Thatcher Leads Flag-to-Flag for ABC Como Mod Series Win
Stuart, Beeksma get season’s first wins

by Nick Gima
 Ashland, WI, August 1 -- Craig Thatcher continued his winning ways at the ABC Raceway by leading Saturday’s 30-lap Como Oil & Propane Modified Series Fortune Bay Casino A-feature from start to finish and collecting $1,000 for his efforts.
 The infrequent visitor from Knapp bested a field of 38 WISSOTA modifieds on hand to become the fourth different winner in as many shows of the eight-race, four-track series this summer, while collecting his 11th career feature win here in around 20 visits.
 In other AmsOil Dirt Track Series action Steve Stuart collected a track-record $1,000 first-place check for his performance in the WISSOTA Midwest modified feature, and Pat Beeksma topped the six-cylinder feature field.

Thatcher started on the pole for the main event and edged ahead of outside-starting Dave Cain for the lead, which he held throughout the run despite several restarts during the first dozen laps. Cain, meanwhile, had his hands full with Jason Miller’s constant attempts to wrestle second spot away; in fact, Miller was scored in second after Bob Broking’s spin on lap 3 slowed the pace for the third time in the early stages.  As Rick Kobs got into a heated discussion with Joey Jensen over fourth on the restart, Jensen made a daring move inside on those ahead of him. Miller, Dean Yrjanainen and Scott Hudack were the victims in turn 2, with Yrjanainen’s car damaged enough to be towed off for the night. Jensen was penalized to the back for that restart, putting Kent Baxter in fifth behind Thatcher, Miller, Cain and Kobs.  Cain got an inside run on Miller on the restart, but Thatcher was already several car-lengths away as the race ran three quick laps under green before Jeff Wood and Jeff Broking spun together. On the restart Series points leader Darrell Nelson executed a slick thread-the-needle move on Duane Dale and Baxter to take fifth place, but four laps later Jeff Broking’s car slowed on the front straight and stopped on the infield grass, forcing another stoppage.  Back under green Nelson slipped by Kobs for fourth, just before Jody Bellefeuille was spun for another delay. Kobs got Nelson back on the restart, and he was just about to make a move on Miller for third when the caution lights came on one last time, for Kelly Estey’s spin on lap 12.  From there on the race stayed green and Thatcher set the pace, eventually posting the fastest lap of the race with a 17.042-second clocking, but his lead didn’t grow to more than a half-dozen lengths, as Cain stayed with him stride for stride. Kobs overtook Miller for third on lap 14, and Nelson held off 22nd-starting Mike Anderson for fifth before Greg Chesley snuck by Anderson a couple laps later, but eventually they were both overtaken by a resurgent Jensen, who reappeared in the top five with ten laps remaining.  Thatcher and Cain finally caught slower traffic in the waning laps, and on the next-to-last circuit Thatcher struggled to put Nick Lavato a lap down, allowing Cain to close to the leader’s rear bumper as they came to the white flag. But Thatcher would not allow Cain the chance to take the $1,000 winner’s check away, holding on to win by less than half a second. Kobs was over a second back in third, while Miller and Jensen completed the top five.  “This place has been really good to me,” Thatcher said in Victory Lane afterwards, trying to explain his run of success in Ashland. He also thanked Bill Byholm, who loaned him a motor for Saturday’s race after Thatcher’s primary powerplant blew during Wednesday’s Como Series race in Superior.  Nelson maintained the Series points lead with a solid sixth-place effort, while Anderson claimed seventh ahead of Chesley, Al Uotinen and Dale. The next race of the Como Mod Series will be held at the Proctor (MN) Speedway on September 3; the Series concludes at ABC during the 34th Red Clay Classic October 2-3.  Rick Gondik Law Office heat race winners included Miller, Jensen, Cain, Yrjanainen and Paul Schultz. Thatcher won the XR Premium Racing Apparel pole dash, and the Mirror Images Day Spa B-feature winners were Bob Broking and Anderson.
Stuart, of Ashland, also got out front early in his main event, as all 25 Mid-mod entries started the 20-lapper. He beat polesitter and first-night visitor Bob Anderson to the first turn and looked to run away with the win. But just as Thatcher had to contend with yellow flags flying behind him, so did Stuart.  With six laps in Stuart already had nearly a straightaway advantage on Anderson when Travis Swanson, Roland Gordon and others were collected in a turn 3 incident. On the restart Anderson’s car got very loose coming out of turn 2, forcing nearly everyone behind him to take some sort of evasive action. As a result a handful of cars received minor damage, and Anderson was sent to the tail of the line-up.  Stuart and Jimmy Latvala - who started the evening tied for the division’s points lead here - were nose-to-tail for the green flag, but visiting Skeeter Estey made a nice move on Latvala to steal runner-up duties away just prior to Curt Myers’ stalled car stopping the action on lap 7.  At the race’s midpoint Stuart had a safe cushion over Estey, but the field closed together again on lap 13, after a three-car tangle. Over the final laps Estey made several attempts to work inside on Stuart, with Latvala in tow, but the defending track champ stayed the course.  The final stoppage came on lap 15, when Travis Nye’s car ended up on its driver’s-side in turn 4, while Anderson and Gordon were also involved. Nye was able to climb from the car on his own, and from there Stuart held off repeated threats by Estey for his first feature win of the season here, and in doing so took over the points lead. Latvala followed at a distance in third, ahead of Jesse Ogston and Rick Przybylski.  Stuart’s work was rewarded with a $1,000 check, as the original winner’s share was generously boosted just prior to race time by Mike Rivord of Rivord Trucking. Estey set the fast lap of the race, at 17.742 seconds.
Beeksma, also a defending track champ, also visited Victory Lane for the first time this summer here, in the 15-lap A-main for the sixes. Warren Beede, Neil Adamczak and Chuck Hawkinson raced three-wide out of turn 4 for the lead on the opening lap before Hawkinson gained the advantage on lap 2, and two more laps went by before Tyler Luger’s spin slowed the pace.  Beeksma made a move on Adamczak for second coming off of the restart, and behind them Shawn McFadden, Jr, and Greg Jaeger put on a thrilling duel for fourth before Adam Traaholt’s spin on the back stretch brought out another yellow flag.  Adamczak tried to make a run on Beeksma on the refire, but the Ironwood veteran held on, and after the slowdown for a two-car tangle on lap 9, Beeksma got a run on Hawkinson to take the lead. Jaeger found some bite down low to slip into third just before points leader Dale Coddington ended his night with a spin with two to go. Beeksma was untouchable from there on, leaving Hawkinson, Jaeger, McFadden and Adamczak in his wake.  Hawkinson’s run, combined with a sixth-place effort by CJ Polacek, leaves those two drivers tied for the points lead in front of a tight pack - only 20 points separates the top seven drivers in the sixes.

 On Saturday night the Raceway will host a full six-division program presented by Rivord Trucking of Superior and Birchgrove Campground of Iron River. The track’s WISSOTA-sanctioned super stocks and street stocks, as well as its pure stocks, will rejoin the mods, Mid-mods and sixes for a complete points-paying show as the regular season winds down and the points battles heat up. Adult admission tickets are just $10, while kids ages 12 and under get in free with a paid adult admission. Hot laps are set for 6:15 pm, and racing will start 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.

Results

WISSOTA Modifieds
 Feature: Craig Thatcher, Knapp; Dave Cain, Corcoran, MN; Rick Kobs, Deer Park; Jason Miller, Osceola; Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, MN; Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, MN; Mike Anderson, Colfax; Greg Chesley, Duluth, MN; Al Uotinen, Superior; Duane Dale, Aurora, MN; Jody Bellefeuille, Duluth, MN; Kent Baxter, Elk Mound; Kelly Estey, Kelly Lake, MN; Jeff Hart, Hibbing, MN; Bill Byholm, Glidden; Scott Hudack, Ashland; Rick Rivord, Superior; Ross Lightner, Washburn; Nick Lavato, Proctor, MN; Paul Schultz, Grand Rapids, MN; Jeff Wood, Chisholm, MN; Jeff Broking, Grand Rapids, MN; Dean Yrjanainen, Lake Nebagamon; Bob Broking, Grand Rapids, MN; Steve Lavasseur, River Falls.
 Heat 1: Miller; Kobs; Nelson; Hudack; Estey; Anderson; J Broking; Jamie Davis, Fort Frances, ON.
 Heat 2: Jensen; K Baxter; Uotinen; Wood; Jeff Spacek, Phillips; Ryan Aho, Chisholm, MN; Steve Roseen, Proctor, MN; Robby Bunkelman, Abbotsford.
 Heat 3: Cain; Dale; Lavato; Lavasseur; B Broking; Jayme Lautigar, Superior; Rick Cannata, Hibbing, MN; John Frydrych, Butternut.
 Heat 4: Yrjanainen; Thatcher; Rivord; Byholm; Wayne Stricker, Highbridge; Kelly Checkalski, Poplar; Mark Baxter, Dorchester.
 Heat 5: Schultz; Hart; Chesley; Lightner; Bellefeuille; John Massengill, Keewatin, MN; Jerry Hartman, Marenisco, MI.
 Semi-Feature 1: B Broking; Bellefeuille; Lautigar; Aho; Massengill; Estey; Cannata; Roseen.
 Semi-Feature 2: Anderson; J Broking; Bunkelman; Stricker; Checkalski; Davis; Frydrych; M Baxter.
 Pole Dash: Thatcher; Cain; Miller; Jensen; Kobs; Yrjanainen; Hart; K Baxter; Schultz; Dale.

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
 Feature: Steve Stuart, Ashland; Skeeter Estey, Kelly Lake, MN; Jimmy Latvala, Solon Springs; Jesse Ogston, Duluth, MN; Rick Przybylski, Ashland; Mickey Nosser, Phillips; Adam Archer, Duluth, MN; Wayne Dean, Fall Creek; Steve Anderson, Ironwood, MI; Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Glenn Dammer, Duluth, MN; Cody Carlson, Superior; Pat Cook, Washburn; George Dalbeck, Wakefield, MI; Don Craig, Thunder Bay, ON; Travis Nye, Ashland; Bob Anderson, Colfax; Roland Gordon, Bayfield; Lance Solem, Duluth, MN; Shawn Rivord, Superior; Curt Myers, Cameron; Joe Olson, Superior; Travis Swanson, Ashland; Rob Weber, Ashland; Taylor Leuthner, Foxboro.
 Heat 1: Przybylski; Dunbar; Estey; Solem; Weber; Nye; Dean; Nosser; Leuthner.
 Heat 2: B Anderson; Swanson; Gordon; Myers; Dammer; S Anderson; Craig; Cook.
 Heat 3: Latvala; Stuart; Ogston; Olson; Carlson; Rivord; Archer; Dalbeck.

Six-Cylinders
 Feature: Pat Beeksma, Ironwood, MI; Chuck Hawkinson, Mellen; Greg Jaeger, Mellen; Shawn McFadden, Jr, Ashland; Neil Adamczak, Ashland; CJ Polacek, Phillips; Don Muzzy, Ironwood, MI; Scott Ovaska, Marengo; Zack Pagels, Marengo; Ken Tyykila, Iron River; Warren Beede, Iron River; Bryan Anderson, Mason; Forrest Schultz, Ashland; Tyler Luger, Iron River; Adam Traaholt, Ashland; Tyler Hudack, Ashland; Jonathon Popp, Iron River; Justin Bretall, Grandview; Bobby Durand, Mason; Ron Lillie, Wakefield, MI; DeJay Mihalek, Ashland; Dale Coddington, Hayward; Aaron Mashlan, Ashland.
 Heat 1: Jaeger; McFadden; Muzzy; Coddington; Pagels; Mihalek; Bretall; Hudack.
 Heat 2: Beeksma; Adamczak; Luger; Ovaska; Tyykila; Durand; Schultz; Popp.
 Heat 3: Hawkinson; Polacek; Beede; Anderson; Mashlan; Traaholt; Lillie.