By Todd Narveson

The sun finally came out on Friday after heavy rains missed the Chateau Raceway on Thursday. It was a nice night for the season opener which had been delayed four weeks by inclement weather. Seventy-five cars were on hand and the fans witnessed some good racing.

The Y-Waste Removal Hornets were the first feature to hit the speedway. Travis Morris dominated the five car field for the win followed by Ralph Hanks and Bobby Blowers in their 10-lap main event.

Defending track champion Matt Brooks sat on the pole and Cole Lonergan was alongside to start the Misgen Auto Parts Pure Stock feature. Brooks jumped to the lead but his race was short lived when a flat tire knocked him out of the race on the second lap. Lonergan then took over with Jason Newkirk and Keith Weber close behind.

Lonergan just slipped high on lap six and Weber made a slick move to steal the lead while Newkirk zipped to second. Weber drove away for the win and the clean sweep. Brady Krohnberg and Stacy Krohnberg both drove by Newkirk late in the race for second and third with Newkirk fourth and Lonergan fifth.

A.J. Zvorak held the early lead in the L&D Ag USRA B-Mods while Cory Crapser bolted from eighth to second. Zvorak had opened up a significant lead but Crapser was closing the gap rapidly. A caution on lap eight put Crapser right with Zvorak for the restart.

Crapser immediately challenged for the lead and worked the low groove. They raced side-by-side until Crapser stole the lead on lap 10. Zvorak caught a break as the caution flag waved for a spun car and that gave him the lead back as the lap was not completed.

The race really heated up after the green flag came back out. Again the lead duo was door-to-door on laps 10 through 12. Contact was made between the two which tore Zvorak’s driver’s door loose and bent up Crapser’s right quarter panel. Undeterred Zvorak held off Crapser for his first B-Mod win at the speedway with Dustin Sorensen third. Blake Arndt finished in fourth and Taylor Ausrud rounded out the top five.

Nick Schwebach stormed off of row one to lead the Albert Lea Steel WISSOTA Street Stock feature. Two-time defending track champion Mike Blowers worked to second and tried to hang with the leader. Blowers could stay within a car length at time and made a couple of tries at the lead. Schwebach held tough throughout the 15-lap race. Schwebach would score his first win at the speedway with Blowers in second. Jason Barber ran third the entire way, Noah Grinstead finished fourth and Justin Pogones was fifth.

A great field of 20-Farm Boy BBQ WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds took the green flag for their 15-lap feature. Veteran driver Dan Wheeler redrew the number two pill and started outside of Jason Born in row one. Wheeler darted to the lead and never looked back for his second overall win this season. Bryan Hernandez held off Cory Crapser and Mike Mehling for second and Born finished fifth.

Jacob Dahle and Pat Graham sat in row one for the 25-lap French’s Repair & Fabrication USRA Modified feature. After an early yellow, Dahle took the lead with Brandon Davis and Tommy Myer close behind. Jacob Gallardo got to third on lap three while Davis challenged Dahle for the lead. Davis worked the low groove and got alongside the leader.

Gallardo made a big move on the outside and almost made it three wide for the lead. Davis saw that move and jumped up to the top of the track and drove by Dahle for the lead. A yellow on lap six slowed the field, but Davis again took off on the start. Graham got going on the top side and stormed back to third and brought Jason Cummins to fourth. Graham then got inside of Dahle for second and they made contact. Graham was sent to the tail as Dahle got his position back.

Davis drove away for his 40th career win at the track. Cummins and Gallardo both got by Dahle for second and third on lap nine. They had a good race with Cummins coming out on top while Dahle finished fourth. Todd Scharkey made a late race charge to enter the top five.

Racing will resume Friday at 7 p.m. For more information make sure to visit the track’s website at www.chateauraceway.net.

Chateau results

USRA Modified

Feature: Brandon Davis, Jason Cummins, Jacob Gallardo, Jacob Dahle, Todd Scharkey, Tommy Myer, Craig Shaw, Darwyn Karau, Doug Hillson, Pat Graham, Greg Jensen, Joe Horgdal, Dennis Hillson

First Heat: Myer, Davis, Doug Hillson, Dahle, Shaw, Horgdal, Dennis Hillson

Second Heat: Scharkey, Graham, Karau, Gallardo, Jensen, Cummins

WISSOTA Midwest Modified

Feature: Dan Wheeler, Bryan Hernandez, Cory Crapser, Mike Mehling, Jason Born, Robbie Franklin, Greg Pfeifer Jr., Tony Schill, Don Schaefer, Ryan Goergen, Jayme Hiller, Ryan Romans, Leon Schmitt, Darryl Hainka, Luke Hainka, Jesse Hernandez, Jeremy Misgen, Kobie Kath, Channing Warner, Garitt Wytaske

First Heat: Schill, Wheeler, Born, Goergem. Schaefer, Schmitt, Wytaske

Second Heat: Pfeifer Jr., Franklin, Mehling, Romans, Kath, L. Hainka, Warner

Third Heat: Crapser, B. Hernandez, Misgen, J. Hernandez, Hiller, D. Hainka

WISSOTA Street Stock

Feature: Nick Schwebach, Mike Blowers, Jason Barber, Noah Grinstead, Justin Pogones, Kory Adams, Bernie Adams, Kyle King, Brent Holland, Jim Connors, Zach Elward, Nate Schumacher, Derek Kilby

First Heat: Pogones, B. Adams,Grinstead, Holland, Connors, Elward, Kilby

Second Heat: Blowers, Barber, Schwebach, K. Adams, Schumacher, King

USRA B-Mod

Feature: A.J. Zvorak, Cory Crapser, Dustin Sorensen, Blake Arndt, Taylor Ausrud, Kadden Kath, Rick Utley, Mark Wytaske, Josh Mattick, Michael Wytaske

First Heat: Mark Wytaske, Arndt, Ausrud, Utley, Michael Wytaske

Second Heat: Kath, Sorensen, Zvorak, Crapser, Mattick

Pure Stock

Feature: Keith Weber, Brady Krohnberg, Stacy Krohnberg, Jason Newkirk, Cole Lonergan, Adam Godeke, Anna Brouwers, Greg Lammers. Paul Kroneman, Matt Brooks, Matt Miller

First Heat: S. Krohnberg, Newkirk, Lonergan, Lammers, Brouwers, Miller

Second Heat: Weber, Brooks, B. Krohnberg, Godeke, Kroneman

Hornets

Feature: Travis Morris, Ralph Hanks, Bobby Blowers, Patrick Wells, Nick Sillman