Defending point champions Aaron Johnson and Greg Kohl scored feature wins while Chris Siercks came away with his first career win on the opening night of racing Saturday, April 17, at North Central Speedway.
Veteran Gerrald Nohner was a winner in the Mod Four class and Matt Speckman captured the Stock Cars. Dustin Nelson and Matt Olson also made it to the winners’ podium.
After numerous caution flags during the first four feature events, the modifieds, stock cars and super stocks ran with just two total caution flags to thrill the crowd that dealt with chilly temperatures.
Running in the night’s final race, Johnson held off Brandon Beckendorf, running in his first Modified feature at NCS, in the 20-lap feature with Shawn Fletcher coming in third.
In 2020, Dan Mackenthun won all four stock car feature events run at NCS. He wasn't the one celebrating on the winners’ stand Saturday as he finished third behind runner-up Tyler Pospisil and Matt Speckman, who claimed his first feature win at the track. Speckman ran in two of the four feature events last season finishing in the top five in one of those races.
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The super stock race started as a dual between former track champion Dylan Nelson and Dustin Nelson, who finished second behind points champion Austin Niemeyer. Dylan Nelson was challenging Dustin Nelson for the top spot midway through the race when he hit the tractor tire, used as a barrier for the infield, in Turn Four knocking him out of the race. Dustin Nelson finished in front of Travis Scott, driving in his sophomore season in the Super Stock class, and Ryan Studanski.
Chris Siercks has been running at NCS for a number of years, first in the hobby stock class before moving to the sportmod class. He made it to the winners’ podium for the first time in a green-white-checker finish. Defending track champion Jake Hagemann took second place with Tom Bergerson in third.
Tommy Bawden had the most dominant season of any driver last year with eight wins in 12 features in the mod 4 class. Gerrald Nohner finished in the top five in five feature events last year, but didn't get a win. That changed Saturday as he received a front row start and took advantage of it with a victory in front of Jamie Lenarz and Chad Funt. Bawden finished fifth.
18 cars started in the hobby stock feature race, but only 10 crossed the finish line. Matt Olson ran in two feature races last season but finished in the top five in both and was one of the 10 that survived, taking the checkered flag for his first win at NCS.
Sport compact drivers Greg and Nathan Kohl accumulated six feature wins last season with Greg Kohl collecting the track championship. It was the two Kohls running up front again Saturday in a feature marred by caution flags that dispatched nine cars out of the 21-car field. In the end, it was Greg Kohl winning with Nathan Kohl in second and Josh Maleski third.
IMCA Modifieds
Feature: 1-Aaron Johnson, 2-Brandon Beckendorf, 3-Shawn Fletcher
Heat 1: 1-Brandon Beckendorf, 2-Aaron Johnson, 3-Pete Hines
Heat 2: 1-Ryan Putnam, 2-Shawn Fletcher, 3-AJ Viehauser
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IMCA Stock Car
Feature: 1-Matt Speckman, 2-Tyler Pospisil, 3-Dan Mackenthun
Heat 1: 1-Dan Mackenthun, 2-Matt Speckman, 3-Jordan Zillmer
Wissota Super Stock
Feature: 1-Dustin Nelson, 2-Travis Scott, 3-Ryan Studanski
Heat 1: 1-Travis Scott, 2-Dylan Nelson, 3-Dustin Nelson
IMCA Sportmods
Feature: 1-Chris Siercks, 2-Jake Hagemann, 3-Tim Bergerson
Heat 1: 1-Justin Jones, 2-Tom Anderson, 3-Brendon Yamry
Heat 2: 1-Jake Hagemann, 2-Mark Martini, 3-Jacob Jordan
Heat 3: 1-David Siercks, 2-Tim Bergerson, 3-Chris Siercks
Wissota Mod Four
Feature: 1-Gerrald Nohner, 2-Jamie Lenarz, 3-Chad Funt
Heat 1: 1-Gerrald Nohner, 2-Tommy Bawden, 3-Chad Funt
Heat 2: 1-Skyler Smith, 2-Cody Mason, 3-Brandan Woods
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IMCA Hobby Stocks
Feature: 1-Matt Olson, 2-Chris Seidel, 3-Scott Heron
Heat 1: 1-Jordan Ahlers, 2-Brandon Bombardo, 3-Matt Olson
Heat 2: 1-Scott Herron, 2-Dave Johnson, 3-William Herron
IMCA Sport Compacts
Feature: 1-Greg Kohl, 2-Nathan Kohl, 3-Josh Maleski
Heat 1: 1-Marschall, 2-Brett McConnell, 3-Nathan Kohl
Heat 2: 1-Trista Pankratz, 2-Austin Raths, 3-Jadyn Brusven
Heat 3: 1-RJ Esquada, 2-Travis Roush, 3-Harry Ruikka
Heat 4: 1-Greg Kohl, 2-Kaleb Ruikka, 3-Alyssa Nelson
