A night of racing full of first-time winners this season also saw a familiar State Park Speedway family name in Brickner Family Auto Group Victory Lane.
Dillon Mackesy claimed his first feature in the Budweiser/Fabiano Brothers Limited Late Model class, edging Travis Volm by half a car length. Mackesy led all 15 laps but had to hold on after the cars were side-by-side the final two laps and Volm nearly drew even on the white flag lap.
A 2017 Wausau West High School graduate, Dillon became the fourth member of the Mackesy family to win a feature in a late model class at the track. His father Wayne is a former feature winner and track champion in the limited late model class, uncle Mark is one of the winningest drivers in the super late model division in track history, and grandpa Bob Mackesy also raced for many years and won multiple features in the 1980s.
“I’ve got to thank Tucker (Miller) up in the spotter’s stand,” Mackesy said of his spotter, “he pretty much drove it. He told me what to do, I tried to do it as best as I could.”
Hatley’s Chad Dietsche ended Brian Schramm’s bid for three straight wins in the Advance Auto Parts Pure Stocks, working through traffic early in winning his second feature of the season.
Dietsche made a power move early in the race, navigating a pack to go from fifth to second in one lap. He then passed Nick Grish on the outside on lap 8 and led the rest of the way, keeping Schramm at bay in the late going to win the 25-lap race.
Greg Blount won a hotly contested Snap-On Mini Mods feature, holding off the challenges of fast-timer Mike Heidmann and two-time defending feature winner Adam Eckes for his first feature win this season.
Blount started on the outside pole, ran second to George Seliger early but took the lead on lap 6. He then coolly handled the tests from Heidmann and Eckes, who combined to win the first three features in the division this season.
Heidmann got to Blount’s back wheel on the outside on lap 10 before slipping back behind the leader. He continued to stay glued to Blount’s bumper, but Eckes also was in the mix and worked outside Heidmann with two to go, while Blount kept both behind him in going on to win.
Kole Ferge earned his first career feature win in the Motors Service & Supply Mini Stocks, posting a popular win in a car familiar to many State Park Speedway fans in recent years.
Ferge drove from 10th to first in the 15-lap race, winning a five-lap side-by-side battle with last week’s feature winner Amanda Rowe. He drove to Brickner Family Auto Group Victory Lane in the No. 32 car driven by the late Robb Wruck, who passed away in November and won multiple features in the car in the past. Ferge also became the fourth different feature winner in the class in four races.
Next Thursday, June 14 is Wausau Noon Optimist Club Kids Night, with bike races for kids and drivers among the festivities. A full race program also will include all regular divisions, with fan gates open at 4:30 p.m., Fred Mueller Qualifying at 6 p.m. and racing to follow at 7 p.m.
Results
Budweiser/Fabiano Brothers Limited Late Models
Fast Qualifier: Mitch Stankowski, Wausau, 14.617 sec.
Heat: Dillon Mackesy, Athens; Brock Heinrich, Wausau; Travis Volm, Mosinee; Stankowski; Adam Rodemeier, Wausau
Feature: D. Mackesy; T. Volm; Stankowski; Heinrich; Rodemeier; Rayce Haase, Wausau
Advance Auto Parts Pure Stocks
Fast Qualifier: Brian Schramm, Wausau, 15.431 sec.
Heat: Kole Guralski, Wausau; Alex Volm, Mosinee; Dustin Ochodnicky, Ogema; Chad Dietsche, Hatley; Schramm
Feature: Dietsche; Schramm; Nick Grish, Wausau; Carson Sillars, Wausau; A. Volm; Jeff Spatz, Wausau; Guralski; Ochodnicky
Snap-on Mini Mods
Fast Qualifier: Mike Heidmann, Edgar, 15.904 sec.
Heat: George Seliger, Wausau; Heidmann; Greg Blount, Marathon; Dale Louze, Mosinee; John Lietz, Mosinee
Feature: Blount; Heidmann; Adam Eckes, Milladore; Seliger; Louze; Jim Lietz, Mosinee; John Lietz
Motors Service & Supply Mini Stocks
Fast Qualifier: Kole Ferge, Wausau, 16.823 sec.
First Heat: Amanda Rowe, Mosinee; Tom Lecher, Wausau; Dane Colbert, Mosinee; Randy Zieglmeier, Wausau; Kendra Baumann, Wausau
Second Heat: Ashley Schoone, Tomahawk; Brett Breitenfeldt, Wausau; Nathan Steif, Wausau; Ferge; Kevin Tessmer, Wausau
Feature: Ferge; Rowe; Schoone; Tessmer; Colbert; Lecher; Ziegelmeyer; Baumann; Breitenfeldt; Steif; Kyle Check, Shantytown