WAUSAU, Wis. (June 23) – A veteran edged a youngster and two defending champions also added feature wins as part of the Jerome E. Brickner Memorial at State Park Speedway Thursday night.
The veteran Brian (Butchie) Schramm held off young Jevin Guralski in the 20-lap Advance Auto Parts Pure Stock main event in Thursday’s Brickner Memorial. Schramm snapped Mitch Stankowski’s string of three straight wins in the class and also earned a solid payday with his first feature win of the season.
Schramm took the lead from Brett Breitenfeldt on lap 8 after five laps of chasing the leader. The six-time track champion would not get away, though, as the 14-year old Guralski also quickly got by Breitenfeldt for second on lap 9.
Guralski spent the final 11 laps chasing and was within range, lurking 2-3 car lengths back most of the way. He would not get closer until the final lap, when he closed near Schramm’s bumper in turns 1 and 2 but got no closer.
The win carried a bonus of an extra $400 for Schramm when extra money was thrown into the pot before the feature. Brian and Michelle Lashua both added $50 each for the feature winner, and Brock Heinrich Racing then upped the ante with another $500 for the top three finishers, including $300 for the winner.
Stankowski finished third in the feature, caught in traffic in the early stages in the back of the field behind a side-by-side battle. Breitenfeldt came in fourth with Jeff Spatz fifth.
George Seliger of Wausau won his second straight feature in the Snap-on Mini Mods. The defending champion in the class again got to the front in a jiffy, leading the final 15 laps of the 20-lap feature.
Seliger started in the back of a 10-car field, but with a quick shuffle not long after the green flag dropped needed just over a lap to move into fourth place. He passed Josh Willhite for third on lap three, followed Chad Ferge into second after Ferge got by early leader Hunter Landwehr, and then passed Ferge on the inside on lap 6.
Seliger would actually receive a moderate challenge in the final laps, after a caution with nine laps to go after Willhite’s engine went up in a puff of smoke. Joe Kuehn moved into second behind Seliger on the lap 12 restart, and he was in striking distance in the closing laps, getting within three car lengths before finishing that far back in second.
Eric Breitenfeldt of Wausau won his second straight feature in the Rockstar Energy Drink Mini Stocks this time taking care of business on the track. Breitenfeldt followed up a win last week after the original winner was disqualified after post-race inspection, this time taking the lead from Brian Duranceau on lap 5 and leading the rest of the way.
Breitenfeldt’s biggest challenge came on a lap 10 restart, with points leader Garret Strachota starting outside of him. Breitenfeldt took the lead and Ashley Schoone also followed to the inside of Strachota to begin a six-lap side-by-side race for second. Strachota finally won the battle but by then Breitenfeldt had built up nearly a straightaway lead and cruised to the victory.
Next week is a busy night at State Park Speedway that will include NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones racing with the Auto Select Super Late Models. It also will be Kids Night including bicycle races for kids, and fireworks will top off the evening in the track’s final race before the 4th of July. Super late models, pure stocks, mini mods and mini stocks will race with qualifying beginning at 6 p.m. and racing to follow at 7:15 p.m.
Advance Auto Parts Pure Stocks
Fast Qualifier: Jevin Guralski, Wausau, 15.225 sec.
Heat: 1. Brian Schramm, Wausau; 2. Mitch Stankowski, Wausau; 3. Guralski; 4. Brett Breitenfeldt, Wausau; 5. Jeff Spatz, Wausau; 6. Dave Cabelka, Wausau; 7. Alex Volm, Mosinee
Feature: 1. Schramm; 2. Guralski; 3. Stankowski; 4. B. Breitenfeldt; 5. Spatz; 6. Cabelka; 7. A. Volm
Snap-on Mini Mods
Fast Qualifier: George Seliger, Wausau, 15.772 sec.
First Heat: 1. Hunter Landwehr, Stratford; 2. Gary Garand, Weston; 3. Keagen Benz, Wausau; 4. Jim Lietz, Mosinee; 5. Brian Marquardt, Weston
Second Heat: 1. Chad Ferge, Wausau; 2. Josh Willhite, Wausau; 3. Joe Kuehn, Wausau; 4. Seliger; 5. John Lietz, Mosinee
Feature: 1. Seliger; 2. Kuehn; 3. Ferge; 4. Landwehr; 5. John Lietz; 6. Garand; 7. Jim Lietz; 8. Benz; 9. Marquardt; 10. Willhite
Rockstar Energy Drink Mini Stocks
Fast Qualifier: Tom Lecher, Wausau, 16.718 sec.
First Heat: 1. Joey Blaschka, Wausau; 2. Brian Duranceau, Tomahawk; 3. Max Manowski, Wausau; 4. Kendra Baumann, Wausau; 5. Willie Watts, Amherst
Second Heat: 1. Branden Sischo, Stratford; 2. Tyler Muller, Sun Prairie; 3. Luke Mikula, Wausau; 4. Amanda Rowe, Mosinee; 5. Brad Abt, Schofield
Third Heat: 1. Eric Breitenfeldt, Wausau; 2. Garret Strachota, Wausau; 3. Ashley Schoone, Gleason; 4. Zach Budleski, Wausau; 5. Lecher
Feature: 1. E. Breitenfeldt; 2. Strachota; 3. Schoone; 4. Lecher; 5. Budleski; 6. Rowe; 7. Muller; 8. Blaschka; 9. Mikula; 10. Manowski; 11. Watts; 12. Baumann; 13. Sischo; 14. Duranceau