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Wednesday, September 2

The unofficial start to the “invitational season” began this year on Wednesday, September 2 with a new event for 2026 — the inaugural Road To The Silver, held at the Gondik Law Speedway in Superior, Wisconsin.

The “Silver” mentioned is, of course, the Silver 1000, the oldest continuous running special event in this part of the world. It’s traditionally held on the Thursday before Labor Day weekend at Proctor Speedway, just over the bridge and up the hill from Superior.

In an effort to get more drivers to come to the Northland for the Labor Day weekend, this event was added to the scheduled for 2026, giving Late Model drives more incentive to head north for the weekend.

Five straight nights of $3,000-to-win Late Model races, plus the extra pay for the other positions, attracted a large and talented field of drivers for the holiday weekend.

The opening event of that five night schedule at Superior was met by spectacular early September weather. The temperature was far above average for this time of year and I didn’t even have to put a coat on all night. And believe me, that is rare for this time of year near Lake Superior. Lightning flashed off in the southern skies but it was headed in another direction to other folks who were probably begging for the precipitation, given the extremely dry conditions we currently have. I would take it at home, too, but not here on race night.

Along with the Late Models, both the WISSOTA Mods and Midwest Mods raced a full program. Many of the drivers currently slugging in out in a battle for national titles in those two classes were also present to race.

At the conclusion of the night, the big winners were James Giossi, who topped the Late Models, and Blake Adams, who scored a rare double win.

Thirty-five Late Model drivers signed in to race on Wednesday, a number that I had pegged in prerace predictions about this race. Andy Nezworski, from Blue Grass, Iowa, made his WISSOTA debut for the season. He is a former native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, who got his start racing Street Stocks at ABC Raceway many years ago. Now one of the top IMCA and spec engine Late Model drivers in eastern Iowa, he has been trying to get back to race in this area several times but has been met with all kinds of problems. His last attempt earlier this year was “smoked out” with our air quality problems. The last time he raced, he was crashed out at Ogilvie right off the back and wrecked his car, which sent him home early.

Wednesday night things went a little better: he made the feature as the last qualifier out of the B feature and while he dropped out of the main, he did receive a feature paycheck. He also had seat time in a car that he doesn’t race too often. He has two cars and his crate engine Late Model that he races in IMCA competition gets much more use than his spec engine car, based on where he lives. His local tracks include Davenport Speedway and 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa.

It is certainly a tall hill to climb for someone unfamiliar with either the track or his race car to come to a Challenge Series race. They must qualify well, which is super important for any time trial show, while getting zero practice on the track. There are no hot laps, so the first time the Late Models hit the track, it is to time trial. I don’t know whey they can’t have at least a few practice laps like all the other divisions get, but that is the way it is run.

Ronnie Malecki was on hand for action, but never did make the track with his car. He had fuel pump problems that they were thrashing on before the races and apparently never did rectify.

It was good to see Mike Bellefeuille back on the track in a Late Model. Mike tells me that the car has sat all summer, waiting for him to save up enough cashola to buy a new motor. He blew his motor last fall, which ended his season and made this a very short one. He finally got the coin needed but ended up with a 525 instead of a spec as it was cheaper.

He was happy that he ran so well last Friday here until it overheated — a bigger fan will hopefully fix that problem. He later made the show and ran mid-pack in the feature, so that is promising for him and the rest of his specials season.

In the Modifieds, it was also good to see Tanner Gehl home for the Labor Day weekend and racing his Modified. Tanner has moved to North Carolina where he is working for a NASCAR Cup team. While he reported the only race he has attended so far was the road course race in southern California, next year he will likely travel to more of the actual races and be a part of the teams. He did say though, that this is exactly what he wanted to do and that he is very happy with the way things are going.

On a very humid night for this time of year, the track was exceedingly fast for the early activity. Kevin Eder set a new track record in qualifying with a lap of 15.415 seconds, particularly impressive given that he was the 28th driver to take time.

For the Late Models, four heats and a B feature set the running order for the main event. Cory Crapser, Taylor Madrinich and John Kaanta earned the provisional starter positions and 25 drivers took Brian Reidemann’s green flag for the 40-lap distance.

Four different drivers then led the race at some point and there were five different exchanges of the lead, all indicators that it was an entertaining race for the win. Eder led the opening two laps before he was passed by Billy Kendall, who then led for three laps before Eder repassed him for the top spot.

He could only hold off James Giossi for two more laps before Giossi took over as the leader. Meanwhile Dave Mass, using the low side, moved up from the fourth row and on lap 22 took over the lead. The exchanges were not quite done yet, as two laps later Giossi was back in front and then led the last 16 laps to claim the win.

The a lot in the way of “comers” and “goers,” as Pat Doar was a contender early but then faded back later in the race, as did Kendall.

Ashley Anderson may have been the fastest driver on the track at the finish. He started in the sixth row and using the low line, which he pretty much had to himself after Mass abandoned it, charged up to third.

Kevin Burdick has made a habit of starting deep in the field and then working his way forward. He did so again on Wednesday, coming from the seventh row to work into the top five as the race finished. With Tyler Peterson having a rare off night and the program’s first DNF, Burdick padded his Challenge Series points lead.

Only four drivers failed to finish the race and there was not much in the way of damaged equipment, which is always good with a long week’s worth of racing ahead.

It was certainly a good night of racing for Adams, with a double win in both of the open wheel classes. Both races held the similar pattern: Adams raced out front early and then had to fight off a stiff challenge in both races.

Certainly it helps to draw a good number for the redraw and when you get lucky and start up front, you need to take advantage of the situation.

In the Midwest Mods, Adams took the early lead ahead of David Simpson and Paul Ripley, who were having a spirited battle for second. Two early yellows kept the field bunched as Adams maintained a slight lead. Jimmy Latvala was having a great run early and then fifth-row starter Joey Jensen started to flex his muscle. By the halfway point of the race he was up to second as he got past Simpson and the battle was on.

Adams was running a higher line with Jensen working the low groove and lap after lap, they were close off each corner. Adams changed up his line slightly, driving low into the corners and then letting the car move up upon exit; he’d then grab traction to head down the chutes. Lap after lap, Jensen showed his nose to the inside of Adams, but just couldn’t quite get past.

Ripley then broke with four laps to go and the yellow bunched the field once again. Again Jensen tried to drive inside Adams as they came off the corners. Jensen tried hard and got to the door of Adams a couple times, but just couldn’t quite complete the pass. Adams held on by a scant car length to get the win. Outstanding skilled and clean driving was displayed by both. Simpson fought his way back to third, as he drove back past Jason VandeKamp following the late restart to get the spot he had held for much of the race.

The Modified feature had that same scenario but a different cast of characters. Adams was again the chased. He held the lead from the pole and technically led all 25 laps, chased by Jody Bellefeuille.

Cole Chernosky was the early challenger for Adams, holding runner-up honors through the first half of the race. Tenth-starter Bellefeuille moved into third by the halfway point of the race.

Shortly after that point, Bellefeuille moved into second and began to challenge Adams. For all the world, the two open-wheel features looked like instant replay of one another.

Adams was using the identical line he used in the previous race, diving low into the corners, letting the car wash up the track on exit, then grabbing the track and shooting off down the chutes. Meanwhile, Bellefeuille had taken the “Jensen” line, trying to get under Adams in each corner and beating him down the chute.

Bellefeuille tried his best to get under Adams and even resorted to trying a different line late, but neither worked quite good enough and he had to settle for second, with Adams just car lengths ahead of him.

The fastest driver on the track at the end may well have been Mike Anderson, who started fifth. He stayed in that position through the halfway point of the race but suddenly found the inside line to work for him and he shot up to third. He was closing on both leaders but ran out of laps.

For Adams, who is locked in two point battles for national titles, it was an important points night. He added another feature win in the Midwest Mods while finishing ahead of both Bellefeuille and Shane Sabraski, who finished fifth, in the very tight Modified battle.

With a three-division program, the expectations were that a three hour race program was not out of the question. Track and series officials delivered on that hope when the final checkers waved right at 10 p.m., despite a hold up during the MidMod feature when Jacob Anderson finished the race with a wild flip along the fence in turn four. He may now be back in the Late Model perhaps sooner than planned.

As is most often the case at Gondik, the track is always very predictable and was again as most expected, which is one of the reasons I believe that many drivers like racing here.

Gondik will again be in action next week with the Northern Nationals that go from Wednesday through Saturday night.

Thursday, September 3

It wouldn’t be a night of racing at Proctor Speedway without having to deal with some kind of weather issue, which seems to come with the territory. On Thursday night, September 3 it was rain, cold and wind all attempting to make life at the track miserable. In the end, Mother Nature wagered a split decision; track and series officials hustled to get the whole Late Model show completed, while any Modified fans in the crowd went home frustrated as their main event was washed out by thunderstorms.

The 54th annual Silver 1000 featured a season-high for the Challenge Series of 42 Late Model entrants. A dozen drivers showed up who hadn’t raced at Gondik the night before, including a few locals who normally race at Gondik weekly.

There were a couple notable absentees as well. Tyler Peterson, running third in Challenge Series points going into Thursday night, loaded up and headed back to North Dakota, forfeiting his chance at some pretty good point fund money as he sought to find speed he didn’t have at Gondik.

Pat Doar, who went backward in the feature race at Gondik, also headed back home, even though he has had some strong runs at Proctor over the years. Another surprising absence was Jeff Massingill, who perhaps decided to get his car ready for Grand Rapids instead, where he has had a lot of success recently. In total there were five drivers who raced at Gondik that didn’t make the trip over the bridge to Proctor.

The Modified field also increased, with 30 drivers signing in to race. Again, there were a dozen new drivers in the field on Thursday night, while three from Wednesday did not make the trip north.

The wind, which had been predicted all week to be strong and right out of the east, was exactly that. It made watching the action miserable. This is exactly the kind of crappy weather that makes trying to run this track and make it a success so tough. It can be beautiful everywhere else in the civilized world, but with an east wind here, it makes watching the races very uncomfortable.

However, locals tell us the east wind does have its benefits; it drives away storms that are coming in the direction of Proctor from the west, and forces them to skirt the area around the city. We were all jumping on that bandwagon, hoping the rain would hold off until the racing was done. I have seen that happen from time to time over the years so I think there is some logic in that theory.

The track was very fast early and in good racing shape. I’m sure the track prep crew was walking the veritable tight rope, trying to decide just what to do. Water needs to be applied to every track but with the weather as it was, just how much to you put on? You don’t want a little shower to end the show should that happen but you also don’t want to dust out the customers, who have very little patience for eating dirt, no matter the circumstances. As it turned out, they pretty much hit it on the head. The racing turned out good, the track was nice, and despite the fact that we did eat a lot of dirt, with the wind howling like it was that would have been the case even it was an asphalt track!

Johnny Broking was quick qualifier with a lap of 15.081 seconds. The track did not fall off much, as the five groups all timed within .3 of a second.

Once qualifying was complete, the event was officially in “hustle” mode to try and beat the rain. The running order was changed so the Late Models ran first and the Modified heats were refigured from four to three large ones to try and save some time.

Things started out with a bang; the heat races were some of the most entertaining I’ve seen this year. Many were right down to the wire with a couple photo finishes. Props to local drivers Derek Vesel, Tim McMann and Cory Jorgensen, who all ran very well in the heats against the outside competition. Vesel lost in a photo finish in his heat against Jake Redetzke, McMann ran wheel to wheel with eventual winner Shane Sabraski for most of his heat, and Jorgensen won his first heat race against heavy competition since his return to Late Model racing this year.

Heavy hitters like Kevin Eder, Kyle Peterlin, Ashley Anderson, James Giossi and Darrell Nelson all had to qualify through B features, so you know the competition was tough. Jeff Provinzino, Cory Crapser, Dexton Koch and Danny Vang were added as provisional starters to make a 26-driver starting field.

All pomp and circumstance was eliminated from the show, which was unfortunate but necessary. The western sky started to light up just before the Late Models took the green for their 40-lap main and spectators were packing up for a speculated sprint to their vehicles when the skies cut loose. Fortunately, they didn’t have to do that until the final checkered waved.

The Late Model drivers did their part, too, running the first 28 laps without the need of a single yellow flag. This race was dominated by Shane Sabraski, who took the lead by out-accelerating Redetzke on the green. He then led all 40 laps. He was never challenged once he took the green and even when he was working traffic, he was still able to maintain enough of a lead that there was not a true challenge.

The closest anyone got to him was right at the finish when Broking finally broke into second and closed up the distance with some hard driving into the corners. Perhaps if the race was another 10 laps, things might have gotten interesting for the lead.

It was heartbreak for Redetzke, who ran second for the entire race until the lap-28 restart, when things went badly downhill for him.

Previous to that, Jesse Glenz had made a strong run as he seemed to be waiting for the halfway point to drop the hammer. When he did he managed to get past Redetzke for second briefly before a puff of smoke came from the back of the car and he slowed slightly, giving up second and fighting for positions behind Redetzke.

On lap 29, Glenz slid off the fourth turn to trigger the only yellow of the race and he then pulled off. When he slid off the end of the track, Steve Laursen spun behind him like there was fluid on the track.

When the green flag reappeared as the lightning popped in the sky, Redetzke had a terrible restart and eventually slipped back to sixth, as Broking, Eder and Kevin Burdick all took advantage of the restart to move up significantly.

Broking gained two spots, Eder and Burdick both came into the top five, and Sam Mars also lost a couple of spots. That’s how the top five finished.

Only three drivers failed to take the checkered flag and all were on the lead lap at the finish, in what was a pretty good main event.

Remaining in hustle-up mode, there were no post-race interviews and the Late Models had barely cleared the track before the Modifieds were on board to start their race. That did not happen, however, as the raindrops started to fall and it didn’t take but a minute and the track was too slippery. The storm unleashed serious rain then and the night was done.

It was a shame the weather had to be like it was. I enjoy hearing the interviews with the winners of the various events and think that makes up part of the show. However, I commend the officials for what they did. as they did everything possible to try and get the whole show in. Props to the drivers whose turnaround times between some races were very short, yet we never had to wait for them at all. Once again proof that it can be done, if everyone just puts their mind to it.

The crowd was good, I suppose especially so given the awful forecast. It never helps when the R word is used by forecasters. Hopefully the attendance was big enough to give Proctor the boost they need to get through the winter and prepare for the 2027 racing season.

The biggest disappointment of the night was the PA system, which for some reason always seems to go “south” during the biggest nights of the year. The brief ceremony that was held on the track prior to the first green flag couldn’t be heard by anyone around me. I didn’t hear either Scott Tiefs or the local track announcer once all night.

Thanks to all involved for their work in pushing through this race; I’m sure the fans appreciated the effort involved in trying to get the race complete.

Friday, September 4

The number of inches of rain that fell on Grand Rapids, Minnesota during the evening and overnight hours of Thursday was 1.82. Obviously, this creates quite the problem for those who want to race on Friday and the folks at Grand Rapids Speedway had a full day of work on their plate to get the track ready for the 32nd annual WISSOTA Classic, scheduled for Friday night.

Their mission was accomplished — racing took place as scheduled and except for a few minor bumps and a very wet infield and assorted spots in the pits, there were no ill effects from the storms that dumped much needed rain on the area.

All the natural track watering did leave a very fast racing surface for the drivers to deal with. Eventually it started to dry out some, with those drivers adjusting to the changing surface and taking advantage of that.

A number of drivers in the Late Model class packed up and headed home after the program on Thursday in Proctor. Still, a solid field of 30 drivers were on hand, including eight drivers who had not raced the first two nights of the swing.

There was also racing in five other WISSOTA divisions, including everything from Hornets to Modifieds, with a decent field of drivers on hand in each of those classes. Many of the top drivers in national points were still on hand with every race important at this juncture of the racing season.

Structural Buildings Series point leader Kevin Burdick was quick qualifier for the Late Models with a lap of 13.385 seconds. Drivers in the other three groups turned laps very close to his numbers.

The track crew did excellent work as did the staff administering the show.

The heat races, just as they had been on Thursday night, were some of the best entertainment of the night. Especially noted with the fine drive of Caley Emerson to hold off Blake Adams in a Midwest Mod heat and Chaston Finckbone’s drive to hold off Dexton Koch in a Super Stock heat. Zach Wohlers won a Late Model heat and that was widely cheered by the local fans.

The heats in all divisions were completed quickly and smoothly with just over an hour needed to complete all the qualifying. A track prep session that was rather extensive then took place.

The Late Model feature was run off early in the feature race order to ensure that a good track would still be available for their 40-lap main event. Twenty-five drivers took the green for the Late Model test after Taylor Madrinich, Gunner Frank and Jim Morris were added to the field.

All the smooth racing and lack of both yellows and crashing came to a screeching halt early in the Late Model feature. A crossed-up driver triggered a massive pileup on the opening lap that collected nine or 10 drivers, depending on how you were scoring the incident and brought out the red flag.

Point leader Kevin Burdick was right in the middle of the wreck with his car elevated off the ground with a couple other cars propped under his machine. It took quite some doing to sort out everything and when the race was restarted, five drivers were eliminated by the turn one wreck.

Cory Crapser then took the lead and he ran in front for the first 10 laps of the race with challenges from Chad Mahder and Billy Kendall.

Kendall drove around the outside of Crapser to take over the lead on lap 11, and he held that spot for nearly a dozen laps himself. Sabraski started fourth and it took some time for him to advance but by the halfway point of the race, he had moved up to second with most drivers favoring the inside line which still held plenty of moisture in it.

However, a yellow for a spin bunched the field up once again and Sabraski, who races here often during the year, switched to a line that is successful often here during the racing season. He pounded the first corner on the berm to build up speed down the back chute and then ease down to the inside in turn three where the track always seems to be slower up top.

On the restart he did exactly that, being one of the first to try the high side in turn one and it paid immediate dividends as he blew past Kendall for the lead. That was the closest anyone got to him the rest of the race.

Kendall settled into second while Mahder and Crapser had quite the battle for third until they got tangled together and Crapser spun on lap 27 and was forced to tail back the field.

Sabraski pulled away again in the final 13 laps and no one had anything for him Saturday. He cruised home for the win over Kendall.

Mahder had a rough night at Proctor but he made up for it by finishing third while Burdick made an amazing comeback from being elevated in the first lap wreck to coming home fourth ahead of Dave Mass. Nine drivers didn’t finish the race with half because of the first lap incident.

Blake Adams started on the pole and led the entire distance of the Modified feature, even though he was chased by some pretty healthy competition in Sabraski, Bob Broking and Jody Bellefeuille. Adams opted for the low line all the way around the track and I thought that might bite him because after Sabraski moved to second after starting sixth, he ran the same line that was so successful in the Late Model.

That proved not to be the case, however, as the distance between the two never changed much in the second half of the race, no matter what line Sabraski tried before he settled for second over Broking. Kennedy Swan inherited fourth following a post-race disqualification and Cole Chernosky completed the top five.

While Adams won the Mod feature, he came out just short in the Midwest Mod feature after a great drive by Josh Beaulieu, who held him off. Caley Emerson led early but Beaulieu drove past him and took over the lead early and he led most of the contest.

Adams started sixth and was stuck there for most of the race until making a move late move up to second.

A yellow with just two laps to go set up the finish; Adams was alongside Beaulieu down the back chute but did not make the pass. They then swapped positions on the final corner, with Adams trying the inside line, but Beaulieu held him off by less than a car length as the crowd roared at the finish. Paul Ripley came home in third.

Michael Blevins, Sr. held off some very fast drivers to lead from start to finish and take the Super Stock feature race. While he led the whole contest, he was under the gun most of the time as both Dalton Carlson and Sabraski challenged him for the lead and Dexton Koch was also a part of the lead pack.

Blevins did a masterful job of running his line and he scored the popular win.

Taking advantage of some circumstances, Dylan Helget won what was believed to be his first-ever Pure Stock feature at Grand Rapids, in a race that had a thrilling conclusion. Dylan Elhardt grabbed the initial lead and led for two laps before Austin Carlson made a pass on him for the lead.

A long period of green flag racing then took place and while Carlson still led, Elhardt didn’t give up and in fact, raced back into contention, challenging Carlson strongly for the lead. Coming off turn four as Elhardt tried to get to the outside of Carlson’s car and make another run at him, they got locked up and Elhardt shot into the wall under the flag stand and was done for the night.

The official call was Carlson at fault, questioned by some, but he went to the back of the pack and this gave Helget his first lead of the race.

In the final half of the race, Helget continued to lead but Carlson was a driver possessed as he tore back up through the field, coming to within a car length of Helget on the final lap but coming up just short. Alex Berg was third.

I’m not sure exactly how he did it, but Nick Ruzich went from the third row to the lead in just a lap to then dominate the Hornet feature. Once that first lap blast was over, he then found himself with a comfortable lead and his only task was to not screw up. He accomplished that, finishing with a large lead over Brady Fosso to take the win with Jacob Petrich third.

This race concluded the 2026 racing season for the Grand Rapids Speedway. Thanks to Bob Broking plus all their staff members who always welcomed me to their track and were most helpful all season.

Saturday, September 5

The third annual Dairyland Dash started Saturday night, September 5 at Rice Lake Speedway. It’s an event that has grown each year following its inception.

This year, 158 drivers signed in to race on the opening night of the event, which was a record for the event. With the way we know the car counts are in 2026, any increase should be considered a victory of sorts. Five of the classes were WISSOTA sanctioned and as they have in recent years, the USRA Late Models also were a part of the show. And when they bring 28 drivers as they did on Saturday, it’s pretty hard not to make them part of the show.

The Pure Stock and Super Stock numbers were down slightly from last year, while the Streets and Mods were larger than last year and the Mid Mods number was exactly the same as in 2025. About 25 drivers were making their first starts of the year at the track, with a nice mix of drivers from different areas on hand.

The day started out cloudy but the sun broke through during the afternoon and it actually got quite hot and humid, which made for comfortable watching.

With the sun beating down and so many laps by so many race cars, track conditions will be an increasing part of every race weekend from now on as the specials season heats up. They put a lot of effort into prepping the track here and I thought it held up well. Drivers all night were finding multiple grooves to run and there was virtually no dust. A few mistings were necessary and they did a “farming session” after all qualifying was done, while other on track activities were going on.

It was good to welcome back “Mr. Saturday Night,” Bob Thompson to the track, racing his Pure Stock. Always the showman, Bob showed up with his El Camino Pure Stock towed into the pits behind a Humvee and his heat race lineup, where he started in the front row along side C.J. Wagner in his station wagon, made for quite the sight. I hope a photographer got that shot.

With the number of cars on hand, B features were needed in three classes and the program consisted of 29 races, which is a lot. Despite hot lapping such a big field of cars, the program did start right on time.

Qualifying was done through the passing points method this weekend and that made for some intense and entertaining heat races. While not appropriate for weekly shows, the passing points system is certainly superior to use for special events than draw/redraw and when so many drivers have pretty equal equipment, starting positions in main events are key.

The biggest winner on Saturday night was likely Blake Adams who not only won the main in both the Mid Mods and Modifieds, but he took home the largest chunk of cash. Winning both mains against big fields of cars certainly had to be a bonus for his national points chase in both classes.

The evening concluded with a couple of close feature races with a lap 19 pass by Sam Fankhauser, giving him the Street Stock win over Parker Anderson. George Richards made a late-race pass on Bob Wahlstrom to take the Pure Stock feature.

Adams led all but one lap in his two wins but he was stalked on every lap and one small miscue might have cost him. The most dominating performance was turned in by Shawn McFadden, who led all laps to win the Super Stock feature. He has had quite the year with wins at ABC and here as well as the points title at Proctor.

Overall the drivers did well on Saturday and while there were no mains that went green to checkers, three of the five mains in the WISSOTA classes only had a single yellow during their main events and long periods of green flag racing which is what I want.

The Late Model feature was a mess but for their other appearances this year, they had done much better than that.

Veteran Street Stock racer Weston Ramsrud made his first-ever appearance at Rice Lake while Wayne Dean was on the track for the first time in 2026 with his Super Stock.

Good news to report in that former track owner Dale Bisonette had successful surgery recently. He received a kidney transplant from his brother Curt, and both are reported to be doing well in their recovery.

Sunday, September 6

The second half of the Dairyland Dash event at Rice Lake Speedway was held on Sunday night, September 6. For the first time in many years, weather was not a factor either night, other than that it was too warm and perhaps a bit too humid.

Down some from Saturday, 130 drivers signed in to race on Sunday, there an additional dozen or so drivers who were new faces in the pits who didn’t race on Saturday for various reasons.

Jake Hartung had a football game on Saturday, as did Coach Mark Thomas.

Coach told me that U.W. Stout, where he coaches, won a thrilling comeback victory in a game played in Dubuque, Iowa. He didn’t get home until somewhere around 3:30 a.m., so it was a short turnaround for him to come race but we’re glad he made the effort.

Jacob Anderson was on hand with his Midwest Mod even though less than a week ago that car was upside down in a wild rollover at Gondik. I thought perhaps that car was a goner. He did mighty well I might add, finishing sixth in the feature race.

I had a nice chat with Al Uotinen in the pits before the races. He was involved in an accident on Saturday night and was stripping down the body on his car so when he got home he was a bit ahead of the game in his efforts to repair the car. With his lousy racing luck this year, he thought it better to take his time and fix the car right, rather than to try and thrash and get it back for racing on Sunday.

This is the final year for Al to race and he has two or perhaps three weekend events left this year to race. Gondik, ABC and perhaps Ogilvie are left before he calls it quits once and for all. He says its just time and he seems comfortable with his decision. I’m sure he’ll still be active in the sport, supporting the efforts of Brady.

I had a chance to talk to Mike Grover also. He plans on racing at ABC before calling it a year and doing some side-by-side trail riding this fall. Like normal, it seems like lots of local racers are planning on wrapping up their years at ABC.

It is interesting how technology has evolved. Tonight, hot laps were accomplished without there even being a flagman in the starter’s stand. Race director Ryan Viltz has all the controls needed to operate the lights and talk to the drivers so that it really isn’t necessary to have a flagman. There are a number of tracks on the East Coast that do just exactly that now — no flagman is used for the races. They cite the safety factor involved for a person to be hanging right over the track. However, part of “the show” of racing seems to be missed if there isn’t someone in the flagstand, waving the checkered, etc.

Next year will be the historic 75th anniversary for Rice Lake Speedway and I’m excited to find out what special activities are planned surrounding that big date. Officials have been dropping some hints but I am privy to no inside information.

Racing was quite good on Sunday to wrap up what was a good weekend of racing. The track held up well and was still giving multiple grooves of racing even at the end, despite a full weekend of pounding from many laps, plus the heat.

The Modified feature will be discussed for quite some time after the events of Sunday. Prime actors were Kennedy Swan and Kaden Blaeser.

Swan has badly wanted a Dairyland Dash feature win and she sure drove like that on Sunday. She was cranking on her car, racing it as hard as I have ever seen her drive. I think the new-found success of late for her has made her more confident. And of course, everyone knows how hard of a driver Blaeser is, no matter what car he is driving.

Well, they put on a show, pounding the cushion and then occasionally driving to the low groove; it was entertaining and hair raising, all at the same time. Meanwhile, Brady Uotinen was running the low side of the track and keeping up with both of them. Swan led until Blaeser got past on lap five, but she regained the lead on lap nine, only to see Blaeser again pass her on lap 21 with a strong move.

She wasn’t done yet though, and threw a nasty slider on Blaeser the next lap, with Swan making contact in turn four and Blaeser hitting the wall.

Swan was then in the lead, and twice Blaeser dove low into the corners while running flat out; in my opinion, it looked like he was trying to hit Swan’s car and turn her around. He missed both times but with his ability, he was able to save his own car and still stay with her.

Going down the back chute on the final lap, you knew bad things were going to happen. Blaeser had a big run on Swan and he dove low into turn three, slammed into the side of her car, which drove her up into the wall and then somehow saved his car and drove under the checkered flag as the winner. However, the next time he came around, the checkered flag turned into a black flag and then the discussion broke out — just who was the winner?

The top three to cross the line, minus Blaeser, sat in victory lane and got out to discuss the situation while track officials huddled, trying to sort out things and make a decision.

This was not an easy decision to make and I’ve seen it ruled several different ways over the years. Track officials ruled Swan was the winner and for the first time in quite some time, a wrecker brought and deposited the race winner to victory lane. Of course the crowd loved it, as Swan is far and away the track favorite here. How Uotinen, Mike Anderson and Tyler Vernon took the news, I can’t say. But for sure it was a spirited way to end the season and gave the fans plenty to talk about during the long off-season.

Let’s hope, however, that this is the end of it. Both drivers are likely to race together several times yet this season, and there doesn’t need to be any more paybacks. Move on.

It was ironic that with the large number of drivers in the Midwest Mods, it was the same two drivers battling it out for the win for two straight nights — Blake Adams and Brady Larson. Adams got the win both nights but one mistake either night may have put a different face in victory lane. It was worth the price of admission just to watch them work through the lapped traffic.

Other good battles during the program included three-driver fights in the Super Stocks, Street Stocks and Pure Stocks. There truly wasn’t a single class where any one driver pulled away from the field and had an easy time of it.

I think using passing points does change in some ways the “character” of how a feature race fits together. While there might not be as many passes for the lead, the pack-style racing seems more prominent with this format. Or perhaps it was just a one weekend thing.

As someone who attends this track weekly, it’s hard to imagine just how fast the season seems to fly by. It feels like the opener was just recently but four-plus months have flown by so fast. I’m sure the track management and employees are ready for a break however.

I find myself feeling a bit melancholy, knowing that with each track that ends its season, I won’t be seeing the folks that surround that track for six months or more and the future for all of us is always so uncertain.