Eagle River Speedway kicks off 43rd year of racing
STAR JOURNAL REPORT
Tomahawk’s Nate Langberg not only won the WISSOTA Street Stock feature in Friday’s season opener at the Eagle River Speedway, he did it by holding off the defending class champion, a past class champion, and one of the top WISSOTA racers in Wisconsin. Langberg held off Western Wisconsin’s Nick Traynor, the defending champion, Ryan Valeria, and past champion, Jordan Kurtti.
The 43-year-old track also ran a special with the Speedway Trucks. In that class, Rhinelander’s Cory “Cowboy” Allen swept both the Feature and the Heat Race. Allen is the racer that has dedicated much of his time in building Speedway Trucks in an effort to get more racers in this class. One of which is Pelican Lakes’ Herb Dettman, who took a second in the Feature.
It is nothing new for a Dunbar to win the WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature at the Eagle River Speedway. However, it wasn’t Duane Dunbar that went to the Auto Value victory lane, but his son, Marcus. The young Dunbar held off the defending class champion, Jesse Aho and Duane.
It was an Upper Peninsula racer sweep of the top-three spots. Marcus is from Wakefield, while Aho is from Toivola, and Duane is from Marenisco.
The runner-up the past two seasons in the Pure Stock class, Don Scharf of Eagle River, won the feature.
“It was a tight line, and one had to run a low line on the track,” Scharf said. “This made it difficult for anyone to pass. I learned this in both the Hot Laps and the Heat race.”
This year the Pure Stock class is a WISSOTA Sanctioned class.
The defending 600 Winged Sprint class champion, Ty Springer of Eagle River, won the feature. Shiocton’s Denver Larson had the lead for half of the race until he lost an engine. Denver’s younger brother, Dylan, won the earlier heat race.
It was a new Junior Sprint racer that took first in the feature. That was Peyton Towne of Boulder Junction. Last year’s Junior Sprint Champion, Dustin Kangas, hit a stalled car in the heat race and could not run in the feature.
Stock car racing returns to the clay Tri-Oval at the Eagle River Speedway this coming Friday night. Hot laps begin at 7:00 p.m., with racing to start at 7:30 p.m. The entire night of racing is broadcast on WUPM, 106.9 FM, and WCUP, 105.7 FM, along with being carried live over both radio stations’ websites.
RESULTS
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature: 1) Marcus Dunbar, Wakefield (MI); 2) Jesse Aho, Toivola (MI); 3) Duane Dunbar, Marenisco (MI); 4) Brady Jokinen, Mellen; 5) Jerry Grasse, Phelps; 6) Tyler Vernon, Ashland; 7) Mark Albertus, Arbor Vitae; 8) Steve Altman, Mercer.
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Heat: 1) Aho; 2) Marcus Dunbar; 3) Vernon; 4) Jokinen; 5) Grasse; 6) Duane Dunbar; 7) Altman; 8) Albertus.
WISSOTA Street Stock Feature: 1) Nate Langberg, Tomahawk; 2) Nick Traynor, Barron; 3) Jordan Kurtti, Bruce Crossing (MI); 4) Ryan Valeria, Eagle River; 5) Britt Bromann, Eagle River; 6) Dustin White, Eagle River; 7) Bruce Stanley, Merrill; 8) Frank Gasperini, Eagle River.
WISSOTA Street Stock Heat: 1) Langberg; 2) White; 3) Valeria; 4) Traynor; 5) Bromann; 6) Kurtti; 7) Gasperini; 8) Stanley.
600 Winged Sprinter Feature: 1) Ty Springer, Eagle River; 2) Dylan Larson, Shiocton; 3) Tommi-Jo Springer, Eagle River; 4) Denver Larson, Shiocton; 5) Mya Towne, Boulder Junction.
600 Winged Sprinter Heat: 1) Dylan Larson; 2) Ty Springer; 3) Tommi-Jo Springer; 4) Towne; 5) Denver Larson.
Pure Stock Feature: 1) Don Scharf, Eagle River; 2) Jake Ison, Eagle River; 3) Jason Eisel, Rhinelander; 4) Louis Malluege, Merrill; 5) Isabelle Valeria, Eagle River; 6) Tom Lannet; Bruce Crossing; 7) Bryce Wick, Eagle River; 8) Ethan Holm, Crandon; 9) Ethan Hommerding, Merrill.
Pure Stock Heat: 1) Ison; 2) Malluege; 3) Scharf; 4) Wick; 5) Eisel; 6) Valeria; 7) Holm; 8) Hommerding; 9) Lannet.
Speedway Trucks Feature: 1) Cory Allen, Rhinelander; 2) Herb Dettman, Pelican Lake; 3) Josh Drivas, Hazelhurst; 4) Ron Vernick, Harshaw; 5) Dustin Koga, Eagle River; 6) James Koga, Eagle River; 7) Tim Raney.
Speedway Truck Heat: 1) Allen; 2) Vernick; 3) James Koga; 4) Dettman; 5) Drivas; 6) Dustin Koga; 7) Raney.
Junior Sprint Feature: 1) Peyton Towne, Boulder Junction; 2) Josh Nevaroski, Lake Tomahawk; 3) Cole Stella, Woodruff.
Junior Sprint Heat: 1) Towne; 2) Stella; 3) Dayton Rein; 4) Dustin Kangas.
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