Brinkman Wins At Speed Zone

OSHKOSH, WI - Oshkosh driver Benjamin Brinkman skated around the Powercom Speed Zone Tuesday night and in the end he ended up the winner in the 20-lap Budweiser Modified A-main to highlight action at the 1/3-mile clay oval.

“We’ve been working so hard on the car and trying to get it go and I think we finally hit it,” said Brinkman from victory lane.  “There were some good cars here tonight.  Things just worked out for us.”

Winneconne’s Tim Doehling topped a wild Miller Lite Grand National A-main, Eric Barth of Sauk City drove to the win in the Gibbsville Cheese Legend Cars, Jeff Jahnke won the American Auto Sales Street Stock finale, and Jasper Drengler of Shawano was the A-main winner in the Corporate Signs Dirt Devil division.

Modified drivers entered the pit area in droves as 51 took part in  the night’s racing action.  It marked the second straight week that a record number of cars was present in the division after 49 checked in on June 8.  A total of 134 cars took part in the five division program.

Travis Spaulding shot from the third row to take the lead on the opening lap of the modified feature race.  Using the far inside of  the track Spaulding pulled fourth row starter Brinkman with him and into second.

Lee Sohns found his way to the third spot by lap five with Jay Schraufnagel, who started in the eighth row, pushed into fourth by lap seven.  

The caution flag waved on lap nine when a corner tire was knocked out on the track slowing the pace.  When the green waved, Brinkman went to the outside of Spaulding and worked the high side of the track to take the lead.

Schraufnagel would move into the second spot and try every line possible to close in but it was all Brinkman to the finish.  Behind the top two at the finish were Spaulding, Sohns, and Eric Scribner. 

It appeared the Mike Nehmer was going to take home top honors in the street stock main but a late race slip, which saw his car slide out of the groove, allowed Jahnke to take the lead away with two laps remaining and he held off Tim Reichenberger to take  the win.

Nehmer slipped to third in the final rundown over Cory Friday and Rich Garb.  

Doehling was forced to go to the back of the 18-car field in the Grand National A-main on the opening lap when he was involved in a spin with Troy Weich. Doehling then used a series of cautions - five in all - to move back around the entire field on the outside and take the lead from Brian Gilles on lap 16.

Doehling then led the field to the white flag when the yellow waved again when Frank Formiller spun in the corner.  Gilles finished in the second spot over Bernie Schommer, Terry Van Roy, and Pat Tanner.

Barth came from the third row and made quick work in the Legend car feature race as he drove away from the field for the win.  Early leader Adam Reed finished in second over Greg Hartlaub, Darwin Banes, and Kevin Brill.

Drengler took the lead on lap four of the Dirt Devil main and was never headed as he took his second straight win in the division.   Loren Rangeloff finished second with Dave Wilkins third.

Racing action takes a week off at the Speed Zone on June 22nd before the Interstate Racing Association sprint cars make their only appearance of 2004 at the track on June 29th.  The track is located just off of Highway 41 on Highway 76 north of Oshkosh.

SUMMARY OF EVENTS
BUDWEISER MODIFIEDS
20-LAP A-MAIN - Benjamin Brinkman, Jay Schraufnagel, Travis Spaulding, Lee Sohns, Eric Scribner, John Schultz, Jason Zdroik, Eddie LeMay, Dennis Schultz, Larry Zirbel, Scott Lewis, Steve Boelter, Russ Reinwald, Jeremie Hedrick, Dan Ratajczak, Brian Drexler, Ryan Besaw, Bob Mann, Chris Engels, Mike Bodendorfer, Shawn Frelich.
15-LAP B-MAIN -  FIRST:  R.Besaw, Hedrick, Joe McGrath.  SECOND:  Reinwald, Engels, Steve Kloehn.
8-LAP HEATS - FIRST:  Frelich, D.Schultz, Mann.  SECOND:  Boelter, Zirbel, Ratajczak.  THIRD:  Brinkman, Sohns, Drexler.  FOURTH:  Spaulding, Lemay, Schraufnagel.  FIFTH:  Ascherien, Zdroik, M.Bodendorfer.  SIXTH:  Scribner, J.Schultz, Lewis.

AMERICAN AUTO SALES STREET STOCKS
20-LAP A-MAIN - Jeff Jahnke, Tim Reichenberger, Mike Nehmer, Cory Friday, Rich Garb, Dale Averkamp, Scott Solomon, Adam Pugh, Gary Neau, Shawn Haydon, Jerry  Winkler, Ken Feavel, Mark Schultz, Jerry Kope, Mike Rauchel, Scott Beckman, Russ Losse, David Madell, Jr., Trevor Schmidt, D.J. Rindt.
12-LAP B-MAIN - Feavel, Friday, Winkler, Madell.
8-LAP HEATS - FIRST:  Reichenberger, Schultz.  SECOND:  Nehmer, Kope.  THIRD:  Jahnke, Solomon.  FOURTH:  Garb, Haydon.

MILLER LITE GRAND NATIONALS
18-LAP A-MAIN - Tim Doehling, Brian Gilles, Bernie Schommer, Terry Van Roy, Pat Tanner, Bob Cullen, Jeff Diedrick, Bret Wenzel, Troy Weich, Karl Thiede, Dion Wahl, Dean Stadler,  Steve Seitz, Tom Robbins, Jim Gilbertson, Frank Formiller, Phil Coppersmith.
8-LAP HEATS - FIRST:  Van Roy, Wenzel.  SECOND:  Cullen, Gilles.  THIRD:  Doehling, Seitz.

GIBBSVILLE CHEESE LEGENDS
15-LAP A-MAIN -  Eric Barth, Adam Reed, Greg Hartlaub, Darwin Banes, Kevin Brill, George Giesen.
8-LAP HEATS -  FIRST:  Barth, Brill.  SECOND:  Reed, Hartlaub.

CORPORATE IMPRESSIONS DIRT DEVILS
20-LAP A-MAIN - Jasper Drengler, Loren Rengeloff, Dave Wilkins, Matt Rechek, 
Mike Mueller.
8-LAP HEATS -  FIRST:  Drengler, Wilkins.  SECOND:  Kip Klawitter, Schwandt.