Dominating Performances Mark Red Cedar Speedway Racing
By Ed
Reichert
Menomonie WI, July 10 – All five feature race winners Friday
night at the Red Cedar Speedway were dominant in their
performances as there were no photo finishes in the racing
action on a night when race officials hustled through the
program as lightning flashed in the western skies and
quickening breezes arose from the approaching thunderstorms.
Luke
Plank, Shane Halopka, Mike Keller, Keith Tourville and Mike
Prochnow all led the majority of their respective feature
races as they kept the pedal to the metal and the
competition in their rear view mirrors with Prochnow and
Tourville recording their first wins of the year to boot.
Plank
started in the second row of the Pure Stock feature and
after Nate Spence and Tony Falkner battled in the early
going, Plank waited for them to separate themselves and then
he picked them off to take the lead. After the red flag flew
at half race when Pat Smith, making his first appearance of
the year here, flipped in turn three, Plank pulled away on
the restart and drove home for his second win of the year at
Red Cedar. The rookies Spence and Falkner did a great job as
they raced home behind Plank with Mike Harshman and Nick
Field completing the top five.
Halopka had probably the toughest road to the front as he
came from the fourth row to win the Midwest Modified main
event. There was jockeying early as Travis Anderson, Jake
Smith and Kyle Johnson battled for the lead before Brad
Hudson secured the top spot. On the extremely dry and
slippery track, Halopka was able to move up to the middle
groove and start driving past opponents as he roared to the
front. He had some trouble with Hudson but was finally able
to drive past him for the lead. Mark Gerth was also flying
to the front from the fourth row also, but his line was
right on the bottom of the track.
A spin
halted the proceedings at the two thirds mark of the event,
but it didn’t bother Halopka who pulled away again on the
green. Gerth secured the second spot while Clark Swartz used
the Delaware restart to gain a whole row and move into
third. Halopka took his second win of the year while Swartz
garnered his best finish as he moved from the sixth row to
take third ahead of Hudson and Justin Supri.
Keller
took his division leading fourth Super Stock win as he
fought his way past Rick Hallquist and then put his car on
cruise control to take home the win. This race had its
difficulties with multiple spins slowing the action and
forcing the race to be trimmed in length. Hallquist proved
to be a tough opponent for much of the race as Keller had to
work hard to get past the Eau Claire racer, and Rick refused
to go away as on every restart he would challenge for the
lead, albeit briefly.
Keller
finally controlled things over the final few laps while
Hallquist settled in to finish a strong second ahead of Paul
Erikson, Darrel Hazelton and Tom Karis.
Tourville totally dominated the Modified feature, taking the
green flag right from the start and pulling away in what
turned out to be a nonstop main event. While a great battle
for second took place, Tourville extended his lead to nearly
a straightaway as he drove home for what appeared to be an
easy win.
The
battle for second saw Cory Williams, Jay Richardson and
Scott Duval run together for the entire race. Williams held
the second spot until he was overtaken by Richardson as
Duval slumped to third. But then Scott was able to pick up
the pace and he drove past both his competitors and in the
late going secured the runner up honors. Richardson settled
for third with Williams and Craig Thatcher trailing.
Prochnow used the same line as Halopka had earlier and he
was able to drive around Jesse Redetzke and take the Late
Model honors. Redetzke held the lead for a number of laps as
Chris Oertel moved into second put Prochnow stepped up the
track and found that he could carry his momentum through the
corners and he was able to drive to the front using that
strategy. As Redetzke got tighter and tighter in the turns,
Prochnow drove around him to take over the lead, and once in
front, he stretched it to a comfortable margin. Oertel
continued his strong run as he moved into second and dragged
Cory Mahder with him while Randy Gullixson made a last lap
pass to take the fourth spot from Redetzke.
Next
Friday night the Red Cedar Speedway will thank the drivers
for their support this year as there will be free beverages
and food for those folks that put on the show every Friday
night. On July 24th , a huge crowd is anticipated
as it will be Jam the Stands night with adult admission to
the races costing only $5. All racing will begin at 7 p.m.
SUMMARY
Red
Cedar Speedway
Menomonie WI
July
10, 2009
WISSOTA Late Models
20 lap
Feature – Mike Prochnow, Menomonie; Chris Oertel,
Marshfield; Cory Mahder, Elk Mound; Randy Gullixson,
Baldwin; Jesse Redetzke, Altoona; Jake Redetzke, Eau Claire;
Dave Cain, Corcoran MN; Steve Isenberg, Marshfield; Ashley
Anderson, Elk Mound; Todd Frank, Little Suamico; Dennis
Larson, Lake Elmo MN; Scott Gilberts, Menomonie; Jake
Hartung, Elmwood.
8 lap
Heat 1 – Je. Redetzke; Gilberts; Oertel; Cain; Gullixson;
Isenberg; Larson.
Heat 2
– Anderson; J. Redetzke; Prochnow; Mahder; Hartung; Frank.
WISSOTA Modifieds
15 lap
Feature – Keith Tourville, Star Prairie; Scott Duval,
Bloomer; Jay Richardson, Spring Valley; Cory Williams,
Spring Valley; Craig Thatcher, Knapp; Mike Anderson, Colfax;
Brent Prochnow, Colfax; Mark Hessler, Menomonie; Cory
Crapser, Chippewa Falls; Bill Stettner, Inver Grove Heights
MN; Larry Prochnow, Menomonie; Mark Hanson, Chippewa Falls;
Don Brightbill, Hudson; Bryan Hessler, Chetek; Bryan Nayes,
Chippewa Falls; John Hazelton, New Auburn; Steve Hallquist,
Eau Claire; Rich Lofthus, Bloomer.
8 lap
Heat 1 – Anderson; Thatcher; Duval; Richardson; M. Hessler;
Brightbill; Nayes; B. Prochnow; Hazelton.
Heat 2
– Williams; Tourville; Lofthus; Crapser; Stettner; L.
Prochnow; B. Hessler; Hallquist; Hanson.
WISSOTA Super Stocks
10 lap
Feature – Mike Keller, Menomonie; Rick Hallquist, Eau
Claire; Paul Erikson, Abbotsford; Darrel Hazelton, Chippewa
Falls; Tom Karis, Menomonie; Shawn Huse, Bloomer; Joe Rhead,
Menomonie; Charlie Obermueller, Menomonie; Aaron Wilson,
Menomonie; Bernie Christianson, Menomonie; Lance Schilling,
Chili; Brad Johnson, Wilson; Chad Marson, Durand; Ryan
Olson, Chippewa Falls; Ajay Christianson, Menomonie.
8 lap
Heat 1 – Keller; Huse; Erikson; Obermueller; A.
Christianson; Steve Thomas; Tommy Richards; Jason Forehand;
Olson.
Heat 2
– Hazelton; Rhead; Hallquist; Schilling; Wilson; Karis; B.
Christianson; Johnson; Marson.
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap
Feature – Shane Halopka, Eau Claire; Mark Gerth, Menomonie;
Clark Swartz, Bloomer; Brad Hudson, Chippewa Falls; Justin
Supri, Eau Claire; Kyle Johnson, Eau Claire; Mark Thomas,
Menomonie; Travis Anderson, Colfax; Jim Bourn, Menomonie;
Jake Smith, Eau Claire; Kevin Smeltzer, Menomonie; Randy
Smeltzer, Colfax; Cooper Dohms, Menomonie; Jason Swan,
Chippewa Falls; Mike Knudtson, Osseo; Bob Wood, Chippewa
Falls; Mark Hessler, Menomonie; Gary Sorenson, Eau Claire;
Grant Southworth, Bloomer; Barry Johnson, Nelson.
6 lap
B Feature – Hessler; R. Smeltzer; B. Johnson; Dohms; Wood;
Shawn Wihren; Rich Anderson; Robbie Johnson.
8 lap
Heat 1 – Bourn; Supri;T. Anderson; Swan; K. Smeltzer;
Hessler; Ryan Viltz; R. Johnson.
Heat 2
– Gerth; K. Johnson; Smith; Sorenson; Knudtson; B. Johnson;R.
Anderson; Wood.
Heat 3
– Halopka; Thomas; Hudson; Swartz; Southworth; R. Smeltzer;
Dohms; Wihren.
Pure
Stocks
10 lap
Feature – Luke Plank, Eau Claire; Nate Spence, Spring
Valley; Tony Falkner, Menomonie; Mike Harshman, Chippewa
Falls; Nick Field, Knapp; Rob Lawrence, Eau Claire; Cody
Kummer, Medford; Randy Burton, Menomonie; Willy Hughes,
Arkansas; Jason Williams, Baldwin; Craig Hollerud, Wilson;
Chad Tarvis, Chetek; Pat Smith, Eau Claire; Kory Hathaway,
Elmwood; Mike Liphardt, Elk Mound; Ron
Hoffman, Ridgeland; Ashley Husby, Menomonie; Brad Spence,
Spring Valley.
6 lap
Heat 1 – N. Spence; Falkner; Hoffman; Liphardt; Husby;
Travis Hazelton; Hathaway.
Heat 2
– Hughes; Kummer; Smith; Burton; Williams; Hollerud; Tarvis.
Heat 3
– Field; Harshman; Plank; George Richards; Lawrence; B.
Spence.
