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  .: June 6, 2018 :.

Ebert Tops RV Mod Tour at Rice Lake Speedway

By Ed Reichert

Rice Lake WI, June 6 – The Advantage RV Modified Tour made its first appearance ever at the Rice Lake Speedway on Wednesday night for the Aquafest Trophy races and Dan Ebert passed Dave Cain with three laps to go to win the Modified main event. In other racing action, Nick Oreskovich became the first repeat winner in the Super Stocks as he used a midrace restart to drive around Terran Spacek for the win and in a very emotional moment, Jason Havel made his return to the track for the first time in nearly a year and won the Pure Stock feature race.

The Modified feature was a forty lap main event and it saw four different leaders during the race. Twenty four cars took the green flag from starter Troy Holder with Kevin Adams, the polesitter, jumping to the initial advantage. However, that didn't last long as Adams slid high in turn one and rookie Modified driver Grant Southworth was right there to drive under Adams and take over the lead.

Southworth paced the opening two laps before Dave Cain moved under him and grabbed the top spot. Adams slid back again and Adam Hensel moved into third with Adams and Ebert next in line.

Several short yellow yellows over the next dozen laps kept the field bunched as a series of spins and single car slow downs dominated the action.

Cain continued to show the way in the lead with Adams fighting his way back up, passing both Hensel and Southworth to take the second spot and then he began to pressure Cain for the lead. Several times Adams got close but each time Cain was able to fight off his charges and remain the leader.

Ebert and Andy Jones were both on the move as they battled for the fourth position with the top five cars staying tightly packed on the track.

Cautions on laps sixteen and twenty eliminated contenders Ashley Anderson and then Southworth, both with front end issues as the high speeds on the tacky track were starting to cause some attrition issues.

Back on green, the yellow flag was tucked away for the night as the last twenty laps of the feature race ran off nonstop. Ebert used a restart to get around Adams for the second and then he began to close on Cain as Adams had his hands full with Kevin Eder as they battled for the third spot.

Ebert caught the leader and then the task was to make a pass as Ebert tried several times to get around Cain but could not quite pull off the task. On two occasions Ebert had a run low on Cain going into turn three but each time Cain would seal him off.

Finally Ebert adjusted his line around the track, working more on the higher side of turns one and two. With under ten laps to go, Ebert once again made a charge and he was able to get beside Cain as they raced into turn one. Ebert moved ahead slightly down the back chute and was scored the leader of lap thirty five but then he slipped up in turn four and Cain retook the lead on the following lap.

But Ebert came right back at him, charged hard into turn one and retook the lead down the back chute. This time he didn't bobble in turn four and the Lakeshore Minnesota resident finally had secured the top spot.

He held his line the final three laps, and Cain could only stay close but muster no late charge as Ebert, racing at Rice Lake for the first time in his career, took home the fifteen hundred top spot. Cain finished a close second with Adams holding off Eder for third. Shane Sabraski came from thirteenth to round out the top five while Jerome Guyot was awarded the Hard Charger honors, coming from twentieth to finish eighth.

The second five to cross the line included Cory Bruggeman, Hensel, Guyot, Ryan Viltz and Michael Truscott.

The Super Stocks put on an amazing three car battle for the lead before Oreskovich grabbed the top spot and pulled away in the waning laps. Jim Cimfl was scored the leader of the opening lap with Hunter VanGilder, Terran Spacek and Simon Wahlstrom challenging him. Spacek was able to get under Cimfl in turn one and take over the lead position as farther back in the pack, Curt Myers and Oreskovich were on the charge. Despite starting in the fourth and fifth rows respectively, Myers and Oreskovich were able to negotiate their way past some fast drivers in the form of Dexton Koch, Willie Johnsen and Matt Deragon and soon found themselves battling for the lead.

A yellow on lap seven when Stefan Hogue hammered the turn three way slowed the action and back under green, Spacek has his hands full as both Myers and Oreskovich challenged hard for the lead.Myers dove low several times trying to get past but Spacek held his ground and fought off every challenge provided by Myers. Oreskovich was hanging around also, trying slightly higher on the track to find an opening.

The three continued to tear around the oval as their own private three car war for the lead was providing much action. A yellow with thirteen laps completed changed the face of the race. On the double file restart, Myers opted for the bottom but when the green flew, Oreskovich got a great run into turn one and he blew past the leader on the high side of the track and took over the top spot from Spacek.

Once into the lead, Oreskovich really stretched out his advantage as he was making blazing fast laps around the track. Myers was now focused on Spacek, trying to get second away from him. However, the young Phillips driver would have none of it and he fought off all challenges.

At the finish, Oreskovich had opened up his lead to nearly half a straightaway in the last seven laps while Spacek fought off everything Myers threw at him to finish second. Almost unnoticed, but worthy of mention was the charge of Dave Mass. Leading a heat race, his car broke down and he took a push to the pit area.

He returned for the feature but started twentieth and with only the two yellows to help him, he tore through the field and finished fourth and was closing on both Myers and Spacek when he ran out of laps. Wahlstrom had a good run to complete the top five.

One of the most heart warming moments of this or any other racing season took place in the Pure Stocks Wednesday. All time feature win leader at the track and multiple time track champion Jason Havel was diagnosed with cancer last year and missed most of the racing season which caused him to not win a feature race for the first time in many years at Rice Lake.

After a series of surgeries and treatments, Havel, down over one hundred pounds from his previous driving weight, returned to the track to race for the first time on Wednesday in nearly a year and coming from the third row, he won the feature race to the cheers of the crowd.

Tyler Wahlstrom got the jump on Adam Pratt and was the initial leader of the race which got off to a wild start. Current national point leader George Richards had an axle snap and the axle and wheel came off right in the middle of traffic in turn three on that opening lap. Somehow, everyone avoided a big wreck but Richards was done.

Wahlstrom regained the lead on the green with Pratt challenging while Cory Jorgensen, Kyle Copp, Havel and Tucker Quinn all charged toward the front. The Pure Stocks were doing a fine job of hard racing while staying under the green and Havel moved to the higher line on the track and was able to work his way up to second.

He had a tough time, but he was finally able to drive around the rookie Pratt and take over the top spot. Pratt didn't back off though, and fought back, staying right on Havel's rear bumper.

A late race spin set up a two lap dash to the finish and while he had Pratt nailed to his rear bumper, Havel refused to make a mistake and he drove under the finish line to the cheers of the crowd. To say that the victory lane ceremony and interview was emotional would be an understatement as he was joined by his wife and father for celebratory pictures. Rookie Pratt did a great job to finish second with Copp, Bob Thompson and Quinn all close behind in the top five.

There will be no racing at the Rice Lake Speedway on Saturday night, June 9th. However, the track comes back for action on Saturday, June 16th with a big event. It will be Kid's Night at the track with the bicycle giveaways a huge event. Anyone wishing to donate a bike should contact Megan Adams or Crystal Fankhauser and see the speedway face book page for information.

All five classes with be back in action and for the drivers it is an important night as it is the Race of Champions(ROC) qualifier night with the feature winners automatically entered in the Race of Champions event to be held during the WISSOTA 100, this year to be held at the I-94 Speedway in Fergus Falls Minnesota.

SUMMARY

Rice Lake Speedway

Rice Lake WI

June 6, 2018

WISSOTA Modifieds Advantage RV Tour

40 lap Feature – Dan Ebert(Lakeshore MN), Dan Cain(Corcoran MN), Kevin Adams(Cameron), Kevin Eder(Ashland), Shane Sabraski(Rice MN), Cory Bruggeman(Stillwater MN), Adam Hensel(Baldwin), Jerome Guyot(Fannystelle MB), Ryan Viltz(Chetek), Michael Truscott(Chippewa Falls), Kent Baxter, Kyle Helling, Greg Nippoldt, Tyler Kaeter, Grant Southworth, Donnie Lofdahl, Brady Jokinen, Andy Jones, Ashley Anderson, Mike Stearns, Pat Hoffman, Jeremy Nelson, Neil Balduc, Mike Anderson

10 lap B Feature – Sabraski, Bruggeman, Helling(Rice Lake), Jokinen(Mellen), Kaeter(St. Cloud MN), Nippoldt, Jeff Lien

B Feature 2 – Nelson(Alexandria MN), Lofdahl(Duluth MN), Baxter(Colfax), Guyot, Stearns(Hecla SD), Hoffman, Cooper Berlin, Sam Fankhauser

12 lap Heat 1 – M. Anderson(Jim Falls), A. Anderson(Elk Mound), Truscott, Ken Hron(Grand Rapids MN), Lien(Mora MN), Sabraski, Helling, Jokinen
Heat 2 – Jones(Princeton MN), Ebert, Balduc(Bessemer MI), Lofdahl, Nelson, Guyot, Hoffman, Jake Hartung
Heat 3 – Cain, Hensel, Viltz, Nippoldt(Roberts), Bruggeman, Kaeter
Heat 4 – Southworth(Bloomer), Adams, Eder, Stearns, Fankhauser(Rice Lake), Baxter, Berlin

WISSOTA Super Stocks

20 lap Feature – Nick Oreskovich(Mason), Terran Spacek(Phillips), Curt Myers(Cameron), Dave Mass(East Bethel MN), Simon Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Matt Deragon(Ashland), D.J. Keeler(Superior), Jim Cimfl(Turtle Lake), Eric Olson(Ladysmith), Andy Miskowic(Princeton MN), Adam Soltis, Hunter VanGilder, Matt Koski, Mike Siewert, Dexton Koch, Andy Cimfl, Andy Ladd, Willie Johnsen Jr, Scott Pittman, Stefan Hogue

8 lap Heat 1 – Koch(Becker MN), Wahlstrom, Deragon, Soltis(Ladysmith), Miskowic, Olson, Ladd
Heat 2 – Myers, Spacek, Oreskovich, Keeler, Siewert(Cameron), A. Cimfl, Morgan Crotteau
Heat 3 – Johnsen Jr(Superior), J. Cimfl, VanGilder(Rice Lake), Hogue(Rice Lake), Pittman(Turtle Lake), Koski, Mass

WISSOTA Pure Stocks

12 lap Feature – Jason Havel(Rice Lake), Adam Pratt(Bloomer), Kyle Copp(Brule), Bob Thompson(Cameron), Tucker Quinn(Ladysmith), Tyler Wahlstrom(Chetek), Mike Grover(Chetek), Mike Blevins(Hibbing MN), Will Fisher(Shell Lake), Wayne Braun Jr(Rice Lake), Josh Miller, Aaron Bernick, Dave Holub, Jeremy Cash, Austin Gibson, Austin Fencl, Dan Boissy, Mike Huebner, Cory Jorgensen, George Richards, Zach Beaulieu, Ken Larson

8 lap Heat 1 – Thompson, Copp, Quinn, Beaulieu(Chetek), Boissy(Trego), Holub, Larson
Heat 2 – Havel, Wahlstrom, Grover, Fisher, Bernick(Duluth MN), Blevins, Cash, Miller
Heat 3 – Richards(Mondovi), Pratt, Jorgensen(Hermantown MN), Braun Jr, Scotty VanGilder(Birchwood), Huebner, Gibson, Fencl