A New Truscott in Victory Lane
George Truscott collects first ABC Mid-Mod Win
by Nick Gima
Ashland, WI, June 21 — George Truscott of Greenland, MI, survived early restarts and a strong challenge by Cole Spacek to earn his first-ever feature win on Saturday night, as part of a very busy night at the ABC Raceway.
Northern Clearing Inc of Ashland presented the “Race to Finish the Fight Against Cancer” fund-raiser to benefit the Ashland-Bayfield County “Relay for Life” chapter for the American Cancer Society. Funds from Saturday’s race program, a benefit golf tournament in Bayfield the day before and other activities in recent weeks have helped the “Relay for Life” group raise over $130,000 year-to-date.
The AmsOil Dirt Track Series five-division show began under very sunny skies and comfortable temperatures but turned cool and damp shortly after the Little Caesar’s Pizza-sponsored Kids’ “Meet the Drivers” Night meet-and-greet session, where well over 250 youngsters went down onto the red-clay oval to meet their favorite racers.
Truscott, who started on the pole of the WISSOTA Midwest Modified 15-lap feature, held off an early outside-lane challenge from Duane Dunbar for the first three laps, just prior to Tanner Byholm’s spin. On the next restart, after Guy Carley’s spin, Paul Niznik’s ride caught the turn sideways and flipped twice in mid-air before landing on all fours at the top of turn 1, with another five cars caught up in a pile trying to stop behind Niznik’s heavily-damaged ride. All drivers involved were unhurt, but most of their cars were unable to continue.
Once the race went back to green, Mike Truscott made a strong move to slip into fourth, and then a lap later he stole third from Dunbar. Meanwhile Spacek, who had worked inside to take second from Dunbar on the restart, began a race-long effort to spoil the landmark run, which ran the final 11 laps non-stop.
George Truscott’s final margin of victory was just a shade under a half-second as Spacek threatened often but fell short. It was a distance back to Mike Truscott in third, while Paul Suzik – who was caught up in the Niznik incident on lap 4 – roared back to a fouth-place effort just ahead of Jesse Aho.
Brad Seavers collected an extra $50 bonus for finishing 12th and displaying the 50th Anniversary decal on his car, as a result of a random drawing for a finishing position prior to the Mid-Mod A-main.
Ashland’s Steve Stuart also had to hold off a hard-charging threat in order to win his first WISSOTA Modified feature of the year. Stuart started from the inside of row 4 and picked his way into the lead on lap 4 by hugging the bottom groove of the smooth three-eighths-mile oval, and continued on that line right to his 22nd career ABC Raceway win and eighth here in a Mod.
Stuart’s run wasn’t a walk in the park, though. Front-row starters Al Uotinen and Scott Hudack ran door-to-door and swapped the lead over the first couple of laps before Bill Byholm snuck inside on Uotinen for second on lap 3. Stuart then slipped past both Byholm and Hudack on the next lap and snared the point.
As the race stayed green Stuart extended his advantage to about a half-second, while Curt Myers found the high-side to his liking and swept by a host of cars to move into third. Myers then dove low to move past Hudack on lap 7, and he raced around the rim while Stuart stuck to the bottom as the lead pair pulled away from Jeff Spacek, who replaced Hudack in third on lap 9.
Stuart and Myers were into slower traffic by lap 12, and the leader built himself a little cushion as Myers contended with the backmarkers staying up in his line while trying to get out of the way. But once in the clear, Myers again chipped away at Stuart’s lead.
The race’s only stoppage came with two of the 20 laps left, when Destin Lorimor’s ride spun around. But Stuart outlasted Myers over the green-white-checkered sprint to collect the win, with Spacek, Byholm and Uotinen completing the top five.
Like the Mods, the WISSOTA Super Stocks ran off their 20-lap headliner with only one yellow-flag slowdown, as Wayne Stricker of Highbridge led flag-to-flag for his first win of the year and third at Ashland. Stricker’s sinister-looking flat-black car has been very fast so far in 2014, and he took full advantage of his outside front-row start.
Visiting Kevin Burdick worked inside past Randy Spacek for second spot early, and Burdick became Stricker’s biggest – but not only – challenger during the run. Stricker flew around the top groove to a three-quarter-second lead over the first five laps, but Burdick trimmed that down to about a quarter-second prior to the race’s only caution flag on lap 9.
On the restart Myers – one of several drivers doing double-duty on this night – raced around Burdick and into second, but Burdick recovered on the next lap and resumed his chase of Stricker. As the back half of the race flew by, the leader increased his cushion – to as much as 1.7 seconds with four laps remaining – before crossing under the checkered flag comfortably out front. Burdick fended off a late rally by Myers for second, and a charging Cory Casari and Nick Oreskovich also came home in the top five.
The other two features ran off their distances without any stoppages, and certainly both were entertaining. The Six-Cylinder 15-lap A-main featured a showdown for the win between the two top runners in the division – Tyler Hudack and Dale Coddington – with Hudack holding on for the win on this night.
Rookie Marcus Dunbar looked impressive early as he held the initial lead until Hudack worked his way by on lap 2. Tiffany Hudack then took second the next time around, but by lap 5 Tyler was a full 1.7 seconds ahead and Coddington was alongside Tiffany for runner-up honors.
At mid-race Tyler was still 1.6 seconds up on Coddington, but as the laps wound down and slower traffic came into play Coddington reeled in the leader. The duo took the white flag nose-to-tail, but although the defending track champ threw everything he could at the situation, Tyler Hudack came away with his tenth career ABC win. Tiffany Hudack came home a distant third, while rookie Ethan Beeksma finished an impressive fourth ahead of Forrest Schultz.
The 12-lap Pure Stock run saw polesitter Tim Carbon hold off Terran Spacek for the early lead, but when Chad Carlson joined the battle up front on lap 2 Carbon lost control and spun his ride off the track at the bottom of turn 3. Spacek then assumed the lead and, with Carlson checking up to avoid contact with Carbon, Matt Deragon moved into second.
It didn’t take long for Carlson to regroup and overtake Deragon – two laps, in fact – but by then Spacek’s lead was a half-dozen car-lengths. Deragon tried to battle back, but with four to go Carlson had the position nailed down, while Spacek ran off to his second career win here by five lengths. Andy Udeen made his first visit of the season a good one with a fourth-place run, while Chris Johnson came home fifth.
Stuart in the Mods (17.523 seconds) and Burdick in the Supers (17.920) earned the Northern Clearing fast-lap bonuses on the night. Also, each of the five feature winners received an additional $100 compliments of Northern Clearing. A season-high 82 cars were registered for action.
Next Saturday Heartland Communications and WBSZ-FM will offer a five-dollar adult admission ticket as part of the ABC Raceway’s “50 Years of Jamming the Stands” festivities. In addition, many racers and track workers from the past 50 years will be celebrated.
Fans ages 12 and under will still be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Hot laps are set for 6:15 pm, and racing is set to start at 7. “Race Night” will air live on WBSZ, 93.3 FM, and stream online at www.wbszfm.com, from 4:30-6 pm with at-the-track news and weather updates. The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, .
Results
WISSOTA Modifieds
Feature: Steve Stuart, Ashland; Curt Myers, Cameron; Jeff Spacek, Phillips; Bill Byholm, Glidden; Al Uotinen, Superior; Scott Hudack, Ashland; Rick Rivord, Superior; Steve Lavasseur, River Falls; Kevin Eder, Ashland; Pat Cook, Washburn; Travis Nye, Ashland; Brian Mikkonen, Iron River; Zack Pagels, Marengo; Destin Lorimor, Superior; Paul Niznik, Medford; Dustin Hudack, Ashland.
Heat 1: Byholm; Eder; Lavasseur; Spacek; Rivord; D Hudack; Cook; Mikkonen.
Heat 2: Stuart; Myers; Uotinen; S Hudack; Nye; Lorimor; Niznik; Pagels.
WISSOTA Super Stocks
Feature: Wayne Stricker, Highbridge; Kevin Burdick, Proctor, MN; Curt Myers, Cameron; Cory Casari, Montreal; Nick Oreskovich, Mason; Randy Spacek, Phillips; Scott Lawrence, Superior; Dave Flynn, Superior; Ken Truscott, Greenland, MI; Greg Kuklinski, Ironwood, MI; DJ Keeler, Superior; Shawn McFadden Jr, Ashland; Myron Basina, Washburn; Dave Elliott, Minocqua; Don Muzzy, Ironwood, MI.
Heat 1: Spacek; Myers; Stricker; Keeler; Kuklinski; Truscott; Basina; Muzzy.
Heat 2: McFadden; Lawrence; Burdick; Flynn; Oreskovich; Casari; Elliott.
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
Feature: George Truscott, Greenland, MI; Cole Spacek, Phillips; Michael Truscott, Chippewa Falls; Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI; Jesse Aho, Twin Lakes, MI; Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Jeff Klopstein, Tomahawk; John Kallas, Hurley; Mickey Nosser, Phillips; Rick Przybylski, Ashland; Tad Bretting, Ashland; Brad Seavers, Rib Lake; Tanner Byholm, Glidden; Guy Carley, Eagle River; Dan Melton, Rhinelander; Jeremy Lindquist, Ashland; Ryan Adamczak, Ashland; Tyler Luger, Iron River; Tanner Hicks, Ashland; Paul Niznik, Medford.
Heat 1: Aho; Spacek; Adamzak; Przybylski; Carley; Lindquist; Klopstein; Bill Muhlig, Bessemer, MI; T Bretting.
Heat 2: M Truscott; Niznik; Dunbar; Suzik; Nosser; Seavers; Tyler Vernon, Ashland; Dennis Baldwin, Bessemer, MI.
Heat 3: Kallas; G Truscott; Byholm; Luger; Hicks; Melton; Ryan Barningham, Bayfield; Chris Bretting, Washburn.
Semi-Feature: Klopstein, T Bretting; C Bretting; Muhlig; Barningham; Baldwin; Vernon.
Six-Cylinders
Feature: Tyler Hudack, Ashland; Dale Coddington, Hayward; Tiffany Hudack, Ashland; Ethan Beeksma, Ironwood, MI; Forrest Schultz, Ashland; Zack Pagels, Marengo; Ken Tyykila, Iron River; Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Aaron Mashlan, Ashland; Adam Traaholt, Ashland; Colten Vernon, Ashland; Brendon Ottman, Ashland; Jonathon Popp, Iron River; Jeremy Lindquist, Ashland.
Heat 1: Coddington; Dunbar; Beeksma; Traaholt; Ottman; Popp.
Heat 2: Tiffany Hudack; Tyler Hudack; Schultz; Pagels; Vernon; Tyykila; Mashlan.
Pure Stocks
Feature: Terran Spacek, Phillips; Chad Carlson, Superior; Matt Deragon, Ashland; Andy Udeen, Superior; Chris Johnson, South Range; Brandle Pupp, Ashland; Jeff Christman, South Range; Andrew Hanson, Iron River; Tim Carbon, Highbridge; Randy Graham, Trego; Brandon Conley, Mellen; Rita Anderson, South Range.
Heat 1: Spacek; Deragon; Graham; Carbon; Christman; Hanson.
Heat 2: Carlson; Pupp; Johnson; Udeen; Anderson; Conley.
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