New Richmond, WI (4-25-15)

By: Greg Parent

Bright blue skies and temperatures in the lower sixties during the afternoon allowed Cedar Lake Speedway to close out the month of April with their third straight night of racing action in the five weekly divisions.  A solid field of 102 cars were on hand.

Tonight was a night of firsts, as winners in three of the five divisions picked up their first-ever Cedar Lake Speedway feature wins.  Eric Martini, driving a beautiful 50th Anniversary Pro Stock, led all the way for his first CLS victory.  Jason Vandekamp took the lead on lap 12 and went on to record his 29th career CLS win in the Midwest Modified division.  Another first saw Jess Seim lead the final five circuits in the Hornet feature for his first win.  In the Modified main event, Jake Hartung raced past Josh Angst on lap three for his first-ever CLS feature win in a nonstop 20 lapper.  The late models ran 30 laps without a caution and Eric Breeschoten led all the way, but in the closing laps AJ Diemel applied the pressure.  For Breeschoten, it was his first win since April of 2007 at CLS and his fifth career in the late model division at the popular western Wisconsin dirt oval.

As usual, the 20 lap Pro Stock main event was the first feature of the evening.  The race was slowed five times in the first 14 laps, but in the end it turned out to be a decent feature.  Eric Martini, noted for his modified driving skills, drove to his first Pro Stock victory at CLS.  Ben Hanke raced forward from his sixth starting spot to finish second.  After two second place finishes to open the season, defending track champion Mike Loomis had to settle for third in the third feature race of the year.  Gunnar Watkins from ninth and pole sitter Cody Campeau completed the top five.  Heat races were won by  Loomis and Campeau.

With 32 cars on hand in the Midwest Modified class, four heats, a B Main and the A Feature were presented.  Pole sitter Joe Chaplin led the first 8 laps before Cory Bruggeman snuck past for one lap.  Chaplin led two more laps until Jason Vandekamp went from third to first in lapped traffic on lap 12 for the lead and eventual victory.  The first of two yellows waved with 18 laps in and another quickly followed on the restart.  Vandekamp made it two in a row though, as held off Bruggeman for the win.  Robbie Franklin finished third ahead of 16th starter Kyle Matuska.  Shawn Phillips rounded out the the top five.  Topping the heat races were.  Ashley Mehrwerth won the B Main.

After finishing second the week before, Jess Seim picked up his first win in the 12 lap nonstop Hornet feature.  Outside front row starter Jesse Tripp led the first seven laps before Seim edged past.  The race stayed close to the end, as Scott Hayden took over the runner-up spot and kept the pressure on Seim.  Tripp finished third ahead of Sean Svee and Derrick Johnson.  Seim also won the Hornet heat race.

Unlike the previous week when the Modifieds had trouble in their feature race, the 20 lap main event tonight ran caution-free to the finish.  Josh Angst led the first two laps from his pole position starting spot.  Fellow front row starter Jake Hartung drove around Angst on the third lap and would never look back for his first CLS win.  Hartung slowly drove away from the battle for second.  And what a battle it turned out to be in the closing laps, as positions two through five were running close together and at times side-by-side.  At the checkers, it was young Jake Timm in the runner-up spot with Dale Mathison, Angst and Brent Larson finishing close behind.  Jake Timm, Jason Gross and last week's feature winner Joey Jensen won the heats.

The CLS track crew did some track maintenance prior to the start of the 30 lap Late Model main event so as not to have a repeat from last week.  The crew worked their magic and the thunder of the powerful late models roared nonstop for 30 tours around the high-banked 3/8ths mile oval.  Although he led the entire distance, the closing couple of laps for Eric Breeschoten saw AJ Diemel pull alongside at the line with two to go.  Breeschoten knew Diemel was there and drove hard the final two tours for his first CLS win in eight years.  Diemel finished a close second ahead of Pat Doar, opening night winner Adam Hensel and defending track champion Chad Mahder.  Late Model heats were won by Diemel, Hensel and Rick Hanestad.

Next Saturday, the annual 7th Spring Sprint Special will be held at the Cedar Lake Speedway with the UMSS winged 360 sprints on the program along with the late models, modifieds, pro stocks and hornets.  The Midwest mods have the night off.  Racing action is scheduled to get underway at 6:00 PM on May 2 with spectator gates opening at 5:00.  Some of the drivers expected to be on hand in the UMSS sprints are three-time series champion Jerry Richert, Jr. and previous champions Chris Graf and Cody Hahn along with 2014 Rookie of the Year Ryan Bowers.

~~Late Models 4/25/2015
A Mains:1. Eric Breeschoten (Buffalo, MN), 2. AJ Diemel (Elk Mound, WI), 3. Pat Doar (New Richmond, WI), 4. Adam Hensel (, WI), 5. Chad Mahder (Eau Claire, WI), 6. Steve Laursen (Cumberland, WI), 7. Jake Redetzke (Eau Claire, WI), 8. Darrell Nelson (Hermantown, MN), 9. Rick Hanestad (Boyceville, wi), 10. Ben Hanke (Hudson, WI), 11. Mark Rose (Elcho, WI), 12. Jim Carlson (St. Paul, mn), 13. Jeff Keeney (River Falls, WI), 14. T J Adams (Hayward, WI), 15. Ryan Konkel (Winona, MN), 16. Randy Gullixson (Baldwin, WI), 17. Lance Matthees (Winona, MN), 18. Brandon Jensen (Star Prairie, WI), 19. Aaron Turnbull (Estevan, SK), 20. Lyle Archambeau (Lake Elmo, Mn), 21. Jim Raboin (Somerset, WI),

Heat 1:1. AJ Diemel (Elk Mound, WI), 2. Chad Mahder (Eau Claire, WI), 3. Pat Doar (New Richmond, WI), 4. Ben Hanke (Hudson, WI), 5. Jim Carlson (St. Paul, mn), 6. Brandon Jensen (Star Prairie, WI), 7. T J Adams (Hayward, WI),

Heat 2:1. Adam Hensel (, WI), 2. Eric Breeschoten (Buffalo, MN), 3. Randy Gullixson (Baldwin, WI), 4. Mark Rose (Elcho, WI), 5. Ryan Konkel (Winona, MN), 6. Aaron Turnbull (Estevan, SK), 7. Jim Raboin (Somerset, WI),

Heat 3:1. Rick Hanestad (Boyceville, wi), 2. Steve Laursen (Cumberland, WI), 3. Jake Redetzke (Eau Claire, WI), 4. Lance Matthees (Winona, MN), 5. Darrell Nelson (Hermantown, MN), 6. Jeff Keeney (River Falls, WI), 7. Lyle Archambeau (Lake Elmo, Mn),

Modifieds 4/25/2015
A Mains:1. Jake Hartung (Elmwood, WI), 2. Jake Timm (Winona, MN), 3. Dale Mathison (Clearwater, MN), 4. Josh Angst (Winona, MN), 5. Brent Larson (Lake Elmo, MN), 6. Jason Gross (Cushing, wi), 7. Lance Hofer (Cochran, WI), 8. Joey Jensen (Forest Lake, MN), 9. Jordan Hessler (Beldenville, WI), 10. Jake Miller (New Richmond, WI), 11. Brandon Jensen (Star Prairie, WI), 12. Bob Timm (Winona, MN), 13. Cory Williams (Spring Valley, WI), 14. Paul Niznik (Medford, WI), 15. Robbie Johnson (Wilson, WI), 16. Matt Weisman (Sauk Rapids, MN), 17. Owen Grube (Cambridge, MN), 18. Chet Atkinson (Hugo, MN), 19. Jon Harer (Glenwood City, WI), 20. Jim Weeks (St Paul, MN), 21. Adam Ayotte (St Paul, MN),

Heat 1:1. Jake Timm (Winona, MN), 2. Dale Mathison (Clearwater, MN), 3. Jake Miller (New Richmond, WI), 4. Jordan Hessler (Beldenville, WI), 5. Cory Williams (Spring Valley, WI), 6. Jon Harer (Glenwood City, WI), 7. Adam Ayotte (St Paul, MN),

Heat 2:1. Jason Gross (Cushing, wi), 2. Lance Hofer (Cochran, WI), 3. Jake Hartung (Elmwood, WI), 4. Brandon Jensen (Star Prairie, WI), 5. Robbie Johnson (Wilson, WI), 6. Matt Weisman (Sauk Rapids, MN), 7. Owen Grube (Cambridge, MN),

Heat 3:1. Joey Jensen (Forest Lake, MN), 2. Josh Angst (Winona, MN), 3. Brent Larson (Lake Elmo, MN), 4. Bob Timm (Winona, MN), 5. Paul Niznik (Medford, WI), 6. Chet Atkinson (Hugo, MN), 7. Jim Weeks (St Paul, MN),

Super Stocks 4/25/2015
A Mains:1. Eric Martini (Avon, MN), 2. Ben Hanke (Hudson, WI), 3. Mike Loomis (Forest Lake, mn), 4. Gunnar Watkins (Elk Mound, WI), 5. Cody Campeau (Somerset, WI), 6. Tommy Richards (Mondovi, WI), 7. Dan Nissalke (Winona, MN), 8. Adam Ayotte (St Paul, MN), 9. Mike Raboin (Somerset, wi), 10. Mike Weber (Osceola, wi), 11. Ryan Gangl (Oak Grove, MN), 12. Denny Schouveller (Hugo, MN), 13. Dustin Sanders (New Richmond, WI), 14. Marcus Simonson (Milltown, Wi), 15. Ryan Wiome (Center City, MN), 16. Jason  Oftedahl (Inver Grove Heights, MN), 17. Brian Lick (Afton, MN),

Heat 1:1. Mike Loomis (Forest Lake, mn), 2. Adam Ayotte (St Paul, MN), 3. Ryan Wiome (Center City, MN), 4. Ben Hanke (Hudson, WI), 5. Gunnar Watkins (Elk Mound, WI), 6. Mike Raboin (Somerset, wi), 7. Dustin Sanders (New Richmond, WI), 8. Ryan Gangl (Oak Grove, MN), 9. Jason  Oftedahl (Inver Grove Heights, MN),

Heat 2:1. Cody Campeau (Somerset, WI), 2. Tommy Richards (Mondovi, WI), 3. Brian Lick (Afton, MN), 4. Eric Martini (Avon, MN), 5. Mike Weber (Osceola, wi), 6. Marcus Simonson (Milltown, Wi), 7. Dan Nissalke (Winona, MN), 8. Denny Schouveller (Hugo, MN),

Midwest Modifieds 4/25/2015
A Mains:1. Jason Vandekamp (Scandia, MN), 2. Cory Bruggeman (Stillwater, MN), 3. Robbie Franklin (Plymouth, MN), 4. Kyle Matuska (Stacy, MN), 5. Shawn Phillips (Fridley, MN), 6. Tony Schill (Oakdale, MN), 7. Cory Davis (Turtle Lake, WI), 8. Joe Chaplin (Cameron, WI), 9. Ashley Mehrwerth (St. Stephen, ), 10. Bill Stettner (Inver Grove Heights, MN), 11. Paul Niznik (Medford, WI), 12. Shawn Walski (Winona, MN), 13. Brad Seavers (Rib Lake, WI), 14. Ben Schultz (Menomonie, Wi), 15. Josh Hessler (Wheeler, WI), 16. Alex Williamson (Rushford, MN), 17. Nick Ayotte (St Paul, MN), 18. Mitch Anderson (Spring Valley, WI), 19. Liz Toepper (Lino Lakes, MN), 20. Patrick McCarthy (Apple Valley, MN), 21. Jacob Toepper (Lino Lakes, MN), 22. Miranda Carlson (Afton, MN), 23. Joe Lallier (South St Paul, MN), 24. Jared Gorka (New Richmond, WI),

B Mains:1. Ashley Mehrwerth (St. Stephen, ), 2. Mitch Anderson (Spring Valley, WI), 3. Liz Toepper (Lino Lakes, MN), 4. Jared Gorka (New RIchmond, WI), 5. Chase Friendt (New Richmond, WI), 6. Doug Carlson (Afton, mn), 7. Josh Flury (Cochran, WI), 8. Greg Platzer (Robbinsdale, MN), 9. Andrea Keeney (Ridgeland, WI), 10. Trent Brutger, 11. Kris Kaphing (Deer Park, WI), 12. Eric Gadach (Deer Park, WI),

Heat 1:1. Joe Chaplin (Cameron, WI), 2. Cory Davis (Turtle Lake, WI), 3. Tony Schill (Oakdale, MN), 4. Paul Niznik (Medford, WI), 5. Shawn Walski (Winona, MN), 6. Ashley Mehrwerth (St. Stephen, ), 7. Andrea Keeney (Ridgeland, WI), 8. Chase Friendt (New Richmond, WI),

Heat 2:1. Bill Stettner (Inver Grove Heights, MN), 2. Alex Williamson (Rushford, MN), 3. Joe Lallier (South St Paul, MN), 4. Patrick McCarthy (Apple Valley, MN), 5. Nick Ayotte (St Paul, MN), 6. Josh Flury (Cochran, WI), 7. Greg Platzer (Robbinsdale, MN), 8. Eric Gadach (Deer Park, WI),

Heat 3:1. Josh Hessler (Wheeler, WI), 2. Shawn Phillips (Fridley, MN), 3. Brad Seavers (Rib Lake, WI), 4. Miranda Carlson (Afton, MN), 5. Jacob Toepper (Lino Lakes, MN), 6. Liz Toepper (Lino Lakes, MN), 7. Kris Kaphing (Deer Park, WI), 8. Jared Gorka (New RIchmond, WI),

Heat 4:1. Jason Vandekamp (Scandia, MN), 2. Cory Bruggeman (Stillwater, MN), 3. Robbie Franklin (Plymouth, MN), 4. Kyle Matuska (Stacy, MN), 5. Ben Schultz (Menomonie, Wi), 6. Mitch Anderson (Spring Valley, WI), 7. Trent Brutger, 8. Doug Carlson (Afton, mn),

Hornets 4/25/2015
A Mains:1. Jess Seim (Glenwood City, WI), 2. Scott Hayden (Maple Grove, MN), 3. Jesse Tripp (Spooner, WI), 4. Sean Svee (Menomonie, WI), 5. Derrick Johnson (New Richmond, WI), 6. Steven Johnson (Columbus, MN), 7. Bob Carver Jr (Maplewood, MN), 8. Tim Thoennes (Oak Dale, MN), 9. Adam Nelson (Forest Lake, MN), 10. Jesse Anderson (Braham, MN), 11. Brendon Yamry (Rice, MN),

Heat:1. Jess Seim (Glenwood City, WI), 2. Jesse Tripp (Spooner, WI), 3. Steven Johnson (Columbus, MN), 4. Derrick Johnson (New Richmond, WI), 5. Sean Svee (Menomonie, WI), 6. Scott Hayden (Maple Grove, MN), 7. Adam Nelson (Forest Lake, MN), 8. Bob Carver Jr (Maplewood, MN), 9. Tim Thoennes (Oak Dale, MN), 10. Jesse Anderson (Braham, MN), 11. Brendon Yamry (Rice, MN),