Casey Johnson Gets First Career Feature Win

By Andrew Schaller

JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, June 13, 2009) Fresh off his high school graduation, Casey Johnson of Stoughton laid claim to his first career Late Model feature win by taking the Jefferson Windows and Doors 50 lap main event at Jefferson Speedway. Tony Koepke claimed the early lead on the opening lap from the pole. Scott Lindsay slid into second with Johnson in tow for third on lap two. On lap five, Lindsay broke loose entering turn one, allowing Johnson to scoot past into second. A lap later, Johnson dove under Koepke and pulled even with the leader. Johnson stole the top spot away from Koepke; clearing for the lead on lap eight. Meanwhile, Kyle Jarlsberg was making his way to the front, moving into third on lap 12 and bringing Luke Westenberg along. Jarlsberg slipped under Koepke for second, making the pass on lap 13. A healthy lead for Johnson was erased on lap 20 when the caution waved for Dylan Schuyler’s spin in turn three. In the melee, Jarlsberg and Westenberg sustained damage, but both were able to continue. As the green returned, Jarlsberg went to work on Johnson for the lead. Jarlsberg got a good run several times through turns one and two, but was unable to maintain his position on the low side of Johnson. A final caution period appeared on lap 48, setting up a green/white/checkered finish and giving Jarlsberg one last opportunity at a pass for the lead. As racing resumed, Jarlsberg got another great run entering turn one and pulled even with Johnson down the backstretch. But Johnson held him at bay and flew by the checkers first to get the win. Jarlsberg was second followed by Westenberg, Lindsay and Jason Erickson.

Utica’s Kody Hubred captured the 30 lap Sportsman main event after grabbing the lead at the midway point of the race. James Helmer and Ron Nelson paced the field to green with Helmer taking control out of turn four on lap one. Mike Acheson moved up to battle Nelson for second until the only caution of the race waved on lap 11. Fluid on the racing surface forced Nelson to spin in turn one and cause the yellow. Acheson restarted in second behind Helmer with Hubred lurking in third. On the restart, Hubred shot past Acheson for second and set his sights on Helmer for the lead. Hubred got underneath the leader as they duo raced side by side for the top spot. Hubred gained the position on lap 16 with Jason Dunn in tow for second. Dunn began his press on the new leader, looking to the low side several times. Tom Reents joined the battle for the lead with eight laps remaining. As the laps wound down, Dunn got under Hubred once again. Hubred maintained a slight advantage as they crossed the stripe to take the white flag. Hubred managed to hold off Dunn’s charge on the final lap to take the win. Dunn, Reents, Helmer and Acheson rounded out the top five.

Mark English of Edgerton made a late race charge to grab the win in the 20 lap International feature event. Peter Shelley took the initial lead on lap one from the pole. Ashley Smith battled back on the outside to motor past Shelley and into the lead on the second circuit. Rodney Mundt managed to slip by Shelley into second and move up to challenge Smith for the top position. Meanwhile, English was slicing through the field and into the top five on lap eight. English quickly made his way through the top five and around Mundt on lap 14. Two laps later, English was on Smith’s rear bumper, challenging for the lead. With two laps remaining, English took first from Smith and drove off to the checkers. Following English across the line were Smith, Mundt, Shelley and Mike McKinney.

In Hobby Stock action, Larry Moen of Madison dominated the 25 lap event to get the win. Starting from the pole, Moen took control on the opening lap as a jailbreak for second ensued behind him. Jason Deppe emerged as the runner up driver as Moen began to stretch his lead. Zac Schmidt made his way around Deppe for second and began to run down the leader. Caution waved on lap 21, erasing Moen’s advantage and bunching up the field for the final four lap dash to the finish. But as the green returned, Moen once again moved out to a healthy lead as he cruised to the stripe for the win. Schmidt was second with Kyle Riedner, Dustin Ward and Tim Lange completing the top five.

Helenville’s Troy Anderson claimed his first career feature win in the 20 lap Bandit main event. Starting from the outside of row one, Anderson grabbed the lead after a brief battle with pole sitter Titus Helgestad. The caution waved on lap seven, erasing a sizeable lead that Anderson was enjoying. But as racing resumed, Anderson once again moved out to a large lead while Kyle Watters was charging through the field. Watters made his way to second on lap 11 and began to run down Anderson for the lead. Watters caught the leader on lap 15 and went to work on the outside. The pair raced side by side for the remainder of the race with Anderson nipping Watters at the line for the win. Watters settled for second with Helgestad, Jeff LeFave and Scott Pauls rounding out the top five.

Next Saturday, June 20, is a full program in all divisions highlighted by the River’s Edge Farm Market 50 lap Late Model feature. There will also be kids rides and other special events for the kids prior to the racing action begins. Gates open at 1:30 with time trials at 3:30. Kids rides get underway at 5:15 and the first green flag waves 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-
Jefferson Windows and Doors 50 lap Feature Results- 1) 5 Casey Johnson, Stoughton 2) 87 Kyle Jarlsberg, Cambridge 3) 16 Luke Westenberg, Jefferson 4) 29 Scott Lindsay, Dousman 5) 94 Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson 6) 99 Doug Hahn, Whitewater 7) I Bob Kahler, Belvidere (IL) 8) 44 Roger Behlke, Jefferson 9) 57 Andy Wendt, Watertown 10) 12 Allen Petrie, Sun Prairie 11) 61 Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek 12) 32 Tony Koepke, Jefferson 13) 1 Jody Krueger, Edgerton 14) 52 Steve Dobbratz, Rio 15) 33 Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson 16) 27 Ty James, Oconomowoc 17) 4 Luke Padfield, Jefferson 18) 4 Chris Quam, Stoughton
Fast Qualifier- 94 Jason Erickson—14.248 seconds
Last Chance- 61 Jerry Eckhardt, 1 Jody Krueger, 4 Luke Padfield, 57 Andy Wendt
Heat Winners- 1) 41 Mike Taylor 2) 57 Andy Wendt 3) 21 Ryan Zielski

Sportsman-
Feature Results- 1) 20 Kody Hubred, Utica 2) 71 Jason Dunn, Sun Prairie 3) 42 Tom Reents, Janesville 4) 4 James Helmer, Markesan 5) 82 Mike Acheson, Watertown 6) 22 Brady Lilly, Milton
Fast Qualifier- 52 Tory Bagley—15.159 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) 51 Chris Schoonover 2) 42 Tom Reents

International-
Feature Results- 1) 57 Mark English, Edgerton 2) 05 Ashley Smith, Lake Mills 3) 21 Rodney Mundt, Lake Mills 4) 5 Peter Shelley, Edgerton 5) 95 Matt McKinney, Fort Atkinson 6) 90 Kyle Smith, Lake Mills
Fast Qualifier- 82 Mark Dewey—16.510 seconds
Last Chance- 61 Chris Gottschalk, 29 Brad Knapp, 11 Jason Kubicz, 26 Mike Lambert
Heat Winners- 1) 77 Sean Watters 2) 05 Ashley Smith 3) 90 Kyle Smith

Hobby Stock-
Feature Results- 1) 10 Larry Moen, Madison 2) 19 Zac Schmidt, Johnson Creek 3) 1 Kyle Riedner, Waunakee 4) 9 Dustin Ward, Waterloo 5) 96 Tim Lange, Dousman 6) 11 Steve Sauer, Waterloo
Fast Qualifier- 92 Kyle Stark—16.583 seconds
Last Chance- 88 Roger Stephenson, 22 Kyle Chwala, 32 Greg Staude, 19 Jarrod Sutherland
Heat Winners- 1) 22 Kyle Chwala 2) 9 Dustin Ward 3) 19 Zac Schmidt

Bandit-
Feature Results- 1) 57 Troy Anderson, Helenville 2) 17 Kyle Watters, Stoughton 3) 22 Titus Helgestad, Helenville 4) 81 Jeff LeFave, Fort Atkinson 5) 18 Scott Pauls, Deerfield 6) 93 Heather Stark, Waterloo
Fast Qualifier- 7 Dennis Johnson—14.457 seconds
Last Chance- 76 Al Stillman, 28 Brandon Wachal, 33 Shane Westphal, 97 Paul Willet
Heat Winners- 1) 39 Justin Kumbier 2) 75 Travis Schneeberg 3) 7 Dennis Johnson