July 31, 2017 at 5:06 p.m.
Isabelle Valeria captures first Eagle River Speedway win
Isabelle Valeria captures first Eagle River Speedway win
Ken Valeria has won dozens of features and championships over the years. Ryan Valeria has been the Pure Stock class champion and is the defending WISSOTA Street Stock class champion.
Now another Valeria has added her name to the family legacy.
Seventeen-year-old Isabelle Valeria led flag-to-flag Friday night to capture her first career feature victory at Eagle River Speedway.
Isabelle - Ken's daughter and Ryan's cousin - grabbed the lead from the first lap and never looked back. The field included the class point leaders, Jason Eisel and Jake Ison, and the defending class champion, David Blackberg.
"I was really nervous as the race was winding down, I thought Jake Ison was right on me," Valeria said. "I couldn't believe that I won! I know I have enough car and enough power and tonight the track and the car was set up perfect!"
In her four-year of racing at her hometown tri-oval, Valeria's maiden victory made for a family celebration.
"Nothing compares to the pride and thrills I had seeing my daughter get her first feature win," stated the proud father, Ken Valeria, who received a big hug from his daughter right after she pulled into victory lane.
Isabelle's mother, Kim, stated that she kept wondering when the white flag was coming out.
"I kept asking everyone around me, 'when is this going to end,'" she said.
Valeria's win was the highlight of an action-packed junior fan autograph night at the track.
The WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature proved to be a true border war, with six of the racers from Michigan's Upper Peninsula and four from Wisconsin.
When the checkered flag dropped, Yoopers claimed the top three spots but, surprisingly, that triumvirate did not include five-time defending class champion Jesse Aho.
With Aho not being at the race, the door was open for Marenisco's Marcus Dunbar to extend his point lead in the class. Marcus held off his father, Duane, and Greenland's George Truscott for the win.
Earlier in the night, Ashland's Kevin Eder held off a strong challenge from Duane Dunbar to win the first heat. Marcus Dunbar won the second heat. Eder ended with a fourth-place finish in the feature.
While the UP racers took the WISSOTA Midwest Mod podium, Conover's Dustin White scored one for the Cheeseheads in the WISSOTA Street Stock main event, holding off former class champion, Jordan Kurtti of Bruce Crossing, Michigan, for the win. Kurtti won the heat race.
Eagle River's Ty Springer piloted his duo-winged 600 Sprint to a feature win, following a tough runner-up finish to Shiocton's Dylan Larson in the heat. Phelps' Dustin Kangas swept the Junior Sprint class by winning both the feature and the heat.
The large crowd stayed after the races to watch vehicles compete in the International Roll Over Championships (IROC). Cody Reeves thrilled the crowd when he hit the ramp, then had his Ford Focus go "head overheels," to win the competition.
"You have to be crazy to do this, and that's what I am," Reeves said. "I wasn't nervous once I got up to a good speed to hit the ramp. I was more nervous waiting to run. This was fun, are they going to do this again this year?"
Six brave drivers competed in the IROC.
The night also had a huge turnout of children who had the chance to go on the track, get autographs and pictures of the racers.
The Speedway Trucks will return to the Eagle River Speedway this Friday.
This is in addition to the regular slate of racing in the WISSOTA Polydome Dirt Track Series, along with the Sprint 600s and Junior Sprints.
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