9/14/2019 - Elko, MN
By Jason D Searcy
Elko Speedway was the focus of the NASCAR Hometrack community Saturday night as two Minnesota drivers were in contention to do something a Minnesota driver has never done before, win the Division I NASCAR Whelen All American series points Championship. NASCAR director of weekly operations Kevin Nevalainen was in attendance to witness history unfold at ELKO during Minnesota Lottery night as #72 Jacob Goede and #22 Nick Panitzke would battle for the National Crown.
In the first Late Model feature sponsored by “The Car Lot” in New Prague (MN) Nick Panitzke started 6th and fast-qualifier Jacob Goede started 7th, each of those drivers knew they would have to score at least one or maybe two wins on the night to win the National title as both drivers were tied for second in points behind Mike Looney, a veteran driver from Virginia who was racing two features at Langley (VA) Speedway . Ryan Varner #31 led the race off the start, on lap seven a huge wreck occurred in corner three as #19 Michael Haggar and #52 Chad Walen ended up in the wall and #54 Dylan Moore was out with heavy damage. Off the restart #13 Bryan Wrolstad took the lead for a lap or two but had to fend off the many challenges by #31 Ryan Varner. Wrolstad established himself as the leader on lap 20 but #72 Jacob Goede made his way up to the front and took the lead on lap 24, a lead he would not relinquish. Goede beat Wrolstad to the stripe by 0.866 seconds for his 6th win of the season at ELKO. Bryan Wrolstad finished second, Nick Panitzke was third, Ryan Varner was fourth and #14 Devyn Stocker finished fifth of the 16 cars entered.
The second Late Model feature saw a few drivers scrambling to get their cars repaired or move to their back-up cars to race the final points race of the season. Nick Panitzke started the race 7th and Jacob Goede started 9th in the 17 car field. Jeremy Wolff #32 took the lead off the start of the 30 lap feature, #6 Owin Giles then challenged and finally took the lead on lap 10. Jacob Goede, who had already clinched his 6th consecutive Elko Speedway points title, was not to be denied on this night as he snuck inside of #22 Nick Panitzke and passed him at the half-way mark and then Panitzke dropped out of the race with a mechanical failure and was scored as a DNF (did not finish). Goede then ran down Owin Giles and passed him with a bold outside move on lap 21 of 30. Goede held on and beat Giles to the finish line by 0.910 seconds to win his 7th feature at ELKO in 2019 and he was the first Late Model driver in 2019 to sweep both features in the same night. Giles finished second, #00 Brody Willett was third, #3 Chris Marek fourth and #31 Ryan Varner finished 5th.
The word quickly spread that Mike Looney finished 10th and 11th place in his two features down South and with the two feature wins at ELKO that would give Jacob Goede from Carver (MN) the National NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division I points title now confirmed by NASCAR.
It was the sixth consecutive premier division championship at Elko Speedway elevating his 3G racing team in the record books only behind Jeff Martin with 10 titles and Donny Reuvers with 9 top division titles at ELKO.
In the final ELKO Point Standings Goede won by 194 points over #3 Chris Marek as runner-up with #13 Bryan Wrolstad third, #6 Owin Giles fourth and #19 Michael Haggar fifth.
The full moon was shining down over Elko Speedway for the Genz-Ryan Thunder Car features. Brandon Petersen #86 led early and #75 Keith Paulsrud was about to take the lead when the yellow flag flew on lap five. Off the caution seventh place starter and fast-qualifier #3 Conrad Jorgenson from Lakeville (MN) shot to the front and took the lead. On lap 8 the caution again came out and defending Champion #37 Bryce Blohm had a flat tire and had to pit and move to the back of the field. Jorgenson retained the lead after the restart and increased his lead to an impressive 3.369 seconds at the finish line. Ted Reuvers #8 finished second, #25 Eric Campbell was third, #9 Adam Wiebusch fourth and #37 Bryce Blohm drove up to fifth at the Checkers. It was the 9th win of the season for Conrad Jorgenson.
The second 20 lap Thunder Car feature had #92 Norm Grabinger from Faribault (MN) start on the pole and immediately take the lead. A huge wreck occurred on lap 3 as point leader #3 Conrad Jorgenson had transmission problems, he backed into the wall and spewed fluid all over the track in corner #3 gathering in #86 Brandon Petersen, #36 Alex Vincent and #1 Dan Strieff, none of whom finished the race. Norm Grabinger took advantage after the restart and ran unchallenged to the finish winning by 2.111 seconds. Bryce Blohm #37 finished second, #25 Eric Campbell third, #9 Adam Wiebusch fourth and #8 Ted Reuvers fifth of the 12 cars in attendance. It was the first win of the season for Grabinger.
Both title contenders had bad luck under the full moon, the Thunder Car Championship night will be next Saturday September 21st with double features during the annual Thunderstruck93 event. Conrad Jorgenson leads Bryce Blohm by 23 points going into the final event of the season.
The Great North Legends raced twin 20 lap features at ELKO and a couple veteran drivers topped the charts early as #03 Robby Carter led lap one and #71 Jon Lemke on lap two. Young gun #91 Tristan Swanson from Elko (MN) worked his way to the front by challenging Lemke mid-race and finally passing him on lap 16. Swanson then outran the field by 0.365 seconds to the checkers in this cautionless race. Jon Lemke #71 finished second, #47 Austin Jahr was third, #03 Robby Carter fourth and #3 Dirk Henry finished fifth of the 19 cars entered. It was the fourth win of the season for Tristan Swanson.
The second Great North Legends feature had Teddy Kottschade #7 take the early lead until fast-timer #21 Hans Roscheli took over on lap 2 of twenty. On lap 7 Dirk Henry #3 passed Roscheli for the top spot until a big wreck occurred on lap 17 sending #8 Colin Stocker on his side and into the wall. After the restart #71 Jon Lemke from Savage (MN) put the pressure on Henry and the two had a drag race to the finish with Lemke winning by just 0.186 seconds at the line. Dirk Henry #3 finished second, Tristan Swanson #91 was third, #47 Austin Jahr fourth and #8 Cole Klein fifth, it was the 3rd win of the season for Lemke.
The race for the Great North Legends Championship is as tight as it gets, Cole Klein now leads Austin Jahr by 1 single point, the Legends cars will wrap up their Championship on the final Eve of Destruction on September 28th at Elko Speedway.
The first 20 lap Pepsi Power Stock feature had veteran driver #71 Tom Quade from Bloomington (MN) take the lead from the pole position. Quade successfully fought back challenges by #66 Joe Prusak on lap 9 and then had to battle not only Prusak but also #41 Jason Michaud the final few laps. Michaud made a daring high side pass on the last lap and crossed the finish line first but was later disqualified in post-race inspection handing the win back over to Tom Quade. Joe Prusak #66 was second, point leader #88 Nick Oxborough third, #08 Mike Stoer fourth and fast-timer #8 Taylor Goldman fifth of the 13 cars entered. It was the third win of the season for Tom Quade.
The second Power Stock feature had #83 Julie Jorgenson from Lakeville (MN) take an early big lead, she was cruising for the win until a caution for #56 Paul Hamilton who blew a tire and hit the wall on lap 15. After the restart #88 Nick Oxborough fought Jorgenson for the win, the two raced wheel to wheel the last few laps and crossed the finish line together with Jorgenson winning by just 0.045 seconds. Oxborough finished second, #8 Taylor Goldman was third, #08 Mike Stoer fourth and #66 Joe Prusak fifth. It was the second win of the season for Julie Jorgenson.
Nick Oxborough #88 continues to lead in the standings, he now has a 47 point lead over #08 Mike Stoer in the race for the title, the Powerstocks Championship night will be Saturday September 28th during the final Eve of Destruction.
The first Brock’s Flooring Bandoleros feature had #13 Ayrton Brockhouse lead lap one and #14 Kody King lead lap two. A spin put King to the back of the pack and gave the lead back to Brockhouse, at the midpoint of the race #901 Alex Hartwig from Portage (WI) challenged for the lead and finally took it on lap 10 of 12. It was an exciting finish as Hartwig had to hold on through a Brockhouse spin and a Green-White-Checker finish, he won by 0.730 seconds. Kody King rebounded to finish second, #J3 Justin Ziemiecki was third followed by #99 Max Mabee and #56 Clayton Dorner. It was the 7th win of the season at ELKO for Hartwig.
The second Bando feature had #13 Ayrton Brockhouse take the big lead until #14 Kody King and #901 Alex Hartwig raced up from their 4th and 5th row starting positions to challenge Brockhouse for the win. The top 3 were grouped together on the last lap as #14 Kody King from Forest City (IA) made a darting pass to the inside and he held on for the win, it was his second win at ELKO this summer. Ayrton Brockhouse #13 was second, #901 Alex Hartwig finished third, #06 Adam Ratliff fourth and #99 Max Mabee was fifth of the 13 cars entered.
Alex Hartwig continues to lead in points, he now had a 59 point advantage over Ayrton Brockhouse in the race of the Championship, the final race for the Bando’s will be on September 28th during Eve of Destruction at ELKO.
Coming up next at Elko Speedway will be the 11th annual Thunderstruck93 event in memory of Dan Ryan on Saturday September 21st. Spectator Gates open at 4pm with an on-track autograph session from 4:15-5:15pm. It will be the debut of the new WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds division at Elko Speedway also double features in the Power Stocks, Great North Legends and Thunder Cars as they will crown a Champion. Also the finale will be a 93 lap race in the Big 8 Late Model series with drivers from all over the Midwest. Get more information at ElkoSpeedway.com, download our free app or follow Elko Speedway on Social media.
Elko Speedway is a NASCAR sanctioned progressive banked 3/8th mile asphalt oval with stadium seating located 30 minutes South of the Twin Cities in Elko/New Market (MN).