Anderson’s Last Lap Pass Nets $1,000 Win at Rice Lake Speedway
By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, July 24 – On a busy Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway, the “No Mystery” one thousand dollar to win feature race, this week for the Street Stocks and dubbed “The Prelude to the Dream”, achieved all it was designed for as the results would leave the fans hungering for the “Little Dream” which is just a short ten days away. Parker Anderson would make a final corner pass in the midst of a three wide battle for the lead that would allow him to win his first feature race at the track this year and take home $1,000 for his efforts.
Bob Wahlstrom and Jimmy Latvala would also win their first feature races of the season at the track while Eric Olson and Kevin Adams would add to their division leading feature wins totals on a full moon Saturday night at the track. Along with all this, the 2021 induction ceremony for the Rice Lake Speedway Hall of Fame was also held and Loren Miller, the late Woody Kurtzhals, Jason Hensel and Rich Bishop would be added to the membership of the Hall. Later, Bishop, the first inductee to the Hall to race on the same night that he was being inducted, would finish a strong fourth in the Super Stock feature race.
Twenty two drivers would take the green flag for the Street Stock “No Mystery” feature race which also served as the final tune up race before the “Little Dream” on August 3rd and befiting a full moon Saturday night at the track, the Streets had a little difficulty keeping this race under the green as there were four yellow flags during the contest and the constant heavy traffic made this a wild event indeed.
Andrew Hanson would take the early lead and would lead every lap except the checkered flag lap but he was under constant pressure the whole contest. Early on his biggest challengers would include Cody Kummer and Adam Soltis with Ty Agen occasionlly moving in to challenge for a top three position too.
Kummer especially was a thorn in the side of Hanson as he would get up beside Andrew on several occasions and while not able to complete the pass, was putting constant pressure on the leader.
Parker Anderson meanwhile, had won a heat race but redrew the worst possible number and he would start ninth on the grid and the first half of the race he was stuck in heavy traffic and not making much progress. In fact, at the halfway point of the race he had yet to crack the top five in the running order.
The last eight laps of the feature would go green and this was when Anderson would shine as he moved up the track and showing amazing speed with his #27p car, would pass car after car and suddenly he was right behind Hanson with Kummer beside him and it was electric for the last few laps of the race.
The white flag would see Hanson still in front but he made the slightest of bobbles in turn one and Anderson would dive to his inside while Kummer went to the outside and they raced three wide down the back stretch. All three drove deep into turn three and it was a mad scramble as they fought for control while racing three wide.
Out of the mad scramble Anderson would emerge first and using the low groove he would drive to the finish line first and edge out Hanson by a car length for a wild conclusion to the race with Kummer just behind for third. Cody Cimfl would be very impressive himself as in the first outing for his new car, he would fifteenth and race home a close fourth with Soltis just behind him. The next time the Street Stocks hit the track there will be much more on the line for them and this same scramble for the finish could be worth twenty five or thirty times more to the winner. Anderson would be the eighth different winner of a feature race in the class so far this year.
The Midwest Modified feature would produce a new winner also as Jimmy Latvala would emerge from a tough three car battle to take the top spot. He would battle with Kenny Kincaid and Travis Anderson in the early going before establishing a small but constance lead that would hold up for him. After a first lap spin, this race would go twelve laps before a late yellow would bunch the field one last time.
However, Latvala would take off strong and despite Anderson’s best efforts, he couldn’t stay with the Solon Springs driver on this night as Latvala drove a flawless race and would take his first win of 2021 at the track and second of his career here. Anderson would finish a strong second with Kincaid having another solid performance as he would come home third. There was a great scramble for position behind him and Kennedy Swan would edge out Austin Ellis and Cody Carlson for that position.
There would be three different leaders of the Super Stock feature race before Eric Olson would finally claim the spot and then fight off a late challenge to get his third win of the year in the class and strengthen his point lead.
Leslie Leu would have a great opening lap as he would come storming up from the second row to pass the leaders and grab the top spot on the opening lap. However, Josh Bach would pick up the pace and pass Leu for the lead but one lap later Leu would grab back the top spot in a great early race battle. Meanwhile, Olson and Nick Traynor were on the move from farther back in the pack and they would get past Bach for second and third.
Following a lap seven yellow, Olson would power around Leu and take over the lead and he would remain out front the rest of the contest as he would slowly pull away from the field. There would be one more late yellow and the two lap scramble to the finish would see Olson secure his spot at the top of the order while the race for second got every exciting. Leu would slide past Traynor but then Traynor would return the favor and take second. The last corner of the race saw both drivers slide up the track and Leu would break free to edge out Traynor for the runner up slot. Hall of famer Bishop would get fourth ahead of rookie Josh Saunders who earned his first top five finish.
The Modified feature would provide a dandy finish with the winning pass not executed until there were just three laps to go. Hall of Famer Paul Harelstad, who has unretired and is racing again with a new car, would start the race from the pole and lead the first sixteen laps. Behind him, Kevin Adams was on the move quickly as he started eighth but by lap nine had worked his way up to second and was pressuring Harelstad for the lead. Mike Anderson was gradually working his way forward also as he came up from the fourth row to battle Sam Fankhauser for the third spot.
The Harelstad and Adams battle was a good one as Kevin tried lap after lap to get past “Harley” but Paul would continue to hold the lead. A couple sliders to the inside did nothing to faze the hall of famer who continued to lead. Finally, with just over three laps to go, Harelstad slid just a bit high in turn one and Adams was right there to slide low and power past into the lead down the back stretch. He would then pull away in the last couple of laps to make the margin larger and confirm the win.
Anderson was catching everyone at the end of the race but Harelstad was able to fight off his efforts and finish second with Fankhauser and Shane Halopka completing the top five. Adams’ fourth win of the year at the track would break the logjam at the top of the feature winners board with Adams now edging ahead of Anderson.
The evening would conclude with an excellent Pure Stock feature race that saw the lead exchanged five times between Bob Wahlstrom and Randy Graham. Wahlstrom would take the early lead after starting on the pole but his hold of the top spot would only last for one lap as Graham would drive by him to take the lead position. A yellow would slow the action a this point but as they returned to racing. Wahlstrom would again make a strong run and take over the lead on lap five. Graham wasn’t about to back down though and as the leaders ran side by side, one lap later it was Graham who again would take over the lead.
The final change of the lead position would take place on lap seven as Wahlstrom would move to the top side of the track and power past Graham down the front chute to again reclaim the lead and this time he would pull away slightly from Graham. The last few laps saw Graham on the rear bumper of Wahlstrom but Bob would make no mistakes and would drive home for the win. Tristan Scheuermann would survive some wild scrambles in the pack to come home third ahead of point leader Ryan Olson and Devin Fries with his best run of the year so far.
For Wahlstrom, it was his first feature win of the year at the track and first for him since the 2011 racing season for the veteran driver from Chetek. The race ended on a wild note befitting the full moon as rookie driver Skylar Findley climbed the wall coming out of turn four on the final lap and barrel rolled across the finish line to get the eighth position. The wild flip saw him end up on his side directly under the flagstand in what was a violent conclusion to the evening’s activities. Fortunately, the high school student from Clayton was unhurt in the spectacular wreck but his car looked like its racing career might be over.
The next ten days bring about some of the biggest races of the entire year to the Rice Lake Speedway. Next Saturday night, July 31st, the Late Models make their farewell appearance of the 2021 racing season as the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series will bring the best Late Model drivers in WISSOTA to the Rice Lake Speedway as the tour concludes a three night swing that will also include racing at ABC Raceway in Ashland and Gondik Law Speedway in Superior. The Challenge Series has a very tight battle with their season winding down and the Rice Lake event will be important for a number of drivers. Two thousand dollars will be on the line for the winner of that event. Joining the Late Models will be the Modifieds, Midwest Modifieds and Pure Stocks next Saturday. Swant Graber will be the presenting sponsor for the evening.
Then, just three nights later, the nationally famous Street Stock “Little Dream” race will be the focus at the speedway. The 27thannual edition of this race will see the best Street Stock drivers in all of WISSOTA battle it out for a huge top prize, one that is directly affected by fan participation. The unique concept of this race, with fans and businesses contributing heavily to the final purse, has caught the imagination of the world and all eyes will be on the speedway on August 3rd to see just how high the final payoff will be. Last year a record top prize of $26,000 was won by Barron drive Nick Traynor who will be on hand to defend his title. Perhaps as many as sixty Street Stocks from five states and Canada will be on hand to try and grab the top prize. The rain date for this event is August 4th. S & R Towing will be the presenting sponsor for this huge event. The speedway will then take Saturday night, August 7th off and return on August 14th for Kid’s Night and bike races along with the final “No Mystery” thousand dollar to win feature race with the Midwest Modifieds racing for the big dollars on that night. Special event pricing will be in effect for the two upcoming shows and more information will be available on the speedway website at www.ricelakespeedway.net or the speedway face book page.
11 entries
WISSOTA MODIFIEDS
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 40-Kevin Adams[8]; 2. 1H-Paul Harelstad[1]; 3. 57-Mike Anderson[7]; 4. 11-Sam Fankhauser[3]; 5. 3JR-Shane Halopka[10]; 6. 308-Pat Hoffman[4]; 7. 20-Denny Cutsforth[2]; 8. 33-Cooper Berlin[9]; 9. 10-Kyle Helling[5]; 10. (DNF) 204-David Mayala[11]; 11. (DNF) 0-Zack Drews[6]
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 1H-Paul Harelstad[1]; 2. 40-Kevin Adams[6]; 3. 0-Zack Drews[4]; 4. 57-Mike Anderson[5]; 5. 33-Cooper Berlin[3]; 6. (DNF) 204-David Mayala[2]
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 308-Pat Hoffman[1]; 2. 10-Kyle Helling[3]; 3. 11-Sam Fankhauser[2]; 4. 20-Denny Cutsforth[5]; 5. (DNF) 3JR-Shane Halopka[4]
10 entries
WISSOTA SUPER STOCK
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 1E-Eric Olson[7]; 2. 14X-Leslie Leu[4]; 3. 40-Nick Traynor[5]; 4. 10B-Rich Bishop[8]; 5. 77-Josh Saunders[3]; 6. 67-Josh Bach[2]; 7. 01-Michael Anderson[10]; 8. (DNF) 28-Josh Cappo[9]; 9. (DNF) 22-Robert Holmstrom Jr[1]; 10. (DNF) 7-Andrew Mackey[6]
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 1E-Eric Olson[1]; 2. 7-Andrew Mackey[5]; 3. 10B-Rich Bishop[3]; 4. 67-Josh Bach[4]; 5. 22-Robert Holmstrom Jr[2]
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 40-Nick Traynor[4]; 2. 14X-Leslie Leu[3]; 3. 77-Josh Saunders[5]; 4. (DNF) 28-Josh Cappo[1]; 5. (DNF) 01-Michael Anderson[2]
16 entries
WISSOTA MIDWEST MODS
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 21-Jimmy Latvala[1]; 2. 37-Travis Anderson[3]; 3. 4-Kenny Kincaid[2]; 4. 18S-Kennedy Swan[8]; 5. 20-Austin Ellis[7]; 6. 32III-Cody Carlson[6]; 7. 40-Mike Schnider[5]; 8. 22-Jason Haugerud[9]; 9. 28-Francis Hanson[11]; 10. 11-Peter Leuschner[10]; 11. 221-Aric Lindberg[14]; 12. 46-Zach Slayton[13]; 13. 93-CJ Wagner[12]; 14. 6-Cory Deilke[15]; 15. 19H-Kevin Herrman[16]; 16. (DNF) 38-Simon Wahlstrom[4]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 4-Kenny Kincaid[1]; 2. 32III-Cody Carlson[2]; 3. 21-Jimmy Latvala[5]; 4. 37-Travis Anderson[7]; 5. 22-Jason Haugerud[6]; 6. 28-Francis Hanson[8]; 7. 46-Zach Slayton[3]; 8. 6-Cory Deilke[4]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 18S-Kennedy Swan[1]; 2. 40-Mike Schnider[3]; 3. 20-Austin Ellis[4]; 4. 38-Simon Wahlstrom[5]; 5. 11-Peter Leuschner[6]; 6. 93-CJ Wagner[7]; 7. 221-Aric Lindberg[2]; 8. 19H-Kevin Herrman[8]
22 entries
WISSOTA STREET STOCK
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 27P-Parker Anderson[9]; 2. 20-Andrew Hanson[2]; 3. 12-Cody Kummer[3]; 4. 8K-Cody Cimfl[15]; 5. 9-Adam Soltis[4]; 6. 26T-Ty Agen[5]; 7. 84-Simon Wahlstrom[12]; 8. 12K-Jay Kesan[8]; 9. 9K-Kolby Kiehl[7]; 10. 40-Travis Loew[13]; 11. 71X-William Fisher[22]; 12. 3RJR-Cole Richards[14]; 13. 17-Zach Beaulieu[1]; 14. 79-Joseph Ott[10]; 15. T20-Michael Tuma[21]; 16. 66-Eric Haupt[19]; 17. 4-Matt Bray[17]; 18. 19H-Kevin Herrman[18]; 19. (DNF) 37-Mike Chaplin[16]; 20. (DNF) 30-Shawn Amundson[20]; 21. (DNF) 3R-Danny Richards[6]; 22. (DNF) 33-Daniel Boissy[11]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 12-Cody Kummer[3]; 2. 20-Andrew Hanson[7]; 3. 26T-Ty Agen[4]; 4. 79-Joseph Ott[6]; 5. 40-Travis Loew[2]; 6. 37-Mike Chaplin[8]; 7. (DNF) 30-Shawn Amundson[5]; 8. (DNF) 71X-William Fisher[1]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 9-Adam Soltis[6]; 2. 9K-Kolby Kiehl[5]; 3. 17-Zach Beaulieu[2]; 4. 33-Daniel Boissy[7]; 5. 3RJR-Cole Richards[3]; 6. 4-Matt Bray[4]; 7. 66-Eric Haupt[1]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 27P-Parker Anderson[2]; 2. 3R-Danny Richards[3]; 3. 12K-Jay Kesan[4]; 4. 84-Simon Wahlstrom[1]; 5. 8K-Cody Cimfl[6]; 6. 19H-Kevin Herrman[5]; 7. (DNF) T20-Michael Tuma[7]
16 entries
WISSOTA PURE STOCK
A Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 88-Robert Wahlstrom[1]; 2. 57-Randy Graham[3]; 3. 2S-Tristan Scheuermann[7]; 4. 1-Ryan Olson[6]; 5. 95F-Devin Fries[2]; 6. 101-Michael Grover[5]; 7. 2B-Nicholas Hazelton[15]; 8. 23-Skylar Findley[10]; 9. 4K-Terry Kemp[14]; 10. (DNF) 63-Cody Cimfl[12]; 11. (DNF) 91-Michael Holmstrom[9]; 12. (DNF) 31-Travis Hazelton[8]; 13. (DNF) 70-Bob Thompson[4]; 14. (DNF) 72-Cully Butterfield[11]; 15. (DNF) 52F-Austin Fencl[16]; 16. (DNS) 52-Zachary Folz
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 31-Travis Hazelton[2]; 2. 1-Ryan Olson[1]; 3. 70-Bob Thompson[4]; 4. 57-Randy Graham[7]; 5. 91-Michael Holmstrom[5]; 6. 72-Cully Butterfield[8]; 7. (DNF) 2B-Nicholas Hazelton[3]; 8. (DNF) 52F-Austin Fencl[6]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 88-Robert Wahlstrom[8]; 2. 2S-Tristan Scheuermann[6]; 3. 95F-Devin Fries[1]; 4. 101-Michael Grover[4]; 5. 23-Skylar Findley[2]; 6. 63-Cody Cimfl[3]; 7. 52-Zachary Folz[7]; 8. 4K-Terry Kemp[5]
