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AMSOIL Dirt Track Racing Series By Myron Grage LANSING, MN (August 1) - There will be plenty to talk about around the garages and where ever drivers and fans gather this next week after week eleven of AMSOIL Dirt Track Racing Series action at Chateau Raceway in Lansing powered by Miners Outdoor Power and Recreation. One of the best races of the night lead to one of the wildest finishes of the year. In Power 96 WISSOTA Midwest Modified action the feature winner had to be determined by spotters. This may seem normal procedure for most tracks but at Lansing the cars are equipped with transponders and there is an electronic scoring loop buried in the track at the start finish line to eliminate the human element in close scoring situations. But on this night the electronic scoring loop showed identical times for both the first and second place cars leaving the human element to decide a very exciting race. Twenty cars took the green for the twenty lap main event with Craig Shaw of Dexter taking the early lead off the outside of the front row. Current point leader in the class, Albert Wytaske of Lansing worked his way from row four up to second on lap five with Greg Pfeifer JR of Austin, who also started in row four following him up to third. A caution on lap six grouped the field up for a restart and Wytaske took advantage as he went to the bottom of the track and moved to the point. Pfeifer followed to second a few laps later but by the time he made his move past Shaw he was better than a half a straightaway behind. He caught a break when a debris caution came out with four laps to go. On the restart Greg went to the outside and moved to the lead with Albert staying on the inside line keeping things tight. As they were coming to the white Wytaske was in the process of retaking the lead when one more caution came out putting him back in line behind Pfeifer. The two lap spring to the finish was two laps of great racing with Albert sticking to his low line and Pfeifer to his outside line. As they came out of turn four Albert got a good bite on the bottom and appeared to win the race but the scoreboard still showed the 00 of Pfeifer as the leader and winner. The computer showed both times the same and all eyes saw it the same way with the 1 car of Wytaske winning by less than the length of his nerf bar. This wasn't the first time this had happened as several years back when the system was first installed at the track Albert actually came out on the short end of the exact same call. The one "Loophole" if you will in the system is the fact that the transponders for the car are tucked back under the hood of the car and not on the nose of the car. So the finishing order is actually recorded a few feet back from the nose of the car which actually hits the finish line first. Since its impractical to put an expensive transponder out on the nose of a car where it would get destroyed on a weekly basis close finishes like these which have only happened twice now in the eight years or so the system has been in place will have to be dealt with as fairly as it was dealt with Friday night. Both competitors showed great sportsmanship as Albert drove to the pits without protest when Pfeifer was waved to victory lane after the race, and after the correction was made Pfeifer just noted it was a "good race" to officials in the infield and waved to the crowd and headed to his trailer as Albert came back out to accept the trophy for his third feature win of the season. Both drivers also scored heat wins on the night with Alberts giving him a sweep for the night. Other heat wins went to Kenny Wytaske of Lansing and Bobby Swanson of Kasson. The Affordable Portables WISSOTA Street Stock Feature saw some great action among the leaders as the top five positions were swapped lap after lap with four drivers exchanging the lead through out the race. Ryan Goergen of Stacyville Iowa held the lead for the first two laps before Jesse Stahl of Austin got under him to take the lead on lap three. His time at the front lasted just four laps before Bobby Kilby came to the front on lap seven. Through all these lead changes positions two though five were switching even faster lap after lap. Allen Gessell JR of Big Lake took over the lad on lap nine only to have Kilby take it back two laps later as they came into slower traffic and Gessell picked the wrong line behind the car he was attempting to lap. A caution a lap later looked to be setting up an exciting four lap sprint to the finish when some extra curricular activities during the yellow flag brought out the black flag sending Kilby to the pits ending his night. Than moved AJ Zvorak of Blooming Prairie up to second and off the restart he put the head on Gessell but Allen was up to the challenge and scored his third feature win of the season in four trips to Lansing. He also picked up a heat win on the night giving him a sweep. The classes other heat win went to Zvorak who now trails Goergen by just one point in the Championship Points battle. Matt Eustice of Hartland sits just seven markers back with three regular points nights left before the falls specials start up. A pair of drivers picked up there first career feature wins on the night. The first to do so was Aaron Sletten of Owatonna in the Pizza Ranch Pure Stocks. Aaron, a second year driver at the track, started on the pole of the feature and lead flag to flag to capture the victory. Sletten had a big lead through out the race but there was plenty of good racing action behind him as Wayne Nelson of Freeborn held off Tyler Peterson of Hollandale for second with Brandon Skalicky of Claremont taking fourth. Peterson put himself in a hole early in the race when he got loose and ended up in the infield. By the time he pulled back on the track he was back in twelfth place. He had the help of one caution along the way but for the most part he just used some good driving to get his way back toward the front. Peterson entered the night leading Skalicky in the points battle but after finishing fourth in his heat and with Brandon's winning his, he found him self trailing by one entering the feature. Ending up one position ahead of him in the finishing order of the feature leaves the two in a tie heading to next week atop the standings. Billy Steinberg of Kasson also took home a heat win in the class. In Frenchs Repair and Fabrication USRA Modifieds Jacob Dahle of Morristown picked up his first career feature win. Jacob started on the front row and jumped to the front and built up a big lead as the race ran green for the first twenty-one of twenty-four laps. Tim Donlinger of Rochester, starting back in row four, was the driver to watch in this one. He methodically worked his way forward, making his way to fifth on lap six, fourth on lap seven, three laps later he was up to third and on lap fifteen he found himself up to second almost a full straightaway behind Dahle. Using a high line around the track he carved up the deficient and pulled up side by side with Jacob as they completed lap twenty-one. Tim stayed on the outside and took the lead coming out of turn two only to have a caution come out before he made it back around the track to complete another lap. That put him back into second for a three lap sprint to the finish. Donlinger did not get a very strong restart and slipped back into a side by side battle with Mike Sorensen of Rochester for second. Tim got back on his line and pulled back up behind Dahle out of turn two on the final lap. He put on one hard push through turns three and four but came up just short in his bid to take the win on the final lap. Sorensen along with Doug Hillson of Blooming Prairie, who came home in fourth in the feature, scored heat wins for the class. Cole Queensland chalked up his sixth feature win of the season in the Triple J Disposal WISSOTA Super Stocks. Cole lead all but the first two laps of the race in route to the win. Chris Klinger of Austin took second in a spirited battle with Jeff Brauer of Rochester for that position. Queensland and Klinger were the heat winners. Also adding to his feature wins total was Mike Blowers of Waseca in the S and S Auto Salvage Horner class. Blowers out dueled Gary Stahl of Kasson and Jason McShane of Waseca for his fifth feature win of the year. Mike also won the groups heat race. In the Junior Hornet Division Michael Wytaske of Lansing picked up his second feature win as he out ran Ryan Henderson of Holmen Wisconsin to the checkers. Garitt Wytaske of Lansing picked up that groups heat win. Racing action continues next Friday Night at Chateau Raceway with action getting underway at 7:30. Next week there will be a chance for some lucky youngsters to win a bike among the weekly giveaways. Weekly Results for Chateau Raceway Powered by Miner Outdoor and Recreation Pizza Ranch Pure Stocks Feature- Aaron Sletten-Owatonna, Wayne Nelson-Freeborn, Tyler Peterson-Hollandale, Brandon Skalicky-Claremont, Ross Spitzer-Dodge Center, Dan Klingfus-Rose Creek, Jason Newkirk-Austin, Nick Roemhildt-Waseca, James Weber-Austin, Jim Konners-Waseca, Samantha Stark-Austin, Billy Steinberg-Kasson, Kevin Vogt-Rose Creek Heat 1 - Skalicky, Sletten, Klingfus, Newkirk, Weber, Vogt, Stark Heat 2 - Steinberg, Nelson, Eustice, Peterson, Roemhildt, Konners Affordable Portable WISSOTA Street Stocks Feature - Allen Gessell JR-Big Lake, AJ Zvorak-Blooming Prairie, Ryan Goergen-Stacyville IA, Dave Stevens-Albert Lea, Matt Eustice-Hartland, Jesse Stahl-Austin, Dan Holland-Brownsdale, Chad Frank-Owatonna, Matt Paczkowski-Hollandale, Jason Barber-New Richland, (DQ Bobby Kilby-Austin) Heat 1 - Gessell JR, Kilby, Paczkowski, Barber, Stevens, Frank Heat 2 - Zvorak, Eustice, Stahl, Goergen, Holland Power 96 WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds Feature - Albert Wytaske-Lansing, Greg Pfeifer JR-Austin, Kenny Wytaske-Lansing, Bryan Hernandez-Blooming Prairie, Dustin Steinbrink-Austin, Craig Shaw-Dexter, AJ Wiste-Adams, Jerry Young-Blooming Prairie, Bobby Swanson-Kasson, Tye Haslip-Waseca, Harlan Morehart-Eyota, Rick Toutges-Byron, Joe Horgdahl-Kasson, Travis Wytaske-Rochester, Gary Wilde-Austin, John Rishavy-Owatonna, Troy Dahle-Morristown, Taylor Overbo-Wells, Ric Fynbo-Albert Lea, Dave Stevens-Albert Lea Heat 1 - Pfeifer, Dahle, Wiste, Hernadez, Young, Haslip Heat 2 - A Wytaske, Steinbrink, Fynbo, Morehart, Stevens Heat 3 - K Wytaske, Horgdahl, Toutges, T Wytaske Heat 4 - Swanson, Shaw, Rishavy, Overbo, Wilde Triple J Disposal WISSOTA Super Stocks Feature - Cole Queensland-Grand Meadow, Chris Klinger-Austin, Jeff Brauer-Rochester, Harlan Morehart-Eyota, Brett Dulas-Waseca, Greg Mattick-Hayfield, Jason Gabrielson-Austin, John Thissen-Sargeant, Tony Shaner-Owatonna, Josh Bartel-Kasson (no show: Ryan Siegle-Grand Meadow) Heat 1 - Klinger, Morehart, Bartel, Brauer, Shaner, Thissen Heat 2 - Queensland, Gabrielson, Dulas, Mattick, Siegle Frenchs Repair and Fabrication USRA Modifieds Feature - Jacob Dahle-Morristown, Tim Donlinger-Rochester, Mike Sorensen-Rochester, Doug Hillson-Blooming Prairie, Brad Bakken-Garner IA, Nate Wasmund-Rochester, Aaron Rake-Beaver Dam WI, Wally Bustad-Austin, Dave Wytaske JR-Mapleview, Jeremy Misgen-Ellendale, Greg Jensen-Albert Lea, Butch Massey-Austin, Steve Wetzstein-West Concord (no show: Josh Mattick-Austin) Heat 1 - Heat 2 - S & S Auto Salvage JR Hornets Feature - Michael Wytaske-Lansing, Ryan Henderson-Holmen WI, Brandon Vogt-Rose Creek, Trae Diaz-Austin, Jacob Stark-Austin, Cole Lonergan-Dexter, Matt Brooks-Austin, Garitt Wytaske-Lansing Heat 1 - G Wytaske, Henderson, Vogt, Brooks, M Wytaske, Lonergan, Stark, Diaz S & S Auto Salvage Hornets Feature - Mike Blowers-Waseca, Gary Stahl-Kasson, Jason McShane-Waseca, Randy Rauen-Rochester, Jesse Harang-Northwood IA, Ben Sprung-Rose Creek, Briana Grinstead-Austin Heat 1 - Blowers, Stahl, Rauen, Harang, Mc Shane, Spung, Grinstead |