Preisler Prevails in $16,000 purse Mid-Am Showdown at Grundy County Speedway.
The Mid-Am Racing Series rolled into Grundy County Speedway on September 27 for the Olsons Iron / Disposal Recycling 40 presented by CDE Collision Centers and Cornwell Tools, bringing one of the strongest fields of the season with 29 cars on the grounds battling for just 24 starting positions.
Grundy County Speedway presents a unique challenge for the traveling Mid-Am competitors. The tight and technical third-mile is also home to a weekly Mid-Am division, meaning the local competitors have plenty of laps and experience around a track where finding speed can be difficult.
For the traveling teams that don't compete at Grundy every week, they had their work cut out for them. Several proved they were more than up to the challenge.
Cameron Preisler set the tone early in the #49, topping final practice with a lap of 16.096 seconds. When qualifying rolled around, Preisler found even more speed, turning a 15.973-second lap to earn the Sontag Speed Supplies Fast Qualifier Award.
With a deep field assembled for the 40-lap feature, a dice roll determined the invert, putting Preisler back on the outside of row four for the start. The night's fastest qualifier would have to come from eighth if he wanted to complete the sweep.
When the green flag dropped, Preisler began working his way toward the front.
Scott Gardner and the #13 were equally strong, and the two eventually found themselves locked in a tight battle for the victory. Preisler ultimately came out on top, completing the climb from eighth to first and taking the checkered flag just 1.284 seconds ahead of Gardner.
Behind the battle for the win, rookie Kellen Arnold III put together another impressive performance. Arnold started third and stayed among the leaders throughout the feature, bringing the #3k home third and earning Oak Creek Automotive Rookie of the Race honors.
Kevin Murphy finished fourth in the #427, while Matt Clemens rounded out the top five.
For Clemens, the fifth-place finish carried meaning well beyond the final rundown. Matt competed at Grundy in memory of his nephew, Bryan Clemens, and turned in a strong performance with the #99C, starting ninth and racing his way into the top five.
Kenny Richards was another of the Mid-Am travelers who adapted quickly to Grundy's technical layout. Richards started 12th and worked his way to sixth, turning in an important performance with the championship battle coming down to its final race.
Connor Kosowski advanced from 19th to seventh to earn the Oval Engineering Hard Charger Award. Matt Lee finished eighth, Matt Chester ninth and Cody Clubb completed the top ten.
Championship leader Daniel Calhoun started sixth and appeared positioned for another strong night before the #4 cut a tire following contact. Calhoun battled through the setback and finished 14th.
The result tightened the championship fight with only one race remaining.
Calhoun leaves Grundy atop the standings with 786 points, but Richards' charge to sixth closed the gap to just 32 points with 754. Arnold's podium finish moved his total to 711 points, placing the rookie third in the standings, just one point ahead of Jeremiah Senko.
After a night that challenged both the Grundy regulars and Mid-Am travelers, everything now comes down to one final stop.
The 2026 Mid-Am Racing Series championship will be decided October 11 at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway.
Olsons Iron / Disposal Recycling 40 Results
#49 Cameron Preisler
#13 Scott Gardner
#3K Kellen Arnold III
#427 Kevin Murphy
#99C Matt Clemens
#5 Kenny Richards
#43 Connor Kosowski
#27 Matt Lee
#73 Matt Chester
#23 Cody Clubb
#88X Brandon Reed
#40H Landon Hocking
#16 John Ventrello
#4 Daniel Calhoun
#6 Phil Speciale
#88R Rick Corso
#99T Jim Thorson
#88 Clay Curts
#14M Andrew Meyerhofer
#86F Josh Fehrmann
#00 Marqus Hoover
#18 Tim Stewart
#42 Jeremiah Senko
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