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Tuesday, July 1

The Iron Man invitational for Late Models returned to Hibbing for the first time in 35 years on Tuesday, July 1.

Originally planned for open Late Models, it was switched two or three weeks ago when it became clear to management that pulling in open Late Models was going to be a tall task. The change also rewarded drivers who support the track on a weekly basis. They now had their own show and weren’t an afterthought to an open motor show, where their chances of doing well are slim to none, due to the overwhelming difference in the power produced by an open-motored Late Model.

This was also a test to see whether race fans would come out and support a special event, and they proved they will. A very nice crowd was on hand for a Tuesday night show, under great weather conditions.

I hope other promoters will note that a good crowd can be drawn out to attend mid-week races, if they’re provided with an attractive program. Back in the day, most specials were presented on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so out-of-town drivers could attend and not risk losing races at their home tracks. This was back during a time when local track points seemed to matter more. Piling special after special on weekends puts both drivers and fans in a bad spot, and builds angst among race tracks all fighting over the same cars. We need more real promoters, and less folks who just open the gates on race night and sell hot dogs.

It is also true, however, that mid-week races can be hard for some folks to get to. Devin Fouquette arranged for someone to draw for him while he made the trip from St. Cloud in record time, pulling in the gate just as the National Anthem was presented. With Late Models first in the running order, it was an even bigger scramble to make his heat, but he did so.

The final tally of 27 Late Models was more than enough to put on a good show. The Iron Range is blessed with quite a number of their own cars, however, and the out-of-town drivers’ list was disappointing and small. There are a few factors here to consider, including the fact that a very busy holiday racing weekend was upcoming. The change was announced rather late in the planning schedule for many teams as well. And, I don't know how important it is to the race teams, but I never saw a poster purse for more than just the winner.

A unique race format was in use on Tuesday. The Late Models each ran two heat races from various starting positions with their combined passing points setting up the lineup for their main event. It was, I believe, the same format Street Stock drivers will see when they run the Little Dream the end of this month in Rice Lake. It seemed to work well and since we were only talking three additional races, it didn't threaten the hour of the race completion.

Some changes were noted in the track's operation Tuesday. We understand that track announcer Mark “Fleisch” Fleischer had to undergo an emergency surgery very recently and we wish him the best in his recovery. Scott Tiefs was brought in on race day to replace Mark, and he lit up the highways from Rice Lake to make the show. “Have tonsils, will travel,” as we’ll call him now, continues to add to the impressive number of tracks he has worked at.

Joe Stariha from Gondik Law Speedway was functioning as race director in another update of familiar personnel.

The Late Model feature was scheduled for 50 laps on Tuesday. Generally I’m a 40-lap or so guy, feeling that 50 laps turns into more of a marathon than a race. We've seen too many longer races that either turn into a flat-tire situation later in the race, or for other speedways, a “rubbered-up” track, which is even worse.

Though there wasn't a lot of movement or changing of positions in the last 10 laps, I saw no evidence that the track rubbered up and that has historically been an issue at Hibbing.

It appeared that they made a special effort to get more moisture into the track, which required some extra work, too. While it was a bit choppy early in the program, a blading at intermission made for a good track come feature time. And as we all know, it’s nearly impossible to have a dirt track that is perfect from start to finish for a full program.

It was Darrell Nelson's night to shine in the Late Models, as he led the entire 50 laps to take the win. He looked quick from the time he hit the track for hot laps and he never slowed after that. An eighth to third and second to first in his heats gave him the pole and he didn't waste the opportunity; he got the jump on Jeff Massingill at the start and then pulled away from the pack after that.

The first half of the race was messy, with five yellow flags before the halfway point. Then, the last 23 laps ran clean and green. Johnny Broking eventually moved into second and he chased Nelson the second half of the race. Nelson didn't have to deal with much lapped traffic but those slower cars behaved and he was able to clear them cleanly.

Broking pushed hard during the second half of the race but wasn't able to cut into Nelson’s lead. He settled for a strong second, with Kevin Burdick chasing him in third. Kyle Peterlin continued his strong runs at area tracks, coming from 12th to finish fourth ahead of Massingill.

Fifty laps is a grueling contest, leading or not. With all the yellow flags, the mental stress and strain is great. But, when Nelson emerged from the car after the race, he looked good and not physically challenged. With his first Late Model win of the year and I would guess his first win since his health issues of the past year or so, I think we can declare Nelson is back to his old self, which is bad news for Twin Ports-area drivers. Nelson went through a lot during the last year, both physically and mentally, but he is one tough and pragmatic dude and it looks like he has emerged from his trials intact.

Speaking of the Nelsons, one must laud the efforts of Cade Nelson as well. In just his second time behind the wheel of a WISSOTA car, he picked a tough 50-lapper to get his feet wet, but he also did a fine job. He started 16th in the feature, and ended up eighth. Just as importantly, he didn't hit anyone that I saw, made smart moves in traffic, and drove a smart race. He passed up a USRA race to run the WISSOTA car and while I get that he would like to win a third USRA national title, his future is in running WISSOTA cars and he is ready to move up full time.

The Midwest Mods did a great job in their main event. They were first for feature action and received a freshly prepared surface that was “juiced up.” They took that break all the way, running off 20 laps nonstop.

In the end, two invaders took home the top prizes: eighth-starter Jason VandeKamp took the win, while ninth-starter Joey Jensen finished a very close second. Jensen almost stole the win on the final lap.

It was also heartbreak for Michael Blevins, Sr, who had started on the outside pole and drove away from the field. He had built up a big lead and it was questionable whether or not anyone could have caught him. Just at the halfway point of the race, however, he suffered a flat right rear tire that put him out. It was also nice to see him navigate his car to the infield when it happened, rather than just park on the track and draw a yellow.

It was also interesting to watch Vande and Jensen work through the field to move forward as they did. VandeKamp had a little trouble with lapped traffic near the end, and he almost got passed by Jensen down the back chute on the final lap, but VandeKamp cleared the lapped car just in time. He got back to the low groove and sealed off Jensen.

Things got a bit confusing for both the drivers and the fans at the end of the race, as the flagman lost track of who was leading. Whether it was bad communication from the tower or just an error, the top two drivers were missed by the flagman on both the white flag and the checkered flag, and puzzled looks from fans followed.

Those who stuck around saw a great Hornet feature race with at least five drivers having a chance of victory on the last lap. Nikota Larson started on the pole and he led the majority of the race. However, there were several other drivers who were right in the running and they swapped spots on nearly every corner.

Near the end, Bobie Arnes went to the high side of the track, which worked for him, and he drove from fourth into the lead. However, the others stayed right with him and on the final lap the drivers were side by side by side as they raced into turn three.

Getting a great run off turn four, McKenna Folstad, who hadn't led a single lap, shot into the lead and took the win, barely edging out Larson for the victory. Arnes had to settle for third as he nipped Trenton Beel, with Russell Kiker, Jr. also right among the leaders. It was Hornet racing at its finest.

The show ended up being about a three-hour program, with the racing concluding before 10:30 p.m. Ryan Newman was the guest of honor and he signed autographs for the fans before the race program and then drove a Late Model from Jeff Provinzino's stable for the night.

Thursday, July 3

One of the highlights of every racing season at Rice Lake Speedway is the “Firecracker” race July 3. This particular race has been going on for decades and the fireworks night dates back to the 1960s, when the club that owned the track shot off their own fireworks. And every year since, even when the club dissolved and private ownership took over, the tradition of the “Firecracker” has lived on. This event has always been held on July 3, so as not to conflict with surrounding towns and their fireworks displays.

During years when July 3 falls on a Friday, they also try to avoid conflict with their “sister track” in Menomonie, and the race is moved off that date or the tracks work together to find a common solution. Interestingly, 2026 shows that July 3 is indeed a Friday, so that will be a bridge to be crossed when preparing next year's race schedule.

It was indeed blistering hot and heavy with humidity on Thursday, and there was a chance of thunderstorms. This can often be the situation for this race. When the fireworks were shot off, the sky was also producing its own fireworks show, with lightning flashing all around the track. It didn't rain, however, and all was good.

As usual for this show, the grandstands were packed and parking was at a premium. There is always something special about a full house of fans that makes the evening more fun. This year, it was also the Barron County Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society night, as well as the K-Runk Memorial, so there was plenty of extra activities to engage in for fans, and extra money available for the Mid Mod drivers to race for.

The Relay for Life had more than 30 drivers’ mini door panels for auction, as well as more than 20 gift baskets. Ten bikes were also given away. The new ownership group goes all out to provide really neat things for the fans, which they appreciate.

It made for an exciting evening of racing and the fireworks were as good as advertised. They were presented by Jerry Weigel, who many know for his years as a former owner of west-central Wisconsin speedways.

The grandstands were packed and the 50/50 alone was worth more than $1,000 to the winner. Track owner Dick Kalow, who has a house in Ashland and is a big sailing person, actually chartered a commercial bus and brought a bunch of his sailing buddies down to the track to watch the fireworks display. That is the first time I've ever seen a commercial bus pull into the pit gate.

There were a triple digit number of racers on hand, and somewhere around 20 of them were making their first appearances of the season at the tracks. This included Trey Hess, who was continuing his world tour that started in Grand Forks, continued to Thunder Bay, and then on toward Rice Lake. He planned to hit up Fergus Falls on Friday, and who knows where after that.

By the way, Hess tells me this will be his last year in a Street Stock, having now raced them for a decade. The plan for 2026 involves him moving to a Late Model.

Perhaps the most heart-warming moment of the night was when announcer Ben Brost ask the crowd to give a special welcome back to Mid Mod driver C.J. Hedges. Most remember the last time Hedges raced here he had a medical emergency at the scale and nearly passed away — except for the efforts of emergency workers and knowledgable folks on hand who saved his life. He didn't have the greatest of nights, unfortunately; mechanical issues knocked him out of the feature race early, but I'm guessing that was all very secondary to just being back at the track.

It was also a welcome back for Andrew Hanson, who was last seen flying through the air down the backstretch, with his car coming apart after a violent flip. He is now running the No. 8 of Kolby Kiehl and his return was a good one, finishing a solid fourth in the Street Stock feature.

Also returning back behind the wheel, at least for one night, was retired driver Shawn Amundson. He who drove the Kevin Herrman car Thursday.

Scott Oeltjen, who pulled from Villard, Minnesota, probably came from the farthest distance. Les Duellman was also on hand to drive the Runkle family car. It was also good to have Chaplin Travis Kahlsdorf on hand to provide the opening prayer.

Tough luck struck Tommy Bawden in what I believe to be the first time he has raced at Rice Lake. He was running a strong third in his Super Stock heat when something broke in the rear end and he was out of the race. He returned to the back of the pack for the feature but then retired early.

With the humidity of the night, the track crew worked hard to get moisture into the racing surface and it provided very fast, albeit just a bit choppy, heat race action. They bladed before the main events and that gave them an excellent track for the features. Drivers raced all over the track and there was a lot of side-by-side racing. The water truck was able to take a rest for much of the night.

Jason VandeKamp has been a successful racer for an extended period of time, but not what I would call a “flashy” racer — he just wins year in and year out, and takes home more than his share of special event hardware. He led from start to finish on Thursday to win the K-Runk Memorial and take home more than $2,000 for the win.

Vande has never raced much at Rice Lake over the years, so it wasn’t totally surprising his win on Thursday was his first ever at the track.

The battle for second in that race was a classic, as Shadow Kitchner and Cody Borgeson went back and forth for much of the race. Kitchner finally claimed the spot and then nearly snuck past VandeKamp during the last couple of laps.

The track condition allowed really good side-by-side battles to take place for an extended period of time, including Cole Richards and Hess in the Street Stocks, Alex Myers and Tommy Richards in the Super Stocks, and Simon Wahlstrom and Blake Adams in the Modifieds. The Pure Stocks were then three wide for the lead on two separate occasions.

The crowd was “wow’d” when Alex Myers tried to steal the lead away from his father Curt late in the Super Stock feature. When he went for broke, instead of sliding his father for the win he instead went for a spin. You could hear the crowd groan above the roar of the motors.

By far the most dominant driver at the track so far this year has been Street Stock driver Nick Traynor. He has won five feature races and has been only beaten once, when he missed a couple of races to travel with the DRC Street Stock Tour. On July 12, the DRC makes its first-ever stop at Rice Lake, bringing with them some of the best Street Stock drivers in WISSOTA. It will be very interesting to see how things stack up that night. This race will likely offer a preview of what we might expect for the Little Dream race, which is less than a month away.

It was also a big night for Curt Myers, who won his 57th Super Stock feature at Rice Lake. He’s now tied with Don Drew for the all-time record at the track. With Myers running as strong as ever this year, it seems quite likely that record will be broken as soon as next week. The record held by Drew has been held for more than 20 years and at one time, seemed likely to never be challenged. Myers has put together a series of awesome seasons, however, and the record will soon to be beaten.

Blake Adams continues to build on what has been an awesome rookie season in the Modified class. It seemed reasonable to assume that he might win a feature in the Modifieds this year, but he’s already won four and leads the track points. He’s now won something like 17 features between the Mid Mod and Mod, and is challenging for national point honors.

Has anyone been following the travels of Street Stock rookie driver Layla Chaplin? Wednesday night she was racing in Grand Forks, North Dakota, has already raced in Thunder Bay, and if there is a Street Stock race to be found, she will likely be in attendance. She and her family are laying it on the line, trying to win the Rookie of the Year title for the 13-year-old.

Friday, July 4

The ninth annual Great Lakes Border Battle kicked off on Friday night, July 4 at Gondik Law Speedway in Superior, Wisconsin. As a part of that event, the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series also ran a full show.

This was set to be a two-night show with a full program for the Challenge Series on both nights. Also racing were the WISSOTA Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Pure Stocks. Mods were running for $3,000 to win each night, while the Supers and Midwest Mods were looking at a top prize of $1,000 and the Pure Stocks $250.

While it was a steamy night throughout the rest of the upper Midwest on Friday, there was a mild breeze off of Lake Superior that made things quite a bit more pleasant to be in Superior. It’s one of the rare times I can say that. And while sometimes in the summer that breeze can also produce pea-soup-thick fog, that was not the case on Friday. It has something to do with wind currents, but it is beyond my pay grade to understand that.

The Challenge Series is down to the nitty gritty of those who support it on a regular basis. There were eight of the top 10 in series points on hand on Friday, but not many others in terms of the drivers who had run previous races so far this year. Fortunately, the Twin Ports area has a solid group of weekly racers who supported the event, and the car count of 32 drivers signed in to race was one of the higher counts so far this season.

Among those on hand and making his first Challenge Series start of the season was Andy Nezworski. Originally from Ironwood, Michigan, he has raced both Street Stocks and Super Stocks in WISSOTA. He was on hand with a Rocket chassis. Now living in the Davenport, Iowa area for employment, he has become one of the top racers in the eastern Iowa area. A desire to do some Late Model racing back in his hometown area led him to put together a second car, one that will be WISSOTA legal and competitive. He made his first run with it on Thursday at ABC before coming to the Border Battle.

He tells me he hasn't been doing as much racing so far this year. He’s been busy at work, and with trying to get this second car done. He does plan on making several trips north this year, with plans on racing the WCS race at ABC and the Twin 25s in a couple of weeks. He then wants to make another return to run the WCS races at Red Cedar and Rice Lake in August.

Later Friday he started sixth in the 40-lapper and ran in the top 10 for the first half of the race before fading back some. There is still some work to be done.

Cade Nelson continues to make progress in the WISSOTA Late Models. Friday he attempted to make his first WCS race and did so. While he was running near the back of the feature, there were a number of other drivers who were forced to watch from the pits, so the night was far from a loss.

The normal WCS format was used on Friday, with the number of drivers on hand generating four heat races. Down to the thousandth of a second, Billy Kendall and Mike Bellefeuille tied for the quickest time of the night at 15.857. Both started fourth in their heats, as passing points is the name of the game.

One large B feature moved six drivers into the main and Dave Mass and Devin Fouquette were the two provisional starters. Mass was quickest of his time trial group, but things went decidedly down hill after that and a provisional was needed to make the main.

Twenty-four drivers took the green for the feature and it was not a surprise to see Pat Doar end up dominating the proceedings. Although he has had a year with ups and downs, Doar has an excellent track record at Gondik. He was clearly the class of the field on Friday night once again. He started on the outside pole with Kendall getting the jump to lead lap one, but then Doar drove past him to take over the top spot. He then led the final 39 laps for the win.

An early yellow brought the field back together, but they then raced nonstop for more than 20 laps before the yellow flew once again. Kendall hung in with Doar during the early part of the feature, while Shane Sabraski gradually moved up after starting fifth. Sabraski took over second by the halfway point of the race. Jeff Provinzino and Kevin Eder were also in the top five until about the halfway point.

Sabraski moved forward some on the leader, and those two moved away from the field together. Jeff Massingill and Darrell Nelson also made their way forward, starting in the sixth and fifth rows, respectively.

With yellows on laps 26 and 29, the pack brought together once more and Sabraski put on the most heat of the night in a challenge to Doar.

However, Doar seemed to regain his footing and rolling through the corners, he started to pull away again from Sabraski. Meanwhile Nelson, who had also put up a strong challenge, started to fade.

At the finish, Doar again had a comfortable lead over Sabraski to collect the $3,000 prize. Provinzino and Massingill drove consistent races to finish next in line, with Nelson hanging on for fifth. Only four drivers failed to finish the race and all were on the lead lap at the finish.

It was a hotly contested finish in the Modifieds after three different drivers led the 30-lap main.

Andrew Mackey, in his second year in the Mods, has suddenly come into his own, winning feature races and looking competitive. On Friday he started on the pole and was the early leader, after a great start by Cody Carlson was waved off by a yellow flag. Bob Broking was showing a lot of speed, too, and he moved up. By driving deep into the corners, after a brief battle was able to overtake Mackey and grab the lead.

Andrew was still running in second at the halfway point of the race but Darrell Nelson and Don Eischens were moving forward. Nelson grabbed second from Mackey at the 20-lap mark, with Eischens following through as well into third.

There were two late yellows that almost cost Broking the win. He seemed to take off slowly after restarts and on the first, on lap 19, Nelson almost got past him. Broking was able to fight him off, however.

During the second yellow, on lap 24, the leaders were three wide with Eischens squeaking into the lead for one lap before Broking was able to out-accelerate him down the back chute. Eischens hung right with Broking however and it took a last lap block in turn three to keep “The Iceman” behind him; Broking held on for the win. Nelson slipped back a little but settled for third, with Mackey and Ryan Gierke completing the top five.

Joey Jensen also had a great night. Double feature wins are difficult to come by in races like this, where the field of competitors is strong across the board. Jensen was able to double-up, however, winning both the Mid Mod and Super Stock features to double his fun.

The Mid Mod win was a tough one. He had to overcome Ryan Savoy, who led from the get-go, to claim the win. Savoy led the first 13 laps of the 20 lapper, with Jensen gradually tracking him down and then using the high line to drive past him in the corners to take over the lead.

Jensen wasn't out of the woods quite yet though, as he had to survive a stiff challenge from Jason VandeKamp to take the win. Three yellow flags for spins in the last three laps kept things tense; one slip-up by Jensen and the gates would have opened. On each restart, however, he had enough to fight off VandeKamp's constant challenges to take the win.

Tyler Vernon was third ahead of David Simpson and Cole Boston, while Savoy slipped out of the top five.

It appeared Jensen used what he learned in the Mid Mod feature to his advantage, as he waltzed away from the pack in the Super Stock feature. Andy Grymala used the pole position to take the early lead and manage the top spot for six laps. It took that long for Jensen, who started third, to clear the traffic and get to the high side of the track. Once he did that, he simply blew past Grymala and drove away into the night.

This race ran green to checkers and no one was able to get close to Jensen, who built nearly a full straightaway over the field. Sabraski came from eighth to finish third ahead of Matt Deragon and D.J. Keeler.

The Pure Stocks had one of their bigger fields at Gondik and they completed the night with a good race of their own. There were three different leaders and eventual winner Tom Treviranus did not take the lead until lap 12. He then had to hold off the pack over the last four laps.

In the early going it was Rob Grabon and George Richards racing wheel to wheel, with Grabon slightly in front. He was never able to get more than a fender length advantage, however. He was running the high side of the track and on lap six Richards drove under him to take over the lead.

Treviranus ran second to those two through the first half of the race with Eric Crosby and Shane Basina next in line. However, Treviranus showed lots of speed and on lap 11 he got past Grabon for second and one lap later passed Richards for the lead.

One more caution bunched the field and this time Crosby took full benefit, charging up to second and then pressuring Treviranus for the lead, but Treviranus drove home to take the victory. Richards settled for third with Basina nipping Grabon for a spot on the last lap.

The track was smooth and slick from top to bottom and provided a dust-free racing surface for the drivers. The management was able to beat the incoming weather, which seems to be a concern almost daily over the past few weeks. A good-sized crowd with lots of campers was on hand.

Saturday, July 5

The stormy weather continued on Saturday, July 5, with a number of tracks rained or flooded out. In fact, one of the major state highways I often use to get around was underwater on Saturday.

With the many rainouts, I made a visit to North Central Speedway just south of Brainerd, Minnesota. The track had three WISSOTA-sanctioned classes running Saturday, including the Mod Fours, Super Stocks, and the Street Stocks.

As it has been for many years, Cliff Sasker is in charge here at Brainerd and he provided a nice greeting as he watched the activity at the sign-in area. Cliff has other people to do many of the jobs at the track for him now, but he is still “hands-on” with daily activities and overseeing the action. As he has been for many years, “Big Kenny” is in charge at the tech building and does the tech work for both sanctioning bodies. I’m guessing later things got a little exciting for him.

Chris Kolstad flagged me down later to say hello, and I believe he said he has been announcing here now for seven years. He’s also been at Princeton for 11 years, where he shares the mic with “RJ at the Speedway.”

The track crew was busy getting the track in shape. The infield was quite the sea of mud and they had opened up the straightaways to get sun on the surface. Later the problem was the corners; the moisture came back and the soft surface started to roll up. It provided a track with plenty of “character,” as they say. It was not nobody’s fault, just a result of all the wet weather we have been having. The drivers raced on, happy they were even able to race after having so many rainouts to contend with.

The heat races were completed as smoothly as possible, with just one yellow flag.

I wish I could say that the rest of the program went just as well, but that wasn’t the case. Multiple yellows, spins, mechanical issues and big crashes dotted the rest of the evening. The lone shining spot was the Street Stock field, who managed to run off their main event nonstop.

Being new here, the Street Stock class is just starting to grow and it might take until the end of the racing season to know for sure if they will stick. However, the numbers continue to grow each week.

Despite the threatening conditions, they had seven Street Stocks sign in, one of their better numbers so far. Weston Ramsrud started on the pole and led all 15 laps to get the win. Greg Jose overtook point leader Kyle Howland for second in a good battle for that spot. Jose pulled all the way down from Grand Forks, despite the weather, to race.

It was heartbreak for Kris Peterson in the Super Stock feature. Peterson has a unique-looking Super Stock and when he pulls in the pits with his even more unique looking hauler, you'd swear that “The Ghostbusters” had just arrived on the scene!

However, regardless of how the car looks, what it looked like on Saturday was fast. He came roaring out of the gate to pass both Tim Gonska and Eric Martini and take the early lead. He appeared solidly in position to pull away for the win when telltale sparks started coming from the rear of the car and progressively got worse. On lap five he suddenly slowed and nearly got rearended by Martini, but the damage was done as Peterson was out of action.

Martini then took advantage of the situation to drive on for the win with Tommy Bawden second and Ellen Lange third.

The Mod Fours had the biggest field of the night. That is no surprise as Mod Fours have always been a big class here, putting on a good show. Saturday night's show could best be described as controversial and not good for the sport.

Casey Traxler started on the outside pole and took the early lead, building up quite an advantage over the field, which was sorting itself out. Traxler built up nearly a full straightaway lead while Ashton Schwinn eventually moved to second and started cutting into the leader's advantage.

The race continued under the green and gradually Schwinn closed up on Traxler, aided somewhat by the fact that lapped traffic had to be negotiated. Bob Holtquist moved into third by the halfway point of the race and by that time, Traxler had his hands full as Schwinn was all over him for the lead.

The two were racing hard for the top spot while both were fighting their light race cars on a track that had some bumps and ruts, which caused them to flitter around from time to time.

On lap 13, Schwinn attempted to pass on the outside exiting turn four just after getting past another slower car; they got together and Schwinn spun, triggering the first yellow of the race. I'm not going to debate the call, because right or wrong, that was the call that was made. The decision was to send Traxler to the tail, giving Schwinn back his spot and now the lead. I will say that both drivers were going for the lead and given the track conditions, full control of either car was probably not happening.

Traxler refused to go to the tail, circling the track seemingly endlessly as they tried to unsuccessfully line up the rest of the field. Finally the black flag was waved and Traxler responded by exiting the track at high speed. Security was called and Traxler was listed as DQ'd on My Race Pass.

They finally did get back to racing though, minus both Holtquist and Connor Bruss, who were contenders but dropped out during the yellow. Schwinn caught a huge break on the green when he bounced out of the groove and was passed by Chad Erlandson, but the yellow flew again when point leader Gerry Nohner spun, saving Schwinn.

Schwinn didn't make that mistake again as he held off Erlandson over the final eight laps to take the win, with Nohner restored to third where he finished.

There was plenty of excitement in Brainerd, Minnesota, on Saturday.

Thanks to everyone for a nice welcome on my return to the Brainerd Lakes area.

Sunday, July 6

A long holiday weekend wrapped up on Sunday, July 6 with racing at Proctor KME Speedway. While it was a long weekend, due to scheduling quirks by several tracks and some rainouts, it was a mix of drivers who had raced for perhaps their fifth or sixth straight night, and some only once. Either way, a fine field had descended on Proctor.

Ninety-four drivers signed in to race, an almost perfect number since they provided full heat races and features, but no B features were needed. Track prep was also kept to an absolute minimum. While the speeds on the dry, slick track weren't blazing fast, the racing was good.

Not all was peaches and cream however, as the wind was blowing out of the east. While most folks in the Northland were enjoying a warm and comfortable night, those of us in the main grandstand were bundled up in moderate to heavy coats as the breeze off the big lake was quite cool and damp feeling.

The track is still missing both Jerry O'Brien and Mark Fleischer from action. Jerry is reportedly still hospitalized, while Mark is reported to be on the mend but likely will be out of action for an extended period of time. Nick Gima from ABC was called in to help out with announcing and took care of the winner's interviews Sunday.

A tour of the pits before the show started found Anthony Woodhull debuting his new Rocket Late Model, quite an upgrade from his previous car. Cade Nelson also had his Late Model out for its fourth night of action. Later Cade finished off quite a weekend, as he made his first Challenge Series race on Friday at Gondik and then got his highest finish in a Late Model feature so far with a second Sunday. He also got his first heat race win at Proctor.

Tyler Schramm, former hotshoe in the Hornet class, made his debut in the Mid Mods. Later, he flew straight off the first turn and nearly took out the track scoreboard.

Todd Gehl remains out of action until he gets a new motor for his Late Model, which might be as soon as this week. I was also told Kevin Carlson’s new Late Model was “junk” after his flip at Gondik on Friday, but he vows he will return to the track yet this year — in what, I am not certain.

There were no stunning upsets during the course of the program on Sunday. Drivers who either run strongly at a national level or have run strong at this track claimed all six feature races. Four of the six feature winners led all laps in their respective events. And, while that sounds bad, there were really good battles for the wins and other good racing back in the pack.

McLean Andrews led the first 13 laps of the 15-lap Mid Mod feature. He very nearly pulled off the win. He started on the outside pole and drove away to a nice early lead, as the first twelve laps of the race ran off nonstop. Eventually Joey Jensen and Paul Ripley came through the pack and started to close on Andrews, but if not for the yellow triggered by Schramm's off-road excursion, McLean had a good shot at the victory.

As it was however, the double- file restart proved to be his downfall. He made one mistake in turn one on the green, Jensen got underneath him down the back chute, and the big power of his Ford motor allowed him to take over the top spot. Andrews tried to come back but Jensen had his groove and drove on for the win. Ripley settled for third ahead of Tyler Vernon and Garrett Paull.

Shawn McFadden, the defending track champion in the Super Stocks at Proctor, started on the pole position for their main event and he proved impossible to beat. Early on, he was challenged by Steve Stuart and Tristan Labarge but they faded back as Curt Myers and Shane Sabraski moved past them and tried to catch McFadden. The last 11 laps ran off green and McFadden was up to the challenge. Despite the best efforts of both, they couldn't cut into the lead and McFadden drove home with the win by a comfortable margin.

The Modified feature had much the same scenario with an early leader, a couple of brief yellows early, and then a long period of green flag racing right up to the finish. In this case, Sabraski started on the outside pole and he used the good starting spot to his advantage, leading all laps without much of a challenge.

Jody Bellefeuille tried his best to catch up and he made a little progress, cutting the lead somewhat, but never having a legitimate shot at a pass for the lead. There was a pretty good battle for third, with Andrew Inman fending off Nick Oreskovich and Blake Adams for that spot.

The Late Model feature proved to be an interesting race. Cade Nelson continues to achieve at a high rate. Except for one bad choice in lapped traffic, he may have won his first Late Model feature race.

The first 10 laps were classic racing, with Nelson in the lead and Sabraski all over him trying to get past. Nelson picked a line that gave the bottom an open look to Sabraski, but Sabraski just wasn't quite able to get the run he needed to drive by. Nelson was smooth and despite the constant look from Sabraski's fender to his inside, Nelson continued to run his line.

However, as the two battled this slowed them down and Kyle Peterlin, who has been the driver to beat here this year, caught both. Suddenly, it was a three-car battle for the lead. Things got even busier when the three caught some traffic and here is where perhaps Cade's inexperience hurt him. He misjudged the speed of a slower car in front on him as he tried to pass and got into the back of that car, picking him up off the ground in turn three. Sabraski got slowed down dramatically by what was going on right in front of him and somehow, Peterlin found a hole and shot from third to first, just that quick.

At the same time, Darrell Nelson came flying into that same turn, and not being able to slow or turn quick enough, he blasted into the side of Sabraski's car, damaging both. Darrell pulled off and Shane tried to race for a few laps. However, he had a tire rubbing and eventually this caused a flat and he pulled off as well.

Peterlin was now the leader for the restart and he pulled away from that point for an easy win. Cade Nelson was under the gun at various times from Jeff Massingill, Kevin Burdick and Jayne Lautigar, all trying to pass him. He maintained his line and took home a well-earned second place with Lautigar next in line.

In the Pure Stocks, the track was to George Richards’ liking; he runs well on a smooth, slick track as he likes to keep his car straight through the corners. He led from start to finish, though he was challenged several times. However, George kept his car smooth and hugged the low line and it worked for him to take the win.

Strange things happened late in the race when Austin Fencl was taken out in the last corner. Instead of calling it a race, as all cars had taken the white, and then docking the offending car, they restarted the race and ran off one last lap. And to my mind, they also failed to put anyone to the rear. The car that clearly took out Fencl got his spot back, so I'm confused on the way this race played out.

Richards gathered himself one last time, put in one more good lap, and finally took the checkered flag with Crosby and Aaron Bernick next in line.

Tony Jensen had a tough night in the Hornets. The track point leader at Ogilvie barely made the first corner in his heat before a car squirreled up in front of him, there was contact, and Jensen was off on the hook, done for the night.

Without him, 14 drivers took the green for the last race of the night and Carson Gotelaere dominated, leading from start to finish. He maintained a solid lead over Nikota Larson throughout the race, with another late arrival, Brady Albertson, moving from seventh to third. Rookie driver Nathan Penney continues to provide plenty of excitement as he rolled his car for the second time in three nights of racing; this time it was a barrel roll down the back chute after he overcorrected following a near spin. He was okay.

The track managed to squeeze in the Meet the Driver's Night before the races began and still maintained a schedule. Despite lots of yellows during some of the features, the whole show was over before 9 p.m. and they didn't even have to turn the track lights on.