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  .: August 19th, 2017 :.

Mahder, Traynor Top Season Championship at Rice Lake Speedway

By Ed Reichert

Rice Lake WI, August 19 – Cory Mahder and Nick Traynor both picked very good nights to win their first feature races of the season Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway. It was Season Championship night with the qualifying races lined up by points earned during the entire racing season but neither driver let that hinder them as they raced their way into victory lane for the first time in 2017. Champions were also crowned in the other three classes at the track and the winners were Joe Chaplin Jr, Eric Olson and George Richards.

The two first time winners scored their victories with totally divergent routes to victory lane. For Mahder, his winning pass was executed with only two laps to go in the main event while Traynor dominated his division, leading from start to finish and never being seriously challenged in perhaps the biggest upset of the night.

Mahder proved he meant business when he raced from sixth to second in his heat race with gave him the fourth starting spot in the Modified Championship race. Kevin Adams sat on the pole but it was Mike Anderson who got the jump on him to take the early lead. Only three laps were completed when a tangle in turn two slowed the action and eliminated the cars of Dave Baxter and Darrel Hazelton.

On the restart Anderson continued to lead with Adams trying a variety of moves to get past him. Mahder was also right there and when Adams tried the outside line to make a pass, Cory was right there to jump into the second spot. He then set off after the leader as Anderson had built up a considerable advantage by this time.

Fourteen straight green flag laps allowed Anderson to continue to show the way with Mahder starting to eat into the lead by little bits. Adams was fighting to hold on to third with Steve Hallquist pressuring him while Ryan Viltz and Mark Hessler battled for fifth.

Anderson looked to still be in command when a late race spin changed things up mightily and gave Mahder the chance he was seeking. The single file restart with three laps to go saw Anderson immediately have problems in the corners making his car turn and Mahder immediately shot to the second lane in an attempt to pass. When Anderson again struggled in turn three, Mahder was up beside him and drove into the lead as they crossed the line.

The last two laps saw Mahder stretch his advantage as he drove home for the win and then celebrated by knocking a huge beach ball that his sponsor, who was the event sponsor for the night, had placed in the middle of the track. Cory butted the huge ball into the victory lane area in an entertaining conclusion to the event. Anderson settled for a disappointing second over Adams, Hallquist and Mark Hessler.

Traynor showed he meant business by roaring past point champion Eric Olson in a heat race to earn the pole for the Super Stock Championship event. Once the green flag dropped for the Supers, Traynor immediately sprinted off to a healthy sized lead as Jim Cimfl tried to stay with him. Olson and Simon Wahlstrom picked up the pace with Simon moving into second and Olson chasing him.

Traynor had a big lead as Wahlstrom tried to track him down with Olson chasing both of them. Yellows on laps eight and nine allowed the field to bunch up and Olson took advantage of this to drive past Wahlstrom and take over second but catching Traynor was another story.

Traynor continued to lead comfortably as the race moved into its second half with the final yellow an emergency one as Cody Cimfl had an engine fire that was quickly extinguished.

The last six laps saw Traynor pull away again and open up several car lengths as he raced home unchallenged for the win over point champion Olson. Wahlstrom ran a strong third with Adam Soltis and Sam Fankhauser completing the top five.

Chaplin Jr showed great resolve as he overcame an early race set back to win the Midwest Modified Championship event and earn a career best seventh win of the season at Rice Lake.

Chaplin Jr shared the front row with Michael Truscott and jumped into the early lead with Truscott and Shane Halopka chasing. Halopka had a rocky first lap as he got turned around into traffic in turn two but everyone avoided him and he was restarted to his position for attempt number two.

However, Chaplin Jr. was judged to have left early on the first start and was moved back two positions for the second attempted start. However, Chaplin Jr was running very strong and he bolted right back up past Truscott and retook the lead before one lap was completed.

The first part of the event was caution plagued with several minor spins slowing the action and keeping any kind of momentum from building up. However, it was Chaplin Jr that led through all of this with Halopka and Truscott applying the major pressure while Grant Southworth and Austin Ellis gradually worked their way into contention.

Southworth was particularly strong as he moved from eighth to third and along with Halopka, put the moves on as they tried to get past Chaplin Jr. Southworth had the best chance of anyone of dislodging the leader as he got up beside Chaplin Jr following the last yellow flag and very nearly got the lead away from Joe. However, after running side by side into a corner, Chaplin Jr was able to fight off the challenge and hold on to the lead.

The last six laps Joe began to edge away and while Southworth tried both lines on the track, he couldn't find the speed he needed to challenge again and in fact Halopka snuck back into second near the end. Ellis and Travis Anderson completed the top five as Truscott dropped out late with a flat tire.

Olson partially made up for the disappointment of losing the Super Stock feature by putting on a strong drive to win the Street Stock Championship run. In the early going, it was Jay Kesan in front as he led the first three laps after getting the jump from the outside pole. Olson quickly went after him and after Kesan slid up the track just a bit, Olson was right there to take over the lead. Once in front, he managed to open up a several car lengths advantage as Kesan, Kevin Bogdanovic and Ron Hanestad battled behind him. Point champion Hunter VanGilder also looked to move up after starting fifth on the grid.

Olson continued to lead as the race stayed under the green until a lap ten yellow bunched the field for the only time during the event. As Olson again got a nice jump, Bogdanovic was the driver on the move. He used the second lane to pull up beside Kesan in a battle for second and then was able to edge past him and take over the runner up slot.

In the remaining few laps Kevin closed up slightly on Olson, but Eric still had a comfortable lead as the checkered flag flew from Troy Holder. For Olson and the Mark Ewert owned team, it was his third feature win in the abbreviated season that they ran. Kesan finished a solid third with Hanestad and VanGilder close behind him.

George Richards and Dustin Doughty are involved in a national point battle in the Pure Stock class and they locked horns in the Championship main Saturday and on this night, it was Richards who came away with the bragging rights. They started side by side in the front row of the Pure Stock feature with Doughty getting the jump and leading the early laps. Richards was tucked in right behind Doughty as he looked for a path by him while Bob Thompson, Rob Grabon and Jason Havel battled behind him. An early yellow for a Grabon spin slowed the action but once under green again, it was Richards who put the pressure back on the leader.

With Doughty sliding up the track just a bit, Richards stuck the nose of his Monte Carlo under Doughty and they raced side by side around the oval. Richards had the momentum though, and he was able to edge into the lead just at the halfway point of the race. Thompson continued to hold on to third and fight off all challenges as Tucker Quinn started to charge toward the front.

The final few laps saw Doughty nailed to Richards' rear bumper looking for an opening but none would come up and while the two battled hard for the lead, they also raced each other clean. Doughty took one last shot off the final corner but Richards was a car length ahead as he flashed across the line for his third Rice Lake win in 2017. Thompson had a great run to finish third with Quinn next in line. Havel's last run for the foreseeable future was a good one as he went to the back early and charged back up through the field to get a top five finish. The defending track champion is battling some health issues that have caused him to step away from the sport for the time being and Saturday he put on one last show for the fans and his sponsor that was the event sponsor for the night.

Next Saturday night will be the regular season wrap up at the Rice Lake Speedway. Track points are now done and champions have been crowned while national points are still being tallied for those in point races. All five classes will be in action and it will be a draw/redraw line up format next Saturday.

Also, kid's bike races will be held at intermission so all kids should bring their bikes with them and do a little racing of their own on the track.

The season will conclude over the Labor Day weekend with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, September 2nd and 3rd. Saturday will be a regular payoff for four WISSOTA classes with the Pure Stocks racing a special event worth $500 to the winner. On Sunday, the purse will be elevated for the other four classes while the Pure Stocks will be racing for the regular Saturday night purse. A large field of cars is anticipated and all events will be started an hour earlier both nights with the pits opening at 3 pm, grandstands at 4 pm, the draw cut off will be at 5:30 pm and racing at 6 pm both nights. Check the track website, face book page or call Dave Adams for more information.

SUMMARY

Rice Lake Speedway

Rice Lake WI

August 19, 2017

WISSOTA Modifieds

20 lap Feature – Cory Mahder(Eau Claire), Mike Anderson(Colfax), Kevin Adams(Cameron), Steve Hallquist(Eau Claire), Mark Hessler(Menomonie), Ryan Viltz(Chetek), Scott Duval(Bloomer), Jason Schill(Centuria), Bryan Hessler(Chetek), Dave Mayala(Barron), Wayne Poteet, Gary Baxter, Darrel Hazelton, Dave Baxter

8 lap Heat 1 – Adams, Hallquist, Viltz, D. Baxter(Eau Claire), B. Hessler, Duval, G. Baxter

Heat 2 – Anderson, Mahder, M. Hessler, Hazelton(Chippewa Falls), Mayala, Poteet, Schill

WISSOTA Super Stocks

20 lap Feature – Nick Traynor(Barron), Eric Olson(Ladysmith), Simon Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Sam Fankhauser(Rice Lake), Don Cimfl Jr(Rice Lake), Cooper Berlin(Rice Lake), Steve Davidson(Richland Center), Mike Siewert(Cameron), Steve Martin(Farmington MN), Thomas Martin, Cody Cimfl, Jim Cimfl, A.J. Morrissette, Josh Cappo

8 lap Heat 1 – Traynor, Olson, Soltis, Berlin, C. Cimfl(Rice Lake), S. Martin, Morrissette, Cappo

Heat 2 – J. Cimfl(Turtle Lake), Wahlstrom, Fankhauser, D. Cimfl, Davidson, Siewert, T. Martin

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

15 lap Feature – Joe Chaplin Jr(Cameron), Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Grant Southworth(Bloomer), Austin Ellis(Rice Lake), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Tim Ekdahl(Cameron), Gary Baxter(Eau Claire), Jamie Bisonette(Dallas), Aric Lindberg(Dallas), Fran Hanson(Almena), Brady Larson, Brad Doyen, Jason Schill, John Mueller, Michael Truscott, Mitchell Larson, Craig Elliott, Scott Anderson, Kent Baxter, Dan Roatch, John Wilson, Reid Tiegs(DQ), Denny Cutsforth(DQ)

8 lap Heat 1 – Truscott(Chippewa Falls), Halopka, G. Baxter, Ekdahl, Cutsforth(Rice Lake), Hanson, B.Larson, Mueller

Heat 2 – Chaplin Jr, Ellis, Southworth, K. Baxter(Colfax), Bisonette, M. Larson, Doyen, Wilson

Heat 3 –T. Anderson, Lindberg, Tiegs(Dallas), Elliott(Hillsdale), Schill(Centuria), S. Anderson, Roatch

WISSOTA Street Stocks

15 lap Feature – Eric Olson(Ladysmith), Kevin Bogdanovic(Wausau), Jay Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), Ron Hanestad(Glenwood City), Hunter VanGilder(Rice Lake), Kolby Kiehl(Barron), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Don Cook(Barron), Travis Loew(Barron), Andy Cimfl(Rice Lake), Jake Hessler, Parker Anderson, Josh Bach

8 lap Heat 1 – Olson, Bogdanovic, VanGilder, Kiehl, Loew, Cimfl, Hessler

Heat 2 – Kesan, Hanestad, Cook, Soltis, Bach(Barron), Anderson

WISSOTA Pure Stocks

12 lap Feature – George Richards(Mondovi), Dustin Doughty(Oakdale MN), Bob Thompson(Cameron), Tucker Quinn(Ladysmith), Jason Havel(Rice Lake), Jimmy Holden(Rice Lake), Andy Ladd(Cumberland), Jon Wigchers(Rice Lake), Mike Grover(Chetek), Lou Puzio(Eau Claire), Dusten Holub, Scotty VanGilder, Wayne Braun Jr, Dave Holub, Rob Grabon, Austin Workman, Mike Pratt, Rob Holmstrom Jr, John Eastman

8 lap Heat 1 – Doughty, Holden, Pratt(Bloomer), Wigchers, Puzio, Eastman, Workman

Heat 2 – Richards, Grabon(Bruce), Quinn, Braun Jr(Rice Lake), Ladd, D. Holub

Heat 3 – Thompson, Havel, D. Holub(Chetek), Grover, Holmstrom Jr(Weyerhaeuser), VanGilder