Eagle Valley Speedway 2010 Season Opener
By Gene Harmelink
Sunday, April 18, was the opening day for Eagle Valley Speedway near Jim Falls, Wisconsin, and what a night it was! Full stands, a nice field of ninety-five competitive cars, great weather, and a well-prepared track were all of the ingredients needed to make for an excellent race night.
Eagle River, Wisconsin’s, Jason Zdroik led the field to the first green flag for the 2010 race season with Bob Wood to his outside as the WISSOTA Midwest Mods took to the track. Zdroik was off to a quick start leading the field to take the lead for the first lap with Wood nipping at his heels. With five laps in the books, Matt Leer spun in turn two requiring realignment and a restart. Zdroik again shot to the lead with Wood once again in hot pursuit followed closely by Jesse Glenz, Nick Koehler, and Shane Halopka. After a final caution, following lap seven , Zdroik again assumed the lead , which he continued to widen, until he took the win with fifteen laps completed. Rounding out the top five were: Wood, Koehler, Glenz, and Halopka.
A strong field of very competitive WISSOTA Super Stocks took to the track next with Shane Kisling and Mark Stender leading the rest of the field to the flag stand. Kisling was off to a quick lead with Stender looking for a way around him. After two successive cautions, following lap four, the field again took the green with Stender snatching the lead for one lap. Kisling once again surged to the lead at the end of lap seven with Eric Olson and Mike Anderson following in his wake as Stender dropped to fourth. It looked like Olson might take the lead, but fate had other ideas, as Olson’s car dropped a driveshaft during lap twelve and his night was done along with Wayne Dean’s night, as Dean pulled off with an over-heating car, while running fifth. On the restart, Kissling once again surged to the lead with Anderson, Stender, Aaron Wilson, and Lance Schilling giving chase. It looked like Kissling would hang onto the lead for the win, despite the best efforts of his competitors, but uncharacteristically, Kissling slid up high in turn one on two successive laps and Anderson took advantage. With three laps to go, Anderson took the lead and continued as the leader to take the win. Rounding out the top five were: Stender. Kisling, Wilson, and Lance Leu.
Dave Cain and Mike Anderson lead the field to the green for the start of the WISSOTA Modified feature with Cain taking command early. Three laps into the race, and after two successive cautions, Cain once again grabbed the lead with Kevin Adams giving chase. Despite the best efforts of Adams, Kent Baxter, Jay Richardson, and Nate Heinrich, Cain continued to lead and stretch his lead. With Cain having the field covered and the lead growing, Cain went on to take win a sweep in convincing fashion. Rounding out the top five were: Adams, Baxter, Heinrich, and Luke Schilling who had been running sixth for some time.
A very competitive field of fifteen WISSOTA Street Stocks took to the track next with Jim Randall and Danny Richards on the front row. Randall, driving the same car he has had for four years with what he described as an “oil leaker motor”, pulled out to an early lead in a race that would see just two early cautions. Randall was certainly the class of the field as he drove a flawless race with Zach Manely doing a nice job of challenging early along with Richards and Doug Wojcik. With a few laps to go, Randall continued to pull away to take the eventual sweep as the rest of the field shuffled a bit with the top five rounding out to be: Manley, Richards, Butch Kummer, and Chanda Fjorden Nord.
The Eagle Valley Pure Stocks took the green flag next with George Richards and William Adams leading the field. Richards didn’t seem to have missed a beat from 2009, as he was off to an early lead with Chaz Ducommun giving chase along with William Adams. There was just one caution in this race and that occurred early, giving Richards clear sailing for the duration of the race to take the win by a full turn. Rounding out the top five were: Nick Wojcik, coming from eighth, Tyler English, from sixth, Rob Wahlstrom, and Ducomann.
The last division to take their turn on the track was the mighty Eagle Valley Hornet division with Mike Schreck and Mike Warga on the front row. There were no cautions in this race and Rocky Kempe, who had started third, was off to an early lead, leading the first ten laps of the twelve-lap feature. It was Dustin LaBlonde, though, who would go on for the win with a pass during lap eleven. Rounding out the top five were: Kempe, Warga, Jay Welk, and Schreck.
Racing resumes on Sunday, April 25, when once again Eagle Valley Speedway will be running a complete race program. Pits open at 4:00 with cutoff at 5:30. The main gate opens at 4:30 with hot laps at 5:30 and racing at 6:00. Keep Monday, May 31, open on your calendar so that you can enjoy a special night of racing when Eagle Valley presents the first special of the year when the Fastrak Late Model Touring Series comes to town.
SUMMARY
April 18, 2010
WISSOTA Modifieds: Dave Cain, Kevin Adams, Kent Baxter, Nate Heinrich, Luke Schilling, Jay Richardson, Mark Hanson, Keith Tourville, Bryan Nayes, Adam Eckes, Michael Truscott, Cory Crapser, John Hazelton, Mike Anderson, Paul Knauf
Heat 1: Cain, Hanson, Baxter, Richardson, Schilling, Truscott, Hazelton, Eckes
Heat 2: Adams, Heinrich, Knauf, Anderson, Crapser, Tourville, Nayes, Steve Hallquist
WISSOTA Super Stocks: Mike Anderson, Mark Stender, Shane Kisling, Aaron Wilson, Lance Leu, Lance Schilling, Darrel Hazelton, Chad Zastrow, Andy Grymala, Falkner, Ken Truscott, CJ Polacek, Eric Olson, Wayne Dean, Terry Kroening, Chad Tarvis, Mike Keller, Lucas Plank
Heat 1: Olson, Kisling, Anderson, Dean, Leu, Schilling, Hazelton
Heat 2: Stender, Truscott, Plank, Falkner, Tarvis, Polacek
Heat 3: Kroening, Wilson, Keller, Grymala
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds: Jason Zdroik, Bob Wood, Nick Koehler, Jesse Glenz, Shane Halopka, Brad Hudson, Clark Swartz, Grant Southworth, Mickey Nosser, Travis Anderson, Paul Socwell, J Hessler, Casey Manor, Fischer, Mark Gerth, Brian Fuchs, Matt Leer, Clements, Jake Smith, Jackson, Carlson
Heat 1: Hudson, Zdroik, Glenz, Southworth, Swartz, Nosser, Smith, Socwell
Heat 2: Leer, Anderson, Halopka, Fuchs, Gerth, George Truscott, Jason Swan, Alan Broker
Heat 3: Koehler, Wood, Clements, Hessler, Carlson, Jackson, Manor, Fischer
WISSOTA Street Stocks: Jim Randall, Zach Manley, Danny Richards, Butch Kummer, Chanda Fjorden Nord, Doug Wojcik, Ron Hanestad, Cody Kummer, Travis Hazelton, Sam Fankhauser, David Keyeski, Jason Lang, Simon Wahlstrom, Kevin Hartman, Rick Weir
Heat 1: Randall, Wojcik, Manley, Richards, C Kummer, Weir, Fankhauser, Keyeski
Heat 2: Fjorden Nord, Hazelton, B Kummer, Wahlstrom, Hartman, Lang, Hanestad
Eagle Valley Pure Stocks: George Richards, Nick Wojcik, Tyler English, Robert Wahlstrom, Chaz Ducomann, Potaczek, Jay Folz, William Adams, Mike Schuebel, Dalton Hazelton, Scotty Schoettle, Lucas Kallenbach, Armon Love
Heat 1: Richards, Ducomann, Potaczek, Adams, Schuebel, Warner, Love
Heat 2: English, Wahlstrom, Schoettle, Wojcik, Folz, Hazelton, Kallenbach
Eagle Valley Hornets: Dustin LaBlonde, Rocky Kempe, Mike Warga, Jay Welk, Mike Schreck, Bo Verbick, Billy Anderson, Cori Block
Heat: LaBlonde, Kempe, Schreck, Verbick, Anderson, Welk, Warga
