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Four New Winners at Red
Cedar as Point Season Ends
By Ed Reichert
Menomonie WI, August 1 – There were four first time
winners Friday night as the Red Cedar wrapped up its
point season for 2008. Visiting victory lane for the
first time this year were Kerry Hanson, Brent
Prochnow, Curt Myers and Nick Field while Shane
Halopka tied Craig Thatcher with the most wins for
the year when he grabbed his fourth main event of
the year.
 Hanson’s
second appearance of the year here and only his
third outing in 2008 saw him come home the winner in
the Late Model main event as he fought off rookie
Shawn Mahder for the win. Hanson started on the pole
with Mahder and Mike Prochnow quickly pulling in to
challenge him. Only two laps were completed when the
yellow flew for Duane Mahder’s car which was leaking
fuel. Mahder made a quick pit stop and rejoined the
field at the tail.
When racing resumed, Hanson continued to lead but
Shawn Mahder was putting heavy pressure on Hanson,
nearly squeezing by him on the top side several
times. However, Hanson continued to run his groove
and eventually he began to gradually pull away after
withstanding the best challenges the field could
provide. His lead got more and more comfortable as
the race continued, and with the event remaining
under the green, he drove home with room to spare
for the win. Shawn Mahder scored his best run so far
with a second place run while Chris Oertel made some
late race passes to edge out Mike Goodremote for
third with Duane Mahder coming back up through the
field for fifth.
Brent Prochnow was the strongest Modified on hand
tonight as he quickly dug himself up through the
pack to take the lead and run home unchallenged for
his first win of the year here. Keith Tourville and
Don Brightbill
battled on the opening lap but Prochnow came
charging up from row three as he found an opening on
the low side and one lap later he drove under
Tourville to take over the lead. Once in front, he
quickly put distance on the field with everyone
chasing him.
Craig Thatcher also found racing room early as he
moved from seventh to third on the opening lap and
then quickly took the second spot. However, once he
got to second he was unable to challenge Prochnow
for the lead. Despite trying different lines on the
track, Brent continued to remain the same distance
ahead of him and Thatcher had to mainly focus on
keeping the charging Rich Lofthus behind him in
third. He was able to do that as the top three
remained unchanged the rest of the event. Mike
Anderson worked his way up to fourth at the end with
Mark Hanson making a late race pass to crack the top
five.
Myers continued on his torrid pace at area race
tracks in the Super Stock division, and while his
win tonight was the first for him here, he currently
has seventeen other stickers on his car from
triumphs already this season. Tonight he started
seventh but quickly came charging up as he found
some openings on the low side of the track that
aided his run to the front.
Also helping him was the fact that the field kept
getting bunched as the yellow flew three times in
the early going for various spins of a minor nature.
Jason Forehand had taken the lead from the outside
pole and was establishing a good groove and he
looked like tonight might be the night for him to
earn his first win of the year also but Myers had
other ideas as once he moved into second, he quickly
cut the lead that Forehand had built up.
 Curt
pulled to the rear bumper of Forehand and with an
opening on the inside, he blasted into the lead and
immediately opened up some distance on the field.
However, Forehand was not done yet and he managed to
claw his way back up to Myers rear bumper and put
the heat on the multi time winner. Shawn Huse was
also in the vicinity and with the low lane blocked,
he opted to try the high side and while it first
appeared that line might work, he remained stuck in
third. Myers continued to hold the groove and while
Forehand was close behind, he was never able to
mount a more serious challenge and had to settle for
second. Mike Keller came forward toward the end and
nipped Huse for third with Steve Thomas completing
the top runners.
Scott Erickson led the first few laps of the Midwest
Modified main event and he fought hard in an effort
to win his first feature of the year. After Mike
Truscott found the wall on lap three while battling
with Mark Clements for second, the race went nonstop
the rest of the way with Halopka moving up from
sixth position to challenge for the lead. When
Erickson slipped off the bottom in turn four,
Halopka was right there to take over the lead.
The real battle then turned to the positions behind
the leader as Halopka checked out on the field.
Rookie Clements was battling hard to hold second as
he and Erickson, Mark Gerth and Bryan Bisonette all
raced for position. Also on the move were Dan Svee
and Mark Thomas from farther back in the field. Last
week’s winner Svee moved to the top side of the
track and had some success as he was able to gain
two positions and
basically ran out of time at the end. Halopka
continued on unchallenged with Gerth settling into
second ahead of Svee, Thomas and Clements at the
line.
A
grinding crash on the back chute on the first lap of
the Pure Stock feature eliminated the cars of Luke
Plank, Mike Harshman, Austin Galloway and Nate
Spence and temporarily stunned Harshman who needed a
little assistance exiting his vehicle but then
quickly regained his pins under him.
The restart saw Ron Hoffman and Field battling for
the lead with Field able to take over the spot. Nick
put just a little space on the competition but the
battle for second was intense as several drivers
were swapping positions on every turn of the oval.
Near the end of the contest, Mike Knudtson made a
strong push as he took over second and made a
serious run at Field. He gave it his best effort on
the final lap, but his car pushed up the track and
Field came home with the win. Ashley Husby also made
a late rush and she tok the third spot ahead of
Hoffman and Chris Wert who challenged early but got
shuffled back at the end.
Unofficially, crowned as point champions were: Mike
Goodremote-Late Model; Craig Thatcher-Modified;
Shane Halopka-Midwest Modified; Shawn Huse-Super
Stock and Dusty Brown-Pure Stock.
There will be no racing next Friday at the Red Cedar
Speedway due to the Dunn County Fair being in
session. Racing action will return on Friday, August
15th when Keyes Chevytown will present
the Season Championship races. Race time is 7 p.m.
SUMMARY
Red Cedar Speedway
Menomonie WI
August 1, 2008
WISSOTA Late Models
15
lap Feature – Kerry Hanson, Baldwin; Shawn Mahder,
Eau Claire; Chris Oertel, Marshfield; Mike
Goodremote, Sand Creek; Duane Mahder, Eau Claire;
Jesse Redetzke, Altoona; Mike Prochnow, Menomonie;
Dennis Larson, Lake Elmo Mn.
10
lap Heat – S. Mahder; D. Mahder; Hanson; Goodremote;
Prochnow; Redetzke; Oertel; Larson.
WISSOTA Modifieds
15
lap Feature – Brent Prochnow, Menomonie; Craig
Thatcher, Knapp; Rich Lofthus, Bloomer; Mike
Anderson, Colfax; Mark Hanson, Chippewa Falls; Ross
Prochnow, Knapp; Keith Tourville, Star Prairie; Dave
Baxter, Eau Claire; Jake Hartung, Elmwood; Mark
Hessler, Menomonie; Darrel Hazelton, Chippewa Falls;
Don Brightbill, Hudson; Robby Bunkelman, Abbotsford;
Bryan Nayes, Chippewa Falls; Cory Williams, Spring
Valley; Dana Lerum, Pepin.
10
lap Heat 1 – Anderson; Tourville; B. Prochnow; R.
Prochnow; Baxter; Hazelton; Hessler; Nayes.
Heat 2 – Thatcher; Hanson; Lofthus; Brightbill;
Bunkelman; Hartung; Williams; Lerum.
WISSOTA Super Stocks
10
lap Feature – Curt Myers, Cameron; Jason Forehand,
Eau Claire; Mike Keller, Menomonie; Shawn Huse,
Bloomer; Steve Thomas, Menomonie; Greg Nippoldt,
Roberts; Tim Borgeson, New Richmond; Paul Erikson,
Abbotsford; Tom Karis, Menomonie; Rick Hallquist,
Eau Claire; Brad Johnson, Wilson; Ben Hillman,
Menomonie; Joe Rhead, Menomonie; Charley Obermueller,
Menomonie; Destin Lorimor, Superior; Chad Johnson,
Colfax; Bernie Christianson, Menomonie; Bob
Sorensen, Eau Claire; Steve Hallquist, Eau Claire;
Rod Dregney, Mondovi; Aaron Wilson, Menomonie.
10
lap Heat 1 – Dregney; Myers; Keller; Erikson; S.
Hallquist; Christianson; Wilson.
Heat 2 – Thomas; Hillman; Forehand; Borgeson; R.
Hallquist; Rhead; Obermueller.
Heat 3 – Huse; Nippoldt; C. Johnson; B. Johnson;
Lorimor; Karis; Sorensen.
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15
lap Feature – Shane Halopka, Medford; Mark Gerth,
Menomonie; Dan Svee, Colfax; Mark Thomas, Menomonie;
Mark Clements, Bloomer; Bryan Bisonette, Rice Lake;
Justin Supri, Eau Claire; Jim Bourn, Menomonie;
Scott Erickson, Barron; Bryan Hessler, Chetek; Kevin
Smeltzer, Menomonie; Mike Truscott, Chippewa Falls;
Randy Smeltzer, Colfax; Cooper Dohms, Menomonie;
Nate Szymoniak, Eau Claire; Bob Wood, Chippewa
Falls; Grant Southworth, Bloomer; Robbie Johnson,
Wilson; Casey Manor, New Auburn; Jason Swan,
Chippewa Falls; Shawn Wihren, Oakdale Mn; Brandon
Larson, Nelson.
10
lap Heat 1 – Halopka; Bisonette; Truscott; Thomas;
Dohms; Wood; Johnson; Wihren.
Heat 2 – Bourn; Gerth; Clements; Svee; R. Smeltzer;
Swan; Southworth.
Heat 3 – Supri; Erickson; K. Smeltzer; Hessler;
Larson; Szymoniak; Manor.
Pure Stocks
10
lap Feature – Nick Field; Elmwood; Mike Knudtson,
Osseo; Ashley Husby, Menomonie; Ron Hoffman,
Ridgeland; Chris Wert, Roberts; Jordan Johnson,
Augusta; Mike Liphardt, Menomonie; Dusty Brown, Rice
Lake; Chaz Ducommun, Chetek; Amy Jo Hughes, Knapp;
Rob Lawrence, Eau Claire; Eric Burton, Menomonie;
Austin Galloway, Boyceville; Mike Harshman, Eau
Claire; Nick Spence, Spring Valley; Luke Plank, Eau
Claire.
6
lap Heat 1 – Field; Hoffman; Plank; Hughes; Husby;
Galloway; Burton; Spence.
Heat 2 – Brown; Wert; Johnson; Knudtson; Ducommun;
Lawrence; Liphardt; Harshman. |
