Drivers were lined up according to points accumulated through the season, putting Steve Hallquist and Scott Miller on the front row of the eighteen car Front Wheel Drive feature event. Hallquist was able to take advantage of his pole position putting distance between his ride and the rest of the field. With Hallquist out front a five car battle for the runner up spot ensued and at the checkers it would be Miller finishing behind race winner Hallquist. Jesse Tripp and Karen Koltunski entered the day tied for sixth in points, and it would be a battle to the wire between the two drivers for the third spot. Tripp was able to hold off Koltunski with Jon Wigchers taking advantage of a last lap slip by Mike Schnider for the fifth position.
Karen Koltunski then had to jump from her FWD car into her waiting Comp4 car sitting in the pole position with Tadd Davis to her outside. Karen's husband, Al, was scheduled to start third but mechanical issues forced the Cumberland driver to scratch before the event started moving Jamey Fisher into the third spot. Fisher was substitute driving for Simon Wahlstrom.
Davis took the lead on the first lap and never looked back putting a commanding lead between himself and second place Koltunski. Ken Hansen started fourth but was charged for an early caution and sent to the back of the field. Hansen recovered quickly and joined Koltunski and Troy Gross for a three way battle for second. At the strip it would be Davis well ahead of Koltunski with Hansen and Gross behind her. Fisher was able to bring his borrowed ride across fifth.
The third race of the day had five women jumping into the drivers seat's and also lining up by points. The front row consisted of points leader Jane Demars and runner up Tiffany Davis ahead of Jessica Achterberg and Ali Kuehndorf. Missy Hallquist lined up last on the field which was missing two regular drivers, Jill Amundson and Sheila Cook. Amundson and Cook hold the third and fourth points positions respectably.
It didn't take Hallquist long to put her Front Wheel Drive out front, taking the point on the first lap to lead all twelve laps. The runner up spot would go to Kuehndorf with Tiffany Davis being the first rear wheel drive car across the line in third. Demars and Achterberg rounded out the top five.
Last out of the pits were fourteen 6/8 Full Size cars with Miller and Hallquist on the front row for a second time but this time it would be Miller on the pole. Jarred Amundson and Troy Holder shared the second row with Brandon Davis and John Erickson in the third row.
Hallquist held a familiar position up front when the caution come out for a car in the outside snowbank on lap four, bunching the field. On the restart Miller started a backward slide through the field while Don Cimfl Jr. and Jim Demars were marching forward.
Hallquist went on to finish in the top spot for the win with Cimfl working his way from deep in the field for second. Demars rolled across the stripe third for the rookies best finish to date with Andy Cimfl also coming from the back to finish fourth. Amundson fought to hold off a third car starting from deep in the field, that being Kyle Johnson and the fading car of Holder for the fifth spot.
Rice Lake Ice Racing is in their last week and will be held on the north end of Rice Lake with a race time of 12:30. Admission is free and there is a plowed parking area around the track. Spectators can tune their radios into FM102.5 and listen to live racing action and results, a new twist for the 09 season. For more info visit www.geocities.com/ricelakeiceracing . The club is also selling raffle tickets for a mini chopper to help offset expenses, the chopper can be seen at the Bungalow Bar and tickets can be purchased at the bar or by contacting Troy at (715)296-6768.
FWD
Heat 1: 1~Jessie Tripp, Spooner; 2~Mike Schnider, Rice Lake; 3~Karen Koltunski, Cumberland
Heat 2: 1~Steve Hallquist, Eau Claire; 2~Scott Miller, Rice Lake; 3~Nick Traynor, Chetek
Heat 3: 1~S. Hallquist; 2~S. Miller; 3~Brooke Fairbanks, Spooner
Heat 4: 1~J. Tripp; 2~Jon Wigchers, Rice Lake; 3~M. Schnider
Feature: 1~S. Hallquist; 2~S. Miller; 3~J. Tripp; 4~K. Koltunski; 5~M. Schnider
POWDER PUFF
Heat 1: 1~Missy Hallquist, Eau Claire; 2~Jane Demers, Rice Lake; 3~Jessica Achterberg, Chetek
Feature: 1~M. Hallquist; 2~A. Kuehndorf; 3~Tiffany Davis, Chetek; 4~J. Demars; 5~J. Achterberg
COMP4
Heat 1: 1~Ken Hansen, Webster; 2~Tadd Davis, Rice Lake; 3~Troy Gross, Turtle Lake
Heat 2: 1~K. Hansen; 2~Karen Koltunski, Cumberland; 3~T. Davis
Feature: 1~T. Davis; 2~K. Koltunski; 3~K. Hansen; 4~T. Gross; 5~Jamey Fisher, Cameron
6/8 FULL SIZE
Heat 1: 1~Kyle Johnson, Eau Claire; 2~Jarred Amundson, Barron; 3~Steve Hallquist, Eau Claire
Heat 2: 1~Jim Demars, Rice Lake; 2~Bob Thompson, Cameron; 3~Richard Featherly, Rice Lake
Heat 3: 1~J. Demars; 2~J. Amundson; 3~K. Johnson
Heat 4: 1~S. Hallquist; 2~Don Cimfl Jr., Turtle Lake; 3~Scott Miller, Rice Lake
Feature: 1~S. Hallquist; 2~D. Cimfl Jr.; 3~J. Demars; 4~Andy Cimfl, Turtle Lake; 5~J. Amundson