Mars Tops Duane Mahder 55 at Red Cedar Speedway
Menomonie WI, Aug 11 – Jimmy Mars led from start to finish to top the first annual Duane Mahder 55 held Friday night at the Red Cedar Speedway. The Late Model race honored the long time Late Model racer who was killed in a work related accident last November. The race was part of the Shaw Trucking WISSOTA Challenge Series and saw thirty one racers pull to Menomonie from three states in an attempt to win the $5,555 top prize offered.
After qualifying was complete, a twenty six car field was set to take on the fifty five lap Challenge Series race with Steve Laursen and Mars sharing the front row. The initial attempt to start the race didn’t get far as Cole Spacek rolled to a halt before a lap could be completed.
In a bizarre incident, Spacek and Mike Keller had crashed while stopping to drop off the flags the drivers were carrying for the pre race ceremonies and Keller was pushed off the track before the race even started and Spacek lasted less than a lap before his damaged car was done for the event.
The second attempt went smoother with Mars using the high side of the track to take the early lead with Laursen close behind. A.J. Diemel, Mike Prochnow and Marshall Fegers were both close behind as the top five managed to break away early from the field.
Mars continued to show the way and started to stretch his lead before the yellow came out once again for a Massingill spin in turn three. No damage resulted and the race was quickly restarted again. Diemel was on the move now as he drove past Laursen to take over second with Prochnow following his line and moving into third. Jesse Glenz and Rick Hanestad were also advancing in the field as both threatened to break into the top five.
Mars continued to maintain the lead while Prochnow moved in to challenge Diemel for second when the race was stopped for a spectacular accident on the front chute. Laursen and Glenz were battling for the sixth place when they got together as they raced off turn four. Laursen, on the outside, jumped the right front wheel af Glenz’s car and was launched into the air. With the front of his car high in the air, he rode nearly the length of the front chute in a giant “wheelie” with the air under the car causing it to ride high into the air and nearly go over backwards. It may have actually tipped over backwards except that it slammed into the fence entering turn one and then crashed down to the track where several drivers narrowly missed crashing into the stranded car.
Laursen was stunned briefly, and it took several minutes for him to get out of the car but he eventually was able to exit the vehicle on his own power. Because of the length of the clean up, the built in fuel stop was executed at this point, with twenty two laps completed.
Mars led Diemel, Prochnow, Fegers and Pat Doar at this point with Glenz, Hanestad, John Kaanta, Jeff Wildung and Lance Matthees following.
The fuel only stop was quickly handled and the field was ready to start again with Mars once again jumping out to a comfortable lead. With the halfway point quickly upon the drivers, Hanestad was on the move as he quickly gained two spots to crack the top five. Prochnow was also putting the pressure on Diemel and with a low side move, Mike was able to take over the second spot.
Mars continued to control the field with one last yellow slowing the action when Kerry Hansen spun with forty laps complete, which set up a fifteen lap sprint to the finish.
By this time the track was starting to take on rubber and most of the field had moved to the lower groove and once the green came back out for the final time, the pack was running the low side. Diemel got stuck on the outside for the restart and after trying to make the top side work, he fell back several spots as he couldn’t get back in line. Prochnow remained fairly close to Mars at this point while the one driver able to make the top side of the track work was Mark Hessler who gained several spots following the last yellow as he rolled past several competitors on the high side.
Things got a little dicey for Mars in the last few laps as he came up on a slower car that was also running the low side of the track and he had some difficulty getting by him. A couple times he tried to drive around the slower car, only to not be quite able to complete the pass and have to quickly dive back in line.
Coming for the white flag, Mars got very high in turn four as he again tried to pass on the outside but Prochnow was also up the track and unable to take advantage of the opening. Mars tucked back in line behind the slower car, maintained his position as crossed the line as the winner of the first annual Mahder Memorial 55.
Prochnow finished a close second worth $4,055 and Hanestad completed his late charge as he got up to third at the finish, good for $3,055 for the Boyceville driver. Fegers and Kaanta completed the top five with Kaanta maintaining his point lead in the Shaw Trucking Challenge Series.
The second five at the line consisted of Diemel, Doar, Hessler, Wildung and Jake Redetzke with nineteen of the twenty six starters still on the track at the finish and only one not on the lead lap.
The grandstand at the Red Cedar Speedway was jammed for this first annual event and a festive crowd enjoyed the Late Model action.
Notes: With Duane Mahder’s son Chad not having a WISSOTA legal entry for this race, Buddy Hanestad loaned his car to Mahder for the evening. A special wrap was put on the car which depicted the paint scheme of one of Duane’s most famous cars and Chad drove that entry Friday night. In fact, it was a car that Chad had driven in Arizona in February before Hanestad acquired it. After having mechanical problems in his heat, Chad thrilled the crowd when he came from eleventh starting spot to win the B feature before mechanical problems again saw him drop out of the main.
Kerry Hansen came out of a six year retirement to race the Mahder 55 Friday. The central Wisconsin veteran wanted to honor is friend Mahder so he turned to his long time car owner Mike Seubert, who was a co-sponsor of this event, and Seubert provided him with a car which they wrapped in Hansen’s famous bright yellow colors. Hansen said this was a one night deal only and that he would go back into retirement immediately.
Joe Provo Racewear had race event t-shirts for the Mahder 55 but he completely sold them out before the first green flag of the race was dropped as the fans were hungry for souvenirs on this night.
Jake Redetzke had a huge bright orange #55 on the door of his race car to honor his close friend Chad Mahder’s father Duane on this night. Redetzke’s own number #27 was beside the other number and much smaller in height.
The track provided a very nice color program with a biography of Mahder’s life and a list of all the sponsors of the event but it was very much in demand too and supplies of it disappeared quickly.
Scott “Bulldog” Anderson was instrumental in obtaining most of the sponsorship money for this race that paid a much higher purse than the standard Challenge Series purse and many of the paying positions had numbers that ended in fifty five to honor Mahder.
Many of the drivers and crew members were seen wearing old Duane Mahder shirts from throughout the years that must have been drudged out of the back corners of closets for this event.
Swedberg was disqualified after finishing fifth in the second heat race for not scaling after the event. He did come from twelfth in the B feature to qualify for the main event.
SUMMARY
Red Cedar Speedway
Menomonie WI
August 11, 2017
WISSOTA Late Models
Duane Mahder 55 – Jimmy Mars(Menomonie), Mike Prochnow(Menomonie), Rick Hanestad(Boyceville), Marshall Fegers(Savage MN), John Kaanta(Elk Mound), A.J. Diemel(Elk Mound), Pat Doar(New Richmond), Mark Hessler(Menomonie), Jeff Wildung(Nassau MN), Jake Redetzke(Eau Claire), Darrell Nelson, Travis Budisalovich, Jesse Glenz, Brett Swedberg, Blake Swenson, Jeff Massingill, Lance Matthees, Aaron Lillo, Shawn Kirwin, Kerry Hansen, Chad Mahder, Nick Anvelink, Steve Laursen, Randy Gullixson, Cole Spacek, Mike Keller
15 lap B Feature – Mahder(Eau Claire), Lillo(Proctor MN), Hansen(Spencer), Keller(Menomonie), Swedberg(Shawano), Spacek, Mike Nutzmann, Greg Nippoldt, Swenson, Joel Collins, James Giossi, Gullixson, Lucas Kallenbach
12 lap Heat – Glenz(Cadott), Fegers, Redetzke, Laursen(Cumberland), Massingill(Keewatin MN), Keller, Giossi, Collins
Heat 2 – Doar, Prochnow, Kaanta, Kirwin(Morris MN), Hansen, Gullixson, Mahder
Heat 3 – Diemel, Matthees(Winona MN), Nelson(Hermantown MN), Hessler, Lillo, Nutzmann, Nippoldt, Kallenbach
Heat 4 – Mars, Hanestad, Wildung, Budisalovich, Anvelink(Bonduel), Spacek, Swenson
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