area Sportsman, was up to second place by lap 15.
With each lap Goldade continued to cut into Wilberg’s lead over the field
and by lap 24 the advantage was down to one car length. However, Wilberg
would be just too fast tonight as he held off the Stoughton driver for the
win. Following Wilberg and Goldade at the stripe were Baumeister,
Scott Broughton, and Miller.
After the races Wilberg thanked his sponsors and especially his crew.
“We put this car together last night and everyone worked really hard to make
it happen. I have to thank them for all of their efforts.”
Broughton set fast time with a lap of 18.881 with heat race wins going to
Casey Burns, Chad Stevens, and Matt Berger.
Chester Ace Wins First-Ever Bandit Feature
After a slow start in the seson opener last Sunday, Chester Ace came back
strong to win the twenty lap feature for the Roto Rooter Bandits. The
win was Ace’s first-ever feature victory at MIS. Alex Jones set the pace for
the eleven car field as he looked like the man to beat from the start by
wasting no time going out for the lead with defending champion Tyler Kelley
and Ace out to join him. Jones would maintain his leadership position
for the first eight laps until lapped traffic became an issue on lap 9.
With Jones, Kelley, and Ace running ahead of the pack it didn’t take long to
catch up on the tail end of the field. Coming out of turn three Ace
needed to make a decision as to how to get by the lapped car of Ryan
Slater. “I can’t really explain it. I guess I was lucky,”
said Ace who made the right choice and suddenly found himself in the lead.
From that point on Ace quickly checked away from the field demonstrating that
he will be a strong competitor for the track championship this season.
It appeared to be smooth sailing for the young driver from Oregon until the
caution flag came out on lap 18.
A good restart and a lot of speed allowed Ace to maintain his lead over the
field and hold off Jones and hard charging Steve Dickson for the win.
Rounding out the top five were Kelley and Bobby Selsing Jr.
Heat races were won by Selsing Jr. and Dickson.
From Dirt to Asphalt: Wyttenbach Captures Legends Victory
Joel Wyttenbach proved to fans and fellow drivers tonight that making the
transition from dirt racing to the asphalt isn’t as difficult as one would
think. A regular on the dirt at Beaver Dam, Wyttenbach bested a field of
nine Legends cars to win the twenty lap feature event.
Starting on the pole, Wyttenbach quickly captured the lead with Hermann
Greinig in tow. Fortunately for the two leaders they were able to avoid
the backstretch incident on lap 2 that collected three cars after a spin.
Jimmy Hansen, Brad Plunket, and Blake Brown would all be involved with all
drivers ok but the same could not be said for their mounts. All three
drivers would be towed from the track and done for the night.
After a lengthy cleanup the race continued with Wyttenbach, Matt Booker, and
Greinig breaking out in a three car pack. Despite several attempts from
Booker and Greinig to challenge Wyttenbach for the lead, the Plain, Wisconsin,
driver was just too strong and picked up the win. Greinig would finish
second followed by Booker, Kyle Justis, and Tim Narr.
Duncanson and Fagerberg Lead the Way for Bandoleros
Two separate feature events were held for the Bandoleros division with eleven
year old Caylie Duncanson winning the Junior divison and Vern Fagerberg Jr.
taking the checkered flag in the Senior divison. This was the first-ever
appearance at MIS by the Bandoleros who were a hit with the fans.
The Junior division featured drivers from eight years old to eleven years old
and was comprised of a five car field. Excitement in this five car event
started right from the green flag as Duncanson made a big move by Brody
Beyer to set the early pace.
Following a caution, Duncanson built a three car length advantage over Cody
Daul and cruised to victory followed by Daul, Beyer, Blaz Daul, and eight year
old Cory Cootware.
When Duncanson was asked in victory lane what her future plans in racing were
she calmly replied, “I’m going to keep my options open.”
Jesse Bernhagen and Vern Fagerberg Jr. battled it out in the Senior Bandoleros
with Bernhagen going to the point in the ten lap, five car feature. The
two drivers would put on a spirited battle with several laps of side by side
racing but in the end it would be Fagerberg Jr. putting the big move on
Bernhagen for the lead and the victory. The top five was rounded out by
Hope Bidlack, Monica Kunkel, and Drew Karich.
Heat wins were recorded by Bernhagen and Blaz Daul.
Next Friday at MIS
Racing continues at Madison International Speedway on Friday, May 18th with a
full schedule of events as part of McFarland Night. Action will take
place in the Weaver Auto Parts Madison Late Models, Big Eight Limited Late
Models, Roto Rooter Bandits, and four cylinder American Short Trackers /
International Cars. The first leg of the Wayne’s Custom DIECAST Dash Series
for the limited late models will also be run. For the kids there will be a
huge coin drop during intermission.
Hot laps begin at 4:45 with qualifying at 6:30 and racing at 7:30. For
more information contact the track office at 608.835.9700 or checkout the MIS
website at www.madisoninternationalspeedway.com
Weaver Auto Parts Madison Late Models
Feature (50 Laps)
(1-10) Tom Gille- Winnebago, IL, Zack Riddle- Cottage Grove, Andrew Morrissey-
DeForest, Bobby Wilberg- Orfordville, Jason Tyler- Stoughton, Nathan Haseleu-
Pardeeville, Jeremy Miller- Rockton, IL, Jesse Saunders- Janesville, Kevin
Knuese- Waukesha, Brent Brevak- Ashland
(11-17) Scott McGettigan- Madison, Nathan Oppliger- Oregon, Mike Adams Jr-
Rockdale, Jaime Dorsey- Stillman Valley, IL, Josh Wallace- Pell Lake, Michael
Pickens- Auckland, New Zealand, Paul Treuthardt- Monroe
Fast Qualifier: Bobby Wilberg- Orfordville 18.051
Heat One: Mike Adams Jr.- Rockdale
Heat Two: Jeremy Miller- Rockton, IL
Rockweiler Insulation Limited Late Models
Feature (30 Laps)
(1-10) Bobby Wilberg- Orfordville, Ryan Goldade- Stoughton, John Baumeister-
Lake Geneva, Scott Broughton- Stoughton, Mark Miller- Columbus, Sonny Schoffen-
Lake Geneva, Brady Liddle- Oregon, Chad Stevens- Orfordville, Michael
Bilderback- South Beloit, IL, Matt Berger- Loves Park, IL
(11-20) Mark English- Janesville, Andy Evraets- Hartland, Cliff Rucks- Cottage
Grove, Tom Lorenz- Oregon, Nick Beinlich- Chicago, IL, Lyle Messinger- Lone
Rock, Casey Burns- Edgerton, Ralph Gentile- Racine, Todd Schmitz- Verona, Paul
Edmundson- Whitewater
Fast Qualifier: Scott Broughton- Stoughton 18.881
Heat One: Casey Burns- Edgerton
Heat Two: Chad Stevens- Orfordville
Heat Three: Matt Berger- Loves Park, IL
Roto Rooter Bandits
Feature (20 Laps)
(1-11) Chester Ace- Oregon, Alex Jones- Middleton, Steve Dickson- Rockton, IL,
Tyler Kelley- Oregon, Bobby Selsing Jr- Fort Atkinson, Rory Padfield-
Stoughton, Kyle Padfield- Stoughton, Brandon Skolaski- Fitchburg, Cory
Skolaski- Fitchburg, Ryan Slater- Brooklyn, Alex Lee- Madison
Heat One: Bobby Selsing Jr.- Fort Atkinson
Heat Two: Steve Dickson- Rockton, IL
Legends
Feature (20 Laps)
(1-9) Joel Wyttenbach- Plain, Hermann Greinig- Wood Dale, IL, Matt Booker-
Wonder Lake, IL, Kyle Justis- Kenosha, Tim Narr-Franklin, Tom Henricks, Jimmy
Hansen- Cedar Lake, IN, Blake Brown- Franksville, Brad Plunket- Naperville, IL
Heat One: Joel Wyttenbach- Plain
Bandoleros
Junior Feature (10 Laps)
(1-5) Caylie Duncanson- DePere, Cody Daul- Freedom, Brody Beyer- Machesney
Park, IL, Blaz Daul- Freedom, Cory Cootware- Iron Mountain, MI
Senior Feature (10 Laps)
(1-5) Vern Fagerberg Jr.- Bloomingdale, IL, Jesse Bernhagen- Markesan, Hope
Bidlack- Elkhorn, Monica Kunkel- Huntsville, AL, Drew Karich
Heat One: Blaz Daul- Freedom
Heat Two: Jesse Bernhagen- Markesan
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