Dan Lewis Photo - danlewisphoto.netBy Mary Horneck
Friday & Saturday, September 25-26, 2009 – Chilton, Wisconsin Scheduled as a two-day race program, the 10th Annual Chilton Fall Invitational hit the track fast on Friday night with the first four of nine divisions completing their qualifying heat races before the rain front down poured on the Chilton track. When the work to put the track back in running order was not successful, the remaining heat races were rescheduled for Saturday. The new schedule for the Saturday program then included 16 additional heat races before the B-Mains.

Dan Lewis Photo - danlewisphoto.netAfter qualifying the top two finishers in five heat races on Friday night and transferring the top three out of three B-Main events on Saturday, the IMCA Modified A-Main hit the track with heat winner Shawn Kilgore of New Franken charging into the early lead with Brian Joski of Abrams pulling into the challenge position by lap three. Another heat winner Benji LaCrosse of Green Bay moved into third two laps later with Tim VanDeHei also of Green Bay and Billy LeMieux of Sturgeon Bay rounding out the top five by lap six. Three laps later, LaCrosse made his move and pulled door to door with Joski to pressure for the challenge spot. At the line in lap 10, only a bumper separated LaCrosse and Joski as LaCrosse pulled into second by inches. A lap later, Joski battled back to retake second and secure the position just before a caution flag halted the hard-charging action and relined up the field. Leader Kilgore who had built a solid lead was pulled back to within striking distance on the restart with Joski and LaCrosse directly behind him. When the green flag flew to start lap 12, LaCrosse made his move from the outside line to take over second and set his sights on leader Kilgore. On the same green flag, the 2008 Chilton Fall Invitational winner Brian Drexler of Oshkosh also made his move and charged from sixth place before the caution into third behind LaCrosse. The race was halted in laps 12 and 13 and relined up. When the green flag flew to begin lap 14, LaCrosse and Drexler charged passed Kilgore as LaCrosse took over the lead with 11 laps to the checkered. Three laps later, Tim Czarneski of Denmark moved into fifth. As LaCrosse kept Drexler and heat winner Kilgore at bay, Czarneski moved into fourth behind them in lap 19. A lap later, Mitch McGrath of Neosho joined the top five behind Czarneski. With the last five laps in front of them, LaCrosse set a steady pace to charge through the checkered flag to win his first Chilton Fall Invitational IMCA Modified feature race. 2008 Feature winner Drexler following in second with Kilgore finishing third. Czarneski and B-main transfer McGrath rounded out the top five.

Dan Lewis Photo - danlewisphoto.netAfter the Friday night rain issues, the Late Models ran all their heat and feature races on Saturday with the top 4 from 3 heat races directly making the main event and 8 competitors joining them through the B-Main. Heat winner Russ Scheffler of Waukesha charged into the early lead in the 25-lap Late Model A-Main with another heat winner, Glenbeulah’s Tim Buhler moving into the challenge spot by lap two to pressure him for control of the race. Scheffler wasted no time in creating a distance between his car and the field as he began lapping traffic by lap five. Buhler had no trouble passing the initial lapped car to continue his charge after leader Scheffler so Scheffler passed back two more cars in lap eight in his charge through the turns at the Chilton track. Buhler broke free of those cars as well when a pair of cautions in laps 10 and 11 pulled the field back together and placed Buhler and Bret Sievert of Mukwonago directly behind leader Scheffler. Ted Dolhun Sr. of Milwaukee and heat winner Troy Springborn of Shawano moved into the top five. When the green flag flew to begin the final 14-lap leg of the A-Main, Scheffler again charged into the lead with Buhler jumping into a solid second. Dolhun and Springborn moved into third and fourth with Sievert settling into fifth. Leader Scheffler continued his charge through lapped traffic to take the checkered flag winning his first Chilton Fall Invitational Late Model A-Main. Buhler followed in second with Dolhun, Springborn and Sievert rounding out the top five.

Dan Lewis Photo - danlewisphoto.netWith 48 competitors and five qualifying heat races on Friday night, the Grand Nationals locked the top two in each heat race directly into the A-Main on Saturday. The remaining competitors ran 3 B-Main races transferring the top three from each into the main event. When the 2008 Grand National A-Main winner, Kenny Richards of Montello, pulled the outside front row starting position, the competition was heightened for the 30-lap main event on Saturday. As soon as the green flag flew, Richards charged into the lead and began pulling away from the rest of the field. Brian Henry of Omro and heat winner Jason Fish of Appleton battled back and forth for the challenge position for the first six laps. Tim Warner of Malone joined the battling duo to charge three wide around the Chilton track in a great race for second. Henry was scored in second by inches for laps until a couple of accidents in laps 10 and 11 pulled leader Richards back directly in front of the field. As the green flag flew, Richards charged into a solid lead again with Warner taking control of the challenge spot. Heat winner Brian Monday of Appleton moved into third in lap 12 with B-Main winner Don Sorce Jr. of West Allis and Ben Stumpf of Brillion rounding out the top five. Stumpf made his move five laps later and passed Sorce to take over fourth. Two laps later, Stumpf continued his charge and moved into third. Ten laps from the end of the race, Richards again held a healthy lead over the field. Stumpf pulled up to pressure Warner for the challenge spot but Warner held him off lap after lap. Just when it looked that the race was over, a late lap caution occurred after lap 28 setting up a green-white-checkered flag finish. After an inevitable win was halted and he was pulled back to the rest of the field, Richards set the pace out in front on the restart with Warner and Stumpf on his bumper. Monday and Sorce lined up in the second full row for the two lap charge to the end. When the green flag flew for the final time, Richards solidly led the field through the final turns to take the checkered flag and win back-to- back Chilton Fall Invitational A-Mains. Heat winner Warner followed in second with Stumpf, B-Main winner Sorce and heat winner Monday rounding out the top five.

Dan Lewis Photo - danlewisphoto.netAfter qualifying the top four finishers out of three heat races early in the program, the Sport Mods transferred eight more competitors out of the B-Main for the A-Main event on Saturday. When the green flag flew for the 20-lap race, Travis Cain of Oconto and Eric Arneson of Oconto Falls charged out in front of the field. Cain and Arneson battled side by side for the first couple laps to take the lead. Cain won that battle and secured the lead alone by lap five as he pulled slightly away from the field. Heat winner Troy Jerovetz of Green Bay passed Arneson for second just before a caution pulled leader Cain back in front of the field in lap seven. When the green flag flew to restart the race, Cain charged out in front again with Jerovetz on his bumper. Arneson pulled into third with heat winner Brad Lautenbach of New Franken in fourth. Behind them, Josh Long of Green Bay and Eugene Gregorich of Kewaunee battled for the next ten laps to enter the top five. As Long and Gregorich switched between fifth and sixth, Long retook fifth to complete lap 17 just before the final caution halted the battle and relined up the field for a green-green-white-checkered flag finish. When the green flag flew for the final three laps, Cain charged out into the lead again with Jerovetz pressuring him from second. Lautenbach and Arneson charged after the top two waiting for a quick opportunity to advance. Cain solidly held onto the lead and took the checkered flag to win his first Chilton Fall Invitational Sport Mods feature win. Heat winners Jerovetz and Lautenbach followed in second and third. Arneson and Long rounded out the top five.

Dan Lewis Photo - danlewisphoto.netWith 31 IMCA Stock Car competitors, the top three from four qualifying heats moved directly into the A-Main on Friday night with the top four in two B-Mains joining them on Saturday. When the green flag flew to start the 30-lap race, Matt Junio of Casco wasted no time in charging out and distancing his car from the field early. Heat winner Greg Gretz of Kewaunee moved into the challenge position by lap two and attempted to reel in the leader. Another heat winner Jamie Colwell of Kaukauna pulled into third behind Gretz in lap five and began pressuring him for the challenge spot. Through a couple cautions in laps 6 and 8, Colwell used the outside starting position, with Gretz to the inside, to take over second in lap nine. Now Colwell made it his goal to reel in leader Junio. As Junio continued his charge out in front, a battle developed behind Gretz between Shawn Wagner of Seymour, Brian Bruechert of Kewaunee and Kyle Frederick of Oconto Falls for the last two positions in the top five. By lap 13, Wagner settled into fourth and Frederick into fifth. A lap later, Mike Gilson of Greenleaf moved into sixth and began pressuring Frederick for a top five spot. Frederick held off Gilson for the next five laps until Gilson took over fifth in lap 19 but Frederick wasted no time in taking back the position a lap later when he pulled side by side to pressure Wagner for fourth in lap 20. As leader Junio approached lapped traffic, the lap count was down to the final ten. Colwell continued to chase down leader Junio with lapped traffic in his way until lap 27 when Colwell appeared to have mechanical problems that sent him to the pits. In the same lap, heat winner Shawn Havel of Algoma charged into fourth. When the white flag flew, Havel made his move again and swept passed Gretz to take over second with three lap cars between his car and the leader. Junio continued his charge through the checkered flag to win his first Chilton Fall Invitational A-Main. Heat winners Havel and Gretz followed in second and third. Bruechert and Wagner rounded out the top five.

Dan Lewis Photo - danlewisphoto.netAfter qualifying the top three cars from four qualifying heat races on Friday night, the Street Stocks returned Saturday with a pair of B-Mains to transfer the top four finishers in the A-Main later in the program. When the green flag flew for the 25-lap race, David Hoerning of Appleton grabbed the early lead and began separating his car from second place heat winner Jerry Winkler of Oshkosh. By lap five, Brandon Paitrick of Beaver Dam moved into third with Dan Graycyalny of Greenville and heat winner Brandon Riedner of Waunakee behind him. A lap later, Brian Drexler of Oshkosh charged into fifth directly behind Graycyalny. As a four abreast race developed in lap 8, Drexler avoided the battle and charged ahead of the four other cars moving into third. A lap later, Ed Anschutz of Kewaunee and Andy Gross of Slinger moved into fourth and fifth. In lap 10, Drexler made his move into second and focused on reeling in leader Hoerning. By the halfway point in lap 13, Anschutz passed Winkler for third. A lap later, Gross followed suit and took over fourth. After a 12 lap run with a solid lead, a rolled over car in lap 14 halted the racing action and pulled leader Hoerning back to directly in front of the field. When the green flag flew, Anschutz charged into the lead with Hoerning now chasing him down. Gross pulled into third with Winkler charging back into fourth. Graycyalny followed in fifth. By lap 18, Hoerning ran up in the front with leader Anschutz. Gross was solid in third and a three-way battle for fourth developed between Winkler, Graycyalny and Riedner. A lap later, a final caution relined up the field again for the six-lap dash to the checkered flag. When the green flew again, Anschutz charged in the lead again and was able to distance himself when a couple cars behind him bobbled and stalled the field. In lap 21, Riedner moved into second with Joe Schwister of Black Creek moving into third. Winkler and Hoerning rounded out the new top five. Two laps later, Hoerning moved into fourth with Graycyalny retaking fifth. When the white flag flew, leader Anschutz held a half-track lead over the field. Behind Riedner in second, Hoerning pulled side by side with Schwister to inch him out for third. When the checkered flag flew, Anschutz won his first Chilton Fall Invitational Street Stock A-Main. Heat winner Riedner finished second with Schwister making a final lap pass to retake third place. Hoerning and Graycyalny rounded out the top five.

The Hobby Stock division took the top four finishers from the three qualifying heat races and transferred the top eight from the B-Main to field the 20-lap A-Main. When the green flag flew, heat winner Adam Krepline of Manitowoc charged into the early lead with CJ Weckler of Sturgeon Bay moving into second. When the race was restarted after lap five, Krepline set the pace out in front with Frank Paul of Kewaunee and Travis Hansen of Stockbridge in the first row behind him. Marcs Moede of Luxemburg and Paul Steffens of Appleton lined up in fourth and fifth. When the green flag flew, Krepline remained out in front with Moede charging into second and Paul moving into third. A lap later, Moede took over the lead with Paul following him into second. Paul continued his charge and moved into the lead in lap eight with past leader Krepline on his bumper. Moede regrouped and took back second a lap later just before a mid-race caution halted the racing action. On the restart, an incident between Paul and Moede ended up with Paul toward the back of the pack and Moede in the pits. Heat winner Jarred VanLaanen of Green Bay inherited the top spot in lap 10 with Krepline, Luke Lemmens of Kewaunee, Hansen, and Steffens becoming the new top five with 10 laps to the end of the race. Four laps later, Lemmens and Krepline battled side by side down the front stretch for second with Lemmens scored in the position by inches. Krepline threw his car to the high side of the track to take over second in lap 15. As VanLaanen charged through the final five laps, Krepline flew on the high side to pressure for the lead. VanLaanen held Krepline off to charge through the checkered flag to win his second Chilton Fall Invitational A-Main. In a last lap pass, Lemmens took over to win second place. Krepline followed in third with Hansen and Steffens rounding out the top five.

With 66 competitors, the 4 Cylinder Class qualified only the winner from seven heat races early in the program and then transferred the top three from four B-Main races into the A-Main event. When the green flag flew for the 20-lap A-Main, heat winner JJ Pagel of St. Cloud charged into the lead with Mike Zitzer of Sheboygan and heat winner Jake Meyer of Plymouth chasing him down. When the first caution appeared in lap five, Pagel lined up alone in the front with Meyer and B-Main winner Aaron Stolp of West Allis directly behind him. At the drop of the green flag, Stolp used the outside groove to charge into the lead with Pagel now in the challenge spot. Two laps later Jesse James Cullen of Chilton passed Pagel to move into second with Tim Simon of Fond du Lac in third. At the halfway point in the race, Simon took over second with Meyer following into third. The racing action was halted again a lap later in lap 11. Stolp set the pace out in front again with Meyer charging into the challenge position. As Meyer focused on reeling in the lead, Ralph Liegeois of Oconto pulled in third behind him. As the laps clicked down, Stolp continued his 14-lap lead until the checkered flag when Liegeois made the last lap pass to move from third into the lead. With this final lap pass, Liegeois won his first Chilton Fall Invitational Mighty 4 A-Main. Heat winners Stolp followed in second with Meyer in third. Jeff Behm of Clintonville and heat winner Tim Draheim of Beaver Dam rounded out the top five.

A soggy Friday was not a deterrent to a successful 2009 Chilton Fall Invitational with 324 competitors in 9 divisions racing 34 qualifying heat races for a total of 314 laps, 17 B-Mains for a total of 264 laps and 8 A-Mains for 195 laps in two days of great racing action at the Calumet County Race Track.