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Tuesday, July 8

Hibbing Speedway held another Tuesday night program July 8, featuring its regular divisions, minus the Hornets. The track also played host to the WISSOTA Mod Fours, the first appearance in quite some time.

It was a week where fans in the Northland needed to keep a calendar close at hand, so they didn’t miss a night of racing and knew what day it was. Several tracks were running on “off” nights, so you needed to be paying attention. The folks in the stands before the races were talking among themselves, having a “coronary” about the whole thing. Talk about having a tough time adjusting to change!

Nine Mod Fours signed in to race Tuesday, and with no expectations beforehand, I actually thought that nine was a decent number. The nearest drivers who race in this class are from Bemidji, with the rest being from farther away yet. Several came up from the St. Cloud and west-central Minnesota area to race, and I thought they put on a fine show.

With announcer Mark Fleischer out for an extended period of time, track promoter Barry Braun took to the mic on Tuesday to help out. I had a chance to talk to Braun for a few minutes before the show started and he gave some information on how things had been going so far.

He was very pleased with the fan turnout for the Ironman race held last week. While he felt the show Tuesday might be light on fans, I thought it was a pretty decent-sized group on hand. It was truly just a weekly show and it was also the track’s third race in 10 days. Braun also pointed out that while battling the weather so far this year, they lost only one show and that was self-inflicted; they messed up on track prep and had to cancel one event because of that.

Braun said this year’s schedule of various nights is part of an experiment to see what works and what doesn't for the speedway, both in terms of nights they race and classes they offer.

One thing they seem to be doing well with in 2025 is time management, which is particularly key when running a mid-week race. The final checkered flag waved just before 10 p.m. Tuesday night.

I heard a few people grumbling about the car count, with 60 in the five classes offered, but honestly, the numbers seemed pretty similar to most tracks in the area right now.

Bob Broking has been on a bit of a roll lately with his Modified, and he continued that on Tuesday with another feature win. He took the lead on lap four from Jeff Wood and then pulled away to lead the rest of the race. No one was catching him in his CDR chassis he got back recently after he crashed it badly here at Hibbing earlier this year.

Tyler Kintner came from seventh to overtake Josh Beaulieu and claim second in a great battle for that spot.

The Mod Four feature was a quick contest. Dean Larson grabbed the lead from Chad Funt on lap four and pulled away for the win.

Local fans were mostly unaware of Larson and his victory lane celebrations, but I have seen them many times. Actually, by Dean Larson standards, his celebration Tuesday was relatively mild. He didn't try to climb the wheel fence or throw parts of his driver’s suit into the crowd. He did let everyone know that he is 68 years old and still kicking the asses of his younger competitors! Fans not familiar with Larson had a good laugh at his enthusiasm.

Kevin Burdick was strong in the Late Models on Tuesday. He caught Skeeter Estey on lap seven and then drove away from the field to take the win. Early on, Kyle Peterlin and Burdick battled for second, but Burdick found bite and a fast line higher on the track. He blitzed Estey and then drove away from the field. The track had plenty of bite on Tuesday, as drivers were using the outside line perhaps much more than normal.

Speaking of butt kicking, Joey Jensen administered one to the rest of the Mid Mods. He wasted no time, coming from the second row to pass both Gary James Nelson and Andy Davey before the first lap was done. He then drove off into the sunset, leaving them to battle it out for second. This race was stopped three times for yellows, but each time Jensen drove away from the field once they got back to racing.

The battle for second was a dandy though, and Nelson managed to fight off repeated challenges from Davey and Landyn Randt to finish second.

Dalton Carlson drove a spectacular race to win the Super Stock feature. He chose to run the outside line and he and Tristan LaBarge had a great battle over the first half of the race. LaBarge was using plenty of race track but Carlson managed to find enough room on the outside of LaBarge to hang on and then finally drive away and take over the lead.

He also had to endure a couple of yellows that bunched the field, but each time he fought off all challenges and drove home for the win. The LaBarge and Doug Koski battle was also another good part of the feature, with Koski taking the spot late in the race.

The track did have some “chop” in it and drivers described it as having some “character,” but I also saw as much side-by-side racing here and passing as I have seen in quite some time. There was very little dust and the majority of drivers finished their events with few yellow flags all night.

One driver stormed up to the tower and chewed out Braun while he was working, saying the track was “completely unacceptable for racing” and that Braun should “fix it.” I didn’t hear him offer to come help pack, though.

Let's look at the facts. Before the show, I happened to talk to Bobby Carlson, who was doing the track prep for the night. He said they had put little water on track on Tuesday, but had been packing since 11 a.m. that day. They received three quarters of an inch of rain overnight, which would have been a concern for any track. He was worried that it was a bit soft.

He proved to be pretty much right on. And, anyone with some common sense knows that after a track gets a complete rebuild, as the corners on this track did, it’s going to take some time for it to completely dry and settle. Same for the pits. The challenging weather of this spring and now summer with all the rain certainly hasn’t helped.

There is not a single promoter, track manager or club president around that wants a rough race track as it just brings more grief upon themselves. The race winners seldom complain about the track; it’s usually those mid packers that blame the track from keeping them from being winners.

Thursday, July 10

If it’s Thursday, we must be racing, but where? Oh yes, Proctor KME Speedway. Now, normally Proctor only runs a Thursday show for the Silver 1000, but 2025 has hardly been a normal season, particularly for scheduling here in the Northland. The tracks worked together to come to their scheduling decisions, with several trying out new nights for this year.

The car counts were good — any track around would be happy to have 19 Late Models on hand for a weekly show that wasn't a special. While it was a very late-arriving crowd, I didn't see much difference in the size of the crowd on Thursday than from a weekly Sunday show. The 6:30 p.m. start time might have been a mistake; they could have easily started a half hour later and beat their curfew. This might have given fans and teams a little more time to get to the track, if that's what kept some of each from being on hand.

It was glorious to watch a good, competitive five-class program full of good racing action and still be done with everything by 9 p.m.

Sadly, the health news about longtime Northland reporter and View From The Tundra columnist Jerry O’Brien is not very good. His wife Joanne was on hand at Proctor on Thursday, if for no other reason than for a break from the hospital and to see other people for a few hours.

O’Brien wrote the track reports for Proctor, Superior, and Ashland over the years, and has been the scribe for all things racing in the Northland for decades. He has been in the hospital for a month and the doctors report no progress is being made. They have nothing else to offer, so Jerry will be going into hospice care soon.

This is a difficult time for fans in the Northland, especially those veterans of racing. Jerry has been a staple of the racing community in this part of the country seemingly forever.

The Thursday night program brought new faces to the track in the pit area. On hand were Luke Erlandson in the Mid Mods, the team of Swan and Moelter in the Mods and Mid Mods, respectively, and Scott Sinnott, making his first appearance of the year in the Late Models.

Sinnott is a longtime friend of the Nelson family and a former road racer who has run at some of the nation’s premier facilities, like Sebring and the Course of the Americas. He has tested a number of times with the Nelsons, but made his actual racing debut of the night Thursday with an MB Customs. How much and where he races from this point forward remains to be seen.

I was told the Canadians apparently love Kennedy Swan — and the feeling is mutual, as she sold the equivalent of merch to equal a feature win in one of the fall Modified specials Wednesday at Thunder City!

Andy Grymala reports that he is having perhaps his finest year to date, running competitively at both Gondik Law Speedway and ABC. While he hasn't cracked victory lane yet, he has been running up front and hasn't had any incidents that are hard on the equipment.

With Mark Fleischer still out of the announcing booth, Steven Pearson was the sole announcer for the night. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone to interview the feature winners in victory lane, which is always a nice addition to the program.

Steven is the son of Benji Pearson, who is the race director here. Perhaps we could talk Benji’s father Fred out of retirement, so we could have three generations of Pearsons working the show. For years and years, Fred conducted the winners’ interviews in Superior before stepping aside in just the past couple of years.

The program started nearly right on time at 6:35 p.m., but that was also bad news for Shane Sabraski. His three-car team was running late and he ended up missing his Super Stock heat. This put him behind the eight ball, starting last in the feature. He had to settle for an eighth-place finish, probably the poorest finish for that car all year. In fact, it was one of those few nights all season when at least one of his cars doesn't visit victory lane. The closest he got was a runner-up finish in the Modifieds.

The last couple of shows here, I thought the track was in good condition. They have been running it quite dry, but it has been smooth. The racing groove has been moving around as well. The low lane was the best to start Thursday, and it gradually moved up the track by feature time. For the second straight event, they did nothing to the track during the break; there was no water or other equipment on the track whatsoever. I was begging for just a quick misting but clearly, they knew what they were doing. I am not exaggerating — in the Late Model feature there were multiple times when drivers were running three and four wide in the early going.

A couple drivers continued on their hot streaks Thursday. Kevin Burdick backed up his win in Hibbing on Tuesday with another Late Model feature win here at Proctor. He took the lead right from the start and controlled the race through multiple yellow flags.

What a great run for Darin Meierotto. He started fourth, ran second for awhile, and then fell back to fourth once again. He then made a great charge following a lap-14 yellow to move back to second and finish there. Kyle Peterlin was out of the top five prior to the lap 14 restart. The scrambling of positions following the green ended with Peterlin moving into third at the finish. The big losers on that restart were Devin Fouquette and Jayme Lautigar, who dropped from second and fourth to 11th and seventh, respectively.

Jody Bellefeuille also continued to keep his good finishes rolling, winning for the second straight night after a victory in Thunder Bay the night before. He took the lead right from the start and controlled the race from start to finish. Sabraski got past Brandon Copp for second in what was another good battle.

When last seen here, Joey Jensen was in victory lane for winning the Mid Mod feature and he did so again on Thursday. Cory Jorgensen led the first four laps but couldn't hold off the charge of Jensen, who got past him and then led the rest of the way. Moelter and Paul Ripley came from the third and fourth rows to finish behind Jensen.

The Super Stocks ran off a nonstop main event, with most of the drivers thinking the low line was the place to be. Steve Stuart was the adventurous one, however, and he moved to the cushion right from the start and made it work marvelously. He drove from sixth to take the lead just four laps into the event, while most of the rest of the field banged away on each other in the low groove.

Curt Myers moved to the cushion and was able to drive up to second, but he simply couldn’t catch Stuart and settled for second with Kyle Copp coming home third.

No matter that Carson Gotelaere missed the Hornet heat race. He simply started at the tail of the feature field, navigated his way through the entire pack, and then took the win. He did have some trouble with Brady Fosso, who had taken the initial lead. But Gotelaere, after a good battle, was able to drive past Fosso to claim the top spot and take the win.

Early on things were a bit tense for Gotelaere; he was turned on lap four as a three-car battle for position took place, but was restored to his spot.

The track lights only had to be turned on during the last feature race of the night. Not only was it a nice, quick show, but drivers also provided real good racing action to that should have pleased fans.

Friday, July 11

On Friday, July 11, Red Cedar Speedway held a special event and no one bothered to let me know a fall special was on tap. The DRC Street Stock Tour was in town for competition, and there were also big numbers in the other classes as well.

The track welcomed 111 drivers who signed in to race in five divisions. The Hornets had the night off, and it’s a good thing they did because the curfew nearly became an issue later in the program.

A stout field of 23 Late Model drivers were on hand, and on top of that, I could identify another three regulars who were not in attendance Friday — so it could have been a bigger field yet.

Twenty-eight Street Stock drivers were in the pits, and I did not expect the field to be that large or vast, as they represented four states. The only thing we were missing was Street Stock representation from Canada, but there were other drivers from across the border in other classes.

Jeff Helget from Ontario was in Menomonie with his Modified, while the Klassens and Cousins families both brought two cars from Manitoba. Ironically later, all three Manitoba cars that run Midwest Mods ended up in the same heat race; it must have felt just like a race at Victory Lane Speedway or in Grand Forks.

The big money season for the Late Models must be starting up, as A.J. Diemel had his car out for the first time on Friday. For not having raced except for three Modified events so far this season, he didn't show a lot of rust. He started sixth and ended up a strong second in the Late Model feature.

Those who saw Jake Hartung’s name on future event entry lists in the Late Models and were wondering if he really had a car can rest easy now. He made his Late Model debut on Friday night with one of those rare SSR Late Models, which can also be seen at a few northern and central Minnesota tracks. And what a debut it was, as he won the first race he entered with a Late Model, taking the win in the third heat. And while he faded back some during the feature, I think they would consider the opening night to be a success.

John Kaanta was also back after a major rebuild on his car from the “Farm and Home” show at ABC. He bought the “farm” when he got knocked into one of the infamous ute tires at ABC, tearing off most of the front suspension on one corner. After that he headed “home,” not wishing to try and repair the damage while out on the road. His return could also probably be ruled a success, although he probably wasn't happy about losing two spots in the late going of the main.

Along with announcer Scott Tiefs, we got the lowdown on new Super Stock driver Tom Hauert Friday. He is a full-time military man who lives in Aniwa, which is just south of Antigo. He is on a six-month break right now and has a place in the Eau Claire area as well. He has long-helped on the cars of the Mahder family, so it is appropriate he is now racing one of the former Mahder Super Stocks and parking in one of their pit spots at Red Cedar.

I had a chance to talk briefly with Steve “Hollywood” Hallquist before the show. He has been exceedingly busy and has had the chance to race only about a half dozen times so far this year. During that time, he had a motor issue that set him back some. He is running an SSR car right now and said that for the first time it felt good racing last weekend. He has been plagued by DNFs so far this year and unfortunately, Friday was another one. He didn't even start the Modified main.

Adding to the first-timers on hand on Friday was Modified driver Brett Hoium, from Villard, MN. Hoium usually makes a trip back into Wisconsin to race for a weekend once a year.

I don't know whether I've ever seen a race car smoke more than Bill Stettner's Street Stock did during a heat race. It was so heavy — and the air was so heavy and still — that the yellow flag had to be thrown because the drivers couldn't see where they were going. I figured it was a blown motor for sure, so I was surprised to see that he returned to race the feature, though he did pull off prematurely with continued issues of some sort.

It was hot, still and extraordinarily humid on Friday. While that makes for miserable watching conditions, it generally makes for a good race track. Such was the case on Friday, as the track was blistering fast early. Even later when it dried out some, it was still fast with a cushion. No watering was done, and there was just some rolling in of the cushion during a very brief break after all qualifying was completed.

There was no time to waste on Friday; along with a 21-event program to be completed, they also had previously scheduled a makeup feature race for the Super Stocks from May 30.

There were some unusual things that did happen during the program to delay the proceedings. It’s not often you see the leader either taken out by a mechanical issue or crash but that happened twice during the show. We also saw a car flip after the yellow flag came out for a separate issue.

It was a very fine night for Terran Spacek, as the Phillips driver won both of the Super Stock features. The makeup feature was run early in the program on a blistering-fast track. After he started on the outside pole, he led all the way and was never seriously challenged. Lots of cars were running hot on Friday and Spacek reported that he was pushing his as well, never lifting all the way around the track. Jesse Redetzke finished second, with Chad Johnson having a nice run for third.

The regularly scheduled event forced Spacek to work much harder and a bit of a break helped also. Avery Anderson was the early leader in that feature and setting a fast pace when he suddenly slowed after his car broke, turning over the lead to Tommy Richards. Richards then led past the halfway point of the race, until Spacek passed him, only to have the pass negated by a yellow flag that saved Richards.

During this yellow for a spin, Adam Pratt got into the frontstretch wall and flipped, which required a quick red flag.

Richards just doesn't like running the cushion where the speed was Friday, and while he stayed low, Spacek again went around him back under green and then drove away for the win. Richards held on for second with Alex Myers third.

The Modified feature started out with a surprise. Kaden Blaeser, who looked to be perhaps the fastest driver on the track in the prelims, was not on the track for the feature. I thought his motor sounded funny toward the end of the heat, like it was starting to “lay down” and perhaps that was the case.

He might have been straining to keep up with Calvin Iverson, however. Iverson was like a rocket ship, as he pulled away from the pack and ran away for most of the event. He was like a demon on the cushion and there was no one who could stay with him.

But with only three laps to go, he got into the wall coming out of turn four and got a flat right rear tire, spinning to a halt at the end of the front chute, and done for the event. The tire may have went down first, I'm not sure on that, but the end result was the same; he forfeited a 6-second lead over the field.

Hartung inherited the lead, and then held off Ben Hillman, having perhaps his finest run of the year, for the win. Shane Halopka was third.

With eight of the top 10 in DRC points on hand, and 28 in total, four heats and a B feature were needed to set the running field for the Street Stock main event.

The Streets had their troubles getting their race going, with three yellows for crashes, spins and stalls in the first four laps. After that, however, they ran cleanly for the last 21 laps of their contest.

And through it all, no one had anything for Jeff Nowak. Nowak started on the pole and the Texan, by way of Wausau, was chased early by Cody Kummer and Andrew Hanson. Kummer slowed, which triggered the second yellow, and then Nick Traynor moved up from the third row to slip into second. He tried high and low but simply couldn't cut into Nowak's lead.

Things did get a bit dicey near the end as Nowak caught some slower cars but he handled it well. Traynor wasn't able to cut into the lead and Nowak drove on for the win. Justin Vogel ran third for much of the race and that is where he finished. Point leader Kyle Dykhoff and Hunter VanGilder trailed next in line.

Things got a bit “hairy” in the Mid Mod feature that ended with perhaps an interfamily feud. It was another race that had difficulty getting laps completed without the yellow waving.

Nick Koehler took the early lead but he was only able to hold off Brandon Jensen for a lap before Brandon got by. Koehler continued to battle back, trying to get the top spot back, and Brady Larson stayed right with them.

Under yellow, Larson had to be removed from the track on the wrecker after a mechanical issue sidelined his ride. Joey Jensen moved into third by lap eight, and he then got by Koehler for second.

Another yellow bogged things down again on lap nine and the decision was made to go green, white and checkered for the race, cutting four laps off.

It was Jensen vs. Jensen on the green, with Joey getting to the inside of his brother Brandon down the back chute. He threw a slider on his brother, crowding Brandon up to the wall with Joey taking over the lead. He the expanded that on the final lap and took the win, with Brandon “buzzing” his brother after the race to signify what he thought of the move, I assume. Koehler ended up third ahead of Landyn Randt and Tyler Vernon.

Red Cedar Speedway seems to enjoy playing with fire and they did again on Friday, starting the Late Model feature at 10:29 p.m. The Late Models did respond though, with a real quick event that had only one yellow. Lance Hofer grabbed the lead at the green but it took only one lap for Jesse Glenz to come blazing to the front for the top spot. As Glenz drove away from the pack, Hofer and Kaanta had a good battle for third but they were soon joined by Diemel.

Diemel was nailed to the bottom of the track and made it work as he drove up to second. Hofer had a good run end when he dropped out while running third, with Kaanta and James Giossi next in line.

Glenz continued to set a blazing pace and while Diemel was able to match his speed, he wasn't able to cut into the lead. The driver on the move was Sam Mars. Mars started 16th and started to move quickly to the front. Though he hadn't cracked the top five by the halfway point of the race, he made his presence felt before the finish.

The top two drivers were pretty much locked in but behind them, there was action and during the last couple of laps, Mars completed his charge, moving into third, with Giossi also getting past Kaanta.

It was an action-packed and full night of racing and the fans got their money’s worth for this regular show.

Saturday, July 12

Rice Lake Speedway was back in action on Saturday, July 12, with a lot of haze in the air from the Canadian wildfires.

The DRC Street Stock Tour made its first-ever stop at Rice Lake. Despite hosting the biggest Street Stock race in the nation coming up the end of the month, the Street Stock Tour had never raced at Rice Lake before.

In addition to the extra money on tap for the Street Stocks, the Wahlstrom racing team started a string of donations from the public to the Pure Stock feature on Saturday. The whole thing took off like wildfire and pretty soon a full-blown special for the Pures was created. More on this later.

The Street Stock Tour had several story lines, the most interesting of which was the return of Parker Anderson in a Street Stock. He drove a remarkable race to win the feature in his first time out in the car.

I was glad to see him back on the track racing. He is far too talented to be sitting on the sidelines. While his adventure with the Modified class didn't work out as planned, perhaps his home is in the Street Stocks. He was originally just going to hot lap on Saturday, as they had just gotten the car together this week. He decided to give it a go and race it, however, and that was a very good choice.

The Street Stocks were at their best Saturday night, and they put on a dandy race. With plenty of cars on hand and plenty of talent, four or five drivers battled it out from start to finish including Justin Vogel, Hunter VanGilder, Andrew Hanson and Nick Traynor. Actually the whole field was running incredibly hard and close together, and the last few laps were hair raising. Drivers used the whole track and battled very hard but cleanly.

But despite all the pressure, Anderson had the final answer; he held off the best efforts of all others to take the win. Just adding Parker to all the upcoming specials will spice up the action.

I keep watching Justin Vogel get so close at Rice Lake, but as far as I can remember, he has never won a feature race here. Again tonight, for much of the race, I thought he was going to make the cushion work and he could slip past and take the win. But again, he came up just short. Perhaps the end of the month may finally be his time. There are so many good cars in this class that every race is a war and positioning is so important. Congrats to Parker on his return.

Let's talk about the “Bomber Bash” for a moment, as we came to call the Pure Stock feature. After contributing some cash to raise the purse on what was supposed to be a regular night of racing for the Pure Stocks, the whole notion took off, much like the first Little Dream did. The track promised extra money if a certain number of drivers showed up to race and though they came up just short on that, track owner Dick Kalow still went ahead and put extra money in for the drivers. Fans and businesses were contributing money for special positions and conditions, and it was deja vu all over again.

As of press time, I didn't have the exact numbers that were generated but it is believed that winner Austin Fencl went home with about $2,000. I believe a new event, the Pure Stock “Bomber Bash” has now been created. These drivers in the entry level class who race for peanuts are more than deserving of such a cash infusion.

Saturday was the debut of the perhaps the next great racing member of the Olson household. Fourteen-year-old Carsyn, sister to Ryan and daughter of Eric, made her first race running the Olson family Pure Stock. She has long-been chomping at the bit to start racing. While she didn't win, she also didn't spin out, wreck and she finished far from last.

Eric was on hand in the pits and while he is getting better, he still isn't ready to get back behind the wheel. They are also waiting for their car to be repaired. They're thinking about a month for the car, but he might not race again this year. I’m hoping we see him back out for fall specials, if not before.

Jim Cimfl made only his second appearance of the season after having raced for the opener. I was not aware of all the health issues he had been fighting until clued in on Saturday. Cimfl was racing on the ice last winter and was overcome by CO2 fumes, having to go to the hospital after passing out. He has been fighting for quite some time to get back to full health, and he said that on opening night he just still didn't feel right in the car. Now back behind the wheel, he said he will just have to overcome not being in racing shape.

George Dalbeck made his first appearance at the track on Saturday night and said he is now ready to start making some visits to a variety of tracks. With all his businesses keeping him busy, it is tough for him to get away. Dalbeck does something very unique, which he calls the “Traveling Dalbeck Sales Bonus.” He takes no money when he races, as he says he just does it for the entertainment value. So he arranges with the track he’s at to draw a random number from the Midwest Mod field — wherever George finishes, and whatever money he makes, goes to whoever finished in that position. It's his way of sponsoring the drivers and helping out perhaps the last-place finisher of the night. On Saturday night, I believe it was the seventh-place finisher who received the Dalbeck bonus.

I have to hand it to Mid Mod driver Cade Johnson. He lives in Iron, Minnesota which is north of Duluth. In his first full season of racing Mid Mods, he started out running at Rice Lake when their season opened and he has continued to come every week, only missing one night so far I believe. One good thing about Rice Lake is that the Mid Mod feature is generally the first, so he can be on the road home well before 9 p.m. Thank you for making the long pull weekly!

Jenna Herrman is one busy lady. Not only is she racing all over creation this year in her Street Stock to get maximum shows in, she also shows cattle all over the Midwest. The Herrman family have a big farm near Rice Lake and have lots of things going on in their lives. Next week will be a big one with the Barron County Fair in session.

Not only did the Street Stocks have a great feature race, there were a couple of others that were just as exciting. In the Modifieds, Shane Halopka and Blake Adams took turns throwing slide jobs at each other. The lead changed hands at least four times over the final few laps before Halopka hung on by a car length for the win. While Halopka has cut back on his racing since he has moved to the Modifieds and his family has grown, his win total of 52 overall is one of the most impressive of the modern era at the track.

The Super Stock feature was also one to remember, with a great four-car battle for the lead. Alex Myers held off Tommy Richards, Andrew Davis and Leslie Leu for most of the race until a late yellow unraveled things for Myers. He fell from the lead to out of the top three in that last two laps, as Richards edged Leu for the win.

The track has been excellent the past couple nights for the feature races. There have been two or more solid lanes to run and a nice cushion for those who like to ride the rim. Sometimes the heats are a bit painful to watch until the groove is moved out, and the cushion built up, but I can think of at least a couple of other tracks that folks rave about that operate in pretty much the same manner.

I still believe that it is impossible to have a dirt track that is perfect to race on for the whole show , so if I have to grit my teeth through a few races, I'd much rather it be heats rather than main events.

Sunday, July 13

It was a very steamy Sunday but the folks at Granite City Motor Park were anxious to get back to racing, after time off due to scheduling and weather.

Racing included all seven divisions, with six of them WISSOTA sanctioned. It was a regular point night for all classes and one of very few nights all year there wasn't a special going on for at least one division.

There has been plenty of racing going on as of late, in between thunderstorms that is, and the Sunday night tracks are generally the ones that feel the pinch competitor-wise. Car counts were tolerable in most classes but someone apparently forgot to tell the open-wheeled classes.

While the Mod Fours had enough cars for two heats, there were only 16 cars between the Mid Mods and Modifieds, somewhat shocking knowing the number of cars that are out there and available in this area. However, no complaints were heard from me in the crowd and management certainly made due with the hand they were given. It was surprising, however, the number of local “big names” and regulars who all took the night off.

An update from last night in Rice Lake. The final count was completed and winner Austin Fencl reported he won $1,850 dollars for his Pure Stock victory Saturday, thanks to generous contributions from race teams in other divisions, fans and local businesses. I suspect the Bomber Bash will now likely become an annual event.

Meanwhile, everyone was just getting some practice dipping into their pockets for cash with the big one coming up on July 29 when the Little Dream is held.

Racing began shortly after 6 p.m. and with the heat, it was not surprising that the track was just a bit on the dry side. Later on, they were able to revive the track and it raced much better for the main events.

In a strange coincidence, five of the six WISSOTA features were led from start to feature by the winner, but by far the best main of the night was the WISSOTA Street Stock feature. Parker Anderson, who made his racing debut of the season at Rice Lake, surprised me by pulling all the way over from Phillips, Wisconsin to race Sunday. As I think about it, he no doubt wants to get some races in and get his new car dialed in before the big money events that are looming on the horizon.

I talked briefly with Anderson at the gas station after the races, as we were both dining, and he told me the car is brand-new, with his team having gotten a bare frame from the Wojcik boys at Factory 43. His crew assembled the car. Despite not having Granite City gears and using the gears he ran at Rice Lake the night before, he managed to hold off Jim Gullikson until the last lap. He pushed too far up the track and gave Gullikson the hole he needed to make a last-lap pass for the win.

I thought Parker might be a bit annoyed, having given away the win on the final lap, but he seemed happy that the car was running so well during its first weekend. With time now to tune it in, I think he is pretty happy with what the future brings. My feeling is that he is back in the class that he enjoys, and racing with the drivers whom he knows well, and that makes the sport more fun again.

One had to feel badly for Ashley Wampler, who pulled all the way from South Dakota to race this weekend. Sunday she made it three for three, having drawn the back row for her heat race three straight nights! At least she got to race the feature on Sunday; drawing the back of a stacked 30 or more car field on both Friday and Saturday is not a good formula for a successful night.

It was a good night for Blake Adams, as the Cameron driver won both the Mid Mod and Modified feature races. Small field or not, feature wins is what he is looking for right now, as he tries to build his points standings in both classes.

Probably his best move of the night was redrawing the pole for both races. In the Mid Mods he had to hold off Landyn Randt, and in the Modifieds he had to hold off Joey Thomas, but his car was fast in both races and he didn't make any mistakes. It made it tough for anyone to catch him.

I noted that his uncle, multi-time USMTS National Champion Rodney Sanders, was in his pit. Sanders was likely taking a look at the track since next week's big show at Granite will feature both the open Modifieds and the Structural Building WISSOTA Challenge Series for Late Models. It’s set to be quite the blockbuster doubleheader. It should be noted the Wagamon family and Nate Fischer will also host the same classes next Saturday night.

Dexton Koch has been on a hot streak of late, and he built on that with another feature win in the Super Stocks. He led from start to finish and was never challenged. Austin Niemeyer edged out Denis Czech for second in a good battle.

I don't get to see the Mod Fours that often because of the tracks I routinely go to, but Connor Bruss is a driver to keep an eye on. At only 14 years of age he is another one of those amazingly skilled young drivers in the sport. He won the Mod Four feature, leading from start to finish in a nonstop main. He had to fight off both Chad Erlandson and Dustin Holtquist to get the win, but he never faltered or made a mistake that might have given either of them an opening.

To round out the program, Tony Jensen led from start to finish to win the Hornet feature. All six of the main events either went nonstop or had no more than one yellow flag. The Hornets ran green to checkers with Jensen having Braxton Schmitz and Josh Backstrom close behind.

Racing concluded just before 10 p.m. with the feature races really clicking off quickly. Next Sunday is a big night for the track, but I must confess I only heard it mentioned once in passing. But perhaps all the Modified and Late Model fans are already aware of what is upcoming and it might not be a big deal.