Big 8 Late Models Invade Jefferson Speedway

By Andrew Schaller
JEFFERSON, WI (Tuesday, June 14, 2011) After a short absence, the Big 8 Late Model Series made its return to Jefferson Speedway for Wisconsin’s only Tuesday night special event in 2011. Jeremy Miller of Rockton, IL, got to the front of the field late in the 78 lap feature event and claimed the big win. The win marks Miller’s second consecutive victory in the series after he picked up the Memorial Day win at Columbus 151 Speedway.

The race got underway with Bobby Wilberg and Jon Reynolds Jr leading the field of 24 competitors to the green flag. Reynolds gained the early advantage down the backstretch on lap one and eventually cleared for the top spot in turn four. Dale Nottestad charged into second with Tim Sargent in tow for third as Wilberg fell back to fourth. Sargent quickly dove under Nottestad looking for second while Reynolds started to slip away from the pack on the point. Sargent claimed the second spot just before the first caution waved on lap seven. Reynolds continued to show the way on the restart as Sargent ran second. The top two began to break away from the pack while Nottestad tried to hold off Steve Rubeck for third.

On lap 15, Rubeck claimed the spot which opened the door for Jefferson Speedway hot shoe, Steve Dobbratz. Dobbratz motored under Nottestad and alongside Rubeck for third. Dobbratz cleared for the position on lap 17 and began to cut into the leader’s margin. The second caution waved on lap 24 for a two car melee setting up the restart with Sargent and Dobbratz side by side behind Reynolds. As racing resumed, Sargent reclaimed second and went back to work on the leader, getting a good run entering turn one and pulling even. Sargent moved into sole possession of the lead on lap 27 as Dobbratz followed in his tracks past Reynolds. Dobbratz wasted little time as he immediately began to apply heavy pressure to the new leader.

The duo began to pull away from the rest as Dobbratz continued to look for an opening. On lap 47, the pair of pilots made contact entering turn one which caused Sargent to spin and bring out the third caution period. Both drivers were forced to the rear of the field for the restart, handing the lead back to Reynolds with Rubeck and Nottestad vying for second behind him.

Reynolds started to stretch his advantage while Rubeck and Nottestad battled door to door until another yellow erased his lead on lap 53. On the restart, Rubeck moved into the second spot and pulled up to the rear bumper of the leader, Reynolds. While Rubeck pressured the leader, Miller was making his way up to third past Nottestad. Rubeck took a look to the low side of Reynolds as the yellow waved once again on lap 58. As the field came out of turn four to see the green on the restart, Rubeck experienced some difficulty as his mount didn’t get up to speed. The field checked up behind him as the green flag was waved off. Rubeck dropped to the tail as the field once again came to the green, this time with Miller and Nottestad lined up behind Reynolds.

As racing resumed, Miller claimed the second spot as he set his sights on Reynolds at the point. On lap 60, Miller got a solid run on the inside of the leader as they flew through turns three and four. Miller stole the top spot from Reynolds, bringing Nottestad along for second as Reynolds began to lose the handle. Reynolds got sideways down the backstretch on lap 61, collecting James Swan and bringing out the caution once again. On the restart, Nottestad got loose in turn one, allowing Wilberg to slip past for second.

Miller survived one more caution period on lap 69, but stayed strong out front as he drove to the checkers to claim the win. Wilberg came home with second followed by Nottestad in third. Rounding out the top five were Zach Riddle and Kyle Shear.

The Sportsman and Bandit division joined the Big 8 Series on the evening as well. Jay Kalbus of Watertown charged to the front of the field early on to claim the Sportsman 35 lap feature event. Jim Taylor led lap one with Kalbus in tow from his second row starting spot. Kalbus grabbed the second spot on lap two as Mark DePorter followed into third. Kalbus made his move on lap five, moving to the low side of Taylor and pulling even. Kalbus continued to inch forward, sticking his nose into the lead as they crossed the line to begin lap seven. Kalbus cleared for the top spot on lap eight as DePorter tried to follow in his tracks. DePorter finally claimed the position on lap 14, bringing Jason Thoma along for third as Taylor dropped back to fourth. Thoma began to search for a way past DePorter for second while Kalbus watched in his rear view mirror. Thoma got a run on lap 21 as he pulled alongside DePorter. The duo touched slightly on lap 25, allowing Thoma to shoot into second with James Helmer following into third. But Kalbus continued to show the way as they cruised to the checkers. Kalbus crossed the stripe first to get the win followed by Thoma, Helmer, DePorter and Kurt Kleven.

Rounding out the night’s events was the 15 lap Bandit main event. Heather Stark of Waterloo held off Kyle Stark over the final nine circuits to get the win. Robby Robinson led early on as Nick Schmidt and Kyle Stark battled for second. The sole caution of the race came on lap three with Kyle Stark lining up in second behind Robinson on the restart. As racing resumed, Schmidt dove under Stark and slid up alongside Robinson at the point. Heather and Kyle Stark watched the battle until Heather decided to join the fight at the front. Heather Stark shot to the low side as they drove three wide into turn one for the lead. Stark emerged with the position down the backstretch with Kyle Stark in tow for second. Kyle spent the remainder of the race looking for a way past Heather, but she hung to see the checkers first. Kyle Stark settled for second with Schmidt, Derek Dixon and Robinson rounding out the top five.

Regular Saturday night racing resumes this Saturday, June 18, with a full program in all six divisions sponsored by WMAD FM and Cost Cutters. 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

Big 8 Series Limited Late Models

Feature Results — 1. Jeremy Miller, Rockton; 2. Bob Wilberg, Beloit, Wis; 3. Dale Nottestad, Cambridge, Wis; 4. Zach Riddle, Cottage Grove, Wis; 5. Kyle Shear, Roscoe; 6. Ty Majeski (r), Seymour, Wis; 7. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 8. Steve Rubeck, Rockford; 9. Jacob Vanoskey, Hartford, Wis; 10. Davey Pennel, Sparta, Wis; 11. Wayne Freimund, Elkhorn, Wis; 12. Eddie May, Crystal Lake; 13. Ryan Carlson, Loves Park; 14. Mike Taylor, Stoughton, Wis; 15. Ed Szelagowski Jr, Westfield, Wis; 16. Dave Edwards, Salem, Wis; 17. Casey Johnson, Stoughton, Wis; 18. Steve Dobbratz, Rio, Wis; 19. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford; 20. Matt Byrne, Burlington, Wis; 21. James Swan, Lake Geneva, Wis; 22. Mike Ehde, Prairie du Chien, Wis; 23. Jacob Gille, Machesney Park; 24. Noel Ramge, Helenville, Wis.

Last Chance — 1. Dave Edwards, Salem, Wis; 2. Mike Taylor, Stoughton, Wis; 3. Noel Ramge, Helenville, Wis; 4. Davey Pennel, Sparta, Wis; 5. Ed Szelagowski Jr, Westfield, Wis; 6. Jody Krueger, Edgerton, Wis; 7. Bruce Lee, Cambridge, Wis; 8. Mike Ehde, Prairie du Chien, Wis.

Heat 01 — 1. Casey Johnson, Stoughton, Wis; 2. Eddie May, Crystal Lake; 3. Dave Edwards, Salem, Wis; 4. Ed Szelagowski Jr, Westfield, Wis; 5. Davey Pennel, Sparta, Wis; 6. Noel Ramge, Helenville, Wis.

Heat 02 — 1. Wayne Freimund, Elkhorn, Wis; 2. Jacob Vanoskey, Hartford, Wis; 3. Mike Taylor, Stoughton, Wis; 4. Bruce Lee, Cambridge, Wis; 5. Mike Ehde, Prairie du Chien, Wis; 6. Jody Krueger, Edgerton, Wis.

Qualifying Dash 01 — 1. Bob Wilberg, Beloit, Wis; 2. James Swan, Lake Geneva, Wis; 3. Steve Rubeck, Rockford; 4. Matt Byrne, Burlington, Wis; 5. Steve Dobbratz, Rio, Wis; 6. Kyle Shear, Roscoe; 7. Jeremy Miller, Rockton.

Qualifying Dash 02 — 1. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford; 2. Dale Nottestad, Cambridge, Wis; 3. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 4. Ryan Carlson, Loves Park; 5. Zach Riddle, Cottage Grove, Wis; 6. Jacob Gille, Machesney Park; 7. Ty Majeski (r), Seymour, Wis.

Time Trial — 1. Steve Dobbratz, Rio, Wis; 2. Ty Majeski (r), Seymour, Wis; 3. Jeremy Miller, Rockton; 4. Zach Riddle, Cottage Grove, Wis; 5. Steve Rubeck, Rockford; 6. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 7. Kyle Shear, Roscoe; 8. Jacob Gille, Machesney Park; 9. James Swan, Lake Geneva, Wis; 10. Ryan Carlson, Loves Park; 11. Matt Byrne, Burlington, Wis; 12. Dale Nottestad, Cambridge, Wis; 13. Bob Wilberg, Beloit, Wis; 14. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford; 15. Davey Pennel, Sparta, Wis; 16. Bruce Lee, Cambridge, Wis; 17. Eddie May, Crystal Lake; 18. Mike Ehde, Prairie du Chien, Wis; 19. Ed Szelagowski Jr, Westfield, Wis; 20. Wayne Freimund, Elkhorn, Wis; 21. Casey Johnson, Stoughton, Wis; 22. Jacob Vanoskey, Hartford, Wis; 23. Dave Edwards, Salem, Wis; 24. Mike Taylor, Stoughton, Wis; 25. Noel Ramge, Helenville, Wis; 26. Jody Krueger, Edgerton, Wis.

Sportsman-

Feature Results- 1) 27 Jay Kalbus, Watertown 2) 6 Jason Thoma, Jefferson 3) 7 James Helmer, Beaver Dam 4) 2 Mark DePorter, Fort Atkinson 5) 51 Kurt Kleven, Cambridge 6) 4 Jim Taylor, Stoughton 7) 23 Austin Nason, Rockford (IL) 8) 55 Terry Wangsness, Jefferson 9) 8 Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills 10) 5 Kameron Lee, Cambridge 11) 5 Doug Bennett, Rockford (IL) 12) 78 Matt Lundberg 13) 20 Kody Hubred, Utica 14) 19 Dan Schmidt, Farmington 15) 71 Jim Tate, DeForest 16) 31 Alex Lee, Cambridge 17) 12 Scott Lawver, Roscoe (IL)

Fast Qualifier- 7 James Helmer—15.034 seconds

Heat Winners- 1) 27 Jay Kalbus 2) 19 Dan Schmidt

Bandit-

Feature Results- 1) 93 Heather Stark, Waterloo 2) 20 Kyle Stark, Waterloo 3) 09 Nick Schmidt, Menomonie 4) 111 Derek Dixon, Janesville 5) 18 Robby Robinson, Orfordville 6) 11 Cory Jansen, Lake Geneva 7) 11 Art Blakely, Janesville 8) 98 Felicia Dewey, Janesville 9) 41 Jordan Lamb, Fort Atkinson 10) 16 Josh Lenz, Lake Mills 11) 81 Jeff LeFave, Fort Atkinson 12) 0 Bryan Ellis, Loves Park (IL)

Fast Qualifier- 111 Derek Dixon—17.360 seconds

Heat Winners- 1) 18 Robby Robinson 2) 111 Derek Dixon