Ovadal Bags Piggly Wiggly 50
by Andrew Schaller
JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, July 28, 2012) Watertown’s John Ovadal Jr rocketed into the lead early in the Piggly Wiggly 50 lap Late Model main event and drove away to capture his first feature win on the 2012 campaign. Ovadal’s victory made him the ninth different driver to carry the checkers this season at Wisconsin’s Action Track
Noel Ramge and Stephen Scheel paced the field of 18 of the area’s best pilots to the green with Ramge grabbing the early lead in turn two. Ovadal followed Ramge into second with Dan Jung up to third. Ovadal immediately began to apply pressure to the leader as he took a look to the inside of Ramge. Ovadal got a good run on lap five, drawing even as they flew down the backstretch. A lap later, Ovadal was out front alone as he looked to put some distance between himself and the rest of the pack. Ovadal continued to stretch his advantage while Jung moved up to challenge Ramge for second. An intense battle between the two competitors ensued as they raced door to door, trading paint on several occasions. Jung finally claimed the runner up spot on lap 13 as Shaun Scheel moved to up to challenge Ramge next. On lap 22, Jung experienced mechanical difficulties as he fell off the pace and was forced to retire for the evening. The battle between Scheel and Ramge was now for second as Ovadal’s lead grew bigger lap after lap. Scheel and Ramge fought hard over the remainder of the event with Ramge holding the advantage over the majority of laps. Point leader Casey Johnson joined the fight for second in the closing circuits, but Ovadal was never seriously threatened during the caution free feature. At the checkers, it was Ovadal enjoying a large lead for the win while Ramge held on for second. Scheel was third with Johnson and Brady Liddle rounding out the top five.
Tory Bagley of Stoughton took advantage of a late race caution to power into the lead and capture the 30 lap Sportsman main event. Adam Bleskan led lap one from the pole with Jim Taylor up to second and Jason Thoma in third. On lap three, with Bleskan still showing the way, Thoma charged under Taylor and continued forward next to Bleskan looking to lead. Thoma grabbed the top spot with Taylor in tow for second and Bagley coming along for third. Bagley quickly made his way past Taylor to second as he looked to cut into Thoma’s lead on lap eight. The two drivers seemed to match lap times as Thoma’s lead remained the same until a caution slowed the field on lap 22. Thoma restarted as the leader with Bagley filling up his rear view mirror. As racing resumed, Bagley got a great run exiting turn tow on the low side of Thoma. After a side by side battle, Bagley cleared for sole possession of the lead with five laps remaining. Bagley flew to the checkers to pick up the win with Thoma finishing second. Jim Tate Jr was third followed by Taylor and Kyle Chwala.
Kyle Stark of Waterloo returned to his winning ways in the International division by winning the 20 lap feature event. Chris Chenoweth led lap one with fellow front row starter Josh Kubicz in second. After two brief cautions early on, Stark found himself inside the top five by lap four. Stark continued to make his way forward, claiming fourth on lap six and third a one circuit later. On lap nine, Stark dropped to the low side of the speedway, pulling alongside Chenoweth through turns one and two. Stark cleared for the lead as they came to stripe to mark halfway point of the race. One more caution on lap 17 slowed the field, but didn’t hamper Stark’s efforts on the way to getting the win. Mike Lambert made a late race charge to finish second followed by Chenoweth, John Handeland and Matt McKinney.
Janesville’s Tony Ciano capped an exciting Hobby Stock feature by winning the 25 lap affair. Jason Deppe took control of the lead on lap one with Zach Schmidt up to second. After two early cautions, Schmidt dove under Deppe entering turn one on the restart. Schmidt cleared for the point on lap five as he began to pull away from the field. Meanwhile, Deppe fell back into a three way battle for second with Jeff LeFave and Ciano. Ciano emerged with the position on lap nine as he began to reel in the leader, Schmidt. Ciano closed lap after lap until finally catching Schmidt with five laps to go. Ciano took a peek to the outside of Schmidt, but couldn’t make the move work. On lap 22, Ciano dove to the low side of the leader, trying to draw even. Ciano and Schmidt raced wheel to wheel past the flagman with two laps remaining. Ciano gained the advantage as they exited turn two and hung on to see the checkers first for the win. Schmidt was second followed by James Helmer, Bobby Selsing and Dustin Ward.
Watertown’s Bill Reynolds shot to the front of the field and drove off to win the 15 lap Road Warrior feature event. Travis Schneeberg and Chester Williams brought the field to green with Schneeberg moving into the lead on lap one. Reynolds moved to the high side of Williams to claim second on lap two as he set his sights on Schneeberg at the front. Reynolds sliced to the low side of Schneeberg on lap three, taking the top spot for himself as Schneeberg dropped back to battle Williams for second. Rob Lange joined the fight for second as Reynolds stretched his advantage. Lange motored into second on lap 11, but was unable to run down Reynolds at the point. At the checkers, it was Reynolds for the win with Lange, Schneeberg, Tim Ellis and Williams completing the top five.
Keith Erickson of Columbus was awarded the 20 lap Bandit feature victory following post-race inspection. Merek Pankow took control of the lead on lap one with Mitch Brockway running right behind in second. Pankow held onto the top spot as the field jockeyed for position behind him. Caution waved on lap six following lots of contact through turns three and four between several drivers. Once racing resumed, Erickson drove to the outside of Brockway looking for second while Kyle Stark watched from fourth. Erickson completed the pass of Brockway and continued forward alongside Pankow on lap eight. Erickson moved into the lead a lap later with Stark in tow for second. Stark took a turn on the high side, drawing even with Erickson on lap 12. A second caution slowed his efforts on lap 13, but once the green flag waved again, Stark returned to the outside of Erickson looking to lead. Stark took control of the top spot with two laps to go as Erickson tried to fight back on the bottom. At the checkers, it was Stark across the line first with Erickson right behind. Following the race, Stark was forced to vacate his position handing the win over to Erickson. Rounding out the top five were Josh Marx, Phil Wuesthoff, Michael Heimann and Josh Lenz.
Next Saturday, August 4, is a full program of racing highlighted by the Miller Lite 50 lap Late Model feature. Time trials begin at 5pm with racing at 7pm. 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-
Piggly Wiggly 50 lap Feature Results- 1) John Ovadal Jr, Watertown 2) Noel Ramge, Helenville 3) Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills 4) Casey Johnson, Stoughton 5) Brady Liddle, Oregon 6) Dylan Schuyler, Jefferson 7) Jason Erickson, Fort Atkinson 8) Kyle Jarlsberg, Jefferson 9) Bob Kahler, Caledonia (IL) 10) Stephen Scheel, Lake Mills 11) Doug Hahn, Whitewater 12) Chris Quam, Stoughton 13) Bruce Lee, Cambridge 14) Craig Phillips, Edgerton 15) Mike Taylor, Stoughton 16) Roger Behlke, Jefferson 17) Tyler Peterson, Woodstock (IL) 18) Dan Jung, Iron Ridge
Fast Qualifier- Kyle Jarlsberg—14.394 seconds
Consi- Joe Wendorf, Jody Krueger
Last Chance- Tyler Peterson, Chris Quam, Mike Taylor, Roger Behlke
Heat Winners- 1) Lincoln Keeser 2) Jerry Eckhardt 3) John Ovadal Jr 4) Doug Hahn
Sportsman-
Feature Results- 1) Tory Bagley, Stoughton 2) Jason Thoma, Jefferson 3) Jim Tate Jr, Deforest 4) Jim Taylor, Stoughton 5) Kyle Chwala, Lake Mills 6) Kody Hubred, Cambridge 7) Seth Lootans, Kenosha 8) Will Rece, Stoughton 9) Kenny Au, Jefferson 10) Adam Bleskan, Menomonee Falls 11) Alan Dorn, Columbus 12) Steve Allman, Oconomowoc 13) Mark Deporter, Fort Atkinson 14) Rodger Stephenson, Cambridge
Fast Qualifier- Kyle Chwala—15.108 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) Will Rece 2) Tory Bagley
International-
Feature Results- 1) Kyle Stark, Waterloo 2) Mike Lambert, Madison 3) Chris Chenoweth, Jefferson 4) John Handeland, Belleville 5) Matt McKinney, Fort Atkinson 6) James Bell, Brodhead 7) Dylan Buckingham, Whitewater 8) Neil Higgins, Watertown 9) Seth Reamer, Marshall 10) Dan Birkett, Jefferson 11) Josh Kubicz, Whitewater 12) Brandon Wachal, Jefferson 13) Mark English, Edgerton 14) Mike Storkson, Evansville
Fast Qualifier- James Bell—16.358 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) Josh Kubicz 2) Seth Reamer
Hobby Stock-
Feature Results- 1) Tony Ciano, Janesville 2) Zach Schmidt, Johnson Creek 3) James Helmer, Beaver Dam 4) Bobby Selsing, Edgerton 5) Dustin Ward, Waterloo 6) Wayne Buchs, Mazomanie 7) Jimmy Robinson, Orfordville 8) Jason Deppe, Waterloo 9) Chester Williams, Waukesha 10) Lucas Buckingham, Whitewater 11) Mike Manley, Fort Atkinson 12) Duane Deppe, Waterloo 13) Jim Wolf, Watertown 14) Eric Will, Janesville 15) Jeff LeFave, Fort Atkinson
Fast Qualifier- James Helmer—15.989 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) Tony Ciano 2) Jason Deppe
Road Warrior-
Feature Results- 1) Bill Reynolds, Watertown 2) Rob Lange, Jefferson 3) Travis Schneeberg, Cottage Grove 4) Tim Ellis, S.Beloit (IL) 5) Chester Williams, Waukesha 6) Matt McKinney, Fort Atkinson 7) Bill Sweeney, Edgerton 8) Mark English, Edgerton 9) Rodger Stephenson, Cambridge 10) Jared Larson, Jefferson 11) Chad Olds, Whitewater 12) Mike Manley, Fort Atkinson
Fast Qualifier- Rob Lange—16.815 seconds
Heat Winners- 1) Bill Reynolds 2) Jared Larson
Bandit-
Feature Results- 1) Keith Erickson, Columbus 2) Josh Marx, Jefferson 3) Phil Wuesthoff, Beaver Dam 4) Michael Heimann, Waunakee 5) Josh Lenz, Lake Mills 6) Nick Schmidt, Oak Creek 7) Dustin Yanke, Fort Atkinson 8) Erik Bennett, Beloit 9) Cory Jansen, Lake Geneva 10) Brandon DeLacy, Fort Atkinson 11) Merek Pankow, Jefferson 12) Mitch Brockway, Ixonia 13) Mike Raskovic, New Glarus 14) Tiffany Desjarlais, Columbus 15) Brad Birzer, Ixonia 16) Kyle Stark, Waterloo
Fast Qualifier- Kyle Stark—14.399 seconds
Last Chance- Brandon DeLacy, Brad Birzer, Erik Bennett, Cory Jansen
Heat Winners- 1) Erik Bennett 2) Brad Birzer 3) Tadd Douglas
