Grueneberg Grabs Benninger Concrete 50

JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, June 18, 2016) On a warm evening in Southern Wisconsin, the racing action was hot on Benninger Concrete Night at Jefferson Speedway. After taking last Saturday night off, the competitors at Wisconsin’s Action Track were ready to put on a show, and that’s exactly what they did. After the dust settled, it was Madison’s Michael Grueneberg standing tall in victory lane having captured the 50 lap Late Model main event.

Noel Ramge and Bruce Lee paced the field of 18 Late Models to the drop of the green with Ramge taking control on the opening circuit. Trent Erdman drew even with Lee looking to grab second before the completion of lap one. On lap four, Erdman moved past Lee and slid up next to Ramge at the front. After battling for a couple laps, Erdman got a little loose exiting turn two as he fell back into a three wide fight for second with Shaun Scheel and Lee. The trio of drivers tangled down the back stretch ending with Lee hard into the outside wall and Erdman spinning into turn three to force the sole caution of the race on lap six. All three drivers were relegated to the rear of the field for the restart with Ramge still showing the way in front of Jerry Eckhardt and Grueneberg. As racing resumed, Grueneberg quickly went to work on Eckhardt for second. By lap 8 Grueneberg was in the runner up spot and hunting the leader, Ramge. Grueneberg dove under Ramge as they raced into turn one on lap 12. Grueneberg was out front and pulling away a lap later while John Ovadal Jr and Dale Nottestad began their trek through the top five. Ovadal methodically picked his way from sixth to third with Nottestad following him all the way. With ten laps remaining, Nottestad slipped under Ovadal to pick up the third spot and quickly go to work on Ramge for second. Nottestad made the pass on lap 42 with Ovadal now trying to follow. But at the checkers, it was Grueneberg with the convincing win. Nottestad kept his streak of top two finishes alive by grabbing the second position. Ovadal was third followed by Ramge and Eckhardt.

In Sportsman action, Doylestown’s Jim Tate Jr led every lap of the 30 lap feature to pick up the win. Mark Deporter and Tate brought the field to green with Tate taking command on lap one. After two early cautions, Tate restarted on the point with Deporter and Terry Wangsness in his rear view mirror. Bobby Selsing claimed third from Wangsness on lap 8 with Robert Hansberry Jr and Jay Kalbus following him through. Selsing slipped past Deporter for second on lap 11 with Hansberry and Kalbus continuing to stay in his tracks. On lap 18, Hansberry drove to the low side of Selsing looking for second. The duo raced side by side allowing Tate to stretch his advantage in the closing laps. Tate cruised to the finish to score the win with Selsing holding off Hansberry for second. Kalbus was fourth with Wangsness rounding out the top five.

James Bell of Janesville scored the win in the 20 lap International feature event. Joe Cross led early with Seth Green in tow for second. Green drove by Cross to claim the lead on lap three with Bell trying to follow into second. Bell completed the pass for second on lap four when Cross fell off the pace with problems. Seth Reamer joined the leaders in third by lap seven as he began to challenge Bell for second. After a brief battle, Reamer claimed the second position on lap 13 and began to close in on Green. Reamer got under Green on lap 16. Green tried to slam the door on Reamer, but was unable to hold him off. Reamer took over the top spot on lap 17 with Bell following into second. Bell began to peek to the low side of the new leader as the laps wound down. On the final circuit, Reamer seemed to experience mechanical difficulties as they raced through turns three and four. This allowed Bell to fire into the lead as they headed to the checkers. Green also slipped by to finish second as Reamer was forced to settle for third. Jamie Kohn and Neil Higgins rounded out the top five.

In a stout field of Hobby Stock drivers, Evansville’s Mike Storkson captured the 30 feature event for his division. Storkson took the lead on lap one from fellow front row starter Jamie Tate. Storkson began to open up a decent lead while the battle raged for second on back behind him. Chuck Egli and Jim Wolf raced door to door for second on lap five with Korey Bengsch and Lucas Buckingham right behind them. Egli claimed the second position on lap seven when Wolf began to experience mechanical difficulties and fall back. The caution waved on lap eight due to fluid on the racing surface from the Wolf machine. Once racing resumed, Storkson remained out front with Egli close behind and Dustin Ward now making his way into the top five. Ward claimed fourth on lap 18 and third two laps later. Ward began reeling in the pair of drivers at the front as the laps ticked away. With six laps to go, Ward drove to the high side of Egli looking to claim second. On lap 25, Storkson entered turn one high allowing Egli to drive under the leader. But Storkson reclaimed control on the point with Ward back to work outside Egli for second. On the final lap, Egli got loose exiting turn four while Storkson and Ward drove away to the checkers to finish first and second respectively. Egli slid sideways down the front stretch, making hard contact with Chester Williams as they came to the stripe. This allowing AJ Lloyd to motor past and finish in the third spot. Williams was fourth with Egli coming home in fifth.

Fort Atkinson’s Chris Gottschalk picked up the clean sweep in the Road Warrior division after claimed fast time through qualifying as well as winning his heat race and the 15 lap feature event. David Pautsch Jr led early from row one as the caution waved before they could complete the first lap. Pautsch and Todd Dillinder led the field back to green with Dillinder now claimed the point. Bill Reynolds fired up to second on lap two, driving under Dillinder to score the lead a lap later. Gottschalk followed Reynolds into second and quickly went to work on the new leader. Gottschalk drove to the outside of Reynolds on lap four. Reynolds tried to hold off the hard charging Gottschalk, but was unable to keep him at bay. Gottschalk crossed over to the low side of Reynolds on lap six. After a side by side battle, Gottschalk took over the top spot on lap eight with Kenny Storkson now up to battle Reynolds for second. Gottschalk cruised to the checkers from there to get the win with Reynolds hanging on to finish second. Storkson was third followed by Bill Reynolds and Dillinder.

In Bandit action, it was Fort Atkinson’s Tyler Deporter picking up his second feature win of the 2016 season. McKayla Adams led early with Michelle Heimann up to challenge on the first lap. Heimann moved into the lead while Chris Tolliver moved into second. On lap two, Heimann entered turn one high allowing Tolliver to drive past for the point and bring Deporter along for second. On lap five, Deporter got under Tolliver as they raced into turn three. Deporter cleared for the point off turn four while Tolliver fell back into a battle for second with Dillon Scott and Ryan Ostenson. Scott eventually emerged in the second position with Ostenson in third. Chad Olds made a late race charge into the top three, but Deporter remained unchallenged to see the checkers first for the win. Scott finished second followed by Olds, Ostenson and DJ Hill.

Next Friday, June 24, is round two of Jefferson Speedway Track Attack. Then on Saturday, June 25, there is a full program of racing in all divisions sponsored by Cambridge Auto Repair and Sales. Time trials at 5pm with racing at 7pm sharp. Jefferson Speedway is located halfway between Cambridge on Jefferson and Hwy 18. Please visit www.jeffersonspeedway.com for more information.

JEFFERSON SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY

Late Model-

Feature Results- 1) Michael Grueneberg, Madison  2) Dale Nottestad, Cambridge  3) John Ovadal Jr, Watertown  4) Noel Ramge, Helenville  5) Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek  6) Luke Westenberg, Jefferson  7) Stephen Scheel, Lake Mills  8) Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson  9) Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson  10) Kody Hubred, Cambridge  11) Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills  12) Kyle Smith, Lake Mills  13) Chuck Duncan, Milwaukee  14) Don Gaserude, Fort Atkinson  15) Trent Erdman, Fort Atkinson  16) Bruce Lee, Cambridge  17) Tyler Peterson, Lake Geneva  18) Kyle Taylor, Deerfield

Fast Qualifier- Jason Erickson—14.206 seconds

Last Chance- Tyler Peterson, Kyle Smith, Kyle Taylor, Chuck Duncan

Heat Winners- 1) Tyler Peterson  2) Michael Grueneberg  3) Shaun Scheel

Sportsman-

Feature Results- 1) Jim Tate Jr, Doylestown  2) Bobby Selsing, Johnson Creek  3) Robert Hansberry Jr, Beloit  4) Jay Kalbus, Watertown  5) Terry Wangsness, Jefferson  6) Jason Thoma, Jefferson  7) Mark Deporter, Fort Atkinson  8) Tony Ciano, Janesville  9) Chris Chenoweth, Watertown  10) Josh Madell, Mayville  11) Dan Schmidt, Farmington  12) Jim Taylor, Stoughton  13) Ed Jackson, Madison  14) Boyd Eichelkraut, Stoughton  15) Tim Coley, Madison

Fast Qualifier- Jay Kalbus—14.972 seconds

Heat Winners- 1) Tim Coley  2) Chris Chenoweth

International-

Feature Results- 1) James Bell, Janesville  2) Seth Green, Milton  3) Seth Reamer, Beaver Dam  4) Jamie Kohn, Madison  5) Neil Higgins, Watertown  6) Mike Lambert, Fort Atkinson  7) Josh Marx, Dousman  8) Scott Crawford, Cambridge  9) Keith Bell, Brodhead  10) Adam Schook, Palmyra  11) Merek Pankow, Jefferson  12) Jason Uttech, Watertown  13) Joe Cross, Sun Prairie

Fast Qualifier- Seth Reamer—15.918 seconds

Heat Winners- 1) Joe Cross  2) Josh Marx

Hobby Stock-

Feature Results- 1) Mike Storkson, Evansville  2) Dustin Ward, Waterloo  3) AJ Lloyd, Loves Park (IL)  4) Chester Williams, Waukesha  5) Chuck Egli, Waterloo  6) Jared Vike, Sussex  7) Lucas Buckingham, Whitewater  8) Brandon Angileri, Beloit  9) Korey Bengsch, Fond du Lac  10) Terry Ciano, Janesville  11) Jamie Tate, Doylestown  12) Jon Benninger, Windsor  13) Gary Paulick, Union Grove  14) Ricky Sanwick, Janesville  15) Brandon DeLacy, Fort Atkinson  16) Phil Wuesthoff, Beaver Dam  17) Jim Wolf, Watertown  18) Cody Buchs, Mazomanie

Fast Qualifier- Dustin Ward—15.762 seconds

Heat Winners- 1) Mike Storkson  2) Lucas Buckingham

Road Warrior-

Feature Results- 1) Chris Gottschalk, Fort Atkinson  2) Bill Reynolds, Watertown  3) Kenny Storkson, Edgerton  4) Bill Sweeney, Aztalan  5) Todd Dillinder, Cross Plains  6) David Pautsch Jr, Roscoe (IL)  7) Rickie Nelson,   8) Mark Dewey, Janesville  9) Matt Melchiori, Fort Atkinson  10) Matt Weber, Whitewater  11) Rodger Stephenson, Cambridge

Fast Qualifier- Chris Gottschalk—16.647 seconds

Heat Winners- 1) Bill Sweeney  2) Chris Gottschalk

Bandit-

Feature Results- 1) Tyler Deporter, Fort Atkinson  2) Dillon Scott, Rio  3) Chad Olds, Whitewater  4) Ryan Ostenson, Beloit  5) DJ Hill, Watertown  6) Nick Schmidt, Watertown  7) Bill Kohn, Madison  8) Lyle Phillips, Edgerton  9) Jeremy Bredeson, Deforest  10) Chris Tolliver,   11) Grace Spencer,   12) Michelle Heimann, Sun Prairie  13) McKayla Adams, Sun Prairie

Fast Qualifier- Ryan Ostenson—14.612 seconds

Heat Winners- 1) Chad Olds  2) Tyler Deporter