Jarlsberg Owns Papa Murphy’s 50

By Andrew Schaller

JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, August 08, 2009) Sporting zero sheet metal on the entire front of his racecar, Jefferson’s Kyle Jarlsberg maneuvered to the front of the field to win the Papa Murphy’s Pizza 50 lap Late Model feature at Jefferson Speedway. Jarlsberg incurred cosmetic damage earlier in the evening during his heat race which forced the removal of his body panels before the start of the main event. With the win, Jarlsberg adds his name to the list of feature winners in the 2009 campaign while inching him ever closer to the points lead.

Tom Schuette and Allen Petrie paced the field of 18 Late Models to the drop of the green. The duo battled side by side for the opening seven laps until Petrie grabbed sole possession of the top spot on lap eight. Tony Koepke pulled to the inside of Schuette for second when Schuette became loose in turns one and two, spinning into Koepke and collecting Doug Hahn and Ross Kenseth as well. Koepke, Hahn and Kenseth were forced to retire for the evening after the only caution of the event. As they restarted, Casey Johnson began to pressure Petrie for the lead while Jarlsberg and point leader Jason Erickson moved into the top five. On lap 18, Johnson got to the inside of Petrie, sticking his nose out front a lap later to claim the lead. Jarlsberg followed past Petrie into second with Luke Westenberg in tow for third. On lap 22, Jarlsberg made his bid for the point. He and Johnson battled door to door until Jarlsberg got the lead at the midway point of the race. Westenberg continued to follow Jarlsberg, taking second from Johnson a lap later. Westenberg used the remaining circuits to try and make a pass of his own for the lead, but Jarlsberg maintained the advantage to see the checkers first for the win. Westenberg was second followed by Bob Kahler, Erickson and Dylan Schuyler.

Greg Ovadal of Franksville parlayed his front row starting spot into a win in the 30 lap Sportsman feature event. Starting alongside Jim Taylor, Ovadal took control of the point on lap two with Kody Hubred grabbing second. Hubred went right to work on Ovadal for the top spot, challenging the leader from the bottom groove. Hubred tried each lap to get a run underneath Ovadal, but the leader held on to his position each time. Caution waved on lap 19, and after the restart Shaun Scheel moved up to challenge Hubred for the runner up spot. Scheel made the pass on lap 20 and set his sights on Ovadal. But Hubred came back hard and took his position back, bringing Scott Riedner along for third. Riedner got past Hubred for second as the laps ticked away. Riedner powered up to Ovadal’s rear bumper with only two laps remaining. The pair sailed under the white flag side by side and remained that way through the final lap. As the crossed the stripe the final time, Ovadal owned the lead by inches over Riedner for the win. Rounding out the top five were Tory Bagley, Hubred and Chris Ehrhart.

In International action, Rob Lange of Jefferson claimed his first career feature victory in the 20 lap event. Jason Kubicz and Mike Lambert led the field to green with Kubicz taking the early lead down the backstretch on lap one. Lange charged up to second and then underneath Kubicz for the lead. Lange took the spot away on lap two and immediately began to stretch his advantage. The first of several cautions waved on lap four. As the green returned, Casey Strese moved up to second as Lange returned to a large lead. The advantage was erased once again for caution on lap 15, setting up a five lap shootout to the finish. When racing resumed, Ashley Smith motored by Strese for second and set her sights on the leader. But Lange held strong to take the win with Smith, Strese, Matt McKinney and Joe Cross completing the top five.

Beloit’s Johnny Robinson laid claim to the win in the 25 lap Hobby Stock main event. Brent Gergen took the initial lead on lap two as Robinson was making his way to the front. Robinson was into the top five by lap 10, moving to second on lap 15. Caution waved on lap 17, moving Robinson up to the rear of Gergen for the restart. As the green waved once again, Robinson quickly slid under Gergen entering turn one. He pulled even with the leader and grabbed the top spot just before caution waved once again. After the restart, Jimmy Robinson got around Gergen for second and looked to steal the lead from himself. But Johnny Robinson remained out front to see the checkers first followed by Jimmy Robinson, Steven Sauer, Kyle Stark and Kyle Riedner.

Beaver Dam’s Phil Wuesthoff motored to the front of the pack and stayed there to capture the 20 lap Bandit feature event. Titus Helgestad took the point from fellow front row starter Will Rece on lap one. Wuesthoff followed under Rece into second. On lap two, Wuesthoff snuck under Helgestad as they exited turn four and took control of the lead. Travis Schneeberg came along into second with Matt Goodwin third. Wuesthoff moved out to a comfortable lead by the halfway point of the race. Wuesthoff cruised to the stripe for the win followed by Schneeberg, Dave Schmidt, Kyle Watters and Ed Klug.

Next Saturday, August 15, is a full program in all five division highlighted by the B&M Electric 50 lap Late Model feature. 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
Late Model-
Papa Murphy’s Pizza 50 lap Feature Results- 1) 87 Kyle Jarlsberg, Jefferson 2) 16 Luke Westenberg, Jefferson 3) I Bob Kahler, Belvidere (IL) 4) 94 Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson 5) 33 Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson 6) 5 Casey Johnson, Stoughton 7) 12 Allen Petrie, Sun Prairie 8) 27 Tom Schuette, Fort Atkinson 9) 21 Brandon Pendleton, Helenville 10) 23 Chris Koepke, Jefferson 11) 44 Roger Behlke, Jefferson 12) 41 Mike Taylor, Stoughton 13) 16 Russ Grossen, Brooklyn 14) 3 Chuck Duncan, Milwaukee 15) 61 Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek 16) 32 Tony Koepke, Jefferson 17) 99 Doug Hahn, Whitewater 18) Ross Kenseth, Cambridge
Fast Qualifier- 94 Jason Erickson—14.284 seconds
Last Chance- 21 Brandon Pendleton, 41 Mike Taylor, 16 Russ Grossen, 3 Chuck Duncan, 23 Chris Koepke
Heat Winners- 1) 41 Mike Taylor 2) 5 Casey Johnson 3) 94 Jason Erickson

Sportsman-
Feature Results- 1) 72 Greg Ovadal, Franksville 2) 26 Scott Riedner, Waunakee 3) 52 Tory Bagley, McFarland 4) 20 Kody Hubred, Utica 5) 6 Chris Ehrhart, Deerfield 6) 8 Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills
Fast Qualifier- 6 Chris Ehrhart—15.133 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) 77 Mike Winters 2) 8 Shaun Scheel

International-
Feature Results- 1) 135 Rob Lange, Jefferson 2) 05 Ashley Smith, Lake Mills 3) 23 Casey Strese, Jefferson 4) 95 Matt McKinney, Fort Atkinson 5) 67 Joe Cross, Sun Prairie 6) 57 Mark English, Edgerton
Fast Qualifier- 35 Gary Stark—16.222 seconds
Last Chance- 4 Steven Scheel, 29 Brad Knapp, ONO Keith Bell, 6 Allen Petrie
Heat Winners- 1) 29 Brad Knapp 2) 57 Mark English 3) 35 Gary Stark

Hobby Stock-
Feature Results- 1) 99 Johnny Robinson, Beloit 2) 33 Jimmy Robinson, Orfordville 3) 11 Steven Sauer, Waterloo 4) 92 Kyle Stark, Waterloo 5) 1 Kyle Riedner, Waunakee 6) 2 Brent Gergen, Jefferson
Fast Qualifier- 27 Jim Tate—16.410 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) 19 Zac Schmidt 2) 33 Jimmy Robinson

Bandit-
Feature Results- 1) 99 Phil Wuesthoff, Beaver Dam 2) 75 Travis Schneeberg, Cottage Grove 3) 10 Dave Schmidt, Cudahy 4) 17 Kyle Watters, Stoughton 5) 241 Ed Klug, Oregon 6) 15 Will Rece, Stoughton
Fast Qualifier- 93 Heather Stark—14.477 seconds
Last Chance- 02 Michelle Heimann, 33 Michael White, 101 Nick Schmidt, 78 Kevin Pauls
Heat Winners- 1) 33 Michael White 2) 45 Matt Goodwin 3) 17 Kyle Watters