Proctor Speedway

By Jerry O'Brien
Proctor, MN

The 2009 edition of the annual Rick Gondik Law Office Proctober Fest continued as a two day affair with heat races scheduled for Friday and features on Saturday for the five divisions. A new wrinkle tis time was two complete shows for the WISSOTA Late Model division, the Friday show scheduled to pay $1000 to the winner and the Saturday event more than twice that.

A total of 140 cars signed in on a blustery but sunny Friday as a hardy

crowd of race fans bundled up to watch 16 heat races as well as the 25 lap

Late Model Feature. Late Model heat winners included Darrell Nelson, Jeff

Provinzino and Bobby Reed.

Jasonn VandeKamp, Curt Myers, Jesse Ogston and Skeeter Estey won

WISSOTA Midwest Modified heats, Mike Bellefeuille, Jay Kintner and Sm

Skalsky topped the WISSOTA Super Stock heats, Jody Bellefeuille, Kelly

Estey and Jeff Provinzino were WISSOTA Modified winners and Mark

Korte, Dakota Greene and Al Rapp won the Pure Stock heats.

After all the qualifying heats were recorded, it was time for the 25 lap

Late Model Finale with 24 cars making the start. Lining up on the pole was

Adam Hensel with Bob Reed on his right shoulder. At the green flag Hensel

dived low to take the lead on the first circuit with Darrell Nelson to second

followed by Jake Redetzke, Bob Reed and Jeff Provinzino. A caution flag

flew for a tangle between Aaron Lillo and George Ledin. As it turns out the

last three rows of the feature were lined up incorrectly and officials took this

time to correct the situation. At the restart there was a multi-car wreck in turn

one with seven cars involved. Cars in the lower line toward the front were

using the marker tires to help them through the corner and some checked up

as they struggled for control causing an accordion effect piling up several

cars. This incident sidelined Tim McMann, Travis Budiaslovich and Terry

Lillo. When racing resumed Hensel still held the point but Nelson went to the

top shelf and sped by into the lead. Nelson and Hensel scooted away from the

stout battle for third between Redetzke, Reed, Provinzino, Reed and Darin

Meierotto. Reed brought out another caution flag when he spun of turn four

with for laps complete. The restart saw Nelson lead Hensel Redetzke

Provinzino and newcomer to the top five Kyle Peterlin who had started

eighth. Making himself felt in the top ten was Lance Matthees who started

seventeenth. The caution flag again appeared for a spin by Scott Lehn. At the

green flag Nelson continued in the lead pulling away from Hensel. The same

players remained behind joined by Jeremy Keller from thirteenth to sixth.

With seventeen laps to go it was a single file restart, before a lap was

complete another caution flag with Meierotto getting the ticket. On the next

try Don Copp got shoved off the back stretch bringing out the caution again.

Nelson got another great start and pulled away from Hensel as Provinzino

hounded Redetzke for third but still another caution flag appeared for debris

on the track. What would prove to be the final restart came with 15 laps

remaining. Nelson was still untouched and, with no caution flags, began to

lap the field. Further back some battles heated up as Redetzke and Provinzino

battled for third and Peterlin and Matthees went at it for fifth. Provinzino

captured third and Matthees fifth. Nelson had little trouble maintaining the

lead to the checkered flag and Hensel was never seriously challenged for

second. Provinzino, Redetzke and Matthees rounded out the top five.

Finishing sixth through tenth were Peterlin, Danny Young , Kevin carlson

from twenty-third, Keller and Meierotto.

Saturday dawned cloudy and cool after a dusting of snow over night.

Scheduled were heat races for the Late Models as well as B Features and

features for all other divisions.

The first order of business was the three Late Model heats won by Jake

Redetzke Lance Matthees and Jeff Provinzino. Next came the B Feature for

the Modifieds won by Ryan Aho. There were two B Features for the Midwest

Modifieds which went to Lucas Milz and Dan Severson. The Super Stock B

Feature was won by Jeff Ruzich and Ashley Smith topped the Pure stock B

Feature.

The first Proctober Fest feature on Saturday was the 20 lap Midwest

Modified event. At the green flag Dan Ebert got knocked sideways by Curt

Myers but recovered to take the lead on the second lap followed by Jason

Vande Kamp, Taylor Leuthner, Jesse Ogston and Skeeter Estey. Ebert held

on for the lead while Ogston pressured Leuthner for third. Dennis Czech got

by Estey for fifth. Ogston took third from Leuthner who soon dropped out

with mechanical issues. A torrid battle for third developed between Ogston,

Estey and Czech as the leaders entered traffic at the half way point of the 20

lap event. The first caution flag appeared when fourth place runner Ogston

spun with Czech tagged with the incident. Running in the top ten at the single

file restart was Ebert, Vande Kamp, Estey, Ogston, Lance solem, Deven Van

House, Dan Kingsley and Stan Thom. On the restart Ebert made a rare

mistake hitting a marker tire letting VandeKamp get a run on him.

VandeKamp got by Ebert and won his second feature of the 2009 season at

the Proctor Speedway. Ebert, Estey, Steve Stuart and Solem finished in the t

op five.

Next up was the second Late Model feature of the weekend with Jeff

Provinzino and Darrell Nelson on the front row set to go 35 laps. Nelson

bolted to the lead off turn two and Matthees and Jake Redetzke surged past

Provinzino with Adam Hensel fifth. Nelson was in search of a second win

and the $500 Powers & Associates bonus for winning both features. Nelson

stretched his lead with Matthees in pursuit while Provinzino and Redetzke

battled for third. Travis Budislovich was all over Hensel for fifth, Jeremy

Keller was in the top ten and Kevin Carlson also moved into contention from

his thirteenth starting spot. Shortly after Nelson began lapping cars he saw

his lead evaporate when George Ledin spun in turn two. Matthees restarted

on Nelson's tail but Nelson was equal to the task and extended his lead while

further back Budiaslovich grabbed fifth from Hensel. The third place battle

between Redetzke and Provinzino heated up and Provinzino took the spot.

Nelson was in traffic again as the laps wore away and won his eighth feature

of the season at the Proctor Speedway. Matthees, Provinzino, Redetzke and

Budislavich finished second through fourth. Sixth through tenth were Hensel,

Keller, Don Copp, Carlson and Todd Gehl.

Jeff Tardy got the hole shot from the outside of the front row in the 20 lap

Super stock feature but the first of ten caution flags for a tangle between

Donnie Lofdahl and Derek Vesel in the first turn set the tone for the event.

Tardy again got the jump on Nick Oreskovich from the front row but another

caution reset the field. There was a mad scramble at the front on the restart

between Tardy who was trying to hold off sam skalsky, Oreskovich, Jay

Kintner and Brian Mikkonen but a debris caution broke that one up. Cracking

the top ten from the seventeenth starting slot was Zach Wohlers in ninth as

tardy again got a big jump on the squabble for second between Kintner and

Skalsky. Moving into fifth from tenth was Scott Lawrence as Kintner tried to

track down Tardy. Vesel spun in turn three with a three wide pack bearing

down on him but all avoid a collision. On the restart Kintner and Skalsky

went high and low on Tardy and Kintner grabbed the lead. A lap later another

caution flag flew just at the half way point with the order Kintner, Tardy,

Skalsky, Oreskovich and Lawrence in the top five. It took two caution

periods to get the eleventh lap in as Kintner maintained the point. Several

more caution flags over the next ten laps kept the action close but kintner was

able to hold on for the win over Tardy, Skalsky and Lawrence.

Kelly Estey and Al Uotinen staged a great battle in the closing laps of the

25 lap Modified main event which Estey won by a half car length. It was the

third feature win of the season at Proctor for the 2009 track champion.

Early on the battle with Jody Bellefeuille taking the lead from the outside

of the front row. Pole sitter Jeff Priovinzino encountered mechanical

problems and slid back through the field on lap one and coasted intot he

infield without power. The battle for the lead after the Provinzino caution

was between Bellefeuille and Estey along with Darrell Nelson in a different

car a number eight that he had just purchased. Nelson grabbed second from

Estey with Uotinen already up to run fourth ahead of Jeff Broking in fifth.

All eyes were on the Estey Uotinen battle for the lead as Uotinen tried on the

inside repeatedly but Estey slammed the door each time to take the win.

Al Rapp capped off a great season with the win in the Pure stock 20 lap

feature. Rapp was the track champion at the Proctor Speedway and also won

the Pure Stock Power Series championship. Josh Loucks came from the third

row to try and catch Rapp but had to settle for second.