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Burdick, Puffe and Gangl take Thursday night wins while Kintner, Carlson and Castle also carry checkers at Grand Rapids Speedway

By Shannon Reigel &
Meghan Diemel, ATD Editor

GRAND RAPIDS, MN (June 5) - Grand Rapids Speedway held another Thursday night of WISSOTA Dirt Track Series action, with Mother Nature barely cooperating to get the race in.

Winners in WISSOTA-sanctioned action included Kevin Burdick, Tyler Kintner, Dalton Carlson, Mervin Castle III, Dustin Puffe, and Mark Gangl.

The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds were on track first, with Hunter Weeks and Mervin Castle III out front for the 20-lap feature. When the green flag dropped, Weeks and Castle battled side by side for a lap and Castle shot out front into the lead. Weeks raced behind in second before the caution flew for a Jerry Morgan spin. Another caution for a pileup in turns three and four following the restart kept the field slowed.

Back under green Castle kept out front with Weeks and Eric Anderson side by side behind. Michael Blevins raced outside of Weeks and then Anderson into second, as Sam Blevins raced in fifth with Justin Jones close behind.

Another caution and a single-file restart brought the race to a close, with Castle taking the win. Seventh-starter Jones raced into second before the checkered flag, while Sam Blevins was third. Alex O’Dell had a great final restart and took fourth with Mikey Blevins close behind in fifth.

Jake Smith and Austin Carlson led the WISSOTA Pure Stocks to the green, battling side by side for the lead early. Smith pulled away in the corners, while Carlson had the advantage along the backstretch and frontstretch. Carlson got too high on the track and Smith secured the lead.

Farther back, seventh-starter Dustin Puffe was on the move into third, and then challenged Carlson for second. Landon Weeks and Chad Puschinsky fought for top-five spots with Alex Berg close behind.

Carlson began to close back in on Smith, using both the low and high side just past the halfway point of the race. Two cautions were thrown back to back with four laps to go, and Smith kept out front back under green. Carlson and Puffe were close behind and with one lap left, Puffe closed in on Smith and stole the win at the flagstand. Smith, Carlson, Weeks, and Dylan Elhardt completed the top five.

The WISSOTA Super Stocks were led out on the track by Trevor Arens and Dalton Carlson. Carlson secured the lead on green, as Matt Sparby and Arens battled side by side for a second. Kevin Salin was fourth, while Chaston Finckbone raced in fifth.

Andy LaBarge then got by Finckbone for fifth.

With Carlson out front with a healthy lead and Sparby holding second, Salin and Arens traded third, with Salin securing it a few laps in.

As the field spread out at the midpoint, Salin slipped up the track and allowed Arens back by. Salin regrouped and regained third a short time later.

Carlson continued to have a healthy advantage all the way to the checkered flag, taking the win. Sparby, Salin, Arens, and Barsness completed the top five.

Chris Magistad and Charlie Castle led the WISSOTA Modifieds onto the track for their feature, with Kintner blasting his way to the front along the top line to complete lap one. A caution fell before the rest of the field completed the lap and the field regrouped for a full restart.

Castle took the lead again back under green, as T.J. Heinle and Kintner kept close. Kintner moved into second ahead of Heinle, and they traded the spot back and forth before Kintner secured it the following lap. Bob Broking, Blake Adams and Ryan Jensen raced closely for top-five spots, while Kintner closed in on Castle out front.

Kintner was able to pull even in the turns on Castle, with Castle pulling away down the frontstretch and backstretch. Behind them, Broking and Adams traded third back and forth.

Kintner grabbed the lead before the halfway point, with Castle having a healthy advantage over Adams in third.

Following a caution for a spin, Kintner kept out front, as Adams and Castle battled side by side. Jensen looked to be in the mix as well, while Broking moved by Castle, then past Jensen and into third a lap later.

As the laps wound down, Kintner held his advantage and took the checkered flag ahead of Adams, Broking, Jensen, and Magistad in the top five.

Kevin Burdick and Derek Vesel battled side by side at the drop of the green in the WISSOTA Late Model feature. Burdick was the early leader ahead of Vesel, as Johnny Broking and Jeff Provinzino raced side by side for third for several laps. Devin Fouquette was fifth.

Burdick continued to lead out front as Vesel came under fire from Provinzino. A caution for Jeff Massingill brought the field back together under yellow.

It was a three-way battle for the lead following the green, among Burdick, Vesel and Provinzino, but it was brought to a premature halt for another caution, this time for Ben Heinle.

Burdick shot back out to the lead following the restart, with Vesel close behind in second. Broking got by Provinzino for third, and Fouquette was fifth as the field hit the midpoint of the race.

As the top five spread out along the top side of the track, Burdick remained in control with six to go. Vesel, Broking, Provinzino and Billy Kendall were in the top five before another yellow fell for Jeff Massingill.

Back under green, Burdick continued to lead the field as Vesel pushed up the track and Broking took second. Kendall moved into third, Provinzino was fourth, and Kyle Peterlin was fifth.

At the line, Burdick took the win, as Broking nipped Kendall for runner-up honors. Provinzino and Peterlin were top-five finishers.

In the WISSOTA Hornet feature, Mark Gangl started from the front row and led early, holding off a gaggle of hard-chargers in the top five. He took the win ahead of ninth-starter Zeb Graves, Russell Kiker, Jr., Brady Fosso, and 11th-starter McKenna Folstad in the top five to close out the night’s action.

SUMMARY

WISSOTA Late Models:

A Feature 1: 1. 30-Kevin Burdick[1]; 2. 45J-Johnny Broking[3]; 3. 99-Billy Kendall[11]; 4. 28-Jeff Provinzino[4]; 5. 23-Kyle Peterlin[10]; 6. 15-Devin Fouquette[5]; 7. 12-Mark Heinle[13]; 8. (DNF) 16-Derek Vesel[2]; 9. (DNF) 6M-Jeff Massingill[9]; 10. (DNF) 79-Kevin Carlson[7]; 11. (DNF) 12X-Ben Heinle[8]; 12. (DNF) 47-Danny Vang[6]; 13. (DNF) 7-Harry Hanson[12]

Heat 1: 1. 16-Derek Vesel[1]; 2. 30-Kevin Burdick[6]; 3. 79-Kevin Carlson[2]; 4. 47-Danny Vang[7]; 5. 6M-Jeff Massingill[3]; 6. (DNF) 99-Billy Kendall[5]; 7. (DNF) 12-Mark Heinle[4]

Heat 2: 1. 15-Devin Fouquette[2]; 2. 12X-Ben Heinle[1]; 3. 45J-Johnny Broking[3]; 4. 28-Jeff Provinzino[6]; 5. (DNF) 23-Kyle Peterlin[4]; 6. (DNF) 7-Harry Hanson[5]

WISSOTA Modifieds:

A Feature 1: 1. 22-Tyler Kintner[4]; 2. 40D-Blake Adams[8]; 3. 45-Bob Broking[6]; 4. 23-Ryan Jensen[5]; 5. M2-Chris Magistad[1]; 6. 2-Charlie Castle[2]; 7. 8E8J-Jennie Krause[9]; 8. 8E8-Jessy Krause[7]; 9. (DNF) 12-TJ Heinle[3]; 10. (DNF) 51E-Peyton Emerson[10]

Heat 1: 1. 40D-Blake Adams[2]; 2. M2-Chris Magistad[1]; 3. 45-Bob Broking[4]; 4. 22-Tyler Kintner[3]; 5. 8E8J-Jennie Krause[5]

Heat 2: 1. 23-Ryan Jensen[2]; 2. 2-Charlie Castle[3]; 3. 12-TJ Heinle[1]; 4. 8E8-Jessy Krause[4]; 5. (DNF) 51E-Peyton Emerson[5]

WISSOTA Super Stocks:

A Feature 1: 1. 57-Dalton Carlson[2]; 2. 81X-Matt Sparby[3]; 3. 11-Kevin Salin[4]; 4. 01-Trevor Arens[1]; 5. 47J-Justin Barsness[7]; 6. 79A-Andy LaBarge[6]; 7. 40C-Chaston Finckbone[5]; 8. (DNF) 05V-Gavin Voss[8]

Heat 1: 1. 57-Dalton Carlson[1]; 2. 01-Trevor Arens[2]; 3. 11-Kevin Salin[4]; 4. 81X-Matt Sparby[3]; 5. 40C-Chaston Finckbone[6]; 6. 79A-Andy LaBarge[7]; 7. 47J-Justin Barsness[8]; 8. 05V-Gavin Voss[5]

WISSOTA Midwest Mods:

A Feature 1: 1. 10M-Mervin Castle III[2]; 2. 8-Justin Jones[7]; 3. 15-Sam Blevins[3]; 4. 12A-Alex O'Dell[6]; 5. 10JR-Mikey Blevins[16]; 6. 14G-Brant Gruba[11]; 7. 22E-Ethan Elhardt[14]; 8. 62-Jerry Morgan[13]; 9. (DNF) 10-Michael Blevins Sr[5]; 10. (DNF) 7A-Eric Anderson[4]; 11. (DNF) 9W-Hunter Weeks[1]; 12. (DNF) 19-Darrin Lawler[10]; 13. (DNF) 11X-Scott Thompson[8]; 14. (DNF) 26K-Sam Kolar[12]; 15. (DNF) 10X-Matthew Cunha[9]; 16. (DNF) 16-Skyler Smith[15]

Heat 1: 1. 12A-Alex O'Dell[1]; 2. 15-Sam Blevins[6]; 3. 8-Justin Jones[4]; 4. 11X-Scott Thompson[7]; 5. 10X-Matthew Cunha[8]; 6. 14G-Brant Gruba[3]; 7. 62-Jerry Morgan[2]; 8. (DNF) 16-Skyler Smith[5]

Heat 2: 1. 10M-Mervin Castle III[1]; 2. 9W-Hunter Weeks[3]; 3. 10-Michael Blevins Sr[2]; 4. 7A-Eric Anderson[6]; 5. 19-Darrin Lawler[5]; 6. 26K-Sam Kolar[7]; 7. 22E-Ethan Elhardt[4]; 8. (DNF) 10JR-Mikey Blevins[8]

WISSOTA Pure Stocks:

A Feature 1: 1. 21X-Dustin Puffe[7]; 2. 86J-Jake Smith[1]; 3. 57-Austin Carlson[2]; 4. 9L-Landon Weeks[6]; 5. 13D-Dylan Elhardt[8]; 6. 88-Chad Puschinsky[3]; 7. 7-Bob Klein[10]; 8. 8-Karen Puschinsky[4]; 9. (DNF) 18B-Alex Berg[9]; 10. (DNF) 47-Dusty Caspers[5]

Heat 1: 1. 57-Austin Carlson[2]; 2. 86J-Jake Smith[3]; 3. 88-Chad Puschinsky[1]; 4. 8-Karen Puschinsky[4]; 5. 18B-Alex Berg[5]

Heat 2: 1. 21X-Dustin Puffe[2]; 2. 47-Dusty Caspers[4]; 3. 13D-Dylan Elhardt[1]; 4. 9L-Landon Weeks[5]; 5. 7-Bob Klein[3]

WISSOTA Hornets:

A Feature 1: 1. 34-Mark Gangl[2]; 2. 31-Zeb Graves[9]; 3. 13K-Russell Kiker Jr[3]; 4. 27-Brady Fosso[5]; 5. 25K-McKenna Folstad[11]; 6. 40R-Tristen McLynn[6]; 7. 9-Nick Ruzich[7]; 8. 21-Tiffani Hauta Sanders[13]; 9. (DNF) 92S-Zachary Sims[12]; 10. (DNF) 24JR-Jada Lore[10]; 11. (DNF) 11-Tucker Smith[4]; 12. (DNF) 79JR-Mikayla LaBarge[8]; 13. (DNF) 88-Asher Tuttle[14]; 14. (DNF) 81R-Ryker Larson[1]

Heat 1: 1. 13K-Russell Kiker Jr[2]; 2. 11-Tucker Smith[1]; 3. 34-Mark Gangl[3]; 4. 79JR-Mikayla LaBarge[4]; 5. 31-Zeb Graves[5]; 6. 25K-McKenna Folstad[6]; 7. 21-Tiffani Hauta Sanders[7]

Heat 2: 1. 40R-Tristen McLynn[1]; 2. 27-Brady Fosso[6]; 3. 81R-Ryker Larson[2]; 4. 9-Nick Ruzich[5]; 5. 24JR-Jada Lore[4]; 6. 92S-Zachary Sims[3]; 7. 88-Asher Tuttle[7]