BUDISALOVICH SNARES AMSOIL SPEEDWAY OPENING NIGHT LATE MODELS
By Jerry O’Brien
5-20-16
Superior, WI
Finally the long wait was over as the long awaited opening night at AMSOIL
Speedway arrived with the breeze off Lake Superior under a full moon. A nice crowd, a
great racetrack and 89 cars in the five WISSOTA divisions made for a perfect opening
night. Twenty-one WISSOTA Modifieds headed the car count with a couple of surprise
visitors.
Afer qualifying heat races concluded, the first main event of the evening rolled onto
the 4/10ths mile speedway for the Midwest Modifieds. Kevin Eder driving the 40sr
jumped to the lead with Dan Kingsley, Skeeter Estey, Devin VanHouse and Donnie
Lofdahl trailing. Eder moved away from the pack as positions were exchanged as no one
could gain on the leader. The lead for Eder widened and it appeared that no one was
going to catch him as he led the first five laps with ease until Craig Lofdahl brought out
the caution flag. Eder was able to keep the point as Skeeter estey continued to dog his
tracks. The pack continued to be tahe same drivers behind the leaders with VanHouse
continued in third and Kingsley and Nick Daronco battled for fourth. Also in the mix was
Lance Solem, Taylor Luthner and Mack Estey joined in the mix. Skeeter Estey got as run
on Eder and took the lead but eder took it back the next time by. Estey then got the same
good run, made the pass stick and took the win. VanHouse, Kingsley and Daronco
finished in the top five. Mack Estey, Luthner,Solem Kevin Montieth and David Simpson
rounded out the top ten. Montieth and Simpson put together great runs as Montieth started
19th and Simpson 18th.
The 20 lap Super Stock feature proved to be a wild one with four caution flags keeping
the racing close. Pole sitter Keith Kern took tje lead at the initial green flag and held
onnto it for a couple of laps while Scott Lawrence, DJ Keeler, Kevin Burdick and Dave
Flynn swapped positions behind him. Burdick, Kern and Lawrence went three wide for
the lead and it was Burdick who came out on top. Burdick, Lawrence, Nick Oreskovich,
Kern and Flynn pulled away from the pack as further back Joe Oliver, Keeler and Willie
Johnsen, Jr battled for sixth. Oreskovich made his way to second and challenged Burdick
for the lead. The two got togetheer in turn one and Oreskovich got turned around. Burdick
was charged with the incident and sent to the rear. At this point only eight circuits had
been completed with Oreskovich awarded the lead. The restart did not go well as Johnsen,
Jr slowed and Jim Campbell and Adam Shinn couldn’t avoid him. There were still a
dozen to go at the green and Oreskovich tried to fight off Lawrence, Kern, Oliver and
Flynn. Oreskovich stayed in front for three mor laps, then suddenly darted into the pits
and out of the event leaving Lawrence in charge. Oliver made his way past Lawrence and
Flynn leading the next three circuits .At this point Burdick, who had been charging
through the field, arrived in fourth and those four put some distance on Keeler in fifth.
The third caution flag flew when Campbell spun in turn two. The restart came with four
laps remaining and Flynn led another lap before Oliver Burdick, a rebounding kern and
Lawrence crowded down the backstretch. Lawrence hit the wall hard entering turn three
and stopped. He was able to repair a flat tire and return with three laps remaining. On the
restart Flynn used the old adage “go where they ain’t” and stuck the car in the high
groove around turn two sailing into the lead for the win. Burdick’s rebound had him settle
for second, kern third, Keeler fourth and Oliver fifth. Oreskovich led five laps and turned
the fastest one at 19.454 seconds at an average of 69.4 mph.
The WISSOTA Modifieds drew the largest number with 21 cars in competition.
Surprise visitors inclued Joey Jensen, defending National Champion Kevin Adams and
Pat Hoffman. Jensen started from the pole but Jody Bellefeuille used the high groove to
edge Jensen at the line on the first lap. Jensen quickly regained the lead held onto in
running the very bottom of the track. Bellefeuille was able to stay close running the high
side as Darrell Nelson and Neil Balduc ran in the top four. Adams held fifth ahead of Paul
Wrazidlo and Kevin Eder for a time. Nelson closed on Jensen and they began to gain
ground on Bellefeuille who was doing the same to Balduc and Adams but the first of two
caution flags bunched up the pack wen Kelly Estey suddenly slowed in turn three with 12
laps remaining. After the restart Jensen continued to hug the low line while Bellefeuille
got past Nelson and sailed around the high side slowly edging closer to Jensen at the line.
Bellefeuille’s strategy worked well and after battling for a few laps, managed to slip in
front of Jensen. Bellefeuille, Jensen and Nelson put on a great show as they battled for the
lead and were soon joined by Balduc. Those four began to pull away from Kevin Eder
and were soon dealing with lapped traffic. Bellefeuille appeared on his way to the victory,
but, just as the white flag flew, a caution flag set up a two lap shootout. The caution flag
played right into Nelson’s hands as he led only two laps, one the money lap, as he took
the win away from Bellefeuille. Eder wrested third from Jensen and, almost unnoticed,
defending track champion Al Uotinen raced into the top five. Early on in the event Nelson
turned the quickest circuit with a 19.249 lap at a 70. 1 mph average.
It was 25 laps for the thundering herd of WISSOTA Late Models. Aaron Lillo made
the most of his pole position as he beat his father to the first turn and came out with the
lead. Todd Gehl, Kyle Peterlin and Travis Budisalovich hung around in the top five
shadowed by Pat Doar and Darrell Nelson. Aaron Lillo played fox to the hounds as little
changed behind him as he raced away from dad to a huge lead. Budisalovich began a
charge toward the front arriving in second to pressure Lillo until he was able to make the
pass. Budiaslovich would lead the next 15 circuits as the race went non stopped to the
checkered flag. Nelson kept pushing and, with six laps remaining, caught Budisalovich
but couldn’t muster enough to make the pass. Budisalovich posted the fastest lap of the
event at 18.809 seconds for an 81.809 mph average. The entire 25 caution free laps took
eight minutes to complete.
The evening’s finale was 15 laps for the now WISSOTA Sanctioned Pure Stocks. At
the green flag, after a false start, Jeff Christman took the early lead over Justin Madsen,
but the caution flew with two in the books as Shaina Rapp and Ryan Madsen tangled in
turn three with Rapp tagged for the incident. Justin Madsen grabbed the restart lead and
stayed out front for a lap before Dustin Follett put the big station wagon out front for until
just at the mid point when caution flag number two appeared for the spun car of Ryan
Savoy in turn two. With eight laps remaining Mike Blevins got the jump on Follett but
Justin Madsen’s spin in turn four prevented him from leading a lap. Follett was
uncatchable the rest of the way as he led the final eight laps for the win over blevins, Alex
Smith, Justin Weinberger and Dylan Shelton.
Results AMSOIL Speedway Opening Night 5-20-16
WISSOTA Late Model (15 cars)
Feature (25 laps) Travis Budisalovich Minneapolis; Darrell Nelson Hermantown; Aaron
Lillo Proctor; Terry Lillo Duluth; Kyle Peterlin Hibbing; Harry Hanson Eveleth; Zach
Wohlers Kelly Lake; Todd Gehl Solon Springs; Pat Doar New Richmond; Tim McMann
Duluth; Chris Olson Hibbing; Trevor Wilson Superior; Gregg Hill Eveleth; Riley
Matthews Murilo, ON; John Toppozini Thunder Bay; Robbie Cooper South Range DNF:
Josh Johnson Superior
Heat 1; Nelson; Budisalovich; Peterlin; Matthews; Olson; McMann; Wilson; Johnson
DNF: Toppozini
Heat 2: A. Lillo; T. Lillo; Doar; Gehl; hanson; Wohlers; Hill; Cooper
WISSOTA Modified (21 cars)
Feature (20 laps) Darrell Nelson Hermantown; Jody Bellefeuille Duluth; Kevin Eder
Ashland; Joey Jensen Harris; Al Uotinen Superior; Neil Balduc Bessemer; Rick Rivord
Superior; Paul Wrazidlo Duluth; Deven VanHouse Silver Bay; Destin Lorimor Superior;
Pat Hoffman Rice Lake; Rick Niemi Eveleth; Cody Wolkowski Thunder Bay; Pat Cook
Washburn; Scott Heikkinen Eveleth; Jeffery Wood Chisholm DNF: Kevin Adams
Cameron; Jeff Wood Chisholm; Kelly Estey Kelly Lake; Brian Mikkonen Iron River;
Jeffery Lien, Jr Mora
Heat 1: Jensen; Eder; Bellefeuille; Uotinen; Rivord; Estey; Cook
Heat 2: Adams; Wrazidlo; Mikkonen; Wolkowski; Jeffery Wood; Hoffman DNF: Lien, Jr
Heat 3: Nelson; Jeff Wood; Balduc; VanHouse; Lorimor DNF: Heikkinen DNS: Niemi
WISSOTA Super Stocks (13 cars)
Feature (20 laps) Dave Flynn Superior; Kevin Burdick Proctor; Keith Kern Superior; DJ
Keeler Superior; Joe Oliver Superior; Mike Loomis Columbus; Pat Heikkinen Eveleth;
Andy Grymala Superior; Jim Campbell Two Harbors; Adam Shinn Duluth DNF: Scott
Lawrence Superior; Nick Oreskovich Mason; Willie Johnsen, Jr Superior
Heat 1; Burdick; Kern; Oreskovich; Keeler; Johnsen, Jr; Campbell; Shinn
Heat 2: Flynn; Heikkinen; Lawrence; Loomis; Oliver; Grymala
WISSOTA Midwest Modified (19 cars)
laps) Skeeter Estey Kelly Lake; Kevin Eder Ashland; Deven VanHouse Silver
Bay; Dan kingsley Superior; Nick Daronco Mountain Iron; Mack estey Hibbing; Taylor Luthner
Robinson, Il; Lance Solem Duluth; Kevin Montieth Thunder Bay; David
Simpson Thunder Bay; Shawn Rivord Superior; Donnie lofdahl Duluth; Cole Chernosky
Thunder Bay; Josh Heavirland Cloquet; James Kannegiesser Hayward; Craig Lofdahl
Duluth; Jason Goldfine Superior; Brandon Copp Brule DNF: May 21, DNF: Don Craig
Heat 1: Eder; Daronco; M. Estey; VanHouse; Leuthner; Chernosky; Craig; C. Lofdahl DNF:
Simpson; Montieth
Heat 2: S. Estey; Kingsley; Solem; D. Lofdahl; Heavirland; Golldfine; Kannegiesser;
Copp; Rivord
WISSOTA Pure Stocks (20 cars)
Feature (15 laps) Dustin Follett Cloquet; Mike Blevins Hibbing; Alex Smith Solon
Springs; Justin Weinberger Park Falls; Dylan Shelton Wrenshall; Justin Madsen Foxboro;
Annika Hammitt cloquet; Jeff Christman South Range; Ryan Madsen Foxboro; Ryan
Savoy Superior; Shaina Rapp Saginaw; Devin Reynolds Cloquet; Kyle Copp Brule; Zene
Anderson Superior; Carter Nelson Hermantown; Andy Poll Two Harbors DNF: Chad
Carlson; Tim Carlson DNS: Jared Akervik Superior; Tyler Carlson Cloquet
Heat 1: Savoy; J. Madsen; Smth; Poll; A. Hammitt; Shelton; Anderson; Reynolds; Nelson
DNF: Akervik
Heat 2: Follett; Blevins; Christman; Rapp; Weinberger; T. Carlson; R. Madsen; Copp; DNF: C.
Carlson;T. Carlson
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