Wi Dirt Racin

It was the defending class champions in 4 classes that opened the 40th year of racing at Eagle River Speedway by winning their respective Features. Winning one of the other classes is the defending point champion from another Northern Wisconsin track, and the only reason that it was not a defending champion winning the other two classes is simple. Eagle River Speedway didn’t have the class and the other class champion moved up to a different class.

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s Jesse Aho started his trek on an un-precedented 4th consecutive class championship in the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds by holding off Phillips, Wisconsin’s, Cole Spacek, and his ‘Uncle” George Truscott of Greenland, Michigan. Phelps, Wisconsin’s Jerry Grasse, who won the Heat Race, had car problems and was knocked out of the feature in the 5th lap. Pete Paulis of Phillips, who took a 3rd in the Heat, also had to leave the feature early.

Fans were wondering what would happen to the defending WISSOTA Street Stock Champion, Jordan Kurtti of Bruce Crossing, Michigan. Kurtti failed to break into the top 3 in the Heat Race. Kurtti came back and displayed the talent and speed that carried him to last years WISSOTA Street Stock Championship by handling the field and winning the feature. Tomahawk’s Chad Boetcher and Eagle River’s Jason Jenson that went 1-2 in the Heat, didn’t crack the top 3 in the feature.

Rhinelander’s Jered Cech hit speeds of 90 MPH in an action packed Micro Sprint 600 Feature. A race that saw Woodruff’s, Fred Suchy, narrowly missing the concrete wall on two separate occasions. A race that saw Jake Reif come from the middle of the pack, to pass his father, Jerry and the Heat winner, Bob Hicks to take a second in the feature. Cech is the defending Micro Sprint 600 Feature winner. The race also saw 13 year old Denver Larson of Shiocton make his move up from the Junior Sprints to the Micro Sprints.

It was in the Junior Sprints that Denver’s (Larson) younger brother, Dylan, give the defending class champion, Wyatt McIntyre of Greenland, Michigan, a tight battle throughout the race. Dylan held the lead for half of the race, until Wyatt made a move to the inside of the third corner of the Tri-Oval, McIntyre got the lead and held on for the win. The Junior Sprints is the class for children between the ages of 5 and 12. 7 year olds Anna Price-Malouf and Josie Rae Reif continued to show improvement in their young racing career.

The Pure Stock Class will not see a repeat champion. Last years champion, “Flying” Ryan Valeria has moved up to the WISSOTA Street Stock Class. This opens up the crowded field to any one of the close to 20 drivers that ran in the season opener. Earlier in the night two Tomahawk drivers took the first two heats. CJ Hedges, Jr., won the first Heat, with brand new Eagle River Speedway driver, Tyler Mussof winning the second heat. Rhinelander’s Tyler Lundberg took the 3rd heat.

In the Pure Stock Feature Hedges ran away from the crowd, with Lundberg getting a second and long-time racer, Don Scharf of Eagle River taking a 3rd.

For the first time in the tracks 4 decades of racing, a Truck Division will be a points class. Winning the first Truck Division Heat Race was Birnamwood’s Forest Crandall. Crandall held off Rhinelander’s Scott Detert and Dylan Spiegelhoff. However in the Truck Feature, Spiegelhoff took the checkered flag.

Eagle River Speedway is going to run the ABC Raceway of Ashland 6-Cylinder Modifieds on an every-other-week schedule. The defending ABC Raceway 6-Cylinder Champion Dale Coddington won both the Heat Race and the Feature. Two Upper Peninsula drivers took 2nd and 3rd in the feature. Marcus Dunbar, son of Duane Dunbar of Marenisco took a second, while Ironwood’s Pat Beeksma took a 3rd.

Racing action returns to the 1/3rd mile Tri-Oval at Eagle River Speedway this coming Friday Night. Gates and Pits open at 5:00 pm CT, with Hot Laps starting at 7:00 pm CT.

Results (Top 3 only)

WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature: 1) Jesse Aho; 2) Cole Spacek; 3) George Truscott
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat 1: 1) Jerry Grasse; 2) Spacek; 3) Pete Paulus
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat 2: 1) Guy Carley; 2) Truscott; 3) Aho
WISSOTA Street Stock Feature: 1) Jordan Kurtti; 2) Nate Langberg; 3) Derek Eberl
WISSOTA Street Stock Heat: 1) Chad Boetcher; 2) Jason Jenson; 3) Langberg
Micro Sprint 600 Feature: 1) Jered Cech; 2) Jake Reif; 3) Bob Hicks
Micro Sprint 600 Heat: 1) Hicks; 2) Cech; 3) Jerry Reif
Pure Stock Feature: 1) CJ Hedges, Jr.; 2) Tyler Lundberg; 3) Don Scharf
Pure Stock Heat 1: 1) Hedges, Jr.; 2) Troy Larock; 3) Scharf
Pure Stock Heat 2: 1) Tyler Musoff; 2) Herb Dettman; 3) David Blackberg
Pure Stock Heat 3: 1) Lundberg; 2) Michael Brown; 3) Ron Drake, Jr.;
6-Cylinder Modifieds Feature: 1) Dale Coddington; 2) Marcus Dunbar; 3) Patrick Beeksma
6-Cylinder Modifieds Heat: 1) Coddington; 2) Jeremy Lindquist; 3) Beeksma
Truck Feature: 1) Dylan Spiegelhoff; 2) Forest Crandall; 3) Scott Detert
Truck Heat: 1) Crandall; 2) Detert; 3) Spiegelhoff
Junior Sprint Feature: 1) Wyatt McIntyre; 2) Dylan Larson; 3) Anna Price-Malouf
Junior Sprint Heat: 1) McIntyre; 2) Larson; 3) Price-Malouf

Comments

comments