Oshkosh, July 18- Racing action returned to the Oshkosh SpeedZone Raceway on a perfect mid July summer night with a stellar 128 car field on hand.
It isn’t very often that a feature winner regrets winning, but Jerry Winkler had those sentiments after arriving in victory lane Friday night after the Outlaw Chassis Street Stock feature.
Wayne Morgan set the pace early on with Steve Ecker taking over the top spot on lap 3. Ecker started to build a lead while the rest of the field battled behind. Morgan , Jeff Wicinski, Frank Knaus and Jerry Winkler were joined by Mark Schultz at the mid point of the contest making a four car bunch for second. Winkler was the first to break from the pack and set out after Ecker, who had built a ¼ lap lead.
On lap 16, the car of Chase Parker brought out the red flag when his car blew and erupted in a ball of flame down the back chute. He was not injured. This erased Eckers lead and would make a four lap dash to the finish. Winkler tried to make the pass on the restart, but drifted wide in turn 2, allowing Ecker to pull ahead again. Schultz and Jeff Jungwirth were now in the lead mix. A final caution on lap 18 gave Winkler another shot at the lead.
Winkler was able to get inside on the restart and held the line to the white flag. Still side by side with Ecker, Winkler slid up a bit entering turn one and both drifted wide which allowed Jungwirth and Schultz to make a four wide run down the back chute. Winkle gained the inside line again with Jungwith pushing behind with Ecker alongside and Schultz behind. Winkler won the dash out of four to collect the checker a half length ahead of Ecker, Jungwirth, Schultz and Morgan. Emerging from the car after the race, Winkler expressed he didn’t want to win like that, referring to the slip in turn one and said he should have been second. He did cross the line first and the win was his 3rd of the season. Ecker, a rookie, took second with Jungwirth third. Schultz, having won the consy to make the main, came through the field to place fourth. Morgan was fifth and Wicinski rounded out the top six.
Justin Jacobsen grabbed the lead for the Total Power Sales IMCA Stock Car main ahead of point leader, John Heinz, Dylan Heilmann, Kevin Hebbe, Travis Van Straten and David Hoerning, Van Straten was hooked up and powered into the lead on lap 7. Contact with Heinz on the following lap brought out the caution with Heinz going to the back and Van Straten still the leader for the restart.
Jacobsen, Barry Van Straten, Larry Karcz,Jr, and Heilmann were now right behind.
The Van Straten boys ran side by side for the lead with Travis inside and Barry outside for the rest of the race. Travis held the top spot for much of the way with Barry scored as the leader a couple times as they pulled away from the field a bit as well. Karcz, Rod Snellenberger and Jacobsen were running together with Heinz coming from the back into contention again in fifth.
A caution with three laps remaining bunched the field on the leaders. Barry again took the outside line with Travis holding inside. Snellenberger, Karcz and Heinz were wrapped in the race for third, which allowed the leaders to duke it out on their own. They were dead even at the line for the white flag with Travis gaining a slight edge in turn one. Barry stayed even again down the back and out of four, was able to get the bite up high to edge Travis at the line by a bumper for his first feature win of the season and first ever at the Zone. The close victory was a bit of payback for Travis stealing one away from Barry at Seymour the past Sunday night.
Snellenberger won the tussle taking third with Heinz making the comeback to fourth, Karcz was fifth and Helimann sixth.
Brian Henry took off from the front row at the start of the Gold Star Racing Products Grand National feature with John Schultz III, Tim Reichenberger, Larry Richards and Jeff Richards behind. Henry was able to pull away early with a tight battle for second. A lone caution bunched the field on lap 7, and Henry again took the lead on the restart. Larry Richards worked into the runner up spot and chased Henry for the rest of the race. Charlie Sancinati came from the rear of the field and challenged Schultz and Reichenberger for third for much of the last half of the race. Henry collected his second feature win of the season with Richards right behind in second. Sancinati won the battle for third with Schultz, Reichenberger, and Jeff Richards rounding out the top six.
With a field of 40 Automotive Supply Company IMCA Modifieds on hand, it was tough to make the 20 car feature field. Mike Mueller lept from the pole to the lead on the start and opened a lead as Rick Robbins, Taylor Scheffler, Jim Rhode, Matt Klenz and Jeremy Christians grouped up in a run for second.
Mueller continued to pull away from the field holding a solid ¼ lap lead at the mid point with Scheffler , Christians, Robbins, point leader, Sean Jerovetz and Eddie Muenster working toward the front.
On lap 15, Jerovetz was able to work by Scheffler and take second, and set out after Mueller. With open track ahead, jerovetz was able to chew into Muellers lead and with the white flag in the air, was right behind Mueller and shot to the inside entering turn one. Mueller fought back on the outside and Jerovetz set up entering turn three. Another shot low out of four, Jerovetz was able to sneak by and swipe the victory from Mueller by a half length at the line. Scheffler, a rookie, came home a strong third holding off Christians, Muenster, after making the main through the consy, and Mike Mullen.
After a couple attrempts the IMCA Sport Mod feature got underway with Mark Howe taking the lead followed by Scott Howe, Lucas Lamberies, Clint Forstner, Adam Peschek and Jon Schulz. Lamberies was able to move into the top spot on lap 2 with Forstner and Peschek moved into second and third with Steve Schneider moving from mid pack into second by lap 6. Schneider took over the lead one lap later and opened a lead on the field until late race cautions flew on lap 15 and 17, bunching the field for a three lap dash to the finish. Forstner, Schulz, point leader Ryan Besaw and Lamberies were right behind. The race for second allowed Schneider to pull ahead a bit and run to his 5th feature win of the season. Besaw spent most of the race coming through the field after a first lap pit stop put him at the rear, and finished second. Schulz, Forstner, Lamberies and Jeff Schmuhl rounded out the top six.
Shawn Bangart took the lead from Nate Lisowe on lap 5 of the Ellington Mutual Insurance Company Dirt Devil feature and never looked back, running to his 4th feature win of the season. A late race caution gave Erik Kollmann, Jason Fairbank and rookie, Cody Pankow a shot at the win, but the trio ran three wide for the final lap and chased Bangart across the line with Kollmann taking the runner up position, Pankow third and Fairbank fourth. Joe Minks and Mitch Seidl rounded out the top six.
Scott Tiedt and Beau Schroeder took the trophies in the Spectator Eliminators..
Another full racing program sponsored by WAPL is scheduled for next Friday night at the SpeedZone. The annual Walk of Fame is coming on August 1st.
The Oshkosh SpeedZone Raceway is a featured member track of www.Racetext.net, a website dedicated to bringing fans the best possible coverage of local short track racing.
SUMMARY
AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLY COMPANY IMCA MODIFIEDS
20 Lap Featurer l. Sean Jerovetz 2, Mike Mueller 3. Taylor Scheffler 4. Jeremy Christians 5. Eddie Muenster 6. Mike Mullen
12 Lap Consy First l. Muenster 2. Tony Wedelstadt 3. Troy Jerovetz 4. Mike Klenz
Second l. Josh Long 2. Jared Siefert 3. T.J. Smith 4. Jerry Muenster
8 Lap Heats First l. Mueller 2. Mark Weisnicht
Second l. Brad McGuire 2. Mullen
Third l. Shaun Frelich 2. Dennis SDchultz
Fourth l. Rick Robbins 2. Matt Klenz
TOTAL POWER SALES IMCA STOCK CARS
20 Lap Feature l. Barry Van Straten 2, Travis Van Straten 3. Rod Snellenberger 4. John Heinz 5. Larry Karcz, Jr 6. Dylan Heilmann
8 Lap Heats First l. Karcz 2. Kevin Heebe
Second l. Travis Van Straten 2. Larry Parshens
OUTLAW CHASSIS STREET STOCK
20 Lap Feature l. Jerry Winkler 2. Steve Eckert 3. Jeff Jungwirth 4, Mark SDchultz 5. Wayne Morgan 6. Jeff Wicinski
12 Lap Consy l. Schultz 2. Steve Gawareski 3. Chaes Parker 4. Chad Ewald
8 Lap Heats First l. Winkler 2. Wicinski
Second Jonny Ashcraft 2. Morgan
Third l. Ecker 2. Jim Pollnow
GOLD STAR RACING PRODUCTS GRAND NATIONALS
20 Lap feature l. Brian Henry 2., Larry Richards 3. Charlie Sancinati 4. John Schultz III 5. Tim Reichenberger 6. Jeff Richards
8 Lap Heats First l. Jeff Richards 2. Larry Richards
Second 1. Henry 2. Terry Van Roy
IMCA SPORT MODS
20 Lap Feature l. Steve Schneider 2. Ryan Besaw 3. Jon Schulz 4. Clint Forstner 5. Luca Lamberies 6. Jeff Schmuhl
8 Lap Heats First l. Besaw 2. Lamberies
Second l. Schmuhl 2., Cory Wegner
Third l. Schulz 2. Schneider
ELLINGTON MUTUAL INSURANCE DIRT SDEVILS
20 Lap Feature l. Shaun Bangart 2. Erik Kollmann 3. Cody Pankow 4. Jason Fairbank 5. Joe Minks 6. Mitch Seidl
8 Lap Heats First l. Bangart 2. Alex Seidl
Second l. Fairbank 2. Kollmann
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