TNT SPEEDWAY

Jeremy Mayo, Editor-in-Chief, HodagSports.com

THREE LAKES, WI – Eagle River’s Jason Zdroik and Hurley’s John Kallas have become accustom to seeing victory lane a lot at TNT Speedway. They were back in the winners’ circle twice more as the 2009 season wrapped up Friday and Saturday with the track’s annual Fall Special.  Zdroik sits fifth in WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Midwest Mod National Points. Kallas is fifth in the WADTS Street Stock National Points. Both helped their cases with a pair of clean sweeps in one of the final tune-ups before this week’s WISSOTA 100 in South Dakota.

How the two got their sweeps were completely different tales. Zdroik grabbed the lead early in both of his features and ran away. Kallas’s sweep involved more passing and a dramatic finish on Saturday night.

There was plenty of symmetry for Zdroik, who started on the outside pole both Friday and Saturday night. He took the lead on the opening lap and led all 20 circuits in both races. Both times Jerry Grasse of Phelps provided the closest challenge and both times Grasse finished second.

On Friday night, Kallas started on the outside of row four and had to pick his way through the field. He took the lead for good with six laps to go, coming out of a three-way battle for the top sport with fellow ’09 feature winners at TNT, Dennis Lacrosse and Tom Warra.  Saturday, Kallas started fourth but quickly moved to second, dogging leader Kevin Maulson Jr. for the first half of the race. Kallas took the lead on lap 11 as Maulson pushed high in turn four, allowed Kallas to get to the inside.  While Kallas led, he could not put any distance on Maulson and coming to the white flag Maulson pulled along side. Kallas took the high line, while Maulson went low. The two remained side-by-side entering turn three, neither driver giving the other much racing room.  It was then that the two cars made contact, pitching them both sideways. Maulson gathered his car in the quickest and got to the finish line first, but in TNT Speedway’s long standing policy of protecting the leader, had the win taken away on a rough driving penalty.  That handed Kallas the win. Maulson was moved to fourth, the last car on the lead lap.

Not to be outdone, the TNT Bombers and Stingers had different winners each night, with Saturday night’s races not being decided until the final corner.  On Friday night, Sugar Camp’s Ben Pitlik made up for the heartbreak of three weeks prior when he lost a share of a track championship thanks to a flat tire with four laps to go. Pitlik passed Tim Miller on lap nine and held off Miller and Lee Bradley over the final six laps to claim the win.  Saturday night belonged to track champ Denny Tushoski from Rhinelander. Tushoski put the power slide on Wayne Eskola to take the lead with 10 laps to go, but Brantwood’s Eskola kept the pressure up, making a move to the inside on the final lap. But Tushoski had enough momentum on the high line to clear Eskola on the backstretch and hold on for the win.

Bruce Crossing, Michigan’s Brandon Ross won Friday’s TNT Stinger feature, leading the final ten laps and besting Nick Visser, John Barlowski and Brandon Miller.  Tomahawk Speedway 4-Cylinder Champ Kasey Gross rounded out the top five on Friday and improved on that position by four in Saturday’s main event, holding off Rhinelander’s Bill Martin in a race of track champions.  Gross got out to a big early lead as Martin and Nick Visser got mired back in traffic when John Barlowski had his right front tire go flat. Gross’s lap times started to fade in the final laps, while Martin was coming on. Martin closed to Gross’s back bumper on the final lap, but could not make the pass.

TNT Speedway had a two-night Fall Special point series for the drivers. Zdroik, Kallas, Pitlik and Visser were the winners in the respective classes. Each received a cash bonus and prizes courtesy of Budweiser and Three Lakes Shell.

TNT handed out its season ending awards following the races Saturday night. Brandon Ross was named the track’s Most Improved Driver and Jeff Klopstein won Sportsman of the Year.

On behalf of owner’s Tim and Patti Rutzen, who just completed their 15^th season of operating TNT Speedway, we would like to thank all the drivers, pit crews, sponsor, workers, and especially the fans for their support in 2009. We look forward to seeing everyone again in May 2010.

RESULTS: TNT Speedway Fall Special – September 11-12, 2009

Friday, September 11

WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Midwest Modifieds

Heat 1: 1. 22B-Bruce Belland; 2. 7-Joe Kin; 3. 88-Clay Montgomery; 4. 23D-George Dalbeck; 5. 16-Cory Dickman; 6. 65-Larry Gasperini; 7. 15S-Cody Schmidt

Heat 2: 1. 34-Mickey Nosser; 2. 8-Chad Boettcher; 3. 1S-George Truscott; 4. 22-Putch Bentley; 5. 42-Steve Brown; 6. 5P-Pete Paulus

Heat 3: 1. 1Z-Jason Zdroik; 2. 5-Jerry Grasse; 3. 52-Terry Stebbeds; 4. 41-Dennis Mikkelson; 5. 11-John Johnson, Jr.; 6. 81-Dan Melton

Consi: 1. 15S-Schmidt; 2. 11-Johnson, Jr. 3. 42-Brown; 4. 81-D. Melton; 5. 16.Dickman; 6. 5P-Paulus; 7. 65-Gasperini

Feature: 1. 1Z-Zdroik; 2. 5-Grasse; 3. 34-Nosser; 4. 8-Boettcher; 5. 7-Kin; 6. 52-Stebbeds; 7. 15S-Schmidt; 8. 1S-Truscott; 9. 81-D. Melton; 10. 22-Bentley; 11. 41-Mikkelson; 12. 22B-Belland; 13. 42-Brown; 14. 11-Johnson, Jr.; 15. 88-Montgomery

WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Street Stocks

Heat 1: 1. 06-Tom Waara; 2. 1Z-Rob Waara; 3. 101-Leif Gunderson; 4. 78-Dennis Lacrosse; 5. 23M-Kevin Maulson, Jr.

Heat 2: 1. 99-John Kallas; 2. 21-Jeff Klopstein; 3. 28T-Keith Troutman; 4. 22-Shaina Aho; 5. 3-Jake Mullins

Feature: 1. 99-Kallas; 2. 06-T. Waara; 3. 28T-Troutman; 4. 22-Aho; 5. 1Z-R. Waara; 6. 23M-Maulson, Jr.; 7. 3-Mullins; 8. 21-Klopstein; 9. 78-Lacrosse; 10. 101-Gunderson

TNT Bombers

Heat 1: 1. 5-Ryan Valeria; 2. 71-Jason Gaylord; 3. 17-Tim Miller; 4. 28-Lee Bradley; 5. 88-John Jarrett; 6. 37-Matthew Smith

Heat 2: 1. 21-Denny Tushoski; 2. 61-Jason Melton; 3. 01-Austyn Booth; 4. 01Z-Troy Smart; 5. 8W-Joe Wolfe; 6. 95-Kevin Hartman

Heat 3: 1. 190-Ben Pitlik; 2. 21K-Kenny Schram; 3. 18-Mike Bukovic; 4. 2J-Mark Schuenemann; 5. 3-C.J. Hedges; 6. 51-Zach Onson

Feature: 1. 190-Pitlik; 2. 17-T. Miller; 3. 28-Bradley; 4. 5-Valeria; 5. 2J-Schuenemann; 6. 61-J. Melton; 7. 71-Gaylord; 8. 8W-Wolfe; 9. 01Z-Smart; 10. 21-Tushoski; 11. 18-Bukovic; 12. 21K-Schram; 13. 3-Hedges; 14. 51-Onson; 15. 37-Smith; 16. 01-Booth; 17. 88-John Jarrett

TNT Stingers

Heat 1: 1. 27-Bill Martin; 2. 19-Kasey Gross; 3. 30-Todd Visser; 4. 2-Brandon Ross; 5. 31-Richard Barlowski; 6. 47-Brandon Miller

Heat 2: 1. 30V-Nick Visser; 2. 13-John Barlowski; 3. 9-Logan Lannet; 4. 81M-Steve Melton; 5. 44-Fred Feger

Feature: 1. 2-Ross; 2. 30V-N. Visser; 3. 13-J. Barlowski; 4. 47-B. Miller; 5. 19-Gross; 6. 81M-S. Melton; 7. 31-R. Barlowski; 8. 27-Martin; 9. 30-T. Visser; 10. 9-Lannet; 11. 44-Feger

Saturday, September 12

WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Midwest Mods

Heat 1: 1. 5-Grasse; 2. 15S-Schmidt; 3. 7X-Duane Dunbar; 4. 51A-Shawn McFadden; 5. 52-Stebbeds; 6. 88-Montgomery; 7. 67X-Paul Socwell

Heat 2: 1. 1Z-Zdroik; 2 .8-Boettcher; 3. 22B-Belland; 4. 19R-Stan Rychlock; 5. 41-Mikkelson; 6. 65-Gasperini

Feature: 1. 1Z-Zdroik; 2. 5-Grasse; 3. 22B-Belland; 4. 8-Boettcher; 5. 7X-D. Dunbar; 6. 51A-McFadden; 7. 15S-Schmidt; 8. 88-Montgomery; 9. 19-Rychlock; 10. 41-Mikkelson; 11. 65-Gasperini

WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Street Stocks

Heat: 1. 99-Kallas; 2. 21-Klopstein; 3. 23M-Maulson Jr.; 4. 28T-Troutman; 5. 3-Mullins

Feature: 1. 99-Kallas; 2. 21-Klopstein; 3. 28T-Troutman; 4. 23M-Maulson Jr; 5. 3-Mullins

TNT Bombers

Heat 1: 1. 21-Tushoski; 2. 190-Pitlik; 3. 2J-Schuenemann; 4. 5-Valeria; 5. 37-Smith; 6. 321-Travis Juedes

Heat 2: 1. 28-Bradley; 2. 81-D. Melton; 3. 95-Hartman; 4. 18-Bukovic; 5. 01Z-Ron Reese; 6. 88-Jarrett

Heat 3: 1. 32-Wayne Eskola; 2. 71-Gaylord; 3. 3-Hedges; 4. 17-T. Miller; 5. 61-J. Melton; 6. 4-Jesse Votis

Feature: 1. 21-Tushoski; 2. 32-Eskola; 3. 190-Pitlik; 4. 28-Bradley; 5. 5-Valeria; 6. 81-D. Melton; 7. 71-Gaylord; 8. 37-Smith; 9.  61-J. Melton; 10. 321-Juedes; 11. 17-T. Miller; 12. 3-Hedges; 13. 2J-Schuenemann; 14. 95-Hartman; 15. 01Z-Reese; 16. 18-Bukovic; 17. 4-Votis; 18. 88-Jarrett

TNT Stingers

Heat 1: 1. 30V-N. Visser; 2. 7xJR-Marcus Dunbar; 3. 47-B. Miller; 4. 19-Gross; 5. 27-Martin

Heat 2: 1. 13-J. Barlowski; 2. 2-Ross; 3. 31-R. Barlowski; 4. 30-Ryan Sparks; 5. 81M-S. Melton

Feature: 1. 19-Gross; 2. 27-Martin; 3. 30V-N. Visser; 4. 7X-M. Dunbar; 5. 30-Sparks; 6. 81M-S. Melton; 7. 31-R. Barlowski; 8. 2-Ross; 9. 47-B. Miller; 10. 13-J. Barlowski