KAUKAUNA – One of Wisconsin’s most prolific stock car racers won state’s longest short-track race for the biggest victory of his career.
Justin Mondeik beat Ty Fredrickson on a restart with 10 laps to go to win the ASA Midwest Tour Gandrud 250 on Aug. 4 at Wisconsin International Raceway, earning a $15,000 payday.
“We had those two restarts and I was able to get a good launch off [Turn] 4 and just be behind him by a half a car length at the start and had a really good 1 and 2 and was able to clear him,” said the 29-year-old from Gleason.
“Pretty wild race. Definitely needed those late restarts.”
Fredrickson, who chose the outside for the restart, was upset with Mondeik both for contact and for what he believed was a jumped final restart after a previous attempt was waved off. He finished second with Penn Sauter third, WIR weekly competitor Riley Stenjem fourth and two-time Midwest Tour champion Gabe Sommers fifth.
Just 11 of the 21 starters were running at the checkered flag on a steamy night on the rough, D-shaped half-mile, 10 on the lead lap.
Among those parked early due to mechanical trouble were 2025 winner Luke Fenhaus (broken trailing arm mount), four-time Ty Majeski (suspension failure) and Austin Nason (broken axle). Paul Shafer Jr., the 2021 winner, crashed with 19 laps to go, setting up the final restart after an extended cleanup of the rigid foam that protects the fourth-turn wall.
“We had good starting position and I was able to stay up front and we had really good long-run pace and the cautions came at the right time and it all worked out,” said Mondeik, who earned his fourth Midwest Tour victory.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Central Wisconsin racer Justin Mondeik claims biggest win in Gandrud 250
Reporting by Dave Kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Dave Kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
