NELSON WINS PROCTOR LATE MODEL FEATURE
National Dirt Late Model Hall Of Fame Inductee Tom Nesbitt Snares Makeup Feature

By Jerry O'Brien
7-24-05

Given his record at the Proctor Speedway, multiple feature wins and multiple track championships, no one would have thought that Darrell Nelson's first win at the track in the Late Model division would come as late as July 24th. Nelson redrew the pole position for the 20 lap feature with young second generation driver, Jeff Massingill, occupying the outside spot. 

At the green, to no one's surprise, Nelson grabbed the lead in a stranglehold and never let it go until after the checkered flag. There was some shuffling behind him in the early going as Jeff Provinzino moved from the second row to take second with Jeff Broking third, the younger Massingill fourth and Harry Hanson from the third row to fifth. 

Nelson lengthened his lead to a half straight away as the fast way around seemed to be the top groove as the cars sailed around the top of the speedway. The half way point was quickly reached with no change in the running order up front as Nelson maintained his half straight away lead until John Carpenter spun off turn four bringing out the only caution flag with six laps remaining bringing Nelson back to Provinzino and the rest of the field. Nelson led the rest of the way for the win as Provinzino was not able to take advantage of the caution flag. Hanson tried Broking on the inside but there was not enough circuits remaining for him to make the pass. Nelson again scooted away and drove under the checkered flag followed by Provinzino, Broking, Hanson and Massingill.

Jeff Lien was the master of the speedway in the 15 lap WISSOTA Modified feature. Starting inside the second row behind pole sitter Duane Dale he got a good start but it was Dale who would lead the initial circuits. Following closely was Kelly Estey with outside pole sitter John Reini falling to fourth challenged by Jason Miller. The first and only caution flag flew with five laps in, when Reni, Miller and Jeff Wood tangled in the first turn with Reini banished to the back of the pack. 

At the green flag the pair of 24's were back at it with Estey and Miller Again challenging. Miller worked his way by and went to the lead. Lien came back with a pass of his own, Miller charged past again but went too hard into the turn and spun in turn two. Lien retained the lead and Miller joined Reini at the back of the field. 

With six laps remaining Lien now had Estey worrying at his heels trying to use the bottom to make the pass but Lien was equal to the task and took his first feature win since 2000 at the speedway. Estey, Darrell Nelson in a borrowed car, Duane Dale and Paul Schultz finished in the top five.

Mike Bellefeuille won the 15 lap Super Stock feature from the outside of the front row leading  every lap for his first win at the speedway this season. National point champion Ryan Aho who is a regular competitor at the speedway, raced his way from outside the third row to Bellefeuille's bumper but could not make the pass. Pole sitter Kyle Peterlin settled into the third spot with Jeff Tardy fourth and Jay Kuras fifth. The only caution flag of the event flew for first time visitor Joe Henkemeyer who spun and stalled off the bottom of turn four with nine laps remaining. 

At the green Bellefeuille again held the lead with no change in the order. Scott Lawrence who had started back in the sixth row had found some places on the bottom of the track where his car worked and began to move forward passing five cars to land in sixth but could move no further forward. Bellefeuille held off Aho for the win with Peterlin, Tardy and Kuras in the top five. 

Monte Hall made "a deal" as he won his third Midwest Modified feature of the season at the speedway. Former Super Stock racer Don Smith started the 15 lap feature from the pole with Greg Chesley on the outside. At the green flag Willy Thompson grabbed the lead but the big move came from Hall who blazed his way from the 11th starting spot to second after a couple of circuits. Hall caught and passed Thompson for the lead five laps into the event. Also on the move was Justin Jones who had started right behind Hall and was in second. Thompson, Greg Chesley and Nick Lavato ran in the top five spots. 

At the half way point it was Hall, Jones, Thompson Chesley and Lavato still holding down the top five spots. Hall completed the run for the victory over the same top five runners in a flag to flag run for the Midwest Modifieds. 16 year old Joey Ogston, Mark Kangas, Smith, Devon Van House, Dan Schroeder who came from the outback, from 19th, and Mikes Weske rounded out the second five. 

Rob Monahan was looking for his first Pure Stock feature win since opening night and took the lead from the pole. Monahan drove the number 14 to a huge lead and began lapping traffic quickly. The mid point was quickly reached as there were no caution flags to slow the action. Monahan led Tom Morinville, second generation driver Rick Wilhelm, Skeeter Estey and Louis Meglen. 

Morinville and Wilhelm began to cut into Monahan's big lead and the reason soon became apparent as the left front tire on Monahan's car was deflating. Wilhelm got by to the lead and went on to take his first ever feature win in the division after five years of trying. Morinville, Estey, Meglen and three-time feature winner Jon McKinnon who had come from the ninth row to round out the top five. 

Tom Nesbitt of Thunder Bay Ontario showed the youngsters a thing or two as the veteran driver of six decades who celebrated his 65th birthday on July 11th started the make up 20 lap Late Model feature from the pole and showed the way to the checkered flag and his first win since 2002. Nesbitt is an inductee into the Superior Speedway Hall of Fame and will be inducted this August into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.  Trailing Nesbitt across the line was  Darrell Nelson, Kevin Carlson, Harry Hanson and John Massingill. 

Jeff Wood won the Modified make up feature from the outside pole position holding off a determined Kelly Estey. Darrell Nelson, in a car borrowed from Jad Carlson was third, Jason Miller was fourth and Paul Schultz was fifth. 

Jon McKinnon won the Pure Stock feature for his third of the season at the speedway. Dustin Lunde, was second, Ricky Davis was third, Al Rapp fourth and Jim McClellan rounded out the top five.

Results

WISSOTA Late Model
Heat 1: Jeff Massingill, John Massingill, Harry Hanson, Steve Vesel, Bob Slater, Nick Nelson, Tim McMann, Nick Musel, Aaron Lillo, John Carpenter 
Heat 2: Danny Young, Darrell Nelson, Jeff Provinzino, Jeff broking, Ed Wakefield, Tom Nesbitt, Kevin Carlson, Travis Budislavish, Disqualified, did not scale, Joel Cryderman 
Feature: Darrell Nelson, Provinzino, Broking, Hanson, Jeff Massingill, Ed Wakefield, Steve Vesel, McMann, N Nelson, John Massingill, Young, Slater, Nesbitt, Musel, Carlson, Lillo, Carpenter, Budislavish DNF Cryderman 
Makeup Late Model Feature: Nesbitt, D Nelson, Carlson, Hanson, John Massingill, Provinzino, Musel, N Nelson, McMann DNF Jeff Massingill, Budislavish, Wakefield, Broking DNS Todd Gehl, Doug Koski, Mike Meger, Justin Aylward DNF Lillo, Young,Carpenter 

WISSOTA Modified
Heat 1: Jeff Wood, Jeff Lien, Jason Miller, Kelly Estey, Duane Dale, Clint Larson,Rod Heitala 
Heat 2; Darrell Nelson, Jayme Lautigar, Paul Schultz, John Reini, Jody Bellefeuille DNF Jim Inman
Feature: Lien, Estey, Nelson, Dale, Schultz, Wood, Larson. Bellefeuille, Miller, Heitala, Lautigar, Reini, DNF Inman 
Makeup Feature: Wood, Estey, Nelson, Miller, Schultz, Reini, Heitala, Larson, Bellefeuille, Dale DNF Inman DNS Marc Johnson 

WISSOTA Super Stock
Heat 1: Jay Kuras, Scott Lawrence,Destin Lorimor, Mike Bellefeuille, Keith Kern, Donnie lofdahl, Rick Simpson, Doug Woodhull, Brad Larson 
Heat 2: Jeff Tardy, Kyle Peterlin, Steve Estey, Dave Flynn, Tom Treviranus, Scott Heikkinen, Dave Reynolds, DNF Gordy Maki, Ronnie Malecki 
Heat 3: Ryan Aho, Bobbie Carlson, Kevin Salin, Spike Mcdougall, Joe Henkemeyer, Eric nelson, Adam Long, Dan Yrjanson 
B Main: Simpson, Lofdahl, Nelson, Woodhull, Heikkinen, Malecki, Yrjanson, Larson, Maki DNF Long 
Feature: Bellefeuille, Aho, Peterlin, Tardy, Kuras, Lawrence, Flynn, Lorimor, McDougall, Carlson, Reynolds, Estey, Nelson, Kern, Lofdahl, Woodhull, Henkemeyer, Simpson, Heikkinen DNF Treviranus 

WISSOTA Midwest Modified
Heat 1: Nick Lavato, Willy Thompson, Miles Weske DNF J J Thompson, Tim Carlson, Shawn Ziells, Josh Loucks, E J Heitala DQ Lite Dan Schroeder, Terry Inman 
Heat 2: Don Smith, Monte Hall, Joey Ogston, Darren Brown, Jeremy Hall, Deven Van House, Carey LePage, Tony Moen, Matt Plasch DNF Shawn Van Guilder 
Heat 3: Greg Chesley, Mark Kangas, Barry Smith, Wade Ziells, Justin Jones, Jerry Esler, Ken Thompson DNF Brock McCarthy, Steve Inman 
B Main: S Inman, Van House, L Inman, Esler, Schroeder, J J Thompson DNF Plasch, Heitala, Thompson, McCarthy DNS Carlson, S Ziells, Loucks, Van Guilder 
Feature: M Hall, Jones, W Thompson, Chesley, Ogston, Kangas, D Smith, Van House, Schroeder, Weske, Brown, S Inman, T Inman DNF Esler, Plasch, J Hall, B Smith, W Ziells DNS Moen