Northland Sports Online

Twin Porst 25 Runs To A Full House In Superior

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Aug 5, 2012

By Jerry O’Brien


For the first time since its inception the Twin Ports Twin 25’s moved the venue from the Proctor Speedway across the bay to AMSOIL Speedway in Superior, WI. From all indications the move was the right one as a full grandstands watched three divisions of racing on the fast and wide track. A total of 92 cars were on hand for the one of a kind race here in the north land including 32 WISSOTA Late Models, the stars of the show to go along with 25 Midwest Modifieds and 35 Pure Stocks.


The format for the Late Models was two 25 lap features each paying $1500 to win. The first was for WISSOTA Points and also to set the line up for the second. The kicker for the second is the winner of the first makes a blind draw for the inversion of the second feature up to 18 places.


Brady Smith of Solon Springs made a rare trip to his former home track and made it pay to the tune of a $1500 win. The draw for inversion didn’t go so well for him as he drew the number 17 meaning he and runner up John Kaanta of Elk Mound, WI found themselves starting deep in the field. A win by Smith would double the $500 bonus for winning a feature to $1000 for the sweep. The highest average finisher in both features would also receive a $500 bonus.


The first 25 lap feature went flag to flag without a caution period. Starting from row number two, John Kaanta edged into the lead at the starting green flag trailed by Don Shaw and Smith. Todd Gehl ran fourth in his first race in some time and Tim McMann was fifth. Shaw and Smith duked it out for second and Smith took the spot. Todd Frank swept into fourth and Steve Laursen was fifth.


The track shook out to multiple grooves as Smith and Kaanta battled for the lead. Darin Meierotto driving one of Gregg Hill’s cars was looking to get past Laursen for fifth after starting from outside the 7th row. Kaanta held sway over Smith and was soon lapping the back markers. In traffic Kaanta widened the gap over Smith while Shaw, Frank and Laursen held onto the top five positions.


Kaanta ran into trouble as he had trouble lapping a stubborn car letting Smith deplete the distance between the two. Smith was able to edge by in the waning laps to take the win and the top check. Shaw held onto third and Meierotto managed to get by Laursen into fourth.


The second feature saw Jeff Provinzino and Todd Gehl hold down the front row at the green flag. Provinzio commandeered the lead with Gehl falling in behind. Gregg Hill surged to third from row number two ahead of Mike Balcaen and Kyle Peterlin. Robbie Bunkelman, Darrell Nelson, Tom Naeyaert and Tommy Wasleski, Jr. were in a pack behind the front five.


Meanwhile the top two finishers in the first feature were attempting to make their way forward in search of that bonus. Kaanta was making his way forward from his 16th starting spot and was sixth while Smith was finding the going much harder as he was stuck in traffic in 12th behind several cars also racing for position.


Provinzino continued to lead but Hill’s Bill Frye race car was a rocket ship as he shot past Provinzino off the top of turn two and just drove away. Hill raced out to a huge lead as the rest struggled to catch up. Kaanta was fourth and looking for third as Nelson got by Provinzino for second. Kaanta was looking to take third as Smith finally broke free and ran ninth with 8 laps remaining.


Hill’s dream of a TPT25 win to go along with his Labor Day Shootout victory was shattered when the only caution flag of either race flew for an incident in turn four. Hill got a good restart at the green but Kaanta was not to be denied and raced into second past Nelson and rapidly closed on Hill taking the lead with five laps remaining.


Hill was left to hold off Nelson for second as Kaanta raced to the checkered flag. Hill, Nelson, Bunkelman and Provinzino rounded out the top five. Smith finished in sixth and Kaanta got the extra $500 for the highest finishing average in the two features.


Prior to the Twin 25 lap Late Model features the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds ran their 15 lap feature with all 25 cars available to take the green flag. It took little time for there to be big trouble as a multi-car pileup in the first turn sent several cars scraping the wall and spinning wildly. The #20 of Glenn Goden ended up climbing the mound surrounding the inside corner light pole. He hit it hard enough to dislodge two of the fixtures leaving one lighting up the pole and the other falling off to impact the car. No one was injured but three cars were carted off. Officials used headlights from a pair of trucks in the infield to supplement the fixtures left.


With no laps recorded, the green light blinked on and Deven VanHouse jumped to the lead only to have the caution light replace the green one when Jake Gondik spun in front of most of the field high in turn four. VanHouse was out front in the Delaware Double file restart. This green flag period didn’t last long as Brian Youdarin spun in turn three bringing out the caution again.


The next attempt to get lap one in ended with a tangle on the front stretch short of the flag stand. Officials then called for a single file restart and that seemed to work. VanHouse was killing the field as he raced away by a straight away from Dan Wilson, Mack Estey, Scott Bruce and Dan Doran. VanHouse was lapping the field with four laps remaining until the final caution flag flew when Cody Carlson was turned in turn one.


The restart came with two laps remaining and VanHouse was equal to the task taking the win over Estey in second, Dan Kingsley third, Wilson fourth and Cody Wolkowski fifth. Kingsley got the hard charger award for moving forward 20 spaces. It was VanHouse’s fourth feature win of the season.


The final event of the evening was the 25 lap feature for the Pure Stocks, the twice rescheduled Pure Adrenaline event with an enhanced purse. Tim Carlson took the lead off the front row but last week’s winner Travis Zembo took #53 to the front a lap later towing Esten Nelson to second.


The caution flag flew for an incident in turn four that left Jeff Christman pointing the wrong way. Zembo lined up out front for the restart but Nelson and Carlson got the jump with Nelson to the point Zembo rebounded to second. Nelson was leading and Craig Horak moved into third ahead of Glenn Dammer and Josh Loucks.


The caution flag again flew as Tim Baum stalled in turn four. The restart came with 17 laps to go and Nelson maintained the lead over Zembo and Horak with Dustin Follett arriving from the hinterlands to fourth. Nelson led at the half way point but with 11 laps to go, the caution lights blinked on.


Nelson was able to keep the lead but Horak made a run on him for the point and edged ahead at the flag stand. Horak then drove the green station wagon to a huge lead and took his second feature win of the season. Follett got by Nelson for second, Loucks was fourth and Dammer fifth.

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