Mars, Bloomquist Grab Wdrl Masters Wins At Cedar Lake

jdearing

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Large crowd treated to two 50-lap feature events following Friday’s rain-out

By Tom Lathen
WORLD Dirt Racing League

(New Richmond, WI) Jimmy Mars and Scott Bloomquist stood on the podium Saturday night as the 2007 Masters champions here at Ceder Lake Speedway.
Mars won a furious wheel-to-wheel battle over Bloomquist to win the $10,000-to-win make-up Masters feature event, which was postponed because of rain on Friday night, with Bloomquist returning the favor by outdistancing Mars to pocket an identical $10,000 top prize in the second 50-lap Masters main.
The 2007 Masters was sanctioned by the WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series.
Mars started fourth in a 26-car field in the make-up 50-lap feature event, and watched as pole-setter Steve Laursen powered off the bottom out of turn two to grab the advantage over outside front-row starter Pat Doar on the opening circuit.
With the duo racing side-by-side in front of the front-stretch grandstands on lap three, Doar took over the top spot, only to relinquish the point a pair of laps later, when Laursen slid off the bottom out of turn four to retake the advantage.
The two front-runners traded the lead five times during the first 19 laps, before Mars powered off the bottom out of turn four on lap 20 to grab the lead, with Doar and Laursen making it virtually three-wide in front of the grandstands.
Doar was able to regain the top spot as the three front-runners stormed out of turn two on the following circuit, but two laps later, Mars again placed his T.L. Sinz Plumbing/MasterSbilt/Pro Power Chevrolet Monte Carlo at the front of the field, less than a car, with a strong run off the bottom out of turn four.
Bloomquist, who started 17th in the field, moved into the top five on lap 16, and following a caution flag on lap 26, wheeled into third, behind Mars and Laursen, a couple of circuits later. The Moorseburg, Tennessee hot-shoe powered around Laursen out of turn two on the 28th go-around, and with Mars running in heavy traffic over the final dozen laps, began to cut into the front-runner’s advantage.
“I got kind of cautious coming up through those lapped cars and it got a little bit tough, because you didn’t want to get squeezed up into the wall or bogged down on the bottom,” noted Mars.
“I knew when I got into that lapped traffic it was going to slow me down,” he added. “Scott (Bloomquist) was running exceptional tonight and he didn’t have anything to loose, he could try anywhere he wanted to.”
Working the cushion through the corners, Bloomquist pulled in behind the front-running Mars with five to go, setting the stage for the crowd-pleasing door-to-door finish.
At the line, Bloomquist came up just a few feet short, as Mars scored his third consecutive WDRL victory, after wins at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wisconsin on Wednesday and Superior Speedway on Thursday.
“The car was really good through about the first half of the race, but then the race track started getting a little streaky,” noted the victorious Mars.
“Towards the end, I went from running offense to running defense, making sure I didn’t make any mistakes,” he added. “I definitely wasn’t driving as hard as I was in the beginning, because of that lapped traffic, but anytime you can beat Bloomquist, you’ve got to be happy.”
Laursen held off Eau Claire, Wisconsin’s Ashley Anderson to finish third, with Brady Smith coming from a ninth-place start to grab fifth.
In the second PolyDome Products Masters 50, Bloomquist led from wire-to-wire, after winning an opening lap battle over Brady Smith to grab the early advantage.
The opening dozen circuits featured a spirited bumper-to-bumper battle between Bloomquist, Smith, and WDRL points leader Brian Harris, as the three pace-setters began to work their way through slower traffic.
With Bloomquist opening up a fairly comfortable advantage in congestion, Harris stormed around Smith to grab second on lap 19.
A wall of slower cars confronted the front-running Bloomquist through the middle stages of the event, but the 43-year old Tennessee chauffeur’s Miller Brothers Coal/Bloomquist Chassis/Vic Hill Engines Chevrolet Monte Carlo effortlessly negotiated the congestion, and before the caution flag waved on lap 41, had again opened up a sizeable advantage on the second-place running Harris, with Mars, who had started fourth, now running third.
“You really have to be careful when you have guys racing that hard in front of you,” commented Bloomquist on the congested traffic. “We were a little bit cautions, but it was fun.”
The caution flag was again displayed on lap 43, when Iowa driver Matt Furman came into contact with the turn three wall, but when racing resumed, Bloomquist again roared to the advantage, with Harris and Mars running door-to-door for second.
Bloomquist was unchallenged over the final seven circuits, but Harris and Mars kept the fans on their feet, with Mars winning the race to the line by a matter of a few feet to grab second.
“This race track was super tonight,” noted Bloomquist in AMSOIL Victory Lane following the win. “There wasn’t any lane you couldn’t get in, and it got pretty exciting there in that lapped traffic with everyone changing lines. This is one of our favorite race tracks and I’m glad we performed well.
Bloomquist, who normally runs national open-tire events, had favorable comments on the WDRL’s one-compound tire rule.
“This is actually the first race I’ve run on this tire rule, and they were super,” he said. “It makes it so you don’t have to do a lot of thinking anyway, you just work on your race car and that’s what we did.”
“We had to change the set-up a little bit, but obviously, we got it going pretty good.”
Gray Court, South Carolina’s Chris Madden, driving a Bloomquist back-up car, came from 13th at the start to finish fourth, with Boyceville, Wisconsin’s Rick Hanestad finishing fifth.

MAKE-UP FEATURE RACE REPORT:

PolyDome Masters 50 (make-up): 1. Jimmy Mars; Menomonie, WI, 2. Scott Bloomquist; Mooresburg, TN, 3. Steve Laursen; Cumberland, WI, 4. Ashley Anderson; Eau Claire, WI, 5. Brady Smith; Solon Springs, WI, 6. Pat Doar; New Richmond, WI, 7. Brian Harris; Davenport, IA, 8. Chris Madden; Gray Court, SC, 9. John Kaanta; Elk Mound, WI, 10. Darren Miller; Milledgeville, IL, 11. Nick Anvelink; Navarino, WI, 12. Kerry Hansen; Spencer, WI, 13. Ace Ihm; Hazel Green, WI, 14. Justin Fegers; Mound, MN, 15. Chad Simpson; Mount Vernon, IA, 16. Dave Eckrich; Cosgrove, IA, 17. Eric Pember; Pittsville, WI, 18. Denny Eckrich; Tiffin, IA, 19. Rob Moss; Iowa City, IA, 20. Kyle Berck; Marquette, NE, 21. Lance Matthees; Winona, MN, 22. Jake Redetzke; Eau Claire, WI, 23. Rick Hanestad, Boyceville, WI, 24. Adam Hensel; Barron, WI, 25. Scott Gilberts; Sand Creek, WI, 26. Chris Simpson; Oxford, IA.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST:

Entrants: 46
Lap Leaders: Laursen (1-2), Doar (3-4), Laursen (5), Doar (6-10), Laursen (11), Doar (12-19), Mars (20), Doar (21-22), Mars (23-50)
Time of Race: 25:14.177
Margin of Victory: 0.338
Fastest Lap: Laursen (15.117)
Caution Flags: 3 (laps 14, 14, 26)
Red Flags: none
Rookie-of-the-Race: Kaanta
Hard Luck Driver: Tim Isenberg
Series Provisionals: Fegers, Eckrich

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation: miller, Mars, Ihm
QA1 Motorsports: Mars
AMSOIL: Mars
KSE Racing Products: Kaanta, Pember
The Brake Man: Smith
Champ Pans: Harris
Performance Bodies: Kaanta
V-Performance Batteries: Miller
Fast Shafts: Hansen
Hooker Harness: Ihm
Weld Wheels: Fegers
Chase Race Decals: Isenberg

RACE REPORT:

Group Qualifying: 1. Nick Anvelink; Navarino, WI (13.731), 2. Jimmy Mars; Menomonie, WI (13.740), 3. Steve Laursen; Cumberland, WI (13.788), 4. Scott Bloomquist; Mooresburg, TN (13.917), 5. Eric Pember; Pittsville, WI (13.859), 6. Chris Madden; Gray Court, SC (13.869), 7. Ace Ihm; Hazel Green, WI (13.872), 8. John Kaanta; Elk Mound, WI (13.891), 9. Adam Hensel; Barron, WI (13.902), 10. Darren Miller; Milledgeville, IL (13.903), 11. Jake Redetzke; Eau Claire, WI (13.935), 12. Kerry Hansen; Spencer, WI (13.969), 13. Brian Harris; Davenport, IA (13.976), 14. Pete Parker; Kaukauna, WI (14.024), 15. Tim Isenberg; Marshfield, WI (14.037), 16. Chris Simpson; Oxford, IA (14.050), 17. Rick Hanestad; Boyceville, WI (14.063), 18. Matt Furman; Iowa City, IA (14.065), 19. Brian Birkhofer; Muscatine, IA (14.071), 20. Justin Fegers; Mound, MN (14.076), 21. Scott Gilberts; Sand Creek, WI (14.171), 22. Brady Smith; Solon Springs, WI (14.254), 23. Kyle Berck; Marquette, NE (14.264), 24. Rob Moss; Iowa City, IA (14.275), 25. Chad Simpson; Mount Vernon, IA (14.296), 26. Jason Utter; Columbus Junction, IA (14.327), 27. Denny Eckrich; Tiffin, IA (14.336), 28. Andrew McKay; Edina, MN (14.348), 29. Billy Koons; Omaha, NE (14.354), 30. Marshall Fegers; Mound, MN (14.390), 31. Pat Doar; New Richmond, WI (14.403), 32. Ashley Anderson; Eau Claire, WI (14.442), 33. Nick Marolf; Moscow, IA (14.470), 34. Doug Herrick; West Concord, MN (14.502), 35. Chuckie DeSmith; Glenwood City, WI (14.527), 36. Mike Nutzman; New Richmond, WI (14.635), 37. Dave Eckrich; Cosgrove, IA (14.689), 38. Darin Duffy; Hazelton, IA (14.701), 39. Brent Laursen; Osceola, WI (14.734), 40. Tom Nesbitt; Thunder Bay, ON (14.965), 41. Jeff Keeney; River Falls, WI (15.068), 42. Larry Stockwell; Ellsworth, MN (15.113), 43. Brian Wennan; Lindstrom, MN (15.375), 44. Jill George; Cedar Falls, IA (no time).

First PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Chad Simpson (59.0), 2. Justin Fegersw (55.5), 3. Miller (54.25), 4. Isenberg (48.5), 5. Doar (49.5), 6. Pember (41.5), 7. Nesbitt (42.5), 8. DeSmith (34.5), 9. Utter (31.0).

Second PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Bloomquist (68.0), 2. Birkhofer (55.5), 3. Moss (52.0), 4. Parker (48.5), 5. Anderson (49.5), 6. Hensel (41.5), 7. Denny Eckrich (38.0), 8. Nutzman (34.5), 9. Keeney (31.0).

Third PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Furman (61.25), 2. Harris (57.75), 3. Kaanta (54.25), 4. Dave Eckrich (57.5), 5. Berck (45.0), 6. Steve Laursen (41.5), 7. Marolf (38.0), 8. McKay (34.5), Stockwell (31.0)

Fourth PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Smith (59.0), 2. Hanestad (55.5), 3. Mars (56.5), 4. Ihm (48.5), 5. Matthees (49.5), 6. Duffy (46.0), 7. Wennan (42.5), 8. Koons (34.5), 9. Hansen (31.0).

Fifth polyDome Qualifier: 1. Anvelink (68.0), 2. Chris Simpson (55.5), 3. Madden (54.25), 4. Gilberts (48.5), 5. Marshall Fegers (47.25), 6. Brent Laursen (46.0), 7. Herrick (38.0), 8. Redetzke (34.5), 9. George (31.0).

First KSE Racing Products Consolation: 1. Anderson, 2. Marshall Fegers, 3. Nesbitt, 4. Marolf, 5. Hensel, 6. Brent Laursen, 7. Utter, 8. Stockwell, 9. Nutzman, 10. Koons, 11. Isenberg, 12. Redetzke, 13. Ihm.

Second KSE Racing Products Consolation: 1. Matthees, 2. Berck, 3. Parker, 4. Pember, 5. Denny Eckrich, 6. Herrick, 7. DeSmith, 8. Duffy, 9. McKay, 10. Keeney, 11. Wennan, 12. George.

Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash: 1. Bloomquist, 2. Smith, 3. Anvelink, 4. Mars, 5. Harris, 6. Chad Simpson, 7. Dave Eckrich, 8. Furman.

PolyDome Products Masters 50: 1. Bloomquist, 2. Mars, 3. Harris, 4. Madden, 5. Hanestad, 6. Anvelink, 7. Smith, 8. Kaanta, 9. Steve Laursen, 10. Chad Simpson, 11. Dave Eckrich, 12. Justin Fegers, 13. Pember, 14. Berck, 15. Denny Eckrich, 16. Moss, 17. Anderson, 18. Furman, 19. Chris Simpson, 20. Birkhofer, 21. Miller, 22. Marshall Fegers, 23. Matthees, 24. Doar, 25. Nesbitt, 26. Parker.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST:

Entrants: 445
Lap Leaders: Bloomquist (1-50)
Time of Race: 21:58.912
Margin of Victory: 1.835
Fastest Lap: Bloomquist (14.359)
Caution Flags: 2 (laps 41, 43)
Red Flags: none
Rookie-of-the-Race: Kaanta
Hard Luck Driver: Koons
Series Provisionals: Pember, Denny Eckrich

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation: Smith, Mars, Harris
QA1 Motorsports: Furman
BSB Manufacturing: Mars
AMSOIL: Bloomquist
KSE Racing Products: Hensel, Berck
The Brake Man: Mars
Champ Pans: Harris
Performance Bodies: Hanestad
V-Performance Batteries: Smith
Fast Shafts: Kaanta
Hooker Harness: Chad Simpson
Weld Wheels: Dave Eckrich
Chase Race Decals: Koons
 




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