By: Paul Reichert
July 19, 2019
Despite the sweltering heat and the threat of thunderstorms, fans still came out in force to Tomah-Sparta Speedway for the biggest night of racing. The 5th Annual Tim Myer Memorial Shootout gave us some awesome racing action as we remembered a great driver that left us too soon. Jazelynn Myer scored a very emotional win in the Hornets and rang the victory bell in TACU Victory Lane to honor her uncle.
Hornet point leader Jordan Finch led the early going of the feature. Jazelynn Myer got around Finch to take over the lead on lap three. Both Ben Thurk and Alec DeVito would also get around Finch to move into second and third by lap five. Over the next few laps, both Thurk and DeVito would close up on Myer, giving us a three-way battle for the top spot. Thurk tried to go under Myer, then tried to work around her, and even gave her a love tap. All of that would not stop Myer from winning. DeVito got under Thurk for second on lap 11, and started his own challenge of Myer for the lead. After getting around lap traffic with two to go, DeVito put the pressure right back on Myer for the top spot. ‘Jazzy’ would not be stopped as she captured her second win of the season, and no dobut the biggest win of her racing career on the night we remember her uncle Tim.
Tim Myer was a top notch Sportsmen competiton back in the day, and the field made their feature event very exciting. The front row of Lonnie Wood, Sr. and Troy Dobbratz battled door handle to door handle as they traded the lead several times over the first half of the 20-lap main event. They would make contact in turn four on lap 11 as Wood, Sr. spun out. First time Tomah competitor Sam Messel from Madison became the new leader. She led the first four circuits after the restart before Tyler Sauter charged past Messel to take over the lead. Jason Backus quickly got around Messel and two laps later stormed by Sauter to claim the race lead. Sauter and Jason Stark made contact in turn four, causing Stark to spin out. The restart did not last very long as Mahlon Borntrager tagged and spun Backus. Borntrager went to the back, and Backus was given his spot back. Backus would not be challenged over the two-lap shootout to claim his second win in four weeks.
The Midwest Dash Series made their annual visit after being rained out in May, and they did not disappoint in their 25-lap feature event. Joe Cross led the opening lap before giving way to Tim Finstad. Finstad would pull out to a big lead, but Brandon DeLacy was making his march to the front. DeLacy would drive around Finstad on the outside with ten laps to go to assume command of the race. Greg Blount was looking to take second from Finstad a lap later. Both made contact in turn two and spun out. Kyle Stark took over the runner-up spot, but Stark would be no match for DeLacy this night. DeLacy pulled away on the restart and drove off with a very comfortable win.
In the Modified feature, Rick DeVito led the first two laps. Paul Brown would drive around DeVito to take over the race lead on lap three. While Brown was trying to open up his advantage on the field, fast qualifier Denny Schott would slowly inch closer and closer to the reigning Modified champion. Schott caught Brown with six laps to go and tried everything he could to get past him. Their battle allowed both Nick Quinnell and Brad Wildes to join the action over the last four laps. Brown would hold off the field to claim his second feature victory of 2019.
The Hobby Stock feature started with the field running in their side-by-side rows for the first five laps. Lonnie Wood, Jr. and Alex Rud tossed the lead back and forth for several laps before Mike Krueger, Jr. got by both of them on lap eight. Andy Moore just nosed ahead of Krueger, Jr. at the end of lap nine. Both drivers made hard contact in turn three, causing Moore to suffer a flat tire and bring out the yellow flag. Moore fixed his flat, and Alex Rud took over the race lead. On the restart, Raymond Hardy charged past Rud to take over the top spot. Jeffrey Lafave, Jr. got up to second late and did his best to catch up to the blue 81. Hardy built up a good lead that he would drive away with his second win of the season. .
The TACU Credit Union Six Shooter feature would be a battle of Winona against Tomah. Despite an early yellow for contact between Tim Murphy and Dan Frye, Cameron Riggs and Tristan Drazkowski would play ‘hot potato’ with the lead. Riggs would hold the inside groove and Drazkowski, in his new Six Shooter ride, hung out on the outside. Matt Moore and Frye would catch up to the lead duo with five laps to go, and now the battle was on for the win. Moore and Frye tried to find an opening to get around the DZR Racing duo, but Riggs and ‘Draz Jr.’ maintained their positions. Riggs would lead the last five laps to capture his first ever feature win at Tomah-Sparta.
Action continues next Friday, July 26 with the Modified, Sportsmen, Hobby Stock, Hornets, Six Shooters and Mini Stocks racing at ‘Daytomah’. The Chaos division will be back in action with the always entertaining Outhouse Race. Gates open at 4:00, qualifying starts at 6:15 and racing begins at 7:30. For more information about Tomah-Spata Speedway or the 2019 schedule of events, please call the office at 608-461-1920 or visit tomahspartaspeedway.com.
RESULTS
Hornets
Feature: 1. Jazelynn Myer, 2. Alex DeVito, 3. Ben Thurk, 4. Cheyanne Stanfield, 5. Mason Morphy
Heat 1: 1. Ronnie Foster, 2. Jordan Finch, 3. James Rittenhouse
Heat 2: 1. J. Myer, 2. A. DeVito, 3. Thurk
Qualifying: 1. Stanfield, 2. Jeff Quist, 3. Thurk
MIdwest Dash Series
Feature: 1. Brandon DeLacy, 2. Kyle Stark, 3. George Seliger, 4. Gary Stark, 5. George Sparkman, 6. Greg Blount, 7. Tim Finstad, 8. Tyler Edmundson, 9. Joe Cross, 10. Chris Jackson
Heat 1: 1. Finstad, 2. Seliger, 3. Cross, 4. Edmundson, 5. Jackson
Heat 2: 1. Blount, 2. DeLacy, 3. G. Stark, 4. K. Stark, 5. Sparkman
Qualifying: 1. Sparkman, 2., K. Stark, 3., DeLacy, 4. G. Stark, 5. Blount, 6. Seliger, 7. Finstad, 8. Edmundson, 9. Cross, 10. Jackson
Modifieds
Feature: 1. Paul Brown, 2. Denny Schott, 3. Nick Quinnell, 4. Brad Wildes, 5. Rick DeVito
Heat: 1. R. DeVito, 2. Brown, 3. Schott
Qualifying: 1. Schott, 2. Wildes, 3. Quinnell
Sportsmen
Feature: 1. Jason Backus, 2. Tyler Sauter, 3. Sam Messel, 4. Jason Bolster, 5. Lonnie Wood, Sr.
Heat 1: 1. Messel, 2. Mahlon Borntrager, 3. Bolster
Heat 2: 1. David Borntrager, 2. Backus, 3. Jason Stark
Qualifying: 1. Stark, 2., Sauter, 3. Backus
Hobby Stocks
Feature: 1. Raymond Hardy, 2. Jeffrey Lafave, Jr., 3. Andy Moore, 4. Alex Rud, 5. Bill Schott
Heat 1: 1. Schott, 2. Joel Geisser, 3. Aaron Hendricks
Heat 2: 1. A. Moore, 2. Lafave. Jr., 3. Hardy
Qualifying: 1. A. Moore, 2. Lafave, Jr., 3. Hardy
TACU Credit Union 6 Shooters
Feature: 1. Cameron Riggs, 2. Tristan Drazkowski, 3. Matt Moore, 4. Dan Frye, 5. Jestin DeLap, Sr.
Heat 1: 1. Drazkowski, 2. Clayton Haessig, 3. Al Bartels
Heat 2: 1. DeLap, Sr., 2. Frye, 3. M. Moore
Qualifying: 1. Frye, 2. M. Moore, 3. DeLap, Sr.
