Ty Majeski won the Gandrud Auto Group 250 at Wisconsin Int’l Raceway Tuesday night — his third win of the year with the series.
What else happened during race seven of the ASA STARS National Tour season?
Career-Best Finishes for Two Podium Finishers
Wisconsin young guns Luke Fenhaus and Derek Kraus finished second and third Tuesday night, both earning best career finishes with the first-year ASA STARS National Tour.
Fenhaus kicked off the night with the Go Fas Pole Award in qualifying. He faded early but made a big charge late in the race, even briefly taking the lead following a restart inside the final 20 laps, but ultimately he could not hold off Majeski to the checkered.
“I think I could’ve hung on for a little bit, but gosh I don’t know. (Majeski) was so quick and towards the end he was playing with us,” said Fenhaus. “I think clean air would’ve helped a little bit but it probably wasn’t a winning decision. He would’ve gotten around me within about 10 laps after I would’ve gotten around him, they were just too good to beat tonight.”
Meanwhile, Kraus rounded out the podium after a whirlwind weekend that saw him get his first laps in a NASCAR Cup Series machine for practice and qualifying in substitution of AJ Allmendinger at Richmond Raceway.
He fell back in the second stage, but fresh rubber aided with some attrition allowed Kraus to drive his way back to third.
“I don’t know what happened at the beginning of the race. I felt like I was saving good and all the sudden we came in for the break and took off again and I had nothing. I don’t know why or what I thought going into that,” Kraus stated. “I had to manage it and stay alive until we came back for the second break to put tires on it.
“We had lost so much track position, it was tough to get back to where we did without destroying the tires. Overall it was a good night to come home third and bring the car back in one piece.”
DeAngelis’s Strong Run Derailed
In his second start with the series, John DeAngelis ran in the top two all race and even led laps in the final stage.
Though, his night would end early after contact with a lapped car in turn three sent him over the nose of the car and ultimately knocked him out of the race in the final 50 laps. The Hubertus, Wis., driver finished second in both stages, collecting 18 points in the process.
He was the runner-up in the 2019 edition of the Gandrud 250.
Eilen Wins Stage 2 From 22nd
Former ASA Midwest Tour champion Jonathan Eilen started 22nd and marched to the front of the field, taking the lead late in stage two and collecting the stage win with fresh tires. However, he was done for the night just after the start of the final stage after a power steering issue.
In his third race of the season for Archie St. Helaire, he picked up 13 stage points with his win in stage two and an eighth in stage one. His total more than doubled Go Fas Racing’s stage point total in the first six races.
Top-Five Run For Texas Young Gun
Barrett Polhemus was another driver who made a late charge, finishing fifth after starting in the 15th position.
The top-five run was Polhemus’s best finish to date with both the ASA Midwest Tour and the ASA STARS National Tour, and his best finish since he started racing in Wisconsin with the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series last year.
Polhemus, the Wimberly, Texas, native who recently moved to Wisconsin, has been under the tutelage of three-time ASA MT champion, multi-time WIR track champion, and 2017 Gandrud 250 winner Casey Johnson for the past two seasons.
North Wilkesboro Winner Back on Track With Top-10
An up-and-down day for Bubba Pollard resulted with a seventh in his second WIR appearance — his best result with the ASA STARS National Tour since he won at North Wilkesboro in May.
After falling a lap down during the first stage and receiving a free pass, he drove through the field and was as high as fourth at the end of stage two. With his ASA STARS points challengers (with the exception of Majeski) struggling, it was a good night for Pollard to gain some ground in the standings.