WAUSAU, Wis. (June 22) – The fourth race night of the season at State Park Speedway was a night for second- and even third-time feature winners all around in every division.
Tim Anderson of Auburndale and Wausau’s Garret Strachota both became two-time winners, Anderson in the Snap-on Mini Mods and Strachota in the Rockstar Energy Drink Mini Stocks. Dave Cabelka also is the first three-time feature winner at the track this year, as the Wausau pilot prevailed again in the Advance Auto Parts Pure Stocks. All three won caution-free features on what turned out to be a brisk night of racing at the speedway with racing finished shortly after 9 p.m.
Anderson drove from the sixth starting spot to the lead in the 20-lap mini mods main, gradually working his way forward. He got by Brad Abt of Schofield for third on lap 4, drove inside teammate Kamren Hill of Marshfield for second a lap later and then took to the outside of John Lietz of Mosinee on lap 7. Anderson inched ahead on lap 8 and cleared Lietz a lap later.
From there Anderson would check out on the field, leading by nearly a straightaway over a spread out top six. He would outdistance another teammate in fellow Auburndale driver Mike Meharg, who finished runner-up in the feature for the third straight week. Abt came in third with Joe Kuehn of Wausau fourth and Lietz finishing fifth.
Cabelka won his third feature in four nights after a long battle with Jeff Spatz of Wausau. The two raced side-by-side for the final eight laps after Cabelka took to the outside on lap 12.
Cabelka initially appeared close to clearing for the lead but Spatz began inching back with Wausau’s Brett Breitfenfeldt and fast qualifier Brian Plisch of Athens also right behind the leaders. The top two were separated by barely a nose on laps 17, 18 and coming to the white flag, but Cabelka would hold on at the finish for the win.
Spatz was penalized after the race for failing post-race inspection and placed seventh at the back of the lead lap, giving Breitenfeldt second and Plisch third. Steve Schilling of Ringle came in fourth and also added his first-ever heat win in the class’s first heat of the night.
Strachota had the quickest run to the front of any feature winner Thursday night, taking the top spot from Brad Lecher of Wausau on lap 5 of the 15-lap event. He still received a challenge as the laps wound down, though, as Eric Breitenfeldt closed in late in a battle between the two dominant drivers in the class.
Breitenfeldt drew to Strachota’s rear bumper just after the two took the white flag, and again was on the leader’s bumper entering the third turn. Strachota held on to win by a car length at the line. Last week’s feature winner Ashley Schoone of Gleason finished third with Tom Lecher of Wausau fourth and Mosinee’s Amanda Rowe fifth.
Next Thursday will include a full night State Park Speedway including the 7th annual Dave Lashua Memorial for the pure stocks. The Midwest Dash Series mini mods tour also will be on hand, and State Park’s regular super late models and mini stocks also will race, and the night will end with fireworks. Fred Mueller Qualifying starts at 6 p.m. with racing to follow at 7 p.m.
Advance Auto Parts Pure Stocks
Fast Qualifier: Brian Plisch, Athens, 15.306 sec.
First Heat: 1. Steve Schilling, Ringle; 2. Kyle Check, Shantytown; 3. Kyle Kluetz, Schofield; 4. Aaron Hendricks, Tomah
Second Heat: 1. Dave Cabelka, Wausau; 2. Brett Breitenfeldt, Wausau; 3. Jeff Spatz, Wausau; 4. Plisch
Feature: 1. Cabelka; 2. B. Breitenfeldt; 3. Plisch; 4. Schilling; 5. Check; 6. Kluetz; 7. Spatz; 8. Hendricks
Snap-on Mini Mods
Fast Qualifier: Phil Malouf, Manitowish Waters, 15.988 sec.
First Heat: 1. Kamren Hill, Marshfield; 2. Keagen Benz, Wausau; 3. Brad Abt, Schofield; 4. John Lietz, Mosinee; 5. Brian Marquardt, Weston
Second Heat: 1. Tim Anderson, Auburndale; 2. Mike Meharg, Auburndale; 3. Joe Kuehn, Wausau; 4. Malouf; 5. Jim Lietz, Mosinee
Feature: 1. Anderson; 2. Meharg; 3. Abt; 4. Kuehn; 5. John Lietz; 6. Malouf; 7. Jim Lietz; 8. Hill; 9. Benz; 10. Marquardt
Rockstar Energy Drink Mini Stocks
Fast Qualifier: Tyler Custer, Stratford, 16.634 sec.
First Heat: 1. Brad Lecher, Wausau; 2. Joey Blaschka, Wausau; 3. Clayton Phillips, Marathon; 4. Branden Sischo, Stratford; 5. Joe Schoener, Wausau
Second Heat: 1. Garret Strachota, Wausau; 2. Eric Breitenfeldt, Wausau; 3. Custer; 4. Amanda Rowe, Mosinee; 5. Ashley Schoone, Gleason; 6. Tom Lecher, Wausau
Feature: 1. Strachota; 2. E. Breitenfeldt; 3. Schoone; 4. T. Lecher; 5. Rowe; 6. Custer; 7. Sischo; 8. B. Lecher; 9. Blaschka; 10. Phillips