A big crowd turned out in support of the Shawano Speedway’s fifth edition of Racing for a Reason.
For the second week in a row, a new name joined the Late Model win list. It didn’t take long for Mike Mullen to get comfortable behind the wheel of a Late Model. In only his second Late Model appearance, Mullen picked up his first career Late Model feature win.
Also, Jamie Schmidt made it two in a row in the IMCA Modified class. Travis VanStraten ran his win streak to eight in a row in the IMCA Stock Cars. Lucas Lamberies won his third of the year in the IMCA Sport Mods. Calvin Stueck scored his third feature of the season.
Late Model
Michael Stangl took the lead on the opening lap of the Late Model feature, while Mark Rose and Tom Naeyaert quickly moved to second and third on the track. Naeyaert and Mullen passed Rose in pursuit of Stangl on lap four. Stangl continued to pace the race until a caution flew after lap 10. On lap 11, Naeyaert, Mullen and Troy Springborn all snuck past Stangl.
The yellow flag again flew after lap 12. On the restart, Springborn pulled even with Naeyaert entering turn one and took the lead from Naeyaert entering turn three. With Springborn continuing to lead the race, Naeyaert and Mullen battled for second. Mullen was able to pass Naeyaert on lap 19 and set his sights on Springborn. Springborn’s car slid up to the wall entering turn one on 23, allowing Mullen to power to the inside and take the lead heading down the back stretch. Mullen held off Springborn the rest of the way. Springborn, Naeyaert, Nick Anvelink, and Ron Berna rounded out the top five.
IMCA Modified
Schmidt was dominant in winning last week’s IMCA Modified feature and he backed it up this week. Schmidt went three wide through turns three and four and raced from sixth to the lead on the opening lap. He led the entire 20-lap race for his second straight win. Jerry Wilinski moved from 10th to finish second. Marcus Yarie started 15th and finished third. Lance Arneson crossed the line in fourth but was found light on the scale after the race, moving Eddie Muenster to fourth and Kevin Feck to fifth.
IMCA Stock Car
The IMCA Stock Car feature was led on lap one by Luke Uttecht before Steven Stewart grabbed the lead on lap two. Stewart held the top spot until VanStraten overtook him on lap four. VanStraten quickly built up a big lead en route to his eighth win in a row and ninth feature overall this season. Dan Michonski, Shawn Wagner, Dustin Loberger and Mike Schmidt finished second through fifth.
IMCA Sport Mod
Jason Jach led the first six laps of the IMCA Sport Mod feature but was passed by Lamberies on lap seven. Tracy Wassenberg passed Jach on lap 10 to take second. Lamberies would hold off Wassenberg for the win. Jordan Bartz passed Jach to finish third. Jach took fourth. Brock Saunders rounded out the top five.
Mighty Four
In Mighty Four action, last week’s winner, Hollie Welch, led the first five laps before losing a tire. Brad Wedde took the lead on the restart on lap six, but he would only hold the lead for one lap when Stueck took the lead on lap seven. On lap eight, Lucas Hacker passed Wedde to move to second on the track. Hacker mounted a late race charge, but Stueck held on to win the race. Hacker, Grant Kastning, Wedde and Carl King made up the rest of the top five.
Shawano Speedway Race Summary
July 11
Late Model Feature: 1. Mike Mullen, 2. Troy Springborn, 3. Tom Naeyaert, 4. Nick Anvelink, 5. Ron Berna, 6. Doug Blashe, 7. Jared Siefert, 8. Mark Rose, 9. Robbie Bunkleman, 10. Joe Reuter.
Heat 1: 1. Berna, 2. Reuter, 3 .Mullen.
Heat 2: 1. Rose, 2. Michael Stangl, 3. Anvelink.
IMCA Modified Feature: 1. Jamie Schmidt, 2. Jerry Wilinski, 3. Marcus Yarie, 4. Eddie Muenster, 5. Kevin Feck, 6. Mark Weisnicht, 7. Cody Hudson, 8. Mitch Stankowski, 9. Jerry Muenster, 10. John Berna.
Heat 1: 1. Brian Joski, 2. Jimmy Bartelt Sr., 3. Clint Forstner.
Heat 2: 1. Jesse Peebles, 2. Matt Oreskovich, 3. Shawn Frelich.
IMCA Stock Car Feature: 1. Travis VanStraten, 2. Dan Michonski, 3. Shawn Wagner, 4. Dustin Loberger, 5. Mike Schmidt, 6. Steven Stewart, 7. Scott Stewart, 8. Kyle Frederick, 9. Tom Riehl, 10. Luke Uttecht.
Heat 1: 1. Loberger, 2. VanStraten, 3. Clint Malueg.
Heat 2: 1. Scott Stewart, 2. Michonski, 3. Steven Stewart.
Heat 3: 1. Wagner, 2. Schmidt, 3. Riehl.
IMCA Sport Mod Feature: 1. Lucas Lamberies, 2. Tracy Wassenberg, 3. Jordan Bartz, 4. Jason Jach, 5. Brock Saunders, 6. Kyle Raddant, 7. Jake Solin, 8. Jarred VanLaanen, 9. Brekken Kleinschmidt, 10. Brandon Nygaard.
Heat 1: 1. Jach, 2. Lamberies, 3. Raddant.
Heat 2: 1. Saunders, 2. Wassenberg, 3. Bartz
Mighty Four Feature: 1. Calvin Stueck, 2. Lucas Hacker, 3. Grant Kastning, 4. Brad Wedde, 5. Dalton Nelson, 6. Carl King, 7. Aaron Milavitz, 8. Travis Welch, 9. Dustin Urban, 10. Cody Bierman.
Heat 1: 1. Hollie Welch, 2. Wedde, 3. Hacker.
Heat 2: 1. Stueck, 2. Kastning, 3. Nelson.
