It wasn’t “Mother Nature” that threatened to set history at the 42 year old Eagle River Speedway, but another ‘gal.’ That was 16 year old Isabelle Valeria that was one lap away from becoming one of the first women to win a Feature Race.
Isabelle held the lead throughout the Pure Stock Feature race. Then on the 11th lap, an accident with Dennis LaCrosse, Jr., hitting the wall ion between the first and second corner brought out the caution. That put two of the classes top drivers, David Blackberg and Don Scharf, right on Isabelle’s bumper on the re-start. Valeria held them off at the drop of the flag, only to have CJ Hedges, Jr., and Don Scharf in an altercation on the ‘hairpin’ 3rd turn.
That meant it was going to be a Green-White-Checker to the finish. On the final lap, Valeria went wide in between the 1st and 2nd turn, and Blackberg took the inside. The two raced side by side around the sweeping 2nd turn, back stretch, and the ‘button-hook’ 3rd turn.
At the finish, Blackberg got the win, preventing Valeria from not only winning her first race, but becoming the first female to win a feature in many decades of racing at the popular Northern Wisconsin dirt track.
“That’s my girl! What a race! She (Isabelle Valeria) was so pumped at the end of the race, I think she was regurgitating her supper!” proclaimed a proud Father, Ken Valeria.
Going into August, Blackberg and Dustin Miller were tied for the Pure Stock Point lead with 370 points. Scharf was right behind with 363 points.
It wasn’t just the Pure Stock Feature that had the fans at the edge of their seats. Every single Feature had its own form of excitement!
In the Micro Sprint 600 Feature, Rhinelander’s Jake Schilleman jumped out to an early lead. Then Denver Larson of Shiocton took the lead. Who was not going to wait in the wings with the duo-winged Sprinter, was Eagle River’s Ty Springer.
The elder Larson and the elder Springer were in a ‘cat and mouse’ chase for the final 5 laps. When Denver (Larson) drifted on the tight 3rd turn, Ty Springer planted his Honda-powered Micro on the inside to grab the lead and get the win.
This class has a 3 way battle for the point’s championship. Going into August, Dylan Larson had a 2 point lead (297-295) over Denver, with Ty Springer right in the battle to defend his championship.
“Since Ty (Springer) has won the first two features in August, and has his Springer Sprinter running great, this class championship is going to go right down to that final night of racing,” stated Eagle River Speedway Track Promoter, Kevin Dawson.
The Points Championship is also up for grabs in the Junior Sprint Class. While Phelp’s Dustin Kangas had a 26 point lead over Conover’s Dayton Rein going into August. That margin has decreased with Rein winning the previous week’s feature.
The margin decreased even more when Kangas was unable to finish the Heat race, and Rein won another Feature this past Friday night.
The excitement not only came with Rein winning the feature, but on the final lap of that race, Deerbrook’s Josie Rae Reif rolled her sprinter over right before the finish line. Reif was shook up, but still able to walk over to the Auto Value Victory lane. Reif was running second until the accident. Her accident moved Kangas up to finishing second to Rein.
Friday Night was the AFCO Race of Champions for the WISSOTA 100 National Race in South Dakota. Just like all the other Features, this was another race that went right down to the last couple laps.
Wakefield, Michigan’s Marcus Dunbar led throughout the race. Once again on that same lap where all the other cautions were coming out, the 11th lap, the race tightened up.
While Dunbar had built up a good lead, 4 cars were constantly battling for position. Eagle River’s Tad Schoonover, Phelp’s Jerry Grasse, and the Upper Peninsula tandem of Jesse Aho and Duane Dunbar.
On the re-start, Grasse and Aho were positioned right behind Marcus (Dunbar), followed by Duane Dunbar and Tad Schoonover.
When Marcus went wide on the first turn, Grasse planted his Mid Mod on the inside to go side by side with Dunbar into the sweeping 2nd turn. Both continued to be side by side going into the ‘hair-pin’ 3rd turn. It was in that turn that Grasse got the lead. A lead he would not relinquish!
Aho continues to hold a narrow point lead in the class over CJ Hedges, Jr., followed by Duane and Marcus Dunbar, Schoonover, and Grasse.
Hedges did not run his WISSOTA Midwest Modified at the race, due to commitments he had with NASCAR’s Kenny Wallace running his car at Tomahawk Speedway.
“With CJ (Hedges) not running Friday Night, and having Marcus take a second in the Feature, with Jesse (Aho) taking a 3rd, this is another class where the points championship is up for grabs” commented Dawson.
The only Feature of the night that didn’t go right down to the ‘wire,’ was in the WISSOTA Street Stock class. Bruce Crossing, Michigan’s, Jordan Kurtti ran away from everyone to win the Feature. The race ‘within the race,’ was for 2nd place. Class point leader, Eagle River’s Ryan Valeria and Conover’s Dustin White were bumper to bumper, side by side throughout the race.
With White winning the last 2 WISSOTA Street Stock Features, White is moving up to challenge the class point leader, Ryan Valeria. Valeria was able to hold White off for 2nd place.
It is in that WISSOTA Street Stock class where this coming Friday Night, the final race in the WISSOTA Street Stock Challenge Series will take place. Also this Friday Night, the track will give the fans a chance to go on the track and get autographs from the racers.
“This is our way to thank the fans, and give the kids a chance to get up close to the drivers, get pictures and autographs. The kids really look forward to this,” concluded Dawson.
Also this Friday Night the track will host another edition of the ‘Redneck Games,’ with spectator one on one racing. Hot laps will begin at 7:00 pm Central Time.
Eagle River Speedway
Aug 12, 2016 Results
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature: 1) Jerry Grasse, Phelps; 2) Marcus Dunbar, Wakefield, (MI); 3) Jesse Aho, Toivola, (MI); 4) Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, (MI); 5) Tad Schoonover, Eagle River; 6) Josh Fleischman, Iron River (MI); 7) Jonathon Miller, Eagle River
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat: 1) Schoonover; 2) Duane Dunbar; 3) Grasse; 4) Aho; 5) Marcus Dunbar; 6) Miller; 7) Fleischmann
WISSOTA Street Stock Feature: 1) Jordan Kurtti, Bruce Crossing, (MI); 2) Ryan Valeria, Eagle River; 3) Dustin White, Conover; 4) Frank Gasperini, Eagle River; 5) Britt Bromann, Eagle River
WISSOTA Street Stock Heat: 1) Gasperini; 2) Valeria; 3) Kurtti; 4) White; 5) Bromann
Micro Sprint 600 Feature: 1) Ty Springer, Eagle River; 2) Denver Larson, Shiocton; 3) Jake Schilleman, Rhinelander; 4) Jerry Reif, Deerbrook; 5) Dylan Larson, Shiocton; 6) Tommi-Jo Springer, Eagle River; 7) Zach Rein, Conover
Micro Sprint Heat: 1) Dylan Larson; 2) Ty Springer; 3) Denver Larson; 4) Reif; 5) Schilleman; 6) Tommi-Jo Springer; 7) Rein
Pure Stock Feature: 1) David Blackberg, Eagle River; 2) Isabelle Valeria, Eagle River; 3) CJ Hedges, Jr., Tripoli; 4) Jason Eisel, Rhinelander; 5) Gunner Orcutt, Tomahawk; 6) Herb Dettman, Pelican Lake; 7) Louis Malluege; 8) Charlie Jackson, Land O Lakes; 9) Kyle Schneider, Eagle River; 10) Don Scharf, Eagle River; 11) Dennis LaCrosse, Jr., Rhinelander; 12) David Spaun, Laona
Pure Stock Heat 1: 1) Hedges, Jr.; 2) LaCrosse, Jr.; 3) Orcutt; 4) Scharf; 5) Malluege; 6) Schneider
Pure Stock Heat 2: 1) Blackberg; 2) Dettman; 3) Valeria; 4) Jackson; 5) Eisel; 6) Spaun
Junior Sprint Feature: 1) Dayton Rein, Conover; 2) Dustin Kangas, Phelps; 3) Zach Rein, Conover; 4) Josie Rae Reif, Deerbrook; 5) Aaron Towne, Bouler Junction.
Junior Sprint Heat: 1) Dayton Rein; 2) Reif; 3) Towne; 4) Kangas; 5) Zach Rein
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