Tourville Breaks the Bank At Rice Lake Speedway; Wins $15,400 in "Little Dream"

By Ed Reichert

Rice Lake WI, August 1 – Passing two time winner of the Street Stock “Little Dream” race Tim Johnson with just over a lap to go, Keith Tourville won his first ever “Little Dream” on a record breaking night for the event. The twenty third annual running of this nationally known and unique event saw records shattered once again.

This race, which is unique in that businesses and individuals contribute money to built up the purse, saw Tourville go home with a record top prize for the event. The thirty lap Street Stock feature race paid an impressive $15,400 to win with most of the other finishing positions also enhanced thanks to contributions from the crowd.

This year's race, sanctioned once again by WISSOTA, and administered by FYE Motorsports Promotions, drew fifty seven entrants from four states and Canada and was the second highest number of competitors ever for the event. The companion Midwest Modified main event was won by Joe Chaplin Jr.

Twenty five drivers took the green flag for the Street Stock main event with Eric Olson getting the jump on Johnson to take the early lead. Johnson and Jim Gullikson were the main challengers to Olson in the early going with the leaders running three wide on several occasions. Both Johnson and Gullikson came close to taking over the lead on different occasions only to have Olson fight them off.

The race was slowed several times in the first fifteen laps of the event by several minor spins that kept the field bunched.

Behind the top three in the running order, Sam Fankhauser, Tommy Richards, Ron Hanestad and Jeff Crouse were running in close formation while Tourville rolled along consistently in the top five but not challenging the leaders at this point.

The yellow flew for a slowing Jordan Tollakson at the halfway point of the race with Olson still maintaining a tight lead over Johnson and Gullikson. Tourville had advantage to fourth by this point with Fankhauser, Crouse and Kyle Genett now joining the leaders.

Back on the green, Johnson made his move on the outside and was able to drive past Olson to take over the lead with Gullikson following suit a few laps later to take over second. Gullikson then began to challenge hard for the top spot as he several times nosed up beside Johnson, only to have Tim fight him off once again.

Things got very crazy starting at about lap twenty five with the yellow waving four times without a lap being scored. The leader Johnson was turned around twice in turn four as the battle for the top spot got very heated. Both times Johnson was restored to the top spot and both Olson and Gullikson were penalized to the back of the pack for instigating the contact that sent the leader spinning.

Tourville had kept his nose clean and with the shuffling of the leaders, he now found himself running in second spot and with an open track ahead of him. On the final restart, he jumped to the outside and immediately found success as he was able to edge up on the leader and soon they were nearly door handle to door handle.

Tourville continued to apply heavy pressure while continuing to use the second lane on the track and as the white flag appeared, Keith was able to clear Johnson and claim the lead. Johnson came back hard on the final circuit, throwing his car hard into turn four but Tourville maintained his line and beat Johnson to the finish line by a car length for the stunning and surprising upset win. Kolby Kiehl had gradually worked his way to the front and then really gained ground the final five laps as he came from fifteenth to finish a strong third with Fankhauser and Karl Genett completing the top five.

Scored sixth through tenth were Justin Vogel, Hunter VanGilder, Jimmy Randall, Charlie Shiek and Danny Richards.

Despite the multitude of yellow flags(eleven slow downs in all), twenty one of the twenty five starters were still on the track at the finish with all on the lead lap.

Perhaps the most stunning fact of all was the fact that Tourville was driving the winning car for the very first time, having finalized a deal just Tuesday morning to drive a car for the Blowers Racing Team out of Waseca Minnesota. Tourville drove as a second driver to Mike Blowers, driving the car normally raced by Blowers' son Bobby, a rookie in the class. However, Tourville's business, Player Motorsports, did build both of the Blowers' cars.

Tourville celebrated his win with a smoky “burndown” on the front chute of the track as the large crowd on hand applauded the winner and the winning team celebrated their triumph.

The Midwest Modified main event saw Aric Lindberg lead the first half of the race as he tried to win his third feature race of the year at Rice Lake. He was being closely pursued by Joe Chaplin Jr, Jeffrey Lien Jr and Shane Halopka. Michael Truscott was also on the move, as he charged up from the fourth row and looked to be ready to challenge for the lead.

A yellow slowed his momentum however, and Chaplin Jr used the restart to make a still challenge for the lead. He dove low into turn one and was able to get under the leader and take over the top spot. Truscott moved into second and tried his best to catch the leader, but Chaplin Jr had a good clean line on the track and he drove home for the win with Truscott several car lengths behind at the finish. Halopka finished a close third with Lien Jr and Lindberg rounding out the top five.

There will be no racing at the speedway this coming Saturday, August 5th. Racing will resume on August 12th with a full five division program. It will also be Hall of Fame night with six new members slated to join the Rice Lake Speedway Hall of Fame including Clayton Hargrave, Joe Lapcinski, Terry Foltz, Jim Rude, Paul Harelstad and the late Duane Mahder.

As usual, warmups start at 6:30 pm with racing at 7 pm.

SUMMARY

Rice Lake Speedway

Rice Lake WI

August 1, 2017

WISSOTA Street Stocks

“Little Dream Race” 30 lap Feature – Keith Tourville(Webster), Tim Johnson(Brainerd MN), Kolby Kiehl(Barron), Sam Fankhauser(Rice Lake), Karl Genett(Auburndale), Justin Vogel(Brooten MN), Hunter VanGilder(Rice Lake), Jimmy Randall(Rice Lake), Charlie Shiek(Foley MN), Danny Richards(Mondovi), Ryan Kostreba, Mike Blowers, Kirk Bogdanovic, Scott Huston, Mike Knudtson, Kyle Genett, Eric Olson, Jay Kesan, Jeff Crouse, Justin Pogones, James Wall, Jim Gullikson, Tommy Richards, Jordan Tollakson, Ron Hanestad

15 lap Non Qualifier – Kyle Howland(Zimmerman MN), Royce Jawaski(Adrian ND), Don Cook(Barron), Chris Michaelsohn(Wishek ND), Eric Riley(Morris MN), Brett Miller(Alexandria MN), Justin Tammen(Clara City MN), Preston Blackwell(Miller SD), Andy Cimfl(Rice Lake), Shawn Amundson(Rice Lake), Mitch Kesan, Nate Langeberg, Gavin Rowland

15 lap B Feature – Pogones(Zimmerman MN), Randall, Kirk Bogdanovic(Phillips), Howland, Cook, Riley, Cimfl, Danny Hanson, M. Kesan, Wall, Tammen, Dustin White, Daniel Aberle, Tiffany Noreikis, Rob Rodziczak, Steven Richards, Barrett Berg, Kevin Bogdanovic

B Feature 2 – Kostreba(Elk River MN), Huston(Benson MN), VanGilder, Miller, Jawaski, Amundson, Rowland, Langeberg, Michaelsohn, Blackwell, Nick Schwebach, Blayne Baloun, Parker Anderson, Brandon Fah, Josh Bach, Warren Hanson, Kyle Dykhoff, Braden Brauer

10 lap Heat 1 – Johnson, Knudtson(Osseo), Jawaski, Kostreba, Pogones(Zimmerman MN), Cook, Cimfl, Noreikis, Bach, Rodziczak

Heat 2 – Olson(Ladysmith), Fankhauser, Miller, Howland, Riley, Kyle Hauge, Kevin Bogdanovic, D. Hanson, Brit Bromann, Fah

Heat 3 – Crouse(Alexandria MN), Vogel, Tourville, Blowers(Waseca MN), Tammen, Huston, Berg, Baloun, Nick Traynor

Heat 4 - Shiek, Hanestad(Glenwood City), Aberle(Finley ND), Blackwell, Brauer(Eyota MN), Rowland, Anderson, Schwebach,W. Hanson

Heat 5 – T. Richards(Mondovi), Kyle Genett, Karl Genett, Dykhoff(Perham MN), VanGilder, White, Randall, Wall, S. Richards

Heat 6 – Gullikson, Tollakson(Montevideo MN), D. Richards, Kiehl, J. Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), Kirk Bogdanovic, Langeberg, M. Kesan, Michaelsohn

Heat 7 – Tourville, Huston, Tammen, Crouse, Rowland(Ogilvie MN), Aberle, Brauer, Baloun, Blackwell, Berg

Heat 8 – Fankhauser, Karl Genett, T. Richards, White(Conover), ,D. Hanson(Alma), Miller, Kevin Bogdanovic, Wall, Bromann, Fah

Heat 9 – J. Kesan, Kiehl, Tollakson, Knudtson, Cimfl, M. Kesan, Bach, Noreikis, Rodziczak, Cook

Heat 10 – Johnson, Gullikson, Pogones, D. Richards, Kirk Bogdanovic, Kostreba, Jawaski, Michaelsohn, Langeberg

Heat 11 – Randall, Olson, Kyle Genett, Dykhoff, VanGilder, Riley, Hauge, S. Richards, Howland

Heat 12 – Blowers, Hanestad, Amundson, Vogel, Shiek, Schwebach, Anderson, W. Hanson

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

20 lap Feature – Joe Chaplin Jr(Cameron), Michael Truscott(Chippewa Falls), Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Jeffrey Lien Jr. (Mora MN), Aric Lindberg(Dallas), Jason VandeKamp(Scandia MN), Austin Ellis(Rice Lake), Grant Southworth(Bloomer), Mark Thomas(Menomonie), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Reid Tiegs, Nick Koehler, Jamie Bisonette, Ross Fuhrman, Calvin Iverson, Brady Larson, Jason Olson, Gunnar Watkins, Fran Hanson, Kyle Schell, Tyler Vernon, Shadow Kitchner, Denny Cutsforth, Cory Asmussen

10 lap B Feature – Kitchner(Arkansas), Asmussen(Waseca MN), Iverson(Eleva), B. Larson(Amery), Mark Barta(Rice Lake), Cody Wall, Scott Meeds, Mitchell Larson, Craig Elliott

10 lap Heat 1 – Watkins(Elk Mound), Lindberg, Schell(Lisbon ND), Bisonette(Dallas), Olson(Augusta), M. Larson, B. Larson, Meeds

Heat 2 – Anderson, Lien Jr, Fuhrman(Ashland), Hanson(Almena), Tiegs(Dallas), Asmussen, Barta

Heat 3 – Southworth, Chaplin Jr, VandeKamp, Koehler(Bloomer), Cutsforth(Rice Lake), Elliott, Wall

Heat 4 – Truscott, Halopka, Thomas, Vernon(Ashland), Ellis, Kitchner, Iverson