Kintner, Mahder Top Rice Lake Speedway Firecracker Special

By Ed Reichert

RICE LAKE, WI (July 2) – Tyler Kintner and Cory Mahder topped the open wheel divisions as both scored their initial feature wins of the season at Rice Lake's Speedway Firecracker special on Thursday night. Other winners on this special night of racing included Curt Myers, Hunter VanGilder and Shawn Amundson.

Kintner's win was his first ever at the Rice Lake Speedway after he won the MidWest Modified main event in what was the closest and most competitive main events of the evening. Kintner and Kent Baxter raced side by side for the entire distance of the main event and also had four other cars tight behind them as the lead pack exceeded a half dozen cars for most of the event.

Kintner started on the pole with Baxter outside of him and thats the way they ran for the entire distance of the race with Kintner working the low side and Baxter up racing off the cushion. Never were they more than half a car length apart with the official lead at the finish line alternating on virtually every lap. Dan Kingsley started right behind the lead duo and on several occasions he nearly stole the point from the front two and he stuck his nose between the leaders and nearly pulled off a bold pass on several occasions. Michael Truscott, Shane Halopka and Grant Southworth were just inches behind the leaders as they battled for position and also looked for an opening to get by the leaders.

The lone yellow flew with nine laps complete and Baxter was scored the leader of the previous lap, so he took the point but as soon as the green came out, he went upstairs and Kintner pulled up beside him again and the battle was on. This time Southworth pulled past Truscott and moved in to challenge Kingsley for third. With three laps to go, Baxter rode just a bit higher in turn one and Kintner was able to clear him for the first time in the race as they took the white flag. Both pushed hard on the final tour, but being so equal and with neither making any further mistakes, Kintner flashed under the line with a one car length advantage for the win. Southworth would complete his charge as he edged out Kingsley for third with Halopka completing the top five.

Kintner, the Iron Ranger from Hibbing Minnesota, has been having an excellent season to date racing the northern tracks and his win Thursday added to his feature win totals as he was rock solid all night.

Mahder has been racing through a lot of tough luck this season but everything came together for him Thursday as he led from start to finish in the Modified main event. Again in this race, it was another Baxter, this time Dave, who provided the challenge for the race distance. Mahder got the early jump on Jake Hartung but Baxter came roaring up from the second row to quickly move into second and challenge Mahder for the lead.

Following a lap four yellow for a spin, Baxter dove low in turn two and pulled up beside Mahder in a race for the lead, but Cory worked off the cushion and held off Baxter while Hartung remained a close third. Scott Duval moved into the fourth spot with Mike Anderson, Kevin Adams and Kerry Halopka battling behind them.

Mahder continued to hold the lead while Baxter pushed hard and raced two car lengths behind as the top three cars worked the cushion. While they remained close, no one was able to execute a change of position but just as they caught lapped traffic, another spin with only two laps to go slowed the field again.

However, Mahder got a great start and opened a slight lead over Baxter and over the last two laps, Cory continued to show the way as he drove home for the win with Baxter and Hartung trailing. Adams made a late rush and moved ahead of Duval to finish fourth.

Myers continued on the roll that has led him to nineteen feature wins at area ovals already this season as he raced up from the third row to take the Super Stock feature race. The Supers had a terrible time of it early in the contest, with four yellow flags in the first lap for a variety of spins and collisions.

Front row starters Eric Olson and Aaron Wilson got into it before they made it through the first corner of the race with Wilson done for the night and Olson sent to the rear of the field. This gave Shane Kisling the pole and he led the opening laps of the race as a couple more spins put the race in neutral more often than not.

Finally, everyone settled down and racing commenced with Kisling still the leader. Myers quickly moved to the front as he passed Andy Davey and then Scott Zitelman to move into second. He then closed on the leader and while Kisling pushed as hard as he could, Myers was able to sweep past him on the outside and take over the lead. Also on a charge was Jason Forehand who started in the fourth row and closed on the leaders, passing Kisling to take over second and then slowly began to close on Myers.

A grinding collison on the front chute with seven laps complete eliminated the cars of Derek Baskin, Terran Spacek and Patrick Heikkinen and bunched the field again and this time Myers didn't get away from Forehand, who raced only a couple of car lengths behind the leader and dove low on each corner, trying to get past Myers. The last thirteen laps of the race ran nonstop and Forehand was a constant challenge, pushing Myers on every corner as several times he got to within a car length as they raced off the corners.

However, Myers was not about to relinquish the lead, and he hit his marks the last few laps and kept Forehand behind him for his sixth feature win of the year at Rice Lake. The drive of the race was put on by rookie Super Stock driver Jeff Klopstein Jr who started thirteenth on the grid, moved steadily toward the front and in the waning laps, swept past Kisling to earn a podium finish. Davey completed the top five.

VanGilder, the rookie Street Stock driver, recorded his fourth feature win at Rice Lake in what was a somewhat controversial decision. Along with the Supers, the Street Stocks were the other class that had their feature race problems, with the yellow waving five times during their main event.

The trouble started early as point leader Cody Kummer, scheduled to start on the outside pole, broke during the parade lap and was done before the green flag waved. Tyler Wahlstrom took advantage of this to take the early lead in the race but battling for second, Jay Kesan and Kolby Kiehl came together, triggering a yellow that sent Kesan to the pits while Kiehl got his spot back.

The driver on the move was Josh Amans who had started sixth and moved to the high groove early. He made that line work and he marched to the front, sweeping past Wahlstrom to take over the lead. VanGilder was on the move too, starting in the fourth row and racing into contention, as he battled with Adam Soltis for position. Danny Richards was also moving up quickly, but when he inadvertently got into the back of Kiehl, he went to the tail as the yellow waved once again.

Through all this Amans continued to lead as he looked for his first win of the year and following one more yellow for a stalled car, the race boiled down to a four lap dash. VanGilder was right behind Amans, and as the leaders dove into turn one, VanGilder dropped very low on the track and dove to the inside of Amans, where there was contact. As Amans slid up the track, VanGilder took over the lead. Jimmy Gullikson, who had been working the high side of the track, moved into second and put the challenge on VanGilder as the luckless Amans retired to the pits with a flat tire. Gullikson tried a last lap maneuver to get by VanGilder on the high side but it didn't work and Hunter drove home for the win in the wild contest. Tyler Wahlstrom had his best finish as he came home a solid third with Soltis and Kiehl trailing.

Amundson recorded his first ever feature win last Saturday night and he liked victory lane so much, he decided to return again for the Firecracker. He led a nonstop Pure Stock feature from green to checkered, although he had plenty of pressure from Jason Havel in the race.

Amundson took the lead immediately with C.J., Wagner, Havel and George Richards challenging. Havel got past Wagner to take over second and the race was on. Lap after lap, Havel ran on the rear bumper of Amundson, looking for just one mistake. But Amundson refused to yield. He hit his marks and kept the #5 behind him. In the late going, Havel tried hard to get under Amundson, but Shawn continued to hold his line and not make a mistake.
One last try on the final lap saw Havel pull to Amundson's rear bumper, but Shawn stayed low and drove home for the win. Wagner finished a close third with Richards and Nick Traynor next in line.

There will be no racing at the Rice Lake Speedway on Saturday, July 4th. The next scheduled event at the track will be on Saturday, July 11th with a full, five division program slated to begin with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. Then, on Tuesday, July 14th, the Barron County Fair races will be held at the the track. The special, Tuesday night show will feature all five classes in racing action so as not to conflict with the Barron County Fair. The event will be for track points but will utilize the draw/redraw format of qualifying. Again, hot laps are slated for 6:30 p.m with racing to follow.

Check the speedway website at www.ricelakespeedway.net for updates on the schedule or the speedway's facebook page.

SUMMARY

WISSOTA Modifieds
20 lap Feature – Cory Mahder(Eau Claire), Dave Baxter(Eau Claire), Jake Hartung(Elmwood), Kevin Adams(Cameron), Scott Duval(Bloomer), Mike Anderson(Colfax), Tim McMann(Duluth MN), Kerry Halopka(Wheeler), Paul Niznik(Medford), Kevin Eder(Ashland), Aric Lindberg, Neil Balduc, Will Fisher, Scott Heikkinen, Pat Hoffman, Steve Hallquist, Wayne Poteet, Scott Miller
10 lap Heat 1 – Baxter, Hartung, Balduc(Bessemer MI), Halopka, Lindberg(Dallas), Hoffman, Poteet
Heat 2 – Adams, Duval, Anderson, Miller(Rice Lake), Eder, Heikkinen
Heat 3 – Mahder, Hallquist(Eau Claire), McMann, Niznik, Fisher(Shell Lake), Cody Cimfl

WISSOTA Super Stocks
20 lap Feature – Curt Myers(Cameron), Jason Forehand(Eau Claire), Jeff Klopstein Jr(Tomahawk), Shane Kisling(Sarona), Andy Davey(Hibbing MN), Randy Spacek(Phillips), Scott Zitelman(Taylors Falls MN), Bart Steffen(Eau Claire), Eric Olson(Ladysmith), Cole Spacek(Phillips), Chad Gullixson, John Erickson, Willie Johnsen Jr, D.J. Keeler, Derek Baskin, Terran Spacek, Patrick Heikkinen, Luke Plank, Aaron Wilson, Cory Casari
10 lap B Feature – Steffen, T. Spacek(Phillips), Heikkinen(Eveleth MN), Keeler(Superior), Jim Cimfl(Turtle Lake), Kyle Helling, Luke Schultz, Brady Mesko-Jokinen, Keith Corcilius
10 Lap Heat 1 – Wilson(Eau Claire), Zitelman, C. Spacek, Klopstein Jr, Steffen, T. Spacek, Mesko-Jokinen
Heat 2 – Kisling, Olson, R. Spacek, Johnsen Jr(Superior), Keeler, Heikkinen, Mike Anderson
Heat 3 – Myers, Forehand, Casari(Montreal), Baskin(Menomonie), Helling(Turtle Lake), Corcilius
Heat 4 – Davey, Plank(Eau Claire), Gullixson(Hammond), Erickson(Rice Lake), Schultz(Cameron), CimfI

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Tyler Kintner(Hibbing MN), Kent Baxter(Colfax), Grant Southworth(Bloomer), Dan Kingsley(Superior), Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Tito Viltz(Rice Lake), Michael Truscott(Chippewa Falls), Ryan Viltz(Chetek), Paul Suzik(Ironwood MI), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Austin Ellis, Karl Kolek, Nick Koehler, Josh Wahlstrom, Jamie Bisonette, Reid Tiegs, Tim Ekdahl, Dan Tautges, Kyle Runkle, Joe Chaplin Jr, Tyler Luger
10 lap B Feature – Luger(Iron River), Bisonette(Dallas), Tiegs(Dallas), Ekdahl(Rice Lake), Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), John Meeds, Mitch Booth, Brad Seavers, Joe Prusak, Robert Hyde, Craig Elliott, James Kannegiesser, Nate Doyen, Wayne Braun Jr
10 lap Heat 1 – Southworth, Halopka, Koehler(Bloomer), R. Viltz, Bisonette, Meeds, Braun Jr, Wahlstrom
Heat 2 – Kingsley, Baxter, Suzik, Ellis(Rice Lake), Luger, Tiegs, Seavers, Doyen
Heat 3 – Truscott, T. Viltz, Chaplin Jr(Cameron), Kolek(Menomonie), Prusak(Minnetonka MN), Elliott, Ekdahl
Heat 4 – Anderson, Kintner, Runkle(Chetek), Tautges(Colby), Booth(Colfax), Hyde, Kannegiesser

WISSOTA Street Stocks
15 lap Feature – Hunter VanGilder(Rice Lake), Jim Gullikson(Zimmerman MN), Tyler Wahlstrom(Mondovi), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Kolby Kiehl(Cameron), Kevin Bogdanovic(Wausau), Danny Richards(Mondovi), Ryan Kostreba(Elk River MN), Mitch Kesan(Medford), Don Cook(Barron), Bob Wahlstrom, Rob Grabon, Ryan Glembin, Josh Amans, Troy Chaplin, Simon Wahlstrom, Ashley Wahlstrom, Kori Richter, Kay Kesan, Cody Kummer
10 lap Heat 1 – J. Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), Soltis, Amans(Rice Lake), Gullikson, A. Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Chaplin, M. Kesan
Heat 2 – Kiehl, Richards, Bogdanovic, Grabon(Bruce), Cook, Glembin, B. Wahlstrom
Heat 3 – Kummer(Medford), T. Wahlstrom, VanGilder, S. Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Richter(Rice Lake), Kostreba

Pure Stocks
12 lap Feature – Shawn Amundson(Rice Lake), Jason Havel(Rice Lake), C.J. Wagner(Rice Lake), George Richards(Mondovi), Nick Traynor(Barron), Tucker Quinn(Ladysmith), Mike Grover(Chetek), Randy Graham(Trego), Dusten Holub(Chetek), Jimmy Holden(Rice Lake), Brent Miller, Mike Miller, Bob Thompson, Zach Beaulieu
8 lap Heat 1 – Havel, Wagner, Traynor, Richards, Graham, Thompson, Holden, B. Miller
Heat 2 – Amundson, Quinn, Grover, Holub, Beaulieu(Chetek), M. Miller, Andy Ladd