I-94 wins to Riley, Walsh, Randt, Rohner, Mass and Saurer

I-94 EMR Speedway was back in action on a warm Friday night. Between rainouts, scheduled off-nights and trying to get to other area tracks, it had been since  May that I had been to the 3/8-mile oval in Fergus Falls.

The track had some character after the rain this week, leading to the blade coming out at intermission. It was improved for the feature and there was some good racing; there were also a lot of cautions in some of the features.  If I have an issue with I-94, it is the shows run longer there – and I believe having a wall all around the track can lead to more cautions (especially debris ones).

Eric Riley of Morris stormed to the lead in the Wissota Street Stock feature; he started fourth and had the lead by the end of lap one.  I was watching the two #11s – Kyle Dykhoff of Starbuck and Levi Randt of Siren – who started in the fourth row. By the third lap they were in the top three when the caution flew. Brayden Fleck and Mark Blom of Glenwood both pulled into the pits.

The restart saw Riley leading with Randt and Dykhoff on his heels. Cole Kannegieser of Hancock was in fourth and Joshua Schroeder of Dalton in fifth.

Dykhoff was pressuring Riley but broke on the fourth lap and his night was over.

It turned into a duel between Randt and Riley who pulled away from Kannegieser. Maverick Janssen had climbed to fourth and was all over Kannegieser, with Schroeder, Josh Lawson of Verndale and Joe Arndt of Ortonville in pursuit. Arndt had started dead last on the 14-car field. Jansen would take the spot by the halfway point. Kannegieser, who had run well early, would pull into the infield moments later.

Riley had opened a .8 second lead on Randt; both were well ahead of third place Jansen. Lawson had grabbed fourth but Arndt was applying the heat. Riley had no worries at the front, building a 1.7 second lead on his way to the win. Randt, who won the big $2,000 prize at Thunder City Speedway on Wednesday and is the national point leader, settled for second.  Janssen went from third row to third with Arndt going from 14^th to fourth. Lawson rounded out the top five.

Dave Mass took the lead in the Gen X Late Model feature from early leader Derek Quinn. Parker Gilbertson of Watson was up to third with point leader Trevor Walsh of Watertown in fourth. Mike Anderson of Walcott was in a three-car battle with Jeff Nelson of Perham and John Winge of Sioux Falls.

Mass pulled away to a 1.7 second lead as Walsh got by Gilbertson for second. The first caution came out for Jeromy Sharp’s spin in turns one and two with 13 laps left. On the restart Mass continued to lead with the real battle for fourth between Quinn, Nelson and Anderson as the second caution flew for Andrew Tysdal’s spin in turn two.

Things got ugly on the restart as seven cars piled in turn four.  Rick Schroeder of Montevideo and Mike Anderson looked like they suffered the worst of it and were done for the night. I didn’t see what triggered it but 1/3 of the field was involved.

Walsh was all over Mass for the lead and took the lead with nine to go as Gilbertson and Nelson ran side-by-side.

Walsh got a great restart and began to run away, Gilbertson took over second from Mass, who was trying to make the high line work but was fading. Ben Wolden of Fergus Falls, the all-time wins leader in the Gen X class at I-94, was up to fourth as Mass slid back; he would later drop out with a right-rear flat.

Walsh had a commanding 2.4 second lead over Gilbertson but the caution came out as Sharp went around again. Walsh regained control on the final restart as Nelson and Gilbertson were locked in a big-time battle for second. Walsh would win by 1.1 seconds with Nelson edging Gilbertson for second. Wolden was fourth and Jarrett Huus of Fergus Falls, who started way in the back of the field, was fifth.

I’ve been pretty politically correct this year on most subjects, but I will say one thing: there are some drivers who shouldn’t be in the Gen X Late Models. This is not some entry level class to hop into, and the drivers who are succeeding in the class are experienced racers (whether in the Gen X or other divisions).  The cautions got on my nerves a little bit.

The racing pastor, Nick Preston of Fergus Falls, and the registered nurse, Maddie Swenson of Alexandria, were on the front rrow for the Wissota Midwest Modified feature. Both drivers were aiming for their first career feature wins.

On the start Swenson would spin, fortunately it didn’t turn into a pileup.  Jamestown driver Aaron Michel would take the lead as Ron Saurer of Dalton and Nate Reinke of Lisbon went at it for second. Tommy Nichols of Watertown was fourth with Preston in fifth, but he was soon overtaken by Landyn Randt of Siren. Scott Oeltjen of Villard, the defending I-94 champion, was running in sixth.

Michel was driving a nice race on the high side but the caution came out for a multi-car spin in turn two which included Andrew DeNoble of Fergus Falls.

Saurer grabbed second on the restart and was challenging Michel for the lead. Nichols, meanwhile, was making the bottom work and took third from Reinke. Randt was fifth.

Michel began to pull away but it was a great race for second between Saurer, Nichols, Reinke and Randt.  Michel had a 2.1 second lead, but it was erased a caution in turn three as Saurer was turned around.  Nichols’s had a great run end with a flat tire, sending him to the pits.  Randt and Saurer got together down the backstretch, and that led to Saurer’s 42 being turned hard into the wall.  He had some damage and left on the hook but fortunately stayed on all four wheels.

Randt tried a few sliders on Michel but to no avail; however, Michel got up in the marbles in turn two on the final lap, and that was the opening Randt needed as he surged into the lead and would grab the win. Frankly, the late restart doomed Michel’s chances to win, but for a driver who had not raced at I-94 all year, it was a heck of a run.

Reinke settled for a solid third. Oeltjen went from ninth to fourth. Jamie Norman of Battle Lake, who started way back in 16th, kept his nose clean throughout and picked up a good fifth-place finish.

The 11R of Ryan Roeder of Hankinson suffered some damage on the opening lap of the Wissota Hornet feature after a tangle in turn two; he would leave on the hook with a messed up front end.

Jeff Rohner of Willmar led early but Emma Nelson of Fergus Falls was threatening for the lead.  Zander Zuehlsdorff of Fergus Falls was third with Eli Green of Osakis in fourth. Christian Kast of Fairmount climbed to fifth.

Whiile Rohner has run away with several wins this year, Nelson  was hanging right with Rohner for several laps. It soon turned into a three-car fight for second between Nelson, Zuehlsdorff and Green as Rohner ooened a commanding  two-second lead on the field. He cruised to another win.  Zuehlsdorff nipped Nelson at the line for second.  For Nelson, only 16, it was a career-best feature finish and an impressive showing. Green was fourth and Chase Pourrier fifth.

Nelson bettered that with a runner-up finish in the make-up feature from way back in May. Rohner won again and is having some kind of year. He is driving a car he built in 2013. He has 12 wins in 14 starts, easily the best average of any driver I cover on a regular basis.  Kast was third, Zuehlsdorff fourth and Green fifth in a caution-free makeup race.

The Wissota Late Models tried going four-wide on the first lap down the frontstretch and it didn’t work. It led to a multi-car spin which included Chris Mensen of Carlos, Dave Mass and Shawn Koranda of Bluffton. Mensen got the short end of that stick, being turned into a tractor tire. Mensen, whose luck is terrible when I’ve seen him, was in the wrong place at the wrong time and would leave on the hook. It’s too bad, he is one of the nice guys in racing.

Shawn Meyer led lap 1 with Blake Boelens of Garfield in econd. Travis Robertson of Fargo was third and Greg Friestad of Valley City fourth.  The second caution came out for Tim Johnson who spun in turn two.

Meyer stuck his 18x to the high side with Robertson and Boelens racing side by side for second. Mass and Travis Saurer of Elizabeth fought for fourth.

Meyer was hauling on the high side, building a 3-second lead on Boelens. Mass had moved to third and was trying to challenge for second. Robertson and Saurer put on a great show for fourth as well.

Meyer’s lead was up to 4.2 seconds on Boelens, who had his hands full with Mass for second. The fourth caution came out for debris in turn two with 11 to go, wiping out a four-second advantage for Meyer.

Meyer was flirting with danger running up by the wall, and it eventually slowed him enough to give Mass an opening to take the lead. Saurer was up to third with Boelens fourth and Ben Wolden fifth. Meyer hit the wall at least four times that I saw an eventually slid for third. Saurer was chasing Mass for the lead but never got close over the final few laps as Mass prevailed by 1.03 seconds. Saurer was second, Meyer’s beat up 18x survived for third. Boelens ran well all night in fourth and Wolden capped off the top five. Again, a few too many cautions disrupted the racing in that event.

Two contenders dropped out with problems on the first lap of the Wissota Mod feature – Brady Gerdes of Villard and Ryan Gierke of Villard. Travis Saurer took the lead from the front row with Joe Thomas of Glyndon in second.  Landon Atkinson of Little Falls and Dusty Bitzan of Evansville waged a good side-by-side battle for third; but Bitzan would slow with 13 to go and head to the infield.

Saurer was in control at the front over Thomas with Atkinson in third and Justin Froemming of Garfield, who won last Saturday at Viking Speedway, was up to fourth ahead of Bryce Sward of Nelson, who captured a win Thursday at Norman County Raceway.

Saurer rode the high side, like he has so many times, to the win by 1.3 seconds over Thomas. Atkinson, a former Wissota 100 winner at I-94, was a solid third with Froemming and Sward completing the top five in a caution free race.

I-94 Notes

--The father-son late model team of Kevin and Erik Robertson was on hand. It was their second night of competition for 2026. Kevin’s nephew, Travis Robertson drives the 8R.

--Brainerd driver Aaron Johnson was on hand in his #442 Wissota Late Model. He has won several IMCA Modified track titles at North Central Speedway and has been a top runner there for many years.

--I-94 is off next Friday, July 17 as the West Ottertail County Fair will be taking place in Fergus Falls on July 15-18.

--Cole Schill of Hawley entered the night second in the Wissota Late Model points at I-94; however he was out on Friday with motor issues that occurred last Friday at I-94, according to his Facebook page. He will be driving Dan Dowling’s late model at Devils Lake on Saturday as he seeks to keep pace in the NLRA points.

Ekdahl wins DRC Street Stock Tour at Red Cedar

Jeff Ekdahl of North Branch won the Dirt Race Central Street Stock feature Friday night at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie. Justin Vogel of Brooten was second, Shawn Amundson of Rice Lake third, Sam Fankhauser of Rice Lake fourth and Cole Richards of Mondovi in fifth.

The street stock tour heads to Rice Lake Speedway on Saturday.

TPO wins 2 at River Cities; Greseth, Pake and Berg victorious

Tyler Peterson of Hickson won both the Wissota Late Model and Wissota Modified features Friday night at River Cities Speedway.

Peterson topped Ward Imrie of Headingley, Man., for the modified victory. Aaron Holtan of Newfolden was third, Jordan Duray of Halma fourth and Rick Delaine of Stony Mountain fifth.

In the late models Peterson beat Brody Troftgruben of Grand Forks for the win. Dustin Strand of East Grand Forks was third, Brad Seng of Grand Forks fourth and Jason Strand of Portland fifth.

Cole Greseth of Harwood won another Wissota Street Stock feature over John Halvorson of Warren. Trey Hess of Grand Forks was third, Blaine Barnes of Grand Forks fourth and Greg Jose of Grand Forks fifth.

Andy Pake of Felton won his second straight NOSA Sprint feature with Weston Olson of Warren – who started 24^th – taking second. Nick Omdahl of East Grand Forks was third, Alex Truscinski of Greenbush fourth and Adam Sobolik of Grand Forks fifth.

Jory Berg of Grand Forks won the Wissota Midwest Modified feature for a second straight week with Austin Hunter of Winnipeg second. Alex Johnson of Karlstad was third, Cylen Vargason of Edinburg fourth and Frank Veert of Winnpeg fifth.

Dakota Classic Mod Tour finales to Czarneski and LaBatte; Carter captures tour title

Canadian Brendan LaBatte won the IMCA Stock Car feature Friday night at Jamestown Speedway on the final night of the Dakota Classic Mod Tour. Jonny Carter of Lisbon, who won at Dacotah Speedway on Thursday, finished fourth and clinched his first tour title.

Wisconsin driver Czarneski beat Tom Berry Jr. for the IMCA Modified win; Berry had four the previous four features on the tour and was crowned the tour modified champion. The top area finisher in that race was John Nord of Enderlin, who got driven over in the B main but got a provisional spot and went from 25^th to 12^th.

Friday notes

Maria Broksieck of Goodwin won the Wissota Street Stock feature Friday night at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen. Mike Stearns of Aberdeen won the Wissota Modified main event.

Zach Johnson of Lowry won the Wissota Late Model feature Friday night at Fiesta City Speedway in Montevideo.