Wi Dirt Racin

For 40 years fans have seen close, side-by-side, racing at Eagle River Speedway. This past Friday NIght, the fans saw 3 cars, racing side by side in multiple classes. Right behind the 3 fighting for the lead, was cars looking to ‘join the party.’

Best description of one of the races took place from the Auto Value Winners lane when Pure Stock Feature winner CJ Hedges told the fans over the PA System.

“What an awesome race!” commented Tomahawk’s CJ Hedges, Junior.

With Hedges starting from the 5th spot he had to find a way to first get around Pelican Lake’s Herb Dettman. Once he accomplished that, he got into a 3-way battle with Rhinelander’s Jason Melton and Tomahawk’s Michael Brown. From the second lap to the 11th lap, Melton led with Hedges and Brown going back and forth for the second spot. While those 3 drivers were side by side for much of the race, Eagle River’s Ken Valeria was right on the bumper of all 3 racers. Valeria was driving Isabelle Valeria’s car. To make the race even more exciting was Tyler Lundberg of Rhinelander battling it out with Valeria.

“What is important to remember is to have the patience to wait for the right opportunity to pass, then pass one car at a time. The only line I had with all these cars racing side by side, was to take a high line,” stated Valeria after the race.

On the 12th lap of the 15 lap Pure Stock Feature Hedges got the lead, with Melton, Brown, Valeria, and Lundberg right behind him. Then Melton got the lead back in the 13th lap, then Hedges ‘thread the needle’ by going in between Brown and Melton to regain the lead in the 14th lap. It was an exciting dash to the finish line that had the fans at the edge of their seat, with Hedges getting the win. The officials then had to confer with each other to give 2nd to Melton, Brown getting a 3rd, and Valeria taking a fourth.

The WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature had the same excitement as the Pure Stock Feature. Eagle River’s Tadd Schoonover held a narrow lead over the Upper Peninsula’s Jesse Aho and Phelps, Jerry Grasse. Schoonover was able to keep his speed up by running a groove in the middle of the track. That forced Grasse and Aho to try any line they could to pass Schoonover. On one lap Grasse would go to the inside, then Aho would go to the outside, then they would change lines. No one knew, including the drivers themselves, what anyone of the 3 would do.

Then in the 14th lap, Schoonover drifted wide coming out of the hairpin 3rd corner, and Aho planted his car on the inside to get the lead. Then Grasse and Schoonover battled it out for the 2nd spot. In the end it was Aho taking the checkered flag, Grasse got a second and Schoonover took a 3rd.

“This was an exciting race. At times I tried a high line to get around Schoonover, but that didn’t work, as that allowed Jerry (Grasse) to get on the inside. Finally I went low, and fortunately Tadd (Schoonover) went wide,” explained Aho.

The WISSOTA Street Stock feature saw 3-wide cars racing in the middle of the pack. After winning his first race in the WISSOTA Street Stock Heat Race, Eagle River’s “Flying” Fyan Valeria opened up the feature by taking a lead with Tomahawk’s Derek Eberl right on his ‘tail.’ Valeria, who moved up after winning the Pure Stock Championship last year, lost the lead to Eberl in the 3rd lap. While Eberl and Valeria were battling for the lead, the Upper Peninsula’s Jordan Kurtti was moving his way up after starting in the 5th spot.

With Eberl in the lead, Kurtti and Valeria were putting on a show in their battle for the 2nd spot. From the 3rd lap and right to the checkered, the 3 drivers were running wherever their was clay on the 1/3rd mile tri-oval. Eberl was able to hold off Kurtti and Valeria for the win. One of the top drivers in the class throughout the Badger State he showed his excitement by getting out of his car in the Victory Lane, only to quickly jump up on his roof and raise his hands in pride.

Earlier in the Boone’s Building Supply/First National Bank night, Valeria won his first race in the Street Stock class by winning the Heat Race.

Even the Junior Sprint feature saw side by side racing! Throughout the year the class’s defending champion, Wyatt McIntyre of the Upper Peninsula has been racing side by side with Shiocton’s Dylan Larson. In both the Heat race and the Feature, Larson has jumped out to an early lead, and in both races, McIntyre made an impressive move to get the lead and hold it for the win. The class for children between the ages of 4 and 12 saw the return of Eagle River’s Tommi Jo Springer.

Tommi’s older brother, Ty (Spinger) made his debut in the Micro Sprint 600 class. It was only a few years ago that Ty and Tommi Jo were racing against Dylan Larson’s older bother, Denver. The 13 year old Denver Larson excited the fans (and himself) when he won his first Micro Sprint 600 race. The 13 year old won the Micro Sprint 600 Heat race, holding off Deerbrook’s Jerry and Jake Reif, and the class’es defending champion, Jered Cech of Rhinelander.

“This is a major transition going from a 17 horsepower Briggs and Stratton Junior Sprint to the alcohol burning 600+ cc Motorcycle engine powered Micro Sprints. Your going from a car that runs over 50 mph, to one that can and has hit speeds of over 90 mph!” explained Track Announcer, Skip Schulz.

Cech would come back to win the Micro Sprint 600 Feature, with Eagle River’s Bob Hicks taking a second, and Jake Reif getting a 3rd.

Up until the last two races it looked like Rhinelander’s Dylan Spiegelhoff was going to run away with the Truck points championship. However the last two Friday NIghts, it has been Rhinelander’s Cory Allen that has won the features. This is the first year that Eagle River Speedway is running a Truck points class.

This coming Friday NIght, Eagle River Speedway will host the WISSOTA Race of Champions Qualifier. Parson’s of Eagle River will host this special night of raciing. Gates will open at 5:00 pm CT, with Hot Laps to begin at 7:00 pm CT.

7/18/2014 Results (Top 3 Only)

WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature: 1) Jesse Aho, Toivola (MI); 2) Jerry Grasse, Phelps; 3) Tadd Schoonover, Eagle River;

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds Heat 1: 1) Jesse Aho, Twin Lakes (MI); 2) Tadd Schoonover, Eagle River; 3) Jerry Grasse, Phelps;

WISSOTA Street Stock Feature: 1) Derek Eberl, Tomahawk; 2) Jordan Kurtti, Bruce Crossing, (MI); 3) Nate Langberg, Eagle River;

WISSOTA Street Stock Heat 1: Ryan Valeria, Eagle River; 2) Nate Langberg, Tomahawk; 3) Ron Van Duessan, Eagle River;

Micro Sprint 600 Feature: 1) Jered Cech, Rhinelander; 2) Bob Hicks, Eagle River; 3) Jake Reif, Deerbrook;

Micro Sprint 600 Heat 1: 1) Denver Larson, Schiocton; 2) Jake Reif, Deerbrook; 3) Jerry Reif, Deerbrook;

Truck Feature: 1) Cory Allen, Rhinelander; 2) James Koga, Eagle River; 3) Dylan Spoiegelhoff, Rhinelander;

Truck Heat 1: 1) Cory Allen, Rhinelander; 2) James Koga, Eagle River; 3) Dylan Speigelhoff, Rhinelander;

Pure Stock Feature : 1) CJ Hedges, Jr., Tomahawk; 2) Jason Melton, Rhinelander; 3) Michael Brown, Tomahawk;

Pure Stock Heat 1: 1) Jason Melton, Rhinelander; 2) John Johnson, Jr., Lac Du Flambeau; 3) Herb Dettman, Pelican Lake;

Pure Stock Heat 2: 1) CJ Hedges, Jr., Tomahawk; 2) Tyler Lundberg, Rhinelander; 3) Michael Brown, Tomahawk;

Junior Sprint Feature: 1) Wyatt McIntyre, Greenland, (MI); 2) Dylan Larson, Shiocton; 3) Tommi Jo Springer, Eagle River;

Junior Sprint Heat: 1) Wyatt McIntyre, Greenland (MI); 2) Dylan Larson, Shiocton; 3) Hunter Tingley, Minocqua;

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