State Park Speedway: Abt, Spatz, Breitenfeldt add Kids Night feature wins

Adam Glatczak | State Park Speedway track writer

WAUSAU, Wis. (July 11) – Brad Abt’s first appearance at State Park Speedway in nearly year paid off in a big way Thursday night.

Abt won a feature at State Park for the first time in his career, taking the Snap-on Mini Mods main event on Wausau Noon Optimists Kids Night and WCAR Gifts From Heaven Night. Wausau’s Jeff Spatz and Eric Breitenfeldt joined him as winners, with Spatz taking the Advance Auto Parts Pure Stocks feature and Breitenfeldt declared the winner after penalties to several drivers in the Rockstar Energy Drink Mini Stocks feature.

Abt rolled to the win in the mini mods’ 25-lap event, getting to the front early and never allowing a serious challenge the rest of the way to cap an evening in which he also won the first heat.

The fourth-year racer from Schofield started fourth but got around Travis Hill of Arpin for first on lap 5 of the feature. He quickly shot out to a 10 car-length lead on the rest of the field, but a future fight for first appeared to loom when Wausau’s Joe Kuehn also got by Hill and moved into second on lap 7.

Kuehn was able to cut Abt’s lead down to within three car lengths by lap 19, but that was as far as he would get. Lapped traffic appeared to slow Kuehn briefly, and Abt added back to his lead and went on to win by five car lengths. It marked the first feature win at SPS for a driver who has been close in the past and won the 4-cylinder mods championship at Golden Sands Speedway last year.

Kuehn held on for second with fast qualifier Mike Heidmann of Edgar third. Tim Anderson of Pittsville and Wausau’s Josh Willhite fifth. Kuehn also won the mini mods’ second heat race.

Spatz had his second straight strong run in the pure stocks and did one better than his runner-up finish to Dave Cabelka last time out at State Park. He made a patient run to the front on the outside, first battling Steve Schilling of Ringle side-by-side for nine laps for second place while polesitter Kyle Kluetz of Schofield led the field.

Both Schilling and Spatz caught Kluetz by lap 14, with Spatz on the outside challenging for the lead. He took the lead on lap 15, and a bunched-up group up front loosened a bit when Kluetz got loose in Turn 2 on lap 16 and sent several cars briefly scattering, allowing Spatz to open up some distance on the rest of the field.

Spatz opened up a six car-length lead on fast qualifier Brett Breitenfeldt of Wausau, and the margin largely stayed there the rest of the way. He earned his first feature win of the season with Breitenfeldt second, Schilling third, Cabelka fourth and Kluetz fifth.

Kluetz added a win in the first heat and five-time track champion Tim Nawrocki of Wausau won the second heat, his first win in his return to racing after nearly 10 years away.

An exciting finish in the 25-lap mini stocks feature ended up going mostly for naught for three of the four drivers involved, with only Eric Breitenfeldt’s car passing post-race inspection.

Clayton Phillips of Marathon and Wausau’s Garret Strachota raced for the lead for the final 10 laps, with Phillips initially holding off Strachota’s attempts to pass on the inside, shutting the door on the backstretch on laps 16 and again 19. Strachota then took to the outside and the two raced the next five laps side-by-side, with Strachota inching ahead on lap 22 and finally clearing Phillips on the final lap.

Breitenfeldt and last week’s feature winner Nick Kurth of Wausau were also side-by-side behind the leaders in the final laps, and Breitenfeldt edged Phillips by inches at the checkered flag for second. Strachota, Phillips and Kurth all failed post-race inspection, though, leaving Breitenfeldt as the winner and the other three moved to the back of the lead lap at the finish, with Strachota seventh, Phillips eighth and Kurth ninth.

Abby Kohn of Wausau won the mini stocks semi-feature, leading all 15 laps for her first career win at State Park. Jenny Wegner of Wausau finished second and along with Kohn advanced to the feature. Trentyn Wanta of Wisconsin Rapids, Zach Budleski of Wausau and Kooper Guralski of Wausau also all added heat wins, including Wanta winning for the first time at the track.

State Park Speedway now gets ready for its annual two-day extravaganza with the 44th Larry Detjens Memorial Friday-Saturday, July 26-27. The event starts Friday, July 26 headlined by the Big 8 Late Models traveling series, with mini mods, mini stocks, legends and Bandoleros also racing. Menke Auto Group Qualifying begins at 6 p.m. with racing to follow at 7 p.m.

Advance Auto Parts Pure Stocks

Fast Qualifier: Brett Breitenfeldt, Wausau, 15.672 sec.

First Heat: 1. Kyle Kluetz, Schofield; 2. Steve Schilling, Ringle; 3. Kyle Check, Shantytown; 4. Joey Blaschka, Wausau

Second Heat: 1. Tim Nawrocki, Wausau; 2. Dave Cabelka, Wausau; 3. B. Breitenfeldt; 4. Jeff Spatz, Wausau

Feature: 1. Spatz; 2. B. Breitenfeldt; 3. Schilling; 4. Cabelka; 5. Kluetz; 6. Nawrocki; 7. Blaschka; 8. Check

Snap-on Mini Mods

Fast Qualifier: Mike Heidmann, Edgar, 15.706 sec.

First Heat: 1. Brad Abt, Schofield; 2. Travis Hill, Arpin; 3. Keagen Benz, Wausau; 4. Brian Marquardt, Weston

Second Heat: 1. Joe Kuehn, Wausau; 2. Josh Willhite, Wausau; 3. Tim Anderson, Pittsville; 4. Heidmann; 5. Tyler Muller, Sun Prairie

Feature: 1. Abt; 2. Kuehn; 3. Heidmann; 4. Anderson; 5. Willhite; 6. Muller; 7. Benz; 8. Hill; 9. Marquardt

Rockstar Energy Drink Mini Stocks

Fast Qualifier: Garret Strachota, Wausau, 16.515 sec.

First Heat: 1. Trentyn Wanta, Wisconsin Rapids; 2. Shawn Carpenter, Marshfield; Austin Bohman, Wausau; 4. Jenny Wegner, Wausau; 5. Kendra Baumann, Wausau; 6. Joe Schoener, Wausau

Second Heat: 1. Zach Budleski, Wausau; 2. Jacob Hintze, Wausau; 3. Dawson Knutson, Almond; 4. Abby Kohn, Wausau; 5. Mike Meharg, Auburndale; 6. Amanda Rowe, Mosinee

Third Heat: 1. Kooper Guralski, Wausau; 2. Strachota; 3. Nick Kurth, Wausau; 4. Clayton Phillips, Marathon; 5. Eric Breitenfeldt, Wausau; 6. Luke Mikula, Wausau; 7. Tom Lecher, Wausau

Semi-Feature: 1. Kohn; 2. Wegner; 3. Bohman; 4. Wanta; 5. Carpenter; 6. Schoener; 7. Baumann

Feature: 1. E. Breitenfeldt; 2. Guralski; 3. Meharg; 4. Mikula; 5. Lecher; 6. Rowe; 7. Strachota; 8. Phillips; 9. Kurth; 10. Wegner; 11. Budleski; 12. Hintze; 13. Knutson; 14. Kohn