DARE Night brings big crowd to Speedway

 

 

By Dennis Peterson

Bemidji Pioneer

 

It was a special night at Bemidji Speedway right from the beginning as area DARE officers Paul Smith from Red Lake, Deputy Sheriff Greg Winskowski and Bemidji Police officer Jon Hunt carried the colors around the track.

The grandstand was filled with fans young and old ready for a great night of racing. During intermission everyone was invited down on the track to meet the officers and the drivers. Added to the race card for the third time this season were the Bemidji Streets.

The Speedway will host a Wissota Midwest Modified special Sunday. Racers will run for a $500 winner’s purse with each driver receiving $75 to start the feature.

Bemidji Streets

The first feature was the Bemidji Streets led by Scotty Messner on the pole and Jim Geringer outside.

Geringer took the lead at the green flag and never looked back. Messner pulled in behind him and stayed there throughout the race. The field spread out quickly and was a flag to flag victory for Geringer, his first. Messner, Dan Severson, Donahue Wittner, and Terry Blacklance rounded out the top five.

Pure Stocks

The Pure Stock feature began with Dustin Puffe and Jr. Jones leading the way into the first turn.

Jones led coming into the back straight followed by Puffe, Nate Rice, Bill Chaboyea, and Wade Schmidt.

A caution in turn two slowed the race for a restart with Rice sent tailback. The restart gave Dan Wilson and Jason Davis an opportunity to pass Dan Vizenor who was racing in the fifth position using the inside line of turn two. Vizenor came back and battled door to door with Wilson before a spin brought the yellow caution flag out once again this time sending Vizenor tailback.

Jones continued to lead the race with Puffe close behind him. Several more cautions slowed the action but didn’t change the end result with Jones taking the checkered followed by Puffe, Chaboyea, Rice and Wilson.

Mini Stocks

The father and daughter racing team of Art and Michelle Mertes led the Mini Stocks on track with Michelle taking the lead into turn one. Art Mertes, Neil Fleming, Chris Dudley, and Billy Smith trailed.

Michelle had problems in turn two sliding around and coming head on with Dad on the back straight damaging dad’s front end. Michelle was sent tailback for the restart.

Art Mertes took the lead and powered out to a comfortable lead over Fleming, Dudley and Smith. Fleming slid high in turn two and Dudley drove past him for second. But a few laps later Dudley slid high and Smith took over second.

Mertes went on to win his fourth feature of the season with Smith, Dudley, Barrett, and Michelle Mertes finishing in order.

Mod 4’s

The AMSOIL Wissota Mod 4’s came on track led by Jim Morris on the pole and Brandon Bahr to his right. A multi car crash and spins quickly brought the first of many caution flags out sending Lon Vettleson tailback and Skyler Smith to the pits for a tire change.

Another caution on the next restart sent Vettleson to the pits. The subsequent restart had Brian Bourquin in the lead with Conrad Schwinn, Kevin Bahr, Morris, and Brandon Bahr in the top five.

Schwinn used the restart to power up on the outside to pass Bourquin for the lead while Brandon Bahr made a move and passed Morris for fourth.

Another spin brought the caution flag out yet again.

With Schwinn in control Bourquin was trying to gain on the leader but slid up high and dropped back to third when Kevin Bahr took advantage of the opening to take second. Skyler Smith was making headway from the tailback position all the way back to fifth and then following a duel with the younger Bahr took the fourth spot where he finished, a nice comeback.

Schwinn took the checkered flag, his fourth, with Kevin Bahr, Bourquin, Smith and Brandon Bahr finishing in order.

Midwest Modifieds

The largest field of the six classes this season has been the Midwest Modifieds and Sunday night was no exception. 18 B-Mods came on track led by Jerry Esler and Matt Fullerton.

Fullerton took the early lead looking very strong with Esler pulling in behind him. Tridell Champlin, Gary Nelson Jr. and Mike Kuhlman trailed.

A multi car crash brought the first caution flag of the race with Esler sideways on the back straight crashing hard with hot driver Dustin Strand who had raced his way to the top five from his eighth-row start.

The restart was led by Fullerton with Nelson, Champlin, Brian Strand and Kuhlman leading the way. The cars were all bunched up with a three car side by side battle for the lead with Fullerton, Nelson Jr, and Champlin with Champlin coming out in the lead on the back straight.

Contact in the first turn brought another caution with Nelson sent tailback.

Champlin led Fullerton, Brian and Dustin Strand and Kuhlman to the green flag. The senior Strand raced inside the first turn to get by Fullerton for second.

A great race involving Fullerton and the two Strands evolved with Dustin Strand ending up in second and looking to catch the leader Champlin. Brian Strand and Bryan LePier were also in the mix looking to move up.

Dustin Strand had to make up almost a quarter lap lead for Champlin and with each lap he began to reel the leader in. Finally late in the race in the 3-4 corner he dove inside on Champlin and took the lead and the win followed by Champlin who ran one of his best races of the year. Brian Strand, LePier and Fullerton rounded out the top five in a great race.

Super Stocks

The Super Stocks started with Gary Nelson Jr. and Andy Davey in the front row. Two tries at starts failed sending drivers to the rear before the race got a good start with Davey taking the lead over Nelson, Jay Kintner and Jerry Davis.

Kintner drove low in turn two and passed Nelson but Nelson wasn’t about to make it that easy as he came back to run door to door with him.

The top three of Davey, Kintner and Nelson were tightly bunched running for the lead and pulling away from the field.

Kintner showed plenty of muscle driving high and passing Davey cleanly for the lead and quickly pulling away. Kintner took the checkered flag with Davey, Nelson, Davis and Reed trailing in order across the finish line ending a fantastic night of racing in Bemidji.

BEMIDJI STREETS

Feature - Jim Geringer, Scotty Messner, Dan Severson, Donahue Wittner, Terry Blacklance, Don Bowman, Dan McNamee, Richard Visser

Heat 1 - Severson, Messner, Blacklance, Wittner, Geringer

PURE STOCKS

Feature - Jr. Jones, Dustin Puffe, Bill Chaboyea, Nate Rice, Dan Wilson, Dan Vizenor, Jason Davis, Wade Schmidt

Heat 1 - Davis, Puffe, Rice, Chaboyea, Jones

MINI STOCKS

Feature - Art Mertes, Billy Smith, Chris Dudley, Leanna Barrett, Michelle Mertes

Heat 1 - A. Mertes, Dudley, Neil Fleming, Smith, M. Mertes

MOD 4’S

Feature - Conrad Schwinn, Kevin Bahr, Brian Bourquin, Skyler Smith, Brandon Bahr, Jim Morris, Fran Hauber, Mark Swanson, Ev Barrett, Scott Dyrdahl

Heat 1 - M. Bader, Schwinn, Smith, Morris, Swanson

Heat 2 - Bourquin, L. Vettleson, Hauber, B. Bahr, K. Bahr

MIDWEST MODIFIEDS

Feature - Dustin Strand, Tridell Champlin, Brian Strand, Bryan LePier, Matt Fullerton, Mike Kuhlman, Gary Nelson Jr, Matt Sparby, Doug Voss, Al Sadek

Heat 1 - Nelson Jr, Champlin, Kuhlman, R. Olafson, Sparby

Heat 2 - Sadek, Fullerton, Voss, D. Strand

Heat 3 - J. Esler, B. Strand, LePier, Adam. Johnson, Doug Van Mill

SUPER STOCKS

Feature - Jay Kintner, Andy Davey, Gary Nelson Jr, Jerry Davis, Jeff Reed, Todd Warlock, Dale Lindell, Tal Lucien, Chris Mulish, Matt Sparby

Heat 1 - Walock, Davis, Lindell, Sparby, Molash

Heat 2 - Kintner, Jeff Reed, Davey, Nelson Jr, Lucken

Point standings

Midwest Modifieds

1. Dustin Strand 305

2. Adam Johnson 287

3.Tridell Champlin 287

4. Davey Mills 276

5. Al Sadek 266

6. Gary Nelson Jr 263

7. Doug VanMill 254

8. Matt Sparby 254

9. Jerry Esler 208

10. Matt Fullerton 205

Mini Stocks

1. Art Mertes 307

2. Chris Dudley 306

3. Neil Fleming 292

4. Michelle Mertes 282

5. Derek Wangberg 274

6.Billy Smith 263

7. Leahna Barrett 259

8. Troy Hemphill 144

9. Mike Floura 10

Mod 4’s

1. Skyler Smith 299

1. Brian Bourquin 299

3. Fran Hauber 292

4. Brandon Bahr 272

5. Kevin Bahr 268

6. Ev Barrett 258

7. Mark Swanson 221

8. Troy Huwe 221

9. Lon Vettleson 191

10. Conrad Schwinn 166

Pure Stocks

1. Dustin Puffe 315

2. Wade Schmidt 280

3. Jason Davis 275

4. Jr. Jones 256

5. Bill Chaboyea 244

6. Dan Vizenor 229

7. Josh Coons 208

8. Matt Jerry 179

9. Dan Wilson 92

10. Jerry Larson 47

Super Stocks

1. Jerry Davis 287

2. Jeff Reed 284

3. Gary Nelson Jr 278

4. Jay Kintner 267

5. Chris Molash 257

6. Dale Lindell 222

7. Matt Sparby 215

8. Andy Davey 208

9. Gordie Lancaster 183

10. Tyler Kintner 150

Bemidji Streets

1. Dan Severson 108

2. Jim Geringer 102

3. Terry Blacklance 97

4. Scotty Messner 93

5. Nathan Pederson 89

6. Don Bowman 86

7. Donahue Wittner 46

8. James Wall 45

9. Lance Schill 43

10. Rick Bourre 43