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Sunday, August 24

A long week of racing concluded on Sunday, August 24 with championship night at Granite City Motor Park in Sauk Rapids, MN.

As many other tracks do, GCMP crowns whoever is leading the points at the conclusion of the final track night as its “track champions.”

This final regular season night was a big one for the fans. It was a free night with no admission charged, unless you were going into the pits. They also had a number of prizes for the kids, including bikes to give away and a multitude of backpacks full of school supplies — this no doubt lit up the eyes of the kids. And there was a gigantic candy toss from the flagstand as well, though all of the activities were time-consuming as well.

All seven classes were on hand and all were well represented with the exception of a small WISSOTA Mod Four group.

Next weekend will be the last weekend of racing for Landyn Randt, who is currently on a roll with two feature wins already this week. He moves into his new residence on Labor Day, starting his career playing hockey for Super Stock driver Jeff Crouse.

Sunday was not a memorable night for Landyn, as a very poor start to the Midwest Mod feature ended with cars tangled. Randt wrecked his front end before he even crossed the starting line to officially begin the race.

It has been a tough weekend for Street Stock driver Jenna Herrman. She lost driveshafts in her Street Stock Friday and Saturday night. On Sunday, she showed up at Granite City with a different car from the Herrman Farms fleet, one normally driven by Cody Cimfl. But, doggone it if she didn't lose the driveshaft out of that car in the heat race too, and she was done for the night.

Thirteen-year-old Layla Chaplin's debut in racing has been an up and down one as well. The Street Stock rookie hammered the backstretch wall on the first lap of her heat race, retiring to the pits on the wrecker. Her father Joe got the car fixed for the main event.

She showed more speed than I have seen before, as she got up on the cushion and was just getting ready to pass two cars and take second when she hammered the backstretch wall in nearly the same spot as previously. She then limped home sixth.

Remember when I said that Trey Hess’s car may have finally lost the motor at Thunder City on Wednesday? Well, it turns out that was a transmission fluid leak. It looked bad and was messy to clean up, but not serious. Since that time, Hess won a feature race elsewhere on Saturday. Tonight, however, I think the real deal happened; he exited the feature race while in third under a big cloud of smoke. Either way, the next time he races, it will be with a different powerplant under the hood.

Thirteen heat races clicked off fairly quickly, but intermission took a long while with all the activities planned.

In order of their appearance, the Street Stock feature was first on the track. Tommy Pogones started on the pole but was only able to hold the lead for one lap before he was passed by Jim Gullikson, who had started right behind him. Once in front, Gullikson was gone in what turned out to be a nonstop feature race. Levi Randt finished third.

The Super Stock feature also ran green to checkered flag, and defending national champion Dexton Koch led from start to finish in this race. He’s making another late-season charge to the title once again. Koch started on the pole and was in charge for all 20 laps. Shane Sabraski pulled into second and was able to gnaw into Koch's lead some, but was never close enough to provide a challenge. Denis Czech blew a transmission near the end and gave up third, with James Trantina and Eric Martini getting past him.

The third feature in a row to go green to checkered was the Hornet feature. It was a two-car battle right down to the wire. Austin Jacobson, who lives just about a mile north of the track, came into this race as the point leader and he fended off challenges from national point leader Tony Jenson for nine laps of the race. However, Jenson was able to get alongside him and after running wheel to wheel for a couple laps, Jenson moved Jacobson up the track enough to take over the lead. Once in front, he put several car lengths on Jacobson to take the win. Jenna Hagemann made her first appearance in a borrowed ride to come home third.

The Mod Fours also went green to checkered in their 15-lap finale and Blake Hawker dominated this race. He grabbed a lead on the first lap and did nothing but extend it throughout the race, winning by a comfortable margin over Rowan Tramm and Chad Funt.

It was a rocky race for the MidMods. After the opening-lap tangle, it took seemingly forever to disengage Patrick McCarty from Carter Matthews, and then the race was slowed three more times, all for debris on the track in the first half of the contest. Through this all, Brady Larson, who started on the pole and was pounding the cushion, was pulling away from the field.

Ashton Schulte and Jake Hagemann swapped second a couple times but they weren't close to Larson. The field was coming for the checkered flag when Bud Martini managed to “stick it” in turn one. He got “10” scores from all but the Russian judge, as he soared through the air, mostly clearing the first turn concrete wall, and then tearing deeply into the wheel fence above it.

Fortunately, Bud was okay but the clean-up process was a long one, with just the Modified feature left to run. They wisely checkered the Midwest Mod feature at this point and set about to do cleanup on aisle one. It took some effort, but they finally got Bud's car off the wall. Since the wheel fence mostly just protects the field behind it, they felt safe to complete the program.

There were just a few spartan spectators left in the house as it hit the 11 p.m. hour. Tyler Kaeter was the leader for the first five laps of the Modified main event, with Joey Thomas, Shane Sabraski and Blake Adams all in a pack right behind him. However, Kaeter got into the first turn wall while leading and in the scramble that followed, the door was opened for Sabraski. He took his opportunity and drove through to take the lead. Running a slightly different line on the track, he made it work as he pulled away. Even after Adams got into second, he couldn't make any kind of charge on Sabraski, who continues to count the feature races down until the 1,000-mark is hit, which should be some time in September. Thomas settled for third.

It was a long night of racing, with the final checkered flag coming after 11 p.m.

Wednesday, August 27

One of the top Late Model special events is the Twin Ports Twin 25s, held annually at Gondik Law Speedway in Superior, Wisconsin. This race was rained out last month and rescheduled as the first of a five-night holiday swing for the Late Models in northern Wisconsin and throughout Northeast Minnesota.

This race offers two 25-lap feature events, the second of which is lined up by a redraw invert of at least the top eight finishers in the first 25. Tonight it ended up being 11. Each race pays the same and many bonuses are offered. There is also the Jerry O'Brien Non-Qualifiers Fund, which offers a nice check to each of those drivers who don't make the main event. That fund was multiplied by fan donations. In other words, everyone who shows up goes home with a nice check, probably one of the best of the year.

The first feature race is set up using the standard Challenge Series procedures and is a Challenge Series point race, while the second is just a nice paying Late Model event.

Weather again played a factor in the night’s racing. There was a large chance of rain falling at some point during the night, so track and series officials passed on some of the pomp and circumstance in an effort to get the whole show in. And for once, the weather cooperated and the entire program was completed.

An excellent field of 42 drivers signed in to race Wednesday night in the Late Models. The Challenge Series still doesn't get as wide of support from drivers as some of the other Midwestern-based series do; seven of the top 10 in points were on hand, but only eight of the top 20. Fortunately, there is a strong group of local racers, plus Iron Range drivers who showed up for these races to beef up the numbers.

Under the Challenge Series format, the program kicked off with qualifying, and both series officials and drivers have learned to streamline this, making it a less cumbersome part of the program. Billy Kendall was the 34th driver out for time but he still turned in the best lap at 15.651 seconds, which gave him the right to start fourth in his heat with the invert and try to earn some passing points.

As usual, Gondik Law Speedway started out quick and smooth but quickly slicked off. I think drivers like that it is very predictable. The racing groove is wide, as long as the top side gets packed.

Five big heat races using passing points, plus a pair of B features set the race order for the first of the two 25-lap races. The biggest drama during the heats was when Jayme Lautigar lost the air cleaner off his car while leading a heat race. The cover was still pinned against the top of the car but the guts of the air cleaner were spewed all over turn three. However, he continued to race and won the heat anyway.

But much bigger drama was brewing. The official finishes started to trickle in on the electronic devices and we learned Shane Sabraski and Jake Redetzke, first and second heat winners, plus first heat third-place finisher Joel Bennett and second heat runner-up Kevin Burdick were all disqualified for illegal deck height on their cars. Wow!

This greatly changed the course of the whole evening in one big swoop. Redetzke opted to park his car for the course of the evening, Bennett took a series provisional to make the feature, Burdick failed to qualify for the show out of a B feature, and Sabraski came from 10th to win the second B feature.

Sabraski, as the series point leader, then started 18th in the feature. He was only able to get up to 16th and at the end of the night, he dropped from series leader to a close third in points, nine behind new point leader Dave Mass, who received the series spoiler to have on his car the next night (Thursday) at Proctor.

Still, it was quite a profound change and certainly an unexpected one, as Late Models are generally not the class that sees much in the way of disqualifications.

The first WISSOTA Late Model feature — for Challenge Series points — Late Model rookie Jake Hartung took the early lead from the outside pole, ramming the cushion hard along the way. Dave Mass started third and he picked just the right night to run his best at Gondik; he moved to the low line and drove under Hartung to take over the lead. Five laps into the race, Ashley Anderson was up to third ahead of Kevin Eder and Lautigar before the first yellow came for a spin.

Mass continued to lead with the second and last yellow coming for a multicar spin with 11 laps completed. Anderson was second with Jeff Provinzino also cracking the top five. That running order stayed the same with the exception of Dave Flynn, as the local driver moved up from 13th to crack the top five at the halfway point.

Mass gradually pulled away from the pack during the second half of the race, as his car worked beautifully hugging the inside line of the track. He was about the only one to make that line work. Anderson and Eder swapped second several times until Anderson finally claimed it. Perhaps the fastest car on the track at the end, Dave Flynn, roared up to third ahead of Eder, at the finish. Travis Budisalovich was also moving at the end and finished fifth.

With the top 11 finishers for the second feature 25-lapper inverted and the rest of the field tagging on as they finished the feature, it put Hartung and Billy Kendall on the front row. For the second straight race, Hartung again grabbed the early lead. But once again he was only able to hold that spot for a few laps, this time before Kendall used the tall side of the track to take over the point.

Kendall continued to run up front, but Kyle Peterlin and Lautigar were close behind. The only yellow was triggered when Sam Mars spun while batting for position with Provinzino, with Mars then calling it a night.

At the halfway point, Peterlin held second but Lautigar was really showing strength, driving his car deep into the corners and then trying to beat Kendall back to the preferred line. Lautigar kept trying, lap after lap, and while he never was able to accomplish the pass, he kept Kendall sweating for sure.

And near the end of the race, Ashley Anderson again caught fire, working the low side this time and really picking up the pace. As perhaps the fastest car at the end, he passed Lautigar for second and was closing on Kendall at the finish, but Kendall held on for the big win. Budisalovich had another good run, finishing fourth ahead of Peterlin, as local drivers and young guns stood out once again. The whole Late Model program was completed without any major wrecks or disturbances, except for Dan Bargender's hard trip into the inside wall on the frontstretch in his heat, after contact with another driver sent him out of control.

The Modifieds and Pure Stocks were also part of the program and the Modifieds nearly stole the show from the Late Models.

The Modified feature was a barnburner, with the winning margin being almost too close to call. Not surprisingly, it involved two of the most storied drivers in Modified history here at Gondik — Darrell Nelson and Jody Bellefeuille. They put on a great show for the win, all while under pressure from Ryan Gierke.

Another storied veteran, Al Uotinen, was the early leader of the feature race. He held that position for several laps until he was passed by Nelson, who was working the high cushion.

Once Nelson got into the lead, Uotinen still fought back and was then joined by Gierke and Bellefeuille. Gierke was second at the halfway point and tried lap after lap to pass inside of Nelson, but just couldn't quite pull it off.

When the yellow flew with just six laps to go after Cory Crapser made contact with the frontstretch wall, Bellefeuille took over second and then really put the heat on Nelson.

Lap after lap, Bellefeuille dove deep into the corners on the low side and then tried to beat Nelson back to the top off the corner. He just couldn’t quite do it but was door to door several times with Nelson and was starting to gain an edge.

Suddenly, Nelson changed his line in the corners, duplicating the moves that Bellefeuille was making as Bellefeuille followed him into the corners. On the last corner, as Nelson used the same line, Bellefeuille trailed him and then cut across the track and tried to beat Nelson to the line. The crowd was on their feet and in a finish that was oh, so close, Nelson was the winner by .022 seconds ahead of Bellefeuille. They exchanged hugs in victory lane, following the show the two veterans put on for fans.

Late in the race Brady Uotinen, who had been languishing near the tail after he started dead last, took off like a rocket and moved up to third, passing both Mike Anderson and Gierke to get that spot.

The Pure Stock feature was dominated by Tom Treviranus who started third and took just three laps to pass early leader Aaron Bernick and then walk away from the field.

Rob Christman tried to keep moving after he spun during a lap one incident, but instead he ended up crashing hard into several other cars, with the machines of Michael Pederson and Austin Fencl going off on rollbacks.

Once Treviranus got the lead, he expanded it to nearly a full straightaway over Bernick and Dylan Helget, who edged out Eric Crosby for position on the last lap. Treviranus was so much quicker than everyone else I wondered if he was using his Street Stock, which looks identical to the Pure Stock and I can't tell one from the other. (Just kidding.)

With urgency the word for the night, the final checkered flag waved just after 10 p.m. The crowd, unfortunately, was just so-so. I suspect the threatening weather, finances and it being a work night all contributed to the crowd size.

This rescheduled race also fell during the same night as the season finale at Thunder City. There are normally a lot of Canadian fans at this race who couldn't be there on Wednesday. With the rainout Wednesday at Thunder City, I expected Proctor might feel the same thing, as Thunder City’s scheduled rain date is always Thursday.

A welcome back is in order for announcer Mark Fleischer, who is back behind the mic following his health issues. He shared the “horn” tonight with series announcer Scott Tiefs.

Thursday, August 28

The 53rd annual Silver 1000 was held on Thursday, August 28 at Proctor KME Speedway. This event is the longest run special event in WISSOTA and one of the longest continuously held special events for the Late Models in the entire country. Its heritage is a proud one and dates way back to the days when the track’s season ran into September, with each track still calculating points back when point titles meant much more than they seem to today.

Crash Carlson, who is still very actively involved in racing in this area, was one of the those who were involved in starting the first Silver 1000. Back then it was a gigantic risk and it was thought by many to be a real harebrained idea.

The event name came from the first year when the winner got $1,000 silver dollars for winning the race and thus the title was born. It is still just a bit shocking to me when I admit I have never missed a Silver 1000 race. In fact, as a college student, I was hired by the Proctor management group at that time to bring the timing light up from Rice Lake Speedway and run the time trials for the first Silver 1000. I remember it like it was yesterday — we had to run a power cord from under the wooden grandstands to the timing beam and then I sat in the infield and ran the timer. The quick timer was LeRoy Scharkey with his Ford-powered Mustang, and Dave Bjorge won the feature race ... and the rest is history. We have now come full circle as we are back to timing the cars once again in the Challenge Series. I suppose there probably aren't too many folks anymore who can claim they have seen every Silver 1000, along with every Red Clay Classic and every Punky Manor along with every WISSOTA 100, but I can.

Among the new Late Model drivers on hand for action from the previous night were Randy Hoff, a native of Superior who now lives in Parker, Colorado, and Ryan Kough, who was running Midwest Mods this year until moving up for this event.

Car counts for the night were very similar to last year's event, with just two less Modifieds on hand. There were actually five more Late Models in competition than there had been in 2024.

While the sun was shining, it was not a particularly comfortable night for racing in August. That nasty east wind was blowing off the lake, which has a way of making the air temperature feel much cooler.

The track had been prepared well, with just enough water to keep it from locking down. The drivers were able to work all over the track all night and that is about all that can be expected.

The field was divided into four groups for heat race and qualifying action and Pat Doar was quickest of all at 14.719 seconds. After that, it was all downhill for Doar. Shockingly, he didn't even make the feature race. He slipped up badly in his heat, falling to near the back of the pack, and then he was mired in a B feature. He just couldn't work his way far enough forward to make the cut. I'm not sure how the provisional starters were determined, but he was seen exiting the pit area even before the green flag flew for the feature race.

Besides Doar, another racer who had a good night at Gondik but failed to make the show at Proctor was Travis Budisalovich.

The entire Late Model portion of the program was run off with the yellow flag waving just twice, and that was for two yellows in one of the B features as the heats and main event ran off cleanly to the checkered flag.

The Late Model feature was 40 laps of green flag racing and yet the field was so well matched, only four cars were lapped during that whole race, which is quite remarkable, too.

There was one controversy during the Late Model program when, by mistake, the white flag was shown twice to the field. Some drivers saw the first flag and when it was waved again, they assumed it to be the checkered and backed off. This created a situation where Mike Greseth, who was running third, was scored farther back in sixth. This was obviously a difficult mistake and when the feature race hit the track, Greseth had been given a spot in the main event, rightfully so. Damage control done.

Ashley Anderson started on the pole and was scored the leader of all 40 laps of the main event, but I actually thought there was one point near the halfway point of the race when Darrell Nelson nosed in front of him for a lap or two. I guess not, but it was clear that Nelson was there the whole race, pressuring Anderson for the lead.

It was tense right up to the end, with Nelson still having a legitimate shot at winning until Anderson made some big moves in lapped traffic, building himself up a bit of a cushion.

Kevin Burdick started on the pole, fell back a little, but then moved back to the front by the halfway point of the race and those three separated themselves from the pack.

It was a good race right down to the finish and the top three were still close together at the line with Nelson just a car length behind at the finish. Sam Mars made a nice drive forward in the second half of the race, moving from 10th up to fourth, with Kevin Eder right behind him.

The Modifieds, which have been a big part of the Silver for years, also held a full program. The winner took home $1700 dollars for the effort, and this race produced an upset as Andrew Inman, a regular at Proctor in only his second year of Modified racing, led from start to finish to win this big race.

Inman, who won the first heat from the fourth position, sat on the pole for the feature and took full advantage, quickly pulling away from Austin Chyba to take the early lead. Chyba also did well the first half of the race, as he was involved with a great battle for second with Jody Bellefeuille and Ryan Gierke. The three of them went at it as Inman used this to his advantage, building up a nice sized lead.

By the halfway point of the race, Inman was at least a half straightaway in front of the pack and with the race staying under green, he was just extending his lead. Inman was running a bit of an unusual line for Proctor, rolling right through the middle of the corners where generally drivers here are either hugging the ute tires on the bottom or ripping the cushion. But he was making it work and things still looked good until Bellefeuille finally broke through into second and started to slowly track down the leader.

Bellefeuille was making up ground but not too rapidly, and it looked like Inman would still have plenty in reserve to get the win. Then it happened — as the field was in the process of seeing the white flag, a spinner in turn four blocked the track and the yellow was necessary. The race had to be run to the checkered, so it was backed up and a two-lap sprint was forthcoming.

This put Inman in a tough spot but he responded, putting down two solid laps and continuing to use his middle line. While Bellefeuille tried to drop low and roll up under him, he simply couldn't get enough push to make it happen.

Inman crossed the line as the winner to a resounding roar from the crowd. Bellefeuille settled for second for the second straight night with 13th-starter Shane Sabraski making a late charge to nip Gierke for third. Fourteenth-starter Kaden Blaeser, who was bottled up in traffic for many laps, finally broke through and the defending winner raced up to fifth at the end.

There was also one touchy incident in the Modified class which involved Nelson. He spun into the infield during one of the heats and the track officials chose to let the race continue. Nelson was not happy nor were his legion of followers with many open arms and a few one-finger salutes toward the tower as the race continued. Nelson opted not to race a B feature, but perhaps that was because he knew that they were allowing him to join the feature at the back of the pack. He started 25th and finished 12th, but did not mention that incident in his post-race remarks following the Late Model feature.

It was a good night of racing with the final checkered waving just at 10 p.m., a far cry from some of the late nights endured over the years but richly appreciated.

It was been an up-and-down season for Proctor, in large part due to the awful weather they’ve endured. It was good for them to finish the season strongly, with a good race track, a good show and everyone having enjoyed the performance. The crowds are not like they were at one time anymore, but they did have a good crowd on hand on Thursday.

I also learned all the non-qualifiers at Gondik Law for the Twin 25s received a check for $334, a nice consolation prize for those who didn't make the feature race. It’s likely one good reason why they always have such a big car count for that event.

Friday, August 29

With rain in the area of Red Cedar Speedway (and a later rainout) Grand Rapids Speedway was the destination for us for the track’s “WISSOTA Classic,” which was again part of the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series. It was the third race for these drivers in a row this week.

Along with the Late Models, four other WISSOTA-sanctioned classes raced, including the Modifieds, Midwest Mods, Pure Stocks and Super Stocks.

Twenty-eight Late Model drivers signed in to race on Friday night, with most having raced earlier this week at either Gondik or Proctor.

Shane Sabraski, part of the second group to qualify, was the quickest overall at 13.438 seconds.

The three heat races followed, with drivers racing for passing points. Sabraski had the most success and that gave him the pole position for the 40-lap main.

A local favorite, Jeff Massingill, was having all kinds of trouble with his car. Having blown a motor at Gondik, which forced him to miss last night's race at Proctor, he was scrambling to get his car ready. It had been touch and go as to whether he would even make it to Grand Rapids. Well, he did, and the first part of the night went okay. However, he was then late for staging for the feature and pulled off before the start, needing a push to get back to his pit stall.

Mass, from the outside pole, got the jump on Sabraski and led the opening laps. Mass, just as he had done all week, was a bottom feeder but made it work, as he moved away from the pack. The battle for second between Sabraski and Billy Kendall was a good one, with them swapping that position several times as they tried to stay with Mass. With so many cars and a relatively small track, it was not long before Mass was in lapped traffic and that proved to be a tough part of the race.

Mass had opened up a bit of a lead but at least twice he got hung up in traffic, with Kendall and Sabraski closing on him. At the halfway point, the yellow had yet to wave with the top three chased by Gunner Frank and Kevin Eder, who was putting together another consistent run.

Things really got interesting during the second half of the race as again Mass got hung up in heavy traffic. He had to make some daring moves as Kendall and Sabraski were breathing right down his rear deck. The low line remained the preferred groove and a couple times Mass had to give up that line and move around slower cars, but was able to do so.

The only yellow of the race came out with just five laps to go when Jeff Provinzino rolled to a halt. Running second in series points close behind Mass, this put a hit on his title chances; he was scored 19th after so many consistent finishes earlier in the year.

Things really got shuffled following the late restart as they often do when there is a quick finish. Sabraski moved past Kendall for second and he put the pressure on Mass for the lead, but with an open track, Mass was hard to catch.

The driver on the move at the end was Kyle Peterlin. Not even in the top five with just five laps to go, he moved to the long-abandoned top side and made it work for him. He drove into the top five and then kept right on going, passing both Eder and Kendall to take a podium finish behind Mass and Sabraski. Off the final corner, Eder also nipped Kendall for position.

It has been quite a week for Mass, winning his second Challenge Series race this week. He padded his point lead ahead of Sabraski in second, as they headed to Hibbing for a doubleheader weekend.

Sabraski was no doubt disappointed he couldn't win the Late Model feature, but he salved his wounds with victories in two other divisions. Both proved to be pretty dominating wins.

In the Super Stock feature, he started in the second row with Doug Koski leading the first three laps. However, Sabraski got up on the outside and quickly moved forward, driving past Koski on toward the win. He wasn't challenged and won by nearly a full straightaway over the pack.

Some good battling for position behind him featured Tristan LaBarge and Cole Chernosky getting feisty for second, with LaBarge winning that tug of war and Jordan Henkemeyer and Kyle Copp in the top five.

As dominating as Sabraski was in the Super Stocks, he was even more so in the Modifieds. Even though Bob Broking got the jump and led the opening few laps of the feature, once Sabraski got going he drove past Broking and again performed a disappearing act on the field. After a first-lap yellow, this race went green flag for 25 laps and Sabraski's only worry was getting through lapped traffic, which was considerable.

He never backed off on his pace though, and by the end of the race there were only seven cars on the lead lap and Sabraski had six lapped cars and half a track on Broking, who raced second throughout the event. It took Jody Bellefeuille many laps to get past Kennedy Swan for third and by that time it was too late to catch Broking. Chernosky rounded out the top five.

Blake Adams was out with a new car for Friday. It was just the second night on it, and after a horrible heat race, he did move up some in the feature. His most significant challenger for national points was in victory lane once again, however.

For Sabraski, it was his 42nd victory overall between his three classes and the 993rd overall, as the countdown continues.

The Midwest Mod feature was dominated by David Simpson, who started on the pole and led every lap. He found the ditch to be fast just after track prep and once in his groove, he was never challenged.

Michael Blevins and Gary James Nelson had a good battle for second, running in those positions for the first 15 laps of the 20-lap race. A late bogus yellow set up a five-lap sprint to the finish, and while Simpson again took control and wasn't challenged, there was considerable scrambling for position behind him.

Jake Smith, only fifth with five to go, found some openings and as Blevins and Nelson slipped back, he and William Moelter battled it out on the final lap for second. Smith ran Moelter up high and took the spot.

The Pure Stock feature finished off the night and it was a slick track that they raced on. With national point implications on the line, the race turned into a two-car battle between Jake Smith (the other Jake Smith) and Austin Carlson.

Smith took the lead from the pole and had opened up some distance over the pack. Carlson started third and it took him a few laps to get into second. Once he did, he started to slowly but surely close the distance between the two.

This race ran green to checkered flag, but on the slippery surface, it was clear Carlson was superior as he began to pressure the leader. With just two laps to go, Carlson came off the bottom and drove under Smith to take over the lead and Smith couldn't fire back.

They were followed by Dustin Puffe, Alex Berg and Dylan Helget.

Grand Rapids has a 10 pm curfew but they were bound and determined to complete the show, no matter the time. Despite a lot of racing, they almost made that time, finishing up just a few minutes after 10 p.m.

It was a good wrap-up to the 2025 season for Grand Rapids. I hate to see track after track wrapping up their seasons because I know what comes next, but I'm glad they completed it successfully. I made several trips up here this year and would like to thank John, Bob and Johnny Broking among others for all their help this year, along with the track officials and other volunteers who make the club-run Grand Rapids Speedway successful.

Saturday, August 30

Saturday, August 30 was the opening night for the second annual Dairyland Dash at Rice Lake Speedway.

They did a fine job of finding sponsors for all the classes, kept their strong purse from last year, and did a good job of having things organized and ready to go for the racers on Saturday.

I did something that I rarely do when I get to a track these days and that is just to stop and look around. What struck me the most about this track is just how nice they have everything looking. Everything is painted up, cleaned up and looking spiffy. There is no garbage laying around and it is just very attractive. I believe the new owners have the place looking better than it ever has. And fortunately, there are a lot of people who pay attention to things like this. It presents a message to the fans that yes, they care about what the place looks like.

While there is a lot of excitement in the air as specials season opens, locally there is some sadness this week, too. Pat Becker, 79, passed away on August 26. Pat was an air force vet and then taught in the Rice Lake School system for 30-plus years. He taught in the vocational department and I'm guessing there are a lot of guys in this area who learned about motors, welding etc. from Mr. Becker.

He was a member of the Rice Lake Speedway Hall of Fame and also a voting member for the HoF for a number of years, until his health precluded him from attending the meetings. He raced in a number of classes at the track but I think his favorite class was the Sprint Cars. Rest in peace, Mr. Becker.

The Dairyland Dash drew a fine field of drivers, with 154 signing in to race on Saturday. While this is more than enough drivers to put on a good show, the number was down just a bit from last year's event. I think the difference makers were that there were more tracks racing on the Labor Day weekend than last year, and there just aren't as many racers this year as there were last year.

However, as the haulers get bigger and bigger, the pit area was jammed with the field of cars and most importantly, the grandstand held a large number of spectators.

It was a long day for Midwest Mod driver Will Moelter. He raced in Grand Rapids on Friday but was planning on returning to race in Rice Lake on Saturday. Unfortunately, his tow rig broke down in Proctor on his way back south and he and the Swan crew had to spent the night up north as they arranged to get another tow vehicle for his trailer. He did make it on time to race. He ran second for much of the Midwest Mod feature before losing two spots in lapped traffic late in the race.

Eric Olson returned to the driver’s seat for the first time since his horrendous crash during the Fastlane Series event way back in the first part of June. His car had to be rebuilt and he had to heal up before he could even think about racing again. He seemed to not have forgotten a thing though, as his sterling drive in the Super Stock feature was a run from 14th to finish a dynamic second.

Caiden Engel also returned to the track for the first time since his big Street Stock flip at Gondik. He had a good run going until he was bumped around in the feature.

Warren Bartelt, who has raced Street Stocks for the last several years, appeared in a Super Stock on Saturday and unless I am mistaken, it appeared to be the car that Cody Kummer raced in the Supers for a couple years recently.

The open wheel cars presented fans with efficient feature racing. The Midwest Mods went 20 laps nonstop and all 23 starters of the race were still on the track at the finish. That doesn't happen too often and when the leaders hit the back of the pack, it made that race very interesting.

Then the Modifieds came on the track and did nearly the same thing. Twenty-five drivers started the Modified feature and only one failed to finish. And again, the race went green to checkered.

It was a very good night for Blake Adams, who won both events against big fields of drivers. Both races were hard fought and his key to victory may have been the good heat races he had. He picked up lots of passing points that allowed him to start both mains from the front row. However, Brady Larson — who seems to have had a rebirth after getting a different car recently — Moelter and Joey Jensen gave him plenty of pressure.

The Modified feature ended up being a classic as another teenager, Kaden Blaeser, and Adams had a dandy race for the win.

Twice in the last five laps, Blaeser was able to get under Adams in turn four, one time even scored the leader for a lap. Adams got him back in traffic and their race to the finish was a dandy with Adams holding on by .072 seconds for the win.

While the open wheel cars did a dandy job of racing, the cars with fenders had their “moments” we’d like to forget. The Super Stock feature was still a good race but it would have been a lot better minus the seven yellow flags and two laps that were cut by the time limit. Two of the top five finishers were also removed from their positions for post-race shenanigans.

The Street Stock feature had a great finish, with Parker Anderson just holding off Shawn Amundson and Nick Traynor as they raced three wide to the line. That race also would have been much better without the six yellows that bogged it down. And that’s not including the battle for second where two drivers got together, with one getting a flat tire and an ensuing “track meeting” outside their cars and their excusal from the race.

Even the Pure Stocks got a bit pushy with two leaders taken out. One driver suffered a flat tire that ended his run for the win, while the other was able to restart and then hold on for the victory. There was just too much rough stuff going on. The heat races and even the B features were completed so smoothly and then the main took an eternity, frustrating everyone.

Interestingly, while I see the Pure Stocks dominated by a driver or two at most tracks that run them, at Rice Lake the Pures have been the most competitive class with nine different winners during the season.

Sunday, August 31

A highly successful weekend of racing concluded Sunday, August 31, with the second night of the Dairyland Dash at Rice Lake Speedway.

The weather was fantastic all weekend and of course, that helps immensely with the success of an event. There were still 148 drivers who raced on Sunday night and a surprising 22 new drivers who entered on Sunday. For the weekend, there were 176 different drivers in competition, topping last year’s field.

The track raced great all weekend, especially considering all the pounding it received over the course of two nights and the sun and wind. The new clay discovered in the Weyerhaeuser area has blended in well with the existing dirt, producing a smooth, fast and dust-free racing surface.

Sharp-eyed fans may have spotted large piles of dirt somewhat hidden in the infield that will be used to add to the existing surface so it can settled in all winter before racing begins again in 2026. It will be interesting to see what the 2026 schedule looks like and what the plans of the ownership team are for the coming years.

Their improvements in areas like social media and the website have been impressive this year. Brent Creaser is doing much of that work and has been a great hire. The knowledge that track announcer Ben Brost also has in those areas is a gigantic help, too. The track also offers many more interactive activities for the kids and fans in general. Those are the kind of thing that helps the fans’ experience and keeps folks coming back.

Some of the yips of opening night among the drivers seem to have been settled on Sunday, as the program went off much smoother. There were less yellow flags and a show that was completed two full hours earlier than the previous night.

The Midwest Mods produced some great racing over the weekend and almost unbelievably, ran off 20-lap feature races both nights without a single yellow flag! That in itself is earth-shaking news.

Fans were in a gambling mood this weekend with the 50/50 prize being more than $1,000 both nights of racing.

As an example of what these racing teams will do to get their car on the track, on Saturday night the Modified team of Dave Mayala suffered a suspension issue that resulted in them losing the driveshaft out of their car. Between their heat and the main event, Dave drove home to Barron and got the driveshaft out of their old car, while father Buddy readied the car and then Dave returned with the driveshaft which they got in the car in time to race the feature.

What are the odds that all three racing Kelleys would be in the same Mid Mod heat? Apparently pretty high, as Matt, Shawn and Cole were all slated to start the second heat clumped together. Cole ended up scratching out of the race but later qualified out of a B feature, so all three raced the A-main.

Shadow Kitchner was back on track Sunday after having to sit out racing action due to his concession from a rollover. He ran well, just missing a top five spot in the main.

As best as I can recall, Sunday night marked the first appearance of the season for both Steve and Danny Thomas. Steve was driving a Mid Mod while Danny had his familiar #T40 entered in the Modified class.

Announcer Ben Brost reported that Sunday was the last time Curt Myers would be racing at Rice Lake; apparently Myers is talking about retirement. I will believe that when I see it, simply because he seems to be having so much fun racing with his son, Alex. But if indeed it is the end of the road for him, it was nice that he was able to break the track record for feature wins in the Super Stocks before he hung up his helmet.

On his birthday, his last potential night was somewhat bittersweet as on the first lap of his heat he was involved in a multicar tangle. He pulled off the track and parked his car for the rest of the night.

There were some excellent battles for position among the drivers during feature action on Sunday. Hunter VanGilder and Nick Traynor had a great race in the Street Stocks and the three-car battle among Brady Larson, Joey Jensen and Blake Adams was also a dandy. And just as good was the Pure Stock race between Mark Barta and Tyler Wahlstrom, where they exchanged the lead officially at least five times.

It was sad, however, that this race was decided in the tech area when Wahlstrom was disqualified for having an illegal bead lock on a front wheel. The racing will endure, though, even after the results are long-forgotten.

Shane Basina moved quickly to find another Pure Stock to finish out the season with, after his primary car was destroyed in a big crash recently at Gondik Law Speedway when he went over the wall in turn one.

With the 2025 Rice Lake Speedway season officially completed, I am somewhat sad to report that the two longest win streaks in track history have both ended during the same year.

Kevin Adams had a streak of 28 years in a row where he had won at least one feature race, starting way back in 1997 with a feature win in the Street Stock class. That streak was current through the 2024 racing season, when he won two Modified feature races.

Of course, it was his choice not to race this year, especially after son Blake got such a great and somewhat unexpectedly strong start in the Modifieds. With him now battling for a national championship in the class, Blake was using Kevin's old car. After Kevin sold his other car, he had nothing to race. They recently got a new car together but that car went to him. I think Kevin is comfortable with the fact that he is no longer going to race and if you recall, his father Dave wrapped up his career as a driver rather early in life, happy to move on helping Kevin with his own racing endeavors.

For his career at Rice Lake, Kevin won 18 Street Stock features between the years of 1997 and 2001, 15 Super Stock features between 2002 and 2005, 96 Modified features between the years of 2006 and 2024, 34 feature wins in the Mid Mods between 2005 and 2006 and then again in 2018 and 2019 and a single feature win in the Late Models in 2020. His total of 165 feature wins is far and away the greatest in track history and likely will never be challenged.

Mike Anderson won his first feature race at Rice Lake in 2002 and then in 2004 started a streak where he won at least one feature race for the last 21 years. Sadly now, that streak has been broken. I'm not supposed to be rooting for anyone but I admit, as he was running his low line and charging through the field up to second, I was silently rooting he could continue charging and take the win. Sorry, Kaden, but I would have loved to see him slip under you in the late laps and grab the win to continue his streak, but it was not to be, as he finished a strong second.

During his racing career at Rice Lake, Anderson has won 58 Modified feature wins and a pair of victories in the Super Stocks in 2015. His total of 60 career feature wins is seventh on the all-time list at the track.

The good news is that 2026 is a new year and hopefully he can start a new string of wins.