WAUSAU, Wis. (July 13) – Eric Breitenfeldt, Dave Cabelka and Tim Anderson have been the drivers to beat this year in their respective divisions at State Park Speedway, and nothing changed with that Thursday night.
Breitenfeldt, Cabelka and Anderson all added to their feature win totals and kept the points lead in their classes at State Park this year. Breitenfeldt was victorious in the Rockstar Energy Drink Mini Stocks, Cabelka won the Advance Auto Parts Pure Stocks main and Anderson continued to roll in the Snap-on Mini Mods with his fourth feature win at the track this year, including third in weekly racing.
Breitenfeldt claimed his third feature win of the season in the mini stocks, prevailing in a caution-free 15-lap race. The Wausau native started 12th and patiently worked his way through the field before overtaking Garret Strachota for the lead with three laps left.
Strachota had just taken the lead on lap 10, going inside for the top spot after Luke Mikula slipped high on the backstretch. Breitenfeldt also went inside Mikula for second on lap 11, and later in the lap made slight contact with Strachota with a tap to the back bumper. The bump allowed Breitenfeldt to get inside Strachota, and he led lap 12 and finally cleared Strachota two laps later on the white flag lap, going on to win the latest battle between the two friends who have been the dominant cars at State Park and also Golden Sands Speedway this year.
Strachota finished second while Mikula finished a solid third, tying for his best-ever feature finish. Ashley Schoone of Gleason placed fourth with Stratford’s Tyler Custer fifth.
Cabelka stayed out of potential trouble early and then survived two restarts late to win his fourth pure stock feature, most of any driver in any division in weekly racing this year.
The Wausau veteran driver advanced from his sixth starting spot to second by lap 5, and then took to the outside of leader Jeff Spatz on lap 7. The two raced side-by-side for five laps, with Cabelka slowly inching ahead and finally getting free of Spatz on lap 12.
Cabelka seemed to be cruising to the win when caution struck with five laps left after Kyle Check spun on the front stretch. Second-place Brett Breitenfeldt of Wausau, also a two-time feature winner this year, chose to start behind the leader on the restart, though, and Cabelka quickly pulled away from Spatz again, only for caution to come out on lap 17 after Spatz spun in turn 2.
Breitenfeldt chose to start outside Cabelka on the next lap 17 restart, but Cabelka quickly drove away and went on to win. Breitenfeldt finished second with Kyle Kluetz of Schofield third, Check fourth and Ringle’s Steve Schilling fifth.
Anderson won his third straight feature at State Park, including besting the field in the Midwest Dash Series last time out and winning the most recent weekly mini mods feature back on June 22.
The Auburndale driver appeared to be running out of time late in the 20-lap feature, running second nearly five car lengths back of Joe Kuehn of Wausau. The race’s lone caution came out on lap 17, though, when third-place Gary Garand of Weston turned sharp left coming out of turn 4 and mowed over four orange caution cones just off the racing surface on the infield. Several of the cones were damaged and wound up on the race track, bringing out the yellow flag with four laps to go.
The yellow allowed Anderson to line up beside Kuehn for the restart, and he took advantage. Anderson got a good jump on the restart and took the lead for good on the backstretch on lap 17, pulling away to win his third feature in weekly racing at SPS this year. Kuehn settled for second with Jim Lietz of Mosinee third, fast qualifier Cameron Kemnetz of Hancock fourth and Brad Abt of Schofield fifth.
State Park Speedway now gets ready for its biggest weekend of the season next week. The 43rd annual Larry Detjens Memorial will be held Friday and Saturday, July 21-22. Friday’s show is highlighted by the Big 8 Late Models, with mini mods, mini stocks, legends and Bandoleros all racing. Saturday’s full slate will include the ASA Midwest Tour super late models contesting a 125-lap feature, with SPS’s regular pure stocks, mini mods, mini stocks and Bandoleros also all racing.
Advance Auto Parts Pure Stocks
Fast Qualifier: Dave Cabelka, Wausau, 15.359 sec.
Heat: 1. Jeff Spatz, Wausau; 2. Cabelka; 3. Brett Breitenfeldt; 4. Kyle Kluetz, Schofield; 5. Steve Schilling, Ringle; 6. Kyle Check, Shantytown; 7. Brian Plisch, Athens
Feature: 1. Cabelka; 2. B. Breitenfeldt; 3. Kluetz; 4. Check; 5. Schilling; 6. Spatz; 7. Plisch
Snap-on Mini Mods
Fast Qualifier: Cameron Kemnetz, Hancock, 15.803 sec.
First Heat: 1. Gary Garand, Weston; 2. Brian Marquardt, Weston; 3. Travis Hill, Arpin; 4. John Lietz, Mosinee
Second Heat: 1. Joe Kuehn, Wausau; 2. Tim Anderson, Auburndale; 3. Brad Abt, Schofield; 4. Jim Lietz, Mosinee; 5. Kemnetz; 6. Mike Meharg, Auburndale
Feature: 1. Anderson; 2. Kuehn; 3. Jim Lietz; 4. Kemnetz; 5. Abt; 6. Meharg; 7. John Lietz; 8. Marquardt; 9. Hill; 10. Garand
Rockstar Energy Drink Mini Stocks
Fast Qualifier: Zach Budleski, Wausau, 16.533 sec.
First Heat: 1. Mark Schoone, Gleason; 2. Clayton Phillips, Marathon; 3. Luke Mikula, Wausau; 4. Hunter Landwehr, Stratford; 5. Joey Blaschka, Wausau; 6. Kendra Baumann, Wausau; 7. Makayla Last, Wausau
Second Heat: 1. Tom Lecher, Wausau; 2. Ashley Schoone, Gleason; 3. Eric Breitenfeldt, Wausau; 4. Garret Strachota, Wausau; 5. Tyler Custer, Stratford; 6. Amanda Rowe, Mosinee; 7. Budleski
Feature: 1. E. Breitenfeldt; 2. Strachota; 3. Mikula; 4. A. Schoone; 5. Custer; 6. Budleski; 7. Lecher; 8. Phillips; 9. Rowe; 10. M. Schoone; 11. Landwehr; 12. Blaschka; 13. Last; 14. Baumann