Wi Dirt Racin

Winkler Adds to Win Column Earning Third Straight In Street Stock Action!

Oshkosh, WI, August 6, 2013 – A little mid-week racing fun took place on Tuesday evening at the Oshkosh Speedzone Raceway courtesy of the Winnebago County Fair. The program saw two-time and defending Automotive Supply Company IMCA Modified champion Brian Drexler back in victory lane. For Drexler the win surely took some of the sting off a season where mechanical difficulties have negated a shot at the 2013 title. To win this evening race Drexler gained the upper hand on a race long battle with Travis Spaulding and then survive a late race caution enroute to his first main event win since May of 2011.

Cody Hokenstad chalked up his second victory of 2013 at The Zone in Hansel Trucking IMCA Northern Sport Modified action. Since his first career victory at the track on June 14th, Hokenstad had chalked up four consecutive third place finished until finding his way back to the winner’s circle this evening.

Tim Thompson had made infrequent appearances at Oshkosh Speedzone in the Outlaw Chassis Grand Nationals but tonight he made the best of it leading the main event wire to wire for the win. Total Power Sales Street Stock action Jerry Winkler won his third consecutive main event win. The former division champ has been on a roll of late and now had five feature victories at the track in 2013. A late start to the season had but the hard charging driver well behind in points but with two races remaining it is still mathematically possible for Winkler to win the title.

In the Ellington Mutual Insurance Dirt Devils Mike Montie scored his third main event win of the season.

19 drivers accepted the green flag for the Automotive Supply Company IMCA Modified feature contest and Mike Mueller would set the opening pace outrunning polesitter Tim Robbins as action began.

A spin by Marcus Yarie on lap two restacked the field and the race resumed with Mueller pacing one more lap before heading to the pit area, turning the lead over to Travis Spaulding who had paced the majority of the main event last week. Drexler meanwhile had been marching forward having surpassed T.J. Smith for second.

Lap six would see the next appearance of the yellow flag for a spin Dennis Schultz. Attrition was slimming the field but not the action. The battle for the lead became a three wide tussle at the drop of the green flag with Spaulding, Drexler and title contender Troy Jerovetz going at it for the lead. Drexler would actually pace the next two circuits before Spaulding surged ahead again, using the far outside groove. Jerovetz meanwhile surrendered the third spot back to Smith.

Spaulding and Drexler would continue to toss the lead back and forth, often several times each lap as the race past the halfway point. The war out front waged until lap 15 when a caution was needed to remove a tire that had been knocked onto the racing surface.

Drexler was ahead at the line on the prior lap and was in the lead for the dash to the checkered flag. Spaulding powered back into the second spot, this time several car lengths behind Drexler. Smith, who had been running third slipped back in the field as point leaders Troy and Sean Jerovetz went by.

Drexler would pace the remaining circuits taking the win by four car lengths. Spaulding placed second for the second consecutive week. Troy Jerovetz bested his cousin Sean by less than a car length for third and took over the point lead by a single marker over Sean. Sean would settle for fourth with Yarie rebounding from his early race spin to complete the top five.

A full field of 22 Hansel Trucking IMCA Northern Sport Modifieds sailed past the green flag in their main event. Cody Hokenstad was on the charge early in the contest moving past Mark Howe for the top spot. Hokenstad would check out on the field until a caution flew on lap eight for a spin by Wyatt Block which bunched the field.

Hokenstad again showed the way on the restart with second place contested between Colten Van Hierden, point leader Todd Wiese and visiting driver Andy Kleczka. Josh Long, the current point leader in Sport Modifieds at 141 Speedway reached fifth by the halfway point of the event.

The lead was as three car lengths with Hokenstad setting the pace when Block had a second spin on lap 16 restacking the field. A second caution moments later, this time for a tangle between Brock Saunders and Howe marked the final slowdown of the contest.

Hokenstad would get a great restart in the final sprint to the finish with Kleczka and Long shuffling into the second and third spots. Long would move into second and pressure Hokenstad for the top spot using the high line, but Hokenstad would prove too strong in the low groove taking the win by a car length. Long would settle for second ahead of Kleczka, Wiese and Kelsy Hayes.

The Miller Lite Grand National main event saw Tim Thompson blast from his front row to the lead pacing the 19 car field to the around the third-mile clay oval. The lead position was in Thompson’s’ hands from the opening circuit and he would pace the contest for its duration.

Several cautions spiced the early going with Thompson maintaining the lead on each restart. Tim Reichenberger and Tim Doehling would proceed to keep the name “Tim” in the first three spots.

Debris on the track on lap seven parked the field on Thompson’s rear bumper again but as before Thompson was back to setting the pace as the green returned. As the laps clicked by Thompson clearly showed he had the speed for the victory, taking the win comfortably over Reichenberger who was last week’s feature winner. Jim Rhode had clawed his way past Doehling for the third spot with five laps to go maintaining the position to the finish. Doehling and point leader Brian Henry made up the top five.

Lexii Ashcraft and Patty Winkler were running first and second giving the female drivers the top two spots when the first caution appeared for a tangle between Brandi Luebke and Morgan Paulick. Ashcraft continued to set the pace until after a second caution when she turned over the lead to Winkler.

With Winkler out front attention focused on the battle between Ashcraft and Steve Gawaresky as they contested the second spot. Gawaresky opting for a low line would work past Ashcraft and move up to challenge Winkler for supremacy.

Gawaresky and Winkler were nearly dead even when the yellow flag flew on lap eight for a loose wheel which had come off the car of Dan Knaus.

On the restart Mark Schultz who had climbed to fourth got an excellent restart powering up to challenge Winkler for the top spot. The battle was short lived however as Schultz spun his ride doing a complete 360 down the front stretch, Schultz was able to resume without drawing the caution but fell way back in the pack.

In the scramble to miss Shultz’s ride the rest of the field resumed pace well behind Winkler. Winkler led the remaining distance without a serious challenge to snare the win. Gawaresky held second until the last two laps when Shawn Haydon made his way into second. Gawaresky claimed third with Ashcraft earning her best finish of 2013 running solidly in fourth. Patty Winkler earned fifth giving the ladies of Oshkosh Speedzone two of the top five finishing positions.

The Ellington Mutual Insurance Dirt Devils had 23 drivers take the green flag with the frantic four and five wide racing taking place at the start of the race that fans expect and enjoy. In spite of the wild action aside from a couple minor incidents the race was well run. Matt Brehmer, who earlier won his heat race was leading the main event turned over the top spot to Mike Montie when he lost a wheel on lap five.

Montie was the class of the field for the duration of the contest taking the win comfortably over Jason Fairbank. Shaun Bangart, Chris Maas and rookie Rachael Kallas completed the top five finishers.

There is no regular racing taking place on Friday night August 9th, but you will be sure to want to catch the action the following week on August 16th as action resumes with the CitizensFirst/B-104 Kid’s Ride Along Night. A complete point program will take place for all five weekly divisions. In addition to a full racing program young fans will have a chance to ride along with their favorite drivers prior to the show as they get a chance to parade around the track in a race car.

Fans can print out the 2013 season schedule by visiting the track website at www.oshkoshspeedzone.net . When visiting the website fans are encouraged to sign-up for the free track newsletter which features weekly updates throughout the season along with photos, videos, interviews and more. Oshkosh Speedzone can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thespeedzone

Oshkosh Speedzone Raceway is a 1/3 mile semi-banked clay oval located at the Sunnyview Expo Center which resides near the intersection of Highways 76 and County Trunk Y in Oshkosh.

BOX SCORE:

AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLY COMPANY IMCA MODIFIEDS:

Feature (Top 15): 1.) Brian Drexler; 2.) Travis Spaulding; 3. ) Troy Jerovetz; 4.) Sean Jerovetz; 5.) Marcus Yarie; 6.) Eddie Muenster; 7.) Chris Engels; 8.) T.J. Smith; 9.) Eddie Lemay; 10.) John Schultz; 11.) Rick Robbins; 12.) Tim Robbins; 13.) Jerry Muenster; 14.) Kevin Baldry; 15.) Mike Wedelstadt

First Heat: 1.) Spaulding; 2.) Yarie; 3.) T. Robbins
Second Heat: 1.) Mike Klenz; 2.) Engels; 3.) R. Robbins
Third Heat: 1.) Dennis Schultz; 2.) Smith; 3.) Mike Mueller

HANSEL TRUCKING IMCA NORTHERN SPORT MODIFIEDS:

Feature (Top 15): 1.) Cody Hokenstad; 2.) Josh Long; 3.) Andy Kleczka; 4.) Todd Wiese; 5.) Kelsy Hayes; 6.) Bernie Miller; 7.) Colten Van Hierden; 8.) Kevin Bethke; 9.) Ryan Besaw; 10.) Scott Besaw; 11.) J.J. Anderson; 12.) Brock Saunders; 13.) Todd Ewald; 14.) Jake Maurer; 15.) Cory Wegner

First Heat: 1.) Kleczka; 2.) Anderson; 3.) Van Hierden
Second Heat: 1.) Miller; 2.) Hokenstad; 3.) Hayes
Third Heat: 1.) Robby Thiel; 2.) Wiese; 3.) Long

OUTLAW CHASSIS GRAND NATIONALS:

Feature (Top 10): 1.) Tim Thompson; 2.) Tim Reichenberger; 3.) Jim Rhode; 4.) Tim Doehling; 5.) Brian Henry; 6.) Larry Richards; 7.) Terry Van Roy; 8.) Troy Weich; 9.) Jeff Richards; 10.) Tom Schneider

First Heat: 1.) Reichenberger; 2.) Rhode; 3.) J. Richards
Second Heat: 1.) Doehling; 2.) Schneider; 3.) Henry

TOTAL POWER SALES STREET STOCKS:

Feature (Top 10): 1.) Jerry Winkler; 2.) Shawn Haydon; 3.) Steve Gawaresky; 4.) Lexii Ashcraft; 5.) Patty Winkler; 6.) Richard Garb; 7.) Justin Lindner; 8.) Jeff Jungwirth; 9.) Jesse Krahn; 10.) Mark Schultz

First Heat: 1.) Lindner; 2.) Jon Ashcraft; 3.) Jerry Kope
Second Heat: 1.) Winkler; 2.) Haydon; 3.) Jungwirth
Third Heat: 1.) Gawaresky; 2.) P. Winkler; 3.) Garb

ELLINGTON MUTUAL INSURANCE DIRT DEVILS:

Feature (Top 10): 1.) Mike Montie; 2.) Jason Fairbank; 3.) Shaun Bangart; 4.) Chris Maas; 5.) Rachel Kallas; 6.) Wes Lungwitz; 7.) Joe Minks; 8.) Ralph Liegeois Jr.; 9.) Patrick Klawitter; 10.) Brandon Kaye

First Heat: 1.) J. Fairbank; 2.) Bangart; 3.) Ben Meyerhofer
Second Heat: 1.) Montie; 2.) Maas; 3.) Kallas
Third Heat: 1.) Brehmer; 2.) Liegeois Jr.; 3.) Jasper Drengler

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