Local auto racing: Eckhart earns second win of season at Deer Creek

SPRING VALLEY — Neil Eckhart wasn't lying when he said he had to earn his second victory of the season at Deer Creek Speedway.

Eckhart, a veteran driver from Rochester, had to work to hold off Tommy Richards during Saturday's Wissota Super Stocks feature.

Eckhart captured the closest race of the night, leading all but one lap of the 20-lap feature, to pick up his second win of the season at Deer Creek.

Eckhart grabbed the lead on the second lap and led by more than a second and a half early on. But Richards quickly reeled him in and was side-by-side with Eckhart at the line with four to go. Eckhart sensed Richards' presence, though, and found some speed down the backstretch late, winning by nearly half a second.

"I could feel (Richards) and I could hear him," Eckhart said. "It was a good race, good to hold him off."

Eckhart capped his celebration in Victory Lane by doing 20 pushups to help raise money for Join The Journey, an organization founded in Rochester 10 years ago to help raise awareness of breast cancer and help provide support to people battling breast cancer.

Each feature winner was asked to do as many pushups as he could in Victory Lane, and 21 fans agreed to donate $1 for every pushup performed on Saturday. Winning drivers did a total of 102 pushups, raising a total $2,142.

• WISSOTA STREET STOCKS: Danny Richards started the 18-lap feature in Row 4, but worked his way into the top three by lap three of the 18-lap feature. He got around Durand Peterson for second place on lap five, then grabbed the lead three laps later by passing leader Kory Adams on the high side out of Turn 4. Richards led the rest of the way, pulling away to win by more than 3 seconds over runner-up Durand Peterson.

"It's been a long time since I've been (in Victory Lane) at Deer Creek," said Richards, who did 10 pushups for Join The Journey. "I needed this."

• WISSOTA MIDWEST MODIFIEDS: Ryan Goergen had his first win of the season at Deer Creek sealed, but his car had other ideas. Goergen's No. 12 car began to smoke with two laps to go and as he tried to hang on, Jared Boumeester closed a two-second gap and passed Goergen on the final lap to win the 18-lap feature race.

"I saw smoke on his left side," said Boumeester, who did 22 pushups to support Join The Journey. "I went to the bottom knowing he'd try to hang on ... one less lap and he would've had it."

• USRA B-MODIFIEDS: Cole Queensland outlasted a 27-car field in feature race that was cut to 14 laps because of excessive stoppages for cautions. Five cautions occurred in the first 13 laps, which led to a green-white-checkered finish being ordered. Queensland grabbed the lead four laps into the race and led the rest of the way, holding off a hard push by Kylie Kath on the final lap. The two made contact going through Turn 4 on the final lap, but Queensland held his ground and Kath was able to keep his car under control and finish second.

• USRA MODIFIEDS: Rain hit the track five laps into the 25-lap feature race. The race will be made up during next Saturday's show.

UMSS SPRINT CARS

Feature (top 10) — 1. Derrik Lusk, 2. Ryan Bowers, 3. Cody Hahn, 4. Jamey Ogsten, 5. Dean Brown, 6. Chris Graf, 7. Jeff Pellersels, 8. Brandon Halverson, 9. Leigh Thomas, 10. Anna Hippe.

Challenge race 1— 1. Ogsten, 2. Brown, 3. Hall, 4. Lusk, 5. Richert Jr., 6. Graf, 7. Pellersels, 8. Allex. Challenge race 2— 1. Bowers, 2. Norem, 3. Hahn, 4. Hippe, 5. Halverson, 6. Thomas, 7. B. McVitty, 8. R. McVitty.

Heat 1— 1. Norem, 2. Richert Jr., 3. Hahn, 4. Hall, 5. Bowers, 6. R. McVitty, 7. Pellersels, 8. Allex. Heat 2— 1. Lusk, 2. Hippe, 3. Ogsten, 4. B. McVitty, 5. Brown, 6. Halverson, 7. Graf, 8. Thomas.

USRA MODIFIEDS

Feature — postponed to next week.

Heat winners— Brad Waits, Jason Cummins, Jake Timm.

WISSOTA SUPER STOCKS

Feature — 1. Neil Eckhart (Rochester), 2. Tommy Richards (Mondovi, Wis.), 3. Jeff Brauer (Eyota), 4. Danny Richards (Mondovi), 5. AJ Hoff (Mantorville), 6. Dave Solum (Dakota), 7. Kevin Hager (Kellogg), 8. Jon Jensen (Rochester), 9. Harlan Morehart (Rochester).

Heat winner— Jeff Brauer.

WISSOTA STREET STOCKS

Feature — 1. Danny Richards (Mondovi, Wis.), 2. Durand Peterson (Glenwood), 3. Nick Schwebach (Fountain), 4. Troy Voth (Mazeppa), 5. Kory Adams (Stacyville, Iowa), 6. Bernie Adams (Stacyville), 7. Noah Grinstead (Austin), 8. Blake Adams, 9. Ryan Jacobson (Rochester), 10. Mike Chisholm (Osage, Iowa).

Heat winners— Mike Blowers, Peterson.

WISSOTA MIDWEST MODIFIEDS

Feature (top 10)— 1. Jared Boumeester (Waseca), 2. Ryan Goergen (Stacyville, Iowa), 3. Garitt Wyatske (Lansing), 4. Robbie Franklin (Shakopee), 5. Jason Born (Medford), 6. Casey Trom (Zumbrota), 7. Bradley Seavers (Rib Lake, Wis.), 8. Bonnie Jablonske (Hager City, Wis.), 9. Tammy Soma Clark (Rochester), 10. Brad Minske (Northfield).

Heat winners— G. Wytaske, Boumeester.

USRA B-MODIFIEDS

Feature — 1. Cole Queensland (Grand Meadow), 2. Kylie Kath (Owatonna), 3. Cody Ahrent (Inwood, Iowa), 4. Jim Chisholm (Osage, Iowa), 5. Alex Williamson (Rushford), 6. Shaun Walski (Winona), 7. Brandon Hare (Elma, Iowa), 8. Dustin Kruse (Brandon, S.D.), 9. Zach Brom (Winona), 10. Jackson Hale (Grand Meadow).

Heat winners— Walski, Queensland, Derek Clement.