Tim Herstad's school bus rolled off Turns 1 and 2 at Proctor Speedway last year, causing the driver's seat to break free as the Duluth driver went flying through the cab with the seat strapped to his back.
Workers tipped the bus upright and pushed it into the pits. After a quick welding job to reattach the seat, Herstad returned to the track and finished the feature race.
"We learned our lesson last year," Herstad said, laughing, "and that was to reinforce everything beyond what it should be."
Herstad returned to Proctor Speedway on Friday night as part of the Midsummer's Night of Mayhem bus and trailer races and stole the show, winning his heat and feature with flair. Driving a stub-nosed bus with a dual smoke stack and air horn and going upward of 60 mph, Herstad often battled three-wide with Shawn Ziells and Dave Rossiter. Herstad finally wrested the lead away as the others got tangled behind him, and Herstad blared the horn down the front straightaway with one lap to go as he knew he finally had the win in hand. Jack Lane rallied for second while Ziells finished third.
Pure Stocks and a truck pull also were part of the race program, and the crowd of nearly 3,000 spectators wasn't disappointed. The buses looked like whales as they made their way around the track, and after watching them lumber around the track, the Pure Stocks looked like Sprint Cars.
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The trailer races were saved for last, with a camper trailer being completely obliterated.
"This is all about the fun," said Rossiter of Pike Lake, driver of the "Redneck Limo" bus. "This isn't about racing to win, but putting on a great show for the crowd. That's what this is all about."
The races have proven to be a big moneymaker for the speedway.
Rossiter, 48, used to race Street Stocks at Proctor Speedway and works for Voyageur Bus Company. He was racing this year for coworker Joe Krois, who joked that he was grounded after helping cause the other rollover that occurred last year.
The recipient of that rollover was Paul Paquette of Duluth in the Classic Towing bus (fans can search for "Timmy's Bus Crash" and "Joe's Bus Crash Race" on You Tube to see footage of the rollovers). Fortunately, a five-point racing harness kept him safe.
"That was awesome," the 37-year-old Paquette said of his rollover, which occurred in a heat race. "It was kind of scary, but it was also fun. If you don't get an adrenaline rush from something like that, then you're not going fast enough."
Like Herstad, Paquette got back out on the track and finished third in the feature a year ago. The damage to Paquette's bus was still visible on Friday, with the sides slanted to one side.
"The owner wanted to straighten out the bus, but I said, 'Nah, it's got style to it,'" Paquette said. "It leans to the inside, so leave it alone."
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Bus company bragging rights were also at stake as Herstad works for United Truck Body Company of Duluth. Herstad is a local racing fan who has never raced regularly, but on Friday he looked like a pro racing the No. 9 "Boss" bus.
The local bus companies sold buses to Proctor Speedway at a bargain to have enough for racing. Some were hauling children to school as recently as last month. Herstad said it was all about giving back to the community.
"It's different for us than a car because we're so tippy. This is more about entertainment," Herstad said. "There's no money involved: just go out and have fun. It's a blast, and if it helps the track out, that's an even bigger plus."
-- Glenn Dammer of Duluth rallied from his fifth-row starting spot to win the Pure Stock feature in a race that featured double the points and purse payout. Tim Carlson of Superior took second and Al Rapp of Saginaw finished third.
