KASSON, Minn. (July 7, 2002) - It was another warm afternoon at the Dodge County Speedway on Sunday as the Fourth of July weekend came to a close. The track looked to be in great shape after some rain the night before.

The first event on the schedule was the Midwest Modified feature and as always, it promised to be an entertaining one. The first time the green flag flew, Carter Gerlach had some mechanical trouble, and the field bunched up behind him to bring out the first caution. Gerlach would head to the pit area.

The next start also did not go smoothly, as the cars of Dan Fagerlind, Matt Stark, and Tony Angrimson got together on the backstretch. But this was a break for Carter Gerlach, as he returned to join the field at the tail on the re-start.

The re-start would be single-file, after the first two starts did not go and it would be Brian Hernandez taking the early lead. Neil Eckhart would fall in to second and put pressure on Hernandez right away. Eckhart would take the lead a lap later and it would be for keeps.

Gerlach was moving rapidly through the field after re-starting 18th, and by lap six, had gotten all the way up to fifth. Out front, Eckhart and Hernadez were pulling away, but the field would be on their bumpers again when the caution waved for the spinning car of Scott Olson.

On the next re-start, Chad Herman got under Jesse Frericks to take the third position, and Carter Gerlach also got around Frericks to take over fourth. Gerlach challenged Herman for third momentarily, but could not make the pass.

Eckhart started to walk away with it and would cruise to another victory, followed by Hernandez, Herman, Gerlach, and Frericks.

Next up were the WISSOTA Super Stocks and it was Dave Haberman jumping out to take the lead, chased by Bill Stettner and Brandon Jensen. Stettner and Haberman battled for the lead, but it was Jensen who looked like he had the car to beat. Jensen closed in quickly running high on the track, and took the lead on lap four.

Jensen looked strong out front, as did Mark Teske, also coming quickly on the top side. Teske got by Haberman and Stettner and then started to reel in Jensen.

Jensen was clicking off some perfect laps, running close to the wall in three and four, and charging the cushion going in to one, with Teske following in his tire tracks.

Dustin Nelson had worked his way up to fifth, giving chase to Haberman and Stettner. Teske was turning up the heat on Jensen, and pulled side by side a few times, but Jensen continued to drive the perfect line. Jensen and Teske had put a lot of real estate between themselves and the rest of the field. And when the white flag flew, Jensen still had the advantage at the line.

But coming off of turn two, Teske got underneath Jensen and made the pass on the backstretch to take the win. Stettner came home third, followed by Haberman and Nelson.

The Modifieds were up next and Chad Behne grabbed the top spot at the drop of the green. But it was a short-lived lead, as Denny Barwald took over the point on lap two.

At the back of the pack, Steve Wetzstein was making a dash to the front, as were a number of other cars. Jay Ihrke was on the move, and using the top groove, worked his way in to fourth early on.

Barwald had pulled out to a full straightaway advantage, while behind him, Nathan Kilwine and Jordan Steier were locked in a battle for second. Wetzstein was up to sixth, and after making a little contact with the wall, dropped back to ninth. Ihrke moved up to challenge Kilwine for second, and would win out to take the spot.

The first caution came when Dave Wytaske Jr. spun in turn three, and this would bring Barwald back in sight to the rest of the field.

Shortly after going back to green, Wetzstein and Steier got together in turn four, and Steier ended up hard against the concrete as a result of the contact. Also collected were the cars of Nate Wasmund and Darwyn Karau. Steier and Karau would be done for the night, and Wetzstein was charged with the caution and sent to the tail.

On the re-start, Barwald continued to lead, followed by Kilwine and Ihrke. Kilwine would be the next casualty with a breakdown, and would pull off to the pit area after a very strong run. This would move Ihrke to second, and Jay Poidinger to third.

Barwald held on to pick up his first-ever feature win in a Modified, followed by Ihrke, Poidinger, Behne, and Leroy Scharkey, rounding out the top five.

The WISSOTA Late Models rolled out on to the track next, and it was Brad Waits who would start on the pole. It didn't take long at all for a three-wide battle for the lead to develop. Waits, Lance Matthees and Pat Doar took it three-wide, and it was Matthees who came out with the upper hand. Doar settled in to second, and running extremely high on the speedway, tried to build up the needed momentum to get by Matthees. Racing side by side for a few laps, Matthees on the bottom and Doar on the top, it was still Matthees who held the advantage. John Kaanta was entering the picture to make it a three car race. Eric Breeschotten pulled up to challenge Waits for fourth, and it would be Breeschotten taking the position.

Matthees pulled ahead of Doar by a few car lengths, and now Kaanta would start to pull even with Doar, challenging for second. Running three different grooves, Matthees on the bottom, Kaanta, the middle groove, and Doar on the top, it was shaping up to be quite a race. Doar was running just inches from the wall in three and four, and was side by side with Kaanta for a number of laps, neither driver giving an inch.

Matthees started to pull away a little more from Doar and Kaanta, and as the laps wound down, Kaanta seemed to be just a bit quicker than Doar, and would secure second with a handful of laps remaining.

Nick Herrick, Mike Sorenson, and Brad Waits had a good battle going for the fifth spot further back. Sorenson gained the advantage, and the fifth position, while Waits came out sixth.

Matthees would pick up another victory, making it three in a row at the Dodge County Speedway, with Kaanta second, and Doar finishing third.

The final event of the evening was the WISSOTA Street Stock feature. Greg Erickson would use his pole position to his advantage, taking the lead from the start, followed by Jim Gullikson and Dan Gullikson. Dan Gullikson would go to the outside of Jim Gullikson immediately to take over second. Steve Goodenough followed suit and also went to the outside of Jim Gullikson to take the third spot away.

Jeff Brauer was rapidly moving through the field, and found himself in the fourth position in the early going. Troy Voth moved along side of Jim Gullikson to challenge for fifth, and would grab the spot and then set his sights on Jeff Brauer.

The yellow flag waved for the first time when David Gustafson spun in turn two. On the re-start, it was still Erickson out in front, followed by Dan Gullikson and Steve Goodenough.

Steve Eischens started to pick up the pace in the latter stages of the race, and would take the fifth spot from Voth. Still on the move, Eischens got by Brauer to take fourth, but did not have enough laps left to advance further. Erickson crossed the stripe first, followed by Dan Gullikson, Goodenough, Eischens, and Brauer.

Great night of racing, with some very closely contested finishes in all five divisions once again. Racing resumes next Sunday, July 14th, with racing in all five divisions.

RESULTS

WISSOTA LATE MODELS

Feature: Lance Matthees, John Kaanta, Pat Doar, Eric Breeschotten, Mike Sorenson, Brad Waits, Mark Teske, Nick Herrick, John Chrest, Ben Mattick

Heat 1: Doar, Matthees, Breeschotten, Chrest, Wold

Heat 2: Kaanta, Teske, Sorenson, Waits, Herrick

MODIFIEDS

Feature: Denny Barwald, Jay Ihrke, Jay Poidinger, Chad Behne, Leroy Scharkey, Nate Wasmund, Siercks, Wetzstein, Bobby Sorenson

Heat 1: Ihrke, Behne, Poidinger, Barwald, Jordan Steier

Heat 2: Scharkey, Siercks, Dean Reese, Jim Arnold, Nathan Kilwine

WISSOTA SUPER STOCKS

Feature: Mark Teske, Brandon Jensen, Bill Stettner, Dave Haberman, Mark Oltjenbruns, Dave Solum, Jake Pogones, Derrick Bridley, Steve Quinell

Heat 1: Teske, Jensen, Bill Clemens, Dan Nissalke, Jake Pogones

Heat 2: Stettner, Mark Wytaske, Haberman, Oltjenbruns, Dan Gasner

MIDWEST MODIFIEDS

Feature: Neil Eckhart, Brian Hernandez, Chad Herman, Carter Gerlach, Jesse Frericks, Jade Anderson, Dave Born, Alan Bohlman, Tony Angrimson, Ron Skalicky

Heat 1: Herman, Fagerlind, Born, Anderson, Ryan Weber

Heat 2: Eckhart, Pfiefer, Hernandez, Stark, Angrimson

Heat 3: Bohlman, Gerlach, Frericks, Joe Wernecke, Jim Rudolph

WISSOTA STREET STOCKS

Feature: Greg Erickson, Dan Gullikson, Steve Goodenough, Steve Eischens, Jeff Brauer, Arlen Diercks, Troy Voth, Chuck Nerland, Alan Oltjenbruns, Jim Gullikson

Heat 1: Erickson, Brauer, Voth, Nerland, Eischens

Heat 2: Jim Gullikson, Goodenough, Dan Gullikson, Diercks, Andy Solumn