MIKE LICHTFELD LANDS FIRST TUNDRA VICTORY AT GOLDEN SANDS

PLOVER, Wis. (September 5, 2017) – There is a saying that “close” only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. After a few near misses during his TUNDRA Super Late Model Series career, Mike Lichtfeld doesn’t have to worry about being “close” to his first TUNDRA win any longer.

Lichtfeld capitalized on Wyatt Brooks’ misfortune and held off Brooks’ teammate, Jordan Thiel, with just eight laps remaining in the Wegner Motorsports 75 as part of TUNDRA Round Five Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes. The win came in Lichtfeld’s 26th series start and is now the fifth time he’s been in a top-three finishing spot.

With Lichtfeld’s trip to Victory Lane, all five TUNDRA Super Late Model Series events so far in 2017 have seen first-time winners.

“This means so much to me,” said Lichtfeld, who has never missed a TUNDRA event either as a competitor or worker for the series. “I don’t think we had the best car today. I think the 25 (Brooks) had the best car today. I didn’t know where our chances stood coming into today, but we threw some changes at it for the feature and we held on – literally.”

Before any challenge materialized on the track, Lichtfeld had to overcome some emotion in the cockpit of his race car. An early-race incident sent his brother Steve head-on into the tire barriers off turn two. Steve was sore, but was able to walk away under his own power.

“I don’t know if you know this, but if you see your brother up there taking a pretty hard hit, it shakes you up quite a bit,” Lichtfeld said. “It took me a little while to get going again.”

The incident ignited when title contenders Cole Anderson and Dalton Zehr were jockeying for position entering turn one on lap two. Anderson attempted to dive to the bottom, but space was limited. As the two hooked, several others were collected, including fellow title contender Colin Reffner. All were able to make repairs and rejoin – with the exception of Steve Lichtfeld.

Once the field returned to green, the remaining 73 laps went off uninterrupted. Brooks reassumed the lead and began to stretch out his advantage. Unfortunately, just past halfway, smoke started to spill from his machine. Faulty power steering soon claimed Brooks’ chances as he slowed and was chased down by Lichtfeld, Thiel, and others.

Once in the lead, Lichtfeld’s advantage over Thiel started to shrink. Thiel – who transferred through a qualifying race and charged from 15th on the starting grid – ran down Lichtfeld and provided a stunning challenge on lap 67. Thiel found an opening after Lichtfeld drifted slightly out of turn four. Both drivers tried to secure the bottom line which resulted in Lichtfeld slamming the door and Thiel sliding through the grass sideways. He made a remarkable save, but would not challenge Lichtfeld again.

“It was a little sketchy,” Thiel said with a smile after the race. “I thought the door was open, so I went. Honestly, I have no idea how I pulled out of that. I wasn’t going to give up.”

The Second Place finish surpasses Thiel’s Third Place result in last year’s season finale at Jefferson as his career-best with the series.
“This is almost as good as a win for all of us,” Thiel said. “Wyatt has been doing a hell of a job this year, so it was time to step up and show what I could do too.”

Thiel wasn’t the only driver to mount a massive charge through the feature. Zehr picked his way back through the field after the lap-two incident to finish Third.

“I was fortunate the car was still in 100% condition otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to come through the field,” Zehr said. “By the end of the race, if we would have had the track position, I think we would have been the car to beat.”

Behind Zehr, rookie John Beale enjoyed another solid run with a Fourth Place finish. Collin Slife, who earlier in the day became the youngest ever TUNDRA Super Late Model fast qualifier, capped off an impressive debut with a Fifth Place finish.

The result helped Zehr pad his point lead with one event remaining at Dells Raceway Park. Beale now sits in Second 39 points back. Anderson’s 13th Place finish dropped him to Third, 46 points behind Zehr. Lichtfeld jumped past Colin Reffner and now sits Fourth in the standings. If all things are equal heading into the feature during Round Six, Zehr can secure the title with a 12th Place finish.

BACK HOME AGAIN AT PLOVER
Greg Back did well to defend his home territory in the TUNDRA Sportsman twin 20-lap feature events. Back handily won the first 20-lap feature and secured the overall win with a Fourth Place finish in the second feature event.

As the green fell on the first 20-lap feature, Wisconsin International Raceway Champion Dylan Wenzel took the lead. Back quickly sliced through the field by capitalizing on open lines to the inside and outside. Near the halfway point, he went to the outside of Wenzel and took the lead. In the final laps, a fight for Second between Brian Weinfurter and fast qualifier Jason Stark erupted. Stark was able to take the spot by sliding to the bottom.

This would later turn out to be a fateful move to help seal Back’s win, as Weinfurter finished Second in the second feature. Had he held onto Second in the first feature, Weinfurter’s two Second Place finishes would have been good enough for the overall win.

In the second feature, Rachel Kallas and Wenzel battled for the early lead. Kallas eventually took the top spot and was challenged by Dave Trute. Trute initially tried the outside line, but could not find a way past Kallas. Behind him, Back, Stark, Travis Volm, and Weinfurter scrapped for position.

Trute eventually found his way past Kallas in the final five laps. Weinfurter moved into Second and Volm to Third. Back was able to slide past Kallas, as well. The Fourth Place finish gave him an overall score of five, the same as Weinfurter. Back was awarded the overall win as having a feature win secured the tiebreaker. Trute was Third in the overall standings.

UP NEXT…
The TUNDRA Super Late Model Series rounds out its 2017 season at its birthplace, Dells Raceway Park, on Sunday afternoon September 24. Qualifying is scheduled for 1 P.M. with racing to follow at 2 P.M. TUNDRA will be joined by the Midwest Truck Series and Sportsman.

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

2017 Round Five – Golden Sands Speedway

Labor Day 75

PosCar #DriverHometownLaps
144Mike LichtfeldPardeeville, WI75
22Jordan ThielDarboy, WI75
3711Dalton ZehrSomewhereville, ID75
45BJohn BealeVerona, WI75
531Colin SlifeRichford, WI75
664Mike OlsonDorchester, WI75
79Derek KrausStratford, WI75
838Jordan DeVoyLake Geneva, WI75
981Bryan Syer-KeskeLakville, MN75
1000Darek GressNeillsville, WI75
1144Justin MondeikGleason, WI75
1245Jim Sauter Jr.Necedah, WI74
1397Cole AndersonNorthfield, MN74
1418Frank NitzkeBerlin, WI74
1517Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI74
1689Mike EganSlinger, WI74
1731Corey JankowskiTomah, WI72
1825Wyatt BrooksAmherst, WI69
1991Mickey SchallieDarboy, WI51
2087Colin ReffnerWisconsin Rapids, WI37
2198Brandon SelleDale, WI21
2232Steve LichtfeldPortage, WI2

20-Lap Last Chance

PosCar #DriverHometown, WI
198Brandon SelleDale, WITransfer
218Frank NitzkeBerlin, WITransfer
317Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WITransfer
491Mickey SchallieDarboy, WITransfer
513Tyler RadavichEldorado, WI
62Darren JacksonWiscosin Rapids, WI
79Braison BennettNeenah, WI
840Jeremy LepakRingle, WI
927Paul PaineMound, MN
1012Mark MackesyWausau, WI

15-Lap Qualifying Heat One

PosCar #DriverHometown
12Jordan ThielDarboy, WITransfer
227Paul PaineMound, MN
332Steve LichtfeldPortage, WI
42Darren JacksonWiscosin Rapids, WI
540Jeremy LepakRingle, WI
69Braison BennettNeenah, WI
791Mickey SchallieDarboy, WI

15-Lap Qualifying Heat Two

PosCar #DriverHometown
144Justin MondeikGleason, WITransfer
217Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI
318Frank NitzkeBerlin, WI
431Corey JankowskiTomah, WI
598Brandon SelleDale, WI
613Tyler RadavichEldorado, WI
712Mark MackesyWausau, WI

10-Lap Fast Heat

PosCar #DriverHometown
15BJohn BealeVerona, WI
297Cole AndersonNorthfield, MN
344Mike LichtfeldPardeeville, WI
4711Dalton ZehrSomewhereville, ID
581Bryan Syer-KeskeLakville, MN
689Mike EganSlinger, WI
764Mike OlsonDorchester, WI
825Wyatt BrooksAmherst, WI
900Darek GressNeillsville, WI

Fast Five Dash

PosCar #DriverHometown
187Colin ReffnerWisconsin Rapids, WI
245Jim Sauter Jr.Necedah, WI
338Jordan DeVoyLake Geneva, WI
431Colin SlifeRichford, WI
59Derek KrausStratford, WI

Fast Qualifier: Colin Slife – 12.098 seconds

WIMMER SWEEPS AWAY INVADERS AT STATE PARK

WAUSAU, Wis. (August 5, 2017) – Nearly a handful of drivers have won in their TUNDRA Super Late Model Series debut. So if Chris Wimmer was going to make some series history at State Park Speedway in Round Four Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes Saturday, he was going to have to do something spectacular.

A clean sweep did the trick.

Wimmer became the first driver to set fast time – which he did with a new TUNDRA SPS track record – win the Fast Five Dash, and secure the feature win in the 75-lap main.

“This was huge. There was such a good group of cars here,” Wimmer, who started 11th on the grid, said in Victory Lane. “This was a big race and [to win] in my first start, it’s pretty cool.”

If not for a caution on lap 27, Wimmer may have had some extra work cut out for him. Just after sliding past Derek Kraus to take the Third spot, a yellow flag allowed Wimmer to erase what was nearly a straightaway deficit to early-race leader Darek Gress.

“The 00 (Gress) got out there in front. He actually ran a really good race. I thought Skylar (Holzhausen) was going to take off on the start and that the top line was going to roll. I just kind of took my time there,” Wimmer said.

Gress jumped out to the lead after a botched start which collected several drivers deep in the field including Brent Strelka, last year’s TUNDRA State Park winner Mark Mackesy, and Round Three winner Wyatt Brooks. Braison Bennett suffered the worst of the ordeal and retired after sustaining heavy damage to the front of his machine.

On the second opportunity Gress again jumped away from the outside-pole-sitter Holzhausen. Gress started to build a healthy lead as Holzhausen was left to defend against the likes of John Beale, Paul Paine and Cole Anderson. By lap ten that trio had worked its way past Holzhausen into Second, Third, and Fourth.

The next grouping brought some more heavy hitters as Kraus and Wimmer stepped in to challenge Holzhausen. Kraus worked his way to Fifth on lap 12 with Wimmer following two laps later. Kraus eventually chased down Anderson. As he did, Wimmer went to the top groove to try to make the pass on both. However, Anderson made his move on Paine for Third, forcing Wimmer to tuck back in line behind Kraus.

Once that trio moved past Paine, Kraus and Wimmer went to work on Anderson. Kraus made his pass on lap 21 and Wimmer on lap 23. By this point Beale was nearly a half straightaway ahead and Gress was off in the distance even further. Wimmer soon challenged Kraus and slid past him using the inside line on lap 25.

Just one lap later the second and final caution of the race fell when Steve Lichtfeld was sent spinning into the infield. For the restart Beale chose the outside line on Gress with Wimmer and Kraus side-by-side in the second row.

Wimmer was able to capitalize and take Second from Beale shortly after the green flag fell. He pressured Gress for several laps until sliding to the inside and making the pass coming back to lap 34.

With Wimmer out front, Kraus and Anderson continued to do battle. Eventually Kraus would pass Anderson, Beale and Gress to secure Second and try to track down Wimmer. At that time TUNDRA point leader Dalton Zehr was hanging just outside the Top Five battling with Minnesota drivers Nick Barstad and Bryan Syer-Keske. Zehr was able to move past Barstad into Sixth on lap 42. Ten laps later he secured Fifth.

Anderson, Beale, and Zehr – three of the top four in TUNDRA points coming into the race – started to settle the score with around 20 laps remaining. Anderson swooped past Beale into Third on lap 57 and brought Zehr to Fourth. Although Zehr was close when the pass was made, Anderson was able to keep his distance.

Up front, Wimmer breezed through lapped traffic over the final ten laps. Kraus made up some ground, but it was clear he would need a caution to contend. That caution did not come. Kraus settled for Second as he did a season ago, Anderson was Third, Zehr was Fourth, and Beale rounded out the Top Five.

The 75-lap main shook up the TUNDRA points with just two races remaining in the 2017 season. Zehr’s lead over Second place grew from 19 to 26. However, it is now Cole Anderson who sits Second after gaining 11 points on Zehr and leapfrogging Beale and Colin Reffner.

Beale is now Third, 42 points back. Reffner, who struggled with a 14th Place finish, is now 46 points back of the lead in Fourth. Beale and Reffner are also chasing the Dean’s Satellite and Security Rookie of the Year title.

CONSISTENCY WINS IT FOR VOLM
The Sportsman division returned for two 20-lap features. Greg Back captured the first 20 lapper and fast qualifier Dave Trute dominated the second. By virtue of two Second Place finishes, Travis Volm was awarded the overall win.

The most dramatic moment of the evening for the Sportsman came with just five laps remaining in the first feature. Back, Trute, and Volm were battling for the lead when contact was made and Back went spinning. Trute invoked the “Gentleman’s Agreement,” taking blame for the incident. He went to the tail of the field and Back retained his spot, which allowed him to secure the win.

For the second 20 lap feature, the field was aligned based off finishing position in the first feature. Because of his misfortune, Trute started on the outside pole. He took off in a hurry and left little doubt. Volm had to pick his way through the field to finish Second. Back remained in Fourth throughout the race, leaving him one spot shy of the overall win.

UP NEXT…
The TUNDRA Super Late Model Series is back in action Monday, September 4 (Labor Day) at Golden Sands Speedway. TUNDRA will be joined by the Midwest Truck Series and Sportsman. Racing is scheduled to begin at 2 PM. More times and information about the event will be available through the TUNDRA web site in the coming weeks.

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

2017 Round Four – State Park Speedway

Circle Track Magazine 75

PosCar #DriverHometownLaps
152Chris WimmerWausau, WI75
29Derek KrausStratford, WI75
397Cole AndersonNorthfield, MN75
4711Dalton ZehrSomewhereville, ID75
55BJohn BealeVerona, WI75
600Derek GressNeillsville, WI75
731Nick BarstadPrior Lake, MN75
881Bryan Syer-KeskeLakeville, MN75
92Jordan ThielDarboy, WI75
1044Mike LichtfeldPardeeville, WI75
1138Jordan DeVoyLake Geveva, WI75
1278Skylar HolzhausenBangor, WI75
132Wyatt BrooksAmherst, WI75
1487Colin ReffnerWisconsin Rapids, WI75
1532Steve LichtfeldPortage, WI74
1612Mark MackesyWausau, WI74
1751Steve ApelSlinger, WI74
1852Brent StrelkaFreedom, WI74
1944Justin MondeikGleason, WI74
2017Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI72
2127Paul PaineMound, MN39
2298Brandon SelleDale, WI32
2340Jeremy LepakRingle, WI17
249Jerry BricknerWausau, WI1
259Braison BennettNeenah, WI1

10-Lap Heat One

PosCar #DriverHometown, WI
12Jordan ThielDarboy, WI
244Mike LichtfeldPardeeville, WI
378Skylar HolzhausenBangor, WI
487Colin ReffnerWisconsin Rapids, WI
544Justin MondeikGleason, WI
6711Dalton ZehrSomewhereville, ID
700Derek GressNeillsville, WI
852Brent StrelkaFreedom, WI
95BJohn BealeVerona, WI
1027Paul PaineMound, MN

10-Lap Heat Two

PosCar #DriverHometown
19Braison BennettNeenah, WI
22Wyatt BrooksAmherst, WI
398Brandon SelleDale, WI
412Mark MackesyWausau, WI
551Steve ApelSlinger, WI
640Jeremy LepakRingle, WI
738Jordan DeVoyLake Geveva, WI
89Jerry BricknerWausau, WI
917Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI
1032Steve LichtfeldPortage, WI

Fast Five Dash

PosCar #DriverHometown
152Chris WimmerWausau, WI
29Derek KrausStratford, WI
381Bryan Syer-KeskeLakeville, MN
431Nick BarstadPrior Lake, MN
597Cole AndersonNorthfield, MN

Fast Qualifier: Chris Wimmer – 13.641 seconds

BROOKS SHINES IN SHOWDOWN AT JEFFERSON

JEFFERSON, Wis. (July 23, 2017) – It was a night for the up-and-coming standouts of Super Late Model racing to shine.  But no one quite had the glimmer of Wyatt Brooks, as he picked up his first TUNDRA Super Late Model Series win in Round Three Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes at Jefferson Speedway Saturday night.

The 22-year-old Amherst, Wis. native took control of the 75-lap feature from the outset and withstood two hearty challenges in the final 14 laps from Dean’s Satellite and Security Rookie contenders Jordan DeVoy and John Beale.

Perhaps the most impressive facet of Brooks’ win was how the racer with very little experience at the tricky quarter-mile mastered the outside lane – especially on restarts.  With his choice of either lane each time the barrel was placed to double up the field, Brooks chose the outside.

“My car was so tight the entire day,” Brooks said in Victory Lane. “I couldn’t have started in a better spot than the outside pole with the car I had.”

Brooks secured the lead from fellow front-row starter Grant Griesbach just two laps after the green flag dropped.  Behind him, teammate Jordan Thiel slid to Second and looked to close in to challenge for the top spot.  A caution on lap six gave Thiel the opportunity to start alongside Brooks, but Brooks stepped away.

The complexion of the race took a major turn on lap eight.  Brent Strelka and Adam Peschek touched wheels going into turn three, sending Strelka sideways.  With nowhere to go, and little time to react, several possible contenders slid into the melee.  The incident collected Mike Lichtfeld, Corey Jankowski, Jeremy Lepak, point leader Dalton Zehr, Cole Anderson, and fast qualifier Justin Mondeik.  Both Mondeik and Anderson were able to continue.  Anderson would nurse his machine to a Sixth Place finish and Mondeik would finish Ninth.

After the track was cleared, Brooks and Thiel were again set to bring the field to green.  Once more, Brooks was able to hold off Thiel and retake the lead.  Unfortunately for Thiel – just two laps later – he was forced to drop out with a mechanical issue.

Brooks stretched out a comfortable lead over Darek Gress, DeVoy, Griesbach, and Colin Reffner.  As he did, all eyes turned to Beale.  In the second half of the race Beale – who started second-to-last on the grid – began to climb to the front of the pack.  He made his way past Reffner on lap 40.  Then, after a seven-lap dispute, he moved past Griesbach into Fourth on lap 55.  Before he could close in on the top three, a caution fell for a Braison Bennet spin on lap 61.

By this time DeVoy had moved past Gress into Second.  Once again Brooks chose the outside and DeVoy the inside.  DeVoy held even for several laps, forcing a side-by-side scrum with Brooks.  Behind them, Beale secured Third over Gress.

The battle was halted a final time for a spin with eight laps to go.  Just before the field was sent to the green flag, DeVoy slowed.  A melted wire ended his day without an opportunity to challenge for the win again.  That, however, would send Beale to the front row with Brooks for the final showdown.

Beale held strong on the inside as Brooks tried to wheel his way back to the front.  With five laps to go, Brooks sealed the lead spot, but the battle was not over.  Beale continued to peek into the inside line and hope for an opening.  That opening did not come as Brooks kept the door shut and went on to secure the victory.

Behind Beale, Peschek made several moves late in the race to secure the final podium position.  It was Peschek’s first race as a Super Late Model.  His Third Place TUNDRA debut is the best since Nathan Haseleu and Skylar Holzhausen won in their series debuts in 2015.

Griesbach continued a successful week, as well.  After scoring a Top Ten in the Slinger Nationals on Tuesday, he held on for Fourth – his best TUNDRA finish.

Leading rookie Colin Reffner enjoyed yet another solid day at a new race track.  Reffner scored a Fifth Place finish and cut Zehr’s point lead from 44 to 19 markers.

The next event for TUNDRA takes place at State Park Speedway on Saturday, August 5.  TUNDRA will be joined once again by the Midwest Truck series and the Sportsman division will return, as well.  More information about the event will be available through the TUNDRA web site.

State Park Speedway is located at 5711 N Mountain Rd. in Wausau, Wis.  For more information visit http://www.stateparkspeedway.com

2017 Round Three – Jefferson Speedway

Country Plumber 75

PosCar #DriverHometownLaps
125Wyatt BrooksAmherst, WI75
25BJohn BealeVerona, WI75
366Adam PeschekOconomowoc, WI75
417Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI75
587Colin ReffnerWisconsin Rapids, WI75
697Cole AndersonNorthfield, MN75
79Braison BennettNeenah, WI75
800Darek GressNeillsville, WI75
944Justin MondeikGleason, WI74
1038Jordan DeVoyLake Geneva, WI67
112Jordan ThielDarboy, WI10
1252Brent StrelkaFreedom, WI8
1344Mike LichtfeldPardeeville, WI8
1440Jeremy LepakRingle, WI8
15711Dalton ZehrSomewhereville, ID8
1631Corey JankowskiTomah, WI8
179Jerry BricknerWausau, WI6

10-Lap Heat One

PosCar #DriverHometown
12Jordan ThielDarboy, WI
200Darek GressNeillsville, WI
387Colin ReffnerWisconsin Rapids, WI
444Mike LichtfeldPardeeville, WI
531Corey JankowskiTomah, WI
666Adam PeschekOconomowoc, WI

10-Lap Heat Two

PosCar #DriverHometown
1711Dalton ZehrSomewhereville, ID
25BJohn BealeVerona, WI
317Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI
440Jeremy LepakRingle, WI
59Jerry BricknerWausau, WI
625Wyatt BrooksAmherst, WI

Fast Five Dash

PosCar #DriverHometown
152Brent StrelkaFreedom, WI
297Cole AndersonNorthfield, MN
39Braison BennettNeenah, WI
438Jordan DeVoyLake Geneva, WI
544Justin MondeikGleason, WI

Fast Qualifier: Justin Mondeik – 13.708 seconds

2017 Round Two – LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway

Johnnie’s Hobbies 50

PosCar #DriverHometownLaps
197Cole AndersonNorthfield, MN50
2711Dalton ZehrSomewhereville, ID50
31Michael SauterWest Salem, WI50
444Mike LichtfeldPardeeville, WI50
541Donny ReuversDundas, MN50
687Colin ReffnerWisconsin Rapids, WI50
700Darek GressNeillsville, WI50
84Brad TiltonCheyenne, WY50
95BJohn BealeVerona, WI50
108Brent KirchnerWest Salem, WI49
1131Corey JankowskiTomah, WI49
1233Wyatt BrooksAmherst, WI49
1340Jeremy LepakRingle, WI49
1444Justin MondeikGleason, WI49
1517Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI49
1675Joel TheisenMaple Grove, MN49
172Jordan ThielDarboy, WI49
189Braison BennettNeenah, WI43
1938Jordan DeVoyLake Geneva, WI33
2017Gregg PawelskiMuskego, WI21
2122Kyle HansenMankato, MN21
2227Paul PaineMound, MN19
2391Ty MajeskiSeymour, WI15
2432Steve LichtfeldPortage, WI13
2598Brandon SelleDale, WI11
2633Reagan MayWest De Pere, WI8

8-Lap Heat One

PosCar #DriverHometown
175Joel TheisenMaple Grove, MN
287Colin ReffnerWisconsin Rapids, WI
32Jordan ThielDarboy, WI
441Donny ReuversDundas, MN
55BJohn BealeVerona, WI
64Brad TiltonCheyenne, WY
798Brandon SelleDale, WI
838Jordan DeVoyLake Geneva, WI
900Darek GressNeillsville, WI

8-Lap Heat Two

PosCar #DriverHometown
127Paul PaineMound, MN
233Wyatt BrooksAmherst, WI
340Jeremy LepakRingle, WI
417Gregg PawelskiMuskego, WI
532Steve LichtfeldPortage, WI
617Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI

8-Lap Heat Three

PosCar #DriverHometown
133Reagan MayWest De Pere, WI
28Brent KirchnerWest Salem, WI
344Justin MondeikGleason, WI
431Corey JankowskiTomah, WI
59Braison BennettNeenah, WI
622Kyle HansenMankato, MN

Fast Five Dash

PosCar #DriverHometown
1711Dalton ZehrSomewhereville, ID
21Michael SauterWest Salem, WI
397Cole AndersonNorthfield, MN
444Mike LichtfeldPardeeville, WI
591Ty MajeskiSeymour, WI

Fast Qualifier: Ty Majeski – 18.786 seconds

ANDERSON CAPITALIZES WITH WIN IN TUNDRA RETURN

WEST SALEM, Wis. (June 30, 2017) – Cole Anderson didn’t waste any time finding Victory Lane in his return to racing in the Midwest. After a season of strong runs in the south, the former Dean’s Satellite and Security co-Rookie of the Year picked up his first TUNDRA Super Late Model Series win in Round Two Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes at LaCrosse Speedway Friday night.

The trio of Anderson, Dalton Zehr, and Fast Qualifier Ty Majeski surged to the front early in the Johnny’s Hobbies 50 and looked to settle the score with threatening skies looming just to the west of the five-eighths mile. Anderson was able to jump away on several restarts – once from Majeski and then twice from Zehr. From there he did not look back.

“Our car early on in the race was really rolling on the top side,” Anderson said. “I felt like that was our best bet for the first couple of laps and we really had good restarts there.”

Joel Theisen took the lead from the outside pole at the drop of the green and brought Colin Reffner along into Second. Behind them Darek Gress settled into Third. By laps three Zehr, Anderson, and Majeski took advantage of the momentum of the outside line to settle into Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth. One lap later that trio moved past Gress and started to close the gap on the lead battle.

As Reffner looked for an inside lane on Theisen, Anderson pulled even with Zehr and just edged past him at the line on lap five. This proved to be important as Reffner and Theisen tangled exiting turn four, bringing out the first yellow. Anderson inherited the lead with Zehr in Second and Majeski in Third.

On the restart Anderson elected to take the high line and Zehr selected the bottom. Anderson was able to clear Zehr off turn two and Majeski came to challenge for the runner-up spot. On lap seven Majeski found the inside line and completed the pass for Second. Because of the battle, Anderson was able to put some space between himself and the field.

Majeski got an opportunity when another caution fell on lap 14 when John Beale and Jordan DeVoy came together. Anderson once again flexed his muscle from the outside line, launching away from Majeski. One lap later Majeski dropped off the pace and pulled into the pit area. A faulty plug wire was the culprit, ending the Fast Qualifier’s feature.

Another spin on lap 15 set up a second showdown between Zehr and Anderson. This time Zehr was able to hold closer to Anderson on the inside line. However, Anderson dashed away from Zehr off turn four on the way to the line for lap 16.

A melee involving DeVoy, Gregg Pawelski, and Kyle Hansen setup the final restart on lap 29. This time Anderson selected the bottom lane, leaving the outside line for Zehr. Some sprinkles from the looming clouds were a factor in Anderson’s choice.

“I picked the bottom on the last one. I didn’t know if it was going to be wet on top, so just to be sure I went down there,” Anderson commented.

Over the second half of the race Anderson enjoyed a comfortable advantage over the rest of the pack. The most threatening moment came when two lapped cars were racing in front of Anderson and took some time to sort out so he could move past. Other than that, it was smooth sailing for the young Minnesotan.

Zehr built a healthy advantage in Second, but soon experienced issues. With less than ten laps remaining, sparks started to flow from under Zehr’s machine. Clearly his lapped times were slowing, but his advantage over the battle for Third between Michael Sauter and Mike Litchtfeld was too large.

“The sway bar broke with eight laps to go,” Zehr said. “At that point I was just in reserve mode. I don’t think we had anything for the 97 from the get go. The fastest car won the race.”

Sauter also experienced issues late in the race as his rear end began to leak during the last couple of circuits. He held on for Third over Lichtfeld and Donny Reuvers who rounded out the Top Five in his first series appearance since 2014. Leading rookie Colin Reffner finished Sixth – completing a comeback after being sent to the tail for the early skirmish with Theisen.

The next event for the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series is July 22 at Jefferson Speedway located on Higway 18 between Jefferson and Cambridge, WI. TUNDRA will once again be joined by the Midwest Truck series and local divisions to be named soon.

For more information visit http://www.jeffersonspeedway.com

APEL SCORES THRILLING ROUND ONE WIN WITH LAST TURN PASS

KAUKAUNA, Wis. (May 13, 2017) – There is a cliché in sports about playing until the last buzzer. In Saturday’s TUNDRA Super Late Model Series Krolls West Round One Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes, Steve Apel showed why it’s not over until the checkered flag falls.

Apel chased down an ill-handling Dalton Zehr over the final four circuits of the DUKE FM 50 at Wisconsin International Raceway. He then made his move into the lead at the exit of turn four on the way to the checkered flag. It was Apel’s first TUNDRA win and his second Super Late Model victory to kick off the 2017 season.

“I knew I couldn’t get to him unless something happened,” Apel said. “Guys on this team never give up. Two wins in a row from Slinger to here, it’s been one heck of a start to the season.”

Zehr, who broke the WIR track record with a lap of 19.018 seconds earlier in the day, looked to be in position for his second TUNDRA win at the facility. However, a broken sway bar bolt left Zehr trying to nurse his ride to the finish. When Apel and Zehr exchanged handshakes in Victory Lane, Apel commented that he could see sparks from ahead with four laps remaining.

It wasn’t the first time Apel has been a threat for the win in TUNDRA’s events at WIR. Apel led a portion of the race last season, but settled for a Third Place finish behind Ty Majeski and Casey Johnson. Two seasons ago Apel set fast time and came up just short of a last-lap move on Majeski for the win.

“The TUNDRA Series is awesome,” Apel said. “They put on a heck of a show for all the fans that came out. We’re glad to win here. We’ll try to be back more this year.”

Apel secured the initial lead when he surged past fellow front-row starter Alex Prunty. The outside line proved strong at the outset with Travis Sauter moving to Second and Brent Strelka to Third. On lap two Bobby Kendall slid to Fourth and Zehr (who had started Tenth behind Kendall) dashed to Fifth.

As Apel opened up his advantage, Kendall and Zehr went to work on Strelka. Kendall took third with Zehr in tow on lap six. On lap later Jordan Thiel moved toward the Top Five by following Zehr past Strelka. On lap 11 Zehr made his move past Kendall and set his sights on the Top Two.

While the battles in the Top Five raged on Maxwell Schultz and Andy Monday started ascending through the Top Ten. Schultz moved to Fifth on lap ten and Monday began to pressure Jordan Thiel for Sixth on lap 13.

The first caution of the race came for a spin on lap 17. By this point Zehr had made his way past Travis Sauter for Second and had the opportunity to joust with Apel on the front row for the restart. Apel and Zehr stayed side-by-side for two laps after the restart, racing in close quarters. Zehr made the move past Apel on lap 18, just before the yellow flag fell again when Monday was sent spinning in turn Four. Defending Thursday Night Champion Jeff Van Oudenhoven was also collected. Unfortunately, neither he nor Monday were able to return.

Just as they had on the previous restart, Apel and Zehr reset on the front row. With some space to work on the outside Zehr jumped away at the drop of the green. Apel held within several car lengths to keep pressure on the leader, but would not get another chance to challenge until a restart after Brent Strelka broke a brake line on lap 22.

Once again Zehr was able to escape Apel, but could not shake him. Apel closed the gap on several occasions, however he was unable to make a move.

While the leaders continued their cat-and-mouse chase up front, two drivers continued their moves toward the front. Maxwell Schutlz settled into Fourth at the midway point then closed the gap on Third-Place Travis Sauter. Schultz continued to peek to the inside on Sauter over the final 20 circuits.

Behind that battle, Dean’s Satellite and Security Rookie contender Colin Reffner enjoyed a solid run. After settling in at the back of the Top Ten earlier in the race, Reffner came to life. He moved to Sixth by the midway point and grabbed Fifth away from Kendall on lap 19. Reffner then chased down the duo of Sauter and Shultz with less than ten laps remaining.

As attention turned to the scraps for Third, Fourth, and Fifth, Zehr and Apel hit lapped traffic in the final ten laps. It appeared as though Zehr would have no problem negotiating the traffic even though Apel was closing the gap again.

With two to go it became very apparent that Apel was the faster of the two. He chewed up nearly ten car lengths on lap 48 and was within striking distance on the final circuit. Apel had to clear one final lap car after the white flag fell, then made his move through three and four to catch and eventually pass Zehr.

Behind the stunning finish Sauter was able to hold off Schultz for Third. Reffner, still hot on the heels of those drivers, secured Fifth in his first ever appearance at WIR.

TRUTE SWEEPS SPORTSMAN TWIN 20s
Dave Trute sure doesn’t mind making trips to the D-shaped half-mile of Wisconsin International Raceway. With his win in the two 20-lap Sportsman features on Saturday, Trute is now a perfect three for three.

John Zuch and Dylan Wenzel led the first feature to green with Wenzel getting a jump. Some space opened quickly for Trute and Dusty Mann. Mann tracked down Wenzel and took the lead on lap five. Trute followed into Second, then took the lead on lap seven.

Behind Trute and Mann, fast qualifier Greg Back made his move to Third. Once he put Mann in his rear view mirror, Back tried to track down Trute. Unfortunately for Back, there was not enough time to catch up in the final circuits.

With the field inverted for the second 20-lapper Back and Trute started at the tail end of the field to settle the overall win. Brett Bray and Ryan Manthei exchanged the lead in the early going, but Bray settled into and built the lead.

The top four from the previous 20 – Jason Stark, Mann, Back and Trute – had to wait patiently for things to open up. While they raced in close quarters contact was made which caused a flat right rear on Back’s machine. Back then spun in turns one and two bringing out the yellow. He was unable to continue.

After the restart Trute made some daring moves on the way to the front. He went three wide to move into Fourth, then again to move into Second. By the time he moved to the runner-up spot Stark had built a large lead. That lead was erased, however, when Ryan Manthei spun with less than five laps remaining.

An opportunity to close the gap under yellow was all Trute needed as he hounded Stark and eventually made his pass with two laps to go. Stark went on to finish Second in the second 20-lap feature and overall. Dylan Wenzel secured third in the overall with a move past Andy Casavant on the final lap of the second 20 lapper.

Up Next…
The TUNDRA Super Late Model Series Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes heads to the western portion of Wisconsin with a stop at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem on Friday, June 30. More information on start times will be available shortly through TUNDRA’s web site and social media pages.

2017 Round One – Wisconsin International Raceway

Krolls West / Duke FM 50

PosCar #DriverHometownLaps
151Steve ApelSlinger, WI50
2711Dalton ZehrSomewhereville, ID50
347Travis SauterPrairie du Sac, WI50
434Maxwell SchultzReedsville, WI50
587Colin ReffnerWisconsin Rapids, WI50
611Bobby KendallMontello, WI50
766Alex StumpfBrillion, WI50
89Kyle CalmesFreedom, WI50
95BJohn BealeVerona, WI50
1021Jim DuchowAppleton, WI50
118Eddie HofffmanWheaton, IL50
1211Alex PruntyLomira, WI50
132KDillon KralovetzBonduel, WI50
1472Randy SchulerMequon, WI49
1517Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI49
1653Jake CarpenterAshwaubenon, WI44
1707Cory KemkesAppleton, WI44
181Jesse OudenhovenKaukauna, WI40
1952Brent StrelkaFreedom, WI22
2044Mike LichtfeldPardeeville, WI22
2110Andy MondayAppleton, WI18
2245Jeff Van OudenhovenKimberly, WI18
232Jordan ThielDarboy, WI16
2433Wyatt BrooksAmherst, WI15
252Lowell BennettNeenah, WI2

15-Lap Last Chance

PosCar #DriverHometown, WI
15BJohn BealeVerona, WI
28Eddie HofffmanWheaton, IL
317Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI
42KDillon KralovetzBonduel, WI
544Justin MondiekGleason, WI
626Taylor HaufschildtDe Pere, WI
791Mickey SchallieDarboy, WI
838Jordan DeVoyLake Geneva, WI

8-Lap Qualifying Heat One

PosCar #DriverHometown
145Jeff Van OudenhovenKimberly, WITransfer
253Jake CarpenterAshwaubenon, WITransfer
38Eddie HofffmanWheaton, IL
42KDillon KralovetzBonduel, WI
544Justin MondiekGleason, WI
672Randy SchulerMequon, WI
726Taylor HaufschildtDe Pere, WI
838Jordan DeVoyLake Geneva, WI
944Mike LichtfeldPardeeville, WI
1091Mickey SchallieDarboy, WI

8-Lap Qualifying Heat Two

PosCar #DriverHometown
107Cory KemkesAppleton, WITransfer
233Wyatt BrooksAmherst, WITransfer
35BJohn BealeVerona, WI
417Grant GriesbachPewaukee, WI
536Tim SpringstrohFreedom, WI
69Braison BennettNeenah, WI
72Lowell BennettNeenah, WI
800Darek GressNeillsville, WI
942Gregg PawelskiMuskego, WI

8-Lap Fast Heat

PosCar #DriverHometown
12Jordan ThielDarboy, WI
234Maxwell SchutlzReedsville, WI
311Alex PruntyLomira, WI
451Steve ApelSlinger, WI
51Jesse OudenhovenKaukauna, WI
666Alex StumpfBrillion, WI
747Travis SauterPrairie du Sac, WI
821Jim DuchowAppleton, WI
99Kyle CalmesFreedom, WI

Fast Five Dash

PosCar #DriverHometown
187Colin ReffnerWisconsin Rapids, WI
210Andy MondayAppleton, WI
3711Dalton ZehrSomewhereville, ID
452Brent StrelkaFreedom, WI
511Bobby KendallMontello, WI

Fast Qualifier: Dalton Zehr 19.018 seconds