September 6, 2017 at 1:47 p.m.
Anvelink wins late model special at TNT
Anvelink wins late model special at TNT
When the pit area was filled, racers parked their trailers and race cars outside the pits.
It was the night that the Dirt Kings Late Model Tour would race at the one-third mile high-banked dirt track located south of Three Lakes. Even track officials had no idea that the turnout of both fans and racers would be as big as it was.
While many expected to see exciting racing with the Dirt King Late Models, the fans were treated to exciting racing in the Midwest Modified, Pure Stock/Truck combo, and the Street Stock features.
The DiscountShopTowels.com Dirt Kings 15-lap feature race was filled with passing and action all around the track. Tim Buhler led most of the event but some lapped traffic allowed Nick Anvelink to pass Buhler for the win.
Rain soaked into the new clay on TNT Speedway from storms in the area the day before forced the scheduled 30-lap feature to be shortened to 15 laps. The officials and drivers of the Dirt Kings Tour agreed that the track would not hold up to 30 laps of competition. Instead an agreement was made to put on a show for the historically large crowd.
Earlier in the night, Dirt King Racer Mitch McGrath rolled his car on the high side of Turn 2. McGrath was transported to the hospital via ambulance.
"Many people have asked how Mitch McGrath is after the accident in Heat Race 2. We have spoken with his family and they asked that we pass along that Mitch is okay," read a statement posted the to Dirt Kings website. "Thank you to everyone for your concern."
A whopping 22 cars started the Midwest Modified feature. Eagle River's Jason Zdroik led for most of the caution-marred race. TNT Speedway held to the standard that dirt tracks use all over the nation and that is after numerous cautions, the race is called.
Right before the final caution, Zdroik and the Upper Peninsula's George Truscott came upon a lapped car coming out of the second turn. Before the lapped car could move to the high side of the back straight, Zdroik went to the outside of the lapped car, while Truscott chose to go to the inside of the lapped car. Truscott passed the lapped car and got the lead over Zdroik going into the third turn.
Truscott then had Zdroik right on his bumper when the final caution came out. Track officials then called the race and gave the Michigan racer the win.
If that wasn't enough to thrill the fans, then came the same scenario in the Pure Stock/Truck combo division.
In the heats, Eagle River Speedway track champion Jake Ison not only held off Rhinelander's Jason Eisel but also the Speedway Truck Champion Herb Dettman of Summit Lake in a three-way battle to the checkered flag.
Ison won that heat, With the Trucks running a comparable motor as the Pure Stocks, the question would be whether a ruck could handle the high-banked oval of TNT Speedway.
Ison got out to an early lead, only to be passed by Eisel. Dettman was right behind both Ison and Eisel for most of the race. When Ison got loose on a corner, Dettman went with Eisel to pass Ison.
Just like in the Midwest Modified feature, Eisel and Dettman came upon lapped traffic at the very same spot on the track that Zdroik and Truscott came upon lapped traffic in the Midwest Modified feature. Eisel chose to go on the outside of the lapped car, while Dettman chose a different line. Dettman had the same results as Truscott did earlier, and got the lead and held on for the feature win.
Eagle River's Brit Bromann jumped out to an early lead in the Street Stock class while Jordan Kurtti of Bruce Crossing, Mich. weaved his way through traffic to get right on the bumper of Bromann.
Bromann kept a tight line while Kurtti would try entering the high-banked corners on the inside and exit high. When that didn't work, Kurtti would enter the corners 1 and 3 on the high side and try to get by Bromann on the low side of the exit of corners 2 and 4. That didn't work.
Bromann went on to get the Street Stock feature win in another exciting race.
Toby Rott, new owner of TNT Speedway, is planning an exciting schedule of races next summer.
"We're going to have special races throughout the year," Rott said.
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