9/21/2017
WISSOTA
Tollakson takes Street Stock title at WISSOTA 100
By Scott Hughes
All The Dirt!? Racing News
HURON, SD (September 16) - The Street Stocks had the honor of running the first Championship Feature of the 2017 Speedway Motors WISSOTA 100 at Dakota State Fair Speedway.
The 33-car, three-wide field raced a 25-lap Championship Feature before a strong final night crowd and Jordan Tollakson made a daring pass in lapped traffic to get the lead and the win.
Championship Feature
Justin Tammen and Tollakson popped out of the front row with Tim Johnson on their tail on lap one. But Jim Gullikson surged to the front down the front chute to complete lap one. Unfortunately, two cars tangled and came to a halt just past the flagstand and the yellow blinked on.
Tammen had the front row alone for the restart and Gullikson and Tollakson challenged him on the first trip around; four drivers, including Broc Stout, Ryan Nelson, Blackwell and Blayne Baloun, got together in turn four, however, which drew another yellow. Still, only one lap was complete.
Tammen got the jump on Gullikson on the next start and so did Tim Johnson, who shot past for third. Tollakson went to guns the next time around on Tammen but Tammen fought him off. The front five were Tammen, Tollakson, Johnson, Gullikson and Mike Jans, then Dustan Davis. Jans ducked under Gullikson on the fourth lap and Kyle Dykhoff did the same to Davis. Justin Vogel and Scott Witkowski were right behind the Dykhoff and Davis battle.
Gullikson got back around Jans for fourth, and the top five cars broke away from the mass of metal behind. They hammered the cushion and set a torrid pace.
Chris Serr dropped from action on lap eight but made it off the track so the race stayed green.
Tollakson dove under Tammen. Tammen turned him back again. Meanwhile, Jans pulled alongside Johnson, then Gullikson briefly made it three wide for third. Johnson got back ahead of the two challengers but Dykhoff joined the group to make it six cars out front. Then Vogel pulled in right behind as well.
By the midpoint, Tammen and Tollakson had about a four car length lead on Johnson, who had three cars within about six lengths of his rear bumper.
Tammen was rock solid out front but Tollakson began experimenting with a slightly different line and inched closer. Johnson caught the two again, and Jans and Gullikson were right there as well. Any mistake would cost the drivers in the top six dearly.
Vogel had slipped back a little but remaind seventh ahead of Witkowski, Davis, Blackwell and Mike Knudtson.
Tammen caught the lapped cars of Iiams and Bobby Blowers fighting for position.
Tammen made the split second decision that had to be made; he guessed and dove low. Tollakson went to the high side and beat Tammen past the two slower cars. Johnson got hung up as Jans and Gullikson closed in.
With five laps left, Tollakson had three lengths on Tammen with the same margin to Johnson, and a little clear track ahead of the leaders.
Johnson went for broke on Tammen as the leaders headed to the white flag. Tollakson caught lapped cars on the final lap with his two challengers right behind. Johnson stormed ahead of Tammen when he blasted hard into turn three, but Tammen crossed back under Johnson out of turn four and beat him to the finish line as Tollakson scored the coveted WISSOTA 100 win. Jans and Gullikson rounded out the top five while Dykhoff got sixth, followed by Witkowski, Davis, Knudtson and Blackwell in the top 10.
Last Chance Race
Earlier in Saturday’s program, a large group of Street Stocks assembled for the first race of the night, which was their Last Chance Race. The top six finishers in the event were guaranteed a spot in the night’s Championship Feature event. The cars were lined up based on accumulated points during the previous three nights of racing.
Dyland Arndt and Cole Phillips led the field to the green and raced side by side for much of the opening lap, but a yellow brought the field back to them for a fresh start. Todd Carter and Andy Rossow broke away early along with Phillips and Arndt. Phillips had the early lead. Bobby Blowers lurked in fifth and Billie Christ charged up to sixth on the second lap. Jonny Carter, who started deep in the field, caught the top six on the fifth lap but got too high and lost some ground. He found himself in seventh, one spot behind the last transfer position, near the midpoint. He drove past Christ on the outside and attacked Rossow next.
Phillips continued to lead Arndt and Carter with Blowers fourth. A caution flew for a two-car tangle out of turn two.
The running order was Phillips, Arndt, Todd Carter, Blowers, Jonny Carter, Rossow, Christ, Rodney Hunter, Ethan Iiams, Scott Huston, Scott Borstad, Matt?Goth, Dave Brooker and Brandon Schmitt also in back. A?tangle in the back forced a yellow on the restart.
Arndt got shuffled back on the restart and Todd Carter led a charge that took him to second. A?lap later, Christ and Iiams tangled after Christ spun out of turn two, and Schmitt also stopped. Nine laps were complete.
Todd Carter and Blowers lined up behind Phillips and after a lap or two of sorting out, Todd Carter challenged Phillips and grabbed the lead. Jonny Carter was third and immediately challenged them. Jonny Carter moved to second and Christ dove under Phillips for third. Blowers ran fifth with Iiams on the bubble in sixth. Over the final two laps, Jonny Carter was all over Todd Carter. Phillips took back third from Christ and Blowers remained fifth.
Todd Carter hung on for the win and the rest of the Championship Feature qualifiers from the Last Chance Race were Carter, Phillips, Christ, Blowers and Iiams.
SUMMARY
WISSOTA Street Stocks:
Championship Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 32-Jordan Tollakson, 15:53.286[2]; 2. 71-Justin Tammen, 15:53.968[3]; 3. 1JR-Tim Johnson, 15:54.055[5]; 4. 73X-Mike Jans, 15:54.386[1]; 5. 21G-Jim Gullikson, 00:32.690[6]; 6. 11-Kyle Dykhoff, 15:55.608[12]; 7. 88-Scott Witkowski, 16:00.831[15]; 8. 2D-Dustan Davis, 16:01.010[9]; 9. 42K-Michael Knudtson, 16:03.374[21]; 10. 18-Preston Blackwell, 16:03.690[7]; 11. 11*-Robert Petroff, 16:04.693[11]; 12. 34-Mike Blowers, 00:32.690[20]; 13. 34J-Derek Rieck, 16:07.255[16]; 14. 24-Blayne Baloun, 16:07.437[24]; 15. 21-Cory Craver, 00:32.690[22]; 16. 49-Broc Stout, 16:10.247[4]; 17. 314-Tyler Lamb, 16:11.364[13]; 18. 51-Eric Riley, 16:11.569[17]; 19. 79C-Billie Christ, 16:11.717[28]; 20. 14-Maria Broksieck, 16:15.415[23]; 21. 78-Leonard Ferguson, 16:16.100[31]; 22. 19-Todd Carter, 15:53.362[25]; 23. Z22-Cole Phillips, 15:53.522[27]; 24. I7-Ethan Iiams, 16:01.402[30]; 25. (DNF) 67-Ryan Satter, 14:33.149[18]; 26. (DNF) 10-Justin Vogel, 14:04.364[8]; 27. (DNF) 5P-Ryan Pommerer, 14:17.677[19]; 28. (DNF) 15-James Randall, 13:47.369[10]; 29. (DNF) 34JR-Bobby Blowers, 13:37.797[29]; 30. (DNF) 46-Jonny Carter, 10:46.199[26]; 31. (DNF) 81-Travis Oxandaburu, 09:48.989[33]; 32. (DNF) 01S-Chris Serr, 09:16.281[14]; 33. (DNF) 20-Michael Bogh, 00:32.690[32]
Last Chance Race (15 Laps): 1. 19-Todd Carter, 16:14.696[3]; 2. 46-Jonny Carter, 16:15.028[13]; 3. Z22-Cole Phillips, 16:16.398[2]; 4. 79C-Billie Christ, 16:16.817[12]; 5. 34JR-Bobby Blowers, 16:17.376[7]; 6. I7-Ethan Iiams, 16:17.987[15]; 7. 10B-Scott Borstad, 16:18.407[17]; 8. 99-Andy Rossow, 16:20.179[5]; 9. 65-Dave Brooker, 16:22.038[10]; 10. 71S-Brandon Schmitt, 16:25.065[18]; 11. (DNF) 44A-Dylan Arndt, 14:19.219[1]; 12. (DNF) 69-Rodney Hunter, 14:19.543[6]; 13. (DNF) 17-Mathew Goth, 05:57.111[16]; 14. (DNF) 21H-Scott Huston, 05:55.694[8]; 15. (DNF) 1-Landan Davis, 05:58.313[14]; 16. (DNF) 73-Ryan Nelson, 05:57.774[9]; 17. (DNF) 01-Justin Pogones, 03:30.021[11]; (DNS) 22T-Troy Murner
Submitted By: Scott Hughes