08/30/2026
Cullen staves off both Seegerts for A-Mods win; Richards wins in Late Model debut at Gravity Park
CHILTON, Wis. (Aug. 28) – Jesse Cullen won a battle with Joel Seegert Jr. for the lead in the A-Mods feature Friday night at Gravity Park Speedway, only to face a challenge in the final laps from another Seegert.
Cullen and Joel Seegert Sr. waged a classic back-and-forth over the final laps before Cullen prevailed in the final turn to win his fourth feature of the season in his hometown at the Chilton one-third mile clay oval. He led a group of winners on the night that included Keslie Richards of Montello (Midwest LS Late Models), Chilton’s Tom Schneider (Sport Mods), Marcus Hoeppner of Rubicon (Stock Cars), Phillip Wuesthoff of Beaver Dam (Street Stocks) and Little Chute’s Skyler Bork (Sport 4’s).
Cullen first spent most of the 20-lap feature chasing Seegert Jr., who was in search of his first feature win in the class and had his best run of the season. The Sheboyganite ran out and led the first 12 laps before slipping high on lap 13, allowing Cullen to pounce and take over the top spot.
Seegert Jr. was still in close pursuit of the leader when on lap 16 he got too close, getting into the back of Cullen and causing the leader to spin. Cullen retained his position while Seegert Jr. had to go to the back of the field, but shortly after the restart Cullen had a whole new challenge as Seegert Sr. made a charge on the outside to the lead on lap 17.
The top two would race side-by-side for the final four laps, with Cullen regaining the lead on lap 18 and then looking like he would be in the clear coming to the white flag, only for Seegert to get a huge run off the way high side off of turn four to regain the lead. The cars were neck-and-neck on the final lap until Seegert Sr. slid high again entering turn four, and Cullen took advantage and won at the line by two car lengths.
Seegert Sr. finished second with Steve Mueller of Eagle third, Beaver Dam’s Noah Schepp fourth and Eric Scribner of Kiel fifth while Seegert Jr. had to settle for eighth. Steve Mueller and Mike Mueller of Rosendale both won heat races.
Richards made a splash in her debut in the Midwest LS Late Models class and became the latest member of the talented Richards racing family to win a feature at Gravity Park. Just 14 years old, she picked up her second feature win this season and backed up her first feature win earlier this summer at Eagle River Speedway, which was also the first-ever feature win for a female in IMCA Stock Car racing in Wisconsin.
Richards won the class’s heat race and then in the 15-lap feature closed in on nine-time feature winner Mark Hoeppner of Rubicon. A late-race spin by Jake Binash gave her a shot in a green-white-checkered finish, and Richards took the lead on the white flag lap and went on to win with Hoeppner second and Binash finishing third in a six-car field, the largest this season in the class.
The Sport Mods raced but without points on the line for the night with Plymouth Dirt Track Racing completing its season Friday night, but the largest field in the class this season put on a good show with Schneider capitalizing for his first win this season.
Schneider started on the pole and led all 20 laps, using every inch of the high side to pull away late. A racy group behind Schneider included Geoff Zdroik of Rubicon and Sturgeon Bay’s Brayden Lemieux battling for second, with Zdroik holding on for second and Lemieux taking third. Jason Schilling of Milwaukee was running among the leaders all race and was fourth until breaking on the white flag lap, resulting in his pulling off the track.
Tony Gates of Chilton, Sheboygan’s Brian Konitzer and Tucker Bodendorfer of Muskego all won Sport Mods heat races.
Marcus Hoeppner won a furiously contested feature in the Stock Cars class, as a number of visiting drivers mixed with the division’s fastest regulars for some of the best racing in the class this season.
Hoeppner overtook Tucker Bodendorfer for the lead on lap 13 after the two waged a three-lap battle for the top spot. The 19-year old Bodendorfer was doing double duty for the night also racing in the Sport Mods, and he led the first 11 laps including holding off a first challenge from Hoeppner as the two swapped high and low lines on lap 11.
Matt Rechek of Beaver Dam then made a charge for the lead on lap 12, with the leaders briefly four-wide on the backstretch, but Rechek slowed on the following lap and pulled into the infield. Hoeppner then got past Bodendorfer a lap later and went on to his fifth feature win this season.
Bodendorfer finished second with Aaron Karcz of Pulaski third, points leader Brad Lubach of Kiel fourth and Larry Karcz Jr. of Pulaski fifth. Lubach, Hoeppner and Kewaunee’s Aidan Gretz all won heat races.
Wuesthoff won his fourth straight Street Stocks feature and wrapped up the points championship in the class with his seventh win overall this season.
Wuesthoff was again patient getting to the lead, starting third but staying in that spot for the first seven laps as Jake Binash and Kaukauna’s Chuck Gilbertson Jr. took turns in front. Gilbertson led from lap 2 until the 12th circuit while Binash and Wuesthoff ran side-by-side for a number of laps. Wuesthoff took the lead on lap 13, cleared a lap later and then ran away from the field after a lap 14 restart.
Visiting driver Cody Potter of Pell Lake made a slick drive through the field, going from an 11th starting spot to finish second after also winning a heat race. Brian Gundrum of Slinger was third with Binash fourth and Mark Hoeppner fifth. Gundrum and Cory Romenesko of Kaukauna also won heat races.
Bork bested a field of 16 starters in the Sport 4’s 4-cylinder feature for his first win this season.
Bork moved into second behind leader Nathan Lisowe of Luxemburg on lap 6, and then spent the next nine laps chasing Lisowe. Bork looked inside on lap 12, then got to the outside on lap 15 to take the lead and went on to his first victory after winning 10 features and the class championship a year ago. Lisowe finished second after leading the first 14 laps, with Shaun Bangart of Chilton third, Plymouth’s Chase Ertel fourth and James Reese of Chilton fifth. Bork completed a sweep of the night after also winning the third heat, while Ertel and Travis Olson of Appleton also added heat wins.
Grand Nationals also raced a non-points night, and Rick Malberg of Denmark won both the heat and feature. Trent Bogart of Sheboygan was second in both races with Aubrey Bender of Mount Calvary third driving the 7S car normally piloted by her father Tim Simon.
Gravity Park hosts its season championship night this Friday, Sept. 4, with a full program including Grand Nationals, A-Mods, Sport Mods, Midwest LS Late Models, Stock Cars, Street Stocks and Sport 4’s. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m.
FULL RACE RESULTS AVAILABLE AT https://www.myracepass.com/events/639471/races
