7/31/2024
Beaver Dam Raceway
BDR Returns with a Bang on Tuesday Night
Beaver Dam, WI (July 31st, 2024) - A return to regular weekly racing was capped off with a great night of racing. Mark Hoeppner, Jeremy Christians, Geoff Zdroik, Brandon Schmitt, and Jackson Lewis all made their ways to victory lane, some for the first time this season and some returning for another trip. Bikes on the night were provided by the Richards Family and Uherka Motorsports.
90 cars made up the five divisions of racing, with 17 EK Machine Unified Street Stocks, 13 N&S Towing IMCA Stock Cars, 19 Rich’s Truck & Auto Repair IMCA Sport Modifieds, 20 Shepy’s Auto Body IMCA Modifieds, and 21 Legends.Direct Legends.
Heats were led off by Andy Gross, returning to racing after three years sidelined with health issues, and Jonathan Persha in the EK Machine Unified Street Stocks. Jeremy Christians and Matt Rechek picked up the N&S Towing IMCA Stock Car heats. Rich’s Truck & Auto Repair IMCA Sport Modified heat races went to Vince Jung, Colton Van Hierden, and Nick Schultz. Dave Schoenberger, Jeff Schepp, and Brandon Schmitt led the way in the Shepy’s Auto Body IMCA Modified heat races. Jackson Lewis, Jordan Miklas, and Ryan Sullivan wrapped up heats in the Legends.Direct Legends.
Andy Gross and Jonathan Persha continued their good runs into the feature, starting on the front row in the EK Machine Unified Street Stocks. Gross brought the field to green but it was Persha who led at the end of lap one. Gross fell to second, pressured by Craig Lepple for the spot. Marcus Hoeppner moved into the second spot early as he fought his way past Lepple and Gross. A yellow on lap five brought the field back together for a restart. Persha led the field back to green and quickly came under fire from Hoeppner, who used the lowline to charge into the lead. Trouble struck for Gross on his return, running out of brakes and hitting the wall, ending his night. The pack behind the leaders was chaos with fourth through tenth all up for grabs. A quick yellow brought the field close together but Hoeppner was unfazed, getting the best restart and running away. Persha and Phillip Wuesthoff battled it out for the second spot, with Wuesthoff coming out on top. Dale Kreuziger began work on Persha, working by on lap sixteen. Marcus Hoeppner drove off into the sunset, picking up the win with Wuesthoff second and the hard charger Kreuziger third.
Karly Stadler and Tim Paitrick made up the front row of the N&S Towing IMCA Stock Car feature. Third starting Brandon Paitrick got the jump with Matt Rechek moving into second right away. The field instantly began four-wide racing while Alex Crapser closed in on the top two. Rechek threw a slider on Brandon to take the lead with Crapser following through a lap later. Jeremy Christians moved into third and went to work on Crapser, getting past him on lap nine. Brandon Schmitt made quick work of Crapser as well, moving into third on lap eleven. Christians began to close in on Rechek for the lead, with the #99X there by lap fourteen. Christians got the lead on lap seventeen with Rechek attempting to retake the lead but was ultimately unsuccessful as the yellow flew. A two-lap shootout commenced with Christians getting the jump and Schmitt falling into second. Schmitt would have a shot at the lead but couldn’t get it done. Jeremey Christians took the win with Schmitt second, both up seven positions and the hard chargers, with Rechek rounding out the podium.
It would be Vince Jung and Jim Zdroik on the front row of the Rich’s Truck & Auto Repair IMCA Sport Modified feature. Jung got the jump and took the lead, with Zdroik falling back to second and Tim Thrun third. Caution flew early which brought everyone back close. Jung brought the field back to green with Thrun moving into second. Colton Van Hierden made his way to the front, passing Jung for the lead on lap six. Geoff Zdroik began his charge to the front, working into third and quickly closing on second and first. Caution flew at the halfway point which helped Zdroik close in on Van Hierden. The green dropped and Van Hierden got the jump with Zdroik behind closing in. Zdroik worked past Van Hierden and brought Nick Schultz with him, demoting Van Hierden to third. Geoff Zdroik drove the rest of the race on rails, picking up the win with Schultz close behind in second and the hard charger, with Van Hierden third.
The Shepy’s Auto Body IMCA Modifieds were brought to green by Jeff Schepp and Bruce Troesch. Schepp got the jump on the field with Dan Roedl getting a good launch and fighting with Tim Robbins for second. Roedl moved up into the lead on lap six and began to grow a gap. Jeff Schepp fell back into second with Noah Schepp moving into third. Noah moved into second with Jeff beginning to fall down the order. Brandon Schmitt began to close in on the top two after moving into third. Yellow flew on lap fifteen, beginning a five-lap shootout. Roedl led the field back to green with Schmitt, Skyler Woods, and Cole Czarneski right behind. Yellow flew with a lap to go for a stranded car, creating a green-white-checkered scenario. Roedl brought the racing back to green, with Schmitt going low and taking the race lead late. Roedl had one last chance at the lead and sent it in on the last lap, getting into the back of the #20 and turning himself around. Brandon Schmitt drove off unscathed and took the win with Woods second, both drivers up ten spots and the hard chargers; Czarnseki rounded out the podium.
Cal Swenson and Tim Franz made up the front row of the final feature in the Legends.Direct Legends. Swenson got the jump and had a pack of cars behind him. Payton Jones broke by first and into the lead with Jordan Miklas and Jackson Lewis following suit. Adam Zellmer got involved as well with Miklas taking over the lead. Zellmer got to challenging Miklas for the lead and got the move done on lap four. Lewis moved up into third and went to work on the top two, getting past Miklas a few laps later. Zellmer, in a unfamiliar #64 car due to his normal #117 down for the count, under pressure from the track points leader Lewis. Lewis had set up a move on Zellmer before the yellow flew, ending his attempt. Zellmer led the field back to green with Lewis breathing down his neck. It took Lewis until lap twelve to work past Zellmer for the lead. A late race restart was no problem for Jackson Lewis, who went on to pick up yet another feature win. Zellmer came home second with Miklas third. Connor Carey brought home the hard charger spot, up ten positions, with the #4C finding pace recently at the track and on the traveling circuit.
Beaver Dam Raceway will be back in action this coming Tuesday, August 6th with a regular weekly night. Pits will open at 4:00pm with grandstands opening at 4:30pm. Racing will kick off at 6:30pm.
For more information about future events visit Beaver Dam Raceway’s website at wismotorsports.net.
Submitted By: Zack Krueger