 | ||
 | | |
|  | ||||||||
 | |||||||||
HOME • NEWS & RESULTS • ASA NEWS • SCHEDULE • STANDINGS • SPONSORS • PHOTOS • RECORDS | |||||||||
| |||||||||
 | |||||||||
Madison International Speedway | |||||||||
| | | | | | | | | |
Open Wheel Excitement at MIS By John Wells Saturday, July 28, 2007 (Oregon, WI) The second half of an exciting doubleheader weekend of racing at Madison International Speedway found five divisions of open wheel cars making the journey to Wisconsin's Track of Champions. With the USAC Regional Midgets and FIRA on the half-mile and the Ford Focus Midgets, Kenyon Midgets, and Rascal Outlaws on the quarter-mile, fans were treated to a great night of racing action. Zach Schiff Tops the Field in USAC Regional Midgets Like many drivers, Zach Schiff of Dublin, Ohio, was making his first appearance on Wisconsin's Fastest Half-Mile. And for Schiff he made the trip worthwhile as he bested a field of sixteen USAC Regional Midgets to win the 30 lap feature event. The win was Schiff's first-ever in the series. Brent Beauchamp and Schiff brought the field of high flying Regional Midgets to the green flag with Beauchamp jumping out to the early lead before the caution flag came out on lap 5 for a spin. On the restart Beauchamp continued to hold the lead over Schiff with Wisconsin driver David Byrne up to third on lap 7 just before the race's second caution flag would be displayed for debris on the track. The restart resulted in the same results out front but Kenny Biro of Barthesville, Indiana, was able to get by Byrne for third. With Schiff closing fast, Beauchamp saw his lead diminish quickly. On lap 11 Schiff had positioned himself to take over the lead and coming out of turn four had the opportunity to get by Beauchamp on the inside and cashed in when given just enough room to pass. From this point on Schiff proved to be too fast for the field as he built a solid lead over the competition. Meanwhile great racing was taking place behind Schiff as Biro and Fast qualifier Brian Olson were able to get by Beauchamp for second and third respectively. Caution flags for spins on lap 23 and 28, the latter for a spin by Alex Pruett who had worked himself up to fifth, proved to be no problem for Schiff as he brought his Beast Chassic / Esslinger Ford powered machine to the checkered flag. Biro would hold off Olson for second with Beauchamp finishing fourth and James Robertson in fifth. Olson set fast time with heat wins going to Travis Young and Beauchamp. Fitzpatrick Claims Ford Focus Feature Win Mario Clouser Takes Home Top Honors in Ford Focus Midgets Mario Clouser of Auburn, Illinois won the 30 lap feature for the Ford Focus Midgets. Starting on the pole of the eight car race, Clouser outdueled Tyler Irwin of Polson, Montana for the lead on the first lap and never looked back as he led wire to wire to pick up the win.
The best battle on the track was the race for second between Irwin, fast qualifier Craig Haack, and last year's winner Chett Gehrke. Despite their best efforts, Haack and Gehrke were unable to get by Irwin who held them off for second with Haack finishing in third just ahead of Gehrke. Rounding out the top five was James Robertson. Haack set fast time in the division with Robertson taking the heat win. Blake Fitzpatrick is King of Kenyon Midgets Blake Fitzpatrick of Terre Haute, Indiana, topped a field of ten Kenyon Midgets to win their 30 lap feature. Drew Charlson and Tyler Cottongim led the field to the green flag in the first-ever appearance by the series at MIS. Charlson showed the most speed early on as he took the top spot with Fitzpatrick up to second by the end of the first circuit. By lap 6 Fitzpatrick was up to challenge Charlson and the two soon found themselves side by side. Looking for room on the inside, Fitzpatrick seized the opportunity on lap 7 when he got the nose of his car inside of Charlson just enough as they went into to turn one and successfully made the pass for the lead coming out of the turn. From that point it appeared to be Fitzpatrick's race despite fellow Indiana driver Kyle Hamilton's best intentions. Hamilton was able to pressure Fitzpatrick but tonight it wouldn't be enough as Fitzpatrick cruised to the victory. Hamilton would finish second followed by Jacob Wilson, Jeff Wimmenauer, and Charlson. Hamilton and Wilson won the heat races. Gillentine Dominant in FIRA Event Neal Gillentine of Yorkville, Illinois, made it a clean sweep in the FIRA Series by setting fast time with a lap of over 99 mph, winning his heat, and bringing home the victory in the 12 lap feature that took place on Wisconsin's Fastest Half-Mile. Gary Cooper and Pat Kevin were the first to take the green flag, but it would be Grant Greenfield who would sprint to the lead from the start. Greenfield would only lead for the first two laps before surrendering the top spot to four time defending champion Vern Brown. With Gillentine up to challenge Brown, the caution flag came out on lap 5 for a spin. Brown's lead would be short-lived as Gillentine dropped to the inside on the restart and made the pass for the lead. Gillentine would not be challenged the rest of the way. Brown would finish second followed by Greenfield, Tim Roach, and Kai McNulty. Corso Captures Rascal Outlaw Win Rick Corso has logged a lot of laps at Madison International Speedway. Usually it has come with his super late model or Madison Late Model. But tonight the veteran driver from Johnsburg, Illinois, brought his Rascal Outlaw to the track and won the 15 lap feature. Kyle Lynn and Steve Kreft comprised the front row as the field came to the green flag. However, it would be Corso who made the big move from the start to get around both cars and vault to the lead. Jim Thiel and Jason Mahoney appeared to be the two cars that would have something for Corso. Corso built a solid margin over the field until the caution flag came out on lap 6. The restart was smooth for Corso who had the field covered tonight. A good battle ensued for second place with Mahoney edging out Thiel at the stripe. Ken Calhoun and Creft would finish fourth and fifth respectively. Thiel won the heat race. Racing continues at Madison International Speedway with Super Friday on Friday, August 3rd. Laborer's Union Local 464 presents a full night of racing including the Bob Schmelzer 100 for super late models paying $3000 to win. Also on the racing docket will be the three weekly divisons: Weaver Auto Parts Madison Late Models, Rockweiler Insulation Limited Late Models, and Roto Rooter Bandits. A special open practice session will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 with hot laps at 4:45, qualifying at 6:15 with racing at 7:30. For more information fans may call the track office at 608.835.9700 or checkout the website at madisoninternationalspeedway.com. Madison International Speedway is located on Sunrise Road between Stoughton and Oregon just off Highway 138. Official Results USAC Regional Midgets 30 Lap Feature (1-10) Zach Schiff- Dublin, OH, Kenny Biro- Barthesville, IN, Brian Olson- Puyallop, WA, Brent Beauchamp- Fairland, IN, James Robertson- Indianapolis, IN, Ricky Ehrgott- Riverview, FL, David Byrne- Shullsburg, David Gough- Machesney Park, IL, Tom Schabel- Yorkville, IL, Sara Hyslop- Morris, IL (11-16)Alex Pruett- Carefree, AZ, Travis Young- Franklin, IN, Patrick Wilda Jr.- Minooka, IL, Jim Anderson- Joliet, IL, Eric Johnson- Rockford, IL, Robby Parish- Knightstown, IN Fast Qualifier: Brian Olson Heat One: Travis Young Heat Two: Brent Beauchamp Ford Focus Midgets 30 Lap Feature (1-8) Mario Clouser- Auburn, IL, Tyler Irwin- Polson, MT, Craig Haack- Lewisburg, TN, Chett Gehrke- Broken Arrow, OK, James Robertson- Indianapolis, IN, Jordan Pennington- Mishawaka, IN, Marc Wachter- Yorkville, IL, Bill Kriegbaum- Marion, IN Fast Qualifier: Craig Haack Heat One: James Robertson Kenyon Midgets 30 Lap Feature (1-10) Blake Fitzpatrick- Terre Haute, IN, Kyle Hamilton- Danville, IN, Jacob Wilson- Crawfordsville, IN, Jeff Wimmenauer- New Whiteland, IN, Drew Charlson- New Bremen, OH, Tyler Cottongim- Avon, IN, Jacob Thompson- Franklin, IN, Grant Galloway- Lakeville, IN, Garrett Dollansky- Elk River, MN, Caleb Armstrong- New Castle, IN Heat One: Kyle Hamilton Heat Two: Jacob Wilson FIRA 12 Lap Feature (1-9) Neal Gillentine- Yorkville, IL, Vern Brown- Waunakee, Grant Greenfield- Waupun, Tim Roach- Janesville, Kai McNulty, Rich Kossak, Pat Kevin- Brookfield, Gary Cooper- Lake Zurich, IL, Lyle Phillips- Edgerton Fast Qualifier: Neal Gillentine Heat Winner: Neal Gillentine Rascal Outlaws 15 Lap Feature (1-7) Rick Corso- Johnsburg, IL, Jason Mahoney- Lake Zurich, IL, Jim Thiel- McHenry, IL, Ken Calhoun- McHenry, IL, Stee Kreft- Cary, IL, Lee Holverson- Bristol, Kyle Lynn- Lake Geneva Heat One: Jim Thiel
| ||
| | |
| | |
© Copyright 2007-08 Madison International Speedway - All Rights Reserved | ||
| | |
