Anvelink, Scribner, Jacobsen, Swedberg & Van Straten take feature wins at Shawano Speedway opener
By Bert Lehman
Shawano, WI (May 7, 2011) – The Shawano Speedway finally got its 2011 race season underway with 94 cars on hand. Present were: 20 WISSOTA Late Models, 17 IMCA Modifieds, 25 IMCA Stock Cars, 10 FASTRAK Late Models and 22 IMCA Northern SportMods. Nick Anvelink won the WISSOTA Late Model feature, while Brett Swedberg won the FASTRAK Late Model feature. Eric Scribner won the IMCA Modified feature, with Justin Jacobsen winning the IMCA Stock Car feature. Travis Van Straten won the IMCA Northern SportMod feature.
Gordie Seegert jumped out to the quick lead over Jim Rychtik, Justin Ritchie, Nick Anvelink and Harry Hanson in the WISSOTA Late Model feature. Racing on the high side, Anvelink moved to third on lap four and the second spot one lap later. Once in second, Anvelink began gaining on Seegert. By lap eight, Anvelink was on Seegert’s rear bumper and he then ducked underneath Seegert in turn two to take the top spot.
Two cautions plagued the race on lap 10. Anvelink immediately began to pull away when the race was restarted, leaving Rychtik, Seegert and Paul Parker to duke it out for second, third and forth. With six laps remaining Seegert retook the second spot from Rychtik. It was all Anvelink, though, as he cruised to his first win of the year.
In the IMCA Modified feature, Eric Scribner grabbed the early lead over Marcus Yarie, Lance Arneson, Tim Jorgenson and Nick Holtger. Jerry Wilinski joined the top five on the fifth lap and began gaining on Jorgenson. Wilinksi grabbed the fourth spot just before the only caution of the race came out on lap eight.
Scribner continued to lead on the restart, with Arneson moving into the second spot. A couple of laps later Yarie and Wilinski engaged in a side by side battle with Wilinski taking control of the spot and gaining on Arneson. Jason Czarapata, who started the race near the rear of the pack, worked his way into the top five and battled with Wilinski. There was no denying Scribner as he won his first feature of the year.
A caution on the second lap slowed the IMCA Stock Car feature. During the caution, Rod Snellenberger had to pit with a flat tire, sending him to the back of the pack on the restart. Justin Jacobsen flew into the lead on the restart with Greg Gutt, John Heinz, Kyle Fredrick and Harley Simon following. On lap seven, entering turn one, the engines of both Fredrick’s and Shawn Wagner’s cars began smoking heavily, ending their nights and bringing out a caution.
Heinz pressured Jacobsen on the restart but wasn’t able to make the pass for the lead. Jacobsen then pulled out to a slight lead while Gutt, Heinz, Nate Michonski and Mike Schmidt raced in a pack. With the high side the preferred groove, Michonski tried the low side to move up, but fell back one spot. That’s the way it ended with Jacobsen taking the win.
Brett Swedberg jumped into the FASTRAK Late Model feature lead at the drop of the green flag and never looked back. He was followed across the finish line by Justin Hirt, Jeff Curtin, Dave Fieber and Aaron Holiday.
Tracy Wassenberg led the first six laps of the IMCA SportMod feature with Tom Natzke, Jake Solin, Travis Van Straten and Chad Jaje all in pursuit. Van Straten moved into the second spot on lap four and set his sights on Wassenberg. The two raced side by side on the next lap with Van Straten taking the lead and Clint Forstner moving to third. With five laps remaining, Wassenberg began pressuring Van Straten for the lead but Van Straten fended him off. Wassenberg regrouped and in turns three and four on the last lap made one final attempt to take the lead but couldn’t make the pass. Van Straten took home the win.
The Speedway will resume its season, Saturday, May 14, with the racing action getting underway at 6 p.m.
For more information about Shawano Speedway visit www.shawanospeedway.net.
RACING SUMMARY
WISSOTA LATE MODEL FEATURE: 1)Nick Anvelink, 2)Gordie Seegert, 3)Jim Rychtik, 4)Paul Parker, 5)Harry Hanson, 6)Justin Ritchie, 7)Brett Swedberg, 8)Tom Naeyaert, 9)Craig Bartz, 10)Todd Frank. FIRST HEAT: 1)Rychtik, 2)Hanson, 3)Anvelink. SECOND HEAT: 1)Ritchie, 2)Bartz, 3)Parker. THIRD HEAT: 1)Frank, 2)Seegert, 3)Swedberg.
IMCA MODIFIED FEATURE: 1)Eric Scribner, 2)Lance Arneson, 3)Jerry Wilinski, 4)Jason Czarapata, 5)Marcus Yarie, 6)Nick Holtger, 7)Brian Mullen, 8)Brad Rohloff, 9)Tim Jorgenson, 10)Michael Bailey. FIRST HEAT: 1)Rohloff, 2)Holtger, 3)Wilinski. SECOND HEAT: 1)Arneson, 2)Mullen, 3)Jorgenson.
IMCA STOCK CAR FEATURE: 1)Justin Jacobsen, 2)Greg Gutt, 3)John Heinz, 4)Mike Schmidt, 5)Nate Michonski, 6)Rod Snellenberger, 7)Brian Ambrosius, 8)Barry Van Straten, 9)Vern Stedjee, 10)Mitchell Stankowski. CONSI: 1)Jamie Becks, 2)Ambrosius. FIRST HEAT: 1)Carl Christjohn, 2)Snellenberger, 3)Michonski. SECOND HEAT: 1)Jacobsen, 2)Harley Simon, 3)Stedjee. THIRD HEAT: 1)Gutt, 2)Heinz, 3)Mark Schuenemann.
FASTRAK LATE MODEL FEATURE: 1)Brett Swedberg, 2)Justin Hirt, 3)Jeff Curtin, 4)Dave Fieber, 5)Aaron Holiday, 6)Joel Bennett, 7)Jeff Wickersheim, 8)Cody Welch, 9)Cody Grosskreutz, 10)Adam Janke. FIRST HEAT: 1)Fieber, 2)Wickersheim, 3)Holiday. SECOND HEAT: 1)Hirt, 2)Curtin, 3)Swedberg.
IMCA SPORTMOD FEATURE: 1)Travis Van Straten, 2)Tracy Wassenberg, 3)Clint Forstner, 4)Tom Natzke, 5)Jake Solin, 6)Don Woller, 7)Joey Taycher, 8)Jason Jach, 9)Chad Jaje, 10)Greg Magsam. FIRST HEAT: 1)Wassenberg, 2)Jach, 3)Woller. SECOND HEAT: 1)Les Yeager, 2)Natzke, 3)Solin. THIRD HEAT: 1)Forstner, 2)Taycher, 3)Van Straten.