PORTAGE, Wis. (September 1, 2021) – The road to the 2021 TUNDRA Super Late Model Series Championship seems to be getting close to a traffic jam situation with only two races remaining in the season. Seven drivers sit within striking distance of the title with a possible chance to hoist the trophy at the end of the year.

Monday’s Round Five at Golden Sands Speedway will help make the picture a bit clearer about  who will be in and who will be out when the series then heads to Dells Raceway Park for the Championship round on September 26.

Point Leader, Casey Johnson – By no stretch of the imagination has Casey Johnson had any sort of learning curve in teaming up with Aaron Larson for 2021. The new team came out screaming with a fast time and win in Round One at Wisconsin International Raceway. That win was backed up with a Fourth Place finish at Marshfield, and, after an early incident, a Sixth Place finish at Jefferson.  With his nearest contender only 12 points back, Johnson will be hoping for a strong run Monday to give himself breathing room at the Dells. If need be, however, Johnson has shown to be a strong favorite to win at DRP, and could cap off title #5 with a victory.

Runner Up, Riley Stenjem – There has been no such thing as a sophomore slump for Riley Stenjem.  After a solid Fifth Place finish in Round One at WIR, Stenjem put himself on the map with a dominant win at Marshfield.  Showing that he was ready to contend for the title, he put himself at the top of the charts in qualifying at Marshfield, then contended for the win before finishing Fifth. Due to college obligations, Stenjem was not able to attend the make-up date at Golden Sands last season. He’s hoping to find some first-time magic, then see where a strong showing at DRP can take his title hopes.

Third Place, Brock Heinrich – The Brockstar vaulted himself into the title picture with a strong run at Jefferson in July.  After a DNF at WIR in Round One, Heinrich enjoyed his first fast time at Marshfield and capped off the day with a Fifth Place finish.  His day at Jefferson was nothing short of incredible after using an unfamiliar car, losing power steering, and wheeling the machine to a Third Place run.  Should he put forth two more strong showings and keep pace with those ahead of him, the Brockstar could find himself in the title mix. He currently sits 44 points back of Johnson.

Fourth Place, Grant Thompson – The top EPYK Media rookie contender has been on a fast-track learning plan this year in TUNDRA.  With Casey Johnson and Travis Dassow in his corner, the youngster from Alabama has proven to be a top student, sitting only 57 points out of the top spot.  Thompson wowed the crowd at Wisconsin International Raceway in his debut with a Second Place finish to Johnson.  He then put forth a respectable Eighth Place finish at Marshfield before getting bit by the learning curve at Jefferson. Thompson and his team will be back and focused at Golden Sands, hoping to replicate the magic they found in Round One.

Fifth Place, Jordan Thiel – It seems like the second half of the season is always the best for Jordan Thiel to work his way into title contention.  Quietly, Thiel has put himself in position to make another run.  With finishes of Eighth (WIR), Seventh (Marshfield), and Ninth (Jefferson), Thiel remains in the hunt. He’ll hope to find better results in qualifying, however, as time trials have not been favorable.  While 72 points could be tough to make up, the remaining two tracks have treated Thiel well in the past. He has many laps and multiple feature wins at Golden Sands and recorded his first TUNDRA victory at Dells Raceway Park in 2017.

Sixth Place, Justin Mondeik – Despite having five competitors ahead of him in the standings, Monday could be the day Mondeik jumps back into the title chase.  He has been nothing short of dominant at Golden Sands Speedway, and will be looking to put the clamps on his second straight track Championship next week.  Mondeik swept to the feature win last season in TUNDRA action at Golden Sands.  Despite some bad luck throughout the season, a similar performance could help him chop away at that 81-point margin before the season closer at DRP.

Seventh Place, John Beale – While Mondeik has been tough to beat at Plover, Beale has found a way to do it in the last two Trickle 99 races. He can be expected to be a favorite once again this Monday.  Beale proved very strong at Marshfield in Round Two with his best finish (Third Place) of the season.  Much like Mondeik, Beale has quite a bit of ground to make up with 85 points separating him from the leader.  However, a visit to Victory Lane could help bring him back into the picture.

TUNDRA Round Five takes place this Monday, September 6 at Golden Sands Speedway in Plover, Wis.  TUNDRA will be joined by the WIR Quarter-Mile Late Models, Wisconsin Sport Trucks, and 4 Cylinder Stocks. Fan gates open at noon, qualifying is at 12:15, and racing begins at 2 pm.

Golden Sands Speedway is located at 11000 Hwy. 54 between Wisconsin Rapids and Plover.  For more information visit http://www.gssraces.com