Auto racing: Locals lead the standings at KRA

Aug. 14---- There are three Thursdays of auto racing left at KRA Speedway. Area racers hold the top spot in six of the seven frequently raced divisions. Justin Vogel, a household name to racetrack regulars, has dominated the WISSOTA Street Stock Division. Vogel has captured five A Feature titles and has placed in the top five in eight of his nine appearances at KRA this summer. He has also been victorious in each of his last three races. His 480 points is the most among street stock racers, followed by 444 points from Willmar's Joe Martin and 423 points from Kandiyohi's Ethan Iiams. Vogel is from Brooten and has 12 A Feature wins between KRA and other circuits around the area. He has finished on top at Fiesta City Speedway, Granite City Motor Park, Jamestown Speedway and Viking Speedway. Mason Fester has had quite the summer in the KRA Pure Stocks Division. He has yet to finish outside the top five in any A Feature, where he has three wins, the most recent on Thursday. Fester, who is from Grove City and also races at the Fiesta City and Madison Speedways, has a firm lead at KRA. He has collected 474 points, which leads Ashton Martin of Willmar's 450 points and Trevyn Carr of Morris' 421 points. Another racer who is out of from Grove City and in a top spot in the WISSOTA Super Stock Division is Zach Schultz. Schultz has one A Feature title and has five top three finishes in seven races. He is in a tight race with Grove City's Andrew Hedtke, who is searching for his first victory of the summer. Schultz leads with 315 points and Andrew Hedtke trails with 304 points. Next in the standings is Atwater's Brayden Hedtke with 285 points. Justin Bjorklund finds himself in a similar situation as Fester: in a race for the finish line. Bjorklund holds a small-margin lead over Atwater's Jason Vejtruba in the WISSOTA Midwest Mods Division. Yet, for the driver from Sacred Heart, he is still seeking his first victory. That could help Bjorklund, who has four runner-up finishes, remain on top. Bjorklund sits with 466 points and Vejtruba trails closely with 459 points. Tyler Larson is also searching for a strong ending. He opened up the summer with back-to-back A Feature titles, but another has evaded him since. His two early wins have kept him afloat in the WISSOTA Mod Four Division with 266 points. Tyler Larson, from Kandiyohi, is pacing the field but Pennock's Dean Larson is near with 248 points. The last local racer who holds a top spot is Appleton's Brian Haben. He leads the WISSOTA Modifieds Division. Haben, who also frequents Madison Speedway, has two A Feature wins. Those have helped him reach 250 points, which leads 199 points from Richmond's Don Eischens and 194 points from Madison's Ryan Flaten. Richmond's Braxton Schmitz, the only non-local driver who is atop a division, leads the KRA Hornets. His lead is bigger than any other. Schmitz's 320 points highlights an 80-point gap between him and Litchfield's Pat Hoecke, who has 240 points.