CHAMPIONS CROWNED AT SPEEDWAY FRIDAY

By Jerry O'Brien

8-24-07

Seasons champions were crowned Friday night at the Superior Speedway in all six DTRA divisions. Some of the championships, specifically the Pure Stock title are under review and remain unofficial at press time. Brent Larson of Lake Elmo, MN had a 14 point lead on Pat Doar of New Richmond, WI. Larson finished ahead of Doar in both heat and feature to clinch the championship, his first at the speedway. Darrell Nelson went into the final night with a two point advantage over Joey Jensen and Nelson's feature win to Jensen's fifth place finish was enough to give Nelson the championship in the DTRA Modified division. Ryan Aho could not be caught in the DTRA Super Stock race as he entered the final night with a 61 point lead over Dale Gangl.  Gangl won the feature and Aho won his second straight championship at the speedway. Greg Chesley put an exclamation point to his DTRA Midwest Modified championship by winning the feature. Chesley had a 68 point lead entering the final night of competition. Shane Kisling and Scott Herrick were six points apart in the DTRA Street Stock standings entering the final event and a sweep for Kisling versus two second place finishes for Herrick gave the championship to Kisling. Rick Kesty and Glen Dammer were separated by a mere two points going into the final night and they both won heat races to go into the final feature of the season with the two point bulge intact. Dammer finished the 12 lap event in fourth place while Kesty's charge from the back of the pack after a flat tire during the event fell short. A sixth place finish unofficially produced co-champions in the Pure Stock division as he and Dammer tied in points. A possible tear down of Dammer's race car could affect the outcome so the tie remains unofficial.

The first feature of the evening after heat race action, was for the DTRA Midwest Modifieds.  Nick lavato took the early lead but point leader Greg Chesley was on a mission to prove the championship was earned as he raced forward from the fourth row to hound Lavato after second place runner Willy Thompson brought out the first of two caution flags. A third of the way through Chesley got by Lavato for the lead and began to put some distance on him. Tom Smart, Dan Russell and Jeff Pohjonen ran in the top five.with six laps remaining the final caution flag appeared when Jimmy Latvala went off track in turn four. Chesley went on to take the win and the championship.

Ryan Aho had the championship wrapped up before he ever took the green flag for the 20 lap DTRA Super Stock feature but still joined in the fun at the front of the field. The event got off to a ragged start as the first yellow flag occurred before a lap could be completed. The battle up front was intense as Mike Bellefeuille, Aho, Dave Flynn, Dale Gangl and Trevor Wilson traded paint for the lead. A red flag condition occurred with eight laps complete when Donnie Lofdahl and Steve Christman collided sending Christman up on the back stretch wall and over on his roof. He was not injured but was forced to withdraw from the race. Two more caution flags would cause the event to be shortened due to the time limit. Gangl came through for the win with Bellefeuille second and Aho third. Flynn and Mike Loomis rounded out the top five.

Darrell Nelson was the Rabbit to the hounds in the 20 lap DTRA Modified feature as he raced to the lead from the front row. Don Copp and Joey Jensen ran in the top three while Al Uotinen and Jason Miller battled for fourth. Jayme Lautigar ran in the top five in the early going but dropped back in the late going to finish eighth. Nelson was never able to keep the long lead as a couple of caution flags erased his advantage each time he was able to put several car lengths on second place they yellow flag would wave. Miller was on the move and worked his way out of a battle with Jensen and Copp to take second. Nelson went on to take the win with Miller, Copp, Uotinen and Jensen in the front five.

A quick 12 lap DTRA Street Stock feature saw a close battle between Shane Kisling and Scott Herrick the outcome of which could settle the track championship. Kisling proved too strong for Herrick as he recorded a sweep which was enough to give him the title. Herrick finished second ahead of Tim Baum, Don Craig and Dan Kingsley.

Joel Cryderman lead in the early going in the 25 lap DTRA Late Model feature after getting by pole sitter Harry Hanson but Steve Laursen raced forward from the fourth row to get by Cryderman within the first three circuits. Pat Doar needed to make some moves if he was going to defend his title from 2006 as he needed to finish in front of 2007 point leader Brent Larson but was unable to do so. Laursen was the class of the field in the non stopped event as he won by over a straight away. Cryderman was comfortably in second as Larson was never able to get any closer than a couple of car lengths. Larson's third place finish to Doar's fourth place gave the track championship to Larson. Darrell Nelson rounded out the top five.

It looked as though it was curtains for point leader Rick Kestey as a flat tire in action on the very first lap put him to the back of the 23 car Pure Stock feature. Kesty's rival for the championship Glen Dammer ran in a pack of cars fighting for the lead all race long after starting in the sixth row. The story up front however, was Chad Carlson in his "Grocery Getter" Station Wagon as he moved out of the pack to take his first feature win of the season at the speedway and take home the Championship race trophy. With three laps remaining after the final caution flag, Kesty was in 11th place and Dammer ran fourth. It looked as though the title would slip away from Kesty but he kept charging and finished sixth, close enough to Dammer to place them in a tie for the championship pending official review. With no tie breaker in place, that would mean that they would share the title as co-champions. Finishing behind Carlson was Jeff Christman and Al Rapp with Dammer fourth and Tony Ciurleo in fifth.

Superior Speedway DTRA Track Championships

DTRA Late Model ( 17 cars)

Heat 1 (10 laps) Harry Hanson; Brent Larson; Steve Laursen; Eric Breeschoten; Darrell Nelson; Pat Doar; Mike Nutzmann; Kevin Carlson; Hregg Hill

Heat 2: (10 laps) Joel Cryderman; Darin Meierotto; Tom Nesbitt; Ron Schreiner; Tim McMAnn; DNF: Darrell Carlson; Kelly Estey; Travis Budisolavich

Feature (25 laps) Laursen; Cryderman; Larson; Doar; Nelson; Hanson; Schreiner; Meierotto; Nutzmann; Breeschoten; McMann; Carlson; Hill; DNF: Nesbitt; K Carlson; Estey; Budisolavich

DTRA Modified ( 21 cars)

Heat 1 (8 laps) Ron Schreiner; Jason Miller; Duane Dale; Jayme Lautigar; Jody Bellefeuille; Ross Lightner; DNF: Steve Lavasseur

Heat 2 (8 laps) Al Uotinen; Joey Jensen; Darrell nelson; Bill Byholm; Dean Yrjanainen; Dave Cain; Kelly Checkalski

Heat 3 (8 laps) Don Copp; Scott Hudack; Kelly Estey; Paul Knauf; Nick Nelson; Rick Rivord; DNF Erik Bjorkland

Feature (20 laps) (1-10) D Nelson; Miller; Copp; Uotinen; Jensen; Estey; Hudack; Lautigar; Schreiner; Yrjanainen (11-21) Knauf; Cain; Byholm; Dale; Lightner; Checkalski; Bjorkland; N Nelson; Rivord; DNF: Lavasseur; DQ Bellefeuille

DTRA Super Stocks ( 24 cars)

Heat 1 (8 laps) Ryan Aho; Joe Oliver; Jim Campbell; Dave Flynn; Darin Meierotto; Andy Grymala; Tom Treviranus; DNF Destin Lorimor

Heat 2 (8 laps) J B Stortz; Dale Gangl; Mike Bellefeuille; Trevor Wilson; Keith Kern; Alan Hartel; Ronnie Malecki; Brian Youderin

Heat 3 (8 laps) Mike Loomis; Steve Rivord, Jr; Danny Pierce; D J Dondelinger; Scott Lawrence; Todd Bonny; Steve Christman; Donnie Lofdahl

Feature: (20 laps) (1-10) Gangl; Bellefeuille; Aho; Flynn; Loomis; Wilson; Oliver; Stortz; Lawrence; Kern (11-24) Meierotto; Pierce; Grymala; Dondilinger; Lorimor; Treviranus; Hartel; Campbell; Bonny; Malecki; Youderin DNF: Rivord; Christman; DQ Lofdahl

DTRA Midwest Modified (25 cars)

Heat 1 (8 laps) Tyler Leuthner; Brock McCarthy; Nick Lavato; Deven VanHouse; Randy vezina; Scott Herrick; Dan Doran; Lance Solem; DNF: Cory Jorgenson

Heat 2 (8 laps) Jimmy Latvala; Greg chesley; Willy Thompson; Jesse Ogston; Al McDougall; Bill Brouse; Joe Olson; DNF Tom Morinville

Heat 3 (8 laps) Andy Jones; Jeff Pohjonen; Dan Russell; Tom Smart; Nick Baker; Brad Anderson; DNF Shane Kisling; Adam Archer

Feature (15 laps) (1-10) Chesley; Lavato; VanHouse; Smart; Russell; Pohjonen; Jones; Leuthner; Jorgenson; McCarthy (11-25) Olson; Archer; Anderson; Baker; Herrick; Thompson; Latvala; Kisling; McDougall; Ogston; Doran; Solem; Brouse: DNF Vezina; DNS: Morinville

DTRA Street Stock (8 cars)

Heat: (8 laps) Shane Kisling; Scott Herrick; Dan Kingsley; Don Craig; Tim Baum; Bobby LePage; Brian Fulda; Gary Vendela

Feature: ( 12 laps) Kisling; Herrick; Baum; Craig; Kingsley; Fulda; Vendela ; LePage

DTRA Pure Stock (23 cars)

Heat 1 (7 laps) Ashley Smith; Jeff Christman; Jeff Tormondson; Tony Ciurleo; Karri Schultze; Dan Larsen; Matt Johnson; Richard Dzelak

Heat 2 (7 laps) Rick Kesty; Al Rapp; Scott Larsen; Mark Tessier; Tasha Rapp; Tim Carlson; DNF: Jacob Morinville; Ryan Erickson

Heat 3: (7 laps) Glen Dammer; Pete Ciurleo; Pat Van Ert; Chad Carlson; Jeff Engelmeier; Dale Reynolds; Caroline Kresal

Feature (12 laps) (1-10) Chad Carlson; Christman; A Rapp; Dammer; T Ciurleo; Kesty; Van Ert; D Larsen; Johnson; Smith (11-23) Morinville; T Carlson; Dzelak; Kresal; Tessier; Reynolds; DNF: Tormondson; S Larsen; Schulte; T Rapp; P Ciurleo; Erickson; Engelmeier.