Wi Dirt Racin

By Ed Reichert

Menomonie WI, July 20 – Shane Sabraski made his first appearance of the year at the Red Cedar Speedway a winning won as he topped the Gene Johnson Memorial Super Stock special and rode back home across the border to Minnesoa with an extra $1,200 in his wallet. Other feature winners included Cory Crapser, Ron Hanestad and Jeremy Dahl on a night when the track’s curfew saw three feature races postponed until next Friday.

The Johnson Memorial race for the Super Stocks was the headline event on the program Friday, and twenty one cars out of a field of twenty three on hand to the green flag for the thirty lap main event.

Shawn Huse and Mike Keller battled in the early going of what would turn out to be a crash filled event that saw only nine of the starters still running at the checkered flag. Huse and Keller raced side by side for several laps before Huse secured the top spot. Ben Hillman moved in to challenge the top two while Sabraski, who missed the redraw and started seventh in the race, gradually worked his way into a challenging position.

The first big wreck occurred with six laps complete as five cars crashed together hard in turn three. Despite a lot of major sheet metal damage, only the car of Rick Hallquist was eliminated.

Huse continued to lead but it was now Hillman that was putting the pressure on him for the top spot while Sabraski worked his way into third and was closing on the leaders. Also on the move were Aaron Wilson and Jesse Redetzke as both crashed the top five and were looking to move farther forward. Two more minor yellows kept the field bunched but it was now Sabraski that was flexing his muscle as he moved past Hillman for second and closed on Huse. Working the low side, Shane was able to get under Huse and drive into the lead at the halfway point of the race.

One lap past halfway the wildest wreck of the event occurred when a car spun in turn four, other cars took evasive action and Chad Johnson was punted from behind, launching him up on the car of Mike Keller and over on to his roof. A red flag was necessary but all drivers were reported unhunt. The same couldn’t be said for the race cars however, as Johnson, Bart Steffen and Keller were all eliminated with heavy damage.

Sabraski continued to lead on the restart and while he worked the low groove, Hillman moved to the cushion and started to close on the leader. He nearly got even with Sabraski at one point until Shane got his rhythm going and then he began to gradually edge away from the field. One lap spin set up a six lap dash, and Hillman once again made a run on the high side, which Sabraski once again fought off. Hillman then seemed to lose his groove and Wilson closed in to challenge him.

At the finish, Sabraski was comfortably in front as he took the checkered while Wilson’s late charge saw him take the second spot from Hillman. Brad Edington, with a badly beaten up car from involvement in two crashes, worked his way back to the front and finished fourth ahead of Tom Karis. The other cars to complete the grind were Dexton Koch, Gunnar Watkins, Redetzke and Marcus Simonson with Redetzke losing a number of positions at the end due to a deflating rear tire.

The Midwest Modifieds got their main event in and Cory Crapser dominated again to win a track best sixth feature win of 2012. He started on the outside pole and quickly moved away from Jake Smith to take the lead. However, Jake’s brother Josh was on the move using the very high side of the track and he stormed up to challenge Crapser for the lead, at one point getting beside the leader.

However, three yellow flags flew in the first five laps of the race, and those delays seemed to break Josh Smith’s momentum and allow Crapser to secure his groove , because once all out racing resumed for the last ten laps of the event, Crapser then gradually pulled away to build a comfortable margin.

Nick Koehler moved in to challenge Smith for second but it was Shane Halopka who was the primary mover, working his way up from the fifth row to challenge both Koehler and Smith for position.

Crapser continued to motor on as he recorded a reported twenty first feature win of the year on area tracks, while Smith held off a furious charge by Halopka for second. Koehler settled for the fourth spot ahead of Shane Sabraski, running the second of three cars that he would compete in on Friday.

The Street Stock Feature would be another furious battle, with Hanestad using the outside line to record his fourth feature win of the year at Red Cedar, tying him with Cody Kummer for track honors.

Kummer was also a big player in the event as he went wheel to wheel with Troy Fransway in the early going before securing the top spot. As Kummer continued to lead, he was challenged by Adam Soltis on the low side with Hanestad jumping to the high side after starting in the third row. Ron was able to make the high groove work, and he closed in on the leaders as Soltis continued to haunt Kummer for the lead. With those two locked in combat and working the low side, Hanestad found room up top and motored by the leaders before they could react.

Once in front, he continued to work his groove while Kummer and Soltis continued their battle. At the finish, Hanestad drove home for another win with Soltis edging out Kummer for second. Fransway and Jay Kesan, recovering after getting booted early, completed the top five.

Bill Skoug took the early lead in the Pure Stock feature but Dahl quickly moved up from the second row to challenge and then take over the lead. Once in front, he rode out three yellow flags but was basically unchallenged as he drove home for his third Red Cedar Speedway win of the year. Skoug held on for second ahead of Scottie Schoettle. Dustin Doughty crossed the line fourth but was docked two spots for a jump, so the official finish found Krysta Swearingen in fourth trailed by Jesse Bryan.

Next Friday night will be another busy and action packed night at the track. The Dunn County Fair, held yearly since 1885 will be in full swing next weekend. In the grandstand on Friday, all seven classes will be in action with a full racing program of heats and features. Along with that, make up features in the Modifieds, Late Models and Hornets, left over from Friday’s program will also be held. Race time is 7 p.m.

SUMMARY

Red Cedar Speedway

Menomonie WI

July 20, 2012

WISSOTA Late Models

20 lap Feature – Postponed to July 27

8 lap Heat – Mike Prochnow(Menomonie), Scott Gilberts(Menomonie), Greg Nippoldt(Roberts), Todd Green(Eau Claire), Rick Hanestad(Boyceville)

WISSOTA Modifieds

18 lap Feature – Postponed to July 27

8 lap Heat 1 – Matt Leer(Bruce), Craig Thatcher(Knapp), Ross Prochnow(Boyceville), Cory Williams(Spring Valley), Keith Tourville(Dairyland), Zack Drews, Steve Hallquist

Heat 2 – Kevin Adams(Cameron), Mike Anderson(Colfax), Brent Prochnow(Colfax), Jay Richardson(Spring Valley), Robbie Johnson(Wilson), Mark Hessler, Ashley Anderson

Heat 3 – Mark Gerth(Menomonie), Jesse Glenz(Cadott), Shane Sabraski(Rice MN), Jerry Weigel(Jim Falls), Scott Miller(Rice Lake), Don Brightbill

WISSOTA Super Stocks

30 lap Feature – Shane Sabraski(Rice MN), Aaron Wilson(Eau Claire), Ben Hillman(Menomonie), Brad Edington(Elk Mound), Tom Karis(Menomonie), Dexton Koch(Rice MN), Gunnar Watkins(Elk Mound), Jesse Redetzke(Eau Claire), Marcus Simonson(Milltown), Shawn Huse(Bloomer), Jim Harris, Luke Plank, Chad Johnson, Bart Steffen, Mike Keller, Jeff Heintz, Steve Thomas, Cory Davis, Jason Forehand, Rick Hallquist, Eric Olson

10 lap Heat 1 – Huse, Keller(Menomonie), Sabraski, Thomas(Menomonie), Davis(Turtle Lake), Forehand, Olson, Brad Johnson

Heat 2 – Hillman, Plank(Eau Claire), Redetzke, Edington, Hallquist(Eau Claire), Watkins, Harris, Heintz

Heat 3 – Wilson, Karis, C. Johnson(Colfax), Steffen(Eau Claire), Koch, Simonson, Nick Frion

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

15 lap Feature – Cory Crapser(Chippewa Falls), Josh Smith(Eau Claire), Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Nick Koehler(Bloomer), Shane Sabraski(Rice MN), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Clark Swartz(Bloomer), Mark Thomas(Menomonie), Jake Smeltzer(Menomonie), Jake Stai(New Auburn), Kerry Halopka, David Swearingen, Luke Shackleton, Kevin Smeltzer, Crystal Hanson, Nate Spence, Robbie Johnson, Jake Smith, Justin Supri, Brandon Lofgren

10 lap B Feature – Swartz, Supri(Eau Claire), K. Halopka(Wheeler), K. Smeltzer(Menomonie), Ron Jablonske(Hager City), James Green, Bonnie Jablonske, Jason Richardson, Brian Fuchs

8 lap Heat 1 – Ja. Smith(Eau Claire), Sabraski, S. Halopka, T. Anderson, Swartz, K. Smeltzer, K. Halopka

Heat 2 – Crapser, Thomas, Johnson, Hanson, R. Jablonske, Richardson, Lance Leu

Heat 3 – Stai, Koehler, Lofgren(Tayler), Shackleton(Knapp), Green(Menomonie), Fuchs, B. Jablonske

Heat 4 – Jo. Smith, J. Smeltzer, Swearingen(Little Canada MN), Spence(Spring Valley), Mitch Anderson(Spring Valley), Supri

WISSOTA Street Stocks

15 lap Feature – Ron Hanestad(Glenwood City), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Cody Kummer(Medford), Troy Fransway(Elk Mound), Jay Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), Mike Knudtson(Osseo), Jared Lindner(Greenwood), Keith Tourville(Dairyland), Steve Speltz(Cochrane), Ashley Husby(Menomonie), Ralph Stark, Andrea Kenney

8 lap Heat 1 – Fransway, Soltis, Hanestad, Lindner, Husby, Josh Wahlstrom

Heat 2 – Kummer, Kesan, Knudtson, Stark(Withee), Tourville, Speltz, Kenney

Pure Stocks

10 lap Feature – Jeremy Dahl(Knapp), Bill Skoug(Osseo), Scottie Schoettle(Osseo), Krysta Swearingen(Little Canada MN), Jesse Bryan(Menomonie), Dustin Doughty(Ladysmith), Randy Davis(Turtle Lake), Mike Grover(Chetek), Randy Burton(Menomonie), Andrew Conklin(Ladysmith), Kory Hathaway, Gunnar Zurek

8 lap Heat 1 – Burton, Dahl, Schoettle, Hathaway(Elmwood), Grover

Heat 2 – Skoug, Bryan, Davis, Conklin, Zurek(Menomonie), Doughty

Hornets

10 lap Feature – Postponed to July 27

6 lap Heat 1 – Eric Schultz(Downing), Rocky Kempe(Chippewa Falls), Jeremy Johnson(Elmwood), Derek Knutson(Chippewa Falls), Eric Nelson(Chippewa Falls), Brenden Uetz, Tyler Lamm, Derek Baskin, Chad Prissel

Heat 2 – Dan Prissel(Mondovi), Buddy Hanestad(Boyceville), Dave Clausen(Mondovi), Matt Klukas(Colfax), Jake Hanson(Downing), Eric Albrightson, Joseph Kurschner, Cassie Hanestad