Johnson Finds Way Back to Victory Lane
By Andrew Schaller
JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, June 04, 2011) Defending Late Model champion, Casey Johnson, found his winning ways once again at Jefferson Speedway. The Stoughton pilot made his way to the front of the field to capture the 50 lap feature win on UAW Teamsters 200 night at Wisconsin’s Action Track.
Scott Lindsay and Bruce Lee paced the field of 18 hot shoes to the drop of the green flag with Lindsay owning a slight advantage as they completed lap one. Lindsay cleared for the top spot as they raced down the back stretch on lap two with Lee falling to second and Kyle Jarlsberg running in third. Jarlsberg made his move around Lee on lap four as he set his sights on the early leader. Jarlsberg caught Lindsay and began to peek to the inside on lap seven. A lap later, Jarlsberg pulled even with Lindsay and stole the lead for himself. The first of three cautions waved on lap ten. Jarlsberg continued to show the way on the restart with Lindsay in second and Dylan Schuyler third. As racing resumed, Johnson dove to the inside of Schuyler as they raced for third. Johnson cleared for the position on lap 12 as he slid up alongside Lindsay looking for second. Johnson claimed the position as Jarlsberg stretched his advantage. The second caution period came on lap 24 when Lee and John Ovadal made contact sending both drivers spinning and erasing Jarlsberg’s big lead. Johnson dove under Jarlsberg as he looked to make the pass as the green flew once again. With Johnson looking low as they entered turn one on lap 26, Jarlsberg encountered engine problems as the car spun through the corner to bring out the final caution of the race. Johnson restarted as the leader with Lindsay and Schuyler right behind. Schuyler slipped past Lindsay for second on lap 27 with last week’s winner, Jason Erickson, in tow for third. While Schuyler and Erickson battled for second, Johnson opened up a large lead over the field as the laps dwindled. Schuyler eventually reemerged with the runner up spot, but Johnson was long gone on his way to the checkers for the win. Schuyler came home second with Luke Westenberg nipping Erickson at the line for third. Rounding out the top five was Ryan Zielski.
In Sportsman action, it was Randy Breunig of Columbus picking up the victory in the 30 lap feature event. Kody Hubred fired into the lead on lap one from the pole with Kameron Lee falling in line in second. Lee got loose in turn two allowing Jason Dunn to drive by on the outside for second on lap four. Breunig followed in Dunn’s tracks to as he moved into the third position. Breunig closed in on Dunn as he began to challenge for second while Hubred eased himself out to a healthy advantage. Breunig finally claimed the second spot on lap 12 as he started to close the gap between himself and the early leader. Breunig chipped away at Hubred’s lead as the battle for third raged behind them. Breunig caught Hubred just as Jay Kalbus emerged with the third position on lap 21. Breunig drove to the low side of Hubred as he pulled even looking to lead. Breunig cleared for the top spot on lap 23 as Kalbus joined the duo at the front. Kalbus and Hubred made contact on lap 25 which sent Hubred around to bring out the sole caution of the event. Both drivers were forced to the rear for the restart handing second to Jason Thoma. As racing resumed, Thoma began to apply heavy pressure to Breunig, but the leader remained steady at the point as he drove to the checkers for the win. Thoma settled for second followed by Terry Wangsness, James Helmer and Scott Riedner.
Travis Schneeberg of Cottage Grove dominated the 20 lap International feature as he led every lap to get the victory. Starting from the pole, Schneeberg grabbed control on lap one with Dale Smith falling to second. After two early cautions, Schneeberg continued to show the way with Smith trying to hold off Matt McKinney for the second spot. Schneeberg pulled away from the pack while McKinney gave it everything he had trying to get past Smith for second. While they raced for second, Schneeberg drove off by himself as the cruised to the checkers for the win. Smith came home second followed by McKinney, Mark English and Mike Lambert.
Jim Tate Jr of Deforest avenged his second place finish of a week ago as he captured the 25 lap Hobby Stock feature event. Bill Bush led lap one as Brent Gergen moved into second right behind him. Gergen wasted little time as he moved to the inside of Bush. The duo battled door to door until the caution waved on lap nine for fluid on the racing surface. Once racing resumed, Gergen returned to the low groove looking to pull even again with the leader as Kyle Chwala and Steven Sauer watched from behind. Gergen slipped back into a three way battle for second from which Chwala emerged first. Chwala pulled up under Bush and claimed the top spot on lap 13. But his lead was short lived as Chwala got loose and drifted high in turns one and two allowing Sauer to fire past into the lead. Tate and Dustin Ward followed Sauer into second and third respectively. Two laps later, Tate charged under Sauer, pulling even with the new leader. Tate cleared for the point on lap 18 as Sauer fell back alongside Ward for second. Tate drove off on his way to the win with Ward, Sauer, Chwala and Zack Schmidt rounding out the top five.
Jefferson’s Rob Lange claimed victory in the 15 lap Road Warrior main event. Kevin Pauls and Matt McKinney brought the field to green with Pauls taking the initial lead on lap one. Scott Pauls crept up on the inside as he moved into second on lap four. Scott Pauls drove to the inside of Kevin Pauls on lap six while Lange made his way to third. Scott Pauls cleared for the lead a lap later, while Lange moved up to challenge Kevin Pauls for second. Scott Pauls began to pull away slightly as Lange found himself in second on lap nine. Lange closed in on Pauls as the laps ticked away. Lange charged under Pauls and they flew past the white flag wheel to wheel. Lange stuck his nose out front as they exited turn two on the final circuit. Lange motored across the stripe first for the win with Scott Pauls second. Rounding out the top five were Bill Sweeney, Tim Ellis and Kevin Pauls.
Rounding out the evening’s events was the 20 lap Bandit feature which was won by Kyle Riedner of Waunakee. Chris Gottschalk took control on lap one from the pole with Dylan Buckingham up to second. On lap four, Gottschalk opened the door allowing Buckingham to pull up under the early leader. The two made contact sending Buckingham into the front chute wall to bring out the yellow flag. Both drivers were forced to retire which handed the lead over to Riedner. Riedner immediately began to pull away as the green waved once again. Gary Stark sliced his way into the second spot by lap 11 as he tried to cut into Riedner’s big advantage. Stark caught Riedner with only four laps remaining as he began to look to the high side for the winning pass. But Riedner held him over the final circuits to come home with the win. Stark settled for second followed by Heather Stark, Seth Reamer and Dennis Johnson.
Next Saturday, June 11, is a full program of racing sponsored by Rivers Edge Farm Market. 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-
Feature Results- 1) 5 Casey Johnson, Stoughton 2) 33 Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson 3) 16 Luke Westenberg, Jefferson 4) 94 Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson 5) 21 Ryan Zielski, Oconomowoc 6) 52 Steve Dobbratz, Rio 7) 71 John Ovadal, Watertown 8) 99 Doug Hahn, Whitewater 9) 29 Scott Lindsay, Dousman 10) 61 Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek 11) 11 Trent Erdman, Fort Atkinson 12) 44 Roger Behlke, Jefferson 13) 77 Bruce Lee, Cambridge 14) 87 Kyle Jarlsberg, Jefferson 15) 104 Noel Ramge, Janesville 16) 21 Brandon Pendleton, Helenville 17) 16 Tyler Peterson, Lake Geneva 18) 27 Ty James, Oconomowoc
Fast Qualifier- 52 Steve Dobbratz—14.349 seconds
Last Chance- 71 John Ovadal, 99 Doug Hahn, 21 Ryan Zielski, 16 Tyler Peterson
Consy- 100 Andy Brinkmann, 7 Ed Kubicz
Heat Winners- 1) 71 John Ovadal 2) 8 Shaun Scheel 3) 100 Andy Brinkmann
Sportsman-
Feature Results- 1) 23 Randy Breunig, Columbus 2) 6 Jason Thoma, Jefferson 3) 55 Terry Wangsness, Jefferson 4) 7 James Helmer, Beaver Dam 5) 26 Scott Riedner, Waunakee 6) 2 Mark DePorter, Fort Atkinson 7) 22 Brady Lilly, Milton 8) 51 Kurt Kleven, Utica 9) 66 Curt Thompson, Jefferson 10) 71 Jason Dunn, Sun Prairie 11) 15 Will Rece, Stoughton 12) 19 John Handeland, Jefferson 13) 5 Kameron Lee, Columbus 14) 20 Kody Hubred, Utica 15) 31 Alex Lee, Columbus 16) 27 Jay Kalbus, Watertown
Fast Qualifier- 22 Brady Lilly—15.081 seconds
Last Chance- 15 Will Rece, 31 Alex Lee, 19 John Handeland, 66 Curt Thompson
Heat Winners- 1) 31 Alex Lee 2) 4 Jim Taylor 3) 66 Curt Thompson
International-
Feature Results- 1) 75 Travis Schneeberg, Cottage Grove 2) 6 Dale Smith, Lake Mills 3) 95 Matt McKinney, Fort Atkinson 4) 57 Mark English, Edgerton 5) 26 Mike Lambert, Madison 6) 5 Peter Shelley, Edgerton 7) 66 Neil Higgins, Watertown 8) 23 Casey Strese, Jefferson 9) 25 Darren Brown, Jefferson 10) ONO Keith Bell, Brodhead 11) 41 Nick Newton, Jefferson 12) 90 Tytus Helgestad, Edgerton 13) 111 Devon Dixon, Janesville 14) 29 Waylin Willman, Janesville 15) 92 Kyle Stark, Waterloo 16) 27 James Bell, Brodhead 17) 90 Kyle Smith, Lake Mills 18) 11 Jason Kubicz, Whitewater
Fast Qualifier- 92 Kyle Stark—16.237 seconds
Last Chance- 25 Darren Brown, 11 Jason Kubicz, 41 Nick Newton, ONO Keith Bell
Heat Winners- 1) 11 Jason Kubicz 2) 26 Mike Lambert 3) 92 Kyle Stark
Hobby Stock-
Feature Results- 1) 27 Jim Tate Jr, Deforest 2) 9 Dustin Ward, Waterloo 3) 11 Steven Sauer, Waterloo 4) 22 Kyle Chwala, Lake Mills 5) 19 Zack Schmidt, Johnson Creek 6) 17 Bill Bush, Sun Prairie 7) 2 Brent Gergen, Jefferson 8) 86 Tony Ciano, Janesville 9) 62 Allen McBride, Janesville 10) 77 Sean Watters, Jefferson 11) 39 Ken Scott, Rio 12) 55 Lucas Buckingham, Whitewater 13) 71 Jamie Dunn, Deforest 14) 22 Chester Williams, Waukesha 15) 10 Larry Moen, Sun Prairie 16) 21 Ben Monday, Columbus
Fast Qualifier- 86 Tony Ciano—16.573 seconds
Last Chance- 55 Lucas Buckingham, 10 Larry Moen, 71 Jamie Dunn, 21 Ben Monday
Heat Winners- 1) 10 Larry Moen 2) 9 Dustin Ward
Road Warrior-
Feature Results- 1) 135 Rob Lange, Jefferson 2) 18 Scott Pauls, Deerfield 3) 42 Bill Sweeney, Janesville 4) 01 Tim Ellis, South Beloit (IL) 5) 78 Kevin Pauls, Middleton 6) 88 Rodger Stephenson, Cambridge 7) 6 Bill Reynolds, Watertown 8) 71 Matt McKinney, Fort Atkinson 9) 51 Rory Hardy, Oregon
Fast Qualifier- 42 Bill Sweeney—17.080 seconds
Heat Winner- 88 Rodger Stephenson
Bandit-
Feature Results- 1) 1 Kyle Riedner, Waunakee 2) 19 Gary Stark, Sun Prairie 3) 93 Heather Stark, Waterloo 4) 37 Seth Reamer, Columbus 5) 7 Dennis Johnson, Lake Mills 6) 03 Keith Erickson, Columbus 7) 99 Phil Wuesthoff, Beaver Dam 8) 31 Michael Heimann, Waunakee 9) 10 Dave Schmidt, Menomonee 10) 34 Dustin Yanke, Fort Atkinson 11) 43 Mitch Brockway, Ixonia 12) 09 Nick Schmidt, Menomonee 13) 17 Tadd Douglas, Jefferson 14) 11 Cory Jansen, Janesville 15) 02 Michelle Kreigel, Sun Prairie 16) 53 Dylan Buckingham, Whitewater 17) 61 Chris Gottschalk, Jefferson 18) 18 Robby Robinson, Orfordville
Fast Qualifier- 93 Heather Stark—14.201 seconds
Last Chance- 02 Michelle Kriegel, 11 Cory Jansen, 17 Tadd Douglas, 18 Robby Robinson
Heat Winners- 1) 18 Robby Robinson 2) 34 Dustin Yanke 3) 36 Erik Bennett