Highs as lows as the 2015 KC Lawn Care slingshot series season ends

Highs as lows as the 2015 KC Lawn Care slingshot series season ends

Highs as lows as the 2015 KC Lawn Care slingshot series season ends

September 5, 2015 KC Lawn Care slingshot series at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, MN came to a close this past Saturday. It was a bitter sweet end to the racing season for several drivers, including those of Jim Chisholm and Tianna Mithun, both in the senior class, who plan to further their racing careers in the B-Mod series next year. As the season came to a close, both slingshot drivers and parents reflected on the 2015 season with great pride knowing they were part of something special.

The final 10 lap pee wee feature was being led by the 8T of Toby Kennedy. Alongside Kennedy was the k34 of Kolton Brauer. Second row inside was the 43 of Koby Wagner, and on the outside of Wagner was the 411 of Gavin Oldefendt. There was a battle up front between the 8T of Kennedy and the k34 of Brauer for much of the race. The 43 of Wagner stayed within a car length of Kennedy and Brauer looking for his chance to move up, but a bent tierod forced Wagner to pull off early unable to finish the feature. The 411 of Oldefendt was a little loose in few turns but managed to keep it on the track and continued battle for position in the restarts. It was the k34 of Brauer who took over first place early on in the race and continued to widen his lead throughout the race. A caution forced a green, white, checkered finish for this feature, and it was all about the k34 of Kolton Brauer as he crossed the finish line in 1st place. The 8T of Kennedy got loose in turn 4 allowing the 411 of Oldefendt to get around him and clutch his first 2nd place finish of the year. Kennedy finished in 3rd inches behind the front bumper of Oldefendt. The four drivers have showed the slingshot series that they are definitely here to stay and excited for the 2016 season where they will continue to shine!

The 12 lap junior slingshot feature race was being led by the 20 car of Gage Motl. Alongside Motl was the 75 of Cole Suckow. 2nd row inside was the 77 of Hunter Kennedy with the 25 of Joe Chisholm on the outside. 3rd row inside was the 12 car of Ayden Howard with the 34jr car of Brade Brauer on the outside. 4th row inside was the 7 of Jordan Peterson with the 28jr of Devin Born on the outside. The 20 car of Motl pulled out up front at the wave of the flag. Behind Motl, the 75 of Suckow got loose allowing the 77 of Kennedy and the 25 of Chisholm to pull ahead. The 28jr of Born moved up quickly how running in 5th place. The 12 of Howard and the 7p of Peterson battled for 7th, but Peterson continued to look ahead and soon found himself soon trying to get around the 34jr of Brauer for 6th place. While Motl continued to stretch out his lead, a battle between the 77 of Kennedy in 2nd and the 25 of Chisholm in 3rd was in full force. With only two laps to go, Kennedy found himself taking a spin in turn 4, allowing Chisholm to move up in to 2nd. A quick reaction by Kennedy allowed him to get back on the track alongside 28jr of Born running in 5th. The 75 of Suckow, now in 3rd place, continued to run without interference. A near collision in the backfield on the final lap slowed up several cars, but all straightened out and head toward the checkered flag where it was Motl who crossed in 1st place for his fourth feature win of the season. The 25 of Joe Chisholm crossed in 2nd with the 75 of Cole Suckow in 3rd. The 77 of Hunter Kennedy finished in a solid 4th, and the 28jr of Born in 5th to wrap up the top 5. The 34jr of Brauer finished in 6th, the 7p of Jordan Peterson in 7th, and the 12 of Ayden Howard in 8th. The 20 car of Motl was later disqualified for having a non-performance improving fuel fragrance additive detected in his race fuel. The slingshot rule book states no additives of any kind area allowed. There is monumental talent in this class and will without a doubt give the 2016 season some excitement!

The final 18 lap senior feature race was led by the 60 of Colby Mann with the 44 of Karlie Wagner on the outside. 2nd row inside was the 24 of Jim Chisholm with the 53 of Tianna Mithun on the outside. 3rd row inside was the 4W of Tucker Williams with the 18R of Evan Reyna on the outside. At the drop of the flag, Wagner and Mann fought hard for the first couple laps, but it was Mann who pulled out ahead. The next battle for Wagner was with the 24 of Chisholm running in 3rd. The 53 of Mithun was right on the bumper of Wagner and Chisholm as they ran side by side around the track for several laps. The 18R of Reyna drove hard trying to take over the 5th place spot of Williams in the first 2 laps, but the 4W was able to hold him off. Mann took a slide in turn 4 of lap 5, forcing a caution and giving the lead on the restart to the 44 of Wagner. A single file restart had the 24 of Chisholm putting heavy pressure on the 44 of Wagner up front, but she continued to stretch out her lead with each lap. The 4W of Williams was running a smooth race in 4th place trying to catch the 53 of Mithun in 3rd. The 60 of Mann was able to get around the 18R of Reyna on the restart to find himself in 5th place. The skilled driving of these senior racers allowed each of them to length out their positions for the last two laps with each car unable to catch the other. At the checkered flag, It was the 44 of Karlie Wagner finishing in 1st   for her fifth 2015 feature win. The 24 of Jim Chisholm finished in 2nd, the 53 of Tianna Mithun finished in 3rd, the 4W of Tucker Williams in 4th, the 60 of Mann in 5th, and the 18R of Reyna in 6th.   Without a doubt, these senior drivers have proven they have what it takes to race on the big track in the years to come. Good luck to Tianna and Jim, you will be missed by your fellow drivers.

Heat race winners included the 8T of Toby Kennedy in the pee wee class. The 25 of Joe Chisholm, the 20 of Gage Motl, the 77 of Hunter Kennedy, and the 75 of Cole Suckow in the junior class. The 60 of Colby Mann was the heat race winner for the senior class.

A special thanks to the slingshot series for asking me to write this article each week. While I am no writer by trade and was nervous to take on the task, I looked forward each week to giving every driver the attention and praise they deserved to the best of my creative abilities. Hats off to the parents of these drivers, they put as much heart and devotion into their slingshot cars as the kids do. While emotions carry into all sports, we have to remember why we race. It’s for the love of the sport and most of all for the kids and their futures as drivers. —Shanna Motl, mom of the #20 car of Gage Motl

“Just race the track, not the drivers. Don’t push too fast, run your pace. Be smooth, be patient, and the speed will come.” anonymous

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