5/26/2017
Granite City Motor Park
ROEDIGER WINS IN A PHOTO FINISH AT GRANITE CITY SPEEDWAY
By Dean Reller
SAUK RAPIDS, MN (May 26, 2017) – Trever Roediger only led one lap, but it was the most important one as he edged out Matt Halls by .007 seconds to win the WISSOTA Mod 4 Feature in PolyDome Dirt Track Series action at Granite City Speedway.
A three-wide race into the first turn between Matt Halls, Thomas Sabraski and Trever Roediger quickly sorted itself out as Halls took the lead and Roediger fell into second. Halls stretched his lead, but saw Roediger slowly start to bite into it. Roediger made his move out of the final turn and pulled off the pass at the stripe to take the win. “It was really tough at first,” said Roediger following the race. “We were running the same line. The last couple of laps, I wasn’t gaining on him (Halls). So, I switched lanes and I just held it to the floor and never lifted and it worked out.” Dean Larson made a late race charge as he followed Roediger and Halls to round out the top three.
Keith Thell has won a lot of Features, but that was when he raced in the WISSOTA Mod 4 division, that hasn’t been the case since he moved to the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds this season. Thell scored a breakout win as he topped the field in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature. Starting from the pole, Thell took command of the race from the start. He quickly built a sizeable advantage over second running Ryan Studanski. The lead margin grew to more than a full straightaway before someone dislodged one of the infield tractor tires to bring out the caution with about three laps remaining. When the green waved the final time, Thell took off and tore to his first Midwest Modified win. Studanski held off Scott Engholm to finish second.
Tim Johnson won racing’s version of Survivor in the WISSOTA Street Stock Feature. Kyle Howland and Johnson staged an early battle before Howland was a part of a multi-car tangle in turn two. On the restart, Johnson nailed it to perfection as he held back challenger Jim Gullikson. A couple of laps later, Sam Fankhauser broke to prompt a yellow. Johnson again held off Gullikson, before Gullikson’s engine went up in a puff of smoke to bring out yet another caution. Johnson took the final restart and held off Davey Kruchten and Howland, who charged from back of the pack to complete the top three.
Andy Zimmerman also avoided adversity as he won the Outlaw Mini Mod Feature. Things got started off with a bang as Tommy Patton and Mason Sabraski tangled out of turn two on the opening lap. Both cars would be knocked out of the race. When things got going again, it was Tyler Rabenberg taking the lead before Zimmerman came blasting by out of turn two. A pair of cautions through the middle stages of the race kept Zimmerman and Taton Hansen dueling for the lead. Zimmerman held the upper hand as he held off Hansen and Jack Rivord for the win.
Dave Mass outran the competition as he won the WISSOTA Super Stock Feature. Tim Johnson took the lead from the wave of the green with Shane Sabraski and Mass in close pursuit. Sabraski’s race would end on lap five, as he broke something in the rearend of his car, bringing out a yellow in the process. On the restart, Johnson slid high in turn two, opening the door for Mass to swoop in and snatch the lead. Johnson would try to challenge Mass, but a couple of laps later, he dropped out due to a flat right rear tire. Mass then opened up a huge lead over Dexton Koch, but with three laps remaining, the stalled car of Jim Urseth brought out the second and final caution of the race. On the restart, Mass picked up where he left off as he shot to the win. Koch would finish second, with Brandon Kellen finishing third.
After being close to winning several times over the last two years, Corey Mehrwerth finally scored his first career Feature win in the WISSOTA Hornets. Mehrwerth started from the pole and held off Jake Smith and later Erik Cleasby as he captured the win. “It was fun,” said Mehrwerth following the race. “It took a lot of races, but we finally pulled it off. I was waiting for the checkered flag the entire race.” The only problem in the night for Mehrwerth was that he stalled his car on the backstretch as he was making his way to Victory Lane.
Coming up next week, the Avantage RV Modified tour kicks of their season at Granite City Speedway. Also running will be the Midwest Modifieds, Super Stocks, Mod 4’s and Hornets. Gates open at 6 PM, with racing starting at 7:30 PM. For more information go to www.gcspeedway.com
Article Credit: Dean Reller
