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Tuesday, July 21

The Head of the Lakes Fair in Superior, Wisconsin hosted two nights of racing at Gondik Law Speedway.

The first night of this year's racing was on Tuesday, July 21. The opening night featured Hornets, Pure Stocks, Street Stocks, Super Stocks and Modifieds. The Late Models do not race during the fair at all and the Midwest Mods were set to replace the Supers and Mods for Wednesday night's show.

For many of the support class drivers, racing on a Tuesday night is tough for obvious reasons. However, since it is a track point night for 2026, many do try to get to the speedway. It is also obviously a tough night for many fans to get to the track. With so many special events upcoming in the next couple of weeks, some folks have to make choices on when and where they will be attending the races.

Two heats were the norm for all five classes in action, except for the Street Stocks. That was understandable since there are no local cars for this class and all the drivers must either come from the Rice Lake area, the Bemidji area or from east-central Minnesota. The Hornets have been really struggling at local tracks for weekly shows this year as well.

Jimmy “The Blade” Randall, a three-time winner of the Little Dream, made his first run of 2026 as he tuned his car for that race. His car is a Kurshinsky chassis and while it is not brand-new, it has never been raced before. He looked quick but still had a few handling issues to work on before the next week.

Jenna Herrman, who has been busy this summer with other things, made her first run of the year in one of the Herrman Farms three Street Stocks. The car she drove on Tuesday was the same car that Nick Traynor won the DRC race in last week at Rice Lake. Herrman Farms also owns the No. 19a that Shawn Amundson drove on Tuesday, as well as both the No. 19c Midwest Mod and Street Stock that Cody Cimfl drives.

One interesting entry was that of Pure Stock driver Dale Peterson from Cameron. He has been racing at Rice Lake this year but this was his first out-of-town event. Peterson is the brother of car owner Tommy Peterson, who fielded cars for years for Hall-of-Fame driver Ben Ryba. Dale has always wanted to drive and after helping Bob Thompson with his car for years, decided to race himself this year. He joined the action as a 62-year-old rookie. Good for him.

Mike Anderson was a bit of a surprise entry in the Modified class. Anderson admitted to a bit of boredom, having sat all last weekend thanks to scheduling and weather. Tuesday night is their normal night to work on the race car so with it ready to go, they decided to jump into the truck and head to Superior. He later got sixth in the Modified feature after he was a little slow jumping to the cushion when that lane opened up.

A familiar but surprising figure was in the flagstand. Chris Stepan was called in to wave the sticks; I last remember Stepan flagging at KRA, which he did for a couple years, I believe. From my viewpoint, everything went smoothly in that regard on Tuesday.

With 56 drivers on hand in five classes, the feature racing started early before the track lights were even needed.

The highlight event of the evening was the Super Stock feature, which was an absolute dandy. It also had a heartwarming conclusion to it.

Fifteen drivers took the green flag for the 20-lapper and Alex Myers used the outside line to grab the early lead. Myers was under the gun early, with several fast drivers right behind him. After an entertaining series of slide jobs, Scott Lawrence took over the lead.

Lawrence was put in the same situation, though, as Myers was still all over him along with Shane Sabraski, Steve Stuart and Rick Simpson. They were tearing around the track in tight fashion and jockeying for position in what was spectacular racing.

The cushion seemed to be the fast way to go, with several other drivers trying the low side to sneak up and jump a row. Just past the halfway point, Lawrence seemed to be slowing up just a bit and Myers and Sabraski were side by side on his bumper.

In a shocking development, Sabraski spun in turn one when he tried to use the flat inner part of the track to make a pass. In the five lap shootout to the finish, Lawrence had Myers riding his rear bumper as they gapped the field by a few car lengths.

I expected a late slider from Myers but it never came and Lawrence drove across the line as the winner. Myers, Stuart, Grymala and D.J. Keeler were next in line in what was the highlight event of the night.

For Lawrence, back behind the wheel for just the second time after his trailer accident, it was his first feature win at Gondik since August of 2022. I had commented after his good run Sunday at Proctor that he looked the best I had seen in quite some time, and he furthered that opinion on Tuesday. He mentioned in his victory lane interview that he had been on the phone with Hinkemeyers at Affordable Chassis and they obviously found something that worked.

The track was just a bit different on Tuesday than it has been for most of this season. Instead of being slick and polished off from top to bottom, it was a bit loose and even built up the hint of a cushion. It also changed quickly a couple times and in the Modified feature, Brandon Copp spotted the fast lane first.

He started in the third row and when Even Checkalski made a power move on the inside on lap two to pass early leader Dave Cain, it seemed like that might be the quick way around the track. However, Copp proved that to be false; he jumped up to the cushion and drove from fourth to the lead in just four laps.

Once in front, he ran away from the pack in a race that went green for the last 19 laps. Copp was a full straightaway ahead of the pack at the end with Sabraski working his way up from ninth to finish as the runner-up. David Simpson was third. Four Canadian drivers made the pull down on Tuesday, only to have to turn right back around and head back to Thunder Bay for Wednesday night racing.

The Street Stock feature was dominated by Levi Randt but did have a big of a strange ending. After a hard first lap battle with Shawn Amundson, Randt took the lead and then built up a margin ahead of Amundson, Layla Chaplin and Randall.

However, a spin caused a one-lap dash to the finish. The initial restart ended with several cars gnarled together; while no one was eliminated, several had some body damage and Amundson was sent to the back.

The green was dropped and Randt pulled away again for the win. Randall was sideways battling for second and evasive action in the field ended with Tom Treviranus crossing the line for second ahead of Chaplin and Amundson.

The nonstop Pure Stock feature was dominated by Aaron Bernick who started on the pole, pulled away from the field quickly, and won by a comfortable margin. Rob Christman started and finished second, with Jake Smith third.

The Hornet feature had only six drivers and with national point leader Brady Fosso on the pole, the race seemed to be for second. However, that proved to be incorrect as after leading the opening lap, Fosso went straight up the corner in turn three. While he avoided the wall, he got into the fluff and lost three spots that he never recovered from.

Nikota Larson took over at this point and was never challenged as he drove on for the win. Nick Ruzich finished second with Nathan Penney third.

All racing was completed by about 9:15 p.m., giving the fans on hand plenty of time to tour the fair and get some fair food.

Wednesday, July 22

Wednesday night, July 22 was a beautiful night for the races and the Head of the Lakes Fair wrapped up their racing schedule at Gondik Law Speedway. The Hornets, Pure Stocks and Street Stocks returned and the Midwest Mods were also on hand.

The track raced a bit differently than it had on Tuesday night. It was much more of a technical track and much less of the “hammer down” that we saw the night prior.

Certainly, the highlight event of the night was the Pure Stock feature for both good and bad reasons. The feature proved to be the closest event of the week with a thrilling three car duel to the checkers while the off track frolics will be remembered also by many but not for the reasons one would hope for.

Thirteen drivers took the green for the main led by Rob Christman, who started on the outside pole. This after Christman was turned on the opening lap but was judged to not be at fault and another driver was sent to the tail.

There was heavy racing at the front of the pack with quite the gaggle of drivers in close quarters. As they came out of turn two, Shane Basina got into the quarter panel of Christman, whose car shot up and made very hard contact with the backstretch wall. The red was called for and Christman climbed out of his machine, clearly upset.

Christman went across the track to confront Basina. After a drawn-out affair that left lots of fans booing, he was taken to the pits with an injured ankle, suffered when he fell off the stage during his “performance.”

Basina was sent to the back of the field and the race resumed.

Austin Fencl inherited the lead and ran up front for two laps before he was passed by Tom Treviranus. Fencl remained close but he was also then challenged by Aaron Bernick, Tuesday night's winner.

The three tiptoed around the slick oval with the first two faster on the chutes but Fencl was better in the corners. As Fencl followed closely, he continued to have Bernick right beside him, occasionally surging ahead slightly.

They ran like this in the closing laps with the three still very close together. Fencl put down a great closing lap as he hit turn three perfectly and got a good run at Treviranus who was outside of him and slipping just a bit. The three roared to the line with Fencl winning by .056 seconds over Treviranus with Bernick nailed to his rear bumper. It was an exciting way to close out the night.

The Midwest Mods also had a good feature with three different leaders. Ryan Savoy led lap one but then Jimmy Latvala, a member of the track’s Hall of Fame induction group this year, took over the top spot.

Latvala moved to the high side of the track and put down some good laps, holding the top spot for several laps.

A key moment occurred when Blake Adams, storming to the front from the fourth row also, got into the back of Savoy and turned him around, triggering a yellow. Adams went to the back but fellow fourth-row starter Jason VandeKamp, who restarted third, used the low side to make what turned out to be the winning pass on Latvala. The yellow flag seems to be the trigger of the majority of passes these days.

VandeKamp then pulled away from the pack and built up a good-sized lead. He did have a scare when a lapped car banged into him and spun, but VandeKamp’s car was unaffected. He then pulled away again in the short, three-lap race to the finish.

Deven VanHouse came from the fifth row to get second, nipping Adams for the position after Adams had driven back through the field following his lap-six misfortune.

Only five Street Stocks took the green flag for their feature race and Shawn Amundson won by more than 11 seconds ahead of Treviranus. It was a good couple of nights for Tom, as he got second both nights in the Street Stocks along with a runner-up in the Pure Stocks also.

The Hornet feature had all five participants run close together for several laps. Madisyn Olson led a single lap before Nikota Larson got in front and then he gradually pulled away from the field for a relatively easy win. Nathan Penney and Olson, who had her best run of the year, completed the podium.

Racing ran just a bit longer than the previous night with a fair on the midway and a circus in front of the grandstand. All racing was done before 9:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 23

It was an absolutely glorious night for dirt track racing to take place Thursday in Grand Rapids.

It was Hall of Fame night and some familiar names were added to their speedway’s HoF, including Tim Jackson, Ryan Aho, Jeff Hart and the late Loran Tardy in a nice, brief ceremony during the break before the feature races.

A great crowd was on hand taking advantage of the weather and it was certainly the largest crowd I have seen at the track this season. Even the inductees commented on the size of the crowd. A good field of drivers were on hand, with the Midwest Mods producing the largest nonspecial size for a weekly show that I had seen there all season.

Perhaps the most exciting of the main events Thursday was the Late Model feature. Eventual winner Johnny Broking, a local crowd favorite, excited the crowd like no other race on Thursday.

The race started out strangely with scheduled outside polesitter Zach Wohlers breaking on the track as the drivers rolled in the surface before the race even began. He needed a wrecker ride to the pits.

Kevin Burdick started on the pole and led the opening laps, during which an unfortunate meeting between Kyle Peterlin and Jeff Provinzino sent both to the back. This was followed up by then-runner-up Jeff Massingill creaming one of the big ute tires in turn two, which eliminated him.

Burdick led through all of this, with Broking moving to second following the exits of several competitors. Burdick was running the low line while Broking and Shane Sabraski were up top; as Broking moved in, Burdick realized that he needed to be up the track and he made a move just as Broking went to go around him, which sent Broking into the ditch. He recovered, however, and maintained second.

Burdick then settled on a line that seemed contrary to what is usually run here; he was low in turns one and two and high in three and four.

He did maintain the lead for several laps running that line, but eventually both Broking and Sabraski gained momentum by running through the middle groove. Broking moved in and after a couple sliders that led to some rubbing between the lead duo, Broking took the lead. After that he pulled away, showing that he was the fastest car in the field.

He then won comfortably ahead of Burdick and Sabraski, with Harry Hanson and Derek Vesel completing the top five.

Even though he didn't win the Late Model feature, Sabraski still had a typically successful night for himself, winning both the Super Stock and Modified main events.

The Super Stock field had a different feel to it on Thursday, as the top three drivers in track points at this juncture of the season — Steve Stuart, Dalton Carlson and Chaston Finckbone — were all missing from the field. This should benefit Andy LaBarge, who will likely take over the track point lead.

Tristan and Andy Labarge shared the front row and Tristan led the opening lap. However, he slipped off the bottom on lap two and Sabraski was right there to grab the top spot from him. It was then “lights out” for the rest of the pack as Sabraski pulled away for an easy win and only a single yellow slowed the action. Dylan Nelson drove up from the fourth row to finish second while Michael Blevins continues to show speed following his move to the Super Stocks; he finished a strong third.

Taking action early is the best way to win feature races these days. It seems once the cars get strung out at racing speed, picking off any amount of drivers to move forward is tough work. Sabraski knows this so well; he used an opening lap move in the Modified feature from the inside of row two that swung him past Bob Broking and Chris Magistad to claim the lead following the first lap. After that it was a race for second, as Sabraski easily pulled away on a track that had become low-side dominant.

A late yellow with just two laps to go did scramble the final running order. Broking came out on the short end of the stick, losing two spots as both Jody Bellefeuille and Mervin Castle III got by him following a scrum of sorts in the last two laps.

Twenty-three drivers started the Midwest Mod feature, which had several different lead drivers before Blake Adams took control during the second half of the race. Early on, Carter Matthews and Travis Tupa took turns leading the opening two laps before Matthews grabbed the lead back.

He then ran up front for several laps in his most impressive run of the year, with both Adams and Paul Ripley behind him, running side by side and battling for both second and the lead at the same time. Ripley and Caley Emerson were racing each other hard, which slowed both and gave Justin Feltus a chance to move into the top three.

Just at the halfway point, Matthews' car started to get a bit loose off the corners and Adams took full advantage, slipping under Matthews in turn four to take over the lead. Green flag racing was tough in this event and the yellow waved five times.

Late in the going, Adams started to pull away but Matthews did hang on for a fine second-place finish with Feltus doing the same for third.

The Hornets ran a nonstop main event, led initially by McKenna Folstad for the first half of the race and a pack of about a half-dozen drivers all running in tight formation. Sixth-starter Nick Ruzich gradually worked his way forward and just at the halfway point he drove into the lead.

With the race remaining green to the checkered, Ruzich gradually built his lead and won comfortably with Folstad finishing a strong second. Brady Fosso came from ninth to complete the top three.

The Pure Stock feature had a strange start to it also, as polesitter Jake Smith headed back off the track to the scale area with a foul-sounding race car. In any event, just as the race was ready to go green, he returned to the track and was given his pole position back, which seemed puzzling.

The green was dropped with him on the pole and he then led a number of laps in another nonstop main.

Austin Carlson, who had a flat tire and did not finish the heat, started from the tail and the record will show he drove from the rear of the field to the win, nevermind that it was only the third row.

Still, he did a fine job as he moved off the bottom and slowly and gradually worked his way into second, driving a very delicate line.

He raced forward to Smith and after a hard battle that lasted a couple laps, Carlson drove past Smith on the top side of the track to complete his charge to the front. His winning pass came with just two laps left in the race.

As Carlson claimed the lead, Smith suddenly slowed and headed for the pits, presumably with the same issues that delayed his entrance to the track. This gave Dylan Elhardt the opportunity to drive into second and “Chef” Bob Klein into third.

All racing was done by about 9:20 p.m. in what was a nice, entertaining and smoothly run program.

Friday, July 24

After one week off due to a shortage of water to prep the track, Red Cedar Speedway was back in action on Friday night. It was a big night for them, as the Fast Lane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series was in action at the track, running their third point race of the 2026 season.

Along with the Super Stock special, WISSOTA Late Models, Modifieds and Mid Mods also raced full programs, along with the USRA Late Models.

On top of that, the Vintage Cars were also on hand. It was also the Dunn County Fair, making for a monumental night of things going on.

There were more than 30 Super Stocks on hand, as well as more than 30 Midwest Mods, more than 20 Late Models, nearly that many Modifieds, plus a good number of both USRA and Vintage Cars, too.

It was one of the more classic fair races I can remember for a number of years; not only were the pits jammed, the grandstand was also full of fans, some veteran race fans and others the more casual kind. It was also the rescheduled Kid's Night, which meant drivers brought their cars to the track before the races and there were also bus rides for the kids while track prep was ongoing during intermission.

For the Super Stocks it was the Dave Shackleton Memorial Race, with the Super Stock winner set to take home nearly $3,000 and an increased purse across the board for the Supers, above and beyond what the Fast Lane series offers.

There was so much activity going on in the pits it was tough to bother folks, but I did find out Cory Crapser is down to his Late Model only, having sold the Modified to a Canadian driver from Thunder Bay where it will now race.

Rick Hanestad made his first run of the year at Red Cedar, telling me he was so busy with his farming that he just didn't have time to race until now. He planned on hitting it hard the rest of the season to make up for lost time. His car was fresh, he told me, while others had pounded theirs up over the first three months of the season.

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