By: Kevin Ramsell
Jefferson, WI – It was a turn-around that many dream of happening in racing: wreck one week and win the next week. 17-year-old Jevin Gurlaski lived that dream on Saturday night after winning the ASA Midwest Tour’s Salute the Troops 100 at Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, Wisconsin.
The Wausau, Wisconsin driver made his second start in the ASA Midwest Tour after spending the late-night hours repairing his late model after a bad wreck at Wisconsin International Raceway last weekend.
“Yeah, Sunday and Monday were just a tear-down process, and then we started building it back up,” Gurlaski explained. “I mean, we were out there until 1 a.m. every morning just to get the car ready for tonight.”
Gurlaski didn’t waste his time getting to the front as he was up to third from his scheduled starting position of sixth by lap nine. He would get by Bryce Miller for the second spot on lap 25.
A lap later, the caution would wave after Joseph Scholze made contact with the turn four after making contact with Ridge Oien.
Gurlaski would restart on the outside of the front row with 2019 Salute the Troops 100 winner Casey Johnson, who took the lead at the start of the race. On the restart, Gurlaski would get a great run out of turn two and take over the lead.
“Well, I knew I had to get away fast, and the high side was the only way I could really get my car to turn better than his, and I just got on and got away,” Gurlaski recalled.
Gurlaski would repeat taking the lead on the outside of turn two on another restart on lap 35 after Oien spun in turns three and four. The field checked up to avoid Shaun Scheel, while trying to slow down, got into the back of Riley Stenjem and went off on the hook.
Gulaski would pull away from Johnson to a 2.949-second victory over Johnson and fast qualifier Levon Van Der Geest.
“I dreamed about it last night that we put in this hard work and get to victory lane,” Gulaski said. “It’s going to be insane and it is.”
Johnson, who has three track championships at Jefferson, was pleased with a second-place finish after a tough day.
“We were just off pretty much all day,” Johnson said. “I mean, we were okay in practice, but you kind of know when the thing’s right, and today just wasn’t that day.”
But the three-time ASA Midwest Tour champion was impressed with Gurlaski’s restarts.
“We got by Farrell pretty good on the bottom earlier, but I knew Jevin was coming. He’s had a good car all day. And, I mean, we got down there at one and two, and then I got poked from behind there a little bit and kind of lost everything,” Johnson recalled. “So I thought maybe that second restart I could get him, but he just had a stronger car.“
Van Der Geest, who set a new track record in qualifying and started ninth after the invert, was hoping for a late caution to challenge the top two.
“Yeah, I think we just needed one more caution right there at the end. The car fell really good,” Van Der Geest said. “It was just, it was hard to pass here. Since I repaved it, the really high line kind of went away and there’s kind of one groove through three and four. So it is hard to pass, but overall, I think we just need one more caution.”
Farrell would finish fourth with Stenjem rounding out the top five.
Paul Shafer Jr. took the checkers in the odd dash while Farrell and Gurlaski battled side-by-side to the finish with Farrell winning by 0.043 seconds. Clay Curts won the 10-lap positioning race.
The ASA Midwest Tour will head up to Norway Speedway in Norway, Michigan, on Saturday, June 21st, for the Norway 100 presented by Weimer Bearing and Transmission.
To watch a replay of today’s race, please visit tracktv.com.
