Summer finally arrived in time for week number three at Kopellah Speedway as race time temperatures hovered in the mid sixties. As is the case most Friday nights, excitement was the name of the game as the racers got the Memorial Day weekend off to a flying start.

The first WISSOTA Amsoil Dirt Track Series feature event was that of the Midwest Modifieds. It didn't take long for the second row to find its way to the front. Blaine, Minnesota's Vince Corbin quickly jumped from his inside row two starting position and into the lead. Turtle Lake, Wisconsin's Bryce Johnson, Corbin's second row starting mate, was on Corbin's rear bumper in second place by lap three, and from there, the race was on. For the final 17 caution-free laps, Corbin and Johnson slugged it out. On nearly every circuit, Johnson would flash the his front bumper even with Corbin's door. On lap eight, the pair crossed the start-finish line in virtual tie. Lap after lap, the two gladiators battled, with Corbin slightly faster and gaining an advantage in turns one and two, and Johnson fighting back and pulling even in turns three and four. With just two laps remaining, defending track champion John Remington broke free from a mid-pack battle and began reeling in the lead duo, but there was simply too much real estate to reclaim in order to be a factor. At the stripe, it was Corbin nabbing the victory by less than a car length over the #01 of Johnson, giving him a clean sweep. Remington came home third ahead of Tim Swanson and rookie Josh Bazey.

The WISSOTA Street Stock feature was far less suspenseful, at least in terms of who the winner would be. Three time and defending track champion Jeff Heintz started on the outside of the front row and quickly established his position at the point. The intensity behind him, however, was boiling hot. Pole starter Tim Baxter, Chanda Fjorden Nord and Clark Swartz were swapping lines and positions in the battle for second. At about the half-way point, Baxter began to fade, making it a duel for the runner-up spot. In the closing laps, Fjorden Nord finally established position and began reeling in Heintz, but the checkers came too soon for her to make a legitimate challenge. Heintz would take the win to complete his clean-sweep ahead of Fjorden Nord, Swartz, Kyle Howland, and Baxter.

After losing his primary power plant the previous Sunday, Luke Strandlund was using his tired spare motor to pace the first six laps of the WISSOTA Super Stock feature. Strandlund finally succumbed to the #20 of Cory Davis on lap seven. Next, John Remington would pass Strandlund, and then defending track champion Dan Gullikson. That would set up a duel between Gullikson and Remington for several laps. With only three laps remaining, Gullikson finally settled the skirmish and gained control of the runner-up spot. Gullikson quickly made up the ground between himself and Davis, but never got close enough to pose a serious threat to Davis, who picked up his first feature victory of the season. Gullikson finished second, ahead of Remington, Strandlund and Mike Bruggeman.

For the first two weeks of the 2008 Kopellah racing season, the WISSOTA Modified features trophies found their way to mantles of the Kelley family. Shawn Kelley claimed opening night honors, and Mike Kelley Jr., took home the hardware in week two. For week number three, a new sheriff had arrived. Making his first appearance of the season, Cameron, Wisconsin's Kevin “Buzzy” Adams started the main event on the outside of the third row, but he had no intentions of staying there. By the end of the first quarter mile, Adams had blasted up to second, and with just two laps in the books, the orange and black #40 was in the lead. Running his customary high line around the track, Adams began to stretch his lead over first heat race winner Mike Mueller, who had nabbed second place by lap three. Adams lead would steadily grow until a late race caution. The restart would place Mueller and week one winner Shawn Kelley on Adams' rear bumper. With the speed of the high line also comes danger – and on the restart, Adams' hot rod jumped the cushion allowing Mueller to claim the top spot, at least momentarily. By the time the field came around to the flag stand, Adams used the high groove to power back to the front. On another restart, this time with just two laps remaining, Adam's again would bobble slightly, allowing Kelley to pull even. But once again, Adams collected his machine back up and rocketed back to the point. The final caution of the night came out for a multi-car pile up in turn two of the last lap, and Adams took the checkers with the yellow also waving. The race reverted back to the white-flag lap scoring, with Kelley credited with second, Mueller third, Shaun Kreyer fourth and Marc Johnson fifth.

The Kopellah Hornets got the feature races rolling with their twelve lap main event. Kevin Bradwell and James Gregory paced the field to the green flag with Gregory holding down the point for the first three laps. On lap four, Bradwell took over as the leader, but the big mover in the field was the #D-9 of Ryan McKenzie. McKenzie started fifth and steadily closed in on the #95 of Bradwell, and although he applied heavy pressure, McKenzie could never complete the winning pass. Bradwell crossed the stripe first, but was disqualified for losing his muffler on the track. The safety rule infraction cost Bradwell his first victory of the season and McKenzie was credited with his second win. In the official scoring, the rest of the top five were Mike Prebsh, Cole Cloutier, Pamela Lutgen and Gregory.

After an emotional week following a runner-up finish on May 16, Mike Dyrdahl finally broke through for his first career feature victory. Just one week removed from the untimely death of his sister, Barbara, the Cambridge, Minnesota pilot quickly moved from his sixth place starting position and into the lead of the Pure Stock main event. Numerous cautions meant multiple restarts with last week's winner TJ LaMere right on his tail, but the stout #54M answered the call with each waving of the green flag. LaMere gave chase in the closing laps, but never could find enough speed to pass Dyrdahl, and he would have to settle for congratulating Dyrdahl parked in Victory Lane. Steve Baker, Don Swearingen David Leaf made up the rest of the top five.

Next up for Kopellah Speedway is the track's salute to the 2008 Graduates. High school seniors will be admitted free with their student ID. Driver draw cut-off is 7:00 p.m., and as always, the first green flag waves at 7:30 p.m. For more information about Kopellah Speedway, race day weather updates and directions to the race track, please visit the track's website at www.kopellahspeedway.net

Race Summary
Hornets, Feature: Ryan McKenzie, Mike Prebsh, Cole Cloutier, Pamela Lutgen, James Gregory, Jeremy Frendt, Kevin Bradwell

Pure Stocks, Feature: Michael Dyrdahl, TJ LaMere, Steve Baker, Don Swearingen, David Leaf, Fabian Jackson, Rodney Jacobson, Bruce Lutgen, Skip Lutgen, Jesse Lutgen, Sonja Ellingson, Lance Halverson, Jason English, Steven Johnson, Kyle Finnegan, Ben Johnson, Vernon Lowe

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds, Feature: Vince Corbin, Bryce Johnson, John Remington, Tim Swanson, Josh Bazey, Corey Fogleson, Jim Schultz, Jake Miller, Michael Haseltine, Doug Merrill, Sam Nelson

WISSOTA Street Stocks, Feature: Jeff Heintz, Chanda Fjorden Nord, Clark Swartz, Kyle Howland, Tim Baxter, Marcus Simonson, Kim Korstad

WISSOTA Super Stocks, Feature: Cory Davis, Dan Gullikson, John Remington, Luke Strandlund, Mike Bruggeman, Brent Kobs, Cody Campeau, Tim Baxter

WISSOTA Modifieds, Feature: Kevin Adams, Shawn Kelley, Mike Mueller, Shaun Kreyer, Marc Johnson, Jason Gross, James Cimfl, Mike Raboin, Mike Kelly Jr., Tim VanMeter, Jake Jay