WAUSAU, Wis. (Aug. 10) – A three-week break did nothing to cool off Brock Heinrich at State Park Speedway this summer.
The year 2023 is starting to look like Heinrich’s year in the Auto Select Super Late Models at the quarter-mile track in Rib Mountain, after the Wausau native held off Kolton Guralski to win the 50-lap feature on Corn Night and Wausau Noon Optimists Kids Night to strengthen his points lead in the class.
Heinrich won his fourth feature of the season at the track, including third in weekly racing. He also backed up his win in the ASA Midwest Tour Larry Detjens Memorial at State Park back on July 22, winning in super late models’ first race at SPS since then.
In a competitive super late model season at the track that included four different feature winners in the first six races and the top three in the point standings separated by just 10 points entering Thursday, Heinrich for now has emerged from the pack. His three feature wins leads the class, and he is now 23 points ahead of three-time defending champion Justin Mondeik of Gleason and 25 points in front of Jason Weinkauf, with two weekly shows left this year.
Heinrich led the last 41 laps on Thursday, taking to the outside of Kole Guralski of Wausau on lap 10 and never trailing again. The win did not go unchallenged, though, as Guralski never went away and even threatened for the top spot several times in the second half of the race.
Heinrich had started to pull away before the race’s only caution on lap 20 when Mark Mackesy spun in turn 4, and he took first from Guralski quickly on the restart. Guralski would trail Heinrich by just a couple car lengths for the next 10 laps before the leader started to pull away again, only to be reeled in again.
Guralski would get to Heinrich’s rear bumper by lap 38 and stayed there until getting loose coming off of turn 4 on laps 41 and 42, losing momentum in his chase. Heinrich would pull back away in the final laps to win, with Guralski finishing second.
The race also included long side-by-side battles back in the pack, including Mondeik and Jevin Guralski racing alongside each other for nearly 10 laps after the lap 20 restart. Mondeik finally made the pass on the outside on lap 29, and appeared set to finish solidly there until a late push by Weinkauf.
The Merrill driver also got by Jevin Guralski on the outside after a long battle late, then charged to briefly get ahead of Mondeik with just over a lap left before getting loose on the final lap and finishing fourth to Mondeik. Jevin Guralski would finish fifth with Travis Volm of Wausau sixth.
A number of the track’s regular super late model competitors will be in action at the track again Sunday, when State Park Speedway will host the TUNDRA Super Late Models traveling series this Sunday, with TUNDRA’s show including super late models, Wisconsin Sport Trucks, the Quarter-Mile Late Models from Wisconsin International Raceway plus the Dairyland Vintage Series. Fan gates open at 1 p.m. with qualifying at 1:30 p.m. and racing at 3 p.m.
Auto Select Super Late Models pres. by C-Tech
Fast Qualifier: Jason Weinkauf, Merrill, 13.781 sec.
First Heat: 1. Jevin Guralski, Wausau; 2. Kolton Guralski, Wausau; 3. Mark Mackesy, Wausau; 4. Todd Handrick, Wausau; 5. Peter McVey, Neenah
Second Heat: 1. Brock Heinrich, Wausau; 2. Justin Mondeik, Gleason; 3. J. Weinkauf; 4. Travis Volm, Wausau; 5. Levon Van Der Geest, Merrill
Feature: 1. Heinrich; 2. K. Guralski; 3. Mondeik; 4. J. Weinkauf; 5. J. Guralski; 6. T. Volm; 7. Mackesy; 8. Handrick; 9. McVey; 10. Van Der Geest