New Faces in Victory Lane at TNT!
It was a night when the unexpected became the expected at TNT Motor Speedway. A night where the point leaders in some classes didn’t even finish the feature, while new drivers made the trip to the NAPA Victory Lane.
Getting his first win of the season in the 10-car field of Stingers was Rhinelander’s Bobby Sheldon. Sheldon held off the driver that has clinched the Stingers Points Championship, Louis Malluege of Merrill.
“I just got the car re-built this week. I have just been having so many problems. I didn’t even think I would finish the Heat, much less go on to win the Feature,” commented Sheldon.
What did the Stinger Point Champion think about having to follow Sheldon?
“I actually thought it was awesome seeing all those cars in the Stinger Class,” commented Malluege.
Agreeing with Malluege was fellow Merrill driver, Zach Degner.
“It was great seeing all those cars in the Stinger class, loved the competition,” stated Degner.
While Malluege has clinched the Stinger Points Championship, 3 drivers are in a close battle for the Points Championship in the Pure Stock Class. Going into Saturday Night’s races, Rhinelander’s Tyler Lundberg has 628 points, followed by Eagle River’s Jason Melton (613) and David Blackberg (606).
Lundberg held serve by winning the 1st Pure Stock Heat, with Blackberg taking the 2nd Heat. That set the stage for the previous week’s Feature Winner, Jason Melton to win the Feature.
Blackberg started the race on the outside of Row 3, followed by Lundberg and (Jason) Melton in row 4. All 3 drivers quickly moved through traffic to get to the front of the pack. Blackberg used a high line around the high banked oval to get the lead and hold it.
On the 5th lap, Lundberg had a tire go down, moving him to the back. A position Lundberg would not stay very long. Even with caution’s coming out, Blackberg would hold the lead. However it was Lundberg and Jason Melton that got in position to challenge Blackberg for the lead.
Then half way through the 15 lap feature, Lundberg’s car started to leak Transmission Fluid. From the driver’s seats to the pits to the grandstands, everyone wondered if Lundberg would be able to finish the race.
He not only finished but pushed Blackberg right to the finish line. Blackberg got the win, Lundberg took a second, and Melton finished 4th, right behind Jason Eisel. Thus tightening up the run for the Pure Stock Points Championship with only 3 races to go.
Getting his first Feature win of the year in the TNT Pro Trucks was James Koga. Last time he won a feature it was at another track exactly one year ago. That was the night that he met Jamie Pooch of TNT Motor Speedway.
“On our 1 year Anniversary, I celebrated by winning the feature! Is that great, is that ironic!” said a smiling James Koga.
What made that race even more special is that Koga went into the night trailing the class point leader, Cory Allen by only 17 points, 622-605.
“Who says you can’t run a high line and win? That’s the line I started the Feature with and the line I had when I crossed the finish line,” commented Koga.
While Sheldon, Blackberg, and Koga all ran high on the high banked track that was not the case in the WISSOTA Sanctioned classes. Dan Melton that ran inches off the grass on the inside to win the WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature. Melton used this line to get by two of the fastest cars in the class at TNT, Rhinelander’s Dennis Mikkelson and Eagle River’s Guy Carley.
“This was one of the most fun nights of racing I have ever had,” stated Mikkelson. Mikkelson won the previous week’s Feature and ended with a 2nd this past Saturday Night.
Melton may have clinched the Points Championship in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified, but that is not the case in the other WISSOTA Sanctioned Class, Street Stock. It is in that class that Bruce Crossing, Michigan’s Jordan Kurtti only has an 18 point lead over Nate Langberg.
With the Class Championship on the line, Kurtti is driving close to 1000 miles to get back to race. Knowing how important it is to rack up as many points as he can, Kurtti came out of the blocks with a vengeance and easily won the Heat.
Then bad luck hit Kurtti in the Feature. Car problems knocked him out of the race. This opened the door for Langberg to cut into Kurtti’s point lead.
Then the unexpected happened on a night of unexpected results. Langberg had tire problems and he left the race. This opened the door for someone other than Kurtti and Langberg to make the trek to the NAPA Victory Lane.
Running an inside line was Rhinelander’s Britt Broman. That was the same groove that Eagle River’s Ryan Valeria ran right on Broman’s bumper. As the race was coming down to the final laps, Valeria tried going around Broman, but Broman kept his speed up on a tight line to get the win.
“When one looks at those that won on Saturday Night, it proves how many ‘lines’ TNT has that can get you to the NAPA Victory Lane. We had 3 Feature winners that all ran a high line, and then we have Dan (Melton) and Britt (Broman) that won by running a low line,” commented Track Announcer Skip Schulz.
Getting his first win of the year in the Junior Sprints was 6 year old Dayton Rein of Conover. Rein and Phelps Dustin Kangas proved that all you need is 2 cars to put on a good show. Kangas came back to win the feature.
The youngster from Phelps stated at the end of the night, “I love the competition and to go fast. I want to move up to the Pro Trucks, although I wouldn’t mind going into the Micro Sprints.”
It is in the Micro Sprints that former Junior Sprint drivers continue to dominate. This includes 15 year old Denver Larson of Shiocton, and his 13 year old brother Dylan. Denver held off a very fast Jake Schilleman of Rhinelander and Dylan to win the Feature.
“With class championships on the line in the WISSOTA Street Stock, the TNT Pro Trucks and Pure Stock Classes, fans can expect the ‘unexpected’ as we head into the final points races of the year,” concluded Jamie Pooch of TNT Motor Speedway.
Racing will return to the high banked one third mile clay track South of Three Lakes this coming Saturday Night. Racing to begin at 7:00 pm CT.
TNT Motor Speedway Results, Aug 15, 2015
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature:
1) Dan Melton, Rhinelander
2) Dennis Mikkelson, Rhinelander
3) Guy Carley, Eagle River
4) Jonathon Miller, Eagle River
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat:
1) Melton
2) Mikkelson
3) Carley
4) Miller
WISSOTA Street Stock Feature:
1) Britt Broman, Rhinelander
2) Ryan Valeriam Eagle River
3) David Blackberg, Eagle River
4) Scott Detert, Rhinelander
5) Nate Langberg, Tomahawk
6) Jordan Kurtti, Bruce Crossing, MI
WISSOTA Street Stock Heat:
1) Kurtti
2) Ryan Valeria
3) Broman
4) Langberg
5) Blackberg
6) Detert
Micro Sprint 600 Feature:
1) Denver Larson, Shiocton
2) Jake Schilleman, Rhinelander
3) Dylan Larson, Shiocton
Micro Sprint 600 Heat:
1) Denver Larson
2) Dylan Larson
3) Schilleman
TNT Pro Truck Feature:
1) James Koga, Eagle River
2) John Johnson, Sr., Lac Du Flambeau
3) Cory “Cowboy” Allen, Rhinelander
4) Mario Grado, Lac du Flambeau
5) Ronald Vernick, Lac Du Flambeau
6) Herb Dettman, Pelican Lake
TNT Pro Truck Heat:
1) Dettman
2) Johnson, Sr.,
3) Allen
4) Grado
5) Vernick
6) Koga
Pure Stock Feature:
1) David Blackberg, Eagle River
2) Tyler Lundberg, Rhinelander
3) Jason Eisel, Rhinelander
4) Jason Melton, Eagle River
5) Mike Rick, Irma
6) Fred Feger, Pelican Lake
7) Joe Chaney, Crandon
8) Devon Wolf, Parrish
9) Steve Melton, Rhinelander
Pure Stock Heat 1:
1) Lundberg
2) Feger
3) Steve Melton
4) Jason Melton
Pure Stock Heat 2:
1) Blackberg
2) Eisel
3) Rick
4) Chaney
5) Wolf
Stinger Feature:
1) Bobby Sheldon, Rhinelander
2) Louis Malluege, Merrill
3) Zach Degner, Merrill
4) Paul Winker, Tomahawk
5) Leslie Lou, Medford
6) Chris Zeigel, Mosinee
7) Brandon Langbecker, Gleason
8) Quentin Morrison, Eagle River
9) Jennifer Nitzsche, Wausau
10) Randy Luedtke, Mosinee
Stinger Heat 1:
1) Winker
2) Langbecker
3) Sheldon
4) Lou
5) Zeigel
Stinger Heat 2:
1) Malluegge
2) Degner
3) Nitzshe
4) Morrison
5) Luedtke
Junior Sprint Feature:
1) Dustin Kangas, Phelps
2) Dayton Rein, Conover
Junior Sprint Heat:
1) Rein
2) Kangas
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