Sports Digest

Solomon speeds to Grand National win at Eagle River

Oshkosh’s Chase Solomon kept veteran Jeff Richards at bay and skillfully weaved his way through lapped cars and went on to win the third annual Grand National Sportsman feature at Eagle River Speedway last Saturday.

The win was worth $2,550. It was Solomon’s second time winning this event as he won the inaugural running of this race in 2022.

Solomon started outside front row alongside polesitter Ryan Minster at the drop of the green in the 30-lap contest. A caution flew on lap 10, tightening the field. On the restart Solomon kept the lead as Richards — who started the race behind Solomon in fourth — stayed within striking distance of Solomon throughout the balance of the contest. Solomon picked his way through lapped cars and earned the big payday. Richards settled for second-place money. Trailing the lead duo at the checkers were Franklin’s Will Sorce, Minster and Omro’s Derek Schrauth.

Hometown driver Dustin White inherited the lead after track champion and race leader Kory Joliff tangled with a lapped racer in the B-Modified feature to score the feature win. Rubicon’s Geoff Zdroik wound up second at the pay window, followed by another hometown driver Ryan Brown, Austin Zdroik, and Escanaba, Michigan visitor Jesse Denome.

Late Model champion Jason Zdroik emerged triumphant by winning the IMCA Stock Car feature while Bark River, Michigan’s Braxton Lundquist picked up the 500 Micro Sprint feature. The 300 Micro Sprint feature was won by Cooper Aho of Twin Lakes, Michigan. Cooper beat his brother Carter at the line.

Feature races in the 600 Micros, Late Models, Street Stocks and Dairyland Vintage Series were rained out. The event attracted 125 drivers from Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

The season finale will be a late model special Saturday, Sept. 7. All of the track’s regular weekly divisions will be in action. Start times will be at 6 p.m. 

Rhinelander mountain bikers begin season

The Rhinelander-Northwoods Composite mountain bike team kicked off racing for the 2024 season Sunday with the Wisconsin High School Cycling League opener at Telemark Resort in Cable.

The RNC partition of the team, made up of riders from several schools districts around Rhinelander, finished 14th out of 66 teams in Division 2 white the Rhinelander High School partition took 40th in D2.

Senior Macy Lester paced the RNC team, finishing 10th in the varsity girls’ division, completing a four-lap course of roughly 21 kilometers in 1 hour, 21 minutes, 11.07 seconds. Cody Price and William Gregersen were 21st and 25th, respectively, in the JV-3 boys’ race, Conley Meyer took 21st in the freshman boys’ race and Everett Smith was 55th in the JV-2 boys’ race.

The RHS team had three high school participants. Junior Holden Schmitz was 40th in the varsity boys’ race (1:16:36.25). Henry Schmitz was 16th in the freshman boys’ race and Michael Tredupp was 40th in the JV-2 boys’ race. 

In middle school action, the Hodags had three of the top five finishers in the seventh-grade boys’ division, with Hans Sommer first, Emmett Tucker third and Jacob McFarland fifth. Alexander Rusch was 22nd and Liam McKissack took 39th. Justin Liebscher was 28th in the sixth-grade boys’ race. 

The race kicked off a six-round WHSCL season that, for the first time, will include a Rhinelander stop Oct. 6 when the league races at Camp Tesomas. The Hodags will compete in a half-league race this coming Sunday at Lowe’s Creek in Eau Claire.