LANSING, Minn. - The 2009 racing season is officially into the home stretch at Chateau Raceway powered by Miner's Outdoor Power & Rec as Season Championships were held Friday night. It was the final night for track points to determine track champions for the year. Doug Hillson of Blooming Prairie already had an insurmountable lead going into the night's action, and was named the 2009 USRA Modified track champion.

Steve Wetzstein of West Concord has a bunch of feature wins around the region this summer and currently leads the American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series national points in the USRA Modified division. However, he had yet to pick one up at Lansing this summer ... that is until Friday night.

Wetzstein started on the outside of row 4 and was running sixth after one lap with Dustin Steinbrink of Austin leading. Tommy Myer of Blooming Prairie came out of row 2 to take second to Steinbrink for the race's first two laps before making his move to the front on lap 3.

Wetzstein, meanwhile, was making his way forward quickly. He picked up one spot on lap 2 and two more on lap 3 to move up to third. It took him three more laps to reel in Steinbrink and make the move to take over second.

From there it was going to take some help as Myer had checked out on the field and built a lead that was going to be tough to crack. The help came in the form of a yellow flag on lap 21. The caution not only cost Myer the win as Wetzstein wasted no time on the restart sweeping past Myer for the lead, it also cost Todd Scharkey of Kasson a solid finish.

Scharkey was running third just ahead of Jason Cummins of New Richland when the yellow came out. While circling around under caution, Scharkey's right front tire went down. He pitted as the race was about to go back green leaving him with a disappointing 15th-place finish.

Wetzstein, Myer and Cummins finished one-two-three followed by Steinbrink and Hillson. Wetzstein ended up with a sweep on the night after also taking one of the classes heat wins. Myer also had a heat win along with Mike Sorensen of Rochester.

While it was Season Championship night, it was far from the final action of the season at Lansing. The Chateau Raceway will host event #11 of the 18-race campaign for the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's General Stores National Championship next weekend. Racing action next Friday night will get underway with hot laps shortly after 7 p.m. and racing action to follow. Joining the USMTS Modifieds will be WISSOTA Midwest Mods, Pure Stocks and Hornets. The following weekend on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11-12, it will be the two-night Midwest Modified Fall Nationals with WISSOTA Midwest Mods competing for extra cash and a chance at improving their standings in the national points Race. Also running will be WISSOTA Street Stocks, WISSOTA Super Stocks, Pure Stocks and USRA Modifieds racing for national points. Both nights will be complete shows. To wrap up the 2009 racing season it will be the 3rd annual Buzz Festival featuring the two Hornet divisions. That will also be a two-night show, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3, with two complete shows. All seven of the track's weekly divisions will run both nights of the Buzz Festival for one last go before packing it in for 2009.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

OFFICIAL RESULTS
American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series
Chateau Raceway, Lansing, Minn.
Friday, Aug. 28, 2009

USRA MODIFIEDS

Feature: 1. Steve Wetzstein, West Concord; 2. Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie; 3. Jason Cummins, New Richland; 4. Dustin Steinbrink, Austin; 5. Doug Hillson, Blooming Prairie; 6. Mike Sorensen, Rochester; 7. Brian Shaw, Brownsdale; 8. Josh Mattick, Austin; 9. Mike Lawson, Owatonna; 10. Greg Jensen, Albert Lea; 11. Jeremy Misgen, Ellendale; 12. Matt Olson, Albert Lea; 13. Harland Morehart, Eyota; 14. Todd Scharkey, Kasson; 15. Wally Bustad, Austin; 16. Jacob Dahle, Morristown; 17. Ben Mattick, Hayfield; 18. Bobby Swanson, Kasson; DNS - Greg Erickson, Chatfield; Travis Peterson, Mapleton.

Heat #1: 1. Wetzstein, 2. Cummins, 3. Stienbrink, 4. Swanson, 5. Morehart, 6. J. Mattick.

Heat #2: 1. Myer, 2. Dahle, 3. Shaw, 4. Scharkey, 5. Bustad, 6. Jensen, 7. Olson.

Heat #3: 1. Sorensen, 2. B. Mattick, 3. Misgen, 4. Hillson, 5. Lawson, 6. Erickson.

2009 Track Champion: Hillson.