4.26.19 Dacotah Speedway Results
Dacotah Speedway kicked off their Season Opener on Friday, April 26th. Drivers, pit crews and fans travelled from all over the Midwest for the first North Dakota dirt track race of 2019. Over 120 drivers filled the pits for an exciting night of racing.
Reed Holds Off Zenz at the Line
Stan Thompson led the field to the green flag in the IMCA Sport Compact feature. Thompson started to pull away as Greg Zenz passed Craig Kastner for fourth. Zenz quickly passed Alex Thompson for third but got loose, allowing Alex Thompson to retake the position. Zenz regathered his momentum and passed Alex Thompson for third once more. With just a few laps to go, leader Stan Thompson started to suddenly slow, allowing Andy Reed and Greg Zenz to catch him in a hurry. It was a brief three car battle for the win until Reed grabbed the lead with two laps to go. Zenz quickly passed Stan Thompson for second and challenged Reed for the lead. Racing out of turn four and coming to the checkered flag, they raced side by side for the win. Officials declared Andy Reed the feature winner as he narrowly edged Greg Zenz at the finish line. Craig Kastner held off Ken Sandberg for third while Chris Lael finished fifth. Stan Thompson, who led most of the race, held on to finish sixth.
After the conclusion of the IMCA Sport Compact feature, tech officials disqualified second place Greg Zenz and fifth place Chris Lael for illegal parts and modifications.
Vetter Picks Up Season Opener Victory
Outside pole sitter, Brent Vetter, grabbed the lead from A.J. Davenport in the Hobby Stock feature. Cautions plagued the race early but Vetter held onto his lead on the restarts as Davenport and Chad Hausauer battled for second. That allowed Dylan Sandberg to make it a three car battle. Late race lapped traffic would help Sandberg as he slipped by Hausauer for third and quickly passed Davenport for second. As the checkered flag waved, Davenport rallied but came up short at the finish line. Dylan Sandberg hung on to finish second ahead of A.J.Davenport and Chad Hausauer. Defending track champion, John Gartner Jr finished fifth while Brent Vetter led all 15 laps to win the feature.
Jochim Finds Dacotah Speedway Victory Lane for the First Time
It was a three car battle for the lead in the INEX Legends feature. Donavin Wiest shuffled into the lead as Andrew Jochim and Drew Papke battled for second. Cautions came early and often which led to some wild racing for the lead between Wiest, Jochim, Papke and Tye Wilke. On the final restart of the night, Wiest retook the lead from Papke with five laps to go. However, Papke and Jochim were hot on his heels for the win. Jochim stuck the nose of race car under Wiest and hugging the guardrail, completed the pass for the lead with three laps to go. Wilke slipped by Wiest, bringing Papke with him. Wilke and Papke raced side by side for second as the white flag waved. Using the high sideof the track to his advantage, Drew Papke edged Tye Wilke at the finish line for second. Defending track champion, Donavin Wiest settled for fourth as Casey Martin rounded out the top five. Andrew Jochim found victory lane at Dacotah Speedway for the first time in his racing career.
Jawaski Wins at Dacotah Speedway in Exciting Fashion
Jeremy Keller made his return to the WISSOTA Street Stock division by starting on the pole. Outside pole sitter, Scott Gartner quickly grabbed the lead when the green flag waved as Keller fell into the clutches of racing veteran, Jerry Lamb. Lamb swiftly passed Keller for second and quickly closed in on leader Gartner. By lap six, Lamb grabbed the lead before a series of mid-race cautions re-grouped the field. Restarts allowed Royce Jawaski, who started ninth, to work his way to the front and take the lead from Lamb. On a restart with 10 laps to go, it was a three car battle for the lead between Jawaski, Lamb and John Weber. Lamb shuffled into the third position as Jawaski and Weber battled for the lead. Keller, who slipped back to seventh, was now driving back to the front as he raced Lamb for third. Keller quickly caught and passed Weber for second and set his sights on Jawaski. They raced side by side for the lead. As the white flag waved, Keller got tight and pushed into Jawaski which allowed Weber to quickly catch the leaders down the backstretch and make it a three car battle for the win. As the checkered flag waved, Royce Jawaski got a run off the highside of turn four to win by inches over John Weber and Jeremy Keller. Jerry Lamb finished fourth while Hunter Domagala finished fifth.
Seidler Dominates at Dacotah Speedway
In the final feature of the evening, Marlyn Seidler and Tyler Peterson led the field to the green flag in the IMCA Modified feature. Seidler and Peterson pulled away from the field as Quentin Kinzley and Jason Wolla raced for third while Tom Berry lurked in fifth. It was a three car battle until Wolla shuffled into third position, bringing Berry with him. It didn’t take long for Seidler to catch lapped traffic which allowed Peterson to cut into this large lead. Caution with eight laps to go erased Seidler’s lead and on the restart, Wolla passed Peterson for second. Wolla, going for more, dove low under Seidler but slipped up the track and into the leader. Seidler held onto the lead as Wolla cut atire, ending his night early. Seidler pulled away as Peterson, Berry and Kinzley raced three wide for second. Marlyn Seidler dominated to win the feature as Tyler Peterson held off Tom Berry and Quentin Kinzley for second. Travis Peery rounded out the top five.
Join us Friday, May 3rd for the Mandan Dirt Series presented by Armor Interactive.
Grandstands open at 6:00pm. Green flag waves at 7:00pm.
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Dacotah Speedway is a high banked, three-eights mile clay oval dirt track located at 2500 Longspur Trail, just south of Memorial Highway in Mandan.