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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VAN OUDENHOVEN WINS WIR’S BRUCE MUELLER MEMORIAL RACE
KING COLLECTS FIRST CAREER LATE MODEL FEATURE
(KAUKAUNA, WI) July 26 – Jeff Van Oudenhoven could not have picked a bigger night to pick up his first WIR feature flag of 2018.
The multi time champion scored the “W” in the Bruce Mueller All Star Memorial at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna Thursday night. The race honors the former owner of B and B race engines who passed away several years ago. Mueller was one of Van Oudenhoven’s sponsors and friends.
Appleton’s Corey Kemkes jumped into the lead from his front row starting spot at the drop of the green with Van Oudenhoven in tow. Van Oudenhoven slipped underneath Kemkes to take the lead on lap seven. Not one lap later the cars driven by Brent Strelka, Tim Springstroh and Kyle Calmes spun in turn four.
When racing resumed Van Oudenhoven kept the lead up until the red flag was thrown when Taylor Haufschildt had a motor blow up, oiling down the track. After a delay racing resumed and Van Oudenhoven picked up where he left off, quickly building up a comfortable six car length lead over the pack. By the race’s halfway point Van Oudenhoven had stretched his lead to a half of a straightaway. Lowell Bennett and Maxwell Schultz had charged their way into the second and third spots, respectively.
With 12 laps remaining Van Oudenhoven’s lead was wiped out as the cars of Mike Reichenberger, Pete Vandermolen and Mickey Schallie spun in turn one, drawing an amber. On the attempted restart Bennett’s machine spun on the backstretch after contact with Andy Monday. Bennett went off on the hook and Monday was charged with the yellow and went to the tail. When the race went green again Van Oudenhoven thwarted hard charges from Schultz to collect the checkers. “This whole deal chokes me up because Bruce Mueller was with me ever since I started racing on the quarter-mile,” Van Oudenhoven said in victory lane. “This was a big win for us. Bruce kept a lot of people racing and never really charged a lot. He was a great guy and this win was for him.”
Trailing Van Oudenhoven at the checkers were Schultz, Bobby Kendall, fast qualifier Casey Johnson and Brent Strelka.
Appleton’s Mike King Jr. grabbed the lead on the second circuit and fought off points leader Jesse Bernhagen in the final laps to collect his first career half-mile feature at WIR in the late model division.
King started fourth and quickly squeezed past RD Yaeger for the lead on lap two. Bernhagen, who started eighth, battled his way into third by lap ten and wrestled second away from Brett Wenzel with five laps to go and began chasing King down with two laps to go. The second-generation racer hung on for what was a popular win. Bernhagen settled for second place money, followed by Bryan Monday, Eddie Muenster and Braison Bennett.
Menasha veteran George Schwalbach became the first repeat winner on the season in the super stocks by capturing the division’s feature.
Menasha’s Jason Plutz made a daring three wide pass work on a lap nine restart. Plutz fended off Denmark’s Bobby Wautier in a photo finish to capture his seventh feature win on the season. Plutz took over the point lead as Appleton’s Kylee Vandermoss, who was the point leader heading into the evening, dropped out with mechanical woes. Vandermoss was credited with a 15th place finish.
Appleton’s Andy Miller, who scored fast time earlier in the evening, put a whooping on the Sizzlin’ 4 field, winning the division’s feature by a full straightaway over Shiocton’s Jake Peters. It was Miller’s first feature flag of the season.
“The Showstopper” Mike Meyerhofer won the Figure 8 feature.
Next Thursday night, August 2 will be Appleton Breakfast Rotary Night. The WIR ¼ mile late models will also be in action. Racing gets underway at 6:45 p.m. You can check frrc.us for more information or follow the club’s Facebook page.
SUPER LATE MODEL FEATURE – Jeff Van Oudenhoven, Appleton; Maxwell Schultz, Reedsville; Bobby Kendall, Montello; Casey Johnson, Edgerton; Brent Strelka, Freedom; Kyle Calmes, Freedom; Taylor Vandermoss, Appleton; Randy Schuler, Mequon; Mike Reicheberger, Appleton; Mickey Schallie, Darboy; Pete Vandermolen, Oshkosh; Tim Springstroh, Freedom; Michael Anthony, Appleton; Andy Monday, Appleton; Grant Griesbach, Pewaukee; Corey Kemkes, Appleton; Lowell Bennett, Neenah; Sawyer Effertz, Darboy; Chad Butz, Green Bay; Taylor Haufschildt, De Pere
SEMI FEATURE – Schuler; Griesbach; Reichenberger; Pete Vandermolen
HEATS 1) Corey Manders, Hilbert; Reichenberger 2) Bennett; Anthony
DASH – Monday
FAST TIME: Johnson, 19.384
LATE MODEL FEATURE- Mike King Jr., Appleton; Jesse Bernhagen, Markesan; Bryan Monday, Appleton; Eddie Muenster, Green Bay; Braison Bennett, Neenah; Nathan Van Wychen, Kaukauna; Mike Meyerhofer. Hilbert; Brett Wenzel, Two Rivers; Matt Wittman, Appleton; RD Yaeger, Appleton
HEAT –Meyerhofer; King
DASH- Van Wychen
FAST TIME: Bennett, 20.376
SUPER STOCK FEATURE – George Schwalbach, Menasha; Rachel Meyerhofer, Brillion; Ed Howard, Kaukauna; Dave Meyerhofer, Kaukauna; Jimmy Wilson, Appleton
HEATS – 1) Wilson; Wayne Sonkowski, Kaukauna 2) Evan Sannes, De Pere; Schwalbach
FAST TIME – Theimer, 15.964
SIZZLIN’ 4 FEATURE – Andy Miller, Appleton; Jake Peters, Shiocton; Scott Wolf, Appleton; Larry Belonger, Two Rivers; Heather Wolfgram, Oshkosh
HEATS 1) Mitchell Opsahl, Freedom; Emery Beattie, Little Chute 2) Jesse Nettekoven, Sherwood; Peters
FAST TIME – Miller, 17.744
SPORT TRUCKS FEATURE – Jason Plutz, Menasha; Bobby Wautier, Denmark; Cody Vanderloop, Appleton; Dan Vixmer, Fond Du Lac; Kyle Quella, Appleton
HEATS 1) Nathan Brantmier, Neenah; Dylan Vandenberg, Appleton 2) Cody Sokolik, Fond Du Lac; Plutz
FAST TIME – Plutz, 16.285
FIGURE 8 – Mike Meyerhofer, Hilbert