Dustin Follett of Cloquet Wins for Second Night in a Row

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Aug 19, 2011

By Jerry O’Brien

SUPERIOR, WI – Joey Jensen of Forest Lake, MN won his fifth Modified feature of the season at AMSOIL Speedway to all but wrap up the 2011 championship. Superior’s Darin Meierotto won his second Late Model feature of the season and added to his division leading point total with one race remaining. Jeff Tardy of Hibbing, MN also added to his Super Stock point lead with his feature win. Dan Ebert of Lakeshore, MN won his first ever feature at AMSOIL Speedway in the Midwest Modified division and Dustin Follett, Cloquet, MN added a few points to his Pure Stock point lead with his fifth feature win of the season. Ashley Smith, South Range, WI finished fifth in the feature sending the point race down to the wire. Feature winners in the WISSOTA Divisions would also qualify for their respective Races of Champions at the WISSOTA 100 in Huron South Dakota.

The first feature of the evening was for the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds. Dan Kingsley started from the outside pole and jumped into the lead looking for his first feature win of the season. It looked as though he might get it, but Dan Ebert had another idea on that score. Kingsley led to the first caution flag which came with 14 of 20 laps in the books. At this point the running order was Kingsley in the lead followed by Deven Van House, Ebert, Neil Balduc, and Jason Vande Kamp. George Dalbeck had suffered a flat tire on the 23D, made the change and raced his way back to contend for fifth as the race was restarted.

Ebert made his move at the green flag diving to the bottom making it a three car race with Van House and Kingsley. Kingsley desperately clung to the lead fending off Van House and Ebert but Ebert took second from Van House and made another slashing inside move on Kingsley in the third turn on the white flag lap. Kingsley slipped into the loose stuff at the top of the turn as spun sideways. No caution flag was thrown as the lap was nearly complete and Ebert took the checkered flag first followed by Van House, Skeeter Estey, Vande Kamp and Dalbeck in the top five. A disappointed Kingsley was scored in the 12th position. Ebert had not qualified for the ROC until doing so at AMSOIL Speedway.

It would be 20 laps for the WISSOTA Super Stocks with Jeff Tardy looking to expand his point lead over fellow Iron Ranger Kevin Burdick. Defending track champion Mike Bellefeuille started on the pole next to Tardy and it was Bellefeuille by a whisker on the first lap. Tardy drove to the lead and expanded it by a large margin as Bellefeuille was left to fend off Andy Grymala, Scott Lawrence and Grymala’s cousin Cody Carlson.

As the laps clicked off and no caution flags appeared, the field began to string out around the track as the top runners began to lap the field. The caution did appear resulting in the pack closing up on Tardy. With nine laps remaining, suddenly the yellow flag flew in bunches as three more quick ones occurred. Tardy clung to the lead at the third restart with eight laps remaining, followed by Bellefeuille, Grymala, and Joe Oliver who arrived in fourth from the inside of the ninth row. Grymala got by Bellefeuille into second and Oliver dropped him back to fourth at the finish. Dave Read finished fifth after starting eighth. Tardy was already a ROC qualifier so tentatively Andy Grymala will be the representative from the speedway.

The next division to try for a Race of Champions berth was the WISSOTA Late Models with 20 laps to do so. Dave Esse was the very early leader from the pole, but Darin Meierotto grabbed the top spot in yet another car, the fourth or fifth different on he’s driven this season as he is clinging to the point lead at the speedway. Jeff Provinzino, Tim McMann and Kyle Peterlin were in close proximity and Darrell Nelson was closing on the front pack when Chris Olson spun in turn two.

At the restart Provinzino went to the top shelf and into second but soon found a charging Nelson to his inside. Meierotto extended his lead as nelson slid into second, but that lead disappeared when Esse broke down in the first turn and Todd Gehl found himself parked against the front stretch wall. Esse was towed off and Gehl re-fired and joined the field with five laps in.

Meierotto still held the lead at the green flag fending off Nelson as Provinzino, Peterlin and Gehl skirmished for third. Peterlin captured third and Gehl stormed past Provinzino for fourth. Meierotto was just a slight bit better than Nelson and was able to keep him behind as the race wound down. Meierotto had about six car lengths on Nelson with five laps remaining. Harry Hanson got past Gehl for fifth as Meierotto crossed the finish line ahead of Nelson, Peterlin, Provinzino and Hanson in fifth. The win qualified Meierotto for the Race of Champions berth from the speedway.

Kelly Estey led from the pole in the 20 lap WISSOTA Modified main event but was soon joined by Joey Jensen and Darrell Nelson along with Dan Ebert and E. J. Hietala. Jensen stole the point and was in charge early rolling out to a half straight away lead before a caution flag bunched the field behind him.

At the green flag Jensen slung the #V2 around the top of turn one and shot off the top of turn two back in front. Estey and Nelson were left to squabble over second and were joined by Eber to make the race for runner up a three car battle. Rick Rivord made his way past Hietala to grab the fifth spot. Jensen loafed to his fifth feature win of the season and will almost certainly be the track Modified champion and is also qualified for the ROC. It was announced as a point of interest, that veteran Modified driver Al Uotinen of Superior has completed 450 consecutive Modified feature laps.

The final feature of the evening was for the Pure Stocks, the division with the closest championship battle. Coming into the night’s action, Dustin Follett held the point lead by a single marker over Ashley Smith. As the green flag flew for the 15 lap feature, the scramble at the front included an appearance in the lead by Dale Soumala shadowed closely by Jeff Christman, Justin Bassa, Steve Udeen, Follett and Matt Madsen.

Christman took over the top spot as Follett ran fifth with a distance back to Smith in sixth but closing. The caution flag took care of that at the half way point, as an incident left Justin Madsen’s ride with damage to the right front suspension.

At the restart Follett moved up to challenge Christman for the lead but couldn’t make the pass that time. Udeen, Soumala, and Bassa remained in the top five as Smith worried at Bassa for fifth. Follett made his way past Christman to the lead with three laps remaining and took his fifth feature victory of the season and his second in as many nights at the speedway. Christman, Udeen and Soumala were the top four as Smith finished fifth. Follett added a few points to his lead but it still could be a shoot out for the title on the final night.

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