Stuart, Crosby, Basina Nail Down ABC Points Titles with Feature Wins; Anderson, Dunbar Also Champs
by Nick Gima
Ashland, WI, August 17 – The 2024 regular season was completed at the ABC Raceway with Mountain Dew Championship Saturday Night, presented by North Star Beverages of Hurley. Three of the five points champs secured their titles with final-night feature wins, and two of the division titles were not decided until their features were completed.
Also as part of the program, school teachers and administrators were honored during Teacher Appreciation Night, presented by WIMI, 99.7 FM, of Ironwood, MI, and backpacks were handed out to school-aged children, complements of the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce.
Mike Anderson of Jim Falls parlayed an opening-night feature win into his first-ever track championship at ABC, using the Ashland track’s late start to its season due to multiple rainouts to his advantage.
Knowing he had the title in hand by starting the 20-lap Fuhrman Designs WISSOTA Modified A-main, Anderson raced low-key and stayed out of trouble, starting outside on the fifth row and finishing seventh to procure the title. Ahead of him, however, a ton of excitement culminated in the second win of the season for “big Mod” rookie Andrew Mackey of Duluth, MN.
After polestarter Steve Lavasseur was docked for a “jump” of the initial start to the race, Brandon Copp beat Justin Weinberger to the early lead and was up by 1.2 seconds after the first seven very quick laps around the smooth, sticky-fast red-clay oval. But Jake Hiatt’s spun while running in the top-five brought the field back to Copp’s back bumper.
Mackey, who restarted on the outside of the third row, took to the outer lane coming out of turn 4 to the green flag and went on the attack, sweeping around the front four runners and clearing them for the lead by the time they all had exited turn 2. From there Mackey was uncatchable, flying around the perimeter of the track as the last 13 laps clicked off without a hitch and pushing his lead to an impressive 2.68 seconds at the checkers for his second feature win of the season and fifth overall here.
Eighth-starting Tyler Vernon completed an impressive run to the front by nipping Brady Uotinen at the line for second, while Copp and points runner-up Nick Oreskovich completed the top-five.
Ashland’s Steve Stuart continued to re-write the history books at ABC in 2024, closing out his fourth-straight Superior Floral WISSOTA Super Stock championship and tenth track title overall – both accolades good enough for second-best all-time in Raceway history – with his 48th career feature win here and third of the season.
The only driver in track history to win points titles in four different divisions, the eighth-starting Stuart knew that he had to get to the front early, as right in front of him in the line-up was Shawn McFadden – his closest challenger for the championship at just five points back. Andy Grymala, who started outside on the first row, held the early advantage while McFadden “threaded the needle” between the inside-charging Stuart and the high-line-running Patrick Beeksma for second.
After Stuart dove low to take second from McFadden on lap 3, that pair tracked down Grymala to put on a three-car show for the lead. Stuart overtook Grymala on lap 7, a lap before Myron Basina’s spin drew the first of the race’s two caution flags. The race bogged down for a stretch from there, as Beeksma got together with Cory Casari a lap after the restart, and then a four-car melee drew the yellow bunting again two laps later.
Over the final nine laps McFadden threw everything he could think of at Stuart, as the lead pair pulled away to decide the race win and the championship. But Stuart prevailed by barely a half-second, with McFadden directly in his tire tracks. Matt Deragon had the fastest car late in the 20-lapper and charged to a third-place finish, followed at a distance by Grymala and Kyle Copp.
Marenisco, MI’s Marcus Dunbar needed to finish 13th or better in the 14-car Lightning Storm Graphics WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature field in this night to secure the championship in the division and match his father Duane with three ABC titles. He was successful in his mission.
The race itself belonged to Cody Carlson of Superior, a veteran third-generation racer who had never won a feature at Ashland, although his father is a Red Clay Classic champion in the Mods. After polestarter Matt Jacobson edged ahead of Jimmy Latvala to take the initial lead of the 20-lap main event, Carlson came from the outside of the second row to squeeze between Latvala and Tanner Hicks to take second on that first lap.
Carlson poked his racer’s nose to the inside on Jacobson during lap 2, just before contact by the close-following Latvala caused Jacobson and Latvala to spin, bringing about the only caution delay in the race. In a three-wide move on the restart, Carlson dove inside on Jacobson and Jesse Polson and took the lead. Polson, however, experienced car trouble, faded back and eventually fell out of the event.
Carlson was dominant for the remainder of the event, maintaining a 1.4-second advantage over the last 18 laps. James Vendela worked his way past Jacobson into second just a few laps after the early restart, and Dunbar and Paul Suzik took third and fourth, respectively, on lap 8.
Carlson enjoyed open-field running throughout the back-half of the run and finished 1.36 seconds ahead of Vendela for his landmark win. Dunbar landed the title with a solid third-place run, a few car-lengths ahead of the four-time and defending track champ Suzik, who finished second in points, and Tyler Vernon, the last starter on the grid, stole fifth away late from Tyler Hudack, who started 12th, as those two drivers enjoyed strong runs.
Like Stuart, Eric Crosby of Amery won his feature in order to confirm his points title, but for Crosby it would be his first-ever championship at ABC to highlight an impressive rookie season.
The ten-car Patsy’s Bar WISSOTA Pure Stock feature ran non-stop, with Shane Basina, polestarter Anthony Schultz and fourth-starting Crosby running in close formation out of the first turn to draw away slightly from the pack. Before lap 1 was complete Crosby had claimed second from Schultz, and Aaron Bernick caught and passed Schultz to take third.
Crosby, the top rookie in WISSOTA’s national Pure Stock standings, then worked his way by Basina to take the lead on lap 3 on the front straight, with Basina’s hood flying off his car to add dramatic effect to the move. Within four laps Crosby had built an insurmountable 2.5-second lead on new runner-up Bernick, and with two laps remaining defending champ Brent Mindock swept around Basina for third.
Crosby had the field cleared by 3.3 seconds at the final stripe for his second win of the Summer here, with Bernick a full second up on Mindock, the national points leader who finished second in points here. Basina finished fourth ahead of Schultz.
Basina’s dramatics in the Pure Stock feature were nothing compared to what was ahead of him in the Berglund Customs ABC Six-Cylinders’ main event, as the defending divisional champ from Bayfield held a scant two-point lead on Jakob Bond going into the Sixes’ final race of 2024.
Bond, who had lost a wheel from his car in his heat race earlier, hustled to make repairs in time to start 12th on the 14-car feature grid, while Basina started fourth. After a Mady Anderson spin in the first turn, Travis Swanson, who started from the pole, sped out to an early lead in front of a tight seven-car pack behind him. Anderson spun again in the same spot a lap after the restart, and a circuit after that Basina took second from Mathew Rohlfing, with Dalton Truchon in tow to third, just before Rohlfing looped his ride, causing another stoppage.
Bond was lined up in seventh for the lap 2 restart, but two laps later his car failed him and he coasted to the pits, essentially securing the championship for Basina. At the same time, Basina worked the low groove to get by Swanson for the lead, and three-time ABC Sixes champ Tiffany Hudack, racing for the first time this season, sped past Roger Walker and Truchon to take third.
Basina held a 1.1-second cushion over Swanson, Hudack, Walker and Truchon, who were racing in close formation. On lap 10 Walker and Hudack made contact, sending Walker hard into the front straight concrete wall and Hudack spinning into turn 1. Walker was unable to continue, and Hudack restarted directly alongside Swanson and behind Basina for the final five-lap sprint.
Hudack raced alongside Basina for a lap before Basina cleared her to hold the point, and Swanson roared past Hudack for second. Swanson overcame a half-second deficit in the closing laps and made a determined final-turn move for the win, diving inside on Basina and pulling nearly dead-even at the stripe, but electronic scoring showed Basina ahead by 69 one-thousandths of a second for the win – his third of the season and tenth of his career here. Hudack, a late-charging Cody Eichmann, and a resurgent Rohlfing completed the top-five.
Backpacks were generously donated by Jake Hiatt Racing; Brady Uotinen and Al Uotinen; McFadden Racing; Kyle Copp Racing; Ralph & Tina Mashlan of Mashlan Business Services; Lakeview Veterinary Hospital; Visions First Realty; Paul Suzik Racing; Jakob Bond and Alex Bond of Bond Racing; Super One Foods; Chase Grymala; Olivia Grymala; Swanson Racing; Northland Elite Basketball; Dennis & Cathy Pattee; Superior Floral; Neighborly Bar; Wulf Farms; Cody Eichmann; and RVR Racing.
The ABC Raceway’s Board and staff will take the next few weeks to prepare for the 49th annual Red Clay Classic, powered by Enbridge. The prestigious end-of-season event has become one of the crown jewels of Upper Midwestern dirt-track stock car racing, drawing well over 200 WISSOTA Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks and Midwest Mods in recent years for a share of a purse in excess of $120,000.
More information will be released regarding the Red Clay Classic in the coming weeks. The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com, or check out its FaceBook page.
Results
Fuhrman Designs WISSOTA Modifieds
Feature: 1-10: Andrew Mackey, Duluth, MN; Tyler Vernon, Mason; Brady Uotinen, Superior; Brandon Copp, Brule; Nick Oreskovich, Mason; Justin Weinberger, Elk Mound; Mike Anderson, Jim Falls; Jake Hiatt, Mason; Pat Cook, Washburn; Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI.
11-12: Steve Lavasseur, River Falls; Cole Spacek, Phillips.
Heat 1: Uotinen; Copp; Mackey; Vernon; Dunbar; Cook.
Heat 2: Hiatt; Lavasseur; Oreskovich; Weinberger; Anderson; Spacek.
Superior Floral WISSOTA Super Stocks
Feature: 1-10: Steve Stuart, Ashland; Shawn McFadden, Ashland; Matt Deragon, Ashland; Andy Grymala, Superior; Kyle Copp, Brule; Patrick Beeksma, Ironwood, MI; Don Livingston, Washburn; Jake Nevala, Ashland; Trenton Bond, Iron River; Rita Anderson, South Range.
11-13: Jason Melton, Rhinelander; Myron Basina, Bayfield; Cory Casari, Montreal.
Heat 1: Deragon; Grymala; McFadden; Livingston; Melton; Bond; Anderson.
Heat 2: Nevala; Copp; Stuart; Beeksma; Basina; Casari.
Lightning Storm Graphics WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
Feature: 1-10: Cody Carlson, Superior; James Vendela, South Range; Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI; Tyler Vernon, Mason; Tyler Hudack, Ashland; Matt Jacobson, Bessemer, MI; Jimmy Latvala, Solon Springs; Tanner Hicks, Ashland; Ross Fuhrman, Ashland.
11-14: Tad Schoonover, Eagle River; Ryan Barningham, Bayfield; Chris Bretting, Washburn; Jesse Polson, Superior.
Heat 1: Polson; Suzik; Carlson; Latvala; Barningham; Bretting; Fuhrman.
Heat 2: Dunbar; Vendela; Hicks; Jacobson; Schoonover; Hudack; Vernon.
Patsy’s Bar & Grill WISSOTA Pure Stocks
Feature: 1-8: Eric Crosby, Amery; Aaron Bernick, Duluth, MN; Brent Mindock, Prentice; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Anthony Schultz, Stillwater, MN; Jason Simonson, Poplar; Zene Anderson, Superior; Michael Pederson, Duluth, MN.
Heat: Bernick; Mindock; Crosby; Basina; Schultz; Simonson; Anderson; Pederson.
Berglund Customs ABC Six-Cylinders
Feature: 1-10: Shane Basina, Bayfield; Travis Swanson, Ashland; Tiffany Hudack, Ashland; Cody Eichmann, Park Falls; Mathew Rohlfing, Cable; Cody Roberts, Drummond; Alex Bond, Iron River; Jim Anderson, Cable; Justin Pratt, Glidden; Dalton Truchon, Ashland.
11-14: Roger Walker, Phillips; Mady Anderson, Mason; Jakob Bond, Mason; Jimmy Stearns, Superior.
Heat 1: Truchon; Walker; Basina; Eichmann; A Bond; Roberts; J Bond.
Heat 2: Hudack; Swanson; Rohlfing; J Anderson; Pratt; M Anderson; Stearns.