8/27/2024
Wilmot Raceway
Raidart, Mertes, Andrews and Parker Jones Find Victory Lane
A hot summer's night began with a victory lane wedding at Wilmot Raceway. Rhonda Bell and Tommy "Mr. Excitement" Sexton of Twin Lakes in a pre-race afternoon event. Sexton has won several championships in various classes at Wilmot. Bell is a member of the Kenosha County Fair Board.
Family reunions combined with three firsts for the season plus a duplicate winner highlighting the hotly contested on track features.
Parker Jones of Mt. Pleasant shot out front from his second row starting spot, never looking back enroute to the victory in the Badger Midget Advanced Fastening Supply 25-lap feature.
Jones stopped short of the victory lane, concerned he might have some oil leaking in his machine but none was found by the crew. Sun Prairie's Todd Kluever finished second in a tight battle with third place finisher Watertown's Derek Doer who started ninth. Beaver Dam's Matt Rechek was fourth. Beaver Dam's Aaron Muhle fifth.
"We didn't qualify well, but we got it together in the heat and the feature," said Jones, the Badger pointleader who took his third Badger main of the season but first ever at Wilmot "I have to thank my dad (John Jones, who was in victory lane) and my crew who kept working to make the car run stronger as the night went along."
Four cautions during the last half of the feature failed to keep Zach Raidart of Gurnee, IL from winning his first 20-lap Wisconsin AutoMeter Powered by Gandrud Performance Catalyst Exhibits Wilmot Raceway WingLESS Sprints feature of the season. Raidart held serve wire to wire despite yellows at the halfway point, with 7, 5 and 2 laps to go, erasing his advantage. Each time Raidart was able to stick to his rim-riding high line scoring the win.
Bristol's Chris Klemko finished second. Clayton Rossmann of Wadsworth, IL was third. Allen Hafford of Beach Park, IL improved from 16th starting spot to take fourth. Cambridge's Tristan Furseth took fifth.
"I didn't like seeing those cautions because I didn't know where the person running behind me was going to go," said Raidart, joined by his dad and crew in victory lane. "I just stuck to my rim ridding line and the car was hooked up there."
Salem's Brandon Mertes took the lead on the third lap of the 20-lap Unified Street Stock feature going on to become the third different Wilmot main winner of the season. Six yellow flags slowed progress of the main, keeping the field tight behind Mertes.
At the checkered following what seemed like a marathon, Mertes picked up the win. Pleasant Prairie's Josh Gehrig charged from 12th to take second. Troy Hensley of Lake Villa, IL, who led the opening two laps, spun while running third and had to restart from the rear, ended up an impressive third. Dustin Holland of the Town of Norway was fourth. Slinger's Roman Blank, in his first Wilmot start of the season, was fifth
"It's been a long time coming this year," said Mertes, joined by his wife, Teri, two little ones Easton and Logan, the second who was born June 27 and joined dad in his first victory lane, along with a niece and nephew as well as his dad, Craig. " My dad has stuck with it, when this win should have been our third feature as I had problems while leading the other two. The car ran super and I was able to make it through to the end. It's great to finally get a win."
Ryan Andrews of Woodstock, IL was the only winner of a second main this season taking top honors in the 20-lap B&L Office Furniture Powered by American Tire & Auto Repair of Kenosha and Lindenhurst, IL Bandits 4-cylinder stock car feature.
Union Grove's Carrie Willms held the point through the main's early caution two laps in. Two laps later, Andrews took the point pulling away to the victory by about half a lap as he put lapped traffic between himself and the field.
Second place Ryan Johnson of Salem came from eighth starting spot. Pleasant Prairie's Scott Carpenter took third. Willms fourth. Trevor's Daniel Marshall Jr. came from 17th to finish fifth.
"I had a friend text me that they wanted me to do well tonight, so I hope they liked what they saw," Andrews said, joined by his wife and two children in victory lane. "It's great to celebrate with them because they put up with a lot. I didn't want to have such a long span between wins so this second one this year is better."
Next up on Saturday, August 31, with the Wilmot 11-75 Sports Complex IRA Lightning Sprints Track Championship. Teenager Brian Strane Jr. of Paris holds a 6-point lead for the title 431-425 over Waukesha's Mark Heinert. Third place Nick Petska of Spring Grove, IL is 8-points out of top spot making it a three-way battle for the crown heading into final Wilmot point night for the Lightning Sprints.
LiftPro/Hepfner Racing Products Wings 604 Winged Sprints, IMCA Modifieds and Unified Street Stocks complete the Labor Day weekend card. Grandstands open at 5 pm with racing slated for 6:45 p.m. Pits open at 3 pm. For the latest information check the track website wilmotraceway.com, the official Wilmot Raceway Facebook page or the track side raceline 262-862-2090.
Article Credit: Mike Babicz