6/9/2016
Wissota Late Model Challenge Series
Krohn Wins Night #1 of The OneMain WISSOTA Challenge Series
By Mike Carroll
The Plainsman
HURON, SD (June 2) — Jason Krohn made his first visit to Dakota State
Fair Speedway memorable Thursday during the Iverson’s Dakota Challenge,
the first of 13 stops on the OneMain WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series.
Krohn led the final 10 laps of the 40-lap feature to claim the victory
and the $5,000 top prize.
“I’m just happy we had good luck. You have to have luck first, and you’d
rather be lucky than good,” Krohn said after he found himself near the
front for the final sprint to the finish. “When we had luck and things
were going good, we were able to take advantage of it, and that’s what
it takes.”
After he finished fifth in the third of five heat races, Krohn started
13th in the 25-car field for the main event. With strong cars in front
of him, he wasn’t sure he would figure in the mix for the win.
“The first 10-15 laps, I don’t think I went a long ways. I was battling
with everyone on the way up through there,” Krohn said of his trek to
Victory Lane. “At about the midway point, my car got a little better or
maybe other people’s faded a little bit, and that’s when I was able to
kind of start coming.”
The race was slowed by caution just twice, the first in the fifth lap.
Josh Skorczewski started on the outside of the front row, led the first
four laps and guided the field around the 3/8-mile oval for 13 laps
after the restart. He slipped high as he came out of turn two; Donny
Schatz took the lead on lap 18.
Schatz, a seven-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion, pulled away.
However, the caution flew as 10-laps remained.
As Schatz made his way through lapped traffic, a slower car made contact
with the leader and set off a string of events, which involved the top
three cars in the race.
Despite significant damage to his Late Model, Schatz remained at the
front. The same couldn’t be said for Skorczewski and David McDonald, who
ran second and third respectively, when they were collected in the spin
by the slower car.
Skorczewski continued, but McDonald wasn’t as fortunate and was forced
to retire from the race.
Schatz led the first lap after the restart, but because of the damage to
his car, faded to fourth during the final 10 laps.
Krohn was locked in a five-car battle for third before the caution, but
moved into the lead on lap 32 and took the victory.
Ricky Weiss followed Krohn and claim second, his second runner-up finish
at the Huron track.
Weiss capitalized on the final restart, which resulted in another strong
finish.
Lance Mathees needed a victory in the second of two B-main events to
earn a spot in the field for the feature race; he gained 17 spots and
finished third. Schatz was fourth, followed by Jeff Wildung who started
17th.
With 51 Late Models, five heat races were needed. Schatz, Skorczewski,
Jeff Provinzino, Curt Gelling and Corey Nelson were heat race winners.
The racing program was delayed shortly during the second heat race as
John Bey was transported by ambulance to Huron Regional Medical Center
after his Late Model rolled and rested upside down on the front
straightaway. Fortunately, Bey had only minor injuries.
Shane Edginton was the other B-main event winner on Saturday.
Also in action on Thursday were the WISSOTA Street Stocks and Super Stocks.
Jordan Tollakson led the final nine laps en route to his sixth career
win at DSFS in the 15-lap Street Stock main event. He is the defending
WISSOTA Street Stock national champion and recorded his previous victory
at the Huron track during the 2015 WISSOTA 100.
Baloun edged Chris Serr at the line and claimed second. Broc Stout was
fourth followed by Chad Willmott.
Tollakson and Willmott were the Street Stock heat race winners.
Ross Dixon of Ramona moved to ninth on the all-time wins list at DSFS
with a victory Thursday in the Super Stock feature race. The win was his
40th career main event win.
Defending track champion Cole Searing started dead last in the eight-car
field and finished second. Jeremy North was third, followed by Casey
Hanson and Dale Tomes.
Hanson and Searing won the Super Stock heat races.
SUMMARY
WISSOTA Late Models:
Feature - J. Krohn, Weiss; Matthees, Schatz, Wildung, Gelling, Diede,
Fegers, Diemel, Nelson, Heiman, Redetzke, Brown, Odegard, Skorczewski,
N. Beyenhof, Doar, Ward, McDonald, Gilbertson, Mass, Winge, Provinzino,
Edginton, Kaanta
Heat 1 - Donny Schatz, Jordan Heiman, Robert Odegard, Jeff Wildung, Jake
Redetzke, John Kaanta, John Winge, Aaron Krohn, Scott Borkowski, Kent Arment
Heat 2 - Josh Skorczewski, David McDonald, Shane Edginton, Zach Johnson,
Matt Gilbertson, Curt Kranz, Doug Walsh, Chad Becker, Blake Swenson,
John Bey
Heat 3 - Jeff Provinzino, Ricky Weiss, Eric Mass, Nate Beyenhof, Jason
Krohn, Jeffrey Massingill, Lance Matthees, Mike Jager, Chad Mahder,
Robert Bladow
Heat 4 - Curt Gelling, Gary Brown Jr., A.J. Diemel, Kelly Duffy, Scott
Ward, Steve Laursen, Lyndon Bolt, Shawn Kirwin, Dusty Peterson, Nick
Beyenhof
Heat 5 - Corey Nelson, Pat Doar, Brian Diede, Marshall Fegers, Dustin
Arthur, Dave Smith, Mike Stadel, Matthew Smith, Cale Berry, John Hoefert
B Feature 1 - Edginton, Redetzke, Beyenhof, Winge, D. Smith, Jager,
Kranz, Bolt, Laursen, Berry, Mahder, A. Krohn
B Feature 2 - Matthees, Gilbertson, Kaanta, Duffy, M. Smith, Walsh,
Hoefert, Stadel, Bladow, Massingill, Arthur, Becker
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
Feature - Dixon, Searing, North, Hanson, Tomes, Neumiller, Dorris,
Degroot, Brooker
Heat 1 - Casey Hanson, Ross Dixon, Kip Degroot, Alan Dorris, Dave Brooker
Heat 2 - Cole Searing, Jamie Neumiller, Jeremy North, Dale Tomes,
Russell Hoffer
WISSOTA Street Stocks:
Feature - Tollakson, Baloun, Serr, Stout, Willmott, Phillips, Brooker,
Grace, Cable, Hartley, Bogh, Carstens, Stofferahn, Hoffer, Boomsma, Kahler
Heat 1 - Jordan Tollakson, Dave Brooker, Michael Bogh, Cole Phillips,
Craig Hoffer, Curt Grace, Kardel Boomsma, Dan Kahler
Heat 2 - Chad Willmott, Chris Serr, Blayne Baloun, John Cable, Pat
Stofferahn, Casey Carstens, Paul Hartley, Broc Stout
Submitted By: Craig Sullivan