Carow, Mund, Michel, Ussatis, Walsh and Chandler Dick win at Sheyenne

Kasey Ussatis won the Wissota Street Stock feature (Photo by Tom Berg)

My original plan was to cover Norman County Raceway in Ada on Thursday since it had been a while since I’d been there, but heavy rain later in the afternoon forced them to cancel. Called an audible and thanks to RaceChaser presenting sponsor Dirt Race Central I was able to cover the Sheyenne Speedway in Lisbon program remotely.

A solid 65-car field was on hand, and Sheyenne has been consistent with car counts in most classes. The Gen X Late Models were down a bit with eight cars, in part because there was a Gen X race down in Canby, Minn., for the Yellow Medicine County Fair. The Short Trackers had struggled in the single digits much of the year at Sheyenne but had a season-best 11 cars on hand.

I also want to say something on car counts. At a ¼-mile track, you don’t need 20-22 cars per class to have a good race. There were nine Wissota Street Stocks on hand, nine Hobby Stocks and eight Gen X Late Models – all enough to put on a good show on a smaller track. When car counts are down to 4-5 cars per class every week then it is cause for alarm.

The show moved along pretty well; there was a red flag for a hard crash on the front straightaway in the INEX Legend feature that took some time to clean up. But that is beyond the track’s control, and it’s not the type of delay I refer to when I talk about shows taking forever.

Matthew Stoppleworth of Ypsilanti and Dillon Thorpe of Ellendale manned the front row for the Hobby Stock feature. Stoppleworth led the opening lap but soon as all kinds of pressure from Jamestown driver Billy Carow, and the two raced hard side-by-side before Carow moved into the top spot.

Bradley Stoppleworth of Jamestown, last week’s winner, was battling Tanner Jacobson of Jamestown for third with Brent Wilkinson of Jamestown running fifth. Carow had moved to the lead with about a 1-2 car length lead. Bradley Stoppleworth and Wilkinson were chasing Matthew Stoppleworth for second.

Wilkinson was on a charge, passing both Stoppleworths to move into second and he quickly closed on Carow. Bradley Stoppleworth soon made it a three-car breakaway up front. The first caution would wave when Dylan Stoppleworth stalled on the front stretch; his night was over with a mechanical problem. The caution would wave again when Thorpe, who was running in the top five, went up a in a puff of smoke.

Wilkinson’s hopes for a win ended with a mechanical problem with two laps left. Bradley Stoppleworth made a furious final charge on the outside but came up a few feet short as Carow held on by a thrilling .054 second win. Bradley Stoppleworth was second, Jacobson was third, Matthew Stoppleworth was fourth and Dalton Aabrekke of Lisbon rounded out the top five.

It was a little bizarre, but the top three Hobby Stocks continued racing for 3 laps after the checkered had waved, I suspect there were some communication issues with the Raceceiver in that race as the lining up

A good 16-car field of INEX Legends were on hand with Dusty Mund of Lisbon leading the opening lap. Sean Johnson of Kindred, a winner earlier this season at Sheyenne, got by Brian Frederick of Gwinner for second.   Mason Lemar of Casselton and Regan Reinke of Lisbon were among the cars battling for fifth.

Mund had about 3-4 car lengths on Sean Johnson with Frederick close behind as the top three broke away from the pack. Scott Richardson of Pelican Rapids, who started seventh, moved into fifth and wa mounting a big challenge to Lemar for fourth. Kody Machart, who started last on the field, was among the drivers in that battle. Richardson’s 79 car started to smoke, and he would slow to bring out the caution with 12 to go. 

Mund, who won his first feature in a Legend at Tri-County earlier this month, had Johnson to continued with again as Machart and Frederick fought side-by-side for third. Regan Reinke of Lisbon was also back in the hunt as it became a three-car battle for third. Former Hobby Stock track champion Bo Gregor of Lisbon was running sixth, just outside the top five.

Johnson was trying every line on the racetrack to find a lane by Mund, but the 28 car stayed smooth to remain in front.

A nasty crash happened with four to go as Frederick and another car made contact, sending his 7F machine into the wall and rolling on the frontstretch.  Frederick then was hit hard by another car while he was upside down as it became a multi-car melee.  Frederick’s 7F machine was a mess, unfortunately after hard contact and he was checked out in the ambulance after the hard hit. Frederick told me later in the evening that he did have a bone chip on his knuckle but was otherwise OK; the car is in rough shape.

It was a lengthy red flag as officials tended to Frederick and the other cars involved.

Reinke became the big challenger to Mund over the final few laps as the 22 was making a run on the outside. On the final lap Reinke darted down low as Mund slid up off his line a bit and nearly pulled off a spectacular last-lap pass but came up inches short as Mund held on for the win, his first at Sheyenne. The margin of victory was only .022 seconds. Reinke settled for second with Johnson a solid third. Machart was fourth and Bo Gregor rounded out the top five.  It was the second straight photo finish on the night.

Jamestown driver Jarod Klein was the leader of the Wissota Midwest Modified feature with Ryan Ost of Adrian battling Kelby Anderson for second. Zach Reinke of Lisbon and Aaron Michel of Jamestown, who started sixth, were in the top five looking to move up.

Phil Christlieb’s #4 machine got turned in turn four to bring out the first caution flag. There was another caution one lap later.  On the restart Michel was on the move on the outside and was now side-by-side with Klein in a tremendous battle for the lead. The two top had a big advantage over Kyle Anderson of Jamestown, who was fighting Zach Reinke for third. Ost was running fifth but had Kyle Langland of Enderlin pressuring him on the bottom.

Michel stuck the 62 to the highside all along the ¼-mile oval and had about 2-3 car lengths on Klein and would prevail for the win by .685 seconds; it was his first victory of 2025. Klein ran a solid second with Reinke winning the duel with Kyle Anderson for third. Ost outlasted Langland for fifth.   

Trouble struck one of the contenders in the Wissota Street Stocks as Cole Greseth of Harwood had a mechanical issue prior to the race, and would require a push to the pits. The transmission went out on the 19G machine.

Ryan Mund and Joe Deede ran side-by-side for the lead early in the street feature as Kasey Ussatis of Nome, the most famous person from that bustling community, was working the bottom, moved past Mund for second. Ashley Wampler of Hecla, S.D., was fifth with pressure from Jonny Carter and Tyler Klugman of Wheaton in what was the best battle on the track.  

Ussatis was pulling away from Deede as Ryan Mund had a big lead over Michaelsohn as the top four got spread out. Ussatis would pick up his fourth feature win of the year by 1.894 seconds over Deede. Mund was third and Michaelsohn held off Carter for fourth. It was a caution-free main event that lasted six minutes.

Carter, who now drives an IMCA Stock Car, was back behind the wheel of a streeter on Thursday, driving Mike Mund’s #4 machine.  Carter is a several-time track champion at Sheyenne.

Trouble struck early in the Gen X Late Model feature as Mike Anderson’s 18 broke and came to a stop on the frontstretch. He would leave on the hook.  On the ensuing start Trevor Walsh of Watertown stormed to the top spot with last week’s winner, Cade Skytland of Kindred, in second. Jarrett Huus of Fergus Falls was running third with Jeff Nelson of Perham in fourth. Kevin Youngquist of Barney was challenging Alex Tschakert of Kent for the fifth spot.

Walsh had a straightaway on Skytland as the top four were spread out. Huus was about 4 car lengths behind Skytland but closing as they encountered a lapped car.

Walsh had no issues up front with a commanding feature win by a half lap over Skytland. The margin of victory was 5.9 seconds. Huus was third, Nelson fourth and Tschakert fifth. After the early caution, the race ran without any more yellows.

Chandler Dick led the Short Tracker feature as Nathan Kelley of West Fargo, Christian Kast of Fairmount and Hunter Goulet of Fargo fought three-wide for third. Pokey Lukes of Lisbon was running fifth.

Kelley would have a flat right-front tire a few laps into the main event and would pull in. On the restart Goulet and Kast both moved past Dick for the lead

Another car made contact with Pokey Lukes, sending the 28 into one of the tractor tires hard in turn four. Lukes was able to continue.

Dick opened a few car lengths on Kast with Goulet in third and Adrian Kubitz in fourth.  Lukes was in a good battle with Kody Crabtree.

Kast closed in on Chandler Dick briefly but the 66 car would pull away for the win over Kast. Goulet was third, Kubitz was fourth and Lukes was fifth:

Thursday notes

--Jason Marko of Watertown picked up his first Wissota Street Stock feature win of the season Thursday night at the Yellow Medicine County fair races in Canby, Minn. The Casino Speedway officials ran the event. Josh Long of Canby was second, Mike Jans of Clarkfield third, Wade Tirrel of White fourth and Maria Broksieck of Goodwin was fifth.

Onyx Johnson of Lowry held off Blake Adams of Cameron, Wis., for the Wissota Midwest Modified win. Scott Hansen of Garden City was third, Zach Johnson of Lowry fourth and Darren Engesser of Gary, S.D., fifth.

Jeff Rohner of Willmar topped Adam VanDerostyne of Canby for the Wissota Hornet win. Nathan Smith of Watertown was third, Brayden Begalka of Brookings was fourth and Bradley Rossow of Florence was fifth.

Kris Wilke of Porter won the Gen X Late Model feature over Parker Gilbertson of Watson. Tony Croninger was third.

—Ryan Flaten of Madison won the Wissota Midwest Modified feature Thursday night at KRA Speedway in Willmar. Justin Bjorklund of Sacred Heart was second. Dexton Koch of Becker won the Wissota Super Stock feature while Keith Tourville of Janesville topped Zachary Flickinger of Madison for the Wissota Street Stock  win.