Tim Schultz

NORWAY — Green Bay’s Chad Butz made his first visit to Norway Speedway in 2018 a successful one Friday.

Butz passed defending track champion Dillion Kralovetz for the lead on lap 16 and went on to win the Rick Stanchina Memorial 41 at Norway Speedway.

Defending track champion Tim Schultz of Vulcan scored a clean sweep in the super stock class.

Butz, who nabbed fast time earlier in the night, started in the fifth row and carefully picked his way through traffic in the early going. Kralovetz and Robby Iverson had a race long battle for the lead, with Butz joining the chase around lap 12.

After some late cautions, Butz checked out and wound up winning by a full straightaway margin. Iverson finished second with Tom Lindquist recovering from an early race spin to take third.

Schultz passed veteran Al Bilski for the lead on lap 15 and survived a lengthly caution period to collect his fourth super stock feature of the season — padding his points lead in the process.

Defending sportsman champion Preston Weddel won the division’s feature when the top two finishers Reid DeVoe and Gary Thom both broke out past the 18-second bracket.

Current stock four points-leader Adam Faull won his second straight division feature.

Action was halted during the super stock dash when the cars of John Mattia Jr. and Kevin Peterson collided on the front-stretch. Peterson’s racer slammed into the foam blocks below the grandstand. Both drivers were OK but Peterson’s machine required two wreckers to bring his car back into the pit area.

With assistance of several neighboring pit crew members and a run to the local parts store, Peterson was able to answer the bell for the feature.

Round II of the Auto Value Challenge Series will take place Friday night. Racing gets underway at 7 p.m.

(Joe Verdegan is the Norway Speedway publicity director and track announcer)