Bunkelman hits the jackpot in Hibbing; Uotinen retains series lead

Posted under Headlines, Results by admin on August 30th, 2008

Hibbing, MN- As the Como Modified Series passes the half-way mark, the stakes and challenges increase entering the Invitational portion of the schedule. Due to weather difficulties, the 32nd Annual Como Oil and Propane Labor Day Shootout at the Hibbing Raceway was the host of the first Invitational race on the Como Series schedule. With the previous series event in Proctor canceled for the year with no make-up race, the Hibbing event became even more valuable to the various drivers’ title hopes. Contenders were primed to fight for every possible position and only points leader Al Uotinen was guaranteed a starting spot in the feature. With the large field on hand, the pressure was on the twenty-plus other drivers hoping to score some point money at the end of the year. In addition to the critical night for points and large Labor Day Shootout payouts, the first four series winners were also vying for a $500 GRP Motorsports Bonus.

The 55 car field was split into six Rick Gondik Law Office heat races with only the top three out of each heat advancing to the main event. In the first heat race, Kelly Checkalski got the jump on Al Uotinen and inched away to get the day started off right. Uotinen held on for second with Don Copp working to his outside most of the race while Ryan Aho snuck in at the last second to edge Copp at the line for third.

Jason Miller jumped out the early lead and never looked back in heat race two. Jeff Spacek put on a show for the fans using some traction near the top of the race track to blast through the field from the 8th starting position. Spacek significantly cut into Miller’s lead but ran out of time in the end. After watching Spacek roll by, Rick Cannata moved up and followed Spacek’s line to a third place run.

In the third heat race, front row starter Darrell Nelson drove off to the lead. Jeremy Gross and Larry Prochnow got together while battling for third. Gross went spinning off the track to bring out the caution. On the restart, Brent Larson and Ken Hron battled for second with Hron coming out on top. Nelson cruised to the win with Hron solidly in second. Larson had a hard charging Craig Thatcher on his heels but held strong in the final laps to grab the final transfer spot.

In a rare visit to Hibbing, Robby Bunkelman ran strong from the get-go in the fourth heat race. Leading all eight laps, Bunkelman secured his spot in the dash later in the day. After a recent string of bad luck, Jayme Lautigar came back strong to take second and position himself solidly in the show. Ricky Roche made some headway to grab the final transfer spot.

Much like the other heat races, outside-front row starter Dean Yrjanainen led from flag to flag in the fifth heat race. Duane Dale worked his way from the third row to the runner-up position when the checkered flag fell. Jeff Hart took the final transfer spot late in the race from pole-starter Paul Engelstad.

Brad Hanson broke the trend of front row starters winning heats in the final Rick Gondik Law Office heat race of the day. Hanson came from inside the second row to after some misfortune for the leaders. Tim Jackson worked his way through traffic to take second after starting in the fourth row. Alan Olafson finished third after some early battles with Hanson up front.

Following three Mirror Images and Day Spa last chance races that qualified six more cars, the Castrol Syntec Pole dash participants hauled up to the grandstands stage to draw frisbee’s for their starting spots in the dash. After drawing for positions, the six heat race winners strapped in for six laps to determine the first three rows of the Fortune Bay Casino feature. Jason Miller positioned himself for one of the biggest wins of his career when the rolled to the pole dash win. Robby Bunkelman came home second to earn the outside slot next to Miller at the drop of the green flag.

Following some racing action from the other classes on the Labor Day Shootout card, the twenty-five feature race competitors rumbled onto the speedway for battle. A $1900 first place prize was at stake along with the prestige of being named a Labor Day Shootout Champion. Jason Miller looked like he was ready to accept those honors in the early going as he jumped out to the initial lead on the jet black racing surface. Behind Miller, Brad Hanson and Robby Bunkelman raced side by side for second. After a couple laps of jockeying, Bunkelman won the duel and set out after Miller. By the cross-way flags, Bunkelman had closed to Miller’s bumper and began to apply pressure on the inside. Miller thwarted Bunkelman’s advances down low while Darrell Nelson moved in to join the fray. Bunkelman continued to challenge Miller with Nelson now hot on his heels. Miller moved down the race track to protect his lead while Bunkelman moved up to race around the outside of Miller. With just three laps remaining, Bunkelman was scored as the leader for the first time. With the championship trophy and some victory lane celebrating within sight, Bunkelman cruised in the final three circuits to possibly the biggest win of his career. Miller, Nelson, Dean Yrjanainen, and Jeff Spacek rounded out the top five. Defending series champion Kelly Estey was the mover of the race, coming home in sixth after starting in the twenty-second position. With his valiant charge from the back, Estey earned himself the $500 GRP Motorsports bonus for being the highest finisher of the four previous race winners. Meanwhile, Al Uotinen stretched his point lead over the next closest competitor in the series. While Uotinen increased his lead from first to second, several drivers still sit poised within striking distance of the leader. The series focuses now shift to another traditional “post-season” event as they roll into Superior Speedway for the Northern Nationals.

WISSOTA Modifieds- Fortune Bay Casino Feature: Robby Bunkelman, Jason Miller, Darrell Nelson, Dean Yrjanainen, Jeff Spacek, Kelly Estey, Jayme Lautigar, Brad Hanson, Al Uotinen, Ryan Aho, Duane Dale, Jeff Wood, Rick Roche, Rick Cannata, Alan Olafson, Jeff Hart, Tim Jackson, Ken Hron, Bob Broking, Don Copp, Ross Prochnow, Rick Jacobson, Brent Larson, Kelly Checkalski, Craig Thatcher

Rick Gondik Law Office Heat 1- Kelly Checkalski, Al Uotinen, Ryan Aho, Don Copp, Kelly Estey, Marc Damjanovich, Bill Byholm, Jay Richardson, Brent Prochnow, Mark Depiero
Rick Gondik Law Office Heat 2- Jason Miller, Jeff Spacek, Rick Cannata, Rick Jacobson, Rick Rivord, Ross Prochnow, John Reini, Casey Mattision, Travis Zollar
Rick Gondik Law Office Heat 3- Darrell Nelson, Ken Hron, Brent Larson, Craig Thatcher, Skeeter Estey, Jodi Olson, Larry Prochnow, Jeremy Gross, Chris Magistad
Rick Gondik Law Office Heat 4- Robby Bunkelman, Jayme Lautigar, Ricky Roche, Bob Broking, Kyle Gavel, Paul Schultz, Cory Sersha, Dwayne Pihulak, Steve Thomas
Rick Gondik Law Office Heat 5- Dean Yrjanainen, Duane Dale, Jeff Hart, Paul Engelstad, Greg Chesley, Pat Doar, John Baltich, Dave Cain, John Carpenter
Rick Gondik Law Office Heat 6- Brad Hanson, Tim Jackson, Alan Olafson, Jody Bellefuille, Jeff Wood, Joey Jensen, Chad Jonson, Nick Lavato, Alex Engelstad
Mirror Images and Day Spa B Feature 1- Broking, K.Estey, Copp, Damjanovich, Gavel, Byholm, B.Prochnow, Richardson, Sersha, Depiero
Mirror Images and Day Spa B Feature 2- Jacobson, R.Prochnow, Rivord, P.Engelstad, Cain, Reini, Zollar, Mattison, Baltich, Chesley, Doar, Carpenter
Mirror Images and Day Spa B Feature 3- Thatcher, Wood, Olson, Jensen, S.Estey, A.Engelstad, Jonson, L.Prochnow, Magistad, Gross, Lavato, Bellefeuille