Wi Dirt Racin

For the past two years one of the biggest turnouts of racers at Eagle River Speedway is for the Tori Stevens Memorial Race. This year’s race was no exception as 17 racers entered the Pure Stock Class, and double digit amount of racers ran in both WISSOTA Sanctioned classes.

It was in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature that one cannot question whether Phelps, Wisconsin’s, Jerry Grasse is not fond of the color of Yellow. Grasse not only led for much of the Feature, he was running away from the packed field on two different re-starts. However it was in the 3rd re-start that he had the Tracks Midwest Modified Champion, Jesse Aho, right on his bumper for the final 3 laps. Aho of Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula used the Cautions and re-starts early in the race to move up from the middle of the pack.

Throughout the race Grasse ran the middle of the track, and it helped him build a comfortable lead from the start and even after the first two re-starts. However with 3 laps to go, Aho made the move to get on the inside of Grasse on the ‘hairpin’ 3rd turn. The two that raced side by side in the front stretch. It was in the 1st turn that Aho got the lead and held on for his 2nd Feature Win of the season.

“Jerry (Grasse) looked like he had the race won by the margin of his lead before and after the start and first two re-starts. Especially when Jesse (Aho) was battling it out with (Tadd) Schoonover and Marcus (Dunbar) for position in the middle of the pack,” commented Track Promoter, Kevin Dawson.

Grasse looked to be the one to beat early on in the night when he held off Aho for the first Heat. The 2nd Heat was the “Dunbar” Heat. It was in that race that Marenisco’s Duane Dunbar held off Wakefield’ Marcus Dunbar. Tripoli’s CJ Hedges, Jr., who ‘spanked’ the competition in the Season Opener Feature took a 3rd in that Heat and a 4th in the Feature.

It was Hedges Racing that coordinated the Tori Stevens Memorial Race, where numerous racers and fans donated Bicycles and other gifts to be given away to children and adults. The 11 year old Tori Stevens lost her life battling Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The race was a fund-raiser to find a cure for SMA.

It’s a Memorial Race that drew 17 racers in the competitive Pure Stock Class. With Irma’s Michael Rick, Rhinelander’ Dustin Miller, and Eagle River’s Don Schart all winning a Heat race, one would that the Feature would come down to one of the 3 Heat Winners.

This was not the case as Eagle River’s David Blackberg made it two Pure Stock Feature wins in a row. Blackberg patiently worked his way up from the middle of the crowded field to get the win.

“That’s what you call ‘running a smart race.’ It may be an old saying in racing, but it sure came to life on Friday night. That is you don’t win the race on the 1st lap!” proclaimed Dawson.

The crowd had a chance to see the first Micro Sprint Series Race at the popular Eagle River Speedway. While the track runs the Micro Sprint 600’s every week, on different night’s throughout the year the 1/3rd mile Tri-Oval participates in a regional Micro Sprint 600 ‘Series’ race. These ‘Series’ races brings the fastest racers to take on the challenging Tri-Oval.

However it didn’t look challenging to Southern Wisconsin’s Zach Boden. Boden not only won the Feature, he lapped every car still running at the end of the race, but one. Mishaps and Mechanical problems narrowed the field from a 9 Sprint Start to only 5 still running at the end of the race.

“The track was smooth and fast, and that sometimes creates mishaps or mechanical problems. That was the case in the Micro Sprint 600 Feature,” remarked Dawson.

That was the case for Deerbrook’s Jake Reif who won the first heat but had to exit the Feature due to mechanical problems. One of the fastest Micro’s on the track was Kewaskum’s Any Rein. Andy and Shiocton’s Dylan Larson were involved in a mishap toward the end of the Feature. While both were not injured, they were not able to finish the Feature.

Boden also won his Heat race.

The WISSOTA Street Stock class could have been called the ‘Race of Champions.’ Past Pure Stock Champion, Eagle Rivers Ryan Valeria jumped out to an early lead. While Valeria enjoyed running with no one in front of him, last year’s WISSOTA Street Stock Point Champion Nate Langberg, of Tomahawk, was in an exciting battle with the class champion from 2 years ago, the Upper Peninsula’s Jordan Kurtti.

As the race was heating up, Langberg and Kurtti both got by Valeria. Than it was ‘déjà vu’ for Nate Langberg. The previous week Langberg and Ryan Glembin were side by side at the finish line. Glembin edged Langberg by inches to win that feature.

That did not happen for the special Tori Steven’s Memorial Race WISSOTA Street Stock Feature. It was Langberg holding off Kurtti to earn a trip to the Auto Value Victory Lane. (Ryan) Valeria may have ended in 5th in the Feature, but he did win his Heat, as did Kurtti.

It wasn’t just dozens of children that went home winner by winning a Bicycle through the Tori Stevens Memorial race, but Jose Rae Reif went home as the Junior Sprint Feature win. The pre-teen child from Deerbrook was trailing Conover’s Dayton Rein for much of the race. The Deerbrook youngster, Reif, was in a battle with Phelps’s Dustin Kangas for second. That is until Dayton Rein came upon a lapped Junior Sprinter and safely slowed down. When Rein slowed down, that put Reif and Kangas right behind Rain.

Once all three got around the lapped Junior Sprinter, and then Reif was able to get around Rein for the Junior Sprint Feature win. Rein did hold off the stiff competition by winning the Heat Race/

It will be the popular Harry’s Fireworks show at the end of the July 1st Races. When the fireworks on the clay track ends, the lights go down and the fans are treated to a spectacular Fireworks Show. It is also the first of 3 special WISSOTA Midwest Modified Specials. On July 8th the Sport ATV’s will race, with the 1st Side by Side XTreme Challenge Off Road Vehicle race taking place on July 15th.

This past Friday Night marked the first time in the 42 year History of Eagle River Speedway where the races were broadcast live in the Western and Central Upper Peninsula on Eagle Country 105.7, and streamed worldwide over the Internet. All the races this summer will be broadcast and streamed.

Eagle River Speedway Results, 6/24/16

WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature: 1) Jesse Aho, Toivola (MI); 2) Jerry Grasse, Phelps; 3) Tadd Schoonover, Eagle River; 4) CJ Hedges, Jr., Tripoli; 5) Wayne Stricker, Highbridge; 6) Marcus Dunbar, Wakefield (MI); 7) Duane Dunbar, Marenisco (MI); 8) James Koga, Eagle River; 9) Jonathon Miller, Eagle River; 10) Darrin Zorich, Marenisco (MI); 11) Brady Jokinen, Mellen

WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat 1: 1) Grasse; 2) Aho; 3) Stricker; 4) Schoonover; 5) Miller; 6) Jokinen

WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat 2: 1) Duane Dunbar; 2) Marcus Dunbar; 3) Hedges; 4) Zorich; 5) Koga

WISSOTA Street Stock Feature: 1) Nathan Langberg, Tomahawk; 2) Jordan Kurtti, Bruce Crossing (MI); 3) Britt Broman, Eagle River; 4) Ryan Glembin, Eagle River; 5) Ryan Valeria, Eagle River; 6) Frank Gasperini, Eagle River; 7) Troy Larock, Laona; 8) Ron VanDusen, Eagle River; 9) Jason Jenson, Eagle River; 10) Dustin White, Conover

WISSOTA Street Stock Heat 1: 1) Ryan Valeria; 2) Glembin; 3) Broman; 4) Langberg; 5) VanDusen

WISSOTA Street Stock Heat 2: 1) Kurtti; 2) White; 3) Gasperini; 4) Larock; 5) Jenson

Micro Sprint 600’s: 1) Zach Boden, Cambridge; 2) Jerry Reif, Deerbrook; 3) Ty Springer, Eagle River; 4) Denver Larson, Shiocton; 5) Zach Rein, Conover; 6) Andy Rein, Kewaskum; 7) Dylan Larsson, Shiocton; 8) Jake Schilleman, Rhinelander; 9) Jake Reif, Deerbrook

Micro Sprint 600’s Heat 1: 1) Jake Reif; 2) Andy Rein; 3) Springer; 4) Schilleman; 5) Zach Rein

Micro Sprint 600’s Heat 2: 1) Boden; 2) Jerry Reif; 3) Dylan Larson; 4) Denver Larson

Pure Stock Feature: 1) David Blackberg, Eagle River; 2) Don Scharf, Eagle River; 3) Dennis LaCrosse, Jr., Rhinelander; 4) Dustin Miller, Rhinelander; 5) John Kallas, Hurley; 6) Ken Valeria, Eagle River; 7) Tyler Musoff, Prentice; 8) Jason Eisel, Rhinelander; 9) Nick Paoli, Ironwood (MI); 10) Ethan Holm, Crandon; 11) Isabelle Valeria, Eagle River; 12) Fred Feger, Pelican Lake; 13) Joe Chaney, Crandon; 14) Mike Heikkila, Iron River (MI); 15) Kyle Schneider, Eagle River; 16) Louis Malluegge, Merrill; 17) Michael Rick Tomahawk;

Pure Stock Heat 1; 1) Rick; 2) Blackberg; 3) Ken Valeria; 4) Chaney; 5) Feger

Pure Stock Heat 2: 1) Dustin Miller; 2) Malluegge; 3) LaCrose, Jr.; 4) Kallas; 5) Paoli; 6) Eisel; 7) Heikkila

Pure Stock Heat 3: 1) Scharf; 2) Holm; 3) Isabelle Valeria; 4) Muoff; 5) Schneider

Junior Sprint Feature: 1) Josie Rae Reif, Deerbrook; 2) Dayton Rein, Conover; 3) Dustin Kangas, Phelps; 4) Aaron Towne, Boulder Junction

Junior Sprint Heat: 1) Dayton Rein; 2) Josie Reif; 3) Kangas; 4) Towne

Comments

comments