A fierce battle for second place entertained fans, and suited Luke Fenhaus just fine too at State Park Speedway Thursday night.
Fenhaus passed polesitter Ryan Hinner on lap eight and drove away from the rest of the pack to win the Auto Select Super Late Models pres. by C-Tech feature race, the headliner on Women Concerned for Auto Racing (WCAR) Gifts From Heaven Night, where 66 bicycles were given away to youth during the race program.
Fenhaus scored his second feature win of the season at State Park and his first in weekly racing at the track. The 14-year old rookie super late model racer also remained hot over the last two weeks with his third feature win, including the Wisconsin Challenge Series feature at State Park two weeks earlier plus a feature at Golden Sands Speedway the night after that.
In a briskly run racing program that was completed in less than two hours due to thunderstorms in the area, Fenhaus took the lead and then continued to run away from the field while the laps ticked away in the 40-lap super late model main. He did so while Hinner and Justin Mondeik staged a prolonged battle for second place that lasted a full 25 laps.
Mondeik tried to follow Fenhaus outside of Hinner on lap nine but never could complete the pass, though not for lack of trying. Instead, Mondeik hung tough on the outside lap after lap, even as he trailed Hinner at every point until finally edging ahead on lap 27.
Hinner remained on the inside, though, and inched ahead again on lap 31. Still side-by-side, he finally cleared Mondeik three laps later, and just six laps from the finish.
While those two battled for the runner-up spot, Fenhaus checked out, building a lead of nearly half a lap over the field. He cruised to the win, while Hinner held off Fred Mueller Qualifying fast timer Derek Doerr for second.
Fenhaus is the fourth different driver in six weeks of weekly super late model racing to win a feature at the track. He also inched back ahead of Mondeik in the point standings, with Fenhaus (401 points) and Mondeik (388) now separated by 13 points at the conclusion of the night.
Results
Auto Select Super Late Models pres. by C-Tech
Fast Qualifier: Derek Doerr, Watertown, 14.022 sec.
Heat: Ryan Hinner, Stevens Point; Luke Fenhaus, Wausau; Justin Mondeik, Gleason; Mark Mackesy, Wausau; Mike Olson, Dorchester
Feature: Fenhaus; Hinner; Doerr; M. Mackesy; Mondeik; Olson