My Wissota 100 preview...

In the past – and purely for fun – I’ve written some previews about the Wissota 100, highlighting some of the favorites. It’s tough because I don’t know who will be in attendance or won’t be so I have to take some guesses here. I think one year I got three feature winners right out of seven so it's not like I have come close to perfecting a science on this.

The 100 kicks off Wednesday night at I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls.

This is being written before the completion of the Structural Buildings Wissota Late Model Challenge Series show on Tuesday, which does not involve qualifying for Saturday’s 100. The other classes held a practice night on Tuesday.

This is 100 percent my own opinion. Keep a few things in mind: first, some that I mention here won’t be in attendance, and some that I have left off will be. I have no idea in some cases who will be there and who won’t. I did get a pre-registration list from Wissota which will help serve as a guide but many drivers do not register until they get there on Wednesday.

Take those factors into consideration when reading this.

Here are the five classes:

Wissota Street Stocks

Favorites: Kolton Brauer, Kyle Dykhoff, Justin Vogel, Parker Anderson, Eric Riley, Cole Greseth, Jim Gullikson

Likely contend: Trey Hess, Levi Randt

If the Seitz Memorial battle between Anderson, Vogel and Hess was any indication, this could be a hell of a race. I think about 25 drivers could win. One thing I will say about the street stocks: they will race each other hard, with some sparks and fending rubbing, but generally won’t drive over each other. It’s what makes the street stocks so fun to watch.

--Brauer is the national point leader with 31 wins and is the defending 100 champion.  Hard to pick against that.

--Dykhoff won the Dirt Race Central Street Stock Tour, the Little Dream, and has 16 wins in 30  starts as of Sept. 1. He is extremely tough at I-94 and isn’t afraid to run the 11 car where it needs to be to win.

--Vogel lives for invitational season and finished a close second to Anderson at the Seitz Memorial. He is a former national champion, former Wissota 100 winner and is always contending at this race. He will drive the wheels off if it means winning.

--Anderson is a former national champion who returned to the streets this year. He won a DRC Tour race at Rice Lake and just captured the Seitz Memorial. He has six wins in 14 starts and won’t back down from anyone.

--Riley is a former Wissota 100 winner, the I-94 track champion with six wins in 24 starts. He knows how to get around I-94 as well as Dykhoff and Vogel.

--Greseth is second in the national points, won four track championships and has 27 wins in 51 starts in what has been the best season of his career.  Oh, and he just graduated high school a few months ago.

--Gullikson is a former national champion and has 12 wins in 22 starts this summer. He is not afraid to mix it up and be aggressive, which you need to do in this race.

Hess will finish in the top five in national points and has 16 wins. Levi Randt is one of the promising young talents in the class with eight wins.  Nick Traynor is fast wherever he races and has fared well at I-94 in the past for DRC Street Stock Tour races. If Keith Tourville attends, include him in this category.

My pick: Kyle Dykhoff. I can’t pick against the driver who has been the fastest at many of the tracks he’s unloaded at this summer, but especially at I-94.

Wissota Midwest Modified

Favorites: Tyler Vernon, Joey Jensen, Blake Adams, Tony Leiker, Matt Schow

Likely contenders:   Jory Berg, Ryan Flaten, Mike Nichols

I honestly do not know who will be in attendance here, so that makes this one difficult. This will be very wide open and I know I am leaving a bunch of drivers who will contend off of this list. 

 As of Sept. 1, Vernon leads Jensen by four points in the national standings in a very tight race. I am making a guess both will be at the 100 for the sake of this article, especially with such a close national point race.

--Vernon has raced all over the place, and fans in northern Wisconsin know how good he is. He has 23 feature wins and 50 top five finishes this summer.

--Jensen is as good a driver who has raced in this class. He had 23 wins in 43 starts and recently won the Northern Nationals at Gondik Law.

--Adams is the defending champion and has 10 midwest mod wins this summer. He is fourth in the national points.

--If Wyoming driver Tony Leiker is in town, he should be in the hunt. He is third in the national points and has 13 wins this summer and is the 2019 Wissota 100 winner in the class.

--Schow has run very well in recent years at the Wissota 100, and at I-94 in general.  He has seven Midwest mods wins this summer while also racing a late model on aa regular basis at River Cities.

A wild card in this is Mario Berger of Billings, Mont., who is pre-registered. I have never seen him race so it’s hard to gauge how he will fare this week. He is seventh in the national points and has 14 wins in 27 starts, so he’s clearly having a great year.

Berg is 10^th in the national points and has 10 wins this summer. Flaten is sixth in the national points and had nine Midwest modified wins and on the nights I’ve covered him has been the fastest car at the track. Nichols has raced once – and won the Clash at Casino. He is a former champion at I-94 and runs towards the front there on a regular basis. I will also include Austin Hunter and Landyn Randt in this group, if they attend.

My pick:  Jensen. He’s smooth, experienced and  knows how t o win big races. If he races at I-94 this week he’s my pick. If not, I will go with Adams.

Wissota Super Stocks

Favorites: Dexton Koch, Shane Sabraski, Curt Myers, Trevor Nelson

Likely to contend: Jordan Henkemeyer, Dylan Nelson

Again, this depends upon who shows up but I think the usual favorites will be in the hunt. There is also a huge fight between two big-time veterans, Sabraski and Myers, for the national title.

--Koch is the defending national champion and Wissota 100 winner and is third in the national points. He has 19 wins during the Wissota season.

--Sabraski is in the argument for the best super stock driver ever and is leading the national points as he chases yet another national title. He’s a former Wissota 100 winner, and is damn smooth in the 7A.

--Myers is tough as nails and is a former national champion and has 16 wins as of Sept. 1. He is the Fast Lane Super Stock series champion.

--Trevor Nelson is a former Wissota 100 champion and is the dominant car in South Dakota. He has 17 feature wins as of Sept. 1.

Henkemeyer won the Fast Lane tour stop at Viking Speedway and has four wins this season. Dylan Nelson is a former Wissota 100 winner and is sixth in the national points with four wins this season.

My pick:  Dexton Koch. It’s hard for me to pick against Sabraski or Myers, but I think Koch will repeat as super stock champion.

Wissota Modified

Favorites: Blake Adams, Brady Gerdes, Dusty Bitzan, Shane Sabraski, Ryan Gierke

Likely to contend: Bryce Sward, Dave Cain, Mike Stearns, Brandon Copp, Tyler Peterson (TPO)

I think this field is as wide open as any at the 100. There will be about 20-25 cars capable of winning it and I don’t think there is one driver who is a clear-cut, miles ahead favorite. Dan Ebert is the defending champion, and I am unsure if he will race a modified.

--Adams is the defending Wissota 100 Midwest Modified champion, leads the national points and as of Sept. 1 had 23 wins in his mod. Oh, and he’s 16 years old, and his dad is a multi-time national champion.

--Gerdes won the I-94 track title and has six wins this year and is the type of driver I like in these events because he can run multiple grooves on the track. Do not underestimate his experience at this track.

--Bitzan won the Fallen Linemen race at Viking in August, picking up $3,000, and really was the dominant car there all summer.  He has one win at I-94 this summer and the 10X is on his game, watch out.

--Sabraski is second in the national points and as of Sept. 1 had 17 modified wins. He is as smooth a driver as there is in Wissota and rises to the top of big events.

--Gierke won his father’s memorial race in August for his biggest win of the year, and has two wins at I-94 this summer.

TPO hasn’t raced his modified as much as his late model, but based on his modified performance in the finale of the Seitz Memorial, he will drive the wheels off if needed. Sward won the Al Delaine Memorial at River Cities on Friday to pick up $3,092 and Corey Svor’s 6X crew has gotten that car dialed in over the last half of the season. Cain is a former national champion and 100 winner, and I’ll never count him out in a big show. Brandon Copp is third in the national points and as of Sept. 1, has 11 wins.  Superman Mike Stearns is also in the top five of national points and has nine modified victories this summer. If Ebert races a modified he will be on this list too.

My pick: Bryce Sward. The 6X won the Al Delaine Memorial and found its groove over the last half of the season.  He has five wins this year, and has momentum after the big win at River Cities.

Wissota Late Model

Favorites: Chad Becker, Shane Sabraski, Cole Schill, Tyler Peterson (TPO), Dave Mass

Likely to contend: Jayson Good, Kevin Burdick, Ryan Mikkelson

They will have a hard time getting to the 59 late models the Seitz Memorial had but it will be a strong field nonetheless.  There will be more than the 41 in attendance on Tuesday as there are several pre-registered who had not arrived yet.  I am also unsure where to put Dan Ebert in this; he’s been racing the Lucas Oil tour this year but this will not be an open motor event.

Becker is a former national champion and Wissota 100 winner, and led several laps the Seitz. As of Aug. 31 he had 13 wins on the year and was second in the national points.

--TPO will have extra motivation after a disappointing ending to the Seitz Memorial. As of Aug. 31 he had 14 late model wins. He’s on his way to a third straight national title and is a former Wissota 100 winner and knows I-94 very well and will not be afraid to go up to the cushion and fly up there.

--Mass is third in the national points and entered Tuesday’s Wissota Late Model Challenge series race as the leader in the points (completed after this was posted). He recorded challenge series wins at Gondik Law and Grand Rapids.

--Sabraski will be a favorite in all three classes he races in; he has five late model victories this year and is fourth in the national points. Hard to imagine he won’t be near the front.

--Momentum is a big thing in racing and Schill has it after picking up his biggest career victory, the Seitz Memorial last Saturday. He also is a former I-94 track champion. Familiarity matters.

Good always seems to run well at I-94 and is really solid at running the bottom there. Burdick won the challenge series race at I-94 in May and I like his chances of being in the hunt this week. Mikkelson swept the Governor’s Cup at Dacotah Speedway in Mandan in July and has three wins in 10 starts this year, and I like the way he runs in big races – with patience.  I will put Dustin Strand in this category if he runs the 100.

My pick: TPO. Don’t underestimate how motivated he will be after the Seitz Memorial result.  He’s won this before and will be on a mission this week.