Olson Tops Rice Lake Super Stock Main Event

By Ed Reichert

RICE LAKE, WI (May 28) - It was holiday racing Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway as all the veterans in attendance were admitted free and honored before the first green flag was waved, and despite a rain scare where a brief shower delayed the start of the program, the racing was completed as planned with nearly one hundred ten race cars filling the pit area.

The UMSS Sprint Cars were the special attraction on this night and Glencoe Minnesota’s Chris Graf won their main event but it was Eric Olson who had the crowd talking after his bold move around Shane Kisling put him in victory lane in the Super Stock feature event. Other feature winners included Mike Anderson and Gunnar Watkins winning their first mains of the year at Rice Lake while Matt Leer and Doug Wojcik became repeat winners for the season.

Nineteen cars took Randy Davis’ green flag for the Super Stock feature event but there were problems almost immediately when someone got into the rear of outside pole sitter Andy Grymala in turn one and his car suffered suspension damage which caused him to slow dramatically on the track. The rest of the field was able to avoid him but a restart was required and Grymala was out of the event.

Kisling took the lead on the green for the second attempt but he was challenged hard by Jason Forehand and Ben Hillman. Hillman moved to the high side of the track and began to close on Kisling. Hillman had a good run on Kisling down the back chute and dove low, trying to get under Shane and take over the lead. However, the lead cars got together in turn three and both spun, triggering the yellow flag once again. Hillman was sent to the tail and Kisling was restored to the lead.

When the green was displayed again, Olson, who had started in the third row and restarted along side Forehand, drove to the high side of the track and got up beside Kisling. Racing hard down the back chute, Olson was able to edge ahead into the lead. The final seventeen laps of the event went nonstop and Kisling spent the rest of the race trying to regain the point from Olson. Lap after lap Kisling tried to get under Olson, but Eric, who was running a lane off the bottom, would beat Shane off the corners on each lap and continue to hold down the lead.

A good battle ensured behind them as Steve Thomas, Cory Karshbaum and Aaron Wilson raced for position. Near the end of the race, Kisling moved to the high side and seemed to be gaining some momentum but Olson continued to run his consistent line and at the wire was two car lengths ahead of the pack. Forehand ran third most of the race with Thomas and Karshbaum trailing at the line.

Mike Anderson became the fourth different Modified feature winner of the season but for fifteen laps it looked like Shaun Kreyer was going to win his first ever Modified feature at Rice Lake. The Hayward resident took the lead from the start, pulling away from Mark Hanson who soon was challenged by Anderson for second.

The race ran nonstop and that allowed Kreyer to open up a nice sized lead as Anderson battled hard to get past Hanson for second. Meanwhile, Kevin Adams was slowly working his way forward after having started in the fourth row. He was able to split Tim McMann and Mark Hessler and move into third and he began to close on the lead duo.

Anderson gradually closed on Kreyer, and began starting to look on the low side. With only five laps left, Mike was able to edge past and take over the lead. Adams was continuing to advance and he caught Kreyer with only a couple of laps left. Anderson was gone up front as he drove home for the win with Adams edging past Kreyer on the final lap for second. They were trailed by Hanson and Dave Baxter in the top five.

The Midwest Modified feature had the potential of being a classic as there was great battling for all the top five spots, but the yellow flag waved a little too often to keep the action as sustained as the fans would have liked.

Leer made the biggest charge of the night as he came from the fourth row to secure his second win of the year at Rice Lake. In the early going, Travis Anderson and Nick Koehler battled for the lead with Koehler securing the spot. Cory Crapser was on a charge too, as he drove up from the third row to take over the second spot and move in to challenge Koehler. Crapser made a move to the high side and powered past Koehler to take over the lead.

Leer was moving up by this time and he took over second with Ryan Viltz also advancing rapidly. Leer was also working the high side and he was able to get up beside Crapser and drive by him for the top spot. However, Crapser fought back and they both were joined by Ryan Viltz in a three way battle for the lead. Meanwhile, the next group behind them that contained Koehler, Anderson and Tito Viltz were also battling hard. The top trio came down the front chute three wide when a yellow flag for a spin slowed the action.

The last four laps Leer was constantly challenged by Crapser who tried to get under him in every corner. However, Matt was not about to make a mistake and he held off Cory by a car length for the win. Ryan Viltz settled for a strong third ahead of his brother Tito with Anderson completing the top five.

The Street Stock feature also had its moments but again, the yellow flag was forced to be used just a little too often to maintain the rhythm of the race. Joel Hinrichs took the early lead in the race but he was soon challenged by Adam Soltis for the top spot. They started a heavy battle which got just a little too physical and resulted in a heavy crash between them along with Ashley Husby in turn four. Remarkably , all three cars were able to restart although the damage incurred eventually led to Husby’s retirement from the event.

Hinrichs was restored to the point, but he was soon challenged by Doug Wojcik who had come storming up from the third row to challenge. Doug powered by on the high side to take over the lead and then had to withstand three more yellow flag slowdowns for spins. Each time he would power away from the field as Jay Kesan moved into second and tried to stay with him. Late in the contest Nick Wojcik, who had started in the fifth row really picked up the pace as he drove into third and closed on Kesan.

At the finish, Doug was comfortably in front and Kesan barely held off Nick by inches for the second spot. Jared Lindner did a good job avoiding all the trouble and finished fourth ahead of Hinrichs.

Second year driver Gunnar Watkins led all the way to take the Pure Stock feature event. After two spins slowed the action before a lap could be completed, the rest of the event ran nonstop. Watkins started on the pole and was able to edge away from John Erickson to take the early lead. Bob Wahlstrom challenged first but then it was Jay Folz who was able to drive under Erickson for second and set off after the leader. George Richards was moving up along with veteran Butch Madsen who had started deep in the field.

Watkins continued to sail along up front but Folz was beginning to close the gap. Near the end of the race, the leaders got into traffic but Watkins was able to navigate through the back markers and he drove home for the win. Folz finished a strong second and was trailed by Erickson, Wahlstrom and Richards.

Racing will continue next Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. with a regular , five class program with Huebsch as the presenting sponsor. On June 11 the Crapser Family Memorial race presented by Bob Seckora-Coldwell Banker will be held. This will also be the AMSOIL Race of Champions qualifier for the WISSOTA 100.

SUMMARY

WISSOTA Modifieds
20 lap Feature – Mike Anderson, Colfax; Kevin Adams, Cameron; Shaun Kreyer, Hayward; Mark Hanson, Chippewa Falls; Dave Baxter, Eau Claire; Tim McMann, Duluth MN; Mark Hessler, Menomonie; Brent Prochnow, Colfax; Pat Hoffman, Rice Lake; Scott Miller, Rice Lake; Dave Mayala, Barron; Larry Prochnow, Menomonie; Kevin Rogers, Unity; Rick Kobs, Deer Park.
10 lap Heat 1 – Adams; Kreyer; Hanson; Baxter; B. Prochnow; Mayala; Kobs; Rogers
Heat 2 – Anderson; Paul Brust; McMann; Hessler; Hoffman; Miller; L. Prochnow

WISSOTA Super Stocks
20 lap Feature – Eric Olson, Ladysmith; Shane Kisling, Sarona; Jason Forehand, Eau Claire; Steve Thomas, Menomonie; Cory Karshbaum, Chetek; Aaron Wilson, Menomonie; Ben Hillman, Menomonie; Jeff Heintz, Turtle Lake; Scott Clark, Cameron; Cory Davis, Turtle Lake; Allen Amborn, Rice Lake; Jim Harris, Menomonie; Adam Ayotte, St. Paul MN; Jay Quilling, Menomonie; Marcus Simonson, Milltown; Donnie Talmage, Amery; Mike Siewert, Mikana; Brad Kisling, Rice Lake; Andy Grymala, Superior
10 lap Heat 1 – Hillman; Wilson; Karshbaum; Heintz; Ayotte; Siewert; B. Kisling
Heat 2 – Forehand; Olson; Clark; Harris; Talmage; Simonson
Heat 3 – S. Kisling; Grymala; Thomas; Davis; Amborn; Quilling

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Matt Leer, Bruce; Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls; Ryan Viltz, Chetek; Tito Viltz, Rice Lake; Travis Anderson, Colfax; Shane Halopka, Greenwood; Jake Smith, Eau Claire; Nick Koehler, Bloomer; Mike Truscott, Chippewa Falls; Bryce Johnson, Barron; Mark Thomas, Menomonie; Clark Swartz, Bloomer; Kerry Halopka, Wheeler; Doug Toepper, Wyoming MN; Darren LaBlonde, Baldwin; Mark Turner, Rice Lake; Elizabeth Toepper, Hugo MN; Joe Eckland, Springbrook; Joe Chaplin Jr, Cameron; Dusty Brown, Rice Lake; Will Fisher, Shell Lake; Justin Supri, Eau Claire; Josh Smith, Eau Claire
10 lap Heat 1 – R. Viltz; Ja. Smith; Johnson; Brown; K. Halopka; D. Toepper; E. Toepper
Heat 2 – Crapser; T. Viltz; Leer; Swartz; Jo. Smith; Chaplin Jr; Fisher; S. Halopka
Heat 3 – Anderson; Koehler; Truscott; Thomas; Supri; LaBlonde; Eckland; Zach Manley

WISSOTA Street Stocks
15 lap Feature – Doug Wojcik, Ladysmith; Jay Kesan, Weyerhaeuser; Nick Wojcik, Ladysmith; Jared Lindner, Greenwood; Joel Hinrichs, Chetek; Sam Fankhauser, Cameron; Adam Soltis, Ladysmith; Josh Amans, Rice Lake; Cody Kummer, Medford; Simon Wahlstrom, Rice Lake; Mike Knudtson, Osseo; Danny Richards, Mondovi; David Mastill, Lino Lakes MN; Ashley Husby, Menomonie; Jim Miller, Hayward; Andy Cimfl, Clayton.
10 lap Heat 1 – Kesan; Wahlstrom; Hinrichs; Husby; Richards; Miller; Knudtson; Cimfl
Heat 2 – D. Wojcik; Fankhauser; Lindner; Soltis; N. Wojcik; Kummer; Amans; Mastill

Pure Stocks
12 lap Feature – Gunnar Watkins, Elk Mound; Jay Folz, Rice Lake; John Erickson, Cameron; Bob Wahlstrom, Chetek; George Richards, Mondovi; Bob Thompson, Cameron; Butch Madsen, Rice Lake; C.J. Wagner, Hayward; Mike Schnider, Rice Lake; Nick Traynor, Barron; Brandon Davis, Chetek; Dustin Doughty, Ladysmith; Chad Eastman, Rice Lake; Kolby Kiehl, Cameron; Cooper Berlin, Rice Lake; Kendall Grover, Rice Lake; Jon Wigchers, Rice Lake; Mike Grover, Chetek; Josh Bach, Rice Lake; Jamey Fisher, Rice Lake; Krysta Swearingen, Little Canada MN
8 lap Heat 1 – Folz; Erickson; Wahlstrom; Schnider; Bach; Wigchers; Berlin
Heat 2 – Watkins; Fisher; Davis; Swearingen; Traynor; Kiehl; K. Grover
Heat 3 – Thompson; Richards; Wagner; Doughty; Madsen; Eastman; M. Grover