Amsoil Speedway Kicks Off Its 2011 Racing Season

Click here for complete May 20 Amsoil Speedway Results

May 20

By Jerry O’Brien

SUPERIOR – Opening night racing kicked off at the newly re-named Amsoil Speedway in Superior with Harry Hanson taking top honors in the Wissota late models. Joey Jensen won in the Modifieds and Skeeter Estey in Mid-Mods. Scott Lawrence continued his class domination with a win in the super stocks and Cloquet’s Dustin Follett turned an outside poll start into a victory in the pure stocks.

Qualifying heats were run to set the starting spots for the features in each of the five divisions. Heats in the Late Models were won by Steve Laursen – Cumberland, Pat Doar – New Richmond and Darrell Nelson – Hermantown. Modified heats went to Joey Jensen – Forest Lake and Kelly Estey – Kelly Lake. Three heats of Super Stocks were won by Donnie Lofdahl – Proctor, Dave Read – Brainerd and Scott Lawrence – Superior, while the Midwest Modified heats went to Skeeter Estey and Neil Balduc. The three heats of Pure Stocks went to Matt Madsen – Superior, Ken Tody, Jr. – Ashland and Austin Blom – Saginaw.

The first feature to roll onto the track was for the Midwest Modifieds. At the green flag Dan Kingsley wedged his green #68 between pole sitter Deven Van House and the #99 of Neil Bolduc to take the early lead. Skeeter Estey followed him through to second with Bolduc and Scott Herrick third and fourth. Jeff Pohjonen driving for Brian Youderin slipped through into fifth. Estey closed on Kingsley and used the outside lane to grab the lead off of turn two. Pohjonen and Bolduc ran side-by-side for third with Pohjonen winning that skirmish. Estey extended his lead to nearly a straight away for an easy win. Kingsley, Herrick, Pohjonen and Bolduc finished in the top five.

Next up was 20 laps for the WISSOTA Super Stocks. Andy Grymala and Donnie Lofdahl led the 24 car field to the green flag. Lofdahl nipped Grymala for the lead as Dave read and Grymala went wheel to wheel for second. Scott Lawrence and Willie Johnsen also battled side-by-side for third. Five laps in, Read looped in turn two bringing out the caution flag. Lofdahl maintained the lead on the restart ahead of Lawrence, Johnsen and Dave Flynn while Read headed for the back of the pack. Lawrence tried for the lead but the caution flag re-appeared when Brian Carl and Read tangled in turn two. The restart saw Lofdahl still at the point over Lawrence, Grymala, Johnsen and newcomer to the top five, Brian Mikkonen. A four car battle for fourth ensued involving Johnsen, Flynn, Mikkonen and Jeff Tardy, which was broken up when the caution flag appeared yet again for a Joe Olson spin in the infamous turn two.

At the restart Grymala got a run to the outside of Lofdahl who moved up the track a bit leaving the bottom wide open for the opportunistic Lawrence who scooted through to the lead. Lofdahl slipped to third with Flynn fourth and Tardy fifth. Once again the caution flag flew, this time for Flynn, who turned around in turn two. Mike Bellefeuille was also involved.

Earlier in the event Kevin Burdick had taken his #30 to the pits and returned to work his way up to eighth at this point with eight circuits remaining. Lawrence, Lofdahl, Grymala, Tardy and Corey Casari now ran in the top five and Mikkonen had taken the #11x to the pits. Bellefeuille headed to the pits with fire trailing from under the #21 bringing out what would prove to be the final slow down. Lawrence completed the sweep with the win over Lofdahl, Grymala, Tardy and Read, who drove a great race from the back of the pack after the trip to the pits.

Darrell Nelson and Jody Bellefeuille led the scheduled 17 car field to the green flag. Nelson slipped into the lead followed by Bellefeuille, Joey Jensen, Kelly Estey and Rick Rivord in the lead five. Estey and Bellefeuille went at it for third and Estey was able to take the spot. Estey closed on Jensen for second but Jensen was able to stave him off with five of 20 laps in the books. Further back Rivord and Bill Byholm waged battle for fifth and Rivord was able to hold him off. Nelson maintained a five car length lead over Jensen as the duo began to put some distance on third place Estey.

With 13 laps complete the leaders became embroiled in lapped traffic allowing Jensen to close in on Nelson’s back bumper. Jensen took the lead as Nelson was stymied by a lapped car. He went on to take the win and also completed the sweep. Nelson, Estey, Bellefeuille and Rivord finished in the top five. The event went flag to flag without a caution flag.

Next to roll onto the speedway were the ground pounding WISSOTA Late Models, starting 20 strong. Cumberland WI’s Steve Laursen started on the pole with Chris Olsen to his outside. Laursen got the jump at the green flag and Harry Hanson slipped into second ahead of Olson, Darrell Nelson and Jeff Provinzino. Nelson raced by Olson into third as ninth starting Pat Doar moved into sixth.

Hanson, Nelson Laursen, Olson and Kyle Peterlin were in the leading group of five with ten circuits complete. Nelson closed up on Hanson as Peterlin and Laursen battled and Doar joined them and got past Peterlin into fourth. He then took third from Laursen and set out for the lead duo. With seven laps remaining, the leaders were in traffic but Hanson held on the rest of the way for the win. Nelson, Doar, Peterlin and Darin Meierotto finished in the top five in the event which went 25 laps without a caution flag.

The final event of the evening was the 15 lap Pure Stock feature which was scheduled to start 26 cars. Only Jeff Christman failed to start leaving 25 to take the green flag. Dustin Follett grabbed the point from the outside of the front row over Ken Tody, Jr., Matt Madsen and Austin Blom in the early going. The caution appeared when Chad Carlson spun in turn two. At the green flag Follett maintained the lead as Justin Madsen picked off the second position. Blom ran third and the three put some distance on the pack.

With a dozen laps left a caution flag for a spin in turn two brought the leaders back to the pack. Almost unnoticed, the only female racer on the track had been working her way forward from her 13th starting spot. Despite being caught up in a couple of incidents not of her making, Ashley Smith had taken the pink #23 forward and was running fifth. Follett again maintained the lead over a pair of Madsens, Matt and Justin in second and third respectively. The caution flag again flew for the about to be lapped #10 of Josh Johnson. No damage occurred to the leaders and Follett continued to lead the final circuits for the win over Madsen, Matt, Madsen Justin, Andy Udeen and Ashley Smith.

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