Myers and Schnider Repeat Winners at Rice Lake Speedway
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, June 6 – Along with the Late Model Trackside Collectibles 40 event raced Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway, four other WISSOTA sanctioned divisions also competed with only the Modified division having the night off. For Mike Schnider and Curt Myers, they made it two for two for 2020 as they won their second consecutive feature races in the Pure Stock and Super Stock classes respectively. Austin Ellis and Parker Anderson were also winners in a program that was expedited with threatening weather approaching. All racing was completed well before 10 pm and all classes got to run full events with just a few occasional sprinkles falling.
Dan Boissy led the first laps of the Pure Stock feature with the nights biggest field entered in this class. Boissy had some still early challenges from Joey Prusak and Travis Hazelton. Hazelton was particularly close to making a pass for the lead until the yellow flew for a minor spin and Hazelton suddenly pitted with mechanical issues and was done for the race.
Boissy continued to lead but Schnider moved up from the fourth row to provide a challenge and with a good run down the back chute, drove past and into the lead. The final ten laps of the race ran off nonstop and Schnider’s main worry was a badly smoking car that looked like it could expire at any moment. However, it never seemed to slow and he continued to build up distance over the field as he drove to his second consecutive win in two nights of racing this year at the track.
Rookie driver Boissy did a great job hanging on to second as he held off a late charge from Jay Folz for the spot. Folz had driven up from the third row to challenge while George Richards, making his first appearance this year, drove up from the fourth row to finish fourth ahead of defending national champion Cory Jorgensen who had to come from ninth on the grid.
Myers inherited the lead in the Super Stock main after a surprise circumstance on the track and then took advantage of that break to drive away from the field for a relatively easy win. Simon Wahlstrom took the early lead and was putting some distance on the field as C.J. Wagner, Nick Traynor and Ryan Kostreba fought to keep up with him.
Suddenly, Wahlstrom slowed coming off the corner and pulled into the infield, just as the yellow flew for another spinning car on the track. During the yellow, Wahlstrom got his car refired and rejoined the field at the back of the pack.
Myers inherited the lead at this point and with the last fourteen laps running off without a yellow, he pulled comfortably away from the field and built up nearly a straightaway lead. The battle was for second where Bart Steffen had moved into that position and was having quite a battle with Nick Traynor for that spot. Despite a number of attempts by Traynor to make a move past him, the Drivers Ed Teacher from Eau Claire refused to yield and drove on to the second place finish in his first outing here in 2020. Eric Olson came from dead last in the field after missing his heat race to drive up to fourth in the final standings while Wahlstrom also came from the back after his bad luck and settled for fifth.
The win was also Myers second straight here to open up the 2020 racing season as he continues to chase the all time feature winner in this class, Don Drew.
Austin Ellis took last week to tune in his new race car and the results were noticeable as he drove to his first win here since the 2018 racing season after being shut out last year. He started on the pole, outfought Travis Anderson and then pulled away at the end as he led all laps for the win. Shane Halopka moved up to challenge both drivers early but both Ellis and Anderson got in a rhythm and gradually drove away from Halopka. Tony Bahr was making some exciting moves as he raced the extreme high cushion of the track as he advanced from the eighth starting spot. He executed a three wide pass on Jake Stai and Cody Carlson down the front chute that was thrilling but the result saw Carlson get banged around a bit, launched into the air and eventually collected by Fran Hanson with Carlson done for the night.
Ellis had his car hooked up on the bottom of the track and he pulled away from Anderson and while Bahr raced hard to try and catch the top two, they were secure in their positions. The big push was made by Jamie Bisonette who started way back in the eleventh spot but really picked up the pace toward the end of the event. He raced up to fourth, passing George Dalbeck and Halopka and was still moving forward as the checkered flag waved.
Another driver who was shut out of victory lane at the track in 2019 made quick work of garnering a feature win this year as Parker Anderson moved to the front early and stayed there to win the Street Stock feature. Travis Loew and Kolby Kiehl battled for the early lead but Anderson found an opening and shot into the top spot and once he was there, he stepped away from the field and there was no looking back.
After a lap four spin that triggered the yellow, the Street Stocks ran a clean race all the way to the finish with only one car not completing the distance. So with the heavy traffic and still competition, it was tough to make a big charge and some of the top drivers found themselves running mid pack as the competition level in the Street Stocks is very difficult.
Anderson continued all the way for the win with Shawn Amundson moving up into second and running a stout race for that position. Cody Kummer was on the charge for awhile but then he got overtaken by the smooth running Andrew Hanson who drove up to third with Kummer and Hunter VanGilder finishing behind him.
With threatening weather on the way and the radar looking grim, track officials did an exception job of moving the program along with all racing complete well before 10 pm and all laps having been run.
The Rice Lake Speedway will take next Saturday night off with no racing next week. They will return to action on Saturday night June 20th and while the exact nature of what the program will consist at this point hasn’t been determined, fans and competitors should watch the track face book page and media outlets for an official announcement of what that night’s program will consist of.
SUMMARY
Rice Lake Speedway
Rice Lake WI
June 6, 2020
WISSOTA Super Stocks
20 lap Feature – Curt Myers(Cameron), Bart Steffen(Eau Claire), Nick Traynor(Barron), Eric Olson (Ladysmith), Simon Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Doug Koski(Chisholm MN), Ryan Kostreba(Elk River MN), Josh Bach(Barron), C.J. Wagner(Rice Lake), Wayne Harris Jr(Bloomer), Mickey Anderson, Josh Cappo, Mike Siewert
10 lap Heat 1 – Myers, Steffen, Bach, Wahlstrom, Koski, Cappo, Willie Johnsen Jr
Heat 2 – Kostreba, Traynor, Wagner, Harris Jr, Anderson, Siewert
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Austin Ellis(Rice Lake), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Tony Bahr(Haugen), Jamie Bisonette(Dallas), George Dalbeck(Wakefield MI), Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Jake Stai(New Auburn), Jonny Marsh(Rice Lake), Chad Selk(Marshfield), Fran Hanson(Almena), Craig Elliott, Jason Vokovan, Tod Brunner, Zach Slayton, Cody Carlson, Jimmy Randall
8 lap Heat 1 – Stai, Carlson(Superior), Halopka, Selk, Vokovan(Eau Claire), Bisonette, Marsh, Brunner
Heat 2 – Dalbeck, Ellis, Bahr, Anderson, Hanson, Randall, Elliott, Slayton
WISSOTA Street Stocks
15 lap Feature – Parker Anderson(Phillips), Shawn Amundson(Rice Lake), Andrew Hanson(Iron River), Cody Kummer(Medford), Hunter VanGilder(Rice Lake), Kolby Kiehl(Barron), Russ Kostreba(Zimmerman MN), Hunter Anderson(Phillips), Jimmy Randall(Rice Lake), Ron Hanestad(Glenwood City), Travis Loew, Alex Minks, Bob Wahlstrom, Gavin Rowland, Joe Ott, Will Fisher, James Clausen
8 lap Heat 1 – VanGilder, Loew(Barron), Hanson, Kiehl, Hanestad, Fisher, Clausen, Kostreba, Ott
Heat 2 – Randall, P. Anderson, Kummer, Amundson, Wahlstrom, H. Anderson, Rowland, Minks
WISSOTA Pure Stocks
12 lap Feature – Mike Schnider(Rice Lake), Dan Boissy(Trego), Jay Folz(Cameron), George Richards(Mondovi), Cory Jorgensen(Duluth MN), Bob Thompson(Cameron), Cody Cimfl(Chetek), Joey Prusak(Port Orange FL), Aaron Bernick(Duluth MN), Ryan Olson(Ladysmith), Nicholas Hazelton, Mike Huebner Sr, Mike Grover, Ryan Clausen, Chris Gross, Leonard Osterberg Jr, Austin Fencl, Mike Roth, Travis Hazelton, Kevin Fries, Mike Holmstrom
8 lap Heat 1 – Boissy, Folz, Prusak, N. Hazelton(Chippewa Falls), Roth(Deerwood MN), Bernick, Fries
Heat 2 – Schnider, T. Hazelton(Chippewa Falls), Jorgensen, Thompson, Clausen(Prairie Farm), Osterberg Jr, Gross
Heat 3 – Huebner Sr(Cumberland), Cimfl, Richards, Grover(Chetek), Olson, Fencl, Holmstrom
