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Cade Johnson started in front and led the majority of the Hornet feature until Payson Patrin, who started eighth, drove into the lead late in the race and then pulled away from Tristan McLynn to get the win.

Friday, July 19

One of the most anticipated racing events for fans in the Twin Ports area is the annual Twin Ports Twin 25s that were held this year on Friday night, July 19 at the Gondik Law Speedway in Superior. A part of the Structural Buildings Challenge Series again this year, this unique event featured twin, 25-lap races for the Late Models, with the first feature of the two run as part of the Challenge Series for points. The second event was lined up based on a pill draw invert, pulled by the first feature winner. While no Challenges Series points were awarded for the second feature, the pay for each is identical. There are also a number of bonuses for various performances, guaranteed money for those who fail to make the main, free entry due to contributions from businesses and individuals, and many other incentives for the Late Model drivers to attend.

That's much of the reason why this race generally has one of the highest car counts of any Late Model race held all year, which also makes it a very good event for fans to attend. This year, 51 Late Models signed in to race, despite there being a couple of other very attractive events going on this same weekend. This came up just short of the record car count for this race, but was nevertheless an outstanding field.

The top 17 in series points and 18 of the top 20 were on hand at Gondik, as the series gets back in action after they were off for more than a month. Cole Searing and Tyler Peterson are in a close battle for the point lead, which won't be settled for a couple of months yet.

Along with the Late Models, the WISSOTA-sanctioned Super Stocks were also in action with a full show of heats and a feature race.

The overall quick qualifier for the night was Chad Mahder, with a lap at 16.315 seconds. The track remained unchanged during qualifying as the quick timer in group six was still just a couple tenths of a second slower than Mahder.

Six heat races allowed the drivers to earn passing points for the main events. Perhaps the wildest was the fourth heat, where Don Shaw and Jeff Massingill were tied together down the back chute and it looked like Shaw might be done for the event. However, he was able to get restarted and then, in a wild scrambled restart, he advanced from third to win the heat. This certainly helped him get a good starting spot for the first feature, an event that he had success in until the final lap when things went terribly wrong for him.

There were three B features for the Late Models, each starting about a dozen cars. With only two moving on from each B, the list of drivers left in the pits for the main was stunning and included Jeff Provinzino, Pat Doar, Sam Mars, Massingill, Mike Prochnow, Cory Crapser, Skeeter Estey, Harry Hanson, Tim McMann and a host of others. Some just mentioned, however, made the show as provisional starters.

The feature races themselves could not be rated as classics. There was only one change of the lead spot among the 50 total laps of racing and that was in the second main event. The racing was still good nevertheless and relatively smooth overall.

Sabraski started on the pole and led the entire 25 laps to earn the Challenge Series win. He pulled away immediately and built an early lead over Josh Zimpel. This race did have a tough time getting started, with two yellows before a lap could be completed. After they got racing, there was only a single slowdown, when Provinzino ended up in the infield after contact.

By the halfway point of the race, Sabraski had a comfortable lead over Zimpel, with John Kaanta driving up to third, ahead of Adam Ayotte and Johnny Broking. Sabraski was fortunate that despite there still being many cars on the track, the lapped cars were not an issue for him as he continued his strong pace.

Kaanta was looking good as he slipped under Zimpel and took over second. A 15-lap green-flag stretch to finish up the event allowed Kaanta to start to close on Sabraski but he never got close enough to provide any kind of stiff challenge.

The battle was for fourth, where Broking and Shaw were going at it as the white flag waved. Just as leader Sabraski crossed the line as the winner, those two tangled going into turn three; Shaw’s car climbed up on the car of Broking and then flipped wildly, coming to rest on its wheels. The red flag joined with the checkers and after just a moment of confusion, trying to sort things out, the race was properly called complete with Sabraski the winner over Kaanta and Zimpel. Shaw was restored to fourth with Ayotte completing the top five.

An 11 was pulled for the invert, which meant that the top 11 finishers from the first feature race were inverted for the second 25, a race that paid just exactly the same as the first. Twenty-four cars started this race, with both Shaw and Broking eliminated by their last-lap wreck.

In this feature, we saw the only pass for the lead of the night. Two Dakota racers battled it out for the win with Tyler Peterson, who had slammed the wall during the first feature, took the early lead as he got the jump on Cole Searing. Massingill moved into third with Mahder and Ryan Mikkelson next in line. That was the way they ran the first half of the race, but as the race moved toward its midpoint, Searing started to pick up the pace and closed on Peterson, who was sliding up the track just a bit.

On lap 16, Searing ducked under Peterson and took over the top spot and after that, he pulled away from the pack. This was a very smooth and quick 25 laps and only three drivers didn't finish the nonstop contest.

Searing continued to drive away from the pack and he was an easy winner, with Peterson fighting off Massingill for second. Mahder and Mikkelson completed the top five. Kaanta made some nice progress in the later stages of the race to drive up to sixth and he received a $500 bonus with the best overall average.

Fan contribution is key to this race and without the efforts of Dr. Troy Powers and his son Jonathan, this race would not be what it is. Dr. Powers is a great supporter of dirt track racing in the Twin Ports, sponsoring race cars and helping out both Gondik and Proctor with their special events, and a great supporter of Late Model racing in the Northland.

With the Late Model finale going nonstop, the Super Stocks decided to do the same thing and their main event flew by. Just for fun, Sabraski also entered his Super Stock and not surprisingly, he took the win in this class too. However, he admitted that in his victory lane interview that they had to go over the car after a poor showing in Grand Rapids on Thursday and must have found something.

Dylan Nelson did get the jump on him and led the opening two laps but as Nelson started to slip up the track in the corners, Sabraski was able to work under him, make the pass for the lead, and then drive off into the Twin Ports dusk as he pulled away. Nelson ran second the rest of the race and an action-packed battle for third found Scott Lawrence holding off Matt Deragon for that spot. The field of drivers was just a bit small by Gondik standards, as only a dozen Supers took the green for their main.

A big crowd was on hand for one of the highlight events of the racing season in this area. Thanks to all the drivers who attended, for their support is key. The race organizers put in a lot of effort to make this race happen, and the drivers must support it for it to be successful and continue. The combined efforts made for a memorable night on Friday.

Saturday, July 20

A 17-year absence is a long time to be away from anything, especially a race track that is only about 75 minutes from my house. But that is how long it has been since I was last at Cedar Lake Speedway near New Richmond, Wisconsin.

I was on hand Saturday for the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series race, where along with the WISSOTA Late Models, the Super Stocks were also competing in a full racing program.

The Challenge Series race coincides with the track's Month of Money series race, so the Late Models raced for a top prize of $5,000.

A fine field of Late Models signed in with 43 on hand, so along with Gondik on Friday, this was certainly a power-packed weekend of Late Model racing for those fans who followed the mini tour. The Super Stock field was light, with enough cars for a pair of heats along with their main event.

Lots of folks in the pits, including a considerable number of drivers, were surprised to see me. It was kind of fun and uplifting in a way that so many folks even noticed I was there and took time to say hello.

The first person to greet me in the pits was an icon of Cedar Lake, as well as other tracks in this area. The famous Pat “The Stat Man” Turner told me it was good to see me back here and I had to concur.

However, let’s focus on the racing itself. The track was blazing fast as the Late Models led off the evening with qualifying. The heavy humidity certainly played a part in the speedy track. While it eventually gave up a little speed as qualifying progressed, the fact the field was split into five groups for qualifying didn't punish anyone that came on the track late. It didn't take long to show just how fast the track was as the second car out, Tyler Peterson, set a new WISSOTA Late Model record at 13.593 seconds, which no one else could match.

There were five heat races and a pair of B features that set the starting field for Saturday night's 40-lap main event. While always important, normally the heat races don't produce high drama. That was not the case on Saturday, particularly with the first Late Model heat of the night. A pair of incidents in the first two laps of this race occurred, with Cole Searing and Darrell Nelson tangling and Searing ending up into the wall on the back chute. Then, on the restart, Nelson was turned by Peterson, who was sent to the back. The top two drivers in the current Challenge Series points were behind the eight ball before the dust had hardly settled.

Peterson later won a B feature while Searing passed on his B and instead took a provisional start. They were left digging the rest of the night. Peterson finished ninth in the feature, with Searing right behind him, so their battle for the point title remains close.

Then, there was more drama in the second B feature when Cory Crapser, who was leading the race, went straight into the first turn wall with Pat Doar piling into him hard. Crapser, despite leaving the track on the hoist between two wreckers, got his car ready and returned to run the feature. Both he and Searing, plus their crews of course, did a great job of getting their cars back in racing shape. For Crapser, in the quick turnaround time left for him, I would not have guessed there was any way they could get the car repaired, but somehow they did.

Doar was not so lucky. After limping to the pits, his crew gave the car a look-see before tucking it in “The Box” and calling it a night. This was a tough weekend so far for the defending series champion, who has been struggling of late.

Twenty-five cars started the main event, which would have been a classic except for the many yellows that bogged down the race in its first half. Five times the yellow waved before the halfway point, but when they finally settled down and raced the last 22 laps, there was some great racing taking place.

There were three different leaders of the race, with Sam Mars leading the opening lap before A.J. Diemel got past him to lead the next five. Then, Dan Bargender made a strong move and took over out front. In between yellow flag slowdowns, there were some great battles up front, as Diemel fought to regain the top spot while Ryan Mikkelson also moved forward and took over second for a time.

By the halfway point Bargender continued to fight off both Diemel and a charging Ashley Anderson. Mars, who had slipped back to at least fifth, was starting to come forward while Mikkelson, after that great early charge, dropped back.

A dandy race then developed over the final 15 laps or so with the top three even going three wide on a couple of occasions. Bargender continued to hold the top spot but his lead was tenuous, as Diemel pushed on the outside while Mars had suddenly found a groove on the inside that really gave him traction.

On lap 33 Mars drove under both Bargender and Diemel into the top spot. He then drove away from the pack over the last few laps to get a hard-earned win. It was a nice comeback after not even qualifying for the main event at Gondik the night before, which was a shock.

Bargender drove a dandy race and held off Diemel for second, with Dan’s first win this season sure to come soon. Anderson was solid in fourth and Darrell Nelson hung in the top five after the halfway point to complete the top finishers.

The Super Stock feature was quite a different story. After what was probably a disappointing Late Model run (seventh) for him, Shane Sabraski dismounted one car and jumped into his Super Stock and blew the field away in that main.

He started fifth on the grid but quickly moved to second as Jesse Redetzke took the initial lead. Sabraski was flying however and when Redetzke was too slow for him on the bottom, Sabraski simply made a right turn to the top side and blew past into the lead.

However, a yellow flag saved Redetzke but only for a brief time, as Sabraski used the same move once again and Redetzke was defenseless to stop it.

Once in the lead, Sabraski, with not a single yellow after that to slow the action, just drove away from the pack. He had a full straightaway over the field and that is not seen often in the Super Stocks. Whatever had ailed this car recently, has clearly been fixed. He has now destroyed the competition for two straight nights, which leaves him with a nice dilemma. As good as the Late Model has been and as strong as he is making that car run, how can he not race the Super Stock more with that machine on fire? And he's still not exactly chopped liver in the Mod either, having recently won $10,000 with that car. What a tough bind to be in!

Redetzke ended up second but was in a different zip code from Sabraski. After a great battle for third, Matt Koski edged out Mike Loomis for that spot with Chris Gorka completing the top five.

CLS is such a huge facility with so much seating available that it’s always hard to estimate the crowds there, particularly with all the tiered parking available. There seemed to be a lot of people roaming around. They saw a good show, with the Late Models sparkling on this night.

Thanks to all those “in the know” who were responsible for making this evening happen. Hopefully it won't be another 17 years before I visit once again.