By Kami Tarvis
The Pirtek Renegades were in action in two different divisions, at two different race tracks, in two different states on Saturday. The Wings participated in the season championship event at Cedar Lake Speedway, while the Traditionals raced in support of the World of Outlaws, 200 miles away at the Jackson Motorplex.
At Cedar Lake, the opening Pirtek heat race #1 went to Brady Donnohue, but the #34DD was disqualified in post-race tech for a safety violation, awarding the win to Jamey Ogston. RTS podcast heat race #2 went to Chase Viebrock, while Mark Chevalier took home the win in CLS heat #3. Ogston started sixth in his heat, so the win netted him a field best 153 passing points.
Meanwhile, at the Jackson Motorplex, the 15-car field was split into two qualifiers, with Scott Brandt winning Pirtek heat #1, accumulating a field best 138 passing points in the process. Jake Kouba snared checkers in RTS podcast heat #2.
Jon Lewerer and Brad Cunningham redrew the front row for the 20-lap Traditional finale in Jackson, with Lewerer leading the field into turn one. Scott Brandt was making hay early, running very strong in the high groove – enough to take over the point on the second circuit. Behind the leaders, Johnny Parsons III, Cunningham, Kouba and Mike Mueller were all vying for third. Kouba followed Brandt’s lead and swept into second up high, leaving Lewerer to lock horns for several laps in a high-low battle with Parsons for third. At the double checkers it was Brandt claiming his first sticker of the summer with his first career win at the venerable Jackson, Minnesota speedplant. The caution-free feature saw Kouba come home second, ahead of Lewerer, Parsons, and Mueller.
Back in western Wisconsin, it was Jamey Ogston and Chase Viebrock leading the 22 scheduled starters to green with Ogston showing the way early while Viebrock was fending off the #74N of Luke Nellis for second. Behind the lead group, Chris Vogel, Mark Chevalier, Owen Carlson and Carter Chevalier were slicing and dicing in search of a line forward. On a restart just past the halfway point, Ogston had his rear Hoosiers skid to the front, setting his #03 prone in front of the field – and the #13 of Patrick Heikkinen clipped just enough of Ogston’s front wing to send him flipping in turn two. Both drivers were unhurt, and Ogston was able to continue, but Heikkinen’s mount was too heavily damaged to rejoin the race. On the restart, it was the New Richmond Nightmare show, as Viebrock launched himself to race in his own zip code. On a track that absorbed several inches of rain during the week, drivers searched throughout the evening to find the smoothest line – and Viebrock found the needle in the haystack. Seemingly without so much as a wing bobble, the #50 found a smooth and lightning fast groove up high and sailed around the high banks to dominate the final laps and claim his first win of the 2022 season. Carter Chevalier came home second, with Carlson, Nellis, and Donnohue rounding out the top five.
The traditionals and wings reunite this Friday and Saturday, August 26 and 27, at Cedar Lake for the fifth annual “Swampman Invitational”, formally known as The Traditional Challenge. Cars from multiple Renegades series are expected to make the tow to Wisconsin for this annual crown-jewel event on the Pirtek Renegades calendar. More information on upcoming events forthe Pirtek Renegades, as well as links to other Renegades series, can be found at www.umsprints.com, or on facebook.
RESULTS:
Traditional Sprints, Jackson Motorplex, Jackson, MN
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 7-Scott Brandt[4]; 2. 6-Jake Kouba[7]; 3. 69S-Jon Lewerer[1]; 4. 12-Johnny Parsons III[5]; 5. 87-Mike Mueller[8]; 6. 10-Zach Widdes[3]; 7. 20L-Lucas Logue[6]; 8. 17-Erik Bjorklund[15]; 9. 2C-Brad Cunningham[2]; 10. 04-Brian Trembath[11]; 11. 17K-Kenzie Bjorklund[9]; 12. 1-Chuck Schumacher[12]; 13. (DNS) 135-Joshua Hulberg; 14. (DNS) C4-Carl Wade; 15. (DNS) 11X-Tim Lynch
Pirtek Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 7-Scott Brandt[3]; 2. 2C-Brad Cunningham[4]; 3. 10-Zach Widdes[2]; 4. 17-Erik Bjorklund[6]; 5. 135-Joshua Hulberg[1]; 6. 17K-Kenzie Bjorklund[8]; 7. (DNF) 11X-Tim Lynch[5]; 8. (DNF) C4-Carl Wade[7]
RTS podcast Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 6-Jake Kouba[1]; 2. 87-Mike Mueller[2]; 3. 12-Johnny Parsons III[4]; 4. 69S-Jon Lewerer[3]; 5. 20L-Lucas Logue[6]; 6. 04-Brian Trembath[5]; 7. 1-Chuck Schumacher[7]
Winged Sprints, Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, WI
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 50-Chase Viebrock[2]; 2. 15C-Carter Chevalier[7]; 3. O7-Owen Carlson[11]; 4. 74N-Luke Nellis[3]; 5. 34DD-Brady Donnohue[22]; 6. 609-Casey Lang[9]; 7. 93-Brad Peterson[8]; 8. P1-Mark Chevalier[5]; 9. 03-Jamey Ogston[1]; 10. 28-John Breitenfeldt[12]; 11. 42X-Brett Peterson[13]; 12. 33-Trevor Reding[20]; 13. 57-Ryan Buck[16]; 14. 2J-John Lowe[19]; 15. 17-Austin Phillips[18]; 16. 13A-Ryan Anondson[17]; 17. (DNF) 13-Patrick Heikkinen[6]; 18. (DNF) 11J-Jori Hughes[10]; 19. (DNF) 3-Tony Kaus[23]; 20. (DNF) 95-John Vaillancourt[14]; 21. (DNF) 21L-Ryan Lilliberg[15]; 22. (DNS) 19-Jack Berger; 23. (DNS) 4S-Jeremy Snow; 24. (DQ) 2V-Chris Vogel[4]
Pirtek Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 03-Jamey Ogston[6]; 2. 74N-Luke Nellis[1]; 3. 15C-Carter Chevalier[7]; 4. O7-Owen Carlson[4]; 5. 42X-Brett Peterson[5]; 6. 2J-John Lowe[3]; 7. 17-Austin Phillips[8]; 8. (DQ) 34DD-Brady Donnohue[2]
RTS podcast Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 50-Chase Viebrock[2]; 2. 13-Patrick Heikkinen[1]; 3. 2V-Chris Vogel[6]; 4. 11J-Jori Hughes[5]; 5. 21L-Ryan Lilliberg[3]; 6. (DNF) 33-Trevor Reding[4]; 7. (DQ) 3-Tony Kaus[7]; 8. (DQ) 4S-Jeremy Snow[8]
CLS Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. P1-Mark Chevalier[3]; 2. 93-Brad Peterson[1]; 3. 609-Casey Lang[4]; 4. 28-John Breitenfeldt[2]; 5. 95-John Vaillancourt[5]; 6. 57-Ryan Buck[6]; 7. 13A-Ryan Anondson[8]; 8. (DNS) 19-Jack Berger