PETERLIN WINS LATE MODEL FEATURE
WISSOTA Leading Late Model Rookie Candidate Wins Second Career Feature
By Jerry O'Brien

Cold weather and hot racing under a full moon at the Proctor speedway Sunday night. For several drivers it was to be a very difficult race program with two heavy collisions and a roll over that kept the Ambulance workers busy. Two make up features from the June 10 rain out supplemented the full five class program. Darrell Nelson notched another WISSOTA Modified feature in a tight battle with Don Copp. An incident early in the 20 lap event saw Jody Bellefeuille, Kelly Estey and Justin Jones tangle on the back stretch with all three sliding into the infield destroying several sponsor signs. No one was injured in the crash but the same could not be said for Jad Carlson later on. Carlson found himself spinning sideways off turn four and John Reini could not avoid the car which was driver's door to traffic and nailed Carlson hard. Carlson was transferred to a Duluth hospital where he was undergoing surgery Sunday night for a crushed ankle.

In the make up feature for the Pure Stocks, Andrew LaBarge from Hibbing was the winner over Glen Dammer. Dad Pete Ciurleo finished third ahead of son Tony with Brady Strochein in fifth. The first feature of the regularly scheduled program sort of set the tone for the rest of the night. The 20 lap event started off badly with a couple of incidents that cut the field to 17 cars before a lap could be completed. Art Hyde took the lead at the outset running a momentum line around the top of the track with Steve Estey and pole sitter Wayne Stricker in hot pursuit. It soon developed that the high groove on the slick track would be a bit faster, but there was some good traction to be had right on the bottom in turn one and two. Ryan Aho and Jeff tardy started next to one another in row four and soon began to make their presence felt. Though there had been trouble starting the race, the first actual caution flag appeared when Butch Butcher got into Aho and spun himself in turn one.

It was a single file restart with Hyde getting the jump on Stricker, Estey and Jay Kintner. Tardy and Aho were in the top five as Hyde went to the top again and the rest ran on the bottom back to about seventh place. At the half way point Hyde led Estey, Stricker, Kintner, Tardy and Aho. Estey's use of the low line in turn one began to pay off as he was able to pull along side Hyde off turn two and go wheel to wheel down the back stretch. There was no grip in the low groove in three and four so Estey's advantage would not hold down the front stretch. The final caution flag appeared on lap 16 when Robbie Cooper went off turn three and got hung up on the edge. Hyde's fate depended on getting into the high line quickly on the restart but they came out of turn two on the restart in a tight bunch with Hyde, Estey and Kintner going for the win. Estey edged ahead on the white flag lap and Hyde tried desperately to get back in the high groove into turn three. Hyde and Estey clashed with Estey's car catching some significant air before going off turn four and rolling onto the roof. Estey was not injured and was declared the winner while Hyde was banished to a 15th place finish, the last car running. Kintner was scored second while the rest of the finishing order was being reviewed at the end of the race program.

Next up was the WISSOTA Late Model feature and it was pretty obvious whomever got the jump at the start had the best chance to win as passing was going to be difficult for the high powered cars on the slick surface. At the green flag Late Model Rookie Kyle Peterlin got a great start shooting through from the second row to lead into the first turn. Most cars at the front of the 16 car field used the high groove and not much in the way of passing went on as there was little grip in the middle or low grooves. The half way point was quickly reached in the 20 lap event but mechanical gremlins appeared to cause Kevin Carlson to spin in turn four bringing out a caution flag that Peterlin did not want to see as he had built up a substantial lead. At the mid point Peterlin led John Massingill, Darrell Nelson, Harry Hanson and Jeff Provinzino in the top five.

At the green there were 11 laps remaining and Peterlin beat Massingill into the first turn as the half way point was reached but the second and final caution flag waved when Jeff Provinzino got into Harry Hanson spinning him in turn one. It was a single file restart and Peterlin had little trouble maintaining his lead over Massingill for the win. Nelson, Hanson and Young rounded out the top five.

The 20 lap WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature fielded 20 cars with Cory Jorgenson on the pole. At the green flag Skeeter Estey shot through from the second row to the lead out of the scramble at the start. Jesse Ogston, Greg Chesley, Nick Lavato and Mark Kangas followed as it was the high side in three and four and the low route through one and two. Chesley beat Estey into turn one and completed the pass on the back stretch with Lavato up to second. There were no stoppages in the first half of the race and at the half way mark it was Chesley leading Lavato, Kangas, Estey, and Ogston in the first five while Jim White Deven VanHouse, Jimmy Latvala, Jorgenson and E J Hietala ran in the top ten.  On the magic lap 16 the only caution flag appeared  when Andrew Inman got turned around in turn two. Chesley easily pulled away on the restart for the win and Kangas got by Lavato for second, White and Estey rounded out the top five.

In the WISSOTA Modified feature, pole sitter Rick Cannata got the jump on the field and the pack behind him were gingerly running through the turns high, low and in the middle trying to sort themselves out. Justin Jones and Paul Schultz as well as Darrell Nelson and Kelly Estey used the low line to get into the lead pack. Jones got past Cannata for the lead by swinging into the high groove with Nelson following. Estey soon went to the top and he and Nelson ran nose to tail trying to track down Jones. No caution flags meant the ten lap mark of the 20 lap feature was quickly reached. Jones led Nelson, Estey, Duane Dale, Schultz and Cannata while Jeff Wood was up to sixth after starting dead last of the 13 cars that started. Nelson and Estey caught Jones off turn two, one high, the other low and squeezed past. Estey took the lead off turn four over Nelson and went on to take the win. Nelson, Jones, Wood and Schultz rounded out the top five.

The final feature of the night was the Pure Stock 15 lap event. Al Rapp got the jump on the 20 car field but Chad Carlson got spun in turn four and, on the restart, Rapp again got out front. Fifth starting Jon McKinnon was soon in the mix along with make up feature winner Andrew LaBarge. Rapp, McKinnon and LaBarge hooked up in a battle with LaBarge taking the low route to the lead. Rapp and McKinnon hooked up nose to tail in the high groove in an effort to run down LaBarge. Tony Ciurleo moved up to fourth with LaRae Ralidak up from the sixth row to the top five. At the half way mark the order was the same in the top five with Rick Kesty, Glen Dammer, Richard Dezlak and Pat Van Ert in the top ten. With no more caution periods to slow the action the two car train of Rapp and McKinnon began to make inroads into LaBarge's lead. To make things more interesting, LaBarge was coming up on traffic in his groove while the pursuing duo had a clear track. LaBarge was able to make his way through the traffic to take his second feature win of the night. Rapp, McKinnon, Tony Ciurleo and Glen Dammer finished in the top five.

Results

WISSOTA Late Models (16 cars)
Heat 1: Jeff Provinzino; yle Peterlin; John Massingill; Todd Gehl; Dave Esse; Jeff Lien; Jeff Massingill; Kevin Carlson
Heat 2: Danny Young; Harry Hanson; Darrell Nelson; Jeff Broking; Tim McMann; Travis Budisalovich; Joey Ogston; Aaron Lillo
Feature (20 laps) Peterlin; John Massingill; Nelson; Hanson; Young; McMann; Gehl; Broking; Lillo; Jeff Massingill; Ogston; Esse; Budisalovich; Lien; DNF Provinzino; Carlson 

WISSOTA Modified ( 16 cars)
Heat 1: Duane Dale; Paul Schultz; Ken Hron; Rick Cannata; Travis Zollar; Jason Anderson; DNS Jody Bellefeuille; Jad Carlson 
Heat 2: Kelly Estey; Justin Jones; Darrell Nelson; Jayme Lautigar' Don Copp; Nick Nelson; DNF Jeff Wood; DNS John Reini
Feature (20 laps) Estey; Nelson; Jones; Wood; Schultz; Dale; Lautigar; Cannata; Copp; N Nelson; Zollar; Hron; Anderson 

WISSOTA Super Stock (30 cars)
Heat 1: Steve Estey; Jeff Tardy; Donnie Lofdahl; Butch Butcher; Louis Meglen; Adam Long; Scott Heikkinen; Jay Kuras
Heat 2: Art Hyde; Jay Kintner; Tom Treviranus; Mikr Bellefeuille; Kevin Salin; Jeff Forseen; Jeremy Fink; Frank Befera
Heat 3: Wayne Stricker; Keven Eder; Jeremy Crabbs; Rick Peterson; Gary Cornelison DNF: Scott Sertich; Dustin Lunde
Heat 4: Ryan Aho; Eric Nelson; Ronnie Malecki; Robbie Cooper; Todd Carlson; Dave Reynolds; Steve Carlson
B Feature: (top four to the feature) Meglen; Fink; Forseen; Kuras; Heikkinen; Cornelison; Reynolds; T Carlson; S Carlson; DNF: Long; Salin; Sertich; DNS: Lunde
Feature (20 Laps) (Results unofficial pending review)(1-10) Estey; Kintner; Tardy; Aho; Lofdahl; Bellefeuille; Stricker; Nelson; Fink; Kuras; (11-20) Eder; Meglen; Malecki; Cooper; Hyde; DNF: Butcher; Peterson; Treviranus; Crabbs; Forseen

WISSOTA Midwest Modified (29 cars)
Heat 1: Skeeter Estey; Jesse Ogston; Willy Thompson; E J Hietala; Tom Morinville; loren Inman; Ken Perry DNF Zach McClellan
Heat 2: Deven VanHouse; Jim White; Jeremy Hall; Steve VanHouse; Ricky Davis; Nick Baker; DNF Taylor Leuthner
Heat 3: Greg Chesley; Nick Lavato; Jimmy Latvala; Barry Smith; Clint Larson; Brock McCArthy; Al McDougall
Heat 4: Cory Jorgenson; Mark Kangas; Andrew Inman; Adam Archer; Bart Porter; Brad Anderson DNF Billbrouse
B Feature: (four advance to feature) Larson; Morinville; L Inman; McDougall; Perry; Brouse; Anderson; Leuthner; Porter; DNF Davis; McCarthy; McClellan DQ: Baker, failed to weigh in.
Feature (20 laps) (1-10) Chesley; Kangas; Lavato; White; Estey; Ogston; D VanHouse; Smith; Latvala; Larson (11-20) Jorgenson; Hietala; Thompson; Hall; McDougall; S VanHouse; A Inman; Morinville; DNF L Inman; DQ: Archer

Pure Stock (34 cars)
Heat 1: Scott Larsen; Matt Hammitt; Pat Van Ert; Tom Cornelison; Gene Ziebol; Dale Reynolds; Jeff Engelmeier; TroyWiseth; Kyle Inman
Heat 2: Andrew LaBarge; Al Rapp; Glen DAmmer; Richard Dezlak; Tim Carlson; Cheryl Deloach; Jacob Morinville; Caitlyn Carlson; Don Follett
Heat 3: Jon McKinnon; Tony Ciurleo; LaRae Ralidak; Rick kesty; Brady Strochien; Tasha Rapp; Paul Gucinski; DNF Ashley Smith
Heat 4: Dan Larsen; Chad Carlson; Jeff Tormondson; Pete Ciurleo; Steve Kresal; Cory Ziebol; Bruce Stevens; DNF: Matt Johnson
B Feature (four advance to feature) T Carlson; G Ziebol; Kresal; Engelmeier; C Ziebol; D Reynolds; Deloach; Morinville; T Rapp; Smith; Gucinski; K Inman; DNF: Stroschein; DNS: Wiseth; Caitlyn Carlson; Johnson; Follett
Feature: LaBarge; Rapp; McKinnon; T Ciurleo; Dammer; Ralidak; Kesty; Van Ert; Dezlak; S Larsen; T Carlson; P Ciurleo; Tormondson; Kresal; Hammitt; Engelmeier; Cornelison; G Ziebol DNF: Chad Carlson; D Larsen

WISSOTA Modified Make Up Feature: D Nelson; Copp; Jones; Dalr; Lautigar; Estey; Zollar DNF: Bellefeuille; Wood; Carlson; Reini; Hron; Schultz; Cannata; DQ: N Nelson lost muffler; DNS Marc Johnson

Pure Stock Make Up Feature: LaBarge; Dammer; P Ciurleo; T Ciurleo; Stroschein; T Carlson; Kesty; Don Follett; S Larsen; Hammitt; D Larsen; Chad Carlson; McKinnon; Morinville; Engelmeier; Van Ert; C Ziebol; T Rapp;DNF Wiseth; DNS Mark Korte