Stuart, Keeler are First-Time Winners; Flynn, Dalbeck Repeat at ABC
Coddington brings home win in sixes

by Nick Gima
 Ashland, WI, June 11 -- Steve Stuart of Ashland collected his first-ever WISSOTA modified feature win Saturday night during AmsOil Dirt Track Series racing action at the ABC Raceway on Saturday night.
 In a program presented by Xtreme Sign & Graphix and X-Wraps of Ashland, 80 cars registered for the full five-division program, which started under clear, cloudless skies and ended in cool conditions.

Early on in the 20-lap main event it looked like pole starter Pat Cook - not Stuart - might be on his way to his first “big mod” win, as he overtook Wayne Stricker for the lead one lap in and built up a small advantage. But on lap 4 Stuart worked inside against Stricker to take second, and one lap later the caution lights came on for Paul Niznik’s spun racer. The restart put Stuart directly on Cook’s rear bumper, and Stuart again used the outside line to eventually complete the pass for the lead on lap 9, helped in part by a bobble by Cook as the pair slid through Turn 4. Steve Lavasseur also took advanage of Cook’s error to sneak inside in the same corner and swipe second. From there Stuart turned the race into a runaway, much like he did in his heat race earlier in the evening, extending his lead to half a straightaway at the checkers. Lavasseur held on for second, although Jerry Hartman came on strong late in the go to finish behind him by a few feet. Bill Byholm worked his way past Cook with the white flag in the air for fourth.
The 20-lap WISSOTA super stock feature started with a classic battle between two great veteran drivers but ended with a wild race for the win among three young up-and-comers. Greg Kuklinski, the track’s all-time winningest driver, started from the pole but slipped up the Turn 2 corner, allowing Cory Casai to sneak on past for the initial lead. But that was negated when five cars spun in Turn 3 before the lap was completed, giving Kuklinski another chance. On the second try Kuklinski didn’t give up the bottom groove, but before he could build up any kind of a lead Shawn Rivord’s ride was spun around to bring about the second quick caution slowdown of the event. On that restart third-running Ron Hmielewski seemed to check up, causing the field to jam up behind him and allowing Randy Spacek to hustle to third and then take second with an inside move on Ken Truscott. Over the next few laps Spacek reeled in Kuklinski and took several looks to the outside, threatening to take the lead going into the turns, but Kuklinski held firm to the point. The lead pair drew well away from several tight battles for position behind them, with Spacek threatening and Kuklinski resisting. Finally, on lap 9, Spacek grabbed some momentum down the backstraight and edged ahead, but the pair came out of Turn 4 nearly side by side. Ahead of them, Dave Elliott’s slowing car was veering toward the outside line, directly in Spacek’s path. Spacek tried an evasive move to go further outside to avoid the slower car, but he clipped the right-rear of Elliott’s car at full speed, causing enough significant damage to the left-front of Spacek’s car to knock him from the event. Kuklinski again restarted first, but he was immediately overwhelmed by aggressive challenges on either side from youngsters Casari and Dave Flynn. Casari took the lead, but Flynn worked hard to make the inside line work to his advantage, eventually getting by Casari. Another young hot-shoe, Nick Oreskovich, got into the mix with six laps left, passing Casari for second, and Oreskovich nosed inside on Flynn several times over the final three laps, but Flynn, from Superior, held on for his second win here in as many weeks.Casari was not far back in third, while Scott Lawrence was a distant fourth and Kuklinski held on for fifth. Flynn dedicated his win to Rick Milinkovich, the former super stock racer who recently underwent knee surgery.
George Dalbeck of Wakefield, MI, continued to be the dominant WISSOTA Midwest modified driver at Ashland as he registered his second feature win of the season in the three weeks of action thus far. Pole starter Steve Anderson was impressive in leading the early part of the 15-lap A-main, while Chad Adamczak, Travis Nye and Dalbeck scrapped for second a few lengths behind him. Dalbeck, who was working the outside line, eventually cleared that battle and set his sights on Anderson. Although Dalbeck seemed to have the faster car, he was patient in waiting for the right moment to get by Anderson, and when the race reached its mid-point he made his move with a higher-line pass. Just after the pass for the lead Tanner Byholm spun to bring on the yellow lights, but Dalbeck checked out with the restart and went on to the walk-away win. Anderson could not hold on to second, as first Ryan Adamczak and then Nye slipped past on lap 10. Rick Przybylski came home fifth, several car-lengths back.
Hayward’s Dale Coddington led flag to flag for his first six-cylinder feature win of the season in Ashland. After going non-stop in each of their first two features of the season, Saturday night’s 15-lapper for the sixes was marred by a handful of grinding wrecks over the first half of the run. Coddington had his hands full early, as Neil Adamczak stayed directly alongside to the leader’s right throughout the first four laps, before the action was slowed for a Ron Lillie-Shane Basina melee on the front chute. Adamczak stayed alongside Coddington again for another circuit after the restart, but the race was again halted for Tad Bretting, whose car ground to a halt against the front-straight concrete wall. Another lap after the restart Basina again was involved in an incident - this time a mutli-car wreck during which his racer rode up onto and over the right side of Jonathan Popp’s car on lap 6. But on the ensuing restart Adamczak’s efforts ended, as Coddington drew away and Pat Beeksma made a pass with three laps to go to put Adamczak back to third. Don Muzzy crossed under the checkers in fourth but was later disqualified for a technical violation, giving the final two positions in the top five to Tyler Hudack and Greg Jaeger. In Victory Lane Coddington dedicated his win to Keane Laakson, a former regular competitor in Ashland, who has been fighting a very difficult health battle.
In last week’s pure stock feature only four of the nine starters made it to the finish, but on this night ten of the eleven starters drove home. Polesitter Roland Gordon led most of the first lap but slipped up the hill in Turn 4, allowing Superior teammates DJ Keeler and Chad Carlson to drive by underneath for the top two spots. Keeler drove his station wagon away from the pack and was very dominant on his way to his first-ever feature win at Ashland. Keeler’s cruise was interrupted only once - on lap 8 for a get-together between Matt Deragon and Tiffany Hudack - but over the final four laps he rebuilt a comfortable advantage. Ken Tody snuck by Carlson just before the caution slowdown but could not keep up with Keeler and settled for second-place money, while Tim Carbon was also able to get past Carlson for third after the restart. Jeff Christman came home in fifth after Joe Pajtash’s car lost a tire and gave up the position.

 The annual visit by the Northern Vintage Stockcar Racers club is on the schedule for next Saturday night, in a program to be presented by Baxter’s Speed Shop of Dorchester. All five regular weekly divisions will also be in action, with hot laps at 6:15 pm and racing at 7. “Race Night” will air live on WBSZ, 93.3 FM, from 4:30-6 pm with at-the-track news and weather updates.
 The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990.

Lake Nebagamon’s Dean Yrjanainen, who announced his intent to retire after this past fall’s Red Clay Classic, was honored by the track. The long-time modified talent and fan favorite was recognized for his six Raceway points championships (three each in the mods and sixes) and three Red Clay Classic victories, and his 70 career feature wins ranks second on the all-time win list at Ashland.

More Photos here.
 

Results
WISSOTA Modifieds
 Feature: Steve Stuart, Ashland; Steve Lavasseur, River Falls; Jerry Hartman, Marenisco, MI; Bill Byholm, Glidden; Pat Cook, Washburn; Rick Rivord, Superior; Jeff Spacek, Phillips; Jody Bellefeuille, Duluth, MN; Al Uotinen, Superior; Kent Baxter, Elk Mound; Wayne Stricker, Highbridge; Kevin Eder, Ashland; Destin Lorimor, Superior; Paul Niznik, Medford; Al Hartel, South Range; Robby Bunkelman, Abbotsford; Scott Hudack, Ashland; Jason Swan, Chippewa Falls; Paul Knauf, Marshfield; Jacob Morinville, Duluth, MN.
 Heat 1: Stuart; Cook; Stricker; Bellefeuille; Swan; Spacek; Lorimor; Eder; Hartel; Hudack.
 Heat 2: Lavasseur; Hartman; Byholm; Rivord; Bunkelman; Baxter; Knauf; Morinville; Niznik; Uotinen.
WISSOTA Super Stocks
 Feature: Dave Flynn, Superior; Nick Oreskovich, Mason; Cory Casari, Montreal; Scott Lawrence, Superior; Greg Kuklinski, Ironwood, MI; Jeff Spacek, Phillips; Ken Truscott, Greenland, MI; Ron Hmielewski, Marengo; Brian Mikkonen, Iron River; Willie Johnsen, Superior; Cody Carlson, Superior; Kirk Bogdanovic, Phillips; Shawn Rivord, South Range; Randy Spacek, Phillips; Andy Grymala, Superior; Dave Elliott, Minocqua; CJ Polacek, Phillips.
 Heat 1: R Spacek; Kuklinski; Casari; Oreskovich; Mikkonen; Carlson; Rivord; Polacek.
 Heat 2: Flynn; Lawrence; Truscott; Hmielewski; Bogdanovic; Elliott; J Spacek; Johnsen.
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
 Feature: George Dalbeck, Wakefield, MI; Ryan Adamczak, Ashland; Travis Nye, Ashland; Steve Anderson, Ironwood, MI; Rick Przybylski, Ashland; Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Rob Weber, Ashland; Kevin Monteith, Thunder Bay, ON; Neil Balduc, Bessemer, MI; Don Craig, Thunder Bay, ON; Chad Adamczak, Ashland; Ryan Huff, Ontonagon, MI; Bill Muhlig, Calumet, MI; Tanner Byholm, Glidden.
 Heat 1: Weber; Nye; C Adamczak; Craig; Huff; Muhlig; Montieth.
 Heat 2: Dalbeck; R Adamczak; Przybylski; Anderson; Balduc; Dunbar; Byholm.
Six-Cylinders
 Feature: Dale Coddington, Hayward; Pat Beeksma, Ironwood, MI; Neil Adamczak, Ashland; Tyler Hudack, Ashland; Greg Jaeger, Mellen; Tyler Luger, Iron River; Rob Weber, Ashland; Scott Ovaska, Marengo; Shawn McFadden, Jr, Ashland; Matt Pelto, Ashland; Aaron Mashlan, Ashland; Bill Anderson, Wakefield, MI; DeJay Mihalek, Ashland; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Adam Traaholt, Ashland; Tad Bretting, Ashland; Jonathan Popp, Iron River; Ron Lillie, Wakefield, MI.
Don Muzzy, Ironwood, MI;
 Heat 1: Adamczak; Jaeger; Coddington; Weber; Popp; Pelto; Anderson; Basina; Traaholt; Lillie.
 Heat 2: Muzzy; Hudack; Beeksma; Luger; Mihalek; Ovaska; Mashlan; Bretting.
Pure Stocks
 Feature: DJ Keeler, Superior; Ken Tody Jr, Ashland; Tim Carbon, Highbridge; Chad Carlson, Superior; Jeff Christman, Superior; Matt Deragon, Ashland; Roland Gordon, Bayfield; Tiffany Hudack, Ashland; Keith Troutman, Tomahawk; Jonathan Vanusek, Mellen; Joe Pajtash, Bennette.
 Heat 1: Carlson; Keeler; Troutman; Gordon; Hudack; Pajtash.
 Heat 2: Christman; Tody; Carbon; Deragon; Vanusek.