WHITNEY WINS IRA SPRINT FEATURE ON BUSY NORTHERN NATIONALS NIGHT TWO

By Jerry O'Brien for the Daily Telegram 9-7-07

Travis Whitney started the 30 lap $2500 to win IRA Sprint Car feature from the inside of the second row and wasted little time tracking down early leader Scotty Nietzel. Whitney took the lead about a third of the way into the event and he and Nietzel put on an awesome show racing through lapped traffic. Whitney led the remaining circuits for the win with Neitzel finishing second. Pole sitter Billy Balog finished third ahead of John Haeni and Travis Kram in the top five.

The event got off to a rough start as it took four tries to get in the first lap. First Dave Uttech spun in turn two and collected cousin Scott Uttech. Next outside front row starter Bill Warren spun and went from first to worst as he restarted at the tail of the 22 car field. The third time was not the charm as Wayne Modjeski and Andy Hunt tangled in turn one. Warren's problems put Scotty Nietzel on the outside of the front row and he grabbed the lead over Balog and Whitney with Haeni and Mike Reinke in the top five. Whitney dogged Nietzel, closing up as Neitzel began to lap back markers and Whitney grabbed the lead over in traffic. Though Nietzel stayed close, Whitney was not to be denied and took the feature win.

Due to the rain out on Thursday night there was a lot of racing to catch up on including two B Features for the Midwest Modifieds which were won by Scott Herrick over Cody Wolkoski and Jeff Marshall over Scott Bruce and the 20 lap Street stock feature.

Track champion Shane Kisling of Rice Lake held off a determined Butch Madsen for the feature win in the Street Stocks with Keith Tourville, Rob Weber and Shawn Kisling rounding out the top five.

Also on the card was the make up feature for the Midwest Modifieds scheduled for Thursday night.  Nick Lavato led early in the 20 make up Midwest Modified feature followed closely by Jimmy Latvala who moved quickly from row three into second. Latvala's run was quickly extinguished as the 21L emitted a puff of smoke and quit with three laps in. The restart was aborted when Jesse Ogston stalled at the top of turn two. The next try was a good one and Lavato led to the half way point ahead of a charging Jeff Pohjonen who had started 12th. Greg Chesley, Tom Smart and Lonny Loeschke made up the top five. Pohjonen went on to take the win as Chesley got by Lavato for second while Smart and Loeschke remained in the top five.

Scott Lawrence held off Ryan Aho in the scheduled 25 lap Super Stock feature Friday night.  Rick Przybylski led early from the pole over Scott Hiekkinen, Lawrence, Dave Flynn and Zach Wohlers. Aho put on a charge in the first three laps and blew into second to challenge Lawrence.  A debris caution flag slowed the action with 15 laps remaining and, at the restart, there was a huge pileup in the first and second turns involving eight or nine cars. Lawrence led out after the restart with a small margin over Aho while Przybylski was third ahead of Gangl. At the mid point the order in the top five was the same with the exception of Gangl who gained third place.  Making the top five from his 12th starting spot was Randy Spacek. Darin Meirotto was sixth from 14th while Flynn, Wohlers, J B Stortz and Mike Bellefeuille were in the top ten, Bellefeuille from a B Feature and an 18th place starting slot. Up front Lawrence and Aho drove away from the pack to settle it between them and Lawrence was able to hold him off. A fast closing Gangl nearly wrestled second away from Aho but came up short. Spacek and Przbylski finished fourth and fifth.

Jeff Marshall took home the $750 payday for winning the scheduled 20 lap Midwest Modified main event Friday night. Pole starter Brock McCarthy impressed in the early going as he led Taylor Leuthner, E J Hietala, Willy Thompson and Jesse Ogston. Hietala spun bringing out the first of three caution flags. At the green McCarthy led Thompson and a fast closing Jeff Marshall.  Marshall took over the top spot and was in the lead over McCarthy, Greg Chesly, Leuthner and a surprising Dan Kingsley in his first outing in a Midwest Modified. Thompson, Andy Jones, Ogston and Cory Jorgenson followed. The second caution flag flew just past the ten lap mark as Frank Souchek spun. At the green flag Chesley got by McCarthy for second but the final yellow flag appeared and McCarthy regained second. Chesley wasted no time in retaking the second spot and was all over Marshall with five laps remaining, but marshall was equal to the task and took the checkered flag out front. Jones completed a strong run from the fifth row to third while McCarthy finished a strong fourth and Kingsley held off Thompson for a top five finish.

Results: 19th annual Northern Nationals Day 2 9-7-07

IRA Sprints ( 28 cars)

Fast Time Chad Blonde 13.351.

Track Record Donny Goeden 12.958.

Heat 1: John Haeni; Bill Warren; Brian Kristan; Dave Uttech; Dave Hafemann; Joe Symons; Kenny Melanson; Leigh Thomas; Chad Blonde

Heat 2: Billy Balog; John Sernett; Scotty Nietzel; Bill Wirth; Steve Meyer; Donny Goeden; Scott Uttech; Andy Hunt; Wayne Modjeski

Heat 3: Mike Reinke; Heskin; Travis Kram; Ryan Irwin; Travis Whitney; Tim Vander Vere; Ryan Wilson; Scott Biertzer; Kurt Winker

B Feature: Top 7 to feature Winker; Goeden; Biertzer; S Uttech; Hunt; Symons; Modjeski; Melsnson; Thomas; Wilson

Feature: (30 laps) (1-10) Whitney; Nietzel; Balog; Haeni; Kram; Reinke; Haskin; Goeden; Sernett; Meyer (11-22) Winker; Wirth; Biertzer; Haefmann; Symons; Warren; Irwin; Modjeski; Blonde; D Uttech; Hunt; S Uttech.

Make Up Features & B Features from Thursday's Rainout

Midwest Modified

B Feature #1: Scott Herrick; Cody Wolkoski; Cory Jorgenson; Tony Ciurleo; Shane Kisling; Nick Baker; Terry Inman; Chris Bretting; Zak McClellan; DNF: Andrew Inman; Bart Porter; Clint Larson

B Feature #2: Jeff Marshall; Scott Bruce; Dan Kingsley; Taylor Leuthner; E J Hietala; Brad Anderson; Tom Morinville; A J Rochen; DNS: Lance Solem; Scott Zavadil

Feature: (Makeup from Thursday) (1-10) Pohjonen; Chesley; Lavato; Smart; Loeschke; Vezina; J Olson; L Inman; Jones (11-25-) Souchek; Marshall; McCarthy; VanHouse; Archer; Herrick; McDougall; Ogston; Doran; DNF: Zavidil; Jorgenson; Zdroik; Latvala; Wolkoski; Estey Street

Street Stock

Feature: (20 Lap Makeup from Thursday) Shane Kisling; Butch Madsen; Keith tourville; Rob Weber; Shawn Kisling; Tim Baum; Don Craig; Cory Casari; Brian Fulda; Scott Herrick; Wes Howland

Friday's scheduled races

Super Stocks (37 cars)

Heat 1: Ryan Aho; Scott Hiekkinen; Mike Weber; Andy Grymala; Rick Simpson; Dustin Nelson; Destin Lorimor; Steve Christman; Art Hyde; Rick Peterson

Heat 2: Rick Przyblski; Zach Wohlers; Scott Lawrence; Darin meierotto; Mike Bellefeuille; Steve Estey; aaron Wilson; Jim campbell; Ronnie Malecki;

Heat 3: J B Stortz; Todd Bonny; Alan Hartel; Keith Kern; Steve Rivord, Jr; Sam Skalsky; Tom treviranus; Frank Befera; Brian Youderin

Heat 4: Dave Flynn; Dale Gangl; Randy spacek; Jeff Lien; Robbie cooper; Jeff Lindsey; Joe Oliver; Scott Sertich; DNF: Brian Mikkonen

B Feature #1: D Nelson; Treviranus; Hyde; Lorimor; Christman; Befera; Peterson; Youderin; Skalsky

B Feature #2: Lindsey; Campbell; Estey; Wilson; Malecki; Sertich; DNF: Oliver; Mikkonen

Feature (25 laps) (1-10) Lawrence; Aho; Gangl; Spacek; Przybylski; Meierotto;. Flynn; Stortz; Bellefeuille; Lien (11-24) Wohlers; Nelson; Kern; Cooper; Lindsey; Campbell; Weber; Treviranus; Rivord; Oliver; Grymala; Hiekkinen; Loeschke; Simpson

Midwest Modifieds (41 cars)

Heat 1: Andy Jones; Greg chesley; Joe Olson; Nick Lavato; Al McDougall; Shane Kisling; Cody Wolkoski; Ryan Olson; Tony courleo

Heat 2: Dan Kingsley; Jesse Ogston; Randy Vezina; Frank Souchek; Nick Baker; Scott Herrick; Dan Doran DNS: A J Rochen

Heat 3: E J Hietala; Brock McCarthy; Tom Smart; Bryce Johnson; Tom Morinville; Scott Bruce;DNF: Mike Brennan; DNS: Jimmy Latvala

Heat 4: Taylor Leuthner; Willy Thompson; Deven Vanhouse; Brad Anderson; Adam Archer; Terry Inman; DNF: Jeff Pohjonen; Jason Zdroik

Heat 5: Jeff Marshall; Cory jorgenson; Skeeter Estey; Lonny loeschke; Scott Zavidil; Chris Bretting; Loren Inman; DNF: Zak Mcclellan

B Feature #1: L Inman; McDougall; Wolkowski; Herrick; Zavadil; Morinville; T Inman; Ciurleo; DNF: McClellan; DNS: Latvala; Pohjonen

B Feature #2: Archer; Baker; R Olson; Bretting; Bruce; Doran; DNF: Brennan; Kisling; Zdroik; Rochen

Feature (20 laps) (1-10) Marshall; Chesley; Jones; McCarthy; Kingsley; Thompson; J Olson; Jorgenson; Lavato; Vezina (11-25) Estey; Hietala; Ogston; Johnson; VanHouse; Baker; Loeshcke; Leuthner; Archer; Anderson; Morinville; McDougall; L Inman; DNF: Souchek; Smart