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Thursday, June 6

As has been the case more often than not in recent weeks, every race night is a mad scramble to avoid the effects of weather, or actual weather, occurring come race time.

I planned to head to Rice Lake for the Fastlane Super Stock Series June 6, but the many inches of rain that Rice Lake received this week were enough to cancel the show.

Instead, I set out toward KRA Speedway in Willmar for its weekly Thursday night program, with the addition of the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series to the program.

It never is a pleasant drive to Willmar because I have to go through St. Cloud and that is a nightmare even on the best days. However, I made it to the city of lakes without incident and with time to spare.

Along with the Late Models, KRA was running all their classes with the exception of the Modifieds, which had the night off. The also had a boost in counts due to other rainouts occurring, and the total car count was up over 100, numbers they don't normally see here.

A trip to KRA means an opportunity to visit with folks like Pastor Paul and tech man Gene. Ron Krog is always a busy guy on race night here, but I did get the chance to say hello as he walked the pit area looking for information on some of the drivers.

The car counts were especially good for both the Streets and Supers, in both numbers and talent. The Late Models fielded a group of 26 drivers, which I thought to be very good, considering Late Models are not in large supply locally and just race here once a year.

Qualifying, something very rarely done here, was the order of the night for the Late Models. Ryan Mikkelson broke the old track record set last year on a track that started out tacky but, not surprisingly, slicked up and slowed down quickly. Shane Sabraski and Tyler Peterson were quick in their respective heat races.

With some last-minute track issues and qualifying, we were a bit tardy starting the racing program and that came back to bite us later. After Pastor Paul led us in the singing of the National Anthem, the Pure Stocks rolled out and the program began about a half hour late. The heat races across the board were a bit on the painful side. Whether it was the qualifying that did it, or a combination of other factors including Late Model laps, the track was one lane wide for the heats and passing was at a bare minimum, with drivers having to prod others out of the groove to advance.

Things were especially grim for Jeff Provinzino, who first broke a drive line in time trials, and then made it back out for his heat — only to clip a big ute tire that broke his front end and sent him into the wall, multiplying the damage.

I was surprised that he was able to get everything fixed and sans hood, he started the feature. Although I thought he might be a quick “start and park,” he instead raced all 40 laps to my surprise.

The move of the night was made by the track crew, who came out and watered the cushion during the short break before the mains started. What a great difference it made; we went from a one lane track to one that cleaned off nicely for the features and allowed drivers to run two distinct lines.

The clock on the wall was not our friend by this point, however, and with the heats not getting done until well after 9 p.m., one wondered what they would do with the remaining schedule of events.

The running order for the features was the same as the heats. First a Pure Stock feature ran, and then the Street Stocks started the WISSOTA action. Twenty-two Streets took the green flag for their main and with only one brief yellow to slow the action, it was a very good race.

Ethan Iiams led the opening lap of the race but was quickly passed for the lead by Zach Flickinger. Justin Vogel started in the second row and quickly moved into the runner-up slot and spent a number of laps trying both high and low to get past Flickinger. At the halfway point of the race, he edged past into the lead but Flickinger came right back at him and retook the top spot.

It was hard work for Vogel but finally on lap 12 he was able to edge far enough ahead that he could clear Flickinger and then return to his preferred line. At the end, he edged away slightly to take the win with Flickinger running a strong second and Ty Agen third.

The “Wolverine” looked strong but it was hard to visualize him driving a mostly black race car, as I kept looking for either the yellow or pink, neither of which is on the 2024 version of his Streeter.

The Late Models were third in the running order and they put on a dandy show. The track was shiny but didn't rubber up at all and they were using both the top and bottom lanes.

Cory Crapser came up just six laps short of earning his first Late Model win as the rookie to this class, but veteran of many other divisions. He got the jump on Mikkelson and led the first 34 laps, holding on through four yellows for minor incidents.

Cole Searing, the point leader for the series, started sixth but worked his way forward quickly, and was second by lap 10. Mikkelson, Matt Gilbertson and Tyler Peterson settled into the top five spots and then the jockeying began.

Crapser held off Searing lap after lap and fought off several challenges following restarts when it appeared Searing was going to try and slide him, but just couldn't get enough speed to try such a maneuver.

With just six laps to go, Crapser got a bit high in turn one and got hung up on the cushion. That was all Searing needed to blast past him and take over the lead, a lead that Crapser couldn't cut back into in the remaining laps. For Searing, it was his third Challenge Series win in four outings, as he made the tough decision to skip a race in his hometown to instead travel here. Gilbertson made a strong run of his own, working his way up to third at the finish and giving warning that he will be tough to beat at Fiesta City Friday, his home track.

Nineteen of the 26 starters were still on the track at the finish and lapped traffic was a major issue for the leaders to deal with throughout the race.

It was after 10:30 p.m. when the Late Models got done and I thought for sure racing was over. It was a surprise when the Mid Mods pulled on the track for their main, but they responded with an entertaining event of their own to wrap up the night. Tim Kanten led the opening lap but was passed by Jason Vejtruba on lap two. He then led the rest of the way for the win.

However, much of the show was put on by Blake Adams, who started eighth and was stuck there for much of the race. Finally, he managed to break free and found some racing room and his tear to the front of the pack was epic.

By lap 12 he had moved into second and was cutting into Vejtruba's lead when the lone yellow of the race flew for a spinner. Adams selected the inside for the double-file, three-lap sprint to the finish and if he had to do it over again, he might have opted for the outside line. Vejtruba was running the inside line and I believe he would have had an open track to drive into the lead. Adams was fast on the outside.

Instead, however, he got stuck beside Kanten and had no room to maneuver. It was not until the final lap that he had room to race and by then, it was too late to make a winning run at Vejtruba, as the veteran drove on for the win. A late pass moved Ryan Putnam up to third.

Now it was nearly 11 p.m., as late as I think I have ever been at a race at KRA. As such, Ron delivered the news that the Super Stock, Mod Four and Hornet features had to be postponed to a later date. This was unfortunate, particularly for the Super Stocks who had quite a few drivers from a distance in attendance.

In any event, it was a good night of racing and done in front of one of the bigger crowds that I have seen at KRA in quite some time.

Friday, June 7

The Fastlane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series made its 2024 debut on Friday night, June 7 at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

Along with the Super Stocks, three other WISSOTA classes and the track’s Hornets were in racing action, making for a full program for the fans.

Forty-six Super Stock drivers signed in to race on Friday night. This class alone will take up a big chunk of any night’s program, so tracks need to be careful not to book too many other classes if they have a curfew to be concerned with. Although, in the racing economic world we live in, track promoters tell me that the back gate traffic is key to the success, making it a tough balancing act.

Along with the Super Stocks, a nice field of Modifieds plus a very solid field of Mid Mods were also on hand.

While most of the big names in the Super Stock world were on hand, a very eclectic field in the other classes made this night even a bit more interesting. Drivers such as James Trantina, Chris Bretting, Wyatt Boyum, Cody Wolkowski, A.J. Roschen, Tanner Gehl and Austin Chyba are seldom seen racing here, and their addition in the other divisions made things a bit spicier.

While there were more than 40 Super Stocks in the pits, familiar faces Shane Sabraski and Jesse Redetzke were both missing in action. Sabraski was in his Late Model following the Challenge Series, and Redetzke is injured. Poor Chris Wark blew up a motor in hot laps and didn’t get to race either.

On the track for the first time in 2024 was Coach Mark Thomas with his Mid Mod. This was an experimental night for him, with many changes in his car from last year. He promised to take it easy and he was doing well until late in the feature, when scrambling in the pack shuffled him back some.

I stopped to tell Shane Kisling that it was good to see him back in a full-bodied car again. He has moved back to the Supers after running Mods for the past few years. I just think he's more suited to the Supers. He made the feature later and was running well until some kind of suspension failure caused his car to kilter over and give him a flat tire.

Cory and his father Ron Mahder were both in Super Stocks Friday. Cory seemed very happy with the chance to do so, having run this class in the past before advancing to Mods and Late Models. There seemed to be a brewing competition between the two on who would do better. Friday, the son won the upper hand.

In and interesting turn of events, brother-in-laws Ashley Anderson and Ben Hillman swapped rides for this night. Ben drove the Super Stock normally piloted by one of Ashley's sons, while Ashley drove Ben’s Modified. Both did quite well. Hillman ran second in a heat race. But then, an unfortunate turn of events ended with him spinning in front of the field during the opening lap of the Super Stock feature. Ashley finished a solid third in the Modified feature.

The track was much drier than it has been recently and also much smoother than it has been of late.

With Scott Tiefs away with the Challenge Series, track announcing duties were handled by Scott “Snooter” Erickson and he did a fine job, especially with all the unfamiliar drivers on hand.

He made the observation of the night in the Street Stock heat when he pointed out that Dylan Baskin and “Fast” Freddie Prudoehl, lined up side by side, held the ages of 28 and 82 ... you can guess which was which!

The Swan racing team was mourning the loss of their grandmother. It was touch and go whether or not they wanted to race. Kennedy was still collecting deserved congrats for her performance last weekend when she made the show at a nonsanctioned event.

The competition was stiff for the Super Stocks. With 10 or so cars in each heat, just making the top four was a very big challenge. If there is a series that “cries” for passing points to be used, I think this series is at the head of the list.

A couple remarkable runs were produced during the Super Stock heats. Dexton Koch started ninth in his heat race and moved all the way up to claim victory in that race, passing Curt Myers, both Mahders and Scott Lawrence to claim the win. This major advance foretold the future for the feature.

Another amazing run was that of veteran Tom Karis, who was languishing in the middle of the field in a heat race when he moved to the cushion. Boy, did he pick up speed then. While the rest of the field were low-groove huggers, he drove past them all to gain a win for himself with his new Dirt Dueller chassis.

But perhaps the most amazing statistic from the early going was that the yellow flag waved just three times! We know the Supers have their “nights” when they have trouble making consecutive laps under the green, so the accomplishment of all classes was impressive. As a result, feature races were underway at 9 p.m.

The Street Stock feature was a strange one, and the back story was even stranger. Only four Street Stocks signed in to race on Friday but when Hunter VanGilder looked on MyRacePass at home and saw there were only four cars, he quickly loaded up his car and made the drive from Rice Lake, arriving after the heat race ran. His penalty was quite small, however, as he had to start in the fourth row when Bruce Stanley opted to start in fifth.

VanGilder’s road to the victory lane was another strange one. He ran into the wall halfway through the feature while fighting for the lead and had to go to the back, such as it was, and then drive his way forward once again.

I really felt for Dylan Baskin. He led all laps up until the final one as he raced for his first feature win. He has been one of the most improved drivers and he could just about taste victory. However, on the last lap while still in the lead, he got moved over pretty good by Gunnar Watkins and as both slid high out of corner two, VanGilder was there to cut under both of them. You would not expect a five car field to produce a three-wide finish on the last lap, but that is what happened. VanGilder took the win and Baskin shuffled all the way back to third. Boy, I'll bet he was disappointed.

Wyatt Boyum made the five-hour-plus haul from International Falls to Menomonie for just the second time ever, but he made it pay off. He led from start to finish in the Mid Mod feature race. He started on the outside pole, pulled away immediately and was never seriously challenged. There was quite a battle going on behind him but it didn't affect him at all. Will Moulter made a fine drive as he came from the fourth row and with a late pass, took second from Ashton Schulte — who also made a rare visit to the track.

The first yellow of this race didn't happen until lap 12 and then, despite the fact that there were only two yellows in the whole race, the laps were cut by three. It seemed a bit premature to me.

Kevin Adams and Jake Hartung are quite the rivals at this track and have had their skirmishes over the years. Friday they started with Hartung on the pole and Adams right behind him. Adams made a strong opening lap move and edged into the lead, but then Hartung came right back and grabbed the lead on lap two.

There then was an excellent battle for the lead as Adams searched around the track, looking for a line that worked the best for his car. He settled on going low in turns one and two and then pounding the cushion in turns three and four. That worked and on lap five he drove around Hartung as they exited turn four. Adams led the rest of the race, which went green to checkered after a first-lap spin slowed things down.

Hartung stayed with Adams, but the distance between the two never seemed to waver, even when the two hit some lapped traffic near the end. Adams, who is currently leading the national points, added to his total with the win. Ashley Anderson ran third the whole race behind the wheel of Ben Hillman's car, not surprising since Ashley is very good in whatever car and class he races in. He just doesn't race enough for everyone to recognize that, as his family circumstances don't allow him to chase racing all over.

They saved the Super Stock feature for last but they started well before the curfew so that was not a concern.

Shawn McFadden, who has been very impressive in the early season at several tracks around the area, took the initial lead and held the point for the first five laps. The race got off to a bad start as a spin on the opening lap in turn four bottled up much of the pack and Kolby Kiehl, who was in the race as the track provisional, probably wished he would have put his new car on the trailer instead. He launched over another car and ended up on his roof. He was OK but the car, not so much.

Two drivers stood out Friday — one was Dexton Koch and the other, Curt Myers. Koch, who has shown so much speed early, started fifth and with each early yellow, of which there were three, he gained positions on the restarts. By lap four he was third and just two laps later, he drove past McFadden and took over the lead.

The field then put 19 straight green flag laps in, and Koch drove smoothly away from the pack, not challenged after that point.

Behind him, it was a tussle between Kyle Copp, Jordan Henkemeyer, McFadden and James Trantina for position, with lots of moving back and forth.

About this time, someone lit a fuse under Myers. He started 18th in the race after a first-lap miscue while battling for the lead in a heat race put him on the tail. He was lucky to qualify for the main out of that race, but he was mired back in the pack.

At about the halfway point of the race, he took to the cushion and immediately took off like a Roman candle, as he passed car after car and was visibly quicker than the others. By the final yellow on lap 24 when Kisling got a flat tire, he was up to fifth and continuing his charge on the outside. He passed McFadden, Henkemeyer and Copp to race up to second. He gave it a shot in the final few laps to catch the leader, but Koch had a big enough edge that it did not happen.

Koch took the win and Myers had to have been happy with second. Henkemeyer slipped past Copp for third and Terran Spacek, another who charged forward in the last half of the race, got up to fifth. It was an exiting event and a good cap to a nice night of racing.

A good crowd was on hand and the 50/50 pot was over $500, so that is a good sign.

Saturday, June 8

After a number of attempts to drop the first green flag, ABC Raceway was finally able to do so on Saturday night, June 8.

For the folks at ABC, they started the season off with a bang, hosting round two of the Fastlane Motorsports Super Stock Series, as well as a full program in their other four classes. You could hardly blame them for running all their classes. It was opening night for everyone, it was a draw-redraw format, and with other tracks scheduled off, the pits swelled to hold more than 100 cars.

The lead story was again the Super Stocks, as this tour continues to provide big fields of cars. It must be mentioned, however, that they were down about 10 cars from Friday night at Red Cedar, which was a bit surprising given the number of Super Stocks available in the Northland. Still, 36 is more than enough to provide a good show. The top 15 in the current series point standings were all in attendance. The top prize up for grabs was a series high $3,000, with fifth paying $850 yet.

We begin the Super Stock updates with a bit of sadness. Many asked me why Tucker Quinn was running the No. 390 after he was the No. 11 in previous years. I knew it had to be something to do with his grandfather, Larry, who raced the number throughout his long career, a Hall of Fame career as it were, at Rice Lake Speedway.

Tonight I learned the number was changed this year to honor the family grandfather, Larry, in Tucker's 10th year behind the wheel of a race car. But sadly, I also learned that Larry was fighting cancer and indeed, passed away at the age of 78 on May 29 and the funeral was this past Wednesday. They were sporting some yellow added to the car this week. Larry's cars were always yellow but they didn't quite get it on the car before he passed. Sympathies to son Steve and grandson Tucker, as well as the other members of the family.

Everyone from the local area was more than ready to see some racing, with a few locals cars still just getting their first night of the year in. It was noted that DeJay Jarecki is being trained in to replace flagman George in the tower at ABC. DeJay has an interesting dual role, as he still races a Hornet a couple nights a week. ABC dropped that division last year due to low numbers. I am also aware of another flagman who also doubles racing a Sport Compact at Iowa tracks, so while it is rare, it is also not unprecedented.

It can be so hard to explain some things about this sport and one of them is how every night can be so much different, even with the same cast of characters involved. Friday night was such a smooth night of racing for the Super Stocks but ABC was nearly a nightmare among all the classes in terms of yellow flags. It was survival of the fittest on Saturday night and many teams are going to be sleep starved when they roll into Proctor for the third leg. Overall, the Mid Mods provided the worst carnage of the night.

Part of the issue was the track itself. It was low-side dominant and when drivers need to get to the front quickly, sometimes patience is not a virtue.

My theory is that with all the rain recently, there was a lot of moisture in the low side of the track, even though they tried to run it dry on Saturday. As it cooled, that moisture came to the surface, giving that inside groove the most bite. They tried their best to mist and speed up the top side of the track, but it is a long way around up there. If the inside lane is fast, it's tough to run anywhere else. So we saw driver after driver running over each other trying to get to the inside and this produced a lot of crashes and yellows. Running as low on the track as they were, there were also issues with drivers hitting the inside tires.

The one driver who was able to make his car work up a lane from the competition was also the winner, Dylan Nelson.

In the main event 26 cars took the green flag, including Andrew Johnson who was the series provisional. He had been black flagged during a B feature for speeding under yellow.

The field, however, could not complete the first lap before one of the bigger stackups of the evening occurred in turn four. Someone got turned and many in the field stacked up behind them. Some, like Nelson, were able to continue racing while others like Curt Myers and Darin Meierotto, took enough damage that their nights were cut short.

Through six or seven yellows, during the first 12 laps, the field was shuffled, battered and bruised but finally, a good race for the lead broke out of all the craziness.

Shane Kisling had led from the start and he looked solid as he continued to show the way following all the yellows. Meanwhile Nelson, who started seventh, was gradually working his way to the front as he was able to make the middle groove work. He generally gained a car or two on each restart. Sometimes he slipped back a little but he kept working that line and eventually it started to produce results.

He found himself in a battle with D.J. Keeler for second when suddenly, following that last restart, Kisling had some real handling issues and both Keeler and Nelson got by him.

Keeler and Nelson swapped the top spot four times over the next 11 laps, all the time running side by side and dangerously close around the track. First Nelson had a good lap and edged in front, and then Keeler returned the favor. Finally, on lap 24, Nelson edged far enough ahead so he could drop low in turn three. He then ran through the middle of turns one and two and right on the tires on the other end and pulled away.

Nelson crossed the line with several car lengths over Keeler and Kisling, who fought off Jordan Henkemeyer and Joey Jensen to complete the top three. Despite a whole field of heavily battered looking cars, only six didn't finish the race.

The Mid Mod feature was just as taxing. The first lap was crazy with at least 10 or so, give or take, crashing in the first corner of the race. James Vendela found his car planted on top of the car of Blake Adams as a result. This crash took out several of the front-runners.

David Simpson, who folded in his nose and bumper with a hit on one of the ute tires in his heat, continued his love affair with those tires as he nailed the one in turn one and ended up on his side. He called it a night at that point.

Through all the craziness and all the yellows, Joey Jensen led the race from start to finish and never was challenged after he grabbed the lead on the opening lap from Cody Carlson and Tanner Hicks. A good three-car battle for second resulted in Carlson holding off Jimmy Latvala and Nick Koehler in the top five.

The Modifieds provided a rare break from the yellow flag fever and produced 20 laps of racing with only a single, first-lap yellow to slow the action. For Mike Anderson, it was a nice ride. He drew the outside pole and drove away from the field, finding a Nelson-like line that hugged the tires on the north end of the track and up one lane on the south end. He was never pushed as he recorded the victory.

Justin Weinberger made a very good run of his own, starting fourth and racing his way into second, which he held to the finish. Brady Uotinen snitched third place from Nick O. right at the end.

The Pure Stock drivers were awoken from a deep sleep and they hit the track just before midnight for their main event. Tom Treviranus was the leader early, but the other No. 31 car of Travis Hazelton made the pass for the lead on lap three and he then drove on for a pretty easy win. Tom T. had a flat tire to end his night and Eric Crosby, after a hard impact on the slowing Tom T., raced on to finish second with Aaron Bernick bringing his car home third.

It was a wild night of racing and a long one, but fans were happy to see racing return. While the local drivers have a week to put things back together again, the weary Super Stock drivers head west along Lake Superior and up the hill to Proctor for Sunday.

Thanks to everyone at ABC and as always, special thanks to Ray and Steve Stuart and the rest of their group for allowing us to sit in the most choice seats to be had at the track.

Sunday, June 9

It was cool and blustery for June 9 as I headed up the hill to Proctor Speedway in Minnesota. It was round three of the Fastlane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series for the road warriors in that class. The series will wrap up now in Rice Lake on July 3, as the rain date for the rainout that occurred at Rice Lake earlier this weekend.

It should be a spectacular way to wrap up the series. The Firecracker race, always a treat for fans at Rice Lake, is traditionally one of the largest shows crowd-wise. They have produced blockbuster crowds over the years.

With the following day being a holiday and many folks having July 3 off as well, it should make it easier for those folks and teams who have to travel a distance. It also gives the track a chance to show off all the many improvements that have been made under the new ownership team.

Thirty Super Stocks signed in for the third night of the weekend, with a few lost due to mechanical issues over the course of the last two nights. The top nine in current points and top 20 of 25 were still on hand to race.

The track also scheduled the Mid Mods, Pure Stocks and Hornets. While the crowd wasn't gigantic by any means, it didn't seem to be much different in size that what the regular six-class program has been drawing in recent weeks.

While it isn't Super Stock related, I did get a chance to talk to new Pure Stock driver Eric Crosby, who seemingly popped out of the blue in recent weeks and has been racing everywhere that the Pure Stocks offer races. It seems that he has a background in ice racing, and while he has had an interest in trying out dirt, he never persued it. That is, until recently, when one of his friends bought a Pure Stock and he had promised that if Anthony Schultz got a race car, he would, too. He now has two cars, a bright orange one and the white car he debuted this weekend, and he has been having a blast. In fact, now they are going to put Schultz in a different car because the one he has been racing has been misbehaving. Eric is going to register as a rookie driver and now is going for national Rookie of the Year honors. Expect to see him regularly wherever Pure Stocks are offered.

Proctor went more smoothly than ABC did the night prior. Eleven heat races were run between the four classes and the yellow flag was only needed twice! And while the feature races had a few more stoppages than that, they still behaved well for the most part and the whole program was completed before the sun set.

Four heats and a B feature set the 26-car feature for the Super Stocks, the prime show for the night. This main was a very competitive one, with four different leaders during the 30-lap run. The eventual winner didn't grab the top spot until there were just seven laps left. Heartbreak also befell one of the race leaders as well before the checkered flew.

James Trantina made a dandy move right at the start and although he started in the second row, he was in front before the first lap was completed. He soon had Joey Jensen closing in on him though and as Trantina pushed up the track, Jensen drove by him on lap four to take the lead. Jordan Henkemeyer, Terran Spacek, Dexton Koch and Tim Johnson were all on the move toward the front.

Jensen continued to lead as the race got to the halfway point and just at that time, things really got crazy. First, Tucker Quinn went shooting straight off turn two and ended up in the woods beyond the pit area. He was not injured fortunately. And at the same time, race leader Jensen rolled to a halt on the back chute with mechanical issues that took him out of the race.

This gave the race lead to Henkemeyer, but Johnson went for broke on the restart and ended up banging off Henkemeyer's car in turn four and spun; he went to the back.

Henkemeyer led the race for the next eight laps but Spacek gradually closed in on him and with Spacek moving to the low side of the track, he was able to drive under Jordan with just seven laps to go and he then pulled away for the win. Henkemeyer held on for the second spot while Shawn McFadden completed a big charge from 14th to third at the finish. McFadden didn't show up in the top five until the halfway point of the race, but he continued to charge forward, ending up with that top three finish.

Winner Spacek was exceedingly lucky early in the race. During the opening lap, he was sideways in turn one with the whole pack bearing down on him. He was turned back straight by a collision with Matt Deragon, and both kept running and didn’t lose too much ground. Deragon soldiered on and finished fifth. It could have been oh, so much worse. Only five starters failed to go the distance.

Cody Carlson started on the outside pole and led all 15 laps to win his first Mid Mod feature of 2024. It was a struggle though, as he had Joey Jensen, again pulling double duty, all over him for most of the race. Jensen looked to the inside of Carlson on numerous occasions, but could never complete the pass. Carlson drove a smooth race and never made that one misstep that could have cost him.

There was quite a scramble for position behind these two, with several positions traded back and forth. Blake Adams ended up third with Tyler Vernon and Evan Checkalski both close behind in the top five.

It was quite the journey for Chaston Finckbone in the 12-lap Pure Stock feature. He started eighth and was moving forward when he was turned and spun. Somehow, however, he was charged for the yellow and had to go tailback.

Never mind the setback. In the last five laps he still managed to put himself in a position for the win as he battled with Travis Hazelton and both tried to get past Dylan Shelton, who led from lap four.

It came down to the last corner and somehow Finckbone found enough room on the outside of the track to squeeze past Shelton without roughing him in the least. He surged across the line as the winner in quite the finish that stunned the crowd.

It was quite a move and almost as impressive as the roof dance that Finckbone did in victory lane! Shelton had to settle for second with Hazelton third.

Hornet dominator Justin Schelitzche showed up at Proctor Speedway for the first time on Sunday and he took the win after starting fifth on the grid. Derek Dunbar led the opening lap but he just could not hold off Schelitzche, who drove past him one lap later for the top spot. Bad things were on the horizon for Dunbar, however — much worse than getting passed for the lead.

As Dunbar battled with Carson Gotelaere and DeJay Jarecki for second, Dunbar was turned sideways right along the front chute. He went flying toward the infield signs in a deja vu of opening week when he flipped. Within yards of where he flipped previously, the car dug into the dirt and once again, he flipped over right in front of the crowd. I believe they’re going to have to christen this piece of turf across from the flagman as the “Derek Dunbar Flip Zone.”

Just joking, and certainly not funny to him, but fortunately, he was okay.

No one was able to keep up with Schelitzche as he raced on for the win with Gotelaere second and Jarecki third.

All racing was complete by 8:30 p.m., marking a nice, quick and compact show that provided plenty of action. Next week the WISSOTA Street Stocks get their first shot to race at Proctor in many years.