Red Cedar Speedway
June 1, 2012
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Gilberts gets first Late Model victory of 2012 at Red Cedar Speedway

by Ed Reichert
Menomonie, WI. (June 1) – Ben Hillman continued his hot streak in the Super Stock division as he won his third straight feature race to highlight the racing action Friday night. There were also four new winners on Friday including Scott Gilberts, Nick Koehler, Scottie Schoettle and Eric Schultz while Kevin Adams and Ron Hanestad added wins to their season totals.

Hillman has already won on all three of the area dirt tracks this season and he continued his early season push by adding another victory here at Red Cedar Friday. Hillman started eighth on the grid for the Super Stock finale and gradually worked his way into contention as Jim Harris led the opening laps of the event. After a collision stopped the race with three laps complete and knocked out Adam Ayotte and Tom Karis, Harris continued his charge at the front with Jason Forehand moving into the runner up slot.

Forehand moved in and when Harris slid high in turn four, Forehand drove under him to take over the lead. Hillman worked into the third spot and then also got past Harris to take second. Forehand continued to lead but Hillman caught him and after experimenting with a low side pass, moved to the outside and found a line that worked as he drove past Forehand in turn one and then began to gradually pull away as the last fifteen laps of the event ran nonstop. Hillman recorded his fourth win of the season at Red Cedar to lead all drivers with Forehand finishing second. Mike Keller and Jesse Redetzke made late charges to move to third and fourth while Aaron Wilson came from the tail to complete the top five.

Adams won his second straight Modified feature and third of the season at Red Cedar with a quick move to the front. Mark Hessler and Matt Leer raced for the lead on the opening lap, with Hessler just barely edging into the top spot. Adams quickly moved in and racing off turn two, was able to cut to the middle groove and edge past Leer and then drive to the cushion in turn three and move past Hessler to take over the lead. Once in front, Adams then began to pull away from the pack with Mike Anderson moving up from the third row to take the second spot. He kept Adams with sight, but was never able to mount a serious charge as the Modifieds raced green to checkered nonstop. Leer maintained the third spot most of the way while Craig Thatcher charged up from eleventh to nip Hessler for fourth on the final lap.

Hanestad became the other three time winner when he topped a wild Street Stock feature race. The event was stopped twice before a lap could be completed, once when Doug Wojcik ran out of racing room and hammered the third turn wall.

When things finally settled down it was Hanestad and Keith Tourville battling for the lead with Cody Kummer and Mike Knudtson also being factors. Hanestad used the low side of the track while Tourville rode the cushion with Kummer, Knudtson and Adam Soltis also nosing in for a piece of the action.

With multiple yellows, the race was cut due to time limits and the two lap sprint to the finish saw Hanestad hold off all challenges by Tourville for the win with Kummer, Soltis and Sam Fankhauser completing the top five.

Scott Gilberts made his move at just the right time to assure himself of his first Late Model victory of 2012. The nonstop Late Model feature saw Scott Duval start on the pole and move away from the pack to establish a rather strong lead early on in the race. Gilberts worked by Brent Larson for second and then took off after Duval who was sailing along comfortably in front. John Kaanta was on the move too, as he started in the fourth row and charged up to third.

Gilberts gradually caught up to Duval in the second half of the race and tucked in behind him, looking for an opening while Kaanta was flying up from third and closing on both the leaders. Gilberts made the decision to move up a lane and it worked as he was able to drive by Duval and take over the lead. Kaanta continued his charge as he flew past Duval in turn four and closed on Gilberts as the white flag waved. Kaanta closed on Gilberts at a rapid pace and with a hard charge off the final corner, attempted to pass Scott but in a finish that had the crowd on their feet, Gilberts held off “The Sheriff” by half a car length for the win. Duval finished a solid third with Jake Redetzke hustling to fourth ahead of Mike Prochnow.

Koehler earned his first ever feature win at Red Cedar as he held on in a wild Midwest Modified main event. Jake Stai and Grant Southworth started on the front row but the field didn’t make it past turn two before a multi car wreck stopped the action. The restart saw Stai, Southworth, Jake Smith, Kerry Halopka and Travis Anderson all battling for the lead. They were scrambling wildly for position and in the meantime, Koehler was gradually working his way up from the front row.

The yellow waved again when Cory Crapser, who got steel metal pushed into a tire on the first lap mess, blew a tire and littered debris all over the track. Back to racing, Koehler made a great move to take over the lead while Anderson, Smith and now Shane Halopka battled behind him. The yellow waved twice more for spins, once when Anderson and Halopka got together but both were bailed out when debris was spotted as the cause of the yellow.

Crapser, who took advantage of the multiple yellows to work his way back into the mix, suddenly shot back into second and became the primary challenger to Koehler. Cory dove to the inside of Nick and almost got by when for one last time, the yellow waved again for a spin.

Koehler knew he needed to protect the bottom lane and on the two lap sprint to the finish, carefully guarded the low lane. On the last corner the leaders were banging on each others bumpers and the race to the line was a scrambled mess, but Koehler held off Crapser for the win. Southworth lost a driveshaft on the last corner, costing him a good finish as Halopka, Anderson and Smith completed the top five.

Krysta Swearingen led the opening lap of the Pure Stock feature until Schoettle got past her and then he led the rest of the contest for his first win of 2012. Bill Skoug moved into second and then battled with Jeremy Dahl, with the result being an impact between the two that saw Skoug stopped in turn four. He was returned to his position and the race continued. Skoug kept putting the pressure on Schoettle, but Scottie held his line and drove on for the win of Skoug. Jesse Bryan, Randy Burton and Dahl completed the top five.

Brent Voeltz led the early laps of the Hornet main event until Schultz came flying up from the fourth row. Schultz survived a banging incident with Rocky Kempe, then moved into the lead and once in front, drove away from the field in the nonstop main event. Voeltz raced home second ahead of Kempe, Jeremy Johnson and Matt Klukas.

Racing action continues next Friday at 7 p.m. with a six division program.

SUMMARY
Red Cedar Speedway
Menomonie, WI
June 1, 2012

WISSOTA Late Models
20 lap Feature – Scott Gilberts(Menomonie), John Kaanta(Elk Mound), Scott Duval(Bloomer), Jake Redetzke(Eau Claire), Mike Prochnow(Menomonie), Steve Isenberg(Marshfield), Brent Larson(Lake Elmo MN), Rick Hanestad(Boyceville), Kerry Hanson(Baldwin), Greg Nippoldt(Roberts), Cory Mahder, Justin Ochsner
8 lap Heat 1 – Gilberts, Duval, Hanestad, Isenberg, Co. Mahder, Nippoldt, Chad Mahder
Heat 2 – Prochnow, Larson, Redetzke, Kaanta, Hanson, Todd Green

WISSOTA Modifieds
18 lap Feature – Kevin Adams(Cameron), Mike Anderson(Colfax), Matt Leer(Bruce), Craig Thatcher(Knapp), Mark Hessler(Menomonie), Jesse Glenz(Cadott), Mark Gerth(Menomonie), Brent Prochnow(Colfax), Cory Williams(Spring Valley), Brandon Jensen(Hammond), Rich Lofthus, Robbie Bunkelman, Ross Prochnow, Jay Richardson, Don Brightbill, Robbie Johnson, Curt Myers, Keith Tourville, Steve Hallquist
8 lap Heat 1 – Adams, Glenz, Anderson, B. Prochnow, Gerth, Hallquist, Richardson
Heat 2 – Bunkelman(Abbotsford), Leer, Jensen, Thatcher, Tourville(Dairyland), Williams
Heat 3 – Myers(Cameron), Lofthus(Bloomer), Hessler, R. Prochnow(Boyceville), Brightbill(Hudson), Johnson

WISSOTA Super Stocks
18 lap Feature – Ben Hillman(Menomonie), Jason Forehand(Eau Claire), Mike Keller(Menomonie), Jesse Redetzke(Eau Claire), Aaron Wilson(Menomonie), Brad Edington(Elk Mound), Mike Loomis(Columbus MN), Jim Harris(Menomonie), Rick Hallquist(Eau Claire), Brad Johnson(Wilson), Steve Thomas, Adam Ayotte, Tom Karis, Luke Plank
8 lap Heat 1 – Hillman, Forehand, Keller, Harris, Hallquist, Loomis, Wilson
Heat 2 – Edington, Ayotte(St. Paul MN), Karis(Menomonie), Thomas(Menomonie), Redetzke, Johnson, Plank

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Nick Koehler(Bloomer), Cory Crapser(Chippewa Falls), Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Jake Smith(Eau Claire), Clark Swartz(Bloomer), Jake Stai(New Auburn), Kevin Smeltzer(Menomonie), Kerry Halopka(Wheeler), Brad Banitt(Red Wing MN), Grant Southworth, Jake Smeltzer, Chris Huther, Mike Ludwigson, Bonnie Jablonske, Mitch Anderson, Brad Spence
8 lap Heat 1 – Koehler, K. Halopka, Ja. Smith, Banitt, J. Smeltzer(Menomonie), K. Smeltzer, James Green
Heat 2 – Crapser, S. Halopka, Swartz, Josh Smith(Eau Claire), Huther(Medford), Spence
Heat 3 – T. Anderson, Southworth(Bloomer), Stai, Ludwigson(Bloomer), Jablonske(Hager City), M. Anderson

WISSOTA Street Stocks
7 lap Feature – Ron Hanestad(Glenwood City), Keith Tourville(Dairyland), Cody Kummer(Medford), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Sam Fankhauser(Chetek), Mike Knudtson(Osseo), Jared Lindner(Greenwood), Troy Fransway(Elk Mound), Ralph Stark(Withee), Andrew Ausman(Pepin), Ashley Husby, Doug Wojcik
8 lap Heat 1 – Soltis, Tourville, Hanestad, Knudtson, Fankhauser, Kummer
Heat 2 – Wojcik(Ladysmith), Fransway, Lindner, Husby(Menomonie), Stark, Ausman

Pure Stocks
10 lap Feature – Scottie Schoettle(Osseo), Bill Skoug(Osseo), Jesse Bryan(Menomonie), Randy Burton(Menomonie), Jeremy Dahl(Knapp), Dustin Doughty(Ladysmith), Krysta Swearingen(Little Canada MN), Kory Hathaway(Elmwood), Colt Hartwich(Chippewa Falls), Nick Traynor(Hillsdale).
8 lap Heat 1 – Schoettle, Swearingen, Skoug, Traynor, Hartwich
Heat 2 – Dahl, Burton, Bryan, Doughty, Hathaway

Hornets
15 lap Feature – Eric Schultz(Downing), Brent Voeltz(Glenwood City), Rocky Kempe(Chippewa Falls), Jeremy Johnson(Elmwood), Matt Klukas(Colfax), Chad Prissel(Durand), Chris Dyke(Hudson), Dave Clausen(Mondovi), Derek Baskin(Menomonie), Jess Seim(Glenwood City), Mike Schreck, Dan Prissel, Tyler Lamm