5/18/2008

HANSON WINS PROCTOR SPEEDWAY LATE MODEL GO

By Jerry O'Brien 5-18-08

Proctor, MN

The racing season at the Proctor Speedway got under way right on schedule with 101 cars

signed up to do battle on the three eights mile clay oval. Winning feature events were Greg

Chesley in the WISSOTA AMSOIL dirt Track Series Midwest Modified division, his second of

the weekend and Dan Gullikson in the WISSOTA Super Stocks. The WISSOTA Late Model and

Modified features were won by, to no one's surprise, Harry Hanson and Kelly Estey respectively.

The first Pure Stock feature winner was Iron Ranger Andy LaBarge.

The first of five features to hit the track was for the Midwest Modifieds. As the point average

formula does not kick in until the second week of competition according to WISSOTA rules, the

features were lined up straight up with the heat winners on the front row. Chesley was going for

his second sweep of the weekend and his heat win put him on the pole with second heat winner

Adam Archer on his right. At the green flag Chesley rocketed off into the lead while Archer was

left to try and hold off EJ Hietala, Jesse Ogston, and rookie Steve Stuart. Chesley had easy going

in the first half of the 20 lap event as he drove away from the battle for second which contained

seven cars in a pack. Chesley was way out in front at the ten lap mark but the pack of cars fro

second broke up when Skeeter Estey turned around in turn one. At the green flag Chesley again

proved to be superior to the rest of the field as he extended his lead but the second caution flag

soon flew as Hietala and Archer clashed and spun in the first turn. Archer was restored to the

runner up spot while Hietala was banished to the rear. At the restart it was Chesley leading

Archer, Jimmy Latvala, Ogston and m with Monty Hall with seven laps to go. Archer was able to

give Chesley some competition over the final laps but chesley held on for the win over Arccher,

Latvala, Hall and Ogston.

For the fan's enjoyment, speedway officials trotted out the WISSOTA Late Models for their

25 lap main event. Heat winners Harry Hanson and Kyle Peterlin led the 17 car field to the green

flag. Peterlin used the high side momentum to lead the first circuit but to no avail as the caution

flag flew before a lap was complete when Jeff Massingill sailed off the first turn. The next try

didn't work either as there was a chain reaction wreck entering the first turn as Hanson was

turned around by Peterlin. Hanson was given the lead while Peterlin headed to the back of the

pack. At the green flag Hanson led Jake Redetzke, Danny Young, and Aaron Lillo only to have

the caution flag once again reappear when John Massingill slid off turn three. After a false start

the event got under way with Hanson in control. Darrell Nelson worked his way forward from his

fourth row starting slot and got by Redetzke into second. At the half way point Hanson led

Nelson, Redetzke, Lillo, and Young in the top five with Jeff Broking, Jason Miller, Peterlin, Matt

Sorenson and Kevin Carlson in the second five. The field was closed up when another caution

flag flew when Jeff Massingill went off turn three. At the green most of the front ten were

hugging the bottom of the track except Peterlin who was trying to make something happen on

top. Hanson held off Nelson for the win and the sweep while there was no change in the top ten

over the remaining laps.

20 laps of WISSOTA Super Stock feature action were scheduled next. Heat winners Dan

Gullickson and Jeff Tardy led the 20 car pack to the green flag as third heat winner Kevin Eder

blew into second as Tardy fell to third and Donnie Lofdahl ran fourth. Behind Lofdahl was a

gaggle of cars battling for the fifth spot. The caution flag soon waved as Ronnie Malecki and

Todd Carlson tangled in the first turn with Carlson tagged with the ticket. After the green flag

flew the first three cars pulled away from Lofdahl as Mike Bellefeuille who had started 12th

arrived in fifth. Tardy bested Eder for second as the mid point was reached and the running order

was Gullickson, Tardy, Eder, Bellefeuille and Jeff Ruzich who had gotten by a slipping Lofdahl

for fifth. Caution flag number two appeared when Sam Skalsky and Jeremy Fink collided in turn

one. Fink was sent to the tail for causing the incident. The third yellow flag appeared right after

the restart as Steve Carlson spun in turn number two. At the green flag Bellefeuille got past Eder

for third but the final caution flag again appeared when Lofdahl was bunted off the back stretch.

Gullickson held on to complete his sweep over Tardy, Bellefeuille, Eder and Ruzich.

Ryan Aho started on the feature pole for the first time in his rookie Modified season with

Jayme Lautigar on his outside. Aho snatched the lead off turn two and led Lautigar, Kelly Estey

and Darrell Nelson in the early laps. Estey passed nelson for second before the caution flag

gremlins appeared when rookie driver Cory Sersha took a spin in turn four. When racing resumed

Estey got the drop on Aho and grabbed the point. There was a three wide battle for third between

Lautigar, Nelson and Duane Dale as Nelson, who was on the move and grabbed the third

position. Just at the half way point Aho, wo was riding in the high groove, slipped off the top of

turn three and four. By the time he recovered, he had slipped back to tenth. Estey was dominating

the event as Nelson tried to track him down but to no avail two quick caution flags slowed the

action in the waning laps for Ken Hron and Jody Bellefeuille spins. Estey held off Nelson for the

win with Nelson, Lautigar, Dale and Don Copp rounding out the top five. Copp had started in the

9th slot.

The final event of the night, the Pure Stock 15 lap feature, flagged off just before 9 p.m. as

Andy LaBarge led the 21 car field to the green flag. The first of 15 laps was not completed when

the #16 of 2007 track champion Jon McKinnon lost power in the third turn. LaBarge had little

trouble holding the lead while Pete Ciurleo, Richard Dzelak, Pat Van Ert and Al Rapp

skirmished for the second spot. The mid point was quickly reached with the order the same

behind LaBarge in the top five. Josh Loucks, Dan Larsen, Austin Blom, Rick Cornelison and

Scott Larsen ran in the top ten. Dzelak took second and clashed with LaBarge enter the first turn

spinning LaBarge. Dzelak was banished from the track and LaBarge was restored to the lead. The

final laps went without incident as LaBarge completed his sweep winning the event over Ciurleo,

Rapp, Van Ert and Loucks.

Results Proctor Speedway 5-18-08

WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Late Models (18 cars)

Heat 1: Kyle Peterlin, Jake Redetzke, Matt Sorenson; Darrell Nelson; Caley Emarson; Kevin

Carlson; Jeff Broking, Jeff Provinzino, CoryJorgenson

Heat 2: Harry Hanson, Danny Young, Aaron Lillo, Jason Miller, John Massingill, Davin Larson,

Jeff Massingill, Tim McMann, Greg Hill

Feature (25 laps) Hanson, Nelson, Redetzke, A Lillo, Young, Broking, Miller, Peterlin,

Sorenson, Carlson, Larson, Hill, Jeff Massingill, McMann, Jorgenson, John Massingill,

Provinzino, Emerson

WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Modified (23 cars)

Heat 1: Ryan Aho, Kelly Estey, Paul Schultz, Jad Carlson, Mark Damjanovich, Cory Sersha,

Scott Hudack, Jeff Hart

Heat 2: Jayme Lautigar, Darrell Nelson, Justin Jones, Don Copp, Alan Olafson, Wayne Stricker,

Shaun Kreyer, Joey Ogston

Heat 3: Jeff Wood, Duane Dale, Kyle Gavel, Jody Bellefeuille, Ken Hron, Nick Lavato, Steve

Lavasseur

Feature (20 laps) Estey, Nelson, Lautigar, Dale, Copp, Wood, Belefeuille, Carlson, Olafson, Aho,

Kreyer, Jones, Lavasseur, Stricker, Gavel, Lavato, Damjanovich, Hudack, Ogston, Schultz,

Sersha, Hart, Hron

WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Midwest Modified (19 cars)

Heat 1: Greg Chesley, Jesse Ogston, Skeeter Estey, Jimmy Latvala, Monty Hall, Glen Dammer,

Lance Solem, Tony Ciurleo, Ross Siiter, Mike Brennan

Heat 2: Adam Archer, E J Hietala, Steve Stuart, Andrew Inman, Rob Weber, Jacob Morinville,

Brad Anderson, Derek VanHouse, Deven VanHouse

Feature (20 laps) Chesley, Archer, Latvala, Hall, Ogston, Deven VanHouse, Estey, Ciurleo,

Hietala, Inman, Weber, Anderson, Dammer, Brennan, Solem Derek VanHouse, Siiter, Morinville

WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Super Stock (20 cars)

Heat 1: Dan Gullikson, Donnie Lofdahl, Gary Cornelison, Tom Treviranus, Robbie Cooper,

Steve Carlson, Frank Befera

Heat 2: Jeff Tardy, Kevin Salin, Steve Estey, Louis Meglen, Scott Sertich, Ronnie Malecki, Todd

Carlson

Heat 3: Kevin Eder, Jay Kuras, Jeff Ruzich, Mike Bellefeuille, Jeremy Fink, Sam Skalsky

Feature (20 laps) Gullikson, Tardy, Bellefeuille, Eder, Ruzich, Lofdahl, Estey, Meglen, Kuras,

Treviranus, Cooper, Malecki, Befera, Fink, T Carlson, Cornelison, S Carlson, Skalsky, Sertich,

Salin

Proctor Pure Stock (21 cars)

Heat 1: Andrew LaBarge, Josh Louchs, Tom Cornelison, Austin Blom, Landy lieno, Tashia

Rapp, Paul Gucinski

Heat 2: Pete Ciurleo, Pat Van Ert, Al Rapp, Scott Larsen, Dan Larsen, Rick Cornelison, Jeffery

Broking

Heat 3: Richard Dzelak, Jon McKinnon, Dan Follett, Tim Carlson, Jim Cooper, Matt Hammitt,

Jeff Christman

Feature (15 laps) LaBarge, Ciurleo, A Rapp, Van Ert, Loucks, D Larsen, Blom, Follett, T

Cornelison, S Larsen, Cooper, Gucinski, R Cornelison, T Rapp, Christman, Carlson, Leino,

Broking, McKinnon, Dzelak, Hammitt.