PLOVER, WI – In an event that was put on hold when the rains fell on Labor Day, Justin Mondeik was sure to make good on the 2020 season finale for the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series at Golden Sands Speedway Friday night.
Mondeik maneuvered past Casey Johnson just past the halfway point of the 75-lap main event and carefully picked his way through lapped traffic to cruise to his second win of the season. Johnson went on to finish Fifth, wrapping up his third straight series Championship, and fourth overall.
The event marked the latest TUNDRA had ever raced into a calendar year. It was also coldest with the temperatures dipping below 40 degrees. This, along with little practice and no preliminaries made for an intriguing back drop for the 75-lap main event.
Polesitter Josh Wallace jumped into the top spot and paced the field for the first six laps of the race. Casey Johnson followed him closely, and swiped the lead on lap six. The race was slowed only once for a spin by Jake Zellmer, who went on to recover for a Ninth Place finish.
Trailing Johnson when the yellow fell, Mondeik elected to stay on the inside line. The move would pay off as he and Johnson escaped, leaving the likes of Brock Heinrich (who had tried the outside for the restart), Jordan Thiel and Jordan Devoy to mix things up at the back end of the Top Five.
Although Johnson looked to be strong on the day, Mondeik reeled him in at the halfway point of the race. With a great amount of pressure on the leader, Mondeik was able to slip past and begin to build his lead. He slowly picked his way through lapped traffic and maintained a strong advantage.
As Mondeik built his lead, Johnson was left to try to fend off Thiel and Devoy. Both would slip past and try to chase down Mondeik in the final 20 laps of the race.
Thiel and Devoy gained ground on several occasions, but could not get close enough to mount a challenge. In the final laps, Devoy pressured Thiel, but ultimately could not make the pass.
Mondeik cruised to his second win of the 2020 TUNDRA season and completed a campaign that will see him as the runner up to Johnson.
Johnson secured the title with the picture-perfect amount of consistency, recording finishes of Fourth, Second, Third, Second, Seventh, and Fourth. He also appeared in four of six dashes, accumulating precious qualifying points along the way.
Thiel rounded out a solid 2020 with his second Second Place finish of the year, placing him Third in the final TUNDRA standings. Jordan Devoy capped off a breakout campaign with a Third Place finish, vaulting him and his teammate James Swan to a Fourth Place points finish.
Behind Johnson in Fifth was Brock Heinrich, who sealed up the EPYK Media Rookie of the Year title with and Sixth Place in the standings behind Mike Lichtfeld.
The TUNDRA Super Late Model Series hopes to hold a banquet this off-season and will make an announcement shortly, provided accommodations can be made throughout the continued public health situation. Stay tuned to the TUNDRA site for more information.
The series is also looking forward to 2021 with several preliminary agreements in place for race dates. Dates will be announced on the TUNDRA site and social media pages.
TUNDRA Super Late Model Series Release and Photo
Stay tuned to superlatemodel.com. We will have more from the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series as it becomes available.
TUNDRA Super Late Model Series
2020 Season Championship
Golden Sands Speedway
Feature Race Results – 75 Laps
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TUNDRA Super Late Model Series
2020 Season Championship
Golden Sands Speedway
Qualifying Heat Two Results – 8 laps
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TUNDRA Super Late Model Series
2020 Season Championship
Golden Sands Speedway
Qualifying Heat One Results – 8 laps
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TUNDRA Super Late Model Series
2020 Season Championship
Golden Sands Speedway
Qualifying Fast Heat Results – 5 laps
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TUNDRA Super Late Model Series
2020 Season Championship
Golden Sands Speedway
Fast Five Dash Results – 5 laps
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For more information on the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series visit tundrasuperlates.com
