6/8/2018
Tomah Sparta Speedway
By: Dan Weicher
Tomah Sparta Speedway 6-Shooter driver and local business owner, Matt Moore, put the word out last week that he was adding bonus money to the 6-Shooter feature winner’s purse. And not only did he bring out the talent statewide Friday night, he brought them from two states.
After qualifying fastest and winning the feature from the back row, Moore kept his promise that if he did win, the bonus cash would go to the driver who took second place. And that driver, former Big 8 Late Model Series driver, Brady Liddle of Oregon, Wisconsin, met Moore in victory lane and collected the extra payday. After Winona, Minnesota’s Alex Liebsch led the first lap, Moore took only 5 laps to bring his machine to the top spot and cruise from there. Several driver’s from Minnesota and the Madison, Wisconsin area came to Tomah for the big bucks race.
Jeff Lefave Jr. kept his winning ways going in the Hobby Stock division, winning yet again. After early race leader, Prior Lake, Minnesota’s Mike Borchardt, drove his machine off the track in turn’s three and four, Lefave was close behind, capitalized, and went on to win the 15 lap feature.
So far this season, the Midwest Dash Series has belonged to Patrick Thicke. But the string of win’s taken home by the West Salem, Wisconsin driver came to an end Friday night. Wyeville, Wisconsin’s Wayne Maulsby over took Tomah, Wisconsin’s Paul Finch from the get go and went out to a 15 car lead early in the feature. But Thicke’s fast machine only needed 5 laps to catch the back end of Maulsby’s MDS car. Maulsby kept Thicke a car length behind and his night ended in victory lane.
Two drivers in the Sportsmen division thrilled race fans for the last 4 laps of their feature, running side by side. Elroy, Wisconsin’s Mahlon Borntreger raced door to door for the final laps of the 15 lap feature with Prior Lake, Minnesota’s Greg Borchardt, but in the end, Borntreger could only muscle a second place finish by a half a car length. It was Borchardt’s first ever win at TSS.
For Tomah, Wisconsin’s Darrin Salo, it’s been a tough season in the Mighty Modified division. But after breaking two motors in the first two week’s of racing and sitting out for two more weeks, Salo has finally found a machine full of power. “The Flying Finlander” raced his way into victory lane, the third different Mod driver to win a feature this year. Behind him, Friendship, Wisconsin’s Paul Brown, winner of two features this year, and Mauston, Wisconsin’s Denny Schott, with one win under his belt, battled back and forth and door to door, only to see Brown finish second and Schott third.
A few drivers in the Hornet division flexed their muscle’s Friday night, showing other’s that a huge race lead can be taken away in the blink of an eye. That’s what Sparta, Wisconsin’s Alex Rud found out as his 10 car length lead was dashed quickly by Tomah’s, Aaron Hendricks. Not only did Hendrick’s pass Rud on lap 7 of 15, he, himself opened up a 10 car lead over the field and went on to win the feature.
Before the night’s features got underway, Track Announcer, Dan Deicher, along with the Lemmon family, presented long time short track flag man, Speedy Lemmons, with a huge signed poster by fans, drivers and track officials, wishing him well down the road. Last week, Lemmons started chemo therapy treatments as he battles Stage 4 Cancer. Lemmons, with tears in his eyes, vowed that “cancer will not take me out of the flag stand.”
Next Friday night the Great Northern Sportsmen Series invades the Tomah-Sparta Speedway. Jim Tate Jr. and Dave Trute have collected all 3 wins in GNSS stops at TSS. They will join Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, MDS, Hornets and 6-Shooters.
