Hazelton, Schelitzche Score Doubles at Gondik Law Speedway
by Nick Gima
Superior, WI, June 9 – Friday’s program at the Gondik Law Speedway included double features in three of the five divisions in action, and two drivers cashed in twice each at the pay window.
Travis Hazelton of Chippewa Falls made a rare visit to compete with GLS’s WISSOTA Pure Stocks, but after winning both the regularly-scheduled and June 2 make-up features he may consider coming around more often.
Neither win was easy, and particularly so in the regular feature, as Hazelton started last on the four-car grid and followed Aaron Bernick for the first couple of laps while Tyler Kachinske ran alongside. Even after Hazelton edged inside on Bernick to take the lead, the trio stayed in very tight formation throughout the run, with Hazelton nipping Kachinske by less than half a second at the checkers ahead of Bernick.
Kristy Rose followed at a distance in fourth.
It’s believed that the win is the second in Hazelton’s career at Superior, with the first coming just less than three hours earlier. In the make-up main he started last on the grid again, but at the drop of the initial green he hugged up alongside Kachinske’s racer as the pair tracked Bernick for the first few laps.
It wasn’t until mid-race that Hazelton snuck by Bernick with an inside pass, and while Bernick stayed close to the leader’s rear bumper for a few laps, Hazelton eventually pulled away to a winning margin of 1.3 seconds. Kachinske was a ways back in third but still plenty of car-lengths ahead of Rose. The race’s fifth entry – Tom Treviranus – experienced engine issues and pulled out of the event early.
Justin Schelitzche’s pair of wins in the WISSOTA Hornets’ twin features were much less strenuous, although the Chaska, MN, hotshoe never let off the gas throughout either run. After collecting five A-main wins at Superior in 2022, these were his first two wins here this year.
In the June 2 make-up Schelitzche started on the pole and led every lap, eventually stretching his lead to nearly a straightaway on AJ House as he took the checkers. Carter Matthews was a distant third as the six-car field strung itself out around half of the big GLS oval, with Brandon Anderson running fourth throughout much of the race, as did Derek Dunbar in fifth.
Later, in the regular run, Schelitzche started to pole sitter Matthews’ right, but he beat Matthews through the first set of turns and was not be challenged. Matthews fended off House’s threats for as long as he could until finally giving up second on lap 3, and he spent most of the rest of the event trying to keep Dunbar in fourth.
As Schelitzche cruised to his second dominant win of the night, Matthews chased down but could not pass House for second, and Dunbar and Anderson came home fourth and fifth, respectively.
The third division with double features here on this night – the WISSOTA Modifieds – put on a pair of much more hotly-contested shows. In the make-up race, front-row starters Jody Bellefeuille and Johnny Broking swapped the lead frequently over the opening laps as they pulled away from a three-car battle between Todd Gehl, Rick Rivord and Tyler Vernon. On lap 2 the two leaders bumped, sending Bellefeuille just loose enough for everyone to tap their brakes – everyone except Gehl, who tried to shoot between them into second.
A lap later, though, Gehl’s car shut down and he coasted to a stop to bring out the first of only two caution slowdowns in the run. Broking and Bellefeuille continued their feud once the green flag waived again with 17 laps left, and despite puffs of smoke trailing from Broking’s machine he maintained the pace.
Bellefeuille stayed close to the back of the leader until they encountered the tail-end of the field on lap 13; Broking got around the slower Leo Schweiss with relative ease, but Bellefeuille struggled to find a clean way by the backmarker. This could have allowed Broking to coast home for the win, but with four laps to go heavy smoke came out from under the hood of Vernon’s racer, ending his night and bringing Bellefeuille and the rest of the pack back to Broking’s rear pushbar.
A four-car cluster behind the lead pair at the restart ended with 11th-starting Brandon Copp squirting through for third, but Broking, of Grand Rapids, MN, held true on his way to his first win of the season here, about three-quarters of a second ahead of Bellefeuille. Billy Kendall and Rivord completed the top five.
Copp, from Brule, started seventh in the regularly-slated “big Mod” main and scratched his way to the front for his first GLS feature win of ‘23. After Mike Klippenstein’s spin in the initial set of corners, the 20-lapper ran off without another stoppage.
Another Broking – Johnny’s dad Bob – battled for the early lead with polestarter Dan Kingsley, while Al Uotinen laid claim to third after some initial dueling with Tanner Williamson. Despite a couple of stumbles Broking maintained a strong grip on the point, while Copp worked the outer lanes of the big, smooth track to pick off one position after another.
At the halfway point Copp swept around Uotinen for third, and within the next circuit he repeated the move to get by Kingsley for second. It took another six laps to chip away at Broking’s 1.2-second lead, and then, as Broking dodged Schweiss to avoid contact while lapping him, Copp stayed high-side to take the lead on lap 17, with Kingsley diving low to take second.
Over the waning laps Copp drew to a 1.089-second final margin of victory over Kingsley, while Broking recovered to keep third, just ahead of John Toppozini and Uotinen.
For the second time this season Kevin Burdick of Proctor, MN, blew away the WISSOTA Late Model feature field at GLS, but a late-race caution kept the field close to him at the final stripe.
After an initial-corner spin by Doug Woodhull, veterans Harry Hanson and Tim McMann – with over 100 years of racing experience and far more than 100 feature wins between them – shared the front row for the 25-lap headliner, with Hanson holding down the point before another yellow flag flew for debris and Terry Lillo’s stalled racer on lap 2. But after the restart Hanson could not keep Deven VanHouse from taking the lead away, with Derek Vesel following into second.
Woodhull’s second spin on lap 7 reset the field, after which Vesel slipped up the banking in the first turns and allowed Travis Budisalovich and the eighth-starting Burdick to get by for second and third. Burdick burrowed low to get past Budisalovich on lap 9, and he used the same move to take the lead from VanHouse on lap 11. From there Burdick flew to a lead of nearly five full seconds before Eric Lillo’s spin set up a green-white-checkered finish.
On the restart Dave Flynn, who started 11th, got around Skeeter Estey, who started 13th, to take second, but no one could match Burdick, who kept seven-tenths of a second between himself and Flynn over the final laps. VanHouse held on for fourth ahead of 14th-starting Rick Niemi.
Superior’s Ryan Savoy stayed near the front and eventually pulled away to a dominant victory of his own in the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds feature. Savoy followed polestarter Garrett Paull to the front early and grabbed the lead just before the 20-lap run’s only stoppage, for debris.
After the restart Paul Ripley worked his way around Paull for second, but three laps later his racer failed him and he slipped back and eventually dropped out of the race. Savoy continued to build his advantage as the rest of the field swapped positions in the close-quarters racing behind him, until his lead was nearly three full seconds by mid-race.
Savoy was almost five seconds up on Paull when he caught and passed Carey LePage to put him a lap back with two tours to go, and he kept up his pace until his final margin of victory was 5.281 seconds. Ashley Mehrwerth was impressive in coming through late to take second from Paull, and 14th-starting Jason VandeCamp got by Paull under the white flag to take third. Wyatt Boyum finished fifth.
The tacky-fast racing surface gave up a track record for the second time in as many weeks, as Savoy set a new heat-race fast-lap mark in the Mid-Mods with a lap of 17.781 seconds (80.985 mph), trimming the old record by just four one-thousandths of a second.
The Gondik Law Speedway will next host round 6 of the eight-track, eight-race FastLane Motorsports Northland Super Stock Series on Friday, June 16, with hot laps at 6:30 pm followed by racing at 7. The WISSOTA Late Models will have the night off. For more information, log on to the track’s website, www.gondiklawspeedway.com, or its FaceBook page.
Results
WISSOTA Late Models
Feature: 1-10: Kevin Burdick, Proctor, MN; Dave Flynn, Superior; Skeeter Estey, Kelly Lake, MN; Deven VanHouse, Silver Bay, MN; Rick Niemi, Eveleth, MN; Chuck Olson, Cannon Falls, MN; Ronnie Malecki, Duluth, MN; Derek Vesel, Hibbing, MN; Kevin Carlson, Hermantown, MN; Tim McMann, Duluth, MN.
11-17: Travis Budisalovich, Minneapolis, MN; Eric Lillo, Proctor, MN; Harry Hanson, Eveleth, MN; Danny Vang, Deerwood, MN; Doug Woodhull Jr, Superior; Terry Lillo, Duluth, MN; Robbie Cooper, South Range.
Heat 1: Vesel; Burdick; McMann; Vang; T Lillo; Flynn; Estey; Malecki; E Lillo.
Heat 2: VanHouse; Hanson; Budisalovich; Olson; Cooper; Carlson; Niemi; Woodhull; Mike Bellefeuille, Duluth, MN.
WISSOTA Modifieds
Feature: 1-10: Brandon Copp, Brule; Dan Kingsley, Superior; Bob Broking, Grand Rapids, MN; John Toppozini, Thunder Bay, ON; Al Uotinen, Superior; Rick Rivord, Superior; Kelly Estey, Hibbing, MN; Todd Gehl, Solon Springs; Billy Kendall III, Walker, MN; Ryan Gierke, Villard, MN.
11-20: Tanner Williamson, Fort Frances, ON; Brady Uotinen, Superior; Cody Wolkowski, Thunder Bay, ON; Jack Rivord, Superior; Johnny Broking, Grand Rapids, MN; Donnie Lofdahl, Duluth, MN; Mike Klippenstein, Duluth, MN; Leo Schweiss, Hibbing, MN; Jody Bellefeuille, Carlton, MN; Brandon Mehrwerth, Foley, MN.
Heat 1: Williamson; Copp; B Broking; Kendall; B Uotinen; Klippenstein; Lofdahl.
Heat 2: Kingsley; Toppozini; Estey; R Rivord; Wolkowski; Gehl.
Heat 3: J Broking; Bellefeuille; A Uotinen; J Rivord; Gierke; Mehrwerth; Schweiss.
Make-up Feature from 6/2: 1-10: J Broking; Bellefeuille; Copp; Kendall; R Rivord; Williamson; B Uotinen; B Broking; Klippenstein; Schweiss.
11-16: Kingsley; Tyler Vernon, Mason; Mehrwerth; A Uotinen; Lofdahl; Gehl.
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
Feature: 1-10: Ryan Savoy, Superior; Ashley Mehrwerth, St Stephen, MN; Jason VandeKamp, Scandia, MN; Garrett Paull, Fort Frances, ON; Wyatt Boyum, International Falls, MN; Jimmy Latvala, Solon Springs; Evan Checkalski, Duluth, MN; Kalan Wagner, International Falls, MN; Cody Carlson, Superior; James Vendela, South Range.
11-20: Brady Caul, Fort Frances, ON; Deven VanHouse, Silver Bay, MN; Dalton Mains, Foxboro; Cory Jorgensen, Duluth, MN; Carey LePage, Culver, MN; Tanner Gehl, Solon Springs; Paul Ripley, Duluth, MN; Taylor Madrinich, Duluth, MN; Kolby Reed, Kakabeka Falls, ON; David Simpson, Thunder Bay, ON.
Heat 1: Paull; Caul; Mehrwerth; Checkalski; Carlson; Simpson; Wagner; Vendela; VanHouse; Madrinich.
Heat 2: Savoy; Latvala; Boyum; Ripley; Reed; Mains; VandeKamp; Gehl; Jorgensen; LePage.
WISSOTA Pure Stocks
Feature: 1-4: Travis Hazelton, Chippewa Falls; Tyler Kachinske, Duluth, MN; Aaron Bernick, Duluth, MN; Kristy Rose, Duluth, MN.
Heat: Kachinske; Hazelton; Bernick; Rose.
Make-up Feature from 6/2: 1-5: Hazelton; Bernick; Kachinske; Rose; Tom Treviranus, Hawthorne.
WISSOTA Hornets
Feature: 1-6: Justin Schelitzche, Chaska, MN; AJ House, Cloquet, MN; Carter Matthews, Clearbrook, MN; Derek Dunbar, Iron River; Brandon Anderson, Duluth, MN; Ryan LaBorde, South Range.
Heat: Carson Gotelaere, Superior; Matthews; Dunbar; House; Schelitzche; Anderson; LaBorde.
Make-up Feature from 6/2: 1-6: Schelitzche; House; Matthews; Anderson; Dunbar; LaBorde.
