Racing, like any other sport, is full of highs and lows.
The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat is evident every Saturday night at the Shawano Speedway.
As the season nears its end, the highs and lows become much greater as the intensity ramps up in August. Last week at the historic half mile was a prime example. Jared Siefert pulled off an historic win in the IMCA Modified division.
Siefert elected to take “the challenge” and start last on the grid at the beginning of the feature race. After starting in 18th, Siefert rode into victory lane after the 20-lap feature and collected an extra $900 of bonus money in a big win for the three-time former track champion.
Siefert was the first Modified racer to win the challenge. It may well be the final Modified win at the track for Siefert, who has stated that he plans to move to the Late Model division next season.
Another racer on a high last week was IMCA Stock car driver Travis VanStraten, who extended his point lead after his seventh feature win and third win in a row.
Jasper Drengler also had a good week racing to victory lane in the Mighty Four class. Drengler has had many lows this season racing his Late Model car but won his second Mighty Four feature of the year.
Jordan Bartz’s night was certainly full of up and downs. The IMCA Sport Mod pilot was involved in two cautions during the night’s feature but was able to recover with a seventh-place finish.
Bartz lost some ground in the point standings to Lucas Lamberies, though. Lamberies finished the night on a high note, winning his third feature race of the summer and increasing his lead to 10 points over Bartz and 15 points over Jason Jach.
The night was undoubtedly a downer for Mighty Four racer Josh Slewinski. He entered the evening as the points leader, but got into the wall in the feature and was unable to finish.
Dalton Nelson and Tanner Westphal gained ground on Slewinski, who is now tied with Nelson for the points lead and ahead of Westphal by only nine points.
The Late Model division also saw a big swing in the point standings, as mechanical woes kept Troy Springborn out of the feature. Ron Berna took a one-point lead in the standings with a third-place finish. Springborn entered the night as the points leader.
With only three nights remaining this summer, every move becomes magnified. Emotions run high, tempers flare and wins become even bigger. See you at the Speedway.
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