Adults $14, Youth $10 and Children 6-12 $3.  Over 70 and Under 6 FREE

Gates Open at 6:00 with Racing at 7:00 PM.  Use the Big Sky Bus parking lot for lighted and secured  FREE parking.

By Vikki Higginbotham

It may have taken a few rainy weekends, but Electric City Speedway hosted a full night of racing action this past Saturday.  Starting the evening the speedway took a moment to remember a few members of the racing family that were lost over the off season.  While Justin Mann and Pat LaMere made parade laps during a tribute put together on behalf of the families of Gary Wagner, Darcy Mann and Ken LaMere, Ken Mann set to release 42 black and white balloons.

A slow to fast running order was on the cards for the evening as the WISSOTA Street Stocks took to the track en masse for three heats.  Paul Lease and Jeremy Castro battled in the first heat with Lease claiming the victory.  Cody Ryan grabbed an early lead on Beau Brown and kept gaining distance in the second heat.  After gaining the lead in the third heat from Troy Weninger, Marvin Gonzales took the top spot.  The feature was a completely different event.  Twenty three cars started the event.  Paul Lease led most of the laps with Beau Brown knocking on the back bumper.  Taking advantage of lapped traffic Brown made his way around Lease.  Gonzales caused one caution and had to start at the rear of the field.  After multiple cautions, one resulting in winding down the time clock the race was called after fourteen laps under caution.  Though he was on the move Gonzales had to settle for a third place finish.  Lease was runner up to Brown.

The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds were in perfect form for the evening.  Jim Myre had mechanical issues that prevented him from competing with the other nineteen drivers.  Ron Harvie, Doug Lapierre and Chris Hill were victorious in the heats.  At the start of the feature one could tell the hunger of the drivers for the lead.  Ron Harvie was nudged out of the way in the first turn and had to pit for a flat.  The pack kept battling and as laps wound down Chris Hill, Mike Pistelak and Doug Lapierre had fans out of their seats as a three wide battle for first continued for a few laps.  With a final turn pass on Hill, Pistelak inched his way ahead and claimed his first victory of the season.

Two heats of WISSOTA Super Stocks started of the class’ night.  Curt Popham held of his brother Pacer for the first heat victory.  Clay Irwin was dominating the second heat until a caution for Richard Azure stopping on the track flew.  Casey Steffenson and Ryan Fasching took advantage of the restart to get around Irwin.  Steffenson was the final victor.  Surviving was the name of the game in the feature, as numerous cautions claiming multiple cars appeared to set the scene.  After five caution flags flew drivers were given the yellow/black warning informing them whoever caused the next cautions was eliminated from the event.  Casey Steffenson was the tough luck receiver as he had nowhere to go when Dolan Sevalstad got out of shape in turn four.  A final caution for debris had the field lining up for a green-white-checkered scenario.  Ryan Fasching held off Pacer Popham in a close battle across the finish line.

The WISSOTA Modifieds ran two fast heats with Gary Hill and Mark Wermling declared the winners.  In the feature, Sean Higginbotham brought out the first caution spinning in turn four.  The red flag flew when Mark Wermling made contact with Sean McBee after a bump by McBee in turn four. Wermling spun and was collected by Azure and Chad Johnson with Azure landing on his roof in a destroyed car.   Brining out his second caution Higginbotham had to park his car for the night.  Gary Hill took the events in stride and claimed his second victory of 2012.

The WISSOTA Late Models were freaky fast in both their heat and feature events.  Jody Kropp claimed the heat.   The feature was all Rock Degele as he took an early lead and dominated the caution free event.

Next week the CAN/AM Challenge featuring Sprints on both Friday and Saturday nights.  The Street Stocks & Midwest Modifieds will join them as well with the Super Stocks running Friday night and Modifieds running Saturday night.   Pit Entry: $20.00.  Grandstand Tickets are:  Adult – $14.00, Youth – $10.00, Children – $3.00 and Seniors are free.

RESULTS

WISSOTA Street Stocks

Heat #1 – Paul Lease, Jeremy Castro, Ron Weber, Nick Hunter, Brad Norris, Stephan Foley, Shannon Cote, Bill Handel

Heat #2 – Cody Ryan, Beau Brown, Kyle Jarvey, Kory Wermling, Jeff Sekuterski, Taylor Martin, Kenneth Hunter, John Johnson

Heat #3 – Marvin Gonzales, Troy Weninger, Warren Samoy, Ron Mattern, Ron Imberi, Paul Lande, Brenton Collins

Feature – Brown, Lease, Gonzales, Weninger, Mattern, Weber, Norris, Castro, Ryan, Jarvey, Sekuterski, Lande, Imberi, Foley, Martin, Samoy, Collins, Handel, Cote, Johnson, N. Hunter, Wermling, K. Hunter

WISSOTA Midwest Modified

Heat #1 – Ron Harvie, Mike Pistelak, Joey Tinker, Dave McCune, Tommy Bush, Michael Shure, Jim Myre

Heat #2 – Doug Lapierre, Aaron Liscum, Jake Tacke, Jerry Sangrey Jr., Tim McCune, Taylor Falkenhagen

Heat #3 – Chris Hill, Ron Sasek, Zach Olson, Joey Price, Patrick Harvie, Beau Brown, Bob Price

Feature – Pistelak, Hill, Lapierre, Liscum, Olson, Sasek, T. McCune, Tinker, J. Price, Bush, D. McCune, Brown, Falkenhagen, Tacke, Shure, P. Harvie, B. Price, Sangrey Jr., R. Harvie, Myre

WISSOTA Super Stock

Heat #1 – Curt Popham, Pacer Popham, Sharid Lee, Mike Pistelak, Pat LaMere, Gordo Oppelt, Alex Wermling, Chad Bykonen

Heat #2 – Casey Steffenson, Ryan Fasching, Clay Irwin, Dolan Sevalstad, John Lighthizer, Jake Tucker, Richard Azure

Feature – Fasching, P. Popham, Lee, Lighthizer, C. Popham, Irwin, LaMere, Pistelak, Oppelt, Wermling, Bykonen, Tucker, Steffenson, Sevalstad, Azure

WISSOTA Modified

Heat #1 – Gary Hill, Paul Donnelly, Rock Degele, Chad Johnson, David Azure, Paul Leach, Sean Higginbotham, Emory Wells

Heat #2 – Mark Wermling, Maurice Myre, Sean McBee, Joey Price, Jeremy Meirhofer, Justin Mann, Tony Steward, John Price

Feature – Hill, Myre, Donnelly, Wells, McBee, Leach, Meirhofer, Degele, Johnson, Steward, John Price, Justin Mann, Joey Price, Sean Higginbotham, Dave Azure, Mark Wermling

WISSOTA Late Model

Heat – Jody Kropp, Pacer Popham, Rock Degele, Rory Minster, John Lighthizer, Chris Dunn, JD Olson, Ryan Wiltfong

Feature – Degele, Kropp, Lighthizer, Dunn, Popham, Minster, Wiltfong, Olson

By Vikki Higginbotham

Rain and snow were on the agenda across the Big Sky this past weekend preventing the two night Montana Spring Roundup at Electric City Speedway.  Track promoters made the decision to add May 4, 2012 to the schedule making the roundup a two night event this coming weekend.  The WISSOTA Late Models have been rescheduled for May 12, 2012 as well.

One must ask though if the weather was really a bad thing.  Usually most if not all drivers are ready for the season to start the last weekend in April, but Mother Nature has most times than not been uncooperative to starting the racing season in Montana this early.  Some of our drivers didn’t rush to get their cars done this year, had something come up, or needed to make repairs and adjustments from the “Teaser” race that was held on April 22, 2012.  This postponed weekend gave them a little extra time to get their cars ready for the 2012 season.  Some that wouldn’t have made it to the track this past weekend are now one step closer if not finally ready for their season to start.

The weather reports look good, with daytime temperatures set to be in the low to mid 60s, precipitation no higher than 20% and night time lows in the upper 30s.  So this week we try it again.

In the past, people have signed up to receive SMS text updates from the speedway in cases of rained out events.  With their new website and system that data was unable to be transferred.  If anyone wishes to continue to receive these updates they must go to www.electriccityspeedway.com  and click on the Rained Out banner.

See you at the track!

The Montana Spring Round UP is POSTPONED until May 4th and 5th.  We will see you next week

By Vikki Higginbotham

Track promoters Dan and Barbara Mann opened the gates to Electric City Speedway with a Sunday afternoon “Teaser” race this past weekend.  As a special to fans in the grandstands there was no fee for the spectators.  When the racing wrapped up fans saw some great racing action, got a little sunburned and are geared up for the 2012 racing season.

The Official season opener is scheduled for April 27, 2012 and April 28, 2012.  Our “Montana Spring Roundup” will include Street Stock, Mid-West Modifieds, Super Stock, and Modifieds running both nights.  Pit Gate opens at 5:00 pm with a $25.00 entry fee each night of the Roundup.

Grandstand admission will be Adult $10.00, Youth $7.00, Child 6-12 $1.00 & Under 6 & 70+ free.

With the elimination of the Not So Pure Stock class the WISSOTA Street Stocks have become a little more populated.  Starting the afternoon with two heats Marvin Gonzales successfully battled with Beau Brown to take the first heat.  The second heat hosted the remaining Deer Lodge guys as Paul Lease held off Nick Hunter for the top spot.  In the feature Lease took an early lead from Gonzales and managed to keep Hunter behind him in the closing laps for his first victory this season.

The WISSOTA Mid-West Modifieds followed the Street Stocks in the running order.  Ron Sasek and Joey Tinker claimed victories in their heat races.  Joey Tinker and Tim McCune had a great battle going in the early laps.  Aaron Liscum kept a comfortable third looking for his opportunity to capitalize on the battle for the lead.  A caution coming out when Tinker ended up spun and broke in turn four shut the door on Liscum though.  McCune held Chris Hill and Aaron off for the victory.

Keeping with the slow to fast format the five WISSOTA Super Stocks of Pat LaMere, Jake Tucker, Casey Steffenson, Chad Bykonen and Mike Pistelak took their time on the track.  Steffenson was on a roll holding off LaMere in the Heat.  During the feature the five cars had spread out with Steffenson leading LaMere and Tucker until Bykonen spun in turn one.  This regrouped the field and gave Pistelak a chance to get around LaMere.  Steffenson wasn’t looking back though and captured the checkers.

The WISSOTA Modifieds ran two heats as well.  Kasey Brown and Gary Hill were victorious in these.  The feature held a few single car spins.  Brown had a spin in turn two that put him to the back of the field.  Dave Azure brought out the next to last caution when his car lost some rear suspension parts on the front stretch.  On the restart at lap 14 the field piled up on the front stretch.  Track officials declared Gary Hill the victor as more than half the field was involved in the tangled mess.  The cars of Sean McBee and Kasey Brown had to have safety crews assist in removing Brown’s right front from under McBee’s left rear quarter panel. 

All in all it was a great day of racing and an opportunity for drivers to get the bugs out before the official season opener on Friday and Saturday nights this week.

RESULTS

WISSOTA Street Stock

Heat #1 – Marvin Gonzales, Beau Brown, Brad Norris, John Johnson, Ron Weber, Paul Lande

Heat #2 – Paul Lease, Nick Hunter, Jeff Sekuterski, Cody Ryan, Kyle Jarvey, Kory Wermling, Kenneth Hunter, Ron Mattern

Feature – Lease, N. Hunter, Sekuterski, Lande, Jarvey, Johnson, Brown, Mattern, Ryan, K. Hunter, Norris, Wermling, Weber, Gonzales

WISSOTA Midwest Modified

Heat #1 – Ron Sasek, Tim McCune, Chris Hill, Dave McCune, Jake Tacke, Doug Lapierre

Heat #2 – Joey Tinker, Jerry Sangrey Jr., Aaron Liscum, Beau Brown, Ron Harvie, Joey Price

Feature – T. McCune, Hill, Liscum, Brown, Sasek, Tacke, Harvie, D. McCune, Lapierre, Price, Tinker, Sangrey Jr.

WISSOTA Super Stock

Heat – Casey Steffenson, Pat LaMere, Mike Pistelak, Jake Tucker, Chad Bykonen

Feature – Steffenson, Pistelak, LaMere, Tucker, Bykonen

WISSOTA Modified

Heat #1 – Kasey Brown, Joey Price, Paul Leach, Sean McBee, John Price, Sean Higginbotham

Heat #2 – Gary Hill, Chad Johnson, Kenny Baumann, Dave Azure, Pat Wallace

Feature – Hill, Joey Price, Leach, Johnson, McBee, Baumann, Brown, John Price, Wallace, Azure, Higginbotham