8-27 Page 40

Thursday, August 22

On Thursday, August 22, I made my second trip of the year out to Willmar, Minnesota and KRA Speedway.

As with everyone else, the season is dwindling down here, with just one more regular Thursday night show on the schedule for 2024. This was a good night for the fans, as NAPA of central Minnesota sponsored the races. If you stopped by the Willmar store and got a wristband, admission to the races was free! It was also Meet the Drivers night, and a very nice sized crowd was on hand. Six WISSOTA sanctioned classes are part of their program.

It's funny how things change over the years but when I go to KRA these days, I don't know many of the workers and other folks anymore. Gene was busy every time I passed by his tree with tech issues, so I didn't get to say hello to him. Ron Krog has some special place where announcers hide before the show, so he can't be found unless he wants to be. Finally I did run into Pastor Paul, the track chaplin who was guarding the popcorn machine and I did get to say hello to him.

It was the first time in quite some time that I saw Pee Wee Kuhnau, now back running a Mod Four. I was wearing a shirt dragged out of some closet that said SDSU Jackrabbits on it, and he picked up on that right away. He had just dropped his daughter off there yesterday to start college. He now has two daughters going to school in the Dakotas but when I first met him, they were just little kids biting at his knees.

Taylor Willms had been driving a Street Stock when I last saw him race, but he was in a nice looking Midwest Mod Thursday, later finishing just out of the top five in the Mid Mod feature.

Nate Coopman, a multi-time national IMCA Sport Compact champion, has been playing a bit with a Mod Four. This was the first time that I saw him in action. He did manage to pull out a top-five finish in that main event later on.

When I arrived at the track, the track vehicles were packing like crazy, along with plenty of heavy equipment. The rain in the morning, reported to be about a quarter inch, left the track quite different than it normally is here. Though it’s usually pretty dry and slick, it had plenty of moisture in the corners. It was a bit loose and choppy and it actually built up a berm by feature time, which almost never happens here. There was a big pond inside the front chute by victory lane, but to my disappointment, not a single car slid into the pond and sent the water flying, perhaps in Ron's direction.

Derek Zieske tried to hold off the pack in the Street Stock feature and managed to keep Ty Agen behind him for four laps, but Agen was just too strong. When Zieske slipped up in turn four, Agen was right there to grab the lead. The Street Stock feature went green to checkered, and though it took Justin Vogel some time to come up from his seventh starting spot, he eventually caught Agen and the battle was on. Vogel was liking the nice sized cushion and he was backing his Streeter up to the berm in every corner, getting a good run. Each time he was held off by Agen, however.

Agen, the traveler from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin who seldom races closer than 200 miles from home, held Vogel off to take the win. Braden Brauer finished third but was not in the mix Thursday.

The Midwest Modified feature started off with a bang as the two top challengers, Bud Martini and Joey Jensen, were involved in a first-corner tangle. However, no one was penalized and the start for the second attempt was just the same as the first.

I have been seeing this a lot this year at a multitude of tracks and I must confess, I have no idea what rules are being used anymore. Things are terribly inconsistent across the board; I have seen drivers spin without help on the opening lap and still get their spot back. I'm beginning to wonder if the rules have been changed and I slept through the announcement.

In any event, this race boiled down to a two-car battle between Martini and Jensen. Jensen drew close in the mid portion of the race but Martini fought him off and indeed, pulled away in the later laps. Jensen has been winning these kinds of battles more often than not so far this year, but Thursday belonged to Martini.

Speaking of hot drivers, no one has been better of late than Dexton Koch in the Super Stocks. And, he chalked up another feature win at KRA. Despite the fact he started seventh in the main, he took the lead one lap short of the halfway point and from then on, ran away from the field. Andrew Hedtke finished second with Eric Martini third.

The Mod Four feature had a violent flip stop the race after just one lap when Tyler Larson tangled with another driver in turn four as they battled for second. Larson's car was turned sideways and then dug into the track and he went for a ride, barrel rolling three times before coming to rest on his wheels. He was okay, but he was done for the evening. It’s a shame, too, because he’s been on such a roll as of late.

A new driver got to visit victory lane at KRA, as Mod Four rookie Blake Hawker led from start to finish to win his first-ever feature in Willmar. Hawker, who moved up from the Hornets, has been impressive at a number of tracks so far this year, but this is the first time I had seen him visit victory lane.

And as I have grown to expect, Ron Krog provided a very interesting tidbit of information; Blake is the grandson of the godfather of Mod Four racing, Dean Larson. It certainly helps explain why Hawker got a grasp of this class so quickly. Dean, by the way, ended up second but wasn't close enough to offer a challenge.

Don Eischens, the driver who has been the dominant factor at this track over its history, took the win in the Modified feature. It took him only a lap to pass Justin VanEps and once in front, there was no catching him. Cole Chernosky managed to work up fairly close behind, but then Eischens got rolling and slowly pulled away. Chernosky, who won a feature at Thunder City on Wednesday, held off a late challenge from Seth Brede to claim second.

The nonstop Hornet feature, which wrapped up the night, was led from start to finish by Matt Dittman. He dominated, simply put. The field may have been small, but with Jeff Rohner and Justin Schelitzche chasing him, that was some pretty fast competition.

So it was a good night of racing at KRA, and even with all the extra activities going on, they were done at a decent hour. There were, I suspect, a lot of new fans there due to the price being right. Hopefully, some of them will return again for another Thursday night show.

I also noted that for a weeknight show, there were a considerable number of folks who were headed for the pits once the final checkered waved. That is a very good thing.

Friday, August 23

It was a busy night Friday, August 23 at Gondik Lake Speedway in Superior, Wisconsin. After a rainout the previous Friday night, there were many things on the racing schedule for the last regular season race of 2024.

Champions were also set to be crowned in all six WISSOTA divisions, and it was the final race of the KME Late Model Series. Suicide Prevention and Awareness Night at the track was also part of the offerings, with many raffles, drawings, etc. To top things off, Hall of Fame inductees were introduced and lauded in front of the crowd. Former announcer Fred handled that part of the show and it was a throw back to see him still wearing his white pants, like track officials did many years ago.

It would be good to return to the days of a uniform look for our WISSOTA track officials, with those in charge dressed in a manner befitting their titles. With an apparel company as one of their sponsors, it's overdue and we should provide key track personnel with official outfits to wear so there is a more cohesive and uniform look among those officials throughout WISSOTA.

A good field of drivers were on hand for the last regular season race, with more than 100 drivers signing in to race. A best 26 Late Model drivers signed in, with the top 11 in KME points currently among that Late Model field.

It seems like more and more Canadian drivers are making the pull down across the border each week. Gondik has long-been a first stopping point for them before they disperse out to other tracks over the course of the weekend. Tonight there were at least 10 drivers from north of the border on hand, including what I believe to be the first Hornet driver from Thunder Bay to bring his car down to race. I'm still waiting for that first Thunder Bay Late Model, but when it appears, I just have the feeling the flood gates will open.

A combination of cloud cover all day, extremely humid conditions and even a spritz of rain from time to time all conspired to help produce a blinding-fast racing surface.

There were several cars that got up on two wheels, including a wild heat race ride by Dave Flynn when he was leading. When he slammed back to earth, it damaged his car so he couldn't continue as the race leader.

There was indeed one violent flip when Brady Caul got high in the air while doing a series of rollovers just as the checkered flag waved in the Mid Mod feature. Fortunately he was okay.

The heat races were marked by a lot of breath-taking moves by drivers in all classes, and there were a number of drivers mad at their fellow competitors.

Even chief starter Ray Stuart was on edge. Despite the fact that he is elevated over the track, a wheel came off a Super Stock down the front chute, bounced high into the air, and slammed into the advertising sign just below where he stands before falling back to the track. It was a very close call.

In a couple of instances, the feature races produced stunning moments and heartbreak for a couple of drivers. That was certainly true for Kevin Burdick after the Late Model feature. After Pat Doar got the jump on him to take the early lead in the 30-lap main event, Burdick got up on the wheel and surprised Doar with an inside move on lap four. He slid back under Doar and took the lead. Doar tried to cross him back over down the back chute but had to settle into second.

They raced in that fashion for much of the race. Doar got close and put pressure on, but wasn’t able to get by and then fell back a few car lengths. Doar was again close as the laps ran down, and that’s when Burdick ran into trouble.

Burdick got just a bit high entering turn one and that opened the door for Doar; he made a spectacular move, squeezing between Burdick and a slower car they were both ready to overtake. Burdick tried to counter with a slider but Doar held him off and the battle resumed.

A late yellow set up a two-lap sprint to the finish but instead of Burdick pressuring Doar, he instead was fighting for second as Shane Sabraski moved in to challenge. Doar pulled away for the win and Sabraski edged out Burdick for second. I’m sure Burdick was just stunned by the bad things that happened in the final few laps.

Rough calculating here, Doar made $1,500 for the win, he took an extra $250 dollars from proceeds raised by the Suicide Prevention group, and then you can add on $7,500 for being the KME point champ. He went back to New Richmond with more than $9,000 he didn't have in his pocket when he came north on Friday.

Darrell Nelson and Sam Mars completed the top five. Speaking of Mars, Sam's dad Jimmy told me they plan on attending the John Seitz Memorial race in Grand Forks this year for the first time.

The other driver to suffer brutal fate was Brady Uotinen. He started on the pole for the Modified feature and was killing the competition; he built up nearly a full straightaway lead over the field. He was setting a blistering pace, chased by Andrew Inman and Darrell Nelson. Uotinen had such a big lead, he was probably out of sight.

With just three laps to go, he hit the cushion wrong in turn four, pushed up the track, and nosed into the wall. With front end damage, he was out of the race. Nelson inherited the lead and held off Inman and Jack Rivord for the win, proof that you never quite know just what is going to happen from lap to lap.

Two drivers who have won a lot this season, and are also in the national championship hunt, were also winners on Friday night.

Joey Jensen started ninth in the Mid Mod feature and took the win in what was a “slam-bam” race that saw continued hard feelings among several of the drivers. It was also marked by several yellow flags.

Dalton Mains grabbed the early lead from Justin Bassa and actually led the first 15 laps of the race. Mains was getting challenged by Bassa, Jimmy Latvala and McLean Andrews, who were trading positions on nearly every corner.

Jensen didn't even show in the top five at the halfway point of the race but when he took off, he gained several positions. He was not taking any prisoners and there were some twisted corner panels in the charge to the front.

On lap 16, Bassa made a great move after Mains got crossed up and drove into the lead. Jensen followed him through and then also made a pass on Bassa, only to see the yellow save him when Cody Carlson was roughed up on the front chute.

But Jensen was just too fast and one lap later made a clean pass down the back chute to take over the lead and he then drove on to victory. The battle for second continued, with Mains getting past Bassa again to claim second, just as Caul went for his wild flip that ended the contest.

Dexton Koch has been making all the right moves with his Super Stock lately as he fights for a national title. His best move tonight was his starting spot. He grabbed the lead from the start and then led all 20 laps to take the win. While his lead was small but consistent, there was quite the battle for second behind him, as Matt Deragon and Rick Simpson traded that position at least three times. This race was also slowed six times by yellow flags.

Koch managed to get back out in front of the field time and time again and he drove on for the win. Deragon reclaimed second on lap 14 and then held off Simpson for that spot.

Aaron Bernick wasted little time grabbing the lead in the Pure Stock feature. Though he started in the second row, he was in front before a lap was scored. The rest was history as he pulled away from the field and had no challengers. Tom Treviranus finished a distant second with Shane Basina third.

The Hornet feature figured to be a three-way battle among DeJay Jarecki, Carson Gotelaere and Justin Schelitzche and that's exactly what happened. Jarecki started in the second row but had the lead by lap one. He then maintained that spot for the rest of the race. Schelitzche battled for most of the race with Carson and finally grabbed second following a late restart. He pushed hard at the end but Jarecki kept control and drove across the line for the win with the other two close behind.

We did get a late reminder that we were in Superior during the program, as fog came shooting out from behind the grandstand and momentarily engulfed the front chute until the cars whipped up the vortex and it cleared enough to continue racing.

Saturday, August 24

Rice Lake Speedway wrapped up the 2024 regular racing season on Saturday night, August 24. It was season championship night, not to be confused with track points championship night.

Rice Lake does it differently than most tracks. Track championships are awarded to the racers who accumulate the most points, while season championships are features set up with the high point finishers from the season starting up front, typically the week following the last track points night.

Rice Lake still chooses to do both, but it has been changed slightly to obtain national points for the night. The drivers must draw a number for their heats. Drivers who make the invert are then lined up by their points for the feature with the drivers who don’t make the invert starting behind them.

At one time, these Season Championship races were a big deal but not so much anymore it seems. It is a reward for those drivers who have earned the highest point totals to have the chance to start up front, but it doesn't seem like track points are as big of a deal as they once were, either.

Three of the five drivers who did start on the pole ended up winning feature races on Saturday, although it generally isn't that high of a percentage.

I was happy to see the track program back this week, as it makes a fine souvenir for fans. I noted there were plenty of folks referring to their point sheets often throughout the evening, so they are being used.

Simon Wahlstrom was battling for a point title in the Super Stocks until they shut that operation down for the year with motor problems. He returned to the track Saturday, driving the Modified he raced last year.

When they open the box at the track, you just never know what car and which class Wahlstrom will be racing in. With the loss of the Super Stock though, I am still waiting to see if he will be able to pull off his goal of racing a car in all classes that run at the upcoming Dairyland Dash scheduled for next week.

The other team that is full of surprises is the Herrman Farms team. They currently have three Street Stocks and one Mid Mod. This week Nolan Brown drove the car that Cody Cimfl has been driving most of the season, while Jenna Herrman was back in her normal ride after trying out Brown's car last week.

Speaking of Brown, he probably hasn't gotten the ink he deserves, having progressed by leaps and bounds as a rookie driver in the tough Street Stock class. He got his first top-five Street Stock finish on Saturday.

Cory Davis was driving his son's car this Saturday night. Andrew is out of the seat for awhile with back issues. With the school year starting next week and that being a crazy time, he didn't want to be hobbling around. Dad did well, starting 11th and finishing sixth while just missing a top-five finish at the end.

The Pure Stock field was one of the smallest in recent memory on Saturday. Typically this class starts to lose cars by this time of the year, as the Pure Stock drivers seem to be teams who pinch pennies first.

Only Bemidji seems to produce big numbers now on a weekly basis. I don't know what the future is with this class, as I'm still waiting to hear if some tracks are going to try to fold their current field into a Street Stock class. Some of the cars are pretty darn close to that point already.

Check out this wild lineup for the Super Stock feature. Row one held fathers Curt Myers and Eric Olson. Right behind them were their sons, Alex and Ryan Olson. Three of the four finished in the top five, too, with Alex Myers having car trouble while running third with just three laps to go.

While it was a really short racing season due to all the rainouts, there were 37 different feature winners in the track’s five classes, and a whopping 19 different winners between the two open wheel classes. There were 10 in the Mid Mods and nine different winners in the Mods.

The regular season concluded with another classic Kevin Adams vs. Mike Anderson battle in the Modified feature. These two drivers have “owned” this class for almost the last two decades at the track, a class that began here way back in 1980.

With those two on the track, they represent an incredible 153 feature wins! And per usual, they finished first and second again tonight. Their driving styles couldn't be any more diverse and their personalities any more different, but when they are racing at Rice Lake, they are like two peas in a pod and always provide a show for the fans.

The weather has finally dried out this week and the track prep crew, led by co-owner Kolby Kiehl, put in a huge amount of time this week. And they had it dialed in on Saturday. It was black and slick from top to bottom, smooth as a baby's bottom and had multiple grooves for racing.

The Labor Day weekend events at the track have taken a huge step forward this year, going from a regular weekly show with just a bit of extra money on the line to a whopping big-pursed, two-day show with a host of fine sponsors helping out. They are hoping to attract drivers who haven't been here in a long time or perhaps ever, and show them a good time while providing the race fans with a memorable weekend. This is the first step in what the owner's envision for the track's future, as they continue to build plans for more special events and even bigger things to come.