2024 Awards Banquet
By Tracy Hager
FOUNTAIN CITY (October 10) –
Day two proved to be even colder than the first night with a harsh wind directly blowing right into the grandstands, but many fans braved the weather to usher out the season at Mississippi Thunder Speedway. All new winners graced victory lane. Triple-duty driver Tim Johnson made it a clean sweep in the WISSOTA Super Stocks as he won from the pole. Anthony Zvorak had a great run winning the WISSOTA Street Stock season finale, and Bob Timm finally got to the winner’s circle after taking runner-up honors more than a handful of times this season. Tyler Limoges made his long haul from Redwood Falls, Minnesota pay off with a clean sweep in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified division.
The 26-car WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature needed a complete restart when Justin Supri spun out of turn three and collected others pulling the first caution. On the restart, three-wide racing was seen as David Swearingen took the lead. Tyler Limoges was in hot pursuit of Swearingen, and Shane Sabraski jumped into the action. Another three-way bid for sixth place erupted as the cars diced for the top spots. Swearingen continued to lead when a caution for a spin in turn four realigned the cars. Swearingen again hit the lead spot as Limoges was tailed closely by Jared Happel. Happel then shot under Limoges and into the lead. Sabraski zipped into fourth behind Swearingen and was followed by Erik Kanz. Happel was able to gather steam and pull away from the pack when a caution for spun cars in turn two reeled him back in. Happel again took the lead and was followed by three-wide racing for second place. Limoges kept his patience in check as he made several attempts at t! he lead. Happel proved to be too strong and continued out front. Sabraski then made his way into third place and put some distance on Swearingen and Kanz. With seven laps to go, Limoges finally made the pass that would stick as he took off out front. Happel managed to hold Sabraski and Swearingen behind him when Tim Johnson crept into the top five after Kanz dropped from competition. Limoges capped his weekend with a clean sweep. Sabraski, Happel, Swearingen, and Jason Schill rounded out the top five.
Track Champion Danny Hanson earned the pole in the WISSOTA Street Stock feature with the previous night’s winner Devin Neske outside pole. Neske quickly shot out front as Hanson, Shaun Mann, and Anthony Zvorak followed. Four-wide racing ensued through turn two as the drivers shuffled for position. Zvorak made the pass on Mann to take over third as Neske held off the advances of Hanson for the lead. A multi-car spin in turn one pulled the leaders back to the pack with Neske, Hanson, Zvorak, and Mann at the top. Zvorak cleared Hanson on his way into second place as he set his sights on Neske. Sam Fankhauser put Mann down a spot while Hanson shot back at Zvorak for second. Chanda Fjorden Nord then made the move to fourth place ahead of Fankhauser. A caution stopped the field when Justin Pogones shot into the rear left of Lee Hager in turn one which resulted in a broken axle on Hager’s machine. When racing resumed, Neske continued in the lead when Zvorak once again took! over second from Hanson. Fjorden Nord kept a close watch on Hanson as Tim Johnson and Mann raced side by side for fifth. Neske, Zvorak, and Hanson drummed up some late-race excitement as they raced close for the lead spot. With four to go, Zvorak worked the top side to take the lead over Neske. Hanson appeared to wait it out and it worked when Hanson took over second from Neske. Zvorak’s late race move shot him to victory lane for the winner’s celebration. Hanson finished second after winning heat one. Neske took home third as he did in his heat race, and Fjorden Nord and Mann finished the top five off.
Tim Johnson bolted from Kevin Hager as the WISSOTA Super Stock main event got underway. Don Eischens dove low to take second place from Hager as the three broke away from the pack. John Yilek headed to fourth place followed by Gary Wiersgalla. Johnson kept low to stay ahead of Eischens while Hager kept a strong handle on third place. Yilek began to gain some ground on Hager as the previous night’s winner Dave Mass moved into sixth place behind Wiersgalla. Yilek slipped high out of turn two which gave Wiersgalla the opportunity to take over fourth place. Up front, Johnson and Eischens continued a close battle for the lead. The sole caution slowed the field for a spun car in turn four. Johnson still maintained the lead while Hager shot outside of Eischens to try for second place. Mass made a quick move inside of Hager to take over third place behind Eischens with ten laps to go. Johnson, Eischens, and Mass began to pull away from Hager when Yilek and Jason Schill clo! sed in on fourth place. Johnson was able to shake off Eischens and Mass as the two battled for second. Schill then darted low in turn four and barely cleared Hager to take over fourth place. Johnson and Eischens closed the gap again as the white flag flew, but it was Johnson to capture the win. Eischens, Mass, Schill, and Yilek locked up the top five.
John Doelle sat outside of polesitter Bob Timm in the 25-lap USRA Modified main event. Josh Angst quickly challenged Timm for the lead as did Jason Cummins. Luke Schilling rode his way into fourth as Steve Wetzstein flew by Doelle into fifth place. Joey Jensen was on the move as he darted from 10th place into sixth. A caution closed Timm back up to the pack as the race went back to green. Four-wide racing through turn four released the cars down the front stretch dropping to only three-wide racing through turn one. Cummins then grabbed second place from Angst. Wetzstein looked to the inside of Angst for third but could not make the pass. Caution two again reorganized the field with Timm still on the point followed by Cummins, Angst, Jensen, and Wetzstein. Cummins continued to try to steal the lead from Timm when Keith Tourville popped into the top five from nowhere. As the top three of Timm, Cummins, and then Tourville tried to stuff themselves into turn four a cau! tion for other spun cars tamed the field. With 13 laps to go, Tourville got into Timm and spun him and also collected other cars. Tourville’s great run slowed as he headed to the tail for the restart. Timm charged high as Cummins looked to the inside for the lead, but again, Timm closed the door. Angst continued his strong run in third while being pursued by Jensen and Wetzstein. With four to go, the final caution set the field up for the dash to the finish. Timm was able to keep his composure while being hotly pursued by Angst. Timm sealed his season with a win; his first of the season. Angst finished a solid second while Jensen took over third from Cummins in turn four just before the checkered flag. Wetzstein rounded out the top five.
The Hornets made their last appearance of the season, and it was Mark Ryskosky from Medford, Wisconsin to take the win. Corey Wolfe, Jake Bigelow, Kevin Laufenberg, and Jess Seim finished up the top five.
The inaugural season for Mississippi Thunder Speedway is now a thing of the past. Great improvements are ahead for the speedway. Thank you to all drivers, fans, sponsors, workers, and volunteers and anyone else who helped keep racing alive in Fountain City. The 2009 banquet will be held Saturday, December 12th at the Riverport Inn and Suites in Winona. Contact the speedway or watch for information on the track website. Have a great winter, and see you all in the Spring!
WISSOTA Midwest Modified Feature –
Tyler Limoges, Shane Sabraski, Jared Happel, David Swearingen, Jason Schill, Tim Johnson, Kyle Jumbeck, Jake Smith, Eric Herbison, Chris Gilbertson, Joe Horgdal, Dalton Yohnk, Mike Gibson, Wayne Dean, Don Schaefer, Chris Creeley, Jayme Hiller, Jake Frion, Tyler Creeley, John Sharpnack, Andy Jones, Erik Kanz, Nick Donahue, Ryan Olson, Justin Supri, AJ Roschen Heat 1 – Sabraski, Johnson, Gibson, Supri, Smith, C. Creeley, Sharpnack, Donahue, Roschen Heat 2 – Limoges, Happel, Kanz, Schill, Olson, Yohnk, Gilbertson, Schaefer, Hiller Heat 3 – Jones, Jumbeck, Herbison, Swearingen, T. Creeley, Frion, Horgdal, Dean
WISSOTA Street Stock Feature –
Anthony Zvorak, Danny Hanson, Devin Neske, Chanda Fjorden Nord, Shaun Mann, Tim Johnson, Cory Hanson, Scott Walker, Kevin Hager, Donny Ganz, John Kallas, Toby Jahnke, Sam Fankhauser, Jason Barber, Justin Pogones, Ben Goldsmith, Lonnie Klonecki, Tyler Wahlstrom, Tyler Peterson, Lee Hager, Bill Engler, Jeff Klopstein Heat 1 – D. Hanson, Zvorak, Neske, Barber, Ganz, L. Hager, Engler, Goldsmith Heat 2 – Fjorden Nord, C. Hanson, Fankhauser, Jahnke, Walker, Klonecki, Kallas Heat 3 – Johnson, Mann, Klopstein, K, Hager, Pogones, Wahlstrom, Peterson
WISSOTA Super Stock Feature –
Tim Johnson, Don Eischens, Dave Mass, Jason Schill, John Yilek, Jimmie Gullikson, Kevin Hager, Troy Langowski, Shane Kisling, Andy Grymala, Tim Williamson, Tommy Richards, Rod Dregney, Scott Rollinger, Bob Fort, Michael Hofer, Bruce Lutz, Gary Wiersgalla, Greg Mattick Heat 1 – Mass, Schill, Wiersgalla, Hager, Williamson, Grymala, Richards, Langowski, Rollinger, Kisling Heat 2 – Eischens, Hofer, Yilek, Lutz, Johnson, Gullikson, Dregney, Mattick, Fort
USRA Modifieds Feature –
Bob Timm, Josh Angst, Joey Jensen, Jason Cummins, Steve Wetzstein, Adam Stockhausen, Keith Tourville, Kent Baxter, Doug Hillson, Hank Rollinger Jr., Greg Jensen, Steve Lavasseur, John Doelle, Craig Scott, Luke Schilling, Josh Mattick, Don Paddock, Dan Bohr, Robby Bunkelman, Andy Bohnstengel, Lance Hofer, Jeff Rollinger, Ben Mattick, Don Eischens B-Main – Scott, J. Mattick, J. Rollinger, Baxter, Bryan Hessler, Kevin Roigers, Kerry Ledebuhr, Dustin Nelson, Brian Albrecht, Jim King, Larry Prochnow Heat 1 – Tourville, Jensen, Schilling, Hillson, Bunkelman, Scott, J. Rollinger, Baxter Heat 2 – Angst, Wetzstein, Timm, Jensen, Paddock, King, Albrecht, Prochnow Heat 3 – B. Mattick, Eischens, Stockhausen, Lavasseur, Bohnstengel, J. Mattick, Roigers, Nelson Heat 4 – Bohr, Cummins, Doelle, Hofer, H. Rollinger, Hessler, Ledebuhr
Hornets Feature –
Mark Ryskosky, Corey Wolfe, Jake Bigelow, Kevin Laufenberg, Jess Seim, Leonard Hicks, Kevin Levine, Fletcher Milene, Eric Schultz, Michael Wytaske, Adam Kerley, Shawn Applen, Troy Simmen, Cole Lonergan, Guy Hamernik, Justin Jessop, Mike Krause Heat 1 – Wytaske, Krause, Schultz, Laufenberg, Bigelow, Seim, Levine Lonergan, Applen Heat 2 – Ryskosky, Wolfe, Hamernik, Milene, Hicks, Kerley, Simmen, Jessop
A Mini Mods Feature –
Alex Williamson, Lucas Schott, Alexis Schott, Jerome Kellner, Mike Stevens, Ryan Wetzstein, Matt Stevens, Alex Stevens, Gary Kellner, Jake Timm Heat 1 – J. Kellner, M. Stevens, Timm, A. Schott, L. Schott Heat 2 – G. Kellner, Williamson, A. Stevens, M. Stevens, Wetzstein
Saturday, February 22, 2025
2024 Awards Banquet
