Schoonover and Randall win Qualifier
Eagle River’s Tad Schoonover and Rice Lake’s Jim Randall qualified for the AFCO Race of Champions by winning their respective features at Eagle River Speedway. Schoonover won the WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature while Randall won the WISSOTA Street Stock Feature.
Schoonover ran away from everyone in the earlier Heat race, and if it wasn’t for a late race caution in the Feature, he would have run away from everyone in the Feature. The closest racing took place between Jesse Aho, Shane Halopka, and Wayne Stricker for 2nd place. Aho held on to get 2nd, while Halopka took 3rd and Stricker took 4th. Stricker won an earlier Heat race.
One of the best races of the year took place in the WISSOTA Street Stock Heat Race. Defending Champion, Ryan Valeria of Rhinelander and Rice Lakes James Randall were inside by side throughout the entire 10 lap race. Valeria held the lead on the final lap going into the ‘sweeping’ 2nd turn. It was at that turn that Randall got on the inside to get the lead. Randall then took the lead going into the ‘hairpin’ 3rd turn of the Tri-Oval.
The speed Randall was going into the final turn pushed him to exit the turn on the high side. Valeria then moved to the inside on the exit. The two were then side by side at the finish line. The officials conferred that Valeria edged out Randall by inches for the win.
When you add a former WISSOTA Street Stock Class Champion, Jordan Kurtti, to the battle between Valeria and Randall, the fans were expecting a shoot-out in the Feature. Especially when it was to qualify for the AFCO Race of Champions. At least that is what the track announcer ‘hype’ was.
The ‘hype’ was for naught. Randall ran away from Valeria, Kurtti and Bruce Stanley to earn the right to represent the track at the Dakota State Fair track in Huron, SD.
The WISSOTA Pure Stock Feature was banking on a battle to the finish between current point leader Jake Ison, Jason Eisel, and Isabelle Valeria. Eisel went into the night only 12 points down from Ison, and Valeria is in 3rd with 45.
Ison left the Feature early, thus opening the door for Eisel to pick up points on Ison. However it was not Eisel, or Valeria that would go to the Auto Value Victory lane. It was Bruce Crossing, Michigan’s, Tom Lannet that ended with the Feature win. Ison did get a win in the 1st Heat, and Lannet took the 2nd Heat.
Shiocton’s Denver Larson took both the Sprint 600 Heat and Feature. After numerous problems throughout the year, Denver ran away from the entire field early on and won by a big margin.
As Yogi Berra would say, ‘it was Déjà vu all over again’ in the Speedway Truck Heat and Feature races. Once again it was Summit Lake’s Herb Dettman in a battle with Woodboro’s, Cory ‘Cowboy’ Allen. IN the Heat Dettman worked his way through traffic to challenge Allen in the end. Dettman got the Heat win.
However in the Feature, Allen was running away from the entire field. That is until a late race caution. Then Allen held off Dettman to get the win.
On a night that was for the Northern Access Special Olympics, it was a night for the ‘kids.’ One 11 year old that will remember the night for a long time is Deerbrook’s Josie Rae Reif. The young lady held off the defending Junior Sprint Champion, and the driver that has been to the Auto Value Victory Lane more than anyone else this year. That is Dustin Kangas of Phelps. While Reif got the win, and Kangas took a 2nd, it is Minocqua’s Cole Stella that continues to lead in the class point battle.
Some of the most exciting races of the night took place in the high-speed Sport ATV’s. The racing ATV’s were hitting speeds of close to 70 MPH on the one-third mile Tri-Oval. Antigo’s Dylan Seis won both his heat and the Feature on his Honda.
leader Jake Ison, Jason Eisel, and Isabelle Valeria. Eisel went into the night only 12 points down from Ison, and Valeria is in 3rd with 45.
Ison left the Feature early, thus opening the door for Eisel to pick up points on Ison. However it was not Eisel, or Valeria that would go to the Auto Value Victory lane. It was Bruce Crossing, Michigan’s, Tom Lannet that ended with the Feature win. Ison did get a win in the 1st Heat, and Lannet took the 2nd Heat.
Shiocton’s Denver Larson took both the Sprint 600 Heat and Feature. After numerous problems throughout the year, Denver ran away from the entire field early on and won by a big margin.
As Yogi Berra would say, ‘it was Déjà vu all over again’ in the Speedway Truck Heat and Feature races. Once again it was Summit Lake’s Herb Dettman in a battle with Woodboro’s, Cory ‘Cowboy’ Allen. IN the Heat Dettman worked his way through traffic to challenge Allen in the end. Dettman got the Heat win.
However in the Feature, Allen was running away from the entire field. That is until a late race caution. Then Allen held off Dettman to get the win.
On a night that was for the Northern Access Special Olympics, it was a night for the ‘kids.’ One 11 year old that will remember the night for a long time is Deerbrook’s Josie Rae Reif. The young lady held off the defending Junior Sprint Champion, and the driver that has been to the Auto Value Victory Lane more than anyone else this year. That is Dustin Kangas of Phelps. While Reif got the win, and Kangas took a 2nd, it is Minocqua’s Cole Stella that continues to lead in the class point battle.
Some of the most exciting races of the night took place in the high-speed Sport ATV’s. The racing ATV’s were hitting speeds of close to 70 MPH on the one-third mile Tri-Oval. Antigo’s Dylan Seis won both his heat and the Feature on his Honda.
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature: 1) Tad Schoonover, Eagle River; 2) Jesse Aho, Toivola, (MI); 3) Shane Halopka, Greenwood; 4) Wayne Stricker, Highbridge; 5) Jared Stricker, Highbridge; 6) Darren Dunbar, Marenisco, (MI); 7) Jason Melton, Three Lakes; 8) Steve Altman, Mercer; 9) Jonathon Miller, Eagle River; 10) Jesse Raffaelli, Toivola, (MI); 11) Marcus Dunbar, Wakefield, (MI).
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat 1: 1) Schoonover; 2) Marcus Dunbar; 3) Halopka; 4) Altman; 5) Miller; 6) Raffaelli.
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat 2: 1) Wayne Stricker; 2) Aho; 3) Jared Stricker; 4) Darren Dunbar; 5) Jason Melton.
WISSOTA Street Stock Feature: 1) James Randall, Rice Lake; 2) Ryan Valeria, Rhinelander; 3) Jordan Kurtti, Bruce Crossing, (MI); 4) Bruce Stanley, Merrill.
WISSOTA Street Stock Heat: 1) Valeria; 2) Randall; 3) Kurtti; 4) Stanley.
WISSOTA Pure Stock Feature: 1) Tom Lannet, Bruce Crossing, (MI); 2) Jason Eisel, Rhinelander; 3) Isabelle Valeria, Eagle River; 4) Spencer Bolte, Eagle River; 5) Bryce Wick, Eagle River; 6) David Blackberg, Eagle River; 7) Ethan Holm, Crandon; 8) Kerry Datto, Atlantic Mine, (MI); 9) Don Scharf, Eagle River; 10) Tristan Valeria, Eagle River; 11) Ryan Brown, Eagle River; 12) Jake Ison, Eagle River; 13) Spencer Duncan, Eagle River.
WISSOTA Pure Stock Heat 1: 1) Ison; 2) Eisel; 3) Bolte; 4) Isabelle Valeria; 5) Holm; 6) Brown; 7) Duncan.
WISSOTA Pure Stock Heat 2: 1) Lannet; 2) Blackberg; 3) Wick; 4) Datto; 5) Tristan Valeria; 6) Scharf.
Speedway Trucks Feature: 1) Cory Allen, Woodboro; 2) Herb Dettman, Summit Lake; 3) Dustin Koga, Land-O-Lakes; 4) Josh Drivas, Hazelhurst; 5) James Koga, Eagle River; 6) Dave Hughes; 7) Ronald Vernick, Harshaw.
Speedway Trucks Heat: 1) Dettman; 2) Allen; 3) James Koga; 4) Drivas; 5) Dustin Koga; 6) Hughes; 7) Vernick.
Sprint 600 Feature: 1) Denver Larson, Shiocton; 2) Dylan Larson, Shiocton; 3) Jake Reif, Deerbrook; 4) Jack Vandenboom, Dousman; 5) Tommi-Jo Springer, Eagle River; 6) Ty Springer, Eagle River; 7) Jerry Reif, Deerbrook.
Sprint 600 Heat: 1) Denver Larson; 2) Tommi-Jo Springer; 3) Vandenboom; 4) Jake Reif; 5) Dylan Larson; 6) Jerry Reif; 7) Ty Springer.
Junior Sprint Feature: 1) Josie Rae Reif, Deerbrook; 2) Dustin Kangas, Phelps; 3) Cole Stella, Minocqua.
Junior Sprint Heat: 1) Kangas; 2) Reif; 3) Stella
Sport ATV Feature: 1) Dylan Seis, Antigo; 2) Kegan Hackbart, Antigo; 3) Colton Zimmerman, Antigo.
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