Grand Rapids, MN 6-17-2011
By Randy Murray
Wes' Plumbing & Heating and Portable John Night at Tom Clusiau Grand Rapids Speedway presented by Paul Bunyan Communication saw some of the areas BEST racing so far this season. While overcast skies loomed all day the 78 entrants didn't seemed phased on bit. The pure excitement of the night became evident during the heats where the racing put fans on the edge of their seats and the announcer up a couple octaves. Setting a tone for the nights features that had fans rushing back to their seats so they didn't miss a corners worth of the action.
As the Rapids Ford WISSOTA MIdwest Modifieds rolled out, with Dennis German and Don Smith on the front row, no one had a clue as to what they were about to witness. Smith quickly took the lead and the scrum was on! Skeeter Estey, Bill Matzdorf, Dan Ebert and Charlie Castle quickly jumped into the top five and set in on smith.
The track wassmooth as glass and we are about to find out just how wide Grand Rapids can be. Smith wasn't about to just let them fly by, no sir, Not this time. Ebert and Estey set to battling each other and Smith for the front most of the time Three-wide! Castle and Matzdorf used two unoccupied lanes behind them to stay on their bumpers.
The Front 5 "Under a blanket", door to door, side by side and never was contact made.
Just past Midway the quintuplet caught the rear of the field but do not let that fool you. the action got HOTTER. Smith went to work and used the bottom and some patients to get past the first few cars. Ebert went the other way round and found a little bit of something and moved along side smith. Ebert set a pick and smith went to second. Smith fires back inside Ebert retaking the front/ Castle Estey and Matzdorf are slicing around each other and the field like a chopping blocks worth of Ginsu knives at a Sushi bar. As the laps ran out Ebert had gotten a two car advantage on Smith with Estey, Matzdorf and Castle not far behind! "That has to be the most fun race I have EVER been in, that was a Blast!!" Ebert commented in Victory Lane.
Having the bar set the WISSOTA Late Models rolled onto the racing surface with Mark Hienle and Todd Frank bring them to green. Frank set to the highline and blasted into the lead. Narrowly avoiding a pile up as he reigned in the 21 and shot down the back straight Heinle set off to catch him. Kyle Peterline aand Kevin Carlson set to battle for third with peterlin high and Carlson in the familiar low line. On a race track with more lanes than the I-94 in the heart of the cites the field settled in to find something no one else had. Though job there as the track was smooth with a cushion and a lot of good traction available everywhere and it just got faster. The big change would come in the heartbreaking form of a flat tire. Mark Heinle was running in second, getting pressure from K. Carlson on the bottom, when incidental contact cut Heinle's left rear. Heinle pulled up to the High-side and cleared the track ending a great run with a heart breaker finish. Frank, who never looked back from the start, took the checkers with Peterlin, K. Carlson, Harry hanson and Provinzino top 5
The Broking transport WISSOTA Modifieds got a freshly manicured surface when Paul Schultz and Brad hanson brought them to the green. Bob Broking and Dan Ebert slid into second and third behind Hanson. Ebert grabbed the extreme High line and powered outside hanson and Broking into the lead. Broking used the Distraction of ebert to slip past Hanson into Second. When a quick series of cautions, One of which for Broking, Didn;t deter Ebert from the lead the stage was set. Who can Prevent the sweep? 6th Starter Jeff Hart had moved to the top three around Dustin Nelson and Schultz. 10th Starteer Ryan Aho was making a bid as well as he cracked the top five. Ebert, Hart and the scrum that followed in behind. Aho battled with Nelson for a few laps before taking third and trying to run down the front two. Schultz moved back around Hanson into 5th while Kelly Estey fluctuated between 5th and 8th until a schultz miscue put hanson back in fifth.
As the race came to a close Dan Ebert had brought the broom with him as he cleaned up a Sweep in both of the Modified divisions this time with HArt, Aho, Nelson and Hanson in tow.
The Tom Clusiau WISSOTA Super Stocks came out to entertain with a Pair of Mikes on the front row. Mike Troumbly and Mike Procopio set the but Dalton Carlson had a point he wanted to make. That point, even though he is a young, don't count him out. Carlson bolted from the second row, grabbed the lead out of turn two and quicly put some distance between himself and Troumbly. 7th Starting Jeff Tardy was on a mission as he plotted a course through the field between him and carlson. Tardy reached second in just a few short laps but Carlson had opened a strong lead and running very well. Troumbly had his hands full with Derek Vesel in a battle for third until troumbly picked up a huge push and vesel, Don Frider, Jeremy Fink and the rest got by him before he got it under control again. Near Half way a caution bunched up the field. Carlson sat on the point with Tardy choosing the outside giving Vesel the inside lane. Carlson stood up to the test and fired out again retaining the lead with much more pressure from Tardy on the highside. Vesel settled into the inside behind carlson looking for a crack in the leaders Armor. The show was right in front of vesel as Carlson used the low lane to battle the hard driving Tardy on the High Side. the two spent nearly 14 of 20 laps side by side and flying. Vesel showed why he is one of the more respected area competitors pressuring carlson but never forcing the issue. Tardy got the edge with a few laps to go and Took away Carlsons advantage in 3-4. Carlson held Tough in second in a drag race with vesel to the checkers that saw vesel with an edge at the flag. Jeremy Fink and Bob Carlson rounded out the top Five as Tardy returned to Victory Lane
The Pure Stocks would see a ton of side by side and three wide challenges as Dacota Greene grabbed the lead from front row mate Jerry Ramey. Greene looked to be untouchable as he lead the field around the 3/8ths mile oval. Keith Koski and Mitch Meyer set to a door to door dual for second. That lasted until Jake Barsness decided to make a bid for a return trip to victory lane. Getting by Meyer, Barsness set to work on Koski trying to better his chances. Kevin Perkovich had driven the wagon up to 6th from tenth and looked to crack in to the top five. A late caution tests greene but he held fast the lead. Koski in second had a plan in mind. Barsness tried to better his spot outside Koski but Greene was still there and leading. Koski make a move below greene that saw the lead switch to Him. Koski Grabs his second win of the season over a disapointed Greene, Barsness,Meyer and Perkovich round out the top 5
The races tonight rank right in there with some of the best racing I have seen so far this season and we have a long season left in front of us.
Next Thursday, June 23rd all 5 classes return to the speedway along with the two seater late model. Gondick Law offices and Rapids Ford
help bring the races to the track and the Kids Club has some events for the youngsters before the Green flag flies. Come to where Thursdays
Always Thunder, Tom Clusiau Grand Rapids Speedway presented by Paul Bunyan Communications. For more information look us up on the
Wissota Late Models
Feature: Frank, Peterlin, K. Carlson, Hanson, Provinzino,Kintner, Waseleski, Ogston,T. Carlson, Paolo DNF Heinle
Heat one: K. Carlson, Provinzino, Paolo, Peterlin, Ogston
Heat two: Frank, Hanson, Kintner, Heinle, Waseleski
Broking Transport WISSOTA Modified
Feature: Ebert, Hart, Aho, Nelson, Hanson, Estey, Schultz, J. Broking, Champlin, Olson, B. Broking, Sersha, Simmens
DNF; Wood, B. Nelson, Mostoller, Reini
Heat One: Hanson, Wood, Schultz, B. Broking, Olson
Heat two: Ebert, Hart, Estey, Nelson, Aho
Tom Clusiau WISSOTA Super Stock
Feature: Tardy, Vesel, D. Carlson, Fink, B. Carlson, Burdick, LaBarge, Procopio, Schultz, Nicholl, Frider, Roepke DNF Troumbly
Heat One: Tardy, Procopio, B. Carlson, Burdick, Frider
Heat Two: Vesel, Fink, D. Carlson, Troumbly, LaBarge
Rapids Ford WISSOTA Midwest Modified
Feature: Ebert, Smith, Matzdorf, Estey, C. Castle, Herrick, Bourquin, Leek, Rask, Johnson, Lawler, Castle Jr, German, Nelson, Paolo,Anderson, Miller
Heat One: Matzdorf, Castle, Estey, Smith, Leek
Heat Two: Ebert, Herrick, Rask, German, Anderson
Pure Stock
Feature: Koski, Greene, Barsness,Meyer, Perkovich, Miller, M. Jensen, Wilson, Ramey, Chamernick, Baumgarner, Heinle, Feltus, Ryan
DNF: MacAdams, B. Jensen, Palkki, Peirzina DNS Jerry
Heat One:Pierzina, Meyer, Koski, Greene, MacAdams
Heat Two: Barsness, Ramey, Wilson, Jensen, Perkovich
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on the front row. Bourquin and Leek battled each other for the lead, often side by side, with Bourquin holding the point at the line. Dan Ebert pressured the two from the third spot. A Bourquin slip let Leek get inside and both Leek and Ebert were quick to capitalize sending the leader back to third. The Emo, Ontario regular had his hands full trying to fend of the pressure from Ebert and Grand Rapids racer, Don Smith. A restart with two laps to go set up a green, white, checkered ending with Leek on the point and Smith and Ebert side by side behind him. Leek dropped in and held the line to take his first ever feature-win. Ebert, Smith, Bill Matzdorf and Thompson rounded out the top five.
track locked down in the previous event, the pole sitter jumped to the quick lead. Second row inside starter, Jeff Provinzino, took hold of the second position while outside pole starter, Carlson, grabbed third. A restart near the halfway mark saw four cars sitting atop one another in turn four. Good work from the Grand Rapids wrecker teams got the four apart and all were able to continue due to their efforts. The restart saw Waseleski regain the point with Provinzino, Carlson, Corey Jorgensen and Joey Ogston taking positions in what would remain the top five. Waseleski picked up the winners check for the first time this season.
Ken Mostellar and Jody Olson brought the mods to green, but third place starter, John Reini, jumped out to the lead. Seventh starter, Jeff Wood, gained the second spot. A flurry of restarts short of the halfway point tested the mettle of Reini, but he remained up to the task holding the point through all four of them. Eighth starter, Jeff Hart, went to the high side and found something to get him up to third behind Wood. Bob Broking drove up to fourth and Paul Schultz grabbed fifth until Hart stepped out to try a pass. Broking and Schultz made him rethink that and dropped him to fifth. John Reini picked up his first Modified win in front of them.
charge. Nicholl, Carlson and Donnie Lofdahl, who started on the inside lane, jumped ahead and took the top three spots. With the bottom line being dominant and rubbered up, Carlson used it to his advantage to get past Nicholl and grab a lead he wouldn't relinquish. Carlson picked up his first win since his return to supers, with Lofdahl, Fink, Burdick and Davey rounding out the top five.
Perkovich had to pit for a left rear flat leaving Nosie to fend off the challengers. Nosie would hold them off and pick up her first win this season. Nate Syverson, Chris Miller, Kevin Baumgarner and Keith Koski would round out the top five.
