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Chateau Raceway by: Matthew Grage LANSING, MN (August 22) - It was Season Championship Night Friday Night at Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Powered by Miners Outdoor Power and Recreation of Blooming Prairie. A field of close to one hundred cars filled the pits for another night of AMSOIL Dirt Track Racing Series Action to determine the track champions in the seven classes plus another sixteen cars were on hand from the Northern Vintage Stock Car Association which made the pits very crowded and the race schedule for the night very busy as Mechanics and Powder Puff races were also on the preliminary schedule. However some light rain before the racing began pushed back the start time about ten minutes and another pair of showers in the middle of the heats ended up using up more than an hour of time to rework the track so the season championships could be determined on the track. The first two classes ran there heats off with no trouble but as the green went out for the third heat in the Power 96 WISSOTA Midwest Modified light rain started to fall sending the cars to the pits at about eight o'clock. The rain lasted just a few minutes and cars filed onto the track to repack it and get it ready to go. Just as they were finishing another light rain started sending eveyone back to the pits again. A quick meeting was called with the drivers and the decision was made to try one more time before packing it in for the night. So out came all the cars again and about nine-thirty the green flag went out once again for the nights racng action. When the night was done one hundred and twelve drivers ran off twenty-four very exciting races with seven drivers picking up there first wins of the seaon. With the final features still be run out just after midnight the decision was made to cancel the Powder Puff and Mechanics races because of the late hour. The rain falling in the middle of the Midwest Modified heats was just one of the many strange twists in that classes night of racing. Heat wins went to Troy Dahle of Morristown, Kenny Wytaske of Lansing, and Eric Condit of Austin with Erics being his first win of the season. Wytaske's heat win increased his point lead in the class to six over his brother Albert Wytaske of Lansing for the Points Championship. All eyes were on the two as they started side by side in row four in the main event. Pete Bushman of Dover grabbed the early lead jumping from the outside of row two to the front on the first lap. Albert made the first move in the battle for the points title as he darted to sixth while Kenny got hung up in traffic. On lap two a scramble at the front of the field schuffled Albert back to sixth and Kenny up to fourth but a caution on the same lap put them back to where they ran on lap one. Albert was making the better progress and on lap he passed Bushman for the lead, while Kenny was in a battle for fifth. After a debris caution a big pile up ensued on the following restart. Several cars jumped on top of each other as Bob Fisher of Lyle ended up with the nose of his car up on the hoods of both Kenny Wytaske and Ryan Stebbins of Blooming Prairie. Kenny caught a break when he was able to get back on the track and be put back in his position, but got an even bigger break when Albert was called for causing the yellow and sent tail end. It was looking like it was going to be Kennys night but two laps later on yet another caution a fire flared up under his hood sending him to the pits and as it would turn out down to second in the final point stanidngs behind his brother. Albert did a nice job of coming back thorugh the field to finish third behind Jim Arnold of Dodge Center and Greg Pfeifer JR of Austin. Arnold picked up the lead just past the middle of the race after coming out of a three wide scramble with Bushman and Pfeifer. Arnolds win was his first feature win of the season at Lansing. In another very tight points battle that had several strange twists to it Brandon Skalciky managed to win his first Track Championship in the Pizza Ranch Pure Stock Class. Skalciky was up five points on Tyler Peterson of Hollandale heading to the feature with the two of them also having to start side by side in row four, just like the Wytaske's in there battle for there title. Brandon got the better jump on the drop of the green moving up to fourth on the first lap but there was contact on his way past some cars and he cut down a tire. As he slowed he was hit by another car and pushed into some of the sloppy mud on the infield apron where he got hung up. With the caution out, after he got the car moving again, he had time to change his tire and get back in the race. On the restart he took off fifteenth while Peterson was in the top five. A run of cautions and restarts had him up to eighth on lap four. He moved up two spots to fifth on lap seven and that’s where he was sitting when the checkers fell with Peterson in third. The difference was not enough for Tyler as Brandon was able to claim his first Track Championship. Ross Spitzer of Dodge Center who lead flag to flag after jumping out of row two to the front right off the drop of the green ran into some problems in the Tech-Line and ended up being disqualified. That turned the win over to Billy Steinberg of Kasson who was credited with his third feature win of the year. Heat winners in the class were Skalicky and Aaron Sletten of Owatonna. The only other class that would have a track championship decided by more than just pulling onto the track to secure some feature points was in the Affordable Portables WISSOTA Street Stock class. A strange turn of events in the heat races ended up stretching Blooming Prairies AJ Zvoraks lead from five to nine after the heats. Zvorak won his heat while his challenger for the title Ryan Goergen of Stacyville Iowa ended up losing a top two finish on the last lap of his heat. He was leading his heat when Mike Kohn of Hollandale came along to challenge him as they raced to the white flag, The two went after each other to aggressively down the front straightaway for the officials and when Ryan spun in turn one a caution-checker finish ended the race leaving both drivers at fault for the caution putting them tailend and handing the win over to Jason Barber of New Richland. It was Barbers first win of the season. In the feature Matt Paczkowski of Hollandale bolted from the pole to the front and lead the fist couple laps before Mitch Thomson of New Richland took a turn at riding out on the point. Zvorak out drove them both however over the races final laps to score his fifth feature win of the year and his fourth sweep. Thompson held off Goergen for second. AJ became the third driver on the night to pick up his first Track Championship at Chateau. The trend of first time Track Champions continued as the Triple J Disposal WISSOTA Super Stocks pulled onto the track for there feature. Cole Queensland of Grand Meadow needed just to pull out for the feature to wrap up his Championship. In the chase for the win Josh Bartel of Kasson worked from the outside of row two to the front to hold onto the early lead. Bartel along with Ryan Siegle of Grand Meadow ran some exciting side by side laps with Bartel able to hold the lead lap after lap. Chris Klinger of Austin made it a three way battle about lap four with some three wide racing. Siegle dropped back leaving Bartel and Klinger to go at it. Throughout the middle of the race Bartel was able to hold off Chris until Klinger got down low enough on lap eleven to clear him down the back straightaway. Jeff Brauer was able to move up to second and close in on Klinger. Jeff was not only looking for the win, but if he could get past Chris he could take over second place in the final point standings. Klinger was up to the challenge and held on for his second feature win of the season. Heat winners were Brauer and Brett Dulas of Waseca. For Dulas it was his first checkered flag of the season at Lansing. In Frenchs Repair and Fabrication USRA Modified action Mike Sorensen added another Track Championship to his list by claiming the 2008 crown. Mike was also the 1988, 1989 and 1996 WISSOTA Modified Champion at Lansing. On the track Mike could manage just a fifth place finish in his heat and a sixth place finish in the feature as there was plenty of firepower spread around the nineteen car field of cars for the class. After a first lap caution in the feature the field lined up for the restart and proceeded to run straight through the twenty-four lap main event. Steve Wetzstein used a pole position starting position to his advantage as he built a lead and ran away for his first feature win of the season. Todd Scharkey of Kasson, who started back in row three worked his way up to third in three laps and moved to second on lap nine but by than Wetzstein had a full straighaway lead. Todd had cut the deficiet in half in then next five laps and it looked like he might be able to chase Wetzstein down until he jumped the cushion in two a lap later and gave Steve his big lead back. By then the two were lapping cars and Scharkey was going to have to settle for second. Doug Hillson of Blooming Prairie came home in third ahead of Brad Bakken of Garner Iowa. Hillson and Bakken took the classes two heat wins. A couple more first time Track Champions were crowned in the S and S Auto Salvage Hornet classes. Michael Wytaske of Lansing wrapped up the Junior Hornet division with his fourth feature win of the season. Garitt Wytaske of Lansing, who ended up second in points, was running second late in the feature when he lost a tire off his car. Ryan Henderson of Holmen Wisconsin ended up finishing second ahead of Jacob Stark of Austin. Garitt was the divisions heat winner. In the Senior Hornets Division Randy Rauen of Austin, who ended up second in points last year, wrapped up his first Track Title. Randy claimed a heat win on the night and almost scored a sweep as he lead early in the classes feature. Gary Stahl of Kasson out ran Rauen down the stretch to claim his sixth feature win of the year. Briana Grinstead of Austin posted her best feature finish of the year as she out dueled Ben Sprung of Rose Creek for third as they came past the checkers side by side to wrap up the feature. The track was visited by the Northern Vintage Stock Car Drives who bring there older model cars by the track for some exciting racing action in two classes, the Full Body cars, and the Super Modified. In Full Body racing action a former Track Champion John Van Willigen of Hollandale showed he still knows his way around the track as he scored wins in both the heat and feature in his 1949 Dodge. Rick Heber of Red Wing came home second in the feature in his 1966 Dodge Charger, and Dan Herold of Nelson Wisconsin wheeled his 1968 Camaro to a third place finish. In the Super Modified class Ricci Lepinski of New Richmond Wisconsin drove his 1932 Ford Victoria to a feature win ahead of Dennis Olson of Braham in his 1934 Vicki Ford. Butch Bethke of Oakdale came home third in his Homemade Super Modified in the feature after winning the heat for the division. Next Friday Night kicks off the start of the Fall Specials at Lansing.
The United States Modified Touring Series will be on hand for the "3rd
Annual Cedar River Races" Also on the show will be the Pure Stocks, WISSOTA
Street Stocks, and WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds. Even though track points are
over National Points will still be awarded. The following week there will be
two nights of racing Friday Night and Saturday Night September 5th and 6th
for the Annual "Buzz Festival". While the two night show is named for the
Hornet class, all classes will be competing both nights with two full shows.
The track will than take a few weeks off and come back the end of September,
the 26th and 27th, for the "3rd Annual Midwest Modified Fall Nationals".
Again all classes are scheduled to take part in both nights of that weekends
racing with both nights featuring there own separate complete shows. A rain
date has been reserved for that weekend, if necessary it would be on that
Sunday the 28th. So plenty of good racing action yet to come this season at
Chateau Raceway starting next Friday night at 7:30. |