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Mother Nature Decides First of 2009 Track Champions at
Chateau Raceway
by: Matthew Grage
LANSING, MN (August 21) - The first of the 2009 Chateau Raceway Track
Champions for 2009 were decided shortly after noon on Friday when track
officials pulled the plug on the nights scheduled AMSOIL Dirt Track Racing
Series Action. Officials at Chateau Raceway, powered by Miners Outdoor and
Recreation, decided they did not have the time needed to work in all the mud
that a weeks worth of rain had created.
Seven classes of cars run each Friday Night and with the rain out two Track
Champions were decided by there large point leads. Doug Hillson of Blooming
Prairie now owns the 2009 Crown for the "French's Repair and Fabrication
USRA Modifieds". Doug owns a 102 point lead over Ben Mattick of Hayfield
with Season Championship night next Friday Night. The most points any driver
in that class can earn on any one night is 100 points so even if Doug was to
not show up next week he has guaranteed his first Track Championship at
Lansing where he has raced for years. Also claiming his first Track
Championship was Mike Blowers of Waseca in the "S and S Auto Salvage Senior
Hornet" Division. It was thought Mike had wrapped up that Championship a
week ago but late into the night following last Friday Nights race an
illegal part was found on his car and he lost his points for the night as
well as the pair of wins he had chalked up. He still maintains a 58 point
lead over Gary Stahl of Kasson however which will assure him of the title
before even entering the pits next week for Season Championship Night. Gary
actually ended up being credited with those two wins last week after Stahl
was DQ'd. Unlike the USRA Modifieds all the other classes at the track use
the WISSOTA Point System with the maximum number of points a driver can earn
in one night for those classes being 57.
The other five divisions will have to decide there Championships on the
track, weather permitting next Friday Night. Each class is close enough that
if a the current point leader fails to qualify for there feature, or wrecks
in there heat and is unable to make the feature the Title could swing to
another driver. In the "Junior" Divison of the Hornet classs, Jacob Stark of
Austin carries a slim seven point lead over Brandon Vogt of Rose Creek, and
a thirteen point edge on Garrit Wytaske of Lansing, going to Championship
Night. In the "Pizza Ranch Pure Stock" class Kylie Kath of Owatonna is in a
tight four way battle for the title, Kath is up ten markers on Jason Newkirk
of Austin, nineteen up on Stacy Krohnberg of Walters, and has a twenty-one
point edge on Brandon Shaner of Owatonna. Either of the four could walk away
with the Championship next Friday Night. All drivers involved in these two
divisions are seeking there first Track Championships. Stark could be the
latest of the string of Father - Son duos who own Titles at Lansing. Jacobs
dad, Matt, won the WISSOTA Midwest Modified title back in 2001. However if
Wytaske overhauls him he could join that club also as his dad, Albert, has
several Track Championships to his credit over the years. In fact he would
join a long list of his family members who have taken home Track Titles over
the years at Lansing going all the way back to 1971. Don Wytaske (who is his
grandfathers twin brother) claimed the Hobby Stock Crown in 1973, while
Don's sons took home a pair of Championships as well. Dave Wytaske claimed
the Street Stock Crown in 1971, Mark Wytaske reigned in the Hobby Stock
crown in 1985. Garitts Dad, Albert, owns three Track Championships (WISSOTA
Modified 1999, and 2000, and WISSOTA Midwest Modified 2008), his Uncle Kenny
actually leads the family tree with four Track Titles (WISSOTA Mod Four in
1999 and 2000, and WISSOTA Midwest Modified in 2006 and 2007). His cousin
Michael (Kennys son) won the Junior Hornet title at the track last year.
That makes eleven Track Titles in his family name, and he would like to add
his name to that list and make it an even dozen if he can come from behind
with a big night next Friday.
In the three WISSOTA Divisions at the Track Cole Queensland of Grand Meadow
in the "Farm Boy BBQ WISSOTA Super Stock" class has the biggest lead on his
closest rival. Jeff Brauer of Rochester sits eighteen points back of Cole.
In the "RS Auto Rebuilders WISSOTA Street Stock" class A.J. Zvorak of
Blooming Prairie will take a seventeen point lead over Jesse Stahl of Austin
to the final Track Points Night. Tyler Peterson of Hollandale is still
mathematically in the chase but at forty points back is an extreme long
shot. In the "Power 96 WISSOTA Midwest Modified" Class Bryan Hernandez of
Blooming Prairie will be trying to hold off A.J. Wiste of Adams and Brandon
Davis of Medford for his third Track Championship in seven years. Bryan, who
also won the Midwest Modified Championship at the Track in 2002 and 2004,
holds a thirteen point lead on Wiste and a twenty-six point advantage on
Davis heading to Season Championship Night. Queensland will be looking for
his second straight Championship in the Super Stock class at the track, as
will Zvorak. If Zvorak closes the deal next Friday night he will match his
dad Mark who also had two Track Championships in his years of racing at
Chateau. Mark Zvorak took Street Stock titles in back to back years in 1995
and 1996 before the class was WISSOTA sanctioned.
Season Championship night gets underway next Friday Night at 7:00 with
Hot-Laps, followed by racing at 7:30. It’s the start of the big run of shows
the track will put out to end the 2009 Season. The following weekend, Labor
Day Weekend, the track will welcome in the USMTS Modifieds for show eleven
of there "Hunt for the Casey's General Store Championship", an eighteen race
series of events to crown there National Champion. WISSOTA Midwest
Modifieds, Pure Stock and Hornet classes will run along with the USMTS
Modifieds. The weekend after that Friday Night September 11th and Saturday
Night September 12th it will be the two night "Midwest Modified Fall
Nationals" with WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds competing for extra cash and a
chance at improving there standings in the National Points Race for them.
Also running in the Third Annual Fall Nationals weekend will be the WISSOTA
Street Stocks, WISSOTA Super Stocks, Pure Stocks, and USRA Modifieds. Both
nights will be complete shows. Than to wrap up the 2009 racing season it
will be the Third Annual "Buzz Festival" featuring the two Hornet Divisions.
That will also be a two night show, Friday Night October 2nd and Saturday
Night October 3rd with two complete shows. All seven of the tracks Class
Divisions will run both nights of the Festival for one last go before
packing it in for the season.
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