Past Champs Return to Victory Lane at Ashland By Nick Gima

July 9, 2005; Ashland, WI: Four past ABC Raceway champions collected checkered flags in feature action Saturday night during Ashland County Market's kids' bike race night at the Ashland red-clay oval.

Photo Highlights

Bike racers - Kids compete in the bike races held during intermission at ABC Raceway on Saturday night. Steve Anderson (90) and Duane Dunbar (outside) makea sandwich out of Joe Pajtash (23) during WISSOTA street stock heat action Saturday at ABC Raceway. Greg Kuklenski (80) leads Mike Duhr (8m) and Scott Lawrence (outside) durign WISSOTA super stock heat action at the ABC Raceway on Saturday night. It's three-wide for the lead during the pure stock feature at ABC Raceway on Saturday, as eventual winner Al Rapp takes the low road, Bruce Kalmon (34) runs the middle groove and Tom Morinville runs the high side. Chuck Hawkinson tries to speed around the pesky Scott Ovaska (72) for the lead in the six-cylinder feature at ABC Raceway on Saturday night.

    Jeff Spacek, who has won four ABC titles, slipped by Scott Hudack for
the early modified feature lead and held on for his first feature win of the
season here, while also moving into the division's points lead. Dean Yrjanainen was flying on the outside groove in a charge to the front when he scraped the front straight concrete wall while making a pass into the top five; less than three laps later Yrjanainen lost his right-front tire and his race and hold on the points lead came to an abrupt end. Jerry Hartman threatened Spacek's hold on the lead several times before losing second
place to Bill Byholm late in the run, while Al Uotinen closed for a close fourth-place finish, a ways ahead of a resurgent Darrell Carlson.

    Defending and four-time points champ Scott Lawrence also returned to victory lane for the first time this season, winning a hard-fought super stock feature. After a first-lap five-car pile-up the remaining 20 laps ran non-stop, with Lawrence fighting his way around Destin Lorimor, who was strong in leading early, and Rick Rivord, who finished second. Lorimor gave up the lead after brief contact with Rivord forced him to bobble, and Lawrence pulled away from there, while points leader Randy Spacek, Uotinen and Ken Truscott ganged up on Rivord while following him across the line in
order.

    Larry Haderly overcame the engine troubles that plagued his car a week ago to claim a sweep of street stock action. The two-time and defending champ and current points leader received a break when early lead pair Duane Dunbar and Cory Casari hooked bumpers and stopped on the track; Haderly was running third at the time and was awarded the lead for the restart, and from there he fended off first Steve Anderson and then a hard-charging Roger Walker for his track-best third feature win of 2005. Kirk Bogdonovic and Justin Paulsen turned in impressive performances to complete the top five.

    2002 six-cylinder champ Chuck Hawkinson got by a strong Scott Ovaska just before mid-race and then held off Ovaska¹s strong challenges for his first feature win of the season. After a lap 3 caution for debris the remaining 12 laps ran uninterrupted, and while Hawkinson was unable to pull away from Ovaska he fought off every threat the youngster offered. Steve Stuart made a strong late charge to gain third, while Greg Jaeger re-established himself as the division¹s points leader with a fourth-place finish ahead of Pat Cook.

    Pure stocker Al Rapp was the only feature winner Saturday not to have an ABC Raceway champion's trophy at home, but he¹s very much in the hunt after his sweep of the division's action. Rapp moved inside on Tom Morinville and Bruce Kalmon early in the 15-lapper and from there was slowed only by a lap 2 Morinville spin that collected five others. Points leader Jim Eliason worked his way into second but had nothing for Rapp, while Kalmon fought to hold on to his season-best third-place finish ahead of Kevin Eder and Jim Laessig.

    Bike races were held in four different age groups, from ages two through 13, and three bikes and several other prizes were given away to lucky young fans.

    Racing resumes on Saturday with the track's second annual Pure Stock Special, offering a $2,800 purse for the division and paying $500 to win. "Racenight" will air from 5-6 pm Saturday on WJJH, 96.7 & 102.3 FM, with live raceday news and weather updates. The ABC Raceway is located three miles south of Ashland on Highway 13, then one mile west on Butterworth Road. For more information, visit the track website at <www.abcraceway.com> or call (715) 682-4990 for raceday information.

Results

WISSOTA Modifieds
Heat 1: Darrell Carlson, Superior; Bill Byholm, Glidden; Jeff Spacek, Phillips.
Heat 2: Dean Yrjanainen, Lake Nebagamon; Jerry Hartman, Marenisco, MI; Kelly Checkalski, South Range.
Feature: Spacek; Byholm; Hartman; Al Uotinen, Superior; Carlson; Robby Bunkelman, Abbotsford; Checkalski; Paul Niznik, Medford; Mark Baxter, Dorchester; Jayme Lautigar, Superior.

WISSOTA Super Stocks
Heat 1: Greg Kuklenski, Ironwood, MI; Mike Duhr, Hazelhurst; Scott Lawrence, Superior.
Heat 2: Ken Truscott, Greenland, MI; Rick Rivord, Superior; Paul Erikson, Abbotsford.
Feature: Lawrence; Rivord; Randy Spacek, Phillips; Al Uotinen, Superior; Truscott; Erikson; Duhr; Charlie Anderson, Ironwood, MI; Wayne Stricker, Highbridge; Chuck Metzger, Hayward.

WISSOTA Street Stocks
Heat 1: Roger Walker, Phillips; Cory Casari, Hurley; Pete Paulus,Phillips.
Heat 2: Larry Haderly, Marengo; Kirk Bogdonovic, Phillips; Tim Baum,Superior.
Feature: Haderly; Walker; Steve Anderson, Ironwood, MI; Bogdonovic;Justin Paulsen, Ironwood, MI; Casari; Joe Wolfe, Ironwood, MI; JordanKurtti, Bruce Crossing, MI; Duane Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Randy Vezina,Duluth, MN.

Six-Cylinders
Heat 1: Steve Tesch, Prentice; Greg Jaeger, Mellen; Scott Ovaska, Marengo.
Heat 2: Pat Cook, Washburn; Steve Stuart, Ashland; Chuck Hawkinson, Mellen.
Heat 3: Don Weber, Bayfield; Shawn McFadden, Jr., Ashland; Adam Jack, Washburn.
Feature: Hawkinson; Ovaska; Stuart; Jaeger; Cook; Dale Coddington, Hayward; Ken Tyykila, Iron River; Tesch; Brian Mikkonen, Iron River; McFadden.

Pure Stocks
Heat 1: Al Rapp, Duluth, MN; Kevin Eder, Ashland; Bruce Kalmon, Ashland
Heat 2: Ricky Davis, Bruno, MN; Marty Passuello, Ironwood, MI; MikeHuff, Hurley.
Feature: Rapp; Jim Eliason, Ashland; Kalmon; Eder; Jim Laessig,Wakefield, MI; Justin Paulsen, Ironwood, MI; Dustin Novak, Mellen; TomMorinville, Duluth, MN; Davis; Huff.