LANSING, Minn. - It was Season Championship Night Friday at the Chateau Raceway powered by Miners Outdoor Power & Recreation. A field of more than 100 cars filled the pits for another night of racin action to determine the track champions in the seven classes. Mechanics and powder puff races were also on the schedule.

Some light rain before the racing began pushed back the start time about 10 minutes and another pair of showers in the middle of the heats ended up using up more than an hour of time to rework the track so the season championships could be determined on the track.

When the night was done, 112 drivers ran off 24 exciting races with seven drivers picking up their first wins of the season.

In French's Repair & Fabrication USRA Modified action Mike Sorensen added another track championship to his list by claiming the 2008 crown. Sorensen was also the 1988-89 and '96 WISSOTA Modified Champion at Lansing.

On the track, Sorensen could manage just a fifth-place finish in his heat and a sixth-place finish in the feature as there was plenty of firepower spread around the 19-car field of cars for the class.

After a first-lap caution in the feature the field lined up for the restart and proceeded to run straight through the 24-lap main event.

Steve Wetzstein of West Concord used the pole position to his advantage as he built a lead and ran away for his first feature win of the season.

Todd Scharkey of Kasson, who started back in row 3, worked his way up to third in three laps and moved to second on lap 9, but by then Wetzstein had a full straigh-away lead.

Scharkey had cut the deficit in half in then next five laps and it looked like he might be able to chase Wetzstein down until he jumped the cushion in turn 2 a lap later and gave Wetzstein his big lead back. By then the two were lapping cars and Scharkey was going to have to settle for second.

Doug Hillson of Blooming Prairie came home in third ahead of Brad Bakken of Garner, Iowa.

Hillson and Bakken took the two heat wins.

Next Friday night, Aug. 29, kicks off the start of the fall specials. The O'Reilly USMTS Modifieds will be on hand for the 3rd Annual Cedar River Races. Also on the show will be the Pure Stocks, WISSOTA Street Stocks and WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds. Even though track points are over, WISSOTA national points will be awarded. The following week there will be two nights of racing on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 5-6, for the Annual Buzz Festival. While the two-night show is named for the Hornet class, all classes will be competing both nights with two full shows. The track will then take a few weeks off and come back Sept. 26-27 for the 3rd Annual Midwest Modified Fall Nationals. Again, all classes are scheduled to take part in both nights of that weekend's racing with both nights featuring complete shows. A rain date has been reserved for that weekend. If necessary, it would be on that Sunday, Sept. 28. So plenty of good racing action yet to come this season at Chateau Raceway, starting next Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
Casey's General Stores Weekly Racing Series
Chateau Raceway, Lansing, Minn.
Friday, Aug. 22, 2008

USRA MODIFIEDS

Feature: 1. Steve Wetzstein, West Concord; 2. Todd Scharkey, Kasson; 3. Doug Hillson, Blooming Prairie; 4. Brad Bakken, Garner, Iowa; 5. Jacob Dahle, Morristown; 6. Mike Sorensen, Rochester; 7. Josh Mattick, Austin; 8. Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie; 9. Joe Wernecke, Dodge Center; 10. Tyler Clark, Rochester; 11. Dave Wytaske Jr., Mapleview; 12. Wally Bustad, Austin; 13. Aaron Rake, Beaver Dam WI; 14. James Krejci, Blooming Prairie; 15. Jeremy Misgen, Ellendale; 16. Todd Stinehart, Waseca; 17. Brian Shaw, Brownsdale; 18. James Parker, Dodge Center; 19. Bobby Swanson, Kasson.

Heat #1: Hillson, Wetzstein, Mattick, Shaw, Rake, Clark, Bustad, Parker, Krejci.

Heat #2: Bakken, Myer, Scharkey, Dahle, Sorensen, Wernecke, Swanson, Wytaske, Misgen.