LANSING, Minn. - Chateau Raceway powered by Miner's Outdoor & Recreation kicked off the 2009 racing season Friday night with a solid field of over 90 cars on hand.

Brad Waits of Zumbrota, who has won the American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series National Championship for USRA Modifieds the past two years, got a good start on trying to make it three in a row as he posted a pair of wins in the French's Repair & Fabrication USRA Modified division.

Waits was front row in his heat and was able to lead flag to flag to claim that win.

In the feature he started in row 2 and ran second behind Josh Reisch of Luverne on lap 1. A caution while the field was working lap 2 set up a restart with Waits lined up behind Reisch.

With the double-wide restart behind the leader, Waits took the outside line for the restart. At the drop of the green flag, he pulled up on Reisch going into turn 1 and quickly shot to the bottom of the track and swept to the lead.

While he was working on trying to open up a lead, Mike Sorensen of Rochester was working on moving toward the front. Starting back in row 5, Sorensen moved up to fourth in just three laps, was up to third on lap 5 and made the move to second on lap 7.

As the race came to midway, Sorensen was able to get within a car-length of the leader in the corners, but Waits was able to stretch it back out down the straight-aways.

After about four laps of good runs on the leader, Waits turned it up a notch and stretched his lead out as he caught the tail end of the field and started lapping cars.

After the early-race yellow flag, the field ran caution free the rest of the way with Waits and Sorensen finishing first and second, respectively.

Doug Hillson of Blooming Prairie came home third, followed by Steve Wetstein of West Concord and Resich.

Sorensen picked up the other heat win for the USRA Modifieds.

Racing action continues next Friday night, April 17, with race time set for 7:30 p.m.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series
Chateau Raceway, Lansing, Minn.
Friday, April 10, 2009

USRA MODIFIEDS

Feature: 1. Brad Waits, Zumbrota; 2. Mike Sorensen, Rochester; 3. Doug Hillson, Blooming Prairie; 4. Steve Wetzstein, West Concord; 5. Josh Reisch, Luverne; 6. Brian Shaw, Brownsdale; 7. Anthony Mann, Luverne; 8. Greg Jensen, Albert Lea; 9. Todd Stinehart, Waseca; 10. Todd Scharkey, Kasson; 11. Joel Alberts, Mantorville; 12. Ben Mattick, Hayfield; 13. Jacob Dahle, Morristown; 14. Joe Wernecke, Dodge Center; 15. Wally Bustad, Austin; 16. Dustin Steinbrink, Austin; 17. Dan Ostrander, Princeton; 18. Dustin Nelson, Ogilvie; 19. Don Eischens, Richmond.

Heat 1: Waits, Eischens, Nelson, Wetzstein, Reisch, Wernecke, Jensen, Alberts, Dahle, Mattick.

Heat 2: Sorensen, Shaw, Scharkey, Mann, Hillson, Steinhart, Steinbrink, Bustad, Ostrander.