By Dan Margetta
Slinger, Wis., Sept. 13—Steve Apel held off Dave Feiler on a green-white-checkered finish set up when the leaders were involved in an incident in the final laps to capture his first career super late model feature victory Sunday afternoon in a thrilling Behling Racing Equipment Season Championship 75 at the Slinger Super Speedway.

There are not too many tracks around the Upper Midwest where Terry McCarl had not visited victory lane but Superior Speedway in Superior, Wisconsin, was one of them. That all changed when McCarl raced by Erin Crocker to take the win at the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints Budweiser Northern Nationals. The win was the fourth IRA win of the season for McCarl.

Crocker took the lead from the outside of the front row and held off polesitter Davey Heskin through a few early yellow flags and a red flag for Billy Hafemann's flip in turn two. On the restart, McCarl snuck by Crocker and opened up a large lead. Late in the race, IRA point leader Bill Balog closed in on Crocker to take second but was never able to pass McCarl, despite a late yellow flag. Balog, who started 10th, was second followed by Crocker, Mike Reinke and Scott Neitzel. Johnny Herrera suffered a broken nose wing and slipped to sixth from third at the finish ahead of Davey Heskin, who spun while running second but charged back to seventh at the finish.

RICHMOND, VA. – The Chase is on.
Twenty-six races into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, there are now 12 drivers with a chance to win the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The suspense of who would make that field culminated Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

Local native Denny Hamlin from Chesapeake finally won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at his home track after coming "oh, so close" so many times before. He also did it in convincing style, battling door-to-door with Jeff Gordon along the way. It was Hamlin's second win of the season in his FedEx Toyota. He won earlier this year at Pocono.

Hamlin is one of the 12 Chase participants but his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch didn't make it. Hamlin had locked in a spot before the race but Kyle needed to finish well ahead of Brian Vickers to make it. Kyle finished fifth but Vickers was seventh and wound up grabbing the 12th spot by eight points over Busch.

Kurt Busch finished second and made the Chase. Jeff Gordon was third and in The Chase.

Everybody's favorite, Mark Martin, was fourth and secured a Chase spot and there wasn't a happier man in Virginia on Saturday night when this race ended.

By: Greg Parent (9-12-09)
It was a night of firsts at the Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday September 12 during the running of the 9th Annual Jerry Richert Memorial. It was the first time the 360 sprint cars were part of this great event that honors the memory of one of the true legends of the sport of sprint car racing. For young Milo, IA driver Rob Kubli, it was his first trip to the Cedar Lake Speedway, his first time racing with the upstart UMSS series, and best of all, his first victory in his very first time racing a 360 sprint car. During an incredible evening of sprint car racing at CLS, it just doesn't get any better than that. Stated a very happy Kubli following the race, "I've raced a couple of seasons in the 305 sprint car division in Southern Iowa, but this was my first race running with a 360 in the car. I had a blast. This is an awesome event." Indeed, the young Iowa driver will remember this night for the rest of his life.

By Andrew Schaller
JEFFERSON, WI (Saturday, September 12, 2009) - Doug Hahn of Whitewater captured the 60 lap Havill Spoerl season championship feature event at Jefferson Speedway while Fort Atkinson’s Jason Erickson wrapped up the 2009 Late Model title. Erickson laid claim to his second straight championship and his third overall at Wisconsin’s Action Track.

Cousins Finish One-Two at DRP, Paul Wins Second of ‘09

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. (September 12, 2009) – There is a myth that the outside line at Dells Raceway Park is non-existent. Just call the Neisius cousins a pair of “mythbusters.”

Paul Neisius stepped out of line, swung to the outside and cruised past three cars in two laps, while towing his cousin Paul to second, en route to his second Mid-American Stock Car Series feature win of the 2009 season in Saturday’s running of the September Showdown.

The 40-lap feature event got off to a rocky start with three cautions in the first six trips around “Wisconsin’s Showcase Short Track.”

While a single-file train tailed pole-sitter Scott Null, Paul Neisius took his leap of faith to the high groove and blasted into the lead on lap 15. “I told my crew, if we’re going to win this points battle we have to go to the outside,” said the Hastings, Minn., veteran in reference to his ongoing battle with Bill Prietzel. “We worked on it all day and it really ran on the outside.”

By Joe and Jordan Verdegan
(Francis Creek, WI) September 12, 2009 – Monte Strouf of Menchalville passed Mark Van Rite for the lead on lap four and fought off challenges from Brett Piontek and Adam White in the waning laps to capture the caution free, 35 lap Mid American Sportsman feature at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek Saturday night.

Track champions were crowned as well, as Daryl Gerke of Whitelaw won the track championship, with an assist from Piontek, who was guest driving Gerke’s car for the past several weeks. In the super stock division Jo Gauer wound up beating Kraig Koehler by a mere 3 points to capture the super stock crown.

Green Bay’s Todd Hebel won the mini stock title while Two Rivers Bruce Sand captured the sport four crown. Polesitter Van Rite of De Pere took the lead at the drop of the green but surrendered the top spot to Strouf by lap four. Gerke was all but assured of the crown when second place points driver Travis Groelle dropped out on lap two with mechanical woes.

By: Ashley Iwanski
(West Salem, WI – September 12, 2009) Thousands crowded the stands to witness one of the most exciting events at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway all season. The fans were on their feet all night cheering on one enthralling event after another.

The most anticipated event of the night was the Trailer Race of Destruction. The race had one of the biggest fleets of trailers ever. After the first few laps the race had to be red flagged to clear the wreckage that was piled up in turn three. The debris continued to pile up all around the track as trailers were being smashed to pieces. In the end the fans voted to see who of the last six trailers still partial intact would get the win. An extremely loud crowd declared John Ratz the official winner.

by Andrew Schaller

By: Kevin Ramsell
WEST SALEM, WI (Thursday, September 10, 2009) – The number four will be a popular number at this year’s Oktoberfest Race Weekend. Fans will enjoy four days of racing while celebrating four decades of the great Midwest asphalt racing event, which happens to be celebrating its 40th anniversary. The 2009 edition of ‘Fest is scheduled to be held October 8-11 at the LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, WI.

The action will get underway on Thursday, October 8th presented by CC106 FM. The LaCrosse Late Models, LaCrosse Sportsmen, Thunderstox, R.A.Y.S., Super Late Model “The Futures,” Hornets, Bandits, and the Double-O divisions will be competing. Seven feature races will highlight the opening night activities with the La Crosse Late Models competing in a 40-lap feature event along with the Super Late Futures in a 25-lap feature. Qualifying will get underway at 3:15 p.m. with racing at 6:00 p.m. Miller Lite and CC106 will be hosting the first of three legendary After-Race Parties in the Exhibition Building.