Erickson First to Repeat in 2011
By Andrew Schaller
JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, July 23, 2011) Fort Atkinson’s Jason Erickson became the first Late Model pilot to win his second feature of the 2011 season on Saturday night at Jefferson Speedway. Erickson methodically picked his way to the front of the field and drove on to capture the Schmidt’s Auto 50 lap feature event.
Tommy Pecaro grabbed the initial lead as the green flag waved over the 18 car field. Roger Behlke followed into second on lap two with Noel Ramge and John Ovadal in tow for third and fourth respectively. The first of two caution periods came on lap ten when defending champion Casey Johnson spun in turn four. Ovadal snuck past Ramge for third on the restart with Pecaro still showing the way out front. Pecaro began to slip away from the field as Ovadal moved up to challenge Behlke for the runner up spot. His large lead was erased on lap 19 when Trent Erdman cut a tire and spun in turns one and two to bring out the second caution. As racing resumed, Dylan Schuyler slipped past Ovadal for third and proceeded to apply pressure to Behlke for second. Meanwhile, Erickson made his way into the top five by lap 32 as he continued to move forward. Erickson found himself in fourth on lap 36 as he charged under Schuyler looking for third. Erickson claimed the position a lap later and continued forward alongside Behlke. Erickson owned the second spot on lap 38 as he set his sights Pecaro at the point. Erickson motored under Pecaro on lap 39 as the duo raced wheel to wheel. Erickson finally cleared for the lead with eight circuits remaining as he began to check out from the pack. Schuyler made a late pass for second, but Erickson was well on his way to crossing under the checkers first for the win. Schuyler was second followed by Steve Dobbratz, Pecaro and Luke Westenberg.
Jay Kalbus of Watertown ran down the early leader of the 30 lap Sportsman feature and made a late race pass to get the win. Dan Schmidt and Kameron Lee led the field to green with Schmidt taking control on lap one. Tory Bagley quickly moved into second and began to apply pressure to Schmidt. Bagley drove under Schmidt on lap three, clearing for the lead a lap later with Terry Wangsness in tow for second. Brady Lilly followed into third as Bagley started to pull away from the field. Kalbus caught Lilly on lap 11 as they began to battle for third. Kalbus claimed the position and set his sights on Wangsness in second. Kalbus made the pass for the runner up spot with ten laps to go as he began to close the gap on Bagley at the front. Kalbus caught Bagley on lap 23 as he looked to the low side to make the pass. After a brief battle, Kalbus claimed the lead on lap 26 and drove away to get the win. Bagley settled for second with Wangsness, Lilly and Kurt Kleven rounding out the top five.
Waterloo’s Kyle Stark continued to dominance in the International division by winning the 20 lap feature. Ken Au fired into the lead on lap one with Gary Stark charging up to second. Gary Stark made his move for the lead on lap five as he moved to the low side of Au with Mike Lambert looking to follow. Gary Stark took control on lap six as Lambert stayed in his tracks for second. Kyle Stark wasn’t far behind as he claimed third behind Lambert just before the caution waved at the halfway point of the race. As racing got back underway, Kyle Stark slid up alongside Lambert. Kyle claimed the spot and continued forward next to his brother, Gary, for the lead. Kyle inched forward lap after lap until finally gaining sole possession of the top spot on lap 16. Kyle cruised to the finish to get the feature win with Gary Stark, Lambert, Mark English and Au completing the top five.
Jim Tate Jr of Deforest dominated the 25 lap Hobby Stock feature as he got his sixth win of the season. Jamie Dunn and Justin Kumbier fought side by side as the race got underway. Sean Watters joined them to create a three wide battle for the top spot on lap two. Watters stuck his nose into the lead, claiming the position on lap four with Chester Williams and Tate following up the middle. Tate quickly drove to the high side of Williams as they closed in on Watters. The trio went three wide on lap seven with Tate emerging as the leader on lap eight. Tate proceeded to check out from the field as he cruised to the checkers to get the win. Williams came home second followed by Dustin Ward, Steven Sauer and Watters.
Scott Pauls of Deerfield grabbed his third consecutive feature win after winning the 15 lap Road Warrior main event. Jim Pankow led early on from the front row with Mike Heelein running a close second. Heelein drew even with Pankow on lap two as Bill Sweeney watched from third. Pankow and Heelein made contact on lap three allowing Sweeney to join them at the front of the pack. But Sweeney suffered a flat tire a lap later as he was forced to retire from the event while Pankow regained the point. Meanwhile, Pauls was creeping up the bottom of the racing surface, claimed third on lap seven. A lap later, Pauls stole second from Heelein and moved alongside Pankow for the lead. Pauls cleared for the top spot on lap ten with Pankow dropping to second. Pauls saw the checkers first for the win with Pankow, Bill Reynolds, Rob Lange and Tim Ellis rounding out the top five.
Jefferson’s Dan Birkett led all 20 lap of the Bandit feature event on his way to victory lane with the win. Starting outside row one, Birkett grabbed the lead entering the first turn with Taylor Schmude dropping to second. Dave Schmidt moved past Schmude on lap seven as he pulled up behind Birkett. Schmidt filled up the rear view mirror of the leader as he searched for a way into the lead. Birkett survived two caution periods as he held off Schmidt’s advances to cross the stripe first for the win. Schmidt finished second followed by Mitch Brockway, Phil Wuesthoff and Michael Heimann.
Next Saturday, July 30, is Kids Bike Night with a full program of racing in all six divisions. Time trials begin at 5pm with racing at 7pm sharp. Jefferson Speedway is located halfway between Jefferson and Cambridge on Hwy 18. Please visit www.jeffersonspeedway.com for more information.
Jefferson Speedway Race Summary
Late Model-
Schmidt’s Auto 50 lap Feature Results- 1) 94 Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson 2) 33 Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson 3) 52 Steve Dobbratz, Rio 4) 9 Tommy Pecaro, Markesan 5) 16 Luke Westenberg, Jefferson 6) 44 Roger Behlke, Jefferson 7) 68 Dan Jung, Hartford 8) 71 John Ovadal, Watertown 9) 104 Noel Ramge, Helenville 10) 8 Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills 11) 27 Ty James, Oconomowoc 12) 5 Casey Johnson, Stoughton 13) 4 Chris Quam, Stoughton 14) 29 Scott Lindsay, Dousman 15) 61 Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek 16) 21 Brandon Pendleton, Helenville 17) 16 Tyler Peterson, Lake Geneva 18) 11 Trent Erdman, Fort Atkinson
Fast Qualifier- 52 Steve Dobbratz—14.413 seconds
Last Chance- 16 Tyler Peterson, 4 Chris Quam, 61 Jerry Eckhardt, 29 Scott Lindsay
Heat Winners- 1) 16 Tyler Peterson 2) 104 Noel Ramge 3) 4 Chris Quam
Sportsman-
Feature Results- 1) 27 Jay Kalbus, Watertown 2) 52 Tory Bagley, Stoughton 3) 55 Terry Wangsness, Jefferson 4) 22 Brady Lilly, Milton 5) 51 Kurt Kleven, Cambridge 6) 4 Mark Deporter, Fort Atkinson 7) 7 James Helmer, Beaver Dam 8) 19 Dan Schmidt, Farmington 9) 6 Jason Thoma, Jefferson 10) 20 Kody Hubred, Utica 11) 5 Kameron Lee, Cambridge 12) 32 Greg Staude, Jefferson 13) 1 Levi Cloute, Janesville
Fast Qualifier- 7 James Helmer—15.166 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) 20 Kody Hubred 2) 27 Jay Kalbus
International-
Feature Results- 1) 92 Kyle Stark, Waterloo 2) 35 Gary Stark, Sun Prairie 3) 26 Mike Lambert, Madison 4) 57 Mark English, Edgerton 5) 31 Ken Au, Jefferson 6) 90 Kyle Smith, Lake Mills 7) 66 Neil Higgins, Watertown 8) 6 Dale Smith, Lake Mills 9) 83 Devin Wild, Jefferson 10) 75 Travis Schneeberg, Cottage Grove 11) 11 Jason Kubicz, Whitewater 12) 00 Casey Strese, Jefferson 13) 29 Waylin Willman, Janesville 14) 26 Josh Kubicz, Whitewater 15) 111 Devon Dixon, Janesville 16) 90 Tytus Helgestad, Edgerton
Fast Qualifier- 92 Kyle Stark—16.232 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) 90 Tytus Helgestad 2) 90 Kyle Smith
Hobby Stock-
Feature Results- 1) 27 Jim Tate Jr, Deforest 2) 22 Chester Williams, Waukesha 3) 9 Dustin Ward, Waterloo 4) 11 Steven Sauer, Waterloo 5) 77 Sean Watters, Jefferson 6) 19 Zack Schmidt, Johnson Creek 7) 86 Tony Ciano, Janesville 8) 29 Mike Manley, Jefferson 9) 22 Curt Thompson, Jefferson 10) 2 Brent Gergen, Jefferson 11) 39 Justin Kumbier, Watertown 12) 7 Jim Wolf, Watertown 13) 71 Jamie Dunn, Deforest
Fast Qualifier- 11 Steven Sauer—16.348 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) 22 Chester Williams 2) 19 Zack Schmidt
Road Warrior-
Feature Results- 1) 18 Scott Pauls, Deerfield 2) 71 Jim Pankow, Jefferson 3) 6 Bill Reynolds, Watertown 4) 135 Rob Lange, Jefferson 5) 01 Tim Ellis, S.Beloit (IL) 6) 23 Mike Heelein, Madison 7) 78 Kevin Pauls, Middleton 8) 51 Rory Hardy, Oregon 9) 42 Bill Sweeney, Edgerton 10) 88 Rodger Stephenson, Cambridge
Fast Qualifier- 18 Scott Pauls—17.104 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) 6 Bill Reynolds 2) 42 Bill Sweeney
Bandit-
Feature Results- 1) 69 Dan Birkett, Jefferson 2) 10 Dave Schmidt, Menomonie 3) 43 Mitch Brockway, Ixonia 4) 99 Phil Wuesthoff, Beaver Dam 5) 31 Mike Heimann, Waunakee 6) 93 Heather Stark, Waterloo 7) 16 Josh Lenz, Lake Mills 8) 45 Brad Knapp, Janesville 9) 02 Michelle Kriegel, Sun Prairie 10) 52 Brad Birzer, Ixonia 11) 11 Cory Jansen, Lake Geneva 12) 62 Brian Myles 13) 1 Kyle Riedner, Waunakee 14) 13 Taylor Schmude, Cambridge 15) 09 Nick Schmidt, Menomonie 16) 20 Jim Lorang, Cambridge 17) 76 Alan Stillman, Fort Atkinson 18) 62 Brandon Johnson, Avalon
Fast Qualifier- 93 Heather Stark—14.146 seconds
Last Chance- 02 Michelle Kriegel, 52 Brad Birzer, 11 Cory Jansen, 62 Brian Myles
Heat Winners- 1) 109 Ryan Flanigan 2) 11 Cory Jansen 3) 43 Mitch Brockway