Late Race Passes Decide Rice Lake Speedway Winners
Rice Lake WI, July 29 – While A.J. Diemel won the Shaw Trucking WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series event Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway(see separate story), the five classes that normally run at the speedway were also in action. And in four of the five, late race passes with three or less laps left in the main events determined the winners with only Dustin Doughty dominating in the Pure Stocks.
Other winners in front of a big Saturday night crowd were Mike Anderson in the Modifieds, Eric Olson in the Super Stocks, Joe Chaplin Jr in the Midwest Modifieds and Hunter VanGilder in the Street Stocks.
Anderson ran third for most of the Modified main event before making a late charge that saw him work his way into victory lane for the second time this year. Once again it was Steve Hallquist coming close to that elusive first Modified feature win at Rice Lake as he took the early lead and then held off challenges for most of the event before being passed with only three laps to go by Anderson.
For much of the race, it was Dave Baxter who was putting the pressure on Hallquist as several times Baxter dove to the inside of Hallquist in the corners, only to see Steve fight him off in a tough battle.
Behind those two, Anderson was in his own fight for position as he went back and forth with Joey Jensen, Jeffrey Lien Jr and Cory Mahder with those four swapping positions on nearly every lap.
Baxter continued to work the high side as he would challenge Hallquist on nearly every corner as the race moved past its halfway point. After Baxter made several attempts for the lead, he fell back a few car lengths and it looked like Hallquist just might get his big win.
Then, suddenly, Anderson picked up the pace as his car started working very well on the inside of the track. He got some great runs off the low groove and he suddenly began to reel in Hallquist at a rapid pace. With just three laps to go, he got another great run off the low side of the track and swept into the lead.
However, things weren’t quite settled yet as suddenly Baxter again picked up the pace. Again using the top side he closed on Anderson and while his last lap attempt came up a car length short, he put heavy pressure on Anderson right to the finish. However, following the race, Head WISSOTA Tech Inspector Bill Engelstad, who was on hand Saturday night, disqualified Baxter for a suspension violation. This elevated Hallquist back up to second where he was scored ahead of Jensen, Lien Jr and Mahder who rounded out the top five in the nonstop main event.
Simon Wahlstrom was within three laps of earning his first ever Super Stock feature win, a win that would have been highly celebrated by the big crowd on hand. However, Eric Olson, who is in the midst of one of his finest seasons ever, made a big charge that culminated in his sixth Rice Lake Speedway feature win of 2017.
Wahlstrom started on the outside pole and quickly moved into the lead as he got the jump on Luke Schultz for the early advantage. Don Cimfl Jr and Cody Cimfl were battling hard behind those two for position with Aaron Wilson, last week’s winner, also racing up into contention.
A couple of early yellows for spins kept the field bunched with Wahlstrom continuing to show the way. Both Wilson and Olson took advantage of the yellows to gain ground with Wilson quickly moving into second and Olson following him. Following another spin, Olson and Wilson had a great battle for second with Olson taking over the spot and then setting out after Wahlstrom.
The last ten laps of the race ran off nonstop and Olson caught the leader with a few laps to go. Olson has been having a banner year and he was again able to find just enough room on the low side of the track to slither under Wahlstrom and take over the lead. Simon attempted to fight back as he gave it his best shot to recover the point, but Olson had him covered and came home the winner by a car length at the finish. Wilson settled for third and first timer Dexton Koch ran a solid race to get fourth with Jim Cimfl coming on at the end to complete the top five.
George Dalbeck has stated that one of his goals is to win a feature race at Rice Lake before he retires which he has hinted might be at the end of this year. Saturday night the Michigan driver came within three laps of achieving that goal before he was passed by Chaplin Jr who himself is having his finest year at the track.
Dalbeck started on the outside pole and beat Denny Cutsforth to the corner to take the early lead. A couple of minor yellows slowed the action in the first four laps but then the rest of the race went nonstop. Dalbeck looked strong up front as he put a little distance on the pack while Chaplin Jr, Cutsforth, Jamie Bisonette, Travis Anderson and Austin Ellis all fought for position. Eventually Chaplin Jr would establish that he was dominate and take over the second spot and then set off after the leader.
Dalbeck had built up a nice lead but Chaplin Jr really picked up the pace and started to quickly cut into the advantage. Coming off turn four, Chaplin Jr got inside Dalbeck with three laps to go and took over the top spot. George tried to fight back and he got within a car length of Chaplin Jr but Joe maintained his line as he drove home for his fourth Rice Lake win of the year.
Cutsforth had one of his finest runs as he maintained in third with Anderson and Ellis next in line in what was one of the smoother run Midwest Modified races of the year.
VanGilder’s margin of victory was the smallest of any as his pass on Jimmy Randall for the win was achieved on the final lap of the Street Stock feature. After a first lap tangle that eliminated Kevin Bogdanovic and Eric Olson, the Streeters ran the rest of their main event nonstop with Randall leading the whole way.
Jimmy was strong in the early going as he pulled away from Jay Kesan and Ron Hanestad while VanGilder worked his way forward after starting fifth. It took him some time to get past contenders Kesan and Hanestad but he eventually moved into second and then tried to track down Randall.
Jimmy was riding the high groove around the track and seemed to be just cruising with a comfortable advantage when suddenly, in the last five laps, VanGilder really started to close the gap.
Randall had the option of dropping to the low groove but apparently felt comfortable where he was and believed that he had enough of a lead to take the win. However, VanGilder reeled him in at an alarmingly quick rate and as they approached the white flag, they were nearly side by side.
VanGilder got a good run into turn one and took over the lead as they headed down the back chute. Randall tried to fight back on the outside but he came up a car length short as VanGilder took his second feature win of the year. Hanestad and Kesan remained in third and fourth throughout the race with Kolby Kiehl coming home behind them.
The only feature race that didn’t come right down to the wire was the Pure Stock main where Doughty continued to roll along at a rate that no one can keep up with. He started eighth on the grid for the Pure Stocks, made some bold three wide passed using the high side of the track and within two laps of taking the green, he was in the lead.
After that, it was just a matter of maintaining and not making any mistakes on the restarts, of which there were several following a series of minor spins that kept slowing the action. Eventually the time limit was reached and the race was shortened by two laps with a two lap sprint to the finish dictated.
Doughty pulled away from the pack once again and drove home for his eighth feature win of the year here, tops for all drivers. Rob Grabon had another solid finish as he took second, with Tucker Quinn, Zach Beaulieu and Mike Pratt next in line.
The next event at the track will be one of the biggest of the year as Tuesday night, August 1st it will be time again for the annual Street Stock Little Dream race. Already the track has received entries from as far away as North Dakota, all aiming for one of the biggest Street Stock payoffs of any race in the entire country. Hopes are to break last year’s record purse which paid over fifteen thousand dollars to the winner, Eric Olson. Also on the card Tuesday will be the Midwest Modifieds. There will be no racing on Saturday, August 5th and the next race will be on August 12th which is Hall of Fame night.
SUMMARY
Rice Lake Speedway
Rice Lake WI
July 29th, 2017
WISSOTA Modifieds
20 lap Feature – Mike Anderson(Colfax), Steve Hallquist(Eau Claire), Joey Jensen(Harris MN), Jeffrey Lien Jr(Mora MN), Cory Mahder(Eau Claire), Kevin Adams(Cameron), Dave Cain(Corcoran MN), Darrell Nelson(Hermantown MN), Jason Gross(Osceola), Ryan Viltz(Chetek), Scott Duval, Greg Chesley, Gary Baxter, Dave Mayala
8 lap Heat 1 – Dave Baxter(Eau Claire), Hallquist, Mahder, Anderson, Cain, Gross, Duval, Mayala
Heat 2 – Jensen, Chesley(Duluth MN), Lien Jr, Viltz, Adams, Nelson, G. Baxter
WISSOTA Super Stocks
20 lap Feature – Eric Olson(Ladysmith), Simon Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Aaron Wilson(Eau Claire), Dexton Koch(Sartell MN), Jim Cimfl(Turtle Lake), Cory Davis(Turtle Lake), Bart Steffen(Eau Claire), Cody Cimfl(Rice Lake), Luke Schultz(Cameron), Don Cimfl Jr(Rice Lake), Steve Davidson, Cooper Berlin, Kyle Helling, Jamey Fisher, Matt Koski, Pat Jungerberg, Mike Siewert, Josh Cappo, Steve Tesch
8 lap Heat 1 – Olson, Davis, C. Cimfl, Steffen, Tesch(Phillips), Fisher, Jungerberg
Heat 2 – Wahlstrom, Koch, Schultz, Helling(Rice Lake), Berlin(Rice Lake), Davidson
Heat 3 – Wilson, D. Cimfl Jr, J. Cimfl, Koski(New Richmond), Siewert(Rice Lake), Cappo
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Joe Chaplin Jr(Cameron), George Dalbeck(Wakefield MI), Denny Cutsforth(Rice Lake), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Austin Ellis(Rice Lake), Aric Lindberg(Dallas), Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Jamie Bisonette(Dallas), Mark Thomas(Menomonie), Kent Baxter(Colfax), Jeffrey Lien Jr, Gary Baxter, Dan Roatch, Fran Hanson, Derek Haas, Craig Elliott, Mitchell Larson, Jason Olson, Brady Larson, James Kannegiesser
8 lap Heat 1 – Halopka, Anderson, Bisonette, K. Baxter, B. Larson(Amery), Hanson, D. Baxter
Heat 2 – Chaplin Jr, Lindberg, Dalbeck, Thomas, M. Larson(Roberts), Elliott, Reid Tiegs
Heat 3 – Lien Jr(Mora MN), Ellis, Cutsforth, Haas(Thorp), Kannegiesser(Hayward), Roatch, Olson
WISSOTA Street Stocks
15 lap Feature – Hunter VanGilder(Rice Lake), Jimmy Randall(Rice Lake), Ron Hanestad(Glenwood City), Jay Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), Kolby Kiehl(Barron), Ryan Kostreba(Elk River MN), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Don Cook(Barron), Andy Cimfl(Rice Lake), Parker Anderson(Phillips), Josh Bach, Eric Olson, Kevin Bogdanovic
8 lap Heat 1 – VanGilder, Hanestad, Kesan, Bogdanovic(Wausau), Bach(Barron), Cook, Cimfl
Heat 2 – Olson(Ladysmith), Randall, Kostreba, Kiehl, Soltis, Anderson
WISSOTA Pure Stocks
10 lap Feature – Dustin Doughty(Oakdale MN), Rob Grabon(Bruce), Tucker Quinn(Ladysmith), Zach Beaulieu(Chetek), Mike Pratt(Bloomer), Mike Grover(Chetek), Scotty VanGilder(Birchwood), Bob Thompson(Cameron), Ken Larson(Balsam Lake), Ryan Lindenfelser(Trego), James Thur, Wayne Braun Jr, John Eastman, Jon Wigchers, Andy Ladd, Jimmy Holden, Michael Holmstrom
8 lap Heat 1 – Grabon, Quinn, Pratt, Braun Jr(Rice Lake), Thur(Neillsville), Lindenfelser, VanGilder, Thompson, Holden
Heat 2 – Doughty, Beaulieu, Grover, Larson, Wigchers(Rice Lake), Ladd, Eastman, Holmstrom
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