TNT SPEEDWAY

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

THREE LAKES, WI – The track championship picture in the TNT Bombers became a lot clearer and a little tighter on Saturday night. A four-way fight for the title was whittled to two and the gap could not get any closer.  Crandon’s Lee Bradley scored his fifth feature win of the season and now sits one point off the lead. Meanwhile, it was a night for first time winners in the WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Classes with Twin Lakes, Michigan’s Jesse Aho took the win in the Midwest Mods and Catawba, Wisconsin’s Jeff Hoogland scored the win in the Street Stocks. Elcho’s Nick Visser notched yet another win in the Stingers. 

But the Bomber track championship battle was the focus Saturday night. Rhinelander’s Denny Tushoski entered the night two points ahead of Jeff Fannin and Ben Pitlik and five points clear of Bradley. The gap from first to fourth was cut to three points following the heat races.  Two drivers’ track championship bids probably came to an end Saturday night. Tushoski and Fannin were battling for fourth on lap six, when Tushoski got into Fannin’s left rear entering turn one. That got Fannin’s car loose, putting extra stress on the right rear wheel, which gave way and flew off the car, knocking Fannin out of the race in 13^th.  Tushoski was not penalized for the contact, but a frustrated Fannin made sure his displeasure with the move was known as Tushoski drove by Fannin’s disabled car under caution.  On the restart Bradley put a little distance on Ben Pitlik in second while Tushoski moved to third. Had the drivers finished in those spots, there would have been a three-way tie for the point lead entering the final night.  But disaster struck for Pitlik with four laps to go. Coming down the front-stretch, Pitlik’s right rear tire went flat. He tried to save the car, but spun entering turn one. The right rear rim caught the clay, flipping Pitlik’s car over.  Pitlik was okay and miraculously got back into the race, but he could not pick up any positions in the final four laps. He finished ninth, his car not fully up to speed and his engine desperately low on oil, which spilled on the track following the rollover.  Bradley held off Tushoski for the win, but Tushoski held on the point lead by one over Bradley entering next Saturday’s Season Championships. Pitlik and Fannin will need some major help if they want to win a title this year. Pitlik is eight points out of first. Fannin fell 13 points back.

In the WISSOTA Midwest Mods, Eagle River’s Bruce Belland saw his chance at a championship repeat slip away as he went off line in turn one and smacked the outside guard rail on lap 12. He finished 12^th, which proved to be critical as moments later Jason Zdroik stalled while leading under caution and finished 11^th. Had Belland been able to stay in the race, he would have had a chance to wrestle away the point lead.  Instead it opened the door for Aho, who took the lead on the restart and held off Chad Boettcher for his first career TNT Speedway feature win. Boettcher finished second and moved into a tie for second with Belland, 13 points behind Zdroik. 

Jeff Hoogland was dominant in the WISSOTA Street Stocks. The veteran driver, and current points runner-up in Tomahawk improved upon his second place finish from last week by leading every lap in the heat from the pole and the final 11 laps of the feature. Point leader Jeff Klopstein finished second and enjoys the biggest point lead of any class entering next Saturday’s championships. He has a 37-point cushion over Ron Van Dusen. 

Nick Visser notched win number five of the season in the Stingers, passing Brandon Miller on lap six and cruising the final 10 laps. Brandon Ross finished second, but still lost one point to leader Bill Martin, who finished third in the feature and won his he race. Martin, who is looking for his second consecutive Stinger title, leads Ross by 14 points.

All the track championships will be decided next Saturday night at TNT Speedway. Hot Laps begin at 7:00 PM, with racing at 7:45.

RESULTS: TNT Speedway – Saturday, August 22, 2009

WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Midwest Modifieds

Heat 1: 1. 8-Chad Boettcher; 2. 25-Jesse Aho; 3. 42-Steve Brown; 4. 88-Clay Montgomery; 5. 11-John Johnson Jr.

Heat 2: 1. 19R-Stan Rychlock; 2. 7M-Jeff McDonald; 3. 7-Joe Kin; 4. 52-Terry Stebbeds; 5. 65-Larry Gasperini

Heat 3: 1. 1Z-Jason Zdroik; 2. 22B-Bruce Belland; 3. 41-Dennis Mikkelson; 4. 16-Cory Dickman; 5. 77L-Chip Laskowski

Feature: 1. 25-Aho; 2. 8-Boettcher; 3. 7M-McDonald; 4. 19-Rychlock; 5. 7-Kin; 6. 41-Mikkelson; 7. 42-Brown; 8. 65-Gasperini; 9. 77L-Laskowski; 10. 52-Stebbeds; 11. 1Z-J. Zdroik; 12. 22B-Belland; 13. 16-Dickman; DNS: 11-Johnson Jr.; 88-Montgomery

WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Street Stocks

Heat: 1. 38H-Jeff Hoogland; 2. 21-Jeff Klopstein; 3. 78-Dennis Lacrosse; 4. A8-Bill Froehlich; 5. 11-John Johnson Sr.; 6. 8-Ron Van Dusen; 7. 3-Jake Mullins; 8. 101-Leif Gunderson; DNS: 23M-Kevin Maulson Jr.

Feature: 1. 38H-Hoogland; 2. 21-Klopstein; 3. 11-Johnson Sr.; 4. 8-Van Dusen; 5. 78-Lacrosse; 6. A8-Froehlich; 7. 101-Gunderson; 8. 3-Mullins; DNS: 23M-Maulson Jr.

TNT Bombers

Heat 1: 1. 95-Geoff Zdroik; 2. 32-Wayne Eskola; 3. 21-Denny Tushoski; 4. 81-Dan Melton; 5. 61-Jim Melton; 6. 37-Matthew Smith; 7. 17-Tim Miller

Heat 2: 1. 28-Lee Bradley; 2. 190-Ben Pitlik; 3. 04-Jeff Fannin; 4. 4-Jesse Votis; 5. 18-Mike Bukovic; 6. 11-Troy LaRock; 7. 01Z-Ron Reese

Feature: 1. 28-Bradley; 2. 21-Tushoski; 3. 81-D. Melton; 4. 18-Bukovic; 5. 95-G. Zdroik; 6. 01Z-Reese; 7. 37-Smith; 8. 17-T. Miller; 9. 190-Pitlik; 10. 61-J. Melton; 11. 4-Votis; 12. 11-LaRock; 13. 04-Fannin; 14. 32-Eskola

TNT Stingers

Heat 1: 1. 27-Bill Martin; 2. 26B-Brit Bromann; 3. 47-Brandon Miller; 4. 11L-Jim Larsen Jr.; 5. 10S-Chad Schinke; 6. 81M-Steve Melton

Heat 2: 1. 30V-Nick Visser; 2. 9-Logan Lannet; 3. 2-Brandon Ross; 4. 31-Richard Barlowski; 5. 44-Fred Feger; 6. 74-Rory Radtke

Feature: 1. 30V-Visser; 2. 2-Ross; 3. 27-Martin; 4. 44-Feger; 5. 10S-Schinke; 6. 31-Barlowski; 7. 47-B. Miller; 8. 26-Bromann; 9. 9-Lannet; 10. 11L-Larsen Jr.; 11. 74-Radtke; DNS: 81M-S. Melton