MASSINGILL AND KAANTA TOP TWIN PORTS TWIN 25S

By Jerry O’Brien
8-2-15 Superior, WI

The 10th Annual Twin Ports Twin 25s Late Model Special brought 30
WISSOTA Late Models to AMSOIL Speedway in a rare Sunday night event.
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and AMSOIL Speedway Pure Stocks weere also
on the program.
The Twin Ports Twin 25s (TPT25s) Late Model special is the brain child of
Duluth Optometrist and super Late Model fan Dr. Troy Powers. The event features
a pair of 25 lap Late Model features, the first lined up by passing points in
qualifying heats. The second feature is lined up after a blind draw by the first
feature winner with the field inverted to the number drawn, no less that eight nor
more than sixteen. There is a $500 bonus for the driver with the best average
finish in the two features. Should one driver win both feature events the bonus
doubles to $1000.

The first 25 lap event was won by 2012 second feature winner John Kaanta of
Elk mound, WI and the second feature went to Keewatin, MN’s Jeff Massingill.
The second generation driver is the son of 2007 second feature winner John
Massingill.
After the heat races, the driver with the most passing points, Jeff Provinzino
lined up on the pole with Kaanta to his outside. Provinzino got the jump at the
start with Kaanta, Mike Balcaen, Rick Hanestad and Adam Hensel in the top five.
Chad Mahder, Terry Lillo, Pat Doar and Jeff Massingill trailed. With three laps in
a caution flag appeared for Cory Jorgenson as he rolled to a halt on the front
stretch. Provinzino maintained the lead at the restart over Kaanta, Hanestad and
Balcaen while Mahder took fifth. A quick two laps was all it took for another
caution flag to fly as Zach Wohlers clashed with another car and went straight into
the first turn wall ending his race. The restart saw Provinzino continue to lead
Kaanta by a good margin. With no caution flags the rest of the way, Kaanta began
to slowly reel in Provinzino until he tracked him down with around five laps to go.
It then became a cat and mouse game between the two as they tried to find their
way around Scott Herrick whom they were trying to lap. They finally cleared
Herrick and Kaanta began to pressure Provinzino and, on the last lap Kaanta drew
alongside Provinzino and won the drag race down the front stretch taking the win
by one one thousandth of a second at the checkered flag. Mahder, Hanestad and
Doar finished in the top five. Provinzino led 24 of the 25 circuits and turned the
fastest lap at 19.224 seconds at an average of 70.2 MPH on the slick race track.
For the second 25 lap feature Kaanta drew the number 10 which put newcomer
Jared Siefert of Luxenburg, WI on the pole next to Don Shaw of Ham Lake, MN.
At the green flag Jeff Massingill who started inside the second row got a great
jump and shot to the lead followed by Shaw, Balcaen, Siefert and Adam Hensel.
Eyers were on John Kaanta as he set out to take the second win and the $1000
bonus for winning both events. Massingill seemed determined to extend his lead
over the others battling behind him and did so by a full straight away. Shaw,
Hensel, Balcaen, Siefert, Hanestad, Doar and Kaanta were in hot pursuit while
battling one another enabling Massingill’s lead to increase. Hensel won out and
took second and began to reel in Massingill. The stalled car of Gregg Hill next to
the wall at the top of turn four erased Massingill’s lead. Now Massingill had
Hensel, Shaw, Balcaen and Siefert all right on his bumper. Massingill got a good
start but a clash between Terry Lillo and Kyle Peterlin in turn four brought out the
caution flag again and the restart came with 15 laps remaining. Massingill held on
to the point over Shaw, Hensel, Balcaen and Seifert in the top five as Kaanta
moved into sixth. As Massingill pulled away, Shaw and Hensel fell into a battle
for second and Kaanta moved up to scuffle with Balcaen for fourth. Massingill
took the checkered flag over Hensel, Shaw, Kaanta and Balcaen in the top five.
Kaanta’s win in the first feature coupled with his fourth place finish gave him
the best average finish bonus and the $500 that goes with it.
Massingill led all 25 laps and turned the fastest one at 19.727 seconds for an
average of 68.3 MPH.
In between the two 25 lap Late Model events, the Midwest Modifieds and Pure
Stocks ran their features. First up it was 20 laps for the Midwest Modifieds with
all 26 cars answering the call. Pole sitter Tyler Kintner beat front row mate Jake
Gondik to the first turn and took the lead. Mack Estey, Carey LePage and Skeeter
Estey ran in the top five. Kintner held off Mack Estey while Gondik and Skeeter
Estey battled just ahead of Paul Niznik in fifth. Rob Ranttlo brought out the first
caution flag with a turn two spin. The restart saw Kintner try the low groove with
Mack Estey sliding way high in turn four. Gondik, Skeeter Estey and Niznik raced
three abreast for third. The caution flag again flew as Carey LePage and Nick
Daronco clashed in turn three and LePage was charged. On the restart Mack Estey
got the jump on Kintner and took the top spot and took the lead over Kintner and
Gondik but a third caution flag spoiled the fun as David Simpson stopped in turn
four. Mack Estey held onto the lead over Kintner but Skeeter Estey took third
ahead of Niznik as Gondik slipped back to fifth just ahead of Deven VanHouse,
Daronco and Jason Vandekamp. Skeeter Estey slipped into second and to battle
with Mack Estey as VanHouse went to fourth. The fourth and final caution flag
flew for a four car pileup in turn four. The restart saw the Estey brother battle
broken up by Kintner ahead of VanHouse, Niznik, Daronco, Dan Kingsley and
Dan Wilson. Mack Estey pulled off his second win of the season at the speedway.
Lap lleaders were Mack Estey (10-20) and Kintner (1-9). Kintner had the fastest
lap at 20.789 seconds averaging 64.9 MPH.
Mike Blevins of Hibbing a former track champion in the Pure Stock division
started in the fourth row and survived six caution flags in fifteen laps to take his
first win of the season at the speedway and his first since 2013. Alex Smith of
Solon Springs led laps two to seven when Blevins took over the rest of the way
leading laps eight to fifteen. Defending track champion Lucas Carlson was docked
for jumping a restart and finished third while Tyler Carlson was docked for
multiple restart jumping and was docked from sixth to eleventh.
Twin Ports Twin 25s Results
WISSOTA Late Model (30 cars)
Feature #1 (25 laps): John Kaanta Elk Mound; Jeff Provinzino Hibbing; Chad
Mahder Eau Claire; Rick Hanestad Boyceville; Pat Doar new Richmomd; Adam
Hensel Baldwin; Mike Balcaen Winnipeg; Jeff Massingill Keewatin; Don Shaw
Ham Lake; Jared Siefert Luxemburg; Darrell Nelson Hermantown; Terry Lillo
Duluth; Aaron Lillo Proctor; Dave Esse Cloquet; Kyle Peterlin Hibbing; Kelly
Estey Kelly Lake; Harry Hanson Eveleth; Tim McMann Duluth; Kevin Carlson
Hermantown; Gregg Hill Eveleth; Scott Herrick Proctor DNF: Travis
Budiaslovich Minneapolis; Zach Wohlers Pengilly; Cory Jorgenson Hermantown
Feature #2 (25 laps): Massingill; Hensel; Shaw; Kaanta; Balcaen; Mahder;
Hanestad; Siefert; A. Lillo; Nelson; Doar; Esse; McMann; Carlson; Provinzino;
Estey; Herrick DNF: T. Lillo; Peterlin; Hill; Hanson; Budiaslovich DNS: Wohlers,
Jorgenson
B Feature (top 8 advance): Shaw; Nelson; Hill; McMann; Budiaslovich;
Jorgenson; Carlson; Herrick Riley Matthews Murillo, Ont; Trevor Wilson
Superior; Jay Kintner Hibbing; Robbie Cooper South range DNF: Josh Johnson
Superior; John Toppozini Thunder Bay
Heat 1: Hensel; Hanestad; T. Lillo; Wohlers; Peterlin; McMann; Kintner DNF:
Matthews
Heat 2: Hanson; Provinzino; A. Lillo; Mahder; Jorgenson; Toppozini; Carlson
DNF: Nelson
Heat 3: Balcaen; Siefert; Doar; Shaw; Estey; Budiaslovich; Cooper
Heat 4: Kaanta; Massingill; Esse; Hill; Herrick; Wilson; Johnnson
WISSOTA Midwest Modified (26 cars)
Feature (20 laps): Mack Estey Kelly Lake; Tyler Kintner Hibbing; deven
VanHouse Silver Bay; Paul Niznik Medford; Nick Daronco Mountain Iron; Dan
Wilson Hibbing; Jason Vandekamp Scandia, Josh Heavirland Cloquet; Scott
Herrick Proctor; Dan Kingsley Superior; Cody Carlson Superior; Tyler Luger Iron
River; Lance Solem Duluth; Mike Blevins Hibbing; Donnie Lofdahl Duluth; Cole
Chernosky Thunder Bay; Eric Gadach Deer Park; Rob Rattalo Thunder Bay DNF:
Eric Anderson Chisholm; Jake gondik Foxboro; David Simpson Thunder Bay;
Carey LePage Culver; Mike Jacques Thunder Bay; Jamie Smart Kakabeka Falls;
Justin Madsen Foxboro
Heat 1: VanHouse; Kintner; M. Estey; Luger; Herrick; Solem; chernosky;
Madsen; Ranttalo
Heat 2: Niznik; Gondik; LePage; Vandekamp; Simpson; Lofdahl; Smart DNF:
Jacques; Carlson
Heat 3: S. Estey; Daronco; Wilson; Kingsley; heavirland; Blevins; Gadach;
Anderson
Pure Stock (17 cars)
Feature (15 laps): Mike Blevins Hibbing; Ryan Savoy Superior; Lucas Carlson
Cloquet; Jeff Christman South Range; Annika Hammitt Cloquet; Tim Carlson
Superior; Shaina Rapp Saginaw; Erik Pederson Saginaw; Andy Poll Two Harbors;
Carter Nelson Hermantown; Tyler Carlson Duluth DNF: Ryan Madsen Foxboro;
Mark Korte Duluth; Jon Hammitt cloquet; Alex Smith Solon Springs; jason
Simonson Superior; Deven Reynolds Cloquet
Heat 1: L. Carlson; Christman; Smith; Korte; J. Hammitt; T. Carlson; Poll DNF:
Reynolds; Nelson
Heat 2: Blevins; T. Carlson; Savoy; Pederson; Simonson; Rapp; Madsen DNF: A.
Hammitt