Jason Erickson Back To Back Winner

By Andrew Schaller

JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, May 30, 2009) Fort Atkinson’s Jason Erickson laid claim to his second feature win in as many weeks after an incredible battle with Luke Westenberg over the final laps of the Teez T’s Designs 50 lap Late Model feature at Jefferson Speedway. Erickson motored to the front from deep in the field to get the win and increase his point lead in the division.

Jack Rabey and Tony Koepke paced the field of 18 drivers to the drop of the green flag. Rabey drifted high exiting turn two on the opening lap, allowing Casey Johnson to fire past into the lead down the backstretch. Johnson immediately began to open up a healthy advantage while Scott Lindsay moved to second with Andy Wendt in tow for third. The first of two caution periods came on lap 13 when Dylan Schuyler spun in turn one. Johnson maintained his lead on the restart with Wendt challenging Lindsay for second. Wendt cleared for the position on lap 15, setting his sights on Johnson for the lead. Caution once again slowed the field on lap 22, bunching the leaders together for the restart. As the green returned, Westenberg slipped to the inside of Wendt for the second spot. As they raced side by side, Johnson became loose on the exit of turn two, allowing Westenberg to move past to the point on lap 31. By this time, Erickson was in the top five and following Westenberg into the second spot. Erickson went right to work on the new leader, peeking to the inside through turns one and two. The pair of competitors would wage a side by side war that lasted the remainder of the feature event. Erickson couldn’t complete a pass, however, settling to fall back in line and regroup for another challenge with only five laps remaining. With three circuits to go, Westenberg bobbled slightly in turn four allowing Erickson to charge back to the inside. They raced door to door under the white flag for the final lap. As they exited turn four to take the checkered flag, Erickson got a solid run to carry a slight advantage across the stripe for the win. Westenberg settled for second followed by Wendt, Doug Hahn and Steve Dobbratz.

Another great battle for the lead occurred in the 30 lap Sportsman feature ending with Brady Lilly of Milton taking the win. Starting from the pole, Lilly took the early lead from fellow front row starter James Helmer when Helmer made heavy contact with the front chute wall on lap one. Greg Ovadal moved to second while Scott Riedner and Mike Acheson battled for third. Lilly had opened up a big lead when the yellow flag waved over the speedway on lap 12. When the green returned, Ovadal began to challenge Lilly for the top spot. While Lilly and Ovadal raced side by side, Chris Ehrhart maneuvered up to the third spot. On lap 14, Ovadal lost grip and slid back behind Ehrhart to third. Ehrhart moved up to make his bid for the lead. Each lap, Ehrhart would pull to the inside of Lilly through turns one and two, but Lilly would fend him off to maintain the lead. Even after slight contact between the two drivers with two laps to go, Lilly managed to stay strong and take the checkers for the win. Ehrhart was second followed by Tom Reents, Ovadal and Tory Bagley.

Brandon Pendleton of Helenville claimed his first career feature victory by winning the 20 lap International feature event. Waylin Willman and Peter Shelley made up row one at the start, with Shelly taking the initial lead on lap one. An early caution on lap two forced the retirement of the current point leader, Mark English. After the restart, Pendleton powered under Willman for second and immediately went to work on Shelley for the lead. Pendleton took control of the top spot on lap three and started to separate himself from the pack. Pendleton maintained his position through two more cautions to take the win. Stephen Scheel, Shelley, Mark Dewey and Chad Olds rounded out the top five.

A great finish to the Hobby Stock 25 lap feature saw defending champion Jimmy Robinson take the win by mere inches. Alan Dorn grabbed the lead on the opening lap with Terry Wangsness falling in line behind for second. Dorn began to stretch his lead while the battle was on behind him for second. Chester Williams eventually claimed the spot and began to run down the leader with Robinson in tow for third. The leaders encountered lapped traffic on lap 14, bunching up the top four for a shootout to the finish. Robinson charged inside Williams on lap 21, taking the position two laps later. With only one lap to go, Robinson dove to the inside of Dorn through turns one and two. The pair raced side by side down the backstretch and into the final turn. As they crossed the stripe, Robinson held the advantage by only inches to take the win. Rounding out the top five were Dorn, Williams, Johnny Robinson and Wangsness.

Another wild Bandit feature ended with Dave Schmidt of Cudahy sitting in victory lane after the 20 lap event. Michael Heimann took the early lead from the pole with Heather Stark moving into second. Stark tried looking to the outside of Heimann for the lead, only opening the door for Barret Hammond to slip by to second. Hammond was next to try the high side of the leader. But his bid was unsuccessful as he fell back into the pack. The battle for second raged behind Heimann, finally ending when Schmidt took the spot and set his sights on the leader. Schmidt motored to the outside of Heimann, completing the pass for the lead on lap 14 and driving away to the finish and the win. Heimann was second followed by John Beale, Matt Goodwin and Scott Pauls.

Next Saturday, June 6, is a full program of racing in all five division highlighted by the Papa Murphy’s 50 lap Late Model main event. There will also be a bubble race following the regular program. 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-
Teez T’s Designs 50 lap Feature Results- 1) 94 Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson 2) 16 Luke Westenberg, Jefferson 3) 57 Andy Wendt, Watertown 4) 99 Doug Hahn, Whitewater 5) 52 Steve Dobbratz, Rio 6) I Bob Kahler, Belvidere (IL) 7) 5 Casey Johnson, Stoughton 8) 29 Scott Lindsay, Dousman 9) 87 Kyle Jarlsberg, Cambridge 10) 32 Tony Koepke, Jefferson 11) 4 Chris Quam, Stoughton 12) 44 Roger Behlke, Jefferson 13) 33 Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson 14) 27 Ty James, Oconomowoc 15) 21 Ryan Zielski, Oconomowoc 16) 7 Jack Rabey, Bristol 17) 4 Luke Padfield, Jefferson 18) 11 Trent Erdman, Fort Atkinson
Fast Qualifier- 94 Jason Erickson—14.262 seconds
Last Chance- 21 Ryan Zielski, 27 Ty James, 4 Luke Padfield, 11 Trent Erdman
Heat Winners- 1) 4 Luke Padfield 2) 5 Casey Johnson 3) 99 Doug Hahn

Sportsman-
Feature Results- 1) 22 Brady Lilly, Milton 2) 6 Chris Ehrhart, Deerfield 3) 42 Tom Reents, Janesville 4) 72 Greg Ovadal, Franksville 5) 52 Tory Bagley, McFarland 6) 8 Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills
Fast Qualifier- 52 Tory Bagley—15.150 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) 66 Curt Thompson 2) 22 Brady Lilly

International-
Feature Results- 1) 21 Brandon Pendleton, Helenville 2) 4 Stephen Scheel, Lake Mills 3) 5 Peter Shelley, Edgerton 4) 82 Mark Dewey, Beloit 5) 89 Chad Olds, Whitewater 6) 05 Ashley Smith, Lake Mills
Fast Qualifier- 82 Mark Dewey—16.498 seconds
Last Chance- 26 Mike Lambert, ONO Keith Bell, 77 Sean Watters, 32 Cody Strese
Heat Winners- 1) 77 Sean Watters 2) 21 Brandon Pendleton 3) 57 Mark English

Hobby Stock-
Feature Results- 1) 33 Jimmy Robinson, Orfordville 2) 96 Alan Dorn, Waterloo 3) 22 Chester Williams, Waukesha 4) 99 Johnny Robinson, Beloit 5) 55 Terry Wangsness, Jefferson 6) 96 Tim Lange, Dousman
Fast Qualifier- 92 Kyle Stark—16.534 seconds
Last Chance- 22 Kyle Chwala, 49 Buck Stultz, 1 Kyle Riedner, 71 Jamie Dunn
Heat Winners- 1) 74 Jeff Schultz 2) 10 Larry Moen 3) 55 Terry Wangsness

Bandit-
Feature Results- 1) 10 Dave Schmidt, Cudahy 2) 31 Michael Heimann, Waunakee 3) 5 John Beale, Verona 4) 45 Matt Goodwin, Beloit 5) 18 Scott Pauls, Deerfield 6) 57 Troy Anderson, Helenville
Fast Qualifier- 17 Kyle Watters—14.428 seconds
Last Chance- 97 Brent Schwark, 15 Will Rece, 3 Brian Beale, 36 Erik Bennet
Heat Winners- 1) 10 Eric Beitlich 2) 18 Scott Pauls 3) 45 Matt Goodwin