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KREYER
COLLECTS NORTH AMERICAN CUP 100 VICTORY!
WISCONSIN DELLS, WI. (July 2,
2006)
- It took 24 hours longer than
anticipated, to put the North American
Cup 100 at Dells Motor Speedway is in
the record books. The Wisconsin
Challenge Series presented by Simply WOW
presented a rain delayed event under a
sunny sky amid warm conditions on Sunday
Afternoon after the scheduled program
fell to rain Saturday Night. It
would be Frank Kreyer of Pardeeville
reaching victory lane for his first
career WCS victory by edging current
Dells Motor Speedway point leader Kenny
Richards by a car length.
The event, which was to have been held
on Saturday evening, July 1st, fell
victim to torrential rains and hail as a
sever thunderstorm rumbled through just
as racing events were starting.
Overnight skies cleared, temperatures
warmed up and the Wisconsin Challenge
Series was able to log in it's 42nd
event in series history. With his
win Kreyer became the 26th different
competitor to collect a checkered flag
in a main event. Kreyer's victory
also continued the trend of having no
repeat winners thus far in the 2006
season.
The excitement began to
build on Saturday evening as competition
was fierce in qualifying. The entire
field qualifier within one half second
on the semi-banked third mile oval, with
the difference between setting fast
time, and making the show a mere .17
seconds. Making it for one of the
tightest qualifying sessions in series
history.
When the final car had
qualifier, it was youngest Jacob
Humphries of Lake Geneva turning in a
stellar lap of 13.323 seconds to earn
his first career fast qualifying effort
in WCS competition. Humphrey who
has become a regular on the circuit had
quickly become one of the front running
competitors. Defending series
champion Nathan Haseleu turned the
second fastest lap on the day with a
time of 13.358 seconds, while Richards
nailed down the third fastest lap with a
13. 13.372 second lap.
However, as cars hit the
racing surface for events in the support
classes, skies darkened and before the
qualifying race for the WCS cars could
take to the racing surface, skies opened
up. After an hour of torrential
rain, officials opted to use the Sunday
Afternoon rain date.
Action would pick back
up with a 30 lap qualifying race to set
the balance of the field. The
event would be captured by Andy Monday
of Appleton who would fend off local
favorite Jim Carlson for the victory.
Pete Kempf, Eugene Gregorich Jr., Jason
Weinkauf and Erik Klawitter comprised
the top six finishers and the drivers
who earned their way into the feature
event. John Zimmerman would
be added as a WCS provision on his
qualifying effort, and since all WCS
provisionals had qualified for the field
the final spot on the starting gird was
awarded to the next fastest car not
already in the show, which was Tommy
Pecaro.
With preliminaries
completed the field of 24 came down for
the green flag on three separate
occasions. The front row of Kreyer
and Minnesota hotshoe Adam Royle
separated several times before the drop
of the green flag. On the third
effort, the pair would race side by side
to accept the green flag. Royle
would gain the upper hand taking the
initial lead with Kreyer quickly falling
in behind. The third spot was
hotly contested as Brandon Selle and Ken
Reiser fought for the position.
However only one lap was
in the books before a grinding crash
would be the undoing for several top
competitors as a multi-car tangle ensued
near the front of the pack. When
the dust settled the cars of Chris
Weinkauf, Todd Stapleman, Don Turner,
Rory Melbinger, Jim Carlson, Jeff Way
and two-time series champion Mark Eswein
received various amounts of damage.
Sever drivers including Eswein,
Stapleman, Melbinger and Carlson were
too damaged to continue while several
others turned a few laps before
retiring. Of the group only Turner
would salvage a top ten finish with his
car battle scarred on the left side.
None the less it has the speed to carry
the veteran racer to a ninth place
finish.
Racing resumed briefly
before Way spun his car coming off turn
four on the ninth round. Though he
was able to resume the contest he parked
his ride a short time later.
The race resumed with
Royle still maintaining the pace as
Kreyer, Reiser, Tom Litchfield and Selle
gave chase. Royle would put
together a two car length gap on Keyer
when the third caution of the contest
appeared on lap 16, when Erik Klawitter
tagged the wall in turn four ending his
day with substantial damage to his ride.
As the same time Selle headed for the
pits with mechanical ills dropping him
fro the lead pack. The fourth
caution of the event appeared on lap 22
when Pete Kempt spun in turn four on lap
22.
Racing finally began in
earnest with Royle continuing to show
the way. Kreyer would fall back
slightly while holding down the second
spot, as Reiser continued to show the
way in third. Defending series
champion Nathan Haseleu had been having
success working the low groove and soon
placed himself in the fourth spot.
Multi-time track champion Jeff Kendall
worked into fifth before the final
caution of the contest appeared on lap
45, when Monday bounced off the wall in
turn two after some close racing. The
final 55 laps of the contest would be
completed uninterrupted.
On the restart Royle
again set the pace, but with fading
brakes he would not be able to withstand
the challenges of Kreyer who muscled by
on the inside to take the lead.
Haseleu, who had advanced to third just
prior to the final caution also took the
opportunity to pounce on Royle's
misfortune and work his way into the
runner-up slot. Royle would
continue in third with Reiser, Kendall
and Kenny Richards following.
The laps clicked by
quickly with Kreyer able to hold off
Haseleu for the lead. Amongst the
leaders the biggest movement was Reiser
who faded slightly drifting back to
sixth, and Richards who was on the move
forward reaching fourth. On lap
66, Royle's struggle with fading brakes
continued as he moved aside giving
Richards the third position.
The lead trio of Kreyer,
Haseleu and Richards remained in close
formation until mechanical misfortune
struck Haseleu with 20 laps to go.
Coming off turn two, just three car
lengths behind Kreyer, Haseleu's car
began to misfire and he headed to the
pit area, turning the runner-up spot
over to Richards. Haseleu's demise
elevated Royle's back into third with
Kendall and Reiser following in fourth
and fifth.
The final 20 laps would
be a two car battle for the win between
Kreyer and Richards. Richard's
narrowed the gap with each passing lap,
reaching Kreyer's rear bumper with five
laps to go. Richard's best shot at
the lead would be a miscue by Kreyer,
but Kreyer' would make his way to the
final lap without a miscue and take the
victory by a car length over Richards.
Royle had enough speed to carry him to
the finish line for third, just ahead of
a fast closing Kendall who took fourth
after a late race challenge of Royle.
Reiser comprised the top five finishers.
Blake Horstman
would turn in a solid showing to claim
sixth, Litchfield earned seventh, while
John Zimmermann, Turner and Jason
Weinkauf completed the top ten.
The Wisconsin Challenge
Series presented by Simply WOW now heads
to Marshfield Super Speedway just west
of Marshfield Wisconsin on County
Highway H, for the first of two events
during the 2006 season. The
half-mile semi-banked oval will hold the
Earth Inc / V-H Heavy Duty Trucks 80, on
Saturday Night July 15th. Time
trials will be held at 5:30 p.m. with
racing set to begin promptly at 7:00
p.m. The main event will be a 80
lap contest, with the field being set by
qualifying and 25 lap qualifying races.
A 25 lap B-Feature will conclude the WCS
portion of the program.
The tracks own
4-cylinder class and 1-Man Cruisers are
also on the car with a pull program of
events.
For
more information on the Wisconsin
Challenge Series presented by Simply WOW
consult the Wisconsin
Challenge Series website at
www.wisconsinchallenge.com
COMPLETE RACESTAT RESULTS
North American Cup 100 - Wisconsin Dells
Motor Speedway - July 2, 2006
100 Lap
Feature: -- 1.) Frank
Kreyer, Pardeeville; 2.) Kenny Richards,
Montello; 3.) Adam Royle, Farmington,
MN; 4.) Jeff Kendall, Montello; 4.) Ken
Reiser, Waukon, IA; 6.) Blake Horstman,
Bangor; 7.) Tom Litchfield, Pardeeville;
8.) John Zimmerman, Markesan; 9.) Don
Turner, LaCrosse; 10.) Jason Weinkauf,
Merrill; 11.) Tommy Pecaro, Edgerton;
12.) Eugene Gregorich Jr., Kewaunee;
13.) Nathan Haseleu, Marshall; 14.) Pete
Kempf, Nekoosa; 15.) Jacob Humphrey,
Lake Geneva; 16.) Andy Monday, Appleton;
17.) Brandon Selle, Dale; 18.) Chris
Weinkauf, Merrill; 19.) Eric Kalwitter,
Montello; 20.) Jeff Way, Burlington;
21.) Todd Stapleman, Plainfield; 22.)
Mark Eswein, Wisconsin Rapids; 23.) Rory
Melbinger, Marshfield; 24.) Jim Carlson,
LaCrosse
30 Lap
Qualifier -- 1.) Andy
Monday, Appleton; 2.) Jim Carlson,
LaCrosse; 3.) Pete Kempf, Nekoosa; 4.)
Eugene Gregorich Jr., Kewaunee; 5.)
Jason Weinkauf, Merrill; 6.) Eric
Kalwitter, Montello; 7.) Gregg Ruffalo,
Plainfield; 8.) Pete Vandermolen,
Oshkosh; 9.) Dave Feiler, Sun Prairie;
10.) Tommy Pecaro, Edgerton
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