BUNKELMAN TOPS WISSOTA MODIFIED FEATURE
Chesley Wins First Ever Regular Season Midwest Modified Feature
By Jerry O'Brien 5-10-08 Ashland, WI
On a cool night with the possibility of rain in the forecast, the ABC Raceway kicked off the
2008 season with a full six class program. 115 cars came to do battle on the smooth track that
held up beautifully over the course of the night.
The first feature of the night was for the Pure Stocks with the brothers Carlson holding down
the front row, Tom on the pole and Chad to the outside for the 10 lap event. At the green flag
Tim took the lead with Chad trailing. Tim Carbon joined the fray at the front and the three went
wheel to wheel for the lead. The battle broke down to a pair of Tims as the two dueled for the
win. It was Tim Carbon that wrestled the lead away from Tim Carlson and drove to his first win
of the season. Chad Carlson, Zene Anderson and Paul Malinowski finished in the top five.
Ten cars took the green flag for the 12 lap WISSOTA Street Stock feature paced by Larry
Haderly and Tim Baum. Haderly shot into the lead from the pole and was never seriously
challenged as he dominated the event leading every lap for the victory and the sweep of the
division. Greg Kuklinski who missed the heat was forced to start 10th in the 10 car field and put
on one of his patented charges to finish fourth. A single caution flag slowed the action when
Cory Casari and Jordan Kurtti tangled in the first turn. Haderly was followed across the stripe by
Baum, Steve Anderson, Kuklinski and Casari.
It was a difficult Six Cylinder feature as the 15 lap event started out with a caution flag on the
first lap necessitating a complete restart. Three more displays of yellow slowed down the action
and kept the field close to leader Greg Jaeger who had taken the lead from the second row on the
fourth circuit. Jeager maintained the lead and at the mid point led Pat Beeksma, Dale
Coddington, Shawn McFadden and 2007 Champion Travis Swanson. Just past the half way mark
Beeksma and Scott Ovaska got together and Ovaska spun of turn two. Beeksma was charged
with the caution and Ovaska resumed his spot in the running order. With six laps to go Jaeger led
Ovaska and maintained the lead for the win, at least until he got to the Tech area where it was
discovered that his tires were grooved and siped which is a rules violation. Jaeger was
disqualified giving the win to Scott Ovaska. Swanson, James Pelto, Coddington and Don Muzzy
rounded out the top five.
Greg Chesley had little trouble winning the WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature, the first
regular season 15 lap feature for the newest division at the Raceway. Rick Przybylski and Shane
Halopka battled for second but the first of two caution flags flew immediately when Mike
Truscott got turned around in turn one. At the green flag it was Chesley maintaining the point
over Przybylski, Halopka, Joe Olson, Micky Nosser and Duane Dunbar. Chesley extended his
lead as the top three pulled away from Olson who had his hands full with Nosser and Dunbar.
The runaway was halted when the 5p of Pete Palus dropped the drive shaft bringing out the
caution flag. Chesley kept his stranglehold on the lead as Halopka took over the second spot.
Chesley and Halopka pulled away from Przybylski in the late going as Chesley took the win.
Halopka, Przybylski was third while Nosser and Dunbar got by Olson for fourth and fifth
respectively. It was also a sweep for Chesley as he had won the second heat.
Next up was the WISSOTA Super Stock 20 lap feature with Curt Myers sitting on the pole
flanked by Randy Spacek. The event got off to a bad start with a four car wreck in the second
turn brought about a complete restart for the 17 car field. There was more wrecking on the
second try and Kevin Eder who started fifth, got the ticket. Spacek and Myers battled for the lead
when the event finally got underway and it was Myers who squeezed into a lead he would never
relinquish. Charging to the third position from ninth in the first five circuits was Dave Flynn.
With 15 laps remaining the caution again flew for Chuck Hawkinson in turn three. At the restart
Myers scooted away frm Spacek and at the half way mark the two led Flynn, Ken Truscott and
Brian Mikkonen in the leading five. Joe Oliver was chewing on Mikkonen's bumper for fifth and
took over the spot when Mikkonen slowed and dropped out. Truscott slipped by Flynn to third as
the checkered flag flew for Myers who completed the sweep. Spacek, Truscott Flynn and Oliver
rounded out the top five.
The finale of the night was the 20 lap WISSOTA Modified feature featureing Robbie
Bunkelman and Shawn Kreyer sharing the front row. At the green flag Bunkelman grabbed the
lead as Kelly Checkalski followed him through to run second in the early going. Lap three saw
the first caution flag as Kreyer spun off turn two. Bunkelman held on to the lead on the restart
and with 13 to go had a straight away lead on then second running Paul Knauf. Jerry Hartman
had moved to third and was being pressured by Jeff Spacek and Checkalski. Bunkelman's huge
lead evaporated on lap eight when Kreyer and Duane Dale tangled while battling near the back of
the pack. At the half way point Bunkelman led Knauff, Hartman, Checkalski, Spacek, Rick
Rivord, Eric Pember in Paul Knauf's second car, Al Uotinen, Wayne Stricker and Bill Byholm
running in the top ten. With five laps remaining Hartman grabbed second away from Knauf,
Spacek dropped out leaving fourth to Checkalski and Rivord moved up to finish fifth.
Results
WISSOTA Modified (10 cars)
Heat 1: Robbie bunkelman; Kelly Checkalski; Paul Knauf; Jeff Spacek; Eric Pember; Scott
Hudack; Bill byholm; Ross Lightner; Duane Dale. (DNS) Don Copp
Heat 2: Shawn Kreyer; Jerry Hartman; Wayne Stricker; Rick rivord; Steve Lavasseur; Al
Uotinen; Dan Sellung; Jad Carlson; Dean Yrjanainen
Feature: (20 laps) (1-10) Bunkelman; Hartman; Knauf; Checkalski; Rivord; Pember; Uotinen;
Byholm; Hudack; Stricker (1-19) Carlson; Lavasseur; Lightner; Sellung; Spacek; Dale; Kreyer;
( DNS) Yrjanainen; Copp
WISSOTA Super Stock (17 cars)
Heat 1: Curt Myers; Shane Kisling; Kevin Eder; Brian Rust; Dave Flynn; Brian Mikkonen;
Destin Lorimor; Cy Hoagland; Don koivisto
Heat 2: Randy Spacek; Ken Truscott; Joe Oliver; Nick Oreskovich; Scott Lawrence; Ron
Hmielewski; Chuck Hawkinson; Roy Pumala
Feature: (20 laps) (1-10)Myers; Spacek; Truscott; Flynn; Oliver; Eder; Oreskovich; Lawrence;
Kisling; Hmielewski; Rust; Koivisto; Hoaglan; Mikkonen; Hawkinson; Lorimor (DNS) Pumala
WISSOTA Midwest Modified (19 cars)
Heat 1: Rick Przybylski; Shane Holapka; Duane Dunbar; George Dalbeck; Mike Brennan; Glen
Dammer; Travis nye; Randy Vezina; Mike Truscott;; Jesse Aho
Heat 2: Greg Chesley; Joe Olson; Mickey Nosser; Pete Paulus; Cole Neitzel; Willie Thompson;
Pat cook; Todd vernon; Steve Stuart
Feature (15 laps) (1-10) Chesley; Halopka; Przybylski; Nosser; Dunbar; Olson; Stuart; Truscott;
Vezina; Cook (11-19) Thompson; Neitzel; Nye; Brennan; Dalbeck; Vernon; Dammer; Palus;
(DN S) Aho
Six Cylinder
Heat 1: Travis Swanson; Scott Ovaska; Ken Tyykila; Neil Adamzak; Dan Moncher; Adam
Traaholt; Don Livingston; Tyler Lucer
Heat 2: Pat Beeksma; Shawn McFadden; Don Muzzy; Dale Coddington; Colin Polacek; DeJay
Mihalek; Jacob Melin; Roy Roettger
Heat 3: Greg Jaeger; James Pelto; Jim Anderson; Zach Pagels; Forrest Schultz; Cory Marincel;
Aaron Mashlan; Jonathaon Popp
Feature (15 Laps) (1-10) Ovaska; Swanson; Pelto; Coddington; Muzzy; Anderson; Mihalek;
Beeksma; Polacek; Moncher (11-24) Livingston; Lucer; Popp; Roettinger; Melin; McFadden;
Pagels; Tyykila; Traaholt; Marincel; Schultz; Mashlan (Disqualified: Jaeger Illegal tires)
Pure Stocks (7 cars)
Heat: Tim Carlson; Chad Carlson; Tammie Bretting; Tim Carbon; Zene Anderson; Roland
Gordon; Nathan Dees
Feature (10 laps) carbon; T Carlson; C Carlson; Anderson; Bretting; Dees; Gordon
WISSOTA Street Stocks (10 cars)
Heat: Larry Hader4ly; Tim Baum; Rob Weber; Steve Anderson; Cory Casari; Jordan Kurtti; Paul
Malinowski; John Kalaus; Sam Fankhauser; Greg Kuklinski
Feature (12 laps) Haderly; Baum; Anderson; Kuklinski; Casari; Kallas; Weber; Fankhauser;
Kurtti; Malinowski.
