Left: Racing in car No. 26, Craig Horak helps to “straighten out” the Carlson car, which got turned sideways during a Pure Stock car race at the Proctor Speedway. Because of all of the safety features, drivers rarely get hurt. But the cars do tend to slide on the dirt tracks, and contact, although unintentional (usually) is frequent. Below: Esten Nelson, in car No. 77, and Horak in car No 26, both give the thumbs up sign. The two Grand Marais men are both in the top echelon of Pure Stock racecar drivers in the Northland.
At season end, Craig Horak finished in fourth place and Esten Nelson finished in 10th place in the Pure Stocks category at Proctor Speedway. All in all there were 50 racers in the Pure Stocks division this season.
Last year Nelson, racing in car No. 77, won the Pure Stock point’s series at Proctor and Horak finished third.
“We didn’t race as much this year, but overall I was faster than last year, and Esten finished with a great year,” said Horak, who ended his season with 5 feature wins.
The final race of the season at Proctor was Sunday, August 18, and Horak won a tight race.
When they aren’t racing at Proctor, the two young men spend weekends from May through August racing at Amsoil Speedway in Superior or at ABC Raceway in Ashland.
“Esten led a couple of big races but had some bad luck,” said Horak. “With 7 laps to go at Ashland Esten led a great field but then rolled his car 6½ times.”
And while Nelson was fine, his car looked like it had rolled 6½ times.
One of the big highlights of the season was the July 5 Pure Stock race at Amsoil. Horak won the year before so he started on the pole in the 37-car field, while Nelson started in 15th place. By the time the race wound down from 25 laps to 10 laps Nelson was in third place while Horak still clung to the lead. At the tape Horak maintained his lead while Nelson finished a strong second.
The press release from the track said, “Nelson finished in second as the two friends from Grand Marais took home the big money with the top two finishes.”
Horak and Nelson build and maintain their own cars, working between 10-15 hours per week on their hobby. The cars are equipped with 305 V8 engines and each has strong cages and roll bars and the drivers are strapped in and wear helmets to help prevent injuries.
This is Nelson’s third year and Horak’s fourth year of racing. While they win some money, overall the sport, with all of the repairs and travel, costs them more than they can earn. But it is a sport both men love and races are competitive and fun, and while that stays true, Horak and Nelson’s name will continue to pop up in the Northland racing results.
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