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Thatcher and Halopka Remain Undefeated at Red Cedar Speedway
By Ed Reichert
Photos by Chris Burback
Menomonie WI, May
23 – Friday night the Red Cedar Speedway was a busy
place as along with the five division program
normally contested, three make up features were also
held that were left to complete after last Friday
night’s rain shortened show. When the last checkered
flag flew, Craig Thatcher and Shane Halopka were the
kings of the hill as both won their main events plus
the makeup features from last week. To top things
off, both remain undefeated at Red Cedar Speedway
with three feature wins in three attempts. Chris Endle won the makeup Pure Stock feature and then
slipped out of the drivers seat to allow Tommy
Richards to drive the car in the regular feature
which he promptly won also. Other winners from the
regularly scheduled events included Chad Mahder in
the Late Models and Steve Thomas in the Super
Stocks.
Thatcher wasn’t
pressed in the makeup event but had tougher sailing
the evening’s scheduled feature. In the makeup event
Rich Lofthus drove to the early lead until he was
pressed by Mike Anderson. Anderson was able to drive
under Lofthus to take over the top spot while
Thatcher moved into third after starting in the
third row. Craig closed in on the top two and was
able to get past Lofthus , but Anderson proved to be
much tougher. Thatcher tried both high and low but
Anderson continued to maintain his line. Finally
Thatcher started to have some success on the high
side and as Anderson’s car tightened up and he had
trouble getting through turn one, Thatcher gradually
edged past him on the high side with a few laps
remaining. While Anderson remained close, Thatcher
drove on for the win with Lofthus, Brent Prochnow
and Jake Hartung trailing.
In the makeup
feature Thatcher started eighth but quickly got to
the front and in only a couple of laps, he drove
around Cory Williams and Ross Prochnow to take over
a lead that he would continue to build upon
throughout the race, even though it was stopped
twice for minor spins. Ross Prochnow would hold on
to second at the finish and be trailed by Lofthus,
Brent Prochnow and Anderson.
Much the same
scenario would play out for Halopka as the regularly
scheduled Midwest Modified feature would be a hotly
contested event while Halopka would walk home easily
in the makeup race. Scott Erickson had a strong run
early as he took the lead in the first feature and
he maintained the point until he was overtaken by
Mike Truscott. Halopka started in the second row and
he then became a factor and as he moved up the
track, he gained speed and went buzzing by Truscott
to take over the lead. Also moving up was Mark Gerth
as he cracked the top five and kept charging. While
Truscott was able to remain close to Halopka, Gerth
was clearly the man on the move as he caught and
then passed Truscott for second. He began to close
on Halopka but ran out of laps as the top three held
their positions to the finish. Jim Bourn and Ronnie
Rihn were able to round out the top five.
In the makeup
feature, Halopka was scheduled to start in the
fourth row but a wreck on the first lap shuffled the
starting order and Halopka found himself on the
outside pole when the green dropped. Shane took
advantage of the situation by quickly moving into
the lead, although he received a still challenge
early from Dan Svee who stayed right with the
leader. Eventually Halopka began to pull away from
the field but the battle behind him got very
intense. Mark Thomas thrilled the crowd as he
stormed up from the twelfth starting spot using the
high side of the track to move up to challenge the
leaders. There was a great three car battle for
second with Svee and Josh Smith. Thomas was able to
squeeze by on the high side late in the action to
secure the runnerup honors ahead of Svee, Gerth and
Smith.
Richards started on
the pole for the Pure Stock feature and ran away
from the field and hid, building up nearly a
straightaway advantage over the field. Nick Field
would cross the finish line second but was
disqualified for an illegal carburetor which
elevated Ashley Husby into second trailed by Jordan
Johnson, Brent Szymoniak and Ron Hoffman.
Chris Endle had
driven the #7R car the previous week before the
rains hit, so he slipped behind the wheel to
complete the makeup feature. He was pressured early
but also gradually pulled away from the field to
dominate the event. In a race that was shortened by
yellow flags, Dusty Brown came on to get second as
he held off a late race charge by Chaz Ducommun for
the position with Luke Plank and Chris Wert also in
the top five.
 The Super Stock
feature saw Rod Dregney take the early lead with
Jeff Bush and Steve Thomas moving in to challenge
him as Joe Rhead and Shawn Huse were also moving up
in the pack. Thomas was on the move as he drove into
the lead with Bush and Dregney continuing to
challenge him as Mike Keller also became a part of
the lead group.
Thomas continued to
hold the point with a good battle for second until
Dregney spun in turn two which sent him to the tail
of the field. Thomas continued to maintain the top
spot as Keller worked on Bush for second. There was
no catching Thomas however, and he drove on for the
win. Bush lost second place due to a technical
violation which elevated Keller into the runner up
slot trailed by Rhead, Ben Hillman and Aaron Wilson.
Rounding out the
evening was the Late Model feature with sixteen cars
taking the green flag. Rookie Jesse Redetzke edged
past Steve Isenberg to take the early lead as
Redetzke looked strong. Chad Mahder started in the
third row and he went to the cushion and found
success as working right up against the wall, he was
able to move into the second spot with John Kaanta
also on the move.
Mahder was flying
on the top side and he blew past Redetzke to take
over the lead while Jesse settled into second.
Kaanta continued his charge using the middle groove
and he was able to drive into second while Rick
Hanestad also started to join the lead pack.
Kaanta tried to
close up on Mahder but Chad continued to maintain
his edge. A yellow for a stalled Lucas Peterson gave
Kaanta his opportunity and John pulled up beside
Mahder on the green. They raced side by side for a
lap but Chad built up his momentum again and
gradually edged away from Kaanta as he secured the
win. Redetzke tagged the wall late in the event and
Hanestad snuck under him for third with Ron
Schreiner rounding out the top five.
Racing will
continue next Friday night at 7 p.m. with a complete
show in all five classes sponsored by Thunder County
95.9.
SUMMARY
Red Cedar Speedway
Menomonie WI
May 23, 2008
WISSOTA Late Models
20 lap Feature –
Chad Mahder, Eau Claire; John Kaanta, Elk Mound;
Rick Hanestad, Boyceville; Jesse Redetzke, Altoona;
Ron Schreiner, Hudson; Cory Mahder, Elk Mound; Steve
Isenberg, Marshfield; Mike Goodremote, Sand Creek;
Chris Oertel, Marshfield; Mike Prochnow, Memononie;
Kelly Anderson, Hager City; Scott Gilberts,
Menomonie; Shawn Mahder, Eau Claire; Scott Meeds,
Siren; John Meeds, Spooner; Lucas Peterson,
Stockholm.
10 lap Heat 1 – Ch.
Mahder; Kaanta; Goodremote; Hanestad; Co. Mahder;
Oertel; Prochnow; Anderson; J. Meeds.
Heat 2 – Isenberg;
Redetzke; Schreiner; Peterson; S. Mahder; S. Meeds.
WISSOTA Modifieds
15 lap Feature –
Craig Thatcher, Knapp; Mike Anderson, Colfax; Rich
Lofthus, Bloomer; Brent Prochnow, Menomonie; Jake
Hartung, Elmwood; Jay Richardson, Spring Valley;
Mark Hanson, Chippewa Falls; Ross Prochnow, Knapp;
Keith Tourville, Star Prairie; Bryan Nayes, Chippewa
Falls; Don Brightbill, Hudson; Kent Baxter,
Dorchester; Jerry Weigel, Jim Falls; Cory Karshbaum,
Chetek; Joey Ogston, Duluth MN; Cory Williams,
Spring Valley.
15 lap Makeup
Feature – Thatcher, R. Prochnow; Lofthus; B.
Prochnow; Anderson; Richardson; Hanson; Baxter;
Brightbill; Hartung; Nayes; Williams.
10 Heat 1 –
Thatcher; Richardson; Hanson; R. Prochnow; Tourville;
Baxter; Brightbill; Robby Bunkelman.
Heat 2 – Lofthus;
B. Prochnow; Hartung; Anderson; Nayes;
Karshbaum;Weigel; Ogston; Williams.
WISSOTA Super
Stocks
15 lap Feature –
Steve Thomas, Menomonie; Mike Keller, Menomonie; Joe
Rhead, Menomonie; Ben Hillman, Menomonie; Aaron
Wilson, Menomonie; Charley Obermueller, Menomonie;
Dan Preston, Baldwin; Dan Arneson, Eleva; Bernie
Christianson, Menomonie; Rod Dregney, Mondovi; Shawn
Huse, Bloomer; Tom Ullom, Spooner; Tim Borgeson, New
Richmond; Ryan Olson, Chippewa Falls; Tom Karis,
Menomonie; Rick Hallquist, Eau Claire; Steve
Hallquist, Eau Claire; Bill Hughes, Menomonie.
10 lap Heat 1 –
Borgeson; Thomas; Dregney; Keller; Arneson; S.
Hallquist; Karis.
Heat 2 – Huse;
Wilson; Obermueller; Preston; Hillman; R. Hallquist;
Hughes.
Heat 3 – Rhead;
Christianson; Jeff Bush; Paul Erikson; Ullom.
WISSOTA Midwest
Modifieds
15 lap Feature –
Shane Halopka, Medford; Mark Gerth, Menomonie; Mike
Truscott, Chippewa Falls; Jim Bourn, Menomonie;
Ronnie Rihn, Bloomer; Scott Erickson, Barron; Dan
Svee, Colfax; Josh Smith, Eau Claire; Mark Thomas,
Menomonie; Justin Supri, Eau Claire; Brad Hudson,
Chippewa Falls; Bryan Hessler, Chetek; Morgan
Crotteau, Rice Lake; Mark Clements, Bloomer; Bryan
Bisonette, Rice Lake; Eric Herbison, New Richmond;
Cooper Dohms, Menomonie; Dave Morgan, Rice Lake;
Corey White, Savage MN; Mike Hernke, Cannon Falls
MN.
15 lap Makeup
Feature – Halopka; Thomas; Svee; Gerth; Smith; Rihn;
Bourn; Randy Smeltzer, Colfax; Truscott; Hessler;
Erickson; Hernke; Herbison; Hudson; Supri; Clements;
Crotteau.
8 lap B Feature –
Crotteau; Herbison; Morgan; Bisonette; R. Smeltzer;
Bob Wood; Robbie Johnson; Kevin Smeltzer; Gary
Sorenson; Jason Swan.
10 lap Heat 1 –
Erickson; Truscott; White; Dohms; Johnson; Wood;
Swan.
Heat 2 – Gerth;
Rihn; Smith; Thomas; R. Smeltzer; Morgan; Sorenson.
Heat 3 – Halopka;
Supri; Clements; Svee; Bisonette; K. Smeltzer; A.J.
Roschen.
Heat 4 – Bourn;
Hernke; Hessler; Hudson; Herbison; Crotteau.
Pure Stocks
10 lap Feature –
Tommy Richards, Mondovi; Ashley Husby, Menomonie;
Jordan Johnson, Augusta; Brent Szymoniak, Eau
Claire; Ron Hoffman, Ridgeland; Mike Knudtson,
Osseo; Chris Wert, Roberts; Chaz Ducommun, Chetek;
Luke Plank, Eau Claire; Dusty Brown, Rice Lake; Amy
Jo Hughes, Knapp; Willy Hughes, Arkansas; Tyler
Wahlstrom, Cameron.
7 lap Makeup
Feature – Chris Endle, Mondovi; Brown; Ducummon;
Plank; Wert; Johnson; A. Hughes; Hoffman; Knudtson;
Szymoniak; Husby.
6 lap Heat 1 –
Husby; Brown; Szymoniak; Johnson; Wert; Knudtson; A.
Hughes; Ducummon.
Heat 2 – Nick
Field; Richards; Hoffman; Plank; W. Hughes;
Wahlstrom; Josh Rud.
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