Like Step-Father, Like Step-Son Rains can’t slow Przybylski, McFadden at ABC

by Nick Gima

            Ashland, WI, July 12 -- Not even a one-hour-plus delay for a strong rain and consequent overhauling of the racing surface kept the field of 94 entrants from putting on one of the best AmsOil Dirt Track Series shows of the season Saturday night at ABC Raceway.

            The program, sponsored by WisconsinIndianheadTechnicalCollege, was highlighted by two last-lap passes for feature wins, a significant shuffle in the six-cylinder points standings, and a stepfather-stepson combination taking checkered flags.

           After Tim Carlson rolled his pure stock over on the first lap of the first heat race, action moved along quickly until three laps into the second WISSOTA Midwest modified heat, when a fast-moving cloudburst dumped a modest amount of precipitation. However, the strong southwesterly winds that persisted all evening pushed the storm front through in short order, allowing track prep crews and the majority of the drivers to run several laps around the three-eighths-mile oval to bring the surface back to better-than-before conditions.

Duane Dale jumped out to the early lead of the modified 20-lap A-feature and extended that lead to as much as five car-lengths, thanks to a long green-flag run that didn’t stop until four laps from the finish. Behind Dale, the next seven positions were exchanged among drivers literally at every lap, with Ross Lightner putting up a gallant effort before losing the runner-up spot to Dean Yrjanainen, who split the gap between Lightner and Bill Byholm for the position on lap 7.             Jeff Spacek began his charge to the front just prior to mid-race, when he took fourth from Lightner. Spacek then spent a few laps working on Byholm for third before finally landing the spot with eight laps left.             As the race wound down Yrjanainen and Spacek drew up to Dale’s rear bumper but were unable to pass. Unfortunately for Dale the caution lights came on when Robby Bunkelman, caught up in a furious four-car race for fifth place, suddenly slowed coming by the start-finish line with four laps left and rolled to a stop.             On the restart Dale continued to maintain his mid-groove line, forcing Spacek to attempt a low-side pass. It wasn’t until coming out of turn 4 for the checkered that Spacek finally made the move work and he took his first win of 2008 here. Dale slipped up the track and back to second, while Byholm, who overtook Yrjanainen just after the restart, finished third. Al Uotinen came out on top of that dogfight for fifth.
The WISSOTA super stock main event ended with Brian Mikkonen holding off a determined Scott Lawrence for his first win here in eleven months. Mikkonen slipped past Dave Flynn into second place behind Destin Lorimor on the initial circuit of the 20-lapper and then worked his way by Lorimor with an inside move for the lead after another trip around the track.             Mikkonen hugged the bottom groove of the very wide, very smooth racing surface as he built a four-length advantage ahead of the race for second, eventually won by Lawrence over Flynn. Lawrence stayed up on the high lane of the track but was unable to reel in the leader until Roy Pumala’s spin brought out the first of two caution flags in the event on lap 7.             On the restart Mikkonen again made the low line work to his advantage, while over the next few laps Randy Spacek charged up into third and began to threaten Lawrence, allowing Mikkonen to pull away again. After the race’s other slowdown, on lap 11 for Don Koivisto’s spin, Spacek worked inside on Lawrence, again giving Mikkonen the chance to build up a margin, but Lawrence was able to fend off the divisional points leader’s challenge. Mikkonen pulled away to a four-car-length win over Lawrence, with Spacek holding off a late flurry by Joe Oliver for third. Kevin Eder, who restarted dead last after a lap 1 spin, redeemed himself with a fifth-place effort.
John Kallas swept around race-long leader Rob Weber for his career-best third feature win of the season in the WISSOTA street stock A-main. Weber had his hands full right from the start of the 12-lapper, edging ahead to an early advantage and then staving off consistent threats from Cory Casari and Kallas.             Larry Haderly finally got past Bruce Kalmon on lap 8 for fourth, just two tours before the yellow flag was thrown for Kalmon’s spin in turn 4. Weber tried to hold fast to the point over the green-white-checkered sprint to the finish, but Kallas’ steady increase in momentum while circling the outer lane of the track eventually gave him the push he needed to overtake Weber coming out of the last turn. Haderly held on to the points lead with a third-place run after getting past Casari during the final dash, while Steve Anderson came home fifth.
Rick Przybylski and Weber battled side-by-side at the start of the Midwest mod 15-lap A-main before Weber took over the pacesetter chores for the first two laps. However, when Weber’s car pushed up the hill on lap 3, Przybylski snuck by into the lead and held on from there for his second win of the season.             The division’s points leader, Duane Dunbar, also snuck under Weber as he skated up out of the racing groove and chased Przybylski throughout the event, but he was unable to put himself in position to challenge for the win, even after a lap 5 spin by Mike Brennan brought the field back to the leader’s rear bumper. During the balance of the event Przybylski slowly built a significant cushion between himself and Dunbar, eventually winning the event by nearly half a straightaway.             Jim Latvala moved into third place following George Dalbeck’s bobble on the lap 5 restart and stayed there to the checkers, while Steve Stuart turned in another strong run, crossing the finish line in fourth and moving into second in the points. Shane Halopka started 15th in the 20-car field and finished fifth.
Przybylski’s step-son, Shawn McFadden, Jr, dominated the six-cylinder feature even more so. McFadden split the difference between Zach Pagels and DeJay Mihalek on the first lap and pulled in behind early leader and polesitter Jim Anderson. Then, on the next lap, McFadden made quick work of Anderson with an inside move and took over the lead.             Not even a lap 4 restart could slow McFadden’s pace, as he zoomed out to as much as a near-straightaway lead on his way to his second career win here, just a little over a year after the first one. Neil Adamczak slipped past Anderson for second on lap 6, bringing Greg Jaeger along to third, but Jaeger then used a similar move to get past Adamczak three laps later.             A significant moment occured late in the race when points leader Scott Ovaska began leaking oil onto the track, and with four laps left his motor blew and he coasted into the infield. This, combined with McFadden’s win, left Ovaska in a tie for third in the division’s standings, as Dale Coddington took over the points lead with his third-place run. Adamczak and Anderson completed the top five with fine efforts.
The pure stock feature was the only one to run non-stop, offering fans some great action and another late-race pass for the win. Paul Milanowski set the pace over the first seven laps, fending off the strong efforts of Tim Carbon as the two pulled away from Zene Anderson in third. Milanowski was up to every challenge until Carbon made an inside move stick, and Carbon raced away to his third win of the season here over the final three laps.             Anderson survived a three-wide race for third coming under the white flag to keep the position, while Dustin Follett and points leader Chad Carlson settled back into fourth and fifth.

            Next up for the track is its annual Street Stock Shootout, presented by Chicago Iron & Supply, on Saturday, July 19. All six divisions will be in action, with an enhanced purse set for the streeters and no increase in admission fees. 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.