By Ed Reichert
Menomonie WI, Sept. 26 – A. J. Diemel, continuing his domination of area Late Model racing that started last week at the WISSOTA 100, powered past early leader Nick Anvelink and ran away with the thirteenth edition of the Punky Manor Challenge of Champions Saturday night at the Red Cedar Speedway. Other winners included Dave Cain, Shawn Huse and Shane Halopka.

After rain washed out the preliminaries on Friday night, the entire program was run on Saturday, with the qualifying events contested on Saturday afternoon and the feature races run in the evening.

Anvelink won the dash which gave him the pole position for the fourty lap Late Modle headliner with Ashley Anderson to his outside. Anvelink took the early lead but Diemel was quickly on the move after starting in the second row. He drove past Brent Larson and then Anderson and closed on leader Anvelink. While the majority of the field were riding the low line, Diemel was able to move up to the middle groove and he powered past Anvelink through turn two to take over the lead.

By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, September 5 – For the first time ever in the long history of the event, the Little Dream race at the Rice Lake Speedway, where fan contributions help raise the overall pay as well as the winners share, was run for the benefit of the Midwest Modifieds instead of the Street Stocks and Jared Loos of Loyal was the winner. Along with that headline race, other winners on the final night of the 2009 racing season included Kevin Adams, Shane Kisling, Simon Wahlstrom and George Richards.

Loos survived intense pressure from Jason Zdroik to win the Midwest Modified feature race in a battle that wasn’t settled until the final lap.
Loos started on the pole and led the first few laps but he gave up the lead after a lap three restart when Zdroik went to the high side of the track and powered around Jared to take over the lead. Zdroik maintained the lead for a few laps himself, but Loos moved back in to challenge him for the lead. Meanwhile, Jesse Glenz, Shane Halopka and Clark Swartz were battling for positions behind the lead duo.

By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, September 4 – Opening night of the wrap up, two day year end special event at the Rice Lake Speedway saw one hundred and sixteen cars sign in to race and two of the feature events go right down to the wire before Scott Duval and Jason Forehand both scored come from behind victories. Other winners on night one included Shane Halopka, Cory Karshbaum and Joel Hinrichs.

Forehand and Aaron Wilson dueled it out for the win in the Super Stock feature race, with the issue decided at the finish line by about three feet. Wilson and Paul Erikson had battled in the early going before Wilson took over the lead. Scott Zitelman, Forehand and Steve Thomas all were in the lead pack and they fought for position during the opening half of the race.

Photos By HooferBy: Bert Lehman
Shawano, WI (Aug. 22, 2009) - It was another week of seven feature races at Shawano Speedway. A.J. Diemel continued his dominance at the Speedway, winning both the WISSOTA Late Model and Fastrak Late Model features. Jerry Wilinski won his second straight IMCA Modified and third overall. Jason Czarapata won the IMCA Modified make-up feature, his first in his career at the Speedway in that division. Rod Snellenberger won the regular IMCA Stock Car feature as well as the make-up feature, and now sits at 10 victories this year. Tracy Wassenberg won his second IMCA Sport Mod feature of the year.

By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, August 22 – It was Season Championship night for 2009 at the Rice Lake Speedway and when the feature races were completed, the champions were Dave Cain, Shane Kisling, Matt Leer, Scott Clark and George Richards.

Along with the Championship races, there were five feature races and seven races total that were made up from last Saturday’s rain shortened evening. Kisling, Clark and Richards were double winners on the evening while the other two make up events went to Kevin Adams and Mark Gerth.

Next Saturday night marks the first end of the summer special at the Speedway. The IRA sprint cars, hugely popular in their first appearance at the track this year, will be back by popular demand as the winged cars, the fastest cars on dirt, will be putting on a full show and in a change of plans, all the divisions that normally race at the track will also be in action for a full program of racing action which starts with sprint car qualifying at 6 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. Gates will open at 4 p.m. for both pit entrants and spectators.