(WHITELAW, WI) - 141 Speedway track officials have announced that opening night for racing on the new high banked, third mile clay oval located in Whitelaw will kick off Wednesday night, May 5, 2010.

The historic opening night will feature IMCA modifieds, stock cars, northern sportmods, hobby stocks and sport fours. Grand nationals and street stocks will be be shuffled into the weekly lineup, rotating with the IMCA hobby stocks. “While our schedule is still not 100 percent complete we are able to get a tentative schedule out, at least for now,” said track promoter Bruce Conard. “We are still negotiating with a few different touring groups for dates that may still be available. I can promise you at least two, possibly three late model shows. We will likely have some sort of sprint car race as well. Plus, we’ve still got to schedule our Dynamite Derby of Destruction and likely three four cylinder enduros.”

The four classes that will be run every week will be the IMCA modifieds, stock cars, northern sportmods and sport fours, with a fifth, rotating division being added each week.

Excavating crews began tearing up the quarter-mile, paved oval earlier this Fall. “We’re really excited to dig into this project,” said Conard. “In addition to the new clay surface, we’re in the process of putting in a catwalk in the pit area, similar to what we’ve got adjacent to our V.I.P. area for our race fans.”

The track will host racing every Wednesday night through September 1, which will be championship night. There will be no racing on Wednesday night, August 4 but the weekly program that evening will be run on Saturday night, August 7. In addition,
the track will wrap up it’s racing season with a two day Fall Classic on Friday and Saturday September 24 and 25.

Race teams will get a pair of practice sessions to test the new clay. Wednesdays April 21 and 28 a practice session open to teams in any division will be run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Those practice sessions will be free of charge for spectators.

A drivers meeting to explain track procedures and to sell pit stalls will be scheduled in the very near future.

A tentative schedule is expected to be released in the very near future at the track’s official website 141speedway.com. For more information call Bruce Conard at 920 905 1112. 141 Speedway is located 20 minutes south of Green Bay on County “R”
in Whitelaw.

(Francis Creek, WI) - Enduro veteran Dave Beyer led nearly every lap, dominating the fifth and final round of the Tisler Salvage Enduro Series Saturday night at the 141 Speedway in Francis Creek.

Starting up front, Beyer established the lead at the drop of the green of the 300 lap affair, putting nearly the entire field at least a lap down half-way through the event’s first 150 lap segment. Only Greg Banker was able to stay on the lead lap as the field hit the mandatory midway break. Beyer had passed Banker to put him a lap down, but in the final five laps of the segment, Banker worked lapped traffic to get back around the leader.

The second segment began with Beyer out front and Banker just less than half a lap behind. The duo ran that way until the 235th lap when Banker headed to the pits. That left Beyer a full two laps ahead of the next cars in the running order as he
cruised away to his first series win of the year. With Beyer in control, emphasis shifted to the series championship which wasn’t
decided until the final corner of the final lap.

Scott Leisner entered the afternoon leading Frank Calabrese by six points, Todd Hebel by eight and Banker by 14. But Leisner sustained damage in an incident on the 134th lap that send him to the pits for lengthy repairs, ending his hopes for the title. Banker’s exit meant it would come down to Calabrese and Hebel.

As the laps wound down, Hebel sat solidly in sixth while Calabrese tried to scramble back from an early pit stop; running ninth. Calabrese needed to pick up one more spot on the field to tie Hebel in the standings. Trailing 8th place Eliot Marquardt by a lap, Calabrese needed to pass him, then catch him pass him again to gain the needed point and force the tie.

Calabrese did manage to pass Marquardt the first time to get on the same lap, then circled the track over the course of the final 30 laps to catch him again. But he fell just half a car length short of passing him a second time at the checker, allowing Hebel to win the championship outright by the single point. Behind Beyer, Chris Fifarek, Mike Loberger, Duke Truttman and Todd Welsing rounded out the top five.

Beyer’s win became an historic one as it will go down as the final race on the track’s quarter mile paved configuration.

At the conclusion of the Speedway’s Dynamite Destruction Derby later Saturday night, the final event of the year, it was announced that the track would be reshaped and resurfaced as a third mile dirt oval.

Details of the schedule and classes for the 2010 season will be announced at a later date. The latest information during the off-season will be posted on the Speedway’s website; www.141speedway.com.

(Francis Creek, WI) September 12, 2009 - Monte Strouf of Menchalville passed Mark Van Ritefor the lead on lap four and fought off challenges from Brett Piontek and Adam White in the waning laps to capture the caution free, 35 lap Mid American Sportsman feature at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek Saturday night.

Track champions were crowned as well, as Daryl Gerke of Whitelaw won the track championship, with an assist from Piontek, who was guest driving Gerke’s car for the past several weeks. In the super stock division Jo Gauer wound up beating Kraig Koehler by a mere 3 points to capture the super stock crown. Green Bay’s Todd Hebel won the mini stock title while Two Rivers Bruce Sand
captured the sport four crown. Polesitter Van Rite of De Pere took the lead at the drop of the green but surrendered the top spot to Strouf by lap four. Gerke was all but assured of the crown when second place points driver Travis Groelle dropped out on lap two with mechanical woes. Strouf built up a full straightaway lead but was challenged in the final laps by Adam White and Brett Piontek, who charged through the pack from 13th to challenge for the lead. Piontek squeezed past White to take second at the checkers. White settled for third, followed by Crystal Wood and Josh Sand.

Koehler fought off Gauger in the final circuits to capture the main event. Seymour’s Jamie Schmidt led every lap en route to victory in the 25 lap modified feature. Jason Kostichka, Randy LeMieux Jr., Chuck Grall and Andy Casavante rounded out the top five in a green to checkered contest. 2009 track champion George Paul won the hobby stock feature. Two Rivers Brandon Tegen led every lap en route to victory in the caution free, 25 lap sport four feature. Next Saturday September 19 the 2009 season will close with a bang. The Dynamite Derby of Destruction will commence at 6:30 p.m. The night will include Bump N Run races, bus races, Double O and Chain races and the famous trailer races.

The Tisler Salvage 300 lap Enduro will take place at 2 p.m. For more information check the website 141speedway.com. You can call 920 905 1112 for more information. 141 Speedway is located 20 minutes south of Green Bay on County “R” in Manitowoc.

(Francis Creek, WI) - Steady rains all day long forced track officials to cancel the planned Saturday night races at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek tonight.

Weekly Saturday night racing will resume next Saturday night, September 5. Time trials begin at 5:30 p.m. Racing gets underway at 7 p.m. For more information call Bruce Conard at 920 905 1112. The track website is 141speedway.com.

(Francis Creek, WI)Whitelaw’s Daryl Gerke outdueled Cato’s Jesse Fuller to a photo finish, nipping him at the line to collect the
35 lap Mid American Sportsman feature at 141 Speedway Saturday night. Rain washed out qualifying as the heat races were lined up by point average. The program was delayed three times due to rain, but the efforts of track crews and the race teams who helped dried the track paid off as the fans saw a complete show which was finished by 10 p.m, despite starting nearly
one-half hour late. Gerke started fourth and kept Fuller in his sights the balance of the contest. Fuller kept the lead through a trio of early yellows.

Gerke kept his machine committed to the outside, while Fuller hugged the low Groove the entire race. The pair raced side-by-side for nearly 20 laps, As the two traded the lead no less than six times in the final ten laps. Fuller took second, followed by Menchalville’s Monte Strouf, Reedsville’s Tyler Bauknecht and Cato’s Travis Groelle.

Francis Creek’s Kraig Koehler survived a race long dogfight with Maribel’s Nathan Wegner of Maribel and several cautions to win the 35 lap super stock feature. Mishicot’s Matt Cherney, who earlier in hot laps rolled his machine over, made repairs and went on to finish second. Two River’s Jo Gauger took third, followed by Green Bay’s Lee Kielpikowski and Wegner, who faded to fifth in the final few laps.

Kaukauna’s Jesse Gracyalny swept action in the IMCA northern sportmod class, winning both her heat and leading all 20 laps en route to her first feature of the season, which went green to checkered. 19 year old Cheyenne Cameron, in only her second appearance at 141, took second. Eugene Gregorich of Kewaunee finished third, followed by Seymour’s Marty Van De Hei and points leader Kewaunee’s Keith Kickbush.

Cato’s Jake Fuller swept action in the mini stock class, winning his heat and the 25 lap feature. Luxemburg’s George Paul passed Luxemburg’s Marcus Moede for the lead on lap seven and went on to win the caution free, 20 lap IMCA hobby stock feature, his second of the season. Manitowoc’s Ian Fogeltanz won the 25 lap sport four feature. Next Saturday night, August 1 Subway will sponsor the night’s action. Four bicycles will be given away through the Kid’s Club at intermission. Qualifying gets underway at 5:30 p.m. with racing starting at 7 p.m. For more information call (920) 905 1112. 141 Speedway is located 25 minutes south of Green Bay off County “R” in Francis Creek. The track’s website is 141speedway.com.

by Joe and Jordan Verdegan