8/17/2014
IRA Interstate Racing Association
REINKE ROCKETS TO VICTORY IN ROGER ILES TRIBUTE AT WILMOT – BREAKS TWO YEAR DRY SPELL IN BUMPER TO BUMPER IRA OUTLAW SPRINTS!
BORLAND GRABS CAREER BEST FINISH, TAKES SECOND AFTER PACING THE ACTION UNTIL THE FINAL LAPS!
August 16, 2014; Wilmot, WI – It had been a long time coming, and well deserved. Mike Reinke took advantage of a late race restart and powered past Russel Borland to capture the prestigious Roger Iles Memorial event. In doing so, Reinke broke a two-year dry spell, and collected the top prize of $3,600 in the process.
Though sometimes frustrated with his own performances, Reinke has had an amazing number of solid showings since his last victory. He last stood in victory lane on June 2, 2012 at Cedar Lake Speedway. Since then he had posted six runner-up performances, and finished in the top five an amazing 30 times. Reinke was due for victory, it was just a matter of time, and after the checkered flag fell it was pure redemption as he saluted the crowd from the wing of his car.
To take the win, Reinke had to overtake Russel Borland who was having the best performance of his career. Borland had paced the first 30 laps of a 36 lap contest. The race had an extreme number of restarts, and each time Borland stood tall to the challenges. It was the final restart with just six laps to go, that someone was finally able to replace Borland at the head of the pack. That person was Reinke who used a well timed restart to secure the lead, and pace the final six circuits taking the win by a dozen car lengths.
‘I don’t even know what to say right. To win here is amazing to me. I don’t usually get around here very good”, claimed Reinke. “I know we had some attrition which helped but we were pretty good. I hated robbing Russel (Borland) of his first win but it’s man been a long tome time since I won”, said a relieved Reinke. “I have to thank my crew and sponsors for this and my family, they are always there cheering for me no matter what”, concluded Reinke.
For Borland it resulted in an “oh so close” taste at victory. Still, Borland’s efforts resulted in a career best second place run, and he was almost overcome with emotion as his teams efforts were rewarded with such a solid performance. To earn second Borland was able to fend off the challenges of six-time champion Bill Balog. Second place was well earned.
“I really have to thank the crew they have worked so hard lately, we’ve been off so much. This is amazing. We really needed a confidence booster and this was it”, exclaimed Borland realizing the success of his teams efforts.
Balog can look back at his third-place run with pride, having patiently worked his way from dead last after having had to head to the work area at the start of the event. He avoided the pitfalls of many of his fellow competitors to reach third in the closing laps. The third place run extended his point lead over his nearest rivals as he seeks out an amazing seventh straight series title.
Track conditions were nearly ideal this evening on the third-mile clay oval, with a smooth racing surface and multiple grooves. Surprisingly however, much of the contest was rather unsettled with a fair number of cautions and red flags flying which reduced the starting field of 22 down to 13 at the finish.
22 cars accepted the opening green flag for the 36 lap A-main event. Borland was able to get the jump on the field from his outside front row starting berth, with Ben Schmidt slipping into the second spot. A couple spins and multi car gatherings had slowed the event several times before the third lap. Balog, the evening’s fastest qualifier had headed to the work area during the initial red flag and restarted the event in the 20th position.
The early event miscues included a red flag when Todd Daun, got his ride upside down while attempting to catch back up to the field for a restart. Daun, had finished runner-up last evening wound up a dismal 19th place tonight. A twin spin with Jordan Goldesberry, and Scotty Neitzel on lap three again slowed the event, and on the restart Ben Schmidt suddenly lost power while running in the second position ending his night and a shot at victory.
Things finally settled down enough to get in the first green flag stretch and Borland was eager to showcase the speed of his #23 machine. Behind him Reinke was advancing on each restart, and had placed himself into the second spot with a pass of Dennis Spitz on lap four.
Borland was able to extend his lead with each passing lap before Reinke started to match his pace by lap ten. Behind the lead pair Spitz was turning in a solid run fending off the challenges of Bill Rose, and Sheldon Haudenschild. By this point Balog had already cracked the top ten from the tail of the field.
Reinke began to reel in Borland as the race slipped past the halfway point. He would be assisted in that effort as Bill Wirth had his machine shed a wheel and drive off the edge of the track in turn one resulting in a caution on lap 19 which bunched the field.
Borland timed the restart perfectly gaining a small advantage on Reinke, while Rose slipped past Spitz for third.
Borland was seemingly able to keep a three-car length advantage on Reinke who followed in Borland’s tire tracks waiting for an error. Behind the pair Rose now had pressure from Haudenschild for the third spot, and Balog had climbed up to sixth as ten laps remained in the contest.
The final slowdown occurred for a grinding crash that involved Goldesberry and Todd Hepfner on lap 30. The pair made contact, and both cars began to tumble in turn two. Blake Nimee got clipped in the process and as a result the field continued to thin out due to attrition.
This setup a six lap dash to the checker.
On this restart Borland was unable to shake Reinke, who drew even entering turn one. In a drag race into the backstretch Reinke moved ahead with the lead. Behind them a mad scramble took place for second, brief contact between Rose, and Haudenschild appeared to have damaged Haudenschild’s ride as he began to slow.
Out front Reinke was flawlessly clicking off laps.
Balog was on the move scrambling into the fourth spot and dispatching Rose for third with two laps to go. He then closed on Borland as the white flag flew.
The checkered flag fell with Reinke receiving approval from the near capacity crowd. Borland was able to repel Balog’s challenges for a well-earned second place finish. Balog had to settle for third after a brilliant charge. Rose claimed fourth having advanced ten positions from this original starting berth. Scott Uttech who netted a fifth place effort quietly moving into the top five in the closing laps.
Neitzel rebounded from his early race spin with a sixth place run. Scott Biertzer earned seventh. Haudenschild nursed his slowing ride home in eighth followed by Raymond Hensley and Spitz in the top ten at the finish.
Tonight 29 cars checked in for qualifying.
The B-main was dominated by Haudenschild who outran Hensley for the victory. With, Hepfner, Nimee, Patrick Hayes and Chris Dodd finished in the transfer positions. Jereme Schroeder was the alternate.
The contest eliminated two potential contenders. Jeremy Schultz who had won the prior evening wound up taking a tumble. Schultz would climb over the tires of Scotty Thiel who had spun to avoid slowing cars in front of him, a result of a car up at the front of the pack unable to come up to pace.
Schultz climbed from his battered machine unhurt but obvious upset. His team with the help of several other crews had changed engines in his 5j machine between the heat race and B-main. It was disappointing finish after the success of the prior evening. Thiel, who won his first career A-main in IRA competition just two weeks ago, also sustained too much damage to continue.
Heat race victories were scored by Wayne Modjeski, Dennis Spitz, and Borland.
Balog set the fastest lap in qualifying with a 12.941 second orbit of the slightly banked third-mile clay oval. Reinke, the fast qualifier last evening was second quick tonight with a lap of 13.018 seconds, while Daun was third quick at 13.137 seconds.
The triple-header weekend now wraps up with a trip to Seymour Speedway on Sunday evening, August 17th. The last time the banked third-mile oval hosted the 900 horsepower winged-sprints was during the 2008 racing season.
The Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints have twice visited the track since it’s reshaping to an oval in 2005. The last series event held at the track was during the 2008 racing season. Australian National champion, Brooke Tatnell, was victorious in the contest six seasons ago on August 31st, as he held off former IRA champion, Donny Goeden. Goeden was the evening’s fastest qualifier with a lap of 13.023 seconds.
As fast as that lap was on the banked third-mile oval, the current all-time track record belongs to two-time IRA champ Travis Whitney when he blistered the track in 12.672 seconds on September 2, 2007.
During that show, the main event was captured by Mike Reinke. The race ran green to checkered with the 30 laps clicking off in just a tick under eight minutes. Track record holder, Whitney, was second in that event. Those two races mark the only two appearances for sprint cars at the Seymour Speedway since the track reconfiguration from a tri-oval.
The August 17th show will also feature the tracks own divisions including IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Street Stocks and 4 cylinders. A special format for the Seymour Speedway classes will be in place focusing on single qualifying races and feature events. The Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints will present a full show. Fans enjoying any type of car will surely appreciate the program.
IRA Sprints will hot lap and qualify at 5:30pm with racing at set to begin at 6:00pm. Adult admission is $20
Additional information can be found at www.seymoursuperspeedway.com
IRA proudly moves continues it’s 2014 season backed by its long time supporting series partners led by title sponsor Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts & Service Centers, and associate series partners Osborn & Son Trucking, TW Metals, Hoosier Tire, Cedar Creek Motorsports, Cummins Onan, and Carriage Auto Body.
The Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints are a featured member of Racetext.net a website dedicated to bringing fans the best possible coverage of local short track racing.
For more information on the IRA Outlaw Sprints check out the tour website at www.irasprints.com or by logging onto the series Facebook page at www.facebook.com/irasprints the series is also on twitter at #IRA_sprints.
IRA Sprint Cars - IRA Interstate Racing Association
Event #16 – Wilmot Raceway – Wilmot, WI – August 16, 2014
IRA Sprint Cars | IRA Interstate Racing Association
Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts A Feature (36 Laps): 1. 02-Mike Reinke; 2. 23-Russel Borland; 3. 17b-Bill Balog; 4. 6r-Bill Rose; 5. 7-Scott Uttech; 6. 2w-Scotty Neitzel; 7. 4b-Scott Biertzer; 8. 48h-Sheldon Haudenschild; 9. 70-Raymond Hensley; 10. 41-Dennis Spitz; 11. 4k-Kris Spitz; 12. 23-Trey Datweiler; 13. 79-Blake Nimee; 14. 94-Todd Hepfner; 15. 65-Jordan Goldesberry; 16. 53w-Bill Wirth; 17. 35-Ben Schmidt; 18. 5h-Patrick Hayes; 19. 19-Todd Daun; 20. 14aj- Wayne Modjeski; 21. 01-Chris Dodd; 22. 68-Dave Uttech
Behling Circle Track B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 48h-Sheldon Haudenschild; 2. 70-Raymond Hensley; 3. 53w-Bill Wirth; 4. 94-Todd Hepfner; 5. 79-Blake Nimee; 6. 5h-Patrick Hayes; 7. 01-Chris Dodd; 8. 43-Jereme Schroeder; 9. 7f-Lance Fassbender; 10. 5w-Byron Walters; 11. 16-Don Durham; 12. 71-Chad Tessman; 13. 10v-Matt Vandervere; 14. 5j-Jeremy Schultz; 15. 64-Scotty Thiel
Weld Racing Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 14aj-Wayne Modjeski; 2. 7-Scott Uttech; 3. 23-Trey Datweiler; 4. 17b-Bill Balog; 5. 68-Dave Uttech; 6. 43-Jereme Schroeder; 7. 5h-Patrick Hayes; 8. 70-Raymond Hensley; 9. 5w-Byron Walters; 10. 48h-Sheldon Haudenschild
Diversified Machine Inc. Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 41-Dennis Spitz; 2. 4k-Kris Spitz; 3. 02-Mike Reinke; 4. 35-Ben Schmidt; 5. 65-Jordan Goldesberry; 6. 79-Blake Nimee; 7. 94-Todd Hepfner; 8. 71-Chad Tessman; 9. 53w-Bill Wirth; 10. 5j-Jeremy Schultz
All Star Performance Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 23-Russel Borland; 2. 6r-Bill Rose; 3. 4b-Scott Biertzer; 4. 19-Todd Daun; 5. 2w-Scotty Neitzel; 6. 64-Scotty Thiel; 7. 7f-Lance Fassbender; 8. 16-Don Durham; 9. 01-Chris Dodd; 10. Matt Vandervere
Osborn & Son Qualifying (Top 10) 1. 17b-Bill Balog; 2. 02-Mike Reinke; 3. 19-Todd Daun; 4. 48h-Sheldon Haudenschild; 5. 65-Jordan Goldesberry; 6. 10v-Matt Vandervere; 7. 68-Dave Uttech; 8. 35-Ben Schmidt; 9. 2w-Scotty Neitzel; 10. 7-Scott Uttech
Submitted By: Jeffrey Sachse
