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JOHNSON SNAGS WIR’S ‘WHITE RACE’
Posted on: Friday July 9, 2021
ATTENTION SPORTS/MOTORSPORTS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JOHNSON HOLDS COURT – MASTERS WIR ‘WHITE RACE’ FIELD
(KAUKAUNA, WI) July 8 – Former track champion Casey Johnson of Edgerton took the lead on lap 31 to capture the ‘White Race’ at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna Thursday.
Andy Monday outraced fellow front row starter Cameron Clifford at the drop of the green for the 66-lap feature. It didn’t take but a few laps until Jesse Oudenhoven pulled up alongside Monday and the pair swapped the lead for the next several circuits.
Oudenhoven took the lead on lap 11 while Grant Griesbach slipped into the runnerup spot with fast timer Maxwell Schultz bolting into third from his 10th starting position. By lap 20 Oudenhoven had stretched his lead over Griesbach to four car lengths.
A caution flew on lap 25 when Braison Bennett made contact with another car and spun near the dog leg.
When racing resumed Griesbach and Oudenhoven traded paint and began a door-to-door battle for the lead with Johnson glued to their respective rear bumpers. Johnson whisked past Oudenhoven to take second at lap 29 and two circuits later motored around last week’s feature winner to take the lead.
A Corey Manders solo spin on the backstretch with 26 laps to go tightened the field once again. Back under green Johnson gradually built up a comfortable margin over the field and kept that advantage to seal the win.
Finishing second through fifth were Griesbach, Jeff Van Oudenhoven, Schultz and Oudenhoven.
The late model feature was only three laps old when on a restart a pileup occurred at the frontstretch dogleg. The wreck involved leader Nick Eagan, Chase Randerson and Nathan Van Wychen.
After a delay for the cleanup racing resumed with the “Show Stopper” Mike Meyerhofer hanging onto the lead with Travis Rodewald hot on his heels. Rodewald wrestled the lead away from Meyerhofer on lap six and quickly went to work distancing himself from the rest of the field when Bryan Monday cut a tire and spun, drawing an amber at the event’s halfway point drew a yellow.
Back under green after another aborted restart Brian Henry stepped to the plate in the second spot and began pressuring Rodewald for the lead. Rodewald fought Henry off and scored the win. Henry hung on for second followed by California visitor Michael Kofoid, Meyerhofer and Todd Verhagen.
The attrition rate was high in the race as just 10 cars crossed the checkers out of the 18 original starters.
Menasha veteran George Schwalbach stomped the super stock field, capturing the division feature win. Shane Krueger, Trevor Howard, Mitch Meyerhofer and Greg Hauser rounded out the top five finishers.
Sport truck fast qualifier Bobby Wautier of Denmark dusted the field, winning the sport truck feature. Trailing at the checkers were Mike Byrge, Jason Plutz, Jason Van Handel and Landon Braatz.
Defending Sizzlin’ 4 champion Scott Wolf survived a see-saw battle all race long with Isaac Bray and hung on to win the division’s feature. Wolf also scored fast time earlier in the evening.
De Pere’s Drew Diedrick won the V6 Roval race while ‘Rock Star Russ’ Lorbiecki won the Figure 8 feature.
Next Thursday July 15 Kurz Industrial Solutions sponsors the nights action. ¼ mile late models will also be part of the show. Racing gets underway at 6:30 p.m. You can check frrc.us for more information.
SUPER LATE MODEL FEATURE – Casey Johnson, Edgerton; Grant Griesbach, Pewaukee; Jeff Van Oudenhoven, Appleton; Maxwell Schultz, Reedsville; Jesse Oudenhoven, Kaukauna; Carson Kvapil, Mooresville, North Carolina; Andy Monday, Appleton; Alex Stumpf, Woodville; Lowell Bennett, Neenah; Braison Bennett, Neenah; Taylor Vandermoss, Appleton; Bobby Kendall, Montello; Kyle Calmes, Freedom; Nick Van, Greenville; Randy Schuler, Mequon; Brady Baldry, Omro; Trevor Vandermolen, Oshkosh; Pete Vandermolen Jr, Oshkosh; Sawyer Effertz, Darboy; Alex Seidl, Appleton; Brent Strelka, Freedom; Corey Manders, Hilbert; Mike Anthony, Appleton; Cameron Clifford, Norway, MI
QUALIFYING HEAT – Van Oudenhoven; Lowell Bennett; Strelka; Stumpf
FAST HEAT – Clifford; Effertz
DASH – Braison Bennett
FAST TIME – Schultz, 19.055
LATE MODEL FEATURE – Travis Rodewald, Manitowoc; Brian Henry, Omro; Michael Kofoid, Penngrove, CA; Mike Meyerhofer, Hilbert; Todd Verhagen, Freedom; Mike King, Appleton; Bryan Monday, Appleton; Mitchell Haver, West Bend; Matthew Wittman, Appleton; Kevin Retzlaff, Berlin
HEAT 1) Jim Duchow, Appleton; Nick Eagan, Slinger 2) Brad Anthony, Appleton; Rodewald
DASH – Chase Randerson, Oshkosh
FAST TIME – Van Wychen, 20.343
SUPER STOCK FEATURE – George Schwalbach, Menasha; Shane Krueger, Kimberly; Trevor Howard, Kaukauna; Mitch Meyerhofer, Sherwood; Greg Hauser, Wrightstown; Jeff Treml, Greenleaf
HEAT – Schwalbach; Treml
FAST TIME – Andy Casavant, Two River 15.605
SIZZLIN’ 4 FEATURE – Scott Wolf, Appleton; Ethan Beattie, Little Chute; Mitchell Opsahl, Appleton; Shaun Bangart, Appleton; Dennis Crass, Maribel
HEATS 1) Gavin Klein, Greenville; Anissa Beattie, Little Chute 2) Arianna Beattie, Little Chute; Devin Yaeger, Appleton 3) Ethan Beattie; Ricky Kaufert, Appleton
FAST TIME – Wolf 17.789
SPORT TRUCK FEATURE – Bobby Wautier, Denmark; Mike Byrge, Hilbert; Jason Plutz, Menasha; Jason Van Handel, Freedom; Landon Braatz, Clintonville
HEATS 1) Kyle Quella, Appleton; Logan Mahoney, Oshkosh 2) Van Handel; Marty Sokolik, Oakfield
FAST TIME – Wautier, 15.962
V6 ROVAL – Drew Diedrick, De Pere
FIGURE 8 – Russ Lorbiecki, Sussex