Rain skips past Chateau
Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 17, 2002
There was no way there was going to be racing Friday night at Chateau Raceway in Lansing. Clouds moved in during the afternoon and there were on-and-off sprinkles. As the cars started checking in at the pits it was raining lightly, but there track officials were out packing the track. Forty-five minutes before race time a quick pit meeting was held in the light rain, and drivers voted to go out and pack and see what happened. Radar was showing rain all around, there was lighting to the south with rain moving in, then as the first heat pulled onto the track there was a partly cloudy sky to the west. Lightning was to the south, east and north but little patches of blue could be seen over Lansing and a rainbow off behind turn two as racing was on for the 18th show of the season.
The Wissota Midwest Modifieds lead the way with a field of 20 cars. Greg Kral of Glenville jumped off the pole to the front as 19 cars took the green for the feature. Greg led until lap four when he got sideways causing several cars to spin around him, bringing out the caution and sending him tail end. Greg Pfeifer Jr. of Austin inherited the lead on the restart and held it until lap nine when Kenny Wytaske of Brownsdale wheeled his way to the front after starting in row five. Kenny went on to pick up his fifth feature win of the season. Heat wins in the class belonged to Jade Anderson of Owatonna, Matt Stark of Austin and Scott Gronvold of Grand Meadow who made his first trip to victory lane on the season.
Another scary moment in the Mini Sprint feature when Tom Brown of Wonder Lake, Ill., took a tumble down the front straightaway on the start of that feature. Brown started second row outside and as the field fanned out on the drop of the green he and another sprint bumped wheels and Tom's car wheel hoppped, sending him end-over-end right next to the wall in front of the flag man. The car landed on its wheels and Tom crawled from his car and waved to the crowd before following his sprint back to the pits. Meanwhile Ken Boeding won his eighth feature out of the nine nights the class has run at the track this season and in doing so also scored his seventh sweep of the year. Brown got the classes other heat win.
In the Mod Lite class current points leader Jeff Jech of Austin jumped from the pole to the front on the drop of the green in the classes feature. Dan Wendt of Spring Valley, trying to reel in Jech in the points race, quickly moved up to second. The two put on a good show as they battled for the lead with Dan eventually getting the top spot just past midway. Wendt led Jech the rest of the way as he scored his fifth feature win of the season. He also scored the sweep after claiming on of the heats earlier in the night. Craig Shaw of Elkton and Brian Kiehne of Harmony also took heats with Kiehne's win his first of the season.
Wissota Street Stock numbers were down with just nine cars on hand. Front row was the place to be as Lee Skjervem of Austin led flag-to-flag off the pole to win his fourth feature of the year. Mitch Thompson of New Richland outdueled Steve Eischens of Taopi for second, while Deven Sutter of Lyle got the better of Jeff Brauer of Rochester for fourth. Eischens led flag-to-flag off the front row to take the heat in the class.
Chateau Pure Stock driver Korey Ackman of St. Charles used a front row spot in this feature to lead flag-to-flag for his second feature win of the season. Tyler Clark of Rochester, who also started on the front row, ran in his shadow the entire race but he had to settle for second. Heats went to Bobby Crews of Austin and Craig Hansen of Ellendale.
In the Open Modifieds, Todd Scharkey of Kasson, Jimmy Davis of Janesville and Bobby Sorenson of Rochester showed why they own 15 of the 18 feature wins at the track this season as they finished 1-2-3 in the feature and were the only ones on the lead lap when the checkers fell. Some early cautions did thin the field but the three still ran strong laps. Heats went to Sorenson and Albert Wytaske of Lansing.
There are just two more nights of racing left at Lansing this season. Track officials announced the awards banquet will be held a little earlier than usual this year with Friday, Oct. 11, set as the date the big trophies and awards will be handed out. The track will also be moving the sight of this year's banquet to the Eagles Club in Austin. Tickets are available through Chateau Raceway.
Chateau Pure Stocks
Feature -- Korey Ackman-St Charles, Tyler Clark-Rochester, Bobby Crews-Austin, Craig Hansen-Ellendale, Shane Christianson-Elysian, Troy Wiuff-Owatonna, Al Lisowski-Claremont, Jacob Dahle-Morristown, Dave Stevens-Albert Lea, Brad Erickson-Chatfield, Mat Edwards-Austin
Heat 1 -- Crews, Erickson, Edwards, Stevens, Lisowski, Dahle
Heat 2 -- Hansen, Christainson, Ackman, Clark, Wiuff
Mod Lites
Feature -- Dan Wendt-Spring Valley, Jeff Jech-Austin, Brian Kiehne-Harmony, Dave Lewison-Adams, Josh Buckmeier-Stewartville, Shayne Johnson-Austin, Mark Lang-Blooming Prairie, Jim Dahle-Hayfield, Larry Dahle-Austin, Monte Hegna-Austin, Roni Van Riper-Glenville, Jeremy Anderson-Faribault, Dave Anderson-Lyle, Tate Bestor-Harmony, Kevin Bijalk-Austin, Craig Shaw-Elkton, Bob Bunne-Leroy, Gary Nolte-Rose Creek
Heat 1 -- Wendt, Van Riper, Bijalk, Buckmeier, Nolte, Lang
Heat 2 -- Kiehne, Johnson, Bestor, Lewison, L Dahle, D Anderson
Heat 3 -- Shaw, Jech, Bunne, J Dahle, J Anderson, Hegna
Wissota Midwest Modifieds
Feature -- Kenny Wytaske-Brownsdale, Greg Pfeifer Jr-Austin, Neil Eckhart-Rochester, Ryan Weber-Ellendale, Larry Nelson-Freeborn, Matt Stark-Austin, Jade Anderson-Owatonna, Ron Skalicky-Claremont, John Van Willigen-Hollandale, Doug Ferguson-Winona, Jerry Lisowski-Ellendale, Eric Condit-Austin, Scott Gronvold-Grand Meadow, Greg Kral-Glenville, Lowell Johnson-Albert Lea, Bryan Hernandez-Blooming Prairie, Brandon McFarland-Austin, Jerry Young-Blooming Prairie, Josh Mattick-Lyle (no show Gary Wilde-Austin).
Heat 1 --Anderson, Skalicky, Eckhart, Pfeifer, Ferguson, Condit, Mattick
Heat 2 -- Stark, Hernandez, Kral, Weber, Van Willigen, Wilde, Lisowski
Heat 3 -- Gronvold, Johnson, Wytaske, Nelson, McFarland, Young
Wissota Street Stocks
Feature -- Lee Skjervem-Austin, Mitch Thompson-New Richland, Steve Eischens-Taopi, Deven Sutter-Lyle, Jeff Brauer-Rochester, Wayne Barber-New Richland, Bruce Radel-Owatonna, Tony Shaner-Owatonna, Luke Stevens-Albert Lea
Heat -- Eischens, Barber, Skjervem, Thompson, Brauer, Stevens, Radel, Sutter, Shaner
Mini Sprint
Feature -- Ken Boeding-New Hampton IA, Randy Kreuger-Rochester, Barth Crane-Rochester, Tom Nickle-Coon Rapids, Kevin Nickle-Vandais Heights, Shannon Edd-Rochester, Pat Quigley-Fredricksburg IA, Pat Halsey-Rochester, Dan Swezey-Coon Rapids, Todd Harpster-Mounds View, Tom Brown-Wonder Lake Illinois
Heat 1 -- Boeding, Crane, T Nickle, Edd, Swezey, Harpster
Heat 2 -- Brown, K Nickle, Kreuger, Halsey
Open Modified
Feature -- Todd Scharkey-Kasson, Jimmy Davis-Janesville, Bobby Sorenson-Rochester, Ronnie Ross-Brownsdale, Bob Fisher- Lyle, Wally Bustad-Austin, Shaun Olson-Hollandale, Dennis Hilson-Blooming Prairie, Denny Barwald-West Concord, Dave Wytaske Jr-Mapleview, Jason Gabrielson-Austin, Mike Mehling-Grand Meadow, Albert Wytaske-Lansing.
Heat 1 -- Sorenson, Davis, Mehling, Karau, Gabrielson, Fisher, D Wytaske
Heat 2 -- A.Wytaske, Hilson, Ross, Bustad, Barwald, Olson