Sabraski Breaks the Bank at ABC’s ‘444 Memorial’; VandeKamp Wins His First Here
by Nick Gima
Ashland, WI, August 10 – Shane Sabraski took nearly $36,000 out of the ABC Raceway coffers, and Jason VandeKamp went home with a pretty good-sized check as well, as the fourth annual “444 Memorial” closed out the XR Events’ week-long Northern Storm Series here Saturday night.
The program, honoring the late racer Tanner Byholm and his parents Bill and Michelle and presented by Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center and Mid-States Hydraulics, capped off a six-night, six-track schedule for the Series (which Mother Nature helped thin down to just four shows) that featured the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series as well as WISSOTA-sanctioned Modifieds and Midwest Modifieds. The final purse paid out included the largest winner’s checks in ABC Raceway – and likely WISSOTA – history for each division, as a near-capacity crowd enjoyed an invitational atmosphere of 22 races and Autumn-like weather.
Sabraski, of Rice, MN, showed that he is arguably WISSOTA’s best dirt-track race driver of the current era – and maybe of all time – with two impressive performances to take victories in both the Late Model and Modified features. In the 50-lap Late Model spotlight event he bided his time and took the lead away from Cole Searing with a third of the race remaining to take home a track-record $20,444 paycheck.
Tyler Peterson and Searing started side-by-side on the front row, but the race ground to a halt before it barely got going as a huge melee in the first corner collected nearly a dozen cars and eliminated six of them. Dave Flynn’s slowed racer drew another yellow flag just after the ensuing restart, and a lap after that Sabraski, while racing amongst a tight pack just behind Searing and Peterson, got sideways on the front straight and lost momentum, slipping back to fifth behind Kyle Peterlin and Sam Mars.
Jeff Massingill’s stalled ride on lap 3 kept the field close, but from there the caution lights didn’t blink on again for the duration of the run. Sabraski quickly overtook Mars for fourth on the restart, and he claimed third a lap later. As Searing held the point, Peterson found himself under fire from Sabraski on lap 7, and within a couple more circuits Sabraski took over runner-up duties.
Searing was running a smooth upper-groove line while Sabraski stayed low on the wide, sticky-fast red-clay surface, and the two swapped the lead for just a moment, with Sabraski scored in front on lap 11, but Searing took back the point and stayed there, pushing his lead to over a second as he caught the tail-end of the field by lap 15. Trailing the lead pair at a distance, Jeff Provinzino, Peterlin, and a charging Ashley Anderson came up to challenge Peterson for his podium position.
With a gap in traffic ahead of him, Searing pulled away to a 1.3-second cushion by mid-race, but Sabraski cut into that margin as backmarkers became more of a factor again. By lap 33 Sabraski had erased Searing’s advantage completely, and the next time around he dove to the inside and took the lead away at the flagstand. Three laps later Searing slapped the turn 3 guardrail while trying to keep up with Sabraski, allowing the leader to run away.
With nine laps left Sabraski was nearly 1.8 seconds up and seemingly in control, but he struggled to get by the slower car of Joel Bennett, who was running the same low-groove lane as the leader. Searing closed to less than a car-length of Sabraski as the white flag waived, bringing Anderson and Kevin Burdick along, and the four-car lead group raced nearly two-by-two behind Bennett on that final lap until Sabraski reached the checkered flag first, by less than seven-tenths of a second, ahead of Searing.
Anderson just nipped the 13th-starting Burdick at the stripe for third, and Peterson was a fair distance back in fifth. Sabraski lapped up to the 12th-place Bennett, and only 16 of the 26 starters finished the race.
In heat-race action earlier, Anderson set a new track record for the division with a lap of 14.378 seconds (93.893 mph average) around the lightning-fast three-eighths-mile oval. Nine of the 30 Late Model drivers posted sub-15-second laps during their heats.
Sabraski was much more dominant in the Fuhrman Design WISSOTA Modified 40-lap A-main, and he was rewarded with another huge check – a track-record $15,444 – for his efforts.
A five-car mess in the initial corner negated Brandon Copp’s pass of polestarter Clayton Wagamon for the early lead, and Wagamon got wise on the restart, threading between Copp on his right and Ryan Gierke trying to squeeze by to his left to grab the point. Gierke made another attempt to get to the inside for the lead, but Wagamon successfully defended against that move and soon sped away to a healthy 1.75-second advantage.
On lap 7 JD Ford spun coming out of turn 2, facing the field as Sabraski and Copp were charging out of the corner in a battle for second, to bring about the only other caution flag of the run. Wagamon again pulled away from the field on the restart, with Copp taking second from Gierke and distancing himself from Sabraski, who had followed Copp to third. But over the next eight laps Sabraski closed on Copp and took second on lap 16, while Wagamon ran a full 1.9 seconds ahead.
Sabraski chewed up that deficit quickly, partially with the aid of slower traffic holding up the leader, and on lap 23 he worked an inside pass on Wagamon to take over pace-setting duties for good. From there Sabraski showed his expertise in maneuvering through backmarkers and extended his advantage to an overwhelming 3.4 seconds at the final stripe.
Wagamon was not challenged for second over those final 17 circuits, but Darrell Nelson took third from Copp on the final lap, and Gierke came home fifth. Twenty-two of the 26 starters finished the race, with 15 of them on the lead lap.
Kaden Blaeser was credited with an incredible lap of 14.742 seconds (91.575 mph) during heat 1, obliterating the previous track record for Mods by nearly a full second.
VandeKamp, of Scandia, MN, started from the pole, led every lap, and took home a record $10,444 winner’s share from the Lightning Storm Graphics WISSOTA Midwest Modified 30-lap feature.
It was by no means a walk-away win, as VandeKamp had the red-hot Joey Jensen on his tail practically from the drop of the green. VandeKamp beat Jensen through the first pair of turns, and the pair were never far apart throughout the run. But third place was frequently debated, and often at a distance from the leaders, between Blake Adams, Zach Benson, Ryan Savoy and Garrett Paull.
On lap 10, just as Jensen was making a move to take the lead from VandeKamp, Tyler Vernon’s ride came to a stop to bring about the first of two caution flags. Savoy, who had claimed third just before the stoppage, tried a high-side pass of VandeKamp as the green flag flew, but a two-car spin before the lap was completed nixed that move, and Jensen re-established himself as runner-up from the ensuing restart on.
VandeKamp posted his biggest lead of the race – barely more than a full second over Jensen – on lap 16, while the rest of the field fell back, with Benson threatening Savoy for third. On lap 23 the lead pair began negotiating their way through the back of the pack, with VandeKamp expertly holding the point despite having Jensen within a few car-lengths of him throughout the remaining laps. Jensen closed over the final couple of circuits, but VandeKamp held on for a .310-second final gap and his first-ever feature win at ABC. Benson took third from Savoy in the late stages, and Marcus Dunbar followed him to fourth.
Twenty-four of the 26 starters were running at the finish, with 20 finishing on the lead lap, confirming what was a very competitive race throughout the field. Jensen’s 16.540-second (81.620 mph) lap posted in the pole dash was the quickest among the Mid-Mods and less than three-tenths of a second off the track record.
Copp and Dunbar were the top-finishing ABC Raceway regulars in their respective features, earning each $444 bonuses for their performances.
The ABC Raceway concludes the regular season portion of its 2024 racing season on Saturday, August 17, with Mountain Dew Championship Saturday Night, presented by North Star Beverage of Hurley. Also included in the finale program will be the rescheduled Kids’ Backpack Giveaway, presented by the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as Teacher and School Administrator Appreciation Night, presented by WIMI, 99.7 FM, of Ironwood, MI.
The WISSOTA Super Stocks and Pure Stocks and the ABC Six-Cylinders will rejoin the Modifieds and Midwest Mods, and the season champions in all four classes will be crowned. The grandstand and pit gates will open at 5 pm, hot laps will start start at 6:30, and the first green flag is scheduled to drop at 7 pm.
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
Structural Buildings WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series
Feature: 1-10: Shane Sabraski, Rice, MN; Cole Searing, Huron, SD; Ashley Anderson, Elk Mound; Kevin Burdick, Proctor, MN; Tyler Peterson, Hickson, ND; Sam Mars, Menomonie; Jeff Provinzino, Hibbing, MN; Jake Redetzke, Menomonie; Billy Kendall III, Walker, MN; Ryan Mikkelson, Alexandria, MN.
11-20: Pat Doar, New Richmond; Joel Bennett, Hortonville; Rick Niemi, Eveleth, MN; Jeff Massingill, Keewatin, MN; Adam Ayotte, Elk River, MN; Patrick Kelley, Wyoming, MN; Kyle Peterlin, Hibbing, MN; Kevin Eder, Cameron; AJ Diemel, Elk Mound; Dave Flynn, Superior.
21-26: James Giossi, Hudson; Derek Vesel, Hibbing, MN; Travis Budisalovich, St Paul, MN; Gunner Frank, Montrose, IA; Johnny Broking, Grand Rapids, MN; Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls.
Heat 1: Giossi; Diemel; Vesel; Massingill; Crapser; Broking; Budisalovich; Joel Collins, Princeton, MN.
Heat 2: Anderson; Burdick; Bennett; Eder; G Frank; Jayme Lautigar, Gilbert, MN; Jesse Glenz, Chippewa Falls.
Heat 3: Mikkelson; Kendall; Flynn; Ayotte; Niemi; Todd Frank, Montrose, IA; Kelley.
Semi-Feature: G Frank; Budisalovich; Niemi; Broking; Lautigar; Glenz; T Frank; Collins; Kelley; Crapser.
Pole Dash: Peterson; Searing; Sabraski; Peterlin; Doar; Mars; Provinzino; Redetzke.
WISSOTA Modifieds
Feature: 1-10: Shane Sabraski, Rice, MN; Clayton Wagamon, Ramsey, MN; Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, MN; Brandon Copp, Brule; Ryan Gierke, Villard, MN; Kennedy Swan, Chippewa Falls; Dave Cain, Corcoran, MN; Brady Uotinen, Superior; Jody Bellefeuille, Carlton, MN; Tyler Kaeter, St. Cloud, MN.
11-20: Kaden Blaeser, Chippewa Falls; Bob Broking, Grand Rapids, MN; Michael Truscott, Chippewa Falls; Jack Rivord, Superior; Mike Anderson, Jim Falls; Cole Spacek, Phillips; JD Ford, Somerset; Nick Oreskovich, Mason; Zach Benson, Princeton, MN; Dale Ames, Huron, SD.
21-26: Jeffrey Wood, Chisholm, MN; Joseph Thomas, Glyndon, MN; Adam Bohlman, Princeton, MN; Al Uotinen, Superior; AJ Diemel, Elk Mound; Don Eischens, Richmond, MN.
Heat 1: Blaeser; Anderson; Eischens; Kevin Adams, Cameron; Justin Weinberger, Elk Mound; Curtis Stieh, Kamanistiqua, ON; Bohlman; Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI.
Heat 2: Truscott; Thomas; Kaeter; Tyler Vernon, Mason; Ford; Spacek; Justin Froemming, Alexandria, MN; Donnie Lofdahl, Duluth, MN.
Heat 3: Broking; Rivord; B Uotinen; Diemel; Shaun Kreyer, Hayward; Cody Wolkowski, Thunder Bay, ON; JT Johnson, Milaca, MN.
Heat 4: Bellefeuille; Wood; Ames; A Uotinen; Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, MN; Benson; Andrew Mackey, Duluth, MN.
Semi-Feature 1: Diemel; Bohlman; Adams; Kreyer; Johnson; Weinberger; Stieh; Lofdahl; Wolkowski.
Semi-Feature 2: A Uotinen; Ford; Spacek; Vernon; Benson; Mackey; J Nelson.
Pole Dash: Wagamon; Copp; Gierke; Sabraski; Swan; D Nelson; Cain; Oreskovich.
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
Feature: 1-10: Jason VandeKamp, Scandia, MN; Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, MN; Zach Benson, Princeton, MN; Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Ryan Savoy, Superior; Blake Adams, Cameron; William Moelter, Elk Mound; Adam Bohlman, Princeton, MN; Paul Ripley, Duluth, MN; Cody Carlson, Superior.
11-20: Garrett Paull, Fort Frances, ON; Justin Froemming, Alexandria, MN; Ashton Schulte, St Cloud, MN; Jimmy Latvala, Solon Springs; Evan Checkalski, Duluth, MN; Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI; Jesse Polson, Superior; Tyler Vernon, Mason; Dalton Mains, Foxboro; James Vendela, South Range.
21-26: Tanner Henderson, Thunder Bay, ON; Justin Bassa, Cotton, MN; Matt Kelley, Columbus, MN; Zach Slayton, Hayward; Glen Brown, Rosslyn, ON; Don Craig, Thunder Bay, ON.
Heat 1: Dunbar; Bohlman; Bassa; Mains; Kelley; Froemming; Mike Jacques, Thunder Bay, ON.
Heat 2: Latvala; Vendela; Carlson; Polson; Daniel Bjonfald, Minneapolis, MN; Eric Anderson, Chisholm, MN; Skylar Findley, Clayton.
Heat 3: Checkalski; Ripley; Henderson; Tanner Hicks, Ashland; Craig; Bryan Lund, Ashland; Ross Siiter, Esko, MN.
Heat 4: Moelter; Suzik; Slayton; Brown; Cory Jorgensen, Duluth, MN; Tad Schoonover, Eagle River.
Semi-Feature 1: Froemming; Mains; Hicks; Kelley; Jacques; Craig.
Semi-Feature 2: Polson; Brown; Bjonfald; Schoonover; Anderson; Findley; Jorgensen.
Pole Dash: VandeKamp; Jensen; Adams; Benson; Savoy; Paull; Schulte; Vernon.