Wi Dirt Racin

It was at TNT Motor Speedway on Saturday Night that Firefighters, Police, and Emergency Medical Service personal were treated to Free Admission and great racing in all 7 Divisions. However it was the ‘smallest’ racers that provided the biggest thrill. That took place in the Junior Sprint Feature.

For the first 8 laps of the 10 lap feature, 6 year old Dayton Rein was in a bumper to bumper race with 10 year old Dustin Kangas. Rein, from Conover was looking for his first win in his first year of racing, while Kangas, from Phelps, is a staple in the NAPA Victory Lane. When the two were side by side coming out of the 2nd turn, they came upon 5 year old Elliot Brownrigg-Johnson.

Rein went to the high side to get around the new Junior Sprint Racer, while Kangas went to the bottom side. This gave Kangas the lead, and the fans thought the race was over.

Think again…

Rein quickly caught back up to Kangas on the final turn of the final lap. Then it was an exciting ‘dash’ to the finish. Kangas front half of his Junior Sprinter crossed the finish line first.

“Who says you have to have a 300+ horsepower Stock Car to put on a good race, when a couple children 10 years old and younger racing a 17 horse Briggs and Stratton powered Junior Sprinter can put on a race like that?” questioned Jamie Pooch of TNT Motor Speedway.

The Junior Sprint Feature was the first of the 7 Features, and set the stage for a night of close racing.

It was in the 12 car field of Pure Stock Cars that the lead kept changing throughout the race. Crandon’s Joe Chaney held the lead for the first few laps, then it was Jake Ison’s turn to ‘guide’ the pack, then it was Eagle River’s David Blackberg turn. While all those that had the lead for a portion of the race, the only one that matter is who was leading when the checkered flag flew.

That was Eagle River’s “Racin” Jason Melton. Class point leader, Tyler Lundberg struggled for most of the race, but still worked his way to the front when Blackberg and Ison connected in a battle for the lead. Lundberg also took advantage of other driver mistakes or engine problems to end up second.

‘It’s been 5 years since I got a win at TNT. This is awesome. After last week of not blowing a tranny, this win was important for the Pure Stock Point battle,” commented Jason Melton.

While in the NAPA Victory Lane, Jason’s younger brother Steve Melton came by the Victory Lane to give him a thumbs up. Steve was in the battle for first for most of the race.

It was a good night for the Melton Racing Family! In the WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature, Dan Melton was on the bumper of fellow Rhinelander driver Dennis Mikkelson for most of the race. The current Midwest Modified point leader tried every ‘line’ the high banked one third mile oval had. That is except for the tight line that Mikkelson had on the bottom of the track.

With the race winding down, Mikkelson opened the door on the inside of the 2nd turn. Something he had not done for most of the race.

“When opportunity strikes, you have to take advantage. That’s what Dan (Melton) did. He quickly shot below (Dennis) Mikkelson, and that’s all she wrote,” commented TNT Motor Speedway Track Announcer, Skip Schulz.

Dan Melton went on to get the win.

In familiar fashion for TNT fans, everyone knew that another exciting race was about to begin. That would be in the TNT Pro Trucks. It was a carbon copy of the Pure Stock Feature. Different drivers taking turns in the lead. After winning the earlier Heat, Birnamwood’s Forest Crandall opened up the race in the lead, then it was a side by side battle between Eagle River’s James Koga, Crandall, and Pelican Lake’s Herb Dettman. Also in the mix was the 12 year old sensation, Parker Retzlaff of Rhinelander.

Through all the position changes, the current Pro Truck Leader, Cory Allen simply sat back and waited for the dust to clear.

Koga lost his power steering, Crandall had problems keeping control in the corners, Dettman ran the high line, and Retzlaff got caught in traffic. All helped “Cowboy” Cory Allen use his skills and patience to end up getting the win.

“I was so bummed as I was running great, had the lead and had a shot at the win, until I lost the power steering and couldn’t turn,” commented James Koga.

Just when track officials and the fans thought ‘what else could happen where the driver with an early lead would go on to not win?’

Then it was in the WISSOTA Street Stock Feature that Chetek’s Steve Karschbaum not only jumped out to an early lead, he kept extending his lead as the race was winding down. Then the earth shifted off its axis, gravity was lost, and an eclipse of the moon took place.

Well, maybe not, but with no one near Karschbaum he lost control on the back stretch and spun out.

With Karschbaum now going to the back of the pack, this brought on one of the best races in this class throughout the year! “Flying” Ryan Valeria and Britt Broman of Eagle River. and Tomahawk’s’ Derek Eberl went 3 laps of racing side by side. At the line, it was Eberl that held off Broman and Valeria for his second straight WISSOTA Street Stock Feature Win.

The point leader going into Saturday Night’ races, Jordan Kurtti of Bruce Crossing took a job that required him to move out of the area. Kurtti will not be able to race the rest of the year, leaving the WISSOTA Street Stock Points Championship ‘up for grabs.’

On a night of ‘anything can happen, and anyone can beat anyone,’ it was another ‘shocker’ in the Stinger Class. Merrill’s Louis Malluege has dominated all year long. Only surprise in this class happened a couple weeks ago when Eagle River’s Quentin Morrison beat Malluege.

This past Saturday Night, Kasey Gross of Gleason followed in Morrison’s footsteps by beating Malluege in the Stinger Feature.

The only Feature that held no surprises was in the Micro Sprint 600. This was a battle of the Larson brothers from Shiocton. Denver defeated his younger brother Dylan for the win.

While it was scheduled before the excitement of the Junior Sprint Feature this past Saturday, ironically the special for this coming Saturday Night? The Junior Sprint Special. Bicycles will be given away to lucky fans. The high-banked one third mile at TNT Motor Speedway is located south of Three Lakes, off US 45. Racing begins around 6:30 pm.

It will be on Saturday Night, August 8th, that TNT will bring in the Side by Side/UTV’s to race on and off the track.

TNT Motor Speedway Results, 7/25/15

WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature:

1) Dan Melton, Rhinelander
2) Dennis Mikkelson, Rhinelander
3) Jonathon Miller, Eagle River

WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat:

1) Dan Melton
2) Mikkelson
3) Miller

WISSOTA Street Stock Feature

1) Derek Eberl, Tomahawk
2) Britt Broman, Eagle River
3) Ryan Valeria, Eagle River
4) Steven Karshbaum, Chetek
5) Heidi Karschbaum, Chetek
6) Nate Langberg, Tomahawk

WISSOTA Street Stock Heat:

1) Ryan Valeria
2) Steve Karshbaum
3) Eberl
4) Heidi Karschbaum
5) Langberg
6) Broman

Micro Sprint 600 Feature:

1) Denver Larson, Shiocton
2) Dylan Larson, Shiocton

Micro Sprint 600 Heat:

1) Denver Larson
2) Dylan Larson

TNT Pro Truck Feature:

1) Cory Allen, Rhinelander
2) Herb Dettman, Pelican Lake
3) James Koga, Eagle River
4) John Johnson, Sr, Lac Du Flambeau
5) Mario Grado, Lac Du Flambeau
6) Parker Retzlaff, Rhinelander
7) Forest Crandall, Birnamwood

TNT Pro Truck Heat 1:

1) Crandall
2) Koga
3) Allen
4) Retzlaff
5) Johnson, Sr.,
6) Dettman
7) Grado

Pure Stock Feature:

1) Jason Melton, Eagle River
2) Tyler Lundberg, Rhinelander
3) Jake Ison, Eagle River
4) Ken Valeria, Eagle River
5) Steve Melton, Rhinelander
6) Fred Feger, Pelican Lake
7) Devin Wulf, Parrish
8) Mike Rick, Irma
9) Joe Chaney, Crandon
10) David Blackberg, Eagle River
11) Jason Eisel, Rhinelander
12) William Chapman, Lac Du Flambeau

Pure Stock Heat 1:

1) Jason Melton
2) Blackberg
3) Ison
4) Ken Valeria
5) Chapman
6) Eoisel

Pure Stock Heat 2:

1) Lundberg
2) Feger
3) Chaney
4) Steve Melton
5) Wulf
6) Rick

Stinger Feature:

1) Kasey Gross, Gleason
2) Louis Malluegge, Merrill
3) Jennifer Nitzsche, Wausau
4) Quentin Morrison, Eagle River
5) Paul Winker, Tomahawk
6) Bill Martin, Rhinelander

Stinger Heat:

1) Gross
2) Malluegge
3) Martin
4) Winker
5) Morrison
6) Nitschke

Junior Sprint Feature:

1) Dustin Kangas, Phelps
2) Dayton Rein, Conover
3) Elliot Brownrigg-Johnson

Junior Sprint Heat:

1) Kangas
2) Rein
3) Brownrigg-Johnson

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