Oshkosh, September 4- Friday turned out a hot, muggy night for the final regular season race a the Oshkosh SpeedZone Raceway. Three of the four title chases need to be decided while the other 3 just needed the final stamp to make it official.
The first event out was the Total Power Sales IMCA Stock Car division with Steve Hiles grabbing the lead at the start. It did not take 2015 champion, Travis Van Straten, long to move from mid pack into second by lap 5. Jerry Winkler followed into third. Van Straten ran down Hiles and moved into the lead on lap 10, with Winkler in tow. The pair of dues pulled away from the field over the next few laps until the lone caution of the race appeared on lap 14 for a blown engine. Van Straten and Winbkler were now joined at the front by Harley Simon, Hiles, Joe White and David Hoerning for the restart.
Van Straten and Winkler remained at the front until lap 17, when Winklers machine slowed and he pulled out of the race. Van Straten completed the final three laps alone at the front to collect his 10th feature win of the season here and put the final seal on his first ever SpeedZone track title. It was also his 32nd feature win for the season at local tracks. Simon claimed the runner up finish with White taking third. Hiles, Hoerning and Dan Miller rounded out the top six.
Bernie Miller jumped from the outside pole to take the lead in the IMCA Sport Mod final. Brock Saunders found his way to the top spot on the next lap before a couple cautions slowed the pace. Colten Van Hierden took the lead after the restart and was able to open a lead until another pair of ambers bunched the field again on laps 7 and 8. Laps 11 and 13 were slowed again and caused a time limit race. Van Hierden held on to win for 6th time in 2015 with Jeff Steenbergen coming through to place second. Saunders took third with Jeff Schmuhl finishing in fourth and with that, clinched his first ever SpeedZone track title. Tom Schneider ended his rookie season taking fifth in the main and placed 6th in the final point standings. Ryan Besaw rounded out the top six in the final finish and placed 2nd in the points for the second straight season.
Eddie Lemay took charge of the Automotive Supply Company IMCA Modified main event on the opening lap and stated to pull away form the field with Kevin Baldry , Shawn Frelich, John Schultz, Chris Engels and Eric Mahlik behind. Baldry continued to lead the pack chasing Lemay for the first half of the race. The first caution appeared on lap 11 and bunched the field on Lemay with Baldry, Mahlik, Tim Lemirande, Eric Scribner, Mike Wedelstadt and point leader, Marcus Yarie behind. After the restart, Mahlik took over the runner up spot and the race for the lead heated up with Lemay having to hold odd the hard charging Mahlik. The ray side by side and swapped the lead several times before a final caution flew on lap 17.
Lemay was able to get a bit of a jump on the restart and was able to run to his first ever SpeedZone modified feature. Mahlik held off Scribner to take the runner up finish with Lemirande taking fourth. Wedelstadt took fifth and Yarie came in sixth,. Yarie took his first ever SpeedZone track title by a slim 6 point margin over Wedelstadt.
Jeff Richards took charge of the Gold Star Racing Products Grand National main event at the start and had dad, Larry Richards drop in behind. Nick Schumacher, Tim Doehling and Rich Garb formed up behind. The race was four laps old when the first caution appeared. After the restart, the Richards leaders pulled away a but and it was a dog fight for the rest of the race. Jeff, trying to hold his line and not make a mistake, with Larry behind, looking for any opening and hounding the leader. A final caution on lap 14 was the only let up in the action and the final 6 laps amped up a bit more. Jeff was able to hold off off Larry for the final 6 laps to win his only feature here this season. Doehling, Schumacher and Garb were next, and point leader, Kenny Richards, rounded out the top six. That spot clinched his second SpeedZone track title by 16 points over dad, Larry.
Chase Soloman set the pace for the opening 3 laps of the Outlaw Chassis Street Stock feature, before 4 cautions over the next 2 laps kept the field bunched. When Racing resumed, Jesse Krahn was able to take the top spot with Jason Fairbank, Steve Ecker and Mark Schultz moving behind. A final caution appeared on lap 9 leaving the final ½ of the race to go green. Krahn set the pace again but Ecker was right behind and hounded the leader to the finish, but Krahn took the checker for his second feature win of the season and Ecker took the runner up finish. Fairbank finished third for his best rookie finish. Schultz, Dan Knaus and Jeff Wicinsky rounded out the top six.
Steve Gawaresky started the night 4 points behind Jeff Jungwirth in the title chase, but Jungwirth got a flat tire and lost 2 laps to the field at the lap 9 caution. Gawaresky finished the race in 7th which earned enough poinst to take the tile away and finished 9 points ahead of Jungwirth in the final standings. It is also Gawaresky’s first SpeedZone title.
The Ellington Mutual Insurance Dirt Devils closed the night with Jeremy Hammes leading the opening lap before Jordan Klemmer took charge on lap 2 And opened a lead on the field. Cody Pankow, Joe Minks and Aaron Milavils formed up behind and slowly closed ion the leader. After the mid point Klemmer was still holding the top spot but the group was tight behind. On lap 17, there was some contact in the lead group and Klemmer hit an infield tire, which forced his out of the race. Over the final 4 laps, Pankow slipped into the top spot and held on to collect his first feature win of the season. Minks took second with Milavils in third. Chris Maas was scored fourth with Scott Tiedt and Shaun Bangart rounding out the top six. Bangart had led the standings for much of the seconds half of the season and the finish clichéd his second straight track championship.
With the 2015 regular season now completed, the attention will focus on the annual SpeedZone Fall Classic on September 24, 25, 26. There will be a practice on Thursday night with qualifying events on Friday night and the features on Saturday.
SUMMARY
AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLUY COMPANY IMCA MODIFIEDS
20 Lap Feature l. Eddie Lemay, 2. Eric Mahlik 3. Eric Scribner 4. Tim Lemirande 5. Mike Wedelstadt 6. Marcus Yarie
10 Lap Consy l. Matt Klenz 2. Eddie Muenster 3. Steve Schneider 4. T.J. Smith
8 Lap Heats First l. Scribner 2. Lemirande
Second l. Lemay 2. John Schultz
Third l. Chris Engels 2. Kevin Baldry
TOTAL POWER SALES IMCA STOCK CARS
20 Lap Feature l. Travis Van Straten 2. Harley Simon 3. Joe White 4. Steve Hiles 5. David Hoerning 6. Dan Miller
8 Lap Heats First l. Hiles 2. Kevin Hebbe
Second l. Vern Stedjee 2. Simon
IMCA SPORT MODS
20 Lap Feature l. Colten Van Hierden 2. Jeff Steenbergen 3. Brock Saunders 4. Jeff Schmuhl 5. Tom Schneider 6, Ryan Besaw
10 Lap Consy 1, Kevin Bethke 2. Chase Randerson 3. Jason Vandenberg 4. Shaun Johnston
8 Lap Heats First l. Schmuhl 2. Schneider
Second l. Chris Budzban 2. Besaw
Third l. Bernie Miller 2. Van Hierden
OUTLAW CHASSIS STREET STOCKS
20 Lap Feature l. Jesse Krahn 2. Steve Ecker 3. Jason Fairbank 4. Mark Schultz 5. Dan Knaus 6. Jeff Wicinsky
8 Lap Heats First l. Schultz 2. Keith Olejnik
Second l. Wicinsky 2. Krahn
Third l. Frank Knaus 2. Chase Soloman
GOLD STAR RACING PRODUCTS GRAND NATIONALS
20 Lap Feature l Jeff Richards, 2. Larry Richards 3. Tim Doehling 4. Nick Schumacher 5 Rich Garb 6. Kenny Richards
8 Lap Heats First l. Larry Richards 2. Tim Reichenberger
Second l. Jeff Richards 2. Kenny Richards
ELLINGTON MUTUAL INSURANCE DIRT DEVILS
20 Lap Feature l. Cody Pankow 2. Joe Minks 3. Aaron Milavils 4. Chris Maas 5. Scott Tiedt 6. Shaun Bangart
8 Lap Heats First l. Wes Lungwitz 2. Milavils
Second l. Jordan Klemmer 2. Pankow