Nosser, Soltis, Eskola, and Gross Are Track Champions at Tomahawk Speedway

Tomahawk Speedway

August 27, 2010—Tomahawk, WI

By Gene Harmelink

                A nice crowd, on a beautiful evening for racing, enjoyed watching Mickey Nosser, Adam Soltis, Wayne Eskola, and Kasey Gross being crowned track champions at Tomahawk Speedway on Friday night.

                The Tomahawk Pure Stocks were up first for their feature with Nate Langeberg and CJ Hedges, Jr. on the front row.  Hedges, Jr. saw an early opportunity for the lead and seized it to take the lead by the end of lap one, with Langeberg settling in for second.

                By the midway point of the race, Hedges, Jr. had built up a significant lead, with Randy Conner coming from fifth to run second.  As the eighth lap of the fifteen-lap feature was completed, Langenberg, Conner, and two other cars tangled between turns one and two, resulting in Conner retiring to the pits and Langeberg being sent to the back.

                When the race continued, Hedges, Jr. again surged to the lead, but this time track point’s leader, Wayne Eskola, was hot on his tail and Bill Follstad, who had come up from running fourth, was right on Eskola ‘s bumper.

                Despite the best efforts of Eskola and Follstad, Hedges, Jr. prevailed for the win in his Tomahawk Iron and Metal-sponsored car.  Track champion, Eskola, Follstad, Mario Grado, and Dan Schultz rounded out the top five.

                The WISSOTA Streets were up next with Jeff Hoogland and Brit Bromann leading the way.  It would be Jordan Kurtti of Bruce Crossing, MI, though, who would come from third to take the early lead. Hoogland and Leo Nippa of Bruce Crossing, MI, meanwhile, fought it out for second as Bromann dropped to fourth and Heidi Karshbaum ran fifth.

                Mid-race action saw Kurtti still in the lead, with Hoogland challenging for second, while track point’s lead Adam Soltis ran third, after re-starting at the rear when he was credited with a caution after lap four.  Nippa at that point ran fourth and Karshbaum still ran fifth.

                With five laps to go, Soltis and Hoogland tangled and again Soltis was credited with the caution sending him to the pits after committing his second caution.  With Soltis gone, the race continued with Kurtti and Hoogland running nose-to-tail.

                Despite Hoogland’s attempts to pass, Kurtti went on for the win in his Al’s Garage-sponsored car.  Hoogland, Nippa, Karshbaum, and Soltis, the new track champion, settled for the remaining top five spots.

                The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds were up next with Roger Walker and Jim Barttelt, Sr. leading the field to the flag stand.  Walker showed early strength, taking the lead by the end of lap one with Barttelt, Sr., track point’s leader, Mickey Nosser, Steve Brown, and Darrel Hazelton in pursuit.

                The only caution of the feature occurred after lap five when the front end of Hazelton’s car struck the rear of Travis Friske’s car.  Friske went to the pits on the hook, and Hazelton was sent to the rear.

                When racing continued, Walker once again shot to the lead with Nosser glued to Walker’s rear bumper.  Barttelt, Sr., Brown, and Jeff McDonald were also in the hunt for the number one spot.

                With ten of the twenty laps completed, Walker still led with Nosser hounding him for the lead as the two cars broke away from the field.  Meanwhile, Barttelt, Jr. ran a few car lengths back, as Brown and Hazelton had a spirited battle for fourth a few more car lengths back

                With a lap to go and Walker still in the lead, Nosser ran a half or a full car length behind the leader.  Coming out of the last lap on the checkered flag lap, Nosser got up to Walker’s door, but Walker had just too much momentum and went on for the first feature win and his first sweep of his Midwest Modified driving career in his Koch Book Engines-sponsored car.  Track champion, Nosser, Barttelt, Sr., Hazelton, and Brown completed the top five.

                Travis Smith and Brett Oenning got the hive alive for the start of the Bandit four-cylinder feature with the race starting out with two early cautions prior to the first lap being completed.  The two cautions claimed three cars, including the car of Oenning.

                Once racing resumed, Jennifer Nitzsche took a commanding lead, with Zach Degner running second.  Tim Holleran, Austin Henricks, and track point’s leader, Kasey Gross, battled for third.

                Mid-race saw the leader, Nitzsche, having mechanical problems and retiring to the pits.  With Nitzche out of the race, Gross inherited the lead as part of the “final four”  including Degner, Holleran, Henricks left to complete the feature.

                In the end, it was Gross with the win and the track championship in his Hilltop Auto-sponsored car.  Holleran and Henricks were second and third.  Nitzsche was awarded fourth and Travis Smith fifth.  Although, he finished third, Degner, was a DQ for failing to scale.

                Racing resumes on Friday, September 3, with the running of the “Dog Days of Dirt Drifting Shoot Out” makeup race with hot laps at 7:00 and racing at 7:30.  The Midwest Modifieds will be racing for $700 to win, $400 for second, $250 for third, $175 for fourth, and $100 to start.  The Pure Stocks will also be racing that night for $300 to win.  Also seeing action will be the WISSOTA Streets and Bandits.

                Saturday, September 4, will be a full race schedule with awards and trophies, a DJ and Karaoke after the races.  This will also be the makeup date for Friday if needed.  Racing starts a bit earlier on Saturday with hot laps at 6:00 and racing at 6:30.  See:  http://www.tomahawkspeedway.com/ for further information.