WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — Max Kahler has a National Short Track Championship and a Big 8 Series title on his résumé.
On Saturday night, the Kulwicki Driver Development finalist scored his first ASA Midwest Tour victory in the Jim Sauter Classic 200 at Dells Raceway Park.
The Caledonia, Ill. driver is familiar with the one-third-mile facility as he is the defending Super Late Model champion, but won the title without a victory last season.
The event was broadcast live by SPEEDSPORT.tv affiliate MidwestTour.tv.
“This place is where we perfected our Super Late Model program, and got our only win here two years ago at Falloween. So this one here really means a lot,” Kahler said in victory lane. “We have been really good here the last handful of years and we were a champion here last year, but never got a feature win. I was looking for my first ASA Midwest Tour win and we knocked both of those out tonight.”
Kahler got the lead from Andrew Morrissey on the restart on lap 48 after the caution came out on lap 44 five-time ASAMT champion and defending winner Ty Majeski and defending ASAMT defending champion Gabe Sommers made contact in turn two causing Majeski to spin and then running into Luke Fenhaus causing some damage to his left front. Both were sent to the rear for the caution.
Kahler would continue pace the field until a competition caution flew on lap 93. At that time, the entire field came onto pit road for the opportunity to add fuel and put on two fresh tires. On the restart, Kahler would get a good jump on Morrissey and continue to lead the field.
The race would be slowed again on lap 114 when Austin Nason and Ty Fredrickson touched wheels going into turn three trying to get past a lapped car. Nason had a tire go down, almost causing him to spin and he slowed on the track to bring out a caution.
“It’s always hard when you are side by side racing and you come up to a lapped car and you don’t want to get picked off by or swiped off as its called because there would be another five cars that would go around you,” Fredrickson explained. “We were fine down the backstretch and we hit wheels going into three, and ripped the wheel out of both of our hands. It was a racing deal.”
While Kahler continued to lead in the closing stages of the race, the battle behind him was getting very spirited between Morrissey and Fenhaus for the second spot.
As the two were battling side by side for the second spot coming out of turn two with 28 laps to go, they came up to the lapped car of Trevor Vandermolen. Morrissey went to the high side when it appeared that Vandermolen was trying to go low and get out of the way of the battle, but Fenhaus committed go under Vandermolen to pass him on the inside. The two touched causing both to spin and bring out a caution. Fenhaus was done for the night.
The final caution flew with 13 laps to go when Majeski got hit from behind by Bobby Kendall going into turn two causing Majeski to spin for the second time in the event. Majeski drove his car to the pits and called it a night.
On the final restart, Kahler and Morrissey battled side by side for the top spot trading the lead back and forth until Morrissey got a little loose off of turn four with six to go, allowing Kahler to drive away to the checkered flag.
“It fired off good for three or laps, but I would lose rear grip,” Morrissey said after the race. “But I am happy for those guys, so its a good night.”
Fast qualifier Ryan Farrell drove up from his 15th starting spot to finish fourth while Gabe Sommers recovered to finish fifth.
John DeAngelis Jr. was sixth while Levon Van Der Geest finished seventh to keep the season point battle tight with Sommers with two events remaining in the season.
Riley Stenjem was eighth with Bobby Kendall finishing ninth. James Lynch, who won the 50-lap Midwest Truck Series feature earlier in the night, rounded out the top ten.
Morrissey won the odd heat while Derek Kraus held off Justin Mondeik to win the even heat.
Branden Berge won the qualifier heat.