Day 1 of Wisconsin State Championships At Jefferson Speedway Written By: Gregg Paul The Big 8 Late Model Series rolled into Jefferson Speedway for day one of the two day Wisconsin State Championships. The quarter mile progressively banked oval has proven to be a challenge for the many drivers who have raced there over the years. Day one would prove to be no exception to that rule. Forty Four late models attempted qualifying times with Casey Johnson setting the fastest of the three lap runs with a time of 14.448. Dan Lensing was just a few ticks behind with a lap of 14.452. Steve Dobbratz was third at a 14.466, while track record holder Jon Reynolds Jr. was fourth at a 14.480. Zack Riddle would round out the top five with a lap of 14.482. The field would be a fast one, as 39 of the 44 cars would time into the 14 second bracket. Tim Sargent and John Ovadal Jr. each picked up qualifier dash wins to start the racing action for the evening. Next up were the qualifier races where the top two cars would advance to the feature on day two. After an initial aborted start, Eric Connell would get the jump on the next green flag attempt. Chris Quam used the chrome horn on Connell coming off of turn two getting Connell loose enough to where he had to catch the car, allowing Doug Hahn to get the lead coming down the backstretch. As the field came off of turn four a bottleneck occurred down the front straightaway as cars got into each other and crashed just before turn one. Seven cars were involved with Dan Church being the most severely damaged. Jerry Eckhardt received some right front damage, but he pulled off the track for repairs and made it back to the track in time for the restart. Also involved were the cars of Jody Krueger, Dale Nottestad, Mark English, Tyler Schley, and Jake Finney. When racing resumed, Hahn held the lead with the Big 8 rule of the leader having the row to himself on a restart. That allowed Hahn to pull away slightly form the second place battle between Nottestad and Quam. Nottestad got the better of that battle on lap 3 and set his sights on Hahn. Notttestad caught up to Hahn’s rear bumper on lap 5 and put the pressure on him. Two laps later Nottestad ducked to the inside of Hahn in turn one and ran side by side with Hahn until he made the pass coming off of turn four. Once out in front Nottestad pulled away from Hahn by a few car lengths, and settled in for the victory. Hahn was able to stay ahead of the battle for third between Bruce Lee and Chris Quam, with Quam holding onto the third place finish. Nick Wendt rounded out the top five with Jerry Eckhardt finishing sixth without the right front fender on the Orange Blossom Special. Qualifier number two was a bit tamer than the first one, where Brandon Pendleton held off Tory Bagley for the win. Bagley used the flatter groove in turns three and four to carve his way through the field and up to the second spot. Stephen Sheel would wind up in third with Casey Strese finishing in fourth. Don Gaserude rounded out the top five. The Preview Feature was a race for the top fourteen in qualifying plus the two cars from each of the qualifier races that advanced to the feature. This race was to determine the starting lineups for the first 75 lap feature on day two. All eighteen cars were already guaranteed a spot, but racers being racers, no one would take it easy once the green flag flew. Dave Edwards would get the jump as the green flag waved with Jesse Bernhagen following behind. Bernhagen would get the lead a lap later as Tim Sargent followed on the outside. Kyle Jarlsberg and Trent Erdmann battled side by side for fourth and fifth respectively. Sargent would look to the inside of Bernhagen on lap 3 and clear him just before the yellow would come out on lap 4. Dale Nottestad spun in turn two with a little help from Dan Lensing and both would be sent to the rear for the restart. Sargent held the lead on the restart as Edwards and Bernhagen battled for second. Edwards took advantage of the cone to move to the outside and it soon paid off for him. John Ovadal Jr. got loose in turn two which allowed Jarlsberg to claim the third spot. Sargent soon stretched out his lead to a half a straightaway as the battle for second raged behind him. Jarlsberg moved alongside Edwards and tried to clear him on lap 12, but Edwards would not give in easily. However Jarlsberg would get the better of Edwards a lap later to finally get the second spot. Erdmann cleared Ovadal Jr. for the third spot on lap 14 with Steve Dobbratz lurking in the fifth spot. Sargent soon stretched his lead to a full straightaway, but hat would be short lived when the yellow would come out once again on lap 16. Gregg Pawelski and Dale Nottestad collided down the backstretch and became entangled as they spun into the infield. Pawelski seemingly had minor damage, but retired for the night. Nottestad had a flat right front tire that he had replaced and rejoined the field for the restart. When the cone came out, Doug Hahn swerved at the last second to pick his lane choice, but ran right over the cone and dragged it around the track before the safety crew stopped him on the backstretch to yank it from under his car. Sargent took advantage of having the front row to himself and used the whole track coming to the green flag. Jarlsberg cleared Bernhagen for second as Erdmann and Edwards battled for fourth right behind. Those battles would be put on hold once again when the yellow flew for a spin by Brandon Pendleton in turn two with just seven laps to go. When the green came back out, Sargent took off once again, but something happened to Bernhagen as he exited turn two. Bernhagen’s car slowed dramatically, causing a bottle neck behind him. Edwards seemingly got by, but clipped the backstretch wall. Edwards held the car against the wall as cars ducked underneath him, but as he got into turn three, Edwards hit the wall a bit harder with the front end, knocking out the radiator and bringing out another yellow. Sargent would not be denied the rest of this event, as his car took off once racing resumed. The inside lane also took off on the restart allowing Jarlsberg, Erdmann, and Dobbratz to get past Bernhagen. Whatever gremlin affected Bernhagen on the previous restart reared its ugly head on this one as well, as Bernhagen dropped off the pace. Sargent went on to cruise to the checkers holding off Jarlsberg for the win. Dobbratz snuck by a few cars to finish in third, while Casey Johnson worked his way through traffic late to claim the fourth spot. Trent Erdmann rounded out the top five. Capping off the racing action on day one was the Race of Champions. A race for drivers who have won features and championships throughout this season. Ten cars made the call to the green and Alex Papini continued his strong 2013 by capturing the checkers in the event. Dale Nottestad came home in second, with Casey Johnson finishing in third. Doug Hahn and Jon Reynolds Jr. rounded out the top five. Results from Day 1 of Wisconsin State Championships Big 8 Late Model Series Preview Feature -- 1. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 2. Kyle Jarlsberg, Jefferson, Wis; 3. Steve Dobbratz, Rio, Wis; 4. Casey Johnson, Edgerton, Wis; 5. Trent Erdmann, Fort Atkinson, Wis; 6. Zack Riddle, Cottage Grove, Wis; 7. John Ovadal, Jr., Watertown, Wis; 8. Tory Bagley, McFarland, Wis; 9. Doug Hahn, Whitewater, Wis; 10. Dan Lensing, Poplar Grove; 11. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford; 12. Jesse Bernhagen, Markesan, Wis; 13. Austin Nason, Roscoe; 14. Alex Papini, Machesney Park; 15. Dave Edwards, Salem, Wis; 16. Brandon Pendleton, Helenville, Wis; 17. Eric Connell, Fort Atkinson, Wis; 18. Dale Nottestad, Cambridge, Wis. Qualifier Heat 1 -- 1. Dale Nottestad, Cambridge, Wis; 2. Doug Hahn, Whitewater, Wis; 3. Chris Quam, Stoughton, Wis; 4. Bruce Lee, Cambridge, Wis; 5. Nick Wendt, Watertwon, Wis; 6. Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek, Wis; 7. J. Herbst, LaCrosse, Wis; 8. Tyler Schley, Richfield, Wis; 9. Lincoln Keeser, Johnson Creek, Wis; 10. Eric Connell, Fort Atkinson, Wis; 11. Danny Church, Delavan, Wis; 12. Kyle Taylor, Stoughton, Wis; 13. Jacob Finney, Sycamore; 14. Jody Krueger, Edgerton, Wis; 15. Mark English, Janesville, Wis. Qualifier Heat 2 -- 1. Brandon Pendleton, Helenville, Wis; 2. Tory Bagley, McFarland, Wis; 3. Stephen Scheel, Lake Mills, Wis; 4. Casey Strese, Johnson Creek, Wis; 5. Don Gaserude, Fort Atkinson, Wis; 6. John DeAngelis, Jr, Hubertus, Wis; 7. Kyle Smith, Lake Mills, Wis; 8. Andy Brinkman;; 9. Tory Adams, Madison, Wis; 10. Marcus Patnode;; 11. Jay Foster, Dekalb; 12. Tom McClintock, Onalaska, Wis; 13. Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills, Wis; 14. Ryan Farrell, Big Bend, Wis; 15. Craig Phillips, Edgerton, Wis. Race of Champions -- 1. Alex Papini, Machesney Park; 2. Dale Nottestad, Cambridge, Wis; 3. Casey Johnson, Edgerton, Wis; 4. Doug Hahn, Whitewater, Wis; 5. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford; 6. Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek, Wis; 7. Dan Lensing, Poplar Grove; 8. J. Herbst, LaCrosse, Wis; 9. Don Gaserude, Fort Atkinson, Wis; 10. Tim Sargent, South Beloit. Qualifying Dash 01 -- 1. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 2. Kyle Jarlsberg, Jefferson, Wis; 3. Jesse Bernhagen, Markesan, Wis; 4. Steve Dobbratz, Rio, Wis; 5. Casey Johnson, Edgerton, Wis; 6. Zack Riddle, Cottage Grove, Wis; 7. Gregg Pawelski, Muskego, Wis. Qualifying Dash 02 -- 1. John Ovadal, Jr., Watertown, Wis; 2. Austin Nason, Roscoe; 3. Alex Papini, Machesney Park; 4. Dave Edwards, Salem, Wis; 5. Trent Erdmann, Fort Atkinson, Wis; 6. Dan Lensing, Poplar Grove; 7. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford. Time Trial -- 1. Casey Johnson, Edgerton, Wis; 2. Dan Lensing, Poplar Grove; 3. Steve Dobbratz, Rio, Wis; 4. Jon Reynolds, Jr., Rockford; 5. Zack Riddle, Cottage Grove, Wis; 6. Alex Papini, Machesney Park; 7. Kyle Jarlsberg, Jefferson, Wis; 8. Austin Nason, Roscoe; 9. Gregg Pawelski, Muskego, Wis; 10. Trent Erdmann, Fort Atkinson, Wis; 11. Tim Sargent, South Beloit; 12. John Ovadal, Jr., Watertown, Wis; 13. Jesse Bernhagen, Markesan, Wis; 14. Dave Edwards, Salem, Wis; 15. Brandon Pendleton, Helenville, Wis; 16. Danny Church, Delavan, Wis; 17. John DeAngelis, Jr, Hubertus, Wis; 18. Chris Quam, Stoughton, Wis; 19. Shaun Scheel, Lake Mills, Wis; 20. Doug Hahn, Whitewater, Wis; 21. Casey Strese, Johnson Creek, Wis; 22. Eric Connell, Fort Atkinson, Wis; 23. Tory Bagley, McFarland, Wis; 24. Bruce Lee, Cambridge, Wis; 25. Craig Phillips, Edgerton, Wis; 26. Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek, Wis; 27. Stephen Scheel, Lake Mills, Wis; 28. Kyle Taylor, Stoughton, Wis; 29. Don Gaserude, Fort Atkinson, Wis; 30. Nick Wendt, Watertwon, Wis; 31. Jay Foster, Dekalb; 32. J. Herbst, LaCrosse, Wis; 33. Tory Adams, Madison, Wis; 34. Jacob Finney, Sycamore; 35. Ryan Farrell, Big Bend, Wis; 36. Dale Nottestad, Cambridge, Wis; 37. Kyle Smith, Lake Mills, Wis; 38. Jody Krueger, Edgerton, Wis; 39. Tom McClintock, Onalaska, Wis; 40. Tyler Schley, Richfield, Wis; 41. Andy Brinkman;; 42. Mark English, Janesville, Wis; 43. Marcus Patnode;; 44. Lincoln Keeser, Johnson Creek, Wis.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:54:39 +0000
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