2016 Season Champions Crowned
JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, September 10, 2016) On a cool evening in south central Wisconsin, the action on the track was hot and heavy as the season long battles to determine the 2016 track champions came to a close at Jefferson Speedway. While Dale Nottestad of Cambridge was putting the final touches on his third title in the last four seasons in the Late Model division, defending champ Casey Johnson powered to the win in the Havill Spoerl Season Championship 60 lap main event.
Ed Wolff III and Don Gaserude led the stout field of 20 pilots to the drop of the green flag as they battled for control in the opening laps. On lap five, Wolff got a little loose in turn forcing him to check up and allowing Gaserude to move out front alone. Jerry Eckhardt and Bruce Lee followed into second and third respectively. On lap eight, Eckhardt dove under Gaserude as they raced into turn one. Eckhardt cleared for the lead a lap later with Lee in his tracks for second. Lee followed Eckhardt around the speedway for the next ten circuits until lap 20 when the duo make slight contact entering turn one. Lee drew even with Eckhardt as they fought for the lead. Lap 22 saw Lee move into control of the top spot just before the first caution period appeared for a multi car melee in turns three and four that collected 2016 champion, Dale Nottestad. The incident ended the champs evening as he was forced to the pit area. Racing resumed with Lee on the point followed by Dylan Schuyler now up to second. Johnson entered the top five on lap 25, passing Stephen Scheel for fifth. Johnson gained one more position for fourth just before the second caution slowed the pace on lap 28. Once racing got back underway, Johnson returned to his trek to the front, scoring the third position from Eckhardt on lap 30. Three laps later, Johnson motored under Schuyler to steal the runner up position. Johnson began stalking the leader, Lee. On lap 39, Johnson drew even with Lee, sliding into the lead on lap 40. Johnson cruised through the final 20 laps, surviving one restart for a caution on lap 52. At the checkers, it was Johnson for his fourth feature win of the season. Lee was second followed by Schuyler, Eckhardt and John Ovadal Jr. As mentioned, Dale Nottestad was crowned the 2016 Late Model track champion for the third time.
Mark Deporter of Fort Atkinson picked up the feature win in the 35 lap Sportsman main event. Ed Jackson led lap one from the outside of the front row with Josh Madell up to second. The sole caution of the race appeared on lap two when Jim Taylor lost his right front wheel in turn four. Racing resumed with Jackson on the point and Madell riding in second. Madell began to pressure Jackson on the restart, getting under the lead and taking the top spot away on lap five. Deporter followed into second and immediately went to work on the new leader. On lap eight, Deporter pulled alongside Madell, clearing for the top spot on lap ten. Jason Thoma moved into third behind Madell on lap 12. Meanwhile, the points battle between Bobby Selsing, Jay Kalbus and Robert Hansberry Jr was taking shape behind the leaders. Kalbus entered the feature event with the lead in the standings, needing only to stick close to the other two drivers to secure the title. By lap 30, the trio of competitors was racing nose to tail, essentially giving Kalbus the championship. Thoma slipped by Madell to move into second, but Deporter stayed out front to grab the win. Thoma finished second with Tony Ciano in third. Selsing, Kalbus and Hansberry finished fourth through sixth respectively. With his top five finish, Jay Kalbus of Watertown picked up his second consecutive Sportsman track championship.
Fort Atkinson’s Mike Lambert entered the 25 lap International feature event 19 points behind defending champion, Seth Reamer. Lambert needed to stay ahead of Reamer by more than one position to have a shot at picking up his third championship. Lambert scored the feature win to set himself up to win the title as well. Merek and Noah Pankow paced the field to green as they battled side by side. On lap seven, Merek moved out in front alone with Seth Green in tow for second. Lambert followed into third on lap nine while Pankow tried to hold off Green. Green moved into control of the top spot on lap ten with Lambert trying to stay in his tracks. Lambert took over second on lap 11. Meanwhile, Reamer was mired in traffic, running in eighth and trying to move forward. On lap 12, James Bell moved to challenge Lambert for second as they duo raced wheel to wheel. On lap 18, while racing with Lambert, Bell made contact with the leader. This resulted in Green spinning to force the first of two cautions. Both Green and Bell were forced to the rear for the restart. Lambert and Mark English led the field back to green with Reamer now up to fourth. Lambert took the lead as racing resumed with English back to second and Reamer in third. Reamer began to challenge English for second until another caution slowed the pace on lap 20. Lambert and English once again led the field back to green with Reamer right behind. Lambert returned to the lead on lap 23 with Reamer now trying to get past English for second. Reamer needed to finish second to secure the championship with any other finish handing the title to Lambert. Ramer got alongside English with two laps remaining. Reamer owned a slight advantage as they raced past the white flag to begin the final lap. Reamer held that advantage as they raced down the back stretch and into turn three. As they exited turn four, English got great momentum and carried it through the stripe, beating Reamer by inches to finish second. Lambert scored the victory with English, Reamer, Jamie Kohn and Noah Pankow completing the top five. With his win and Reamer’s third place finish, Lambert won the championship by a mere single point.
Dustin Ward of Waterloo put an exclamation point on his 2016 Hobby Stock championship by winning the 30 lap feature event. Jamie Tate and Jim Wolf led the field to green with Tate taking the early lead. After an early caution on lap two, Jon Benninger began to challenge Tate at the front. Benninger stole the top spot away on lap six just before the second and final caution slowed the pace. Benninger led the field back to green with Korey Bengsch moving up to second on the restart. Phil Wuesthoff followed into third and started to work on Bengsch for second. But Wuesthoff fell off the pace on lap 11 and was forced to retired from the event. Ward moved to the outside of Bengsch as he looked for the second position. Ward made the pass and pulled up behind Benninger at the front. On lap 15, Ward drove to the high side of Benninger, clearing for the lead as they raced off turn four. Ward immediately began to check out from the field while Chester Williams and Cody Buchs moved towards the front. Williams and Buchs waged an intense battle in the closing laps while Ward cruised to the checkers for the win. Buchs finished second followed by Williams, Jim Robinson and Dan Snyder.
Bryan Gottschalk of Jefferson picked up the win in the 25 lap Road Warrior feature event. Sheen Marsh and Richie Nelson led the field to green. On lap one, Mark Dewey made it a three wide battle for the lead, taking the spot before the completion of the lap. Gottschalk followed into second and quickly drove under Dewey on lap three. Gottschalk cleared for the lead with his brother, Chris up to battle Dewey for second. Chris took second for himself before a caution slowed the action on lap eight. The Gottschalk brothers led the field back to green with Chris taking the advantage. But on lap 13, Chris dropped off the pace with mechanical difficulties, handing the lead back to Bryan. Bill Sweeney moved up to second and began to apply pressure to Gottschalk at the front. But Gottschalk kept him at bay in the final laps to secure the feature win. Sweeney finished second followed by Merek Pankow, Craig Henning and Kenny Storkson. Chris Gottschalk was crowned the 2016 champion, his third such accomplishment.
Nick Schmidt of Watertown won the 25 lap Bandit feature event. Tara Belz led early from the pole with McKayla Adams up to second and Kade Watters in third. DJ Hill moved past both for second on lap four. Schmidt moved up to challenge Hill on lap eight, taking second away a lap later. Schmidt pulled up next to Belz on lap nine, taking the lead away as they raced off turn four. Schmidt began to open up a large lead while Jeremy Bredeson and Chad Olds moved towards the front. Bredeson and Olds made it to second and third respectively, but Schmidt was already well out front to secure the win. Watters and Tyler Deporter rounded out the top five. Olds was crowned the 2016 Bandit track champion.
Jacob Nottestad of Cambridge won the 15 lap Legends feature event. Jeff Lechnir led lap one with Blaise Watters up to second. Watters moved past Lechnir on lap three bringing Riley Stenjem and Nottestad along for second and third. On lap five, Nottestad drove to the high side of Stenjem for second. Stenjem held him off to return to second on lap nine. With four laps to go, Stenjem dove under Watters as they raced off turn two. Stenjem cleared for the lead brining Nottestad along for second. Nottestad quickly charged up next to the new leader on lap 12. One lap later, Nottestad was out front. At the checkers it was Nottestad for the win with Stenjem, Watters, Ryan Weyer and Frank Beutel rounding out the top five.
Emma Huntstiger of Helenville scored the win in the 12 lap Bandolero feature event. Robbie Rucks and Karter Stark led the field to green with Stark taking the initial lead on lap one. Huntstiger moved up to second on lap two. Stark drifted a little high as he exited turn four on lap three, allowing Hunstiger to slip past into the lead. Stark applied pressure as they race wore on, but Hunstiger kept him at bay to see the checkers first and pick up the clean sweep. Stark was second followed by Anna Malouf, Chase Wangsness and Rucks.
Next weekend, is the 36th annual Wisconsin State Championships at Jefferson Speedway. The three day event kicks off with time trials at preliminary events on Friday evening followed by double features in all divisions on Saturday evening. Sunday afternoon marks the return of the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series in addition of the Midwest Truck Series and other support divisions. All the information can be found at jeffersonspeedway.com.
JEFFERSON SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY
Late Model-
Feature Results- 1) Casey Johnson, Edgerton 2) Bruce Lee, Cambridge 3) Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson 4) Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek 5) John Ovadal Jr, Watertown 6) Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills 7) Michael Grueneberg, Madison 8) Luke Westenberg, Jefferson 9) Trent Erdman, Fort Atkinson 10) Kyle Taylor, Deerfield 11) Kyle Smith, Lake Mills 12) Don Gaserude, Fort Atkinson 13) Craig Phillips, Edgerton 14) Scott Patrick Dousman 15) Ed Wolff III, Watertown 16) Stephen Scheel, Lake Mills 17) Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson 18) Dale Nottestad, Cambridge 19) Tyler Peterson, Lake Geneva 20) Ed Kubicz, Whitewater
Fast Qualifier- Casey Johnson—14.142 seconds
Last Chance- Kyle Taylor, Tyler Peterson, Scott Patrick, Ed Kubicz, Craig Phillips
Heat Winners- 1) Scott Patrick 2) Scott Nottestad 3) Bruce Lee
Sportsman-
Feature Results- 1) Mark Deporter, Fort Atkinson 2) Jason Thoma, Jefferson 3) Tony Ciano, Janesville 4) Bobby Selsing, Johnson Creek 5) Jay Kalbus, Watertown 6) Robert Hansberry Jr, Beloit 7) Chris Chenoweth, Watertown 8) Terry Wangsness, Jefferson 9) Tim Coley, Madison 10) Scott Hoeft, Watertown 11) Mike Rahn, DePere 12) Ed Jackson, Madison 13) Boyd Eichelkraut, Stoughton 14) Josh Madell, Mayville 15) Rick Coppernoll, Stoughton 16) Dan Schmidt, Farmington 17) Jim Taylor, Stoughton 18) Johnny Robinson, Beloit
Fast Qualifier- Jay Kalbus—14.872 seconds
Last Chance- Tim Coley, Mike Rahn, Scott Hoeft, Rick Coppernoll
Heat Winners- 1) Johnny Robinson 2) Mark Deporter 3) Bobby Selsing
International-
Feature Results- 1) Mike Lambert, Fort Atkinson 2) Mark English, Edgerton 3) Seth Reamer, Beaver Dam 4) Jamie Kohn, Madison 5) Noah Pankow, Jefferson 6) James Bell, Janesville 7) Seth Green, Whitewater 8) Merek Pankow, Jefferson 9) Nick Schmidt, Watertown 10) Adam Schook, Palmyra 11) Phil Malouf, Manitowish Waters 12) Joe Cross, Sun Prairie 13) Jason Uttech, Watertown 14) Neil Higgins, Watertown 15) Keith Bell, Brodhead 16) Josh Marx, Dousman 17) Kyle Stark, Waterloo
Fast Qualifier- Seth Reamer—15.867 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) Jamie Kohn 2) Seth Green
Hobby Stock-
Feature Results- 1) Dustin Ward, Waterloo 2) Cody Buchs, Mazomanie 3) Chester Williams, Waukesha 4) Jim Robinson, Beloit 5) Dan Snyder, Madison 6) Korey Bengsch, Fond du Lac 7) AJ Lloyd, Loves Park (IL) 8) Mike Storkson, Evansville 9) Lucas Buckingham Whitewater 10) Jared Vike, Sussex 11) Jon Benninger, Windsor 12) Chuck Egli, Stoughton 13) Jamie Tate, Doylestown 14) Jim Wolf, Watertown 15) Gary Paulick, Union Grove 16) Brandon DeLacy, Fort Atkinson 17) Robby Robinson, Orfordville 18) Phil Wuesthoff, Beaver Dam
Fast Qualifier- Dustin Ward—15.597 seconds NEW TRACK RECORD
Last Chance- Jim Robinson, Mike Storkson, Gary Paulick, Robby Robinson
Heat Winners- 1) Jim Wolf 2) Jim Robinson 3) Cody Buchs
Road Warrior-
Feature Results- 1) Bryan Gottschalk, Jefferson 2) Bill Sweeney, Aztalan 3) Merek Pankow, Jefferson 4) Craig Henning, Helenville 5) Kenny Storkson, Edgerton 6) Bill Reynolds, Watertown 7) Mark Dewey, Janesville 8) David Pautsch Jr, Roscoe (IL) 9) Sheen Marsh, Palmyra 10) Chris Gottschalk, Fort Atkinson 11) Rickie Nelson, Evansville 12) Matt Weber, Whitewater
Fast Qualifier- Bryan Gottschalk—16.477 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) Bill Reynolds 2) Craig Henning
Bandit-
Feature Results- 1) Nick Schmidt, Watertown 2) Jeremy Bredeson, Deforest 3) Chad Olds, Whitewater 4) Kade Watters, Sun Prairie 5) Tyler Deporter, Fort Atkinson 6) Tara Belz, Sun Prairie 7) DJ Hill, Watertown 8) Ryan Ostenson, Beloit 9) Ross LaMont, Cherry Valley (IL) 10) Tom Elsinger Jr, 11) McKayla Adams, Sun Prairie 12) Josh Lenz, Lake Mills 13) Bill Kohn, Madison 14) Keven Lentz, Horicon 15) Dalton Schneider, 16) Michelle Heimann, Sun Prairie 17) Shannon Helmer,
Fast Qualifier- Chad Olds—14.189 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) Ross LaMont 2) Bill Kohn
Legends-
Feature Results- 1) Jacob Nottestad, Cambridge 2) Riley Stenjem, Utica 3) Blaise Watters, Mineral Point 4) Ryan Weyer, Hubertus 5) Frank Beutel, Racine 6) Derek Mueller, Verona 7) Jeff Lechnir, Oshkosh 8) Aryn Wilson, S.Beloit (IL)
Fast Qualifier- Riley Stenjem—15.629 seconds
Heat Winner- Jacob Nottestad
Bandoleros-
Feature Results- 1) Emma Hunstiger, Helenville 2) Karter Stark, Marshall 3) Anna Malouf, Manitowish Waters 4) Chase Wangsness, Jefferson 5) Robbie Rucks, Deerfield
Fast Qualifier- Emma Hunstiger—15.642 seconds
Heat Winner- Emma Hunstiger
