Adams Shines at Rice Lake Speedway Special; Two Wins Gives Him Sixteen at the Track in 2019

By Ed Reichert

Rice Lake Wi, August 31 – The Rice Lake Speedway wrapped up the 2019 racing season on Saturday night, August 31st with their Labor Day weekend special. Despite a nice influx of visiting talent, it was familiar faces that ended up in victory lane to wrap up the racing season. For the fifth time this year at the track, Kevin Adams was able to score a double dip as he won both the Modified and Midwest Modified feature events. Other winners included Curt Myers, Zach Manley and Cody Cimfl. The Hornet class made a guest appearance at the track also and Jake Halterman won that main event.

The Modified feature race was one of the most competitive ones of the year with multiple race leaders and much passing for positions before Adams finally secured the top spot in the very late going of the event.

Jason Gross and Michael Truscott battled in the opening laps for the top spot with both holding the edge briefly before Truscott was finally able to wrestle control of the lead over. Mark Hanson immediately went to the high side of the track and started to move up with Mike Anderson following him.

After running the low side early in the contest, Adams also moved to the high groove and he quickly began to pick up the pace as he raced his way forward after starting ninth on the grid. Hanson was closing in on Truscott when the first yellow waved with eight laps complete for a spinning car. Hanson continued to put the pressure on Truscott as Adams was able to get past Anderson and Gross and move into third. The top three really started to tighten up with another yellow slowed the action with after fourteen laps.

On the restart, Adams made a bold move down the back chute and was able to get past Hanson and then run to the cushion and power up beside Truscott. Hanson countered by diving low beside Truscott into turn one but when both of them slid up the track, Adams cut under then down the back chute and took over the lead.

A Justin Oestreich spin while fighting for a top five spot set up a two lap dash to the finish and Adams got a strong start and was able to put a few car lengths on Hanson. That's the way they finished as Adams drove to his fifth Modified win of the year. Truscott finished a very close third with Anderson and Gross completing the top five.

The Midwest Modified feature proved to be slightly easier for Adams. He started in the second row and had to contend with early lead Jack Rivord and Kent Baxter. Second year driver Rivord was having a fine run as he led the first couple of laps with Adams, Tony Bahr and George Dalbeck all moving in on him.

Adams was finally able to make a move on Rivord and take over the lead with Bahr quickly following him into second. A series of early race yellow kept the field bunched and the battle for the lead tight as Bahr put the pressure on the leader.

The last ten laps of the race ran off nonstop and Adams really turned up the speed following the last slow down as he powered away from Bahr and stretched his lead to nearly a full straightaway. Dalbeck was also on the move as he raced into third and tried to track down Bahr for the second spot.

Near the end of the race Adams encountered lapped traffic but he handled it well and drove home for a convincing victory over Bahr and Dalbeck. Truscott, also doing double duty, made a strong drive of his own to move up from the fourth row to finish fourth with Tommy Richards also moving up a number of positions to complete the top five. The win was Adams' eleventh of the year in the Midwest Modified class.

Myers has been the dominant driver in the Super Stock class all year at the track and he continued in that theme on Saturday as he led from start to finish in the main event for his eighth win at Rice Lake this year.

The race got off to an ominous start when a spin by one of the cars near the front of the pack saw several cars crash together very hard and trigger the red flag. Fortunately, there were no injuries but the cars of Tommy Richards and Simon Wahlstrom both suffered substantial damage.

As Myers moved into the lead, there was a big battle for second with Patrick Beeksma and Shawn McFadden battling for the spot. Eric Olson moved in to challenge them with Willie Johnsen Jr and Adam Soltis also in the mix.

They continued to have quite a tussle for that spot with Beeksma holding on as Olson tried very hard to get past him. McFadden triggered a yellow when he exploded a drive shaft in turn four and on the green, things turned sour for Beeksma as he lost several positions by wandering too high on the track.

One more yellow set up a six lap dash to the checkers and things started to change as those laps were completed. First, Aaron Wilson, who had started way back in the seventh row had patiently worked his way into third and he put pressure on Olson for second.

Eric fought him however, and then made a strong run of his own as he closed in on Myers, who was running the cushion, drastically in the final couple of laps. Olson made a drive deep into the final corner and while Myers held on for the win, the margin was only a half car length at Troy Holder's checkered. Wilson finished third with Soltis next in line and Beeksma managed to salvage a top five finish.

Zach Manley brought his car out late in the racing season but the Chetek driver had much success at the end of the year as he won two feature races, including this Saturday night show, as the year wrapped up. He started on the pole for the Street Stock main and led all the way with no one ever really putting much of a challenge to him.

Ron Hanestad stayed with him for a lap before fading back and it was Cody Kummer who provided the stiffest challenge as he drove around Adam Soltis and then Hanestad to move into second. There were a couple of yellows that bunched the field but Manley was strong on every restart and Kummer could never mount a serious challenge. Shawn Amundson raced up from the third row to settle for third with Soltis and a high side running Danny Richards completing the top five.

The Pure Stocks wrapped up their season in glorious fashion with one of their better races of the entire year. Aaron Bernick and Cole Richards battled for the early lead as a group of about seven drivers were in the lead bunch of cars and they were battling hard for position. Cory Jorgensen started in the third row but he weaved between Bob Thompson and Cody Cimfl and got up beside Richards in a battle for the lead. Just as Jorgensen made the pass for the top spot, the yellow waved for a stalled car and during the yellow flag, Jorgensen stunned the crowd when he suddenly went pit side as mechanical issues ended his strong run.

Richards reclaimed the lead for the restart but he was soon challenged by Cimfl for the top spot and with just a few laps left, Cimfl was able to get beside Richards for the lead and they put on a great show as they circled the track as if one, but while they raced extremely hard, they didn't even tough each other or take away the other's groove.

As they raced down the back chute on the final lap, Cimfl was able to edge ahead by a half car length and through the final corner and to the sprint to the finish, he was able to maintain that small margin to grab the win. After never having won in Rice Lake before, Cody now made it two straight wins to wrap up the season. The rookie Richards drove a fine race as he settled for second with smooth running Jay Folz completing the top three. Randy Graham and Bernick trailed them to the finish.

The Hornet class of four cylinder cars made a guest appearance at the speedway to wrap up the season and Jake Halterman led all the way to top Jason Bauer and Mitch Kieber in that event.

One hundred and fifteen cars signed in to race for the holiday special.

This event was the final race scheduled at the speedway for the 2019 racing season. Race fans should continue to follow the speedway website and the face book page for announcements relative to the 2020 racing season the off season banquet date.

SUMMARY

Rice Lake Speedway

Rice Lake WI

August 21st, 2019

WISSOTA Modifieds

20 lap Feature – Kevin Adams(Cameron), Mark Hanson(Chippewa Falls), Michael Truscott(Chippewa Falls), Mike Anderson(Jim Falls), Jason Gross(Osceola), Kyle Helling(Rice Lake), Paul Suzik(Ironwood MI), Mike Knopps(Chippewa Falls), Scott Duval(Bloomer), Sam Fankhauser(Rice Lake), Pat Hoffman, Paul Harelstad, Cole Varsho, Dave Mayala, Buddy Mayala, Justin Oestreich, Todd Gehl, Donnie Lofdahl, Jake Miller

8 lap Heat 1 – Adams, Gross, Suzik, Duval, B. Mayala(Barron), D. Mayala, Matt Leer
Heat 2 – Hoffman(Rice Lake), Anderon, Truscott, Oestreich(Elk River MN), Harelstad(Bloomer), Gehl, Varsho
Heat 3 – Fankhauser, Helling, Hanson, Knopps, Lofdahl(Duluth MN), Miller

WISSOTA Super Stocks

20 lap Feature – Curt Myers(Cameron), Eric Olson(Ladysmith), Aaron Wilson(Eau Claire), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Patrick Beeksma(Ironwood MI), Don Muzzy(Ironwood MI), Jim Harris(Menomonie), Willie Johnsen Jr(Superior), Rich Bishop(New Richmond), Brandon Duellman(Winona MN), Tucker Quinn, Austin Workman, Josh Bach, Steve Davidson, Mickey Anderson, Rob Holmstrom Jr, Bruce Lutz, Cooper Berlin, Shawn McFadden, Jim Cimfl, Josh Cappo, Simon Wahlstrom, Tommy Richards

8 lap Heat 1 – Olson, McFadden(Ashland), Soltis, Workman(Barron), Bach(Barron), Anderson, Cimfl, Cappo
Heat 2 – Richards(Mondovi), Myers, Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Quinn(Ladysmith), Wilson, Bishop, Muzzy, Berlin
Heat 3 – Johnsen Jr, Beeksma, Duellman, Harris, Davidson(Richland Center), Lutz, Holmstrom Jr

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

15 lap Feature – Kevin Adams(Cameron), Tony Bahr(Haugen), George Dalbeck(Wakefield MI), Michael Truscott(Chippewa Falls), Tommy Richards(Mondovi), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Calvin Iverson(Eleva), Jack Rivord(Superior), Kent Baxter(Colfax), Fran Hanson, Denny Cutsforth, Les Duellman, Cody Borgeson, James Kannegiesser, Jimmy Latvala, Craig Elliott, Dalton Mains, Gavin Olson, Joey Krause, Jessy Krause, Jonny Marsh, Jesse Young, Dave Madsen, Cole Mueller

8 lap Heat 1 – Truscott, Baxter, Anderson, Latvala(Solon Springs), Cutsforth, Borgeson, Elliott, Mueller, Jessy Krause
Heat 2 – Dalbeck, Iverson, Bahr, Hanson(Almena), Kannegiesser(Boyceville), Duellman, Marsh, Madsen
Heat 3 – Adams, Richards, Rivord, Halopka, Mains(Foxboro), Joey Krause, Young, Olson

WISSOTA Street Stocks

15 lap Feature – Zach Manley(Chetek), Cody Kummer(Medford), Shawn Amundson(Rice Lake), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Danny Richards(Mondovi), Ron Hanestad(Glenwood City), Parker Anderson(Phillips), Jason Havel(Rice Lake), Andrew Hanson(Iron River), Hunter VanGilder(Rice Lake), Travis Loew, Will Fisher, Don Cimfl Jr, Hunter Anderson, C.J. Wagner, Ty Agen, Jay Kesan, Michael Tuma

8 lap Heat 1 – Amundson, Hanson, Hanestad, Cimfl Jr(Rice Lake), Fisher(Shell Lake), Tuma
Heat 2 – Richards, Manley, Kummer, Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), P. Anderson, Agen
Heat 3 – Soltis, Wagner(Rice Lake), Havel, Loew(Barron), VanGilder, H. Anderson

WISSOTA Pure Stocks

12 lap Feature – Cody Cimfl(Chetek), Cole Richards(Mondovi), Jay Folz(Cameron), Randy Graham(Trego), Aaron Bernick(Duluth MN), George Richards(Mondovi), Mike Miller(Cameron), Trevor Treviranus(Hawthorne), Dylan Shelton(Wrenshall MN), Mike Huebner Sr(Cumberland), Mike Grover, Bob Thompson, Austin Fencl, Josh Miller, Terry Kemp, Leonard Osterberg Jr, Mike Holmstrom, Leo Moos, Allen Metz, Jennie Krause, Tanner Gehl, Cory Jorgensen, Mike Schnider

8 lap Heat 1 – Jorgensen(Duluth MN), Thompson(Cameron), Cimfl, Schnider(Cameron), G. Richards, Gehl, Fencl, Holmstrom
Heat 2 – Graham, C. Richards, Bernick, Shelton, Miller(Spooner), Metz, Osterberg Jr, Moos
Heat 3 – Folz, Grover(Chetek), Huebner Sr, Miller, Kemp(Rice Lake), Treviranus, Krause

Hornets

12 lap Feature – Jake Halterman(Stanley), Jason Bauer(Durand), Mitch Kieber(Ironwood MI), Shawn Young(Stone Lake), Kathy Young(Stone Lake)

8 lap Heat – Halterman, Bauer, Kieber, S. Young, K. Young, Jason Helgeson