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Rusty Daufeldt
NEW RICHMOND, Wisc. (June 19) - Round 6 and 7 of the 2009 WORLD Dirt Racing League schedule take the WDRL Late Models here to the beautiful Cedar Lake Speedway for the 11th annual Cedar Lake Masters. And Menomonie, Wis., driver Jimmy Mars was hot on Friday, the first of two nights of competition, both of which are WDRL points races.
Thirty-one WDRL Late Models made the annual trip to Cedar Lake for the third of the series' four-night Northern Swing.
Mars captured his qualifying heat race and the Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash, which gave him the pole for the 50-lap main event. Justin Fegers started on the outside of the front row.
In the $5,000-to-win headliner, the No.15F of Fegers gave up the lead early due to a miscue on the wicked-fast race track, allowing Mars to grab the top spot and hold it all 50 laps.
An early rain shower made for a fast, multi-grove track with the high side being the fast way around.
Several cautions plagued the main event. But Mars pulled out to a significant lead with each restart.
The racing deep in the field was breathtaking at times as Chad Simpson moved from his 15th starting position to fourth. But on a restart, Simpson jumped the cushion, losing a left rear tire in the process, relegating him to a disappointing 10th-place finish. His performance. however, on Thursday night at Superior, Wis., had moved Simpson and his No. 25 back into the series' point lead, with a 23-point spread over Al Purkey going into the action Friday night at Cedar Lake Speedway.
Up front in the feature on Friday, Mars continued to lead despite the field tightening on several occasions. With eight laps to go, a restart saw a huge battle for second place between Fegers and the No. 31 of Jason Utter. The two drivers swapped positions several times each lap while closing in on the No. 28 of Mars.
Fegers eventually took second and challenged Mars for the lead coming out of turn four. A caution flew for the last time with three laps to go, which led to a single-file restart. Fegers was able to pull up to the side of Mars' car at both ends of the speedway but could not complete the pass and finished second.
Adam Hensel was able to take third position from Utter, who finished fourth. Rick Hanestad, who started 19th, rounded out the top five.
The question now is, can Mars make it three wins in a row? That will be determined at Round 7 on the 2009 WORLD Dirt Racing League schedule, the second and final night tonight (Saturday) of The Masters at Cedar Lake Speedway.
RACE REPORT
CEDAR LAKE SPEEDWAY
NEW RICHMOND, WIS.
FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2009
NIGHT ONE OF THE MASTERS
First Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Jimmy Mars (28), 2. Denny Eckrich (50), 3. Jason Utter (31), 4. Bryant Goldsmith (24), 5. Jeff Aikey (77), 6. Bill Koons (29), 7. Dave Eckrich (58) 8. Chad Mahder (55c)
Second Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Adam Hensel (44), 2. Mike Nutzmann (2), 3. Bill Frey (66), 4. John Kaanta (85), 5. Rick Hanestad (71), 6. Gordy Seegert (4s), 7. Chris Simpson (32), 8. Jake Redetzke (27).
Third Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Zack Johnson (73) 2. Eric Pember (90X), 3. Al Purkey (33), 4. Scott Gilberts (21), 5. Chad Simpson (25), 6. Andrew Mckay (71), 7. Jeremy Grady (43), 8. Rob Moss (1M).
Fourth Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Justin Fegers (F15), 2. Tim Isenberg (9T), 3. Curt Martin (45), 4. Keith Foss (95), 5. Ashley Anderson (81), 6. Jeff Martire (45)
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash: 1. Jimmy Mars, 2. Justin Fegers, 3. Zack Johnson, 4. Denny Eckrich, 5. Tim Isenberg, 6. Jason Utter, 7. Mike Nutzmann, 8. Adam Hensel.
Consolation Race: 1. Rick Hanestad, 2. Gordy Seegert, 3. Ashley Anderson, 4. Chris Simpson, 5. Bill Koons, 6. Jeremy Grady, 7. Andrew McKay, 8. Jeff Martire, 9. Rob Moss, 10. Dave Eckrich, 11. Chad Mahder, 12. Jake Redetzke.
50-Lap Feature: 1. Mars, 2. Fegers, 3. Hensel, 4. Utter, 5. Hanestad, 6. Purkey, 7. Isenberg, 8. Gilberts, 9. Kaanta, 10. Chad Simpson, 11. Nutzmann, 12. Seegert, 13. Pember, 14. Dave Eckrich, 15. Johnson, 16. Frey, 17. Goldsmith, 18. Denny Eckrich, 19. Foss, 20. Martin, 21. Chris Simpson , 22. Mahder, 23. Aikey , 24. Anderson .
INFORMATION OF INTEREST:
Lap Leaders: Jimmy Mars 1-50
Time of Race: n/a
Margin of Victory: n/a
Caution Flags: n/a
Red Flags: None
Chase Decals Rookie-of-the-Race: Mahder
Hard Luck Driver: n/a
Series Provisionals: Dave Eckrich, Chad Mahder
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation: 1. Justin Fegers, 2. Denny Eckrich, 3. Tim Isenberg
QA1 Motorsports: Adam Hensel
The Brake Man: Jason Utter
Champ Pans: Al Purkey
Performance Bodies: Tim Isenberg
Fast Shafts: Chad Simpson
Hooker Harness: Gordie Seegert
BSB Manufacturing: John Kaanta
Randy's Racing Filters 9th-place finish: Eric Pember, 10th-place finish: Dave Eckrich
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