6/9/2024
Wissota Late Model Challenge Series
New Day, Same Result. Peterson Powers to Fiesta City Series Victory
For Immediate Release – June 8th, 2024
The more things change, the more things stay the same for the 2024 Structural Buildings WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series powered by Momentum Truck Group, Freightliner, Western Star as Tyler Peterson bested Cole Searing and Matt Gilbertson on the second night of back-to-back stops at the Fiesta City Speedway in Montevideo, Minnesota.
2023 Series Champion Pat Doar started the night by setting fast time with a lap of 16.014 seconds before he, Matt Gilbertson and Tyler Peterson topped the three qualifying heat races to set the 26-car starting field.
After all the qualifying races were in the books and a re-work of the race track took place at intermission, Doar and Searing earned the front row for the night’s 40-lap, $3,000-to-win feature event with Gilbertson blasting off on the initial start and leading the field into turn number one to take command as the field completed the opening circuit.
With Searing out front, Doar rode around in second, while Peterson ran third just ahead of Ryan Mikkelson and Matt Gilbertson as they duked it out for fourth early in the race. The first 26 circuits of the race went non-stop with some great battles inside the top five as well as just behind the leaders with Kevin Burdick and Joel Bennett side by side for sixth and Shane Sabraski alongside Jordan Tollakson for eighth for much of the first half of the 40-lapper.
The first caution of the night flew on lap 26 for a Todd Frank spin, slowed the action and bunched up the field for the restart, which again saw Searing take off out front, but allowed Peterson, who was in second to challenge out front. The caution quickly flew for a Kevin Eder slowdown, but the field was quickly lined back up and the battle out front ensued again between Searing and Peterson.
In a near repeat of the previous night, Peterson was able to overtake Searing for the lead, but this time with five laps remaining and in not such dramatic fashion as the night before. Once out-front Peterson and Searing had to work through lapped cars to get to the checkered, which Peterson was able to first for his second win in as many nights. Searing ran second for the second consecutive night and Gilbertson rounded out the podium for the second night in a row as well. Ryan Mikkelson was fourth and Joel Bennett recorded his best series finish to date, in fifth.
Eric Riley won the WISSOTA Street Stock feature, Josh Reick won the WISSOTA Midwest Modified main event, Jerik Stabler won the WISSOTA Hornet feature and Coltyn Schuler won the Pure Stock feature event to wrap up the night.
Full results: https://www.myracepass.com/events/505905/races
The next 2024 Challenge Series event is scheduled for Sunday, June 9th at the Casino Speedway in Watertown, SD with a 6:30pm start time.
For upcoming schedule information and tickets, visit www.WISSOTAChallengeSeries.com.
AOK Photos
Nick Anderson Photography
Submitted By: Nikki Cook
Article Media
