Dale Honkala of Cloquet Sweeps School Bus Races

Wes Vork-NSO

Click here for additional bus racing photos

Click here for additional regular racing photos

June 6

By Jerry O’Brien

Proctor, MN – Another clear but cool Sunday evening greeted a full grandstands at the Proctor Speedway for the weekly show plus School Bus Races. Dale Honkala from Cloquet completed the sweep, winning both the heat and feature races with a V-8 powered school bus.

In a preview of August 6 Mid-Summer Mayhem where the main event is bus racing, fans were treated to full sized busses making four left turns as fast as they could, rather than stopping and starting while picking up students as their original design calls for. “Every day we transport people safely, so it’s a lot of fun to do something different a couple of times a year.” Jack Lane Vice –President of LCS Coaches and driver of race bus #101 told Northland Sports Online. When the dust settled, Honkala out-distanced the field of eight busses for the win.

Once again the car count was good and included 18 Late Models, 17 Modifieds, 17 Super Stocks, 13 Midwest Modifieds and 25 Pure Stocks for a total of 90 cars. Qualifying heats were won by Darrell Nelson and Kyle Peterlin in the WISSOTA AMSOIL Dirt Track Series Late Models; Kelly Estey and Ryan Aho in the Modifieds; Dave Read and Donnie Lofdahl in the Super Stocks; Skeeter Estey and Neil Bolduc in the Midwest Modifieds and Austin Blom, Josh Loucks and Dustin Follett in the Pure Stocks.

The order of appearance was changed from the previous weeks with the WISSOTA Modifieds taking to the track first. Jayme Lautigar and Steve Stuart started from the front row and, at the green, Lautigar held a slim lead over Stuart who was just behind. A spin in turn one by Kevin Eder brought a restart that saw Rick Niemi slip over the top of turn three. It was still an original lineup as no laps had been completed. The third time was the charm as Stuart got the jump and pulled out a three car length lead over Lautigar as Jody Bellefeuille charged to third. Lautigar and Bellefeuille began to close up on Stuart as the caution flew for the car of Jerry Esler.

With three of a scheduled 20 laps complete, the green flag again appeared and this time Lautigar was quickest on the throttle and shot out to a ten car length lead over Stuart as Bellefeuille, Darrell Nelson and Aho battled for position. Kelly Estey had flattened a tire on the first caution and was forced to start last after the tire change. He was charging toward the front and was in eighth. Bellefeuille got past Stuart to second and Nelson also got past to third. Aho was fifth and the best battle on the track at this point was between Estey and E. J Heitala for sixth. Lautigar reached traffic about to be lapped with Bellefeuille all over his back bumper but Lautigar was able to hold him at bay for the win. Bellefeuille, Nelson, Stuart and Aho finished in the top five.

It was 20 laps of Super Stock racing up next as Kevin Salin took the early lead from the pole over Donnie Lofdahl and Zach Wohlers while Dave Mass and Kevin Burdick battled for fifth ahead of Scott Lawrence. The caution flag flew quickly when Brine Carl experience trouble in turn three. With one lap in, the restart saw Salin, Lofdahl and Lawrence three wide of turn four. Wohlers moved up to join the battle as Lofdahl nabbed the lead just ahead in the battle with Mass and Lawrence as Salin slipped back to fourth. As this skirmish raged, Dave Read moved into fifth. Lofdahl was able to hold momentum and the point by running the top groove but the caution flag again flew when Carl again experienced trouble in turn three.

With seven laps in, there was a scramble up front at the restart as Lofdahl, Mass and Wohlers battled shadowed by Read and Lawrence. The Lawrence and Read dual were joined by Mike Bellefeuille who had started ninth. Wohlers took the lead with Read challenging and Mass, Lofdahl and Lawrence were still in the mix. The top groove was fastest and almost everyone in the lead pack went up there except Burdick who was trying to make something happen on the bottom. Wohlers held the lead to the checkered flag followed across the line by Read, Mass, Lawrence and Burdick.

Next up were the ground pounding WISSOTA Late Models with Terry Lillo on the pole next to Caley Emerson for the 25 lap feature. Emerson led lap one as Darin Meierotto shot into second from row three. Tim McMann and Harry Hanson dueled for third while similar battle raged between Darrell Nelson and Cory Jorgenson tried for third. Kyle Peterlin stuck his nose in that battle while up front Meierotto worried at Emerson for the lead. Emerson slid off the top of turn three, Meierotto stayed at the point at the restart with 19 laps remaining. Hanson, Nelson and Lillo battled and Nelson put the right side wheels of the back stretch but held on. Peterlin got by Nelson and Hanson and Lillo was still in the top five. It was a three car battle for the lead as Nelson fell into the clutches of Todd Gehl who had somehow appeared in the top five after starting 14th.

The second caution flag flew for Dustin Lunde who turned around in turn 4 with 11 laps complete. On the restart Peterlin chose the outside and tried for the lead at the green flag but Meierotto was able to hold him off with Nelson right there. The top side was still better, the leaders were up there, and Nelson tried something low but failed to gain ground. Meierotto pulled out six car lengths on the Peterlin/Nelson battle and Gehl worked his way into fourth about three quarters of the straight away behind the leaders. As the laps wound down Hanson regained fourth from Gehl as Meierotto saw the white flag and took his second feature win of the season at the speedway. Nelson edged Peterlin for second, Hanson was fourth and Gehl rounded out the top five.

Andrew Inman jumped to the front at the green flag as the 20 lap Midwest Modified feature took to the track. Dan Doran and Ross Siiter battled for second but the caution flag appeared when Siiter went around on the back stretch. On the restart Inman led Doran, Deven Van House, and Siiter while Skeeter Estey was coming forward from the fourth row and took over fourth place. It was a tight battle up front with Inman barely holding off Van House, Estey and a charging Lance Solem who had come from the same row as Estey. The final caution period was for Steve Krumrei who went off the top of turn four. The restart saw the pack closed up but Estey, who had taken the lead at the halfway point, held on for the win followed by Van House, Solem, Inman and Dan Kingsley who had started eleventh. It was Estey’s third feature win of the season at the speedway.

The final stock car feature of the night was for the Pure Stocks. Dustin Follett recorded the sweep with the 15 lap feature win. Corey Lonetto battled at the front all race long and finished second ahead of Esten Nelson, Justin Madsen and Craig Horak.

Comments can be sent to sports@northlandsportsonline.com