 HASELEU HAULS IN WCS CHECKERED AT WIR
ON RECORD SETTING DAY!
KAUKAUNA, WI. (May 15, 2005) - An amazingly
steadfast group of race fans sat through bitter cold and extreme winds to witness 59 cars
attempt qualification runs during the Budweiser/WAPL Spring Classic and a classic battle
between Nathan Haseleu of Marshall, WI., and local favorite Jeff Van Oudenhoven of
Kimberly for the win at Wisconsin International Raceway. When the checkered flag
fell in the 100 lap main event it was Haseleu who held a three car length advantage over
Van Oudenhoven to earn his second career WCS victory. Haseleu previously won the
Memorial Day contest at Golden Sands Speedway during the 2003 season.. The number of
entries established a new record in Wisconsin Challenge Series competition, eclipsing the
mark of 54 participants which attempted to qualify for the season opening contest for WCS
at the season opening event at Dells Motor Speedway to start the 2004 season. The contest
at Wisconsin International Raceway was the 31st in series history and the first ever event
held at the Fox Valley half-mile oval.
23 starters accepted the green flag for the 100 lap feature
contest, with NASCAR touring series drivers Steve Carlson and Erik Darnell making up the
front row. Carlson a regular on the NASCAR Midwest tour would run wheel to wheel
with Darnell, the 2003 Wisconsin Challenge Series champion before securing the top spot.
Jeremy Lepak, a steady campaigner on the WCS circuit and front
runner in Central Wisconsin racing battles, would edge out Van Oudenhoven for the third
spot during the opening rounds with Haseleu making up the top five.
Two time Dells Motor Speedway champion Jeff Kendall worked his
way into the sixth spot by lap five as the field began to sort itself out.
The lead positions began to be contested as Lepak began to
challenge Darnell for the runner-up spot, while at the same time Haseleu began to pressure
Van Oudenhoven. Darnell would repel the challenges of Lepak to maintain the second
spot running about a half-dozen car lengths behind Carlson. Haseleu's efforts
however were rewarded with a successful outside pass of Van Oudenhoven on lap 13 brining
the former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor to the third spot.
Carlson continued to cruise comfortably out front while second
place became a game of cat and mouse as Lepak, Haseleu and Van Oudenhoven all were looking
for a way to sneak past Darnell in second. Further back Kendall got shuffled to the
outside grove losing several spots bringing NASCAR Midwest Series regular Tim Schendel to
sixth just ahead of local hotshoe Andy Monday who was the 2004 Rookie of the Year at
Wisconsin International Raceway's weekly racing action..
On lap 38, Lepak would work under Darnell in turn three to grab
the runner-up spot. Before Darnell was able to get back to the lower grove he slid
to fifth position behind Haseleu and Van Oudenhoven advanced to third and fourth
respectively.
Carlson's lead remained at a steady sixth car lengths as Lepak
attempted to close the gap from his runner-up position. Drivers aware of the 50-lap
mandatory pit stop, began their final attempts to improve positions as the midway of the
contest approached. The battle between Haseleu and Van Oudenhoven was especially
close as Van Oudenhoven looked to Haseleu's inside on several occasions.
The race would reach the mid race caution flag with Carlson still
holding a solid lead. Lepak maintained second with Haseleu, Van Oudenhoven, and
Darnell in the top five.
After a 15 minute break to make adjustments on their cars the
drivers returned trackside with Carlson again leading the way. Lepak would immediately
come under fire from Haseleu who worked the high line through turns one and two on lap 52
to grab the second spot. On the very next lap Haseleu rolled in hard on the outside
alongside Carlson heading into turn three and before the pair made their way back to the
line it was Haseleu with the top spot, dropping Carlson from the lead for the first time
in the contest.
Van Oudenhoven meanwhile was also on the move working the high
groove past Lepak on lap 57 for the third spot. Van Oudenhoven continued his march
forward working past Carlson on lap 70. Lepak work grab third at Carlson's expense moments
later. Haseleu had built a small margin but over the next 10 laps Van Oudenhoven
sliced into the advantage working up to Haseleu's rear bumper with 20 laps to go in the
contest.
Haseleu and Van Oudenhoven would separate themselves from Lepak
who remained third during the closing laps, while Carlson began to be pressured by
youngster Monday who was turning in an impressive performance in just his sophomore season
behind the wheel of a Super Late Model.
Haseleu's lead would come under fire from Van Oudenhoven on
numerous occasions during the remaining laps, but Haseleu would garner enough speed to
maintain the top spot. At the wire Haseleu would reach the finish a mere two car
lengths ahead of Van Oudenhoven for his first career feature win at Wisconsin
International Raceway and his second in series competition. Van Oudenhoven would
settle for second with Lepak third some distance back. Over the closing laps veteran
racer Carlson would manage to edge out Monday who applied the pressure to the checkered
settling for fifth.
Steve Holzhausen steadily moved forward during the final 50 laps
of the main event making his way up to the sixth spot. Schendel would earn seventh.
The day's fastest qualifier and 1996 track champion Mark Schroeder would turn in a solid
eighth place showing. Dexter Bean would earn ninth and Rod Wheeler who would debut a
new car on this day, would wind up winning a qualifying race and steadily work traffic to
advance into the final top ten spot.
19 of the 23 starters were still in competition at the checkered
flag. The contest also ran the entire distance with only the mandatory pitstop as a
slowdown. It marked the first time in series history that a race went from green to
checkered without a caution for an on track incident. Previously several events had
been held with just a single caution flag.
With the strong turnout of cars the qualifying races were hotly
contested. In the first contest locals racer Wheeler and Tom Hockers finished one
and two, with defending series champion Mark Eswein gathering up the final transfer spot.
The race would prove fateful to several contenders including current WCS point
leader Charlie Menard and multi-time track champ Terry Baldry, both of whom were collected
in a tangle which also involved Brent Strelka. Menard and Strelka were doing battle
for the final transfer spot at the time.
In the second qualifying race, Rick Corso kept his machine out
front to collect the checkered over Jeremy Miller and Frank Kreyer. Super Late Model
rookie Tom Gee Jr., would grab fourth just missing the show.
With the extremely high car count on hand, a consolation race was
needed with Rory Melbinger slipping past rookie Callin Harrell during the closing laps for
the victory. A fast closing Bobby McDonald would settle for third after a white flag
attempt to pass for the lead came up short.
The next event on the WCS schedule will mark the only appearance
of the series this season on a quarter-mile oval, as Jefferson Speedway will host the
Jefferson 100 on Saturday evening, May 21st.
The main event for the WCS cars will be a 100 lap feature
contest, while twin 30 lap qualifying races will prove critical in setting the
balance of the field.
Pit gates will open at Noon, with practice set to begin at 1:00
p.m. Qualifying will begin at 4:00 p.m., and the first green flag of the day will
fly at 7:00 p.m. All totaled fans can expect to witness nearly 300 laps of racing
throughout the course of the day, as Jefferson Speedway will also be hosting 4 support
divisions, including Sportsman, Internationals, Hobby Stocks and Bandits. Adult admission for the show is a fan friendly $12
making the program an exceptional value.
Jefferson Speedway is located on halfway
between Cambridge and Jefferson Wisconsin on Highway 18. For additional information
on Jefferson Speedway the track has a website available at www.jeffersonspeedway.com
Information on the Wisconsin Challenge
Series can be found at www.wisconsinchallenge.com
For
complete RACESTAT Computer Results Click Here
Budweiser / WAPL
Spring Classic 100 Results
Wisconsin International Raceway - May 15, 2005
100 Lap Feature: 1.)
Nathan Haseleu, Marshall; 2.) Jeff Van Oudenhoven, Kimberly; 3.) Jeremy Lepak, Wausau; 4.)
Steve Carlson, LaCrosse; 5.) Andy Monday, Appleton; 6.) Steve Holzhausen, Bangor; 7.) Tim
Schendel, Sparta; 8.) Mark Schroeder, Green Bay; 9.) Dexter Bean, Westby; 10.) Rod
Wheeler, Hortonville; 11.) Jeff Kendall, Montello; 12.) Mark Eswein, Wisconsin Rapids;
13.) Chris Weinkauf, Merrill; 14.) Ryan Mathews, Lake Geneva; 15.) Frank Kreyer,
Pardeeville; 16.) Adam Royle, Farmington, MN; 17.) Jeremy Miller, Loves Park, IL; 18.) Tom
Hockers, Green Bay; 19.) Rick Corso, McHenry, IL; 20.) Erik Darnell, Beach Park, IL; 21.)
Tim Rothe, Appleton; 22.) Jamie Iverson, Escanaba, MI; 23.) John Meidam, Appleton
First 30 Lap Qualifier: 1.)
Wheeler; 2.) Hockers; 3.) Eswein; 4.) Matt Kocourek, Racine; 5.) Pete Vandermolen,
Oshkosh; 6.) Jim Duchow, Kaukauna; 7.) Kyle Kinder, McFarland; 8.) Charlie Menard,
EauClaire; 9.) Dean LaPointe, Marshfield; 10.) Burton Brown, Neenah; 11.) John Zimmermann,
Markesan; 12.) Jim Sauter Jr., Necedah
Second 30 Lap Qualifier: 1.)
Corso; 2.) Miller; 3.) Kreyer; 4.) Tom Gee Jr., Sobieski; 5.) Greg Haase, Two Rivers; 6.)
Royle; 7.) Don Turner, LaCrosse; 8.) Jason Weinkauf, Merrill; 9.) Gary Back, Vesper; 10.)
Blake Horstman, Holmen; 11.) Robb Vanderloop, Kaukauna; 12.) Adam Dengenhardt, LaCrosse
15 Lap Consolation: 1.) Rory
Melbinger, Marshfield; 2.) Callin Harrell, Harrison; 3.) Bobby McDonald, Combined Locks;
4.) Brett Widdis,Manistique, MI; 5.) Kyle Davis, Marshfield; 6.) John Ovadahl Jr.,
Watertown |
