Diemel, Sabraski, Spacek Capture Wins in Rain-Shortened Red Clay Classic at ABC Raceway

by Nick Gima

            Ashland, WI, October 2 – Despite a constant threat of rain, every scheduled race but one was completed during the 46^th annual Red Clay Classic at the ABC Raceway, held over Friday and Saturday, October 1-2, in front of a near-capacity crowd.

            Only the WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature, which was slated as the final race of Saturday’s portion of the program, was lost to precipitation. The other 31 races held over the two-day program, presented by FastLane Motorsports & Custom Powdercoating, Tim’s Automotive Machine and Red’s Auto, were completed with minimal adjustments and resulted in one repeat champion and two first-time winners.

AJ Diemel of Elk Mound won the event’s WISSOTA Late Model feature for the second time, with the other victory coming in 2017. Shane Sabraski of Rice, MN, took a huge step in his quest for a WISSOTA Modifieds national championship with a nail-biter win. And Phillips’ Terran Spacek claimed his first-ever RCC win in a thrilling WISSOTA Super Stock main event.

With weather threatening, the ABC Raceway’s Board of Directors rearranged the Saturday schedule of events, moving the start time up by 1-1/2 hours and putting the Late Models at the head of the program. Diemel started from the outside of the front row and immediately beat polestarter and 2010 RCC champ Kyle Peterlin through the first turn.

Diemel led every one of the 40 laps, and early on his advantages were significant – including as much as 1.8 seconds after just eight laps. But once he began to deal with slower backmarkers, Pat Doar, who took second away from Peterlin on lap 5, and six-time RCC champ Jimmy Mars, who displaced Peterlin for third while navigating lapped traffic on lap 18, closed up most of that gap.

Doar thinned Diemel’s buffer down to three-quarters of a second by lap 9, but he, too, had to weave his way through the back of the field. And once Diemel got to an open gap in the running order, the leader re-established his dominant margin.

Rick Niemi had been putting up a strong top-five showing through much of the first 20 laps, but not long after taking fourth away from Peterlin, he in turn was shuffled back to fifth by Jimmy Mars’ son Sam.

With 18 laps remaining Chad Mahder spun to slow the proceedings and once again give Diemel some open race track to run. Diemel fended off a brief three-wide threat by Doar and Mars on the restart and again bolted to a dominant advantage. Diemel caught the tail end of the pack within eight short laps, sifting through the traffic to extend his lead over to nearly a full second.

With five laps remaining, heavy contact between Aaron Lillo and Ron Hanestad brough Lillo’s car to a grinding halt against the wall at the turn 1 pit exit, which brought about another caution flag. Over the closing laps Diemel, who leaned on what little berm there was at the top of the turns, bobbled ever so slightly in turn 3 with a couple laps remaining, but he overcame the error and held on for a winning margin of .868 seconds and a $5,700 payday – the largest check ever offered to a WISSOTA-sanctioned driver in the Raceway’s 57-year history.

Doar, Jimmy Mars and Sam Mars followed at the checkers in close formation, with Niemi completing an impressive fifth-place run. Travis Budisalovich, James Giossi, Derek Vesel, 2019 RCC champ Jesse Glenz, and Peterlin completed the top ten.

At the conclusion of Friday’s preliminary events, the top 16 vote-getters in a pre-weekend online poll of Late Model entrants were brought out for a “Fan’s Choice Dash for Cash,” presented by Red’s Auto of Ironwood, MI. The field was set by the number of votes, and Glenz, who received the most votes, drew a random number to determine an invert for the starting line-up.

Fortunately for Glenz he drew the “1” and started on the pole anyway, and he led all 16 non-stop laps for $800 win, followed by Diemel, Darrell Nelson, Doar and 2013 RCC winner Nick Anvelink.

Sabraski, who is in the heat of national championship battles in both the Mods and Super Stocks, started the 30-lap, $4,000-to-win Modified A-main on the outside of the second row, but his row mate – three-time RCC winner Ashley Anderson – found himself spun around with a damaged race car about 30 yards short of the starting line while coming for the green flag to start the race.

Jeremy Nelson, who started just in front of Sabraski, got a strong run on the restart and set a quick early pace, while Sabraski contended with polestarter Brandon Copp, Clayton Wagamon and two-time RCC Mod champ Darrell Nelson. Wagamon claimed third from Copp after the first two laps, and just a circuit later 2007 RCC Mod champ Jody Bellefeuille moved past Copp to take fourth, with Darrell Nelson climbing into fifth within a couple more laps.

Jeremy Nelson owned a strong 1.25-second lead on Sabraski at the one-quarter pole, but that lead began to shrink as the laps clicked off. By the time the race had reached its midway point, Sabraski had closed to within a couple of car-lengths, and on lap 17, while contending with slower traffic, he used a three-wide pass to take over the lead.

Further back, Bellefeuille was in the midst of a side-by-side duel with Wagamon for third, eventually taking over the spot with nine laps left. Bellefeuille then closed in on Jeremy Nelson, and those two battled just a few car-lengths behind the leader while weaving their way through the back of the field.

Sabraski had just broken into the clear after passing a slower car when, with two laps remaining, Cole Spacek and Mike Anderson, while racing for top-ten positions, tangled with Adam Ayotte in turn 3 to bring out the yellow flag and set up a green-white-checkered sprint. On the restart Sabraski was challenged closely by Bellefeuille to the inside and Nelson on his rear bumper, but the leader held on for a winning margin of .225 seconds – maybe a car-length at most – and his sixth career feature win in Ashland but first in the Red Clay Classic.

Bellefeuille was at Sabraski’s inside flank to finish second, and Jeremy Nelson was on Sabraski’s back bumper in third. Diemel, who started 12th, charged home late for fourth-place money, just ahead of his sixth-row starting mate, 2021 ABC Raceway point champ Cole Spacek.

Coming home in the second five were Darrell Nelson, Wagamon, Jimmy Mars, two-time RCC Midwest Mod winner Michael Truscott, and Dave Cain, who started last on the 25-car grid after accepting the defending champion’s provisional.

Terran Spacek’s father Randy has captured a number of feature wins over his 30-plus seasons of racing, including 36 at ABC to put him 12^th on the track’s all-time feature win list. But the one win that had eluded Randy – the Red Clay Classic Super Stock feature – is the one that his son earned Saturday night.

The younger Spacek showed that he had the poise of his father throughout the 25-lap feature, as he led every lap from the pole despite persistent challenges by Kevin Burdick, the 2014 RCC Super Stock champ who is in the down-to-the-wire battle with Sabraski for the WISSOTA national title in this division.

Spacek’s chance for the win almost disappeared early in the race, as on lap 2, while battling with fellow front-row starter Brandon Duellman, contact between the two sent Spacek for a spin in front of the field. But Duellman was charged with the incident and penalized to the back of the 24-car field, putting Burdick in second for the restart.

Kevin Salin’s spin on lap 4 brought about another quick caution stop, during which multi-time track champ Scott Lawrence pulled into the pits to end his night. Over the next eight green-flag laps Spacek hugged the bottom groove of the smooth red-clay oval while Burdick and 2016 RCC winner Tommy Richards led a tight pack of contenders right behind him.

Other than Spacek at the front, the running order of the top-ten seemed to change with every lap. Burdick and Richards ran side-by-side exchanging second, while Shawn McFadden switched from the high groove to the low groove frequently to pull alongside Richards. Dave Flynn charged from his tenth-place starting spot to contest fourth with McFadden, but he would be tested by the high-flying Steve Stuart, the division’s 2021 ABC Raceway points champ, who seemed determined to sweep around the frontrunners using the outermost line on the track while slamming the turn 1 guardrail on nearly every lap.

The furious action was only paused once more, when Sam Fankhauser spun on lap 12. From there Spacek held firm to the low racing groove while Burdick worked a couple of lanes higher. The lead pair never seemed to be more than a car-length or two apart, while the chaos just behind them resumed. Over the final five laps Burdick made several strong efforts to pull alongside the leader, but Spacek answered every challenge.

Coming off of turn 4 for the final time, Burdick made one last desperation move, using his momentum off the top of the corner to dive low for the pass. But Spacek maintained his composure and his line and held on for a narrow .165-second victory, with Burdick pulling alongside his left-rear fender. Flynn’s strong run earned a third-place effort for the 2016 RCC Midwest Modified champ, just ahead of Richards and Stuart.

Sabraski, who started 19^th, picked his way through the field to finish an impressive sixth, followed closely by McFadden, three-time and defending RCC Supers champ Curt Myers, DJ Keeler and Ron Mahder. Spacek didn’t have to deal with slower traffic during the run, as all 23 cars still running at the end of the race finished on the lead lap – a testament to the close, competitive racing throughout the field.

The Neighborly Bar of Ashland once again raised a huge purse for its “Bridesmaid’s Challenge,” offering over $1,200 to each feature’s second-place-finishing driver if they agreed to don a formal gown in Victory Lane after their race. While Doar declined, Bellefeuille and Burdick happily agreed to accept the dare, and each took home a check larger than their respective feature winners’ earnings.

The “Bridesmaid’s Challenge” purse was divided equally among all Midwest Modified feature starters, as was that feature’s scheduled purse, which was set at $1,500 to win and $200 to start.

Drivers setting the fastest single-lap times in each feature were presented a $100 bonus from Northern Clearing Inc of Ashland. Those lap times were set by Diemel in the Late Models (15.574 secs; 86.683 mph), Jeremy Nelson in the Mods (17.202; 78.479), and Terran Spacek in the Supers (18.243; 74.001).

Clint Larson Trucking offered a $125 bonus to each driver who advanced the furthest in their respective features from their original starting spots. These “hard-charger” bonuses were presented to Glenz in the Late Models (18^th to ninth), Cain in the Mods (25^th to tenth), and Sabraski in the Supers (19^th to sixth).

In all, 176 racers registered to compete for a share of the over-$110,000 purse offered on a weekend that included unseasonably warm, humid conditions. Friday’s track was very smooth and very fast, as proven by Jimmy Mars completing his ten-lap Late Model heat race win in a time of just two minutes, 35 seconds, and Kyle Peterlin nearly matching that later during his Late Model heat win, with his ten laps taking just 2:40.

Saturday’s program began under similar conditions – warm and extremely humid – but the cloud cover moved in and a light shower watered the track immediately after the first semi-feature of the night, run by the Late Models. The wide, smooth track became very sticky-fast again, but the skies continued to threaten throughout the rest of the evening, and it wasn’t until the Midwest Mods entered the track for their feature to cap off the weekend’s festivities that the clouds finally let loose with a soaking shower that spoiled their chance to race.

During Friday’s pre-race ceremonies, the 13 US Military personnel who lost their lives during the recent attacks in Afghanistan were honored, with local retired and active Military personnel and members of the ABC Raceway staff presenting 13 folded US flags in Victory Lane in their memory. An additional flag was placed in honor of former Modified racer and Air Force Reservist Tanner Byholm, who was killed in an aircraft accident earlier this year.

In addition, two Late Models – Lillo’s number 9 and Doar’s number 11 – were displayed in Victory Lane in memory of the 20^th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.

The ABC Raceway has plans to host its annual banquet celebrating the 2021 racing season at the AmericInn of Ashland in January. Details of this event will be forthcoming.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.

 Results

WISSOTA Late Models

Feature: 1-10: AJ Diemel, Elk Mound; Pat Doar, New Richmond; Jimmy Mars, Menomonie; Sam Mars, Menomonie; Rick Niemi, Eveleth, MN; Travis Budisalovich, Minneapolis, MN; James Giossi, Hudson; Derek Vesel, Hibbing, MN; Jesse Glenz, Chippewa Falls; Kyle Peterlin, Hibbing, MN.

11-20: Steve Laursen, Cumberland; Kevin Eder, Ashland; Chad Mahder, Bloomer; Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, MN; Gunner Frank, Montrose, IA; Jake Redetzke, Eau Claire; Harry Hanson, Eveleth, MN; Rick Hanestad, Boyceville; Buddy Hanestad, Boyceville; Clint Larson, Superior.

21-24: Aaron Lillo, Proctor, MN; Robbie Johnson, Wilson; Nick Anvelink, Bonduel; Tim McMann, Duluth, MN.

Heat 1: Doar; S Mars; Nelson; Laursen; Glenz; R Hanestad; Anvelink; Mike Bellefeuille, Duluth, MN.

Heat 2: Diemel; Budisalovich; Eder; Hanson; Johnson; James Kannegieser, Hayward; Tim Lillo, Superior.

Heat 3: J Mars; Niemi; Vesel; Redetzke; Larson; McMann; Paul Niznik, Medford; George Ledin Jr, Britt, MN.

Heat 4: Peterlin; Giossi; Frank; A Lillo; Mahder; B Hanestad; Jody Bellefeuille, Carlton, MN; TJ Adams, Hayward.

Semi-Feature: R Hanestad; B Hanestad; McMann; Anvelink; J Bellefeuille; M Bellefeuille; Kannegieser; Ledin; T Lillo; Niznik.

Fans’ Choice Dash: 1-10: Glenz; Diemel; Nelson; Doar; Anvelink; Budisalovich; Redetzke; J Mars; Eder; Mahder.

11-16: Giossi; Peterlin; Hanson; Vesel; S Mars; McMann.

WISSOTA Modifieds

Feature: 1-10: Shane Sabraski, Rice, MN; Jody Bellefeuille, Carlton, MN; Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, MN; AJ Diemel, Elk Mound; Cole Spacek, Phillips; Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, MN; Clayton Wagamon, Ramsey, MN; Jimmy Mars, Menomonie; Michael Truscott, Chippewa Falls; Dave Cain, Corcoran, MN.

11-20: Steve Lavasseur, River Falls; Shane Halopka, Greenwood; Brandon Copp, Brule; Pat Cook, Washburn; Denny Cutsforth, Rice Lake; Matt Aukland, Glyndon, MN; Kelly Estey, Kelly Lake, MN; Rick Rivord, Superior; Shane Kisling, Butternut; Mark Hanson, Chippewa Falls.

21-25: Nick Koehler, Bloomer; Mike Anderson, Jim Falls; Adam Ayotte, St Paul, MN; Steve Hallquist, Fall Creek; Ashley Anderson, Elk Mound.

Heat 1: J. Nelson; D Nelson; Mars; Koehler; Alex Van Natta, Minocqua; Tyler Luger, Oxford; John Kallas, Hurley; Neil Balduc, Bessemer, MI; Daniel Bargender, Menomonie; Jeff Spacek, Phillips.

Heat 2: Sabraski; M Anderson; Truscott; Halopka; Paul Niznik, Medford; Pat Hoffman, Rice Lake; Aukland; Danny Thomas, Knapp; Jake Hiatt, Mason.

Heat 3: A Anderson; Bellefeuille; C Spacek; Kisling; Rivord; Lavasseur; Sam Fankhauser, Rice Lake; Brent Prochnow, Colfax; Zach Gibson, Chippewa Falls.

Heat 4: Copp; K Estey; Cook; Hanson; Cutsforth; Dan Kingsley, Superior; Skeeter Estey, Kelly Lake, MN; Cain; Cory Mahder, Elk Mound.

Heat 5: Wagamon; Hallquist; Diemel; Ayotte; Shaun Kreyer, Hayward; Donnie Lofdahl, Duluth, MN; Al Uotinen, Superior; Marcus Simonson, Luck; Brad Johnson, Wilson.

Semi-Feature 1: Aukland; Rivord; Kreyer; Kingsley; Lofdahl; Gibson; Prochnow; Hoffman; Bargender; Van Natta; Uotinen; Johnson; Balduc.

Semi-Feature 2: Cutsforth; Lavasseur; Niznik; Hiatt; Fankhauser; S Estey; Thomas; Luger; Cain; Kallas; J Spacek; Simonson; Mahder.

WISSOTA Super Stocks

Feature: 1-10: Terran Spacek, Phillips; Kevin Burdick, Proctor, MN; Dave Flynn, Superior; Tommy Richards, Mondovi; Steve Stuart, Ashland; Shane Sabraski, Rice, MN; Shawn McFadden, Ashland; Curt Myers, Cameron; DJ Keeler, Superior; Ron Mahder, Elk Mound.

11-20: Andrew Mackey, Duluth, MN; Patrick Beeksma, Ironwood, MI; Willie Johnsen Jr, Superior; Jim Campbell, Two Harbors, MN; Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, MN; Andy Grymala, Superior; Brandon Duellman, Winona, MN; Eric Olson, Ladysmith; Nick Oreskovich, Mason; Keith Kern, Superior.

21-24: Sam Fankhauser, Rice Lake; Darin Meierotto, Superior; Kevin Salin, Iron, MN; Scott Lawrence, Superior.

Heat 1: Richards; Oreskovich; Grymala; Mackey; Meierotto; Don Muzzy, Ironwood, MI; Aaron Mashlan, Ashland; Don Livingston, Washburn.

Heat 2: Myers; Fankhauser; Campbell; Beeksma; Lawrence; Olson; Chad Johnson, Colfax; Tristan LaBarge, Kelly Lake, MN; Shane Basina, Bayfield.

Heat 3: Duellman; Flynn; Stuart; Kern; Leslie Leu, Medford; Justin Weinberger, Butternut; Tucker Quinn, Ladysmith; Wayne Dean, Strum; Matthew Hammitt, Cloquet, MN.

Heat 4: Spacek; McFadden; Keeler; Sabraski; Cory Casari, Montreal; Kyle Copp, Brule; Jeff Eisner Jr, Merrill; Mike Sirois, Duluth, MN; Jensen.

Heat 5: Burdick; Mahder; Johnsen; Salin; Matt Deragon, Ashland; Rich Bishop, New Richmond; Brian Carl, Duluth, MN; Jason Quarders, Prairie Farm; Scott Geiger, Dorchester.

Semi-Feature 1: Meierotto; Olson; Copp; Leu; Quinn; Josh Schmidt, Elk River, MN; Sirois; LaBarge; Deragon; Basina; Mashlan; Hammitt.

Semi-Feature 2: Lawrence; Jensen; Bishop; Weinberger; Dean; Eisner; Geiger; Quarders; Muzzy; Johnson; Livingston; Casari.

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

Feature: rained out.

Heat 1: Brandon Jensen, Ellsworth; Ryan Savoy, Superior; Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI; Tyler Kintner, Hibbing, MN; James Vendela, South Range; Evan Checkalski, Proctor, MN; Michael McKay, Sparta; Nick Ayotte, St Paul, MN; CJ Wagner, Rice Lake.

Heat 2: Brady Uotinen, Superior; Scott Splittstoesser, Cottage Grove, MN; Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Jimmy Latvala, Solon Springs; Paul Niznik, Medford; Austin Blom, Saginaw, MN; Neil Dees, Hurley; Bryan Lund, Ashland; Dalton Mains, Foxboro; McLean Andrews, Duluth, MN; Tanner Gehl, Solon Springs.

Heat 3: Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, MN; Jesse Aho, Toivola, MI; Tanner Hicks, Ashland; Ryan Barningham, Bayfield; Zach Slayton, Springbrook; Tyler Hudack, Ashland; Ross Fuhrman, Ashland; Chris Bretting, Washburn; Diamond Bressette, Spooner.

Heat 4: Andrew Inman, Canyon, MN; Travis Anderson, Colfax; Kennedy Swan, Chippewa Falls; Mike Widmann, Marshfield; Cody Carlson, Superior; George Truscott, Greenland, MI; Les Duellman, Winona, MN; Mitch Kieber, Ironwood, MI; Derrick Reed, Emerald; Cole Mueller, Chippewa Falls.

Heat 5: Simon Wahlstrom, Mikana; Tommy Richards, Mondovi; Jesse Polson, Superior; Darrel Hazelton, Chippewa Falls; Michael Truscott, Chippewa Falls; Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Justin Bassa, Cotton, MN; John Kallas, Hurley; Matt Jacobson, Bessemer, MI; Kenny Rogers, Unity.

Semi-Feature 1: Carlson; Fuhrman; D Dunbar; Vendela; Kallas; Blom; Casey Kintner, Mountain Iron, MN; Mueller; Jacobson.

Semi-Feature 2: Niznik; Duellman; Mains; M Truscott; McKay; Wagner; Hudack; Andrews; Bretting.

Semi-Feature 3: Checkalski; Bassa; Bressette; Rogers; Kieber; Dees; Slayton; Anthony Gallian, Superior. 

Saturday, August 28, will be the final regular-season race night at ABC. “Mountain Dew Championship Saturday Night” will be presented by North Star Beverage of Hurley and will culminate in the crowning of the 2021 track champions in all six weekly divisions.

Regular grandstand admission ticket prices will apply, and advance tickets and pit passes are available via the My Race Pass website and mobile app. The grandstands will open at 5 pm, hot laps start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the night is scheduled for 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts aired online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

Fans are reminded that tickets and reserved seating are still available for the 46th annual Red Clay Classic, to be held October 1-2. Ticket information is available by calling (715) 682-2672 Monday through Friday (evenings only) or by sending an e-mail to tickets@abcraceway.com. For info on reserved pit sites, racers can call (715) 746-2390 (evenings) or e-mail to tickets@abcraceway.com.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990

VanGuilder, Jarecki Capture ABC Specials

by Nick Gima

            Ashland, WI, August 21 – Two special features helped draw the season’s largest car count to date to the ABC Raceway on Saturday night, and one of those features produced a first-time winner here.

Of the 106 racers registered for the seven-division offering presented by the Ashland-Bayfield County Sportsmen’s Club, twenty-one WISSOTA Street Stocks came out for the Anderson Auto Body “Battle by the Bay,” while another 15 competed in the Safari Tavern “Hornet’s Nest 20.” Both features – along with much of the remainder of the night’s action – provided great racing and more than a little drama on a cool, breezy late August evening in northern Wisconsin.

Hunter VanGuilder of Rice Lake was the first-time winner in the second-annual running of the “Battle” for the Street Stocks, as he came from the third row, took the lead early, and held off some serious challenges for the historic win. VanGuilder moved up quickly to join polestarter Kyle Genett and Dustin Doughty in a three-car dogfight for the early lead that separated itself from the next tightly-grouped pack of cars, led by outside front-row starter Colten Klueckman and former ABC Pure Stock champ Andrew Hanson.

Three laps into the 20-lap main event, a huge pile-up collected several cars, including Klueckman, who looked to be a contender early. On the ensuing restart VanGuilder took a look to the inside on Genett, and after a couple of laps VanGuilder took the lead, with Hanson taking third from Doughty and defending event champ Parker Anderson moving to fifth.

Jay Kesan, who was outside of the top-ten on the lap 3 restart, had just moved by William Fisher for sixth on lap 8, but a circuit later his car broke loose and spun into the infield in turn 4, ending his potentially great charge to the front. Moments later, Genett spun in the same spot to bring out the race’s only other caution flag, and he pulled his ride into the pits.

After VanGuilder led the field back to green, two drivers that were enjoying incredible runs – 19^th-starting Ty Agen and 14^th-starting Jordan Kurtti – sped around Fisher to take fifth and sixth, respectively. In the closing laps each got past Doughty for fourth and fifth as Doughty nursed his car to the finish with broken rear-gears.

VanGuilder protected the bottom for the remainder of the run, with first Hanson and then Anderson glued to his trunklid, as he held on for his first-ever feature win at ABC, worth $1,000 of the over $6,000 total purse. Anderson, WISSOTA’s national points leader in the Streeters coming into the weekend, was less than a half-second behind, while Hanson wasn’t much further back in third. VanGuilder’s fastest lap of the event was run in 18.664 seconds, for an average speed of 72.332 mph.

Much of the drama came in the Hornets’ special feature, where track points leader DeJay Jarecki of Ashland had a nine-race win streak on the line, and there were plenty of strong contenders in the house capable of ending that streak.

One of those contenders was Shane Basina, who has been driving Jarecki’s spare car for much of the season. Basina started the 20-lap evening finale by quickly overtaking polestarter Brandon Hummelmeier to set the early pace, while Jarecki, who started inside on row 4, needed a couple of laps to get past Hummelmeier for second. Basina gave Jarecki a true test up front until lap 4, when the caution flag waived for Gavyn Moncher’s stalled ride.

On the subsequent restart, visitor Mark Schoone, who was fifth, sped past Hummelmeier and Derek Dunbar and joined the fight for the lead. On lap 7 Schoone took an inside line to get by both teammates and began to pull away.

Visiting Sammy Tingley’s spin set up a five-lap shoot-out, and in the first turn after the restart Basina got caught up in the heavy traffic challenging for the lead and slipped back, giving up second to Jarecki. The pace was stopped once more for Basina’s get-together with Dan Moncher on lap 16, but Schoone held off Jarecki’s threats from there to reach the checkers first.

The finish wasn’t decided, however, until a post-race inspection revealed that Schoone’s wheels were not considered technically acceptable, giving Jarecki his tenth straight win here and essentially sewing up his first-ever points title with one race night remaining. Dunbar, Hummelmeier, Dan Moncher and Reid Johnson also moved up to complete the top five, and Jarecki was also crowned as the champ of the two-race mini-series after combining his win here with his fourth-place finish in Superior the night before.

Six-time ABC Raceway WISSOTA Modified champ Al Uotinen of Superior picked up his 27^th career feature win on Saturday – his first in a year and only his second here since 2014 – by winning a thrilling battle with one of the top young drivers in the region in Brandon Copp.

After spins by Mike Klippenstein and Tyler Luger negated the initial attempts to start, Uotinen sped around polestarter Shane Kisling for the early lead, while Copp, who came from row 4, quickly used the outermost line on the track to sweep by several cars and take third. Copp got by Kisling for second within a couple more laps and then reeled in Uotinen, setting up an epic side-by-side battle as the lead pair pulled away from the rest of the field.

Copp eventually edged ahead by mid-race, relying on the higher line to provide momentum, but over time the low groove became the faster route, and Uotinen chipped away at what little deficit there was. Eventually Uotinen regained the lead, and over the final five laps he slowly drew away to a 1.1-second margin of victory.

Copp, whose father Don has had many epic battles of his own with Uotinen in the past in scoring eight championships here, gained some valuable ground on divisional points leader Cole Spacek with his runner-up finish and Spacek’s 11^th-place run, while Paul Niznik ended up solidly in third, well back of the leaders but safely ahead of Jeff Spacek, who nipped Neil Balduc at the line for fourth.

Terran Spacek of Phillips came from deep in the field to score his second feature win of the year here in the WISSOTA Super Stocks, and his first since late May. Spacek worked his way up from the fourth row without the help of yellow-flag slowdowns, as the first 15 of the 20 laps went caution-free.

Front-row starters DJ Keeler and Scott Lawrence raced door-to-door for the first few circuits before Lawrence eventually nosed ahead on lap 3. Keeler didn’t make it easy on the 14-time track champ and often stuck a nose to the inside threatening to retake the lead, but Lawrence prevailed as the 13-car field stayed relatively close-knit.

By lap 7 Spacek became a factor by getting by Patrick Beeksma for third. On the next tour Keeler finally nosed past Lawrence for the lead, with Spacek following on the low groove to second, and a lap later Spacek changed lanes to work his way around Keeler. From there Spacek charged away to a significant 2.7-second lead over the next six laps.

A Nick Oreskovich-Steve Stuart get-together with five laps left brought the field back to Spacek’s rear bumper, but the leader re-established his advantage in short order, eventually winning in impressive fashion by 2.342 seconds. Beeksma finished a strong run by edging Keeler at the stripe for second, and second-in-points Shawn McFadden claimed fourth ahead of Lawrence over the final laps, although Stuart’s ninth-place finish should be enough for him to nail down his seventh career track title in a fourth different division.

Caution flags flew early and often in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main, but they didn’t stop Jack Rivord of Superior from claiming his second feature win of the season here. The teenager, who withstood challenges from several different drivers, remained as calm and steady as any veteran.

After beating fellow front-row starter Marcus Dunbar to the early advantage, the yellow lights blinked on for Sean O’Brien’s stalled ride on lap 2, a Diamond Bressette spin on lap 3, and a multi-car mess on the very next restart, all of which kept the traffic tight. Rivord was able to draw away from Dunbar while the lights stayed green, but Bryan Lund’s racer broke just past the race’s mid-point to slow the pace once more.

Divisional points leader Tyler Vernon, who had spent the first half of the 20-lapper mired in mid-pack traffic, broke free with a split-the-difference pass of Duane Dunbar and Niznik just after the last restart to take fourth. Jesse Aho took advantage of the restart as well, working his way by Marcus Dunbar on the low side to steal second, and Aho pulled alongside Rivord a couple of times over the final laps but just couldn’t complete the pass, as Rivord held on for a half-second win. Behind Marcus Dunbar, Vernon’s fourth-place run should give him enough for his second points crown here, while Dalton Mains came through the pack late for an impressive fifth-place run.

Cory Jorgensen of Duluth, MN, continued his recent hot streak with his sixth WISSOTA Pure Stock feature win at ABC this year and his fifth in his last six race nights over the past two weeks. In the 12-lap non-stop A-main Jorgensen, who started outside on row 2, joined front-row starters Nate Rose and Steve Pohl for a great battle for the lead before prevailing on lap 2.

Moving up to second within a lap was visiting second-generation racer Mitchell Kesan, and the impressive youngster stayed right on the back bumper of Jorgensen’s car, taking occasional peeks to either side while looking for an opening to get by. On lap 5 they bumped coming through turn 2, upsetting both cars, but each driver recovered to maintain their running order, well ahead of the battle for third between Rose and division points leader RJ Holly.

Jorgensen and Kesan stayed nose-to-tail right through to the checkered flag, while Rose held on to third ahead of Holly. Pohl claimed fifth, ahead of second-in-points Aaron Bernick, which helped give Holly a little bit of breathing room with a 20-point lead heading into the final night of the regular season.

The ABC Six-Cylinders have provided the most entertaining of the points battles coming down to the wire, as six drivers were within 80 points of leader Dennis Groom of Ashland coming into this past weekend. Groom, however, made things a little tougher on the others as he took advantage of an opening in the field and held on for his second feature win of the season.

After rookie Austin Olby’s car stalled on the initial start, Bubba Anderson took the lead from polestarter Jakob Bond and retained it through a lap 2 restart for Bond’s spin. Anderson and Mathew Rohlfing then raced side-by-side for a couple of laps until the two nudged each other, sending both up the banking in turn 4 and opening the door for Groom and others.

Groom pedaled hard to stay ahead of a charging Tiffany Hudack and Jake Nevala, with Hudack looking to make a pass on the outside late in the run. Nevala stayed low to slip past Hudack and drew up right behind Groom on lap 10 of the 12 scheduled, and on the next corner Hudack dropped low and bumped an infield marker tire, causing her to turn into the infield and fall back.

Groom held off Nevala’s determined challenges to win by just less than four-tenths of a second, but in a post-race inspection Nevala’s car was found to not meet specifications, giving Rohlfing a career-best second-place finish. Dalton Truchon, Olby and Hudack completed the top five, and Groom’s points lead grew to 37 over Hudack with one night remaining.

Other fast-lap times in the features were set by Uotinen in the Mods (17.884 secs; 75.486 mph), Terran Spacek in the Supers (18.337; 73.622), Rivord in Mid-Mods (18.117; 74.516), Mitchell Kesan in the Pure Stocks (19.869; 71.546), and Nevala in the Sixes (19.251; 70.126).

Steve Parsons, representing the Kim Parsons Memorial Trophy Tour, presented huge trophies to the top three finishers in each feature. Parsons uses the tour, w his late daughter, to encourage awareness of and participation in organ and tissue donations.

Next Saturday, August 28, will be the final regular-season race night at ABC. “Mountain Dew Championship Saturday Night” will be presented by North Star Beverage of Hurley and will culminate in the crowning of the 2021 track champions in all six weekly divisions.

Regular grandstand admission ticket prices will apply, and advance tickets and pit passes are available via the My Race Pass website and mobile app. The grandstands will open at 5 pm, hot laps start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the night is scheduled for 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts aired online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

Fans are reminded that tickets and reserved seating are still available for the 46th annual Red Clay Classic, to be held October 1-2. Ticket information is available by calling (715) 682-2672 Monday through Friday (evenings only) or by sending an e-mail to tickets@abcraceway.com. For info on reserved pit sites, racers can call (715) 746-2390 (evenings) or e-mail to tickets@abcraceway.com.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.

 Results

WISSOTA Modifieds

Feature: 1-10: Al Uotinen, Superior; Brandon Copp, Brule; Paul Niznik, Medford; Jeff Spacek, Phillips; Neil Balduc, Bessemer, MI; Rick Rivord, Superior; Alex Van Natta, Minocqua; Tyler Luger, Oxford; Shane Kisling, Butternut; Jake Hiatt, Mason.

11-14: Cole Spacek, Phillips; Mike Klippenstein, Proctor, MN; Pat Cook, Washburn; Robby Bunkelman, Abbotsford.

Heat 1: Copp; Klippenstein; Balduc; Uotinen; Niznik; Hiatt; Rivord.

Heat 2: Kisling; C Spacek; J Spacek; Van Natta; Cook; Luger; Bunkelman.

WISSOTA Super Stocks

Feature: 1-10: Terran Spacek, Phillips; Patrick Beeksma, Ironwood, MI; DJ Keeler, Superior; Shawn McFadden, Ashland; Scott Lawrence, Superior; Cory Casari, Montreal; Nick Oreskovich, Mason; Matt Deragon, Ashland; Steve Stuart, Ashland; Justin Weinberger, Butternut.

11-13: Rita Anderson, South Range; Myron Basina, Bayfield; Aaron Mashlan, Ashland.

Heat 1: Lawrence; Beeksma; Stuart; Keeler; McFadden; Deragon; Mashlan.

Heat 2: Spacek; Oreskovich; Weinberger; Anderson; Basina; Casari.

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

Feature: 1-10: Jack Rivord, Superior; Jesse Aho, Toivola, MI; Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Tyler Vernon, Mason; Dalton Mains, Foxboro; Paul Niznik, Medford; Ross Fuhrman, Ashland; Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI; Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Tanner Hicks, Ashland.

11-20: Ryan Barningham, Bayfield; James Vendela, South Range; Tyler Hudack, Ashland; Diamond Bressette, Spooner; Neil Dees, Hurley; Chris Bretting, Washburn; Hunter Tingley, Green Bay; Bryan Lund, Ashland; Mitch Kieber, Ironwood, MI; John Darwin, Iron River.

21-22: Sean O’Brien, Manitowish Waters; Tanner Gehl, Solon Springs.

Heat 1: Aho; Fuhrman; Barningham; Suzik; Hudack; Bretting; Dees; Tingley.

Heat 2: D Dunbar; M Dunbar; Hicks; Vendela; Darwin; Bressette; Gehl.

Heat 3: Rivord; Vernon; Niznik; Mains; O’Brien; Lund; Kieber.

WISSOTA Street Stocks

Feature: 1-10: Hunter VanGilder, Rice Lake; Parker Anderson, Phillips; Andrew Hanson, Iron River; Ty Agen, Chippewa Falls; Jordan Kurtti, Bruce Crossing, MI; William Fisher, Shell Lake; Dustin Doughty, Oakdale, MN; Travis Hazelton, Chippewa Falls; Ron Hanestad, Glenwood City; Brandon Hakala, Tomahawk.

11-20: Daniel Boissy, Trego; Michael Brown, Tomahawk; Jeff Nowak, Wausau; David Blackberg, Eagle River; Ethan Hommerding, Merrill; Michael Tuma, Weyerhaeuser; Kyle Genett, Auburndale; Jay Kesan, Weyerhaeuser; Colten Klueckman, Wausau; Adam Soltis, Ladysmith.

Heat 1: Anderson; Hanson; VanGilder; Soltis; Kesan; Nowak.

Heat 2: Genett; Hakala; Brown; Hanestad; Kurtti; Tuma.

Heat 3: Doughty; Klueckman; Fisher; Hazelton; Hommerding; Blackberg.

WISSOTA Pure Stocks

Feature: 1-8: Cory Jorgensen, Duluth, MN; Mitchell Kesan, Medford; Nate Rose, Duluth, MN; RJ Holly, Marengo; Aaron Bernick, Duluth, MN; Steve Pohl, Manitowish Waters; Zene Anderson, Superior; David Pederson, Duluth, MN.

Heat: Jorgensen; Kesan; Holly; Rose; Pohl; Bernick; Anderson; Pederson.

ABC Six-Cylinders

Feature: 1-10: Dennis Groom, Ashland; Mathew Rohlfing, Cable; Dalton Truchon, Ashland; Austin Olby, Marengo; Tiffany Hudack, Ashland; Jakob Bond, Mason; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Julian Root, Ashland; Adam Traaholt, Ashland; Jacob Johnson, Cable.

11: Bubba Anderson, Trego.

Heat 1: Hudack; Rohlfing; Groom; Basina; Traaholt; Root; Johnson.

Heat 2: Anderson; Truchon; J Bond; Trenton Bond, Mason; Olby; Jake Nevala, Ashland.

WISSOTA Hornets

Feature: 1-10: DeJay Jarecki, Ashland; Derek Dunbar, Iron River; Brandon Hummelmeier, Ashland; Dan Moncher, Saxon; Reid Johnson, Duluth, MN; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Kristy Marken, Duluth, MN; Paul George, Princeton, MN; Alex Reilly, Belleville; Sammy Tingley, Lake Tomahawk.

11-14: Deacon Pratt, Aurora, MN; Gavyn Moncher, Saxon; Jase Wiarda, Proctor, MN; Jacob Aarhus, Canby, MN

Heat 1: Mark Schoone, Gleason; Dunbar; Johnson; Hummelmeier; Marken; Reilly; Tingley; Jase Wiarda, Proctor, MN.

Heat 2: Jarecki; Basina; Aarhus; George; Pratt; D Moncher.

Streets, Hornets Running for Bonus Purses at ABC Raceway on Saturday

by Nick Gima

                Ashland, WI, August 17 – After wet weather washed out a visit by the WISSOTA Street Stocks two Saturdays ago, the ABC Raceway is going to welcome them back again.

                The rescheduled second annual “Battle by the Bay,” presented by Anderson Body Shop of Phillips, will be held on August 21, as part of a program that will also spotlight the track’s entry-level division with the Safari Bar “Hornet’s Nest 25” special for WISSOTA Hornets. Both divisions will race for enhanced purses – the Street Stocks will run for at least $1,000 to win and $150 to start in their only appearance here this season, while the Hornets will race for at least $200 to win.

                Fan and business contributions will be welcome to help boost the purse offerings for both features.

                The presenting sponsor for the overall night of action is the Ashland-Bayfield County Sportsmen’s Club, which will be selling its fundraiser raffle tickets right up until intermission at the track on Saturday, at which time the raffle drawing will be held in front of the fans in the stands.

                Current WISSOTA national points leader Parker Anderson of Phillips claimed his first career feature win in Ashland at last year’s inaugural “Battle” and took home a $1,200 winner’s check – a track-record for Street Stocks. It was the division’s first appearance on the historic northern Wisconsin red-clay oval since the end of the 2009 season.

Other top Street Stock competitors that could make the trip to Ashland for Saturday’s show include Parker’s brother Hunter Anderson of Phillips; Oakdale, MN’s Dustin Doughty; Cole Richards of Mondovi; Medford’s Cody Kummer; and former ABC Pure Stock champ Andrew Hanson of Iron River.

                The “Hornet’s Nest 25” will be the second of two specials for the entry-level division on back-to-back nights. The class, which consists of four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive subcompact cars, will also take part in the “Badger State Hornet Nationals” on Friday, August 20, at the Gondik Law Speedway in Superior.

                Ashland’s DeJay Jarecki could be the man to beat at both tracks – he has five feature wins in Superior and an amazing streak of nine straight A-main wins in Ashland. He currently sits fourth in WISSOTA’s national Hornets standings.

                Other top contenders who may be chasing the big Hornet purses this weekend include Tyler Schramm of Two Harbors, MN; Superior’s Carson Gotelaere; Kristy Marken of Duluth, MN; and Chaston Finckbone of Grand Rapids, MN.

                All six of the Raceway’s divisions will be in action this Saturday, with only two nights left to battle for the 2021 regular-season championships. Cole Spacek of Phillips saw Brule’s Brandon Copp cut into his points lead in the WISSOTA Modifieds after Copp’s feature win last Saturday, but Ashland’s Steve Stuart extended his lead in the WISSOTA Super Stock standings over Shawn McFadden of Ashland with his fifth feature win of the summer here.

                Tyler Vernon of Ashland added to his edge in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified rankings last weekend ahead of Jack Rivord of Superior, while RJ Holly of Marengo is still just barely ahead of Aaron Bernick of Duluth, MN, in the WISSOTA Pure Stocks.

Jarecki has dominated the Hornets, although Iron River’s Derek Dunbar continues to chase him, but things have tightened up in the ABC Six-Cylinders, where Ashland’s Dennis Groom has Tiffany Hudack of Ashland and four other drivers within 80 points of his lead.

                There will be no increase in adult grandstand admission ticket prices for this seven-division special, and advance tickets and pit passes are available via the My Race Pass website and mobile app. The grandstands will open at 5 pm, hot laps start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the night is scheduled for 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts aired online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com. The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990,

Solem Outruns Renegade Sprints, Young Uotinen Scores First Win at ABC

by Nick Gima

Ashland, WI, August 14 – Lance Solem of Duluth, MN, swapped positions with his fellow Northern Renegades competitors early and often during their 15-lap feature, then maintained the lead over the final ten laps to claim his first-ever sprint car win at the ABC Raceway on Saturday night.

The visit by the Traditional (non-winged) regional sprint series was the third and final one of the 2021 season at Ashland. The seven-division program, presented by WIMI, 99.7 FM, of Ironwood, MI, also produced repeat wins for Brandon Copp of Brule; Ashland drivers Steve Stuart and DeJay Jarecki; and Cory Jorgensen of Duluth; while Dalton Truchon of Ashland scored his first feature win of the season here and Superior’s Brady Uotinen collected his first-ever ABC Raceway feature win.

Solem, whose only other win on Ashland’s historic red-clay oval was in a WISSOTA Midwest Modified in August 2008, started the Renegade sprint A-main on the outside of row 3 and took advantage of an early bobble by polestarter Nick DaRonco to quickly move into the top four behind Chris Lewis, Ken Hron and Caley Emerson. After multiple shuffles in the running order over the first three laps, Hron’s spin brought about the race’s first slowdown, and three laps after that Solem – who restarted second – dove inside and took the lead from Lewis.

The position-swapping was frequent and furious throughout the run, as Paul Schultz displaced Lewis for second on lap 7, Emerson followed suit for third a lap later, and DaRonco took fourth away on the next circuit, just before Lewis spun to stop the race for the second and final time. Hron, who had slipped by DaRonco prior to the caution, moved past Emerson after the restart and challenged Schultz over the final five laps for second, allowing Solem to pull away to a full-second margin of victory. Schultz held off Hron for second, and Lewis recovered for fourth just ahead of Emerson.

Uotinen, the son of six-time ABC Raceway WISSOTA Modified track champion Al Uotinen, was fresh off of a dominant feature win at Superior the night before, and he capitalized on his outside-front-row starting spot in the Midwest Mod main event by blasting past polestarter Diamond Bressette at the drop of the green flag and leading every lap here for his landmark win.

Paul Niznik’s spin on lap 1 was the only slowdown of the 20-lapper, and Uotinen never flinched on the restart, speeding away to a two-second lead by lap 6. Tanner Hicks, who followed Uotinen into second at the initial start of the race, maintained a safe cushion on the battle for third during the early stages of the run, until Paul Suzik weaved his way from his eighth-place starting spot into that spot.

Uotinen had already begun putting slower cars a lap back by mid-race, but he continued to build on his lead. The slower traffic helped Suzik and divisional points leader Tyler Vernon catch Hicks, however, and the threesome thrilled the fans with their ongoing battle for runner-up honors among the backmarkers.

As Uotinen cruised to a nearly half-a-lap winning margin, Suzik – who had edged ahead of Hicks for second on the white-flag lap – suddenly slowed while coming out of turn 4 for the final time. Hicks had nowhere to go in the heavy surrounding traffic and smacked into the back of Suzik’s car just yards short of the finish line, allowing Vernon to slip past. Once the dust settled, the finish was scored by the running order on the last completed lap, with Hicks replaced in second, Vernon delegated to third, Jesse Aho and Ross Fuhrman completing the top five, and Suzik relegated to the end of the running order as the cause of the incident.

Truchon’s win in the ABC Six-Cylinder feature was long overdue, as he had been running strong in recent weeks but did not have a heat or feature win to show for his efforts. The 19-year-old fifth-year driver started fourth on the 12-car grid but restarted second behind Shane Basina after a lap 1 caution stop for debris, and he used a quick inside move to grab the lead and didn’t look back.

The rest of the 12-lap run clicked off non-stop, with Truchon fending off persistent challenges from Dale Coddington. Truchon’s advantage was never more than a second on the three-time champ, but he maintained a smooth line and held on for a .409-second margin of victory.

Tiffany Hudack weaved her way through heavy traffic to snare third, ahead of Jake Nevala and Basina. With points leader Dennis Groom struggling to an eighth-place finish, the top six in the division’s championship standings are now within 80 points of each other with only two scheduled nights of racing remaining.

Copp’s third feature win of the season in the WISSOTA Modifieds had to be particularly satisfying, considering the significant repairs that had to be made after his car was gathered up in an altercation during the “big Mod” feature at Superior the night before. Both car and driver looked none the worse for wear while capturing the win here, however.

Copp followed polestarter Rick Rivord past Shane Kisling to run 1-2 in the early going of the 20-lapper. As Niznik was taking third from Kisling two laps later, Copp went outside on Rivord and claimed the lead, and on lap 3 Niznik dove low to get by Rivord for second. One circuit later divisional points leader Cole Spacek grabbed third, as Copp extended his edge to eight-tenths of a second.

That’s as far away as Copp would get from Niznik, who closed the gap to less than a car-length by mid-race. But Copp held on despite Niznik’s strong run – even as they worked their way past slower traffic late in the go – and Copp’s final winning margin was just shy of three-quarters of a second. Spacek didn’t lose much of his points lead with his third-place finish, while a strong run by Jake Hiatt netted him fourth-place money ahead of Pat Cook.

The early going of the 20-lap WISSOTA Super Stock feature was the messiest portion of that race, with each of the four yellow flags over the first four scored laps coming about due to multi-car incidents. But Stuart was out front on the last of those restarts and drove away to his fifth feature win of the year here to strengthen his points lead.

Just as the first lap was completed, several cars were crunched together on the front-straightaway for the first of the delays. Outside front-row starter Justin Weinberger led Stuart, Matt Deragon and the rest back to the green, but several cars never got that far as another jumble occurred coming out of turn 4 for the restart. Close-quarters, four-wide racing produced another four-car melee on lap 2, and after Stuart slipped by Weinberger for the lead on that restart, another four-car mess resulted in a penalty to the back of the pack for Deragon.

From there the race – and the rest of the evening’s program – went caution-free. Nick Oreskovich worked inside on Weinberger to take second, with Shawn McFadden repeating the move just behind him on Scott Lawrence for fourth. Oreskovich had notions of taking the lead from Stuart by lap 8, but within two more laps the leader had pushed his advantage to over a second, and it would only increase from there.

With six laps left McFadden took third away from Weinberger, and over the final laps he caught and passed Oreskovich for second, but Stuart’s 2.5-second lead at the checkers was more than enough. Oreskovich, Weinberger and a battered Cory Casari completed the top five.

Points leader RJ Holly started from the pole and grabbed the early lead of the ten-lap WISSOTA Pure Stock feature, but Jorgensen went by him before the first lap was completed and sped away to his division-leading fifth feature win of the season here to help tighten the championship battle in that class.

Jorgensen survived a wild feature at Superior the night before for a win, but he was under a lot less stress on this night, as once out in front he was never seriously challenged. A mid-race battle between Holly and Aaron Bernick did not last long, with Holly getting the better of Bernick for second. Zene Anderson drove to a distant fourth.

Jarecki took one more step toward his first career points championship with his ninth-straight WISSOTA Hornets feature win. Basina, once again driving Jarecki’s spare car, zipped around polestarter Derek Dunbar for the early lead, with Jarecki following to second right away.

On lap 3 Jarecki went low to pass Basina for the winning move, and although he never really pulled away by much Jarecki’s final margin of victory was about four car-lengths. Dunbar fell to last in the four-car running order early but recovered to get by Brandon Hummelmeier by mid-race for third.

The evening’s fastest timed feature laps were recorded by Lewis in the Renegade sprints (17.504 seconds; 77.125 mph); Niznik in the Modifieds (17.391; 77.626); Stuart in the Super Stocks (17.419; 77.502); Uotinen in the Mid-Mods (17.539; 76.971); and Coddington in the Sixes (18.692; 72.223). After the last yellow flag of the Super Stock feature, the balance of that race and the entirety of the Modified, Pure Stock and Hornet A-mains – the final 54 laps of the evening – ran non-stop, with the program ending shortly after 10 pm.

The ABC Raceway will offer another seven-divisions-for-the-price-of-six race program on Saturday, August 21, when the WISSOTA Street Stocks come to town for the rescheduled second annual “Battle by the Bay,” to be presented by Anderson Auto Body of Phillips. The Street Stocks will be running for a minimum of $1,000 to win in their feature.

In addition, the Hornets will be running for an enhanced purse as part of the Safari Bar “Hornet’s Nest 25,” and the entire race night will be presented by the Ashland-Bayfield County Sportsmen’s Club. At intermission during Saturday’s race program, the Club’s raffle drawing will be held. And there will be no increase in the grandstand admission ticket prices, with advance tickets and pit passes available via the My Race Pass website and mobile app.

The grandstands will open at 5 pm, hot laps start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the night is scheduled for 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts aired online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com. The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.

Results

Northern Renegades Traditional Sprints

Feature: 1-8: Lance Solem, Duluth, MN; Paul Schultz, Grand Rapids, MN; Ken Hron, Grand Rapids, MN; Chris Lewis, Grand Rapids, MN; Caley Emerson, Grand Rapids, MN; Nick DaRonco, Britt, MN; Brian Trembath, Hastings, MN; Corey Olson, Duluth, MN.

Heat: DaRonco; Solem; Emerson; Rob Caho Jr, Rush City, MN; Lewis; Schultz; Hron; Trembath; Olson.

WISSOTA Modifieds

Feature: 1-10: Brandon Copp, Brule; Paul Niznik, Medford; Cole Spacek, Phillips; Jake Hiatt, Mason; Pat Cook, Washburn; Alex Van Natta, Minocqua; Rick Rivord, Superior; Al Uotinen, Superior; Neil Balduc, Bessemer, MI; Mike Klippenstein, Proctor, MN.

11: Shane Kisling, Butternut.

Heat 1: Copp; Cook; Kisling; Rivord; Uotinen; Klippenstein.

Heat 2: Hiatt; Balduc; Spacek; Niznik; Van Natta.

WISSOTA Super Stocks

Feature: 1-10: Steve Stuart, Ashland; Shawn McFadden, Ashland; Nick Oreskovich, Mason; Justin Weinberger, Butternut; Cory Casari, Montreal; Matt Deragon, Ashland; Rita Anderson, South Range; Aaron Mashlan, Ashland; Don Muzzy, Ironwood, MI; Scott Lawrence, Superior.

11-12: Myron Basina, Washburn; Charlie Anderson, Ironwood, MI.

Heat 1: Stuart; Weinberger; Deragon; Mashlan; R Anderson; Casari.

Heat 2: Oreskovich; McFadden; Lawrence; C Anderson; Muzzy; Basina.

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

Feature: 1-10: Brady Uotinen, Superior; Tanner Hicks, Ashland; Tyler Vernon, Mason; Jesse Aho, Toivola, MI; Ross Fuhrman, Ashland; Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Jack Rivord, Superior; Dalton Mains, Foxboro; Tyler Hudack, Ashland; Ryan Barningham, Bayfield.

11-18: Paul Niznik, Medford; Mitch Kieber, Ironwood, MI; Matt Jacobson, Bessemer, MI; Bryan Lund, Ashland; Diamond Bressette, Spooner; Neil Dees, Hurley; James Vendela, South Range; Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI.

Heat 1: Vernon; Hudack; Bressette; Kieber; Dees.

Heat 2: Uotinen; Vendela; Hicks; Mains; Jacobson; Barningham.

Heat 3: Suzik; Aho; Fuhrman; Rivord; Niznik; Lund.

WISSOTA Pure Stocks

Feature: 1-4: Cory Jorgensen, Duluth, MN; RJ Holly, Marengo; Aaron Bernick, Duluth, MN; Zene Anderson, Superior.

Heat: Jorgensen; Holly; Bernick; Anderson.

ABC Six-Cylinders

Feature: 1-10: Dalton Truchon, Ashland; Dale Coddington, Hayward; Tiffany Hudack, Ashland; Jake Nevala, Ashland; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Trenton Bond, Mason; Mathew Rohlfing, Cable; Dennis Groom, Ashland; Jakob Bond, Mason; Austin Olby, Marengo.

11-12: Adam Traaholt, Ashland; Julian Root, Ashland.

Heat 1: Coddington; Bubba Anderson, Trego; Root; T Bond; Rohlfing; Traaholt; Nevala.

Heat 2: Truchon; Groom; Hudack; Basina; Olby; J Bond.

WISSOTA Hornets

Feature: 1-4: DeJay Jarecki, Ashland; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Derek Dunbar, Iron River; Brandon Hummelmeier, Ashland.

Heat: Jarecki; Basina; Dunbar; Hummelmeier.

Sprints Return to ABC Raceway on Saturday as Stretch Run Begins

by Nick Gima

               Ashland, WI, August 12 – The Northern Renegade Traditional sprints will make their final appearance of the 2021 regular racing season at the ABC Raceway on Saturday night.

WIMI radio, 99.7 FM, “the Storm” of Ironwood, MI, will be the night’s presenting sponsor, as the sprints will join the Raceway’s six regular weekly divisions – the WISSOTA Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, Pure Stocks and Hornets, and the ABC Six-Cylinders – for what should be another entertaining night of racing on the award-winning northern Wisconsin red-clay oval.

In two previous visits to the Ashland track, the Traditional – as in, wingless – sprints have put on some thrilling shows for the fans. Chris Lewis of Grand Rapids, MN, held on in a wild three-car battle for the win in their feature here on June 26, and former Modified star Paul Schultz of Grand Rapids won the July 24 A-main at ABC by leading flag-to-flag and fending off a determined effort by Lewis.

“The Northern Renegades have been a huge hit with our fans over the past couple of summers,” Raceway Board president Eric Erickson pointed out earlier this week. “We hope fans will come out and enjoy one of the best nights for the price this summer.”

The final three weeks of regular weekly racing remaining at ABC should provide even more excitement, as the six divisional points championship battles are heading toward their climax. In the Modifieds, Cole Spacek of Phillips leads Brule’s Brandon Copp by just 51 points in a battle of “young guns” chasing their first titles. Interestingly, their fathers – Jeff (6) and Don (8), respectively – are no strangers to holding ABC Raceway championship trophies.

Another driver who knows a little something about titles – Ashland’s Steve Stuart – is working to add a Super Stock crown to a resume that includes six titles here in the Mods, Mid-Mods and Sixes. Stuart leads Shawn McFadden of Ashland by 89 points in the standings.

Tyler Vernon of Mason paces the WISSOTA Midwest Modified rankings just 77 points ahead of Jack Rivord of Superior, and DeJay Jarecki of Ashland has dominated the WISSOTA Hornets, although Iron River’s Derek Dunbar is just 74 points back.

The two closest battles are in the WISSOTA Pure Stocks, where RJ Holly of Marengo is just 13 points up on Aaron Bernick of Duluth, MN; and in the ABC Six-Cylinders, where Ashland’s Dennis Groom has Tiffany Hudack of Ashland and four other drivers all within 80 points of his lead.

Earlier this week the ABC Raceway’s Board of Directors announced that it has rescheduled its second annual “Battle by the Bay” special for WISSOTA Street Stocks, to be presented by Anderson Auto Body of Phillips. The $1,000-to-win special for the Streeters will be run in conjunction with the Safari Bar “Hornet’s Nest 25” special for the track’s entry-level class, to be presented by the Ashland-Bayfield County Sportsmen’s Club, on Saturday, August 21.

There is no immediate plan to reschedule the final round of the three-race Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center Mod Series at press time. The regular season ends with Mountain Dew Championship Saturday Night presented by North Star Beverage of Hurley on August 28, and the 46^th annual Red Clay Classic is set for October 1-2.

Regular weekly grandstand admission ticket prices will apply for this seven-division special, and advance tickets and pit passes are available via the My Race Pass website and mobile app. The grandstands will open at 5 pm, hot laps start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the night is scheduled for 7 pm. The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.

Rain, Cold Spoil ABC Raceway Special for Streets, Mods

by Nick Gima

            Ashland, WI, August 7 – A rare spell of cool temperatures and on-again, off-again light rain showers hit the Chequamegon Bay area and forced the hand of the Board of Directors at the ABC Raceway to cancel Saturday night’s race program.

At press time there have been no decisions to reschedule the second annual “Battle by the Bay” WISSOTA Street Stock special, to have presented by Anderson Body Shop of Phillips, or the final round of the Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center Series for WISSOTA Modifieds. The purses for both divisions’ feature races were to pay out well, including at least $1,000 to the winner of the Street Stock feature and $1,200 to the Modified A-Main winner, plus the three-race Mod Series champ was to be crowned.

“We will have conversations with the sponsors of both of our specials during the next few days, to see if there is any way to re-set those events for later in August,” stated Raceway Board president Eric Erickson late Saturday afternoon. “This is a frustrating situation, but we know it would have been difficult to put together a quality show for the drivers, the sponsors and our fans tonight.”

Now only three weeks of regular weekly racing remain at the northern Wisconsin speed plant, with next Saturday’s program including the final visit from the Northern Renegades Traditional Sprints. There will be no change to the grandstand admission ticket prices for this seven-division program compared to the track’s regular weekly offerings, and advance tickets and pit passes are available via the My Race Pass website and mobile app. The grandstands will open at 5 pm, hot laps start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the night is scheduled for 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts aired online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.

ABC Raceway Offering Big Money to Streets, Mods on Saturday

by Nick Gima

            Ashland, WI, August 4 – The final month of the 2021 regular racing season will kick off in a big way on Saturday, as the ABC Raceway will host two special events on one night.

Anderson Body Shop of Phillips will be the presenting sponsor of the second annual “Battle by the Bay” for WISSOTA Street Stocks. Also, the track will host the third and final round of the Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center Series for WISSOTA Modifieds. Both feature races will offer large purses – the Street Stocks will run for at least $1,000 to win and $150 to start in their only appearance here this season, while the Mods will race for $1,200 to win plus a share of the overall Series purse.

In addition, the Kim Parsons Memorial Trophy Tour will make its annual stop in Ashland, presenting special trophies to Saturday’s feature winners and adding another level of significance to the evening’s festivities.

The Street Stocks last raced regularly in Ashland during the 2009 season but had not returned to the historic northern Wisconsin red-clay oval until 2020. After last year’s event was added to the track’s schedule, fan and sponsor contributions poured in quickly, and eighteen racers made the trip to Ashland from as far away as North Dakota to compete. Parker Anderson of Phillips claimed his first-ever feature win at ABC that night – and a Street Stock track-record winner’s check of $1,200.

This year’s “Battle by the Bay” should draw extra cars to ABC due to the potential for another generous purse – expected to be well over $7,000 – as well as the fact that several other regional tracks that typically run the division will not be in action this weekend.

For the Mods, the story will be to see who can top Cole Spacek. The second-generation racer from Phillips won each of the first two rounds of the Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center Series, which were held within a three-week stretch at the start of the ’21 season here.

Fellow ABC Raceway regular Brandon Copp of Brule and Johnny Broking of Grand Rapids, MN, are tied for second in the Series’ standings, while Ashland’s Tyler Vernon and Tyler Peterson of Hickson, ND, are not far back in the top five heading into the Series’ final round.

With only four weeks of regular weekly racing remaining, one more thing to follow will be the battles going on for the Raceway’s six divisional points championships. Spacek leads Copp in the Mods as both drivers seek their first career track crowns, while Ashland’s Steve Stuart is hoping for his seventh ABC title as he leads Shawn McFadden of Ashland in the WISSOTA Super Stock standings.

Vernon paces the WISSOTA Midwest Modified rankings just ahead of Jack Rivord of Superior, while DeJay Jarecki of Ashland has dominated the WISSOTA Hornets, followed by Iron River’s Derek Dunbar.

The two closest battles are in the WISSOTA Pure Stocks, where RJ Holly of Marengo is just 13 points up on Aaron Bernick of Duluth, MN; and in the ABC Six-Cylinders, where Ashland’s Dennis Groom has Tiffany Hudack of Ashland and four other drivers all within 80 points of his lead.

Adult grandstand admission tickets for this seven-division special will be $15, with special discounted ticket pricing available for younger fans. Advance tickets and pit passes are available via the My Race Pass website and mobile app. The grandstands will open at 5 pm, hot laps start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the night is scheduled for 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts aired online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990

Burdick Edges Flynn, Stuart for ABC FastLane Super Stock Feature Win

by Nick Gima

                Ashland, WI, July 31 – Another huge crowd came out on Saturday night to watch Round 6 of the FastLane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series special at the ABC Raceway, where Kevin Burdick of Proctor, MN, held on for a thrilling feature win.

The headline event of the evening, which was presented by the Bad River Lodge, Casino & Convention Center of Odanah, was the 30-lap WISSOTA Super Stock A-main, which turned out to be one of the most nail-biting races of the season to date. Thirty-four entries representing four states were whittled down through five heat races and two semi-features to a 26-car feature field that provided some incredible action.

Burdick, who held the Series’ points lead after the first five nights of the seven-race tour, started alongside polesitter Nick Oreskovich and shot by the four-time ABC Raceway champ for the initial lead, while Scott Lawrence came from the second row to dive under Oreskovich for second. But the start was waived off for Shawn Ferkes’ spin deep in the pack. That would be the only caution flag for the first 23 laps of the race.

Burdick used the same outside move to take the lead away on the restart, as Oreskovich protected the bottom to maintain second, while Tommy Richards grabbed third. Within a lap Steve Stuart, hoping to extend a four-feature win streak at Ashland, slipped around Lawrence for fourth. Burdick and Oreskovich pulled away from Richards, with the leader holding a half-second edge, before they caught the tail-end of the field just seven laps in.

That’s when the fun started, as the traffic was heavy enough to allow the rest of the front-runners to close on the lead pair. Stuart used backmarkers to get by Richards for third on lap 9, and within four more laps Stuart was in position to use an inside move to edge past Oreskovich for second.

One lap before the race’s mid-point Burdick held what appeared to be a healthy three-quarter-second lead, but by the end of the next circuit Stuart and Oreskovich were alongside Burdick, with Stuart inching ahead momentarily. With the slower cars maintaining their lines while racing for position, Oreskovich, Stuart and Burdick weaved their respective ways through the field, each holding the lead at one point or another for the next seven laps, before Jeff Eisner’s spin on lap 23 brought out the yellow flag to give the fans and drivers a chance to catch their collective breath.

The stoppage was an enormous break for Dave Flynn, who took over fourth from Richards shortly after the midway point but could not gain on the leaders while dealing with the slower traffic. One lap after the restart, however, he took third away from Oreskovich, who led the field back to green but slipped up the track in turn 2 and opened the door for Burdick and Stuart to get by. With the white flag in the air, Flynn drove low to eke past Stuart for second and closed the gap on Burdick, but the former national WISSOTA champion held on by just over a third of a second for the $600 win.

Stuart and Oreskovich were close behind in third and fourth, respectively, while Tim Johnson, who started tenth in a borrowed car after his was destroyed in a horrible crash in Superior the night before, charged through to earn fifth-place money.

Oreskovich set the fastest lap of the event early in the run, at 16.996 seconds (80.858 mph), while Flynn was awarded the hard-charger bonus, based on his higher finishing position, by gaining eight spots from his original start. Burdick carried a narrow points margin to the Series’ championship round in Proctor, MN, on Sunday, August 1.

The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds ran off a thrilling 25-lap non-stop feature just two nights earlier here during the “444 Memorial.” Tonight’s 20-lap A-feature struggled through eight yellow-flag slowdowns, but one might argue it was every bit as thrilling. Nevertheless, at the end of both races, Ashland’s Tyler Vernon parked his car in Victory Lane.

Vernon himself later admitted to being in the right place at the right time on this night, as he started ninth in the 18-car feature field, survived an early bobble, and picked his way by some tough competition to put himself in position for the win. Polestarter Ryan Barningham grabbed the early advantage and fended off Duane Dunbar and Ross Fuhrman for the first three laps until Furhman swept around on the high side to take over the lead, bringing Tyler Hudack and Jack Rivord along to second and third.

Just as the lead trio began to separate from the rest of the field, Diamond Bressette’s spun ride on lap 6 brought everyone back together. This began a series of short green-flag spurts interrupted by a variety of spins and crashes, including a couple which significantly changed the complexion of the event.

Following a multi-car tangle on that first restart, Rivord worked low to get by Hudack for second and then pulled alongside Fuhrman but could not gain the lead. Sean O’Brien’s spin on lap 7 was followed by Bressette’s second loop on the ensuing try, and a lap after that O’Brien tangled with James Vendela for another delay. The green stayed out for the next three laps, during which Vernon drove high to get around Tanner Hicks for fifth.

Then, on lap 11, Rivord dove low in Turn 2 to make a run on Fuhrman, but he did not clear the leader, made hard contact and spun himself out to bring about another caution, sending the fourth-generation racer to the tail of the field. With the green flag back out, Jesse Aho, who restarted third, worked his way past Hudack and closed to within feet of Fuhrman’s rear bumper.

On lap 14 Tanner Hicks’ car broke down while running fourth, forcing the seventh restart. After Mitch Kieber’s spin, the laps after the final restart provided some of the wildest action of the night. As the leaders worked through Turns 3 and 4 coming to the white flag, Aho tried to pull alongside Fuhrman but slipped up the banking, making contact with the leader and sending Fuhrman scrambling to regain control. In the chaos, Vernon took advantage of the empty low groove, shot through, and sped away to a one-second victory – his fourth of the year and second in two nights here.

Fuhrman somehow recovered to salvage second place just ahead of a charging Paul Suzik, who started 11^th, while Aho and Hudack completed a close-formation top five. Rivord set a fast lap early in the race with a time of 17.043 seconds (79.211 mph).

Cory Jorgensen of Duluth, MN, slipped past RJ Holly two laps into the WISSOTA Pure Stock feature and held serve for the balance of the race for his fourth win of the season here. The race was halted on the initial start when front-row starters Holly and Zene Anderson tangled in the first turn, but from there the eight-lapper was completed without further delay.

Holly padded his points lead a bit with his second-place effort, ahead of Aaron Burnick and Anderson.

After a one-week absence, Tiffany Hudack of Ashland returned to her early-season form by winning her fifth ABC Six-Cylinder feature of the season. Hudack, who had won the first four features in the division to start the season, started the 12-lapper from the outside of the fourth row and bided her time through the first half of the event before pouncing when the opportunity presented itself.

Polestarter Trenton Bond held firmly to the lead early, including after a restart for a lap 1 Jake Nevala spin. But on that restart Hudack dove low to pass Shane Basina, Nevala and Jakob Bond in one move to steal second, just before a four-car tangle stopped the proceedings.

Nevala powered around the leader on the restart, Hudack went low into second, and the lead pair pulled away slightly from the pack. Nevala then left the bottom open just after the mid-point of the race and Hudack snuck by, and although she led the final five laps she did not build much of a lead, as Dale Coddington closed to challenge in the waning laps.

Hudack’s 25^th career feature win at ABC was by .825 seconds, and she set the race’s quickest lap 18.757 seconds (71.973 mph). Coddington edged past Nevala for second at the stripe, and Dennis Groom, who restarted at the back of the 11-car field after the early incident with Nevala, made his way to fourth ahead of Trenton Bond.

The WISSOTA Hornet feature proved itself to be a thriller in its own right, but the drama that unfolded after the checkers flew resulted in another win for Ashland’s DeJay Jarecki, despite a bounty offered to anyone who could stop his seven-feature win streak.

Jarecki, who started the eight-lap affair outside on row 2, charged around front-row starters Derek Dunbar and Carson Gotelaere and immediately pulled away. Long-haul visitor Jacob Aarhus worked his way from the third row into a battle with Gotelaere for second, which he eventually won on lap 4 – just one circuit before debris on the track brought out the yellow.

Aarhus stayed right with Jarecki and threatened to pass him on the inside in the closing laps. Then, on the final lap, Aarhus moved to the outside and clawed his way alongside the leader, using high-side momentum off the final corner to nip Jarecki at the stripe. The victory only lasted until the post-race technical inspection, when Aarhus’ car was deemed to be illegal by WISSOTA rule, giving Jarecki his eighth win in a row.

Basina, once again driving Jarecki’s spare car, was awarded second place, ahead of a charging Brandon Hummelmeier, Gotelaere, and former ABC Hornets champion Paul George.

The WISSOTA Street Stocks will return to the ABC Raceway on Saturday, August 7, when Anderson Auto Body of Phillips presents the “Battle by the Bay.” In addition, the championship round of the three-race Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center Mod Series will be held. With several neighboring tracks having nights off over that weekend, there is the potential for a huge field of cars for the seven-division show.

There will be no change in the admission prices for this event from the regular rates. The grandstand gates and pits will open at 5 pm, followed by hot laps at 6:15 and the first green flag of the night scheduled for 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.

Results

WISSOTA Super Stocks

Feature: 1-10: Kevin Burdick, Proctor, MN; Dave Flynn, Superior; Steve Stuart, Ashland; Nick Oreskovich, Mason; Tim Johnson, Brainerd, MN; Scott Lawrence, Superior; Tommy Richards, Mondovi; Kyle Copp, Brule; Cory Casari, Montreal; Patrick Beeksma, Ironwood, MI.

11-20: Dustin Nelson, Ogilvie, MN; Shawn McFadden, Ashland; Dylan Nelson, Merrifield, MN; Matt Deragon, Ashland; DJ Keeler, Superior; Shawn Fernkes, Pennock, MN; Austin Niemeyer, Brainerd, MN; Brian Carl, Duluth, MN; Justin Weinberger, Butternut; Tucker Quinn, Ladysmith.

21-26: Ryan Kostreba, Elk River, MN; Jeff Frey, Ogilvie, MN; Jeff Eisner Jr, Merrill; Aaron Mashlan, Ashland; Keith Kern, Superior; Ronnie Malecki, Superior.

Heat 1: Richards; McFadden; Beeksma; Deragon; Jeremy North, Huron, SD; Niemeyer; Dan Peterson, Foxboro.

Heat 2: Burdick; Casari; Copp; Kern; Weinberger; Mashlan; Josh Saunders, Spooner.

Heat 3: Oreskovich; Dustin Nelson; Dylan Nelson; Carl; Allan Cleveland, Breckenridge, MN; Matt Fester, Grove City, MN.

Heat 4: Stuart; Flynn; Keeler; Frey; Quinn; Fernkes; Mike Sirois, Duluth, MN.

Heat 5: Lawrence; Johnson; Eisner; Kostreba; Malecki; Matt Hammitt, Cloquet, MN.

Semi-Feature 1: Fernkes; Malecki; North; Mashlan; Peterson; Sirois.

Semi-Feature 2: Weinberger; Niemeyer; Quinn; Andrew Johnson, Brainerd, MN; Cleveland; Hammitt; Fester; Saunders.

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

Feature: 1-10: Tyler Vernon, Mason; Ross Fuhrman, Ashland; Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI; Jesse Aho, Toivola, MI; Tyler Hudack, Ashland; Ryan Barningham, Bayfield; Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Dalton Mains, Foxboro; John Darwin, Iron River; James Vendela, South Range.

11-18: Chris Bretting, Washburn; Tanner Hicks, Ashland; Jack Rivord, Superior; Sean O’Brien, Manitowish Waters; Mitch Kieber, Ironwood, MI; Matt Jacobson, Bessemer, MI; Diamond Bressette, Spooner; Neil Dees, Hurley.

Heat 1: Aho; Hicks; Barningham; Bretting; O’Brien; Kieber.

Heat 2: Vernon; Fuhrman; Mains; Suzik; Jacobson; Dees.

Heat 3: Rivord; Dunbar; Hudack; Darwin; Vendela; Bressette.

WISSOTA Pure Stocks

Feature: 1-4: Cory Jorgensen, Duluth, MN; RJ Holly, Marengo; Aaron Bernick, Duluth, MN; Zene Anderson, Superior.

Heat: Holly; Anderson; Jorgensen; Bernick.

ABC Six-Cylinders

Feature: 1-10: Tiffany Hudack, Ashland; Dale Coddington, Hayward; Jake Nevala, Ashland; Dennis Groom, Ashland; Trenton Bond, Mason; Dalton Truchon, Ashland; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Mathew Rohlfing, Cable; Julian Root, Ashland; Austin Olby, Marengo.

11: Jakob Bond, Mason.

Heat 1: Coddington; Basina; Rohlfing; Nevala; Root; Truchon.

Heat 2: Hudack; J Bond; Groom; T Bond; Olby.

WISSOTA Hornets

Feature: 1-7: DeJay Jarecki, Ashland; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Brandon Hummelmeier, Ashland; Carson Gotelaere, Superior; Paul George, Princeton, MN; Derek Dunbar, Iron River; Deacon Pratt, Aurora, MN.

Heat: Jacob Aarhus, Canby, MN; Jarecki; Gotelaere; Dunbar; Basina; George; Pratt; Hummelmeier.

Action returns to the ABC Raceway on Saturday, July 31, when the FastLane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series comes to town for the sixth race of its seven-race series. The first four races of the Series have seen WISSOTA Super Stock car counts average over 40, and the Ashland track – which has hosted the Series in each of its previous six seasons – has traditionally drawn some of the largest fields of the tour.

Five of the track’s six regular weekly divisions will be in action, with Mods getting the night off, and adult fans who present their admission wrist bands from Thursday’s “444 Memorial” will be offered a special discounted entry price on Saturday. Younger fans who dress as their favorite “super-hero” will be allowed free admission.

The grandstand gates and pits will open at 5 pm, followed by hot laps at 6:15 and the first green flag of the night scheduled for 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990,

‘444 Memorial’ Features Go to Glenz, Anderson, Vernon at ABC

Huge crowd, star drivers pay tribute to young Byholm

by Nick Gima

                Ashland, WI, July 29 – Emotions ran high – in a good way – on a warm late July night at the ABC Raceway, as the track hosted its first-ever “444 Memorial” special on Thursday.

The event was organized to pay tribute to Tanner Byholm, a popular up-and-coming Modified and Midwest Modified star racer who was killed in a tragic airplane crash in southern Wisconsin this past February. Byholm raced primarily at ABC during his short career and was the son of 2017 ABC Raceway WISSOTA Modified champion Bill Byholm.

The younger Byholm had sported the number “444” on his car, as a third-generation tribute to his father and grandfather, who raced with the number “4” on their cars. Hence, there were a lot of “444”-themed aspects to the evening.

A star-studded field of 84 WISSOTA drivers from four states – including 19 with a combined 38 Red Clay Classic feature wins – registered to perform in front of a near-sellout crowd, and by evening’s end the winner’s checks went to Jesse Glenz of Chippewa Falls, Ashley Anderson of Elk Mound, and Tyler Vernon of Mason. The 99 scheduled feature laps clicked off with only one caution-flag slowdown despite three-wide and sometimes four-wide action on the fast, wide, smooth red-clay race surface.

Glenz, who won the last Red Clay Classic Late Model title here in the Fall of 2019, started on the pole of the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series spotlight event and led every one of the race’s 44 laps on his way to his third career feature win at the northern Wisconsin speedplant and a $3,444 first-place paycheck.

Glenz beat fellow front-row starter Pat Doar through the first turns and pulled away almost immediately, while Doar had his hands full fending off a determined Derek Vesel. Behind them, Steve Laursen tried to stay close, while John Kaanta held tight to fifth.

By lap 9 Glenz had closed on the tail-end of the field, while Laursen had become a factor in the battle for second. But Laursen looped his ride in turn 2 to bring out the only yellow flag of the three features. Laursen decided to retire for the event, and although this put Doar and Vesel directly behind Glenz for the restart, it also took the leader out of slower traffic, and Glenz took advantage of the favorable situation.

Within five laps of the restart Glenz had reconstructed his lead, building it back up to just over two seconds, while Doar gained some breathing room over Vesel, Kaanta and 14^th-starting AJ Diemel. Glenz caught the backmarkers again by lap 20 and weaved his way through the first few tail-enders with relative ease, while for the most part maintaining his cushion over Doar. But when Glenz caught Buddy Hanestad and Jeff Provinzino, who were battling for 14^th at the time, the leader struggled to get by, allowing Doar to close the gap.

Over a ten-lap stretch Doar slowly reeled in Glenz, getting to within a few car-lengths at times, but the heavy traffic also allowed Vesel to catch and challenge Doar, which in turn gave Glenz a chance to get away. With five laps remaining Glenz, who had bypassed Provinzino but could not get around Hanestad, saw his lead shrink to less than a second, but Doar could not draw any closer, and Glenz’s final margin of victory was just over a second-and-a-quarter.

Vesel’s late push for second fell short, and Kaanta held on for fourth as Jimmy Mars got into the top-five late in the go. The second five included Diemel, Challenge Series points leader Darrell Nelson, Travis Budisalovich, Jimmy’s son Sam Mars, and Iowa visitor Todd Frank.

Glenz got understandably choked up in Victory Lane after his win, saying about the young Byholm, “You can see by the (huge) crowd on hand that he touched a lot of hearts. This win means a lot.”

The 30-lap WISSOTA Modified feature was also led flag to flag, with Anderson collecting his fifth ABC Raceway A-main win and first since the 2016 Red Clay Classic. Anderson overcame a first-lap challenge from Jody Bellefeuille and pulled away to a dominant win.

With the lead pair well ahead of the pack, the early battles included a great side-by-side race for third between Jimmy Mars and Mike Anderson, and an equally compelling fight for fifth between Michael Truscott and Dave Cain. Adam Hensel clawed his way into the top five by lap 6 as he displaced both Truscott and Cain.

By lap 10 the leader began to contend with the slower cars at the back of the running order, and Anderson’s lead shrunk from 1.74 seconds on lap 11 to .89 seconds on lap 14. Still, Bellefeuille could not close the gap any further as Anderson deftly weaved his way through traffic.

Over the final stages of the non-stop run Anderson found a gap in the field where he did not have to contend with slower cars, and he extended his lead to nearly 6.5 seconds by the time he reached the checkered flag for the $2,444 win. Bellefeuille was challenged briefly by Mars but prevailed for second, while Mike Anderson threatened Mars for third for a time before fading back to fifth, behind a resurgent Truscott.

Dan Ebert came home in sixth, as Hensel fell back to seventh and Cain did likewise to eighth, just ahead of Brandon Copp and Nelson. The fast-paced 30-lap run spun off in less than nine minutes.

While Glenz and Anderson staked their respective feature claims early, the WISSOTA Midwest Modified win was hotly contested throughout and in doubt nearly to the end, thanks to a thrilling battle between front-row starters Vernon and Brady Uotinen that lasted better than 21 of the 25 caution-free laps.

Vernon, who started on the pole, edged ahead of Uotinen coming off of the first corner of the race, but Uotinen fought back until he was finally scored as the leader – by a mere 39 one-thousandths of a second – at the end of lap 3. As the lead pair literally raced door-to-door, Jesse Aho followed in third at a distance until he was overtaken by eighth-starting Joey Jensen on lap 7.

Just as the leaders began to slice their way through slower traffic on lap 12, Jensen lost control of his racer and nearly spun, costing him a couple of spots as Aho and Paul Suzik slipped by. Suzik continued his strong showings as of late by catching and eventually passing Aho for third on lap 14, while Uotinen and Vernon put on a show up front, weaving through thick backmarkers while racing practically side by side.

The deciding moment came with less than four laps remaining, when Vernon took advantage of Uotinen’s struggles to get by a slower car to take the lead for good, and he pulled away over the final circuits to a 1.3-second advantage for his third feature win of the season and 13^th of his career here, this one worth $1,444. A closing Suzik claimed third-place money, while Aho finished a solid fourth ahead of Jensen.

Finishing sixth through tenth were young visitor Kennedy Swan, George Dalbeck, Marcus Dunbar, Jack Rivord and Tanner Hicks.

Jimmy Mars and Cole Spacek each paid tribute to Tanner Byholm with special decorative themes and the number “444” on their Modifieds for this night, with Mars’ car sporting a vinyl-decal livery to exactly match Byholm’s last Mod. The door- and quarter-panels from Mars’ car were given away to winners of a raffle in which all proceeds were used to establish a scholarship in Tanner’s name.

Spacek also provided a heartfelt message to his long-time friend which was read to the crowd during pre-race ceremonies.

Also included in the preliminary activities were a flyover saluting Byholm’s military career and the National Anthem performed by Mark Donner, a retired choir director who taught at Tanner’s alma mater, Chequamegon High School. The top three in each feature were awarded very unique commemorative trophies.

Over 45 different race teams, businesses and individuals contributed to a total purse estimated at over $37,000 for this very special night of racing. Bonuses of $444 awarded to the drivers posting the fastest laps in their respective features went to Glenz in the Late Models (15.922 seconds; 84.788 mph), Ashley Anderson in the Modifieds (16.081; 83.950), and Uotinen in the Mid-Mods (16.957; 79.613). Hard-charger bonuses were awarded to Diemel in the Late Models (up eight positions, based on higher finish), Clayton Wagemon in the Mods (up eight positions), and John Darwin in the Mid-Mods (up six positions).

Action returns to the ABC Raceway on Saturday, July 31, when the FastLane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series comes to town for the sixth race of its seven-race series. The first four races of the Series have seen WISSOTA Super Stock car counts average over 40, and the Ashland track – which has hosted the Series in each of its previous six seasons – has traditionally drawn some of the largest fields of the tour.

Five of the track’s six regular weekly divisions will be in action, with Mods getting the night off, and adult fans who present their admission wrist bands from Thursday’s “444 Memorial” will be offered a special discounted entry price on Saturday. Younger fans who dress as their favorite “super-hero” will be allowed free admission.

The grandstand gates and pits will open at 5 pm, followed by hot laps at 6:15 and the first green flag of the night scheduled for 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.

Results

WISSOTA Late Models

Feature: 1-10: Jesse Glenz, Chippewa Falls; Pat Doar, New Richmond; Derek Vesel, Hibbing, MN; John Kaanta, Elk Mound; Jimmy Mars, Menomonie; AJ Diemel, Elk Mound; Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, MN; Travis Budisalovich, Minneapolis, MN; Sam Mars, Menomonie; Todd Frank, Montrose, IA.

11-20: Jeff Massingill, Keewatin, MN; Rick Hanestad, Boyceville; James Giossi, Hudson; Buddy Hanestad, Boyceville; Rick Niemi, Eveleth, MN; Jeff Provinzino, Hibbing, MN; Gunner Frank, Montrose, IA; Terry Lillo, Duluth, MN; Kevin Eder, Ashland; Harry Hanson, Eveleth, MN.

21-24: Robbie Cooper, South Range; Steve Laursen, Cumberland; Tim Lillo, Superior; Tim McMann, Duluth, MN.

Heat 1: Kaanta; Doar; Laursen; Nelson; R Hanestad; Massingill; Niemi; McMann.

Heat 2: J Mars; T Frank; Budisalovich; G Frank; T Lillo; Giossi; B Hanestad; T Lillo.

Heat 3: Glenz; Vesel; S Mars; Hanson; Diemel; Eder; Provinzino; Cooper.

WISSOTA Modifieds

Feature: 1-10: Ashley Anderson, Elk Mound; Jody Bellefeuille, Carlton, MN; Jimmy Mars, Menomonie; Michael Truscott, Chippewa Falls; Mike Anderson, Jim Falls; Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, MN; Adam Hensel, Baldwin; Dave Cain, Corcoran, MN; Brandon Copp, Brule; Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, MN.

11-20: Pat Cook, Washburn; Steve Lavasseur, River Falls; AJ Diemel, Elk Mound; Robby Bunkelman, Abbotsford; Daniel Bargender, Menomonie; Cole Spacek, Phillips; Clayton Wagamon, Ramsey, MN; Al Uotinen, Superior; Paul Niznik, Medford; Shane Kisling, Butternut.

21-25: Alex Van Natta, Minocqua; Jake Hiatt, Mason; Mark Hanson, Chippewa Falls; Jeff Spacek, Phillips; Dan Kingsley, Superior.

Heat 1: A Anderson; M Anderson; Nelson; Diemel; Lavasseur; Kingsley; Mike Klippenstein, Proctor, MN; Steve Hallquist, Fall Creek.

Heat 2: Hensel; Bellefeuille; Ebert; Copp; Kisling; Uotinen; Niznik; Wagamon.

Heat 3: Mars; Cain; Cook; Van Natta; J Spacek; Jon Frolik, Ramsey, MN; John Kallas, Hurley.

Heat 4: Truscott; Hanson; Bunkelman; C Spacek; Bargender; Hiatt; Neil Balduc, Bessemer, MI.

Semi-Feature: Uotinen; Hiatt; Niznik; Kingsley; Balduc; Wagamon; Klippenstein; Kallas; Hallquist; Frolik.

Pole Dash: Bellefeuille; A Anderson; Mars; M Anderson; Cain; Truscott; Hanson; Hensel.

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

Feature: 1-10: Tyler Vernon, Mason; Brady Uotinen, Superior; Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI; Jesse Aho, Toivola, MI; Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, MN; Kennedy Swan, Chippewa Falls; George Dalbeck, Wakefield, MI; Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Jack Rivord, Superior; Tanner Hicks, Ashland.

11-20: Ross Fuhrman, Ashland; Eric Gadach, New Richmond; Tad Schoonover, Eagle River; Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Dalton Mains, Foxboro; John Darwin, Iron River; Jesse Polson, Superior; Zach Slayton, Springbrook; James Vendela, South Range; Sean O’Brien, Manitowish Waters.

21-24: Matt Jacobson, Bessemer, MI; Tyler Hudack, Ashland; Jimmy Latvala, Solon Springs; Kenny Rogers, Unity.

Heat 1: Jensen; Suzik; M Dunbar; Fuhrman; Polson; Hudack; Darwin; Taylor Madrinich, Duluth, MN.

Heat 2: Swan; Aho; Dalbeck; Latvala; D Dunbar; Chris Bretting, Washburn; Mitch Kieber, Ironwood, MI.

Heat 3: Rivord; Schoonover; Slayton; Mains; Rogers; Paul Niznik, Medford; Jacobson.

Heat 4: Uotinen; Vernon; Hicks; Gadach; O’Brien; Vendela.

Semi-Feature: Hudack; Darwin; Vendela; Jacobson; Bretting; Kieber; Madrinich.

The ABC Raceway will host two more very special nights of racing over the upcoming week. On Thursday, July 29, the track will host “The 444 Memorial,” to be held in honor of Tanner Byholm, a popular young local Modified driver who tragically lost his life in an aircraft accident in February. The WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series will compete here for a feature paying $3,444 to win and at least $344 to start, while the WISSOTA Modifieds will run for $2,444 to win, and the WISSOTA Midwest Mod feature will pay $1,044 to win.

Then, on Saturday, July 31, the Raceway will be the site of the sixth race of the seven-race FastLane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series, to be presented by the Bad River Lodge, Casino & Convention Center of Odanah. Over 30 Super Stock stars from throughout the area are expected to compete for a share of the Series’ over $30,000 in purse and prizes. The Modifieds will be off on Saturday, but the Raceway’s other five weekly divisions will be in action.

For both nights, the pits will open at 4:30 pm, the grandstand gates will open at 5 pm, hot laps will start at 6:15, and the first green flag of each night will fly at 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm each night, with simulcasts online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990,

First-Time Winners Shine on ABC Raceway Fundraiser Night

by Nick Gima

                Ashland, WI, July 24 – Paul Schultz of Grand Rapids, MN, led flag-to-flag to score his first-ever Northern Renegades Traditional Sprints feature win at the ABC Raceway to cap off a very special Saturday night race program.

The “Racing for a Reason” event, presented by Northern Clearing Inc of Ashland with help from Beard Oil Distributing of Mt Pleasant, MI; White River Ag Products of Mason; Country Corner Equipment of Ashland; and Windy Acre Farms of Ashland, provided the capacity crowd on hand many opportunities to contribute to fundraising efforts through button and pin sales, favorite driver votes, candy sales and more, with proceeds to be presented to the local American Cancer Society programs as well as The Brick Ministries, the Chequamegon Bay area’s charitable food pantry.

Fans also got to meet up-and-coming NASCAR star Noah Gragson, who drives for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Xfinity Series race team. Gragson’s Beard Oil-sponsored NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series race car was on display, Gragson signed autographs and visited with the crowd, and later he ran his first-ever laps in a sprint car, courtesy of Northern Renegades Series owner Caley Emerson.

Also part of the fundraising fun was a grudge match between WISSOTA Modified driver Brandon Copp and Joe Burch, who drives a non-sanctioned Mod sponsored by Beard Oil and competed here on this night. Northern Clearing CEO Richard Vernon and Beard Oil vice-president Karl Schwartz staged a friendly “wager” of $1,000, each betting on their sponsored driver, with the funds donated toward the Cancer Society collection.

Schultz benefitted from an outside-front-row start, replacing Tyler Wass after his car failed during the parade laps, and he shot around polestarter Corey Olson to set the pace, a task he did not relinquish throughout the 15-lapper. Chris Lewis, who won here in the Renegades’ last visit in late June, followed Schultz around Olson to second, and Ken Hron copied the move to claim third before the end of the first lap.

Schultz and Lewis drew away from the field over the course of the non-stop run, while Hron battled with Lance Solem and Emerson, eventually losing third to Solem. Lewis stayed within a half-second of the leader until the waning laps, when Schultz used slower traffic to pull away to a full-second final margin of victory – his first at ABC since an August 2002 win here in a WISSOTA Super Stock.

Solem, Hron and Emerson completed the top five in close formation. In heat race action earlier in the program, Solem’s car got loose and made contact with Hron’s, causing Solem’s car to roll over. Both drivers were okay, and after all six other Renegades race teams pitched in to help make repairs, Solem was able to start the feature and enjoy a strong run.

Two other drivers captured their first-ever feature wins on Ashland’s red-clay oval. In the WISSOTA Pure Stocks, Dylan Shelton of Wrenshall, MN, started from the pole and led from green to checkered to finally score what had been an elusive first win here.

After a scary three-car spin on the back straight on the opening lap, Shelton and Cory Jorgensen slipped past RJ Holly to grab the top two spots, with Aaron Bernick diving low to get by Holly and first-nighter Steve Pohl a lap later for third. The field settled into a steady running order and, without another yellow flag to slow the pace, ran the last seven of the ten scheduled laps without change.

Shelton pulled away from Jorgensen to take the checkers here by several lengths, with Bernick and Pohl a distant third and fourth. Holly’s night ended early with mechanical woes but he still received credit for fifth and maintains the divisional points lead.

Also getting that long-awaited first-ever win was Ashland’s Jake Nevala, who took advantage of another driver’s misfortune for the ABC Six-Cylinders feature checkers. In what turned into another non-stop A-main, Nevala started on the pole but was overtaken by Shane Basina and Dennis Groom at the drop of the green. Nevala fought back and eventually retook second on lap 3, then set out to catch the leader.

Basina maintained about a two-length buffer as the laps clicked off, while Groom battled with Dalton Truchon for third a good distance back. With three laps to go Truchon finally won that fight, but Basina and Nevala were too far ahead to challenge.

However, Basina suffered the worst heartbreak of the night when, coming through turn 4 with the white flag in the air, he lost control and spun, giving up the lead to Nevala, who led the final lap for the first feature win of his seven-year career. Truchon also saw a great run ruined by a flat tire on the final lap, giving up second to Groom, who took over the division’s points lead, while Mathew Rohlfing, rookie Austin Olby and Trenton Bond also sped by to complete the top five.

Copp, who had won his heat race and the “grudge match,” scored the rare trifecta at ABC with his second WISSOTA Modified feature win of the season. With scheduled polestarter Anthony Forfa III opting to start the 20-lap A-main at the tail of the field, Copp took full advantage in replacing him at the pole and ran away from the field.

It took a couple of laps for points leader Cole Spacek to clear a determined Rick Rivord for second, but by the time he did on lap 3, Copp already had built a commanding 1.8-second advantage. Spacek gave up second to Rivord on lap 4 but earned it back on lap 5 and stayed there throughout the balance of the caution-free run. Rivord pulled off the track with mechanical issued just before mid-race, giving way to a great three-car battle between Jeff Spacek, Paul Niznik and Pat Cook for third.

Copp maintained his dominance through to the checkers, ending up with a 6.9-second margin at the stripe – more than a full straightaway. Cole Spacek finished well ahead of his father Jeff in second, as the six-time track champ edged Niznik for third, and Cook finished a close fifth.

The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds saw one caution stop at the very beginning of their 20-lap feature, and another one with two laps to go, but in between Marcus Dunbar of Marenisco, MI, dominated the event for his second win of the season.

Polestarter Matt Jacobson looped his ride in front of the entire field in the first corner to bring about the first stoppage, but Dunbar, the track’s defending Mid-Mods champ, used the fast, smooth red-clay surface to pull away from Paul Suzik by a significant margin. Behind Suzik, an exciting dogfight ensued as Dalton Mains worked to fend off challenges from Marcus’ father Duane Dunbar, divisional points leader Tyler Vernon, and Tanner Hicks, among others.

By lap 7 the younger Dunbar had built his lead to nearly two full seconds, and at mid-race he was contending with drivers at the tail-end of the field, but he weaved his way through with ease and continued to increase his advantage. Dunbar was a full 2.5 seconds up on Suzik when Diamond Bressette spun after the leader took the white flag. The field was reset for a green-white-checkered finish with Suzik and Vernon restarting on Dunbar’s rear bumper, but Dunbar was up to the task and held on by three-quarters of a second.

Suzik edged Vernon for second, and Mains finished fourth just ahead of a charging Hicks.

DeJay Jarecki extended his winning streak in the WISSOTA Hornets to seven straight feature wins, although some friendly “bounties” posted made his job a bit tougher on this night. Jarecki started inside on the second row of the eight-lap run and followed his “spare” car, once again driven by Sixes pilot Basina to second place in the early stages.

After following for a couple of laps, Jarecki moved by Basina for the lead but didn’t pull away as much as he had in recent weeks. Eventually Jarecki gained a half-dozen lengths as he claimed his 11^th career feature win – all coming within the past season-and-a-half since moving into the division from the Sixes – while Basina stayed as close as he could as runner-up. Brandon Hummelmeier made a strong late charge but came up short in third, ahead of Derek Dunbar and long-haul traveler Deacon Pratt.

Despite an overnight thunderstorm that dropped heavy rains in the area early Saturday morning, the track prep crews were able to provide a smooth, slick track that produced lots of side-by-side and often three-wide racing. Fast lap times in the features were posted by Lewis in the Renegades (18.115 seconds; 74.524 mph), Copp in the Modifieds (17.138; 78.772), and Marcus Dunbar in the Mid-Mods (17.643; 76.518).

The ABC Raceway will host two more very special nights of racing over the upcoming week. On Thursday, July 29, the track will host “The 444 Memorial,” to be held in honor of Tanner Byholm, a popular young local Modified driver who tragically lost his life in an aircraft accident in February. The WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series will compete here for a feature paying $3,444 to win and at least $344 to start, while the WISSOTA Modifieds will run for $2,444 to win, and the WISSOTA Midwest Mod feature will pay $1,044 to win.

Then, on Saturday, July 31, the Raceway will be the site of the sixth race of the seven-race FastLane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series, to be presented by the Bad River Lodge, Casino & Convention Center of Odanah. Over 30 Super Stock stars from throughout the area are expected to compete for a share of the Series’ over $30,000 in purse and prizes. The Modifieds will be off on Saturday, but the Raceway’s other five weekly divisions will be in action.

For both nights, the pits will open at 4:30 pm, the grandstand gates will open at 5 pm, hot laps will start at 6:15, and the first green flag of each night will fly at 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm each night, with simulcasts online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.

Results

Northern Renegades Traditional Sprints

Feature: 1-7: Paul Schultz, Grand Rapids, MN; Chris Lewis, Grand Rapids, MN; Lance Solem, Duluth, MN; Ken Hron, Grand Rapids, MN; Caley Emerson, Grand Rapids, MN; Corey Olson, Duluth, MN; Tyler Wass, Big Fork, MN.

Heat: Emerson; Lewis; Schultz; Hron; Wass; Olson; Solem.

WISSOTA Modifieds

Feature: 1-9: Brandon Copp, Brule; Cole Spacek, Phillips; Jeff Spacek, Phillips; Paul Niznik, Medford; Pat Cook, Washburn; Jake Hiatt, Mason; Anthony Forfa III, Blythe, CA; Rick Rivord, Superior; Shane Kisling, Butternut.

Heat 1: Copp; C Spacek; Niznik; Cook; Joe Burch, Mt Pleasant, MI; Hiatt.

Heat 2: J Spacek; Rivord; Kisling; Forfa.

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

Feature: 1-10: Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI; Tyler Vernon, Mason; Tanner Hicks, Ashland; Dalton Mains, Foxboro; Paul Niznik, Medford; Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Jack Rivord, Superior; James Vendela, South Range; Jesse Aho, Toivola, MI.

11-17: Tanner Gehl, Solon Springs; Ryan Barningham, Bayfield; Mitch Kieber, Ironwood, MI; Neil Dees, Hurley; Diamond Bressette, Spooner; Anthony Forfa Jr, Phillips; Matt Jacobson, Bessemer, MI.

Heat 1: Suzik; Mains; Rivord; Barningham; Gehl; Bressette.

Heat 2: M Dunbar; Vernon; D Dunbar; Vendela; Kieber; Dees.

Heat 3: Jacobson; Aho; Hicks; Niznik; Forfa.

WISSOTA Pure Stocks

Feature: 1-6: Dylan Shelton, Wrenshall, MN; Cory Jorgensen, Duluth, MN; Aaron Bernick, Duluth, MN; Steve Pohl, Manitowish Waters; RJ Holly, Marengo; Zene Anderson, Superior.

Heat: Jorgensen; Shelton; Holly; Bernick; Pohl; Anderson.

ABC Six-Cylinders

Feature: 1-8: Jake Nevala, Ashland; Dennis Groom, Ashland; Mathew Rohlfing, Cable; Austin Olby, Marengo; Trenton Bond, Mason; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Dalton Truchon, Ashland; Dale Coddington, Hayward.

Heat: Coddington; Truchon; Groom; Nevala; Basina; Rohlfing; T Bond; Olby; J Bond, Mason.

WISSOTA Hornets

Feature: 1-5: DeJay Jarecki, Ashland; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Brandon Hummelmeier, Ashland; Derek Dunbar, Iron River; Deacon Pratt, Aurora, MN.

Heat: Jarecki; Basina; Dunbar; Pratt; Hummelmeier.

ABC Raceway Inducts Hall of Fame Class of ‘21

by Nick Gima

                Ashland, WI, July 18 – During intermission of its race program on Saturday night, the Ashland-Bayfield County Racing Association formally inducted its latest members of its ABC Raceway Hall of Fame in a ceremony on the front straightaway in front of the fans in attendance.

Inductees were selected in one of three different categories: Contributors (chosen specifically by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee for their contributions to the ABC Raceway), Drivers (chosen from those retired from active competition for minimum of five years and recognized for outstanding accomplishments, their loyalty to the Raceway as competitors, and their efforts as ambassadors to area stock car racing), and Volunteers (chosen from those who have provided a minimum of ten years of service to the Raceway and recognized for their significant positive contributions and dedication to the success of the Raceway).

In the Contributors category, the Raceway honored Bill & Lydia Carroll (posthumously) and their daughter, Sue Mashlan, long-time former owners of the Airport Inn, a popular tavern located near the Raceway. It was a favored stop after the races for generations of racers and fans, and the owners were genuine race fans who welcomed the racing community, proudly posting the weekly points standings and their treasured driver photos on the tavern walls and presenting bottles of champaign to feature winners after every race night. The Carrolls also sponsored at least one racer in every division every year during their ownership of the “Port.” ABC Raceway Board treasurer Cheryl Klobucher accepted the honor on behalf of the Carrols and Mrs Mashlan.

Also honored in the Contributor category was Gary LaPean, one of the ABC Raceway’s earliest announcers, who was noted for adding genuine excitement and an infectious enthusiasm to his calls. Gary’s patented call of “Here they come – and there they go!” was very popular with fans during his six years as the voice of the Raceway during the 1970s, and later, as owner of the local radio station, he also aired live broadcasts of the races for a few summers, helping to further promote the track.

In the Drivers category, Steve Anderson of Ironwood, MI, known as “Budman” to his friends, fans and fellow drivers, was honored for his 33 years of competing in the Six-Cylinders, WISSOTA Street Stocks, WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and WISSOTA Super Stocks. He enjoyed particular success in the Street Stocks, where he won ten of his 12 career features and finished second in points three straight seasons, 2005-’07. He drew many fans from Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula, who loyally followed him to Ashland to cheer for him.

Tim Carbon was a popular driver from nearby Highbridge who toiled in entry-level divisions here for 26 years as a loyal competitor, racing on the very definition of a shoestring budget. Carbon began his racing career in Hobby Stocks in 1990 and finished eighth in points in 1992 and ’93, then moved into the WISSOTA Street Stocks, finishing top-ten in points in ten straight of his 12 years there. Racing in the WISSOTA Pure Stocks from 2006-’16, he tallied all 13 of his career feature wins, and he tied for one points title in 2009 and earned one outright in 2011.

Jon Lumberg of Ashland began his career in the Hobby Stocks and won points championships there in 1990 and ‘91 while collecting four feature wins. He then moved into the WISSOTA Super Stocks in 1992 and became a top-flight contender every week for the next eight seasons, collecting five more feature wins, finishing top-10 in points every season, and winning another points championship in 1996. For a brief time during his on-track career, Jon also served on the Raceway Board. Being a huge Dale Earnhardt Sr fan, he ran black cars carrying the “Intimidator’s” familiar number 3.

Bob Peltonen, formerly of Ashland, began his racing career in the mid-1950s and eventually became one of the more successful competitors at the ABC Raceway, winning an impressive 11 career features from 1967 to ’69, mostly in the Late Model Modifieds class. Bob, who was nicknamed “Polecat,” also has the honor of being awarded the first trophy ever presented to a feature winner at the track, dating back to sometime during the late ‘60s. During his successful run, he raced a car built from a mid-‘60s Corvette, using an image of a lady’s pair of legs in fishnet stockings to create the number 77 on the doors. Not only was Bob a popular driver, but he and his brothers Jim and Bill were also very active and instrumental in the success of this track during its formative years.

The Weber family of Bayfield also became popular racers during the earliest years of the ABC Raceway. Brothers Arden and Bill were eventually joined by their father Bud, known for racing in the Hobby Stock and Street Stock classes from the late ‘60s into the mid ‘70s using early 1960s Chevys sporting numbers that started with zero, such as 02, 03, 08, etc, and all sponsored by their popular and successful family apple orchard business. As one of the earliest “multi-car teams,” they would arrive at the track with a car-transport trailer and used a logging pulp truck to pick up the cars to unload them from and load them back onto the trailer. Bud won the Hobby Stock points title in 1971. Younger son Don, or “Ducky” as he was called, later competed in the Sixes, and several other members of the extended Weber family raced here, including Rob, who won the 2007 WISSOTA Street Stock title, and Russ, who raced in the Sixes. The family also was very active in the organization, serving at various times on its Board, including Bud’s time as Vice-President.

Dean Yrjanainen was actually inducted as part of the Class of 2019 but was unable to attend that year’s ceremony, so he was included in this presentation. His 70 total feature wins is second on the ABC Raceway’s all-time victory list; his 54 feature wins in the WISSOTA Modifieds leads all drivers in that division; and he had a run of at least one feature win at Ashland every year for 20 straight seasons, from 1991 to 2010 – the longest such streak in Raceway history. In addition, Dean won the first three ABC Raceway Six-Cylinder point titles, in 1983- ’85; and he earned three more championships in the Mods, in 1997, 2000, and ‘07. He also won three Red Clay Classic titles in the Mods, in 1991, ’93 and ’96, as well as several other notable major races throughout the region. His racing style and success made the “the Flyin’ Finn from Lake Nebagamon” and his number 84 a fan favorite.

In the Volunteers category, the Raceway honored Zeke & Lois Johnson (posthumously) and their family, including their children AJ, Douglas and Maleia. Zeke was involved in the group that eventually opened the ABC Raceway at its present site in the 1960s, and he served for six years on its Board. Lois ran the concession stand for many years and also worked as a ticket-taker. Zeke and Lois were presented with the “Outstanding Service Award” by the Raceway in 1981. AJ got involved at the track in 1970 and has worked on many significant facility and promotional projects here over the years, and he served on the Raceway Board, including terms as the club’s President and Vice-President. AJ also began racing in 1972 and competed here for 13 years before becoming a successful race car owner. Doug also served in a number of capacities at the track and competed in the Bomber class, and Maleia earned the title of Raceway Queen in 1975 and ’76 by selling tickets to the races. Maleia’s sons Ross Fuhrman and Ray Fuhrman Jr have also contributed to the organization, with Ray Jr serving on the Board and Ross being a loyal weekly competitor in the WISSOTA Midwest Mods. Ross’ business, Outlaw Wraps & Apparel, has been a long-time track sponsor. During the ceremony, the Johnson children lofted a luminary in honor of their parents.

Each inductee received a plaque commemorating their addition to the Hall of Fame. A buffet meal was served at Zar’s Bar & Banquet Hall just west of Ashland late Saturday afternoon for the inductees and their guests, as well as for past inductees, giving those on hand the chance to visit, reunite and share stories.

NASCAR Xfinity Series star Noah Gragson, who drives for Dale Earnhardt Jr, will be at the ABC Raceway in Ashland on Saturday, July 24, with his JR Racing Beard Oil Distributing-sponsored car to sign autographs as part of the track’s “Racing for a Reason” program. (NASCAR file photo)

Northern Clearing, ABC Raceway to Host ‘Racing for a Reason’ this Saturday NASCAR star Gragson, sprint cars to highlight free grandstand admission show by Nick Gima

            Ashland, WI, July 22 – Of all the special nights of stock car racing at the ABC Raceway on the 2021 season schedule, few aim to be more so than the program planned for this coming Saturday, when Northern Clearing Inc of Ashland will present its annual “Racing for a Reason” fundraiser event.

            The program will feature the second visit of the season to the northern Wisconsin speedplant by the Northern Renegades traditional sprint car series, along with five of the Raceway’s six regular weekly divisions in action.

           The event is geared as a fundraiser for two very special causes – the American Cancer Society, and The Brick Ministries local food shelf. In addition to the action on track, there will be several events, raffles, and other ways for fans to contribute to these two great causes going on throughout the evening at the track. Including button sales with proceeds’ going to the local cancer center.

            “We are so proud to be associated with the Vernon family and Northern Clearing when it comes to this night,” Raceway president Eric Erickson stated earlier this week. “This is an incredible opportunity for the racing family to contribute to two important causes in the Chequamegon Bay area, and the generosity of Northern Clearing helps make this possible.”

            Also in support of this program are Beard Oil, White River Ag Products, Country Corner Equipment and Windy Acres Farms.

            In addition, NASCAR Xfinity Series star Noah Gragson, who drives for Dale Earnhardt Jr, will be on hand with his JR Racing Beard Oil Distributing-sponsored car to sign autographs.

            Add to that the fact that the ABC Raceway is offering free admission to all fans who wish to watch the show from the main grandstands, and you have the makings of what will be a memorable night of fun and action for the whole family.

            Chris Lewis of Grand Rapids, MN, held off multiple challenges to win a thrilling Renegades traditional (or wingless) sprint car feature during the series’ June 26 visit to ABC. All of the 15 Renegades racers that were here on that night, plus perhaps several others, have voiced their intent to travel from Minnesota’s Iron Range to compete on the three-eighths-mile Ashland oval.

            “The drivers in our series have been talking about getting back to the ABC Raceway since we were there last month,” said Renegades tour director Randy Murray recently, in reference to the tour’s June 26 visit to the award-winning red-clay oval. “They had a great time and put on a heck of a show for the fans, and it should be even better this time around.”

            Saturday’s race program will also include the track’s WISSOTA Modifieds, WISSOTA Midwest Mods, WISSOTA Pure Stocks, WISSOTA Hornets, and ABC Raceway Six-Cylinder.

            There will be no admission price to get into the main grandstand for this special show, and fans are encouraged to arrive early for the festivities. The grandstands will open at 4:30 pm, hot laps start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the night is scheduled for 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air live updates from 4-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts aired online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

                The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990

On Saturday, July 24, the ABC Raceway will host its annual fundraiser night for the local chapter of the American Cancer Society as well as the Chequamegon Bay area’s The Brick Ministries food shelf with its “Racing for a Reason” night, to be presented by Northern Clearing Inc of Ashland. Joining the WISSOTA Modifieds, Midwest Mods, Pure Stocks and Hornets and the ABC Sixes will be the Northern Renegades traditional sprint cars, and all fans who come to enjoy the show in the main grandstands will be admitted free of charge.

During the night there will be a number of ongoing fundraising activities to help raise money for these two very special causes.

The grandstand gates and pits will open at 5 pm, hot laps at will start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the night is scheduled to fly at 7 pm. WSBZ, 93.3 FM, will air updates from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday, with simulcasts online via the station’s website, www.wbszfm.com.

The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990,