Matt Maki IV wins the race that has eluded him since he began racing
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ESCANABA -- The U.P. State Fair made its annual appearance this past week and the Escanaba Speedway was back in action after a year off and for Matt Maki IV this race has been the thorn in his side until Sunday night when he broke through and won on fair night for the first time.
"Ot has been a tough race for us over the years," Maki said. "Whether it’s bad luck or bad draws it has just been hard for us and this win marks the second win of the season and it’s the first time in a couple years where we had multiple wins in the season and it felt great to capture this big win."
Maki drew the pole for the feature race and never trailed going green to be checkered for the win.
"It's always good to be able to put on a show for the fans," Maki said. "We had some family members that were able to celebrate this moment with us and that was a great feeling."
Jesse Denome made his first trip of the season to the Escanaba Speedway and came in second and points leader Matt Valiquette finished third. Bradley Viau and Ryan Lindbert rounded out the top five.
Anthony Harper and Robby Iverson won the heat races.
In the 600 sprints, Ethan Manninen found a way to victory lane as well as a win in heat race action. Braxton Lundquist finished second and Brayden Lundquist came in third. Jayger Quinn and Austin Demuse rounded out the top five.
In the super mod class, a bent rim didn't hamper Rick Ness as he picked up a heat and feature sweep. Scott Degnan finished second and Paul Hosking came from fifth on the grid to finish third. Coletan Pepin and Abi Yelle rounded out the top five.
In the junior sprints, Colton Yelle picked up a feature win for the second time this season. Tanner Rae came in second as well as a win in heat race action. Julia Maki came from seventh on the starting grid to finish in third and Wyatt Ammel rebounded from a nasty flip in the heat race to come in fourth and Lilah Wagner rounded out the top five.
In the sportsman sprints, Braxton Lundquist picked up the feature win. Dalton Gustavson came in second and Nathan Viau finished third. Kristy Karl finished fourth and Tanner ZHanson came in fifth to round out the top five. Hanson also picked up the heat win.
In the vintage mod class Dave Broeders picked up the feature win and Harvey Lewis picked up the win in heat race action.
In the street stocks, Drake Degnan picked up the feature win. Brayden Lundquist finished second and Tony Gegovac came in third and won his heat race. Billy Bowden and Cole Hagwell rounded out the top five. Carter Gustavson won the other heat race.
In the sport compacts, Calvin Stueck picked up the feature win. Gerald Lanaville came in second and Tanner Olson finished third and won his heat race. John Reiffers and Michael Berube rounded out the top five.
Escanaba Motor Speedway will be back in action on Saturday night for Championship Saturday as they crown the champions in each class gates open at 5pm with racing at 7.