Badger State Nationals Cancelled Due To Weather

September 30th 2009 - For Immediate Release – St. Cloud, MN

It is with great regret that we announce tonight that the 2nd annual Badger State Nationals at the Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, WI has been cancelled due to the impending weather forecast, which includes a high percentage of rain, cold temperatures and wind.

The forecast over the next four days calls for a high percentage of rainfall on Thursday, Thursday night, Friday and Friday night. Couple that with the chance of rain and the low temperatures forecast for highs on Friday and Saturday, the fear is that the forecasted overcast skies and cool temperatures will not allow the facility proper drying time so that the event could be run on Saturday and/or even on Sunday as previously planned. The forecast calls for a chance of rain on Saturday, Saturday night and late Sunday as well.

Event promoter Chris Stepan stated ‘I have been looking forward to this event for months now and have had a ton of drivers calling me regarding information about the event, so it is very disappointing that we need to cancel it, but I would hate to get all of the racers and fans here from all over the Midwest and then be forced to cancel because of the weather once everyone is here. Fuel isn’t free and I’d hate to basically force racers and fans to get on the road only to have to cancel the event once everyone has already begun their travels.’

‘ I wanted to be sure to get the announcement out early enough to get the word out to folks before they begin traveling here to New Richmond and so that they can go support other events in the area if they so choose and so they don’t waste any of their time or money for no reason.’ Stepan also stated ‘Cedar Lake Speedway and I plan to host the event again at the end of the 2010 racing season, so racers and fans should keep an eye on www.fyemotorsports.com for updates throughout the winter.’

Anyone who reserved ramp parking spots, pre-paid for contingency awards or reserved camping spots will be refunded their money within the next 14 days.

Don’t forget the 7th annual Viking Fall Classic is just around the corner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 8th, 9th and 10th 2009 at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN.  

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Pipeline Travel Plaza Named Official Travel Plaza of 7th Viking Fall Classic

 

The Pipeline Travel Plaza, located just off of Interstate I-94 at Exit 100 in Alexandria, MN has been named as the official Travel Plaza of the 7th annual Viking Fall Classic coming up on October 8th, 9th and 10th 2009. Pipeline has awarded a long tow award to one lucky driver each week throughout the entire regular season at the Viking Speedway, but has really stepped it up for the year ending Fall Classic.

 

Pipeline will be offering a $100 fuel card to the driver that tows the farthest in EACH of the six divisions in competition at this year’s Fall Classic. One driver per class will be rewarded with some free fuel to help offset the costs of towing so far to support the 7th Annual Fall Classic.

 

Pipeline also has a full truck repair shop that is open from 7am to 5pm on Friday as well as from 7am to noon on Saturday for racers or fans that may need any repairs done to their big or small rigs throughout the course of the weekend. They will also have mechanics and parts ‘on call’ all weekend for emergency repairs if needed.

 

Pipeline will also offer 10% off all food purchases made at Willy’s Roadside Café (located inside Pipeline Travel Plaza) and you can take an additional 10% off of your meal purchase (20% total) if you fuel with Pipeline throughout the course of the weekend.

 

Pipeline promises to have a full line of ice cold beer, ice, assortment of snacks and even firewood for you campers who are coming to town for the weekend.

 

And finally, Pipeline will offer a discounted truck wash/wax for racers who want a clean rig either before or after the Fall Classic, by offering this service for only $50 and all you have to do is mention the Fall Classic to get the discount.

 

Thanks to Bill and Kevin from Pipeline for stepping up to support the event and help the racers in such a big way!



2nd Annual
Badger State
Nationals Sees Exciting New Format!

Topless Late Models
, IMCA Modifieds & Much, Much More……

August 3rd 2009 – St. Cloud, Minnesota (Prepared by FYE Motorsports Promotions)

The dates for the 2nd Annual FYE Motorsports promoted Badger State Nationals are rapidly approaching and set to take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 1st, 2nd and 3rd 2009 with an inclement weather date of Sunday, October 4th if necessary at the 3/8 mile high banked Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, WI.

St. Cloud, Minnesota based FYE Motorsports Promotions has leased the Cedar Lake Speedway for the second year in a row and will present the 2nd annual Badger State Nationals which will wrap up the 2009 racing season at Cedar Lake in a grand fashion and will feature NASCAR Late Models racing for a purse of $4,000 to win; IMCA Modifieds running for $1,500 to win; NASCAR Super Stocks racing for $1,200 to win; NASCAR Midwest Modifieds and NASCAR Street Stocks, who will each be gunning for a whopping $1,000 to win each, Pure Stocks, who will run for a $500 paycheck and Hornets, racing for $300 to win throughout the weekend. The winner of the IMCA Modified event will be added to the ballot for the 2010 Fastshafts All Star Race at the Super Nationals in Boone, IA as well.

The Late Model portion of the program will feature the only TOPLESS Late Model event anywhere in the Midwest as the ground pounding NASCAR Late Models will run without roofs for the 2nd annual Badger State Nationals. The Modified portion of the show will feature the first ever IMCA-sanctioned Modified event held at Cedar Lake. The Pro Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks will be NASCAR-sanctioned all weekend as well. The Pure Stocks and Hornets will see 'local track' rules used in both divisions.

FYE owner Chris Stepan said "With NASCAR and IMCA partly sanctioning this event, this year ending event should become a weekend that drivers and fans will not want to miss. It's not very often that fans around the upper Midwest can see a Topless Late Model event, plus there has never been an IMCA-sanctioned Modified event held at Cedar Lake, which should provide some fantastic open wheel action. Couple that with the fantastic racing action that the Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks and Hornets put on each night, this event should be a fantastic way for drivers and fans to kick off the month of October,"

Thursday night will feature an open practice session from 6pm to 10pm for anyone interested in tuning up for the big show and then a post-practice party at Champs Sports Bar & Grill in New Richmond from 10pm to 2am that will feature drink and food specials to all who attended practice.

Friday will then see the pit gate and grandstand gates opening at 4:00pm. Draw cut off and the driver’s meeting will be at 6:00pm, with hot laps at 6:30pm and racing starting sharply at 7:00pm. All heat races will be run on Friday night for all seven divisions with passing points being used to line up Saturday’s features and consolation races. Friday night will also feature Cedar Lake’s famous party in the pits with music and refreshments for all to enjoy.

Saturday will then see the pit gates and grandstand gates opening at 3:00pm. The driver’s meeting will be held at 5:00pm with hot laps at 5:30pm and racing starting sharply at 6:00pm. All b-features and last chances plus all championship features will be run on Saturday night.

Stepan also said “As everyone knows, over the past 7 years, FYE has tried to stage bigger paying shows to give back to our local area drivers. In my opinion, we have some of the most talented drivers in the entire country right here in our back yard and I think it is appropriate that they get to race for some ‘big money’ on a handful of occasions. Although last year’s format was a bit adventurous, this year’s event should feature some of the best Upper Midwest racers vying for some great paychecks throughout the course of the weekend. Partnering with Cedar Lake was a no-brainer for this race because CLS has an unmatched, state-of-the-art facility, which should allow the fans to enjoy this event even that much more. Last year the racing action was absolutely incredible and this year should prove to the more of the same.”

In addition, Cedar Lake Speedway co-owner Bob Kaufman stated “We are thrilled to partner with FYE Motorsports for the second straight year on this event and are confident that the Badger State Nationals will prove to be one show you surely don’t want to miss!”

Ticket prices:
Thursday: Grandstands - Free, Pit Passes - $10.00, Car/Driver - $20.00
Friday: Adults - $15.00, Children (10-15yo) - $6.00, Children under 10 are free
Saturday: Adults - $20.00, Children (10-15yo) - $6.00, Children under 10 are free
No multi-day grandstand tickets will be available

Entry Fees, Tire Rules and other information can be found at www.fyemotorsports.com.  

If you are interested in reserving a camping spot for the weekend, please visit www.cedarlakespeedway.com to reserve your favorite spot.

Vendor and sponsor inquiries are welcome or if you are looking for a reserved ramp parking spot for the weekend, you can contact Chris at (715) 497-8916 or at clsracer@hotmail.com. Also, check out www.fyemotorsports.com for more updates as the date creeps closer.


3rd Annual $9,200 to win John Seitz Memorial Late Model Invitational


EVENT FLYER

For the third year in a row in early September, Late Model drivers in the upper Midwest will be vying for a very stout $9,200 to win paycheck at the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota as the 3rd annual John Seitz Memorial Late Model Invitational is held in honor of Bemidji, Minnesota Late Model pilot John Seitz who suddenly passed away in February of 2007 while on a snowmobile trip in Idaho.

The Seitz family, Seitz Crew Chief Josh Hills, River Cities Speedway Promoter Darren Evavold, Seitz best friend and sponsor Don Shaw and FYE Motorsports Owner Chris Stepan continue to work hard to make this event a truly special event in honor of a great man and great competitor. This year will be even bigger and better as a few slight changes have been made to make the overall weekend even better!

The 3rd running of the Memorial will take place on Friday and Saturday, September 11th and 12th with a rain date on Sunday, September 13th if necessary. This event has previously been run on Thursday and Friday nights, but the event’s organizers feel that moving it to a Friday and Saturday is a move in the right direction so that fans and drivers alike do not have to worry about taking off work 2 days to get to the event. This way, folks can work all week and travel to Grand Forks on Friday instead of on Thursday as they have in the past.

Due to the fact that the event has been moved to Friday and Saturday, the event’s organizers have decided to run an open practice on Thursday night, September 10th from 6pm-10pm. This practice session will allow traveling teams that choose to come to the River City early for the event, the opportunity to turn some laps on the track and get their set up just right for the weekend’s action. This practice session will be open to any and all competitors in all classes. A post practice party is also planned after practice concludes at 10pm. More details will be announced shortly.

WISSOTA Late Models will run all of their heat races and pole dash on Friday night, while WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and WISSOTA Street Stocks will also compete in a complete show on Friday night. Saturday night will then feature another complete show for the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds, WISSOTA Street Stocks, and a complete program of NOSA Sprint Cars will also thrill the fans on Saturday night plus the b-features and 50-lap, $9,200 to win WISSOTA Late Model main event.

Hickson, ND veteran Mitch Johnson raced to the first annual Memorial championship, while Mound, MN racer Justin Fegers capped off a thrilling 50-lap event last season to win the 2nd annual title. Over 50 of the Midwest’s best Late Models are expected to converge in Grand Forks for one of the biggest paydays of the season. This event is more than just a race, it is an event to celebrate and remember the life of a great competitor and great guy, which is why it has turned into such a tremendously successful event.

Action will get underway both Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30pm. For more information on this event as the date grows closer feel free to check out www.rivercitiesspeedway.com or www.johnseitz92.com. EVENT FLYER

Ticket prices for the weekend’s event are as follows:

Thursday night (practice)
Grandstand - free
Pits $10 Car/Driver $25

Friday night
Grandstand Adults $16 Advance Ticket Outlets $13
Kids 7-13 Just $5
Kids 6 and under FREE!

Saturday night
Grandstand Adults $23 Advance Ticket Outlets $20
Kids 7-13 Just $5
Kids 6 and under FREE!


FYE Motorsports Promotions Cuts Ties With Kopellah Speedway


For Immediate Release: July 12th 2009 – St. Cloud, Minnesota

          In an announcement made public on Sunday, July 12th, effective immediately, FYE Motorsports Promotions and its owner Chris Stepan have announced that he and his company will cease being involved in the management of the St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin race track.

          Stepan and track owner Marguerite Lindblom have a contract in place which states that the promoter’s compensation shall be paid by a certain deadline, however Lindblom has failed to meet that deadline on three separate occasions, including this past Friday night, throughout the first half of the season. The track owner also has not allowed the management to follow through on several job duties that were agreed upon in the contract and lastly, the track owner has undermined decisions that were made to better the speedway, which ultimate lead to the decision to cut ties with the speedway.

          Stepan said ‘My staff and I have put our hearts and soul into trying to make Kopellah a better place than it’s sub-par reputation has been over the past decade, but unfortunately it does not appear as if Marguerite wants her track to be successful. She has made several business-related decisions recently that put her intentions for the track into question. I just don’t feel it’s worthwhile to anyone to put all of my or my staff’s time and effort into something that I am not sure she even wants to see be successful.’ He also stated ‘Kopellah has seen the biggest car counts, biggest crowds and the events have been some of the best in many years in 2009, so things have been going well on the promotion and management side of things, but when you can’t trust the intentions or decision making abilities of the person paying the bills, it’s almost impossible to remain in that situation. It’s an unfortunate situation for the local drivers that call Kopellah their home track and will be negatively affected by her decisions, but she has not held up her end of the contract, so this is an unavoidable outcome. I wish the drivers that run Kopellah on a regular basis luck throughout the remainder of 2009.’


Mathison Sweeps the 5th Annual Minnesota Modified Nationals

 

 

2009 Photo Gallery
2009 RESULTS

2009 Mod Nationals News & Notes

Mod Nationals Ramblings……

Like I do each year, I wanted to throw some of my thoughts surrounding this past weekend’s super successful 5th annual Minnesota Modified Nationals on paper, so here goes…

Weather: Mother Nature sure smiled on us on Saturday with 85* and sunny skies, but man did we deserve that after narrowly, and I mean narrowly, avoiding the rains that were in the area all day and night on Friday. According to the radar maps we should have been getting rained on all day Friday, but someone must have been living right because we only got a few drops at around 5pm.

Car Counts: For the third time in the 5 year history of this event the overall car count hit the 70 mark with exactly 70 Modifieds attending the event. Although only 67 actually competed as three did not return after Thursday night’s practice session.

Location: We had the widest variety of area coverage this year with drivers from Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, North Carolina, Manitoba and Ontario competing over the course of the weekend in one of our three divisions.

Long Tow: Tony Leiker, Justin Elmer and Ryan Rosser all made the over 600 mile trek from Wyoming, while Hank Berry towed nearly 550 miles from Montana plus technically Steve Arpin made the 1300mile trip from North Carolina as well to compete.

Track Prep: The Viking Speedway staff deserves a HUGE thumbs up for the fantastic racing surface we had all weekend. With 80+* temps and sun all weekend, it could have been a dry, dusty, rubbered up track, but that new tiller machine, 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.

Fans: Although some folks in the stands get a bit too over the top when cheering for or against their favorite driver, most of the fans at Viking are the best around because they get so passionate, especially at these big events.

Hard Chargers: Mark Noble, after suffering a flat tire and restarting at the tail, charged to a 9th place finish, but the official Hard Charger (sponsored by Champs Sports Bar & Grill in New Richmond, WI) was Kelly Estey. Kelly started 9th in a b-main, qualified for the feature, then started 18th and charged to 4th at the checkered. In fact, he was up to third at one point in the event.

Surprises: If you didn’t know who Jason Grimes was – you do now! The former Midwest Modified hot shoe truly had a head-turning weekend. Not only did he lead the first bunch of laps in the 50-lapper, but after Mathison got by into the lead, he ran an untouchable second to the checkered.

First Timers: Five drivers made the Mod Nationals feature field for the first time this year. Jason Grimes, Danny Bayer, Mitch Johnson, Darrell Nelson and Brad Waits got into the big show for the first time.

Luck:

Good Luck: Danny Bayer – Danny was running one spot out of a transfer spot in a b-main, until the final lap when Hank Berry slipped over the edge, handing the spot to Bayer into the a-main.

Bad Luck: Mark Blood and Gavin Paul both popped motors in practice on Thursday night and were not able to compete in the weekend’s events and Arpin, Jones, Follmer and Waits all dropped out of the 50-lapper early with problems.

Winning Chassis: For the second straight year, we had a Larry Shaw Race Car win the Mod Nationals. This year it was a Jared Landers built Shaw. We had the widest variety of chassis brands in attendance of any previous year with 30 J-cars entered, plus 8 Larry Shaw Modifieds, as well as 3 Skyrockets, 3 Fegers, 3 Elites, 2 Harris Auto Racing Chassis, 2 BMS Modifieds, 2 Jones Chassis, and 1 each of the following: Millenium, DirtWorks, Tracer, Matrix, Weiberdink, TBG, Perfect, RCT, Taylor, Hughes, Victory, WRC, Eagle, DirtDueller, Xtreme, Kraft and Gallopher. A total of 25 different chassis brands were in attendance this weekend.

Consistency: After 5 years of the Mod Nationals and over 100 drivers that have competed in at least 1 of the years with us, there are still only 3 drivers that have been fortunate enough to have qualified for the $7,000 to win / $700 to start feature event each of the five years we have run this show. Those drivers are: Jason Thoennes, Steve Arpin and Craig Thatcher.

Winning Driver: Of course congratulations are in order for Dale Mathison and the 9m racing team. Dale had a disappointing Mod Nationals last year and has been focused on trying to win this event for the past 365 days. He got it done in dominating fashion this year with a complete weekend sweep.

Super Stocks: Although the racing action was sub-par in my opinion, congrats to Jon Stepan and Dave Mass for their wins in the Super Stock division this year. The Supers were added in place of the Street Stocks this year for the first (and maybe only) year.

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 Jeremy Kerzman and Travis Saurer for their first ever FYE promoted feature wins. Also a shout out is in order to Jeff Marshall for finishing second both nights in his potent #112. Jeff will be allowed into the John Seitz Memorial at the River Cities Speedway this September for free as the driver who earned the most points over the course of the weekend.

Odds & Ends: Jeff Marshall will be allowed into the John Seitz Memorial at the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND this September for free as the Midwest Modified driver who earned the most points over the course of the weekend. Trent Follmer and Scot Danzeisen won free transmission rebuilds courtesy of Glenn’s Precision Auto in St Cloud, MN and Jason Miller won a free entry into the Fall Classic this October.

Car Count: 70 total Modifieds, 54 different Midwest Modifieds and 27 different Super Stocks competed this weekend! This includes 3 Modifieds (Kyle Wieberdink, Gavin Paull and Mark Blood) and 2 Midwest Modifieds (Brady Gerdes and Galen Sletto) that were at practice Thursday night, but did not make it back for either Friday or Saturday night.

Dates: Mark July 1st, 2nd and 3rd 2010 on your calendar for the 6th running of the $7,000 to win Minnesota Modified Nationals at Viking. Also don’t forget that the 2nd annual Badger State Nationals is set for October 1st, 2nd and 3rd 2009 at the Cedar Lake Speedway and the 7th annual Viking Fall Classic is set for October 8th, 9th and 10th in Alex.

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 2010, so stay tuned for event information to come soon.


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. (Read More)

 



2nd Annual Badger State Nationals Dates Set
New Format – Same Door to Door Action!
March 25th 2009 – St. Cloud, Minnesota (Prepared by FYE Motorsports Promotions)

The FYE Motorsports promoted Badger State Nationals is set to take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 1st, 2nd and 3rd 2009 with an inclement weather date of Sunday, October 4th if necessary.

St. Cloud, Minnesota based FYE Motorsports Promotions has leased the Cedar Lake Speedway for the second year in a row and will present the 2nd annual Badger State Nationals which will wrap up the 2009 racing season at Cedar Lake in a grand fashion and will feature Late Models racing for a large purse of $4,000 to win; Super Stocks running for $1,500 to win; Outlaw Winged Modifieds, Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks, who will each be gunning for a whopping $1,000 to win each and Pure Stocks, who will run for a $500 paycheck throughout the weekend.

Thursday night will feature an open practice session from 7pm to 10pm for anyone interested in tuning up for the big show and then a post-practice party at Champs Sports Bar & Grill in New Richmond from 10pm to 2am that will feature drink and food specials to all who attended practice.

Friday will then see the pit gate and grandstand gates opening at 4:00pm. Draw cut off and the driver’s meeting will be at 6:00pm, with hot laps at 6:30pm and racing starting sharply at 7:00pm. All heat races will be run on Friday night for all six divisions with passing points being used to line up Saturday’s features and consolation races. Friday night will also feature Cedar Lake’s famous party in the pits with music and refreshments for all to enjoy.

Saturday will then see the pit gates and grandstand gates opening at 3:00pm. The driver’s meeting will be held at 5:00pm with hot laps at 5:30pm and racing starting sharply at 6:00pm. All b-features and last chances plus all championship features will be run on Saturday night.

FYE Motorsports Owner Chris Stepan said “As everyone knows, over the past 6 years, FYE has tried to stage bigger paying shows to give back to our local area drivers. In my opinion, we have some of the most talented drivers in the entire country right here in our back yard and I think it is appropriate that they get to race for some ‘big money’ on a handful of occasions. Although last year’s format was a bit adventurous, this year’s event should feature some of the best Upper Midwest racers vying for some great paychecks throughout the course of the weekend. Partnering with Cedar Lake was a no-brainer for this race because CLS has an unmatched, state-of-the-art facility, which should allow the fans to enjoy this event even that much more. Last year the racing action was absolutely incredible and this year should prove to the more of the same.”

In addition, Cedar Lake Speedway co-owner Bob Kaufman stated “We are thrilled to partner with FYE Motorsports for the second straight year on this event and are confident that the Badger State Nationals will prove to be one show you surely don’t want to miss!”

Entry Fee Information is as follows: Late Model car/driver entry fee will be $125 for the weekend. Super Stock car/driver entry fee will be $90 for the weekend. Winged Modified, Midwest Modified & Street Stock car/driver entry fee will be $80 for the weekend. Pure Stock car/driver entry fee will be $60 for the weekend. Pit passes will be $30 each day or $50 for a 2-day pass. Drivers not qualifying for the Badger State Nationals feature events on Saturday will receive non-qualifier money provided the driver starts a b-main.

Ticket prices:
Thursday: Grandstands - $Free, Pit Passes - $10.00, Car/Driver - $25.00
Friday: Adults - $15.00, Children (6-15yo) - $6.00
Saturday: Adults - $20.00, Children (6-15yo) - $8.00
All three days: Children under 6 are free
No multi-day tickets will be available

Tire Rule:
Late Models: Goodyear G45 & G50, Hoosier WRS2-55, American Racer 56 Spec Tire.  Grooving & siping allowed.

Winged Modifieds: Goodyear G60 & G65, Hoosier E-Mod H40, American Racer G60 & KK704. Grooving allowed on Goodyear & American Racer.  Outside groove only may be grooved on Hoosier.  All three brands may be siped.

Super Stock: Goodyear G60 & G65, Hoosier E-Mod H40.  Grooving & siping allowed.

Midwest Modified: Goodyear G60 & G65, Hoosier E-Mod H-40.  Grooving & siping allowed.  Note: Goodyear 8” G60 is also allowed.

Street Stocks: 
Goodyear 8” G60 & Hoosier E-Mod H40 will be allowed on all four corners.  Grooving and siping will be allowed on both brands.

Pure Stocks: Same as Legendary 100 Tire Rule (Open to Goodyears and Hoosiers

Restarts:
Single file restarts will be used in all heat races and b-features. Double file restarts will be used in championship features in all divisions. Raceceivers will be mandatory all three nights in all divisions. They will be available for purchase or rent at the event.

Lap Distances:
Friday:
Late Models: 12 laps
Winged Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks & Pure Stocks: 10 laps

Saturday:
B-features will be 15 laps in all classes
Last Chance Races will be 15 laps in all classes
Late Model feature will be 40 laps
Winged Modified feature will be 25 laps
Super Stock feature will be 25 laps
Midwest Modified feature will be 25 laps
Street Stock feature will be 25 laps
Pure Stock feature will be 20 laps.

If you are interested in a limited number of premier ramp-tier parking spots to view the event from the comfort of your RV, please call (715)497-8916 or email clsracer@hotmail.com for availability.

If you are interested in reserving a camping spot for the weekend, please visit www.cedarlakespeedway.com to reserve your favorite spot.

Vendor and sponsor inquiries are welcome at (715) 497-8916 or at clsracer@hotmail.com. Also, check out www.fyemotorsports.com for more updates as the date creeps closer.



7th Annual Viking Fall Classic: Bigger Than Ever In 2009
Mod Fours Added To Weekend Program For First Time
March 25th 2009 – St. Cloud, MN (Prepared by FYE Motorsports Promotions)
The year-ending Viking Fall Classic is set to wrap up the ‘09 racing season in grand style on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 8th, 9th and 10th 2009 at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minnesota. This year-ending mega event is already amazingly entering its 7th year of existence and has quickly grown into one of the Midwest’s premier and must see events with car counts typically reaching near 300 throughout the course of the weekend.This event, promoted by FYE Motorsports Promotions from nearby St. Cloud, Minnesota is sponsored by Ham Lake, Minnesota’s Shaw Trucking Inc. with assistance from NAPA Auto Parts, Bernick’s Pepsi, H. Boyd Nelson/Budweiser, Lucas Oil Products and GRP Motorsports, typically sees upwards of 5,000 race fans over the course of the weekend’s festivities and is certain to entertain fans young and old with the non-stop weekend action.

The 7th Viking Fall Classic will feature WISSOTA Late Models racing for a large purse of $4,000 to win; WISSOTA Modifieds, who will run for a top prize of $3,000 to win; WISSOTA Super Stocks running for the largest Super Stock payoff anywhere of $2,000 to win; WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks, who will each be gunning for a whopping $1,000 to win each and for the first time ever the WISSOTA Mod Fours will be on the card, racing for a sizeable $700 to win payday, setting up the 7th annual Fall Classic to be the biggest all-WISSOTA event of the 2009 season. The event car count record of 317, which was set in 2004, may be in jeopardy when the ’09 Classic rolls around.

The 2008 event saw Zach Johnson race to his first Late Model Fall Classic title, adding to his 2003 Midwest Modified and 2005 Modified Fall Classic titles, making him the only driver to win the Classic in three divisions, while Pat Doar stole the Modified title, winning his first career Modified feature at Viking. Young Ryan Mikkelson stunned the capacity crowd with the upset win in the Midwest Modifieds. Corey Rosen finished one spot better than in 2007 by racing to a long-awaited Street Stock title, while Don Shaw stormed to his third consecutive Super Stock win, bringing his overall Fall Classic win total to five.

Event details will be much like in previous years and will feature an open practice session on Thursday night, October 8th from 6pm to 9pm for anyone interested in coming and testing prior to the event. A social gathering will then take place after practice on Thursday night. Details will be released at a later date. Friday, October 9th will then see the grandstand and pit gates both open at 3pm with the draw cut off at 6pm and racing beginning at 6:30. All heat races will be run on Friday night. Saturday will see the pits and grandstand gates both open at noon with racing beginning at 3pm.

Log onto www.fyemotorsports.com for event details and updates throughout the coming months. We hope to see you in Alexandria for the 7th annual Fall Classic.

 

FYE Motorsports Online Store Grand Opening!
Custom Racing Merchandise Just In Time For The Holidays…

With the Holiday Season just around the corner, FYE Motorsports Promotions has come up with some incredible gift ideas for the race car driver, sponsor, car owner, pit crew, family or fans in your life. These custom-designed items are sure to catch the eye of any racer at heart.

Please check out http://fyemotorsports.com/store.htm and scroll down the page to check out images of several sample pieces that we have done so get the feel of what your custom designed piece may look like. Custom designed pieces make great additions to you hauler, RV, shop, office or home to remember seasons gone by, to offer as a thank you to a sponsor or a car owner or to commemorate milestones in your racing career.

Ordering is easy – Click the Add To Cart button and fill out the ordering information on the next screen. Once you submit your order, a confirmation email will be sent to FYE Motorsports. At that time, we will contact you to see exactly what your vision is for your custom merchandise and then will begin the creation of your order. Once the order is completed, you will be e-mailed a proof and once you approve the proof, we will finalize the order and ship it off to you.

These items will make GREAT Christmas, Birthday and other Holiday gifts for your loved ones, but hurry because we expect many orders to come in and we want to make sure we can get them done for you before Christmas if you are ordering them for a gift!

Again, just click http://fyemotorsports.com/store.htm and scroll down to check out the merchandise we have available for customization or call Chris at (715) 497-8916 for more information.

FYE Motorsports Motorsports Marketing/Sponsorship Portfolios Available

                Drivers/Team Owners: Are you content with the amount of sponsorship involvement with your race team or could you use more help funding your team for the upcoming season? Maybe what you’re missing is a professional way to market your team to those potential sponsors out there. If so, a Motorsports Marketing Portfolio is just the thing for you!

                Track Owners/Promoters: Are you looking for additional nightly, billboard and/or season-long sponsors? FYE Motorsports will tailor a professional marketing portfolio to suit your needs as well as to assist you in obtaining additional sponsorship in order to help keep your season financially stable.

Obtaining sponsorship is one of the most difficult and stressful aspects of owning a motorsports team, and/or being a track owner/promoter, and FYE Motorsports fully understands this, so we are here to give a helping hand to those struggling to find a professional way to search out potential sponsors.

                FYE Motorsports understands the incredible importance of sponsorship and the fact that most motorsports teams and race tracks in could not survive without the support of their loyal sponsors. We have come up with a professional sponsorship portfolio for you to use to send to potential sponsors, that showcases your team/track specifically and gives any potential sponsor some insight as to what supporting your team/track can and will do for both you and for their business.

                These sponsorship portfolios will be custom made to suit your team’s/track’s needs, including your very own colors, graphics and logos, so that any potential sponsor can get a first hand glimpse into what your team/track is all about. We will gather up your personal information and photos and custom design a 6-page spiral bound portfolio for your sponsorship hunting assistance. These marketing portfolios will also come with sheets of custom letterhead and custom business cards for you to include your own personalized cover letter or use as follow up correspondence so that the potential sponsor is assured that their company’s advertising dollars will be well spent.

Package Prices:

Package 1: (10 portfolios w/ 10 letterhead and 50 business cards)
$253.40 

Package 2: (20 portfolios w/ 20 letterhead and 50 business cards)
$329.80 

Package 3: (50 portfolios w/ 50 letterhead and 50 business cards)
$557.00 

**Materials, artwork charge, design fee, printing costs & tax included to each price quote
**Shipping not included

 
We can certainly produce any number of portfolios you wish, so if you want more than 10 but less than 20, we can get you a quote for a specific number if you wish.

If you run out and need to place a re-order, the price includes only the cost of materials, because your design and artwork fees have already been applied to your original order. Please plan on 2-3 weeks for order to be completed, so hurry and order now so you can get started on your 2009 sponsorship hunt.

To place an order or gain more information regarding these sponsorship portfolios, please e-mail Chris at chris@fyemotorsports.com and we will be happy to work with you to assist your team in reaching your sponsorship goals for 2009 and beyond.


1st Annual Badger State Nationals

FYE Motorsports Introduces Badger State Nationals In September
April 14th 2008 – St. Cloud, Minnesota (Prepared by FYE Motorsports Promotions)

For the first time in nearly 15 years, the curtain will not close on the Cedar Lake Speedway’s racing season with their typically year-ending ‘Legendary 100 weekend’ because a new mega-event is slated on the calendar for 2008 that will wrap up the ’08 season in grand style at the Western Wisconsin speed plant. The FYE Motorsports Badger State Nationals is set to take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 25th, 26th and 27th 2008 with an inclement weather date of Sunday, September 28th if necessary.

St. Cloud, Minnesota based FYE Motorsports Promotions has leased the Cedar Lake Speedway and will present the 1st annual Badger State Nationals which will wrap up the 2008 racing season at Cedar Lake in a grand fashion with an incredible $12,000 to win NASCAR/WISSOTA-type Late Model event, in conjunction with a whopping $3,000 to win NASCAR/WISSOTA-type Midwest Modified event, plus $500 to win Street Stocks (Thursday night only) and two complete high paying shows for the National Touring Legends Division on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Late Models and Midwest Modifieds will run a complete program with heat races, b-features and a preliminary main event in each division on Thursday night, with the top 5 finishers in each preliminary feature locking themselves into the Saturday night Badger State Nationals main event in their respective division. These drivers will fill in the inside first five rows in Saturday’s main event. The Street Stocks will be on the schedule Thursday night as well with a complete program, paying the winner $500. Time permitting, the Legends will come in and compete in several open practice sessions as well on Thursday night.

The same format will be run on Friday night for the Late Models and Midwest Modifieds with the top 5 finishers in the preliminary main event in each division locking themselves into their respective Badger State Nationals main event on Saturday as well. These drivers will fill in the outside first five rows in the main event. The top two drivers in combined points that have not already transferred into the feature from Thursday and Friday in each division will also be locked into the Badger State Nationals main event and will start 11th and 12th respectively. Additionally, the National Touring Legends Division will compete in a complete program on Friday night.

Saturday, the Legends will compete in another complete program as the Late Models and Midwest Modifieds will line up in qualifying races based on combined points from Thursday and Friday nights. The top 3 finishers (assuming there are 4 qualifying races per division) will then transfer to the Badger State Nationals main events. Finishers 4 through 8 in each qualifying race will then line up based on finishing position, into a last chance race, where the winner will also transfer to the Badger State Nationals main event in each division.

The Late Models will be racing for an incredible $12,000 to win and $1,000 just to start the 50-lap a-main, while the Midwest Modifieds will be running for an unprecedented $3,000 to win and $200 just to start their 40-lap a-main. The Legends will be racing for a larger purse than they normally compete for each night as well.

FYE Motorsports Owner Chris Stepan said “As everyone knows, over the past 5 years, FYE has tried to stage bigger paying shows to give back to our local area drivers. In my opinion, we have some of the most talented drivers in the entire country right here in our back yard and I think it is appropriate that they get to race for some ‘big money’ on a handful of occasions. This event should feature some of the best Upper Midwest racers vying for some great paychecks throughout the course of the weekend. Partnering with Cedar Lake was a no-brainer for this race because CLS has an unmatched, state-of-the-art facility, which should allow the fans to enjoy this event even that much more.”

In addition, Cedar Lake Speedway co-owner Bob Kaufman stated “We are thrilled to partner with FYE Motorsports on this event and are confident that the Badger State Nationals will prove to be one show you surely don’t want to miss!”

Event details are as follows: Late Model car entry fee will be $250 for the weekend. Midwest Modified car entry fee will be $150 for the weekend. Street Stock car entry fee will be $40 for the night. Pit passes will be $30 each day. There will be no multi-day pit passes available. Drivers not qualifying for the Badger State Nationals feature events on Saturday will receive their pre-entry car entry fee back as tow money provided the driver starts a b-main.

Ticket prices are as follows:
Thursday: Adults - $15.00, Children (6-15yo) - $6.00
Friday: Adults - $20.00, Children (6-15yo) - $6.00
Saturday: Adults - $25.00, Children (6-15yo) - $10.00
All three days: Children under 6 are free
No multi-day tickets will be available

Tire Rule:
Late Models: Goodyear G50 or WISSOTA Hoosier D-55 on all 4 corners
Midwest Modifieds: Same as Legendary 100 Tire Rule (Open to Goodyears and Hoosiers)
Street Stocks: Same as Legendary 100 Tire Rule (Open to Goodyears and Hoosiers)

Restarts: Single file restarts will be used in all heat races, b-features, qualifying races and last chance races. Double file restarts will be used in preliminary and championship features in all divisions. Raceivers will be mandatory all three nights in all divisions. They will be available for rent at the event.

Thursday Start Times: Pit Gates will open at 3:00pm with Grandstand Gates opening at 4:00pm. Draw Cut Off will be at 6:00pm, with Hot Laps at 6:00pm and Racing starting sharply at 6:30pm.

Friday Start Times: Pit Gates will open at 3:00pm with Grandstand Gates opening at 4:00pm. Draw Cut Cut Off will be at 6:00pm, with Hot Laps at 6:00pm and Racing starting sharply at 6:30pm.

Saturday Start Times: Pit Gates will open at 1:00pm with Grandstand Gates opening at 2:00pm. Draw Cut Off will be at 4:00pm, with Hot Laps at 4:30pm and Racing starting sharply at 5:00pm.

Lap Distances:

Thursday & Friday: All Classes – Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks & Legends Heat Races will be 10 laps (Late Models will be 12 laps); All B-features will be 15 laps; Late Model preliminary feature: 30 laps; Midwest Modified preliminary feature: 20 laps; Street Stock feature: 20 laps (Thursday only); Legends feature 20 laps (Friday only).

Saturday: All Classes – Qualifying Races will be 15 laps; Last Chance Races will be 15 laps; Late Model feature will be 50 laps; Midwest Modified feature will be 40 laps; Legend feature will be 20 laps.

Entertainment: A traditional Cedar Lake Speedway Party In The Pits will take place after the races on both Thursday and Friday night under the big white tent on the backstretch. Music and refreshments will be available.
If you are interested in reserving a camping spot for the weekend, please visit www.cedarlakespeedway.com to reserve your favorite spot.

If you are interested in a limited number of premier ramp-tier parking spots to view the event from the comfort of your RV, please call (715)497-8916 or email clsracer@hotmail.com for availability.

Vendor and sponsor inquiries are welcome at (715) 497-8916 or at clsracer@hotmail.com. Also, check out www.fyemotorsports.com for more updates as the date creeps closer.


Minnesota Modified Nationals: Looking Great In ’08!

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.


6th Annual Viking Fall Classic: Ending The Season In Style
April 20th 2008 –
St. Cloud, MN
(Prepared by FYE Motorsports Promotions)

The year-ending Viking Fall Classic is set to wrap up the 2008 racing season in grand style on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 2nd, 3rd and 4th 2008 at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minnesota. This year-ending mega event is entering its 6th year of existence and has quickly grown into one of the Midwest’s premier and must see events.

This event, promoted by FYE Motorsports Promotions from nearby St. Cloud, Minnesota and sponsored by Ham Lake, Minnesota’s Shaw Trucking Inc. with assistance from NAPA Auto Parts and GRP Motorsports, typically sees upwards of 300 competitors and 5,000 race fans over the course of the weekend’s festivities. The 6th Viking Fall Classic will feature WISSOTA Late Models racing for $4,000 to win; WISSOTA Modifieds, who will run for $3,000 to win; WISSOTA Super Stocks running for $2,000 to win and WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks, who will each be gunning for a top prize of $1,000 to win each.

The 2007 event saw Lance Matthees, Jamie Lemke, Danny Bayer and Jason VandeKamp race to their first ever Fall Classic titles in the Late Models, Modifieds, Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks respectively and also saw Don Shaw storm to his second consecutive Super Stock championship.

Event details will be much like in previous years and will feature an open practice session on Thursday night, October 2nd from 7pm to 10pm for anyone interested in coming and testing prior to the event. A social gathering will then take place after practice on Thursday night. Details will be released at a later date. Friday, October 3rd will then see the grandstand and pit gates both open at 3pm with the draw cut off at 6pm and racing beginning at 6:30. All heat races will be run on Friday night. Saturday will see the pits and grandstand gates both open at noon with racing beginning at 3pm.

Log onto www.fyemotorsports.com for event details such as ticket prices and admission fees. We hope to see you in Alexandria for the 6th annual Fall Classic.


Mathees, Lemke, Shaw, Bayer and VandeKamp 2007 Classic at Viking

By Ray Beste
Alexandria, Mn (October 7th) - Lance Mathees endured a late race surge from Joel Cryderman to score his first WISSOTA Late Model feature win of the season Saturday night at Viking Speedway during night two of its annual Viking Fall Classic. The $4,000 win did not come easy as Mathees endured pressure from Jeff Wildung and Cryderman during the duration of the forty lap event. Jamie Lemke danced side by side with Craig Thatcher for 27 laps before being declared the winner in the WISSOTA Modified division while Don Shaw scored the win in the WISSOTA Super Stocks. Danny Bayer, who started 20th, endured a late race challenge from Ron Saurer to score the win in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified finale while Jason VandeKamp scored his second Viking Speedway victory of the season in the WISSOTA Streets. The fifth Annual Viking Fall Classic proved to be a great one with drivers from all over WISSOTA country taking part in the sanctioning bodies final weekend of racing in 2007. Saturday's portion of the program was comprised of B-main's for all five divisions as well as the aforementioned feature events.
Saturday's program began with two WISSOTA Midwest Modified B-main events. The top two from each would transfer on to the night's A-main while the rest would load their machines onto the trailer for the final time in 2007. The first WISSOTA Midwest Modified B-main was dominated by Kensington, Mn mudslinger Korey Krafthefer. Krafthefer, fresh off a great weekend at the Western 100, cruised on to the win relatively unchallenged. The battle for the second spot was a good one between Zach Schultz, Brandon Nelson and Dan Menk. Schultz, however, was able to hold the position and stole the final transfer spot in the process. Nelson, Menk and Rusty Kollman rounded out the top five behind Krafthefer.
Like the first WISSOTA Midwest Modified B-main, the leader went relatively unchallenged. Morris, Mn driver Buddy Thorstad checked out on the field early on which left the second and final transfer spot up for grabs between Jason Hoffman and Shane Sabraski. On the final trip around the speedway, Hoffman and Sabraski made contact out of turn four with Sabraski ultimately being awarded the transfer spot. Jeremy Kerzman started 15th and finished fourth ahead of fifth place finishing Danny Vang.
Like the Midwest Modified division, the WISSOTA Street Stocks held two B-mains with the top three in each transferring on to the A-feature event. Row six starter Mike Jans proved once again why he is one of the best in the business picking up the win in the first B-main. Jans worked the extreme top side of the speedway passing a bevy of cars on his way to victory. Hanley Falls, Mn driver Brandon Jacobson followed Jans to the front and came home second while Aaron Leininger picked up the final transfer spot just ahead of Jason Long and Jerome Guyout.
Princeton Speedway regular Rod Debernardeaux scored the win in B-main number two. Debernardeaux, who rarely visits the Viking Speedway, has a great history at the Fall Classic and once again locked himself into another A-main with his win in B-main two. 2006 Viking Fall Classic WISSOTA Street Stock champion Keith Tourville worked his way through traffic after starting midpack finishing a strong second behind "Rodney D." Andrew Bangsund, Travis Berends and Justin Pogones were also members of the top five in B-main two for the WISSOTA Streets.
The WISSOTA Super Stocks were next to roll out onto the racing surface with four more drivers looking to lock themself into Saturday night's 30-lap A-main. Brainerd, Mn ace Tim Johnson scored the victory in B-main number one behind the wheel of DJ Dondelinger's #8. Johnson, however, looked as smooth as usual as he cruised on to victory. Local product Jeff Kluver finished a strong second behind Johnson putting on his dancing shoes in the process. Grand Meadow, Mn driver Ryan Siegle narrowly missed a transfer spot in third while Roger Host and Dale Gangl rounded out the top five.
Speedway regulars Jon Stepan and Jason Blascyk were able to go dancing as well as they finished one-two in B-main two. Blascyk's transfer spot did not come easy, however, as he endured heavy pressure from Forrest Lake, Mn driver Jim Gullikson. Gullikson, however, promoted clean racing and never made contact with Blascyk during the event. Jeff Hapala and Jason Thoennes were each members of the top five as well in Super Stock B-main 2.
Scott Tofte grabbed the early lead in WISSOTA Modified B-main 1. Tofte led early before looping his machine in turn four bringing out the yellow. Tofte would not stay in the back for long, however as he powered around the high side of the speedway. After going back to fourteenth, Tofte staired a transfer spot right in the rear bumper with three laps remaining. Tofte continued to slam the cushion around the speedway as he closed in on second place Mark Froehlich for the second and final transfer spot. On the final trip around the speedway, Tofte made a bonzai run for the cushion in turn three. Froehlich, however, held the groove and picked up the final transfer spot in fine form. Out front it was all Scott Gilbertson picking up the win in B-main 1.
Morris, Mn driver Dave Storck dominated action in WISSOTA Modified B-main 2. While Storck cruised to a sizable advantage out front, Dennis Bitzan closed in on Shane Sabraski for the second and final transfer spot. With two laps remaining, Bitzan had successfully caught the back side of Sabraski. On the final lap, Bitzan loaded his Specialty Fabricating machine one last time as the duo raced out of turn four. Sabraski was able to hold his line and went on to score the final transfer spot. Storck picked up the win while Rick Delaine and Joe Bean rounded out the top five.
After Proctor Speedway rained out, New Richmond, WI legend Pat Doar made his way to Viking Speedway for Saturday's portion of the program. Because Doar did not run a heat race that meant he would start Saturday's B-main in the thirteenth position. With the top two drivers moving on to the A-main, Doar had his work cut out for him. Cody Skytland grabbed the early lead but not before enduring pressure from Canby, Mn driver Corey Nelson. Doar steadily moved his way forward from the back finding himself in the top five with six laps remaining. Doar rocketed around the top side of the multi-grooved speedway and moved into third with just three laps remaining. Doar was able to cruise by Nelson for the second and final transfer spot with two laps to go and set out after Skytland for the lead. On the final lap, Doar made a bonzai run for the bottom of the track in turn three. Skytland, however, held his line and cruised on to the mighty impressive B-main victory. Doar had the near capacity crowd on its collective feet several times finishing an astonishing run in second with Corey Nelson third, Ed Turnbull fourth and Brad Jensen fifth.
Local product Shaun Peterson took the early lead in B-main two behind the wheel of his brand new Rocket Race Car. Peterson seemed to have a good handle on his new machine during the weekend ultimately finishing second to Dave Mass in the second and final B-main. Dave Zimmerman did his best to pass Peterson for the second and final transfer spot but never mounted a serious challenge. Zimmerman, however, would receive a provisional for the highest finisher from the year before. Mass went on to score the win ahead of Peterson, Zimmmerman, Ardy Eilers and Jon Henkemeyer.
With all the qualifying events in the books, it was now feature time. As customary at Viking Speedway, the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds rolled out onto the speedway for their 20-lap, $1,000 to win main event. A four wide salute to the fans was aligned before order was restored and action commenced on the big half mile. With the speedway sporting two beautiful grooves for racing, the green flag waved. Second generation drivers Marshal Tofte and Travis Saurer shared the front row starting duties with Tofte grabbing the early lead. Tofte worked the high side of the speedway while sixth starter Bryan Dyrdahl worked his way forward. Dyrdahl stole the second spot from Saurer early on and proved he would be a factor in the final outcome of the event. Dyrdahl overtook Tofte for the lead on lap seven while many hard charging efforts could be found on the speedway. Twentieth starting Bayer was already flirting with the top ten when the first yellow flag waved ten laps in. On the restart it was still Dyrdahl out front with Tofte in second. Row six starter Pete Loecken entered the top five with eight laps remaining as Bayer continued his spirited march toward the front. One by one Bayer stalked his foes before moving into second with six laps remaining. Dyrdahl continued to impress however and seemed to have an answer for Bayer's moves early on. A plethora of cautions halted action in the ladder stages of the event which would play into Bayer's hands. With four laps remaining, Bayer used a power move in turn three to dispose of Dyrdahl for the lead. The story of the race, however, was yet to be told. Thirteenth starter Ron Saurer had found the extreme high side of the speedway to his liking with five laps remaining as he moved into third past Tofte. Saurer quickly moved by Dyrdahl for the second spot when the final caution of the event waved with two laps remaining. On the restart, Bayer continued to work the middle groove with Saurer up on the ledge. On the final trip around the speedway, Saurer closed in on Bayer for one last run in turns three and four. Bayer, however, held his line, didn't make any mistakes and went on to score the biggest win of his young career. Saurer ended a great run in second ahead of Dyrdahl, Troy Berends and Tofte. Berends, who started fifteenth, was awarded third later on after Dyrdahl was light at the scales. Bayer not only picked up the win but was awarded the hard charger as well.
Cambridge, Mn driver Jason VandeKamp took the early lead during action in the 20-lap WISSOTA Street Stock finale. Row eight starters Dave Rohweder and Tim Johnson proved that they would be factors early on passing cars and nearing the top ten just a few laps into the event. Row five starter Cory Rosen made a bevy of moves on his way to the front and was scored in the second spot with twelve laps remaining. VandeKamp and Rosen, who have went door to door many times, put on a good old fashion slobber-knocker during the remainder of the event going side by side several times. Tenth starter Shawn Wageman worked his way into fourth early on while the battle for the lead ignited once again. With seven laps remaining, Rosen tried an inside move once again which was fought off by Vandy. Rosen was left to regroup while some drivers from the back began to move forward. Jamestown Speedway regulars Rohweder and Spencer Johnson each moved up several positions and each finished just outside the top five in sixth and seventh respectively. Rosen would throw everything but the kitchen sink at VandeKamp in the remaining laps but it was not enough as Vandy cruised on to the win. Rosen had another great run in second with Ryan Buer third, Wageman fourth and Cory Tammen fifth. Scott Horn picked up the hard charger award starting the event in 25th and finishing 9th.
With track conditions perfect, speedway officials decided that the WISSOTA Late Models would be next. Long time racing veterans Troy Olson and Jeff Hinkemeyer shared row one as the green flag dropped. Fourth starter Lance Mathees put his Rocket Race Car up on the shelf early on and was scored the leader at the conclusion of lap two. Hinkemeyer and Olson battled for second early on before Jeff Wildung moved from his row four starting spot to do battle with Troy and Jeff. Wildung moved into second just eight laps into the race while Mathees had stretched his advantage considerably out front. Thirteenth starter Joel Cryderman found himself in the eighth spot ten laps into the event while Pat Doar began to march through the field. After starting 23rd, Doar entered the top ten just eighteen laps into the contest. As the laps wore down, Wildung began to creep closer and closer to Mathees. Zach Johnson disposed of both Olson and Hinkemeyer for the fourth spot near the midway point of the race while Cryderman and Olson battled for position. The yellow flag waved with seventeen laps remaining which would bunch up the field double file behind race leading Mathees. On the restart, Cryderman got a great jump on his competitors and entered the top five behind Johnson while Wildung pressured Mathees out front. Doar, like Cryderman, used a great jump to advance a few positions locking himself in a duel with Olson for the sixth spot. Olson rode the rim with Doar on the bottom. The yellow flag waved once again with eleven laps remaining which would once again bunch things up behind Mathees. On the restart, Cryderman made a bonzai run for the bottom of the track in turn one. He overtook Johnson for the third spot and began to pressure Wildung for the second spot. Mathees stretched his lead out front while Doar entered the top five with six laps remaining. Wildung began to pull away from Cryderman when the yellow flag once again waved with four laps remaining. Now it was Mathees out front with Wildung, Cryderman, Johnson and Doar lined up single file behind. On the restart, Cryderman once again headed for the ditch in turn one. He overtook Wildung for the second spot as he closed in on Mathees for the lead down the backstretch. On the final trip around the speedway, Mathees and Cryderman dueled door to door down the backstretch. Mathees, however, used his top groove momentum to pick up the win by a half of a car length ahead of seventh row starting Cryderman. Wildung had a great run in third with Johnson and Doar rounding out the top five. Doar picked up the hard charger award starting 23rd and finishing fifth. Between his B-main and the A-main, Doar passed a gaughty 29 cars over the weekend. The win was Mathees' first on the season, which netted him $4,000 in the process.
Hutchinson, Mn driver Jamie Lemke took the early lead on the opening circuit of the 35-lap WISSOTA Modified A-main. Sixth starter Scot Danzeisen made an unbelievable move ducking under four of his fellow competitors grabbing the second spot as the field raced out of turn two. Lemke was scored the leader at the conclusion of the first lap while Danzeisen settled into second. Fourth starter Craig Thatcher quickly moved into third and didn't waste any time applying pressure to the backside of Danzeisen. Danzeisen worked the cushion with Thatcher in the ditch. Thatcher moved his way by Danzeisen for the second spot on lap seven while Lemke stretched his advantage out front. Back in the pack "Mr. Modified" Jay McDonald began a spirited march toward the front as he worked the cushion past several of his competitors. Long time racing veteran Dave Storck did the same moving up eight positions in the first eight laps after starting 22nd. With twenty-three laps remaining, Thatcher closed in on the backside of Lemke as the duo began to race side by side for the lead. Lemke man-handled his machine around the cushion while Thatcher worked the ditch. Dave Cain and Mike Anderson looked as if they might be a factor as each competitor worked the extreme high side of the speedway. Cain, after moving into the top five, would retire off the backstretch with a flat tire. Mark Noble too look as if he might be a factor near the midway point of the race, but he too had to retire pitside with mechanical failure. Row nine starter Jason Thoennes found the extreme high side of the speedway to his liking. Thoennes cracked the top five with six laps remaining while smoke began pour out the backside of Lemke's #17L. The final caution of the event waved with five laps remaining which would put Thatcher on Lemke's bumper for the restart. Lemke once again climbed the hill in turn one, slammed the right rear on the cushion, and blasted off to a nice lead down the backchute. Thatcher was poised for Lemke to make a mistake as he stayed a close distance, but the mistake would never come as Lemke cruised on to his biggest win of his great career. Thatcher tried everything during the duration of the race but had to settle for second ahead of Danzeisen, Don Eischens and Thoennes. Storck and McDonald each passed 14 cars during the event each picking up a hard charger award in the process. Lemke was very excited in victory lane as he shared hugs with his loved ones and a big smile for the camera. It was found out later that a rear axle tube had busted and that was the reasoning behind the smoke.
The WISSOTA Super Stocks owned the final event of the 2007 season and after the A-mains the fans had seen in the other four division's, they had a tough act to follow. Mike Peterson and Zach Schultz shared row one as the green dropped over the field. Schultz grabbed the opening lap advantage while Scott Brown quickly moved into third. Todd Carter looked as if he might be the victor early on as he battled door to door with Schultz for the lead. Brown, however, disposed of Carter for the second spot on the bottom of the track in turn four and immediately set off to catch Schultz. Schultz would lead until lap ten when Brown blasted by on the bottom for the top spot. The double file restarts really seem to help Don Shaw, who cracked the top four near the midway point of the race. Shaw moved into third two laps later and quickly began to pressure the backside of Schultz for second. Shaw went to the bottom in turn three and disposed of Schultz for the second spot while Brown still held the lead out front. Shaw, with the help of another restart, closed in on the backside of Brown with eleven laps remaining. Shaw was able to make the pass for the lead stick one lap later. Brown, however, battled back and the casual fan was still unsure as to who would be the victor. After falling back a few spots early on, 21st starter Tim Johnson began to work his way through the field. Johnson worked the extreme top side of the speedway while most cars ran middle to bottom. On the final trip around the speedway, Johnson worked his way past Carter for the seventh spot. On the final trip around, the best battle on the speedway was for the fourth spot between Dave Mass, Mike Anderson and Scott Lawrence. Mass would ultimately win the battle and ended a nice run in the spot. Out front it was Shaw scoring his second Viking Fall Classic WISSOTA Super Stock triumph in as many years. Scott Brown really turned some heads over the weekend ending a great run in second with Schultz third, Mass fourth and Anderson fifth. Johnson picked up the hard charger award starting 21st and finishing seventh.
All in all it was a great weekend at the Viking Speedway. FYE Motorsports and Viking Speedway would like to thank all the fans, drivers, sponsors and race related people that made this weekend a sucessful one. Without all the help received by the aformentioned people, a show of this magnitude could not go on. We hope to make 2008's version of the Viking Fall Classic even more special.
SUMMARY:

WISSOTA Late Models:
Feature- Lance Mathees, Joel Cryderman, Jeff Wildung, Zach Johnson, Pat Doar, Jeff Hinkemeyer, Troy Olson, Don Shaw, Matt Aukland, Andy Simonson, Brad Seng, Brent Larson, Rick Nelson, Paul Mueller, Shaun Peterson, Dave Mass, Dave Tyrchniewicz, Ricky Weiss, Jeremy Keller, Cody Skytland, Blake Jegtvig, Dave Zimmerman, Mitch Johnson, Ben Mickelson, Chad Corbett
B-main 1- C. Skytland, Doar, Corey Nelson, Ed Turnbull, Jensen
B-main 2- Mass, Peterson, Zimmerman, Eilers, Henkemeyer
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Feature- Jamie Lemke, Craig Thatcher, Scot Danzeisen, Don Eischens, Jason Thoennes, Jay McDonald, Jason Miller, Dave Storck, Jay Richardson, Scott Gilbertson, Shane Sabraski, Mark Froehlich, Ken Hron, Kent Wilms, John Corell, Terry Engebretson, Mike Anderson, Dave Cain, Chad Nieland, Bill Mooney, Jason Voigt, Blake Jegtvig, Mark Noble, Joey Jensen, Mike Bruns
B-main 1- Scott Gilbertson, Froehlich, Tofte, Jegtvig, Matt Gilbertson
B-main 2- Dave Storck, Sabraski, Bitzan, Delaine, Bean
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Feature- Don Shaw, Dr. Scott Brown, Zach Schultz, Dave Mass, Mike Anderson, Scott Lawrence, Tim Johnson, Todd Carter, Jeff Kluver, Curt Myers, Cory Tammen, Larry Lund, Corky Thomas, Irvin Cook, Tim Borgeson, Scott Baker, Jon Stepan, Dennis Charles, Jason Blascyk, Mike Peterson, Jeff Flaten, Jason Thoennes, Kevin Robertson, Al Cleveland, Joel Collins
B-main 1- Johnson, Kluver, Siegle, Host, Gangl
B-main 2- Stepan, Blascyk, Gullikson, Hapala, Thoennes
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Danny Bayer, Ron Saurer, Troy Berends, Marshal Tofte, Pete Loecken, Brian Haben, Shane Sabraski, Travis Saurer, Kyle Reents, Dan Greeley, Brooke Hellerman, Randy Vezina, Brett Hoium, Korey Krafthefer, Kyle Krafthefer, Zach Schultz, Terry Merten, Ross Romdalvik, Kenny Klaudt, Ryan Restad, Josh Thoennes, Buddy Thorstad, Nate Barber, Ryan Studanski, Jon Henkemeyer, Bryan Dyrdahl
B-main 1- Korey Krafthefer, Schultz, Nelson, Menk, Kollman
B-main 2- Thorstad, Sabraski, Hoffman, Kerzman, Vang
WISSOTA Street Stocks:
Feature- Jason VandeKamp, Cory Rosen, Ryan Buer, Shawn Wageman, Cory Tammen, Dave Rohweder, Spencer Johnson, Rusty Kollman, Scott Horn, Mike Jans, Keith Tourville, Tim Johnson, Devin Neske, Chanda Fjorden-Nord, Levi Babcock, Scott Huston, James Tandeski, Adam Burrows, Rick Sahli, Jim Williams, Justin Vogel, Brandon Jacobson, Ryan Schroeder, Rod Debernardeaux, Cory Crapser
B-main 1- Jans, Jacobson, Leininger, Long, Guyot
B-main 2- Debernardeaux, Tourville, Bangsund, Berends, Pogones

Heat races kick off 5th Annual Viking Fall Classic

By Ray Beste
Alexandria, Mn (October 6th) - FYE Motorsports and Viking Speedway teamed up for the fifth consecutive year this past weekend hosting the 5th Annual Viking Fall Classic year end invitational. A gaughty 262 competitors checked in for battle in the five WISSOTA sanctioned divisions offered for the weekend. Friday's program was comprised of heat races for all five WISSOTA sanctioned divisions. Competitors in the WISSOTA Late Models, WISSOTA Modifieds, WISSOTA Super Stocks, WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and WISSOTA Street Stocks all took part in Friday's portion of the program which seen high speeds and great racing despite some damp weather.
With over 70 WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds in attendance, the competitors were split into seven heat races with the top three competitors from each locking themselves into Saturday nights $1,000 to win A-main. Heat race number one was dominated by outside pole-sitter Brett Hoium of Villard, Mn. Hoium got the early jump and was never seriously challenged during the 10-lap affair. Iron Range racer Randy Vezina raced hard during the duration of the event and ended a great run in second ahead of division rookie Troy Berends. Joining the aformentioned drivers in the top five finishing order was speedway regulars Korey Krafthefer and Todd Berg.
After a hard wreck temporarily haulted her season back in early September, Parkers Prairie, Mn driver Brook Hellerman made her return to the division in heat race two. Hellerman took the lead from the get go and quickly endured pressure from Ryan Studanski. Brian Haben made some stellar moves to make his way into third late in the race and He joined the fray with Hellerman and Studanski. On the final trip around the speedway, Studanski loaded up his machine on the high side for one final attempt. Hellerman, however, held the groove and went on to score the heat race win, much to the delight of the near capacity crowd. Matt Smith and Charlie Mass were each members of the top five as well in heat race two.
Heat number three was dominated by Bismarck, ND driver Kenny Klaudt. The second year pilot grabbed the early advantage and rode the middle groove to victory. Second row starter Ryan Restad moved up a couple positions during the 10-lap event to finish second with Ross Romdalvik stealing the final transfer position. Perennial WISSOTA Street Stock front runner Jason VandeKamp finished fourth in Alan Bohlman's car while Benson, Mn driver Scott Huston finished fifth.
Heat race four featured two racing names that have competed at Viking Speedway for quite some time. 40+ year racing veteran Terry Merten battled door to door with second year driver Josh Thoennes during the duration of heat four. Merten worked the middle groove while Thoennes tried to duck under Terry several times. Merten made few mistakes during the contest and went on to score the win. Thoennes finished a close second ahead of the final transferer, Jon Henkemeyer. Buddy Thorstad finished fourth ahead of long time racing veteran Alan Olafson.
WISSOTA Midwest Modified heat race five was dominated early on by Litchfield, Mn driver Pee Wee Kuhnau. Kuhnau would lead until lap four when a breakdown would end his great run. That handed the lead to Madison, Mn driver Marshal Tofte. From there on out it was Tofte pedaling his Perfect Chassis machine to victory ahead of a hard charging Pete Loecken. Speedway regular Dan Greeley stole the final transfer spot ahead of Bemidji's Matt Sparby and Donnelly's Joe Schmidt.
Dalton, Mn father and son duo Travis and Ron Saurer shared row one for heat race six. Travis grabbed the early lead ahead of the elder Saurer while fourth row starter Danny Bayer quickly moved his way to the front. Brandon Nelson looked as if he might be a factor in the outcome early on before contact with the fronstretch wall halted his forward momentum considerably. Bayer moved into third with three laps remaining and closed the gap considerably on Ron for second. In the end it was Travis picking up the heat race win ahead of his father, Ron. Bayer earned the final transfer spot finishing a great run in third ahead of Randy Schumm and "The Franklin Flyer" Dan Menk.
The seventh and final WISSOTA Midwest Modified heat race was dominated by first time visitor Bryan Dyrdahl. Dyrdahl dominated the event from start to finish while fifth starter Nate Barber moved up three positions to finish a great run in second. Speedway regular Kyle Reents made a couple of nice maneuvers in the final laps to grab the final transfer spot while Nick Kipka and Shane Sabraski each finished in the top five finishing order as well.
After the seventh and final WISSOTA Midwest Modified heat race was completed, the speedway welcomed the WISSOTA Street Stocks out onto the speedway for their qualifying events. Each qualifier featured nine cars with ten laps being the distance for each heat. Red River Valley Speedway regular Levi Babcock earned the victory in heat race one. Row four starters Devin Neske and Tim Johnson did their best to work there way to the front while Babcock was on cruise control out front. Hancock, Mn driver Ryan Schroeder finished second while the aformentioned drivers, Neske and Johnson, each locked themselves into Saturday night's A-main with top four finishes. Hanley Falls, Mn driver Brandon Jacobson finished fifth.
After Brooke Hellerman had already scored a heat race win in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified division, one might've thought it was ladies night when Luck, WI driver Chanda Fjorden-Nord took the early lead in heat race two. Fjorden-Nord held the lead until lap six when Western 100 Street Stock champion Cory Tammen overtook her for the lead with a power move in turn three. Fjorden-Nord, however, held strong and finished the race in second which would lock her into Saturday night's $1,000 to win A-main. Scott Huston pedaled his Evolution Chassis machine to a very impressive third place finish while speedway regular Rick Sahli finished fourth. Travis "Trapper" Berends was the final member of the top five.
Outside pole-sitter Jason VandeKamp dissappeared off into the night during action in heat number three for the WISSOTA Streets. Montana WISSOTA Street Stock pilot Adam Burrows looked very strong during the event holding on to a strong second place finish ahead of James Tandeski and a hard charging Rusty Kollman. Kollman started the event tail end and worked his way into the final transfer spot with Harold Peters in fifth.
"Nitro" Jimmy Williams, after taking a year off, made his return to racing in heat race four. Williams would endure heavy pressure early on from Cory Rosen before picking up the hard fought heat race win. Rosen, a perennial Street Stock national front runner, settle for second and locked himself into the A-main. Jamestown, ND driver Spencer Johnson had a great run in his second career visit to Viking finishing third while 2007 WISSOTA Street Stock national champion Cory Crapser finished fourth. Rod Debernardeaux finished fifth.
Ryan Buer and Shawn Wageman battled for the top spot early and often during the fifth and final WISSOTA Street Stock heat race. Buer and Wageman, however, were joined by Dave Rohweder by lap five and the top three competitors battled for the top spot. Rohweder did everything in his power to overtake Wageman for the second spot but had to settle for third in the end. Out front it was all Buer picking up the heat race win. Wageman, Rohweder, Justin Vogel and Mark Blom each were members of the top five as well.
A very stout field of 52 WISSOTA Super Stocks were next on the docket with five big heat races being scheduled for the full fendered machines. Heat number one was dominated by Dr. Scott Brown of Winnipeg, MB. Superior, WI driver Scott Lawrence moved from tail end to pressure Brown in the ladder stages of the event. Lawrence, in only his second ever appearance at the speedway, looked right at home motoring around the top side of the speedway. Dennis Charles and Tim Borgeson each garnered transfer spots in heat race one with Deer Creek Speedway regular Chris Quast also in the top five finishing order.
Lisbon, ND ace Todd Carter was able to score the win in heat race two. Dave Mass, a past winner of the event, steadily moved forward during the ten lap event finishing a close second behind Carter. Speedway regulars Irvin Cook, Corky Thomas and Jon Stepan joined the aformentioned drivers in the top five.
Ever since purchasing a Brunette Chassis in early August, Grove City, Mn driver Zach Schultz has been very steady behind the wheel of his new Super Stock. Heat race three proved to be another successful venture as he scored the win despite some heavy hitters nipping at his heels. Mike Anderson, fresh off a win at the Red Clay Classic, finished a strong second behind Schultz while Joel Collins and Jeff Flaten each picked up transfer spots during the duration of the event as well. Brainerd, Mn ace Tim Johnson finished fifth in heat three.
Speedway regular Mike Peterson did what many have struggled to do at Viking Fall Classic's in the past, thats keep Don Shaw out of the top spot. After starting in row three, Shaw steadily worked his way forward ending a nice run in second behind Peterson. Long time racing veterans Scott Baker and Al Cleveland each picked up transfer spots with Valley City, ND driver Tim Compson finishing up his qualifying effort in the fifth spot.
The fifth and final heat race was dominated by Marshfield, WI driver Curt Myers. The surprise of the event, however, was division rookie Cory Tammen. Tammen, who started the event in row four, steadily worked his way to the front using the extreme top side of the speedway in the process. Once Tammen overtook second he worked the backside of Myers before settling for a hard fought second place finish. Enderlin, ND driver Kevin Robertson finished a strong third with Larry Lund taking home the final transfer spot. Roger Host, in a former Scot Danzeisen Fegers machine, finished the qualifier in the fifth spot.
The high powered WISSOTA Modifieds were next to do battle with five heat race scheduled for the open wheeled machines. The top four from each heat race would lock themselves into Saturday night's 35-lap A-main. Heat race one featured a close battle for the lead between Jamie Lemke and Scot Danzeisen. The top line seemed to be the preferred groove and each competitor tried there best to make it work. Danzeisen pressured Lemke several times but was never able to overtake him for the lead. Back in traffic, ninth starter Scott Tofte moved up four positions during the event ending a nice run in fifth. Out front it was Lemke scoring the heat race win followed by Danzeisen, Bill Mooney, Kent Wilms and the aformentioned Tofte.
Fargo, ND veteran Mike Bruns got the jump on the field in heat race two and never looked back on his way to a mighty impressive heat race win. The battle for the second spot proved to be a good one with Don Eischens ultimately sneaking by John Corell for position in turn three. Jason Thoennes made a late race surge by Joe Bean for the final transfer spot with Bruns cruised on to victory out front. Eischens, Corell, Thoennes and Bean were also members of the top five finishing order.
Outside pole-sitter Mike Anderson grabbed the early lead in heat race three but not without enduring pressure from the #V2 of Joey Jensen. Anderson, however, stretched his lead to three car lengths while row four starter Dave Cain began to pressure Jensen for the second spot. Cain pulled even with Jensen a few times but was never able to make the pass as Jensen held on to the second spot. Out front it was all "Dirt Digger" as Anderson picked up the heat race triumph. Jensen, Cain, Jay Richardson and Mark Trautner were each top fivers as well.
Terry Engebretson checked out on his fellow competitors in heat race four. Engebretson took the lead from the get go while Chad Nieland and Jason Voigt were left to do battle for the second spot. Voigt would venture to the cushion in turn three with four laps remaining overtaking Nieland for the second spot while Nashwauk, Mn driver Ken Hron grabbed the final transfer spot in fourth. Engebretson was followed to the line by Voigt, Nieland, Hron and Dave Storck.
Two of the best Modified drivers to ever strap into a car shared the front row for the fifth and final heat race. Knapp, WI's Craig Thatcher and Blooming Prairie, Mn's Mark Noble were aligned on the front row as head flagman Mike Commerford dropped the green. The red #91of Thatcher slammed the right rear tire on the cushion in turn one and blasted off to the early lead while Noble settled into second. Row three starter Jason Miller quickly moved into third while Noble tried to keep pace with Thatcher. Thatcher continued to run the rim while Noble began to experiment with the bottom. Miller closed in on Noble for the second spot while Thatcher began to stretch his advantage out front. In the end it was all Thatcher picking up the heat win ahead of Noble, Miller, Jay McDonald and Scott Gilbertson.
With the other four division's heat races already in the books, it was now time for a little WISSOTA Late Model qualifying action. 40+ Late Models packed the pit gates with some of WISSOTA's top runners on hand. Lance Mathees used his outside row one starting position to dominate heat race one. Mathees, who traditionally works near the inside tire barrier, had his machine "cowboyed up" on the cushion and cruised on to a relatively easy heat race win. Fargo, ND driver Troy Olson finished a very strong second with Ricky Weiss and Joel Cryderman garnering the final two transfer positions. Bismarck, ND driver Jeremy Keller finished fifth.
Matt Aukland took the lead early on in heat race two while the action behind him was hot and heavy. Fourth row starter Brad Seng used a plethora of moves to work his way to the front disposing of some tough competition in the process. Seng would ultimately find himself in the third spot with two laps remaining as he worked the backside of Dave Tyrchniewicz for second. Seng would pull along side of Tyrchniewicz a couple times but was never able to comindeer the position. Out front it was all Aukland picking up the heat race win. Tyrchniewicz, Seng, Brent Larson and Ryan Corbett were each members of the top five as well.
Heat race three featured the top two runners in WISSOTA national points for the season. Speedway regulars Jeff Wildung and Zach Johnson had the near capacity crowd on their feet as they ignited a battle for the lead in heat three. Wildung moved out front early on after starting in the second row. Third row starter Johnson followed Wildung to the front and began to close in as the laps wore off. Johnson moved to within a car length on the final trip around the speedway but was never able to overtake Wildung for the lead. Blake Jegtvig and Paul Mueller were able to transfer to Saturday night's A-main while Mitch Johnson finished fifth.
Heat race four proved to be the best race of the night for the WISSOTA Late Models. Rick Nelson raced out to an early advantage from his outside row one starting spot while second row starter Jeff Hinkemeyer closed in to do battle on lap four. Hinkemeyer pressured the backside of Nelson during the duration of the ten lap event before briefly taking the lead with three laps remaining. Hinkemeyer bolted by Nelson in turn one with three laps remaining. Nelson, however, returned the favor and ducked back under Hinkemeyer for the top spot as the duo drag raced down the backstretch. From there on out it was Nelson picking up the heat race win. Hinkemeyer had a great run in second ahead of Don Shaw, Andy Simonson and Ben Mickelson.
With all the heat races in the books, Saturday's program was set to run off without a hitch. B-main's would be held in each division to fill out the field in each division as well as Saturday night's Viking Fall Classic A-main events.
SUMMARY:

WISSOTA Late Models:
Heat 1- Mathees, Olson, Weiss, Cryderman, Keller, Dyrdahl, Corey Nelson, Turnbull, Jeff Pritchard, Mass, R. Corbett
Heat 2- Aukland, Tyrchniewicz, Seng, Larson, Corbett, Zimmerman, Huizenga, Scott Lehn, Miller, Chris Lehn, Jon Henkemeyer
Heat 3- Wildung, Zach Johnson, Jegtvig, Mueller, Mitch Johnson, C. Skytland, Jensen, Kirwin, Mike Bruns, Malsam
Heat 4- Nelson, Hinkemeyer, Shaw, Simonson, Mickelson, Peterson, Eilers, Jason Weis, David Vennard, Greer
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Heat 1- Lemke, Danzeisen, Mooney, Wilms, Tofte, Bitzan, Eddington, Tim Thomas, Muzik, Ed Turnbull, M. Storck
Heat 2- Bruns, Eischens, Corell, Thoennes, Bean, Froehlich, Delaine, Esala, Nystrom, Malmlov
Heat 3- Mike Anderson, Jensen, Cain, Richardson, Mark Trautner, Sabraski, Jegtvig, Sexton, Williamson, Wieberdink
Heat 4- Engebretson, Voigt, Nieland, Hron, D. Storck, Jamie Trautner, Mathison, C. Thomas, Alexander, Matt Gilbertson
Heat 5- Thatcher, Noble, Miller, McDonald, Scott Gilbertson, Blue, Jacobson, Pritchard, Engels, Ohnstadt
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Heat 1- Brown, Lawrence, Charles, Borgeson, Quast, Blascyk, Chambliss, Dave Jacobson, Veert, Hellerman, Arnold Witt
Heat 2- Carter, Mass, Cook, Thomas, Stepan, Johnson, Thoennes, Gullikson, Hauer, Siegle, Read
Heat 3- Schultz, Anderson, Collins, Flaten, Johnson, Halstrom, Kluver, Pellersels, Rolfson, Kropuenske
Heat 4- Peterson, Shaw, Baker, Cleveland, Compson, Jensen, Sparby, Thieschafer, Gangl, Sauby
Heat 5- Myers, Tammen, Robertson, Lund, Host, Hapala, Thompson, Urseth, Balcaen, Miller
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Heat 1- Hoium, Vezina, Berends, Korey Krafthefer, Berg, Sertich, Young, Kollman, Eberhardt, Mensen
Heat 2- Hellerman, Studanski, Haben, Smith, Charlie Mass, Kahout, Hoffman, Matt Dickie, Wildman, Truesdell
Heat 3- Klaudt, Restad, Romdalvik, VandeKamp, Huston, Schultz, Kyle Krafthefer, Dave Peterson, Deering, Koehntop
Heat 4- Merten, Thoennes, Henkemeyer, Thorstad, Alan Olafson, Czech, Shawn Davis, Vang, Ben Johnson, Don Shaw
Heat 5- Tofte, Loecken, Greeley, Sparby, Schmidt, Zenner, Kuhnau, Ryan Stall, Limoges, Mikkelson
Heat 6- Travis Saurer, Ron Saurer, Bayer, Schumm, Menk, Nelson, Myers, Lund, Zimmerman
Heat 7- Dyrdahl, Barber, Reents, Kipka, Sabraski, Swanson, Possehl, Schroeder, Mohrman
WISSOTA Street Stocks:
Heat 1- Levi Babcock, Schroeder, Neske, Johnson, Jacobson, Christiansen, Jerome Guyot, Laage, Scott Walker
Heat 2- Tammen, Fjorden-Nord, Huston, Sahli, Travis Berends, Podratz, Wall, Carlson, Voigt, Brandon Hilliard
Heat 3- VandeKamp, Burrows, Tandeski, Kollman, Peters, Bangsund, Horn, Justin Pogones, Tim Rhode
Heat 4- Williams, Rosen, Johnson, Crapser, Debernardeaux, Leininger, Sorrell, Jans, Long
Heat 5- Buer, Wageman, Rohweder, Vogel, Blom, Tourville, Hagel, Jim DeRosier, Miller


Congrats to 2007 Fall Classic Champions!

I just wanted to send out a personal CONGRATS to all 5 of the 5th Annual Viking Fall Classic presented by Shaw Trucking Champs!

Late Models: Lance Matthees has been a loyal supporter of the Fall Classic all 5 years, so it was awesome to see him get this huge win. He hadn't won a feature all season long in 2007, but has been near the front all year. He was due!

Modifieds: What better for me than an FYE sponsored car to win the Fall Classic. But even better than that, Jamie Lemke has had a HORRIBLE year with mechanical failures etx. and was forced to hold off 10time Viking Champ Scot Danzeisen and 5time National Champ Craig Thatcher for the win!

Super Stocks: Don Shaw became the first and only 4time winner of the Fall Classic. The coolest part about that is each of his wins have been in a different race car. 2 different Late Models and 2 different Super Stocks. Plus Shaw got some of his sponsor money back again this year :-)

Street Stocks: Again, an FYE car in Victory Lane! Jason VandeKamp had never won a feature at Viking until the first night of the Mod Nationals earlier this year and won a thrilling battle with Cory Rosen to get on the back of next year's Fall Classic shirts!

Midwest Modifieds: Wow did Danny Bayer put on a show from 20th!! The kid is a good one and showed why he dominated at Viking all year long with that run from the tail. Great run for him and a great way to start of the features at the Fall Classic.

Viking Fall Classic Has Arrived

The weather could not stop the racing action in Alexandria. 255 cars took to the track for the first night of the Fall Classic at Viking Speedway. The fans were treated to 4 divisions of exciting heat races with the remaining heat races to be run on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday, October 6th Races will start at 2:00 pm. Pit Gate and Grandstands will open at 11:00. There are five remaining Super Stock heats that will be run first, then the B-Mains will start followed by all five divisions of feature events.

Saturday October 6th - Pits and Grandstands Open at 11:00
Saturday Races Begin at 2:00


Saturday Grandstand Admission:
Adults - $20
Children (6-12) $6
Children 5 and Under Free

The 5th Annual Viking Fall Classic is here. As in years past, fans will be on the receiving end of two action packed nights of WISSOTA racing.

Get ready for Friday and Saturday, October 5th and 6th because The Fall Classic, a highly successful year end special that puts a cap on the WISSOTA national point season will be ready to kick off.

Friday night's program will be comprised of heat races from all five WISSOTA divisions: Street Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Super Stocks, Modifieds and Late Models.

The much anticipated big show will start at 2:00 pm on Saturday with the running of all the B-Features and then finally the main event in each of the five WISSOTA divisions.

$4000 to win for the Late Models, $3000 to win for the Modifieds, the Super Stocks are racing for $2000 to win and both the Midwest Modifieds and the Street Stocks are racing for a $1000 win.


Cain Captures $7,000 2007 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 roared 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


Sabraski & VandeKamp Win 2007 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


2007 Mod Nationals News & Notes

Mod Nationals Ramblings……

Like I did last year, I wanted to throw some of my thoughts surrounding this past weekend’s 3rd annual Minnesota Modified Nationals on paper, so here goes…

Weather: Mother Nature sure smiled on us this past weekend, although the 105* temp on Saturday may have been a bit excessive, it was nice to not have to worry about the 'r' word all weekend. Thanks mom :-)

Car Counts: Although I was disappointed in the overall car count of 59 Modifieds, the quality of competition was second to none with drivers from MN, WI, ND, SD, WY, ARK and 2 Canadian provinces.

South Dakota Support: We had some SD support for the Mod Nationals this year for the first time ever. John Tesch, Jess Beckett and Arne Anderson made the trip, and Tesch nearly won the entire thing. Thanks for coming over – bring some of your SD buddies next year.

Long Tow: Wayne Books from Bald Knob, Arkansas ventured North to compete in one of Blake Jegtvig’s Shaw cars. Although it took him a while to get familiar with it, he got in the show on Saturday night.

Track Prep: The Viking Speedway staff deserves a HUGE thumbs up for the fantastic racing surface we had all weekend. With 100+* temps and wind all weekend, it could have been a dry, dusty, rubbered up track, but that new tiller machine, 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.

Fans: Although the crowd was considerably smaller on Friday night than it was the first night last year for this show, 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. Honestly, it was probably the best race I have ever seen at Viking! Ever!

Hard Chargers: Jason Thoennes, after changing an engine after his b-main, started the main event in 25th and proceeded to charge up to 8th. Don Eischens also charged thru traffic from his 20th starting position to finish 7th. Also, Zach Johnson went into the work area on the lap 20 fuel stop, restarted at the tail and proceeded to race up to 10th.

Changes: The changes to add passing points to the mix in the heat races was a huge success. It added greatly to the excitement in each heat race. Also the addition of 10 more laps in the feature (from 40 to 50) was also a good change. The 50-lapper will remain a staple of this event for years to come I think.

Surprises: I know Ryan Muzik has had a good career, but the weekend the local driver had was terrific. Scott Tofte also had a great run. Also, for never even seeing the Viking Speedway before, Jon Tesch was terrific, running up front all weekend long.

Rookie Runners: Gulbrandson and Bryan Nayes, both Modified rookies, raced their way into the show for the first time this year. Good to see 2 new guys having such great success at this type of a show. Gulbrandson won this event last year in his Midwest Modified, while Nayes had competed in the past few Fall Classics, but in a Super Stock, not a Mod.

Luck:

Good Luck – Jon Tesch – after Jon stole the lead momentarily from Dave Cain on the final lap, Tesch’s rear axle broke as the field came out of turn 4 for the checkered. He was lucky it happened when it did because he was able to hold on for third place.

Bad Luck: Jason Miller – after suffering a flat tire on his trailer on the way to the track on Thursday, he then was leading his heat race and blew his motor and then to top it off, he broke his leg after the races in the pit area. Blake Jegtvig also had bad luck all weekend, not being able to finish either race he started. Trent Follmer blew up a motor in practice on Thursday night, forcing him to miss his heat race and start at the tail of a b-main. Scot Danzeisen also hurt a motor and scratched from his b-main starting position.

Winning Chassis: Specialty Fabricating Race Cars out of claimed their third straight Mod Nationals championship this year. We had 32 J-cars entered, plus 11 Larry Shaw Modifieds, as well as 1 Affordable, 2 Cobras, 1 Kraft, 1 Victory, 2 Perfects, 3 Elites, 2 Eagles, 1 Stealth, 1 Tracer, 1 GRT and 1 Matrix Mod.

Jay McDonald put on a killer show in the Qualifying main event on Friday night. After going to the tail on a lap 2 spin, Jay put his right rear Hoosier over the cushion and proceeded to blast his way all the way up to second, securing himself a front row starting spot in the main event on Saturday night.

Consistency: After 3 years of the Mod Nationals and over 100 drivers that have competed in at least 1 of the years with us, there are now only 6 drivers that have been fortunate enough to have qualified for the $7,000 to win / $700 to start feature event each of the three years we have run this show. Those drivers are: Jason Thoennes, Jamie Lemke, Jimmy Chyba, Steve Arpin, Craig Thatcher and Tony Leiker.

Best Finish: Among those 6 guys, Leiker has the best average feature finish with an 8.3 place average. Tony has finished 10th, 2nd and 14th respectively each season. Thoennes has finished 1st, 22nd & 8th each year, while Thatcher has run 2nd, 20th & 5th with Arpin 5th, 26th and 2nd. Chyba has finished 16th, 17th & 21st, where Lemke has 17th, 24th & 23rd each year.

Winning Driver: Of course congratulations are in order for Dave Cain and the Cain racing team. Dave has won a lot of races over the years, but none bigger than this one. He certainly earned it after having to race from 8th to win his Heat race and then again having to come from 8th to win 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 Jay McDonald and Jon Tesch 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. Cory Crapser, Jason VandeKamp, Corey Rosen, Dave Rohweder, Shawn Wageman, Jason Long, Corey Tammen, Scott Horn, Ryan Buer among others sure made the Street Stock shows exciting to watch. Congrats to VandeKamp and Rosen for their victories!

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. Danny Bayer, Jason Hoffman, Shane Sabraski, Jake Wildman, the Krafthefer boys, Brock Gronwold, Derek Bernstein, Josh Thoennes, Jeremy Kerzman, Travis Saurer, Randy Klein are certainly top runners anywhere they go and did not disappoint this weekend. Congrats to Bayer and Sabraski for their $500 paydays.

Upcoming events: Don’t forget the next FYE promoted event at Viking will be the 5th annual Viking Fall Classic, which takes place on October 4th, 5th & 6th. Practice will be Thursday night Oct. 4th from 7-10 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 2008, so stay tuned for event information to come soon.


Holiday Inn Back On Board As Host Hotel For Fall Classic.....

Holiday Inn of Alexandria Named Host Hotel For 5th Viking Fall Classic

The Holiday Inn of Alexandria has once again come on board for the third consecutive season to be the official host hotel of the 5th Annual Viking Fall Classic. The staff and accommodations at the Holiday Inn are second to none and will provide a great home away from home for those planning on attending this year’s Fall Classic on October 4th, 5th and 6th.

The Holiday Inn will be offering discounted rates for all guests that mention the Fall Classic upon registration and will be offering free drink vouchers for Rudy’s Redeye Grill, the lounge/restaurant attached to the hotel. The Holiday Inn has recently been renovated and each room offers new furnishings, wireless internet and large work desks. The holidome recreation center in the center of the complex features a swimming pool, whirlpool, wading pool, an indoor volleyball court and a basketball court. You can check the hotel out at www.hialexandria.com. Room rates will be reserved at a discounted price of $84.95 plus tax per night for the weekend, providing an affordable stay while in town for some awesome racing action! As of today (May 9th) there are only 45 rooms remaining at the hotel, so give them a call and get yours booked before they are sold out.

To make reservations, please call (320) 763-6577 and be sure to mention that you are staying with them because they are the host hotel of the Fall Classic in order to get your discounted room rate. The Holiday Inn is conveniently located just off of Interstate 94 as you come into Alex. At the top of the ramp, turn left onto Highway 29 South and the Holiday Inn is your first building on the left, just across the bridge. The address is 5637 Hwy 29 South, Alexandria, MN 56308. For more information about the Fall Classic, please check out www.fyemotorsports.com or call Chris at (715) 497-8916.


$9,200 to win John Seitz Memorial Late Model Invitational

Only a few weeks after the shocking and very sad news of Bemidji, Minnesota Late Model pilot John Seitz passing away this past February while on a snowmobile trip in Idaho, comes the news of the first John Seitz Memorial Late Model Invitational, which will take the place of the already successful Harvest Bowl Nationals and be held at the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota on Thursday and Friday, September 6th and 7th 2007, will run under the DTRA sanctioning and will pay the winner a whopping DTRA-record $9,200 to commemorate Seitz #92 car number.

The Seitz family, Seitz Crew Chief Josh Hills, River Cities Speedway Promoter Darren Evavold, Seitz best friend and sponsor Don Shaw and FYE Motorsports Owner Chris Stepan have been working hard on getting this put together and the details finalized so the announcement could be made that this event will become a reality.

When asked about his role in getting this event put together, Hills said “We need to make this event a big deal because that's what John would want us to do to make the sport of racing grow in the Upper Midwest. Large races like this bring race fans and race teams together to have fun and that's why we race is to have fun and make friends.”

DTRA Late Models will run all of their heat races and pole dash on Thursday night, while DTRA Midwest Modifieds and DTRA Street Stocks will also compete in a complete show on Thursday night. Friday night will then feature another complete show for the DTRA Midwest Modifieds, DTRA Street Stocks, and a complete program of NOSA Sprint Cars will also thrill the fans on Friday night plus the b-features and 50-lap, $9,200 to win DTRA Late Model main event. There will be a point fund put together and paid out to the driver that has the most combined points over the 2-day show in both the Midwest Modified and Street Stock division as well.

When Shaw was asked what he thought about this event he commented “To put it in John’s words….’Do it for the fans, do it for the sport and do it because you love it!’ John’s motto was always ‘Go Hard Or Go Home’, so this race should be an incredible event to remember and honor someone who was like a brother to me.”

Stepan commented “John was a great driver on the track, a driver that I sponsored and was proud to help in any way I could and most importantly a great friend of mine, so it is an honor to be a part of this event.” Chris also stated “I hope this event turns into one of the biggest events in all of the country because John deserves his legacy to be remembered and he would love to have this event be huge. I am already very much looking forward to it.”

When Evavold was asked about the significance of this event, he said “River Cities was John’s home track. He ran with us for most of his racing career on Friday nights and he will be sorely missed. He was a class act on and off the track and we are proud to be able to host this event in his memory.”

If this event should happen to succumb to inclement weather, a complete rain date is set for Friday and Saturday, September 21st and 22nd 2007. The Late Model car entry fee will be $100 on or before August 15th and $125 after the 15th of August. Exact details with start times, entry fees, sponsors and other information will be released shortly, but be sure to put this event on your calendar as it proves to be one of the biggest year-ending blowout events in the upper Midwest.


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