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Dan Bargender (Doug Zimmer Photo)

Bargender beats Late Model field to the checkers while Myers, Kincaid and Myers make it to Rice Lake’s victory lane

By Ed Reichert

RICE LAKE, WI (May 25) - Dan Bargender, a second-year Late Model driver, led all laps of the Swant Graber 30 to take home the $2,000 top prize during the WISSOTA Late Model special Saturday night, May 25 at Rice Lake Speedway.

Four other WISSOTA Dirt Track Series divisions were featured Saturday as well. Current track point leaders Curt Myers and Danny Richards were winners, while 2022 point champion Kenny Kincaid returned to victory lane for the first time in two years. Austin Fencl, who started racing in the Pure Stock class in 2018, finally reached victory lane for the very first time.

Bargender, who has had limited experience at the oval running both a Late Model and a Modified, proved to be the class of the Late Model field as he pulled away from the pack and ran unchallenged for most of the contest.

Sixteen drivers took the green flag, which was cut in laps due to the threat of impending weather. After the first two attempts to start the race resulted in quick yellow flags, the third time was the charm. This time, instead of James Giossi getting the jump as he had on the first two attempts, Bargender had the initial surge on the low side of the track to take the early lead with Giossi and Lance Hofer close behind.

The drivers then laid down 20 consecutive laps of green flag racing. Bargender built a six-car length advantage over Giossi, with Hofer close behind. Behind those three, Rick Hanestad fought off challenges from John Kaanta and Cory Crapser as those three continued to battle for position.

The top five remained in that same order at the halfway point, while a charging Dave Flynn moved in to challenge Kaanta for fifth, after Kaanta fought off challenges from Crapser earlier.

The final yellow of the race flew as Flynn, in an effort to move past Kaanta for fifth, got into him in turn three, spinning Kaanta. Kaanta was able to restart the event and was awarded his position back.

Bargender pulled away once again from Giossi during the 10-lap sprint to the finish, while Giossi was challenged hard for second by Hofer. Bargender was too strong for the rest of the field, and he pulled away to the win. It was his first in a Late Model at Rice Lake. Giossi finished up a strong run of his own, holding off an equally impressive run by Late Model rookie Hofer to complete the top three. Hanestad and Kaanta, in his wounded machine, finished in the top five.

Myers was the dominant driver in the WISSOTA Super Stock class, driving from ninth to grab the lead before the halfway point of the race. As Tucker Quinn grabbed the early lead from the pole, Myers went to work, moving up to the second groove and motoring by other competitors. By lap six, he was alongside leader Quinn and nosed into the top spot, only to have a yellow pause the action. Tommy Richards was edged up into the backstretch wall where hard contact between himself and Mike Siewert ended the night for both drivers.

When racing resumed, Myers jumped back to the outer line, and Quinn had nothing for Myers as the Cameron veteran drove past and pulled away.

Bad luck struck Simon Wahlstrom after he moved into third and began to challenge Quinn; he stopped quickly with mechanical issues that ended his night.

As Myers drove away from the pack, the action was provided by the Olson family as both Eric and Ryan started in the back of the 18-car field and marched forward. They made it to third and fourth place at the finish, trailing only Myers and Quinn. Randy Graham drove a consistent race to complete the top five. It was Myers' second win of the early season in Rice Lake.

Kenny Kincaid (Doug Zimmer Photo)

Travis Anderson led the opening lap of the WISSOTA Midwest Mod main event, but Kincaid, who started right behind him, was fast from the start. He moved up the track and drove by Anderson on lap two to take over the lead.

Anderson tried to fight back, while the driver on the move was Nick Koehler, who had started fifth on the grid. He got past Anderson for second by the halfway point of the race and began to put big pressure on the leader.

Several times Koehler looked under Kincaid in the corners and they drew even, but each time Kincaid pulled away slightly as they continued to race hard. Near the end of the contest, Kincaid dropped lower on the track and while Koehler was right on his tail, he was not able to get past. Koehler came up a half-car length short as Kincaid drove on for his second-ever feature win at Rice Lake. Shadow Kitchner made his own late race charge as he got past Anderson for third, with Jake Stai completing the top five.

When the second groove is available for racing, Danny Richards is always a threat to take a WISSOTA Street Stock victory. The current point leader started fifth on Saturday, but he immediately moved up the track and drove past other contenders on the high side, as he joined a pack racing for the lead. His son Cole was the early leader and it was just a few laps before he was racing his son side by side for the top spot, with Levi Randt, Hunter VanGilder and Cody Cimfl in a swarm.

VanGilder nailed one of the large corner tires, which ended his night and triggered the first yellow flag of the race. Following that yellow, Richards continued his charge as he passed Cole to take over the top spot. Bad luck then struck the younger Richards, as his car lost power in turn four and slowed the action once again.

Danny Richards had the setup from this point on, as he led the rest of the contest. Randt was showing speed and managed to stay with Richards through a series of yellow flags that bogged down the second half of the race.

Another late-race spin set up a three-lap dash to the finish and Richards was up to the task; he again fought off Randt to drive on for the win. For the current point leader, it was his first win of the year at the speedway as the Street Stock competition remains the toughest at the track with four different winners in four nights.

Randt drove a great race to finish second while Shawn Amundson moved up to finish third ahead of Cimfl. Rookie driver Nolan Brown got his first top-five finish as he completed the top five.

The WISSOTA Pure Stock feature started off with a chaotic first lap. Bob Thompson and James Rahn were racing hard for the lead as they approached turn four. However, Thompson lost control and spun across the track in front of the whole field, sending drivers scrambling in all directions. Thompson went to the tail for the restart and Rahn was eliminated with a flat tire.

With the front row gone, Austin Fencl produced a powerful opening lap as he shot up from the second row to take over the lead. He immediately began to pull away from the pack as those drivers started to sort out their running order. Fencl was flying as he built up half a straightaway lead over the field. By the halfway point of the race, Bob Wahlstrom had raced into second and began to close the gap.

Fencl was struggling in turn one as his car ran up the banking lap after lap, and Wahlstrom edged nearer and nearer. The gap closed considerably in the final few laps and as the field took the white flag, Fencl's car pushed up the track even farther and Wahlstrom was able to sneak under him leaving turn two.

Not willing to settle for second, Fencl drove up to the rear bumper of Wahlstrom and laid on the new leader quite hard. Wahlstrom felt his car get moved up the track in turn three and Fencl drove back under him, accelerated away and then crossed the finish line as the winner.

It was Fencl’s first-ever feature win at the track as he celebrated in victory lane. Wahlstrom settled for second with Devin Fries making a late charge to nab third from Charlie Pitcavage, with Eric Crosby completing the top five.

Next Saturday night, June 1st, the speedway will be back in action once again. Saturday's show will mark the first appearance for the Vintage cars at the track in several years. Joining them on the card are the WISSOTA sanctioned Modifieds, Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks and Pure Stocks.

A quick turnaround following next Saturday night's program will see the Fastlane Super Stock Series make a visit to Rice Lake Speedway on Thursday night, June 6 for a special weeknight show. The Midwest Mods will join the Super Stocks on that Thursday for a two-division program. The Midwest Mods will be running a special event on that night also, with details expected to be released shortly about their program. The speedway will not be racing on June 8, in deference to the Aquafest celebration in Rice Lake.

The WISSOTA Late Models are scheduled to return to the speedway on Saturday night, July 27 for their final appearance.

SUMMARY

WISSOTA Late Models:

A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 10-Daniel Bargender[1]; 2. 11G-James Giossi[2]; 3. 11-Lance Hofer[3]; 4. 71H-Rick Hanestad[5]; 5. 85-John Kaanta[4]; 6. 07-Cory Crapser[10]; 7. 19-Steve Laursen[14]; 8. 57-Lance Matthees[9]; 9. 71JR-Buddy Hanestad[7]; 10. 68-Mike Prochnow[6]; 11. 7C-Jim Carlson[8]; 12. (DNF) 55-Chad Mahder[11]; 13. (DNF) 29F-Dave Flynn[12]; 14. (DNF) 35X-Parker Foster[16]; 15. (DNF) 7X-Jesse Glenz[17]; 16. (DNF) 23-Steve Vizer[15]; 17. (DNS) 1-Lukas Koski

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 11G-James Giossi[2]; 2. 71H-Rick Hanestad[1]; 3. 11-Lance Hofer[8]; 4. 7C-Jim Carlson[3]; 5. 57-Lance Matthees[4]; 6. 55-Chad Mahder[7]; 7. 1-Lukas Koski[5]; 8. (DNF) 23-Steve Vizer[9]; 9. (DNF) 7X-Jesse Glenz[6]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 10-Daniel Bargender[3]; 2. 68-Mike Prochnow[1]; 3. 85-John Kaanta[6]; 4. 71JR-Buddy Hanestad[5]; 5. 07-Cory Crapser[4]; 6. 29F-Dave Flynn[7]; 7. (DNF) 19-Steve Laursen[2]; 8. (DNF) 35X-Parker Foster[8]

WISSOTA Super Stocks:

A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 33-Curt Myers[9]; 2. 390-Tucker Quinn[1]; 3. 1E-Eric Olson[17]; 4. 1-Ryan Olson[18]; 5. 57-Randy Graham[2]; 6. 71X-William Fisher[12]; 7. 01-Michael Anderson[13]; 8. 28-Josh Cappo[15]; 9. 22-Clay Albrecht[11]; 10. (DNF) 02-Travis Anderson[14]; 11. (DNF) 22AT-Austin Tilton[16]; 12. (DNF) 14-Kori Richter[7]; 13. (DNF) 38-Simon Wahlstrom[8]; 14. (DNF) 20*-Andrew Davis[3]; 15. (DNF) 7R-Tommy Richards[6]; 16. (DNF) 176-Matt Koski[5]; 17. (DNF) 21-Mike Siewert[10]; 18. (DNF) 1M-Alex Myers[4]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 20*-Andrew Davis[4]; 2. 7R-Tommy Richards[2]; 3. 38-Simon Wahlstrom[5]; 4. 21-Mike Siewert[6]; 5. 01-Michael Anderson[3]; 6. (DQ) 1E-Eric Olson[1]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 33-Curt Myers[5]; 2. 176-Matt Koski[2]; 3. 57-Randy Graham[4]; 4. 22-Clay Albrecht[3]; 5. 02-Travis Anderson[6]; 6. (DQ) 1-Ryan Olson[1]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 1M-Alex Myers[2]; 2. 390-Tucker Quinn[3]; 3. 14-Kori Richter[6]; 4. 71X-William Fisher[5]; 5. 28-Josh Cappo[4]; 6. 22AT-Austin Tilton[1]

WISSOTA Midwest Mods:

A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 4K-Kenny Kincaid[3]; 2. 13-Nick Koehler[5]; 3. 68-Shadow Kitchner[6]; 4. 37-Travis Anderson[1]; 5. 1-Jake Stai[2]; 6. 48-Cole Kelley[10]; 7. 19H-Cody Cimfl[11]; 8. 31-Jason Vokovan[9]; 9. 7-Mike Schnider[8]; 10. 12-Joseph Swearingen[12]; 11. 09-Skylar Findley[13]; 12. 101-Michael Grover[15]; 13. (DNF) 40-Nick Traynor[4]; 14. (DNF) 63JR-Brady Larson[7]; 15. (DNF) 88K-Donavan Knutson[16]; 16. (DNF) 1848-Matthew Findley[17]; 17. (DNF) 5-Rory Taber[14]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 40-Nick Traynor[4]; 2. 4K-Kenny Kincaid[7]; 3. 1-Jake Stai[2]; 4. 68-Shadow Kitchner[6]; 5. 31-Jason Vokovan[1]; 6. 19H-Cody Cimfl[3]; 7. 09-Skylar Findley[8]; 8. 101-Michael Grover[9]; 9. 88K-Donavan Knutson[5]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 37-Travis Anderson[1]; 2. 7-Mike Schnider[3]; 3. 63JR-Brady Larson[5]; 4. 13-Nick Koehler[2]; 5. 48-Cole Kelley[6]; 6. 12-Joseph Swearingen[4]; 7. 5-Rory Taber[8]; 8. (DNF) 1848-Matthew Findley[7]

WISSOTA Street Stocks:

A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 3R-Danny Richards[5]; 2. 11X-Levi Randt[1]; 3. 30-Shawn Amundson[7]; 4. 19C-Cody Cimfl[4]; 5. 19H-Nolan Brown[12]; 6. 20F-Connor Franson[9]; 7. 17G-Chris Gross[14]; 8. 79-Joseph Ott[11]; 9. 19J-Jenna Herrman[13]; 10. 74-Bruce Stanley[15]; 11. (DNF) 10B-Dylan Baskin[10]; 12. (DNF) 40-Travis Loew[8]; 13. (DNF) 76S-Dan Svee[6]; 14. (DNF) 1R-Cole Richards[2]; 15. (DNF) 84-Hunter VanGilder[3]; 16. (DNS) 00Z-Bryar Zimmerman

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 3R-Danny Richards[2]; 2. 30-Shawn Amundson[1]; 3. 40-Travis Loew[3]; 4. 19C-Cody Cimfl[6]; 5. 20F-Connor Franson[4]; 6. 79-Joseph Ott[7]; 7. 19J-Jenna Herrman[8]; 8. 17G-Chris Gross[5]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 11X-Levi Randt[1]; 2. 84-Hunter VanGilder[4]; 3. 1R-Cole Richards[2]; 4. 76S-Dan Svee[3]; 5. 10B-Dylan Baskin[6]; 6. 19H-Nolan Brown[5]; 7. (DNF) 74-Bruce Stanley[7]; 8. (DNF) 00Z-Bryar Zimmerman[8]

WISSOTA Pure Stocks:

A Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 52W-Austin Fencl[5]; 2. 88-Robert Wahlstrom[6]; 3. 95F-Devin Fries[7]; 4. 81-Charlie Pitcavage[3]; 5. 28-Eric Crosby[8]; 6. 12-Aaron Holmberg[10]; 7. 7D-Trevor Phillips[9]; 8. 19F-Gunner Orcutt[12]; 9. 04K-Jerame Ristau[14]; 10. 70-Bob Thompson[2]; 11. 17-Brian DeNucci[11]; 12. (DNF) 4K-Terry Kemp[13]; 13. (DNF) 47-Anthony Schultz[15]; 14. (DNF) 16-Rob Grabon[4]; 15. (DNF) 23R-James Rahn[1]; 16. (DNS) 6A-Keith Arnett

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 52W-Austin Fencl[8]; 2. 16-Rob Grabon[1]; 3. 81-Charlie Pitcavage[6]; 4. 28-Eric Crosby[4]; 5. 7D-Trevor Phillips[5]; 6. 17-Brian DeNucci[2]; 7. 4K-Terry Kemp[7]; 8. 47-Anthony Schultz[3]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 23R-James Rahn[3]; 2. 95F-Devin Fries[2]; 3. 88-Robert Wahlstrom[6]; 4. 70-Bob Thompson[5]; 5. 12-Aaron Holmberg[1]; 6. 19F-Gunner Orcutt[7]; 7. 04K-Jerame Ristau[8]; 8. (DNS) 6A-Keith Arnett