Gawryluk earns first Street Stocks feature win in Southwest Speedway opener

Monte Gawryluk is a savvy buyer and Josh Olheiser is shaking his head about the sale he made.

Gawryluk held off Olheiser, driving a car purchased from him, to win his first career feature race in the Wissota Street Stocks during the opening night of racing Saturday at the Southwest Speedway.

"I should have kept the old one," Olheiser said with a laugh.

The race came down to Gawryluk and Olheiser, the defending track champion.

Olheiser made his move to first on the front straightaway during lap 12 of 20. But, the car he lapped in the process got loose when Olheiser passed him, causing a caution.

Gawryluk went back to the lead after the caution and maintained the lead, though Olheiser wouldn't go away. He remained on Gawryluk's tail.

"I kept seeing his nose," said Gawryluk, in his fourth year racing. "That made me step on it harder."

Despite Olheiser making significant gains on some turns, Gawryluk was able to hold on.

"It felt great, way overdue," Gawryluk said. "You try so hard and nothing happens."

Eric Paul may have looked like he was hanging back in the IMCA Modifieds feature. In reality, Paul said he had the pedal to the floor.

Paul, trying to chase Darrell Bauer and Tracey Domagala, spent much of the 25-lap feature in third place.

Then, only a few laps apart, Bauer and Domagala each suffered breakdowns. That allowed Paul to zoom into first.

"It was a fast track, so I just held it to the floor," Paul said. "I held in there."

Paul said he was up until 4 a.m. Saturday working on his car after problems at the Dacotah Speedway in Mandan.

"I've had a lot of bad luck this year," Paul said. It feels good."

Shaun Olheiser got himself in front early and stayed there in a close Pure Stocks feature where the top five cars crossed the finish line less than 2 seconds apart.

"I kept on seeing the 24 (Deryk Voller) on my side and behind," Olheiser said. "I kept working through lap traffic."

Olheiser, 29, started on the outside pole and quickly moved into first in the 15-lap race, navigating lapped cars and a tight field behind him that included Brandon Deavy, Roy Erickson and Chad Jahner, last year's track champion.

"Hopefully the whole season goes like this," Olheiser said.

Cory Reisenauer made a big return to the Southwest Speedway after six years watching from the stands.

The 30-year-old former Bomber class driver won his first feature race in his first appearance in the Thunder 4's.

"I've been waiting a long time," Reisenauer said with a smile.

Southwest Speedway

IMCA Modifieds

Heat 1: 1, Tracey Domagala. 2, Dale Burwick. 3, Lenny Makowski. 4, Jason Dinius, DNF. 5, Kirk Wojahn, DNF.

Heat 2: 1, Darrell Bauer. 2, Randy Burwick. 3, Rusty Corneliuson. 4, Wyatt Dinius. 5, Jeff Decker, DNF.

Heat 3: 1, Eric Paul. 2, Bill Miller. 3, Travis Olheiser.

Feature: 1, Paul. 2, Makowski. 3, Olheiser. 4, Domagala. 5, R. Burwick. 6, Corneliusen. 7, Bauer, DNF. 8, Decker, DNF. 9, Dinius, DNF. 10, Miller, DNF. 11, D. Burwick, DNF.

Wissota Street Stocks

Heat 1: 1, Zach Frederick. 2, Travis Ulmer. 3, Allan Frederick. 4, Terry Zastoupil. 5, Jim Heaton. 6, Richard Jordan. 7, Darin Tarrel. 8, Rick Johnson.

Heat 2: 1, Josh Olheiser. 2, Brad Kadrmas. 3, Monte Gawryluk. 4, T.C. Shelhamer. 5, Ryan Hugelen. 6, Mike Miller. 7, Kelly Wanner.

Feature: 1, Gawryluk. 2, Olheiser. 3, Kadrmas. 4, Ulmer. 5, Shelhamer. 6, Frekricks. 7, Fredrick. 8, Zastoupil. 9, Heaton. 10, Hugelen. 11, Jordan. 12, Johnson. 13, Miller. 14, Tarrel, DNF. 15, Wanner, DNF.

Pure Stocks

Heat 1: 1, Cole Lewis. 2, Hunter Domagala. 3, Dion Makowski. 4, Kendall Booke. 5, Andy Heidrich. 6, Casey Vernon, DNF.

Heat 2: 1, Brandon Deavy. 2, Shaun Olheiser. 3, Nathan Messer. 4, Alex Braun. 5, Thayne Maher. 6, Jon Wells.

Heat 3: 1, Roye Erickson. 2, Chad Jahner. 3, Deryk Voller. 4, Ben Meuchel. 5, Devon Wandler. 6, Terin Gawyrluk. 7, Mark Selle.

Feature: 1, Olheiser. 2, Voller. 3, Deavy. 4, Erickson. 5, Jahner. 6, Domagala. 7, Lewis. 8, Makowski. 9, Shea Helling. 10, Meuchel. 11, Gawryluk. 12, Wandler. 13, Praus. 14, Selle. 15, Messer. 16, Kruger, DNF. 17, Lester Iverson, DNF. 18, Mahnr, DNF. 19, Miller, DNF. 20, Vernon, DNF.

Thunder 4's

Heat: 1, Steve Jahner. 2, Cody Hulse. 3, Derek Nitschke. 4, Nylee Boyce. 5, Khord Christie. 6, Lucas Preston. 7, Gary Barnett. 8, Cory Reisenauer. 9, Scott Hagemeister.

Feature: 1, Reisenauer. 2, Hulse. 3, Boyce. 4, Jahner. 5, Nitschke. 6, Preston, DNF. 7, Barnett, DNF.