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Cory Mahder
and Schilling Surprise Red Cedar Speedway Foes
By
Ed Reichert
Photos by Chris Burback
Menomonie WI, July 18 – It was a night of surprises
in the elite divisions at the Red Cedar Speedway
Friday night. Cory Mahder won his first Late Model
feature race at Red Cedar since moving up from the
Super Stocks a year ago while Luke Schilling won his
first ever Modified feature event to highlight the
racing action after a two week hiatus thanks to the
rainy Friday night conditions of late. Other winners
tonight included Steve Thomas, Jim Bourn, Chaz
Ducummun and Dusty Brown.
Mahder had an easy time of it in the Late Model main
as he started on the pole and walked away from the
field from the drop of the green. Cory got the jump
on Scott Gilberts and quickly stretched his lead as
Gilberts battled with Chris Oertel and Kelly
Anderson. With the race running nonstop, Mahder
continued to build on his lead which at its greatest
bulged to nearly a straightaway over the field.
Oertel moved into the second spot over Gilberts but
it was Brent Larson that provided the show in the
second half of the event. He moved to the cushion as
he worked his way toward the front after starting
seventh and he gradually picked off car after car as
he marched to the front. Sweeping past Oertel on the
top side, he moved into second and began to cut into
Mahder’s lead. However Cory kept the gas mashed and
while Brent closed to within three car lengths on
the final tour, it was Mahder who accepted the
checkered flag as the seventh different Late Model
winner here already this summer. Oertel completed a
fine run for third ahead of
 Mike Goodremote and
Duane Mahder.
Schilling was locked in a tough battle most of the
Modified main with Robby Bunkelman and it took a
late surge by Schilling to record the win. Don
Brightbill led the first two laps before Schilling
was able to duck under him and take over the top
spot. Bunkelman was running the cushion and he
gradually pulled in to challenge Schilling for the
lead. Robby swept by on the high side to take over
the top spot but Luke wasn’t done quite yet. He
stayed close and then after a few laps, he seemed to
reignite his efforts and he came storming back up on
the low side and retook the lead from Bunkelman.
While the leaders were battling, a couple of other
drivers were fighting their way up through the pack
as Scott Duval and Rich Lofthus in their Chrysler
powered cars were both making strong advances. Duval
got past Brightbill for third with Lofthus following
his move. Near the end of the race Schilling really
picked up the pace and was able to stretch his
advantage over Bunkelman as he drove home
unchallenged for the win. Duval had Lofthus all over
him at the end but he held on for third with
Brightbill completing the top five.
Steve Thomas won his third Super Stock feature of
the season to top that division as he outfought the
field in
 a wild contest shortened by yellow flags.
Ryan Olson and Steve Hallquist brought the field in
for the green and things got crazy immediately as
the pack was literally five wide in turn two but
somehow they got sorted out and kept all their
machines pointed in the right direction with
Hallquist taking the early lead. Thomas quickly
moved in from the second row and was able to drive
under Hallquist to take over the lead. Mike Keller
and Shawn Huse were both on the hunt as they moved
into contention with Keller going to the top side to
take over second. He then began to close on Thomas
as the battle started to rage.
Some
of the cars battling for contending positions then
started to mix it up and the yellow waved three
times in quick order for spinning cars. A green,
white and checkered flag situation was called for
and Keller got a good run on Thomas at the start. He
tried to go both high and low but Thomas managed to
block his moves and hold on for the win. Huse
finished a strong third with Hallquist and Ben
Hillman completing the top five.
 Randy Smeltzer and Bryan Bisonette battled in the
early going for the Midwest Modified lead with
Bisonette taking the top spot which he held through
the first yellow flag of the event. He was soon
challenged by Ronnie Rihn but Jim Bourn was the
quick one as he dove under Bisonette to take over
the lead. Mark Gerth also came to challenge but it
was Mark Thomas who was the most assertive at
gaining ground. He moved to the high side of the
track and was able to drive past the three cars
battling for position to take over the runner up
slot. He then began to close on Bourn to provide a
stiff challenge. Thomas was all over Bourn when
Shane Halopka rolled to a halt just as the white
flag was ready to be displayed. It was a two lap
sprint to the checkers but Bourn got a great start
and put distance on the pack as the final lap
started. Thomas was never able to provide a serious
challenge over the remaining distance as Bourn drove
home for his second win of the year here. Gerth
settled for third ahead of Rihn and Bisonette.
The
Pure Stock feature was a two car battle between
Ducummun and Mike Knudtson all the way. Ducummun
started on the pole but it was Knudtson who took the
lead and led most of the contest. Near the end,
Ducummun started to close up on Knudtson and got
under him with only a couple of laps left. With a
strong move down the back chute he took the lead as
the field saw the white flag and he pulled away on
the final round to record his second win of the year
here in his classic Chrysler. Chris Wert came
through to finish third ahead of Nick Field and
Jordan Johnson.
The
evening was completed with a Pure Stock make up
feature that dated way back to June 13th
. In this event the first couple of laps were a wild
scramble with Dusty Brown coming all the way from
sixth to take over the lead. Ducummun again ran in
second and tried another late race charge but this
time it came up short as Brown has his Thunderbird
flying in the groove and the point leader took his
first win of the year at Red Cedar. Johnson finished
third ahead of Wert and Knudtson.
Racing continues next Friday, July 25th
on 24/7 Telcom Night at the speedway. Race time is 7
p.m.
SUMMARY
Red
Cedar Speedway
Menomonie WI
July
18, 2008
WISSOTA Late Models
20
lap Feature – Cory Mahder, Elk Mound; Brent Larson,
Lake Elmo Mn; Chris Oertel, Marshfield; Mike
Goodremote, Sand Creek; Duane Mahder, Eau Claire;
Scott Gilberts, Menomonie; Jesse Redetzke, Altoona;
Kelly Anderson, Hager City; Shawn Mahder, Eau
Claire; Randy Gullixson, Baldwin; Mike Prochnow,
Menomonie; Davin Larson, Trego; Scott Meeds, Siren,
John Meeds, Spooner; Dennis Larson, Lake Elmo Mn.
10
lap Heat 1 – B. Larson; Goodremote; Oertel;
Anderson; Prochnow; Da. Larson; Gullixson; De.
Larson.
Heat
2 – C. Mahder; D. Mahder; Gilberts; Redetzke; S.
Mahder; J. Meeds; S. Meeds.
WISSOTA Modifieds
15
lap Feature – Luke Schilling, Granton; Robby
Bunkelman, Abbotsford; Scott Duval, Bloomer; Rich
Lofthus, Bloomer; Don Brightbill, Hudson; Ross
Prochnow, Knapp; Craig Thatcher, Knapp; Jake Hartung,
Elmwood; Mike Anderson, Colfax; Jay Richardson,
Spring Valley; Brent Larson, Lake Elmo Mn; Cory
Williams, Spring Valley; Mark Hessler, Menomonie;
Trent Follmer, Princeton Mn; Keith Tourville, Star
Prairie; Mark Hanson, Chippewa Falls; Bryan Nayes,
Chippewa Falls; Bill Stettner, Inver Grove Heights
Mn; Aric Lindberg, Dallas; Brad Loveday, Fort
Frances Ont; Steve Lavasseur, River Falls.
10
lap Heat 1 – Anderson; Bunkelman; Schilling; Follmer;
Hanson; Nayes; Thatcher.
Heat
2 – Duval; Brightbill; Prochnow; Larson; Tourville;
Lavasseur; Stettner.
Heat
3 – Hartung; Lofthus; Richardson; Williams;
Lindberg; Loveday; Hessler.
WISSOTA Super Stocks
11
lap Feature – Steve Thomas, Menomonie; Mike Keller,
Menomonie; Shawn Huse, Bloomer; Steve Hallquist, Eau
Claire; Ben Hillman, Menomonie; Tim Borgeson, New
Richmond; Joe Rhead, Menomonie; Tom Karis,
Menomonie; Bernie Christianson, Menomonie; Greg
Nippoldt, Roberts; Brandon Jensen, Hammond; Aaron
Wilson, Menomonie; Jason Forehand, Eau Claire; Rod
Dregney, Mondovi; Curt Myers, Cameron; Chad Johnson,
Colfax; Dan Preston, Baldwin; Paul Erikson,
Abbotsford; Brad Johnson, Wilson; Charley
Obermueller, Menomonie; Rick Hallquist, Eau Claire;
Ryan Olson, Chippewa Falls.
10
lap Heat 1 – S. Hallquist; Dregney; Thomas; C.
Johnson; Erikson; Obermueller; Preston; Nippoldt.
Heat
2 – Keller; Huse; Olson; Christianson; B. Johnson;
Karis; Jensen.
Heat
3 – Myers; Wilson; Hillman; Forehand; Rhead; R.
Hallquist; Borgeson.
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15
lap Feature – Jim Bourn, Menomonie; Mark Thomas,
Menomonie; Mark Gerth, Menomonie; Ronnie Rihn,
Bloomer; Bryan Bisonette, Rice Lake; Mike Truscott,
Chippewa Falls; Randy Smeltzer, Colfax; Clark
Swartz, Bloomer; Justin Supri, Eau Claire; Grant
Southworth, Bloomer; Scott Erickson, Barron; Kevin
Smeltzer, Menomonie; Robbie Johnson, Wilson; Scott
Naset, Lexington N.C.; Nick Koehler, Bloomer; Cooper
Dohms, Menomonie; Reid Tiegs, Dallas; Shane Halopka,
Medford; Nick Szymoniak, Eau Claire; Gary Sorensen,
Eau Claire.
6
lap B Feature – Koehler; Dohms; K. Smeltzer;
Sorensen; Naset; Bryan Hessler.
10
lap Heat 1 – Halopka; Thomas; Southworth; Johnson;
Tiegs; Hessler, Brad Mews; Dohms; Sorensen.
Heat
2 – Bourn; R. Smeltzer; Supri; Truscott; Erickson;
Koehler; K. Smeltzer; Naset.
Heat
3 – Gerth; Bisonette; Rihn; Swartz; Szymoniak; A.J.
Roschen; Eric Herbison; Chad Marson.
Pure
Stocks
10
lap Feature – Chaz Ducummun, Chetek; Mike Knudtson,
Osseo; Chris Wert, Roberts; Nick Field, Elmwood;
Jordan Johnson, Augusta; Ashley Husby, Menomonie;
Dusty Brown, Rice Lake; Rob Lawrence, Eau Claire;
Bill Skoug, Osseo; Willy Hughes, Arkansas; Brent
Szymoniak, Eau Claire; Mike Harshman, Eau Claire;
Mike Liphardt, Menomonie; Amy Jo Hughes, Knapp; Nick
Spence, Spring Valley; Ron Hoffman, Ridgeland; Adam
Berg, Chippewa Falls; Luke Plank, Eau Claire.
10
lap Makeup Feature from June 13th –
Brown; Ducummun; Johnson; Wert; Knudtson; Plank;
Husby; Spence; W. Hughes; Lawrence; A. Hughes; Berg;
Hoffman; Field.
6
lap Heat 1 – Johnson; Skoug; Husby; Berg; Lawrence;
A. Hughes; Spence; Plank.
Heat
2 – Field; Ducummun; Knudtson; Wert; W. Hughes;
Liphardt; Harshman; Szymoniak; Hoffman; Brown.
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