Pressers
CULLEN, MUELLER, MAVRICK RUH SCORE A MAIN WINS AT GRAVITY PARK

Shawano Speedway 970x250

Posted on: Tuesday May 12, 2026

Cullen, Mueller, Mavrick Ruh lead feature winners on second night at Gravity Park

CHILTON, Wis. (May 8) – Chilton’s Carsin Cullen is a student, already an accomplished high school athlete, and now can add the title of sport mod feature winner to his growing resume at a young age.

Cullen picked up his first career feature win Friday night at Gravity Park Speedway, winning the 20-lap main event in the Sport Mods class. He was joined by six others winning features on the second night of racing at the one-third mile oval this year: Rosendale’s Mike Mueller (A Mods), Mavrick Ruh of Elkhart Lake (Grand Nationals), Brad Lubach of Kiel (Stock Cars), Endeavor’s Eric Klawitter (Midwest LS Late Models), Phillip Wuesthoff of Beaver Dam (Street Stocks) and Cody McLain of Beaver Dam (4-Cylinders).

Cullen started third in the field and on lap 7 made the inside pass on polesitter and 2025 Gravity Park Sport Mods champion Brian Konitzer of Sheboygan to take the lead. The 15-year old Chilton High School freshman, who is already a wrestling standout and is playing baseball in the spring, would lead the rest of the way in earning his first feature win, though it would not come easily.

Cullen was in charge when a caution came out on lap 15 for a stalled car. He held the lead after the restart, but Germantown’s Cole Thomas began to close in over the final laps. Thomas even briefly got inside Cullen coming out of turn two on the final lap, but after contact Cullen eased back ahead, and went on to hold off Thomas at the finish by a car length.

Mueller won the night’s most entertaining feature race, as a light field of A Mods nevertheless produced great racing in their 20-lap main event.

Chilton’s Jesse Cullen fended off a number of challenges to lead most of the race and held the point on a lap 18 restart, but he slid high in turn two and Mueller slipped inside to take the lead for the first time in the race. He went on to win, with Steve Mueller of Eagle also getting by Jesse Cullen for second. Defending class champion and opening night feature winner Joel Seegert Sr. of Sheboygan finished fourth, recovering from an early tangle to challenge for the lead late before a broken driveshaft ended his night.

Ruh made his first appearance at Gravity Park this season after mechanical issues kept him out of the opener, and he led start-to-finish in the 20-lap Grand Nationals feature.

The 2024 Gravity Park Grand Nationals champion and a feature winner last year, Ruh was challenged by fellow Elkhart Lake native Jeff Muehlbauer throughout the caution-free race but went on to win by six car lengths. Jeff Richards of Montello took third with heat race winner Brad Weiss of Cascade fourth and last week’s feature winner Nate Ruh of Chilton fifth.

Lubach posted a sweep in the Stock Cars class Friday, winning the heat race and then quickly going from his sixth starting spot to the lead in the 20-lap feature.

Chilton’s Peyton Mueller started on the pole and led the first two laps and into a caution after a lap 3 spin by outside polesitter Josh Koslowski of Chilton. Lubach had already moved up to third on lap 2, and on the restart he took to the outside to pass Mueller on the backstretch for the lead on lap 3.

Marcus Hoeppner of Rubicon moved into second a lap later, and he and Lubach went on to have a spirited battle the rest of the way, with Lubach running low and Hoeppner taking a higher line. Hoeppner got close enough to take a look inside on lap 13 before dropping back, and was back within two car lengths on lap 18 before Lubach went on to the win with Hoeppner second and Mavrick Ruh coming in third in double duty on the night.

The Midwest LS Late Models made their first-ever appearance at Gravity Park. The new class is designed to allow for late model racing on a budget, and in its debut the cars provided competitive racing and a feature winner in Klawitter who had not raced a car on dirt in 17 years.

Klawitter took the lead on lap 5 of the feature with a three-wide pass of Mark Hoeppner and Jake Binash of Forest Junction. He took the win with Binash second and Renee Hoeppner of Rubicon third.

Wuesthoff drove as if on a mission to atone for tough luck on the first night at Gravity Park in winning this week’s 20-lap Street Stocks feature.

The Beaver Dam driver was leading on the white flag lap two weeks ago when his car broke in turn two, ending his race. This week he took the lead almost immediately after the green flag dropped, darting low from his second row starting spot to overtake the front row of Mason Geigel of Manitowoc and James Riske of Newton on the first lap.

Wuesthoff went on to lead every lap, finished half a lap ahead of runner-up Mark Hoeppner of Rubicon, and lapped all but three cars in the 11-car field, with opening night winner Cory Romenesko of Kaukauna finishing third.

McLain was the lone repeat feature winner from Gravity Park’s opener, taking the 20-lap Sport 4’s feature. Starting fifth, he needed just three laps to overtake Jason Bork of Appleton for the lead and led the rest of the way in the caution-free race. Bork finished second with Travis Olson of Appleton third.

Racing continues at Gravity Park next week with another full schedule of racing including Grand Nationals, A-Mods, Sport Mods, Midwest LS Late Models, Stock Cars, Street Stocks and Sport 4’s, plus Vintage Modifieds. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m.

Results

Grand Nationals

Heat: 1. Brad Weiss, Cascade; 2. Jeff Muehlbauer, Elkhart Lake; 3. Mavrick Ruh, Elkhart Lake; 4. Nate Ruh, Chilton; 5. Jeff Richards, Montello; 6. Marshall Plate, Chilton; 7. Jake Richards, Neshkoro; 8. Dustin Weiss, Iron Ridge; 9. Tanner Lorenz, Cascade

Feature: 1. M. Ruh; 2. Jeff Muehlbauer; 3. Jeff Richards; 4. B. Weiss; 5. N. Ruh; 6. D. Weiss; 7. Jake Richards; 8. Plate; 9. Lorenz

Sport Mods

First Heat: 1. Travis Schmidt, Cascade; 2. Tom Schneider, Chilton; 3. Brian Konitzer, Sheboygan; 4. Nate Gross, Merton; 5. Peter Hall, Neshkoro; 6. James Harper, Wausaukee

Second Heat: 1. Tony Gates, Chilton; 2. Carsin Cullen, Chilton; 3. Matt Valiquette, Rapid River, Mich.; 4. Cole Thomas, Germantown; 5. Justin Muehlbauer, Kiel

Feature: 1. C. Cullen; 2. Thomas; 3. Schmidt; 4. Konitzer; 5. Valiquette; 6. Schneider; 7. Gates; 8. Gross; 9. Harper; 10. Hall; 11. Muehlbauer

Stock Cars

Heat: 1. Brad Lubach, Kiel; 2. Tony Wilz, Appleton; 3. Katelyn Sohrweide, Chilton; 4. Marcus Hoeppner, Rubicon; 5. Josh Koslowski, Chilton; 6. Peyton Mueller, Chilton; 7. Tim Mueller, Chilton; 8. Mavrick Ruh, Elkhart Lake; 9. Chris Loewenhagen, Kimberly; 10. Jonathan Van Deraa, Stockbridge

Feature: 1. Lubach; 2. Marcus Hoeppner; 3. M. Ruh; 4. T. Mueller; 5. Sohrweide; 6. Wilz; 7. Loewenhagen; 8. Koslowski; 9. P. Mueller

A-Modifieds

Heat: 1. Mike Mueller, Rosendale; 2. Joel Seegert Jr., Sheboygan; 3. Steve Mueller, Eagle; 4. Jesse Cullen, Chilton; 5. Joel Seegert Sr., Sheboygan

Feature: 1. M. Mueller; 2. S. Mueller; 3. J. Cullen; 4. Seegert Sr.; 5. Seegert Jr.

Midwest LS Late Models

Heat: 1. Andy Gross, Hartford; 2. Mark Hoeppner, Rubicon; 3. Eric Klawitter, Endeavor; 4. Jake Binash, Forest Junction; 5. Renee Hoeppner, Rubicon

Feature: 1. Klawitter; 2. Binash; 3. R. Hoeppner; 4. Mark Hoeppner; 5. Gross

Street Stocks

First Heat: 1. Mark Hoeppner, Rubicon; 2. Cory Romenesko, Kaukauna; 3. Chuck Gilbertson Jr., Kaukauna; 4. Mason Geigel, Manitowoc; 5. Jake Binash, Forest Junction; 6. Jason Brandes, Chilton

Second Heat: 1. Ethan Lepple, Beaver Dam; 2. James Riske, Newton; 3. Phillip Wuesthoff, Beaver Dam; 4. Andy Gross, Hartford; 5. Tom Henning, Fairwater; 6. Ericka Vogel, New Holstein

Feature: 1. Wuesthoff; 2. Mark Hoeppner; 3. Romenesko; 4. Riske; 5. Gross; 6. Binash; 7. Gilbertson; 8. Henning; 9. Vogel; 10. Lepple; 11. Geigel

4-Cylinders

Heat: 1. Robbie Holst Jr., Beaver Dam; 2. Travis Olson, Appleton; 3. Cody McLain, Beaver Dam; 4. Jason Bork, Appleton; 5. John Ropella, Appleton; 6. Brandon VanOoyen, Appleton; 7. Kali Bork; Appleton; 8. Blake Kelly, Stockbridge

Feature: 1. McLain; 2. J. Bork; 3. Olson; 4. Kelly; 5. Ropella; 6. K. Bork; 7. VanOoyen; 8. Holst

Discover more from Joe Verdegan | joeverdegan.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading