Bellefeuille, Kisling, Vernon Make Big Hay at ABC’s Farm Stock Special

by Nick Gima

               Ashland, WI, June 27 – Feature wins on Thursday night at the ABC Raceway were a long time in coming for Jody Bellefeuille and Shane Kisling. For Tyler Vernon, his win was particularly satisfying.

The third annual Farm Stock Special saw nearly 100 cars compete on a comfortable evening near the south shore of Lake Superior, with enhanced purses offered for the Fuhrman Design WISSOTA Modifieds, Superior Floral WISSOTA Super Stocks and Lightning Storm Graphics WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds. The event, presented by White River Ag Products of Mason along with associate sponsors Deer Creek Farms, Windy Acres Farm, GDM Farms, Kully’s Truck Accessories, Lulich Implement and Tractor Central, is the Raceway’s salute to the Northland’s farmers and agricultural employees.

Bellefeuille, from Carlton, MN, led every one of the 30 laps to a $2,500 paycheck in the Modified headline event, but it was hard-earned, with Shane Sabraski dogging him every step of the way. Bellefeuille started on the pole and outran Nick Oreskovich out of the first set of turns, while Sabraski dove low to pull alongside Oreskovich to challenge for second.

A huge eight-car pile-up on lap 3 slowed the quick early pace, and on the restart Sabraski immediately put the pressure on Bellefeuille as the lead pair pulled away. Kennedy Swan overtook Oreskovich for third on lap 7 and reeled in the lead pair over the next three circuits, staying within a car-length of Sabraski until lap 17, when Aiden Hoffman’s stalled ride just off the front straightaway brought about the race’s only other caution stop.

Sabraski threw every trick he could think of at the leader, diving low and charging high, but Bellefeuille maintained his cool, hit his marks to near perfection, and edged Sabraski by a third of a second at the final stripe for his eighth career win at ABC but first here since August 2018. Swan was a fair distance back in third but well ahead of a late-charging Justin Weinberger and Oreskovich, who was awarded an extra $700 in fast-lap and fifth-place bonuses courtesy of Lulich Implement and Kully’s Truck Accessories. Sabraski also enhanced his earnings by $300 for his runner-up effort, thanks to these two contributors.

In a touching sign of sportsmanship, Bellefeuille dedicated his win to popular local long-time racer Darrell Nelson, who has been fighting health issues for several months. Nelson had brought his Mod here for the first time on this night but struggled with mechanical woes during the pre-race “hot-lap” warm-up session and did not run.

It had been a year longer since Butternut’s Kisling had parked his Super Stock in ABC’s Victory Lane – August 2017 – but like Bellefeuille, he started on the pole and led every lap for his $1,000 payday and his 15^thcareer feature win here.

After a four-car get-together at the start, Kisling cleared Patrick Beeksma to claim the point and pulled a few lengths ahead of a three-car dogfight that included Beeksma, Terran Spacek and Sabraski. Spacek soon won that battle and then restarted on Kisling’s back bumper, with Sabraski alongside, after a lap 3 stoppage for a three-car spin.

The battle between the three leaders was thrilling and close – as it turned out, a little too close for Sabraski, who tapped the back of Kisling’s car on lap 8, causing the leader to spin in front of the field. With Sabraski out of the mix for the final 12 laps, it was just a matter of Kisling holding his line and eventually pulling to a 1.19-second advantage at the checkers over Spacek.

The pair were well ahead of 11^th-starting Shawn McFadden, who clawed his way to third just ahead of DJ Keeler and Beeksma.

Vernon, a two-time ABC Midwest Mod champ from Mason whose family is heavily involved in the various sponsorships of this event, came from the sixth starting spot in his feature and quickly forged his way to the front, taking the lead from visiting Cole Boston on lap 5 and fending off a determined Joey Jensen for the $1,500 winner’s check.

Boston raced door-to-door with polestarter Jesse Polson for a lap before establishing himself as pacesetter, stretching his lead to six-tenths of a second as Vernon and William Moelter overtook Polson for second. Vernon drew to Boston’s trunklid by lap 5 and charged by with an outside pass down the back straight for the lead on the next lap.

Vernon’s lead was over a second on lap 11 when Bryan Lund’s car tagged the turn 1 wall to bring about the race’s only yellow-flag delay. Joey Jensen, who had won on opening night here in early June, restarted third and immediately pulled past Boston and stuck to the bottom lane to challenge Vernon, who had been sailing around the upper edge of the wide, smooth red-clay surface. Upon noticing Jensen’s car closing in, Vernon wisely dropped to the bottom groove, taking away Jensen’s best option, and he held on to a tight quarter-second margin at the checkers for his 16^th career feature win and 11^th in a Mid-Mod here.

Tenth-starting Paul Ripley was impressive in charging to a third-place performance, getting ahead of Boston and Moelter late in the run. Jensen did benefit from the $300 second-place bonus, again complements of Lulich Implement and Kully’s Truck Accessories.

In the Patsy’s Bar Pure Stocks feature, only five of the seven registered drivers made the call, but one of them – visiting Dusten Holub of Chetek – gained his first career feature win here in a nailbiter of a race.

Holub started on the pole alongside Eric Crosby, and for the entire eight-lap event the duo put on a show, with Holub holding the lead and Crosby threatening in every way possible. Behind them, Aaron Bernick duked it out with Shane Basina for third. 

On lap 3 Crosby bobbled, allowing Holub to scamper to a seemingly healthy lead, but Crosby hustled to pull back to the leader’s rear fender as the pair took the white flag. Holub held true to his line while Crosby charged up on the inside, and at the finish line Holub was scored the winner by .011 seconds – a photo finish of less than two feet.

Bernick held off Basina for third, well back of the lead pair, and Zene Anderson – who will turn 84 years young on Friday – came home fifth.

Basina got his revenge in the Berglund Customs ABC Six-Cylinders’ feature, fighting hard to get by Jakob Bond before pulling away late for his eighth career ABC Raceway win.

After a Mady Anderson spin on the opening circuit, polestarter Bond led Mathew Rohlfing, Basina, and Cody Eichmann past Adam Traaholt over the first couple of laps. A Jimmy Sterns spin halted the proceedings on lap 2, but on the restart Basina, the defending division champ from Bayfield, swept around Rohlfing and began to pressure Bond.

Basina’s persistence paid off on lap 7, when he finally worked his way into the lead with a low-lane move, just before Roger Walker’s spin on lap 8. Bond returned the favor with a determined effort of his own to try to get the lead back, but after a final stoppage for a get-together involving Traaholt and Sterns with four laps remaining, Basina pulled away to a convincing 1.5-second margin of victory.

Rohlfing was not far back in third, with a surprisingly strong run by Eichman earning him fourth-place money. Walker crossed the line directly behind Eichmann but was dropped back to eighth in the final rundown due to an earlier scoring error, placing rookie Justin Pratt in fifth.

The ABC Raceway will sit idle on Saturday, June 29, but return to action on Saturday, July 6, for its second annual “Six Cylinder Slam,” presented by the Safari Tavern of Ashland. The track’s home-grown division will be featured with two points-paying A-mains, with the second feature line-up based on a driver-drawn invert of the first feature’s finish. Cash bonuses will be paid to the top three in overall points between the two features.

The Modifieds, Super Stocks, Mid-Mods and Pure Stocks will also be part of the program with a full fare of heats and features.

The grandstand gates and pits will open at 5 pm on Saturday, followed by hot laps at 6:30 and the first green flag of the night scheduled for 7 pm. The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com, or check out its FaceBook page.

Results

Furhman Designs WISSOTA Modifieds

               Feature: 1-10: Jody Bellefeuille, Carlton, MN; Shane Sabraski, Rice, MN; Kennedy Swan, Chippewa Falls; Justin Weinberger, Elk Mound; Nick Oreskovich, Mason; Ryan Gierke, Villard, MN; Brandon Copp, Brule; Mike Anderson, Jim Falls; Kaden Blaeser, Chippewa Falls; Jeff Spacek, Phillips.

               11-20: Jake Hiatt, Mason; Jake Smith, St Joseph, MN; Tyler Vernon, Mason; Dave Cain, Corcoran, MN; Aiden Hoffman, Rice Lake; Donnie Lofdahl, Duluth, MN; Duane Dale, Hibbing, MN; Andrew Mackey, Duluth, MN; Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Brady Uotinen, Superior.

               21-23: Devin Fouquette, St Cloud, MN; Brandon Mehrwerth, Foley, MN; Steve Lavasseur, River Falls.

               Heat 1: J Spacek; Blaeser; Hiatt; Dunbar; Lofdahl; Dale.

               Heat 2: Bellefeuille; Oreskovich; Copp; Cain; Hoffman; Lavasseur.

               Heat 3: Weinberger; Gierke; Mackey; Uotinen; Mehrwerth; John Kallas, Hurley.

               Heat 4: Swan; Sabraski; Anderson; Smith; Fouquette; Vernon; Jack Rivord, Superior.

               Semi-Feature: Dale; Lavasseur; Vernon; Kallas; Cole Spacek, Phillips; Pat Cook, Washburn; Rivord.

Superior Floral WISSOTA Super Stocks

               Feature: 1-10: Shane Kisling, Butternut; Terran Spacek, Phillips; Shawn McFadden, Ashland; DJ Keeler, Superior; Patrick Beeksma, Ironwood, MI; Curt Myers, Cameron; Kyle Copp, Brul; Steve Stuart, Ashland; Scott Lawrence, Superior; Shane Sabraski, Rice, MN.

               11-20: Andy Grymala, Superior; Eric Olson, Ladysmith; Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, MN; Don Livingston, Washburn; Jason Garner, Iron River; Paul Gucinski, Superior; Myron Basina, Bayfield; Trenton Bond, Iron River; Matt Deragon, Ashland; Darin Meierotto, Superior.

               Heat 1: Jensen; Beeksma; Spacek; Lawrence; Meierotto; Deragon; Basina.

               Heat 2: Myers; Olson; Keeler; McFadden; Gucinski; Bond.

               Heat 3: Stuart; Kisling; Sabraski; Copp; Livingston; Grymala; Garner.

Lightning Storm Graphics WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

               Feature: 1-10: Tyler Vernon, Mason; Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, MN; Paul Ripley, Duluth, MN; Cole Boston, Lindstrom, MN; William Moelter, Elk Mound; Marcus Dunbar, Marenisco, MI; Jake Smith, St Joseph, MN; James Vendela, South Range; Andy Jones, Princeton, MN; Jesse Polson, Superior.

               11-20: Paul Suzik, Ironwood, MI; David Baxter, Eau Claire; Cody Carlson, Superior; Ryan Savoy, Superior; Tanner Hicks, Ashland; Ryan Barningham, Bayfield; Jimmy Latvala, Solon Springs; Ross Fuhrman, Ashland; Reagan Ruffi, Iron River; Cory Jorgensen, Duluth, MN.

               21-22: Matt Jacobson, Bessemer, MI; Bryan Lund, Ashland.

               Heat 1: Dunbar; Boston; Jones; Ripley; Barningham; Lund; Fuhrman; Savoy.

               Heat 2: Jensen; Vernon; Carlson; Hicks; Suzik; Ruffi; Jacobson.

               Heat 3: Smith; Moelter; Polson; Vendela; Baxter; Latvala; Jorgensen.

Patsy’s Bar & Grill WISSOTA Pure Stocks

               Feature: 1-5: Dusten Holub, Chetek; Eric Crosby, Amery; Aaron Bernick, Duluth, MN; Shane Basina, Bayfield; Zene Anderson, Superior.

               Heat: Crosby; Brent Mindock, Prentice; Holub; Bernick; Basina; Anderson; RJ Holly, Marengo.

Berglund Customs ABC Six-Cylinders

               Feature: 1-9: Shane Basina, Bayfield; Jakob Bond, Mason; Mathew Rohlfing, Cable; Cody Eichmann, Park Falls; Justin Pratt, Glidden; Jimmy Stearns, Superior; Adam Traaholt, Ashland; Roger Walker, Phillips; Mady Anderson, Mason.

               Heat 1: Walker; Eichmann; Stearns; Traaholt; Travis Swanson, Ashland.

               Heat 2: Basina; Rohlfing; J Bond; Pratt; M Anderson; Alex Bond, Iron River; Jim Anderson, Cable.