5/11/2026
Rice Lake Speedway
Blaeser Tops Henry Modified Special at Rice Lake
Blaeser Tops Henry Modified Special at Rice Lake
by Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, May 9 – The highlight event of the third racing program of the year at the Rice Lake Speedway was the second annual Henry Repeating Arms Springtime Modified Spectacular and Kaden Blaeser led twenty four of twenty five laps to take the victory. In other racing action, three of the drivers that had won the opening two programs were finally defeated, leaving only Simon Wahlstrom among the ranks of the unbeaten drivers as he won his third straight Pure Stock feature.
Nineteen drivers took the green flag from Tom Clausen for the start of the Henry Modified Spectacular with Nick Koehler jumping into the initial lead. Koehler, subbing in the Modified normally driven by Cory Crapser, held the top spot for the opening lap before Blaeser, who started fourth on the grid, moved to the cushion and drove by to take over the lead. Koehler fought back however, and was able to stay close to Blaeser during the first few laps. Matt Leer, Blake Adams and Brady Uotinen were all tucked in behind those two in the early going.
Aiden Hoffman, having a great run, slowed however with ten laps complete, triggering the first yellow of the race and allowing the pack to reform. Bad news hit for Koehler however, when he slowed and pulled into the infield, dropping out of the contest while still in the second spot.
The green flag dropped but it proved to be disasterous as on two straight occasions, drivers challenging Blaeser for the lead but spun out on the top side of the track. First it was Adams and then, on the attempted restart, this time it was Leer that went for a spin. Both drivers elected to call it a night at that point and the running order was shuffled considerably for the third attempt.
Now it was Uotinen's turn and the Superior driver looked to the inside of Blaeser and nearly pulled off the pass for the lead, getting up beside the leader but just not quite able to get past. Blaeser then adjusted his line and that helped his solidify the front spot.
Jack Rivord was on the move too and by the halfway point of the race had driven past Justin Weinberger to take over the third spot.
By this point, Blaeser had found his “sweet spot” on the track and he slowly began to pull away from Uotinen, despite Brady's attempts to work different lines on the track to increase his speed.
After the three stoppages on lap ten, the final fifteen laps of the race would go green to checkers and Blaeser built up a comfortable lead by the time he saw the checkered flag.
Uotinen, in his first outing of 2026, ran a solid race to get second with Rivord also strong to complete the top three. Weinberger, and Shane Halopka, who started fourteenth, finished up the top five. Blaeser collected twelve hundred dollars for his win plus a “one of one,” special rifle from Henry as his winner's trophy.
Steve Stuart had his winning streak stopped at two in the Super Stock division but he gave it his best effort to maintain his streak and it took a strong run by Alex Myers to break that streak. Myers started on the second row of the Super Stock feature but with a strong opening lap, was able to pull into the early lead. The Supers had a tough time getting their race going with two yellow flags before they could complete their opening lap but once under way, it was nonstop racing for a number of laps.
Stuart started fourth and moved into the runner up slot, trying to pressure Myers for the lead but the driver on the move was Jeff Eisner Jr who had started right behind Stuart and moved in to challenge him for second.
The running order remained the same through the halfway point of the race until a slowing car slowed the action with fourteen laps complete and this led to some jockeying of position. Eisner Jr was strong on the restart and drove past Stuart on the inside and looked to be making a run for the lead when the yellow flew once again, breaking up his great run. On the following green, Stuart again drove back into second and then pushed Myers for the lead, drawing to within a car length and perhaps ready to challenge when, once again, the yellow caution light blinked on.
To his credit, Myer had maintained the lead through all the slowdowns and the last four lap dash to the finish saw him pull away slightly from Stuart and drive on for his first win of 2026. Stuart finished a strong second and Eisner Jr. was also impressive in finishing third. Leslie Leu ran a consistent race to finish fourth with Ryan Olson squeezing into fifth on the final lap.
The Midwest Modified division saw its third different winner in three weeks and it was Amery driver Brady Larson that led from start to finish to get the win.
Larson took an early lead over Cody Cimfl and Marcus Dunbar with both Blake Adams and Nick Koehler hurrying their way to the front. As in the Super Stocks, it took a few tries to get everyone settled down with the yellow waving five times in the first four laps before everyone settled in and raced the final sixteen laps without a stoppage.
One of the yellows saw Cimfl and Dunbar tangle with Dunbar calling it a night. Adams found a hole on a restart and squirted up to second but then Cimfl and Koehler returned the favor with Nick eventually getting up to second and Adams getting back around Cimfl.
The top three chased each other around the track for the final majority of the race and they were so evenly matched that unless one were to bobble, perhaps in traffic, that gaining a position was going to be hard.
Leader Larson never mis stepped once and he drove under the finish line to take the win with Koehler and Adams following. Cimfl and Travis Anderson completed the top five in a race that saw only three drivers fail to finish despite all the early action.
Cole Richards led all laps to win the Street Stock feature, his first win of the year and stopping Shawn Amundson's streak at two. Richards had to fight off an early challenge from Layla Chaplin for the lead and then Layla and Danny Richards had quite the battle for second before Richards prevailed.
Amundson showed the same speed that he has shown all season to date as he moved up from the third row, driving by Danny Richards and Chaplin to take over second and then set off in search of Cole Richards for the lead.
Unlike some of the other races during the night, this main event would go green to checkers following just a first lap spin and despite Amundson's efforts, Cole Richards was in a groove and would not be caught.
At the finish, despite Amundson's late rush, Cole would maintain the lead and take the win. Danny Richards, Connor Franson from the back and Caiden Engel wrapped up the top five.
The only driver to keep his perfect streak going was Simon Wahlstrom who won his third straight Pure Stock feature after coming from the seventh starting position to do so.
James Rahn edged past C.J. Wagner to take the early lead but both Tyler and Simon Wahlstrom were on their way to the front quickly. As Rahn continued to lead, they moved into second and third but the first yellow was triggered with six laps complete as they battled for second and got tangled with a slower car down the back chute, sending all three sliding into the infield.
Order was restored but the two Wahlstrom's were not done with their battle quite yet, as they tangled in turn three on the restart and the yellow came back out. This time Tyler went to the tail and the race resumed.
This time, with the green back out, Simon Wahlstrom began to put the pressure on Rahn for the lead and when James slid out in turn four just at the halfway point, both Simon and Wagner slipped under him to take over the top two spots.
After that point, with green flag racing the last half of the race, Simon pulled away from the pack, opening up an uncatchable lead. Austin Fencl had a strong second half of the race. After running in the fourth spot at the halfway point, he was able to pass both Rahn and Wagner and drive into second but he was considerably behind Wahlstrom at the finish. Completing the top five was Tom Treviranous in a race that unlike the opening two weeks, saw only a single driver not go the distance.
Next week it will be the Pure Stock drivers chance to be in the spotlight. The second annual, as it has been coined as the “Bomber Bash” will give that class the chance to run for some extra cash. Started last year on a whim with fans and businesses contributing much like the Little Dream for the Street Stocks, 2025 winner Austin Fencl went home with somewhere near two thousand dollars for his win. Now a scheduled event in 2026, the hope is to get this year's race winner somewhere in that same amount of prize money. With the Pure Stocks averaging over twenty per week so far this year and providing some wild action, the expectation is for another memorable contest.
Along with the Pure Stock special, the other four WISSOTA classes that race weekly will be on hand to race a full program as well.
Race time is 6 pm and regular admission pricing will prevail. Follow the speedway website and facebook page for the latest updates.
Results
20 entries
WISSOTA Modifieds
A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 43K-Kaden Blaeser[4]; 2. 9-Brady Uotinen[5]; 3. 19J-Jack Rivord[6]; 4. 11-Justin Weinberger[9]; 5. 3JR-Shane Halopka[14]; 6. 57-Mike Anderson[17]; 7. 18S-Kennedy Swan[12]; 8. 7X-Marcus Dunbar[19]; 9. 21F-Nick Oreskovich[15]; 10. 20-Austin Ellis[10]; 11. 32III-Cody Carlson[13]; 12. 204-David Mayala[20]; 13. (DNF) 22T-Michael Truscott[8]; 14. (DNF) 30-Matt Leer[2]; 15. (DNF) 12-Jason Gross[11]; 16. (DNF) 40D-Blake Adams[7]; 17. (DNF) 07-Nick Koehler[1]; 18. (DNF) 9MM-Aiden Hoffman[3]; 19. (DNF) 5-Joe Chaplin Jr[18]; 20. (DNS) 27H-Steve Hallquist
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 07-Nick Koehler[1]; 2. 22T-Michael Truscott[2]; 3. 11-Justin Weinberger[4]; 4. 20-Austin Ellis[3]; 5. 32III-Cody Carlson[5]; 6. 27H-Steve Hallquist[6]; 7. 7X-Marcus Dunbar[7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 9MM-Aiden Hoffman[1]; 2. 9-Brady Uotinen[2]; 3. 40D-Blake Adams[6]; 4. 12-Jason Gross[3]; 5. 3JR-Shane Halopka[7]; 6. 57-Mike Anderson[5]; 7. 204-David Mayala[4]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 30-Matt Leer[1]; 2. 43K-Kaden Blaeser[4]; 3. 19J-Jack Rivord[2]; 4. 18S-Kennedy Swan[6]; 5. 21F-Nick Oreskovich[5]; 6. 5-Joe Chaplin Jr[3]
18 entries
WISSOTA Super Stock
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 2M-Alex Myers[3]; 2. 80-Steve Stuart[4]; 3. 10-Jeff Eisner Jr[6]; 4. 14X-Leslie Leu[8]; 5. 1-Ryan Olson[5]; 6. 3B-Austin Blom[2]; 7. 44-Trenton Bond[14]; 8. 12K-Duane (DJ) Keeler[11]; 9. 20-Andrew Davis[12]; 10. 21-Mike Siewert[15]; 11. 02-Travis Anderson[10]; 12. 28-Josh Cappo[13]; 13. 38-Trevor Koslowski[17]; 14. (DNF) 247-Jackson Larson[1]; 15. (DNF) 17G-Chris Gross[16]; 16. (DNF) 22-Robert Holmstrom[18]; 17. (DNF) 01-Michael Anderson[7]; 18. (DNF) 51JR-Shawn McFadden[9]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 51JR-Shawn McFadden[1]; 2. 247-Jackson Larson[2]; 3. 01-Michael Anderson[5]; 4. 02-Travis Anderson[3]; 5. 28-Josh Cappo[4]; 6. (DNF) 22-Robert Holmstrom[6]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 2M-Alex Myers[2]; 2. 10-Jeff Eisner Jr[4]; 3. 14X-Leslie Leu[5]; 4. 12K-Duane (DJ) Keeler[6]; 5. 44-Trenton Bond[3]; 6. 17G-Chris Gross[1]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 80-Steve Stuart[3]; 2. 1-Ryan Olson[2]; 3. 3B-Austin Blom[4]; 4. 20-Andrew Davis[1]; 5. 21-Mike Siewert[5]; 6. 38-Trevor Koslowski[6]
18 entries
WISSOTA Midwest Mods
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 63JR-Brady Larson[1]; 2. 13-Nick Koehler[6]; 3. 40D-Blake Adams[5]; 4. 19C-Cody Cimfl[3]; 5. 37-Travis Anderson[4]; 6. 00-Joe Swearingen[8]; 7. 31-Jason Vokovan[13]; 8. 28-Paul Ripley[10]; 9. 10Z-Cade Johnson[11]; 10. 44-David Dishaw[7]; 11. 1-Jake Stai[9]; 12. 317-Austin Polonoski[15]; 13. 18K-Braedyn Kirtland[17]; 14. 101-Michael Grover[16]; 15. 401K-Mitch Patrick[18]; 16. (DNF) 62K-Ryan Kough[12]; 17. (DNF) 7X-Marcus Dunbar[2]; 18. (DNF) 11K-Chase Brown[14]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 19C-Cody Cimfl[1]; 2. 7X-Marcus Dunbar[6]; 3. 37-Travis Anderson[3]; 4. 28-Paul Ripley[5]; 5. 31-Jason Vokovan[2]; 6. (DNF) 18K-Braedyn Kirtland[4]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 1-Jake Stai[4]; 2. 63JR-Brady Larson[3]; 3. 00-Joe Swearingen[6]; 4. 10Z-Cade Johnson[2]; 5. 11K-Chase Brown[5]; 6. 101-Michael Grover[1]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 40D-Blake Adams[2]; 2. 13-Nick Koehler[5]; 3. 44-David Dishaw[1]; 4. 62K-Ryan Kough[3]; 5. 317-Austin Polonoski[4]; 6. 401K-Mitch Patrick[6]
8 entries
WISSOTA Street Stock
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 1R-Cole Richards[1]; 2. 19A-Shawn Amundson[5]; 3. 3R-Danny Richards[3]; 4. 20F-Connor Franson[4]; 5. 7-Caiden Engel[6]; 6. 86-Layla Chaplin[2]; 7. 00Z-Bryar Zimmerman[7]; 8. (DNF) 31-Tom Treviranus[8]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 19A-Shawn Amundson[1]; 2. 3R-Danny Richards[6]; 3. 1R-Cole Richards[7]; 4. 86-Layla Chaplin[2]; 5. 20F-Connor Franson[4]; 6. 7-Caiden Engel[8]; 7. 00Z-Bryar Zimmerman[3]; 8. 31-Tom Treviranus[5]
22 entries
WISSOTA Pure Stock
Lakes Gas A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 38-Simon Wahlstrom[7]; 2. 52W-Austin Fencl[8]; 3. 93-CJ Wagner[2]; 4. 23R-James Rahn[1]; 5. 31T-Tom Treviranus[4]; 6. 55-Caleb Duffie[9]; 7. 1-Carsyn Olson[3]; 8. 83-Tyler Wahlstrom[6]; 9. 10-Anthony Ravina[5]; 10. 04K-Jerame Ristau[11]; 11. 24-Dylan Helget[16]; 12. 67B-Mark Barta[22]; 13. 89A-Alyson Karshbaum[10]; 14. 925-Dnae Rose[19]; 15. 9M-Marlene Lannet[12]; 16. 3D-Sean Duffy[15]; 17. 67-Alex Larson[14]; 18. (DNF) 231-Trevor Treviranus[20]; 19. (DNS) 33S-Jason Simonson; 20. (DNS) 131-Jessie Treviranus; 21. (DNS) 88-Robert Wahlstrom; 22. (DNS) 67P-Dale Peterson
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 83-Tyler Wahlstrom[2]; 2. 31T-Tom Treviranus[7]; 3. 10-Anthony Ravina[1]; 4. 89A-Alyson Karshbaum[8]; 5. 9M-Marlene Lannet[3]; 6. (DNF) 24-Dylan Helget[4]; 7. (DNF) 88-Robert Wahlstrom[6]; 8. (DNF) 231-Trevor Treviranus[5]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 38-Simon Wahlstrom[1]; 2. 52W-Austin Fencl[6]; 3. 55-Caleb Duffie[5]; 4. (DNF) 67-Alex Larson[7]; 5. (DNF) 3D-Sean Duffy[2]; 6. (DNF) 131-Jessie Treviranus[4]; 7. (DNF) 925-Dnae Rose[3]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 23R-James Rahn[3]; 2. 93-CJ Wagner[4]; 3. 1-Carsyn Olson[2]; 4. 04K-Jerame Ristau[5]; 5. 33S-Jason Simonson[7]; 6. (DNS) 67P-Dale Peterson; 7. (DQ) 67B-Mark Barta[6]
Article Credit: Ed Reichert