7/20/2024
Princeton Speedway
Travis Schulte Wins First Modified Feature Win Friday Night at the Princeton Speedway.
By: Tami Jo Kuehn
Princeton, MN (July 19) – After one week off, the Princeton Speedway went green Friday night for some WISSOTA Dirt Track Race action. The MN Micro Sprints were on hand for Sparkle Night presented by the Princeton Ambassadors and Jim Gullikson, Cole Boston, Travis Schulte, Dexton Koch, Justin Schelitzche and Jack Lobin went home with wins.
The WISSOTA Street Stocks were first up for the night with Jim Gullikson and Steve Eggersgluess on row one. Gullikson grabbed the early lead and Tommy Pogones moved into second. Pogones slid to Gullikson’s inside and tried to pass for first, but Gullikson held the point. Laps passed without issue as the Streeters completed their feature with no cautions, and Jim Gullikson took the win. Tommy Pogones, Kyle Howland, Jeff Ekdahl and Charlie Shiek rounded out the top points.
A hearty field of WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds took the green with Tim Siercks and Kaden Woodie leading the way. Drivers were side-by-side and three-wide as they wrapped up their first lap and the yellow soon followed. A handful of cautions occurred throughout the feature, including one which shifted the leader to the tail of the field. Cole Boston, who started 10th, inherited the lead and with only eight laps to go, and pulled away from his competitors. Ryan Putnam, Joey Jensen, Tim Siercks and Jake Hagemann took points two through five as the race concluded while Cole Boston took the win.
The MN Micro Sprints were next on the agenda and Joe Snow took the lead as the green waved. Carter Jensrud snagged second with Jack Lobin moving into third. Jensrud put pressure on Snow as Lobin nearly went over the track edge. The yellow waved and drivers were sorted with Snow in command followed by Jensrud and Mason Seubert. As the green reappeared Seubert passed Snow for first and Lobin moved from last back into the top five points. Seubert was in command but felt the pressure of Jensrud and Lobin on his rear. The top three kept close as Lobin took the lead. The checkers were raised, and Jack Lobin took the win followed by Mason Seubert, Carter Jensrud, Tyler Pelofske and Joe Snow as the top five finishers.
A pair of 24’s brought the WISSOTA Super Stocks to the track with Eric Martini and Chris Wark on row one. Martini pulled away with the top point as remaining drivers were two and three-wide on the quarter-mile track surface. Dexton Koch worked the low groove and made his way past Wark and then challenged Joey Jensen for second. The yellow then waved and the field was reset with Martini in command, but Koch took second and moved to Martini’s door. Koch nosed ahead of Martini and slowly pulled away with the point. Back to Back cautions slowed the drivers with four laps to go. As the race resumed, contact occurred amongst the field which shifted drivers in positions, however the Supers kept the race green as Dexton Koch took the win. Joey Jensen finished in second with Dustin Nelson, Eric Martini and Chris Wark as top finishers.
After doing a four-wide salute for the first time this season at Princeton, the WISSOTA Modifieds took the clay for the next feature. Travis Schulte and Kyle Kirberger brought the drivers to green and Schulte grabbed the lead. Drivers raced door to door for positions the early laps as JT Johnson took second and Adam Bohlman grabbed third. Dave Cain, Kirberger and Devin Fouquette raced three-wide for fourth and Cain snagged the point. With the race half over, Schulte had established a solid lead, but the yellow waved. Schulte sped off on the restart with everyone else, battling three-wide for positions. Johnson, Bohlman and Cain were three-wide off and on, however Johnson retained second every lap at the line. Top drivers continued to battle for points the remainder of the race, with the exception of Travis Schulte, who took the checkers and won his first Modified feature. Points two through five were awarded to JT Johnson, Dave Cain, Don Eischens and Adam Bohlman.
The WISSOTA Hornets wrapped up the night’s events with 10 drivers on the race surface. Payson Patrin and Justin Schelitzche sped off when the green waved and Schelitzche took the lead at the end of lap one. Patrin held second with Bobie Arnes in third. Patrin and Arnes kept Schelitzche within an arm’s reach as laps went by. Justin Schelitzche stretched his lead the remainder of the race and grabbed the win with Payson Patrin in second and Bobie Arnes, Tony Jenson and Jenna Hagemann as the top five drivers.
Next week will be Kids Night – Meet the Drivers night at the Princeton Speedway with an extended intermission to allow kids to go on the race surface and meet drivers. All six of our regular classes will be in action with racing scheduled to start at 7:00pm.
Article Credit: Photo By: Mark Anderson
