8.1.20 Rice Lake Speedway Results
Rice Lake WI, Aug 1st – Kevin Adams has well over five hundred feature race wins to his credit in a variety of divisions since his first in a Street Stock way back in 1997 at this track. However, he is a raw rookie in the Late Model division, with just a handful of starts in the class in this his rookie year driving the fendered class of cars. However, that didn’t seem to bother him at all Tuesday night here at the Rice Lake Speedway as Adams led all fifty five laps to win the fourth annual Mahder 55 Late Model event, a race honoring the memory of Duane Mahder, a former Late Model track champion at this track who was killed in a work place accident in 2016.
Adams fought off a strong field of contenders, overcame brake issues and along with the rest of the field of drivers, waited out an approximately two and a half hour rain delay after showers hit the track with one qualifying event left to run.
The Modifieds were on the track for their last heat race when the rains started and it rained steady for quite some time. But track owners Dave Adams and Mitch Hansen decided if at all possible they were going to see the night through and once the showers ended, the track prep crew, led by Hansen, reworked the race track, and with the help of many of the drivers that came out to help with the packing process, they produced a track that was lightning quick while still being smooth and it produced some spectacular action in the main events.
The Late Models took to the track for their main event at approximately Midnight with twenty three drivers taking the green flag for the fifty five lap journey. Adams started on the outside pole and got the jump on Lance Matthees to lead the initial laps. Adams immediately pulled out to a healthy advantage over the field as Matthees fought to hold off Jimmy Mars for second. Adams quickly caught the back of the pack and he was lapping the first car only six laps into the race.
The green stayed out for the first fifteen laps until Rick Hanestad got tired up with a slower car and stalled on the back chute, triggering the first yellow of the contest. On the green, Mars was able to pass Matthees for second and he took off after the leader, setting up a classic battle for the top spot.
Mars sought to close the gap on the leader and he pushed hard, but Adams was able to maintain his lead through a series of three quick yellow flags for one car spins. Following the first of these slow downs, Adams would report later that he began to have brake issues but with the quick yellows which continued to bunch the field, the brakes problems were not overwhelming plus he had a nice outside cushion to roll off of which he reported also helped.
Following each of these yellows, Mars would put the pressure on Adams as Jimmy would continue to get away from Matthees on the green but not be able to put significant pressure on the leader. Pat Doar was running in the top five when he slowed on the back chute with twenty eight laps complete and pulled off the track, triggering the final yellow of the race as the last twenty seven laps of the contest would be raced under the green with no slow downs.
As Adams sped away from the field once again, Matthees would make a giant slide job in turn two and regain second from Mars and as Jimmy jumped the cushion and fell back, he was also passed by A.J. Diemel and Darrell Nelson, who had worked his way forward after starting thirteenth on the grid.
With Matthees in second, Adams was able to gain more ground as the leader while Matthees had his hands full with the three cars right behind him, all wanting to get past.
The battle for second was a tight one but this all played into Adams’ hands as he was able to extend his lead over that group. Finally, with forty eight laps in the books, runner up Matthees got tired up with a lapped car in turn four and ended up sliding over the cushion and forfeited second with all three drivers right behind him able to get by.
Adams continued as his torrid pace, working his way through the lapped cars while Diemel and Mars had a very aggressive battle for second with Mars all over Diemel’s rear bumper as they battled for the second spot. Mars would eventually jump the cushion while trying to get past Diemel and smack the first turn wall which allowed Nelson to get past him for third.
The last few laps saw Adams alone up front and he drove on unchallenged for the gigantic win. Diemel would finish a strong second and Nelson would hold off Mars for third with Matthees rounding out the top five.
The second five at the finish included Hanestad, Jesse Glenz, James Giassi, Chad Mahder, who had a strong run going until a lap twenty six spin, and John Kaanta.
Adams would earn five thousand, five hundred and fifty five dollars for the win, in tribute to Mahder’s number 55 in what very well may have been the longest race, in terms of laps, in the history of the track. Adams, who has only raced once at Rice Lake this year in the previous Late Model show, would earn a win which would keep his monumental win streak intact. He has now won at least one feature race in each of the last twenty four years at the track, dating back to his first rookie Street Stock win in 1997.
All focus at the speedway will now shift to this coming Tuesday night, August 4th when the twenty sixth annual Street Stock “Little Dream” race will be held at the track. A Street Stock only event, last year over sixty cars competed and race winner Jimmy Randall went home with just over $25,000 for his win. A huge event is expected again this year and more information on this race can be found on the speedway face book page in preparation for the Tuesday night event.
Rice Lake Speedway
Rice Lake WI
August 1, 2020
WISSOTA Late Models
Mahder 55 Feature – Kevin Adams(Cameron), A.J. Diemel(Elk Mound), Darrell Nelson(Hermantown MN), Jimmy Mars(Menomonie), Lance Matthees(Winona MN), Rick Hanestad(Boyceville), Jesse Glenz(Cadott), James Giassi(Roberts), Chad Mahder(Bloomer), John Kaanta(Elk Mound), Jeff Massingill, Mike Prochnow, Sam Mars, Jim Carlson, Gunner Frank, Denny Cutsforth, Buddy Hanestad, Pat Doar, Sam Motzer, Steve Laursen, T. J. Adams, Joe Kienzle Jr, Kevin Eder
12 lap Heat 1 – Diemel, R. Hanestad, Doar(New Richmond), S. Mars, Nelson, Kaanta, G. Frank
Heat 2 – J. Mars, Adams, Giassi, Glenz, Motzer(Chetek), Laursen, T.J. Adams, Cutsforth
Heat 3 – Matthees, Mahder, Massingill(Keewatin MN), B Hanestad(Boyceville), Carlson(Minneapolis MN), Eder, Prochnow, Kienzle Jr
Rice Lake WI, August 1st – Along with the Mahder 55 Late Model race won by Kevin Adams, three other WISSOTA sanctioned divisions were in action on Saturday night, August 1st and coming home the winners were Michael Truscott, Jimmy Latvala and Travis Hazelton.
After waiting out a nearly two and a half hour rain delay part way through the program, the three feature races were contested in the late evening hours. However, the track was in excellent shape for the the last few races of the evening after the Late Models put on fifty five laps of their own and it produced some fine feature races.
The Modified field was the largest and likely most talented of the year so far at the track and this race was a good five car battle for the win right down to the wire. Darrell Nelson and A.J. Diemel shared the front row with Nelson getting the jump at the start and leading the opening laps. Several early race spins slowed the action as the drivers up front jockeyed for position in between the slow downs for the mostly minor events.
Nelson continued to hold the top spot but Diemel and then Mike Anderson moved in to challenge him for the lead. Anderson worked the cushion as he got up beside Nelson but couldn’t quite complete the pass for the lead but they still raced in a tight group. Matt Leer was also on the move as he caught the front group but the driver showing the most speed was Michael Truscott who started in the third row but also quickly moved in to challenge.
Working both the high and low side of the track, Truscott was able to make moves and wind his way through the leaders, finally making a strong pass of Nelson to take over the top spot. While the race had been slowed frequently in the early going, once the racers got the early spins out of the way, the last fifteen laps of the race went nonstop and the pace was frantic.
Truscott continued to lead but he had Nelson and Diemel pushing him hard with A.J making a move that saw him overtake Nelson for second. Anderson and Leer were also right in the hunt as the top five tore around the track, using up the whole surface in an effort to find an opening and make a pass for position.
Truscott remained very impressive as he held off the still challenges of two of the finest in the area and drove on for the win with Diemel and Nelson close behind while Anderson and Leer also rounded out the top five while being a part of the lead pack. For Truscott, it was his first appearance of the year at the track and resulted in his second career Modified win at Rice Lake.
Jimmy Latvala was able to do Truscott one better as the long time racer won his first ever feature race at Rice Lake while topping a hard fought Midwest Modified main event. Latvala, who raced down the highway to Rice Lake after ABC Raceway in Ashland rained out, started fourth in the Midwest Modified main event but quickly moved into a challenging position.
Kennedy Swan led the opening lap as the young lady racer continued to improve each week but she was quickly challenged by Travis Anderson and Latvala after Mark Thomas jumped the cushion and slipped back a few positions. Anderson tried hard but he couldn’t quite get by Swan while Latvala made an exciting move down the back chute as he spotted an opening, made a quick move switching lanes and found himself up beside the leader.
He powered into the lead, passing Swan but soon found himself being pressured by Anderson, who had picked up the pace. Also starting to make some moves toward the front was Kent Baxter who had started in the third row. As Baxter and Thomas battled for third, Anderson began to pressure Latvala for the lead. Jimmy was running a lane up the track and in each corner Anderson would poke his nose under the leader, only to find Latvala ease away from him down the chutes. This continued for lap after lap, with the lead being highly contested.
As the racers saw the white flag, Anderson made one last ultimate attempt to get the top spot, only to clip a marker tire which sent his car hurdling through the air. By the time he regained control, Baxter had driven by him for second as a very pleased Latvala would drive home for the win. Latvala often races at Rice Lake when the opportunity arises and Saturday night he was rewarded with that first checkered flag and a large trophy for the Mahder event. Thomas would wind up fourth while Jack Rivord, another late arrival, would drive from twelfth to complete the top five.
Travis Hazelton is having a fine season in the Pure Stock class, winning feature races at various tracks in the area and being a threat to crack victory lane every week at Rice Lake. Saturday night to topped the track’s most dominant driver in 2020 to date, Mike Schnider and recorded his first feature win of the season at Rice Lake.
He shared the front row with Schnider, got the jump on him at the start and led all twelve laps to record the big win. While the Pure Stocks had to deal with a slightly greasy race track after they were the first division to compete after the rain delay, they did a fine job with only a single yellow to slow the action.
While Hazelton led all laps, Schnider pushed as hard as he could but simply couldn’t catch the Chippewa Falls driver on this night.
Mike Roth and Ryan Olson battled for third for quite a few laps until Roth slipped high and lost several positions. In the end, rookie driver Olson had his best finish so far at Rice Lake as he finished a solid third.
Defending national champion Cory Jorgensen had a rocky start to his night when he was pushed into the concrete wall on the opening lap of his heat race and brought a cobbled together car home to finish fourth in the main with Bob Thompson, who himself was a DNF his heat race, came from twelfth to round out the top five in the feature.
All eyes now focus on next Tuesday, August 4th for the twenty sixth annual Street Stock Little Dream race to be held at the Rice Lake Speedway. This nationally recognized event is a one of a kind classic with the Street Stock class racing for a huge purse which is enlarged by fan and business contributions not just for the winner, but for a number of other finishing positions as well. Last year, for the twenty fifth edition of this race, winner Jimmy Randall went home with just over twenty five thousand dollars for his win!
FYE Motorsports Promotions will again administer the running of this event and FYE spokespersons Chris Stepan and Scott Tiefs have been busy raising funds for this event. This race will also be available on FYE TV for those people unable to attend. Also, check the Rice Lake Speedway face book page for information on this race and also how you might contribute to the success of this one of a kind race. Race time is 7 pm on Tuesday .
Rice Lake Speedway
Rice Lake WI
August 1, 2020
WISSOTA Modifieds
20 lap Feature – Michael Truscott(Chippewa Falls), A.J. Diemel(Elk Mound), Darrell Nelson(Hermantown MN), Mike Anderson(Jim Falls), Matt Leer(Bruce), Mark Hanson(Chippewa Falls), Cory Mahder(Elk Mound), Sam Fankhauser(Rice Lake), Dan Bargender(Menomonie), Pat Hoffman(Rice Lake), Nick Koehler, Brent Prochnow, Ron Mahder, Ross Prochnow, Shaun Kreyer, Cooper Berlin, Dakota Smith, Kyle Helling, Dave Mayala
10 lap Heat 1 – Bargender, Hoffman, Truscott, Fankhauser, Koehler(Bloomer), Robby Bunkelman, Mayala, R. Prochnow
Heat 2 – Nelson, Diemel, Matt Gilbertson(Montevideo MN), C. Mahder, Helling(Rice Lake), Kreyer, Berlin, Smith
Heat 3 – Leer, R. Mahder(Elk Mound), Anderson, Hanson, B. Prochnow(Colfax), Zach Gibson
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
15 lap Feature – Jimmy Latvala(Solon Springs), Kent Baxter(Colfax), Travis Anderson(Colfax), Mark Thomas(Menomonie), Jack Rivord(Superior), Kennedy Swan(Chippewa Falls), Dalton Mains(Foxboro), Aric Lindberg(Dallas), Jamie Bisonette(Dallas), Fran Hanson(Almena), Zach Slayton, Craig Elliott
8 lap Heat 1 – Anderson, Thomas, Latvala, Swan, Dan Larson Jr(Eau Claire), Hanson, Mains, Duane Halverson
Heat 2 – Baxter, Bisonette, Lindberg, Elliott(Hillsdale), Jake Stai(New Auburn), Slayton, Rivord
WISSOTA Pure Stocks
12 lap Feature – Travis Hazelton(Chippewa Falls), Mike Schnider(Cameron), Ryan Olson(Ladysmith), Cory Jorgensen(Duluth MN), Bob Thompson(Cameron), Karl Knopps(Chippewa Falls), Mike Roth(Deerwood MN), Tristan Scheuermann(Eau Claire), Robert Holmstrom Jr(Cameron), Terry Kemp(Rice Lake), Nicholas Hazelton, Mike Grover, Jay Folz
8 lap Heat 1 – Jorgensen, Grover(Chetek), Olson, Dan Boissy(Trego), Kemp
Heat 2 – Knopps, N. Hazelton(Chippewa Falls), Holmstrom Jr, Jake Sandmann(Rice Lake), Scheuermann, Chris Gross
Heat 3 – Schnider, Roth, T. Hazelton, Folz(Cameron), Joey Prusak(Port Orange FL).