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Look out Dad, son’s not finished yet.
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Mike Carlson made a nifty move on the last lap of a 50-lap special feature Saturday night, and was able to steal fifth place from Emily Sue Steck, then take fourth away from Kevin Nuttleman. A fourth-place finish may not be earthshaking, but every point counts. And if you look at the Late Model standings, Mike Carlson trails 10-time track champ Nuttleman by a single point for second place.
“You have to put yourself in position, then go for it,” said Mike Carlson, one of these season’s biggest surprises. “You are always sizing someone up and deciding to go or not to go. I was in the right place at the right time.”
Mike Carlson would have liked to finish higher, but a top-five performance was satisfying considering he was shuffled nearly all the way to the back of the 23-car field early in the race.
“The whole outside row got pushed back,” Mike Carlson said. “I finally got down (to the bottom groove) and was able to work my way back to the front. It was a workout.”
A workout that kept him in the points race.
WHAT’S THIS? It was a different — and unique — way to start what was called a “6-for-6 dash” when the top six qualifiers in the Kwik Trip Late Model Division came out on the track one-at-a-time. Once on the track, each car peeled off a lap, then fell in line behind the pace truck. It made from some anxious moments as the Late Model cars came flying by the pace truck before falling in line on the next lap.
Once all six cars were in line, a dash for cash ensued. J. Herbst won the race — and the $100 that went to the winner — while Steve Carlson was second.
KIRCHNER STAYS STRONG: While Steve Carlson is garnering much of the attention in the Late Model Division, La Crosse’s Brent Kirchner is putting together a pretty good season, too. Kirchner, who has won one feature and has two runner-up finishes, is fourth in the points standing, 39 points behind third-place Mike Carlson.
“Yeah, we’re having a pretty good year,” Kirchner said. “We shouldn’t even be looking at the points, but when things are going well you kind of look at them once in a while.”
HOT, HOT: Joe Rinartz had a hot car Saturday night — literally. Rinartz’ Sportsman car started on fire in the pit area and had to be extinguished by the track’s safety crew.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: No one has been better — or faster — in the United Auto Supply Thunderstox Division when it comes to qualifying this season. Randy Humfeld is the man when it comes to wheeling a Sportsman car around the five-eighth’s mile track.
Saturday night was no different as he turned a 22.132-second lap, or an average speed of 88.718 mph.
It was the fifth straight race program in which Humfeld has been the class of the field when it comes to qualifying. Overall, Humfeld has eight fast times in 11 opportunities this season.
Jake Arneson had the second-fastest time Saturday night (22.229 seconds, 88.331 mph), while Larry Bolster, Jr. was third (22.239, 88.291).
STREAK STOPPER: Steve Carlson’s streak of three consecutive fast qualifying times came to an end Saturday night when Brent Kirchner turned in a fast lap of 19.927 seconds, or an average speed of 98.535 mph.
Mike Carlson had the second fastest lap at 19.944 seconds (98.541 mph), while Emily Sue Steck recorded the third best lap of the 23-car field (19.971 seconds, 98.318 mph).
Steve Carlson still has the most fast times on the season with six, while no other driver has more than one.
Jeff Brown can be reached at (608) 791-8403, or at jbrown@lacrossetribune.com
