shawanospeedway Archives

Block, Van Straten capture first Shawano features of season

By Dave Buss SHAWANO, Wis. (May 29) – The Memorial Weekend brought cool temperatures and hot action to the Shawano Speedway along with the unofficial start of summer. Wyatt Block, Travis Van Straten and Tyler Sobiescyk got their summers off to the best start of everyone with feature wins. Early action saw Jerry Wilinski jump to the lead in the IMCA Modified main and begin to build a big advantage. The caution would fly on lap four and bring the field to his bumper. On the restart, Wilinski scooted away only to have a debris bring out another yellow. Block and Andy Karl filled the second row on the lap six restart. Wilinski again extended his lead with Karl and Block fighting it out for the runner-up spot. Block took the second spot and begin to reel in the Wilinski machine at halfway. On lap 15, Block moved past Wilinski and into the lead. Block cruised to victory with Wilinski second. Jordan Bartz charged to third with Karl fourth. Josh Mroczkowski powered to the early lead in the [Read More]

Whitman cashes in at Shawano

SHAWANO, Wis. (May 22) – A picture perfect night for racing brought a large crowd to the Legendary Half Mile Shawano Speedway and with added money in the IMCA Modified division it wassure to be a big night of racing. Thanks to Line x Extreme Coating there were 1,000 reasons to win the IMCA Modified feature. Normally a driver leading green to checkered for the win makes the recap a mundane thing to write but not on this night. Johnny Whitman took the lead on the opening lap after starting third. Whitman began to power away from the field. With multiple feature wins this season, Mike Mullen was doing his best to entertain as he sliced his way to the front. By lap six, Mullen made his way to second from 10th. Mullen began to cut into the lead lap after lap and it looked like he would get by the Whitman machine on multiple occasions. Whitman was up to every challenge, however. A late-race caution gave Mullen one more shot but Whitman was up to [Read More]

Muenster checks out at Shawano

By Dave Buss SHAWANO, Wis. (May 8) – An IMCA Modified driver who’s been around the track a time or two led the way to the checkers Saturday at Shawano Speedway. Eddie Muenster simply checked out and dominated to the win while Konnor and Jerry Wilinski battled with Jordan Bartz and Kevin Feck for the runner-up spot with positions changing hands lap after lap. Marcus Yarie, fighting mechanical issues all night, had been regulated to the 21st starting position in the feature. Yarie and his crew made the right decisions to get the car right as he drove to the top five. When everything settled out it would be Muenster victorious with Jerry Wilinski grabbing second from his son Konnor. Yarie was fourth with Bartz fifth. The IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars again set the bar for great feature action. Jeremy Christians found himself back in the pack to start the feature with a host of heavy hitters in front of him. At the front of the pack would be an announcer’s nightmare as Mitch Stankowski, Josh Mroczkowski, and [Read More]

Mullen captures third straight on Bob Bennett Memorial Night

By Dave Buss SHAWANO, Wis. (May 1) – On Saturday night, Shawano Speedway celebrated its Night of Champions, honoring the 2020 championship class. Webster’s Dictionary defines a champion as ‘someone who fights or speaks publicly in support of a person, belief, cause.’ Before the races, another champion’s life was honored as Bobby Bennett was remembered. Although Bennett never won a track championship at Shawano, it was only appropriate to honor his life on the Night of Champions. The IMCA Modifieds took to the track to open the features with Mike Mullen trying to extend his season-opening win streak to three. Kevin Feck looked to be the man to end the streak early on as he led the opening five laps. Further back in the pack, Andy Karl and Marcus Yarie, along with Jerry and Konnor Wilinski were waging a spirited battle with three-wide racing and competing slide jobs. Meanwhile, Mullen was dicing his way forward and with a power move grabbed second on lap six. Riding his momentum, Mullen took his spot at the lead [Read More]

Lemmens, Sobiesczyk, Mullen are Shawano winners

By Dave Buss SHAWANO, Wis. (April 24) – Hardy fans came out Saturday evening to Shawano Speedway to see Luke Lemmens, Tyler Sobiesczyk and Mike Mullen pick up IMCA feature wins. Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods led off feature action with Dylan Waldvogel and Sobiesczyk on the front row. Sobiesczyk did not let his great starting position go to waste as he stormed out to a commanding lead in the early part of the race. Waldvogel was challenged and eventually passed by John Holtger, who got close to the Sobiescyk machine on a couple of occasions but was not able to make the pass. Back in traffic, Jayden Schmidt was working his way forward in a spirited battle with Jeffrey Teske and Max Oreskovich. Schmidt eventually grabbed the third spot with Teske fourth. After troubles in his heat race, Teske had recovered by winning the “B” main. Early on it looked like the IMCA Modified main would be the Eddie Munster show. Muenster rocketed to a large lead on lap number one and began to pull [Read More]

Opening night checkers at Shawano fly for Christians, Schmidt, Mullen

SHAWANO, Wis. (April 17) – Welcome sights on opening night at Shawano Speedway included a nearly packed grandstand and 111 cars checking in to the pit area. Eric ‘Chummy’ Arneson would return to racing action at the speedway in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car division and would battle through caution the opening laps to take the lead on lap four, powering past the Chucky Forstner machine and bringing Jeremy Christians along with him. Arneson and Christians were joined by Kevin Hebbe in the top three before numerous cautions set up a final lap shoot out that found Christians jumping past Arneson to pick up another feature win. The constant throughout the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod event was defending track champion Jayden Schmidt leading the pack. Schmidt gained the top spot from Jason Jach on lap two and survived multiple restarts to pick up the feature win. Jeff Schmuhl powered through the field from his ninth place starting spot to grab second while Jeffrey Teske took third. The IMCA Modifieds rolled on the track with Mike Mullen to the [Read More]

Wilinski, Forstner, Schmidt all repeat at Shawano

By Scott Owen SHAWANO, Wis. (Aug. 15) – It almost felt like déjà vu all over again Saturday as Konnor Wilkinski, Chucky Forstner and Jayden Schmidt returned to victory lane for the second week in a row at Shawano Speedway. Lap one of the IMCA Modified feature saw Kevin Feck go from third to first to lead the field. As Feck led, Wilinski began to work through traffic after starting 10th. A caution after lap six bunched the field up and Wilinski capitalized, going from his third place restart position to the inside of Feck to snag the lead. Wilinski did not look back as he drove to his second win of the year. Feck finished in second and Marcus Yarie raced all the way from 18th to third. Jeremie Hedrick would lead the early stages of the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature while being pressured by Gary Kasperek and Forstner. The trio went three-wide for the lead on lap four. Hedrick still held the lead until lap six when Forstner utilized the inside groove [Read More]

Wilinski, Forstner, Schmidt are IMCA winners at Shawano

SHAWANO, Wis. (Aug. 8) – The 2019 Shawano Speedway track champions were honored Saturday as part of the Night of Champions. The action on the track that evening saw the 2020 points battle heat up while heading towards the season’s end. In the IMCA Modified feature, Shawn Frelich and Jesse Peebles led the field to the line. Peebles grabbed the early advantage while Konnor Wilinski began his move forward after starting eighth. Wilinski captured the top spot a few laps later. Wilinski began to pull away as Marcus Yarie and Lance Arneson gave chase. As the top three worked themselves free of the pack, Lucas Lamberies was slicing his way through the field. Wilinski proved up to the challenge, grabbing the feature win with Yarie finishing second. It only took Chucky Forstner a couple laps to take the top spot in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. Gary Kasperek applied the pressure on Forstner for the first half of the feature which went caution free. Jeremy Christians and Trent Nolan would battle it out for [Read More]

Racing For A Reason at Shawano helps young cancer patients, families

SHAWANO, Wis. – While the drivers took the checkers, the real winners of Shawano Speedway’s Aug. 1 Racing For A Reason program were young cancer patients and their families. Proceeds from basket donations, silent auctions, bucket drops and drawings at the annual event approached $17,000, putting the total raised for childlife services provided at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Green Bay over the past decade at some $153,000. “Shawano is a tightknit community and I tell people the speedway is family. If something happens to someone, we’re all there and that’s pretty cool,” said track marketing and promotions director Brad Luepke. “I would never have guessed this event would grow the way it has every year.” One hundred percent of the money raised through Racing For A Reason help kids with cancer and their families in a multitude of ways – 2019 proceeds, for example, were used toward the purchase of a state-of-the-art sanitizing closet for shared toys – and the event itself plays out with a full pit area and packed grandstand. “Even drivers who don’t race with us [Read More]

Common foe was childhood cancer as Shawano raced for a reason Saturday

SHAWANO, Wis. (Aug. 1) – On a Saturday night when drivers and fans united at the track to battle a common enemy, childhood cancer, Racing for a Reason again delivered a victory at Shawano Speedway. With donation baskets and silent auction items galore, more than $16,000 was raised while on the track, the action in one word … incredible! A caution on the initial start of the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car Feature was the only time the yellow flew as the action-packed class lived up to its Too Tough To Tame reputation. While Gary Kasparek took the early lead the racing behind him was what everyone comes to see. Chucky Forstner took the top spot with Jeremy Christians moving to second on lap seven. The two fought side-by-side for the next five laps until Christians grabbed the lead for good on lap 11. Christians drove away and picked up his 99th IMCA career win in the division. Forstner settled in second with Travis Van Straten third. The Karl Kustoms Northern Sport Mods hit the track with [Read More]