Mars Cashes In with KME LMS Win at Gondik Law Speedway
by Nick Gima
Superior, WI, July 26 – Sam Mars of Menomonie scored his second huge win in less than a week while notching his first-ever win at the Gondik Law Speedway.
Mars, who won the WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series feature at Cedar Lake Speedway the previous Saturday night, was one of four first-time winners during Friday night’s program, while Shane Sabraski of Rice, MN, continued his impressive season by securing victories in two of the other five divisions’ features.
Mars’ win was worth $5,000 at the end of the 30-lap KME Late Model Series feature for WISSOTA Late Models. Mars started inside on row 2 and followed the front-row pair of Billy Kendall III and Dave Flynn during the opening laps. Kendall and Flynn ran door-to-door for the first few circuits before Kendall established himself as the leader – although not by much – ahead of Flynn, Sabraski, Mars and Jeff Provinzino.
Mars used an inside move to motor past Sabraski on lap 10, and a circuit later Provinzino used a similar route to work his way to fourth, as Sabraski’s car slipped back in the running order. Mars continued his trek forward with another inside move to take second away from Flynn on lap 15, while Kendall had stretched his advantage to over a second.
But Kendall had caught the tail-end of the field shortly thereafter, allowing Mars to eliminate the deficit quickly. With ten laps remaining Mars drew alongside Kendall and took the lead on the back stretch. The pair made significant incidental contact under the flagstand a half-lap later, but both maintained their momentum, and Mars surged ahead.
The race ran without interruption, allowing Mars to extend his margin to 1.3 seconds as he drove under the checkered flag for the first win of his career in Superior – the same track where his legendary father Jimmy won his first-ever Late Model feature years before. Provinzino slipped by Kendall with four laps left to claim second, while Travis Budisalovich and Johnny Broking both displaced Flynn in the late stages for fourth and fifth, respectively.
Mars becomes the third different feature winner in the first four races of the KMS Series, while Sabraski takes his points lead into this Tuesday’s event here.
Eighteenth-finishing James Giossi and 19th-place Jayme Lautigar were each awarded $2,500 bonuses in a post-race random draw, courtesy of KME.
Sabraski, who pulled off an amazing hat trick by scoring clean sweeps in three divisions at Grand Rapids, MN, the night before, added two more feature wins in Superior on Friday. In the WISSOTA Modified A-main, he started outside in the second row and threatened Al Uotinen for second as the pair hunted after “big Mod” rookie Tanner Gehl. After slipping past Uotinen on lap 2, Sabraski reeled in and soon overtook Gehl for the lead with an outside move on lap 5, and he ran off from the field from there.
As the first half of the run flew by, Sabraski and Gehl were well ahead of a great battle for third, with Uotinen running low, Brandon Copp flying around the high side, and Bob Broking and Cody Wolkowski in hot pursuit. By lap 10 Uotinen had separated himself from that pack and was working the low line for a pass of Gehl, just before the race’s only yellow flag was thrown for visitor Mark Prueser’s spin on lap 11, erasing Sabraski’s three-second lead.
On the restart Sabraski sped away again, while Uotinen and Copp swapped second place a couple of times before Uotinen secured the spot. Sabraski ran uncontested to a 3.12-second winning margin, moving him into a tie with Jody Bellefeuille for fifth place on GLS’s all-time Modified feature win list. Uotinen edged Copp for second, and Wolkowski and Broking rounded out the top five.
Sabraski’s win in the WISSOTA Super Stock 20-lap headliner was his fifth in two nights and moved him into a tie with Darin Meierotto for the all-time feature win lead in the division here with his 35th career victory. Sabraski started a bit further back in the line-up – outside on row 4 – but methodically worked his way forward to position himself for the win.
Rick Simpson’s race got off to a bad start, as he was called for a “jump” on the initial green flag, then spun in the midst of traffic with just one lap in. Polestarter Andy Grymala then paced the field for the next 11 laps, edging away from Meierotto, DJ Keeler, Dan Peterson and Sabraski. Positions were exchanged often, with Keeler taking second away from Meierotto on lap 3, and Sabraski moving Meierotto back another spot on lap 4.
Grymala was nearly a second-and-a-half ahead of the field just five laps into the run, but Keeler and Sabraski tracked him down quickly, closing to the leader’s rear bumper by lap 11. Sabraski dove low to take second away on lap 12, and by the next time around he had the lead, just before the race’s lone stoppage was called for a Don Livingston spin on lap 14.
As Sabraski paced the closing laps, Kyle Copp challenged and eventually took third from Grymala. Sabraski was a second-and-a-quarter ahead of Keeler as he took the checkers, Copp held off Grymala, and 14th-starting Scott Lawrence finished a strong run in fifth.
The two wins on this night give Sabraski 60 for his career at GLS, placing him fourth all-time here.
Joining Mars on the first-time feature winner list on this night was David Simpson of Thunder Bay, ON, who took the lead on a mid-race restart and pulled away late for his first victory here in a WISSOTA Midwest Modified.
Evan Checkalski started outside on the front row and fended off early challenges from Paul Ripley, while Simpson, who started outside on the second row, battled with James Vendela and Brady Caul for third. As the race reached its midpoint Ripley, in an attempt to dive low to take the lead, spun his racer to spoil his great run. Simpson was scored in second for the restart, and he motored around Checkalski in a three-wide move for the lead, just before debris on the back straightaway brought about another yellow flag.
Ross Siiter’s spin on lap 12 delayed the proceedings momentarily, after which Simpson paced the field for the rest of the run for his landmark win, finishing a second ahead of Checkalski, who nipped Vendela at the line. Young Canadian driver Kolby Reed clawed his way from the 14th starting spot to take fourth, just ahead of tenth-starting Cody Carlson.
In what was arguably the most thrilling finish of the night, Eric Crosby of Amery won his first-ever WISSOTA Pure Stock feature at Superior by the slimmest of margins – .003 seconds!
Tom Treviranus beat his son, polestarter Trevor Treviranus, out of the first pair of turns for the early lead, with the division’s national points leader Brent Mindock right on his trunk lid, along with Aaron Bernick and Crosby. On lap 2, Crosby spun his racer to bring about the race’s only caution stop and place him at the tail of the eight-car grid for the restart.
After Bernick took second from Mindock a lap after the restart, Crosby began his charge through the field, moving by Mindock for third within just two tours. The lead trio pulled away from the rest of the field and ran nose-to-tail throughout the second half of the run. On the white-flag lap Crosby edged past Bernick for second, and coming off the final turn he pulled alongside Treviranus, beating him to the checkered flag in a photo finish. Shane Basina and Mindock came home a distant fourth and fifth, respectively.
Nikota Larson of Barnum, MN, has been knocking on the door of a feature win at area tracks as of late, and on this night he broke through with his first career feature victory in the WISSOTA Hornets, in another nailbiter of a finish.
Larson raced side-by-side with DeJay Jarecki for much of the ten-lap finale as the pair started next to one another on row 2 and sped past front-row mates Cade Johnson and Ryan LaBorde at the drop of the green. Carson Gotelaere overcame early traffic to take third after two laps and wasted little time in eliminating the huge lead that Larson and Jarecki had established.
As the lead trio caught slower traffic, Gotelaere snuck by Jarecki with a tight squeeze of a move for second, and from there he pestered Larson for the final four laps. But Larson was up to the challenge and held on to win with Gotelaere snug to his rear bumper at the final stripe. Jarecki was a few car-lengths back in third, Andy Leino came home a distant fourth, and Johnson was a similar distance back in fifth.
Hot laps will start at 6:30 pm each night, followed by racing at 7. For more information on this event, log on to the track’s website, www.gondiklawspeedway.com or check out its FaceBook page,
Results
WISSOTA Late Models
Feature: 1-10: Sam Mars, Menomonie; Jeff Provinzino, Hibbing, MN; Billy Kendall III, Walker, MN; Travis Budisalovich, St Paul, MN; Johnny Broking, Grand Rapids, MN; Dave Flynn, Superior; Shane Sabraski, Rice, MN; Skeeter Estey, Kelly Lake, MN; Kevin Burdick, Proctor, MN; Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, MN.
11-20: Pat Doar, New Richmond; Jeff Massingill, Keewatin, MN; Kyle Peterlin, Hibbing, MN; Daniel Bargender, Chippewa Falls; Ben Heinle, Bovey, MN; Josh Zimpel, Braham, MN; Danny Vang, Deerwood, MN; James Giossi, Hudson; Jayme Lautigar, Gilbert, MN; Todd Gehl, Solon Springs.
21-24: Derek Vesel, Hibbing, MN; Mike Bellefeuille, Duluth, MN; Ronnie Malecki, Duluth, MN; Mike Klippenstein, Proctor, MN.
Heat 1: Mars; Flynn; Budisalovich; Burdick; Bargender; Robbie Cooper, South Range; Harry Hanson, Eveleth, MN; Lautigar.
Heat 2: Sabraski; Vang; Doar; Jake Redetzke, Menomonie; Peterlin; Mark Heinle, Bovey, MN; Jared Zimpel, Braham, MN; Eric Lillo, Proctor, MN.
Heat 3: Kendall; Josh Zimpel; Broking; Gehl; Tim McMann, Duluth, MN; Klippenstein; Chad Mahder, Bloomer; Massingill.
Heat 4: Provinzino; Estey; Nelson; Bellefeuille; Vesel; Giossi; B Heinle; Malecki.
Semi-Feature 1: Peterlin; Bargender; Lautigar; Malecki; Jared Zimpel; Klippenstein; Mahder; M Heinle.
Semi-Feature 2: Vesel; Giossi; Massingill; B Heinle; McMann; Cooper; Lillo.
WISSOTA Modifieds
Feature: 1-10: Shane Sabraski, Rice, MN; Al Uotinen, Superior; Brandon Copp, Brule; Bob Broking, Grand Rapids, MN; Cody Wolkowski, Thunder Bay, ON; Andrew Mackey, Duluth, MN; Brady Uotinen, Superior; Jody Bellefeuille, Carlton, MN; Tanner Gehl, Solon Springs; Jack Rivord, Superior.
11-19: Cole Chernosky, Thunder Bay, ON; Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, MN; Andrew Inman, Canyon, MN; Colin Chaschuk, Thunder Bay, ON; Billy Kendall III, Walker, MN; TJ Heinle, Bovey, MN; Mark Prueser, Brainerd, MN; John Toppozini, Thunder Bay, ON; Rick Rivord, Superior.
Heat 1: Nelson; Inman; Sabraski; Wolkowski; Bellefeuille; Chaschuk; J Rivord.
Heat 2: Broking; Copp; A Uotinen; Chernosky; Heinle; Kendall.
Heat 3: B Uotinen; Mackey; Gehl; R Rivord; Toppozini; Prueser.
WISSOTA Super Stocks
Feature: 1-10: Shane Sabraski, Rice, MN; DJ Keeler, Superior; Kyle Copp, Brule; Andy Grymala, Superior; Scott Lawrence, Superior; Austin Blom, Saginaw, MN; Darin Meierotto, Superior; Dan Peterson, Foxboro; Paul Gucinski, Superior; Larry Both, Thunder Bay, ON.
11-16: Rita Anderson, South Range; Don Livingston, Washburn; Jase Lien, Mora, MN; Rick Simpson, Thunder Bay, ON; Myron Basina, Bayfield; Matt Deragon, Ashland.
Heat 1: Grymala; Simpson; Sabraski; Peterson; Anderson; Lien; Lawrence; Livingston.
Heat 2: Copp; Meierotto; Keeler; Deragon; Gucinski; Blom; Basina; Both.
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
Feature: 1-10: David Simpson, Thunder Bay, ON; Evan Checkalski, Duluth, MN; James Vendela, South Range; Kolby Reed, Kakabeka Falls, ON; Cody Carlson, Superior; Jimmy Latvala, Solon Springs; Ryan Savoy, Superior; Brady Caul, Fort Frances, ON; Dalton Mains, Foxboro; Paul Ripley, Duluth, MN.
11-17: Jesse Polson, Superior; Cory Jorgensen, Duluth, MN; Mason Musel, Duluth, MN; Hunter Brink, Kakabeka Falls, ON; Ross Siiter, Esko, MN; Mike Jacques, Thunder Bay, ON; Adam Shinn, Duluth, MN.
Heat 1: Checkalski; Simpson; Latvala; Savoy; Brink; Polson; Shinn; Mains; Musel.
Heat 2: Caul; Ripley; Vendela; Jorgensen; Carlson; Jacques; Reed; Siiter.
WISSOTA Pure Stocks
Feature: 1-8: Eric Crosby, Amery; Tom Treviranus, Hawthorne; Aaron Bernick, Duluth, MN; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Brent Mindock, Prentice; Trevor Treviranus, Hawthorne; Jessie Treviranus, Superior.
Heat: Bernick; Mindock; Tom Treviranus; Trevor Treviranus; Christman; Crosby; J Treviranus; Basina.
WISSOTA Hornets
Feature: 1-10: Nikota Larson, Barnum, MN; Carson Gotelaere, Superior; DeJay Jarecki, Ashland; Andy Leino, Sturgeon Lake, MN; Cade Johnson, Iron, MN; Ryan LaBorde, South Range; Madisyn Olson, Culver, MN; Eva Lillo, Duluth, MN; Riley Ament, Mahtowa, MN; Devyn Sutton, Hayward.
11: Abby Baum, Superior.
Heat 1: Larson; Sutton; Olson; Leino; Baum; Ament.
Heat 2: Jarecki; Gotelaere; Johnson; LaBorde; Lillo.
