Thoennes Wins Inaugural “Minnesota Modified Nationals”
By Ray Beste
Alexandria, Mn (July 2nd & 3rd) - Promoter Chris Stepan and FYE Motorsports invaded Viking Speedway on July 2nd & 3rd for the First Annual Minnesota Modified Nationals. The two day event boasted the biggest winner’s check ever offered up in a WISSOTA Modified racing event. Driver’s from all over the upper Midwest partook in the two day event held on the big smooth half mile at Viking.
Seventy-nine race teams converged on the 2005 WISSOTA track of the year, but only one would hoist the $7,000 check on Sunday night.
Osceola, WI pilot Jason Miller drew first blood picking up the win in the first of eight loaded heat races. Miller got out front early on while Dave Cain and Scot Danseizen battled hard for the second and final transfer position. On the final lap Cain loaded up his Spec Fab J-car on the extreme high side of the speedway but it was not enough as Danseizen grabbed the final transfer spot. Cain, Dennis Bitzan, and Mark Trautner rounded out the top five in heat one.
Heat number two was won by pole sitter Jim Chyba. Chyba took the lead from the get go and survived a couple challenges from second place runner Steve Arpin. Both drivers locked themselves into Sunday nights main event. Dev Malmlov charged from his third row starting position to grab third while Mike Johnson and Chad Nieland rounded out the top five.
Heat number three was all Jamie Lemke. The Hutchinson, Mn hot shoe snuck out front the get go and put a considerable distance between He and second place runner Jeremy Kerzman. Dann Olson had a great run charging forward seven positions to finish third at the line. Speedway regulars Terry Engebretson and Bob Gierke also finished in the top five as well.
Dale Mathison fought off two of the best WISSOTA Modified drivers in the business in heat four to take the win. After starting to the inside of the second row, Mathison snuck by Jason Vogt and Bryce Bjerke to grab the early lead. Craig Christiansen moved up to challenge Mathison on lap four with sixth starter Craig Thatcher right behind Christiansen. Thatcher moved by Christiansen for second with three laps to go and began to pressure the backside of Mathison. Mathison held his groove for the remaining laps and went on to take the mighty impressive heat race win. Thatcher locked himself into a starting position for Sunday’s feature by finishing second while Christiansen, Paul Knauf, and Trent Follmer all recorded top five finishes as well.
Heat number five pitted Blake Jegtvig and Shawn Nolan in a spirited battle to determine the victor. Nolan blasted from row two to take the early lead while Jegtvig worked his way to the front from row three. After going to the back of the pack early on, Chad Ohnstad wooed the near capacity crowd with his top shelf antics. Ohnstad charged from the back passing everyone on his way to the front before spinning again, which ended his evening. Jegtvig made several late attempts to seize the point from Nolan but Nolan was too strong and went on to record the victory. “Leo B-fast” Leo Burkhardsmeier finished third while J.J. Scheulke and Tony Leiker rounded out the top five finishers.
Marhsfield, WI WISSOTA Modified pilot Chris Oertel made his first ever appearance at the speedway in heat six. Oertel showed the fast way around as he used the pole position to sneak out to an early lead. Jay McDonald wasted little time on his way to the front as he slid into second with four laps remaining. Andy Gordon and McDonald waged an entertaining battle from there with each making a pass on the other. In the end it was McDonald holding on to the final transfer spot in second. Out front it was all Oertel with Jodi Olson sneaking around Gordon for the third spot late in the race. Craig Larson rounded out the top five.
Jason Thoennes, Paul Harelsted, and Scott Greer put on an absolute slobber-knocker in heat seven. Harelsted, in his first ever trip to the speedway, got by Kevin Viebrock and Nolan Olmstead to take the early lead. Scott Greer charged from the inside of row five all the way up to third using the extreme high side of the speedway. While the two front runners Thoennes and Harelsted worked the middle to bottom of the speedway, Greer pulled even with Thoennes racing out of turn two. Exiting turn four Greer got a little high and popped over the banking giving Thoennes some breathing room. Jason then decided to try the top groove himself. Harelsted had snuck out to a comfortable lead but Thoennes was closing quickly after switching grooves. Thoennes loaded up his machine for one final charge in turn three and exiting turn four carried enough momentum to overtake Harelsted for the win. Scott Greer maintained third while Viebrock and Dave Zimmerman settled for fourth and fifth respectively.
Ryan Canon held off a late surge from Scott Hillig to win the eighth and final heat race. Both Canon and Hillig started in the second row and each made the short journey to the front. In a qualifier filled with carnage, Canon and Hillig were each able to stay out of trouble and locked themselves into Saturday nights A-main.
Nate Heinrich got the win in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified division making a last lap pass on WISSOTA Midwest Modified national champion Shane Sabraski. The Midwest Modified ran two complete shows over the weekend and Heinrich pocketed both $500 dollar pay checks. In addition, Heinrich pocketed an additional $500 for winning both events from Chris Stepan and FYE Motorsports.
The eight heat race winners drew for the first eight spots with Ryan Canon and Shawn Nolan sharing the front row for Saturday night’s qualifying feature. Canon grabbed the early lead with Nolan settling into second. On lap two Nolan passed Canon for the point. While Nolan led the next ten laps the action behind heated up. Craig Thatcher, who started twelveth, cracked the top five near the midway point of the race. Eighth row starter Steve Arpin pedaled his Shaw Modified on the top of the speedway with great results. Arpin passed eleven of the best cars our sanctioning body has to offer during the twenty laps. Canon regained the lead on lap twelve with Thoennes sneaking into second. Canon, Nolan, and Thoennes went three wide for the lead with Thoennes grabbing the position. Craig Thatcher continued his spirited charge toward the front when he overtook Nolan for third. With three laps remaining Thatcher moved by Canon for second. Jason Miller moved up three spots to finish in the top five. Out front it was Thoennes locking himself into the front row for Sunday night’s $7,000 to win main event. Thatcher, Canon, Aprin, and Miller rounded out the top five.
Sunday’s program started with two C features and two B features. The last race for the WISSOTA Modified division was the last chance qualifier in which the winner qualified for the main event.
Chad Ohnstad won the first C-main in grand fashion with Speedway regular Shawn Peterson taking the win in the second C-main. Dave Cain and Trent Follmer won each of the B-mains with Harwood, ND throttle masher Mike Johnson winning the last chance qualifier securing the final spot in the 25 car A-main field.
Jason Thoennes and Craig Thatcher shared row one as the fans waived the field around. Goosebumps were felt by many as the green flag waived. Thoennes aggressively took the lead with Thatcher settling into second. Thoennes worked the top side of the speedway with Thatcher working the middle. While Thoennes and Thatcher battled up front, many battles seized up in the back. Craig Christiansen moved from the 23rd position to crack the top fifteen six laps in. Eighteenth starter Tony Leiker also worked his way to the front finding himself in 12th on lap six. The other two cars on the speedway to watch were the #0 of Trent Follmer and the #2c of Dave Cain. Follmer thundered around the outside of the speedway while Cain worked the bottom. With eight laps remaining Cain entered the top five working his way around Jason Miller after starting sixteenth. Follmer, who started seventeenth, found himself in seventh on the same lap. Out front it was still Thoennes and Thatcher battling for the point. With five laps remaining Cain snuck into third and Thatcher caught the backside of Thoennes. Cain continued to work the bottom while Thatcher moved up top with Thoennes. While Thatcher and Thoennes battled for the point Cain snuck into the mix. Christiansen found himself in ninth with three laps remaining while Leiker cracked the top ten at the same time. Follmer made his final pass with three to go as he worked his way around Arpin for fourth. Thatcher loaded his machine up for one final run on the final circuit but it was not enough as Jason Thoennes went on to take the biggest win in his young career. Thatcher had a great run in second with Cain third, Follmer fourth, and Arpin the final member of the top five.
The Minnesota Modified Nationals will be back at Viking Speedway in 2006. The gaughty $7,000 to win main event will likely bring 80+ cars to the big smooth half mile. Organizers of the Minnesota Modified Nationals would like to thank there fine sponsors for helping make the event such a success.
SUMMARY:
Saturday July 2, 2005
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Qualifying feature- Jason Thoennes, Craig Thatcher, Ryan Canon, Steve Arpin, Jason Miller, Jamie Lemke, Shawn Nolan, Scott Hillig, Jay McDonald, Jeremy Kerzman, Scot Danseizen, Paul Harelsted, Blake Jegtvig, J.J. Scheulke, Chris Oertel, Dale Mathison
Heat 1- Jason Miller, Scot Danseizen, Dave Cain, Dennis Bitzan, Mark Trautner, John Oeltjen, Greg Pfaff, Zach Johnson, Dennis Jones
Heat 2- Jim Chyba, Steve Arpin, Dev Malmlov, Mike Johnson, Chad Nieland, Don Copp, Shawn Peterson, Les Duellman, Kyle Weiberdink, Tyler Keyser
Heat 3- Jamie Lemke, Jeremy Kerzman, Dann Olson, Terry Engebretson, Bob Gierke, Mike Bruns, Scott Tofte, Mark Esala, Dave Storck, Matt Gilbertson
Heat 4- Dale Mathison, Craig Thatcher, Craig Christiansen, Paul Knauf, Trent Follmer, Luke Schilling, Bryce Bjerke, Rick Delaine, Jamie Trautner, Jason Voigt
Heat 5- Shawn Nolan, Blake Jegtvig, Leo Burkhardsmeier, J.J. Scheulke, Tony Leiker, Rick Jacobson, Chad Ohnstad, Mike Anderson, Randy Schleogl, Larry Zellar
Heat 6- Chris Oertel, Jay McDonald, Jodi Olson, Craig Larson, Andy Gordon, Rob Fenske, Ricky Cluver, Harold Peters, Wayne Weiberdink, Brandon Jensen
Heat 7- Jason Thoennes, Paul Harelsted, Scott Greer, Kevin Viebrock, Dave Zimmerman, Nolan Olmstead, Scott Gilbertson, Corky Thomas, Aaron Holtan
Heat 8- Ryan Canon, Scott Hillig, Mike Storck, Clint Larson, Don Brightbill, Jason Smith, Wayne Troseth, Royce Rostecki, Danny Staff
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Nate Heinrich, Shane Sabraski, Danny Bayer, Brock Gronwald, Jason Cook, Dallas Gulbrandson, Jeff Marshall, Bryan Hellerman, Zach Johnson, Jason Schoep, Korey Krafthefer, Jake Wildman, Wayne Troseth, Riley Mathews, Jason Hoffman, George Sniezek, Terry Merten, Vic Schmidt, Dominick Gregoire, Scott Gill, Todd Berg, Chad Sogge, Scott Werk, Bob Casperson
Heat 1- Jason Schoep, Dominick Gregoire, Riley Mathews, Jake Wildman, Jason Hoffman
Heat 2- Bryan Hellerman, Jeff Marshall, Jason Cook, Brock Gronwald, Bob Casperson
Heat 3- Nate Heinrich, Shane Sabraski, Dallas Gulbrandson, George Sniezek, Terry Merten
Heat 4- Danny Bayer, Scott Werk, Zach Johnson, Korey Krafthefer, Todd Berg
B-main- Wayne Troseth, Vic Schmidt, Scott Gill, Chad Sogge, Mike Vogel
Sunday July 3, 2005
WISSOTA Modifieds:
Feature- Jason Thoennes, Craig Thatcher, Dave Cain, Trent Follmer, Steve Arpin, Scot Danseizen, Jay McDonald, Jason Miller, Craig Christiansen, Tony Leiker, Mark Trautner, Scott Hillig, Ryan Canon, Shawn Nolan, Paul Harelsted, Jim Chyba, Jamie Lemke, Dale Mathison, Chris Oertel, Les Duellman, Terry Engebretson, Mike Johnson, Jody Olson, Blake Jegtvig, Jeremy Kerzman
B-main 1- Dave Cain, Tony Leiker, Mark Trautner, Terry Engebretson, Bob Gierke, Chad Ohnstad, Dann Olson, Rick Jacobson, Mike Bruns, Kevin Viebrock, Dave Zimmerman, JJ Scheulke, Nolan Olmstead, Scott Greer, Greg Pfaff, John Oeltjen, Dennis Bitzan, Dennis Jones, Scott Tofte, Leo Burkhardsmeier
B-main 2- Trent Follmer, Jodi Olson, Les Duellman, Craig Christiansen, Mike Johnson, Ricky Cluver, Luke Schilling, Shawn Peterson, Craig Larson, Jason Smith, Rick Delaine, Paul Knauf, Dev Malmlov, Don Brightbill, Clint Larson, Don Copp, Chad Nieland, Andy Gordon, Mike Storck, Rob Fenske
C-main 1- Chad Ohnstad, Greg Pfaff, Dennis Jones, Scott Tofte, Randy Schleogl, Mark Esala, Aaron Holtan, Matt Gilbertson, Ken Hron, Zach Johnson, Dave Storck, Tim Alexander, Scott Gilbertson, Mike Anderson, Corky Thomas, Larry Zellar
C-main 2- Shawn Peterson, Ricky Cluver, Les Duellman, Rick Delaine, Wayne Troseth, Wayne Weiberdink, Danny Staff, Jason Voigt, Harold Peters, Kyle Weiberdink, Tyler Keyser, Bryce Bjerke, Royce Rostecki, Jamie Trautner, Brandon Jensen
Last Chance Qualifier- Mike Johnson, Ricky Cluver, Bob Gierke, Dann Olson, Rick Jacobson, Mike Bruns, Shawn Peterson, Kevin Viebrock, Rick Delaine
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
Feature- Nate Heinrich, Shane Sabraski, Jeff Marshall, Wayne Troseth, Jason Hoffman, Jason Cook, Jake Wildman, Brock Gronwald, Riley Mathews, Jason Schoep, Korey Krafthefer, Terry Merten, Dave Schroeder, Mark Anderson, Scott Werk, Mark Thomas, Vic Schmidt, Mike Vogel, Dallas Gulbrandson, Scott Gill, Dominick Gregoire, Bryan Hellerman, Danny Bayer, Tim Balbach
Heat 1- Dominick Gregoire, Jason Cook, Mark Anderson, Mike Vogel, Vic Schmidt
Heat 2- Nate Heinrich, Wayne Troseth, Danny Bayer, Riley Mathews, Korey Krafthefer
Heat 3- Mark Thomas, Jeff Marshall, Jake Wildman, Scott Werk, Jason Schoep
Heat 4- Shane Sabraski, Jason Hoffman, Bryan Hellerman, Brock Gronwald, Dave Schroeder
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