Scott Owen Special to the Leader
After a full day of track preparation, the legendary half-mile track was in great shape and the weather was just as great as a large crowd was met with a stout field of cars in the pits.
While the margin of victory in some of the features left no doubt who would win, the action through the field in each event was intense. Konnor Wilinski, Trent Nolan, Jordan Barkholtz, Ron Berna and Brad Nelson would all capture the checkered flag in their respective divisions.
The IMCA Modifieds were first to roll out for their feature. The fans were treated to on track introductions of the 20-car field before they would take the green.
Tim Rothe and Gabe Dommer led the field to the green, but before they could complete one lap, Dommer spun in corner four, collecting five other competitors. During the clean up, Rothe suffered mechanical issues and had to retire for the night.
When action restarted, the Wilinski machine powered to the front and never looked back. While Wilinski was checking out, Marcus Yarie and Lance Arneson put on a show of their own, slicing through the field from the sixteenth and seventeenth starting positions, respectively. Chucky Forstner maintained a top five position the entire race, eventually finishing fourth behind Wilinski, Yarie and Arneson.
The greatest show on dirt, otherwise known as the IMCA Stock Cars, took on the half-mile in the next feature and it again looked like it would be a rout. Kurt Olson powered to the front and led a majority of the race before a caution brought the field to his back bumper.
Nolan grabbed the lead after the caution and powered to the win. Olson eventually had issues that forced him out of the race. Jeremy Christians fought through the field, bringing Rod Snellenberger along with him to round out the top-three. The top two in points, Dan Michonski and Travis Van Straten, battled all night long as they also fought to move forward from their deep starting positions to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
The Late Model feature was complete domination by Berna as he quickly moved to the lead after starting sixth and ran away with the win. Nick Anvelink wasn’t so lucky getting through the field, as he fought great battles with Chris Engels and Derek Janke on his way to a second-place finish. Engels grabbed third and Janke fourth. Joel Bennett finished fifth.
Lucas Lamberies came into the night on a roll, but it would be Barkholtz with the speed on his side in the IMCA Sport Mod feature. Barkholtz battled Brock Saunders and Kevin Bethke for the first half of the race before taking the point and pulling away.
Lamberies battled his way through the field but by the time he was able to set his sights on Barkholtz, it was too late. Barkholtz claimed the win with Lamberies, Saunders, Bethke and Jordan Bartz rounding out the top five.
In the Mighty Four Division, Nelson moved to the lead after starting on the inside of row three. Nelson faced a tough battle with Brad Wedde as the two fought side by side for the first eight laps.
A caution bunched the field up and brought Bandon Goeser and Calvin Stueck into the picture for the last four laps but Nelson was too strong, taking the win. Wedde held onto the second spot with Goeser, Stueck and Max Oreskovich completing the top five.
Racing continues on June 30, breast cancer awareness night. More information can be found online at www.shawanocountyfair.net.