Anderson Tops RV Tour Modified Race at Rice Lake Speedway

By Ed Reichert

Rice Lake WI, June 22 – Mike Anderson started on the outside pole and led all forty laps as he won the Advantage RV Modified Tour race Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway. Anderson, the current point leader in the Modified division at Rice Lake, won his first RV Tour race of the 2019 season as he beat current RV point leader Shane Sabraski and Jake Hartung to the line to earn fifteen hundred dollars for the dominating run.

The other divisions that usually race at the track were also in competition and the other four winners included Simon Wahlstrom, Shane Halopka, Andrew Hanson and Cory Jorgensen.

After the redraw of the top finishers in the Modified heats, it would be Jeremy Nelson and Anderson that would lead the field of twenty two cars to starter Troy Holder's green flag for the forty lap grind. Anderson would use the high side to jump into the lead immediately with Nelson and Michael Truscott battling for the second spot. Only four laps could be completed before the first yellow waved for a spin by Sam Fankhauser that slowed the action.

Anderson continued to pace the field with Nelson and Truscott trading the second spot back and forth as Steve Hallquist, Shane Sabraski, Johnny Broking and Jake Hartung lurked next in line and were also looking to move up. Only one more lap was completed before the yellow waved again when Joseph Thomas lost the driveshaft from his car and stalled on the track.

Anderson continued to pull away as the green came back out with Nelson then securing the second position and Sabraski drove into third as they looked to track down Anderson. Sabraski began to pick up the pace and he drove past Nelson to take over the second spot as he looked for yet another RV victory.

The first and final yellow of the race was triggered when Andy Jones and Mark Hanson got together in turn four. Hanson would call it a night while Jones restarted the race at the back of the pack.

The final twenty four laps of the race would go nonstop, green to checkered and by the half way point, it was Anderson leading Sabraski, Nelson, Broking and Hartung, with Dave Cain, Truscott, Mike Bellefeuille, Kevin Adams and Dan Ebert completing the top ten.

Anderson continued to motor away from the pack while the best battle was for third with Nelson, Broking and Hartung fighting it out. Cain temporary displaced Hartung for the fifth spot but then Hartung fought back to reclaim the position as those two raced hard.

With ten laps to go, the running order of the top ten remained in place but Anderson was catching some lapped traffic that slowed his progress. Sabraski was making up some ground on the leader and had closed to within a half dozen car lengths as Anderson continued to battle through the traffic.

However, while it appeared the slower cars were helping Sabraski catch the leader, Anderson turned things around with a bold move in turn three that saw him first squeeze past one of the slower cars on the bottom and then drive to the outside of another one in turn three on the next lap. Those strong moves gave him more breathing ground when Sabraski got hung up behind those same cars as the race neared its conclusion.

Sabraski would draw no closer over the final few laps and Anderson continued to maintain a comfortable lead as he drove home for the win with one lapped car between himself and Sabraski. However, there was drama on the final corner of the race as a lapped car temporarily slowed on the last corner and Nelson had to slow to avoid rear ending that car. Broking drove up on the rear of Nelson's car and they got hooked together. The slowed cars fought to reach the finish line and as they did so, Hartung drove to the outside of them and was able to pass both, nipping Nelson by inches for the third spot.
The second five at the finish included Cain, Truscott, Adams, Bellefeuille and Ebert as the defending champion of this race struggled all night to find the right combination. The win was a popular one for the regular Rice Lake Speedway competitor who has made a habit of winning races at this track with regularity over the past years. This was his second win of 2019 at Rice Lake.

Wahlstrom, who lost a feature win last Saturday night when he was ruled to have jumped the final restart of the night and was docked two positions after having crossed the line first, came back strong on Saturday to leave no doubt as to who was the fastest car on this night. Eric Olson was the early leader of the race with Adam Soltis moving into second until passed by Wahlstrom who quickly closed up on the race leader. Meanwhile, Curt Myers and Sabraski, doing double duty, were advancing to the front after starting in the third row.

A couple of yellows for stalls and spins kept the field bunched as Wahlstrom continued to look for a way past the leading Olson. Things got heated in the battle for third as Myers dove to the inside of Sabraski in turn three and the two locked together. They were leaning on each other hard as they flew to the inside of the track and cut through the infield all the way into turn one, where they finally separated and Sabraski came to a halt. Sabraski's night was done as he would need a wrecker's assistance for front end damage while Myers would continue from the back of the pack.

The last fifteen laps of the race would go nonstop and shortly after the final restart, Wahlstrom would make the winning move as he pulled out of line, drove around Olson in the second line on the track and would take the lead. Once in front, he would pull away from the pack and at times, build up a lead that was nearly a full straightaway over the field.

Tommy Richards, who was mired deep in the pack in the early going, showed patience and gradually worked his way forward, eventually passing Olson and taking over the second spot. Meanwhile, Olson and Willie Johnsen Jr were battling for third and were soon joined by Myers as he tore back up through the pack.

Wahlstrom continued to dominate the field as Richards wasn't able to close up on the leader, despite having laps and an open track to do so. Simon was the class of the field as he took his first feature win of the year and second in total since racing in the Super Stock class. Olson held on for third and Johnsen Jr nipped Myers to complete the top five.

Shane Halopka and Kevin Adams have been battling in out for top honors in the Midwest Modified class for most of the season with Adams normally ruling things by the end of the night. However, Saturday night, Halopka turned things around as he returned the favor of an earlier pass by passing Adams back, and in the process became one of three first time winners here this season and stopped Adams' three feature win streak in the Midwest Modified class.

The early laps were wild in the nonstop main event as a cluster of seven cars fought for the lead in closely fought action. Justin Claussen lead early laps of the race as several drivers took shots at trying to pass him while Halopka and Adams came slicing through the field after having started in the third and fourth rows respectively. It was thrilling to watch them both maneuver around the traffic and look for ways to the front.

Halopka was able to pass Claussen for the lead but Adams was right behind and charging for the top spot too. Adams dove low in turn one and took over the lead but he then slid out down the back chute and Halopka was right there to return the favor and retake the top spot. The dominate two cars then began their own battle for the top position with Adams trying all sorts of lines and making continued runs at Halopka, but not being successful in any of them.

Adams continued to try but Halopka refused to allow a pass and he drove home with the win by a couple of car lengths at the finish. Denny Cutsforth charged up to third at the end as both he and Claussen had their best finishes of the year with Jamie Bisonette completing the top five.

The Street Stock feature would also go nonstop on this night and Andrew Hanson, after a disappointing battle for the lead last week didn't go in his favor, came back strong to take the win and become the first repeat winner in the Street Stock class here this season. Will Fisher led the first few laps of the main event with Hanson, Kolby Kiehl and Travis Loew challenging. Along with Hunter VanGilder, Jay Kesan and C.J. Wagner were also moving to the front.

Hanson was able to get under Fisher for the lead when he slid high in turn four and once in front and with no yellows to slow the pace, Hanson pulled into a strong lead. VanGilder was working well through traffic and he placed himself third and then moved up one more spot when Fisher again slid high.

VanGilder set off after the leader but Hanson had built up a big lead, had no yellows to contend with and was running very strong and he drove home uncontested for his second win here this year. VanGilder finished a strong second with Loew next in line. Kiehl made a strong comeback after slipping back into the pack early for fourth and Fisher got his first top five finish of the year.

Cory Jorgensen became the third new winner of the season as he fought off stiff challenges from two different drivers to win the Pure Stock feature. While Jorgensen started in the front row and led every lap, the win was far from being an easy one for the Minnesota driver. He was immediately challenged by Bob Thompson, who moved up from the second row to tail gate Jorgensen as he looked for a way past into the lead. This race would be the one main of the night with more than its share of yellow flags, as five times the race was slowed.

Jorgensen and Thompson had a very hard struggle for the lead and they got too close in turn one, as Thompson tried to get under the car of Jorgensen, they came together and Jorgensen spun just at the halfway point of the race.

Jorgensen was restored to the point and Thompson went to the rear of the pack. Then Jorgensen had to face the pressure of the current national point leader as George Richards moved into second after a patient charge up from the fourth row of the field. Richards would get the nose of his Monte Carlo underneath Jorgensen several times leaving the corners but each time Jorgensen would have enough power to accelerate and hold off George.

This was the pattern the last few laps of the race and each time, Jorgensen would hold on. Richards would continue to make attempts but at the finish, it was Jorgensen who would hold on for the win, the first ever for him at Rice Lake. Aaron Bernick would drive a steady race to finish third with Jay Folz and James Rahn behind them. Unfortunately, Rahn would fail technical inspection following the contest and Ryan Clausen would be elevated into the top five.

Upcoming to the Rice Lake Speedway is a five division program scheduled for next Saturday night, June 29th before one of the racing highlights of the entire year comes up. On Wednesday night July 3rd, it will be the annual Firecracker special, featuring another five division program plus one of the best fireworks displays to be found anywhere with both aerial and ground displays as a part of the program. Warm ups for both shows begin at 6:30 pm and the July 3rd show should certainly provide a large field of race cars with the pre holiday show being one of the few around on that night. The rain date for the July 3rd program is Saturday night, July 6th but if the program is completed as scheduled, there will be no racing at the speedway on July 6th. Check the Rice Lake Speedway website and face book for more details.

SUMMARY

Rice Lake Speedway
Rice Lake WI
June 22, 2019

WISSOTA Modifieds

40 lap Feature – Mike Anderson(Jim Falls), Shane Sabraski(Rice MN), Jake Hartung(Elmwood), Jeremy Nelson(Alexandria MN), Johnny Broking(Grand Rapids MN), Dave Cain(Corcoran MN), Michael Truscott(Chippewa Falls), Kevin Adams(Cameron), Jody Bellefeuille(Duluth MN), Dan Ebert(Lake Shore MN), Andy Jones, Don Eischens, Corky Thomas, Jerome Guyot, Pat Hoffman, Bob Broking, Kyle Helling, Mark Hanson, Sam Fankhauser, Steve Hallquist, Joseph Thomas, Mike Stearns

12 lap Heat 1 – Sabraski, Hallquist(Eau Claire), J. Broking, B. Broking(Grand Rapids MN), Cain, C. Thomas, Hoffman, Helling
Heat 2 – Anderson, Truscott, Hartung, Ebert, Bellefeuille, Eischens, Hanson
Heat 3 – Nelson, Adams, Stearns(Helca SD), Fankhauser(Rice Lake), Jones(Princeton MN), J. Thomas, Guyot

WISSOTA Super Stocks

20 lap Feature – Simon Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Tommy Richards(Mondovi), Eric Olson(Ladysmith), Willie Johnsen Jr(Superior), Curt Myers(Cameron), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Luke Schultz(Cameron), Josh Bach(Barron), Austin Workman(Barron), Andy Cimfl(Rice Lake), Mickey Anderson, Shane Sabraski

8 lap Heat 1 – Wahlstrom, Richards, Johnsen Jr, Bach, Workman, Cimfl
Heat 2 – Sabraski(Rice MN), Olson, Myers, Soltis, Schultz, Anderson

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

15 lap Feature – Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Kevin Adams(Cameron), Denny Cutsforth(Rice Lake), Justin Claussen(Eau Claire), Jamie Bisonette(Dallas), Kenny Kinkaid(Shell Lake), Aric Lindberg(Dallas), Fran Hanson(Almena), James Kannegiesser(Boyceville)

8 lap Heat 1 – Halopka, Claussen, Kannegiesser, Kinkaid
Heat 2 – Adams, Bisonette, Cutsforth, Lindberg, Hanson

WISSOTA Street Stocks

15 lap Feature – Andrew Hanson(Iron River), Hunter VanGilder(Rice Lake), Travis Loew(Barron), Kolby Kiehl(Barron), Will Fisher(Shell Lake), C.J. Wagner(Rice Lake), Jay Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), Sam Fankhauser(Rice Lake), Zach Beaulieu(Chetek), Ty Agen(Chippewa Falls), Alex Minks

8 lap Heat 1 – VanGilder, Kesan, Fisher, Minks(Bruce), Agen, Bob Wahlstrom
Heat 2 – Loew, Hanson, Fankhauser, Kiehl, Wagner, Beaulieu

WISSOTA Pure Stocks

12 lap Feature – Cory Jorgensen(Duluth MN), George Richards(Mondovi), Aaron Bernick(Duluth MN), Jay Folz(Cameron), Ryan Clausen(Barron), Bob Thompson(Cameron), Devin Fries(Phillips), Brent Miller(Cameron), Mike Huebner(Cumberland), Ken Oftedahl(Cameron), Josh Miller, Mike Huebner Sr, Cody Cimfl, Allen Metz, Austin Fencl, Terry Kemp

8 lap Heat 1 – Jorgensen, Richards, Cimfl(Chetek), Bernick, Miller, Oftedahl, Fencl, Miller, Huebner
Heat 2 – Thompson, Folz, Fries, James Rahn(Haugen), Clausen, Huebner Sr, Metz, Kemp