Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Wednesday, September 03, 2008
West Salem driver secures second straight Late Model crown
 Team owner Tim Jacobs, left, and driver Steve Carlson. Erik Daily |
WEST SALEM — Let’s just say that Steve Carlson isn’t likely to pen a cliffhanger, or write a screen play based on suspense. This guy knows what he wants, then grabs it.
Often times he’s a python, sneaking up behind his prey, then swallowing them before they realized he was even there. Such was the case Saturday night at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway as the shifty but smooth, relentless yet patient Carlson did his thing.
Again.
Carlson clinched the 2008 Kwik Trip Late Model track championship for the second straight season after the first of two 50-lap feature races. Carlson needed just 13 laps to gobble up the eight drivers ahead of him, then simply cruised around the track for the next 37 laps as a crowd estimated at 2,800 looked on.
Combined with the fact that teammate Kevin Nuttleman dropped out on Lap 12 when a fuel pump choked all the power from his engine, and that Mike Carlson went to the pits on Lap 39 with mechanical problems, and the race — and the track championship — was all Carlson’s.
Carlson was the King of the Speedway for the second straight year. He finished third in the second 50-lap feature, but it didn’t matter as the season-long points chase was officially over. Unofficially, he had 926 points, 87 ahead of the second-place Nuttleman, and 120 ahead of his son, Mike, who was third in the season-long battle.
“The first race the car was really good. We worked on it during the break (between
50-lappers) and made it worse,” Carlson said. “We had a fourth-place car (in the second feature), but after Brad (Powell) had some trouble, we were able to make up one (spot). I tell you what, every feature win is big here. Look at Todd (Korish) and you can see how much it means to these guys.”
Emily Sue Steck, a second-year Late Model driver from Holmen, Wis., was chasing Powell and Korish for much of the second feature. She had her hands full as Carlson was on her tail for the final 22 laps. It was Steck’s second runner-up finish of the season.
That, Dutch Mill Trucking team owner Tim Jacobs said, was just icing on the cake.
“I am really happy for Emily. Steve is Steve. He is the best driver in the Midwest,” Jacobs said. “To see Emily go out this way, that was great. She kept getting better and better.”
Steck wanted to finish one spot higher, but was happy she blew a so-called sophomore jinx out of the water.
“I wanted just a bit more. I wanted the top (spot),” Steck said. “It was too bad for Brad (Powell was leading the second race when he suddenly dropped out with three laps to go). I didn’t know what happened, and just went by him. My goal was top 10s last year, and top fives this year. I never finished out of the top 10 all year.”
Carlson started 18 races, won five — the same as teammate Nuttleman — and had 16 top-five finishes. It was his crew, he said, the motivated him each Saturday night.
“I have such a good car, a good car owner and a great crew that works so hard,” Carlson said. “They make me want to drive it hard every Saturday night to pay them back for all the hard work they put into it. It was fun. It’s fun to be a part of this.”
SPORTSMAN: Rockland’s Rob Curran appeared to have the 15-lap North Country Contractors Sportsman Division feature race all wrapped up. Nope.
Curran had about a six- to eight-car length lead with three laps to go when his car suddenly lost power in Turn 1. That allowed Jes Tenner, who had dogged Curran for the entire race, to surge past Curran and into the lead.
Tenner wound up winning his second feature race of the season, while Jerimy Wagner was second. Rick Schermerhorn wound up third.
THUNDERSTOX: Randy Steinhoff won the United Auto Supply Thunderstox feature race, while Ben Allen captured second.
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