Grimes Grabs Seven Grand at 2013 Mod Nationals!
Jamestown, ND driver Jason Grimes recorded the biggest
win of his racing career on Sunday night and in the process became the
ninth driver to win the Minnesota Modified Nationals presented by
Performance Auto. Grimes started Sunday's 60 lap feature event in the
number eighteen spot and made a last lap pass on Cody Skytland to claim
the feature. In other WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track racing action, Jason
VandeKamp, doubled up, and won both Midwest Modified feature races, Jeff
Crouse claimed another WISSOTA Super Stock win, and Jeremy Nelson won
the non qualifier feature for the WISSOTA Modifieds. The night's event
was sponsored by Performance Auto, Allstate, Wildung Racing, and Elden's
Fresh Foods.
With twelve laps remaining, in a feature that was suspended due to
curfew on Saturday night, Ryan Schluesner led a hungry pack of WISSOTA
Midwest Modifieds to the green. Head flag man, Layne Roberts, dropped
the green and night two of the Mod Nationals was off and running.
Schluesner would continue to lead the pack as Tim Ims, Jeremy Kerzman,
and Jamie Thorstad did battle for the second through fifth spots. The
yellow would fly on the speedway for Ron Saurer who slipped over the
banking in turn two and retired to the pit area with mechanical issues.
Schluesner once again paced the field to the green and Jason Hoffman and
Jason VandeKamp joined the front group along with Josh Muzik. VandeKamp
would complete the pass for the lead with three laps left on the board,
and the yellow would fly on the following lap, for an incident involving
Schluesner, Hoffman, and Muzik. Muzik suffered front end damage and was
forced to pull of the speedway, along with Hoffman who was charged with
the yellow. VandeKamp lead the field to the green for the final restart
and never looked back as he raced to the win. Thorstad came home in the
number two spot, Ims was third, Kerzman fourth, and Schluesner rounded
out the top five.
Next on the agenda was B main number one for the WISSOTA Modifieds. The
top two finishing drivers would make the "big dance" later in the
evening, while drivers finishing in the number three through nine spot
would be put in the last chance qualifying race, later in the day. A
pair of Performance Auto drivers, Dev Malmlov and Mike Johnson, manned
the front row for the twenty lap event. At the drop of the green Malmlov
jumped to the outside of the speedway to gain the race lead. Eight
starter Jason Thoennes wasted no time putting his car on the low side of
the speedway and jumped into the number two spot behind Malmlov. With
six laps in the books, the yellow would come out for Kyle Koehntop, who
suffered a flat right rear tire. This put Thoennes and Scot Danzeisen on
Malmlov's back bumper as the field came to life once more. With eleven
laps remaining Danzeisen worked to the inside of Thoennes and moved into
the critical number two spot. The remaining laps would go caution free
with Malmlov and Danzeisen advancing to the feature.
Jason Grimes and Bobby Gierke led the twelve car b main two to the green
and Grimes wasted no time finding that the high side of the speedway was
fast as he jumped to an early race lead. Grimes would continue to
stretch his advantage as Jamie Trautner moved into the second spot after
a battle with Jeremy Nelson. The caution would come out over the
speedway with ten laps remaining when Corey Sersha shot over the bank in
turn three. Grimes once again jumped to the lead and Nelson moved into
the second spot and raced up to challenge the leader. The field would
only complete one lap before the yellow came out once more for Jeffery
Lein Jr, who spun and collected Brandon Aggen and Skeeter Estey. During
the yellow flag period Nelson's car began to smoke and he pulled into
the pit area, this moved Trautner back to the second spot. With the
green back out, Grimes powered his way to a large advantage as Trautner
was being pressured by Terry Engebretson and Aggen for the second spot.
Grimes would cruise to the win and Trautner held on to the second spot
and both drivers advanced to the feature.
Veteran drivers Jeff Wildung and Mike Storck led the final b main to the
green and Wildung used his outside starting spot to jump to the lead
with Storck in tow. Near the midway point in the race, Brady Gerdes and
Johnny Broking were able to get around Storck as the duo battled for the
final transfer spot. Meanwhile, back in traffic the best battle on the
speedway was between Travis Saurer and Darrell Nelson for the number
four spot. Both drivers continued to search for a way to close the gap
on Broking and Gerdes. As the cars entered turn three, on the final lap,
Broking dove his MB Customs machine to the low side of the speedway in
an attempt to make a pass on Gerdes. Broking couldn't make the pass
stick and he and Gerdes made contact sending Gerdes over the banking in
turn four. It was determined by track officials the Broking was at fault
for the yellow, and Gerdes was given credit for the second place finish
behind Wildung.
With only two tickets left to be punched to the Modified feature, Jason
Thoennes and Terry Engebretson led eighteen cars to the green in the
modified Last Chance Race. Thoennes quickly jumped to the lead and
Engebretson settled into the second spot. As Thoennes continued to
stretch his advantage over Engebretson, the best battle on the speedway
was between Saurer, Darrell Nelson, and Jeff Broking for the number
three spot. Saurer was able to clear Nelson for fourth spot and raced up
to challenge Broking with six laps remaining. Meanwhile, up front
Thoennes cruised to the win, ensuring he would start the Mod Nationals
feature for the ninth consecutive season, and Engebreston would hold on
for the second spot.
Jeremy Nelson jumped to the early lead in the twenty lap, $1000 to win,
modified non qualifier feature. Nelson would lead the first two circuits
until Travis Saurer slid off the back stretch brining out the caution.
With order restored, Nelson led Darrell Nelson and Danny Bayer to the
green. The running order would remain the same and the caution would fly
once again on lap ten for Canadian driver Ward Imrie, as he went off
turn two. With the field reset J. Nelson once again led D. Nelson to the
green. This time a new challenger moved up to challenge D. Nelson, as
Scott Greer raced to the inside in an attempt to make a pass. Up front
J. Nelson continued to check out and he raced to his first career
modified win. D. Nelson came home second, Greer was third, Mike Storck
fourth, and Saurer raced his way back to the number five spot.
Jeff Crouse and Jeff Kluver paced the seventeen car WISSOTA Super Stock
feature to the green. Crouse quickly powered his way to the high side of
the track and claimed the race lead as the cars completed lap one.
Saturday night's winner, Shane Sabraski quickly jumped into the second
spot and set his sights on Crouse. Sabraski would be able to motor by
Crouse on the top of the track five laps into the event, but Crouse
would stay glued to his back bumper. With eleven laps left Sabraski
moved to the bottom of the track in an effort to find more traction.
Crouse moved to the high side of the track in turns three and four and
completed the pass on Sabraski with ten laps left. On the following lap,
the caution would fly for Rocky Yeats, when he slipped off turn two.
Crouse led Sabraski and Cory Tammen to the green and the trio began to
look for the fastest way around the High Flyin Half Mile speedway.
Crouse glued his machine to the high line and would lead the next four
laps as Sabraski and Tammen battled for the second spot. With six laps
remaining, Dominic Baker and Don Eischens would make contact in turn two
brining out the caution. Eischens would retire pit side with damage
during the yellow period. Back up front Crouse once again jumped to the
cushion and went on to lead the remaining six laps to claim the win.
Sabraski was second, Dexton Koch was third, Tammen settled for fourth,
and Trevor Saurer rounded out the top five.
Twenty nine WISSOTA Midwest Modified drivers lined up for twenty laps of
battle on the half mile speedway. Jason Hoffman and Jason VandeKamp
paced the field to the green. VandeKamp, who had picked up the most
passing points earlier in the night, moved to a quick advantage over
Hoffman and Ron Saurer. With one lap complete, Saurer would lose the
bite on his machine and slip off the banking brining out the first of
many cautions in the twenty lap event. With the green back out,
VandeKamp jumped to the lead over Hoffman who was left to battle with
Jeremy Kerzman and Dusty Bitzan for the second spot. Hoffman would hold
onto the position and the yellow would once again fall on the speedway
when Travis Saurer suffered a flat tire and slipped off turn four.
VandeKamp lead Hoffman and Kerzman to the green again, and this time
Kerzman was able to make the pass of Hoffman to move into the second
spot. Meanwhile, the driver on the move was sixteenth starter Brock
Gronwold who quickly moved his way up to challenge for the number five
spot. VandeKamp would continue to lead and cruised to his second feature
win of the night. Bitzan was second, Travis Saurer raced from the back
of the field to third, Gronwold was fourth, and Kerzman rounded out the
top five.
With all the other action in the books, the twenty five car, star
studded modified feature rolled onto the speedway. After an out of car
introduction session and four wide salute to the fans, Dave Schroeder
and Matt Gilbertson led the field to the green. Schroeder wasted no time
jumping to the high line on the speedway and took the early lead with
Gilbertson in tow. As the leaders began to distance themselves from the
field, the main battle on the track was for the number three spot.
Jeremy Houle, Dale Mathison, and Cody Skytland locked horns and over the
course of the next few laps raced side by side for position. Meanwhile,
back in traffic all eyes were on Jason Grimes as he continued to work
his way towards the front from his eighteenth starting spot. With twenty
laps completed in the feature, Schroeder held a comfortable lead over
Gilbertson, Mathison, Houle, Skytland, Kelly Estey, and Grimes. Grimes
would make quick work of Estey and raced up to
challenge Skytland for fourth. After a handful of laps, Grimes, who was
using the very top of the speedway, moved by Skytland to fourth. On the
next lap, Grimes was able to race by Houle and Mathison to move into the
number three spot. The mandatory fuel stop yellow would fly over the
track at lap thirty and at that point Schroeder led Gilbertson, Grimes,
Skytland, Mathison and Houle. Once all cars were filled with fuel,
Schroeder led the pack to the green. On the restart, Mathison and
Skytland were able to clear Grimes and the duo raced up to challenge
Gilbertson for the second spot. The first caution of the race would fly
with twenty six laps to go when Jamie Trautner spun exiting turn four.
On the restart Schroeder led Gilbertson and Mathison to the green.
Skytland and Grimes were able to work their way around Mathison on the
restart and the duo looked to close in on Schroeder and Gilbertson. The
final caution of the race would fly with twenty three
laps to go for an incident involving Rick Niemi, Brady Gerdes, Terry
Engebretson, and Trautner. This put Skytland and Gilbertson back on
Schroeder's back bumper for the final restart. As the leaders entered
turn one, Schroeder moved from his preferred high line to the low side
in order to keep Skytland at bay. As the lead trio raced out of turn
two, both Gilbertson and Skytland were able to clear Schroeder. On the
following lap, Schroeder was able to get back by Gilbertson and raced up
to challenge Skytland, the new leader. With Schroeder running the low
side and Skytland the top side, the duo would race side by side for the
next handful of laps. Behind the lead back, Grimes was able to clear
Gilbertson with thirteen laps to go and quickly closed in on the lead
duo. With five laps remaining Grimes looked to make it three wide for
the race lead as the cars exited turn four and was able to get by
Schroeder in the process. Grimes quickly moved back to the high side of
the track in order to track down Skytland. With two laps remaining,
Grimes moved to the low side of the speedway in turn one and completed a
pass on Skytland, only to see Cody come back and take the lead on the
back chute. As the leaders came to the white flag, contact was made as
Grimes tried to go back to the low side. As the leaders entered turn one
on the final lap, Grimes went to the bottom of the track and was able to
pull even with Skytland as the duo drag raced down the back stretch one
final time. The duo would enter turn three on the final lap side by side
and Skytland looked to the bottom of Grimes, and the pair would make
contact sending Skytland spinning in turn three. Grimes would go on to
take the checkered and claim the $7000 payday. Schroeder finished in
second, Gilbertson a solid third, Jeff Wildung finished fourth after
starting nineteenth, and Scot Danzeisen advanced from twentieth to
fifth.
All of the staff at Viking Speedway and FYE Motorsports would like to
thank all the racers, sponsors, and fans for joining them for a great
weekend of racing. The high flying half mile speedway, located at the
Douglas County Fairgrounds, will be back in action with all five WISSOTA
classes in action. For more information on the speedway please visit the
track online at www.vikingspeedway.net and for more information on FYE
Motorsports events, please visit them online at www.fyemotorsports.com.
Summary:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Feature: Jason Grimes, Dave Schroeder, Matt Gilbertson, Jeff Wildung,
Scot Danzeisen, Dale Mathison, Dave Cain, Kelly Estey, Austin Arneson,
Shane Sabraski, Brady Gerdes, Bob Broking, Bryce Borgen, Josh Thoennes,
Jason Thoennes, Jake Wildman, Mark Noble, Dev Malmlov, Cody Skytland,
Jamie Trautner, Jeremy Houle, Rick Niemi, Terry Engebretson, Tony Leiker
Non Qualifier Feature: Jeremy Nelson, Darrell Nelson, Scott Greer, Mike
Storck, Travis Saurer
B Main 1: Malmlov, Danzeisen, Ja. Thoennes, Danny Bayer, Jeff Broking,
Ward Imrie, Ryan Mikkelson, Mark Trautner, Mike Johnson, Jason Gross,
Brian Haben, Kyle Koehntop, Charlie Hillukka
B Main 2: Grimes, J. Trautner, Engebretson, Brandon Aggen, Bobby Gierke,
Jeff Flaten, Greer, Corey Sersha, Skeeter Estey, Jeffery Lien Jr.,
Jeremy Nelson, Scott Tofte, Matt Leer
B Main 3: Wildung, Gerdes, Storck, D. Nelson, Travis Saurer, Ryan
Kereluk, Johnny Broking, Wildman, Brian Swenson, Brett Hoium, Clayton
Wagamon, Cody Erickson, Matt Smith
LCQ Race: Ja. Thoennes, Engebretson, Je. Broking, Saurer, D. Nelson,
Imrie, Storck, Mikkelson, Aggen, Greer, M. Trautner, Flaten, Johnson,
Kereluk, Bayer, Sersha, Wildman, Gierke, Jo. Broking, S. Estey, Swenson
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Feature: Jeff Crouse, Shane Sabraski, Dexton Koch, Cory Tammen, Trevor
Saurer, Jon Stepan, Dominic Baker, Chris Winter, Rocky Yeats, Matt
Miller, Jay Hedtke, David Galbraith, Derek Quinn, Don Eischens, Travis
Berends, Jeff Kluver, Bob Holtquist
Heat 1: Kluver, Stepan, Quinn, Miller, Hedtke, Holtquist, Yeats,
Galbraith, Berends
Heat 2: Sabraski, Crouse, Tammen, Koch, Saurer, Eischens, Baker, Winter
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature: Jason VandeKamp, Dusty Bitzan, Travis Saurer, Brock Gronwold,
Jeremy Kerzman, Jason Hoffman, Casey Arneson, Chris Mensen, Josh Muzik,
Ryan Schleusner, Corey Storck, Scott Sroufe, Shawn Olson, Jamie Thorstad,
Mike Schwardt, Mack Estey, Kyle Reents, Justin Froemming, Ron Saurer,
Wyatt Ricks, Tyler Spanswick, Shane Howell, Jeffery Lien Jr, Brandon
Spanswick, Matt Weisman, Tim Ims, Andrew Bangsund, Nick James, Randy
Laage
Heat 1: Thorstad, Hoffman, Froemming, Ims, T. Saurer, Muzik, Lien Jr.,
James, Howell, Mensen
Heat 2: Bitzan, R. Saurer, VandeKamp, Storck, Gronwold, Weisman, Arneson,
Laage, Ricks, Schwardt
Heat 3: Kerzman, Bangsund, B. Spanswick, Estey, Schleusner, Reents,
Sroufe, Olson, T. Spanswick
Make up Feature: VandeKamp, Thorstad, Ims, Kerzman, Schleusner, Sroufe,
Mensen, T. Saurer, Olson, Lien Jr., Froemming, Reents, Howell, Storck,
James, Laage, Ricks, Muzik, Hoffman, R. Saurer, Bangsund, Estey,
Vanderby, Gronwold, Bitzan, Lee, Schwardt, Vanoverbeke, Arneson
Sabraski Steals Night 1 of Performance Auto Mod Nationals
Current WISSOTA Super Stock national point leader, Shane Sabraski, held
of a lap race surge by Jeff Crouse to claim his 14th feature win of the
2013 season during night one of the 9th Annual Minnesota Modified
Nationals presented by Performance Auto. Morris & Alexandria Auto Plaza,
Wildung Racing, and Alexandria Hospitality also sponsored the nights
festivities.
After a rain shower hit the speedway around 4:30, the track prep crew
went to work to get the track back into racing shape. With the help of
all drivers in attendance the speedway was rolled in and racing action
began shortly before 9:00pm.
With the two Super Stock heat races and three Midwest Modified heat
races in the books, the fifty seven modifieds in attendance were divided
into six heat races. With passing points being used for the weekend, it
was critical for drivers to advance their starting positions in order to
lock into the twenty four car Modified Qualifying feature, that was to
be held later in the evening.
Heat one for the Modifieds rolled onto the speedway and were led to the
green by Ham Lake, MN driver Jeremy Houle and local driver Josh Thoennes.
At the drop of the green Houle blasted to the lead with Thoennes in tow,
while Jeff Wildung settled into the third spot behind the lead duo. As
the top five cars began to string themselves out across the speedway,
the main battle was for the number eight through ten spots. Tenth
starter, Jason Thoennes was able to complete passes on Brandon Aggen and
Kyle Koehntop near the midpoint of the heat race. Jason then set his
sights on seventh running Corey Sersha, but was unable to complete the
pass. Houle cruised to the heat race win, Josh Thoennes was second, and
Wildung came home third.
Cody Skytland jumped to the early race lead in the second modified heat
race, but before the field could complete a lap, the caution would fly
on the speedway for an incident involving Jake Wildman and Gillette,
Wyoming driver Tony Leiker. Track officials determined that the contact
was initiated by Leiker and he tagged the end of the field. During the
yellow flag period, fifteen year old Jeffery Lien Jr. would retire to
the pits with mechanical issues. Skytland once again led the field the
pack to the green and raced to an advantage over previous Mod National
winners Travis Saurer and Dale Mathison. Two laps into the heat,
Saurer's car began to slow as he entered turn three and he would pull to
the pits with mechanical issues, ending his evening. Meanwhile, back in
traffic Leiker began his march to the front and raced by Wildman, Ryan
Kereluk, and Mike Johnson. Up front Mathison continued to close on
Skytland, but Skytland would hold on for the heat
race win. Mathison was second, and Rick Niemi was third.
Fresh off a win last weekend at the speedway, Dave Schroeder led heat
three to the green, Schroeder wasted no time finding the high line on
the speedway and opened a large advantage over second running Jeff
Flaten. Behind Flaten, Brian Haben, Shane Sabraski, and Bryce Borgen
began charging to the front. The red flag would fly over the track on
lap five, when Ulen, MN driver Cody Erickson rolled his #1xx machine
over the banking in turn one. Erickson would be ok, but his evening
would be over. On the restart, Haben was able to clear Flaten and moved
into the second spot and on the following lap Sabraski was able to get
by as well. As the drivers exited turn four with two laps to go, Haben's
machine would come to a stop on the speedway, bringing out the caution
once more. Haben retired to the pits with a flat tire and this moved
Sabraski into the second spot behind Schroeder. On the restart Borgen
made a move to the low side of the track, but couldn't make
it stick. Schroeder held on for the win, followed by Sabraski, and
Borgen.
Bob Broking and former Mod Nationals champ, Dave Cain led heat race four
to the green, and Broking blasted to the lead in his MB Customs machine.
Broking continued to build his lead lap after lap, while Cain was in an
early race battle with Performance Auto driver Dev Malmlov. Cain was
able to shake Malmlov and settled comfortably into the second spot. The
main battle on the speedway was between Bobby Gierke and Darrell Nelson.
Lap after lap Nelson tried to make a low side of Gierke, but could not
complete the pass. Broking would cruise to the heat race win, with Cain
taking second, and Malmlov finished in the third spot.
Montevideo, MN pilot Matt Gilbertson and Viking Speedway legend Dennis
Bitzan manned the front row for heat race five and Gilbertson wasted no
time using his outside starting spot to grab the lead. Bitzan was
quickly joined by fourth place starter Jason Grimes and the pair squared
off in a battle for second. Three laps into the race, Danny Bayer's
machine slowed on the front stretch, and Bayer was able to make it to
the pits without the caution being needed. Former Mod Nationals champion
Scot Danzeisen, found himself in the fifth spot near the midway point of
the race as he continued to try and reel in fourth place running Johnny
Broking. Back up front, Gilbertson continued to lead and held of for the
dominate win. Bitzan held off Grimes to finish in the number two spot,
while Grimes settled for third.
After scheduled pole starter Matt Leer scratched from heat race six with
an engine issue, Austin Arneson and Clayton Wagamon led the final heat
race to the green. Arneson would jump to the lead and planted his #10
machine on the cushion and started to pull away. Two laps into the heat,
the yellow would fly on the track for Skeeter Estey. Skeeter and Matt
Smith made contact sending Skeeter's #137 machine over the banking in
turn three, ending his evening. With the green back out, Arneson once
again jumped to the cushion and gained the advantage over Kelly Estey.
The main battle on the speedway at this point was for the third spot
between veteran drivers Mike Storck and Mark Noble. Lap after lap the
pair would swap the spot, and with three laps remaining fifth running
Wagamon would pull his car to the infield with an issue. Arneson
wouldn't look back and he took home the heat race win, Estey came home
in the runner up spot and Storck was able to hold of
Noble for the third spot.
Sixteen of the seventeen scheduled starters in the WISSOTA Super Stock
class took to the starting grid for their fifteen lap, $500 to win
feature. Shane Sabraski used his front row starting spot to get the
early lead over Jeff Crouse. The race would be red flagged on lap one
for a scary incident involving Jon Stepan. Stepan's car came to a stop
entering turn one and it was reported by track announcer Ron Krog, that
a piece of mud hit Jon's helmet. After the medics had a chance to talk
with Stepan, it was determined that he was able to continue and he
tagged the end of the field. Sabraski once again moved out to the lead
over Crouse and Cory Tammen. Meanwhile, towards the rear of the field,
Stepan began to work his way back to the front, passing multi cars on
each lap until he would make contact with Rocky Yeats. Stepan's car slid
down the bank sideways and collected Cody Lee and Derek Quinn. Yeats and
Lee were able to continue, but Stepan and Quinn's
nights would be over. Sabraski led Crouse and Derrick Lemke to the green
this time and again Sabraski jumped to the lead. The main battle on the
speedway was for the third spot, as Sabraski and Crouse moved out to a
healthy margin on the field. Tammen, Lemke, and Dexton Koch continued to
swap the three through five spots lap after lap. The caution would fly
for the final time for David Galbraith, whose machine stopped on the
back chute. This would give Crouse and Koch one last shot at Sabraski,
but to no avail. Sabraski held of for the win, Crouse was second, Tammen
third, Koch fourth, and Lemke was scored fifth.
After multiple attempts to complete the Midwest modified feature, the
event was suspended with twelve laps to go due to the curfew. Day two of
the 9th Annual Minnesota Modified Nationals presented by Performance
Auto, will conclude on Sunday with the conclusion of the Midwest
Modified feature, then the qualifying feature for the modifieds still to
be run. After the completion of Saturday's events, they will move into
Sunday's show, which includes another full show for Midwest modifieds
and the super stocks. The non qualified modified drivers will be divided
into b-mains and last chance races. The evening will conclude with the
60 lap, $7000 to win, $700 to start WISSOTA Modified feature. A
fireworks display sponsored by the city of Alexandria will begin after
the races.
Summary:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Qualifying Feature: To be run on 7/7/13
Heat 1: Jeremy Houle, Josh Thoennes, Jeff Wildung, Mark Trautner, Ward
Imrie, Ryan Mikkelson, Corey Sersha, Jason Thoennes, Brandon Aggen, Kyle
Koehntop
Heat 2: Cody Skytland, Dale Mathison, Rick Niemi, Tony Leiker, Mike
Johnson, Jake Wildman, Ryan Kereluk, Travis Saurer, Jeffrey Lien Jr.
Heat 3: Dave Schroeder, Shane Sabraski, Bryce Borgen, Jeremy Nelson,
Jeff Flaten, Jason Gross, Charlie Hillukka, Brian Haben, Cody Erickson
Heat 4: Bob Broking, Dave Cain, Dev Malmlov, Robert Gierke, Darrell
Nelson, Brady Gerdes, Terry Engebretson, Brian Swenson, Brett Hoium
Heat 5: Matt Gilbertson, Dennis Bitzan, Jason Grimes, Johnny Broking,
Scot Danzeisen, Scott Tofte, Scott Greer, Jeff Broking, Danny Bayer
Heat 6: Austin Arneson, Kelly Estey, Mike Storck, Mark Noble, Jaime
Trautner, Clayton Wagamon, Skeeter Estey, Matt Leer, Matt Smith
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Feature: Shane Sabraski, Jeff Crouse, Cory Tammen, Dexton Koch, Derrick
Lemke, Robert Holtquist, Trevor Saurer, Dominic Baker, Chris Winter,
Rocky Yeats, Joe Pellman, Jeff Kluver, David Galbraith, Cody Lee, Jon
Stepan, Derek Quinn, Mike Peterson
Heat 1: Sabraski, Koch, Lemke, Pellman, Winter, Kluver, Holtquist, Lee,
Peterson
Heat 2: Stepan, Crouse, Saurer, Tammen, Yeats, Quinn, Galbraith, Baker
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature: Suspended with 12 laps to go until 7/7/13
Heat 1: Jason Vandekamp, Mack Estey, Scott Sroufe, Jeremy Kerzman,
Andrew Bangsund, Shane Howell, Tyler Vanderby, Mike Schwardt, Brock
Gronwold, Casey Arneson
Heat 2: Josh Muzik, Ryan Schleusner, Tim Ims, Jason Hoffman, Kyle Reents,
Justin Froemming, Wyatt Ricks, Nick James, Chad VanOverbeke, Haley Lee
Heat 3: Ron Saurer, Corey Storck, Jaime Thorstad, Randy Laage, Dusty
Bitzan, Travis Saurer, Jeffrey Lien Jr., Shawn Olson, Chris Mensen
Performance Auto Named Title Sponsor of 9th
Annual Mod Nationals
For Immediate Release:
St. Cloud, Minnesota (April 12th, 2013)
FYE Motorsports owner Chris Stepan is excited to announce that the
9th running of the $7,000 to win Minnesota Modified Nationals, held
annually at the high flying Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN will
have a title sponsor for the first time in the event’s existence.
...The
race will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 6th & 7th with an
open practice session on Friday night, July 5th. WISSOTA Modifieds
will compete in the traditional 60-lap, $7,000 to win event with
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and WISSOTA Super Stocks competing in two
complete programs throughout the course of the weekend as well.
Fargo, North Dakota based Performance Auto has signed on to be the
title sponsor of the event, which typically sees over 60 of the
Midwest’s best dirt Modified racers compete for the highest winning
paycheck in all of WISSOTA. Stepan said ‘Jake and Sharnel have
always supported dirt track racing in the upper Midwest to an
unbelievable degree in the past and I could not be happier to have
Performance Auto on board as the title sponsor of the Mod Nationals
for 2013. The Mod Nationals is a marquee event in WISSOTA country
and Performance Auto is THE go to place for many, many racers from
around the region, so this is a perfect fit for both of us because
not only do they have a great business, but they are great people as
well.’
In December of 2006, Jake & Sharnel Bitker bought Performance Auto
from Rodney & Margaret Harris. Due to continued growth, Performance
Auto of Fargo recently moved from its original location on Main
Street in Fargo to its new larger home at 3401 1/2 Interstate Blvd,
allowing them to better service their ever growing customer base
each racing season. Currently, Performance Auto has one physical
location in Fargo, but can also be visited at three tracks around
the area selling parts directly to its customers during races, and
at Performance Auto’s newest addition: the online store.
Performance Auto specializes in providing high quality parts for
dirt track racers across North America, servicing customers both in
the U.S. as well our neighbors to the North in Canada. Performance
Auto carries everything from safety equipment and clothing all the
way to the small, hard to find parts you need for your custom built
dirt track cars. Race on in today for great parts at a great price.
You will find the new online store to be very comprehensive;
however, if you run into any questions don't hesitate to call
1-800-373-4641. Fans can also visit Performance Auto on Facebook at
Performance Auto of Fargo.
Bitker commented ‘The Mod Nationals is a great event and we are
proud to be a part of an event like this in our region, which allows
our drivers to come together to run for such a big payday, so if we
can help ensure its success, we are happy to do so. Joining forces
with FYE Motorsports on this event was a no brainer as we have
worked with Chris in the past and he has always done a great job
with his events, so Sharnel and I felt like coming on board with the
Mod Nationals was a great way to show our area racers that
Performance Auto is here to support them.’
The Minnesota Modified Nationals has yet to see a repeat winner and
is one of the most highly anticipated weekends of the racing season.
For more information on the event, check out
www.fyemotorsports.com or call Chris at (715) 497-8916. Fans can
also check out
www.vikingspeedway.net for upcoming schedule information for the
Viking Speedway and everyone is urged to log on to
www.performanceautofargo.com and support a great business that
supports dirt track racing in a big way.
Saurer Steals Show & Seven
Grand Payday
July 8th, 2012 - Viking Speedway - Alexandria, MN
by Ryan Schmitz
Elizabeth, MN driver Travis
Saurer jumped to the lead early on in the 60
lap finale at the
8th Annual MN Mod Nationals and held on to collect his
biggest Modified win of his career. Saurer pocketed $7000 for his win
and became the eighth different winner of the event, which is held
annually at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN. Other drivers finding
thier way to victory lane in WISSOTA AMSOIL dirt track series action
included: Dan Ebert and Jason Vandekamp in the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
and Cody Lee in the WISSOTA Super Stocks.
National championship contenders Travis Saurer and Brian Haben led the
twenty four car WISSOTA Midwest Modified field to the green for the make
up feature from Saturday night. At the drop of the green Saurer jumped
out to an early advantage followed by Haben and Dan Ebert. Near the
midway point in the event Saurer's car began to lose power which
eliminated him from contention and left Ebert and Haben to battle for
the win. With both drivers utilizing Ford power under the hood, they
pulled away from the rest of the field. Ebert would pull away in the
late stages of the race and collected the $500 payday. Haben crossed the
line second, Jamie Thorstad continued his impressive season with a third
place run, Dennis Czech was fourth, and Jeremy Houle rounded out the top
five.
With only sixteen cars locked into the main event two bmains were run to
determine eight of the final ten starting spots in the Modified feature.
Local drivers Matt Smith and Dennis Bitzan sat on the front row of the
first b-main and at the drop of the green Smith moved up to the high
side of the speedway and blasted to the lead. Dave Schroeder jumped up
to challenge Smith as the two began to get away from the remaining cars
in the field. The real battle on the track was for the final transfer
spot between Bitzan, Jeff Broking, and Danny Bayer. In the end both
Bayer and Broking were able to get by Bitzan and punch thier tickets for
the big dance. Up front Smith held on to win over Schroder, Bayer, and
Broking. The fifth through twelveth finishes were entered into the
Modified Last Chance race later on in the evening.
B-main number two featured a pair of #2 cars on the front row. Rookie
Brady Gerdes and former Mod Nationals champion Dave Cain led the
eighteen car field to the green. Gerdes blasted out to the high side of
the track and worked his way out to an early advantage over Cain and
fourth starter Kelly Estey. The top three cars would remain the same
throughout the event, but the car on the move was Steve Arpin. After a
heat race incident Arpin was forced to start seventeeth in the bmain.
Arpin using both the high and low sides of the speedway worked his way
up to grab the final transfer spot to the big show on the final lap.
Gerdes held on for the win, Estey was second, Cain was third, and Arpin
was fourth.
The last chance qualifier race for the modifeds proved to be one of the
better races of the evening as only the winner of the event would get
into the amain. Austin Arneson jumped out to an early advantage over
Dennis Bitzan and Scot Danzeisen. Arneson would continue to hold the
lead and near the half way mark and new driver would come up to
challenge the lead pack. Corky Thomas found the bite on the bottom of
the speedway and he raced up to challenge Danziesen for second spot.
With seven laps to go Thomas and Danziesen would make slight contact and
Thomas retired for the event. Back up front Arneson led Danziesen to the
green and the duo began to race side by side. With the laps ticking down
Danziesen made a charge on the bottom of the speedway and the lead duo
would have contact. It was determined the Arneson was at fault for the
yellow and he was sent to the rear of the pack. This allowed Danziesen
to race unchallenged to the LCQ win and the twenty
fifth starting spot in the big show.
Heavy hitters, Shane Sabraski and Jeff Crouse shared the front row in
the Super Stock feature. Crouse used his outside starting spot to his
advantage and jumped to an early advantage as Sabraski settled into
second spot. The duo would break away from the rest of the field and
wage a nice battle for the first ten laps of the twenty lap event. At
that point Crouse's car began to expierience engine issues and he slowed
allowing Sabraski to take the lead. Sabraski would continue to lead for
the next handful of laps until he lost a motor in the #7a machine which
caused him to retire pitside. With the front two drivers out of
contention, Cody Lee assumed the lead with Mike Peterson and Alan
Johnson behind him. Lee would hold on and capture his second win of the
season ahead of Peterson, Johnson, eighteeth starter Trevor Saurer was
fourth, and Jon Stepan was fifth. Heat wins went to Lee and Sabraski
The next event on the night's busy schedule was the modified non
qualifier feature. The event paid $1000 to win and featured drivers who
did not qualify for the big dance. Dennis Bitzan bolted out to an early
lead in the fifteen lap event. Jamestown, ND driver Jason Grimes soon
raced up to challenge Bitzan for the lead. The duo began to race away
from the field until Mike Storck found the bite in his #75 machine and
raced up to challenge the lead duo. Storck would get by Grimes with a
handful of laps remaining, but could not find his way around Bitzan, as
he hung on to win. Storck was second, Grimes finished third, Jason
Blasyck was fourth, and Austin Arneson rounded out the top five.
Jason Vandekamp and Jeremy Houle lined up side by side on row one of the
night's scheduled Midwest Modified feature. Head flagman Mike Commerford
dropped the green and the two lead drivers flexed thier muscle up front
as they raced out to a nice advantage over the rest of the field. Houle
would continue to work the low side of the speedway as Vandekamp blasted
his car around the banking on the top side. A handful of cautions would
stop racing action, but it was clear that it was a two car battle for
the win. Vandekamp would hold off Houle in the late stages of the race
and picked up the $500 check. Houle was a close second, William Lund
third, Jamie Thorstad fourth, and Ryan Schleusner fifth. Heat race
winners were Schleusner, Josh Muzik, and Dennis Czech.
With all weekend's other activity in the books, the twenty six car, star
studded, WISSOTA Modified feature lined up on the front stretch. After
the drivers were introduced, a nice four wide salute to the fans, and
the fireworks were done, the field lined up two by two to do battle for
the big prize. Outside pole sitter Jason Thoennes bolted out to the
early lead with fifth starting Travis Saurer making his way into second
place. The first caution of the feature waved on lap four and Thoennes
continued to lead Saurer, Cody Skytland, Josh Thoennes, and Shane
Sabraski. Order would be restored and at the drop of the green Saurer
made a power move to the low side of the speedway and took the lead from
Thoennes on lap six. The front pack would continue to be the same and
caution would fly on the half mile speedway again on lap tweleve when
five time WISSOTA National Champion Craig Thatcher's car slowed on the
front stretch. At that point Saurer led Thoennes,
Skytland, Matt Gilbertson had worked his way into fourth and Josh
Thoennes was fifth. The field would be reset and once again Saurer
jumped out to a nice advantage as the pack raced at a torrid pace. The
yellow would fly again on lap twenty one for an incident involving Dave
Schroeder and Steve Arpin. Arpin was able to continue and Schroeder
retired pitside with heavy right front damage. Before the field could
complete another lap, the caution came out for third place running Cody
Skytland as his #19b machine slowed on the front chute with apperant
engine troubles. At that point the car on the move was the #99w of USMTS
star Ryan Ruter. Ruter found himself in the top five and poised to make
a run at the front pack. Scot Danziesen and Jeff Broking were making
moves to the front and on lap twenty five the duo came together on the
speedway bringing out the next yellow flag of the 60 lap feature. Both
cars were able to continue on in the event. As the field
lined up, Ruter's car came to a stop in turn two and the push truck was
forced to push the car into the infield. The 99w pit crew went to work,
as he was out of fuel and Ruter got back out to claim the tail of the
field. The field would fire once more and race to the lap thirty fuel
stop. Saurer continued to lead at that point over Thoennes, Thoennes,
Mark Trautner had cracked the top five and sat fourth, and number twenty
starter Kelly Estey sat fifth in line. After the fuel stop, the field
was lined up back up and the green came back out. One lap after the
field was restarted, the yellow came back out when Danziesen and Jamie
Davis came together in turn one. Both drivers suffered flat tires, but
with the help of thier pit crews were able to continue on. Back out
front Saurer and Jason Thoennes continued thier battle for the lead
spot. Thoennes made a hard charge to the bottom of the track to briefly
take the lead with twenty five to go, only to see
Saurer power back by on the high side of the track. The final yellow of
the event would fly with nineteen laps remaining and Saurer continued to
lead the Thoennes brothers, Estey, and twenty fourth starter Steve
Arpin. Once the field came back to life, Saurer left no doubts as he put
his #21x machine on the high cushion and cruised to victory. Jason
Thoennes was second, Josh Thoennes third, Arpin moved up twenty spots to
claim fourth, and Estey was fifth.
The staff of Viking Speedway and FYE Motorsports would like to thank all
the fans, drivers, and crew for a great show over the weekend. Also, a
huge thanks to the nights sponsors: Fat Daddy's Bar & Grill, Elden's
Food Fair, NAPA, and Apol's Harley Davidson. The high flying half mile
will be back in action next Saturday night with the AMSOIL Race of
Champions qualifiers. Race time is at 6 pm at the Douglas County
Fairgrounds in Alexandria, MN. For the latest Viking Speedway news
please visit the track at www.vikingspeedway.net. For more information
on FYE Motorsports please visit them at www.fyemotorsports.com.
Summary:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
B-Main 1: Matt Smith, Dave Schroeder, Danny Bayer, Jeff Broking, Dennis
Bitzan, Scot Danziesen, Corky Thomas, Scott Tofte, Dale Mathison, Mike
Storck, Corey Sersha, Peter Loecken, Jason Blasyck, Clayton Wagamon,
Jason Grimes, Darrell Nelson, Rick Niemi, John Sertich, Billy Byholm
B-Main 2: Brady Gerdes, Kelly Estey, Dave Cain, Steve Arpin, Austin
Arneson, Dallas Gulbrandson, Scott Greer, Dano Ostrander, Ben Mickelson,
Jamie Trautner, Shawn Keyer, Bobby Gierke, Ryan Canon, Scott Werk, Gary
Reents, Curt Lund, Gavin Paull
Last Chance Race: Scot Danziesen, Dennis Bitzan, Dallas Gulbrandson,
Dale Mathison, Shawn Kreyer
Non-Qualifying Feature: Dennis Bitzan, Mike Storck, Jason Grimes, Jason
Blasyck, Austin Arneson
Feature: Travis Saurer, Jason Thoennes, Josh Thoennes, Steve Arpin,
Kelly Estey, Ryan Ruter, Matt Gilbertson, Scot Danziesen, Dan Ebert,
Mark Trautner, Jeff Broking, Brett Hoium, Brady Gerdes, Jamie Davis,
Kyle Koehntop, Skeeter Estey, Danny Bayer, Matt Smith, Shane Sabraski,
Cody Skytland, Craig Thatcher, Dave Schroeder, Dave Cain, Rick Niemi, JB
Stortz, Rick Jacobson
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Heat 1: Sabraski, Flaten, Johnson, Crouse, Winter, Yeats, Dahl, Koch,
Saurer
Heat 2: Lee, Stepan, Peterson, Lund, Lore, Weber, Kluver, Holtquist,
Miller
Feature: Cody Lee, Mike Peterson, Alan Johnson, Trevor Saurer, Jon
Stepan, Steve Weber, Larry Lund, Chris Winter, Robert Lore, Matt Miller,
Dennis Dahl, Robert Holtquist, Dexton Koch, Rocky Yeats, Shane Sabraski,
Jeff Crouse, Jeff Kluver, Jeff Flaten
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Heat 1: Schleusner, Thorstad, Laage, Ims, Ebert, Arneson, Sabrask,
Olson, Berg, Fuhrman, Byholm, R. Saurer
Heat 2: Muzik, Lund, Vanderby, Vandekamp, Bitzan, Peterson, Haben,
Reents, Vetjtruba, C. Mensen, Spanswick, T. Saurer
Heat 3: Czech, Houle, Braatin, Estey, Greeley, Davis, Deters, Haack,
Vanderby, Eystad, T. Mensen
B-Main: Peterson, Vejtruba, Tr. Vanderby, Furhman, Haack, Spanswick, T.
Mensen, Reents, Byholm, Berg, Olson, Eystad, C. Mensen, Davis, Sabraski,
T. Saurer, R. Saurer
Feature: Jason Vandekamp, Jeremy Houle, William Lund, Jamie Thorstad,
Ryan Schleusner, Dennis Czech, Mack Estey, Dusty Bitzan, Brian Haben,
Dan Ebert, Tyler Vanderby, Kurt Deters, Travis Vanderby, Kelly Haack,
Ross Fuhrman, Tyler Peterson, Dan Greeley, Casey Arneson, Randy Laage,
Darrin Braaten, Brandon Spanswick, Jason Vejtruba, Josh Muzik, Tim Ims
Make up Feature: Dan Ebert, Brain Haben, Jamie Thorstad, Dennis Czech,
Jeremy Houle, Jason Vandekamp, Travis Saurer, Shane Sabraski, William
Lund, Tyler Peterson, Ryan Schleusner, Kurt Deters, Mack Estey, Ross
Fuhrman, Darrin Braaten, Todd Berg, Josh Muzik, Dusty Bitzan, Tanner
Byholm, Corey Eystad, Casey Arneson, Jeff Davis, Ron Saurer, Jason
Hoffman
Thoennes Wins Mod
Nationals Qualifier
July 7th, 2012 - Viking Speedway - Alexandria,
MN
by Ryan Schmitz
Garfield,
MN driver Jason Thoennes held off a late charge by Kelly Estey
and picked up the 25
lap qualifying feature win as night one of the MN
Modified Nationals came to a close.
Thoennes will sit on the front row
on the 60 lap $7000 to win feature on
Sunday night as a result of his
win. Viking Speedway veteran, Larry Lund,
was able to corral the WISSOTA
Super Stock feature win during action
earlier in the evening.
With the Midwest Modified and Super Stocks
heat completed, heat one of
five in for the WISSOTA Modifeds came onto
to the track. Rick Niemi and
Jamie Davis manned the front row for the 15
lap event. At the drop off
the green it was apparent that Niemi's car
was off the pace and Davis
bolted out to an early advantage. A nice
battle behind him insued with
Kelly Estey, Josh Thoennes, and Brett Hoium.
Hoium ran the high groove
and was able to garner the runner up spot
early in the event. A caution
would fly near the midway point of the
race, which erased the large lead
that Davis had built up. Once the green
dropped Estey jockeyed to the
low side of the speedway and got by Davis
with Thoennes and Hoium in
tow. Estey would hold on to capture the win
ahead of Thoennes, Hoium,
Davis and Danny Bayer.
Five time WISSOTA national champion, Craig
Thatcher and Brooten, MN
driver Dave Schroeder paced the field to
the green in heat race two.
Thatcher moved out to a quick lead only to
see the caution fly for an
incident that collected Mike Storck, Scot
Danziesen, and Austin Arneson
in turn two. With the field lined back up,
Thatcher and Schroder jumped
out to do battle for the top spot.
Meanwhile, sixth starter Cody
Skytland had other ideas as he
bolted his way to the front to race
witht
he leaders. Near the
halfway point of the race Skytland was able to
manuver his way around both drivers and
overtake the lead. He would
never be seriously challenged and went on
to score the heat race win.
Following him across the line were
Thatcher, Schroeder, Matt Smith, and
Dallas Gulbrandson.
Fellow "Shaw by Buzzy" pilots Kyle Koehntop
and Scott Tofte shared the
front row for heat race three of five. At
the drop of the green Koehntop
put his car on the extreme high side of the
speedway and began to pull
away from the field. Back in traffic, sixth
starter Jason Thoennes and
eight starter Dave Cain were on the move.
The duo engaged in a great
battle with Jeff Broking as all three cars
raced for the second spot
behind Koehntop. The yellow would fly twice
in a two lap period for Pete
Loecken, who spun in turn three on both
occasions. With the laps ticking
down it was clear that Koehntop would not
be denied and he cruised to an
impressive heat race win over Thoennes,
Cain, Broking, and Tofte.
Dan Ebert, who was making his first MN Mod
Nationals apperance, and Dano
Ostrander sat on the front row for heat
race four. Ebert jumped out to
an early lead as he raced on the high side
of the speedway. The yellow
would fly as Ostrander slipped over the
banking in turn two just a
couple of laps into the race. This put
USMTS star Ryan Ruter on Ebert's
back bumper. Mike Commerford brought the
field back to life and Ruter
wasted no time moving to the low side of
the track to dispose of Ebert.
Once out front Ruter continued to pour it
on as he raced out to a
straightaway advantage and crossed the
checkers first. Track officials
then determined that Ruter jumped the
restart and was penalized two
positions giving the win to Ebert. Modifed
rookie Skeeter Estey was
second, Ruter third, Matt Gilbertson
fourth, and ninth starter Mark
Trautner came home fifth.
Track point leader Travis Saurer sat on the
front row, alongside Big
Lake, MN driver JB Stortz for the final
heat race of the evening. Saurer
blasted his #21x machine to the high side
of the speedway and left no
doubt in the fan's mind that he was the car
to beat as he jumped out to
a nearly straightaway lead in the first ten
laps. The real battle on the
speedway was for the fourth spot between
Jason Grimes and former Mod
Nationals champion Steve Arpin. The duo
battled lap after lap until the
two cars came together near the flag stand
and Arpin hit the wall. The
yellow would fly and both drivers were able
to continue, although
Arpin's left front tire was flat. With the green flag back out, Arpin
lost control of his Mike's Hard Lemonade
00eh machine and flew off the
track in turn one brining out another
yellow. With the field reset,
Saurer bolted out to another large lead and
never looked back as he
claimed the heat race win ahead of tenth
starter Shane
Sabraski, Stortz, Curt Lund, and Dennis Bitzan.
After all the qualifying events were
complete, the twenty five WISSOTA
Super Stock field lined up for thier
fifteen lap main event. Nineteen
time feature win Shane Sabraski and local
veteran Larry Lund manned the
front row as the field came to life. Lund
jumped to the highside of the
track and began to pull away as Sabraski
settled into the second spot
with Cory Tammen and Jeff Crouse in tow.
The running order would
continue to be the same until lap three
when Derrick Lemke lost the bite
on his #31x machine and slipped off turn
three. The field would be reset
and once again Lund bolted out to an
advantage over Sabraski. Tammen and
Crouse were locked in an epic battle for
the third spot, as tenth
starter Steve Weber raced up to join the
lead pack. Crouse was able to
navigate his way around Tammen near the
halfway point and began closing
on Sabraski for second. The yellow would
fly again for an incident that
collected track point leader Trevor Saurer
and
WISSOTA rookie of the year contender Travis
Berends. Once more the
field would be reset and the green flag
dropped. Crouse made a power
move to the low side of the speedway in an
effort to take the lead with
five laps remaining only to see his car
slide over the banking in turn
two. Lund would continue to pull away and
went on to claim the $500
payday for his efforts. Sabraski settled
for second, Tammen was third,
Weber turned in nice run in fourth, and
eleventh starter Cody Lee was
fifth.
The final event of the evening was the 25
lap modified qualifying
feature. Brothers Josh and Jason Thoennes
shared the front row in the
event, which would determine the starting
order for the 60 lapper on
Sunday night. At the drop of the green
Jason jumped out to a lead over
his brother and Kelly Estey. The field
would continue to click off laps
at a torrid pace until lap eighteen when
caution would fly over the
speedway. With the field reset Jason led
Estey, Cody Skytland, Josh
Thoennes, and Dave Cain. At the drop of the green it was apperant that
some contact was made between Skytland and
Cain as the duo jockeyed for
position. Exiting turn two on the restart,
Cain got into the back of
Skytland and sent him spinning bringing out
the second caution of the
event. Cain would drop to the tailend and
the field once again came to
life with Jason Thoennes leading. Two more
yellow flag periods would
occur before another lap could be
completed. After the two
cautions the field lined up single file and
Jason Thoennes raced out to
a nice cushion over Estey. The final
caution of the event flew with two
laps remaining when Brady Gerdes' #2x
machine came to a stop on the back
stretch. The race was now a two lap shoot
out to the checkered and Jason
Thoennes was able to hang on for the hard fought win. Estey was scored
second, Skytland third, Josh Thoennes
fourth, and Sabraski fifth. During
a post race inspection it was determined
that was Estey had not made
weight and he was disqualified from the
event, moving Skytland into the
runner up spot.
Due to time constraints, the WISSOTA
Midwest Modifed feature had to be
postponed until the Sunday portion of the
Mod Nationals. On behalf of
Viking Speedway and FYE Motorsports, we'd
like to thank all the drivers,
fans, crews, and sponsors that help make
this weekend possible. For the
latest Viking Speedway news visit the track
online at
www.vikingspeedway.net and for FYE events
please visit
www.fyemotorsports.com.
Summary:
WISSOTA Modifeds:
Heat 1: Kelly Estey, Josh Thoennes, Brett
Hoium, Jamie Davis, Danny
Bayer, Brady Gerdes, Bobby Gierke, Gavin
Paull, Rick Niemi, Shawn
Kreyer, John Sertich
Heat 2: Cody Skytland, Craig Thatcher, Dave
Schroeder, Matt Smith,
Dallas Gulbrandson, Corky Thomas, Austin
Arneson, Scot Danziesen, Ben
Mickelson, Mark Esala, Mike Storck
Heat 3: Kyle Koehntop, Jason Thoennes, Dave
Cain, Jeff Broking, Scott
Tofte, Dale Mathison, Gary Reents, Bill Byholm, Peter Loecken, Darrell
Nelson
Heat 4: Dan Ebert, Skeeter Estey, Ryan
Ruter, Matt Gilbertson, Mark
Trautner, Rick Jacobson, Scott Greer, Scott Werk, Dano Ostrander, Jamie
Trautner
Heat 5: Travis Saurer, Shane Sabraski, JB
Stortz, Curt Lund, Dennis
Bitzan, Ryan Canon, Corey Sersha, Jason Grimes, Jason Blascyk, Steve
Arpin
Qualifying Feature: Ja. Thoennes, Skytland,
Jo. Thoennes, Sabraski,
Saurer, S. Estey, Thatcher, Gilbertson, Ruter, Ebert, Trautner,
Koehntop, Jacobson, Davis, Hoium, Stortz, Gerdes, Bitzan, Lund, Smith,
Cain, Schroeder, Broking, K. Estey
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Heat 1: Jeff Crouse, Mike Peterson, Steve
Weber, Trevor Saurer, Alan
Johnson, Jeff Flaten, Jay Hedtke, Bob
Holtquist, Dennis Dahl
Heat 2: Shane Sabraski, Cory Tammen, Larry
Lund, Jon Stepan, Chris
Winter, Robert Lore, Jeff Hapala, Jason
Cook
Heat 3: Derrick Lemke, Travis Berends, Max
Dondelinger, Cody Lee, Matt
Miller, Jeff Kluver, Dexton Koch, Dominic
Baker
Feature: Lund, Sabraski, Tammen, Weber,
Lee, Stepan, Peterson, Flaten,
Johnson, Winter, Koch, Miller, Cook, Hapala,
Lore, Holtquist, Kluver,
Lemke, Hedtke, Crouse, Dahl, Saurer,
Berends, Dondelinger, Baker
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Heat 1: Jamie Thorstad, Dennis Czech, Ryan
Schleusner, William Lund,
Todd Berg, Ron Saurer, Dusty Bitzan, Kyle
Reents, Shawn Olson
Heat 2: Jeremy Houle, Darrin Braaten, Jason
Hoffman, Corey Eystad, Josh
Muzik, Darrin Smith, Brandon Spanswick, Dan
Greeley, Tyler Vanderby
Heat 3: Brain Haben, Dan Ebert, Kurt
Deters, Shane Sabraski, Tyler
Peterson, Mack Estey, Tanner Byholm, Kelly
Haack, Travis Vanderby
Heat 4: Travis Saurer, Jason Vandekamp,
Ross Fuhrman, Jeff Davis, Casey
Arneson, Hayden Hanson, Tim Ims, Randy
Laage
B-Main: R. Saurer, Bitzan, Estey, Peterson,
Arneson, Byholm, Olson,
Reents, Vanderby, Haack, Smith, Ims, Greeley, Spanswick, Vanderby,
Hanson, Laage
Gustin becomes seventh Mod
Nationals Winner
By Ray Beste
Alexandria, MN (July 3rd, 2011) –
Marshalltown, IA ace Ryan Gustin made his first ever appearance to
Viking Speedway a memorable one, taking home a $7,000 payday Sunday
night at Viking Speedway. Shane Sabraski held off a late surge from
Travis Saurer to score the win in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main
while Dean Larson took top honors in the WISSOTA Mod Four finale. One of
the largest crowds ever witnessed at Viking Speedway congregated once
again for day two of the 7th Annual “Minnesota Modified
Nationals” held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Alexandria, MN.
With 28 WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds yet to
qualify for the 30-lap, $2,000 to win WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main,
two B-mains were held to lock in the final eight competitors. The first
B-main was dominated by Villard, MN driver Jason Hoffman. Hoffman moved
by George Dalbeck early on and never looked back on his way to victory.
Dalbeck, in his first ever visit to the speedway, looked great finishing
second ahead of a hard charging Skeeter Estey (started 13th).
Glencoe, MN product Josh Larsen was the final driver to qualify for the
A-main, moving up four spots from his eighth starting position to finish
fourth.
Dustin Bitzan looked to have B-main two in hand
before suspension trouble sent him pitside handing the lead over the
Denis Czech near the midway point of the race. Sixth starter Chris
Mensen would patiently work his way by Czech for the lead, ultimately
taking the win. Czech, 11th starter Josh Muzik, and Travis
Vanderby all punched their tickets to the A-main by finishing in the top
four in the second and final B-main. Andrew Nelson reigned victorious in
the last chance qualifier becoming the final car to transfer to the
feature event.
The star studded front row of Scot Danzeisen
and Travis Saurer proved to be too much for the competitors of B-main
one for the WISSOTA Modifieds with each driver moving on to participate
in the main event. Mike Storck, Jake Wildman, Curt Lund, Bryce Borgen,
Matt Gilbertson, and Danny Bayer all moved on to the Last Chance
qualifier by finishing in spots three through eight.
The second of three B-mains was dominated by
Manhattan, KS traveler Chase Junghans. Junghans, a regular on the United
States Modified Touring Series (USMTS), looked very strong during the
20-lap event taking the win in impressive fashion. Eighth starter Terry
Engebretson outlasted Shane Edgington and Dave Schroeder to take the
final transfer spot in B-main two. Edgington, Schroeder, Shayne Laske,
Luke Dykstra, Mark Esala, and Jamie Davis all transferred on to the last
chance qualifier.
The third and final B-main for the WISSOTA
Modifieds went to Kelley Lake, MN hotshoe Kelly Estey. Estey was glued
to the bottom of the speedway from the get go and never looked back on
his way to victory. Ward Imrie and Jason Miller battled side by side for
several laps for the final transfer spot with Miller ultimately taking
the position. Imrie, Jayme Lautigar, Steve Lavasseur, Dennis Bitzan,
Jason Blascyk, Jamie Trautner all transferred on to the Last Chance
Qualifier, which proved to be the final qualifying event of the evening.
The final qualifying event of the weekend
belonged to the WISSOTA Modifieds with 18 drivers making the call for
the 20-lap last chance qualifier. With just two competitors transferring
on to the A-main, the fans anticipated an action packed event. Shane
Edgington took the early lead but it didn’t last long as Curt Lund moved
from his seventh starting position to take the lead on lap eighth. Once
out front Lund stretched his advantage and earned himself the 23rd
starting spot for the night’s A-main. The best battle on the speedway
was for the second spot with Luke Dkystra outlasting fellow Canadian
Ward Imrie on his way to qualifying for his first Minnesota Modified
Nationals A-main. Lund and Dkystra would prove to make up the 12th
and final row of the $7,000 to win main event.
With all the qualifying events in the books,
the WISSOTA Mod Fours took to the speedway with 12 cars making the call.
After the first two circuits, the track began to clear off with Dean
Larson taking the lead. Dustin Zieske moved into the second spot before
the midway point of the race, drawing closer and closer to Larson as the
laps clicked off the board. With two laps remaining, Larson and Zieske
caught up to the of some heavy lap traffic. Larson, however, made
few mistakes taking the win over Zieske. Josh Abrahamson, Justin Smith,
and Tyler Larson all scored top five finishes for the 1,650 lb.
machines. Tom Silver and Abrahamson each scored heat race wins earlier
in the evening for the WISSOTA Mod Fours.
The best race of the weekend proved to be the
$1,000 to win WISSOTA Modified Non-qualifiers race. Alexandria’s own
Dwayne Clarke checked out early on and looked as if he had the race in
hand despite the fact that Dave Schroeder and Jamie Trautner had other
ideas. A mid-race caution put Schroeder and Trautner on the rear bumper
of Clarke for a Delaware double-file start. On the restart Schroeder
jumped to the lead momentarily before Trautner blasted back on the top
side taking the lead. The duo raced side by side for the remainder of
the race with Schroeder making a last lap pass for the win coming off of
turn four. Schroeder, Trautner, Jason Blascyk, Jody Bellefeuille, and
Mark Esala rounded out the top five for the non-qualifiers race.
Shane Sabraski took the early lead on lap one
of the WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main. Sabraski looked smooth out front
and was scored the leader at the conclusion of the first lap. Saurer and
VandeKamp battled side by side for the second spot behind Sabraski while
Shawn Nolan raced in fourth. Fourteenth starter Steve Houle looked very
strong from the get go moving up seven spots early finding a home in the
seventh spot, eight laps in. Back in traffic, Kelley Lake, MN hard
charger Skeeter Estey began a spirited march to the front just 10 laps
in as he cracked the top ten behind the front runners. A few yellows
halted action during the middle stages of the event before order was
restored. With six laps remaining, Saurer executed a power move on the
top side of the speedway moving by Sabraski for the lead. Shane,
however, would grab the lead back on the next lap and would never
relinquish it in the final four times around. Estey’s magical run
finally stalled after moving up 19 positions in 30 laps to finish fourth
after starting 23rd! In the end it was Sabraski taking the
$2,000 payday. Saurer, Houle, Estey, and VandeKamp all turned in top
five performances. Twentieth starter Chris Mensen, Shawn Nolan, William
Lund, and 21st starter George Dalbeck rounded out the top ten
for the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds.
With all the weekend’s activities in the books,
Ryan Gustin and Craig Thatcher brought the 25-car field to the green
flag. The front row duo was locked in an early battle with it nearly
impossible to determine the lap one leader. Thatcher climbed the hill on
lap two and grabbed the lead as the field battle side by side from front
to back. As the race wore on, Gustin became quicker and quicker taking
the lead on lap 14. Fourth starter Dave Cain began to move forward
nearing the 30-lap fuel stop taking the second spot from Thatcher in the
process. Gustin negotiated a few lapped cars before taking the checkered
flags at the conclusion of the first 30 laps. As the cars pulled in to
the work area, fifth place running Jason Grimes headed pitside to change
tires in an attempt to gain on the competition for the stretch run. With
order restored Gustin brought the field back to the green. By this time
it was more than apparent that the two cars on the move were fellow row
ten starter Kelly Estey and Scot Danzeisen. With two to go, each had
cracked the top ten still moving forward in the process. A couple
yellows halted action during the ladder stages of the event which
bunched up the field behind Gustin. With seven laps remaining it was
Gustin followed by Cain, eighth starter Cody Skytland, Darrell Nelson,
and Thatcher. The green flag dropped once again with Gustin showing the
way. Skytland made a power move on the top side of the speedway and
overtook Cain for the second while Darrell Nelson pulled up lame
entering turn three. The field was able to negotiate Nelson without any
contact with the race staying green. Estey continued his march to the
front moving by Thatcher for the fourth spot on the final trip around.
In the end it was all Gustin taking his first career Minnesota Modified
Nationals Title. Skytland, Cain, Estey, Thatcher, Danzeisen, Jason
Thoennes, Chase Junghans, Ryan Aho, and Jason Grimes rounded out the top
10 in one of the most star-studded fields you will ever see.
On behalf of FYE Motorsports and everyone at
Viking Speedway we’d like to thank all the drivers, fans, pit crew
members, and sponsors that made the weekend a success. Join us once
again next Saturday night for another regular race program at the “High
Flying ½ mile.” For more information regarding Viking Speedway log onto
the track’s website at
vikingspeedway.net.
SUMMARY:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Feature- Ryan Gustin, Cody Skytland, Dave Cain, Kelly Estey, Craig
Thatcher, Scot Danzeisen, Jason Thoennes, Chase Junghans, Ryan Aho,
Jason Grimes, Dallas Gulbrandson, Travis Saurer, Shane Sabraski, Josh
Thoennes, Kyle Koehntop, Luke Dykstra, Dale Mathison, Jeremy Houle, Curt
Lund, Dave Schroeder, Darrell Nelson, Rick Jacobson, Terry Engebretson,
Jason Miller, Kyle Wieberdink
B-main 1- Saurer, Danzeisen, Storck, Wildman, Lund
B-main 2- Junghans, Engebretson, Edgington, Schroeder, Laske
B-main 3- Estey, Miller, Imrie, Lautigar, Lavasseur
Last Chance Qualifier- Lund, Dkystra
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Shane Sabraski, Travis Saurer, Steve Houle, Skeeter Estey,
Jason VandeKamp, Chris Mensen, Shawn Nolan, Brian Haben, William Lund,
George Dalbeck, Levi Arneson, Matt Weisman, Denis Czech, Phil Braun,
Josh Larsen, Andrew Nelson, Darrin Braaten, Jason Hoffman, Travis
Vanderby, Brady Gerdes, Randy Laage, Troy Berends, Matt Suckow, Josh
Muzik, Derek Quinn
B-main 1- Hoffman, Dalbeck, Estey, Larsen, Olson
B-main 2- Mensen, Czech, Muzik, Vanderby, Nelson
Last Chance Qualifier- Nelson, S. Olson
WISSOTA Mod Fours:
Feature- Dean Larson, Dustin Zieske, Josh Abrahamson, Justin Smith,
Tyler Larson, Tom Silver, Ryan Buer, Brandon Linquist, Dustin Holquist,
Dwight Gilyard, Chad Funt, Corey Nehk
Heat 1- Silver, D. Larson, T. Larson, D. Holquist, Gilyard, Nehk
Heat 2- Abrahamson, Zieske, Smith, Buer, Lindquist, Funt
Thatcher and Lee victorious
on night one at Viking
By Ray Beste
Alexandria, MN (July 2nd, 2011) –
Knapp, WI legend Craig Thatcher outlasted Ryan Gustin taking top honors
in the 25-lap WISSOTA Modified Qualifying Feature Saturday night at
Viking Speedway. Starbuck, MN driver Cody Lee scored his first ever
WISSOTA Super Stock victory while Shane Sabraski reigned victorious in
the WISSOTA Midwest Modified Qualifying A-main. The capacity crowd in
attendance was treated to nail biting finishes in all three divisions
taking part in day one action with all three feature events being
decided on the final trip around the speedway. Drivers, pit crew
members, sponsors, and racing enthusiasts from all over the Upper
Midwest packed the Douglas County Fairgrounds once again for the 7th
Annual, “Minnesota Modified Nationals.”
With all the pre-race activities put to rest,
the WISSOTA Super Stocks took to the speedway first to qualify for the
night’s 20-lap A-main. Alexandria’s own Jeff Crouse led all 10-laps from
the pole taking the win in heat race one while Montevideo, MN traveler
Jeremy Jerve moved from his second row outside starting position to take
the win in heat race two. Shane Sabraski proved to be passing points
leader in the WISSOTA Super Stock division, which drew 16 strong
entries.
The next item on the docket was five stacked
WISSOTA Midwest Modified heat races with some of the best in the
business in attendance. Brandon, MN driver Derek Quinn shocked a lot of
those in attendance by dominating heat race one while Brady Gerdes
nursed a broken left front to the checkers in second. Levi Arneson
charged up six positions in the 10-lap affair coming home third ahead of
Steve Houle and Zach Hintermeister.
Although Jason VandeKamp led early on, it was
Travis Saurer reigning victorious in heat race two. Saurer moved out
front from his sixth starting position on lap four, never looking back
on his way to the win. VandeKamp, George Dalbeck, seventh starter Randy
Laage, and Denis Czech rounded out the top five finishing order.
Viking Speedway regulars William Lund and Todd
Berg drag raced to turn one to see who would grab the early lead in heat
race three. Lund was able to get there first and was scored the leader
at the conclusion of the first lap. Despite the fact Lund would lead
wire to wire, Sabraski would move up four positions into second locking
himself into the night’s qualifying feature with Jason Hoffman finishing
third. Berg and Shawn Olson were also members of the top five finishing
order as well during heat three.
Heat four proved to be a good one with
Annandale, MN driver Shawn Nolan taking the win behind the wheel of the
Schleusner Motorsports #97 Skyrocket. Nolan battled with defending
Viking Speedway track Champion Brian Haben early on before scoring the
victory in fine fashion. Haben, Troy Berends, Matt Suckow, and Tim Ims
all scored top five runs in heat race four.
The fifth and final heat race was dominated by
Danube, MN WISSOTA Midwest Modified rookie Phil Braun. Braun worked his
way by Kelly Haack and Andrew Nelson never looking back on his way to
victory. Matt Weisman charged from eighth to second during the 10-lap
affair with Nelson, Darrin Braaten, and Rick Spanswick all scoring top
five runs, as well.
With 58 WISSOTA Modifieds on hand, they were
broken into six heat races. Like in past years, passing points was the
system used to determine where an individual would start in night one’s
qualifying feature event. The first heat race of the night went green,
white, checkered with outside pole sitter Dallas Gulbrandson punching
his ticket to the big dance in dominating fashion. Sixth starter Craig
Thatcher steadily worked his way forward to finish second with Jake
Wildman third, eighth starter Kyle Wieberdink fourth and Jason Miller
fifth.
Heat two proved to be an absolute
slobber-knocker between WISSOTA Modified standouts Dave Cain and Cody
Skytland. Cain grabbed the early lead from the pole while Skytland
sliced and diced his way to the front moving into second near the midway
point of the race. Skytland closed up on the backside of Cain a few
times during the middle stages of the event but in the end it was Cain
taking the win. Skytland put on his dancing shoes finishing second ahead
of Modified standouts Travis Saurer, Jody Bellefeuille, and Shayne Laske;
each members of the top five, as well.
The most exciting qualifying race of the
evening belonged to heat three which featured a battle between Jason
Grimes and Scot Danzeisen. After Danzeisen took the lead from the pole
early on, Grimes was able to wheel by on the top side of the speedway
with three laps remaining. Danzeisen did his best to regain the top spot
but was unable to negotiate the #99 of Grimes. In just his second race
of the season, Rick Jacobson punched his ticket to the A-main starting
eighth and finishing third in heat race three. Jeremy Houle and Ryan
Canon finished fourth and fifth respectively in heat three, which
featured nine entries.
WISSOTA Modified heat four was dominated by
Marshalltown, IA traveler Ryan Gustin. Gustin, who starter ninth,
wheeled the #19R machine wherever he needed to on his way to a jaw
dropping heat race triumph. Josh Thoennes, Chase Junghans, Kelly Estey,
and Curt Lund battle for spots two through five with Thoennes coming
home second. In the end it was Gustin, Thoennes, Junghans, Estey, and
Lund.
Ryan Aho took the early lead on lap two of heat
five for the WISSOTA Modifieds. It wasn’t long, however, before he was
joined by Jason Thoennes. Thoennes, who started sixth, pulled even with
Aho several times before finally taking the lead with four laps
remaining. Shane Sabraski put his third car of the evening in a feature
event moving from eighth to fourth in heat five. Out front it was all
Thoennes taking the win. Aho, Ward Imrie, Sabraski, and Dave Schroeder
were each members of the top five, as well.
The sixth and final heat race was led flag to
flag by 2009 Minnesota Modified Nationals Champion Dale Mathison.
Mathison looked strong during the 20-lap affair never seriously being
challenged. Row four starters Darrell Nelson (second) and Kyle Koehntop
(third) each locked them into Saturday night’s $7,000 to win main event
while Jayme Lautigar and Shane Edgington rounded out the top five. The
final rundown included Mathison, Nelson, Koehntop, Lautigar, and
Edgington.
With all the qualifying events in the books,
the WISSOTA Super Stocks took to the speedway with Larry Lund and Cody
Lee starting on the front. The green flag dropped over the field with
Lee taking the early advantage. Fourth starter Scott Brown quickly moved
up into the third spot behind Lee and Lund while Sabraski cracked the
top five on lap two. Lee continued to lead on lap seven while Sabraski
continued his onslaught toward the front. Sabraski moved into second
with eight laps remaining with ninth starter Jeff Crouse cracking the
top five on the same trip around. Lee chose the top with Sabraski on the
bottom as the duo locked horns in a battle for the ages. Sabraski edged
ahead on more than one occasion but Lee kept his top side momentum up,
holding the lead in the process. With the field taking the white flag
Sabraski loaded up his #7A machine one final time in an attempt to
overtake Lee. Cody, however, made zero mistakes going on to post his
first career WISSOTA Super Stock victory. Sabraski settled for a hard
fought second ahead of Crouse, who nipped Brown at the line for third.
Jeremy Jerve was the final member of the top five.
The WISSOTA Midwest Modified Qualifying Feature
was a barn burner from the start with past National Champions Shane
Sabraski and Travis Saurer battling for the top spot with Jason
VandeKamp right at their heels. Sabraski remained smooth throughout the
15-lap affair, fending off Saurer’s advances taking the win in the
process. VandeKamp remained within striking distance during the duration
of the race coming home third with Brian Haben fourth, and Derek Quinn
fifth. Because Sabraski took the win in the night’s Qualifying Feature
he was able to choose where he wanted to start Saturday’s $2,000 to win
A-main. Sabraski chose the outside pole which meant he would be joined
on the front row by Saurer on Saturday night.
With the top 16 in passing points locked in,
the WISSOTA Modified qualifying feature rolled out onto the speedway for
the final event of night number one. WISSOTA standouts Jason Grimes and
Rick Jacobson manned the front row starting duties as 25-laps were put
up on the board. The green flag waved over the 16-car field with
Jacobson taking the early advantage. Third starter Craig Thatcher looked
very strong early on moving into second while the rest of the field
sliced and diced behind. Ninth starter Ryan Gustin used his familiar
diamond maneuver as he cracked the top five just six laps into the event
while Thatcher now took the lead out front. Gustin continued his
onslaught toward the front moving into second with seven laps remaining
while Jason Thoennes looked to be on the move, as well. Thoennes rolled
off from the 10th starting spot and moved all the way up to
the fifth at the line. Out front the final three laps featured a three
car battle between Thatcher, Gustin, and Grimes. Gustin closed up on the
backside of Thatcher several times in the remaining laps but it was not
enough as Thatcher would take home the win. Gustin, Grimes, Dave Cain,
and Jason Thoennes completed the top five putting a cap on night one at
the Mod Nationals.
As always, for more information regarding
Viking Speedway, log onto
vikingspeedway.net.
SUMMARY:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Qualifying Feature- Craig Thatcher, Ryan Gustin, Jason Grimes, Dave
Cain, Jason Thoennes, Rick Jacobson, Ryan Aho, Cody Skytland, Kyle
Koehntop, Darrell Nelson, Josh Thoennes, Shane Sabraski, Dallas
Gulbrandson, Dale Mathison, Kyle Wieberdink, Jeremy Houle
Heat 1- Gulbrandson, Thatcher, Wildman, Wieberdink, Miller, Dykstra,
Clarke, Engebretson, Hoium, Schilling
Heat 2- Cain, Skytland, Saurer, Bellefeuille, Laske, Bitzan, Bayer,
Gilbertson, Borgen, Tofte
Heat 3- Grimes, Danzeisen, Jacobson, Houle, Canon, Mickelson, Blascyk,
Trautner, Werk
Heat 4- Gustin, Jo. Thoennes, Junghans, Estey, Lund, Esala, Davis,
Trautner, S. Bruns, Sersha
Heat 5- Ja. Thoennes, Aho, Imrie, Sabraski, Schroeder, Lavasseur, Sjoman,
Olson, Arneson
Heat 6- Mathison, Nelson, Koehntop, Lautigar, Edgington, Storck, Hilluka,
M. Bruns, Gierke
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Feature- Cody Lee, Shane Sabraski, Jeff Crouse, Scott Brown, Jeremy
Jerve, Larry Lund, Matt Miller, Jeff Flaten, Mike Peterson, Jon Stepan,
Alan Johnson, Jeff Kluver, Ashley Donald, Derrick Lemke, Dusty Peterson,
Terry Merten
Heat 1- Jerve, Sabraski, Kluver, D. Peterson, Brown, Donald, Johnson,
Lemke
Heat 2- Crouse, Stepan, Lund, Lee, Miller, Flaten, Merten, Peterson
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Qualifying Feature- Shane Sabraski, Travis Saurer, Jason VandeKamp,
Brian Haben, Derek Quinn
Heat 1- Quinn, Gerdes, Arneson, Houle, Hintermeister, Mensen, Larsen,
Thompson, Estey
Heat 2- Saurer, VandeKamp, Dalbeck, Laage, Czech, B. Johnson, Bitzan,
Reents, Greeley
Heat 3- Lund, Sabraski, Hoffman, Berg, Olson, B. Spanswick, Thorstad,
Bruder, Schleusner
Heat 4- Nolan, Haben, Berends, Suckow, Ims, Rizer, Donahue, Kerzman,
Muzik
Heat 5- Braun, Weisman, A. Nelson, Braaten, R. Spanswick, Vanderby,
Haack, Tofte
Format Changes to 7th
Annual Minnesota Mod Nationals
5-24-11. ~ FYE
Motorsports – St. Cloud, MN
The seventh
running of the FYE Motorsports promoted $7,000 to win Minnesota
Modified Nationals, to be held in July of 2011, will see a
format overhaul to try to enhance the biggest paying WISSOTA
Modified event anywhere in the country. Event organizers have
revamped the event structure in order to hopefully draw more
cars and to make the event even bigger and better than it has
been over the first six years of its existence. Event promoter
Chris Stepan said ‘The Mod Nationals has been an exceptional
event over the first six years with awesome racing, but I felt
that it was time to make some changes to the overall format of
the event with hopes to draw more cars to compete here and to
really make this a ‘can’t miss’ event. The talent in the
Modified division in and around our area is so great, I want
everyone to come out and have a chance at the $7,000 payday, so
hopefully some of these changes will entice more guys to come
out and give it a shot.’
The first change
that fans and drivers will notice is that the event will be
moved from its Friday/Saturday format to a Saturday/Sunday event
in 2011. An open practice will be held from 6pm to 9pm on
Friday, July 1st for anyone wanting some laps before
the show starts on Saturday. The preliminary races will then be
held on Saturday, July 2nd with a 5pm start time and
the remaining qualifying races and main features will be held on
Sunday, July 3rd also with a 5pm start time. The city
of Alexandria fireworks display will then take place on Sunday
night after the event is completed. This will allow Monday, July
4th at 1pm to be utilized as a rain date if needed.
Stepan remarked ‘With July 4th being on a Monday in
2011, we felt that it was the right time to switch the event
back to a Saturday/Sunday show like it was the first 2 years
that we held this race. The 4th of July is a holiday
for most folks, so it will work out great as a built in rain
date if needed and not running on Friday night will allow for
less conflicts with area tracks.’
Another change
that folks will notice is that the Modified non-qualifiers will
receive $200 if they should not advance into the a-main, this
has been raised $50 from previous years, PLUS any
Modified driver that pre-enters by the Monday, June 13th
2011 deadline and fails to qualify for the 60-lap $7,000 to win
feature will be put into a drawing and 20 names will be pulled
out of a hat and those 20 drivers will be lined up in the order
that their names were pulled in a newly added Modified
Non-Qualifier feature paying $1,000 to win and $75 to start, so
on top of the $200 non-qualifier money that all non-qualifiers
will receive, 20 of the non-qualifiers will receive additional
monies by competing in the non-qualifier feature. Again Stepan
commented ‘We decided to raise the non-qualifier pay to match
the pre-entry fee so that drivers who don’t get into the $7,000
to win feature get their pre-entered car entry fee back at least
plus the addition of the non-qualifier feature will give another
20 drivers a chance to make some additional cash if they saw
some bad luck throughout the course of the weekend and didn’t
make the big show. Hopefully this non-qualifier feature will
give some drivers who maybe don’t feel that they have a shot at
the $7,000 the encouragement to come to Viking for the weekend
anyway to give it a try.’
Yet another format
change will be the fact that the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds will
no longer run two compete programs paying $500 to win each day,
but new for 2011 fans will see the Midwest Modifieds running the
same format as the Modifieds (heat races and a dash on Saturday
with b-mains, a last chance race and a feature on Sunday) AND
more importantly will see the Midwest Modifieds racing for a
never before paid $2,000 to win paycheck in their feature
event! Stepan said ‘We have some incredibly talented Midwest
Modified drivers in this area and this being the Mod Nationals
after all, I decided to step up and offer the Midwest Mod guys a
shot at the biggest purse that they have ever seen. I am really
looking forward to this 30-lap race.’
And one final
change will see that the WISSOTA Super Stocks have been replaced
with the WISSOTA Mod Fours as the third division in action,
making this a true Mod Nationals weekend as all three classes in
competition will be open wheel Modified-type cars. The Mod Fours
will not run the same format as the other 2 divisions, however,
as they will run a complete program each night including heat
races, b-main and feature on Saturday and Sunday, with each
night paying an identical $500 to win. Stepan said ‘I have been
asked for a few years now why the Mod Fours are not a part of
the Mod Nationals, so after giving the Street Stocks and then
the Super Stocks a couple of years on the schedule, the decision
was made to make the event an all Mod show and add the Mod
Fours.’
Several other
changes to the event will see all three divisions use the
passing points system for qualifying into the feature events. In
past years, the Modifieds have used passing points, but the
support classes have used the draw/redraw format, but in 2011
all three classes will use the same passing points formula all
weekend and the final change is that both the Modifieds and
Midwest Modifieds will be allowed to pre-enter to save money on
their entry fees in 2011. In the past, only the Mods were
allowed to pre-enter, but this coming year, the Midwest
Modifieds will be allowed to pre-enter at a discounted rate as
well. The Mod Fours will not need to pre-enter as they will run
two complete programs over the course of the weekend.
The location of
this FYE Motorsports promoted event will remain the same and be
held, as usual, at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minnesota.
The ‘high flying half mile’ has played host to the event since
the inception of it and will continue to do so in 2011. All
entry and event information will be posted at
www.fyemotorsports.com
within the next few weeks or can be found by calling Chris at
(715) 497-8916. Mark down July 1st-4th on
your calendars for 2011 and be sure to be at the Viking Speedway
in Alexandria, MN for the 7th annual Mod Nationals.
Danzeisen takes first Mod Nationals crown
at Viking
By Ray Beste
Alexandria, MN (July 3rd,
2010) - For Herman, MN driver Scot Danzeisen, success as been
the norm. The 10-time Viking Speedway Modified champion has won
nearly every Modified special event ever offered up at the
speedway. Until Saturday night, however, Danzeisen had failed in
his first five tries to take home the Minnesota Modified
Nationals crown. That would change in a big way, however, when
Danzeisen scored one of the biggest wins of his career taking
home the $7,000 crown in grand fashion. In other action, Mike
Peterson took his second win in as many days in the WISSOTA
Super Stock division while Brian Haben garnered his first ever
Viking Speedway win in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main.
Sunny skies and a packed grandstand greeted racers during day
two action the 6th Annual Minnesota Modified Nationals.
Like day one, Mike Peterson took the early
lead during action in the WISSOTA Super Stock finale. Peterson
used his familiar high line and was scored the leader at the
conclusion of the first lap. Sixth starter Cory Tammen
immediately worked his way forward as he took over the second
spot just six laps into the event. Jeff Kluver and Jon Stepan
waged the most entertaining battle on the speedway for the third
spot while Peterson was checked out, out front. Kluver would
ultimately take the position from Stepan on a late double file
start. Ashley Donald moved up six positions from his 12th
starting spot to cap a great run in the sixth spot while
Peterson took his second win in as many days out front. In the
end it was Peterson ahead of Tammen, Kluver, Stepan, and Jason
Vejtruba.
The WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main was
dominated by Holloway, MN driver Brian Haben. Haben took the
lead from his outside row one starting position and was never
seriously challenged during the 20-lap affair. The battle for
the second spot was a good one between Shane Sabraski and Matt
Weisman. The duo raced side by side for the better part of six
laps before tenth starting Sabraski ultimately grabbed the
position with three laps remaining. The story of the race,
however, was Roscoe, MN driver Pete Loecken. Loecken, who
started 19th, ended a beautiful run in the fourth position. Out
front it was all Haben taking the win over Sabraski, Weisman,
Loecken, and Steve Houle.
After driver introductions and a four wide
salute to the fans, order was restored for the 60-lap, $7,000 to
win Minnesota Modified Nationals A-main event. Travis Saurer and
Dale Mathison led the 25-car starting field to the green as they
lit the wick off of turn four. Mathison made a bonsai move for
the inside of the Speedway but Saurer did not lift as he held
the early advantage out front. Saurer continued to rail the high
side and was scored the leader at the conclusion of the first
lap. The top of the speedway looked to be the preferred line but
Kelly Estey was on the march via the bottom groove. Estey worked
the bottom of the speedway during the first 30 laps moving up
ten positions up into seventh when the fuel stop took place on
lap 30. At that point it was Mathison over Saurer, Danzeisen,
Jason Thoennes, and Dave Cain. After the teams refueled,
Mathison once again took off into the lead. Mathison would lead
the next thirteen circuits before popping over the banking in
turn two giving the lead to Danzeisen in the process. Back in
traffic, Don Eischens looked to have the strongest car on the
speedway as He and Kelly Estey battled for the fifth spot.
Eischens took the spot from Estey with ten laps remaining while
Danzeisen was gone out front. Cain made some stellar moves
moving up three positions into second while Shayne Laske looked
very strong in third. With three laps up on the board, Laske
took a peak to the inside of Cain for the second spot. Laske,
however, received some bad luck as his machine began to slow on
the final lap. Out front it was all Danzeisen as he took the win
in convincing fashion over Cain. Jason Grimes moved up one
position passed Laske after his machine finally stalled coming
for the checkers while Eischens rounded out the top five. Estey,
Thoennes, Shane Edgington, 23rd starter Josh Thoennes, and Craig
Thatcher rounded out the top ten for the open wheel
extravaganza.
From everyone at FYE Motorsports as well
as the staff at Viking Speedway, We'd like to thank all the
fans, pit crew members, sponsors, and drivers that came out to
make the Minnesota Modified Nationals a success. Please check
back to
vikingspeedway.net
and
fyemotorsports.com
for further events.
SUMMARY:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Feature- Scot Danzeisen, Dave Cain, Jason
Grimes, Shayne Laske, Don Eischens, Kelly Estey, Jason Thoennes,
Shane Edgington, Josh Thoennes, Craig Thatcher, Shane Sabraski,
Trent Follmer, Darrell Nelson, Dale Mathison, Mike Storck, Matt
Smith, Travis Saurer, Terry Engebretson, Andy Gordon, Erik Peterson,
Nate Heinrich, Ryan Aho, Jeremy Houle, Jayme Lautigar, Jay McDonald
B-main 1- McDonald, Storck, Edgington,
Peterson, Tofte
B-main 2- Sabraski, Estey, Lautigar, Jo
Thoennes, Heinrich
B-main 3- Smith, Aho, Eischens, Houle,
Christiansen
LCQ- Heinrich, Christiansen, Tofte, Canon,
Holtan
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Feature- Mike Peterson, Cory Tammen, Jeff
Kluver, Jon Stepan, Jason Vejtruba, Ashley Donald, Steve Beach,
Irvin Cook, Matt Miller, Terry Merten, Andy Bangsund, Cody Lee, Ron
Host, Dave Read, Patrick Heikkinen, Cale Berry, Jeff Flaten, Jeff
Crouse, Jeremiah Passow
Heat 1- Crouse, Host, Flaten, Read, Kluver,
Beach, Passow, Bangsund, Miller, Merten
Heat 2- Vejtruba, Peterson, Tammen, Stepan,
Lee, Donald, Cook, Berry, Heikkinen
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Brian Haben, Shane Sabraski, Matt
Weisman, Pete Loecken, Steve Houle, Travis Saurer, Ron Saurer, Jason
VandeKamp, Nick Bruder, Darrin Braaten, Ryan Schleusner, Scott Gill,
Travis Vanderby, Brett Hoium, Dustin Bitzan, Troy Berends, Brady
Gerdes, Josh Muzik, Marshal Tofte, Jason Hoffman, Matt Suckow, Jeff
Marshall, Skeeter Estey, William Lund
Heat 1- T. Saurer, Muzik, Schleusner, Hoium,
Estey, Gill, Bruder, Laage, Olson
Heat 2- Haben, Suckow, Sabraski, VandeKamp,
Hoffman, Tofte, Reents, Johnson, Krahn
Heat 3- Berends, R. Saurer, Gerdes, Vanderby,
Loecken, Werk, Greeley, Blascyk, Quinn
Heat 4- Houle, Weisman, Braaten, Marshall,
Lund, Bitzan, Berg, Spanswick
B-main 1- Tofte, Bitzan, Gill, Bruder, Greeley
Saurer takes the qualifier during night one at
Viking
By Ray Beste
Alexandria, MN (July 2nd, 2010) - Travis
Saurer earned the right to sit on the outside pole for Saturday
night's $7,000 to win main event by taking the win in the
WISSOTA Modified Qualifying Feature Friday night at Viking
Speedway. In other action, Mike Peterson reigned victorious in
the WISSOTA Super Stock division while Thunder Bay, ONT traveler
Jeff Marshall drove a flawless race on his way to victory in the
WISSOTA Midwest Modified division. Fans, drivers, and pit crew
members alike from all over WISSOTA country convened at the
steeply banked 1/2 mile located on the Douglas County
Fairgrounds in Alexandria, MN.
The WISSOTA Super Stocks were first on the
card with Mike Peterson taking the early lead. The action was
hot and heavy early on with drivers battling for position all
over the speedway. A scary crash that occurred down the
backstretch took place eight laps into the event which claimed
the run of several drivers. Everyone was okay with Peterson
continuing on out front. Jon Stepan and Cory Tammen battled hard
for the second spot during the remainder of the event with
Stepan ultimately winning the battle. Back in traffic, Winnipeg,
MB traveler Ashley Donald moved up 12 spots during the duration
of the A-main starting 22nd and finishing 10th. In the end it
was Peterson taking the win ahead of Stepan, Tammen, Ron Host,
and Cody Lee.
The WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main
featured a great battle between three of the best in the
business. Jeff Marshall took the early lead while Shane Sabraski
and Travis Saurer were left to do battle for second. Sabraski
worked the bottom with Saurer up on the shelf. Marshall
continued to lead out front with Saurer moving by Sabraski for
the second spot nine laps into the event. Saurer quickly closed
up on the backside of Marshall for the top spot while a myriad
of cautions halted action nearing the midway point of the race.
On the restart, Marshall began to distance himself from the
field with Saurer holding in second. Back in traffic, Brian
Haben had a nice run moving up nine positions during the event
taking home a nice sixth place finish. Marshall stretched his
advantage in the remaining laps and went on to take the win.
Saurer continued his run of consistent finishes coming home
second ahead of Sabraski, Matt Weisman, and Princeton, MN legend
Ron Jones.
Dale Mathison and Travis Saurer shared the
front row starting duties for the WISSOTA Modified Qualifying
A-main. Saurer took the lead from the outset with Mathison
settling into second. Seventh starter Jason Thoennes worked the
bottom of the speedway during the 25-lap event moving up three
positions into second while the rest of the field worked the
top. Scot Danzeisen used a couple of nice moves to move up four
positions during qualifying action coming home sixth. In the
end, however, it was Saurer turning in a dominating performance
taking the win. Mathison settled into a groove taking home
second ahead of Craig Thatcher, Thoennes and eighth starter
Jason Grimes. Saurer picked the outside pole for Saturday
night's $7,000 to win A-main which would give the pole to Dale
Mathison.
SUMMARY:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Qualifying Feature- Travis Saurer, Dale Mathison,
Craig Thatcher, Jason Thoennes, Jason Grimes, Scot Danzeisen, Dave Cain,
Andy Gordon, Darrell Nelson, Terry Engebretson, Shayne Laske, Trent
Follmer
Heat 1- Gordon, Alexander, Cain, Lund, Edgington,
Eischens, Storck, Holtan, Gulbrandson, Romdalvik
Heat 2- Mathison, Sabraski, Danzeisen, Tofte,
Davis, Lemke, Thoennes, Schroeder, Blascyk, Paul
Heat 3- Follmer, Aho, Saurer, Estey, Lautigar,
Houle, Sertich, Sersha, Jeff Broking, Canon
Heat 4- Engebretson, Smith, Nelson, Peterson,
Wildman, Gierke, Wilms, Koehntop, Greer
Heat 5- Thatcher, Thoennes, Bitzan, Noble,
Wieberdink, Strand, Heikkinen, Ron Jones, Jensen
Heat 6- Grimes, McDonald, Laske, Christiansen,
Heinrich, Bayer, Dykstra, Carpenter, Olson
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Feature- Mike Peterson, Jon Stepan, Cory Tammen,
Ron Host, Cody Lee, Jason Vejtruba, Jeff Flaten, Jeff Kluver, Jeff
Crouse, Ashley Donald, Dave Read, Terry Merten, Irvin Cook, Alan
Johnson, Patrick Heikkinen, Andrew Bangsund, Jeremiah Passow, Andy
Hofteig, Dominic Baker, Jim Gullikson, Travis Forcier, Frank Fabio, Matt
Miller, Don Eischens
Heat 1- Eischens, Stepan, Tammen, Forcier,
Vejtruba, Merten, Johnson, Donald
Heat 2- Flaten, Lee, Miller, Bangsund, Fabio,
Passow, Heikkinen, Read
Heat 3- Peterson, Hofteig, Host, Crouse, Baker,
Kluver, Gullikson, Cook
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Jeff Marshall, Travis Saurer, Shane
Sabraski, Matt Weisman, Ron Jones, Brian Haben, Austin Arneson, Brett
Hoium, Brady Gerdes, Steve Houle, Jason VandeKamp, Skeeter Estey, Jason
Hoffman, Randy Laage, Dustin Bitzan, Scott Gill, Nick Bruder, Ryan
Schleusner, Kyle Reents, Todd Berg, William Lund, Josh Muzik, Pete
Loecken, Marshal Tofte
Heat 1- T. Saurer, Jones, Hoffman, Reents, Bitzan,
Muzik, Laage, Werk, VandeKamp
Heat 2- Arneson, Gerdes, Tofte, Bruder, Gill,
Vanderby, Krahn, Johnson, Olson
Heat 3- Weisman, Sabraski, Lund, Haben, Berg,
Quinn, Braaten, Blascyk
Heat 4- Marshall, Hoium, Houle, Loecken, Estey,
Schleusner, Spanswick, Berends
B-main 1- Muzik, Laage, VandeKamp, Schleusner,
Quinn
6th Annual Minnesota Modified
Nationals: Bigger and Better than Ever!
Twin 30’s On Tap In 2010
May 7th 2010 – St. Cloud, Minnesota (Prepared by FYE Motorsports
Promotions)
2010’s highest paying and most prestigious WISSOTA Modified event in the
entire Midwest is fast approaching and promises to be an event fans of
all ages will not want to miss. The 6th annual Minnesota Modified
Nationals will once again be held at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria,
MN and is set to take place on Friday and Saturday, July 2nd & 3rd 2010
with an open practice night on Thursday, July 1st and an inclement
weather date of Sunday, July 4th if necessary.
As usual, the event will see each Modified racer draw
for his or her starting position on Friday night for a scheduled set of
8 heat races. The winner of each heat race will automatically redraw for
the top 16 starting spots in Friday night’s qualifying feature just as
we have done in previous years. This year, just like past events, will
be the fact that we will use passing points to qualify the second set of
8 drivers into the qualifying feature on Friday night. How this will
work is the driver that is highest in passing points in each individual
heat race will qualify for the main event and will also redraw for
starting spots 1-16. Just as we have done in the past, the finish from
the qualifying feature will determine the top 8 rows for Saturday
night’s main event.
Another change that we began several years ago and will continue in 2010
is that we will allow the defending race champion one extra opportunity
to put himself into the feature event on Saturday night. This program
will work this way: If the defending champion, who happens to be
Clearwater, Minnesota driver Dale Mathison, does not win his heat race
and happens not to be one of the passing points leaders after heat race
competition is over with, we will allow Mr. Mathison to start 17th in
Friday night’s 25-lap qualifying feature if he so chooses. Dale must
then race his way up into the top three finishing positions of the
qualifying feature and if he does that he will secure a guaranteed spot
in Saturday night’s main event. If Dale chooses to tag the rear of the
qualifying feature and gets up to third or better, he will be guaranteed
to start 26th in the $7,000 to win / $700 to start main event on
Saturday, but will still be allowed to compete in the qualifying events
(c-features, b-features and last chance race) on Saturday to better his
starting spot if he so chooses. This not only gives some recognition to
the defending champion each year, but it will also give the fans
something additional to watch in the qualifying feature on Friday night.
Mathison mentioned ‘Winning the Mod Nationals last
year meant a lot to our team. It was our biggest career win by far, both
in money won and prestige. There is no better show around for the
Modifieds and obviously winning the seven grand meant a lot because
there is nowhere else to race for that kind of money! – We will
definitely be back to try to become the first 2-time Mod Nationals
champion this year.’
The other change to the
Modified portion of the show a couple of years ago was that the $7,000
to win feature event on Saturday night was raised to 50 laps instead of
the previous 40. Drivers and fans alike loved this change, so with this
being the sixth running of the Mod Nationals, event organizers have
decided to up the ante again and run this year’s Mod Nationals a-main to
60 laps for the 2010 version of the Mod Nationals. A mandatory fuel stop
will take place on lap 30, creating a unique twin thirty lap scenario.
FYE Motorsports owner Chris Stepan commented “The Mod Nationals have
been amazing events the past five years with intense racing action and
fivedifferent winners over the first five seasons. This year should be
no different as I expect the area’s best Mod guys to be out in full
force to try to claim the biggest winner’s payday in the Midwest.”
Midwest Modifieds and Super Stocks will be on the card as a support
class and will run a complete $500 to win show each night of the Mod
Nationals just as they did a year ago. Both support classes will utilize
the draw/redraw format each day.
A huge city of Alexandria fireworks display will take
place on Saturday night, July 3rd immediately following the conclusion
of the 60-lap feature.
The Mod Nationals have never had a repeat winner in the $7,000 to win
event. Jason Thoennes, Shane Sabraski, Dave Cain, Steve Arpin and Dale
Mathison have etched their names into the history books thus far in the
five year history of the Mod Nationals.
Nate Heinrich and Shane Sabraksi have won the Midwest Modified portion
of the Mod Nationals on two separate occasions, with Danny Bayer, Josh
Thoennes, Dallas Gulbrandson, Jeremy Kerzman, Travis Saurer and Dave
Schroeder each also claiming a Midwest Modified feature win at the Mod
Nationals over the past five seasons.
Jason VandeKamp, Corey Rosen, Dave Rohweder, Scott Paulson, Shawn
Wageman and Scott Huston have each captured a Street Stock victory at
the Modified Nationals as well over the 3 seasons that the Streeters
were a part of the show.
And last, but not least, Jon
Stepan and Dave Mass were victorious in the Super Stock portions of the
Mod Nationals last season, the first season that the Super Stocks were
in action during the Mod Nationals.
Come out to Alexandria and spend the 4th of July holiday weekend
witnessing some of the fastest motorsports action around! For more
information, please call Chris at (715) 497-8916, check out
www.fyemotorsports.com
or email
clsracer@hotmail.com.
The new Hampton Inn & Suites will once again serve as the official
host hotel for the 6th annual Minnesota Modified Nationals
promoted by FYE Motorsports at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN in
2010. The new Hampton Inn & Suites is located at
2705 South Broadway Street in Alexandria, MN
and offers a complimentary hot breakfast, indoor
pool, whirlpool, state of the art fitness center, wired/wireless high
speed internet, a microwave and refrigerator in all guest rooms. The
hotel is also conveniently located next to Fat Daddy’s Bar & Grill,
Garden Center Lanes, the Viking Plaza Mall and Cinema 9 Theatre.
The special discounted rate that has been set aside for this event is a
whopping 25% off of a regular standard rate at only $104.95/night. The
management of the Hampton Inn feels confident that the racers/fans will
enjoy their experience at the new Hampton Inn & Suites.
Racers and fans alike can make reservations for the 6th
annual Minnesota Modified Nationals, which will be held on July 1st,
2nd, & 3rd 2010 by calling the hotel directly at
(320) 763-3360 and mentioning the room block for the Mod Nationals. FYE
Motorsports would like to welcome back the Hampton Inn & Suites as the
continued host hotel for the Mod Nationals!
2009 Photo Gallery
Night 2 - Mathison pockets 7k at Viking
By Ray Beste
Alexandria, Mn (July 4th, 2009) - Clearwater, Mn
hotshoe Dale Mathison became the fifth different driver in the past five
seasons to win the Annual $7,000 to win Minnesota Modified Nationals at
Viking Speedway. Mathison collected the win during qualifying action on
Friday night which put him on the pole for the 50-lap A-main. Princeton,
Mn driver Dave Mass picked up a mighty impressive win in WISSOTA Super
Stock action while Travis Saurer held off a hard charging Jeff Marshall
to pocket the $500 win in WISSOTA Midwest Modified competition. The
capacity crowd at Viking witnessed some tremendous two and three wide
racing during day two of Amsoil Dirt Track Series Racing held at the
Douglas County Fairgrounds in Alexandria, Mn.
Like night one, the WISSOTA Super Stocks got the
feature festivities underway with Mike Peterson and Dave Mass battling
for the point early on. Mass finally grabbed the advantage while eighth
starter Don Eischens began to move forward. Eischens had successfully
moved up five spots while the cross flags waving over the field on lap
ten. A scary incident involving Jon Stepan and Mark Blom halted action
during the midway part of the A-main. Stepan took a very hard hit but
was okay as well as Blom. The two speedway regulars evenings were ended
in the process. On the restart, Mass led over Peterson with Eischens in
third. The Super Stocks had a hard time establishing a rhythm during
their A-main so with seven laps remaining the checkered flags waved over
the field. Mass scored the victory followed by Peterson, Eischens, Jeff
Flaten and Todd Carter. Eischens, Flaten and Carter were the victors in
WISSOTA Super Stock heat race action earlier in the program.
After the conclusion of the WISSOTA Super Stock
A-main, speedway officials decided to blade the track to give the
WISSOTA Modifieds to best opportunity to have a track that did not spot
rubber. Driver introductions were held followed by a four-wide solute to
the fans which sent chills up and down the bodies of the capacity crowd.
Twenty-five American flags were held out the window as the 25-car field
came down the front straightaway four wide. Order was restored after the
classy gesture with Jason Grimes and Dale Mathison manning the front row
starting duties. When the green flag dropped, Grimes blasted off into
the early lead with Mathison holding the second spot. While most drivers
worked the high side of the speedway, Trent Follmer found the bottom to
his liking moving by Jason Thoennes and Scot Danzeisen early on taking
the third spot in the process. The speedway was lightning fast as Grimes
pedaled his Hughes Chassis to a half of a straightaway advantage sixteen
laps into the event. The first yellow flag waved over the field after an
incident in turn one occurred with several cars spinning to avoid
damage. Mathison, like the night before was on the inside of row two
along side of Follmer behind Grimes. Mathison got a great jump and once
again made a bid for the lead in turn one. Grimes backed his machine
into the cushion and pulled even with Mathison as they raced off of turn
two. Mathison once again was able to steal the lead from Grimes while
Follmer retired pitside with a broken rear axle shortly there after.
When the fuel stop occurred on lap 25, Mathison was your new race
leader. Head flagman Mike Commerford dropped the green over the field
once again. This time it was more than apparent that Kelly Lake, Mn
driver Kelly Estey was on the move. Estey entered each turn in the
middle groove, while exiting the bottom. Estey moved into seventh with
15 laps remaining while Mathison was gone out front. Ninth starter
Dennis Bitzan decided it was go time as well as his car looked strong
cracking the top five with 15 to go. The yellow waved once again with
sixteen laps remaining. They went back one lap which put Bitzan back in
sixth. On the restart, Estey got a great jump as He and Bitzan used the
bottom of the speedway to move up to positions three and four in the
process. Bitzan and Estey now ignited a great battle for the third spot.
Estey used the middle of the speedway once again to disposed of Bitzan
for the third spot with eleven to go while Grimes did his best to reel
in Mathison. Grimes with ten laps remaining inched closer and closer to
Mathison. Blooming Prairie, Mn legend Mark Noble began to come on during
the ladder stages of the event as well. After starting 22nd, Noble
entered the top ten with seven laps remaining. Bitzan executed a power
move on Estey for the third spot with seven laps remaining while
Gillette, WY driver Tony Leiker began to come alive. Leiker moved by
Thoennes for the fifth spot with three laps remaining and quickly began
to catch the backside of Estey for fourth. On the final trip around
Leiker ventured to the top shelf in an attempt overtake Estey for the
fourth spot. Estey, however, slammed the door and held the position. On
the final trip around Mathison made no mistakes and went on to score the
biggest win of his racing career. Grimes, who established himself as a
person to be reckoned with, had an unbelievable run coming home second
ahead of Bitzan, Estey and Leiker.
The final event of the evening belonged to the
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds with two of the best in the business on the
front row. Travis Saurer and Brock Gronwold brought the 24-car field
around as the green flag dropped. Saurer got a good jump and beat
Gronwold to turn one taking the opening lap advantage. Gronwold settled
into second before immediately receiving pressure from Jeff Marshall.
Tenth starter Brett Hoium looked strong early on as well using the high
side of the speedway to move into the top five. Ron Jones looked as if
he might have the car to beat during the middle stages of the event as
He and Brock Gronwold battled for the third spot. Gronwold and Jones
made contact on the frontstretch which ended Jones night in the process.
The yellow would bunch up the field behind Saurer for the Delaware
double-filer restart. Marshall once again moved into second with
Gronwold in third being flanked by Hoium. Fifth starter Jason VandeKamp
used the final restart to his advantage as he pedaled his #16 machine
around the extreme high side of the speedway. VandeKamp made the pass
for third spot on the white flag lap. Marshall tried everything in his
arsenal to overtake Saurer for the lead but it was not enough as Travis
went on to score the victory. Marshall, VandeKamp, Gronwold and Jason
Hoffman rounded out the top five running order for the WISSOTA Midwest
Modifieds. Shane Sabraski was the hard charger of the event starting in
the 22nd position and finishing ninth.
Viking Speedway officials as well as the staff at
FYE Motorsports would like to thank all the drivers, fans and pit-crew
members that made the 5th Annual Minnesota Modified Nationals a success.
This Tuesday night Viking Speedway will once again host a special event
when the Dart Challenge Series and Governor's Ethanol Challenge
competitors make their year stop at the high-banked 1/2 mile located in
Alexandria, Mn. For more information log onto
vikingspeedway.net
SUMMARY:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Feature- Dale Mathison, Jason Grimes, Dennis
Bitzan, Kelly Estey, Tony Leiker, Jason Thoennes, Shane Sabraski, Ricky
Weiss, Mark Noble, Mark Noble, JJ Schuelke, Craig Thatcher, Dave Cain,
Joey Jensen, Andy Gordon, Jason Voigt, Danny Bayer, Scot Danzeisen,
Darrell Nelson, Steve Arpin, Scott Gilbertson, Mitch Johnson, Jason
Miller, Trent Follmer, Ron Jones, Brad Waits
Heat 1- Leiker, Grimes, Schuelke, Dave Storck,
Alexander, Matt Gilbertson, Saurer, Anderson, Eischens, Justin Elmer
Heat 2- Johnson, Nelson, Thatcher, Greer,
Ostrander, Duval, Gulbrandson, McDonald, Staff, Blascyk
Heat 3- Weiss, Gordon, Lund, Jones, Koehntop,
Edginton, Gierke, Smith, Crouse, Splitstoesser
Heat 4- Mathison, Jensen, Danzeisen, Engebretson,
Loveday, Estey, Engelstad, Tofte, Schroeder, Esala
Heat 5- Arpin, Voigt, Cain, Bayer, Gilbertson,
Lemke, Mike Storck, Rosser, Hanson
Heat 6- Thoennes, Sabraski, Bitzan, Berry
Christiansen, Canon, Jacobson, Romdalvik, VandeKamp
Heat 7- Waits, Follmer, Miller, Noble, Richardson,
Wildman, Lavesseur, Nayes, Dykstra
B-main 1- Jones, Schuelke, Sabraski, Miller,
Gilbertson
B-main 2- Jensen, Estey, Cain, Noble, Bayer
Last Chance Qualifier - Nelson
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Feature- Dave Mass, Mike Peterson, Don Eischens,
Jeff Flaten, Todd Carter, Jason Vejtruba, Larr Lund, Irvin Cook, Cory
Tammen, Alan Johnson, Jeremy Jerve, Jeff Hapala, Bryan Hellerman,
Dominic Baker, Dusty Peterson, Ashley Donald, Cody Lee, Todd Hauer, Matt
Miller, JB Stortz, Jeff Crouse, Jeff Kluver, Bob Holtquist, Mark Blom,
Jon Stepan
Heat 1- Eischens, Crouse, Tammen, Stepan, Kluver,
Lee, Donald, Peterson, Hapala
Heat 2- Flaten, Vejtruba, Peterson, Lund, Blom,
Miller, Hellerman, Holtquist
Heat 3- Carter, Mass, Stortz, Cook, Jerve, Baker,
Johnson, Hauer
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Travis Saurer, Jeff Marshall, Jason
VandeKamp, Brock Gronwold, Jason Hoffman, Brett Hoium, Jeremy Kerzman,
Skeeter Estey, Shane Sabraski, Josh Thoennes, William Lund, Matt Suckow,
Brendan Blascyk, Wes Hines, Brooke Hellerman, Ryan Studanski, Travis
Vanderby, Scott Gill, Pete Loecken, Ron Jones, Nate Barber, Derek Quinn,
Jeremy Houle, Shawn Olson
Heat 1- Gronwold, Marshall, Jones, Quinn,
Studanski, Sobolik, Craig, Soderstrom, Haben, Czech
Heat 2- T. Saurer, Kerzman, Thoennes, Lund,
Braaten, Pew, Brenny, Caul, Wolkowski
Heat 3- Estey, Hoffman, Hines, Barber, Gill,
Sabraski, Greeley, Carter, Bitzan
Heat 4- Suckow, Vanderby, Hellerman, Loecken,
Olson, Schmidt, Kuhnau, Weisman, Thorstad
Heat 5- VandeKamp, Hoium, Houle, Blascyk, Smith,
Tofte, R. Saurer, Mensen, Anderson
B-main 1- Gill, Studanski, Smith, Haben, Bitzan
B-main 2- Sabraski, Olson, Tofte, Sobolik, Czech
Night 1 - Mathison dominates Minnesota Modified
Nationals at Viking
By Ray Beste
2009 Photo Gallery
Alexandria, Mn (July 3rd, 2009) - Dale Mathison
captured the win during the 25-lap qualifying feature Friday night at
Viking Speedway. After the race Mathison chose the outside of row one
for Saturday night's $7,000 to win main event. Jon Stepan continued his
great season with a win in the WISSOTA Super Stock division while Jeremy
Kerzman tallied a mighty impressive win in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified
action. Sixty-seven WISSOTA Modifieds checked into the back gate for
some great Amsoil Dirt Track Series racing during night one action at
the 5th Annual Minnesota Modified Nationals.
The night got underway with the WISSOTA Super
Stock main event. Pole-sitter Don Eischens looked to be the car to beat
early on before a left year flat made him retire pitside. That handed
the lead over to Jon Stepan. Stepan remained smooth out front while a
few drivers began to make thier moves from deep in the back. Eighteenth
and final starter Cory Tammen sliced and diced his way through the field
entering the top five with four laps remaining. Tammen was able to move
up one more position in the remaining laps ending a great run in fourth.
Like Tammen, Annandale's Shawn Nolan used a fast racecar to move up nine
positions from his row seven starting spot ending a great run in fifth.
In the end, however, it was Stepan picking up his second Viking Speedway
victory of the season. Jeff Kluver, Jeff Crouse, Tammen and Nolan joined
Stepan in the top five while Matt Miller moved up eleven positions to
finish. sixth. Stepan and Eischens were victorious in heat race action
for the WISSOTA Super Stocks.
Although it took him a few laps to get to the
front, Grey Eagle, Mn mudslinger Jeremy Kerzman dominated Friday night's
WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main from his 5th starting position. Great
battles could be found all over the speedway but the main attraction was
Travis Saurer's charge from deep in the field. After sneaking into the
main event through a B-main, Saurer began the event in the 21st starting
position. Through a bit of attrition and a very fast racecar Saurer
entered the top ten with seven laps still up on the board. Saurer used
his familiar diamond maneuver to dispose of most of his rivals while
most of the drivers ran the high side of the speedway. Saurer made his
final pass on the last trip around ending a beautfiul run in the sixth
position. Thunder Bay, Ont pilot Jeff Marshall pressured Kerzman during
various times in the event but was never able to overtake Jeremy for the
lead. Out front it was all Kerzman as he went on to score the mighty
impressive feature triumph. Marshall settled for a hard fought second
with Brian Haben third, Josh Thoennes fourth and Princeton, Mn legend
Ron Jones fifth. Forty-Six WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds signed in for
battle with heat race wins being collected by Jamie Thorstad, Haben,
Marshall, Thoennes and Kerzman. The division also feature two B-mains
with Travis Saurer and Canadian driver Brady Caul collecting victories
in those events.
The final event of the evening belonged to the
WISSOTA Modifieds for their 25-lap qualifying A-main. Jason Grimes took
the early lead while he fended off charges from Scot Danzeisen. The two
fought tooth and nail ahead of the rest of the field while Mathison and
Trent Follmer began to join the fray. The caution waved with eleven laps
remaining which put Danzeisen and Mathison in the second row behind race
leading Grimes. As the entered turn one, Mathison made a banzai move to
the bottom of the speedway in turn one. Grimes smashed the loud pedal
and pulled even with Mathison as the duo raced door to door down the
backstretch. Mathison drove it in deep into turn three taking the lead
in the process. Grimes and Danzeisen picked up where they left off and
ignited a battle once again, this time for the second position. Jason
Thoennes looked strong during the ladder stages of the event as he
passed Follmer for the fourth spot with one lap still remaining up on
the board. Craig Thatcher, Tony Leiker and Steve Arpin battled for the
sixth position with Thatcher ultimately taking seizing hold of the
position with four laps remaining. On the final trip around Mathison
made no mistakes and went on to score the A-main Qualifying feature
victory. Grimes in his new Hughes Chassis turn a lot of heads with a
great second place finish followed by Danzeisen, Thoennes and Follmer.
The sixty-seven Modifieds were divided into seven heat races with wins
being collected by Leiker, Mitch Johnson, Ricky Weiss, Mathison, Arpin,
Thoennes and two-time and defending USRA Modified national champion Brad
Waits of Zumbrota, Mn.
Saturday's program would feature C and B-mains,
the last chance qualifier and the 50-lap A-main finale for the WISSOTA
Modifieds as well as a full program for the WISSOTA Super Stocks and
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds once again.
SUMMARY:
Qualifying Feature:
Feature- Dale Mathison, Jason Grimes, Scot
Danzeisen, Jason Thoennes, Trent Follmer, Craig Thatcher, Tony Leiker,
Steve Arpin, Dennis Bitzan, Ricky Weiss, Jason Voigt, Brad Waits, Mitch
Johnson, Andy Gordon
Heat 1- Leiker, Grimes, Schuelke, Dave Storck,
Alexander, Matt Gilbertson, Saurer, Anderson, Eischens, Justin Elmer
Heat 2- Johnson, Nelson, Thatcher, Greer,
Ostrander, Duval, Gulbrandson, McDonald, Staff, Blascyk
Heat 3- Weiss, Gordon, Lund, Jones, Koehntop,
Edginton, Gierke, Smith, Crouse, Splitstoesser
Heat 4- Mathison, Jensen, Danzeisen, Engebretson,
Loveday, Estey, Engelstad, Tofte, Schroeder, Esala
Heat 5- Arpin, Voigt, Cain, Bayer, Gilbertson,
Lemke, Mike Storck, Rosser, Hanson
Heat 6- Thoennes, Sabraski, Bitzan, Berry
Christiansen, Canon, Jacobson, Romdalvik, VandeKamp
Heat 7- Waits, Follmer, Miller, Noble, Richardson,
Wildman, Lavesseur, Nayes, Dykstra
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Feature- Jon Stepan, Jeff Kluver, Jeff Crouse,
Cory Tammen, Shawn Nolan, Matt Miller, Irvin Cook, Jeff Flaten, Larry
Lund, Frank Fabio, Ashley Donald, Alan Johnson, Bryan Hellerman, Jason
Vejtruba, Mark Blom, Mike Peterson, Cody Lee, Don Eischens
Heat 1- Stepan, Blom, Fabio, Crouse, Peterson,
Lee, Johnson, Donald, Miller
Heat 2- Eischens, Kluver, Vejtruba, Flaten, Lund,
Hellerman, Nolan, Cook, Tammen
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Jeremy Kerzman, Jeff Marshall, Brian
Haben, Jason Thoennes, Ron Jones, Travis Saurer, Jason VandeKamp,
Marshall Tofte, Shane Sabraski, Ron Saurer, Jason Hoffman, Ryan
Mikkelson, Darrin Braaten, Matt Suckow, Skeeter Estey, Shawn Olson,
Brady Caul, William Lund, Jamie Thorstad, Dustin Bitzan, Jeremy Houle,
Mike Gibson, Brett Hoium, Brian Krog
Heat 1- Thorstad, Gibson, VandeKamp, Hoffman,
Olson, Estey, Anderson, Studanski, Berends
Heat 2- Haben, Tofte, Houle, Braaten, Caul,
Wolkowski, Sobolik, Hellerman, Johnson
Heat 3- Marshall, Krog, Suckow, Lund, Scott,
Vanderby, Greeley, Mensen, Tomford
Heat 4- Thoennes, Bitzan, R. Saurer, Mikkelson,
Muzik, Hines, Schmidt, Craig, Loecken
Heat 5- Kerzman, Jones, Sabraski, Hoium, T. Saurer,
Gill, Merten, Quinn, Blascyk
B-main 1- T. Saurer, Olson, Blascyk, Tomford
B-main 2- Caul, Estey, Studanski, Muzik, Sobolik
5th Annual Minnesota Modified
Nationals: Looking Fine In ’09!
February 19th 2009 – St.
Cloud, Minnesota (Prepared by FYE Motorsports Promotions)
St. Cloud,
Minnesota based FYE Motorsports’ first promoted special event of 2009
will be the 5th annual Minnesota Modified Nationals, which will be on
the slate for Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th
with a rain date for Sunday, July 5th at 1pm if necessary and
an open practice session on Thursday, July 2nd from 6pm to
9pm at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minnesota.
This year’s biggest paying Modified event in the entire Midwest will see
each Modified racer draw for his or her starting position on Friday
night for a scheduled set of 8 heat races. The winner of each heat race
will automatically redraw amongst themselves for the top 8 starting
spots in Friday night’s qualifying feature just as we have done in
previous years. This year, just like the 2007 and 2008 events, will be
the fact that we will use passing points to qualify the second set of 8
drivers into the qualifying feature on Friday night. How this will work
is the driver that is highest in passing points in each individual heat
race will qualify for the main event and will redraw amongst themselves
for starting spots 9-16. Just as we have done in the past, the finish
from the qualifying feature will determine the top 8 rows for Saturday
night’s main event.
Another change that we began in 2007 and will continue in ‘09 is that we
will allow the defending race champion one extra opportunity to put
himself into the feature event on Saturday night. This program will work
this way: If the defending champion, who happens to be Fort Frances,
Ontario, Canada driver Steve Arpin, does not win his heat race and
happens not to be one of the passing points leaders after heat race
competition is over with, we will allow Mr. Arpin to start 17th in
Friday night’s 25-lap qualifying feature if he so chooses. Steve must
then race his way up into the top three finishing positions of the
qualifying feature and if he does that he will secure a guaranteed spot
in Saturday night’s main event. If Steve chooses to tag the rear of the
qualifying feature and gets up to third or better, he will be guaranteed
to start 26th in the $7,000 to win / $700 to start main event on
Saturday, but will still be allowed to compete in the qualifying events
(c-features, b-features and last chance race) on Saturday to better his
starting spot if he so chooses. This not only gives some recognition to
the defending champion each year, but it will also give the fans
something additional to watch in the qualifying feature on Friday night.
The other change to the Modified portion of the show a couple of years
ago was that the $7,000 to win feature event on Saturday night was
raised to 50 laps instead of the previous 40. Drivers and fans alike
have asked for this change, so the 50 laps will remain a part of the ’09
version of the Mod Nationals. A mandatory fuel stop will take place on
lap 25.
Again in
2009, each of the 8 heat winners will receive a $100 cash bonus courtesy
of Duluth, MN based Como Oil & Propane.
FYE Motorsports owner Chris Stepan commented “The Mod Nationals have
been amazing events the past four years with intense racing action and
three different winners over the first three seasons. This year should
be no different as I expect the area’s best Mod guys to be out in full
force to try to claim the biggest winner’s payday in the Midwest.”
Midwest Modifieds will be on the card as a support class and will run a
complete $500 to win show each night of the Mod Nationals just as they
did a year ago.
One final change
to the program will see the fact that WISSOTA Super Stocks will be on
the card with a full program each night racing for $500 to win as well.
The Street Stocks have put on great shows over the past several seasons
at the Mod Nationals, but with the declining numbers in the area and the
fact that the Super Stocks have sat patiently in the wings waiting for
the opportunity, both played into the change being made. Both support
classes will utilize the draw/redraw format each day.
A huge city
of Alexandria fireworks display will take place on Saturday night, July
4th immediately following the conclusion of the 50-lap
feature.
The Mod Nationals have never had a repeat winner in the $7,000 to win
event. Jason Thoennes, Shane Sabraski, Dave Cain and Steve Arpin have
etched their names into the history books thus far in the four year
history of the Mod Nationals.
Nate Heinrich and Shane Sabraksi have won the Midwest Modified portion
of the Mod Nationals on two separate occasions, with Danny Bayer, Josh
Thoennes, Dallas Gulbrandson and Dave Schroeder each also claiming a
Midwest Modified feature win at the Mod Nationals over the past four
seasons.
Jason VandeKamp, Corey Rosen, Dave Rohweder, Scott Paulson, Shawn
Wageman and Scott Huston have each captured a Street Stock victory at
the Modified Nationals as well over the past 3 seasons that the
Streeters have been a part of the show.
Come out to Alexandria and spend the 4th of July holiday weekend
witnessing some of the fastest motorsports action around! For more
information, please call Chris at (715) 497-8916, check out
www.fyemotorsports.com
or email
clsracer@hotmail.com.
The new Hampton Inn & Suites has recently signed on as the official host
hotel for both the 5th annual Minnesota Modified Nationals
and the 7th annual Viking Fall Classic events promoted by FYE
Motorsports at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN in 2009. The new
Hampton Inn & Suites is located at
2705 South Broadway Street in Alexandria, MN
and offers a complimentary hot breakfast, indoor
pool, whirlpool, state of the art fitness center, wired/wireless high
speed internet, a microwave and refrigerator in all guest rooms. The
hotel is also conveniently located next to Fat Daddy’s Bar & Grill,
Garden Center Lanes, the Viking Plaza Mall and Cinema 9 Theatre.
The special discounted rate that has been set aside for
both events is a whopping 25% off of a regular standard rate at only
$104.95/night. The management of the Hampton Inn feels confident that
the racers/fans will enjoy their experience at the new Hampton Inn &
Suites.
Racers and fans alike can make reservations for the 5th
annual Minnesota Modified Nationals, which will be held on July 2nd,
3rd & 4th 2009 and/or the 7th annual
Viking Fall Classic, which will be held on October 8th, 9th
& 10th 2009 by calling the hotel directly at (320) 763-3360
and mentioning the room block for the Mod Nationals and/or Fall Classic.
FYE Motorsports would like to welcome the Hampton Inn & Suites as the
new host hotel for the Mod Nationals and Fall Classic!
2008 Modified Nationals News & Notes
Like I have done in the
past, I wanted to throw some of my thoughts surrounding this past
weekend’s 4th annual Minnesota Modified Nationals on paper, so here
goes…
Weather: Mother Nature sure smiled on us this past weekend, we had a
brief (but very scary) rain shower during the fuel stop on Saturday
night, it was sure great not to have to worry about anything concerning
the weather all weekend. Thanks again mom :-)
Car Counts: For the first time since the 1st
event in 2005, the car count went up, as we had a total of 65 Modifieds
(63 competed in the event as 2 did not return after practice night) on
hand, with the quality of absolutely amazing with drivers from MN, WI,
ND, SD and 2 Canadian provinces on hand for the weekend.
Long Tows: Modified racer Jess Beckett threw Mike
Kress’s Midwest Modified into his trailer and the duo hauled from Rapid
City, South Dakota this year. Jeff Marshall made the long trip from
Thunder Bay,
Ontario
in his Midwest Modified and Adam Burrows towed all the way from Belgrade,
Montana
in his
#18b Street
Stock.
Track Prep: The Viking Speedway staff deserves a HUGE thumbs up for the
fantastic racing surface we had all weekend. With 90+* temps and wind
all weekend, it could have been a dry, dusty, rubbered up track, but the
2 new tiller machines, along with a lot of water and some TLC by the
track prep guys provided one of the best tracks I have ever seen at
Viking for the second year in a row at the Mod Nationals.
Fans: Although the crowd was considerably smaller on Friday night than
it has ever been on the first night ever before, the people surely came
out on Saturday to see the big show on Saturday night and saw a
fantastic 50-lapper and boy did they see one phenomenal show. If we can
figure out a way to get the people to come out in force on the first
night of this show in the future, it should be a tremendous success.
Hard Chargers: We had three drivers that passed twelve (12) cars in the
feature event. Mark Noble, Ryan Aho and Corky Thomas all advanced a
dozen positions from their original starting spot in the 50-lapper.
That’s hard to do considering the quality of competition that was on the
track in the main event.
Changes: I don’t for-see making any major changes to this event in the
future. It seems to work out very well, so why fix something that isn’t
broken? I have some small tweaks that I plan to look into over the
winter, but for the most part the 5th
annual Mod Nationals should be along the same lines as this year’s
version.
Surprises: Jason Voigt along with rookie Mod racers Brock Gronwold Brady
Peterson and Cory Crapser were among the drivers who qualified for the
$7,000 to win event for the first time. Each year, we typically have a
rookie in the field, but to have three of them this year was a nice
surprise.
Bad Luck: Mark Esala blew up a motor in practice on Thursday night,
forcing him to miss the remainder of the weekend. Midwest Modified
racers Randy Vezina and Wes Hines also suffered motor issues in
practice, which sidelined them for the weekend as well.
Winning Chassis: Larry Shaw Race Cars finally stopped the J-car
stranglehold on the championships at the Mod Nationals. J-cars had won
the first three years, but Steve Arpin in his Shaw by Arpin picked up
the cool $7k this year and broke the streak.
Chassis Types: There were 10 J-cars in the 25-car
starting field this year, along with 6 Larry Shaw Modifieds, 2 WRC
Chassis, and 1 of each of the following: Perfect Chassis, Kraft Kars,
Galloper Chassis, Elite Chassis, RCT Race Cars, Eagle Chassis and Fegers
Race Cars. In addition, there were another 22 J-cars in attendance, 2
Elites, 1 Victory, 2 more Larry Shaws, 1 Hurricane, 1 WRC, 1 Eagle, 2
Gallopers, 1 Tracer, 1 Dirtworks, 1 GRT by SSR, 1 Skyrocket, 1
Wieberdink and 1 Jones in competition throughout the weekend.
Consistency: After the 4th
running of the Mod Nationals, only a trio of guys can boast that they
have made the feature each of the 4 years that the event has been held.
Arpin, Jason Thoennes and Craig Thatcher are the only three drivers that
have been lucky and good enough to get into the feature all four
seasons. Of those three guys, all three of them have an 8th
place average over the four seasons, with both Arpin and Thoennes racing
to a Mod Nationals victory. Arpin has finished 5th,
26th,
2nd
and 1st
over the four events, while Thoennes has finishes of 1st,
22nd,
8th
an 4th
and Thatcher has crossed the line 2nd,
20th,
5th
and 8th
over the 4 Mod Nationals thus far.
Winning Driver: Of course congratulations are in order for Steve Arpin
and the 00 racing team. Steve has certainly won a lot of races over the
years, but none bigger than this one. He certainly earned it after
having to come from 10th to 2nd
in the Qualifying feature on Friday night, setting himself up to be on
the front row for the big show on Saturday, which he lead basically from
start to finish, but not without some serious pressure from Kelly Estey
and Scot Danzeisen throughout the event.
Street Stocks: We had some of the top dogs in the Streeters here over
the course of the weekend, putting on a great show. The Street Stock
features each night were some of the best racing a person will see
anywhere. The finish on Saturday night was amazing! Congrats to Shawn
Wageman and Scott Paulson on their wins. Wagemen will earn a free entry
into the John Seitz Memorial at the River Cities Speedway in
Grand Forks
for being overall tops in points over the weekend.
Midwest
Mods: As usual, Viking has a great group of
Midwest Mod drivers and this weekend these guys put on a whale of a
show. Congrats to Shane Sabraski and Josh Thoennes for heir $500
paydays. Sabraski will earn a free entry into the John Seitz Memorial at
the River Cities Speedway in
Grand Forks
for being overall tops in points over the weekend.
Upcoming events: Don’t forget the next FYE promoted event at Viking will
be the 6th annual Viking Fall Classic, which takes place on October 2nd,
3rd
& 4th.
Practice will be Thursday night Oct. 2nd
from 6-10 and racing action will be run on Friday & Saturday. Check out
www.fyemotorspots.com
for all of the event info.
Overall it was a GREAT weekend once again. Thanks to the Viking Speedway
staff, who as a whole are second to none to work with. Also thanks to
the fans, drivers, volunteers, sponsors etx who come on board to make
this weekend so great each season. The Mod Nationals will surely be
better than ever in 2009, so stay tuned for event information to come
soon.
Steve Arpin Victorious at 2008 Minnesota Modified Nationals!!
2008 Photo Gallery
By Ray Beste
Alexandria, Mn (July 5th, 2008) - Steve Arpin dominated Saturday night's
50-lap A-main picking up the $7,000 paycheck at Viking Speedway's 4th
Annual Minnesota Modified Nationals. Arpin's win broke Specialty
Fabricating's streak as the Chassis Builder in victory lane. WISSOTA
Midwest Modified driver Josh Thoennes picked up the victory in his
division's feature event while Scott Paulson endured an unbelievable
battle from Shawn Wageman and Cory Rosen to score the win in the WISSOTA
Street Stocks. The weekend proved to be a successful one with drivers,
fans and pit crew members alike coming out in droves for the annual
event located at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Alexandria, Mn.
The WISSOTA Street Stocks were once again the first to get the call. Two
of the best in the business in Scott Paulson and Cory Rosen shared the
front row as the field stock up two by two behind. The green flag
dropped with Paulson gaining a slight advantage off of turn two. Rosen
and fourth starter Shawn Wageman wasted little time moving up to do
battle with Paulson as the three danced three wide several times for an
eight laps stretch. Rosen worked the bottom with Wageman in the middle
and Paulson up top. The first three runners were unable to shake free
and the trio continued their unbelievable battle for the lead. Tenth
starter Jim Williams moved up six positions during the 15-lap affair
while the aforementioned drivers continued to get after out front.
Seventeenth starter Cory Tammen proved that his car was working well
moving up eleven positions in just fifteen laps. Tammen could've used a
late caution to see if he could've joined the fray out front. Rosen
shook free from Wageman with two laps to go and tried everything he
could to overtake Paulson. Paulson, however, held the groove out front
and went on to score yet another Viking Speedway win. A hard fought
second went to Rosen ahead of Wageman, Williams and Jason Babcock. Scott
Horn and Paulson each scored heat race wins earlier in the evening for
the WISSOTA Streets.
Speedway regular Brian Haben and Big Lake, Mn invader Karth Mitchell
shared the front row starting duties for the WISSOTA Midwest Modified
A-main. Haben took the early advantage from the get go while the field
seen many great battles back in traffic. Josh Thoennes stole the lead
from Haben on lap three using the high side in turn two which left Haben
to do battle with Matt Suckow and Jeff Marshall. Suckow, who started
third battled hard with Haben, with Haben eventually holding the spot.
Eighth starter Shane Sabraski hung near the middle of the pack early on
before making a huge charge late in the race. Sabraski cracked the top
five with six laps remaining before disposing of Marshall, Suckow and
Haben on restarts. The final yellow of the event waved with four laps
remaining which would give Sabraski a chance at Thoennes. Thoennes
continued to wheel his machine around the high side of the speedway and
eventually went on to score the win. Sabraski had another great run in
the second spot ahead of Haben, Suckow and the always hard charging
Jeremy Kerzman. Haben, Suckow, Sabraski and Marshall were all victorious
in WISSOTA Midwest Modified qualifying action earlier in the show while
Brian Krog reigned victorious in the consi.
With all the events of the weekend in the books, the 25-car WISSOTA
Modified field rolled out onto the speedway. 50- laps were put up on the
board with a planned fuel stop on lap 20. Driver introductions were
performed with each driver strapping into their respective machine.
Kelly Estey and Steve Arpin brought the 25-car field off of turn four
and it was underway. Arpin immediately grabbed the lead on the opening
lap while the field stretched in tow. Zach Johnson held the third spot
early on while Scot Danzeisen made some nice moves. Danzeisen cracked
the top five just three laps in while Arpin was bolted to the speedway
out front. Danzeisen was able to work his way past Scott Gilbertson and
Johnson to take over the third spot twelves laps into the event while
Arpin was on cruise control out front. Dave Cain moved up six positions
early on finding himself in the fourth spot when the red/checkered flags
waved on lap 20. When order was restored, Arpin once again cruised off
to a comfortable advantage this time leaving Estey and Danzeisen to
battle for the runner up spot. Danzeisen took the spot on lap 34, with
Estey regaining the spot just two laps later. Blooming Prairie, Mn
legend Mark Noble began to make his presence known with eighteen laps
remaining as he wheeled by Jason Thoennes for the sixth spot. Thoennes,
however, battled back and regained the spot just one lap later. Many
hard charging efforts were found during the remaining laps while Arpin
maintained a huge lead out front. Ryan Aho, Thatcher and Noble had made
considerable ground on the field as they battled in an attempt to enter
the top five. With five laps remaining the final yellow flag of the
event hung over the field. On the restart, Thoennes was able to work to
the outside of Cain moving into the fourth spot in the process.
Ninteenth starter Aho was very impressive in his first ever Mod
Nationals finishing second after disposing of Thatcher for the seventh
spot with just two laps remaining. Out front it was all Arpin picking up
his first ever Minnesota Modified Nationals title, as well as his first
Viking Speedway victory. Scot Danzeisen had a mighty impressive run in
the second spot ahead of Estey, Thoennes and Cain. The final eleven
drivers that qualified through the B-mains and last chance qualifiers
included: Joey Jensen, Mark Noble, Brock Gronwold, Shane Sabraski, Ryan
AHo, Dale Mathison, Craig Thatcher, Jeff Hinkemeyer, JJ Schuelke, Corky
Thomas and Blake Jegtvig.
FYE Motorsports and Viking Speedway would like to thank all the drivers,
fans and pit crew members that made the 4th Annual Minnesota Modified
Nationals a success.
SUMMARY:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Feature- Steve Arpin, Scot Danzeisen, Kelly Estey, Jason Thoennes, Dave
Cain, Mark Noble, Ryan Aho, Craig Thatcher, Scott Gilbertson, Zach
Johnson, Shane Sabraski, Corky Thomas, JJ Schuelke, Jason Voigt, Brock
Gronwold, Shawn Peterson, Brady Peterson, Scott Tofte, Blake Jegtvig,
Jeff Hinkemeyer, Cory Crapser, Trent Follmer, Don Eischens, Joey Jensen,
Dale Mathison
B-main 1- Jensen, Noble, Gronwold, Beckett, Dale, Malmlov, Wildman,
Gierke, Dave Storck, Tim Alexander
B-main 2- Sabraski, Aho, Mathison, Bayer, Thomas, Jacobson, Engebretson,
Gordon, Schill, Delaine
B-main 3- Thatcher, Hinkemeyer, Schuelke, Gilbertson, Jegtvig,
Ostrander, Staff, Canon, Gulbrandson, Nayes
Last Chance Qualifier- Thomas, Jegtvig
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Josh Thoennes, Shane Sabraski, Brian Haben, Matt Suckow, Jeremy
Kerzman, Jason VandeKamp, Jeff Marshall, Travis Saurer, Brendon Blascyk,
Matt Smith, Cale Arneson, Dustin Bitzan, Todd Berg, Karth Mitchell, Gary
Reents, Terry Merten, Brett Hoium, Korey Krafthefer, Brian Krog, Joe
Schmidt, Marshal Tofte, Bob Smith, Skeeter Estey, Jason Hoffman
Heat 1- Haben, Bitzan, Smith, Merten, Hoium, Krog, Anderson, Loecken,
Saurer
Heat 2- Suckow, Mitchell, VandeKamp, Arneson, Schmidt, Austin Arneson,
Kress, Bluhm, Muzik
Heat 3- Sabraski, Thoennes, Kerzman, Saurer, Krafthefer, Blascyk, Kuhnau,
Reents, Koehntop
Heat 4- Marshall, Hoffman, Estey, Berg, Tofte, Smith, Gary Reents, Lund,
Anderson
B-main- Krog, Smith, Blascyk, Gary Reents, Kyle Reents
WISSOTA Street Stocks:
Feature- Scott Paulson, Cory Rosen, Shawn Wageman, Jim Williams, Jason
Babcock, Cory Tammen, Mark Blom, Ryan Buer, Scott Horn, Adam Burrows,
Scott Walker, Justin Vogel, Scott Huston, James Tandeski, Rick Sahli,
Thad Jensen, Russ Carlson, Chuck Olson, Randy Laage, Andrew Bangsund
Heat 1- Horn, Burrows, Buer, Olson, Blom, Tandeski, Walker, Huston,
Tammen, Vogel
Heat 2- Paulson, Wageman, Rosen, Babcock, Williams, Sahli, Laage,
Jensen, Carlson, Bangsund
Wageman, Sabraski and Estey victorious on Night One of the 2008
Minnesota Modified Nationals
By Ray Beste
Alexandria, Mn (July 4th, 2008) - Kelly Estey helf off a mid-race
challenge from Steve Arpin to pick up the qualifying feature during
opening night action at the 4th Annual Minnesota Modified Nationals.
Estey chose to start Saturday night's $7,000 to win A-main from the pole
which will put Arpin to his outside. Shane Sabraski continued his
unbelievable streak of consistency picking up yet another win in the
WISSOTA Midwest Modified division while Shawn Wageman scored the win in
the WISSOTA Street Stocks. 63 WISSOTA Modifieds checked into the
backgate to do battle during Amsoil Dirt Track Series racing at Viking
Speedway.
Ryan Buer and Rick Sahli manned the front row starting duties for the
15-lap WISSOTA Street Stock A-main. When head flagman Mike Commerford
dropped the green, Buer coasted off into the lead. Shawn Wageman, Justin
Vogel and Jason Babcock quickly made their way to the front. Buer held
the lead while he endured heavy pressure from third row starting Wageman.
Buer, Wageman and Vogel danced three wide a few times with Buer
maintaining the advantage. With five laps to go, however, Buer pulled up
laim in turn three with a broken right front. That handed the lead over
to Wageman for the restart. Vogel and Babcock once again ignited a dual
for the second spot with Vogel eventually gaining the advantage in the
end. Scott Paulson and Jim Williams dueled door to door in the remaining
laps with Paulson ultimately picking up the position. Out front it was
Wageman scoring yet another Viking Speedway win and the $350 payday that
goes with it. Wageman was followed to the line by Vogel, Babcock,
Paulson and Williams. Williams, Wageman and Babcock were victorious in
heat race action earlier in the program for the WISSOTA Street Stocks.
The WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main was next on the docket with national
point leader Shane Sabraski taking the early lead. Sabraski rocketed
around the extreme high side of the speedway while tenth starter Josh
Thoennes began his march toward the front. Through some crafty moves and
good restart, Thoennes found himself up in third spot with six laps
remaining. Thoennes was able to dispose of Travis Saurer in the latter
stages of the event picking up the second spot for his efforts.
Sixteenth starter Matt Smith made some nice moves during the duration of
the event finishing a nice run in the eight position. Jeff Marshall and
Brian Krog battled side by side for the final three laps before Krog
ultimately stole the position on the final lap off of turn four.
Sabraski wheeled his Specialty Fabricating machine around the high side
of the speedway during the entire event scoring yet another feature win
for his efforts. Thoennes moved up eight spots during the event coming
home in second with Travis Saurer, Brian Krog and Jeff Marshall rounding
out the top five. Four WISSOTA Midwest Modified heat races were held
earlier in the evening with victories being collected by Jeremy Kerzman,
Jeff Marshall, Brian Krog and Shane Sabraski. The division's lone B-main
was won by Jason VandeKamp.
The final race of the night belonged to the WISSOTA Modifieds. With
fourteen drivers locked into the A-main, they stacked up two by two with
25 laps put up on the board. Kelly Estey and WISSOTA Modified rookie
Brady Peterson were aligned on the front row as the green flag dropped.
Estey bolted off into the lead while Zach Johnson quickly moved into
second. Outside row five starter Steve Arpin quickly cracked the top
five just four laps in running the middle of the speedway. Row seven
starters Jason Thoennes and Scot Danzeisen proved they would be a factor
early on working their way through the field methodically. Aprin moved
by Johnson for the second spot with eleven laps remaining and quickly
began to pressure Estey for the lead. Estey worked the extreme high side
of the speedway with Arpin rolling through the middle. With seven laps
remaining, Arpin took a peak to the inside of Estey as the duo entered
turn three. Estey, however, carried his top side momentum down the hill
and still held the advantage. From that point on, Estey looked strong
out front, eventually scoring the win. Danzeisen and Thoennes each moved
up to 6th and 7th respectively during the 25-lap affair while Arpin came
home second behind Estey. Johnson, Scott Gilbertson and Don Eischens
rounded out the top five finishing order for the WISSOTA Modified
qualifying feature. All seven heat race winners locked into the
qualifier as well as the top seven in passing points. Eleven more
drivers would still qualify for the main event on Saturday.
After the race was over, Estey chose the inside pole for the feature
which would put Arpin on the outside of row one for Saturday night's
$7,000 to win A-main. Day two would also feature another complete
program for the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and WISSOTA Street Stocks.
SUMMARY:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Qualifying Feature- Kelly Estey, Steve Arpin, Zach Johnson, Scott
Gilbertson, Don Eischens, Scot Danzeisen, Jason Thoennes, Trent Follmer,
Shawn Peterson, Dave Cain, Scott Tofte, Brady Peterson, Cory Crapser,
Jason Voigt
Heat 1- Estey, Tofte, Jegtvig, Dev Malmlov, Mike Storck, Jason Schill,
Jake Wildman, Shane Eddington, Brad Loveday
Heat 2- Danzeisen, Cain, Dennis Bitzan, Dallas Gulbrandson, Ross
Romdalvik, Dano Ostrander, Jim Nystrom, Jim Chyba, Scott Greer
Heat 3- Follmer, S. Peterson, Ron Jones, Thatcher, Danny Bayer, Mark
Hanson, Rick Delaine, Mark Froehlich, Paul Knauf
Heat 4- Arpin, Thoennes, Aho, Gronwold, Matt Anderson, Matt Gilbertson,
Steve Pfeifer, Alan Olafson, Jess Beckett
Heat 5- B. Peterson, Eischens, Hinkemeyer, Rick Jacobson, Terry
Engebretson, Mathison, Bob Gierke, Aaron Holtan, Duane Dale
Heat 6- Johnson, Sabraski, Jensen, Crapser, Noble, Ryan Canon, Jamie
Lemke, Jake Hartung, Robert Hellebust
Heat 7- Gilbertson, Voigt, Dave Storck, Thomas, Tim Alexander, Schuelke,
Andy Gordon, Bryan Nayes, Danny Staff
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Shane Sabraski, Josh Thoennes, Travis Saurer, Brian Krog, Jeff
Marshall, Jason Hoffman, Brian Haben, Matt Smith, Marshal Tofte, Cale
Arneson, Terry Merten, Korey Krafthefer, Brendon Blascyk, Kyle Reents,
William Lund, Dustin Bitzan, Brett Hoium, Mike Kress, Joe Schmidt, Kyle
Koehntop, Gary Reents, Skeeter Estey, Jeremy Kerzman, Jason VandeKamp
Heat 1- Kerzman, Arneson, Tofte, Bitzan, Kress, Koehntop, Logan
Williams, Muzik
Heat 2- Marshall, Haben, Thoennes, Schmidt, Lund, Ron Saurer, Berg, Kyle
Reents
Heat 3- Krog, Hoffman, Blascyk, Merten, Krafthefer, Mensen, Gary Reents,
VandeKamp
Heat 4- Sabraski, Travis Saurer, Estey, Smith, Hoium, Tyler Anderson,
Russ Anderson, Mitchell
WISSOTA Street Stocks:
Feature- Shawn Wageman, Justin Vogel, Jason Babcock, Scott Paulson, Jim
Williams, Mark Blom, Scott Horn, Adam Burrows, Cory Tammen, Scott
Huston, James Tandeski, Rick Sahli, Scott Walker, Chris Winter, Thad
Jensen, Randy Laage, Andrew Bangsund, Chuck Olson, Andy Miller, Ryan
Buer, Matt Kometz
Heat 1- Williams, Paulson, Vogel, Blom, Winter, Miller, Walker
Heat 2- Wageman, Sahli, Horn, Burrows, Tammen, Tandeski, Olson
Heat 3- Babcock, Buer, Huston, Jensen, Kometz, Bangsund, Laage
Minnesota Modified Nationals: Looking Great In ’08!
April 14th 2008 – St. Cloud, Minnesota (Prepared by FYE Motorsports Promotions)
St. Cloud, Minnesota based FYE Motorsports’ first promoted event of 2008 will be the 4th annual Minnesota Modified Nationals, which will be on the slate for Friday, July 4th and Saturday, July 5th with a rain date for Sunday, July 6th at 1pm if necessary and an open practice session on Thursday, July 3rd from 6pm to 10pm at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minnesota.
This year’s biggest paying Modified event in the entire Midwest will see each Modified racer draw for his or her starting position on Friday night for a scheduled set of 8 heat races. The winner of each heat race will automatically redraw amongst themselves for the top 8 starting spots in Friday night’s qualifying feature just as we have done in previous years. This year, just like the 2007 event, will be the fact that the second place finishers in each heat race will not automatically get in the show. Instead we will use passing points to qualify the second set of 8 drivers into the qualifying feature on Friday night. How this will work is the driver that is highest in passing points in each individual heat race will qualify for the main event and will redraw amongst themselves for starting spots 9-16. Just as we have done in the past, the finish from the qualifying feature will determine the top 8 rows for Saturday night’s main event.
Another change that we began last season was that we will allow the defending race champion one extra opportunity to put himself into the feature event on Saturday night. This program will work this way: If the defending champion, who happens to be Corcoran, Minnesota driver Dave Cain, does not win his heat race and happens not to be one of the passing points leaders after heat race competition is over with, we will allow Mr. Cain to start 17th in Friday night’s 25-lap qualifying feature if he so chooses. Dave must then race his way up into the top three finishing positions of the qualifying feature and if he does that he will secure a guaranteed spot in Saturday night’s main event. If Dave chooses to tag the rear of the qualifying feature and gets up to third or better, he will be guaranteed to start 26th in the $7,000 to win / $700 to start main event on Saturday, but will still be allowed to compete in the qualifying events (c-features, b-features and last chance race) on Saturday to better his starting spot if he so chooses. This not only gives some recognition to the defending champion each year, but it will also give the fans something additional to watch in the qualifying feature on Friday night.
The other change to the Modified portion of the show last year was that the $7,000 to win feature event on Saturday night will be 50 laps instead of the previous 40. Drivers and fans alike have asked for this change, so we have bumped up the laps to 50 for the 2007 event and it was a tremendous success, seeing the $7,000 winner decided on the 50th circuit a season ago. The 50 laps will remain a part of the ’08 version of the Mod Nationals.
FYE Motorsports owner Chris Stepan commented “The Mod Nationals have been amazing events the past three years with intense racing action and three different winners over the first three seasons. This year should be no different as I expect the area’s best Mod guys to be out in full force to try to claim the biggest winner’s payday in the Midwest.”
Midwest Modifieds will be on the card as a support class and will run a complete $500 to win show each night of the Mod Nationals just as they did a year ago. WISSOTA Street Stocks will also be on the card with a full program each night racing for $300 to win as well. Both support classes will utilize the draw/redraw format each day.
The Mod Nationals have never had a repeat winner in the $7,000 to win event. Jason Thoennes, Shane Sabraski and Dave Cain have etched their names into the history books, with Tony Leiker holding the honor of the best average finish in the main event with an 8th place finish over the first three events.
Nate Heinrich has won the Midwest Modified portion of the Mod Nationals on two separate occasions, with Shane Sabraski, Danny Bayer, Dallas Gulbrandson and Dave Schroeder each also claiming a Midwest Modified feature win at the Mod Nationals over the past three seasons.
Jason VandeKamp, Corey Rosen, Dave Rohweder and Scott Huston have each captured a Street Stock victory at the Modified Nationals as well over the past 2 seasons that the Streeters have been a part of the show.
Come out to Alexandria and spend the 4th of July holiday weekend witnessing some of the fastest motorsports action around! For more information, please call Chris at (715) 497-8916, check out
www.fyemotorsports.com or email
clsracer@hotmail.com.
4th Annual MN Modified
Nationals Just Around The Corner
Como Mod Series To Reward Mod Nationals Heat
Winners In ‘08
Prepared by FYE
Motorsports Promotions – St. Cloud, MN (May 28th 2008)
With the 4th
Annual $7,000 to win Minnesota Modified Nationals only 5 weeks away, FYE
Motorsports owner Chris Stepan is busily preparing for WISSOTA’s biggest
paying Modified special for the 4th straight year. Not only
will this year’s winner receive $7,000 and a 5’ trophy, but he will also
etch his name in the record books as being the champion of one of the
biggest paying Modified events in the entire country. In fact, in 2008,
there are only 10 dirt Modified events anywhere in the world that pay
$7,000 to win or more and the Mod Nationals is one of them.
Jason Thoennes, Shane
Sabraski and Dave Cain have graced victory lane and raced to the $7,000
winner’s payday over the first three seasons of this mega-event, held at
the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minnesota over the 4th of
July holiday weekend each summer, which typically boasts 60+ cars from 6
states and Canada each year.
A new twist to this year’s
Mod Nationals will see each of the Modified heat race winners picking up
a $100 bonus each courtesy of the Como Oil & Propane Modified Series.
Series Director Joe Stariha has offered up $100 to each of the heat race
winners at this year’s Mod Nationals and has also come on board as the
official trophy sponsor for the top three finishers in this year’s
50-lap Modified feature event.
Stariha and his wife Jodi
are big race fans and are thrilled to come on board and be associated
with the biggest paying Modified special in the upper Midwest this
season. Stariha said “ I am excited to be a part of the Mod Nationals
this year. The Como Mod Series and Mod Nationals have always worked
together so that we didn’t book races that conflict with each other in
order for the Mod drivers to attend all of our shows plus the Mod
Nationals. It is great to see Modified events that pay this kind of
money in our area that allow our local drivers to run for these types of
purses.”
The Mod Nationals has
produced some of the most intense Modified racing action over the past
three years, and is expected to do so again in ’08. An open practice
will be held from 7p-10p on Thursday night, July 3rd with
racing action kicking off on Friday, July 4th and Saturday,
July 5th with the city of Alexandria fireworks display being
held after the races on Saturday night as well.
For more information
regarding the 4th annual Minnesota Modified Nationals, please
check out
www.fyemotorsprots.com
or call Chris at (715) 497-8916.
Sabraski & VandeKamp Win Mod Nationals Night One
McDonald &
Cain Earn Front Row For Mod Nationals Main Event
By Ray Beste
Alexandria, Mn (July 6th & 7th) - Opening night of the 2007 Minnesota
Modified nationals got underway Friday July 6th with a full program for
the WISSOTA Street Stocks and WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds. Along with the
support classes, the WISSOTA Modifieds would be on the card as well
running eight heat races and a qualifying feature event that would
determine the first seven rows for Saturday night's $7,000 to win
A-main. Sunny skies and great car counts greated fans and racers alike
for the third annual event brought to the fans by FYE Motorsports.
With 61 WISSOTA Modifieds checking into the back gate, seven Modified
heat races were held to determine who would make the big dance on
Saturday night. Heat one was loaded with heavy hitters with Kevin "Buzzy"
Adams and Jess Beckett sharing the front row. Adams led the first two
circuits before "Top Shelf Tony" Leiker blew past on the cushion in turn
two. Adams, in his first ever visit to the speedway, had a nice run
coming home second. Chippewa Falls, Mn driver Bryan Nayes moved up three
spots to finish third which would ultimately lock him into the Friday
nights qualifying A-main. Mike Storck and John Correll were each members
of the top five as well.
Heat number two was dominated by Corcoran, Mn driver Dave Cain. After
starting dead last on the grid, Cain slide and diced his way through the
field passing Matt Gilbertson for the lead with six laps remaining.
Gilbertson, however, had a great run himself moving from his sixth
starting position to finish second behind Cain. Scott Tofte, Don
Eischens and Randy Tarno were each in the top five as well in heat race
two. Gilbertson's passing points would lock him into the qualifying
feature as well.
Heat number three was dominated by 2006 event winner Shane Sabraski. The
Rice, Mn product blasted off from the outside of row one and was never
seriously challenge on his way to victory. Steve Arpin worked his way
past Scott Gilbertson, Dallas Gulbrandson and Steve Pfeifer during the
event which would put him into the qualifying feature as well.
Gulbrandson, Pfeifer and Scott Gilbertson were each members of the top
five as well in heat race three.
Heat number four was quite possibly the most loaded heat ever seen at
the Minnesota Modified nationals. In an event that featured Craig
Thatcher, Jon Tesch, Jason Thoennes, Scot Danzeisen and Jason Miller;
the fans anticipated a great 15-lap event. Thatcher grabbed the point
early on, on lap three while fifth starter Jon Tesch methodically worked
his way forward. Tesch moved past Rick Jacobson in the ladder stages of
the event to steal the qualifying feature spot. Jacobson moved up three
spots during the duration of the event finishing ahead of Thoennes and
Danzeisen. Jason Miller led early and often before a blow motor would
end his qualifying run.
On a strength of another great qualifying effort, Browerville, Mn driver
Jim Chyba qualified for his third straight Minnesota Modified Nationals
feature event. Chyba took the early lead from outside pole before fifth
starter Jay McDonald moved up to do battle with four laps remaining.
McDonald railed the high side while Chyba worked middle to bottom during
the 15-lap contest. Mark Esala had a steady run coming home third ahead
of Jamie Lemke and Bryce Bjerke.
Blooming Prairie, Mn legend Mark Noble scored the win in heat race
number six. Noble ducked under early leader Terry Engebretson and lap
four and was never seriously challenged in the remaining laps. Lowry, Mn
driver Zach Johnson would ensure his place in Saturday nights A-main
with a second place finish while Engebretson, Jeremy Kerzman and Nate
Heinrich rounded out the top five. Noble's effort would qualify him for
his second straight Minnesota Modified Nationals feature event.
Central Minnesota was well represented in the seventh and final heat.
Local product Ryan Muzik battled tooth and nail with Dennis Bitzan
during the final five laps, but scored the win in the end by a car
length. Dawson, Mn throttle-masher JJ Schuelke picked up the passing
points award finishing third moving up five spots from his eighth
starting position. Andy Gordon and Ryan Canon followed the front trio to
the line.
With all the qualifying heat races in the books, it was now time for the
WISSOTA Street Stock finale. Speedway regulars Aaron Leininger and Mark
Blom shared the front row starting duties as head flagman Mike
Commerford dropped the green. Blom would lead the opening lap before
VandeKamp would sneak by Mark for the point on lap two. Eight starter
Dave Rohweder cracked the top five on lap three and looked as if he was
likely the fastest car on the speedway. Rohweder disposed of Jason Long
for the fourth spot on lap seven while VandeKamp endured pressure from
seventh starter Cory Crapser. Crapser's run, however, would end on lap
eight when he expired a motor on the backstretch. The yellow flag hung
over the field which would bunch of the competitors behind VandeKamp. On
the restart, Rohweder moved into third as the laps began to wind down.
Rohweder powered by Blom on the bottom of the track in turn three with
four laps remaining while VandeKamp looked strong out front. With two to
go, Rohweder closed in on the backside of VandeKamp for the lead. During
the remaining two laps, Rohweder would take a peak to the inside but
never mounted a serious challenge to VandeKamp's first ever Viking
Speedway triumph. Rohweder had a great run coming home second ahead of
Blom, Long and Justin Vogel. Heat race wins were collected by Blom and
Rohweder.
Rice, Mn driver Shane Sabraski ducked under both Brett Hoium and Pete
Loecken on the opening lap to grab the lead in the WISSOTA Midwest
Modified finale. Sabraski quickly stretched his advantage out front
while Hoium was left to do battle with Brian Krog for the second spot.
Krog would eventually wrestle the spot away from Hoium while Sabraski
was checked out, out front. The best battle on the speedway was for the
third spot which featured a three wide battle between Hoium, Kyle
Krafthefer and Jake Wildman. Hoium ran the extreme bottom of the race
track with Krafthefer and Wildman up on the cushion. Hoium would off
each competitor while twelfth starter Josh Thoennes began to work his
way forward. With four laps remaining, Thoennes moved by Danny Bayer for
the sixth spot as he closed in on the third place trio. In the end it
was Hoium holding off Krafthefer, Wildman and Thoennes for the third
spot while Sabraski cruised on to an easy victory and $500 paycheck out
front. Krog, Hoium, Krafthefer and Wildman were all members of the top
five as well. Dave Schroeder picked up the hard charger award starting
24th and finishing 11th.
With all the two barrel classes in the books, it was time for the 25-lap
WISSOTA Modified qualifying feature. Where each competitor would finish,
would determine their starting spot for Saturday night's $7,000 to win
A-main. Muzik grabbed the opening lap advantage while Dave Cain quickly
began to march forward. While most cars worked middle to bottom, Cain
pedaled his J-Car up on the cushion with great results. Cain moved into
fourth on lap three while Gilbertson briefly took the lead out front.
Cain continued his spirited march toward the front finding himself at
the top of the mountain on lap eighth. "Mr. Modified" Jay McDonald
railed the high side of the speedway with great results entering the top
five with seven laps remaining. McDonald would wheel by Craig Thatcher
for the third spot while Cain began to stretch his advantage out front.
Muzik would fade a little bit in the remaining laps but still manage to
turn in a great fifth place run. McDonald was able to work his way past
Jim Chyba in the remaining laps to take over second as Cain cruised on
to the victory out front. Cain chose the outside pole for Saturday
nights A-main which meant Jay McDonald and Dave Cain would set the pace
for Saturday night's Minnesota Modified Natinonals A-main.
SUMMARY:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Qualifying Feature- Dave Cain, Jay McDonald, Jim Chyba, Craig Thatcher,
Ryan Muzik, Steve Arpin, Jon Tesch, Mark Noble, JJ Schuelke, Bryan Nayes,
Shane Sabraski, Matt Gilbertson, Tony Leiker
Heat 1- Leiker, Adams, Nayes, M. Storck, Correll, Jamie Trautner, Mark
Trautner, Beckett, Jegtvig
Heat 2- Cain, M. Gilbertson, Tofte, Eischens, Tarno, Danny Staff, Aaron
Holton, Brooks
Heat 3- Sabraski, Arpin, Gulbrandson, Pfeiefer, S. Gilbertson, D. Storck,
Tim Alexander, Jason Voigt
Heat 4- Thatcher, Tesch, Jacobson, Thoennes, Danzeisen, Froehlich,
Keyser, Miller
Heat 5- Chyba, McDonald, Esala, Lemke, Bjerke, Delaine, Mathison, Borgen
Heat 6- Noble, Johnson, Engebretson, Kerzman, Heinrich, Erik Bjorklund,
Bruns, Arne Anderson
Heat 7- Muzik, Bitzan, Schuelke, Gordon, Canon, Grimes, Matt Anderson,
Kevin Viebrock
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Shane Sabraski, Brian Krog, Brett Hoium, Kyle Krafthefer, Jake
Wildman, Josh Thoennes, Danny Bayer, Jason Hoffman, Zach Schultz, Pete
Loecken, Dave Schroeder, Scott Gill, Brian Haben, Terry Merten, William
Lund, Korey Krafthefer, Dan Greeley, Matt Smith, Randy Vezina, Marshal
Tofte, Todd Berg, Kyle Koehntop, Jeremy Kerzman, Kyle Reents, Russ
Anderson, Chris Mensen
Heat 1- Bayer, Hoium, Ko Krafthefer, Tofte, Lund, Smith, Koehtnop, Berg,
Vezina
Heat 2- Krog, Ky Krafthefer, Loecken, Schultz, Merten, Hoffman, Haben,
Greeley, Mensen
Heat 3- Wildman, Kerzman, Sabraski, Thoennes, Gill, Reents, Anderson,
Schroeder
WISSOTA Street Stocks:
Feature- Jason VandeKamp, Dave Rohweder, Mark Blom, Jason Long, Justin
Vogel, Scott Horn, Kelly Hagel, Kyle Thompson, Andrew Bangsund, Matt
Kometz, Aaron Leininger, Jason McCoy, Chris Winter, Cory Crapser, Chris
Michaelsohn, Randy Laage, Travis Berends, Shawn Wageman, Ryan Buer, Joe
Pellman
Heat 1- Rohweder, Crapser, Wageman, VandeKamp, Long, Horn, Buer, Berends,
Hagel, Bangsund
Heat 2- Blom, McCoy, Laage, Leininger, Vogel, Michaelsohn, Thompson,
Kometz, Winter, Pellman
Cain Captures $7,000 Mod Nationals Title
Rosen & Bayer In Victory Lane On Mod Nationals Night
2
By Ray Beste
Alexandria, Mn (July 7th, 2007) - Although Jay McDoanld took the lead on
lap nineteen, Dave Cain roarded back during the 50-lap WISSOTA Modified
event to gain the win at the third Annual Minnesota Modified Nationals.
Perennial WISSOTA national front runners Danny Bayer (WISSOTA Midwest
Modifieds) and Cory Rosen (WISSOTA Street Stocks) each picked up might
impressive wins as well during night two of the Mod Nationals.
Before the 25-car field could be set for the WISSOTA Modifieds, three
B-mains and a last chance qualifier had to be held to determine the
25-car starting grid. 20 laps was put up on the score board for the
first B-main with Dennis Bitzan and Kevin "Buzzy" Adams aligned on the
front row. Adams blasted off to the early lead while Bitzan was left to
do battle with Rick Jacobson for the second spot. Bitzan ran the low
side of the speedway with Jacobson up top. With only the top three
competitors locking into the A-main, the action was hot and heavy early.
Scott Tofte was up on the cushion "doing work" on lap fourteen when he
overtook Bitzan for the lead in turn four. Jacobson followed Tofte to
the highside and dropped Bitzan back to the final transfer spot with
four laps remaining. Bitzan and Nate Heinrich would battle door to door
during the remaining laps with Bitzan holding on to the transfer spot.
Out front it was Tofte picking up the win in dominating fashion.
Jacobson, Bitzan, Heinrich and Steve Pfeifer were also members of the
top five.
With the track sporting two solid grooves, WISSOTA Modified B-main #2
rolled out next with Dallas Gulbrandson and Mike Storck showing the
fifteen car starting field to the green. Gulbrandson beat Storck to turn
one and was scored the leader at the conclusion of the first lap. The
battle for second was a good one early on between Storck and Andy Gordon
before eleventh starter Dale Mathison joined the fray. Mathison pedaled
his machine on the extreme high side of speedway cracking the top five
with six laps remaining. Mathison would dispose of both Gordon and
Storck in the remaining laps taking home a very impressive second place
finish behind race winner Gulbrandson. Gordon and Randy Tarno rounded
out the top five finishing order.
Jamie Lemke scored the victory in B-main #3 in dominating fashion. After
sharing the front row with Jason Thoennes, Lemke blasted off and gained
an early eight car length advantage over Thoennes. Don Eischens would
also move by Thoennes for position in the ladder stages of the event as
Thoennes had a motor going away. Scott Gilbertson moved up to do battle
with Thoennes on the final lap for the final transfer spot. Thoennes,
however, was able to hold off Gilbertson to make it in to his third
consecutive Minnesota Modified Nationals A-main. Gilbertson's run was
important, however, it would put him on the pole for the last chance
qualifier's race.
Gilbertson parlayed his strong B-main finish into a win in the LCQ. Not
only would that earn Gilbertson a $700 starting spot in the A-main, but
it also gained him a brand new Hoosier race tire donated by Cory Oberg
of Premiere Real Estate Services. Bald Knob, AR ace Wayne Brooks was the
other to transfer out of the LCQ qualifying for the A-main event.
The WISSOTA Street Stocks were first to get the call for their 15-lap
main event with Cory Rosen and Cory Crapser sharing the front row
duties. Rosen carried the high side momentum to grab the opening lap
advantage while Crapser settled into second. Crapser's weekend took
another turn for the worse on lap four when he slowed drastically on the
back straightaway. Crapser would once again retire pitside with motor
trouble. Seventh starter Shawn Wageman moved into second with four laps
remaing as He and Rosen battled for the top spot. Wageman would take a
peak to the inside or Rosen several times in the remaining three laps
but was never able to overtake Rosen for the win. Out front it was Rosen
picking up his first Viking Speedway feature win of the season. Wageman
continues to be up front with consistency coming home second ahead of
Jason Long, Scott Horn and Aaron Leininger. Crapser and Wageman picked
up heat race victories earlier in the evening for the WISSOTA Streets.
Valley City, ND driver Randy Klein took the lead on the opening lap of
the WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main. Klein would lead early and often
while third starter Danny Bayer would move into second. Klein would lead
each of the first seven laps before Bayer powered by using the ditch in
turn four on lap seven. Jason Hoffman followed Bayer's move and took
over second one lap later while Jake Wildman began to march his way to
the front. After starting nineteenth, Wildman found himself in the
seventh spot with five laps remaining. Joining Wildman in a hard
charging effort was Glenwood, Mn driver Dave Schroeder. Schroeder
started the 20-lap A-main in the 24th starting position and came home
seventh at the line. Wildman would dispose of Ryan Mikkelson and Kyle
Krafthefer in the remaining laps ending an unbelievable run in the
fourth spot. Out front it was Bayer stretching his advantage in the
remaining laps picking up yet another Viking Speedway triumph. Hoffman,
Klein, Wildman and Mikkelson rounded out the top five. Brock Gronwold,
Bayer and Jeremy Kerzman picked up heat race wins earlier in the contest
for the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds.
With all the weekend's activities in the books, the WISSOTA Modifieds
rolled out onto the speedway for their 50-lap A-main. Driver
introductions took place with each driver readying for the 50-lap
contest. Order was quickly restored afterwards as the cars aligned in a
four wide salute to the fans. The field stacked up two by two shortly
there after with Jay McDoanld and Dave Cain showing the twenty-five car
field to the green flag. When the green flag dropped, Cain slammed his
right rear tire on the cushion in turn one and carried enough momentum
off of turn two to grab the opening lap advantage. McDonald settled in
behind and ran near Cain's rear bumper on the high side of the speedway.
Cain would hold the lead while Jim Chyba and Craig Thatcher battled for
the third spot. Chyba ran the bottom with Thatcher in the middle.
Thatcher would overtake the position on lap seventeen while McDonald
still applied pressure to Cain up front. With the checkered flags waving
for the 20-lap fuel stop, McDonald ducked under Cain for the top spot
garnering the position at the line. After the cars re-fueld their
machines, McDonald showed the field around once again as the green flag
waved. McDonald experimented with the bottom groove on the restart and
Cain was once again blasted by off of turn two. Madison, Mn driver Scott
Tofte found the high side of the speedway to his liking on lap
twenty-three when he moved into sixth. Tofte, after starting fifteenth,
looked as if he might have a top five car when the cross flags waved
over the field. Back in the pack a few hard charging efforts were found.
After switching a motor during intermission, 25th starter Jason Thoennes
cracked the top twelve with fifteen laps remaining. Joining Thoennes on
a hard-charging voyage was Richmond, Mn pilot Don Eischens. Eischens
moved from 20th to 7th during the duration of the 50-lap event. Thoennes
would move up four more spots in the remaining laps ending a great run
in the eighth spot. Jon Tesch moved into the fourth spot with seven laps
remaining as the final yellow of the event waved over the field. On the
restart, Tesch made a couple of beautiful moves stick and found himself
in the second spot with five to go. Cain continued to run the cushion
with Tesch throwing some wicked slide jobs at him in turns one and two.
On the final trip around the speedway, Tesch made a bonzai run for the
bottom of the speedway in turn one. Tesch, however, made a clean move
and allowed Cain room to motor back past. Tesch duplicated his move in
turns three and four before a rear axle tube broke dropping him back one
position behind Steve Arpin at the line. Out front it was Cain picking
up his first ever Viking Speedway win and a nice $7,000 paycheck to
boot. Second went to Arpin with Tesch, Shane Sabraski and Craig Thatcher
rounding out the top five. Thoennes was the hard charger of the event
starting 25th and finishing 8th.
The Folks at FYE Motorsports would like to thank all the fans and
drivers that came out to support the 3rd Annual Minnesota Modified
Nationals. Without there support an event of this magnitude could not
take place. Congrats to Dave Cain on his $7,000 win as well as many
others who made the weekend a great one for the fans.
SUMMARY:
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Feature- Dave Cain, Steve Arpin, Jon Tesch, Shane Sabraski, Craig
Thatcher, Mark Noble, Don Eischens, Jason Thoennes, Dennis Bitzan, Zach
Johnson, Bryan Nayes, Dallas Gulbrandson, Scott Tofte, Tony Leiker, Dale
Mathison, Wayne Brooks, Mike Storck, Jay McDonald, Rick Jacobson, Matt
Gilbertson, Jim Chyba, Ryan Muzik, Jamie Lemke, JJ Schuelke, Scott
Gilbertson
B-main 1- Tofte, Jacobson, Bitzan, Heinrich, Pfeiefer, D. Storck,
Keyser, Matt Anderson
B-main 2- Gulbrandson, Mathison, M. Storck, Gordon, Tarno, Viebrock,
Follmer, Holton
B-main 3- Lemke, Eischens, Thoennes, Gilbertson, Brooks, Thomas, Staff,
Delaine
Last Chance- Gilbertson, Brooks, Gordon, Thomas, Tarno
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Danny Bayer, Jason Hoffman, Randy Klein, Jake Wildman, Ryan
Mikkelson, Kyle Krafthefer, Dave Schroeder, Matt Smith, Travis Saurer,
Korey Krafthefer, Marshal Tofte, Pete Loecken, Brett Hoium, Chris Mensen,
Kyle Reents, Shane Sabraski, Ron Saurer, Terry Merten, Brian Krog,
Jeremy Kerzman, Scott Gill, Brock Gronwold, Ross Romdalvik, Kyle
Koehntop
Heat 1- Sabraski, Saurer, Smith, Krafthefer, Wildman, Mensen, Schroeder,
Russ Anderson
Heat 2- Kerzman, Klein, R. Saurer, Krog, Romdalvik, Gill, Thoennes,
Haben
Heat 3- Hoffman, Bayer, Loecken, Ko Krafthefer, Hoium, Vezina, Greeley,
Bernstein
Heat 4- Gronwold, Mikkelson, Merten, Reents, Koehntop, Tofte, Don Platow,
Bill Lund
B-main- Mensen, Tofte, Gill, Schroeder, Bernstein
WISSOTA Street Stocks:
Feature- Cory Rosen, Shawn Wageman, Jason Long, Scott Horn, Aaron
Leininger, Mark Blom, Justin Vogel, James Tandeski, Dave Rohweder, Ryan
Buer, Nick Thoreson, Chris Winter, Randy Laage, Jason McCoy, Andy
Bangsund, Cory Tammen, Kyle Thompson, Matt Kometz, Cory Crapser
Heat 1- Crapser, Blom, Long, Winter, Kometz, McCoy, Bangsund, Tammen,
Laage, Thoreson
Heat 2- Wageman, Rosen, Rohweder, Leininger, Horn, Buer, Vogel, Tandeski,
Thompson
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