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Bemidji dodges enough rain to thrill Sunday crowd; winners are Beaulieu, Lewis, Schmidt, Erickson, Puffe and Reller

By Dennis Peterson

BEMIDJI, MN (June 2) - Stock car racing fans are some of the most dedicated in all of sport. Sunday, a steady drizzle and the threat of bad weather on its way did not deter Bemidji Speedway’s faithful from coming to the track to cheer on their favorite drivers.

The rains cleared by the time the first green flag waved and fans enjoyed a full night of racing action.

WISSOTA Dirt Track Series winners included Josh Beaulieu, Nic Lewis, Brennan Schmidt, Blake Erickson, Dustin Puffe, and Chad Reller.

Sixteen WISSOTA Pure Stocks roared onto the fast dirt track with Mason Scholin on the pole and Deryk Weleski to his right. Weleski raced to the lead with Austin Carlson, Scholin, Dustin Puffe and Lilly Farrington in the top five. A caution on the back straight slowed the action.

Weleski led the way back to the green flag. Puffe quickly raced high into third as Carlson moved alongside Weleski in a three-wide battle for the lead. Carlson nosed ahead, but Puffe raced high on the back straight and took the top spot. Meanwhile, Kade Leeper made steady progress from his fourth row starting position and into third, getting to second a couple laps later as the white flag waved for Puffe.

In a wild and exciting race, Puffe picked up the feature win with Leeper, Carlson, Weleski and Scholin in the top five.

A small field of WISSOTA Hornets was next up, with Aiden Kessler and Mateja Dreyer in row one. Chad Reller started in the third row and took the lead in corners one and two, with Jayme Gordon, Megan Vernlund, Kessler and Ryker Larson trailing. Vernlund was flying and raced into second behind Reller in turns three and four. A caution for debris on track brought the yellow flag out for a restart.

Reller controlled the restart and went on to claim the feature win. Vernlund and Kessler finished in the top three.

Ron Reed held the pole for the start of the WISSOTA Super Stock feature with Nic Lewis to his outside. In a wild and fast start, Lewis, Reed, Matt Sparby and Dalton Carlson all battled for the top spot. The caution flag waved and Sparby was sent tailback for the restart.

Lewis led the way at the drop of the green, with Carlson, Reed, Ellen Lange and Brandon Bahr in the top five. Sparby regained his position in the top five quickly, as Bahr moved up into third with an inside move from his last-place starting position. Reed spun and was sent tailback.

Lewis led the restart, with Carlson, Bahr, Sparby and Faye Lewis in the top five. Carlson raced up side by side with Lewis, but Lewis held his line and took the checkered flag for the win, his first of the season. Carlson, Bahr, Sparby and Reed were top-five finishers.

Brennan Schmidt and Hunter Weeks led the WISSOTA Midwest Mods to the green flag with Schmidt flying to the lead. Doyle Erickson and Skyler Smith dueled side by side from their second and third row starts for second behind Schmidt. Conner Drewry and Weeks battled high and low for fourth, with Weeks holding the spot. Smith raced into second down low in corners one and two, but Erickson made the pass up top on the back straight as the two incredible drivers raced lap after lap side by side.

Weeks had mechanical issues and pulled into the infield, as Schmidt cruised to the feature win and the sweep, with Erickson outlasting Smith for second. Landon Gross and Drewry completed the top five.

Brooklyn Vernlund and Ashton Schwinn led the WISSOTA Mod Fours to the green flag, with Schwinn gaining the lead over Blake Erickson, Vernlund, Conrad Schwinn and Nick Seitz. Racing inside Ashton Schwinn, Erickson swept into the lead. Seitz raced hard and gained third with Conrad Schwinn and Vernlund trailing.

Ashton Schwinn pulled into the infield ending his night, moving Seitz up into second. Out front, Erickson took the checkered flag for his second clean sweep of the season. Seitz, Conrad Schwinn, Vernlund and Brook Erickson held the top five.

A small but powerful field of WISSOTA Modifieds were led on track with Alan Olafson on the pole and Josh Beaulieu to his right. Beaulieu raced to the lead, with the inside line in turns one and two to his liking. Lance Schilling powered up on the inside into second, with Olafson up top in third. Jeff Reed moved in on Olafson and the two Bemidji racers battled side by side for third.

The track was providing traction high and low and the field spread out evenly around the surface. Late in the race, Schilling and Reed caught the leader Beaulieu, and a three-car battle for the lead ended with Beaulieu claiming his first feature win of the season. Schilling, Reed and Olafson trailed.

In a flag-to-flag race, the Bemidji Mini Stocks were led on track by Gabriel Espe and Cameron Schwinn. From the third row, Ashton Schwinn powered to the lead on the first lap with Espe, Conrad Schwinn, Cameron Schwinn and Hayden Engen in the top five.

Conrad Schwinn raced inside to second, and a couple laps later Cameron Schwinn raced the top side into third. The Schwinn family finished one-two-three with Ashton claiming the win followed by dad Conrad and brother Cameron. Engen and Espe followed in fourth and fifth.

The planned “Young Guns Night” was postponed until June 16 in conjunction with Visit Bemidji’s “Babes Border Battle,” when U.S. drivers will battle with Canadian drivers for victory lane rights.

SUMMARY

WISSOTA Modifieds:

A Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 22B-Josh Beaulieu[2]; 2. 43-Lance Schilling[3]; 3. 2R-Jeff Reed[4]; 4. 77-Alan Olafson[1]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 43-Lance Schilling[1]; 2. 77-Alan Olafson[2]; 3. 2R-Jeff Reed[4]; 4. 22B-Josh Beaulieu[3]

WISSOTA Super Stocks:

A Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. T26-Nic Lewis[2]; 2. 57-Dalton Carlson[3]; 3. 29X-Brandon Bahr[6]; 4. 81X-Matt Sparby[4]; 5. 65-Ron Reed[1]; 6. 40-Ellen Lange[5]; 7. 17-Faye Lewis[7]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 57-Dalton Carlson[2]; 2. 81X-Matt Sparby[3]; 3. T26-Nic Lewis[4]; 4. 65-Ron Reed[6]; 5. 17-Faye Lewis[7]; 6. 40-Ellen Lange[5]; 7. (DNF) 29X-Brandon Bahr[1]

WISSOTA Midwest Mods:

A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 32B-Brennan Schmidt[1]; 2. 99-Doyle Erickson[4]; 3. 16-Skyler Smith[6]; 4. 15-Landon Gross[3]; 5. 18X-Connor Drewry[5]; 6. 13-Devyn Weleski[8]; 7. 11K-Travis Klein[10]; 8. 6K-Noah Bitz[9]; 9. 5-Fritz Myers[7]; 10. (DNF) 9W-Hunter Weeks[2]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 32B-Brennan Schmidt[1]; 2. 5-Fritz Myers[2]; 3. 15-Landon Gross[4]; 4. 18X-Connor Drewry[3]; 5. 6K-Noah Bitz[5]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 13-Devyn Weleski[2]; 2. 16-Skyler Smith[4]; 3. 99-Doyle Erickson[5]; 4. 9W-Hunter Weeks[1]; 5. 11K-Travis Klein[3]

WISSOTA Mod Fours:

A Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 99-Blake Erickson[4]; 2. 92-Nick Seitz[5]; 3. 6-Conrad Schwinn[3]; 4. 77-Brooklyn Vernlund[1]; 5. 995-Brooke Erickson[7]; 6. 29-Kevin Bahr[6]; 7. (DNF) 18-Ashton Schwinn[2]; 8. (DNF) 119-Brandon Backstrom[8]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 99-Blake Erickson[6]; 2. 92-Nick Seitz[3]; 3. 18-Ashton Schwinn[5]; 4. 6-Conrad Schwinn[7]; 5. 77-Brooklyn Vernlund[4]; 6. (DNF) 29-Kevin Bahr[2]; 7. (DNF) 995-Brooke Erickson[1]; 8. (DNS) 119-Brandon Backstrom

WISSOTA Pure Stocks:

A Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 21X-Dustin Puffe[8]; 2. 3-Kade Leeper[7]; 3. 57-Austin Carlson[6]; 4. 39-Deryk Weleski[2]; 5. 92-Mason Scholin[1]; 6. 59F-Lilian Farrington[4]; 7. 15-Caylyn Binkley[11]; 8. 38-Nate Zanter[16]; 9. 21-Mason Smith[12]; 10. 55-Aaron Bitker[15]; 11. 25-Billy Binkley[5]; 12. 8-Karen Puschinsky[13]; 13. (DNF) 47J-Justin Barsness[3]; 14. (DNF) 18B-Alex Berg[10]; 15. (DNF) 88B-Brandon Puschinsky[9]; 16. (DNF) X81-Alexa Sparby[14]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 3-Kade Leeper[1]; 2. 21X-Dustin Puffe[4]; 3. 57-Austin Carlson[6]; 4. 59F-Lilian Farrington[2]; 5. 88B-Brandon Puschinsky[5]; 6. 15-Caylyn Binkley[3]; 7. 21-Mason Smith[7]; 8. 38-Nate Zanter[8]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 39-Deryk Weleski[1]; 2. 47J-Justin Barsness[3]; 3. 25-Billy Binkley[2]; 4. 92-Mason Scholin[5]; 5. 18B-Alex Berg[6]; 6. 55-Aaron Bitker[7]; 7. 8-Karen Puschinsky[8]; 8. (DNF) X81-Alexa Sparby[4]

WISSOTA Hornets:

A Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 28-Chad Reller[5]; 2. 77-Megan Vernlund[4]; 3. 72-Aiden Kessler[1]; 4. (DNF) 7G-Jayme Gordon[3]; 5. (DNF) 81R-Ryker Larson[6]; 6. (DNS) 7M-Mateja Dreyer

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 77-Megan Vernlund[1]; 2. 28-Chad Reller[2]; 3. 7G-Jayme Gordon[3]; 4. 72-Aiden Kessler[6]; 5. 7M-Mateja Dreyer[5]; 6. 81R-Ryker Larson[4]

Mini Stocks:

A Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 18-Ashton Schwinn[5]; 2. 6-Conrad Schwinn[4]; 3. 94-Cameron Schwinn[2]; 4. 77-Hayden Engen[3]; 5. G17-Gabriel Espe[1]; 6. 11C-Cody Bush[7]; 7. 20JE-Jonah Espe[6]; 8. 22-Tania Denny[9]; 9. (DNS) 50-Nick McCann

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 6-Conrad Schwinn[1]; 2. 18-Ashton Schwinn[9]; 3. 77-Hayden Engen[3]; 4. 94-Cameron Schwinn[6]; 5. G17-Gabriel Espe[7]; 6. 20JE-Jonah Espe[4]; 7. (DNF) 11C-Cody Bush[8]; 8. (DNF) 50-Nick McCann[5]; 9. (DNS) 22-Tania Denny