DIEMEL DOUBLES IN TRI STAR ENGINE CHALLENGE SERIES ACTION
By Jerry O'Brien, 6-7-06

A J Diemel of Navarino Wisconsin served notice that he is going to be the man everyone is chasing as he convincingly won his second straight WISSOTA Tri-Star Engine Supply Late Model Challenge Series event in two days. Fresh off the win in the Series opener at the Hibbing Raceway Diemel, starting third on the grid, dogged leader Kelly Estey through traffic and nabbed the point just past the half way point. Diemel then pulled away over the last half for the convincing win.

The $2000 to win 40 lap event got off to a rocky start as Kerry Hanson spun out in turn four on the first lap necessitating a complete restart. Hanson was sent to the rear and Kelly Estey resumed the point. Estey and Joel Cryderman pulled away from the rest of the field as Diemel fought to break free of the pack. Diemel finely broke away leaving John Kaanta to try and hold off Steve Laursen, Joey Jensen, Pat Doar, Harry Hanson, Ron Schreiner and Curt Gelling. With a dozen circuits in, the second of three caution flags flew for Kevin Carlson who stalled at the top of turn four.

On the restart with the pack closed up in a double file restart, Diemel was able to grab second from Cryderman. Estey was dominating early on in the event but the third and final caution flag flew when Pat Doar and Curt Gelling tangled sending Gelling spinning of turn one. Doar took the ticket for the incident and headed to the rear of the pack. At the green flag Estey led Diemel, Cryderman, Laursen and Harry Hanson who had worked his way to fifth. At the half way point Estey still led Diemel, Cryderman Laursen and Hanson with Jensen, Provinzino and Duane Mahder following. Provinzino had started 20th on the field and was now in the top ten.

Up front things began to change as Diemel began to cut into Estey's long lead until he was right on his bumper. Estey made a slight bobble and Diemel blew by to the lead, pulled away and began to lap slower cars with seeming ease. Once he got by Estey it was clear sailing to series win number two. Estey, Cryderman, Laursen and Harry Hanson rounded out the top five. Provinzino finished sixth, Jensen seventh, Mahder eighth, Darrell Nelson in another good feature run  finished 9th from 19th and Kaanta held on to tenth.

It was all Ricky Davis in the Curtis Oil & Tire Proctor Pure Stocks as he used his pole position to the best advantage leading every one of the 15 laps for his second feature win of the season at the Speedway and his third career win. Point leader Rick Kesty dogged Davis' tire tracks throughout the 15 lap non stop event but could not muster enough speed to make the pass as Davis appeared to drive a flawless race. Al Rapp ran a distant third while Glen Damer worked his way from the outside of the fourth row to finish fourth ahead of Skeeter Estey in the top five.

Results:

Tri Star Engine Supply Challenge Series for WISSOTA Late Models (43 cars)
Joe Provo Racewear Heat 1: Pat Doar, Kerry Hanson, A J Diemel, Tom Waseleski, Jeff Provinzino
Port-A-Dock, Inc Heat 2: John Kaanta, Joel Cryderman, Adam Hensel, Caley Emerson, Andrew McKay
Dirt Track Supply Heat 3: Steve Laursen, Ron Schreiner, Curt gelling, Duane Mahder, Terry Casey
Wehrs Machine &Racing Products Heat 4: Kelly Estey, Joey Jensen, Harry Hanson, Bill Byholm, Tim McMann
B Feature # 1 (3 advance): Nelson, Jeff Broking, McKay, George Ledin, Scott Ward
B Feature # 2 (3 advance): Provinzino, McMann, Kevin Carlson, Nick Musel, John Massingill
"Debbie's Dash" Determines first three rows of feature lineup: Cryderman, Estey, Diemel, Kaanta, Laursen, Jensen
Feature: (40 laps, $2000 to win) Diemel, Estey, Cryderman, Laursen, H Hanson, Provinzino, Jensen, Mahder, Nelson, Kaanta, Emerson, Doar, Schreiner, Broking, K Hanson, Mike Balcaen, McKay, Waseleski, Byholm DNF: Carlson, Musel, Vesel, Gelling, Casey, McMann

Curtis Tire & Oil Proctor Pure Stocks
Heat 1: Nick Baker, Skeeter Estey, Al Rapp, Rick Cornelison, Tom Morinville
Heat 2: Rick Kesty, Ricky Davis, Glen Dammer, Mark Carlson, Dan Doran
Heat 3: Tony Ciurleo, Jon McKinnon, Scott Larsen, Dan Larsen, Ashley Smith
B feature: Pete Ciurleo, Steve Christman, Jeff Lien, Dan Follett, Jeff Tormondson
Feature: Davis, Kesty, Rapp, Damer, Estey,T Ciurleo, McKinnon, T Morinville, Baker, Christman,