| Driver Profiles | Photos | Racing Links | |
| Discussion Board | Live Chat | News Archives | Advertising |
| Weather |
 |
Full Night of "Amsoil Dirt Track Racing Series Action" by: Matthew Grage LANSING, MN (July 3) - Chateau Raceway in Lansing, powered by Miners Outdoor and Recreation, kicked off the fourth-of-July weekend with a bang Thursday night as it presented another full night of "Amsoil Dirt Track Racing Series Action". With the fourth falling on a friday the track opted for a thursday night special and over one-hundred cars filled the pits for the first time in a couple seasons setting up a twenty-three race program. On top of the racing there was also a pair of very thrilling but dangerous stunts put on by a pair of stuntmen from Texas. Rocky Hardcore, or "Master Fire the Human Torch" as he is called performed the "Human Torch Car Explosion" where he climbed into a car with ten gallons of gas and five sticks of Dynomite and had it blown up with him in it. He emerged with his fire suit on fire, several seconds after the explosion slowly walking onto the track and laying down to have fire officials put out the flames. Later in the evening "Dr. Danger" performed his "Suicide Car Jump". He sped around the track at over fifty miles an hour, in a car that was supplied by the track, hitting a ramp sending him hurtling into a stack of four cars as exposives were set off underneath him. He climbed from the wreckage and spoke to the fans briefly before heading off for the night. The Track will continue the Fourth-of-July Celebration into next Friday Nights show when they will present the thrilling annual "Flashing Thunder" Fireworks show which has been an annual event for several years. On the track the action was very exciting as well with all six classes putting on some good racing throughout the night. Some of the best racing was displayed by the "Triple J Disposal WISSOTA Super Stocks" who ran a caution free feature. Ryan Siegle of Grand Meadow grabbed the early lead in the main event jumping off the pole and outdueling Jason Gabielson of Austin and Harlan Morehart of Eyota in a three wide battle for the lead on the first lap. Gabielson took the top spot on lap two only to lose it back to Siegle after another side by side duel on lap six. Jason backslid a bit after that duel which opened the door for Chris Klinger of Austin to get up there with Siegle and thrill the fans with more side by side racing. On lap nine Dan Gullickson of Stacy, who had started back in row four, made it a three way battle for the lead and the trio went three wide with Dan on the Bottom, Ryan in the middle, and Klinger on the top. Dan used the lower line to his advantage as he took over the lead a lap later and than held off Klinger for a feature win at Lansing in his first visit to the track this season. In the classes heat events wins went to Klinger and Jeff Brauer of Rochester. The "French's Repair and Fabrication USRA Modified" field looked like they were on there way to a caution free race as they blazed through the first fifteen laps of the race before a series of three cautions slowed the pace of the race. But that was all that was slowed as the racing action was very fast. Brad Waits of Zumbrota was doing his best to make a shambles of the race early. Waits jumped from the pole at the drop of the green and rocketed off to half a straightaway lead in just two laps, and started lapping the back of the field in just seven laps. At mid-race he had seven cars down a lap and was about to put a few more away when the first caution came out. Each restart he would quickly get his half a straightaway lead on the first lap and leave the rest of the field to battle for second. Todd Scharkey of Kasson was holding down second much of the race as he held off Brad Bakken of Garner Iowa early and than Mike Sorensen of Rochester during the middle stages of the race, However late in the race Tim Donlinger of Rochester, who had worked his way up to third from a row six starting spot, started applying the pressure. Todd would go way to the top of the track and Tim would ride the bottom with Scharkey able to out pull him off turns two and four. However with two laps to go Donlinger was able to make the pass stick and took over the second place finish. Joe Wernecke of Dodge Center did a nice job of staying in the top five to come in fourth behind Scharkey. Tommy Myer who started in row three rounded out the top five. Waits also won his heat giving him a sweep in the class for the second week in a row. Myer and Sorensen also took home heat wins. "Power 96 WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds" have been having a hard time with excessive cautions the last few weeks. Things seemed headed the same way as two cautions waved before even one lap could be completed with four cars in the pits. From there however they put together a pretty nice run for the next sixteen laps. Bobby Swanson of Kasson took the early lead off the pole before Dan Wheeler of Columbia Heights outdueled him in a three lap side by side battle taking over the lead on lap six. Wheeler got deep inside Swanson in turn two and after a drag race down the back straight slid by for the lead out of turn four. Dan survived another pair of late cautions to take home his second feature win of the season at Chateau. Brandon Davis of Medford out gunned Swanson for second with Albert Wytaske of Lansing and AJ Wiste of Adams rounding out the top five. Eric Condit of Austin who won the consy event for the class started at the back of the feature and made a strong showing as he came forward all the way to sixth at the checkers. Wheeler also scored a heat win on the night giving him his second sweep of the year. Other heat winners were Dustin Steinbrink of Austin, Wytaske, and Jim Arnold of Dodge Center. Arnold earned his win in the tech line when Troy Dahle of Morristown who actually took the checkers first was disqualified. Allen Gessell Jr of Big Lake made his second appearance of the season at the track in the "Affordable Portables WISSOTA Street Stock" class and the result was the same as his first visit, a sweep. Allen lead flag to flag in his heat for a win in the first half of the night but had to work a little harder in the main event. Matt Eustice of Hartland ook th early lead while Gessell picked his way forward from row four. It actually took just two laps for Gessell to get there as a couple early cautions moved some cars out of his way. Eustice was doing a good job of keeping his car wide and keeping the door shut to keep Allen back but on lap seven Gessell got along side and the two ran a couple side by side laps before he pulled to the lead on lap nine and chalked up another win. Eustice held onto second ahed of AJ Zvorak of Blooming Prairie. Eustice did pick up a heat win on the night in the class. The "Pizza Ranch Pure Stocks" were lead by Ross Spitzer of Dodge Center who was one of four drivers who scored sweeps at the track on the night. In the feature Dan Klingfus of Rose Creek ahd the early lead before Spitzer and Billy Steinberg of Kasson went inside and outside on him on lap four to schuffle him back in the field. Spitzer than out ran Steinberg for the win with Tyler Peterson of Hollandale coming home third ahead of Wayne Nelson of Freeborn and Aaron Sletten of Owatonna. Steinberg was the classes other heat winner. The "S and S Auto Salvage Hornets" had a season high twenty-one cars on hand making for a very crowded track at feature time. The race was slowed by just one caution when current point leader Gary Stahl of Kasson spun out. Mike Blowers of Waseca debuted a new car on the night and he performed quite well as he racked up a feature win in its first night. Blowers started row two on the outside and on the drop of the green he went to the outside of Jesse Harang of Northwood who was on the outside of the front row and headed for the front. Randy Rauen of Austin, who started inside row two, did just the opposite dropping to the inside of the front row cars and pulling into a side by side battle with Blowers for the lead down the back straightaway. Blowers won the duel and stretched out his lead as he won going away. Rauen held on for second ahead of Matt Baker of Lake Crystal Iowa and Harang. Kevin Vogt of Rose Creek, who started on the pole, held on for fifth. Heat winners for the class on the night were Rauen, Stahl, and Nathan Gessell of Princeton. Racing action continues next Friday Night at 7:30 with the gigantic
Fireworks Display scheduled for sometime after dark but not completely at
the end of the show. |