Champions Crowned at Jefferson Speedway

By Andrew Schaller

JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, September 11, 2010) As the 2010 racing season came to a close at Jefferson Speedway, Stoughton’s Casey Johnson stood victorious as the Late Model track champion. Johnson led the standings all season and held off a hard charging Doug Hahn in the final weeks to capture the title.

While Johnson was busy sewing up his championship, it was Scott Lindsay of Dousman who ended up in victory lane after the Havill Spoerl season championship 60 lap Late Model feature event. Brandon Pendleton and Mike Taylor paced the field of 20 drivers to the green flag with Pendleton taking the early lead on lap one and Lindsay following into second. Lindsay slipped under Pendleton on the second circuit, taking over the point with Jerry Eckhardt in tow for second. Chris Quam found his way to third just before the first of two cautions waved on lap ten. Lindsay remained in front through the final caution on lap 13 as Johnson and Hahn were making their way through the field. Hahn remained a few positions ahead of Johnson as he made his way into the top five on lap 29. Johnson continued to keep Hahn in view as he entered the event holding a 37 point edge in the standings. Quam slipped into second on lap 32 as the top three lined up single file. Hahn continued to battle for fourth while Johnson held steady running in the tenth position. Quam did his best to challenge Lindsay at the point, but it was to no avail as Lindsay saw the checkers first to get the win. Rounding out the top five were Quam, Eckhardt, Steve Dobbratz and Hahn. Johnson came home in tenth to capture the championship by a 12 point margin.

In Sportsman action, Kody Hubred of Utica grabbed his first feature win of 2010 in the 40 lap feature while Scott Riedner of Waunakee entered the event having clinched the title for the division. Terry Wangsness lead early on as Hubred quickly made his way into the top five. By lap five, Hubred was in fourth and already challenging Mike Acheson for the third spot. Hubred claimed third on lap nine with Jason Dunn in his tracks for fourth. Two laps later, Hubred charged under Adam Bleskan to steal away the second position as Dunn remained glued to his rear bumper. On lap 14, Hubred began to peek to the low side of Wangsness at the front while Dunn watched from third. After a good side by side battle, Hubred grabbed the lead on lap 21. Dunn followed into second on lap 25 as Mark Deporter joined him in third. Deporter slipped past Dunn on lap 31 as he set his sights on Hubred at the point. Deporter began to search for an opening past the leader, taking a look under Hubred on lap 36. The two touched in turns one and two on lap 37, but Hubred remained on the point as he drove off to the stripe to get the win. Deporter settled for second followed by Dunn, Bret Schmidt and Wangsness.

Mark English capped off another International championship in style by laying claim to the 30 lap feature event. Matt McKinney and Chad Olds led the field to green with McKinney leading after lap one. Scott Uttech moved up to second and immediately went to work on McKinney for the top spot. Uttech dropped to the low side into a side by side fight for the lead. A caution on lap 11 ended the battle with McKinney still in front and Uttech in second. As racing resumed, English found himself in the fifth spot and moving forward. At the same time, Uttech got a good run to make a pass for the lead with McKinney dropping to second. English was in fourth by lap 14 and then third a lap later. English continued to move forward, using the bottom groove to grab second from McKinney on lap 19. English pulled up to Uttech, pulling alongside the new leader down the backstretch on lap 20. English dispatched of Uttech as he immediately pulled out to a commanding lead. English cruised to the checkers to get the win followed by Casey Strese, Stephen Scheel, Kyle Smith and Uttech.

Jim Tate capped his late season surge to the points lead by winning the 35 lap Hobby Stock feature as well as the division championship. Jamie Dunn and Buck Stultz battled at the drop of the green with Dunn getting the lead after an early caution on lap three slowed the field. On the restart, Kyle Chwala charged under Dunn, stealing the lead for himself on lap five with Kyle Stark in tow for second. Meanwhile, Tate was moving through the field with Dustin Ward on his heels. Entering the feature event, Tate owned an eight point advantage over Ward in the title chase. Tate made his way to fifth on lap six with Ward following his every move. Tate moved up to fourth on lap eight and into a battle with Steven Sauer for third while Stark began applying heavy pressure to Chwala at the front. Tate made the pass for third on lap 20 with Ward in his tracks for fourth. Tate drove to the high side of Stark looking for second just as caution waved on lap 24. Tate was awarded the second spot for the restart with Ward riding in fourth. As the green waved once again, Tate pulled even with Chwala for the lead, grabbing the spot a lap later. Chwala tried to come back strong on the low side, but Tate held him off to see the checkers first for the win. Chwala finished second followed by Ward, Curt Thompson and Stark. The win gave Tate a 28 point edge in the standings and the Hobby Stock championship.

Bill Reynolds of Watertown continued his dominating ways in the Road Warrior division, winning the 10 lap feature event and claiming the championship at the same time. Rob Lange took the early lead on lap one as Reynolds quickly charged up to second. Reynolds snuck up inside Lange, pulling even on lap three. A lap later, Reynolds stuck his nose into the lead and never looked back on his way to the checkers. Lange finished second followed by Bill Sweeney, Bryan Ellis and Roger Stephenson.

Another tight points race existed in the Bandit division as Phil Wuesthoff owned a slight edge over Will Rece entering the 30 lap feature event. Devon Dixon of Janesville came home the winner of the event with Rece capturing the title after Wuesthoff experienced a flat tire late in the event. Stan Schave took the initial lead on lap one with Mike White up to second and Dixon in third. Dixon slipped by White on lap seven as he pulled up to Schave looking to lead. Meanwhile, Rece was making his way to fifth with Wuesthoff not far behind. Dixon powered past Schave into the lead on lap 14. It appeared as though Wuesthoff’s tire was losing air over the course of the next 15 laps, but he remained in the eight position until caution waved on lap 24. On the restart, Wuesthoff pulled out of line as he dropped to the rear of the field. Rece managed to gain one more position before the checkers waved with Dixon at the front. Dave Schmidt finished second with Rece, Schave and Tim Bristol completing the top five. Wuesthoff’s troubles gave Rece a 10 point lead and the Bandit championship.

Next Friday and Saturday, September 17-18, is the annual Wisconsin State Championships. The best drivers from around the area will compete for a $40,000 purse with the racing action highlighted by twin 75 lap Late Model features on Saturday night. 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-
Feature Results- 1) 29 Scott Lindsay, Dousman 2) 4 Chris Quam, Stoughton 3) 61 Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek 4) 52 Steve Dobbratz, Rio 5) 99 Doug Hahn, Whitewater 6) 33 Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson 7) 71 John Ovadal, Watertown 8) 14 Zach Riddle, Brooklyn 9) 11 Trent Erdman, Fort Atkinson 10) 5 Casey Johnson, Stoughton 11) 51 Dale Nottestad, Cambridge 12) 7 Bob Kahler, Caledonia (IL) 13) 16 Luke Westenberg, Jefferson 14) 44 Roger Behlke, Jefferson 15) 97 Dan Heying, Waukesha 16) 21 Brandon Pendleton, Helenville 17) 24 Mark Miller, Columbus 18) 41 Mike Taylor, Stoughton 19) 94 Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson 20) 21 Ryan Zielski, Oconomowoc
Fast Qualifier- 94 Jason Erickson—14.273 seconds
Consy- 97 Dan Heying, 3 Jasper Gronert
LC- 24 Mark Miller, 14 Zach Riddle, 97 Dan Heying, 51 Dale Nottestad
Heat Winners- 1) 12 Putch Bentley 2) 16 Luke Westenberg 3) 8 Aaron Wilke 4) 29 Scott Lindsay

Sportsman-
Feature Results- 1) 20 Kody Hubred, Utica 2) 4 Mark Deporter, Fort Atkinson 3) 71 Jason Dunn, Sun Prairie 4) 20 Bret Schmidt, Watertown 5) 55 Terry Wangsness, Jefferson 6) 79 Justin Schultz, Rio 7) 8 Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills 8) 26 Scott Riedner, Waunakee 9) 11 Adam Bleskan, Menomonee 10) 82 Mike Acheson, Watertown 11) 66 Curt Thompson, Jefferson 12) 19 Dan Schmidt, Farmington 13) 4 Jim Taylor, Stoughton 14) 3 Shaun Gunsolas, Jefferson 15) 51 Kurt Kleven, Madison 16) 75 Rick Coppernoll, Cottage Grove 17) 77 Mike Winters, Sun Prairie 18) 7 James Helmer, Beaver Dam
Fast Qualifier- 7 James Helmer—15.082 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) 55 Terry Wangsness 2) 26 Scott Riedner

International-
Feature Results- 1) 57 Mark English, Edgerton 2) 23 Casey Strese, Jefferson 3) Stephen Scheel, Lake Mills 4) 90 Kyle Smith, Lake Mills 5) 74 Scott Uttech, Watertown 6) 26 Mike Lambert, Madison 7) 75 Travis Schneeberg, Cottage Grove 8) 95 Matt McKinney, Fort Atkinson 9) 05 Ashley Smith, Lake Mills 10) 89 Chad Olds, Whitewater 11) 61 Chris Gottschalk, Jefferson 12) 67 Joe Cross, Sun Prairie 13) 17 Eric Connell, Fort Atkinson 14) ONO Keith Bell, Brodhead 15) 25 Darren Brown, Jefferson 16) 35 Gary Stark, Sun Prairie 17) 66 Neil Higgins, Watertown 18) 11 Jason Kubicz, Whitewater
Fast Qualifier- 26 Mike Lambert—16.469 seconds
LC- 11 Jason Kubicz, 25 Darren Brown, ONO Keith Bell, 67 Joe Cross
Heat Winners- 1) 17 Eric Connell 2) 11 Jason Kubicz 3) 4 Stephen Scheel

Hobby Stock-
Feature Results- 1) 27 Jim Tate, Watertown 2) 22 Kyle Chwala, Lake Mills 3) 9 Dustin Ward, Waterloo 4) 85 Curt Thompson, Jefferson 5) 2 Kyle Stark, Sun Prairie 6) 11 Steven Sauer, Waterloo 7) 22 Chester Williams, Waukesha 8) 88 Roger Stephenson, Cambridge 9) 55 Lucas Buckingham 10) 86 Tony Ciano, Janesville 11) 72 Gary Paulick, Union Grove 12) 62 Allen McBride, Milton 13) 71 Jamie Dunn, Sun Prairie 14) 9 Craig Phillips, Edgerton 15) 49 Buck Stultz, Lake Mills 16) 19 Zach Schmidt, Johnson Creek 17) 56 Randy Strasburg, Jefferson 18) 7 Jim Wolf, Watertown
Fast Qualifier- 9 Dustin Ward—16.292 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) 88 Roger Stephenson 2) 62 Allen McBride

Road Warrior-
Feature Results- 1) 6 Bill Reynolds, Watertown 2) 135 Rob Lange, Jefferson 3) 71 Bill Sweeney, Janesville 4) 01 Bryan Ellis, Loves Park (IL) 5) 88 Roger Stephenson, Cambridge 6) 88 Tina Stephenson, Cambridge 7) 72 Ron Coppernoll, Madison
Fast Qualifier- 6 Bill Reynolds—16.972 seconds
Heat Winner- 71 Bill Sweeney

Bandit-
Feature Results- 1) 111 Devon Dixon, Janesville 2) 10 Dave Schmidt, Menomonee 3) 15 Will Rece, Stoughton 4) 57 Stan Schave, Lake Mills 5) 71 Tim Bristol, Sun Prairie 6) 78 Kevin Pauls, Janesville 7) 81 Jeff LeFave, Fort Atkinson 8) 31 Mike Heimann, Waunakee 9) 5 Kameron Lee, Madison 10) 11 Cory Jenson, Janesville 11) 20 Ron Nelson, Cambridge 12) 53 Dylan Buckingham, Whitewater 13) 33 Mike White, Janesville 14) 99 Phil Wuesthoff, Beaver Dam 15) 18 Brandon Johnson, Avalon 16) 02 Michelle Heimann, Sun Prairie 17) 93 Heather Stark, Sun Prairie 18) 2 Keaton Hubred, Utica
Fast Qualifier- 93 Heather Stark—14.271 seconds
Consy- 20 Ron Nelson, 11 Art Blakely
LC- 11 Cory Jansen, 20 Ron Nelson, 53 Dylan Buckingham, 71 Tim Bristol Heat Winners- 1) 33 Mike White 2) 111 Devon Dixon 3) 10 Dave Schmidt 4) 2 Keaton Hubred