A Photo Gallery of images of the Championship Night are available at TJHARRONPHOTOGRAPHY.COM.
Rich Bickle Jr, Natalie Decker, and Cory Talaska Win Features at MIS
Rich Bickle Jr. took home the checkered flag in the 100 lap feature for the Triple Crown Challenge Super Late Models while Natalie Decker won her first ever race at Madison in the Midwest Trucks and Cory Talaska took home top honors in the Legends.
Casey Johnson was the overall winner in the Triple Crown Challenge with Jerry Wood finishing on top of the Midwest Truck point standings and Cory Talaska taking the title in the Legends.
Rich Bickle Jr Wins Today at MIS
Rich Bickle Jr. won the 100 lap Super Late Model Triple Crown Challenge at Madison International Speedway. To make the win even more special is the fact that this was his last race ever at Madison after getting started in 1980.
Paul Shafer Jr. and Rich Bickle Jr. paced the field of nineteen super late models to the green flag. Shafer Jr. took the lead with Bobby Kendall and Nick Murgic quickly up to second and third. Kendall took the lead on lap 6 when he got by Shafer Jr. on the low side coming out of turn one. The race’s first caution flag came out on lap 8 for a multi-car spin in turn two.
Kendall chose to line up on the outside for the restart with Shafer Jr. on the inside. He easily retained his lead with Andrew Morrissey up to second, but the race only stayed green for a lap before a spin deep in the field led to the yellow flag.
Once again Kendall elected to start on the outside with Morrissey on the inside. Kendall remained the leader running the outside groove before clearing Morrissey on lap 12. Nick Murgic, Casey Johnson, and Bobby Wilberg were running third through fifth.
The top five remained the same and by lap 37 had caught the tail end of the field. The leaders were able to work their way through lapped traffic with Wilberg able to pass Johnson for fourth on lap 38. Wilberg continued to show good speed and on lap 53 passed Murgic to move into third place.
On lap 57 Tim Lampman spun in turn four bringing out the caution flag and setting up another restart. Would Kendall once again choose to line up on the outside?
Kendall chose the high side with Morrissey on the inside. Wilberg selected the inside of row two with Murgic on the outside. The third row found Johnson on the inside and Bickle Jr. outside. The outer line worked again for Kendall as he remained in the lead followed by Morrissey, Wilberg, Murgic, and Bickle Jr.
It was Bickle Jr. who was the man on the move. On lap 61 he inched his way to the inside of Murgic to take fourth. Five laps later he took over the third spot when he got by Wilberg on the low side. On lap 71 he moved past Morrissey going into turn one to vault into second place.
The competition yellow came out on lap 75 setting up a twenty-five lap shootout. At the break it was Kendall, Bickle Jr., Morrissey, Wilberg, and Murgic in the top five. Casey Johnson, Steve Rubeck, Jeff Way, and Nathan Matz rounded out the nine cars on the lead lap.
For the restart Kendall chose to start on the inside with Bickle Jr. going to the outside of the front row. Morrissey and Wilberg lined up in the second row with Murgic and Rubeck in row three.
Bickle Jr. took the lead before hitting the backstretch and quickly built up a five car length advantage over Kendall. Morrissey, Wilberg, and Murgic rounded out the top five. Series point leader Casey Johnson was running seventh behind Rubeck. On lap 93 he slid by Rubeck to take the sixth place.
Kendall did everything he could to keep Bickle Jr. in his sights but the laps were quickly ticking away. But this day belonged to Rich Bickle Jr. who cruised to victory lane to pick up the checkered flag. Kendall finished second followed by Morrissey, Wilberg, and Murgic.
“This is tough. I came here when I was a month old. This one’s for my mom,” said Bickle Jr. “I saved my stuff for the end. The car was so good and my crew worked their tails off. I want to thank the fans for all of their support over the years. Everybody wants to know why I’m quitting…it’s been thirty years…I won my first race here in 1980 when I beat my dad in a semi-feature.”
In only his second appearance ever at MIS, Paul Shafer Jr. won the first twelve lap qualifying race. Jesse Pokszyk took the early lead before Mikie Breiner took over the top spot on lap 2. Breiner was only able to lead one lap before Tim Lampman took over the point. On lap 6 Shafer Jr. raced past Lampman to take the lead and quickly sailed away from the field. Bobby Kendall was not about to let Shafer Jr. pull away but his efforts fell just short at the line.
Rich Bickle Jr. won the second qualifying race. Rob Maynor and Jeremy Spoonmore fought it out for the lead for the first two laps before Spoonmore powered by on the outside on lap 3. Gary Lamonte worked his way to the inside of Spoonmore to take over the lead on lap 3. On lap 6 Bickle Jr. fought his way to the inside of Lamonte and the two raced side by side separated by inches. On the final lap Bickle Jr. was able to gain the advantage coming out of turn four to grab the win.
Andrew Morrissey set the pace in qualifying with a lap of 17.271 (104.221 mph) just off the track record of 17.245. Bobby Kendall was second fastest at 17.281 followed by Rich Bickle Jr. (17.455), Nick Murgic (17.473), and Bobby Wilberg (17.549).
Casey Johnson won the Triple Crown Super Late Model Challenge. “The car probably wasn’t as good as it could have been today. We’ve been running the same set up as the first three races,” said Johnson. “This means a ton to me. I remember coming out here as a kid so to be able to do this is pretty awesome. I really need to thank Bruce Lee. We turned this into something really cool.”
Johnson finished with 386 points to take home the championship with Bickle Jr. finishing second with 365 points and Nick Murgic in third with 350 points.
Super Late Models 9/8/2013
Feature:1. Rich Bickle (Janesville, WI), 2. Bobby Kendall (Montello, WI), 3. Andrew Morrissey (DeForest, WI), 4. Bobby Wilberg (Beloit, WI), 5. Nick Murgic (Rosemount, MN), 6. Casey Johnson (Stoughton, WI), 7. Steve Rubeck (Monroe Center, IL), 8. Jeff Way (Honey Creek, WI), 9. Nathan Matz (Burlington, WI), 10. Brandon Hill (Genoa City, WI), 11. Jeremy Spoonmore (Somonauk, IL), 12. Robert Maynor (Hartland, WI), 13. Chuck Garetson (Albany, WI), 14. Mikie Breiner (Johnsburg, IL), 15. Paul Shafer Jr. (Portage, IN), 16. Tim Lampman (Oak Creek, WI), 17. Landry Potter (Genoa City, WI), 18. Jesse Pokszyk (Friendship, WI), 19. Gary LaMonte (West Allis, WI),
Qualifying:1. Andrew Morrissey (DeForest, WI), 2. Bobby Kendall (Montello, WI), 3. Rich Bickle (Janesville, WI), 4. Nick Murgic (Rosemount, MN), 5. Bobby Wilberg (Beloit, WI), 6. Landry Potter (Genoa City, WI), 7. Gary LaMonte (West Allis, WI), 8. Paul Shafer Jr. (Portage, IN), 9. Casey Johnson (Stoughton, WI), 10. Brandon Hill (Genoa City, WI), 11. Steve Rubeck (Monroe Center, IL), 12. Tim Lampman (Oak Creek, WI), 13. Nathan Matz (Burlington, WI), 14. Jeff Way (Honey Creek, WI), 15. Jeremy Spoonmore (Somonauk, IL), 16. Mikie Breiner (Johnsburg, IL), 17. Robert Maynor (Hartland, WI), 18. Jesse Pokszyk (Friendship, WI), 19. Chuck Garetson (Albany, WI),
Qualifying Race 1:1. Rich Bickle (Janesville, WI), 2. Gary LaMonte (West Allis, WI), 3. Steve Rubeck (Monroe Center, IL), 4. Casey Johnson (Stoughton, WI), 5. Bobby Wilberg (Beloit, WI), 6. Andrew Morrissey (DeForest, WI), 7. Jeremy Spoonmore (Somonauk, IL), 8. Robert Maynor (Hartland, WI), 9. Nathan Matz (Burlington, WI), 10. Chuck Garetson (Albany, WI),
Qualifying Race 2:1. Paul Shafer Jr. (Portage, IN), 2. Bobby Kendall (Montello, WI), 3. Nick Murgic (Rosemount, MN), 4. Landry Potter (Genoa City, WI), 5. Tim Lampman (Oak Creek, WI), 6. Mikie Breiner (Johnsburg, IL), 7. Jeff Way (Honey Creek, WI), 8. Brandon Hill (Genoa City, WI), 9. Jesse Pokszyk (Friendship, WI),
Natalie Decker Wins Midwest Trucks Feature
Natalie Decker won her first-ever feature at MIS after passing Chester Ace on the final lap of the 30 lap feature for the Club LaMark Midwest Trucks.
Disaster struck at the beginning of the Midwest Trucks feature when Mike Corvo III spun causing the trucks behind him to pile. Corvo III, Chad Knaus, Andy Jones, Joshua James and point leader Jerry Wood all headed to the pits. Jones and Wood were able to return prior to the restart.
The second attempt at start found Natalie Decker and Camden Murphy on the front row with Murphy taking the lead. Chester Ace was up to challenge Murphy for the lead with Justin Oertel joining the mix. On lap 4 Ace found the necessary room to work his way past Murphy to take the lead. On lap 6 Jacob Van Wazer and Jerry Wood got together bringing out the caution and sending both to the rear of the field.
Ace and Oertel raced side by side after the restart with the two trading places in the lead. Decker closed the gap to join the leaders while Jones and John Wood raced side by side for the fourth position. On lap 13 Wood moved by Jones on the inside to take fourth with brother Jerry looking to do the same.
On lap 17 Oertel drifted up the track coming out of turn two allowing Ace to retake the lead. On lap 19 Decker and Oertel were side by side for second with Decker taking the spot on lap 20 when Oertel got loose coming out of turn two.
Ace continued to lead but Decker was cutting into his lead. On the final lap Decker moved to the inside coming into turn four and took the lead down the stretch to pick up the win.
“This is so great,” said a very excited Decker from victory lane. “I’m so happy we were able to get a win.”
Natalie Decker won the first heat race for the Midwest Trucks. Jacob Van Wazer took the early lead in before getting together with John Wood on lap 4. The resulting caution flag would send both drivers to the back of the field. Joshua James inherited the lead before another spin brought out the caution flag. Decker powered by James with one lap to go to pick up the win.
Chad Knaus led wire to wire in the second heat race and edged Jerry Wood at the stripe to pick up the win. Knaus had a multiple truck length lead for most of the race, but Wood was able to close the gap and come up just short at the line.
Chester Ace was fastest in qualifying with a trip of 18.892 (95.278 mph) followed by Andy Jones (19.095), Justin Oertel (19.107), Jerry Wood (19.128), and Camden Murphy (19.137).
Jerry Wood won the track championship with 742 points just ten points of his brother and runner-up John Wood. Natalie Decker finished in third place with 622 points followed by Andy Jones and Camden Murphy.
Club La Mark Midwest Trucks 9/8/2013
30 Lap Feature:1. Natalie Decker (Eagle River, WI), 2. Chester Ace (Oregon, WI), 3. John Wood (Sun Prairie, WI), 4. Justin Oertel (Lincolnshire, IL), 5. Jerry Wood (Madison, WI), 6. Andy Jones (Gurnee, IL), 7. Camden Murphy (Itasca, IL), 8. Jacob Van Wazer (Lombard, IL), 9. Jerry Suderland (Muskego, WI), 10. Joshua James (Saukville, WI), 11. Mike Corvo (Park Ridge, IL), 12. Chad Knaus (Sun Prairie, WI),
Heat 1:1. Natalie Decker (Eagle River, WI), 2. Joshua James (Saukville, WI), 3. John Wood (Sun Prairie, WI), 4. Jacob Van Wazer (Lombard, IL), 5. Mike Corvo (Park Ridge, IL), 6. Jerry Suderland (Muskego, WI),
Heat 2:1. Chad Knaus (Sun Prairie, WI), 2. Jerry Wood (Madison, WI), 3. Andy Jones (Gurnee, IL), 4. Justin Oertel (Lincolnshire, IL), 5. Chester Ace (Oregon, WI), 6. Camden Murphy (Itasca, IL),
Qualifying:1. Chester Ace (Oregon, WI), 2. Andy Jones (Gurnee, IL), 3. Justin Oertel (Lincolnshire, IL), 4. Jerry Wood (Madison, WI), 5. Camden Murphy (Itasca, IL), 6. Chad Knaus (Sun Prairie, WI), 7. Natalie Decker (Eagle River, WI), 8. Joshua James (Saukville, WI), 9. Mike Corvo (Park Ridge, IL), 10. John Wood (Sun Prairie, WI), 11. Jacob Van Wazer (Lombard, IL), 12. Jerry Suderland (Muskego, WI),
Cory Talaska Wins Legends Feature and Championship
Cory Talaska came into the day leading the point standings and picked up the feature win for the Pellitteri Waste Systems Legends. As a result he also was crowned the 2013 Track Champion in the division.
Johnny Kringas took the early lead in the 25 lap feature race for the Legends before the caution flag came out on lap 3 for a spin. Aaron Moyer took the lead after the restart with Max McNamara in second and Cory Talaska in third. On lap 8 Talaska raced by McNamara for second place but still had a long ways to go to catch Moyer. The second caution of the race came out on lap 12 for a spin on the backstretch.
Moyer maintained his lead after the restart with Talaska right there to challenge him for the point. On lap 17 Talaska made his way to the inside to take the lead, but Moyer was not going to let him get away from him.
But Talaska was able to maintain his lead and take home the checkered flag. Moyer finished second followed by Kringas, Todd Schmitz, and Brian Griffin.
“This is a great day,” said Talaska. “My car started getting better after kind of a slow start so it’s great to be here in victory lane.”
Johnny Kringas won the first eight lap heat for the Legends. Kevin Griffin took the lead from Shelby Berlin on the second lap before spinning and getting together with Jordan Wendt ending the day for both drivers. After a third car left the track for mechanical issues only two cars remained. Berlin led for five laps before Kringas took over the top spot on lap 8.
Aaron Moyer was the winner in the second heat race. Brian Griffin led the first two laps before Moyer worked his way to the inside and the lead on lap 3. Cory Talaska and Max McNamara tried to keep up with the leader but had to settle for second and third.
Fast time in qualifying was set by Cory Talaska with a lap of 13.845 followed by Aaron Moyer (13.868), Max McNamara (14.106), Austin Kunert (14.114), and Todd Schmitz (14.184).
Cory Talaska was crowned track champion with 676 points followed by Aaron Moyer with 655 points and the Andy Jones / Max McNamara team with 611 points. Kevin Griffin and Austin Kunert rounded out the top five.
25 Lap Feature:1. Cory Talaska (Campbellsport, WI), 2. Aaron Moyer (Malone, WI), 3. Johnny Kringas (Homer Glen, IL), 4. Todd Schmitz (Verona, WI), 5. Brian Griffin (Elk Grove, IL), 6. Austin Kunert (Batavia, IL), 7. Kevin Griffin (Green Oaks, IL), 8. Matt Berlin (Mequon, WI), 9. McNamara Jones (Gurnee, IL), 10. Shelby Berlin (Mequon, WI), 11. Jordan Wendt (Stoughton, WI), 12. Kyle Vergata (New Berlin, WI),
Heat 1:1. Johnny Kringas (Homer Glen, IL), 2. Shelby Berlin (Mequon, WI), 3. Kevin Griffin (Green Oaks, IL), 4. Jordan Wendt (Stoughton, WI), 5. Matt Berlin (Mequon, WI), 6. Kyle Vergata (New Berlin, WI),
Heat 2:1. Aaron Moyer (Malone, WI), 2. Cory Talaska (Campbellsport, WI), 3. McNamara Jones (Gurnee, IL), 4. Todd Schmitz (Verona, WI), 5. Austin Kunert (Batavia, IL), 6. Brian Griffin (Elk Grove, IL),
Qualifying:1. Cory Talaska (Campbellsport, WI), 2. Aaron Moyer (Malone, WI), 3. McNamara Jones (Gurnee, IL), 4. Austin Kunert (Batavia, IL), 5. Todd Schmitz (Verona, WI), 6. Brian Griffin (Elk Grove, IL), 7. Johnny Kringas (Homer Glen, IL), 8. Kevin Griffin (Green Oaks, IL), 9. Matt Berlin (Mequon, WI), 10. Shelby Berlin (Mequon, WI), 11. Kyle Vergata (New Berlin, WI), 12. Jordan Wendt (Stoughton, WI),
In 2014 racing will return to Friday nights at Madison International Speedway so stay tuned for updates as they become available.