LAURSEN TOPS LATE MODELS AT PROCTOR
By Jerry O'Brien
06/06/2004

143 Cars Overflow Pits At Opener

An all time record car count of 143 in five divisions packed the Proctor Speedway Pits as the fourth time was the charm. Three previous attempts to get in the 2004 opening race were foiled by bad weather but this Sunday was clear and warm.

Steve Laursen of Cumberland continues his early season charge with his second WISSOTA Late Model feature of the weekend. Picking up his second career WISSOTA Modified feature win was Aurora's Duane Dale and Mike Bellefeuille of Duluth won the Super Stock main event. Tim Brown was the Midwest Modified feature winner and Willy Thompson swept the Pure Stocks.

Laursen started the main event from the outside of the front row and shot into the lead followed through by Jeff Provinzino from the second row. Then came pole sitter Kelly Estey and Darrell Nelson along with Darin Meierotto. Steve Roseen ran just outside  the top five. As Laursen led Nelson moved into fourth and Meierotto took fifth as Estey  began to slip back and dropped into the infield with mechanical problems. Roseen was fourth as  everyone moved up one with the departure of Estey.

With no caution flags flying, the mid point was quickly reached with the order Laursen, Provinzino, Nelson, Roseen, Meierotto, Jeff Broking, Harry Hanson, Terry Casey, Bob Reed and John Massingill in the top ten. The event went cleanly to the checkered flag with Laursen taking home the win. Meierotto charged forward in the  closing laps and nipped Provinzino at the line for second. Nelson and Roseen rounded out the top five.

Duane Dale started the Modified feature from the inside of the second row and wasted no time in grabbing the lead over pole sitter Don Copp, Jeff Pohjonen, Jayme Lautigar and Jodi Olson at the green. Dale and Copp wasted little time pulling away from the field.  Outside pole starter Dave Mass was in the mix and moved to third when Pohjonen's mount threw the drive shaft. Fortunately it was thrown off the track in turn two and Pohjonen was able to turn into the pits avoiding a caution flag.

While Copp battled Dale up front, Kelly Estey had made his way forward from seventh and was in fourth. Eleventh starting Steve Arpin was in  fifth, but the fast mover was Jeff Wood who started way back in 16th and had made his way up to sixth before half way.  Dale moved out to a long lead over Copp who lost second to Estey. Wood was very fast and got by Copp for third. Dale went on to take the win over Estey, Wood, Copp and Arpin.

Mike Bellefeuille took the lead from the outside pole and held it  to the checkered flag in the WISSOTA Super Stock feature which was marred by a single caution period for the stalled car of Joe Oliver. Oliver had started back in 14th and had raced his way all the way to third until the sour luck hit. It appeared that Rick Rivord and Ryan Aho collided when  Oliver's car faltered. Bellefeuille went on to take the win over Nick Musel, Scott Lawrence, Dave Mass and Rick Simpson.

Tim Brown was the winner in a hard fought Midwest Modified feature as he took the lead from the outside of the front row and held off Dan Wheeler for his first Midwest Modified win. Shortly after the green flag flew with Brown leading Wheeler, JJ Thompson and Justin Jones, the caution flag flew for a large chunk of debris on the track. The order  remained the same at the green with Brown holding the lead until Loren Inman,jr was apparently squeezed into the front stretch wall ending his night and bringing out the caution flag. At the restart Brown drove off to a big lead and the win over Wheeler, Mark Anderson, Jones, Thompson and  Brad Anderson who briefly held fifth.

Though there was only one incident in the Pure Stock feature, it was a red flag for the car of Allen Price who lost a wheel and rolled in turn three. He was uninjured in the incident. Willy Thompson rolled up from the sixth starting spot to take the lead and hold off a fast closing Scott Larsen for the win. Tony Ciurleo, Steve Young and Dustin Lunde finished  in the top five.

Results:

WISSOTA Late Model

Heat 1: Steve Laursen, Harry Hanson, Jeff Broking, Jeff Provinzino, Mike Meger
Heat 2: Darrell Nelson, Kelly Estey, Steve Roseen, Terry Casey, Darin Meierotto
Feature: Laursen, Meierotto, Provinzino, Nelson, Roseen, Broking, Hanson, Casey, Tim McMann, John Massingill.

WISSOTA Modified

Heat 1:Darrell Nelson, Tyler Hynnes, Jayme Lautigar, Clint Larson, Fren Aschenbauer
Heat 2: Kelly Estey, Jodi Olson, Tommy Turcotte, Brett Johnson, Rick Cannata
Heat 3: Dave Mass, Jeff Pohjonen, Darrell Carlson, Rick Prizybglski, Tim Danielson
Heat 4: Steve Arpin, Don Copp, Duane Dale, Jeff Wood, Cory Jorgenson
B Main: Jason Miller, Chad Jonson, Cannata, Danielson, Matt Sorenson
Feature: Dale, Estey, Wood, Arpin, Copp, Mass, Nelson, Miller, Olson, Hynnes.

WISSOTA Super Stock

Heat 1: Scott Lawrence, Rick Simpson, Kevin Salin, Tom Treviranus,

Ronnie Malecki
Heat 2: Ryan Aho, Dave Mass, Kyle Peterlin, Joe Oliver, Paul Schultz
Heat 3: Mike Bellefeuille, Rick rivord, Spike McDougall, Keith Kern, Donnie Lofdahl
Heat 4: Nick Musel, Derrick Vesel, Shawn Ziels, Jeff Forseen, Bryan Lind
B Main 1: Bruce Johnson, Lofdahl, Eric Nelson, Jay Kuras, Todd Bonney
B Main 2: John Copp, Greg Kuklinski, Mike Flannigan, Jeff Tardy, Destin Lorimor.
Feature: Bellefeuille, Musel, Lawrence, Mass, Simpson, Aho, Peterlin, Rivord, Mcdougall, Copp

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

Heat 1: Mark Anderson, Darren Brown, Greg Carlson, Dan Olson, Greg Chesley
Heat 2: Justin Jones, Mark Kangas, Terry Inman, Monty Hall, Nick Lavato
Heat 3: Tim Brown, Brad Anderson, JJ Tompson, Dan Wheeler, Loren Inman, Jr.
B Main: Kelly Checkalski, Jeremy Hall, Ken Thompson, Darren Hynnes, Tony Moen
Feature: W Thompson, Wheeler, Anderson, Jones, Brad Anderson, M Hall, JJ Thompson, Mark Kangas, D Brown, Olson

Pure Stock

Heat 1: Allen Price, Rick Wilhelm, Al Rapp, Bruce Kalman, Tom Cornelison, Jr
Heat 2: Todd Monahan, Glen Dammer, Tim carlson, Stacy McKinnon, Dustin Lunde
Heat 3: Ricky Davis, Miles Weske, Tont Ciurleu
Heat 4. W Thompson, Scott Larsen, Cheryl Deloach, Al McDougall Kevin
Youderin
B Main 1: Cornelison, Youderin, Rick Kestey, Mark Carlson
B Main 2: Rick Cornelison, Jim McClellan, Lunde, Nick Baker
Feature: W Thompson, Larsen, Ciurleu, Young, Lunde, Davis, Rapp, Dammer, McKinnon, Monahan