Wi Dirt Racin

It was the final race of the year at Eagle River Speedway and the best way to end the year is with close races and a Spectator Race that ended with a crash on the final turn.
The closest races of the night took place in the Junior Sprint class. In both the Heat and the Feature, Dayton Rein and his older brother Zak went side by side right to the finish. Both races, 7 year old Dayton held off his brother by inches, this was Dayton’s first Feature win in his first year of racing. In the Feature, Dakota Kangas touched the wall coming out of the third turn and put his brother, Dustin’s Junior Sprinter on it’s side. Dakota was not injured and finished the race.
The Modified class had Non-WISSOTA Midwest Mod racers take on another sanctioning circuit racer. That being Escanaba, Michigan’s, Bobby Rose. In the Heat race, Marenisco, Michigan’s Duane Dunbar held off Rose by a bumper. Then in the feature, Rose flew by Dunbar, Tadd Schoonover, and Jonathon Miller like they were standing still. Rose is going to University of Northern Ohio in Elida, Ohio.

15 cars started the Pure Stock Feature. The 2015 Eagle River Speedway Pure Stock Point Champion, CJ Hedges broke out of the pack early and looked to be on his way to an easy win. That is until the 11th lap of the 15 lap final. Eagle River’s David Blackberg went high coming out of the 1st turn and set himself up to sneak on the inside of Hedges on the sweeping 2nd turn.
“I don’t recall a race where CJ (Hedges) ever gave anyone the inside line on the 2nd turn,” commented Kevin Dawson of Eagle River Speedway.
Hedges gave Blackberg enough room to get by him on the inside of the 2nd turn to get the lead. Then a caution came out on the next lap. That not only made for an exciting finish between Blackberg and Hedges, but it put Jake Ison and Michael Brown back into the race. Blackberg, Ison, and Brown all won the previous Heat Races.
Blackberg held on for the win, with Brown and Hedges appearing to cross the finish line at the same time. The officials conferred and agreed that Brown got second with Hedges taking a 3rd.
Not to be left out of the exciting finishes was the Street Stock racers. Earlier in the night, Eagle River’s “Flying” Ryan Valeria held off Rhinelander’s Rob Rodziczak for the win. The two battled it out in the feature, with Rodziczak holding off Valeria.
It was one year ago that Rhinelander’s Parker Retzlaff was racing a 17 horsepower Junior Sprinter. This year the young man has been racing a Bandolero on the asphalt and a Pro Truck on the dirt. Friday Night, Retzlaff held off Pelican Lake’s Herb Dettman for the Pro Truck win.
In fitting fashion to an exciting year, the Spectator Races took ‘excitement’ to a whole new level! From a ‘roll-over’ to a racer hitting the concrete wall on the final turn to the finish line. It was in the Spectator Final between Eagle River’s Richard Grabowski and Mathew Britt that had both drivers having the lead at different parts of the race. The two were side by side going in to the final turn to the checkered flag.
When Grabowski went high coming out of the ‘hairpin’ 3rd turn, he lost control and hit the concrete wall, giving the win to Britt.
Tomahawk’s Amie Haring impressed fans and officials with her win in the Powderpuff Feature. She was racing in Michael Brown’s car. The Pure Stock Mechanics race went to Todd Mohr in Jake Ison’s car. Ison came back and drove Herb Dettman’s Pro Truck to the win in the “Combo-Class” Mechanics Race.
Eagle River Speedway will hold its Awards Banquet on Friday Night, Jan. 22nd at the Eagle River Inn. The 42nd season of racing at the legendary Tri-Oval of Eagle River Speedway will be on Friday Night, May 20th.
Eagle River Speedway Results, 9/11/15
Midwest Modified Feature:
1) Bobby Rose, Elida, Ohio (HM-Escanaba, MI)
2) Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI
3) Tadd Schoonover, Eagle River
4) Jonathon Miller, Eagle River
Midwest Modified Heat:
1) Dunbar
2) Rose
3) Schoonover
4) Miller
Street Stock Feature:
1) Rob Rodziczak, Rhinelander
2) Ryan Valeria, Eagle River
3) Ken Valeria, Eagle River
4) David Blackberg, Eagle River
5) Nate Langberg, Tomahawk
Street Stock Heat:
1) Ryan Valeria
2) Rodziczak
3) Blackberg
4) Langberg
5) Ken Valeria
Pro Truck Feature:
1) Parker Retzlaff, Rhinelander
2) Herb Dettman, Pelican Lake
Pro Truck Heat:
1) Retzlaff
2) Dettman
Pure Stock Feature:
1) David Blackberg, Eagle River
2) Michael Brown, Tomahawk
3) CJ Hedges, Jr., Tripoli
4) Jake Ison, Eagle River
5) Thaddeus Brown, Tomahawk
6) Don Scharf, Eagle River
7) Isabelle Valeria, Eagle River
8) Fritz Scharf, Eagle River
9) Jason Eisel, Rhinelander
10) Bob Skrobot, Manitowish Waters
11) Fred Feger, Pelican Lake
12) Louis Malluege, Merrill
13) Gunner Orcutt, Tomahawk
14) Michael Heikkila, Iron River
15) Frank Gasperini, Eagle River
Pure Stock Heat 1:
1) Blackberg
2) Brown
3) Hedges, Jr.,
4) Orcutt
5) Heikkila
Pure Stock Heat 2:
1) Brown
2) Don Scharf
3) Fritz Scharf
4) Gasperini
5) Malluege
Pure Stock Heat 3;
1) Ison
2) Eisel
3) Isabelle Valeria
4) Skrobot
5) Feger
Junior Sprint Feature:
1) Dayton Rein, Conover
2) Zak Rein, Conover
3) Dakota Kangas, Phelps
Junior Sprint Heat:
1) Dayton Rein
2) Zach Rein
3) Tristan Valeria
Powderpuff Feature:
1) Amie Haring, Tomahawk
2) Stephanie Shoen, Tomahawk
3) Tracy Rein, Conover
4) Katrina Heil, Tomahawk
Mechanics Race Pure Stock Feature:
1) Todd Mohr, Eagle River
2) Gary Briner
3) Andrew Haring
4) Bryce Wick
5) Zach Degner
6) Al Orcutt
7) Joe Miller
8) Max Kane
Mechanics Race Combo Class Feature:
1) Jake Ison, Eagle River
2) Andrew Bernarde
3) Brian Retzlaff
4) Mark Miller
5) Al Kurtti
Spectator Race Final:
1) Mathew Britt, Eagle River
2) Richard Grabowski, Eagle River

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