Mike Anderson Doubles at Rice Lake Speedway

By Ed Reichert

RICE LAKE, WI (May 2) – Saturday night belonged to Mike Anderson at the Rice Lake Speedway. Not only did the Colfax driver top a very competitive Modified feature, he also drove Jerry Weigel’s Super Stock to a main event win also, making him a rare double winner for the night. Also taking main event wins were Hunter VanGilder, Shane Halopka and Nick Traynor.

A season high one hundred and fourteen drivers signed in to race on a glorious early May evening and a full night of racing was held with drivers on hand from three states and Canada.

Anderson’s Modified win was a sparkling one as Mike drove forward from the fourth row to win the event. Tim McMann and Jeff Spacek dueled for the lead in the early going of the event. First Spacek took the lead and then McMann fought back and took the top spot. However, he continued to be challenged by Spacek and Mark Hessler while Anderson and Kevin Adams were advancing from their starting positions.

Anderson snuck under Hessler to take third and then closed on the leaders while Adams and Hessler were dueling also.

As McMann continued to lead, Anderson took over second and closed on the Minnesota driver. McMann led at the halfway point but one lap later Anderson swept past him on the outside to take over the point.

The lone yellow of the race came with twelve laps complete as a car slowed in turn four and nearly squeezed off the leaders against the wall, but they managed to get by. Under the yellow, McMann dropped out of the race when fuel starvation issues.

Anderson took off on the green with Adams chasing him as they raced the high side of the track. Cory Mahder then started to come on as he was working the inside line and started to advance at a rapid pace.

Anderson continued to maintain his slight lead and as much as Adams pushed, he couldn’t close on the leader. Anderson was smooth on the cushion and drove home for his first Rice Lake Modified win and stopped Adams two week streak. Mahder closed strong at the line and nearly nipped Adams for second with Hessler and Dave Baxter completing the top five.

Previous to the Modified main, Anderson warmed up for the finale by taking the Super Stock feature too. He battled early leader Randy Spacek as they battled side by side for several laps before Anderson was able to edge into the lead. Eric Olson moved in to challenge and along with Jason Forehand and Shane Kisling, the race became a five car breakaway.

Olson was right on Anderson’s bumper as the field raced through a couple of early cautions the bunched them up. Olson tried lap after lap to get past Anderson but he just couldn’t quite execute the necessary speed. Spacek, Kisling and Forehand continued to battle for third at the same time.

Anderson continued to use the low groove and no matter how hard Olson tried, he just couldn’t get past the leader and he settled for second, a car length behind Anderson. Kisling picked up the pace in the late going and drove into third ahead of Forehand with Nick Oreskovich moving into the top five also.

Paul Suzik drove a great early race as he held off a snarling pack in the Midwest Modified feature race. Both Ryan and Tito Viltz were pushing him while Shane Halopka looked for an opening too. Suzik led most of the first half of the race but when he slid off the bottom, Tito was right there to take the opening and blast into the lead. Halopka picked up the pace as he moved into second and closed on the leader while Suzik and Ryan Viltz battled for third.

Just at the halfway point, Tito faltered in turn two and Halopka shot under him to take over the lead. However, a spin triggered the yellow before the lap could be completed and Tito was restored to the lead.

Given a reprieve by the yellow, Tito still couldn’t hold off the challenge of Halopka who once again got under him as the green waved and moved into the lead. This time the green stayed out, and Halopka quickly put distance on the field.

Halopka continued to set the pace and drove home for the win with Tito Viltz a solid but frustrated second. Suzik picked up the pace in the late going and got past Ryan Viltz to record a strong third place finish while Michael Truscott finished off a race long battle with Travis Anderson to complete the top five.

VanGilder continues to impress as the rookie Street Stock driver won his second straight main at Rice Lake. Bob Wahlstrom and Troy Chaplin battled in the early going of the Street Stock feature but when they both slid up the track, VanGilder was right there to take advantage of the opening and shoot into the lead.

Chris Peterson moved up from the third row to challenge VanGilder and lap after lap he tried to run past VanGilder on the top side but just couldn’t pull off the attempted move. When Peterson slipped up the track, Cody Kummer was right there to replace him in the second spot and he glued himself to VanGilder’s rear bumper.

In the last few laps, Kummer applied heavy pressure but VanGilder failed to give him an opening as he drove home with Kummer tight behind him for his second win of the year. Josh Amans made a strong charge of his own too, moving past Peterson into the third spot at the finish while Adam Soltis nipped Jay Kesan for a top five spot also.

Traynor also won his second feature race of the year, holding off Jason Havel for the win. Brent Miller was the early leader but Traynor worked his way up from the third row to drive into the lead. Shawn Amundson was locked in a good battle with C.J. Wagner for second when Havel joined them and then made a great move to get between them and take over the second spot. He then closed on Traynor and the race was on.

Amundson and Wagner battled hard before C.J. took the place and also moved forward.

A late race yellow set up a two lap sprint to the finish and while Havel was nailed to Traynor’s rear bumper, Nick didn’t make a mistake as he led the defending champion home for the win. Wagner finished a close third with Amundson and Miller next in line.

Racing continues next Saturday night with another five class program that begins with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and then on May 14th, the USMTS Modifieds will rock the house along with the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds. Race time for that event is 7 p.m.
 
SUMMARY

WISSOTA Modifieds
20 lap Feature – Mike Anderson(Colfax), Kevin Adams(Cameron), Cory Mahder(Eau Claire), Mark Hessler(Menomonie), Dave Baxter(Eau Claire), Ashley Anderson(Elk Mound), Jeff Spacek(Phillips), Steve Hallquist(Eau Claire), Deven Van House(Silver Bay MN), Kerry Halopka(Wheeler), Pat Hoffman, Al Uotinen, Bill Byholm, Will Fisher, Neil Balduc, Buddy Mayala, Jeff Davis, Dave Mayala, Tim McMann, Wayne Poteet
10 lap Heat 1 –M. Anderson, McMann(Duluth MN), Van House, Hoffman(Rice Lake), Byholm(Glidden), A. Anderson, Balduc
Heat 2 – Baxter, Hessler, Adams, Hallquist, Uotinen(Superior), D. Mayala, Davis
Heat 3 – Mahder, Halopka, Spacek, Fisher(Shell Lake), B. Mayala(Barron), Matt Leer, Poteet

WISSOTA Super Stocks
20 lap Feature – Mike Anderson(Colfax), Eric Olson(Ladysmith), Shane Kisling(Sarona), Jason Forehand(Eau Claire), Nick Oreskovich(Mason), Randy Spacek(Phillips), Michael Truscott(Chippewa Falls), Curt Myers(Cameron), Don Muzzy(Ironwood MI), Scott Lawrence(Superior), Andy Grymala, Willie Johnsen Jr, Kevin Burdick, Terran Spacek, Jim Cimfl, Derek Baskin, Dave Flynn, John Erickson, Cole Spacek, Kyle Helling, Marcus Dunbar, Jim Harris, Keith Corcilius, Eric Zitelman, Bart Steffen
10 lap Heat 1 – Myers, Forehand, Oreskovich, Muzzy, Cimfl(Turtle Lake), Baskin, Corcilius
Heat 2 – Olson, R. Spacek, Truscott, Johnsen Jr(Superior), Steffen(Eau Claire), Dunbar
Heat 3 – Kisling, Anderson, Flynn(Superior), Lawrence, T. Spacek(Phillips) Helling
Heat 4 – C. Spacek(Phillips), Burdick(Proctor MN), Grymala(Superior), Harris(Menomonie), Zitelman(Lindstrom MN), Erickson

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Tito Viltz(Rice Lake), Paul Suzik(Ironwood MI), Ryan Viltz(Chetek), Michael Truscott(Chippewa Falls), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Deven Van House(Silver Bay MN), Dan Kingsley(Superior), Joe Chaplin Jr(Cameron), Austin Ellis(Rice Lake), Karl Kolek, Kent Baxter, Shane Kisling, Cory Davis, Cody Carlson, Tad Bretting, Craig Elliott, Tyler Vernon, David Simpson, Kevin Eder
12 lap B Feature – Baxter(Colfax), Vernon(Ashland), Bretting(Ashland),  Kolek(Menomonie), Nathan Thums(Wausau), Joe Prusak, John Kallas, Josh Wahlstrom, Kyle Runkle, Mike Jacques, Tim Ekdahl, Duane Dunbar, Nate Doyen, Tad Schoonover
10 lap Heat 1 – T. Viltz, Truscott, Anderson, Kisling(Sarona), Baxter, Kolek, Prusak, Schoonover
Heat 2 – Halopka, Eder(Ashland), Ellis, Elliott(Hillsdale), Vernon, Kallas, Dunbar, Runkle
Heat 3 – R. Viltz, Chaplin Jr, Davis(Turtle Lake), Simpson(Thunder Bay ONT), Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Doyen, Ekdahl
Heat 4 – Suzik, Van House, Kingsley, Carlson(Superior), Bretting, Thums, Jacques

WISSOTA Street Stocks
15 lap Feature – Hunter VanGilder(Rice Lake), Cody Kummer(Medford), Josh Amans(Rice Lake), Chris Peterson(Amery), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Jay Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), Ron Hanestad(Glenwood City), Kevin Bogdanovic(Wausau), Troy Chaplin(Barron), Ashley Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Kolby Kiehl, Simon Wahlstrom, Bob Wahlstrom, Heidi Karshbaum, Rob Grabon, Nate Langeberg, Cooper Berlin, Jamey Fisher
10 lap Heat 1 – Amans, Kummer, VanGilder, Hanestad, Fisher(Cameron), S. Wahlstrom
Heat 2 – Soltis, Peterson, Kiehl(Cameron), Bogdanovic, A. Wahlstrom, Grabon
Heat 3 – Kesan, Chaplin, B. Wahlstrom(Chetek), Karshbaum(Chetek), Langeberg(Tomahawk), Berlin

Pure Stocks
12 lap Feature – Nick Traynor(Barron), Jason Havel(Rice Lake), C.J. Wagner(Rice Lake), Shawn Amundson(Rice Lake), Brent Miller(Cameron), Tucker Quinn(Ladysmith), Jimmy Holden(Rice Lake), Trenten Holub(Chetek), Bob Thompson(Cameron), Dusten Holub(Chetek), Wayne Braun, Chris Johnson, Cody Tisdale, Justin Weinberger, Ryan Madsen, Austin Workman, Mike Miller, Zach Beaulieu, Cody Stead
8 lap Heat 1 – Holden, Thompson, T. Holub, Tisdale(Eau Claire), Weinberger(Park Falls), Beaulieu, D Holbu
Heat 2 – Havel, Wagner, B. Miller, Johnson(Superior), Stead(Bloomer), M. Miller
Heat 3 – Traynor, Amundson, Quinn, Madsen(Foxboro), Braun(Spooner), Workman