LOCAL HERO SCORES BIG 8 WIN IN PRELUDE TO SLINGER NATIONALS
2020-07-06
Koty Geyer, Speed51 National Correspondent
The Big 8 Late Model Series returned to Slinger Super Speedway for the first time since 2014 for their second race in two nights to kick off the 2020 season. After a wild race at Rockford Speedway Saturday night, things calmed down just a little bit for 88 laps around the high-banked quarter-mile to kick off Slinger Nationals festivities.
Defending Slinger Late Model track champion Jacob Nottestad scored one for the locals with his first-career Big 8 win. After making adjustments at the halfway break, the Cambridge, Wisconsin driver made his presence known in the final run to the checkered, passing Slinger favorites Ryan Gutknecht and Nick Egan and pulling away late for his second win at Slinger this season.
“I started 13th and qualified second. We got unlucky on the qualifying, somebody put brake fluid all over the track. We marched to the front and got to third by the halfway break,” Nottestad told Speed51. “The crew made a hell of a change on the pit stop and we were able to get the 01 (Gutknecht) and the 13 (Egan) on the outside and we set sail from there.”
Although Sunday night’s race was cleaner than Saturday’s season opener at Rockford, Sunday’s event did see its share of mayhem. The biggest incident of the night happened on a lap 21 restart, when a multi-car incident took out Danny Church, Jr., Zach Prunty, Tom Gille, Tom Jasinski and Phillip Wuesthoff, with Prunty and Gille having wheels leave the asphalt in the wreck. All drivers were able to climb out of their cars on their own.
For Nottestad, the win comes in his 10th start with the series, where he had a previous best finish of fifth at Madison International Speedway in 2018. After several close calls in Big 8 competition, he is now able to check one off the list.
“It feels awesome, this one’s been on my bucket list for a while, just to win a Big 8 race anywhere. I’ve come up short a few times and now it’s pretty awesome to win in dominating fashion.”
Gutknecht and Egan rounded out the podium, with fast qualifier and Saturday night winner Max Kahler and Jerry Mueller rounding out the top five.
Official Results
A-Main 01 -- 1. Jacob Nottestad, Stoughton, Wis; 2. Ryan Gutknecht, Oak Creek, Wis; 3. Nick Egan, Kenosha, Wis; 4. Max Kahler, Caledonia; 5. Tom Berens, Slinger, Wis; 6. Mitch Haver, West Bend, Wis; 7. Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek, Wis; 8. Tyler Hromadka, Brookfield, Wis; 9. Jeff Holtz, Franksville, Wis; 10. Matt Klentz, West Bend, Wis; 11. Jeff Wakeman, Streator; 12. Grant Brown, Prior Lake, Minn.; 13. Andy Haver, West Bend, Wis; 14. Jerry Mueller, Richfield, Wis; 15. Jack Stern, Germantown, Wis; 16. Cole Thomas, Franklin, Wis; 17. Jacob Vanoskey, Hartford, Wis; 18. Ryan Craine, Hartford, Wis; 19. Danny Church, Delavan, Wis; 20. Zach Prunty;; 21. Tom Gille, Winnebago; 22. Tom Jasinski, Pewaukee, Wis; 23. Phillip Whesthoff, Beaver Dam, Wis; 24. Jonah Fredrickson,
Heat 01 -- 1. Cole Thomas, Franklin, Wis; 2. Danny Church, Delavan, Wis; 3. Tom Berens, Slinger, Wis; 4. Max Kahler, Caledonia; 5. Ryan Craine, Hartford, Wis; 6. Matt Klentz, West Bend, Wis; 7. Jacob Vanoskey, Hartford, Wis; 8. Phillip Whesthoff, Beaver Dam, Wis.
Heat 02 -- 1. Tom Gille, Winnebago; 2. Jerry Mueller, Richfield, Wis; 3. Jacob Nottestad, Stoughton, Wis; 4. Nick Egan, Kenosha, Wis; 5. Mitch Haver, West Bend, Wis; 6. Andy Haver, West Bend, Wis; 7. Jeff Wakeman, Streator; 8. Tyler Schley, Colgate, Wis.
Heat 03 -- 1. Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek, Wis; 2. Ryan Gutknecht, Oak Creek, Wis; 3. Zach Prunty;; 4. Jack Stern, Germantown, Wis; 5. Tyler Hromadka, Brookfield, Wis; 6. Jeff Holtz, Franksville, Wis; 7. Tom Jasinski, Pewaukee, Wis; 8. Grant Brown, Prior Lake, Minn..
Time Trial -- 1. Max Kahler, Caledonia; 2. Jacob Nottestad, Stoughton, Wis; 3. Jack Stern, Germantown, Wis; 4. Tom Berens, Slinger, Wis; 5. Tyler Schley, Colgate, Wis; 6. Zach Prunty;; 7. Ryan Craine, Hartford, Wis; 8. Nick Egan, Kenosha, Wis; 9. Jeff Holtz, Franksville, Wis; 10. Jakob Hassler, Colgate, Wis; 11. Jerry Mueller, Richfield, Wis; 12. Ryan Gutknecht, Oak Creek, Wis; 13. Cole Thomas, Franklin, Wis; 14. Tom Gille, Winnebago; 15. Tyler Hromadka, Brookfield, Wis; 16. Danny Church, Delavan, Wis; 17. Mitch Haver, West Bend, Wis; 18. Jerry Eckhardt, Johnson Creek, Wis; 19. Matt Klentz, West Bend, Wis; 20. Brian Holtz, Muskego, Wis; 21. Tom Jasinski, Pewaukee, Wis; 22. Jacob Vanoskey, Hartford, Wis; 23. Andy Haver, West Bend, Wis; 24. Grant Brown, Prior Lake, Minn.; 25. Phillip Whesthoff, Beaver Dam, Wis; 26. Jeff Wakeman, Streator; 27. Jonah Fredrickson, North Lake, Wis.
