"Walen Wins Again"
by Kevin Busse - The Voice of Raceway Park

It was a perfect day for NASCAR in Minnesota this past Sunday, as Raceway Park in Shakopee hosted its Mothers Day Special with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Since last Sunday's season opener, the car count continues to grow, and is expected to continue to do so as more of the areas top drivers have committed to get their machines ready for competition in all divisions.

In the NASCAR Super Lake-Model feature, 2011 Track Champion Chad Walen of Prior Lake continues his winning ways, but this time it was a little more challenging than the previous week. At the start it was Crystal driver Jerry Ziemiecki alongside Ryan Kamish of Farmington, with Kamish jumping to an early lead in the event. With 25 laps to go, Walen started to make his move, passing LaCrosse Wisconsin's Troy Tuma into second place. When Bryan Roach of Goodhue tried to follow Walen's move around Tuma, the Wisconsin driver tried to keep the pace but wound up spinning after going into the turn too fast and too high bringing out the caution. The restart placed Walen alongside Kamish, and the two kept it side by side for the next 3 laps, when the Prior Lake driver made his move into the lead. With Kamish slipping back, Roach took advantage, moving into third place behind Minnetonka racer Joe Prusak who settled into the second position. Prusak definitely wanted to make the most of the run after receiving a heat win earlier on in the evening. As Walen started to build up several car lengths on Pruzak, Roach was slowly closing the gap, and the two found themselves in a a race for second with 12 laps remaining. Three laps later the driver from Goodhue passed Prusak and had his sites set on Walen. However, the Prior Lake driver had too big of a lead when laps ran out, and at the checkered flag it was Walen first at the stripe, followed in second by Roach and Prusak right behind crossing in third.

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The Mini-Stocks have the biggest car count at Raceway Park, and already the division is getting quite the fan following. After several heats of racing and a B-feature, 26 cars made it to the main feature event. Jack Purcell of Bloomington had the perfect race, starting along side Mankato's Joe Tacheny and taking the top spot in the opening laps. Chaska driver Jay Heitz worked his way up to second with 17 laps remaining, and three laps later the leaders were starting to close in on slower cars at the back of the large field of racers. When the lead group starting mixing with the lapped traffic, several side by side battles broke out as Justin Schelitzche of Lester Prairie got caught up in a battle for fourth with Chaska's Tom Sibila, and Heitz was scrambling to hang onto second ahead of Joe Tacheny who was along side. With four laps to go, Sibila moved to fourth and started to close the gap on the top three. Caution slowed the field of racers when, with 2 laps to go, Savage driver Nick Oxborough blew a water hose entering turn two sending his car spinning and dumping fluid through the curve. At the restart of a green-white-checkered finish, and Purcell immediately taking the point, it was a 3-wide battle for second as Montgomery driver Blake Dorweiler closed in fast to join the lead group. Purcell grabbed the win, with a sprint to the checkers placing Heitz in second, and Sibila just a fraction behind crossing in third followed by Dorweiler.

In the first of two Figure-8 features, the side-by-side action up front had fans on the edge of their seats right at the start. Lakeville driver Rick Martin had the lead, but Mike Dickey of Shakopee kept the challenge going, staying right next to the senior Martin in the early going. With 11 laps to go, the younger Ricky Martin found himself in a battle for third with Lakeville's Danny Johnson. Eight laps remaining, Rick and Mike had a lengthy lead with the battle for the top spot still heavy as both drivers found themselves mixing it up with the back of the pack crossing just ahead of them in the "X." RIcky Martin passed Johnson with 5 laps to go, and two laps later found himself closing in on the outside of Dickey. With the white flag signaling the last lap Ricky made his move, pulling up along side of the Shakopee racer and passing as the checkers waved. It was Rick and Ricky Martin taking first and second, with Mike Dickey settling for third.

The second Figure-8 feature run began with another Dickey, this time brother Matt of Shakopee, jumping to the lead at the green flag, but found himself challenged almost immediately by Burnsville driver Todd Wilson, who was literally on the back bumper of the leader. As the top two pulled away, several lengths behind a 3-way battle for third had Bethel driver Phil Haluptzok, Minneapolis' Joel Johnston, and Ricky Martin of Farmington all side by side. With 7 laps to go Martin passed Haluptzok for third, with Wilson passing Dickey for the lead one lap later. Martin was closing in quickly on the top two, and with 4 laps to go was battling Dickey for second. With 2 laps remaining, RIcky locked in second and tried to make his move on the leader on the last lap. At the line it was Wilson just edging out Martin for the win, followed by Matt Dickey crossing in the third place spot.

The American Short-Tracker feature was a lesson in side by side racing. Rookie driver Jeremy Roche of New Prague took an early lead, and hung on for the entire race, holding off a challenge by veteran Short-Tracker Charlie Pehrson of Prior Lake with 13 laps to go. Three laps later Hastings driver Matt Schaar was working Pherson for second, and with 8 laps remaining the field had closed in right behind the leader, all in a multi-groove battle for postion. Pehrson was able to charge along side of Roche with 6 to go, and it was back and fourth between the two leaders until the checkers. In a close finish, it was Roche by a bumper ahead of Pehrson, and Farmington's Todd Kamish immediately behind in third. However, post race technical inspection discovered the Roche machine was too light in weight, disqualifying the New Prague driver and awarding the win to Pehrson. That advanced Kamish to second and Hastings driver Matt Schaar moved up to third.

Fast speeds took over the Hobby Stock feature, as Chaska driver Bryan Turtle moved to the lead spot on the first lap, and quickly built a lengthy lead. Minnesota racing veteran Dick Partington was starting to slowly reel in Turtle with 15 laps to go, as Chaska's Jeremy Wolff, running third, was closing in on Partington at a faster pace. 12 laps go, Wolff closed the gap and made the pass for second, and four laps later was moving in quickly on Turtle in a challenge for the lead. Laps ran out for the "Wolff" however as the "Turtle" was just too fast, giving Bryan the win, Jeremy crossing in second, with Bill Woodworth beating out Partington for a third place finish.

The Bomber division feature wrapped up the Mothers Day event, with a race filled with lots of passing for top positions throughout the pack of drivers. Minnetonka racer Ryan Varner took the early lead, with Tim Hollen of Richfield moving to second, passing third place driver Kyle Campbell of Belle Plaine with 18 laps to go. Hollen moved to the outside of the leader with 12 laps remaining, and tried multiple times to take the top spot as both drivers started to distance themselves from the rest of the group for the next several laps. Kenny Schug of Eden Prairie settled into third place around Campbell until 6 laps to go, when Minnetonka's Joey Prusak spun into the wall out of turn four bringing out a caution. During lane choice, most of the lead drivers chose to stay in the lower racing groove, leaving an opening up on top for Raceway Park 2011 Bomber Champion Justin Kotchever of Shakopee to move up closer for the restart. When racing resumed, once again Varner and Hollen pulled away in a side by side run, as Kotchever locked in third behind the lead battle. At the checkers, it was Varner just ahead of Hollen at the line, with Kotchever unable to better a third place finish.

Coming up on Sunday, May 20th, the NASCAR excitement continues at Raceway Park in Shakopee with more NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action. It's race car sponsor appreciation night, with gates opening at 5:00pm and racing beginning under the lights at 6:00pm. For ticket information, check the website at www.goracewaypark.com or call the hotline at 952-445-2257.

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