Charter Raceway Park results for 8/9/2008

Beaver Dam, WI – August 9, 2008.  The 2008 racing season at Charter Raceway Park is winding down but the action was heating up on Saturday night.  Double points were on the line as all five divisions competed.  The Street Stock division started things off with a highly competitive A-Main.  Jon Schultz, who got engaged Friday night looked as if he was going to make it an even better weekend for himself as he jumped out to the lead at the drop of the green and started to open up a lead over Craig Lepple.  Starting back in the 9th position, Jesse Kanas  was on the move and was running fourth behind Schultz, Lepple and Nate Gross as the caution came out on lap five for a single car spin.  By lap 10, Kanas had moved up to the 2nd position and started to challenge Schultz for the lead.  Schultz was able to hold Kanas off until lap 19 and Kanas got past him coming out of turn four and they picked up the white flag.  Something went wrong with Schultz’s car as he went through turns one and two and he lost several positions down the back straight before he got his car back up to speed.  Kanas came across the line first ahead of Jeremy Schwoch and Lepple.  Kanas, however, was stripped of the win later in the evening by track officials and the win given to Schwoch.

The Grand National points race got a lot closer after the Feature event with Roger Lee cutting Don Sorce’s lead from 22 down to 12.  Will Schumacher started the even from the front row and went right to the front as lap 1 went in the record books.  However, the lead was short-lived as Kenny Richards made it look easy going past Schumacher to take the lead the following lap.  When the yellow came out on lap four, Lee had worked his way up to second place behind Richards and in front of Troy Weich and Schumacher.  Lee was unable to do anything but chase Richards over the next six laps when Eric Grunst came to a halt.  Sorce used a brilliant move in turns three and four to get past Brian Gerber on lap 14 and was trying to do the same to Weich on lap 16.  However, Weich came down the track to block Sorce and the two cars made heavy contact and the yellow came out.  Weich was sent to the pits and Sorce to the back of the field.  Richards headed to the pits with a mechanical problem giving the lead to Lee.  Lee held off Larry Richards and Gerber for the win and closed the gap in the points race.

A non-stop A-Main in the Modified ranks took just about six minutes to complete the 20 laps and give a win to Aaron Rake.  Brian Crapser, starting on the pole looked as if he was going to be hard to beat as he immediately opened up a lead over the field at the drop of the green followed by Larry Zirbel, Jeremy Christian and Rake.  Mitch McGrath, after a couple of weeks off, was out to make up some ground and was flying through the field and took the second position on lap four.  Mechanical problems would sideline McGrath just a few laps later moving Christian up to second and Rake to third.  Crapser had problems with consistency through the corners and Rake worked past him on lap eight along with Christian dropping Crapser to third.  Before Crapser could regain himself, Steve Mueller and Russ Reinwald also would get past. Crapser, however, was able to get past Christian and hold onto the fourth position.  Mueller, driving a brand new car, started reeling in Rake and got locked into a great battle for a few laps.  Reinwald, joined the battle and was able to get past Mueller on lap 19.  Mueller, Dave Schoenberger and Crapser battled for third on back with Schoenberger finishing third, Mueller fourth and Crapser fifth.

The closest race of the night came in the Legends division.  Three yellows in the first six laps kept the field close with Brad Weber leading Phil Van Tatenhove and Aaron Muhle to the line each lap.  Following the restart on lap six, the race would run the last 14 laps under green.  Joel Wyttenbach, starting ninth, completed lap nine in fifth and moved up to fourth on lap 13.  The crowd, sensing an exciting finish, rose to their feet as Wyttenbach got past Muhle on lap 16 and started closing the gap on Weber.  It looked like he would run out of laps, but a lapped car in front of Weber coming out of turn two on the final circuit, caused Weber to slow and giving Wyttenbach the break he needed.  Weber went to the outside of the lapped car, Wyttenbach to the inside coming out of four and Wyttenbach picked up the win by a mere two feet.  Weber finished second and point’s leader Eric Barth third.

The final event of the night was the Dirt Devil A-Main.  Other than one caution for Eddie LeMay on lap five, the event ran under green.  Tim Draheim got past Jim Merkel on lap five and that was the way they finished.  Matt Janke finished third and Steve LeMay fourth.

Next week, Charter Raceway Park will host the Interstate Racing Association (IRA) sprint cars in their final 2008 season.  They will be joined by the Modifieds, Grand National, Street Stock and Legend divisions. Pits open at 3:30 and the main gates open at 4:30. Racing is scheduled to start promptly at 6:30. Contact the track office for more information at 920-382-7858.

MODIFIEDS

HEATS           Aaron Rake, Jay Schraufnagel, Tim Lemirande, Mitch McGrath, Larry Zirbel

B MAIN 1      Russ Reinwald, Frank Firari, Joel Crowbridge, Ralph Schneider, Larry Romprey

B MAIN 2      Craig Priewe, Eddie LeMay Jr, Dennis Krause, Scott Barnharst, Scott Magsmen

A MAIN         Aaron Rake, Russ Reinwald, Dave Schoenberger, Steve Mueller, Brian Crapser, Jay Schraufnagel, Larry Zirbel, Craig Priewe, Jeremy Christian, Frank Firari

LEGENDS

HEATS           Joel Wyttenbach, Brad Weber, Eric Barth

A MAIN         Joel Wyttenbach, Brad Weber, Eric Barth, Aaron Muhle, Jeff Steenbergen, Kevin Brill, Joe Johnson, Greg Hartlaub, Phil Van Tatenhove, Mike Mueller

DIRT DEVILS

HEAT             Tim Draheim

A MAIN         Tim Draheim, Jim Merkel, Matt Janke, Steve LeMay, Kevin Allard, William Young, Mika Allard, Robert Nelson, Dylan Reinhard, Eddie LeMay

STREET STOCKS

HEATS           Craig Lepple, Jon Schultz

A MAIN         Jeremy Schwoch, Craig Lepple, Nate Gross, Matt Bedker, Aaron Streblow, Jon Schultz, Andrew Araco, Gordon Schultz, Justin Brown, Joe Brenner

GRAND NATIONALS

HEATS           Kenny Richards, Don Sorce Jr

A MAIN         Roger Lee, Larry Richards, Brian Gerber, Don Schumacher, Dan Schumacher, Tommy Moore, Craig Boettcher, Don Sorce, Will Schumacher, Will Sorce