From Wilmot Raceway
Wilmot, WI — (August 31, 2013) — The roar of Winged 410 Sprints was heard one final time at Wilmot Raceway this season and fans were treated to an epic battle between 410 Sprint rookie Jeremy Schultz and veteran campaigner Todd Daun for top honors in the evening’s A-main event.
The duo would fight tooth and nail in the 25 lap contest with Daun using his many years of experience to get the upper hand and score the victory tonight on the one-third mile clay oval.
The evening also featured a championship battle between 2012 Wilmot Raceway champion Mike Kertscher and Schultz as the pair headed into the evening separated by a mere 12 points with either driver capable of taking the title. While Schultz spent the majority of his night challenging for the victory, Kertscher would face multiple obstacles during the evening which hindered his title effort, including a flat tire near the mid portion of the main event.
Fans would witness a determined Kertscher charge back through the field but time simply ran out and with Schultz ahead at the finish the title would be the possession of Schultz.
Daun had started outside of pole sitter Nick Alden in the main event. Just after the drop of the green flag the pair would make contact in turn two resulting in Alden coming to a stop. Alden was able to resume the contest after his crew made repairs in the work area.
This elevated Dennis Spitz to the pole for the restart. When the green flag waved Daun shot into the lead with Schultz and Mock sailing past Spitz into second and third.
2011 champion Tommy Sexton powered into fourth on the next circuit and began to pressure Mock for the third position.
Out front Daun had his hands full having to fend off the challenges of Schultz while negotiating lapped traffic.
On lap nine Kertscher exploded a left rear tire coming to a stop on the front stretch. He had just reached the top five when misfortune struck. His crew quickly changed the tire but he would resume the event at the tail of the field.
The race resumed briefly when a pair of incidents occurred. The first would see Alden lose control of his ride and launch off the inner berm and into the infield in splash of mud from the heavy rains which fell at the track yesterday. He managed to keep his car on all four wheels though his machine was caked with muck from end to end.
One lap later would see Sexton cause the entire crowd to collectively hold its breath. While running third Sexton nudged the outside wall down the backstretch. Usually this would result in only a bit of lost ground for the hard charging driver but his ride instead began to climb the wall and begin a series of flips. His car continued to summersault atop the wall all the way into turn three gaining additional altitude while striking the concrete with each flip.
As his smoldering machine came to a rest the hushed crowd waited to see the outcome of one of the most violent flips ever seen at the raceway. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Sexton unbuckled and climbed out his his battered machine under his own power a testament to the strength of the car and the safety equipment which kept him safe.
Sexton will surely race again while this particular car had seen its last lap.
The red flag period would end with the racing surface cleared and action resumed with Daun and Schultz again doing battle. Both drivers would pull wheelies on the tacky racing surface as they attempted to get every last bit of power to the ground.
On lap 20 Schultz managed to work under Daun as the pair negotiated a lapped car with Schultz briefly taking the top spot. Daun would fight back on the outside retaking the top position while riding the cushion. Over the final laps Daun would gain a five car length advantage enroute to victory. Schultz spent the final lap fending off Phillip Mock who may have had the fastest car on the track as the race wound down. Mock would dive to the inside of Schultz as the pair raced to the wire with Schultz having just enough momentum to earn second and the 2013 track title. Mock would settle for third.
Raymond Hensley came from the 14th starting spot up to fourth at the finish while Rick Kelsey completed the top five runners. Kertscher was the next car to cross the line rebounding from his earlier misfortune to finish sixth.
The Don’s Auto & Machine Modified main event also had its share of drama and once again demonstrated how a little racing luck, either good or back can have a big impact in the results. For the majority of the first half of the contest former champion Chris Carlson spent his time out front while Mike Sullivan simultaneously fought off Nick and Mike Simons.
Sullivan proving the speed of his machine would grab a firm hold of the second spot and soon began to run down Carlson. Working the high groove Sullivan slowly gained the advantage on Carlson. With Sullivan now in the lead Carlson attempted to rally when he suddenly lost power rolling to a halt in turn two and giving up the second spot. After the caution to remove Carlson’s malfunctioning machine the race resumed.
For the duration of the contest Sullivan was able to prove his supremacy slowly pulling away and winning the event with a comfortable lead. The family battle would see Nick Simons best Mike Simons Jr. for the second spot. Jason Buss came from the tenth spot of to fourth by the end of the 20 lap event with Cameron Kuxhouse completing the top five.
In Fec’s Place / Outlaw Race Parts Mini Sprints action Nick Sheridan demonstrated exactly what domination is. After taking the lead of the main event he simply keep his foot firmly planted on the gas increasing his lead on the field with each passing lap. He would take the win by nearly a half lap over second running John Kirk. Jeff Schmidt, Mike Neau and Randy Reed comprised the top five finishers.
The R.A. Adams Ent / Advance Auto Parts Street Stocks presented plenty of fender rubbing action and Ronnie Mink would come out of the fray with the checker flag in hand. The final lap of the contest would see the lead trio of Mink, Dan Huber and Charlie Pinkalla battle three wide down the backstretch. Mink running the high line and Pinkalla running right next to the inner berm made for a Huber sandwich as Huber attempted to split the pair.
Heading into turn three Mink surged ahead on the outside and won the drag race to the checker. Huber crossed the line in second with Pinkalla laying claim to third. Rob Maule a former champion in the division guest drover a car normally driven by Brad Norgaard to a fourth place finish with Gerry Stollenwerk completing the top five.
The combined Hawg Heaven Bandit 4′s and Massive Speed Pro 4′s presented their multi-class main event as the finale this evening. Eric Groesch would be the overall victory with his Pro 4 ride outdistancing Joe Summers and Neils Kruse. Devon Dixon made a last lap pass on Jason Jones to top the Bandits.
Next Saturday Night September 7th is “Family Night Championship Night” for the Fec’s Place / Outlaw Race Parts Mini Sprints and the Hawg Heaven Bandit 4′s/ Massive Speed Pro 4 classes. Marking the end of the championship battle in those classes.
Adult admission for this event is $10 and members of the military with an active ID are given a $5 discount to attend the race program. Youth tickets for young fans ages 8 through 11 are just $5 and those under the age of 8 are admitted FREE..
The Don’s Auto & Machine Modified and the The R.A. Adams Ent / Advance Auto Parts Street Stocks will also be on hand though their final point night will not take place until September 14th.
The Kenosha County Fairgrounds where the track resides is located just north of the intersection of county roads C and W in Wilmot, WI. Wilmot is located just 8 miles west of I-94 taking county highway C which is exit 345. For those seeking additional information please check out the track website at www.wilmotraceway.com or call the track on race day at 262-862-2090.