March 22, 2023 at 8:15 a.m.
Eagle River Speedway honors 2022 track champs
Eagle River Speedway honors 2022 track champs
For the first time in track history a father-son duo claimed track titles in their respective divisions in the same season.
Twin Lakes, Michigan's Jesse Aho and Cooper Aho each claimed track championships in the Chef Rene B Modified and Dan's Service/Halsey Fab 300 Micro Sprint divisions, respectively.
Jesse Aho earned four feature wins and finished in the top five in all nine features on the season. For young Cooper Aho, he found victory lane twice in feature racing action and like his dad, never placed outside of the top five in nine points nights of racing action.
Cooper Aho edged Boulder Junction's Katherine Towne by six points in the final points tally while Jesse Aho whisked past Eagle River's Tad Schoonover by a 40-point edge when the final checkers flew for points last August.
Eagle River racer Michael Hicks, propelled by four feature wins, captured the JD's Paintball & Archery 600 Micro Sprint track championship. Hicks placed in the top five in all but one of the points nights last season. Hicks' margin of victory in the points chase remained the closest of all the classes. The title came down to the final night where he emerged victorious by a slim two-point margin over Minocqua's Andy Fink.
Another hometown driver, David Blackberg, earned top honors in the Coffen Construction Stock Car division. Blackberg earned a pair of feature wins and only placed outside of the top five on one occasion in '22 feature action. Blackberg beat out another hometown racer, Ryan Glembin by 11 points in the final points chase.
Ontonagon, Michigan's Emerson Manos doubled up on 2022 honors. Although missing from the banquet itself, Manos earned both the most improved driver honors while also taking home the Eagle River Dock & Lift '22 Street Stock championship.
Manos only mustered up one solo feature win but remained a model of consistency, placing in the top five in all but one of the points nights of racing. Manos beat out Eagle River's Joe Leveille, who missed a night of racing to attend his daughter's wedding out-of-state last summer.
The Sweetwater Late Model track title went to hometown veteran Jason Zdroik. Zdroik dominated action in the class, winning five of the nine-points night feature races held, nipping Pittsville veteran Eric Pember by a mere four points in the final points chase.
Three Lakes' Jason Melton scored one of the three Pure Stock feature races to boost him to the division's title. Melton outdistanced Sugar Camp's Hope Eisel by 22 markers in the final points chase. Eisel earned rookie of the year honors in the class.
Other rookie of the year awards were doled out to Tomahawk's Elijah Sharp-Nevaraski and Rhinelander's Blake Joslin (300 Micro), Kewaskum's Colton Rein (600 Micro), Three Lakes' Trentin Bell (Stock Car) and Eagle River's Kim Brown (Street Stock).
Most improved driver awards went to Eagle River's Mason Meier and Carter Aho (300 Micro), Pittsville's Hoyt Cournoyer (600 Micro), Eagle River's Ryan Brown (Stock Car) and Boulder Junction's Mya Towne (Late Model).
The season opening race for the 2023 season is set for Sunday, May 28 with regular Tuesday night racing beginning June 6 at 7:30 p.m.
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