Eagle Valley Speedway officially opened the gates for the 2009 racing season Sunday night, May 3, after two successive weekends of being weathered out.

In the WISSOTA Modified division, Craig Thatcher returned to the winner’s circle, Shane Kisling picked up his third feature win of the year in the WISSOTA Super Stock division, Mark Gerth got the win in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature, Cory Crapser dominated the WISSOTA Street Stocks, George Richards bested all Eagle Valley Pure Stocks, and long distance traveler, Johny Severtson of LaCrosse, WI, took the win in the Eagle Valley Hornet division.

The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds took to the track first with Mark Gerth moving from second to first early. Gerth led the entire feature and was never seriously challenged by the rest of the field. Meanwhile, back in the pack a good battle for second took place between Scott Erickson, Ronnie Rihn, Matt Leer and Brad Hudson. Leer and Hudson swapped places several times, but it was Leer who would finally take fourth. Order of finish was Gerth, Erickson, Rihn, Leer, and Hudson.

Mike Keller led the field to the green for the WISSOTA Super Stocks, but was able to lead for just one lap. Keller was passed by Shane Kisling during lap two and from that point on it was the Shane Kisling show. Eric Olson, who had started second, held onto second place for the entire race despite the best efforts of Keller, who dropped out of the race after lap nine. Darrel Hazelton, who had started third, hung on to third, Steve Thomas, who had started fifth, moved up to fourth after lap ten, and Aaron Wilson, who had started seventh, made a charge during mid-race to finish fifth .

The outcome of the WISSOTA Modifieds was settled early with Craig Thatcher, who had started on the pole, leading the entire race. Despite his best efforts, after running a variety of lines, Mike Anderson, who had started third, had to settle for second. Joey Jensen, who had started second, dropped one spot and ran third the entire race, but was challenged seriously several times by Keith Tourville, who had started ninth. Tourville finished fourth, while Mark Hanson, who had started fourth, took fifth.

Probably the best race of the night occurred in the WISSOTA Street Stock division which started with a bang when Jeff Antzcak got sideways in turn three during what should have been the first lap. Frankhauser collected several other cars, but all were able to continue. On the restart, Cory Crapser made a bold move from seventh to take second by the end of lap two, with Gary Kasperek , who had started third, in the lead. Crapser soon made fast work of getting to the front and by lap three had the lead, with Kasperek dropping to second. Crapser and Kasperek ran first and second for the next five laps when Jim Randall, who had started second, fought back to second. Mike Conrad, who had started fifth, stayed in the mix. By lap ten, Conrad had moved to third while Kasperek dropped to fourth and Danny Richards, who had started fourth, dropped to fifth. By race end, Crapser had won, Randall took second, Conrad ran third, Kasperek finished fourth and Richards took fifth.

If you wanted excitement and variety, then the Pure Stock feature was just the race you were looking for. It all started at the drop of the green flag when pole sitter, Doug Wojcik, pulled off the track with apparent mechanical problems and George Richards, who had started eighth, jumped the start. After a caution for debris on the front stretch after lap four, it was announced that Richards would be docked four places on the restart and the race resumed with Richards, who was leading at the time, starting in fourth. With Ashley Husby in the lead, the Pure Stocks resumed the race. Husby’s lead only lasted one lap when Zach Manley, who had started seventh, moved up to take the lead. Manley led for three laps, but back in the pack, Richards was on the move. Richards moved into the lead with four laps to go. With three laps to go, Husby and Manley, who had a personal battle going on, made contact and Manley spun in turn four. Husby was sent to the back and Manley was given his second spot back. On the restart all went well until Jay Folz and Kyle Bitney got together under the flagstand while they were running eighth and ninth. Folz got sideways and Bitney’s car got under the Folz car, with Fotz rolling in turn one. Both drivers were unharmed, but the Folz car went off on the hook. By race end, Richards had taken the win, Manley hung on to second, Josh Wahlstrom took third after starting second, Nick Wojcik finished fourth after starting tenth, and Tyler Wahlstrom finished fifth after starting sixth.

The Eagle Valley Hornet division was the last to take to the track, with Rocky Kempe on pole. Kempe led the first three laps with Johny Severtson running second. Kempe and Severtson fought it out for most of the race, but Severtson ended up the victor. Mike Peters, who had started seventh, ran either third or fourth for most of the race and finished third. Mike Warga, who started fifth, ran either third or fourth most of the race and finished fourth while Matt Marvin, who started fourth, had to settle for fifth.

Racing action continues on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 10. Pits open at 4:00, cut off time is 5:30; hot laps are at 5:30, with racing beginning at 6:00. There is a kid’s bike giveaway every race night sponsored by Kelly Oium Well Drilling. Adult admission prices are just $10.00. Kids 12 and under are free and Senior Citizen admission is just $8.00.

SUMMARY
Eagle Valley Speedway
Jim Falls, Wisconsin
May 3, 2009

WISSOTA Modifieds
20 Lap Feature: Craig Thatcher, Knapp, WI, Mike Anderson, Colfax, WI, Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, MN, Keith Tourville, Star Prairie, WI, Mark Hanson, Chippewa Falls, WI, Mike Goodremote, Sand Creek, WI, Paul Niznik, Medford, WI, Bryan Nayes, Chippewa Falls, WI, Kevin Adams, Cameron, WI

Heat: Thatcher, Jensen, Anderson, Hanson, Niznik, Nayes, Goodremote, Adams, Tourville

WISSOTA Super Stocks

20 Lap Feature: Shane Kisling, Sarona, WI, Eric Olson, Ladysmith, WI, Darrel Hazelton, Chippewa Falls, WI, Steve Thomas, Menomonie, WI, Aaron Wilson, Menomonie, WI, Terry Kroening, Colby, WI, Mark Stender, Holcombe, WI, Paul Erikson, Abbotsford, WI, Ben Hillman, Menomonie, WI, Ken Truscott, Greenland, MI, Tommy Richards, Mondovi, WI, Lance Schilling, Chilli, WI, Matt Eathron Wausau, WI, Mike Keller, Menomonie, WI, Steve Hallquist, Eau Claire, WI

Heat 1: Wilson, Stender, Thomas, Kisling, Hillman, Truscott, Eathron, Schilling

Heat 2: Erikson, Olson, Hazelton, Keller, Kroening, Hallquist, Richards

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

15 Lap Feature: Mark Gerth, Menomonie, WI, Scott Erickson, Barron, WI, Ronnie Rihn Bloomer, WI, Matt Leer, Bruce, WI, Brad Hudson, Chippewa, Falls, WI, Wayne Dean, Fall Creek, WI, Jake Smith, EauClaire, WI, Jason Zdroik, Eagle River, WI, Jason Swan, Chippewa Falls, WI, John Moravec, Ladysmith, WI, McAdam Kensmoe, Strum, WI, Nick Koehler, Bloomer, WI, Ryan Nieters, New Richmond, WI, Travis Anderson, Colfax, WI, Brian Fuchs, Medford, WI, Josh Appel, Taylor, WI, Alan Broker, Turtle Lake, WI, Mickey Nosser, Phillips, WI, Jake Frion, Ellsworth, WI

Heat 1: Gerth, Erickson, Moravec, Chad Kallenbach, Anderson, Broker, Shane Halopka, Michael Truscott

Heat 2: Rihn, Smith, Dean, Zdroik, Kensmoe, Nieter, Fuchs, Appel

Heat 3: Hudson, Leer, Swan, Koehler, Frion, Nosser, Bob Wood

WISSOTA Street Stocks

15 Lap Feature: Cory Crapser, Eau Claire, WI, Jim Randall, Rice Lake, WI, Mike Conrad, Independence, WI, Gary Kasperek, Tigerton, WI, Danny Richards, Mondovi, WI, Adam Soltis, Ladysmith, WI, Butch Kummer, Medford, WI, Jeff Antzcak, Weyerhauser, WI, Jason Lang, Sheldon, WI

Heat 1: Crapser, Soltis, Kummer, Randall, Lang

Heat 2: Conrad, Kasperek, Richards, Antzcak, Sam Frankhauser

Eagle Valley Pure Stocks

12 Lap Feature: George Richards, Mondovi, WI, Zach Manley, Cameron, WI, Josh Wahlstrom, Cameron, WI, Nick Wojcik, Ladysmith, WI, Tyler Wahlstrom, Eau Claire, WI, Cody Kummer, Medford, WI, Mitchell Johnson, Bloomer, WI, Kyle Bitney, Chippewa Falls, WI, Pat Smith, Eau Claire, WI, Ashley Husby, Menomonie, WI, Chad Tarvis, Chetek, WI, Davey Sapinski, Medford, WI, Armond Love, Eau Claire, WI, Riock Weir, Mondovi, WI, Mike Harshman, Chippewa Falls, Wi, Jay Folz, Rice Lake, WI, Simon Wahlstrom, Cameron, WI, Doug Wojcik, Ladysmith, WI

Heat 1: Richards, T. Wahlstrom, J.Wahlstrom, N Wojcik, Smith, Sapinski

Heat 2: Manley, Husby, Johnson, Folz, Bitney, Love

Heat 3: D Wojcik, S. Wahlstrom, Harshman, Tarvis, Weir, Kummer

Eagle Valley Hornets

12 Lap Feature: Johny Severtson, LaCrosse, WI, Rocky Kempe, Chippewa, Falls, Wi, Mike Peters, Whitehall, WI, Mike Warga, Phillips, WI, Matt Marvin, Whitehall, WI, Taylor Hoffman, Riodgeland, WI, Bo Verbick, Chippewa Falls, WI, Shawn Warner, Bruce, WI,

Heat: Severtson, Kempe, Warner, Warga, Marvin, Mike Schreck, Peters, Hoffman, Verbick