NEW OLD WINNERS FIND VICTORY LANE AT AMSOIL SEEDWAY
By Jerry O’Brien
6-2-17 Superior. WI
No real strangers to the speedway won features as the second race of the 2017 season was
finally run at AMSOIL Speedway Friday night. With the exception of the WISSOTA Pure
Stocks, every main event winner had won here previously, just not recently.
A nice field of 95 cars including 26 Midwest Modifieds and 23 WISSOTA Modifieds, came
to the big four tenths mile track to compete before a nice crowd of hardy race fans. A wind
switch off Lake Superior dropped the temperature at race time into the mid fifties while
surrounding communities basked in 80 degree weather.
Qualifying heats were completed in record time and, after a short break, main event racing
began with 20 laps for the Midwest Modifieds. The event got underway with all 26 cars
answering the call to battle. It was a rough start as front row starters Shane Howell and Alex
Smith got together in turn two resulting in Howell spinning in front of the pack. To the
wonderment of all, everyone missed the spinning car. The realignment put Howell back on the
pole and sent Smith to spot number 26 which moved Cole Chernosky to the front row. Howell
held the top spot at the green, but Chernosky got a great run off turn four and seized the lead.
Howell then had Deven VanHouse and Andrew Inman along with Skeeter Estey to contend with.
Chernosky opened up a wide lead which evaporated when rookie Mclean Andrews spun in turn
four. A pair of circuits had been completed and, on the restart, Chernosky again took off to a nice
lead only to have the yellow lights blink on when Smith and Craig Lofdahl tangled at the back of
the pack in turn one. Smith was done for the night after causing two caution flags. The green flag
saw Chernosky continue his hot run while Howell got by VanHouse for second. Nick Daronco
joined the fun getting past Skeeter Estey fourth as Mack Estey and Cody Carlson also moved into
contention. While Chernosky widened his lead, the racing was hot and heavy for second traded
places lap after lap. Howell began to slip back and VanHouse began to cut into Chernosky’s lead.
Meanwhile Chernosky was beginning to encounter back markers which slowed him up and let
VanHouse and others close up. Chernosky got hung up behind the lapped car of Jeff Hanninen
exiting turn two and the error opened the flood gates and VanHouse, Skeeter Estey and Daronco
slipped past leaving Chernosky in fourth. Shortly thereafter caution flag number five appeared
when Andrews had problems exiting turn two. It was his second caution flag which sent him pit
side. The restart came with seven laps remaining. VanHouse maintained his lead over Daronco
who was being harassed by the Estey brothers. As VanHouse pulled away, Skeeter Estey got by
Daronco to second and set out after the leader. Almost unnoticed, Dan Kingsley appeared in the
top ten form his 22nd starting spot and got by Mack Estey for a forth place finish easily the best
drive of the race. The feature win was VanHouse’s first win here in two years.
The WISSOTA Super Stock count is slowly increasing as fifteen cars were on hand. Veteran
driver Jim Campbell brought his pristine number 12 down the north shore of Lake Superior from
two Harbors, MN and, after heat action, found himself presented with the outside of the front
row for the 20 lap go. He took advantage of that spot as the Mopar powered racer powered him
into the lead at the outset with pole sitter Keith Kern falling to second. Nick Oreskovich soon
captured second and set out after Campbell. Kern began a slow slide backward as Andy
Gryamala moved to third. Lurking close by were Kevin Burdick and Scott Lawrence. Lawrence
encountered some sort of problem that saw the left front come high off the track under
acceleration. After a few laps losing spots, he too the car to the pits. Up front Campbell had
company in Oreskovich and Burdick as the three opened up a wide gap back to fourth place
Grymala. A little further back was Dave Flynn, Willie Johnsen and Kern. A caution flag for
debris flew with nine of the 20 complete. On the restart, Campbell was able to pull away a bit
from Oreskovich while Burdick got past Grymala into third. Johnsen picked up the pace and
made his way into fifth and soon got by into fourth. Though Campbell was able to stay out front,
as the laps went by, his lead began to slowly diminish. Woth four laps remaining, Adam Shinn’s
car erupted in a cloud of steam bringing out the final caution flag. The restart saw shuffling of
positions behind Campbell as Burdick and then Johnsen got past Oreskovich as the checkered
flag flew. Grymala rounded out the top five. It was Campbell’s first win at the speedway since
2014.
Next was a 20 lap feature for the WISSOTA Late Models with 13 cars starting led by veteran
Tim McMann. The caution flag flew immediately after the green as Canadian visitor John
Toppozini rode up on the first turn wall bringing out the red flag. He was apparently uninjured
but the car rode off on the rollback truck after a lengthy delay for removal. When racing resumed,
McMann clung to the lead followed by Terry Lillo, Kyle Peterlin, Darrell Nelsonand Roger
Paolo. The battle for the lead heated up in the early going as McMann and Lillo traded the point
back and forth. Peterlin made his way to second for a couple of laps before Nelson took the spot.
Peterlin got back by Nelson, closed on McMann and swept by to the lead. Nelson followed to
second while Pat Doar also got past McMann and Zach Wohlers also got into the top five. Just
before the midpoint, Nelson made a rare mistake and slid sideways in turn one. He was able to
save it, but the caution flag was already out and he was sent to the back. Peterlin had no trouble
keeping the lead as Doar took second and McMann was in third. Former track champion Travis
Budiaslovich was in fourth from tenth and Wohlers was fifth from ninth. Peterlin raced out to a
big lead on Doar and went on to take the win, his first since 2015. The top five remained the
same to the checkered flag.
Then it was Modified time, 20 laps the distance and 23 cars was the number starting with
Steve Stuart on the pole. Stuart jumped out to the lead at the green shadowed by Paul Wrazidlo
and Pat Cook. Rick Rivord and Jody Bellefeuille came next in the top five. Stuart was perfect in
front and was never really challenged throughout the nonstopped event. Wrazidlo clung to the
second spot despite challenges from Bellefeuille until Bellefeuille made the pass with four to go.
Johnny Broking worked his way from the seventh starting spot into fourth and stayed there to the
checkered flag. Darrell Nelson could do no better than fifth after starting eighth. As the final laps
wore down, Bellefeuille closed on Stuart who was able to stave off his advances to secure the
win. It was Sturat’s first win in four years at the speedway.
The WISSOTA Pure Stocks finished up the show with 15 laps of feature madness. Ryan
Savoy and Mike Blevins traded the lead back and forth in a tense battle for the win while Tim
Carlson ran a distant third once things settled down. Early on Kevin Getchell spun in turn four
with one lap down. The restart saw Savoy to the lead but Blevins got back by and controlled the
point though Savoy grabbed it back three laps later. Blevins then went back by for two laps, the
Savoy held sway for a couple more. Meanwhile Carlson was alone in third while Al Rapp, Jared
Akervik, Kyle Copp, Dylan Shelton and Andrew Hanson waged a fierce battle for position. With
three laps remaining, the second caution flag of the event flew for Akervik who had tried an
outside pass on the lapped car of Aaron Bernick on the front stretch and got squeezed into the
concrete wall which bent up his hood. On the restart Blevins was able to pull away from Savoy to
a commanding lead. Savoy hung onto second over Carlson with Copp and Hanson finishing
fourth and fifth. Blevins recorded the sweep and became the only two time feature winner this
season at the speedway.
Next up is the second leg of the Advantage RV Modified tour “Race to the Hill” swing starting
Thursday at the Grand Rapids Speedway, then to AMSOIL Speedway on Friday, ABC Raceway
on Saturday culminating at the Proctor Speedway for the second annual King On The Hill
Modified event.
