WAUSAU, Wis. (August 3, 2019) – It had been nearly three years since Casey Johnson visited Victory Lane in a TUNDRA Super Late Model Series event.  The long wait ended Saturday night at State Park Speedway as he stormed to the win in Round Five Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes.

Johnson started 14th on the grid, took advantage of the outside line on several restarts, and captured the lead on lap 48 of the 75-lap affair.  The win was his first since sealing the 2016 Championship with a win on September 16 of that year at Jefferson Speedway.

Although he captured an overall bonus for the twin 55s at Dells Raceway Park last season, the defending TUNDRA Champion said there is nothing quite like being the first across the line. “Unless you take the checkered, you’re not actually winning,” Johnson said.  “We were finally able to cross the line.  I joke with my guys, ‘We have a TUNDRA race coming up, we’ll probably finish Second or Third like we always do.’  It’s just a challenging series.”

Jordan Devoy and Kevin Knuese led the field the green with Devoy gaining an early advantage.  As the field settled in for the first ten laps, the inside line proved to be the preferred groove.  Jeremy Lepak moved to Second and began to pressure Devoy for the lead.

The first caution of the race came on lap 17 and ended the day of Mike Lichtfeld.  On the restart Johnson and Justin Mondeik made some gains.  Johnson was able to move to sixth by choosing the outside line and Mondeik followed him into the next row.  The outside line faded a bit after the restart, but Mondeik slipped free and soon found himself in the Top Four.

Another caution for Chad Butz, Joel Theisen, and John Beale brought the action to a halt on lap 30.  This time Lepak joined Devoy on the front row.  Johnson followed to the outside line and would be side-by-side with defending race winner Mark Mackesy.  Mondeik elected to stay on the inside line.

When the green fell, Lepak held strong on the high side and claimed the lead.  His lead was short-lived, however, as a caution fell when Neil Knoblock slowed and stalled on the track.  Lepak elected the high side for the restart and again hold strong for several laps.  However, Devoy regained the lead and brought Johnson along.  Lepak was then forced to deal with Mackesy, Mondeik, and Jordan Thiel, who had cruised into the Top Five from his 22nd Place starting spot.

Johnson hounded Devoy for five laps, awaiting an opening. That opening finally came when he was able to get to the inside on lap 47.  By the time the field hit the backstretch Johnson had taken the lead.  He then was able to build his advantage.

“We took advantage of a couple of those early barrels,” Johnson said.  “A lot of guys want to stay on the bottom, so we tried doing the track position deal and it worked out.  You never know how it’s going to play out and you just have to roll the dice sometimes.”

Devoy was then left to joust with Mackesy and Thiel.  Mackesy found his way past on lap 60, but Johnson’s lead was too large to overcome.  Devoy held on for Third with an enormous amount of pressure from Thiel.  Mondeik rounded out the Top Five.  State Park Speedway regulars Brock Heinrich and Travis Volm enjoyed solid days by placing Sixth and Seventh.

The night was exactly what Johnson needed as he seeks his third TUNDRA Championship and second in a row.  With fast time, the win, and having passed the most cars, he stretched his advantage to 73 points over now-runner-up Gabe Sommers.  Beale fell to Third and is 97 points out.  Justin Mondeik trails him by only two markers.

The final event of the 2019 TUNDRA Super Late Model Series takes place Monday, September 2 (Labor Day) at Golden Sands Speedway in Plover, Wis.  Due to the cancellation of Round Four, the race will feature four new tires instead of three and will go extra distance – the Cleaver 108. Support divisions will be confirmed soon.

Golden Sands Speedway is located on Highway 54 between Plover and Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.  For more information visit http://www.gssraces.com.

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. (July 6, 2019) – Before the North American Cup Dedicated to Carl Wegner at Dells Raceway Park Saturday night, Gabe Sommers proclaimed his car would be best on long runs. His words proved prophetic in claiming his first victory with the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes.

Sommers waited patiently as Mike Lichtfeld and Casey Johnson dueled furiously for the lead, and attacked at just the right time to dash his way to Victory Lane. In fact, Sommers had to make two passes for the lead as a caution wiped out his first advance to the front of the field.

“I knew the car would be good enough to win, and I just had to be patient,” Sommers said in reference to losing the lead due to the caution on lap 32. His fateful pass into the top spot took place on lap 55.

From the drop of the green front-row starters Lichtfeld and Johnson were engaged in battle. Regardless of which driver was on the inside and which was on the outside, neither could retain an advantage for very long. A lap-six spin reset the duo, but again they engaged in a heavy dispute.

After the restart Lichtfeld gained an advantage over Johnson only to see Johnson storm back to the bumper and eventually to the lead on lap 25. Once the top two spots were sorted out, Sommers had his chance to pounce. He slipped past Lichtfeld on lap 28 and pulled to the inside of Johnson two laps later. At one point Sommers nipped Johnson at the line, but when the caution fell on lap 32, Johnson was the leader.

Sommers elected to remain on the inside line behind Johnson, leaving the outside of the front row for Lichtfeld. When the green dropped again, Lichtfeld and Johnson ran door-to-door for a handful of laps. Lichtfeld gained an advantage on the outside but his lead was short-lived as an incident involving Jordan Devoy, fast qualifier Jake Zellmer, and Joel Theisen brought out the final yellow on lap 43.

Once again Lichtfeld and Johnson restarted in the front row. Once again neither could break free of the other. Eventually Johnson shook Lichtfeld and grabbed the lead. Just like earlier in the race, Sommers took the opportunity to capitalize. On lap 50 he made his way to Second. Just three laps later he was on Johnson’s bumper.

With a swift move to the inside out of turn two, Sommers found his way to the top spot. He held a healthy advantage over Johnson as Lichtfeld was left to deal with Justin Mondeik. Lichtfeld eventually held Mondeik at bay and secured Third.

Behind that battle, Jordan Thiel was slicing through the field. In the final 24 laps he advanced from Seventh to a Fourth Place finish. Mondeik rounded out the Top Five.

The next stop for the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series is at Jefferson Speedway on Saturday, July 20. “Wisconsin’s Action Track” will also host the Midwest Truck Series, Legends, Bandeleros, and Road Warriors.

Jefferson Speedway is located at W8135 US Hwy 18 between Jefferson and Cambridge, Wis. For more information visit http://www.jeffersonspeedway.com.

MARSHFIELD, Wis. (June 8, 2019) – Eugene Gregorich Jr. had stepped away from Super Late Model racing for almost two seasons. But when an opportunity to join forces with Wisz Racing presented itself, he accepted. He capitalized in a big way.

Gregorich dominated the Bev Aschenbrenner Memorial Presented by River Valley Bank and A&A Lock Service at Marshfield Motor Speedway Saturday night. It was Gregorich’s second win with the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes at the venue.

“It’s special to win this race because of Bev,” said an emotional Gregorich in Victory Lane. “But I’d much rather she was here to celebrate this with us.”

Slicing through the field, Gregorich wasted little time getting to the lead from his Seventh Place starting spot. He was to Fourth by lap six, Third two laps later, and grabbed the lead by lap ten. Gregorich then went on to survive several restarts and build healthy advantages.

Front row starters Darek Gress and Chad Butz battled for the lead at the outset, with Butz taking the top spot away early. However, Gress came back to life and surged to the lead on lap eight. It was at this time Mike Lichtfeld and Gregorich were working their ways to the front.

Gregorich kept his machine pasted on the bottom line and awaited his openings – first past Lichtfeld, then past Gress. He would leave the Top Five to sort themselves out until a spin on lap 17 brought out the first caution.

On the restart Gregorich quickly jumped away from Gress, who was left to deal with a blazing-fast Justin Mondeik. Mondeik, who had started 11th, cruised past Gabe Sommers on the restart, then past Lichtfeld two laps later to find himself in Third. His charge was cut off, however, by another spin on lap 20.

This time Gregorich found himself alongside Mondeik, who elected to take the high line after Gress selected the inside line for the restart. The story was much the same as Mondeik held on briefly, but Gregorich proved to be too strong.

At this point three cars started to show some life in moving toward the front of the field – Sommers, Casey Johnson, and John Beale. They would find themselves in the Top Six when a spin on lap 27 brought out the final caution.

This time Sommers had the opportunity to go to the outside of Gregorich for the restart. Although he couldn’t make the pass for the top spot, Sommers was able to secure Second by lap 35. Meanwhile, Johnson and Beale were scrapping for Fourth with Gress. Beale found a seam to get through first and Johnson would follow into Fifth on lap 40.

Eventually both Beale and Johnson caught Mondeik and took Third and Fourth by lap 48. Later in the race Rich Schumann would make a charge from Eighth to clip Mondeik late and round out the Top Five.

All this happened well behind Gregorich and Sommers, however, as they rolled into the top two finishing spots of the evening. Gregorich was then greeted with a shower of adult beverages and Bev Aschenbrenner’s famous cheesecake bars in Victory Lane.

Gregorich had won TUNDRA’s first appearance at Marshfield in 2013 in very similar fashion.

Being the second event of the season, Round Two for the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series set the tone for the points race. Johnson continues to lead with Beale slicing into his point lead (22 points back). The team of Dennis Prunty and Neil Knoblock is Third (26 points back), Chad Butz is Fourth (47 points back), and Gabe Sommers rounds out the Top Five (48 points back).

Other storylines on the day include a hard-luck day for Colin Reffner – his second in a row. Reffner set fast time but developed a miss in his machine. It was his second DNF to begin 2018.

On the flip side, Jake Zellmer enjoyed one of his best TUNDRA events to date by making the fast dash and finishing Seventh. Zellmer was unable to start the race date at WIR due to mechanical issues and lost his engine in another race. The team’s tireless effort paid off with a solid day at Marshfield.

The next stop for the TUNDRA Super Late Mode Series Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes is Dells Raceway Park on Saturday, July 6. The birthplace of TUNDRA will host a special event dedicated to Carl Wegner. More information will be available through the TUNDRA web site soon.

Dells Raceway Park is located at N1070 Smith Road just north of downtown Wisconsin Dells. For more information visit http://www.dellsracewaypark.com

KAUKAUNA, Wis. (May 11, 2019) – Dennis Prunty had to escape an early sticky situation and hold off the advances of a hard-charging Casey Johnson to pick up his second straight win in Kroll’s West Round One at Wisconsin International Raceway Saturday night.

It was the fifth career win for Prunty with the TUNDRA Super Late Models Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes.

The two most nerve-wracking moments came early and late in the race for the former series Champion.  On lap four Prunty was just able to dodge a spin by Luke Fenhaus, averting what would have been major damage to both machines.  Late in the race Prunty was being chased down by fast qualifier and defending TUNDRA Champion Casey Johnson.

Johnson got to the rear bumper of Prunty on lap 49 of the 50-lap feature but did not have enough time to challenge.  Prunty said he was well aware Johnson was approaching, and saw the blue 47 filling his rear-view mirror.

 “I should probably take [the mirror] off because I think it slowed me down watching [Johnson] and [Stumpf] come through,” Prunty said.

In a power-packed feature field, Prunty found himself starting on the outside of defending Red, White and Blue Champion Bobby Kendall in row three.  Two rows up Jordan Thiel wrestled the early lead away from Fenhaus.

The opening green flag did not last long as a chain reaction from the front of the field sent cars scrambling.  Cameron Clifford fell victim of cars ducking and dodging each other and spun exiting turn four.

On the following lap-one restart Thiel was left to try to fend off Stumf.  He was able to do so until the caution on lap four for the Fenhaus spin.  No one was collected, but Prunty was the closest as he had to be keen on his brakes to avoid the right side of Fenhaus’ car.

On the following restart the Top Five broke away from the pack.  Thiel tried to fend off Stumpf to his inside while Kendall, Brent Strelka, and Prunty completed the lead group.  Eventually Kendall snuck past Stumpf and put pressure on Thiel.  They would exchange the lead on laps nine and ten.

One lap later Thiel secured the top spot again and Kendall fell into the hands of Stumpf.  As Stumpf went to the inside for the second spot, Thiel slipped out of turn four.  Suddenly Stumpf found himself in the lead.  He brought Prunty and Maxwell Schultz along on the inside.

Prunty waited patiently to make his move on Stumpf and had an opportunity to get to his bumper on lap 19.  He closed quickly as Stumpf appeared to bobble in turns three and four.  Prunty continued his momentum and forced his way past Stumpf into the lead.

“[Stumpf] ran a really good race and I got into him to take the lead.  I apologize for that, but we had a fast car,” Prunty said.

As the race carried on, Johnson continued to ascend through the field.  After Maxwell Schultz dropped off with issues while running third, Johnson closed in on Thiel to scrap for the position.  Johnson took the spot on lap 25 and next set his sights on Stumpf in Second.

Johnson eventually got to the inside line on Stumpf but was unable to make the pass after a couple laps of disputing the spot.  He eventually had to tuck back in line when they approached lap traffic and reset his challenge.  This proved to be a critical moment.

“I just had to make quicker work of [Stumpf], but I didn’t want to rough him up.  He’s got a heck of a motor underneath the hood of that car,” Johnson said.

On lap 45 Johnson was able to slip past Stumpf but Prunty had built up a sizeable advantage.  Johnson chewed away very quickly and had some help when Prunty approached a lapped car.  However, he only was able to get to Prunty’s bumper exiting turn four on the way to the checkered flag.  

Prunty rolled into Victory Lane for the second straight time at WIR followed by Johnson, Stumpf, Andy Monday, and Steve Apel.

Just like last season the win sets the tone for the former Champion as he now allows Neil Knoblock to tag in for the next event.  Due to setting fast time and passing the most cars, Johnson leaves WIR with the point lead and a strong outlook for a title defense.

The next event for the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series is the Bev Aschenbrenner Memorial presented by River Valley Bank and A&A Lock Service at Marshfield Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 8. Qualifying is scheduled for 4:30 with racing slated for 6 p.m.

Marshfield Motor Speedway is located 3.5 miles west of Marshfield on Hwy H.  For more information visit http://www.marshfieldspeedway.com

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. (September 24, 2018) – It was nearly impossible to predict just how Sunday’s TUNDRA Super Late Model Series Round Six Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes would play out at Dells Raceway Park.  In the end some familiar names – and one that will be familiar soon – found their own ways to highlight a spectacular day.

Casey Johnson picked up finishes of Fourth and Second in the twin 55-lap features to secure his second TUNDRA Championship.  Mike Lichtfeld scored a much-coveted win at his home track in the first 55 and Carson Kvapil became the youngest winner in series history by capturing the second 55.  Kvapil also set fast time.

While the 55 lappers had plenty of twists and turns of their own, the main plot point of the day was an intense Championship battle.  Nine drivers were separated by just 55 points.  With qualifying and two features – awarding full points – there was plenty of opportunity for drivers to move about the standings.

Johnson took advantage of qualifying points as he had throughout the season.  With just he and Lichtfeld scoring points by timing into the Top Five, Johnson took a three-point lead over his teammate John Beale heading into the first feature.

Colin Reffner, who entered the day just 19 points out of the top point position, led the field to green alongside Andy Jones.  Jones provided a stout opposition for Reffner but could not fend off the second-year TUNDRA racer.  Reffner secured the lead from the outset and attempted to build a lead.  Behind Reffner and Jones the action was furious among Lichtfeld, Ryan Farrell, and Rich Schumann Jr.  Schumann and Farrell made contact but were able to avoid a melee.  However, this allowed Lichtfeld to slip into Third and set his sights on the Top Two.

Just before lap 10 Lichtfeld moved to the inside of Jones and secured Second.  The timing was perfect for him as the lone caution fell shortly after when Brent Strelka experienced a mechanical issue.

Lichtfeld elected to use the outside lane for the restart.  After a three-lap, side-by-side duel, he was able to grab the lead from Reffner.  Behind the lead duo Farrell, Johnson, Kvapil, Bobby Kendall and John Beale looked to work into the Top Five.

Farrell surged to Third on lap 12 and looked to reel in the leaders.  Just past the midway point Johnson would grab Fourth from Jones and look to challenge Farrell, but to no avail.  Behind him Beale was making a steady climb.  From the 11^th starting spot Beale was able to climb to Fifth, gaining him bonus points for passing the most cars.

Lichtfeld cruised through lap traffic after seizing the lead on the restart although Reffner chewed away at the disadvantage late.  Reffner would settle for Second, Farrell Third, Johnson Fourth and Beale Fifth.

After the first feature, Johnson led Beale by five with Reffner Third, just 12 points back.  Lichtfeld made up a ton of ground on the leaders and climbed from Seventh to Fourth in the standings, just 17 points back.

An invert of seven placed Bobby Kendall and Kvapil on the front row for the second 55.  Kendall enjoyed an early advantage but could not shake Kvapil.  While those two raced in close quarters, Beale and Johnson were in hot pursuit running Third and Fourth.  Through the first half of the race, Beale and Johnson were tied in the Championship standings.  Once the cautions fell, things began to shake up.

Kvapil took the lead back from Kendall on a restart on lap 27.  When Kendall slipped to the top groove, Beale capitalized and stole Second, leaving Johnson in Fourth.  The spread was enough to put Beale back on top of the standings.  Johnson furiously tested Kendall to try to take Third away.  The move would have been good enough to give him the title lead back.  However, a caution for an incident involving Jordan DeVoy and Frank Nitzke would reset things again.

Beale elected to hold the inside line with Johnson behind.  This left the outside line of the front row for Kendall and the outside of Beale for Farrell.  Kendall slipped back into the Second spot, and Farrell challenged to the outside.  He nipped Beale and the line for Third with 24 laps remaining.  When a caution fell for an incident between Lichtfeld and Justin Mondeik, it was Farrell who was Third with Beale and Johnson behind.

The front row composed of Kvapil and Kendall once again, but this time it was Farrell and Johnson in row two as Johnson elected the outside lane. Beale restarted inside row three.  Kvapil ran away from the pack in a hurry and the outside line opened for Johnson.  He quickly moved past Farrell, then stole Second from Kendall.  Beale put the pressure on Farrell in hopes of making a late-race run but could not charge any further forward.  

As Kvapil ran out front, Johnson started to close the gap.  With a Championship and overall day’s win in hand, Johnson got to the bumper of Kvapil, but was not able to snatch the win away from the young driver.  Kendall held off Farrell for Third, and Beale rounded out the Top Five.

With the consistent day’s runs Johnson surged to 19-point win in the Championship standings. He previously won the title in 2016. Beale was Second to his teammate and Crew Chief.  Reffner finished Third, Mike Lichtfeld climbed to Fourth, and Justin Mondeik rounded out the Top Five in the season standings.

Despite an up-and-down day, Gabe Sommers held on for Seventh in the season standings and was declared the 2018 Back 40 Wraps TUNDRA Rookie of the Year.

Although both features awarded points, there were bonuses for the Top Ten overall.  Those drivers were:

Driver F1 F2 Total
1 Johnson 4 2 6
2 Kvapil* 6 1 7
3 Farrell 3 4 7
4 Reffner 2 6 8
5 Lichtfeld* 1 9 10
6 Kendall^ 7 3 10
7 Beale 5 5 10
8 Jones 8 11 19
9 Zellmer^ 12 8 20
10 Gress 10 10 20

*tiebreaker for winning feature 

^tiebreaker for better finish in 2nd feature

The TUNDRA Super Late Model Series would like to thank its supporting tracks – Wisconsin International Raceway, Marshfield Motor Speedway, State Park Speedway, Jefferson Speedway, Golden Sands Speedway, and Dells Raceway Park – as well as the fans for the continued support and growth this season.

TUNDRA would also like to thank its sponsors: The Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, Wegner Automotive Research, Kroll’s West Restaurant, Central Door Solutions, The Country Plumber, Lefthander Chassis, Epyk Media, RacePal, Back 40 Wraps, Al Kul Radiators, Five Star Race Car Bodies, Wehrs Machine, Brakeometer, J&S Design, 920 Wraps/Three Four Apparel, TJ Harron Photography, Pathfinder Chassis, and B&B Race Engines.

Plans for the 2019 TUNDRA season will be announced in the coming months.