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Gullikson gets to the checkered first on the second night of WISSOTA 100 Street Stock qualifying

By Meghan Diemel
All The Dirt! Racing News

FERGUS FALLS, MN (September 12) - Thursday night’s Qualifying Feature for the WISSOTA Street Stocks was the first to hit the track, during the second night of WISSOTA Dirt Track Series action during the Speedway Motors WISSOTA 100 at I-94 emr Speedway.

Josh Long and Coltyn Schuler led the field of 23 racers to the green flag. Schuler was the early leader, followed by Long and sixth-starter Jim Gullikson. Jeff Ekdahl and Tommy Pogones completed the top five to complete lap two.

Gullikson moved to the inside of Long during the third lap, with Gullikson getting the spot as the leaders raced past the disabled car of backmarker Levi Randt along the frontstretch; Randt was moving at a slowed pace next to the wall, with the caution falling as the field entered turn two and down the backstretch.

Back under green with four laps in the books, Schuler fell back from the top spot, as both Gulllikson and Long scooted by to duel it out for the lead, but a spin before the lap could be completed reset the field.

Micheal Brockman, Eric Riley and Maria Broksieck (Cody Papke Photo)

Long and Schuler were side by side for the restart, with Gullikson right on their bumper; Long got by into the lead, bringing Gullikson with him into second. Ekdahl displaced Schuler another spot for third, with Tommy Pogones fifth on lap seven.

Out front, Gullikson drove to the inside of Long down the backstretch, taking the lead a lap later. Ekdahl remained in third, with Schuler, Jordan Johnson and Pogones fighting for top-five spots.

With three to go, Riley broke through and into the top five, as Gullikson continued to lead Long, Ekdahl, and Pogones in the top four ahead of him.

Gullikson garnered the Qualifying Feature win, giving him the outside row front-row start for Saturday night’s Championship Feature. Long, Ekdahl, Pogones, Riley, 15th-starter Andrew Hanson, Kolton Brauer, and Schuler were the top eight finishers.

Jim Gullikson and Josh Long (Cody Papke Photo)

Those drivers accepting the eighth spots of the outside row for Saturday night’s Championship Feature included Gullikson, Long, Ekdahl, Pogones, Riley, Hanson, Schuler and Cole Greseth.

Six heat races set the starting field for the Qualifying Feature Thursday night.

Kegan Stueve was the early leader of the first heat race, before Alex Grinager drove past to lead lap one. Farther back, Justin Vogel was up to third from sixth. Stueve worked his way back past Grinager for the lead the following lap, with Vogel right on their heels.

Vogel jumped to the high side and into second with three laps scored, working inside of Stueve for the lead to complete the fourth lap. Greg Platzer was third.

With two laps to go, Vogel was firmly out front, with Platzer and Stueve neck and neck for second; Platzer took the spot. Out front, Vogel drove to the commanding lead, but was later DQ’d, elevating Stueve to second and Micheal Brockman to third.

Kolton Brauer powered to the lead on the first lap of heat two, with Cody Hatch second and Sophie Anderson third. Randt drove by Anderson to complete the third lap. Contact was made as the field entered turn one, with Andrew Hanson and Wade Bergerud spinning, as well as Sophie Anderson and Eric Riley in a separate get-together.

Back under green, Brauer continued to hold the top spot, as Randt drove by Riley into second. Brauer finished strongly out front, with Randt and Riley taking the remaining top three spots.

A cluster of bobbles and squirrely Street Stocks at the start of the third heat race allowed Jim Gullikson to shoot from 10th to third in half a lap, behind leader Kasey Ussatis and Braedyn Fleck. Gullikson drove by Fleck in turn two during lap two, and took off after Ussatis. A caution for debris regrouped the field with one lap complete.

Ussatis led the field back to green, with Gullikson to the inside and Fleck to the outside. Gullikson applied heavy pressure for the lead following the restart, as Josh Long moved into third. Ussatis and Gullikson remained glued to each other in the lead, with Gullikson having a .003 advantage to complete lap four. Gullikson used his momentum into turn four to pull ahead and into the top lane, as Ussatis then came under fire from Long for second; Long took the spot. Gullikson stretched his lead and grabbed the victory, ahead of Long and Ussatis in the top three.

Jordan Johnson drove out to the early lead in the fourth heat race, followed by Coltyn Schuler and Cole Kannegiesser in the top three. Johnson had pressure for the lead from Schuler and Kannegiesser, as they closed in at the midpoint of the eight-lap race; Schuler took the lead one lap later, driving on to the victory ahead of Johnson and Kannegiesser in the top three.

Spencer Johnson led early on in the fifth heat race, with Charlie Shiek moving to second ahead of Cory Dykhoff. With three laps in the books, Dykhoff headed to the infield, with Kenneth Clements taking third just ahead of Jeff Ekdahl. Ekdahl took third with three laps to go. Contact was made between Clements and Tommy Pogones down the backstretch; Clements went around, and the call went against Clements.

Johnson led the field back to green with three laps left on the board, as Ekdahl and Shiek traded paint for second. Ekdahl grabbed the advantage, as Pogones moved in for third on the final lap; Pogones slid across the track for the spot. Out front, Johnson took the win ahead of Ekdahl and Pogones in the top three.

Joe Arndt was the early leader in the sixth and final heat race. Dylan Arndt was second, with Robert Petroff third. Though there was heavy contact further back in the field, the front-runners kept it clean and green out front as Joe Arndt took the victory ahead of Dylan. Petroff held onto third.

SUMMARY

WISSOTA Street Stocks:

Feature (15 Laps): 1. 21-Jim Gullikson[6]; 2. 71-Josh Long[1]; 3. 11JR-Jeff Ekdahl[8]; 4. 04-Tommy Pogones[4]; 5. 51-Eric Riley[13]; 6. 20-Andrew Hanson[15]; 7. KOL34-Kolton Brauer[7]; 8. 16A-Coltyn Schuler[2]; 9. 19-Cole Greseth[22]; 10. 27J-Jordan Johnson[12]; 11. 19K-Cole Kannegiesser[14]; 12. 11*-Robert Petroff[21]; 13. 52-Joe Arndt[10]; 14. 17-Nick Shumansky[24]; 15. 44-Dylan Arndt[20]; 16. 0-Wyatt Brooker[16]; 17. 2U-Kasey Ussatis[23]; 18. I7-Ethan Iiams[17]; 19. 4-Micheal Brockman[9]; 20. 35S-Kegan Stueve[19]; 21. 16J-Spencer Johnson[11]; 22. 14B-Maria Broksieck[18]; 23. 11-Levi Randt[5]; 24. 16-Greg Platzer[3]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 16-Greg Platzer[4]; 2. 35S-Kegan Stueve[1]; 3. 4-Micheal Brockman[7]; 4. 44X-Alex Grinager[2]; 5. 69D-Dominick Platow[3]; 6. 3J-Tanner Freese[9]; 7. 57-Jason Fechtner[8]; 8. 12-Melvin Flickinger[5]; 9. (DNF) 127-Parker Anderson[10]; 10. (DQ) 10V-Justin Vogel[6]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. KOL34-Kolton Brauer[3]; 2. 11-Levi Randt[6]; 3. 51-Eric Riley[5]; 4. 20-Andrew Hanson[7]; 5. 19-Cole Greseth[8]; 6. 9-Cody Hatch[1]; 7. 82JR-Sophie Anderson[2]; 8. 30B-Wade Bergerud[4]; 9. 80-Tony Miller[9]; 10. (DNF) 2*-Dustin Schultz[10]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 21-Jim Gullikson[10]; 2. 71-Josh Long[6]; 3. 2U-Kasey Ussatis[3]; 4. 10T-Darek Turner[4]; 5. 17-Nick Shumansky[7]; 6. 26-Ty Agen[8]; 7. 49S-Rodney Hulst[2]; 8. 10-Chase Pourrier[1]; 9. (DNF) 12K-Kevin Pender[9]; 10. (DQ) 76-Braedyn Fleck[5]

Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 16A-Coltyn Schuler[4]; 2. 27J-Jordan Johnson[3]; 3. 19K-Cole Kannegiesser[5]; 4. 0-Wyatt Brooker[7]; 5. I7-Ethan Iiams[9]; 6. 23-Maverick Janssen[8]; 7. 24-Mike Hart[6]; 8. 21H-Scott Huston[1]; 9. (DNS) 5-Royce Jawaski

Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 16J-Spencer Johnson[1]; 2. 11JR-Jeff Ekdahl[5]; 3. 04-Tommy Pogones[8]; 4. 19C-Charlie Shiek[3]; 5. 14B-Maria Broksieck[9]; 6. 711-Kenneth Clements[4]; 7. 25J-Jace Baloun[7]; 8. 14-JR Flickinger[2]; 9. (DNF) 3C-Cory Dykhoff[6]

Heat 6 (8 Laps): 1. 52-Joe Arndt[2]; 2. 44-Dylan Arndt[1]; 3. 11*-Robert Petroff[4]; 4. Z28-Greg Jose[3]; 5. 15F-Zachary Flickinger[7]; 6. 4T-Trey Hess[5]; 7. 3D-Dale Louwagie[6]; 8. (DNF) 46-Cory Moser[8]; 9. (DNF) 12C-Cody Kummer[9]