Northern Nationals & Russ Laursen Classic
Superior's Post-Labor Day Dirt-Track Tradition
Superior Speedway — now Gondik Law Speedway — has staged a major post-Labor Day dirt-track finale for more than half a century. Midwest Racing News establishes a direct historical chain from the Russ Laursen Classic, through the Northwest Racing Circuit Classic and Superior Speedway Classic/Super Series era, to the Northern Nationals name first documented by MRN in 1989. The modern Northern Nationals sequence reached its 38th running in 2026, while the Russ Laursen Late Model Classic remains an important race within the modern weekend.
The Aug. 24, 1989 issue announced that Superior's season would wind down Sept. 8–9 with the Northern Nationals. The Sept. 14 race report was headed “Northern Nationals Shows” and documented Tom Nesbitt's 35-lap Late Model victory. Later annual-number markers — including the 38th running in 2026 — align exactly with that 1989 naming breakpoint.
The Sept. 25, 1970 race was advertised immediately after Russ Laursen's death as a benefit for his family. MRN then advertised the Sept. 12, 1971 race as the Russ Laursen Classic, and the 1973 event as the third annual. Later numbering is consistent with 1971 as the first numbered Classic. The 1970 benefit is therefore preserved as the origin point, not retroactively labeled the first annual Classic.
From Russ Laursen to the Northern Nationals
How the Weekend Evolved
Laursen / NRC / Superior Classic Late Model Winners
Northern Nationals Late Model Finale Winners
When One Weekend Produced More Than One Late Model Winner
The next museum pass should determine whether a comparable fall classic was held in 1985 and 1986 and recover the 1991 Northern Nationals status. For 2023, contemporary coverage documents a four-night, 10-class Northern Nationals, while the preserved Superior results and Friday IRA program show no Late Model feature; the page therefore records the absence rather than assigning a winner. Division-by-division enrichment remains underway.