By Ed Reichert
Rice Lake WI, August 25 – Despite two inches of rain on Friday, the Rice Lake Speedway was able to complete the final program of the regular season on Saturday and the racing action was furious with several memorable events that occurred.
Cory Mahder won the Modified feature after spinning on the first lap, going to the tail of the nineteen car field and then working his way back to the front, finally taking the lead with only two laps to go. Two other drivers won their first feature races of the season and first of their careers at Rice Lake as a number of new drivers tuned up their cars for next weekend’s holiday doubleheader that will conclude the 2018 racing season in Rice Lake.
Rookie Modified driver Kyle Helling was just a couple laps short of winning his first ever feature event in the division when Mahder made the late race pass on him. After Mahder spun on the first attempt to start the race and went to the tail, Helling got the jump on Josh Hessler to lead the opening few laps. As Helling continued to hold the top spot, the battle for position was on behind him. Kevin Adams slipped up the track and gave up a couple spots while Grant Southworth found an opening on the high side and drove up into second.
He then began to put heavy pressure on Helling for the lead, diving inside him on a couple of occasions and once sliding into the lead in turn one, only to have Helling cross over him and retake the top spot. The first eight laps of the race then clicked off until Adams triggered the yellow when he spun in turn one and Ashley Anderson slid into him when unable to stop. Adams also went to the back while Anderson was unable to continue.
Helling started to extend his lead at this point as he got into a good groove and was pulling away from the pack as Southworth, Jason Gross and Scott Duval fought behind him. However, each time Helling would start to pull away, the yellow would wave again and the pack would be bunched up behind him.
These yellows allowed both Mahder and Adams to work their way gradually back up through the field and as the race reached its last half dozen laps, they were challenging Southworth for second.
Another spin set up a three lap race to the finish and it was a four car battle for the win. Helling got the jump on the start but Mahder charged in beside him while Adams was able to slip past Southworth and take third.
The final two laps saw the top three battling side by side for the win as all three were all out to the finish. Mahder got to the inside and took over the lead while Adams went to the high side. Helling was trapped between them and despite a fine run, he had to settle for third as Mahder recorded his first win of the year at Rice Lake and became the eighth different winner in the Modifieds. The top two finishers both went to the back for spins and then battled their way back to the front.