Four Drivers Qualify for WISSOTA RoC at Rice Lake Speedway

By Ed Reichert
 
RICE LAKE, WI (June 11) - Rice Lake Speedway held their qualifying race for the AMSOIL Race of Champions event to be held in September at the Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron S.D. with Saturday night’s feature winners automatically earning spots in that prestigious event. Punching their ticket into that event Saturday were Kevin Adams, Shane Kisling, Tito Viltz and Nick Wojcik. Also earning feature race honors Saturday was the ageless veteran Butch Madsen who came out of retirement to drive in the Pure Stock class.

Adams rolled out a new car for Saturday night’s races, but the result was no different than it has been for most of the racing season so far at Rice Lake as Kevin won his fourth feature race in six attempts. He started in the second row but before the first lap was over, he had slithered between the front row cars and took the lead down the front chute with one lap completed. After that he motored away from the field with ease. Mike Anderson eventually worked his way into second and with two yellow flags in the first half of the race, has his chances at overtaking Adams.

However, Buzzy was up to the task, and each time would pull away steadily as Anderson tried to stay with him. Eventually he built up nearly a straightaway lead which he rode to the finish with. The best race was for third where Paul Brust and Mark Hessler traded the spot back and forth with Hessler making a high side move on the final corner to take the spot. Steve Hallquist held off Tim McMann to complete the top five.

Kisling made perhaps the move of the night to overcome Steve Thomas and win his second Super Stock feature of the year at Rice Lake, and become the first repeat winner in the class. Thomas had taken the initial lead in the main event and had opened up a few car lengths on the pack as Kisling and Jason Forehand battled for the second spot. Kisling was finally able to claim the runner up position and he then began to chase down Thomas.

Near the halfway point of the event, Kisling changed his line as he moved up the track and he then was able to whittle into the lead Thomas held. The lone yellow of the race occurred with twelve laps complete when top five runner Eric Olson slowed on the track.

On the green, Kisling and Forehand, lined up side by side behind Thomas put on the pressure. Kisling was able to get up beside Steve, and after a brief battle was able to edge into the lead. Once in front, Kisling continued to work the high side of the track and he gradually moved away from the battle for second, where Thomas had his hands full with Forehand.

The race remained under the green and Kisling drove home unchallenged with Thomas able to fight off the repeated pressure from Forehand. Andy Grymala had his best night of the second as he finished fourth with Aaron Wilson completing the top five.

Both the Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks featured first time winners and both events had wild finishes that included crazy last lap action.

In the Midwest Mods, Tito Viltz started and finished in front but it was not near as easy as it might sound before he stood in victory lane. Viltz did open up a good sized lead early as Travis Anderson took the second spot with Josh Smith, Mike Truscott and Cory Crapser contesting.

A multi car stack up on lap four changed things up a bit and while Viltz again gained a good sized lead, it was Shane Halopka who had moved up from the fourth row and became his prime challenger. Halopka gradually moved in on Viltz and when the yellow waved for debris on the track with only three laps to go, it was clear it was going to be an exciting finish.

Halopka immediately moved in to challenge Tito, with Shane sticking a nose under Tito in the corners and trying to get past. Both cars were on the edge of control as they threw their cars into the corners with Tito trying to block the low groove and Shane trying to edge past. The last lap saw Halopka get beside Viltz down the back chute, and both cars went flying into the final corner. Somehow both drivers kept their cars pointed the right direction and Viltz was able to race back to the line and edge Shane by a car length. Anderson settled for a solid third with Matt Leer and Truscott in the top five.

The Street Stock finish was just as dramatic with the Wojcik brothers fighting in out on the final lap with them very nearly taking each other out of the contest. Jimmy Randall sat on the pole but when he pushed up the track in the first corner that opened the door to Nick Wojcik who was directly behind Randall and quickly moved into the lead. Adams Soltis and Doug Wojcik were also close behind and putting on the heat.

Two early tangles slowed the action but once everyone settled down, it became a battle between the Ladysmith brothers after Doug got past Randall and took over second. Nick had built up a good sized lead, but Doug was tracking him down and closing in as the laps ran down.

Sam Fankhauser lost a top five finish and more than that when his driveshaft came out of the car with only two laps to go, setting up a single file, two lap sprint to the wire. Nick jumped into the lead again, but he was having a little trouble in the corners and the opening he was leaving was very enticing to his older brother. On the last lap, Doug got a good run off turn two and moved in beside his brother, trying to make a pass. There was contact and Doug had his car climb up on the side of his brother’s machine. Both nearly lost control as they shot toward the concrete wall on the back chute, but somehow both managed to grab control over their cars and race back to the line, with Nick winning by a car length. Randall had tried to use the high side on the late restart but it cost him a position when Danny Richards nipped him at the line for third with Jared Lindner rounding out the top five.

With multi time winner George Richards on the pole, it seemed that the Pure Stock feature would have a predictable finish, but that proved to not be the case. While Richards did take the early lead with Gunnar Watkins challenging him, Madsen made it clear that he was going to be a player as he quickly moved up from the fourth row to challenge the top two runners in the Havel Racing #5 Ford Thunderbird.

After Mike Schnider and Jesse Tripp got together in lap five triggering a yellow flag, Madsen made his move. Driving up on the high side, he pulled up beside Richards and then was able to power past him and take over the lead.

Once in front, he was able to stretch his advantage as the race remained under the green and he gradually pulled away from the field for a convincing win. Madsen, who has been in retirement from racing since racing in the Super Stocks a couple of years ago, has raced and won in nearly every class of car that has ever raced at this track. However, Saturday night’s win was his first ever in a Pure Stock and first win here since a Street Stock triumph in 2006. His welcome in victory lane was the loudest of the night as he received congratulations from the crowd. Richards held off Watkins for second with point leader C.J. Wagner finishing fourth ahead of rookie Dustin Doughty, who moved up from the thirteenth starting position.

Saturday night was the LaVerne and Bill Crapser Family Memorial Race and a large group of family members and friends were on hand to celebrate. The family provided extra prize money to the drivers, gave away huge trophies and provided a couple of racers with free tires as well as door prizes and commemorative items for the fans.

CarQuest GTC will be the presenting sponsor next Saturday night for another five class program of racing, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

SUMMARY

WISSOTA Modifieds
20 lap Feature – Kevin Adams, Cameron; Mike Anderson, Colfax; Mark Hessler, Menomonie; Paul Brust, Rice Lake; Steve Hallquist, Eau Claire; Tim McMann, Duluth MN; Shaun Kreyer, Hayward; Dave Mayala, Barron; Pat Hoffman, Rice Lake; Brian Crapser, Brookfield; Matt Steffen, Mondovi; Scott Miller, Rice Lake
10 lap Heat 1 – Miller; Hallquist; Hessler; Steffen; Kreyer; Hoffman; Brent Prochnow
Heat 2 – Adams; Brust; Anderson; Mayala; McMann; Crapser

WISSOTA Super Stocks
20 lap Feature – Shane Kisling, Sarona; Steve Thomas, Menomonie; Jason Forehand, Eau Claire; Andy Grymala, Superior; Aaron Wilson, Menomonie; Ben Hillman, Menomonie; Scott Clark, Cameron; Tad Schoonover, Eagle River; Allen Amborn, Rice Lake; Russ Chester, Chetek; Donnie Talmage, Amery; Eric Olson, Ladysmith.
10 lap Heat 1 – Forehand; Olson; Thomas; Grymala; Wilson; Hillman; Chester
Heat 2 – Kisling; Clark; Amborn; Schoonover; Talmage; Cory Karshbaum; Jay Quilling

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Tito Viltz, Rice Lake; Shane Halopka, Greenwood; Travis Anderson, Colfax; Matt Leer, Bruce; Mike Truscott, Chippewa Falls; Josh Smith, Eau Claire; Ryan Viltz, Chetek; Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls; Brad Hudson, Chippewa Falls; Zach Manley, Cameron; Nick Koehler, Bloomer; Dusty Brown, Rice Lake; George Truscott, Greenland MI; Darren LaBlonde, Baldwin; Mark Thomas, Menomonie; Jake Stai, New Auburn; Joe Chaplin Jr, Cameron
10 lap Heat 1 – Anderson; Manley; Hudson; Smith; Thomas; Chaplin Jr; Brown; G. Truscott; Stai
Heat 2 – Halopka; Crapser; M. Truscott; T. Viltz; Leer; R. Viltz; Koehler; LaBlonde

WISSOTA Street Stocks:
15 lap Feature – Nick Wojcik, Ladysmith; Doug Wojcik, Ladysmith; Danny Richards, Mondovi; Jimmy Randall, Rice Lake; Jared Lindner, Greenwood; Josh Amans, Rice Lake; Adam Soltis, Ladysmith; Cody Kummer, Medford; Kevin Vought, Hudson; Jim Miller, Hayward; Chad Ogilvie, Luck; Josh Wahlstrom, Cameron; Tommy Richards, Mondovi; Sam Fankhauser, Cameron; Carolyn Nosser, Sheldon; Jay Kesan, Weyerhaeuser; Ashley Husby, Menomonie; Simon Wahlstrom, Rice Lake
10 lap Heat 1 – D. Wojcik; D. Richards; Fankhauser; Miller; Nosser; Husby; Kummer
Heat 2 – Randall; N. Wojcik; S. Wahlstrom; Kesan; Amans; T. Richards; Andy Cimfl
Heat 3 – Lindner; Soltis; Vought; Ralph Stark; Ogilvie; J. Wahlstrom

Pure Stocks
12 lap Feature – Butch Madsen, Rice Lake; George Richards, Mondovi; Gunnar Watkins, Elk Mound; C.J. Wagner, Hayward; Dustin Doughty, Ladysmith; Bob Thompson, Cameron; Jay Folz, Rice Lake; Nick Traynor, Barron; Jamey Fisher, Rice Lake; Brandon Davis, Chetek; Chad Eastman, Rice Lake; Kolby Kiehl, Cameron; Josh Bach, Rice Lake; Kendall Grover, Rice Lake; Mike Schnider, Rice Lake; Mike Grover, Chetek; Jesse Tripp, Spooner; Jon Rigchers, Rice Lake; Bob Wahlstrom, Chetek
8 lap Heat 1 – Madsen; Schnider; Davis; Traynor; Doughty; Bach; K. Grover
Heat 2 – Richards; Wagner; Folz; Thompson; M. Grover; Tripp
Heat 3 – Watkins; Wahlstrom; Kiehl; Eastman; Wigchers; John Erickson