Thrills on the track, not in the sky
When “Mother Nature’ picked up the wind speed, the racers picked up their own type of speed Friday NIght at the legendary Eagle River Speedway Tri-Oval. As rain was moving in, track officials and racers picked up the speed to get as many of the races in. All of the Heats ran, along with the Feature in the Junior Sprints, Micro Sprints, and WISSOTA Street Stock. The WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature and the Pure Stock Feature will run this coming Friday. That is in addition to the regularly schedule program.
While the weather postponed the Harry’s Fireworks show till July 31st, the fans saw plenty of fireworks on the track. Weather conditions created a challenge for both track officials and racers. With the track constantly changing, finishes from the Heat races were different in the Features that did run.
In the WISSOTA Street Stock Heat, the current point leader and defending champion, Jordan Kurtti, held off Eagle River’s Ryan Valeria for the win. However in the feature it was Nate Langberg that got the win. Eagle River’s Mule Train Racing team-mates, Ryan Glembin and Jason Jenson took 2nd and 3rd respectively. Langberg is from Tomahawk and working his way up the National WISSOTA Points standings. With over a thousand racers competing in the WISSOTA National Points standings, Kurtti is in 32nd place.
However it is the #1 driver in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified points standings throughout the nation that showed the fans why he is the top driver nationally! That is Chippewa Falls Michael Truscott. Truscott won the 1st Heat. Truscott is originally from the Upper Peninsula. Truscott kept Ironwood’s Paul Suzik in check, as Suzik took a 2nd in that Heat Race. Fellow Upper Peninsula long-time racer, Duane Dunbar won the 2nd Heat. Dunbar held off current class point leader and defending champion, Jesse Aho of Toivola, Michigan. With rain falling and after the Midwest Modified cars ran numerous ‘pace’ laps, officials had no choice but to postpone the feature till next Friday Night.
That also forced the postponement of the Pure Stock Feature. Tomahawk’s CJ Hedges won the first Heat, with Eagle River’s Dennis LaCrosse winning the 2nd Heat. Hedges went into the night with a slim 22 point lead in the class over Eagle River’s Don Scharf. Scharf took a second to LaCrosse in that 2nd Pure Stock Heat. The Pure Stock Feature that was postponed will be raced this coming Friday Night.
In the Sprint Classes that ran early in the night, before the changing weather conditions moved in, the driver that won the Heat race would go on to win the Feature.
Jack Vanderboom from Dousman, Wisconsin won both the Heat and the Feature in the Junior Sprints. In both races he held off the class’s point leader, Tommi-Jo Springer of Eagle River. Tommi-Jo (Springer) took a second in the Feature and the Heat, with West Bend, Wisconsin’s Hayden Johnson taking a 3rd in the Feature. This was Johnson’s first Junior Sprint race on the challenging Tri-Oval.
While Tommi-Jo Springer had to settle for a 2nd in the Junior Sprint Feature, her brother, Ty, took both the Micro Sprint 600 Feature and the Heat Race. Kewaskum’s Andy Rein took a second to Springer in both the Feature and the Heat.
Racing returns to the challenging Tri-Oval at Eagle River Speedway this coming Friday Night. It will be Special Olympics Night, where the Special Olympic athletes, coaches, and families will be recognized and honored. The WISSOTA Midwest Modified and Pure Stock Features that were postponed from Friday Night will kick-off the racing action, with a full schedule of racing in all the classes to follow.
Race Results 7-3-15:
WISSOTA Street Stock Feature:
1) Nathan Langberg, Tomahawk
2) Ryan Glembin, Eagle River
3) Jason Jenson, Eagle River
4) Ryan Valeria, Eagle River
5) Jordan Kurtti, Bruce Crossing, MI
WISSOTA Street Stock Heat:
1) Kurtti
2) Valeria
3) Langberg
4) Glembin
5) Jenson
Micro Sprint 600 Feature:
1) Ty Springer, Eagle River
2) Ady Rein, Kewaskum
3) Jake Schilleman, Rhinelander
Micro Sprint 600 Heat:
1) Springer
2) Rein
3) Schilleman
Junior Sprint Feature:
1) Jack Vanderboom, Dousman
2) Tommi Jo Springer, Eagle River
3) Hayden Johnson, West Bend
4) Dustin Kangas, Phelps
5) Dayton Rein, Eagle River
6) Hunter Tingley, Lake Tomahawk
Junior Sprint Heat:
1) Vanderboom
2) Springer
3) Tingley
4) Kangas
5) Rein
6) Johnson
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature (Postponed till 7/10/15 due to rain)
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat 1:
1) Michael Truscott, Chippewa Falls
2) Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI
3) Jerry Grasse, Phelps
4) Bruce Belland, Eagle River
5) Dennis Mikkelson, Rhinelander
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat 2:
1) Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI
2) Jesse Aho, Toivola, MI
3) John Kallas, Hurley
4) Jonathon MIller, Eagle River
5) Tadd Schoonover, Rhinelander
Pure Stock Feature (Postponed till 7/10/15 due to rain)
Pure Stock Heat 1:
1) CJ Hedges, Tomahawk
2) Jake Ison, Eagle River
3) Herb Dettman, Pelican Lake
4) David Blackberg, Eagle River
5) Gunner Orcutt, Tomahawk
6) Justin Dean, Tomahawk
Pure Stock Heat 2:
1) Dennis LaCrosse, Eagle River
2) Don Scharf, Eagle River
3) Louis Malluegge, Merrill
4) Ron Drake Jr., Phelps
5) Isabelle Valeria, Eagle River
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