By Dan Margetta
Slinger, Wis., Sept.11—Steve Apel survived a tough battle with Conrad Morgan and held off Brad Mueller en route to his third super late model feature win of the season in the Bob Fish 80-lap main event Sunday afternoon at the Slinger Super Speedway.
Jon Reynolds Jr. and Jeremy Lepak raced door to door for the lead from the front row at the start of the event with Rob Braun and Conrad Morgan tucked in line behind them. Lepak eventually prevailed from the outside lane, edging out front as Morgan advanced from the high lane to race alongside Reynolds for second, leaving Braun to race with Steve Apel, Lowell Bennett, and Brad Mueller. Morgan also was able to use the outside to get around Reynolds by lap six just before the first caution flag flew when Braun tried an inside run on Apel into turn three and in an effort to avoid hitting him, Braun’s car spun around where it was tagged slightly by Lowell Bennett. Lepak led the restart from the inside lane over Morgan and the two raced alongside each other momentarily before Morgan was able to duck back to the inside groove directly behind Lepak and just ahead of Reynolds and Apel. As Morgan looked for a way around Lepak on the inside, Brad Mueller and Dennis Prunty joined the battle for third with Apel and Reynolds as Bennett left the speedway with a severe tire rub, the result of the previous incident with Braun.
By Dan Margetta
Slinger, Wis., Sept.11—Steve Apel survived a tough battle with Conrad Morgan and held off Brad Mueller en route to his third super late model feature win of the season in the Bob Fish 80-lap main event Sunday afternoon at the Slinger Super Speedway.
Jon Reynolds Jr. and Jeremy Lepak raced door to door for the lead from the front row at the start of the event with Rob Braun and Conrad Morgan tucked in line behind them. Lepak eventually prevailed from the outside lane, edging out front as Morgan advanced from the high lane to race alongside Reynolds for second, leaving Braun to race with Steve Apel, Lowell Bennett, and Brad Mueller. Morgan also was able to use the outside to get around Reynolds by lap six just before the first caution flag flew when Braun tried an inside run on Apel into turn three and in an effort to avoid hitting him, Braun’s car spun around where it was tagged slightly by Lowell Bennett. Lepak led the restart from the inside lane over Morgan and the two raced alongside each other momentarily before Morgan was able to duck back to the inside groove directly behind Lepak and just ahead of Reynolds and Apel. As Morgan looked for a way around Lepak on the inside, Brad Mueller and Dennis Prunty joined the battle for third with Apel and Reynolds as Bennett left the speedway with a severe tire rub, the result of the previous incident with Braun.
Morgan was finally able to get to the inside of Lepak to take the lead on lap 23 with heavy lapped traffic approaching and Apel, Mueller, and Prunty in hot pursuit of the leaders. The second caution flag waved on lap 31 as the leaders were entrenched in the traffic when Mike Held’s car clipped the apron before coming back on the track, making contact with Jerry Eckhardt’s car before spinning around in turn one. This time Morgan held the low groove for the restart and he quickly launched into the lead as racing resumed while Apel and Mueller both worked their way around Lepak on the inside and into second and third respectively. The top five raced evenly spaced and single file for a number of laps until the caution appeared again on lap 47 when Gregg Pawelski and Reynolds tangled on the backstretch, sending Reynolds’ car spinning to the infield. Morgan and Apel shared the front row for the restart and as the field came to the green, the two made contact before the start-finish line and Morgan’s car spun towards the infield as the flagman withheld the green flag, aborting the restart and allowing both drivers to maintain their positions. The next attempt was cleaner and Apel was able to parlay a strong run down the frontstretch into turn one to the lead by keeping his momentum up exiting turn two. Morgan ducked in line behind Apel in second with Brad Mueller following ahead of Jeff Holtz and Lepak who raced side by side over fourth. Holtz took the position a few laps later, bringing Dennis Prunty with him into fifth as Lepak dropped to sixth. Morgan kept up the pressure on Apel for the lead and on lap 56, a slight tap to Apel’s left rear corner entering turn one was enough to wash his car wide, allowing Morgan to retake the lead for lap 57. Morgan’s time out front was short-lived however , as he exited turn four, perhaps in anticipation of some retaliation, he was hard on the throttle and the car spun around and into the infield as Apel drove by for the lead with Mueller right behind him in second. Mueller tried to put the pressure on Apel for the lead as behind the top two, Jeff Holtz found himself in a battle with Dennis Prunty over third while Lepak held down fifth. Prunty pulled to the infield with some sort of problem on lap 74 as Mueller continued to chase Apel for the lead. Apel held off all challenges in the closing laps and he drove to his third super late model feature of the season. Mueller finished a strong second ahead of Holtz in third and Lepak in fourth while Al Schill started last on the field and drove his way to a fifth place result. Tommy Hromadka was sixth and Randy Schuler finished seventh while Conrad Morgan, Gregg Pawelski, and Jerry Eckhardt rounded out the top ten.
Tommy Hromadka won the 12-lap super late model qualifying race over Al Schill and Mike Graczkowski. Gregg Pawelski finished fourth and Mike Held was fifth. Jeff Holtz was the winner of the 20-lap super late model consi over Randy Schuler and Jerry Eckhardt while Chris Blawat and Mike Egan were fourth and fifth respectively. Jeremy Lepak won the super late model fast dash and Brad Mueller was the fastest qualifier with a lap of 11.447 seconds. Jeremy Lepak was crowned track champion for the super late model division, wrapping up an incredible season with seven feature victories. The track title was Lepak’s first as well as car owner Jerry Gunderman’s first Slinger track crown.
Alex Prunty took top honors in the 35-lap late model feature, taking his second trip to victory lane following a main event this season.
Jerry Mueller took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Scott Ascher in second as Dave McCardle, Ryan DeStefano, Alex Prunty, and Wayne Freimund all raced hard for positions behind them with the bottom lane being a premium as whoever took to the top groove was immediately shuffled back as they traded positions amongst themselves. The first caution flag flew on lap 18 when the leaders stacked up out of turn two and the resulting contact between them sent Ascher and McCardle spinning around. Prunty was able to get by the melee and he lined up to the outside of Mueller in second for the restart with DeStefano and Davey Pennel sitting in third and fourth respectively behind them. Prunty and Mueller raced intensely for the lead, rubbing fenders on numerous occasions before Prunty was able to shoot ahead and into the lead from the outside on lap 20. Mueller fell back into a battle for second with DeStefano while James Swan sat directly behind DeStefano with Prunty continuing to lead. The battle between DeStefano and Mueller heated up on lap 24 as Mueller’s car was sent to the infield after contact with DeStefano and just one lap later, DeStefano’s car was deposited into the infield after he slid in front of Swan as the caution flag waved. Prunty and Wayne Freimund paced the field back to the green flag and Prunty raced to the lead from the inside with Freimund getting in line behind him while Scott Ascher, Dan Jung, Dave McCardle, and Swan all mixed it up for third. Prunty would not be challenged in the final circuits and he drove to the victory, his second of the season. Freimund finished in second place and nailed down the track champion honors in the division. Scott Ascher crossed the stripe in third place while Swan and McCardle rounded out the top five. In earlier late model competition, James Swan won the fast dash and Alex Prunty set fast time at 12.412 seconds.
Ryan Farrell held off a strong challenge from James Swan to capture the win in the 30-lap Midwest Sportsman feature.
Scott Shambeau grabbed the lead at the start of the race as Dan Church’s car got out of shape while battling with Mike Borchardt Jr. and Brian Holtz over second. The race remained under green as all cars were gathered up but on lap three the caution flag waved for debris on the speedway. Shambeau held the lead on the restart over Borchardt while Ryan Farrell, Dave Thomas, and James Swan all took advantage of the inside lane to work their way around Borchardt who was caught in the high groove. After a few checks to the inside, Farrell took to the top side and he drove around Shambeau for the lead on lap six, leaving Shambeau to battle with Swan, who recently took over third when Thomas was forced to gather up his car after getting crossed up momentarily on the backstretch. Swan and Thomas were both able to work their way around Shambeau and into second and third place as they began to track down Farrell for the lead. Swan was able to close to Farrell’s rear bumper on the final lap but his bid for the win on the outside came up about a car-length short at the finish as Farrell scored the win. Swan finished a strong second and wrapped up the track championship for the division while Thomas completed a strong run with a third place result. Shambeu took the checkered flag in fourth while Dan Church finished fifth. Scott Shambeau won the 12-lap Midwest Sportsman qualifying race over Crystal Wood and Mike Borchardt. Jimme Evans and Tommy Moore were fourth and fifth respectively. James Swan won the Midwest Sportsman fast dash and Ryan Farrell was the fastest qualifier after turning in a lap of 12.816 seconds.
Al Stippich score the win in the 20-lap Thunderstock main event over John Daley and Brad Hetzel as the event ended under the caution flag after Tyler Schley spun on the final circuit while racing for second. Bernie Leonard and Nathan Fick finished fourth and fifth respectively. Al Stippich also won the 12-lap Thunderstock qualifying race over Nathan Fick and Carl Benn. Nick Ostberg finished fourth and Vincent Heywood was fifth. John Daley won the Thunderstock fast dash and Brad Hetzel was the fastest qualifier with a lap of 13.525 seconds. Andy Welter completed a strong season by capturing the track championship in the Thunderstock division.
Davey Pennel drove from the back of the field and held off Nick Wagner in a close finish to win the 20-lap Slinger Bee main event. Braison Bennett finished third ahead of Jason Dull and Cory Romenesko in fourth and fifth. Pennel also won the first Slinger Bee heat race over Cory Romenesko and Allen Maher Jr. Brandon Tackes and Erica Knutson rounded out the top five. Shane Westphal took top honors in the second Slinger Bee heat race, holding off Zachary Clarke for the victory. Doug Eisenhoffer, Misty Benn, and Jacob Schraufnagel rounded out the top five in third through fifth respectively. Jason Dull won the Slinger Bee fast dash and Nick Wagner set fast time at 15.281 seconds. Nick Wagner was also crowned track champion for the Slinger Bee division.
David Cerer won the 25-lap American Super Cup feature over Eric Gehrke and Erle Hoth. Ken Jones and Cody Erdmann completed the top five. Gehrke’s second place finish earned him the American Super Cup championship. David Cerer won the first American Super Cup heat race over Derrick Van Dreel and Andy Forster while Brian Baldyga and Erle Hoth finished in fourth and fifth. Eric Gehrke won the second American Super Cup heat race over Jacob Van Wizer and Mick Ellis. Kodee Busekros finished fourth and Nick Knauz was fifth. Erle Hoth was the fastest qualifier with a lap of 15.241 seconds. Bob Bennett won the Westbury Bank Speedway Guest Car event and Bob Rose was the winner of the Spectator Eliminator races in his Mustang. The Figure 8 race was won by Donald Van Camp after the event ended early due to a spectacular crash in the “X” between Ryan Lovald and Rick Bruskiewicz. All drivers exited their cars and were not seriously injured.
SUPER LATE MODEL
Super Late Model Feature—80 Laps: 1. Steve Apel, 2. Brad Mueller, 3. Jeff Holtz, 4. Jeremy Lepak, 5. Al Schill, 6. Tommy Hromadka, 7. Randy Schuler, 8. Conrad Morgan, 9. Gregg Pawelski, 10. Jerry Eckhardt, 11. Jon Reynolds Jr., 12. Tommy Pecaro, 13. Dennis Prunty, 14. Rob Braun, 15. Chris Blawat, 16. Mike Graczkowski, 17. Mike Held, 18. Lowell Bennett.
Super Late Model Qualifying Race 1—12 Laps: 1. Tommy Hromadka, 2. Al Schill, 3. Mike Graczkowski, 4. Gregg Pawelski, 5. Mike Held.
Super Late Model Consi 20 Laps: 1. Jeff Holtz, 2. Randy Schuler, 3. Jerry Eckhardt, 4. Chris Blawat, 5. Mike Egan.
Super Late Model Fast Dash: Jeremy Lepak.
Super Late Model Fastest Qualifier: Brad Mueller, 11.447 seconds.
LATE MODEL
Late Model Feature—35 Laps: 1.Alex Prunty, 2. Wayne Freimund, 3. Scott Ascher, 4. James Swan, 5. Dave McCardle.
Late Model Fast Dash—6 Laps: James Swan.
Late Model Fastest Qualifier: Alex Prunty, 12. 412 seconds.
MIDWEST SPORTSMAN
Midwest Sportsman Feature—30 Laps: 1. Ryan Farrell, 2. James Swan, 3. Dave Thomas, 4. Scott Shambeau, 5. Dan Church.
Midwest Sportsman Qualifying Race—12 Laps: 1. Scott Shambeau, 2. Crystal Wood, 3. Mike Borchardt Jr., 4. Jimmie Evans, 5. Tommy Moore.
Midwest Sportsman Fast Dash—6 Laps: James Swan.
Midwest Sportsman Fastest Qualifier: Ryan Farrell, 12.816 seconds.
THUNDERSTOCK
Thunder Stock Feature—20 Laps: 1. Al Stippich, 2. John Daley, 3. Brad Hetzel, 4. Bernie Leonard, 5. Nathan Fick.
Thunderstock Qualifying Race—12 Laps: 1. Al Stippich, 2. Nathan Fick, 3. Carl Benn, 4. Nick Ostberg, 5. Vincent Heywood.
Thunderstock Fast Dash—6 Laps: John Daley.
Thunderstock Fastest Qualifier: Brad Hetzel, 13.525 seconds.
SLINGER BEE
Slinger Bee Feature—18 Laps: 1. Davey Pennel, 2. Nick Wagner, 3. Braison Bennett, 4. Jason Dull, 5. Cory Romenesko.
Slinger Bee Heat One—10 Laps: 1. Davey Pennel, 2. Cory Romenesko, 3. Allen Maher Jr., 4. Brandon Tackes, 5. Erica Knutson.
Slinger Bee Heat Two—10 Laps: 1. Shane Westphal, 2. Zachary Clarke, 3. Doug Eisenhoffer, 4. Misty Benn, 5. Jacob Schraufnagel.
Slinger Bee Fast Dash—6 Laps: Jason Dull.
Slinger Bee Fastest Qualifier: Nick Wagner, 15.281 seconds.
AMERICAN SUPER CUP
American Super Cup Feature—25 Laps: 1. David Cerer, 2. Eric Gehrke, 3. Erle Hoth, 4. Ken Jones, 5. Cody Erdmann.
American Super Cup Heat One—10 Laps: 1. David Cerer, 2. Derrick Van Dreel, 3. Andy Forster, 4. Brian Baldyga, 5.Erle Hoth.
American Super Cup Heat Two—10 Laps: 1. Eric Gehrke, 2. Jacob Van Wazer, 3. Mick Ellis, 4. Kodee Busekros, 5. Nick Knauz.
American Super Cup Fastest Qualifier: Erle Hoth, 15.241 seconds.
Westbury Bank Speedway Guest Car Winner: Bob Bennett.
Spectator Eliminator Winner: Bob Rose.
Figure 8 Winner: Donald Van Camp.