Steve Apel Outduels R.J. Braun For Labor Day Weekend Win, Alex Prunty Captures Second Slinger Title

Steve Apel emerged victorious in a fierce competition for the lead against R.J. Braun, managing to maintain his lead despite his car sputtering in the final lap. This victory occurred during the 75-lap Super Late Model Feature at the Slinger Speedway, part of the Labor Day Weekend Celebration, on Sunday night.

Apel took the lead in the event after numerous laps of neck-and-neck racing with Braun, particularly as they neared lapped traffic with just six laps remaining. Braun then became embroiled in a struggle for second place with Brad Mueller. Despite what seemed to be a mechanical issue with Apel’s car as they neared the white flag, he managed to maintain his lead and secure the victory. Braun managed to secure second place, beating Mueller by less than a car length.

“Throughout the entire race, my car kept slipping out of second gear,” Apel shared from the victory lane. “Since we race in third gear, I didn’t pay much attention to it until there were only two laps left. Coming out of the fourth turn, I thought it slipped out of third gear. I quickly shifted it into second then immediately back to third. I kept it there for the final lap and luckily, it managed to hold together.”

“Securing a one-two finish for our workshop was quite thrilling,” mentioned R.J. Braun, who finished second, referencing that both cars had been prepared in the same facility. “However, after the warning, the car seemed to have some issues and it just wasn’t the same.” Braun led the initial half of the race and was comfortably leading when he had a collision with a lapped car, instigating the event’s sole caution flag.

“After securing a close third place, Brad Mueller expressed his frustration, saying, ‘I’m really upset with myself right now. I put myself in this situation in the race. I didn’t take advantage of the opportunities early on as I should have, choosing to lay back a bit because I knew we had a strong car. However, getting stuck behind some side-by-side racing significantly set me back. I believe our car was slightly faster than Steve’s (Apel), but due to my early mistakes, I couldn’t capitalize on it.”

“After securing the 2024 Super Late Model track championship, Alex Prunty said, “Ultimately, we did what was necessary, finished fourth, and won the championship. A lot of people collaborated to make this possible, and we greatly appreciate their assistance.”

Dennis Prunty secured a fifth-place finish, followed by Rich Loch in sixth place. Nick Egan and Jesse Bernhagen were not far behind, finishing seventh and eighth respectively. Billy Braun and Jerry Mueller rounded off the top ten finishers, coming in ninth and tenth.

Dennis Prunty emerged as the winner of the Super Late Model fast dash, while Alex Prunty proved to be the fastest qualifier, clocking in a qualifying lap at 11.344 seconds.

In the 40-lap Late Model main event, Ryan Gutknecht secured victory, surpassing Zach Prunty and Rick Redig-Tackman. Tyler Hromadka came in fourth, and Mitchell DelCamp rounded out the top five. After an intense early battle at the front of the field, Jon Reynolds Jr. and Evan Hassler claimed the sixth and seventh positions, respectively. Matt Urban took eighth place, trailed by Drew Bernhagen and Alan Shierling Jr. in ninth and tenth places, respectively. Nicholas Lemberger and Mitchell DelCamp won the Late Model heat races, and Jon Reynolds Jr. clocked the fastest qualifying time at 11.982 seconds.

Nick Bruly emerged victorious in the 35-lap Sportsman feature, following a tough race against Jake Schraufnagel who secured the second position. Brady Held initially led the race but was surpassed while navigating lapped traffic, resulting in a third-place finish. Tom Elsinger Jr. and Brian Holtz completed the race in fourth and fifth positions respectively. In the 10-lap Sportsman bonus race, Brian Holtz took the top spot. Jake Schraufnagel clocked the fastest lap time of 12.678 seconds in the qualifying round. Schraufnagel’s second position was sufficient to secure the 2024 Slinger Speedway Sportsman track championship.

The 25-lap Super Beez feature was won by Blake Nottestad, followed by Travis Kreuser and Al Strobel. Mark English and Nick Schmidt rounded off the top five finishers. Tracy Neu and Mark English claimed victories in the Super Beez heat races. Blake Nottestad clocked the fastest qualifying lap time at 13.476 seconds.

Gracie Flanagan won the 20-lap High School Racing Association feature to claim the 2024 track championship and become the first female track champion in the 77-year history of Slinger Speedway. Caleb Arneson finished second and Jackson Martindale was third. Aidan Laubenstein finished fourth ahead of Peyton Payne in fifth. High School Racing Association heat races were won by Nathan Ulik and Caleb Arneson while Gracie Flanagan was the fastest qualifier with a lap time of 15.817 seconds.

-Slinger Speedway Press Release
-Photo credit: Ron Erstad, Jr.

In the Super Beez 25-lap feature, the rankings were as follows: Blake Nottestad from Cambridge, WI (98N) came in first, followed by Travis Kreuser (20K) from West Bend, WI as second. The third place was secured by Albert Strobel (14S) from Iron Ridge, WI. Mark English from Janesville, WI (57E) came fourth, while Nick Schmidt (09X) from Watertown, WI finished fifth. Tracy Neu (15N) from Watertown, WI was sixth, followed by Lyle Phillips from Edgerton, WI (35P) as seventh. Paul Reagles (25R) from Colgate, WI came eighth, while Mitchell Strobel (84S) from Slinger, WI secured ninth place. The tenth position was gained by Morgan Zerwinski (35Z) from West Bend, WI. Kendall Becker (20X) from Hartford, WI was eleventh, followed by Brandon Tackes (24B) from West Bend, WI as twelfth. Rick Schaefer (11S) from West Bend, WI came thirteenth, while Jason Clope (3C) from Racine, WI finished fourteenth. The fifteenth place was not started by Todd Buckley (8B) from West Bend, WI. The last place was secured by Jason Uttech (36U) from Watertown, WI.

The Super Late Models feature race comprised of 75 laps. The participants and their rankings were as follows:

1. Steve Apel (51A) from Slinger, WI.
2. RJ Braun (92B) from Wales, WI.
3. Brad Mueller (89M) from Random Lake, WI.
4. Alex Prunty (11P) from Kewaskum, WI.
5. Dennis Prunty (42P) from Allenton, WI.
6. Rich Loch (55L) from Franklin, WI.
7. Nick Egan (13E) from Lomira, WI.
8. Jesse Bernhagen (28B) from Markesan, WI.
9. Billy Braun (17B) from Wales, WI.
10. Jerry Mueller (49M) from Richfield, WI.
11. Conrad Morgan (92M) from Waukesha, WI.
12. Jacob Vanoskey (84V) from Hubertus, WI.
13. Thomas Jasinski (46J) from Pewaukee, WI.

In the Sportsman Feature 35 Laps, the rankings were as follows:

1st place: Nick Bruley (23B), from Johnson Creek, WI
2nd place: Jake Schraufnagel (29S), from Horicon, WI
3rd place: Brady Held (04H), from Iron Ridge, WI
4th place: Tom Elsinger Jr (33E), from Germantown, WI
5th place: Brian Holtz (88H), from Muskego, WI
6th place: Alex Lopacinski (89L), from West Bend, WI
7th place: Brandon Tackes (24B), from West Bend, WI
8th place: Ryan Sielaff (32S), from North Prairie, WI
9th place: Carl Benn (01B), from Lisbon, WI
10th place: Chris Beine (45B), from Slinger, WI
11th place: Andrew Meyerhofer (14M), from Freedom, WI
12th place: Chuck Gilbertson Jr (52G), from Kaukauna, WI
13th place: Jared Apel (22A), from Colgate, WI.

The results for the Late Models – Feature 40 Laps race are as follows: In first place was Ryan Gutknecht (01G) from Oak Creek, WI. He was followed by Zach Prunty (39P) from Allenton, WI in second place and Rick Redig-Tackman (98R) from Hartford, WI in third place. The fourth position was taken by Tyler Hromadka (3H) from Colgate, WI and the fifth by Mitchell Delcamp (16D) from Germantown, WI. Jon Reynolds Jr (10R) from Rockford, IL came in sixth, while Evan Hassler (38H) from Hartland, WI was seventh. Matt Urban (48U) from Slinger, WI secured the eighth position and Drew Bernhagen (28D) from Markesan, WI finished ninth. Alan Shierling Jr (70S) from Waupun, WI was tenth, followed by Simon Seyfert (9S) from Saukville, WI in the eleventh spot. Jerry Eckhardt (61E) from Johnson Creek, WI finished twelfth, Tom Berens (99B) from Slinger, WI came in thirteenth and Nicholas Lemberger (22L) from Menomonee Falls, WI was fourteenth. Mike Held (72H) from Hartford, WI was disqualified.

HSRA – Feature 20 Laps 1. 73F-Gracie Flanagan, Oregon, WI , 2. 12A-Caleb Arneson, Melrose, WI , 3. 13M-Jackson Martindale, Stillman Valley, IL , 4. 58L-Aidan Laubenstein, Mayville, WI , 5. 19P-Peyton Payne, Elroy, WI , 6. 27W-Xander Weeks, Sauk City, WI , 7. 35U-Nathan Ulik, West Bend, WI , 8. 16R-Truman Robertson, Richfield, WI , 9. 18R-Trenton Robertson, Richfield, WI , 10. 34K-Kennedy Krueger, Sparta, WI