Summer Rumble Invades Jefferson Speedway

By Andrew Schaller

JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, July 10, 2010) Stoughton’s Casey Johnson continued his string of success in the 2010 season at Jefferson Speedway by claiming the overall Late Model championship in Saturday night’s Summer Rumble. 157 drivers filled the pit area for the 2010 Summer Rumble presented by Tired Iron Promotions. Johnson secured finishes of second and fourth in the Bill Collins Memorial twin 60 lap features en route to the overall title.

The first Late Model main event began with Bob Kahler and Dylan Schuyler leading the 22 competitors to the line. Kahler tried to clear for the lead on lap one, but Schuyler battled back and lead lap one at the stripe. Schuyler cleared for sole possession of the lead on lap two as Kahler fell in line for second with Johnson riding in third. Caution on lap three slowed the field and when green returned, Johnson went to work on Kahler for the runner up spot. Schuyler began to stretch his advantage while Kahler and Johnson fought over the second position. The duo waged a war over the next 20 laps until contact between the drivers in turn two allowed Johnson to grab second on lap 27. Steve Dobbratz moved up to challenge Kahler for third. Schuyler was enjoying a large lead when Kahler and Dobbratz made contact on lap 51 to bring out the second caution period. Both drivers were sent to the back of the pack for the restart, handing third to Ryan Zielski. As the green returned, Schuyler maintained his lead to cruise to the checkers for the win. Johnson finished second followed by Zielski, Jason Erickson and Doug Hahn.

In the second feature, Steve Dobbratz of Rio took advantage of his front row starting spot to run off and get the win. Dobbratz took control on lap one from the pole as fellow front row starter Luke Padfield fell in line in second. Caution waved on lap three when Padfield spun in turn three. Chad Stevens moved up the second with John Ovadal right behind in third. When the green waved once again, Ovadal dove under Stevens looking for second. Ovadal cleared for the position on lap four, bringing Doug Hahn along with him. The top three drivers began to breakaway slightly from the field by lap 20 as Ryan Zielski and Jason Erickson battled for fourth. Five laps later, Dobbratz started to distance himself from the other leaders when Hahn began to apply heavy pressure to Ovadal for second. Dobbratz continued to drive away as Ovadal and Hahn fought side by side. A final caution flew on lap 45, erasing Dobbratz’s advantage with fifteen laps remaining. But Dobbratz reclaimed his big lead when racing resumed as he drove off to the checkers for the win. Ovadal held on for second with Hahn, Johnson and Stevens rounding out the top five. As mentioned, Casey Johnson was crowned the overall winner in the Late Model division after combining his two top five finishes.

In Sportsman action, it was Jay Kalbus of Madison claiming the overall title after combining finishes of second and first in both 30 lap main events. In feature number one, Waunakee’s Scott Riedner charged to the front to get the win. Kody Hubred and Mike Winters paced the field to green with Hubred grabbing the lead on lap one. Riedner slid up from the inside of row two at the start to take away the second spot from Winters on lap three. Riedner continued his momentum as he pulled even with Hubred on the inside, looking to lead. Riedner cleared for the position on lap five as James Helmer moved up to third. Caution on lap nine slowed the field. On the restart, Helmer moved under Hubred and stole the second spot for himself on lap 11. One more caution on lap 14 bunched up the field and allowed Bret Schmidt and Kalbus to join the party at the front. Schmidt took third from Hubred on lap 15, bringing Kalbus along for the fourth spot. Kalbus dove under Schmidt on lap 17 as Riedner and Helmer began to pull away from the pack. Kalbus claimed second and began to close on the two leaders, catching them on lap 22. Kalbus entered into a fight with Helmer for second, charging underneath the driver and pulling even on lap 26. Kalbus cleared a lap later, but Riedner held him off to get the win. Rounding out the top five were Kalbus, Helmer, Schmidt and Mark DePorter.

The second feature got underway with Brady Lilly taking the early lead on lap one. Mike Winters pulled into second on lap three with Shaun Scheel in two for third. Scheel slipped past Winters on lap four and set his sights on Lilly. By lap nine, Kalbus was into the top five and bringing Bret Schmidt with him. Kalbus found his way to third on lap 11, joining Lilly and Scheel at the front four laps later. Caution waved on lap 18, and when racing resumed, Kalbus shot under Scheel into turn one. Kalbus claimed the spot and slid up underneath Lilly for the lead on lap 20. After a brief battle, Kalbus cleared for the position on lap 22 as Lilly fell into a battle for second with Schmidt and Riedner. With four laps remaining, the trio of competitors all made contact bringing out the final caution of the race and sending all three to the back for the restart. Scheel moved back up to second, but Kalbus was powerful as he drove off to the win. Scheel finished second followed by Winters, Doug Bennett and Kody Hubred.

Edgerton’s Mark English capitalized off his two top five finishes in the two 25 lap International features to capture the overall title for his division. Chad Olds lead lap one in the first main event as Neil Higgins slipped to second and Kyle Stark ran third. Stark drove under Higgins on lap three, clearing for the second spot a lap later. On lap five, Stark charged underneath the early leader, taking the spot for himself on lap six. Caution slowed the field twice, but each time, Stark maintained his lead as he saw the checkers first. Following post race inspection, Stark was forced to vacate the win, handing the trophy to Olds. English finished second followed by Higgins, Mike Lambert and Stephen Scheel.

Eric Connell of Fort Atkinson got the win in the second 25 lap feature event. Gary Stark lead lap one with Keith Bell still to his outside. Bell fought to get back even with Stark as the two battled door to door. Stark finally completed the pass on lap eight as Connell tried to follow him around Bell. Connell took the position on lap nine and immediately began to apply pressure to Stark for the top spot. Connell got under Stark and pulled even on lap 11. Connell cleared for the lead on lap 13. Meanwhile Mike Lambert was moving forward and into the third spot by lap 18. Lambert fired under Stark a lap later, taking the spot on lap 20. Lambert pulled up to the rear bumper of Connell with only two laps remaining. Lambert started to look to the inside of the leader as they came to the white flag. The duo was side by side exiting turn four as they came to the checkers, but Connell held the slight advantage to get the win. Lambert settled for second followed by English, Stark and Stephen Scheel.

Watertown’s Jim Tate swept both 25 lap Hobby Stock features to claim the overall Summer Rumble title in his division. Zach Schmidt and Tony Ciano paced feature number one with Schmidt taking the early lead. Kyle Stark moved up, looking for second with Curt Thompson in tow. Thompson squeezed past Ciano and Stark in second, bringing Dustin Ward along for third. Caution waved on lap eight, lining up the leaders for the restart. Ward charged under Thompson when racing resumed. Ward claimed the spot and continued forward underneath Schmidt. Ward cleared for the lead on lap 11 with Tate right behind him. Tate wasted little time, driving under Ward and stealing the lead on lap 13. Ward tried to come back strong, but Tate pulled away with the win. Thompson nipped Ward at the line for second with Schmidt fourth and Ciano in fifth.

Chester Williams lead early in the second Hobby Stock feature with Johnny Robinson right behind in second. Robinson claimed the point on lap five as Steven Sauer moved past into second as well. Tate entered the top five on lap six, continuing to move forward. Sauer claimed second with Tate in two just before the sole caution waved on lap 16. On the restart, Tate dove under Sauer, taking control of second on lap 19. Tate pulled up to battle with Robinson, looking to the low side on lap 20. Robinson continued to hold Tate at bay until the final circuit. Exiting turn for to take the checkers, Tate got a great run on the inside and nipped Robinson at the stripe for the win. Robinson was second followed by Sauer, Ward and Stark. Sauer was awarded second following the event as Robinson was forced to vacate his finishes.

Watertown’s Bill Reynolds continued his dominance in the Road Warrior division by claiming both features and the overall championship on the night. Bryan Ellis led the first feature early on with Brett Carson in second. Reynolds drove to the outside on lap two, taking third and pulling alongside Carson for second. Reynolds cleared for second on lap six and dove under Ellis looking to lead. Reynolds finished the pass on lap seven and cruised to the line for the win. Ellis was second with Roger Stephenson, Carson and Tina Stephenson rounding out the top five.

Roger Stephenson took the initial lead on lap one of the second Road Warrior feature. Reynolds found himself in third by lap two. Reynolds motored under Leonard Reimer on lap four and stole second as he set his sights on another win. Reynolds looked to the bottom in turn three and pulled even with Stephenson exiting turn for. Reynolds cleared for the point on lap six and drove off to get the win. Stephenson was second followed by Reimer, Carson and Ellis.

Stoughton’s Will Rece combined finishes of first and fifth to claim the overall Bandit title for the Summer Rumble. Starting on the outside of row one, Rece took command in the first feature on lap one and immediately drove away from the pack. Kameron Lee moved up to second with Nick Schmidt in third. Brandon Johnson got around Schmidt on lap 10 as Rece entered heavy lapped traffic. But Rece maneuvered the traffic well as he cruised to the checkers for the win. Lee, Johnson, Nick Schmidt and Dave Schmidt completed the top five.

Heather Stark of Sun Prairie used the lapped traffic to her advantage in the second Bandit main event to get herself to victory lane with the win. Mike White and Stark paced the field to green with White taking the early lead. Phil Wuesthoff drove to the outside and past Stark for second on lap two. Wuesthoff pulled even with White and stole the lead away on lap five. Wuesthoff began to stretch his advantage while White and Stark battle for second. Stark claimed the spot on lap 13 as Wuesthoff began to battle lapped traffic. On lap 15, Wuesthoff was forced to check up behind a lapped competitor, allowing Stark and White to shoot past into first and second respectively. After a brief caution, Wuesthoff managed to get back around White for second, but not before Stark crossed the line for the win. Wuesthoff finished second followed by White, Jay Orr and Rece.

Next Saturday, July 17, is a full program in all divisions highlighted by the Pernat Premium Meats 50 lap Late Model feature. Time trials begin at 5pm, with racing at 7pm. 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-
Bill Collins Memorial 60 lap Feature #1 Results- 1) 33 Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson 2) 5 Casey Johnson, Stoughton 3) 21 Ryan Zielski, Oconomowoc 4) 94 Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson 5) 99 Doug Hahn, Whitewater 6) 11 Trent Erdman, Fort Atkinson 7) 71 John Ovadal Jr, Watertown 8) 81 Don Gaserude, Fort Atkinson 9) 82 Chad Stevens, Beloit 10) 7 Bob Kahler, Caledonia (IL) 11) 52 Steve Dobbratz, Rio 12) 4 Luke Padfield, Jefferson 13) 4 Chris Quam, Stoughton 14) 13 Paul Radavich 15) 51 Dennis Schmidt, Juneau 16) 61 Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek 17) 87 Kyle Jarlsberg, Jefferson 18) 16 Luke Westenberg, Jefferson 19) 23 Brian Ulrich, Lake Geneva 20) 29 Scott Lindsay, Dousman 21) 44 Roger Behlke, Jefferson 22) 77 Gary Krueger, Edgerton
Feature #2 Results- 1) 52 Steve Dobbratz, Rio 2) 71 John Ovadal Jr, Watertown 3) 99 Doug Hahn, Whitewater 4) 5 Casey Johnson, Stoughton 5) 82 Chad Stevens, Beloit 6) 7 Bob Kahler, Caledonia (IL) 7) 4 Chris Quam, Stoughton 8) 16 Luke Westenberg, Jefferson 9) 11 Trent Erdman, Fort Atkinson 10) 21 Ryan Zielski, Oconomowoc 11) 94 Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson 12) 51 Dennis Schmidt, Juneau 13) 61 Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek 14) 41 Mike Taylor, Stoughton 15) 4 Luke Padfield, Jefferson 16) 81 Don Gaserude, Fort Atkinson 17) 7 Jack Rabey, Bristol 18) 1 Jody Krueger, Edgerton 19) 13 Paul Radavich 20) 33 Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson 21) 29 Scott Lindsay, Dousman 22) 23 Brian Ulrich, Lake Geneva
Overall Finish- 1) 5 Casey Johnson 2) 99 Doug Hahn 3) 71 John Ovadal 4) 52 Steve Dobbratz 5) 21 Ryan Zielski
Fast Qualifier- 94 Jason Erickson—14.358 seconds
Qual 1- 29 Scott Lindsay, 23 Brian Ulrich
Qual 2- 51 Dennis Schmidt, 4 Luke Padfield
LC 1- 77 Gary Krueger, 13 Paul Radavich
LC2- 61 Jerry Eckhardt, 16 Luke Westenberg

Sportsman-
Feature #1 Results- 1) 26 Scott Riedner, Waunakee 2) 27 Jay Kalbus, Madison 3) 7 James Helmer, Beaver Dam 4) 20 Bret Schmidt, Watertown 5) 4 Mark DePorter, Jefferson 6) 20 Kody Hubred, Utica 7) 77 Mike Winters, Sun Prairie 8) 8 Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills 9) 22 Brady Lilly, Milton 10) 5 Doug Bennett , Brodhead 11) 1 Steve Dickson 12) 11 Adam Bleskan, Menomonee 13) 19 Dan Schmidt, Farmington 14) 23 Austin Nason , Roscoe (IL) 15) 78 Rob Goodman 16) 4 Jim Taylor, Stoughton 17) 36 Scott Lawver, Roscoe (IL) 18) 71 Jason Dunn, Sun Prairie 19) 45 Nick Balis, Beloit 20) 27 Tom Schuette, Fort Atkinson 21) 6 Jason Thoma, Jefferson 22) 79 Justin Schultz, Rio
Feature #2 Results- 1) 27 Jay Kalbus, Madison 2) 8 Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills 3) 77 Mike Winters, Sun Prairie 4) 5 Doug Bennett, Brodhead 5) 20 Kody Hubred, Utica 6) 79 Justin Schultz, Rio 7) 1 Steve Dickson 8) 7 James Helmer, Beaver Dam 9) 19 Dan Schmidt, Farmington 10) 23 Austin Nason, Roscoe (IL) 11) 36 Scott Lawver, Roscoe (IL) 12) 71 Jason Dunn, Sun Prairie 13) 20 Bret Schmidt, Watertown 14) 26 Scott Riedner, Waunakee 15) 45 Nick Balis, Beloit 16) 11 Adam Bleskan, Menomonee 17) 4 Jim Taylor, Stoughton 18) 22 Brady Lilly, Milton 19) 6 Jason Thoma, Jefferson 20) 78 Rob Goodman 21) 27 Tom Schuette, Fort Atkinson 22) 4 Mark DePorter, Jefferson
Overall Finish- 1) 27 Jay Kalbus 2) 8 Shaun Scheel 3) 77 Mike Winters 4) 7 James Helmer 5) 20 Kody Hubred
Fast Qualifier- 27 Jay Kalbus—15.130 seconds
Qual 1- 11 Adam Bleskan, 1 Steve Dickson
Qual 2- 19 Dan Schmidt, 6 Jason Thoma
LC- 4 Jim Taylor, 78 Rob Goodman, 36 Scott Lawver, 45 Nick Balis

International-
Feature #1 Results- 1) 89 Chad Olds, Whitewater 2) 57 Mark English, Edgerton 3) 66 Neil Higgins, Watertown 4) 26 Mike Lambert, Madison 5) 4 Stephen Scheel, Lake Mills 6) 05 Ashley Smith, Lake Mills 7) 74 Scott Uttech, Beaver Dam 8) 17 Eric Connell, Fort Atkinson 9) 90 Kyle Smith, Lake Mills 10) 75 Travis Schneeberg, Cottage Grove 11) 23 Casey Strese, Jefferson 12) 35 Gary Stark, Sun Prairie 13) ONO Keith Bell, Brodhead 14) 135 Rob Lange, Jefferson 15) 41 Nick Newton, Jefferson 16) 61 Chris Gottschalk, Jefferson 17) 82 Mark Dewey, Beloit 18) 90 Tytus Helgestad, Edgerton 19) 25 Darren Brown, Jefferson 20) 29 Waylin Willman, Janesville 21) 5 Peter Shelley, Edgerton 22) 92 Kyle Stark, Sun Prairie
Feature #2 Results- 1) 17 Eric Connell, Fort Atkinson 2) 26 Mike Lambert, Madison 3) 57 Mark English, Edgerton 4) 35 Gary Stark, Sun Prairie 5) 23 Casey Strese, Jefferson 6) 4 Stephen Scheel, Lake Mills 7) 05 Ashley Smith, Lake Mills 8) 90 Kyle Smith, Lake Mills 9) 74 Scott Uttech, Beaver Dam 10) 66 Neil Higgins, Watertown 11) 75 Travis Schneeberg, Cottage Grove 12) 61 Chris Gottschalk, Jefferson 13) 41 Nick Newton, Jefferson 14) 82 Mark Dewey, Beloit 15) 29 Waylin Willman, Janesville 16) 90 Tytus Helgestad, Edgerton 17) 135 Rob Lange, Jefferson 18) 89 Chad Olds, Whitewater 19) 92 Kyle Stark, Sun Prairie 20) 6 Brent Nottestad, Cambridge 21) 25 Darren Brown, Jefferson 22) ONO Keith Bell, Brodhead
Overall Finish- 1) 57 Mark English 2) 26 Mike Lambert 3) 17 Eric Connell 4) 4 Stephen Scheel 5) 66 Neil Higgins
Fast Qualifier- 57 Mark English—16.377 seconds
Qual 1- ONO Keith Bell, 135 Rob Lange
Qual 2- 5 Peter Shelley, 29 Waylin Willman
LC- 41 Nick Newton, 82 Mark Dewey, 90 Tytus Helgestad, 25 Darren Brown

Hobby Stock-
Feature #1 Results- 1) Jim Tate, Watertown 2) 85 Curt Thompson, Jefferson 3) 9 Dustin Ward, Waterloo 4) 19 Zach Schmidt, Johnson Creek 5) 86 Tony Ciano, Janesville 6) 11 Steven Sauer, Waterloo 7) 92 Kyle Stark, Sun Prairie 8) 22 Chester Williams, Waukesha 9) 22 Kyle Chwala, Lake Mills 10) 241 Ed Klug, Oregon 11) 88 Roger Stephenson, Cambridge 12) 21 Ben Monday, Marshall 13) 96 Alan Dorn, Columbus 14) 72 Gary Paulick, Waukesha 15) 71 Jamie Dunn, Sun Prairie 16) 55 Lucas Buckingham, Whitewater 17) 49 Buck Stultz, Lake Mills 18) 99 Johnny Robinson, Beloit
Feature #2 Results- 1) 27 Jim Tate, Watertown 2) 11 Steven Sauer, Waterloo 3) 9 Dustin Ward, Waterloo 4) 92 Kyle Stark Sun Prairie 5) 22 Chester Williams, Waukesha 6) 19 Zach Schmidt, Johnson Creek 7) 22 Kyle Chwala, Lake Mills 8) 86 Tony Ciano, Janesville 9) 88 Roger Stephenson, Cambridge 10) 21 Ben Monday, Marshall 11) 72 Gary Paulick, Waukesha 12) 55 Lucas Buckingham, Whitewater 13) 49 Buck Stultz, Lake Mills 14) 85 Curt Thompson, Jefferson 15) 96 Alan Dorn, Columbus 16) 71 Jamie Dunn, Sun Prairie 17) 68 Jamie Schmidt 18) 99 Johnny Robinson, Beloit
Overall Finish- 1) 27 Jim Tate 2) 9 Dustin Ward 3) 11 Steven Sauer 4) 19 Zach Schmidt 5) 92 Kyle Stark
Fast Qualifier- 11 Steven Sauer—16.377 seconds
LC- 55 Lucas Buckingham, 72 Gary Paulick, 88 Roger Stephenson, 49 Buck Stultz

Road Warrior-
Feature #1 Results- 1) 6 Bill Reynolds, Watertown 2) 01 Bryan Ellis, Loves Park (IL) 3) 88 Roger Stephenson, Cambridge 4) 7 Brett Carson, Johnson Creek 5) 88 Tina Stephenson, Cambridge 6) 71 Leonard Reimer
Feature #2 Results- 1) 6 Bill Reynolds, Watertown 2) 88 Roger Stephenson, Cambridge 3) 71 Leonard Reimer 4) 7 Brett Carson, Johnson Creek 5) 01 Bryan Ellis, Loves Park (IL) 6) 88 Tina Stephenson, Cambridge
Overall Finish- 1) 6 Bill Reynolds 2) 88 Roger Stephenson 3) 01 Bryan Ellis 4) 7 Brett Carson 5) 71 Leonard Reimer
Fast Qualifier- 6 Bill Reynolds—17.000 seconds

Bandit-
Feature #1 Results- 1) 15 Will Rece, Stoughton 2) 5 Kameron Lee, Madison 3) 18 Brandon Johnson, Avalon 4) 09 Nick Schmidt, Menomonee 5) 10 Dave Schmidt, Menomonee 6) 81 Jeff LeFave, Fort Atkinson 7) 57 Tommy Pfeifer, Fort Atkinson 8) 7 Dennis Johnson, Lake Mills 9) 2 Keaton Hubred, Utica 10) 99 Phil Wuesthoff, Beaver Dam 11) 18 Jay Orr, S. Milwaukee 12) 33 Mike White, Janesville 13) 93 Heather Stark, Sun Prairie 14) 31 Mike Heimann, Waunakee 15) 10 Levi Cloute, Janesville 16) 20 Jim Lorang 17) 31 Bryan Gottschalk, Jefferson 18) 13 Jake Bulk, S. Milwaukee 19) 02 Michelle Heimann, Madison 20) 78 Kevin Pauls, Beloit 21) 62 Doug O’Grady, Dousman
Feature #2 Results- 1) 93 Heather Stark, Sun Prairie 2) 99 Phil Wuesthoff, Beaver Dam 3) 33 Mike White, Janesville 4) 18 Jay Orr, S.Milwaukee 5) 15 Will Rece, Stoughton 6) 57 Tommy Pfeifer, Fort Atkinson 7) 81 Jeff LeFave, Fort Atkinson 8) 2 Keaton Hubred, Utica 9) 18 Brandon Johnson, Avalon 10) 10 Dave Schmidt, Menomonee 11) 7 Dennis Johnson, Lake Mills 12) 78 Kevin Pauls, Beloit 13) 5 Kameron Lee, Madison 14) 02 Michelle Heimann, Madison 15) 31 Mike Heimann, Waunakee 16) 09 Nich Schmidt, Menomonee 17) 62 Doug O’Grady, Dousman 18) 10 Levi Cloute, Janesville 19) 20 Jim Lorang 20) 31 Bryan Gottschalk, Jefferson 21) 13 Jake Bulk, S. Milwaukee
Overall Finish- 1) 15 Will Rece 2) 18 Brandon Johnson 3) 99 Phil Wuesthoff 4) 57 Tommy Pfeifer 5) 81 Jeff LeFave
Fast Qualifier- 57 Tommy Pfeifer—14.570 seconds
Qual 1- 10 Levi Cloute, 20 Jim Lorang
Qual 2- 02 Michelle Heimann, 31 Bryan Gottschalk
LC- 7 Adam Skibicki, 13 Jake Bulk, 63 Doug O’Grady, 78 Kevin Pauls