Myers, Jensen, Bernick, Schelitzche are Fair Night 2 Winners at GLS
by Nick Gima
Superior, WI, August 2 – Race night number two for the Head of the Lakes Fair at the Gondik Law Speedway this week saw a repeat winner and more tight finishes on Friday.
Curt Myers of Cameron has been on a tear this summer, but his victory in Friday’s WISSOTA Super Stock feature was his first in Superior in nearly nine years. Myers started inside on row 2 and fought his way out of a tight pack of frontrunners to take second from Matt Deragon, trailing only front-row starter DJ Keeler and polestarter Rick Simpson two laps into the 20-lap affair.
A lap 3 spin by visiting Jack Koranda brought about an early caution slowdown, and Myers immediately went to work taking second from Simpson with the restart. By lap 7 Keeler and Myers had separated from the field, while Kyle Copp worked the outside lane to pick his way to third. During the next circuit Myers completed an inside pass of Keeler for the lead, and as Keeler dealt with the charging Copp over the next lap or so, Myers escaped to a lead of nearly two full seconds over the next few tours.
Copp grabbed second just before lap 13, when the pace was slowed for Myron Basina’s spin, and Myers couldn’t get away far enough over the next three laps before Basina spun again to bring about the race’s last stoppage. In the sprint to the finish Myers held just a half-second on Copp for the long-overdue win, while Dylan Nelson came from outside of the top-five on the last restart to steal third from Keeler during the final lap. Dexton Koch completed the top-five.
Joey Jensen of Forest Lake, MN, continued his winning ways at area tracks with his third WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature win here. Jensen started inside on the third row and patiently worked his way forward before making his winning move late in the non-stop 20-lap run.
Polestarter George Dalbeck, a long-time regular at GLS making his first appearance here in 2024, established a strong pace throughout much of the race, leading by as much as 1.28 seconds just before midrace, while Adam Shinn was impressive as the runner-up defending against Jensen’s charge. But once Jensen completed an inside pass of Shinn on lap 8, Dalbeck’s lead disappeared over the next six laps.
Jensen threatened Dalbeck for a lap before taking over at the point on lap 15, and while Dalbeck stayed close over the closing laps, Jensen finally built up a buffer as the white flag flew and pulled away to an eventual 1.5-second winning margin.
Multiple skirmishes behind the leaders shuffled the running order throughout the race, resulting in Cody Carlson working his way to third, albeit at a distance behind Dalbeck; and Paul Ripley clawing his way from his 12th starting position to claim fourth from Evan Checkalski after an entertaining dogfight among several drivers for that position.
During Tuesday’s program here, Aaron Bernick of Duluth, MN, pressured Tom Treviranus throughout the WISSOTA Pure Stock A-main before Treviranus took the checkers. On Friday night it was Bernick’s turn to fend off a determined Treviranus for the win.
Bernick started from the pole and led a three-wide formation racing for second through the first corner under green. Eventually Treviranus shot through between Shane Basina and Tom’s son Trevor Treviranus to grab second before the opening lap was completed.
On the third tour around the big, fast four-tenths-mile oval, Rob Christman, while racing Basina for fourth, wandered high in turn 2 and was caught up in the loose clay just outside of the racing groove. Unfortunately, the car veered right and slammed into the concrete outside wall at the start of the backstraight, completely destroying the passenger-side of the car. Christman was unhurt by the incident, and Bernick led what was left of the field back to green for the uninterrupted balance of the 12-lap run.
Bernick and the senior Treviranus pulled away to decide the outcome, rarely more than a car-length apart, with Treviranus trying every move he could to get by. Bernick maintained a steady, consistent course and beat Treviranus to the checkers by about a third of a second. The younger Treviranus came home solidly in third, well ahead of Basina.
Justin Schelitzche of Chaska, MN, not only became the only repeat winner of Fair week at Superior, but his 15th career victory in Friday’s WISSOTA Hornets headliner moved him into the top spot on the track’s all-time feature winner list for the division.
Schelitzche started outside on the front row and outran Riley Ament through the first corner to take the lead, where he would stay throughout the 12-lap run. Behind them, DeJay Jarecki raced in close quarters with Joe Puidokas and Nikota Latson for third for a lap or so until Devyn Sutton’s spin on lap 2 collected Eva Lillo and drew the first of two early-race yellow flags.
After a get-together involving Madisyn Olson and Ryan LaBorde after the restart, Jarecki moved by Ament to take over second place and kept pace with Schelitzche, while Larson followed Jarecki into third. Over the remaining laps the lead pair pulled away from the field, with Schelitzche trying to stay smooth and steady while Jarecki worked to shake him loose. Schelitzche overcame a couple of late-race bobbles and held a two car-length edge on Jarecki as he passed under the checkered flag to break his tie with Jarecki for most Hornet feature wins here. Larson fought off a comeback effort by Ament for third, and Cade Johnson came home fifth.
The Gondik Law Speedway will next host race number five of the six-night raceXR.com “Northern Storm” tour for the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series, along with the WISSOTA Modifieds and Midwest Modifieds, on Friday, August 9. Many of the region’s very best racers in these three divisions will be on hand for a huge night of racing and some big-money payouts.
Hot laps will start at 6:30 pm, 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 Super Stocks
Feature: 1-10: Curt Myers, Cameron; Kyle Copp, Brule; Dylan Nelson, Merrifield, MN; DJ Keeler, Superior; Dexton Koch, Becker, MN; Rick Simpson, Thunder Bay, ON; Doug Koski, Chisholm, MN; Matt Deragon, Ashland; Don Livingston, Washburn; Scott Lawrence, Superior.
11-18: Jack Koranda, Bluffton, MN; Dan Peterson, Foxboro; Austin Blom, Saginaw, MN; Rita Anderson, South Range; Ellen Lange, Staples, MN; Simon Hachez, O’Connor, ON; Myron Basina, Bayfield; Max Dondelinger, Grand Rapids, MN.
Heat 1: Koch; Nelson; Copp; Koranda; Blom; Lange.
Heat 2: Deragon; Simpson; Keeler; Koski; Dondelinger; Hachez.
Heat 3: Myers; Lawrence; Livingston; Peterson; Anderson; Basina.
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
Feature: 1-10: Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, MN; George Dalbeck, Wakefield, MI; Cody Carlson, Superior; Paul Ripley, Duluth, MN; Evan Checkalski, Duluth, MN; Blake Adams, Cameron; Ryan Savoy, Superior; Jimmy Latvala, Solon Springs; James Vendela, South Range; Cory Jorgensen, Duluth, MN.
11-15: Adam Shinn, Duluth, MN; David Simpson, Thunder Bay, ON; Deven VanHouse, Silver Bay, MN; Ross Siiter, Esko, MN; Patrick Passeri, Duluth, MN.
Heat 1: Simpson; Shinn; Dalbeck; Checkalski; Savoy; Jorgensen; Siiter; Passeri.
Heat 2: VanHouse; Jensen; Vendela; Carlson; Adams; Ripley; Latvala.
WISSOTA Pure Stocks
Feature: 1-5: Aaron Bernick, Duluth, MN; Tom Treviranus, Hawthorne; Trevor Treviranus, Hawthorne; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Rob Christman, Superior.
Heat: Tom Treviranus; Bernick; Christman; Basina; Trevor Treviranus; Jessie Treviranus, Superior.
WISSOTA Hornets
Feature: 1-10: Justin Schelitzche, Chaska, MN; DeJay Jarecki, Ashland; Nikota Larson, Barnum, MN; Riley Ament, Mahtowa, MN; Cade Johnson, Iron, MN; Madisyn Olson, Culver, MN; Joe Puidokas, Cloquet, MN; Ryan LaBorde, South Range; Devyn Sutton, Hayward; Eva Lillo, Duluth, MN.
Heat 1: Schelitzche; Ament; Larson; Puidokas; Johnson; Carson Gotelaere, Superior.
Heat 2: Jarecki; LaBorde; Olson; Sutton; Lillo; Abby Baum, Superior.
