2009 Champions Honored
By Andrew Schaller
The annual Jefferson Speedway awards banquet was held this past Saturday night to recognize and honor the 2009 champions. Drivers, families and friends gathered at the Concord House in Concord, WI, to relive the fantastic action from the past season and look forward to a great 2010 campaign.
After a nice meal, the awards ceremony got underway with the always entertaining Randy Kamenick, track announcer, residing as emcee of the event.
In the Late Model division, it was Jason Erickson of Fort Atkinson claiming his second straight championship and third overall at Wisconsin’s Action Track. Erickson captured 14 fast times throughout the season as well as 4 feature wins and 13 top five finishes. Erickson also won the second twin 65 lap feature on Wisconsin State Championship weekend to close the season.
Scott Riedner of Waunakee claimed his third championship in the last four seasons after winning the 2009 Sportsman division. Riedner rode a strong finish and three feature wins to the title.
In the International division, Edgerton’s Mark English continued his domination in the class, claiming his fourth championship in the last five seasons. His third straight title was highlighted by several fast times as well as nine feature victories.
Steven Sauer of Waterloo captured his first career championship in the Hobby Stock class. Sauer came on strong as the season wound down after a tight battle between several drivers. Sauer won two features on the way to the top of the points.
Kyle Watters of Stoughton grabbed his second championship in the Bandit division while winning two features on the way. Watters also captured the 2009 Wisconsin State Championship.
Along with the crowning of our champions, other drivers received Rookie of the Year awards as well as each division recognizing a Sportsman of the Year. The Late Model ROY was Ryan Zielski of Oconomowoc, Sportsman ROY was Jason Dunn of Sun Prairie, International ROY was Mark Dewey of Beloit, Hobby Stock ROY was Kyle Chwala of Lake Mills, and Bandit ROY was Will Rece of Stoughton. Sportsmen of the Year were Jefferson’s Kyle Jarlsberg, Watertown’s Mike Acheson, Kyle Smith of Lake Mills, Dustin Ward of Waterloo and Travis Schneeberg of Cottage Grove.
The final award of the evening was given to recognize all the fathers who came before their kids who compete at Jefferson Speedway today. Racing has always been a family sport and Jefferson Speedway proudly exemplifies that each year with several second and third generation competitors. The award will be displayed at the speedway each year as a symbol of thanks for everything those parents have done to pave the way for today’s racers.
The awards portion of the evening concluded with track promoter Terry Tucker saying a few words and thanking everyone for the contribution they made to make 2009 a success. Racing will resume at Jefferson Speedway in the spring of 2010. Please visit www.jeffersonspeedway.com for more information.