HIBBING -- Joel Cryderman can't remember where he finished in the 2005 AMSOIL Late Model Series.
Odds are he'll remember where he finished in the 2007 series opener.
Cryderman, of Thunder Bay, Ontario, led from flag-to-flag to win the 35-lap race and $2,000 Tuesday night at Hibbing Raceway.
"I had a good starting spot, which really helped,'' said Cryderman, who started on the inside pole next to John Massingill of Nashwauk. "It went perfect.''
Two laps into the race, Hibbing's Jeff Provinzino was on Cryderman's bumper, but just before the midpoint of the event, Pengilly veteran Tom Waseleski Sr. passed Provinzino and threatened Cryderman.
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Because the engine for his car isn't yet complete, Waseleski was driving a 2000 model C.J. Rayburn normally driven by his son, Michael.
"If I would have had an opportunity [to pass Cryderman], I would have taken it,'' said Waseleski. "But I wasn't going to do anything dumb. I'm happy with the way it went. It was our first time out.''
Following a re-start, with 10 laps to go, Cryderman used lapped traffic to open up a three-car lead on Waseleski and hung on for the win.
The race was marked by only two cautions.
The AMSOIL Late Model Series champion receives $5,000 and a year supply of AMSOIL.
Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis., won the title in 2005. The series was suspended in 2006 because of track conflicts. Doar finished ninth Tuesday.
Greg Chesley of Duluth won the Midwest Modified feature.
