August 8, 2016 at 3:21 p.m.
Rollovers, flips and passes at Eagle River Speedway
Rollovers, flips and passes at Eagle River Speedway
The Redneck Games International Rollover Championship saw Dustin Grimm hit the ramp perfectly to get his 2002 Mazda to somersault and end up on its tires, a performance that took home the title.
Bango, the Milwaukee Bucks mascot, provided the passes during intermission, dishing the ball to the talented, Rimrocker acrobats, who then dunked the basketball in the portable basketball hoop.
There was a full night of racing at the track, too.
Rhinelander's Jake Schilleman led the majority of the Micro Sprint 600 feature, but with only a couple of laps to go, Schilleman and Ty Springer got into lapped traffic. When Schilleman went one way around the lap cars, Springer went another, taking the lead and the win.
Eagle River's Tad Schoonover looked to pick up where he left off the previous week, when he won the feature in the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds. He led early on in the feature, but working his way from the middle of the pack was four-time defending class champion, Jesse Aho of Toivola, Mich.
"As Tad (Schoonover) was running a tight line, Jesse (Aho) chose to take a high line in the first corner. It was a line that worked!" commented Eagle River Speedway promoter Kevin Dawson.
Aho got the lead midway through the race, but his competition came from more than just Schoonover. Fellow Upper Peninsula racer Duane Dunbar looked to make the pass on the low side of the first corner. While Dunbar went low, focusing on Aho, Tripoli's C.J. Hedges Jr., flew by Dunbar to get on the bumper of Aho. In a race of cars passing each other, it made sense to invite Phelps' Jerry Grasse to the party.
When the checkered flag finally flew, Aho held off Hedges for the win. Dunbar, Schoonover and Grasse rounded out the top five.
The race started with 13 cars, but only six finished due to altercations and mechanical problems.
In the WISSOTA Street Stock feature it appeared Eagle River's Frank Gasperini was in line to capture his first feature win of the season. Gasperini led for the first half of the race, with Eagle River's Ryan Valeria on his back bumper.
Gasperini lost control of his car coming out of the hairpin third turn. The caution put Valeria in the lead with the previous week's feature winner, Dustin White of Conover, in second.
Valeria and White took turns on different lines, but it was White that found an opening, took it and the feature win to boot.
Ryan wasn't the only Valeria eager to make a trip to the Auto Value Victory Lane. The Pure Stock feature included Valeria's uncle Ken and cousin Isabelle. However some of the top racers in this class had their own victory lane plans - including previous winners David Blackberg, Jason Eisel, Dustin Mille, and Don Scharf.
Eisel, Miller and Dennis LaCrosse all took turns with the lead, but it was Scharf - the longtime veteran and former operator of the track - who passed them all and cruised to win ahead of Ken Valeria.
Conover's Dayton Rein jumped out to an early lead in both the feature and the heat to sweep the Junior Sprint class.
Rein, along with Ken Valeria, Hedges, Aho and Jordan Kurtti are the finalists for this year's the Bobbi-0 Spirit Award.
This award, in its second year, honors the late Bob Kleinschmidt, a longtime racer from Arbor Vitae who passed away last summer. Fans, racers, and crew members began the voting for the award on Friday. The winner will be announced during the final points race of the season at Eagle River Speedway Sept. 2.
This Friday, Eagle River Speedway honored the Northwoods Chapter of Special Olympics.
The Special Olympians, along with their coaches, and volunteers, were honored in a special ceremony at the start of the event. Fans at the track raised over $480 for the group
"The smiles that these athletes have just to compete and have fun bring smiles to everyone participating and watching these special athletes," commented Mary Deditz, who along with her husband Lou (who is also the track's flagman), are agency managers for the Northwoods Special Olympics chapter.
"I really want to thank all the volunteers, coaches, and businesses that have shown so much support for our Special Olympians," added Jessica Chuckel, who was one of key people in founding the chapter.
This Friday, Eagle River Speedway will host the AFCO Race of Champions Qualifier. The Side by Side (UTV) Off Road Vehicles will also race on both the infield and on the track in the Side-by-Side Challenge. It will be a prep race for the World Championship ATV/UTV Derby will take place at the AMSOIL Derby Track in Eagle River the following week.
The Junior Fan Autograph night will take place Friday, Aug. 19. Young race fans will have a chance to go on the track and meet the racers, get autographs and pictures.
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