Gullikson, Leer & Matthees Are Victorious on Opening Night of Badger State Nationals
09/25/08
By Greg Parent
As afternoon overcast gave way to sunny skies, the opening night of the inaugural Badger State Nationals got underway on Thursday September 25 at the Cedar Lake Speedway. The FYE Motorsports promoted event saw a field of 110 cars sign into the pits for the first of three nights of racing action at the 3/8 mile high banked Wisconsin dirt oval. When the final checkers had waved, Lance Matthees topped a very strong field of late models, Matt Leer earned his first CLS feature win in the Midwest modifieds, and Dan Gullikson returned to his roots with a win in the street stock division driving the potent Allen Gessel Jr car.
Heat race action for the first two nights of the Badger State Nationals would see the passing point system in effect. The top eighteen cars in passing points in each division would line up in the first nine rows of their feature event while the remainder of the field would be filled from B Main action in the Midwest modified and late model divisions. The street stocks did not need a B Main on the opening night. The street stocks ran a complete race program while the late models and Midwest mods also ran complete preliminary programs with the top five finishers in the feature race guaranteed a starting spot on the inside five rows for the championship features on Saturday night. Racing action was intense in many of the heat races, especially in the late model division with the ultimate prize of $12,000 on the line for a victory on Saturday night.
The street stocks started the race program with three heats for the 22 cars in attendance. Although the car count was not as large as a few weeks earlier at the Legendary 100, the quality of the field was outstanding. Perennial front runner in the street stock division Scott Paulson grabbed the early lead in the first heat race, but it was Chanda Fjorden-Nord coming from her fourth starting spot to take command on lap 3 enroute to the win. North Dakota driver Rusty Kollman finished second with Paulson holding on to third in the nonstop 10 lap race. Jeff Heintz blasted into the lead from his outside front row starting spot in the second heat and held off 2008 CLS track point champion Devin Neske for the win with sixth starter Ron Hanestad riding home in third. On the opening lap of the third heat race, contact amongst several cars on the backstretch resulted in Kelly Knutson rolling over on his roof. As the green replaced the red, Kevin Schmidt took the early lead. Schmidt led the first four laps before seventh starter Cory Rosen moved by for the lead and eventual win. Tommy Richards got past Schmidt a few laps later to finish second while Schmidt held on to third just in front of Dan Gullikson.
A large turnout of 50 cars in the Midwest modified division would see five heat races to determine the top eighteen cars in passing points. Veteran modified racer Ron Jones, driving the Mike Kyllonen owned Midwest mod, took control from the outset of the first heat race. Young Clayton Wagamon came from sixth to run a close second to Jones while another veteran modified racer Bob Smith finished third. Sam Nelson led the opening two laps in the second heat until third starter Jeff Marshall drove by and disappeared from the field to post a convincing win. Nelson finished second in front of seventh starter Jeremy Kerzman in the nonstop 10 lap race. Another caution-free run in the third heat saw 2008 CLS track point champion Shawn Phillips lead all the way from his pole starting spot. Ronnie Rihn, who had one CLS win during the 2008 season, ran second in front of ninth starter Matt Leer. Leer would ultimately earn the top spot in passing points with his strong run forward in this heat. Mark Gerth led all 10 laps to garner the win in the fourth heat in front of fifth starter Karth Mitchell and North Dakota driver Patrick Sobolik. An incredibly tough fifth heat race saw multi-time champion Shane Sabraski lead all the way from his outside row one starting position. Rookie Midwest mod driver Jason Vandekamp held off another North Dakota driver, Rusty Kollman, for the runnerup spot.
The ground-pounding late model division had a very stout and talent laden 38 car field on hand for the opening night of the Badger State Nationals. The heat race action was intense! Marshall Fegers led all 12 laps to post the win in the first heat in front of veteran racer Jeff Hinkemeyer and young phenom Cory Mahder. In probably the toughest heat race lineup of the evening, the second late model heat provided fans with some incredible action. Even though Steve Laursen led all the way from his outside front row starting spot, the battle behind him was fantastic. Keith Foss held off eighth starter Lance Matthees, Joel Cryderman and tenth starting Pat Doar to earn the second spot. Jeff Wildung was strong in the third heat and showed the way to the checkers. Duane Mahder came from fifth to finish second in front of Chuckie DeSmith. Rookie late model racer Shawn Mahder was having a strong run until his car rode the frontstretch wall and had to be towed to the pits. The final heat race had a couple of cautions in the early going, but when the race settled down in was a Rick Hanestad and Jake Redetzke battle for the win. Hanestad led the first two laps, Redetzke led lap 3, but Hanestad came back to lead laps 4-6. Redetzke would not be denied and retook the lead for good on lap 7. Brent Larson got by Hanestad in the waning laps to finish second.
The Midwest modifieds needed two B Mains to complete their preliminary feature race lineup. The first 15 lap B Main ran nonstop. Matt Weisman led the first six laps before fourth starter Brock Gronwold, coming off two big wins in recent events, took the lead on lap 7 and held it to the checkers. Randy Vezina earned the final transfer spot to the feature with a third place finish behind Weisman. Jason Gross, driving Mike Gibson's Midwest mod, finished a close fourth behind Vezina. The second Midwest mod B Main was slowed twice under caution, but polesitter A. J. Roschen held on to lead all the way for the win over Wayne Troseth. Wayne Dean came from 14th to grab the third and final transfer spot to the feature.
The 15 lap late model B Main had 16 cars make the call. Caley Emerson saw his bid to make the main event end up on the hook after contact with Ricky Weiss on the opening lap sent his car into the concrete wall on the backstretch. After a couple of more cautions slowed the pace, the race settled down with Scott Gilberts getting by Joel Cryderman to lead the first 10 laps. Chad Mahder kept moving forward and on lap 11 took the lead from Gilberts. Mahder showed the way for the remainder of the race. Gilberts, Cryderman, Rick Egersdorf, 12th starter Eric Breeschoten and Zach Johnson completed the top six transfer positions to earn their way into the prelim feature event. Johnson narrowly beat Tim Isenberg for that final spot.
A strong field of 21 street stocks had tons of talent in the lineup for their $500-to-win 20 lap feature race. Polesitter Cory Rosen grabbed the early lead with a huge pack of cars battling two and three wide for several positions behind the leader. Chanda Fjorden-Nord and Jeff Heintz had settled in for second and third when the first caution waved for a spin in turn 3 seven laps into the race. Just two laps later, 13th starter Dan Gullikson moved to second and began applying the pressure on leader Rosen. The race was slowed again at the halfway mark when Justin Vogel crashed into the wall exiting turn 4 and sustained heavy front end damage. On the restart, Gullikson drove around Rosen in turn two but a spin on the backstretch by Jay Kesan collected the cars of Adam Burrows, Rusty Kollman and Scott Splitstoesser. This put Rosen back in front, and he immediately drove to the top side in turn one on the restart. Rosen led the next three laps, but Gullikson continued to look for a way around and found one on lap 14. The last caution flew for debris in turn one with 16 laps scored. On the restart, it was Gullikson, Rosen and Ron Hanestad in the top three spots. Four laps later, Gullikson crossed the finish line to become the first feature race winner at the Badger State Nationals. Rosen, Hanestad, Tommy Richards and Jeff Heintz rounded out the top five. Andy Miskowic came from 15th to finish sixth ahead of 17th starter Kris Peterson, 18th starter Adam Soltis, Chanda Fjorden-Nord, and Rusty Kollman to complete the top ten. Legendary 100 winner Chris Peterson saw a top five finish disappear when he slowed on the final lap with mechanical woes.
The Midwest modifieds came out 24 cars strong for their 20 lap preliminary A Main. The top five finishers would earn a starting spot in their $3,000-to-win championship feature event on Saturday night. Polesitter Matt Leer jumped into the lead at the drop of the green with Clayton Wagamon in pursuit. Just three laps into the race, something let go on Wagamon's car sending him into the concrete wall in turn 4. It took two wreckers to remove his car to the pits. Jeff Marshall was now in second followed by Ron Jones. After a very ragged restart resulted in damage to a couple of cars, the race went green for 14 straight laps. Marshall and Jones traded the runnerup spot a couple of times during this stretch, but Leer was well in control up front. A spin by Brock Gronwold with 17 laps in closed the field up for what would be an exciting three lap dash to the checkers. The biggest benefactor of this caution was seventh running Jeremy Kerzman. On the restart, Kerzman went from 7th to 4th. Leer again pulled away a bit during the final three laps to earn his first-ever CLS feature win and more importantly put himself on the pole for the championship feature on Saturday night. Jeff Marshall held off Ron Jones for second while Kerzman earned a Saturday night starting berth with a fine fourth place finish. Shane Sabraski rounded out the top five. Ronnie Rihn, who was in the top five prior to the final restart, had to settle for sixth ahead of rookie Jeremy Houle, rookie Jason Vandekamp, Mark Gerth and 15th starter Bob Smith.
The final event of the night featured 24 thundering late models for 25 racing laps in their prelim feature. The top five finishers would earn starting spots for their big championship feature race on Saturday night. It did not take long for the first caution to fly, as Duane Mahder got a bit crossed up in turn one on the opening lap. Cars scattered and spun with Marshall Fegers, Cory Mahder, Pat Doar and Eric Breeschoten involved. Fifth starter Jeff Wildung ended up with a right rear flat tire and had to go to the work area while third starter Duane Mahder was charged with the caution and relegated to the tail of the field. Keith Foss also sustained some right front damage but was able to continue. The second start attempt went much better with Lance Matthees moving into the lead immediately at the drop of the green from his outside row one starting spot followed by Jake Redetzke and 2008 CLS track point champion Brent Larson. Just six laps into the race, Keith Foss slowed and was forced to drop out of the race with the right front towed out. Fans suddenly took note of 19th starter Chad Mahder during this caution. Mahder had raced his way up to ninth already. When the green replaced the yellow, it was Matthees, Redetzke, Larson, Fegers and Steve Laursen in the top five spots. Sixteen laps into the race, Marshall Fegers saw his chance for a top five end when something broke in the right front of his car while entering turn one. Jeff Hinkemeyer also retired from the race with a flat tire under caution. One lap later, contact between Kerry Hanson and Cory Mahder saw Hanson's car slam hard into the concrete wall at the exit of turn four. The race was under red to make sure Hanson was okay. He was, but his car was done for the night. Cory Mahder drove his car to the pits. During the final eight laps, Chad Mahder continued his march forward taking fourth on lap 20 from Laursen. Laursen battled back and reclaimed the fourth spot a lap later. At the checkers, it was Lance Matthees with a dominating performance to take top honors over Jake Redetzke, Brent Larson, Steve Laursen, and Chad Mahder. These five drivers earned starting spots in the inside five rows for their championship feature race on Saturday night. Completing the top ten finishers were 12th starter Ashley Anderson, 17th starter Don Shaw, Pat Doar, 16th starter Adam Hensel, and Jeff Wildung who returned from his tail-end starting spot after his crew changed the flat tire on his car following his opening lap misfortune.
Race Summary:
Street Stocks (22 cars)
Heat 1 (10 laps): Chanda Fjorden-Nord, Rusty Kollman, Scott Paulson, Chris Peterson, Justin Vogel, Shawn Kammerud, Adam Soltis, Scott Splittstoesser.
Heat 2 (10 laps): Jeff Heintz, Devin Neske, Ron Hanestad, Adam Burrows, Jay Kesan, Kris Peterson, Kim Korstad.
Heat 3 (10 laps): Cory Rosen, Tommy Richards, Kevin Schmidt, Dan Gullikson, Andy Miskowic, Kelly Knutson, James Becker.
Feature (20 laps): Gullikson, Rosen, Hanestad, Richards, Heintz, Miskowic, K Peterson, Soltis, Fjorden-Nord, Kollman, Kammerud, Becker, Korstad, C Peterson, Paulson, Burrows, Splittstoesser, Kesan, Vogel, Neske, Schmidt.
Midwest Modifieds (50 cars)
Heat 1 (10 laps): Ron Jones, Clayton Wagamon, Bob Smith, Steve Strandlund, Charlie Hillukka, Eric Herbison, Josh Bazey, Tim Siercks, Luke Hines, Steve Strandlund Jr.
Heat 2 (10 laps): Jeff Marshall, Sam Nelson, Jeremy Kerzman, Jeremy Houle, Wayne Troseth, Jason Gross, Dave Friendt, Scott Bruce, Richard Crear, Robbie Franklin.
Heat 3 (10 laps): Shawn Phillips, Ronnie Rihn, Matt Leer, Randy Vezina, Bryan Siercks, Vince Corbin, Jesse Ogston, Shane Patrin, Ryan Nieters, Ryan Johnson.
Heat 4 (10 laps): Mark Gerth, Karth Mitchell, Patrick Sobolik, Chad Patterson, Matt Weisman, Brock Gronwold, Kevin Monteith, Don Craig, Travis Marthaler, Al Stettner.
Heat 5 (10 laps): Shane Sabraski, Jason Vandekamp, Rusty Kollman, Bryce Johnson, Jason Hoffman, A J Roschen, Pete Loecken, Scott Erickson, Wes Hines, Wayne Dean.
B Main 1 (15 laps): Gronwold, Weisman, Vezina, Corbin, Gross, Monteith, Patterson, Siercks, Loecken, Craig, Marthaler, Bruce, Stettner.
B Main 2 (15 laps): Roschen, Troseth, Dean, Ogston, Johnson, Erickson, Friendt, Herbison, Nieters, Patrin, L Hines, Strandlund, Siercks, Bazey.
Feature (20 laps): Leer, Marshall, Jones, Kerzman, Sabraski, Rihn, Houle, Vandekamp, Gerth, Smith, Dean, Troseth, Mitchell, Kollman, Phillips, Gronwold, Roschen, Hoffman, Hillukka, Vezina, Sobolik, Nelson, Weisman, Wagamon.
Late Models (38 cars)
Heat 1 (12 laps): Marshall Fegers, Jeff Hinkemeyer, Cory Mahder, Kerry Hanson, Ricky Weiss, Don Shaw, Shaun Peterson, Eric Breeschoten, Bryan Wennen, Bob Reed.
Heat 2 (12 laps): Steve Laursen, Keith Foss, Lance Matthees, Joel Cryderman, Pat Doar, Scott Gilberts, Zach Johnson, Patrick Hoffman, Jeff Keeney, Mike Nutzmann.
Heat 3 (12 laps): Jeff Wildung, Duane Mahder, Chuckie DeSmith, Caley Emerson, Brent Mueller, Rick Egersdorf, Dave Friendt, Dennis Larson, Shawn Mahder.
Heat 4 (12 laps): Jake Redetzke, Brent Larson, Rick Hanestad, Ashley Anderson, Adam Hensel, Chad Mahder, Jim Carlson, Jim Bruggeman, Tim Isenberg.
B Main (15 laps): Chad Mahder, Gilberts, Cryderman, Egersdorf, Breeschoten, Johnson, Isenberg, Carlson, Friendt, D Larson, Reed, Bruggeman, Wennen, Hoffman.
Feature (25 laps): Matthees, Redetzke, B Larson, Laursen, Chad Mahder, Anderson, Shaw, Doar, Hensel, Wildung, Hanestad, Cryderman, D Mahder, Egersdorf, Breeschoten, DeSmith, Gilberts, Mueller, Hanson, Cory Mahder, Hinkemeyer, Johnson, Fegers, Foss.