Frigid opener for the Superior Speedway

With temperatures hovering in the low 40s and a brisk wind off Lake Superior, conditions were less than optimal for watching a race Friday night at the Superior Speedway.

Nonetheless, a very good turnout of fans filled the grandstands and ringed the speedway to witness a six-division program with 114 cars on the ground competing.

Track conditions were extremely fast and smooth, among the best seen for an opener in some time.

After qualifying heats were completed to set the feature events, the Super Stocks rolled onto the speedway with Darin Meierotto holding down the pole next to Dale Gangl. At the green Meierotto took the lead, but the red flag flew immediately when several cars made contact in turn three, resulting in the roll over of the No. 26 of John Copp, who was uninjured in the incident.

The complete restart saw Meierotto again surge to the lead with Gangl close behind. Destin Lorimor, Mike Bellefeuille and Tom Treviranus rounded out the top five.

Two more caution flags flew, one for a collision between Frank Befera and Adam Long on the front stretch, and the other for debris on the front stretch. At that point, officials cut five laps from the event, leaving 13 to go.

Meierotto was able to pull away from Gangl, but two more caution flags in the next three laps slowed the action and kept Gangl on Meierotto's tail. One red flag and six caution flags cut the distance to a three-lap shootout, in which Meierotto was finally victorious. Gangl, Bellefeuille, Tim Borgeson and defending track champion Ryan Aho finished in the top five.

Al Uotinen of Superior won the Modified feature as he led from the pole the entire 20-lap distance. The event started out with a caution flag on the first lap for a tangle in turn three that left Kelly Estey's No. 37E facing the wrong way.

Uotinen led off at the restart followed closely by Estey, Scott Hudack, Jason Miller and Nick Nelson.

With three laps in, the caution again appeared, as Duane Dale's No. 24D stalled at the bottom of turn two. At the same time, perennial contender Joey Jensen pulled his V2 into the pits. At the green, Uotinen began to widen the gap while Miller pressured Estey for second.

The field was kept bunched as a car spun backward on the front stretch and Jensen, who had rejoined the action, stalled.

At the restart Uotinen held off Miller, who had gotten by Estey. The top four, including Darrell Nelson, who was now fourth, were in a bunch with Uotinen leading. The hard racing behind him enabled Uotinen to gain about eight car lengths on the pack, but just as the halfway point was reached, the pack fell into line single file with Nelson, who was in second.

With six laps remaining, Uotinen's lead again was cut when Tyler Keyser's No. 7K exploded a tire to bring out the third and final caution flag. Uotinen was equal to the task on the restart and pulled away from Nelson in the final laps for the win and the sweep.

Jeff Pohjonen of Duluth held off former Midwest Modified track champion Greg Chesley to win his first feature at the Superior Speedway. Pohjonen started the scheduled 15-lap event from the pole and battled with Cory Jorgenson who took the early lead. The first of four caution flags appeared when rookie MWM driver Dan Doran spun his No. 5T. Pohjonen had the lead on the restart, followed by Chesley, Jorgenson, Willie Thompson and rookie Joe Olson.

A tangle in turn two brought out another caution and brought Nick Lavato to Chesley's rear bumper.

The restart came with eight laps remaining and saw Chesley opt for the high groove to try and sweep around Pohjonen. But that opened the door for Lavato who dived low and made it three wide for the lead. The three flew around the speedway for a few laps before the battle was spoiled due to a caution flag for rookie Adam Archer's spin.

Pohjonen got a great restart but the caution flag appeared again for Brock McCarthy in turn four. Pohjonen was able to hold off Chesley for the win with Lavato third, Thompson fourth and Randy Vezina fifth.

Veteran Tom Nesbitt was looking for his 54th Late Model feature win at the Superior Speedway as he lined up the No. 1N on the outside of Darin Meierotto's No. 36 in the 25-lap Late Model feature.

Meierotto took a quick lead, but the caution lights blinked on for Joey Ogston who spun in turn one. Meierotto shot into the lead, and once again he was thwarted when several cars crashed on the back stretch. The third try at a start saw Nesbitt get the jump this time and grab the lead with Meierotto, Steve Laursen, Brent Larson and Tim McMann in the top five.

The first caution flag appeared for a Darrell Carlson spin in turn two. Nesbitt still held the lead over Laursen as Eric Breeschoten appeared in the top five from this fifth row starting spot. Laursen kept hounding Nesbitt, and with seven laps remaining, took the lead and held it to the checkered flag. Nesbitt finished second with Meierotto, Larson and Estey in the top five finishers.

Rice Lake's Shane Kisling led the 15-lap Street Stock feature flag to flag. Eight of nine Street Stocks started the feature and were soon strung out around the speedway. There were no caution flags in the event which Kisling won with ease, a sweep of the division. Scott Herrick finished second followed by the ageless Butch Madsen, Dan Kingsley and Tim Baum.

The evening finished with a 12-lap Pure Stock feature with Caitlyn Carlson on the pole.

The caution flag appeared on the initial circuit when Carlson was spun by Jeff Christman. At the green, defending track champion Glen Dammer took the lead and held it to the checkered flag, despite the best efforts of Rick Kesty to take the lead away. A single caution flag with three laps remaining bunched the field but Dammer was equal to the task and retained the lead for the win.

The feature win was Dammer's second at the speedway.

Friday's Superior Speedway Results

DTRA Late Models (19 cars)

Heat 1: Caley Emerson, Tim McMann, Darin Meierotto, Darrell Nelson, Steve Laursen, Joel Cryderman, Pat Doar, Mike Nutzmann, Nick Musel, Darrell Carlson. Heat 2: Eric Breeschoten, Brent Larson, Tom Nesbitt, Kelly Estey, Jeff Lien, Joe Ogston, Aaron Lillo, Greg Hill. DNF Travis Budisalivich.

Feature (25 laps): Laursen, Nesbitt, Meierotto, Larson, Estey, Doar, Breeschoten, Nelson, Cryderman, McMann, Nutzmann, Lien, Emerson, Carlson, Budisalivich. DNF Ogston, Musel, Lillo.

DTRA Modifieds (21 Cars)

Heat 1: Darrell Nelson, Jason Miller, Jody Bellefeuille, Erik Bjorkland, Paul Schultz, Steve Lavasseur. DNF Don Copp. Heat 2: Joey Jensen, Kelly Estey, Tyler Keyser, Duane Dale, Bill Byholm, Rick Rivord, Jad Carlson. Heat 3: Al Uotinen, Scott Hudack, Nick Nelson, Ross Lightner, Marc Johnson. DNF Kelly Checkalski, Jayme Lautigar.

Feature (20 laps) Uotinen, Nelson, Estey, Miller, Bellefeuille, Copp, N. Nelson, Hudack, Byholm, Bjorkland, Rivord, Checkalski DNF Johnson, Lightner, Keyser, Olson, Schultz, Carlson, Dale, Jensen. DNS Lautigar.

DTRA Super Stocks (23 Cars)

Heat 1: Joe Oliver, Mike Bellefeuille, Trevor Wilson, Destin Lorimor, Steve Estey, Frank Befera. DNF Jeff Tardy, Robbie Cooper. Heat 2: Scott Lawrence, Ryan Aho, Darin Meierotto, Tim Borgeson, Adam Long, Andy Grymala, Ronnie Malecki. Heat 3: Dale Gangl, John Copp, Steve Christman, Tom Treviranus, Chuck Metzgar, Steve Rivord Jr., Keith Kern.

Feature (20 laps) Meierotto, Gangl, Bellefeuille, Borgeson, Aho, Oliver, Treviranus, Kern, Metzgar, Malecki, S Estey, Wilson, Befera, Grymala, Rivord Jr., Christman, J.B. Stortz, Lorimor, Long, Copp, Lawrence. DNS Tardy, Cooper.

DTRA Midwest Modified (22 Cars)

Heat 1: Greg Chesley, Nick Lavato, Randy Vezina, Adam Archer, Al McDougall, Jesse Ogston, Brock McCarthy, Bart Porter. Heat 2: Jeff Pohjonen, Cory Jorgenson, Tom Smart, Joe Olson, Chais Eliason. DNF Tom O'Brien, Deven Van House. Heat 3: Skeeter Estey, Clint Larson, Willy Thompson, Nick Baker, Dan Russell, Dan Doran. DNF Loren Inman.

Feature (15 laps) Pohjonen, Chesley, Lavato, Thompson, Vezina, Jorgenson, Olson, Larson, Van House, McDougall, Inman, Ogston, Eliason, Archer. DNF O'Brien, McCarthy, Smart, Estey, Baker, Doran, Russell.

DTRA Street Stock (9 Cars)

Heat: Shane Kisling, Scott Herrick, Butch Madsen, Dan Kingsley, Tim Baum, Don Craig, Bobby LePage, Brian Fulda.

Feature (15 laps) Kisling, Herrick, Madsen, Kingsley, Baum, LePage, Craig. DNF Fulda.

DTRA Pure Stocks (22 Cars)

Heat 1: Dan Larsen, Rick Kesty, Rich Dzelak, Jacob Morinville, Mark Korte, Jerry Vesel, John Sullivan. DNF Corey Lonetto. Heat 2: Jeff Tormondson, Scott Larsen, Caitlyn Carlson. DNF Jeff Engelmeier, Pat Van Ert, Chad Carlson, Tim Carlson. Heat 3: Glen Dammer, Tony Ciurleo, Jeff Christman, Zene Anderson. DNF Al Rapp, Karri Schultze, Pete Schultz.

Feature (12 laps) Dammer, Kesty, Tormondson, T. Ciurleo, Dzelak, S. Larsen, Anderson, Christman, Morinville, P. Ciurleo, D. Larsen, Schultze, Caitlyn Carlson, Sullivan, Vesel, C Carlson, T. Carlson, Korte. DNS Engelmeier, Rapp, Van Ert, Lonetto.