JORGENSEN CAPTURES BIG CHECK AS PURE STOCKS FEATURED ATGONDIK LAW SPEEDWAY
By Jerry O’Brien
8-13-21 Superior, WI
It was a perfect night for racing as the Gondik Law Speedway presented the
third Annual National Suicide Prevention Lifeline night at the speedway Friday
August 13th. Joining forces with the Volunteers from the Suicide Prevention
Lifeline a fund raiser was presented.
The WISSOTA Pure Stocks were the Featured Class with an enhanced purse
paying a minimum of $700 to win. Ths was more than double the normal amount
which drew more than the normal amount of race cars to the clay oval. Also on the
card were WISSOTA Modifieds, Super Stocks and Hornets. A total of 80 cars
were in competition. Also on the card was a visit from the Northern Vintage Stock
Car Racers club (NVSR).
A total of 80 cars in the WISSOTA Classes were on hand for the event
including 20 Pure Stocks. The WISSOTA Late Models had the night off.
Qualifying heat races in each class were used to set the lineups for the feature
events. In the Pure Stocks there were three eight lap heat races which were won by
Cory Jorgensen, Aaron Bernick and Trevor Treviranus. Hornet heats went to
Justin Schelitzche and DeJay Jarecki. There were also three heats in the Midwest
Modifieds which went to Ryan Savoy and a pair of Rookies Evan Checkalski and
Tanner Gehl. Kyle Copp and Andrew Mackey were the Super Stock heat winners
and Danny Vang and Jody Bellefeuille topped the pair of Modified qualifiers.
First to line up for their 20 lap main event were the WISSOTA Midwest
Modifieds. Officials decided to start all of the cars, 27 of them, but Tyler Vernon
and Paul Ripley failed to make the call due to problems suffered in their qualifying
heats.
The race started out with a bang, one that didn’t mean anything good as the
caution flag flew before a lap could be completed due to a collision between Mike
Blevins and Josh Johnson in turn one. The second try went better as Kenny
Kincaid took his #4 into the lead over Evan Checkalski, Andrew Inman, Tanner
Gehl and Brady Uotinen. That lasted for a couple of circuits until there was a
meeting between jimmy Latvala and Cody Carlson which sent Latvala back to his
spot and Carlson the opposite direction to the back of the pack. The restart came
with 19 laps still ahead of them. Kincaid held onto the lead at the restart with
Inman, Checkalski, Uotinen, Ryan Savoy and Latvala trailing along with McLean
Andrews in the mix. . Caution number three soon flew as debris was spotted on the
back stretch. Kincaid held onto the lead at the restart over Inman but behind the
lead duo things began to heat up. Uotinen moved up to third past Checkalski,
Savoy got past Gehl, Jack Rivord joined the pack, Kennedy Swan the 14 year old
Phenom, also began to march forward. Uotinen was driving a masterful race and
soon blew past kincaid for the lead towing Inman along to second. The fourth
caution flag soon appeared as Taylor Madrinich spun in turn four. Racing resumed
with 13 laps left. The top five included Uotinen in the lead, Inman, Kincaid,
Latvala, Savoy and Andrews battling for position. Swan came next in a battle with
Jason VandeKamp who had started 15th. The fifth caution flag appeared when
Mitch Kieber spun in turn four. The restart came at the half way mark with
Uotinen retaining the point over Inman, Kincaid, Latvala and Andrews as Swan
lurked in sixth. Uotinen was in control, Inman was immoveable in second, Kincaid
third and Latvala fourth and Andrews fifth. Further back Swan found herself
fending off a pair of #16s as VandeKamp and Savoy joined her in the race for
sixth. While those behind were more interested in racing each other as well as
fending off attacks for position, Uotinen steadily drove away to a commanding
lead. It looked as though no one was going to unseat Uotinen and he would get his
second feature win of his rookie season. But, there is always a “but”, with two laps
to go caution flag number six reared it’s ugly head when Kieber agan looped it in
turn four. A Green/White/Checkered finish was in the offing but Uotinen was up
to the challenge as he went on to get the hard earned win. Latvala, Inman,
VandeKamp and Savoy rounded out the top five.
Super Stocks were up next with Scott Lawrence on the pole next to Andrew
Mackey. Lawrence got the jump at the green flag over Mackey with Kevin
Burdick lurking along with DJ Keeler and Shane Sabraski. Lawrence held the lead
early on with Burdick and Sabraski close behind. Burdick soon garnered the lead
as Sabraski moved past Lawrence to second, moved up on Burdick and, a lap or so
later was in the lead. As the leaders settled in to the race, it went past caution
straight to a red flag condition as Dan Peterson rolled the #6 in the fourth turn.
Peterson was okay and the restart came with 11 laps to go. Sabraski retained the
lead over Burdick with Lawrence and Mackey just behind. Copp and Keeler were
embroiled in a door to door battle for fifth with Dave Flynn, KeithLern and Andy
Grymala also skirmishing for position. What proved to be the only caution flag of
the 20 lap race came with seven laps to go. Flynn and Copp were involved with
Mackey at the bottom of turn four. Mackey left under his own power while Flynn
and Copp left on the Rollback and Hook. The last seven laps went without
incident as Sabraski continued to stay ahead of Burdick, Lawrence, Grymala,
Kern, Jake Froemke, Keeler and Rita Anderson, all who were left, finished in that
order. It was Sabraski’s fourth feature win of the season at GLS.
Next the Modifieds rolled out for their 20 lap feature. Rick Rivord took the
lead from the pole over Dan Kingsley, Kingsley returned the favor and the first
caution flag flew when Mike Klippenstein hit the third turn wall. Racing resumed
with no laps complete and Rivord and Kingsley having a tussle over the lead.
Kingsley took the spot with Danny Vang third, Skeeter Estey fourth and Sabraski
fifth. Caution flag number two quickly flew as Estey, Brandon Copp and Jody
Bellefeuille had an incident in turn three. Apparently Bellefeuille got into Estey
and spun him and Copp got caught up in it. There was apparently some extra
curricular activity resulting in Estey being disqualified. Copp was able to continue
as was Bellefeuille but with heavy sheetmetal damage on the right side. Kingsley
was able to keep the lead on the restart but Vang had something else in mind as he
quickly drove around Kingsley and raced out to a commanding lead. The pack was
brought up to Vang when Billy Kendall’s #9 was spun in turn four bringing out
the second caution flag. The restart came with eleven laps to go and Vang
tightened his stranglehold on the lead racing away from Sabraski who could not
muster enough speed to make a pass. Copp and Cole Spacek finished third and
fourth while Kingsley held on to fifth.
It was Danny Vang’s first feature win of the season at Gondik law Speedway.
Then it was time for a nice field of WISSOTA Hornets to take to the speedway
and, wouldn’t you know, they would prove to be the only class to go the distance
without a single caution flag. Nathan Rose ran a strong race leading Justin
Schelitzche right to the final lap. But that pair didn’t remember to reckon with the
driver who has been on a complete tear in the Hornets this season. DeJay Jarecki
from Ashland moved up and hid in third place until the very last lap when he made
his move and sailed past the leaders to capture his fifth feature win of the season at
Gondik Law Speedway to go with seven at his home track ABC Raceway in
Ashland.
The final feature of the night was 20 laps for the WISSOTA Pure Stocks which
is almost double what they are used to. It was announced as they were preparing to
take the green flag that they would be running for $800 to win. Bryar Zimmerman
in the “OOZ” car slipped into the lead ahead of Aaron Bernick, Mitch Kesan
who’s car just says AK on the doors, James Rahn and Cory Jorgensen in the top
five. Zimmerman kept the lead to the first caution flag that appeared three laps in
for an incident in turn one. Rahn took over the top spot with Jorgensen second,
Zimmerman third, Kesan fourth and Jared Akervik fifth. Jorgensen then grabbed
the lead as Kesan moved to second. Rahn held onto third with Zimmerman fourth.
Randy Graham moved up to battle with Akervik. Meanwhile Jorgensen
maintained the lead as Rahn battled with Kesan. Another caution flag with four
laps remaining closed up the field. Jorgensen continued to lead but another caution
flag, the third happened when Rahn tried to squeeze between Sam Blevins and
Kesan. There was not enough room and Blevins was forced into the wall. Rahn got
the worst of it and went to the pits on the hook. Now there was three laps to go for
Jorgensen and he wasn’t going to let $800 get away as he outdistanced Akervik,
Zimmerman, Graham and Tom Trivernaus for the win. As Jorgnsen and the rest of
the field were taking the checkered flag an incident occurred in the third turn that
saw the #9 of Anthony Woodhul go sideways at the bottom of turn three, get hit by
Aaron Bernick and go flying into the air, roll over and crash to the ground. No one
was injured but there was much damage to the #9 as well as a fire in the #17 of
Bernick.
