IRA SPRINTS HIGHLIGHT FINAL WEEKEND OF AMSOIL DIRT NATIONALS AT ELKO SPEEDWAY

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Following Whiteny's heroics on Friday night, four action packed heat races and a hotly contested "B main" put 23 starters on the grid for the 30 lap "A" Main and when the green flew Aussie Brooke Tatnell rolled by Terry McCarl, Scott Winters and Whitney to take the point, leading the first six laps before he entered turn three too deep, touching the wall as he tried to correct his line, but ended up rolling his ride to bring out the caution on lap seven. On the ensuing restart, McCarl and Winters battled for the point, with Scott Neitzel roaring by Whitney for third on lap 10 and Winters moving under McCarl for the lead at the midpoint. The action remained fast and furious, with McCarl using lapped traffic to his advantage taking the lead from Winters on lap 22 before the caution would fly on lap 26 for a stalled Steve Meyer. On the final restart, McCarl charged to the lead and win, with Winters second and Scott Biertzer, Bill Balog and Neitzel working into the top five.

In the AMSOIL Championship Modifieds, twin features greeted the drivers and Lake Mills, IA's Nate Chodur was "the man" all night long as he made a steady charge in the makeup feature, finally tracking down Dustin Scott at the 7 lap mark, then holding off challenges from Jared Boumeester and Dan Wheeler to score the win in the opening 18 lapper. Following qualifying heat action, the drivers lined up for their second 18 lapper of the night and again, Chodur was the class of the field as he chased down race leader Joshua Bonnstetter exiting turn four on the final lap to score his second win of the night, with Allen Gessell also working around Bonnstetter to finish second.

Topping off the action were the UMSS Micro Sprints and with drivers representing 8 states the action was extremely competitive with Robby Resch, Chris Koch and Jamison Wilson battling through the early stages, before Resch and Koch separated themselves and set off on a one on one duel. It took until the final lap to settle the issue and it was Koch edging past Resch to earn the victory, with Tyler Stump closing fast to take third away from Wilson ending an action packed night.

On Saturday July 24, 2010, fans and competitors alike were greeted with sunny skies, temperatures in the high 80's and plenty of reason to be excited as the IRA 410 Sprints looked ready, while the AMSOIL Championship Modifieds were racing for their share of a $5,000 point fund and the UMSS Micro Sprints were still riding high in their first appearance at Elko Speedway!

In the IRA 410 Sprints, qualifying wasn't up to it's record setting performance of the previous night, but the heats and "B" main were highly competitive and entertaining, so the fans were more than ready for the 30 lap "A" main. At the drop of the green, Bill Balog took the early lead over Wayne Modjeski, Steve Meyer and Mike Reinke before a fourth lap caution for a spinning Andy Hunt slowed the action. On the restart, Balog again set the pace over Modjeski, Meyer and Reinke with Brooke Tatnell sliding around fast qualifier Gregg Bakker to join the top five, before a second caution would fly on lap 7 as Reinke went around in turn two. On the second restart, it was Tatnell who got the best jump, working around Meyer for third, before pulling even with Modjeski as the field reached the midpoint.

As Balog continued to show the way, Modjeski and Tatnell closed on the leader who was fighting his was through lapped traffic and this same lapped traffic would help Scott Winters catch and pass Tatnell, before Tatnell returned the favor on lap 18, before he caught and finally passed Modjeski for second on lap 19. With Tatnell now closing on the lead ride of Balog, the caution would fly one final time on lap 28 as Modjeski's night came to an end as his engine expired, stalling the sprinter in turn two, setting up a wild finish. On the final restart, as the fans rose in unison it was Tatnell charging off of turn four to take the lead enroute to the popular victory, with Balog second, Winters third and John Haeni and Travis Whitney charging home with top five finishes.

For the AMSOIL Championship Modifieds, the 25 lap main would help determine who would claim the $1,000 Champions share of the $5,000 AMSOIL point fund and you could tell the drivers were on edge as a five car pileup on the opening lap forced a complete restart and "Friday's Hero" Nate Chodur took the lead over Ricky McNamara and Jonny Hentges, with Hentges moving past McNamara for second on lap seven. The action remained "clean and green" past the midpoint as Hentges used lapped traffic to close on Chodur, taking the lead on lap 17, with series point leader Dan Wheeler moving under Chodur for second on lap 18 before the caution flew on lap 19 as Alan Gessell, Jr.  spun in turn two. On the ensuining restart, Hentges led the field to the green, but caught his left side tires on the inside "cushion", which sent him spinning forcing a final caution. On the final restart, Wheeler pulled away for his third AMSOIL Dirt Nationals victory and the AMSOIL Championship Modifieds title, with Chodur second and Jared Boumeester third.

Topping off the action were the UMSS Micro Sprints and Tyler Stump was one competitor who wouldn't be denied as he took the opening lap lead, held it through two caution periods and led the entire 15 lap distance to earn the win, with Chris Koch scoring his second "top two" of the weekend, with Tim Ottenbacher third, Alan Mondus fourth and Robbie Resch fifth.

The Elko Speedway track staff will now remove the dirt and prepare for the July 31, 2010 EVE OF DESTRUCTION RAW, which will feature NASCAR Whelen All American Series action plus Monster Trucks, Figure Eights, School Buses and more! For directions, ticket information or general questions, contact the Racing Office at (952) 461-7223 or visit www.elkospeedway.com.

Results from the AMSOIL Dirt Nationals at Elko Speedway Friday July 23, 2010

IRA Sprints
Fast Qualifier Travis Whitney Coon Rapids 12.333 seconds (109.462 mph) **Track Record**
Heat 1 10 laps 1. Scott Neitzel Beaver Dam, WI 2. Scott Biertzer West Bend, WI 3. Travis Whitney Coon Rapids
Heat 2 10 laps 1. Scott Winters Butterfield 2. Wayne Modjeski Oak Creek, WI 3. Steve Meyer Sheboygan Falls, WI
Heat 3 10 laps 1. Jeremy Kerzman Grey Eagle 2. Brook Tatnell San Souci, Australia 3. Bill Warren Beaver Dam, WI
Heat 4 10 laps 1. Gregg Bakker Sioux Falls, SD 2. Dave Heskin St. Michael 3. Terry McCarl Altoona, IA
"B" Main 15 laps 1. Bill Balog Eau Claire, WI 2. John Sernett Prior Lake 3. Russ Borland Kewaskum, WI 4. Phil Mock Pleasant Prairie, WI 5. Billy Hafemann Waldo, WI
"A" Main 30 laps 1. Terry McCarl Altoona, IA 2. Scott Winters Butterfield 3. Scott Biertzer West Bend, WI 4. Bill Balog Eau Claire, WI 5. Scott Neitzel Beaver Dam, WI

AMSOIL Championship Modifieds
Heat 1 8 laps 1. Nate Chodur Lake Mills, IA 2. Jonny Hentges Jordan 3. Ryan Schluesner Hector
Heat 2 8 laps 1. Dustin Scott Rosemount 2. David Swearingen Little Canada 3. Doug Toepper Stacy
Heat 3 8 laps 1. Joshua Bonnstetter 2. Allen Gessell, Jr Big Lake 3. Michael Kyllonen Rogers
Feature #1 18 laps 1. Nate Chodur Lake Mills, IA 2. Jared Boumeester Waseca 3. Dan Wheeler Columbia Heights 4. Allen Gessell, Jr. Big Lake 5. Dustin Scott Rosemount

Feature #2 18 laps 1. Nate Chodur Lake Mills, IA 2. Allen Gessell, Jr. Big Lake 3. Joshua Bonstetter 4. Dan Wheeler Coon Rapids 5. John Paul Odegaard Brooklyn Center

UMSS Micro Sprints
Heat 1 6 laps 1. Chris Koch Sweet Springs, MO 2. Wade Huisman Hospers, IA 3. Mike Dolezal Eagle River, WI
Heat 2 8 laps 1. Tyler Stump Fort Wayner, IN 2. Robby Resch Antigo, WI 3. Mark Chevalier Andover
Heat 3l 8 laps 1. Skylar Prochaska 2. Jamison Wilson Kansas City, KS 3. Jeff Mound Rapid City, SD
Feature 15 laps 1. Chris Koch Sweet Springs, MO 2. Tori Knutson Monticello 3. Robby Resch Antigo, WI

Results from the AMSOIL Dirt Nationals at Elko Speedway Saturday July 24, 2010

IRA Sprints
Fast Qualifier Gregg Bakker Sioux Falls, SD 12.593 seconds (107.202 mph)
Heat 1 10 laps 1. Brooke Tatnell San Souci, Australia 2. Jeremey Kerzman Grey Eagle 3. Wayne Modjeski Oak Creek, WI
Heat 2 10 laps 1. Kim Mock Pleasant Prairie, WI 2. Phil Mock Pleasant Prairie, WI 3. Scott Winters Butterfield
Heat 3 10 laps 1. Russ Borland Kewaskum, WI 2. John Haeni Brownsville, WI 3. Scott Neitzel Beaver Dam, WI
"B" Main 15 laps 1. Travis Whitney Coon Rapids 2. Scott Biertzer West Bend, WI 3. Kris Spitz Salem, WI 4. Scott Uttech New Berlin, WI 5. Dave Uttech Kenosha, WI
"A" Main 30 laps 1. Brooke Tatnell San Souci, Australia 2. Bill Balog Eau Claire, WI 3. Scott Winters Butterfield 4. John Haeni Brownsville, WI 5. Travis Whitney Coon Rapids

AMSOIL Championship Modifieds
Heat 1 8 laps 1. Shawn Kelley Somerset, WI 2. Nate Chodue Lake Mills, IA 3. Jared Boumeester Waseca
Heat 2 8 laps 1. Dan Wheeler Columbia Heights 2. William Stetter Inver Grove Heights 3. Joshua Bonnstetter
Feature 25 laps 1. Dan Wheeler Columbia Heights 2. Nate Chodur Lake Mills, IA 3. Jared Boumeester Waseca 4. William Stetter Inver Grove Heights 5. Ryan Schluesner Hector
SERIES CHAMPION Dan Wheeler Columbia Heights

UMSS Micro Sprints
Heat 1 6 laps 1. Dan Henning Knoxville, IA 2. Chris Koch Sweet Springs, MO 3. Tyler Stump Fort Wayne, IN
Heat 2 6 laps 1. Mike Dolezal Eagle River, WI 2. Alan Mondus Lakeville 3. Tim Ottenbacher Hospers, IA
Feature 15 laps 1. Tyler Stump Fort Wayner, IN 2. Tim Ottenbacher Hospers, IA 3. Alan Mondus Lakeville

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