Sheyenne Speedway in Lisbon held season championship night on Thursday as part of the Ransom County Fair. With racing starting at 7:30 p.m. because of the fair, and a threat of storms in the area, Sheyenne hustled and got its program done in less than 2 1/2 hours. It was a good thing as it started to rain during the victory lane presentations after the races.
The inaugural Moonshine Mod Tour champion was to be crowned on Thursday. The finale was supposed to be at Granite City Motor Park earlier this month but was rained out. Tour director Benji Froemke added this event to settle the tie. It was simple: Brady Gerdes of Villard and Zach Johnson of Lowry were tied atop the points after the race at Viking Speedway earlier this month. Whoever finished higher in the feature would win the tour title. There was also a $1,200 to win feature at stake as well.
Huron driver Dale Ames took the lead from the green of the Wissota Mod feature. After a restart for an Erv Grossman spin, Ames opened a decent advantage on Superman Mike Stearns of Aberdeen. Aaron Blacklance of Thief River Falls was third and Blake Jegtvig of Hawley was fighting off two-time defending national champion Tyler Peterson of Hickson.
Ames was hauling and opened a two-second advantage over Stearns. Blacklance was third while Peterson was all over Jegtvig for fourth but could not get a run. The battle for the tour title was interesting as well – Gerdes was seventh and Johnson was eighth.
Peterson would pass Jegtvig for fourth on a top-dominant track with very little passing and then would go to work on Blacklance. The top two had a lot of breathing room – Ames led Stearns by a comfortable margin and Stearns had quite a gap on third. Ames would pick up his sixth win of 2023 with a dominating performance. Stearns was second, Blacklance was third, Peterson fourth and Jegtvig fifth. Joe Thomas of Glyndon is the 2023 Wissota Mod champion at Sheyenne.
More importantly, Gerdes finished seventh and one spot ahead of Johnson to earn the inaugural Moonshine Mod Tour title.
Dusty Mund of Lisbon entered the night with a two-point lead over Collin Compson of Valley City in the INEX Legends points.
Evan Hendrickson of Mapleton – having a great second season in the INEX Legends with seven feature wins – took the lead from the green. On the second lap the 7C of Corey Seckerson went for a wild ride off turn four after being struck by another car; he fortunately didn’t roll it or hit the wall, but his night was done.
On the restart Collin Compson moved into second as Scott Richardson of Pelican Rapids followed him into third. Mund would move into fourth.
Compson took the lead with 16 to go with a nice move in turns one and two. Mund, meanwhile had Ryan Braseth of Ulen chasing him for fourth and could ill afford to lose any more spots.
Compson led but Hendrickson stayed close. Mund was starting to close on Richardson. The Australian, Glenn Mitchell, was lurking in sixth not far behind Braseth. Compson, who started seventh, opened 3-4 car lengths on Hendrickson but the caution would wave with nine to go when Josh Black spun on the front stretch. On the restart Mund edged ahead of Richardson for third; Mund still had Braseth to contend with.
The yellow would wave for a third time as Michael King of Jamestown spun in turn four. That put Mund on the outside of Hendrickson on the restart – and the lower lane had been the preferred line for the feature.
Braseth would pass Mund on the restart, meanwhile things heated up at the front with Hendrickson right on Compson’s bumper with three to go. Braseth was also in the hunt as the top three fought very hard. Black would spin – again – and his night would come to an end with three to go.
A single-file restart would start a three-lap sprint to the finish. Hendrickson and Braseth were right there, but Compson never flinched. After yet another spin – there were a few too many for my liking in this race – the race would end under checkered/yellow with Compson victorious for the 10th time this season. Hendrickson – who leads the points at Red River Valley Speedway and Buffalo River Speedway this summer – settled for second. Braseth finished third after starting ninth with Mund settling for fourth. Richardson rounded out the top five.
Mitchell finished sixth, and Kody Machart of Moorhead went from 16th to seventh. Compson wrapped up the track championship with the feature win.
The veteran Royce Jawaski of Adrian and Anthony Wendel were fighting hard for the lead to start the Wissota Street Stock feature, but it was sixth-starter Jonny Carter of Fairmont – driving his uncle Todd’s #19 machine (Todd had shoulder surgery earlier this summer) – who on a rail, sticking that car to the bottom and flying to the front just three laps into the race.
Kyle Anderson of Jamestown – who wrapped up the point title by just taking the green flag – moved into second past Jawaski. The caution would wave with 13 to go as Clay Gentzkow got into Kasey Ussatis of Nome and spun the 2U; Ussatis got his spot back while Gentzkow had some damage and went pitside.
Mike Mund of Milnor, who has run better and better this season, was just outside the top five. The top two had a pretty good lead on the field, but Wendel, Jawaski, Ussatis and Tucker Pederson of East Grand Forks were fighting for the third spot.
Carter had control up front with a 1.8 second lead over Anderson, but the race for third was tense. Ussatis and Wendel were racing hard for the spot as Jawaski and Pederson were right on the heels of those two.
Ussatis would take over third with four to go, and Pederson, who is second in the national points, moved into fourth. Jonny Carter was never challenged in his seventh win of 2023. The margin of victory was 2.438 seconds over Anderson, who ended Carter’s streak of eight consecutive track championships. Ussatis was third, Pederson was fourth and Wendel, who looked as good as he has all year in the street stocks.
Jonny Carter’s 46 car is for sale; he told me he plans to do some driving the rest of the year, likely in his uncle’s car. He told me he isn’t quitting racing but doesn’t have the time to devote to his own team right now – he called it hitting the restart button. I know this, he’s been bad fast in his uncle’s car the past two weeks at Sheyenne.
Jarod Klein of Jamestown jumped into the lead from the outside of the Wissota Midwest Modified feature with Aaron Michael of Jamestown running second. Zach Reinke of Lisbon, who started sixth, moved past Onyx Johnson into third, with Lucas Rodin of Marion following him. The caution would wave two laps into the race.
Michael looked to make a run at the lead on the restart, but one lap later he slid the 62 car off turns one and two; it was costly as he had to go to the tail of a pretty stout field.
Zach Reinke took a shot at the lead on the restart but couldn’t make it stick as Rodin would move into second. Nate Reinke of Lisbon had gotten by Brennan Urbach of Lisbon for fourth. Urbach had his hands full with Corey Storck of Morris.
Klein had about a half-second lead on Rodin, who had Zach Reinke right behind him. The top lane was the place to be for the Midwest modifieds as very few cars were venturing down low. Klein’s lead was consistent at about a half-second for much of the race as he picked up his fourth feature win of 2023. Rodin settled for second. Zach Reinke was a solid third. Nate Reinke wrapped up the points title with a fourth-place finish and Storck rounded out the top five after starting ninth.
Jayden Michaelsohn of Aberdeen entered the night with six wins in seven starts in the Pure Stock class, and frankly probably needed a bounty put on him with that kind of dominance. It turned into a great race up front as Tyce Boisjolie of Enderlin was fighting with Billy Carow of Jamestown for the lead. Michaelsohn started back in the field but was picking off cars in traffic.
Michaelsohn moved into second and with four to go would pass Carow for the lead. Kelby Anderson of Fort Ransom would go around on the frontstretch with three to go; Ryan Mund of Milnor was charged with the caution.
With three to go Carow was trying desperately to stay with Michaelsohn but couldn’t. Dylan Steele of Jamestown, who started back in eighth, had worked up to third.
Michaelsohn cruised to his seventh win in eight nights at Sheyenne with Carow settling for second. Steele went from eighth to third with Hayden Aberle of LaMoure taking fourth. Boisjolie rounded out the top five.
Only five of the six Mini Stocks on hand took the green. Weston Clauson, who earned his first career win at Sheyenne earlier this week, made a run at the lead against Braiden Mund of Lisbon, who also won his first career feature earlier this season.
Mason Bogart of Milnor, who wrapped up the championship at the drop of the green, had moved into second. Clauson had a couple car length lead.
Chandler Dick moved past Mund for third with Pokey Lukes of Lisbon running fifth.
Bogart has been the fastest car at Sheyenne all year, but Clauson would pull away for the lead. Lukes was challenging Mund for fourth which was the best battle for the track.
Clauson picked up his third feature win in his last three starts with Bogart settling for second. Lukes would pass Mund on the final lap for third. Dick, who raced a lot of the feature with his upper left front hood popping up, would pull in.
Thursday Nights Notes
Sophie Anderson of Chokio won the Pure Stock feature Thursday night at KRA Speedway in Willmar. It is her fourth feature win. Brian Haben of Appleton won the Wissota Modified feature while Dexton Koch of Becker won the Wissota Super Stock feature. Justin Vogel of Brooten captured the Wissota Street Stock feature over Kolton Brauer of Eyota.
Austin Hunter of Winnipeg won the Wissota Midwest Modified feature Thursday night at Victory Lane Speedway in Winnipeg. Ward Imrie of Winnipeg won the Wissota Modified feature Thursday.
Comments