Sheyenne Speedway Opening Wins to Hess, Olson, Carow, Berg, Nelson and Roush

Trey Hess picked up his fourth win of 2025 in the Wissota Street Stocks (photo by Tom Berg)

Sheyenne Speedway kicked off the 2025 season with its annual Memorial Day program with more than 100 cars on hand.

It was the first night for the Hendricksons and the new promoting team at Sheyenne, and the amount the entire team learned on Monday is impossible to describe.  Give them some time to get their feet under them as they learn things and speaking from experience, there is so much to absorb for the first night. There were a lot of hiccups and plenty of bugs to work out to speed up the show, which frankly MANY tracks need to start doing (which is another blog for another day). But for Sheyenne this was a lot of new people in new roles so that has to be taken into context for opening night, too.

I will say having 102 cars in six classes for the annual Memorial Day race at Sheyenne is certainly a great way to start. Do I expect 100 cars every Thursday at Sheyenne? No, nobody should. But I think the Legends and Wissota Midwest Modifieds will be strong numbers wise weekly.

The track had some character – almost every track I’ve been to has this season – but was the type where the racing can be pretty entertaining. But it also leads to some hard racing and some bent up fenders.

The veteran Billie Christ of Jamestown surged to the lead of the Wissota Street Sock feature with Hunter Carter of Mapleton moving into second. Cole Greseth of Harwood, who graduated from Northern Cass High School on Sunday and already has wins at I-94 EMR and Jamestown this weekend, was running third.

The caution came out when Jayden Michaelsohn of Aberdeen and Joe Deede of Medina got together. Deede would pull in with some damage, Michaelsohn continued.

On the restart Christ stayed in front with Greseth taking over second. Seventh-starter Trey Hess of Grand Forks moved into fourth ahead of Michaelsohn, who had Kasey Ussatis of Nome chasing him.

I stepped away from watching for a few minutes, and I honestly didn't see what happened, but Carter’s 19H suffered some right rear damage that took off a good share of sheet metal, and he was tagged with the caution. I don't want to comment on something I didn't see and it's my own fault for stepping away :)

The restart was chaotic, as Hess took a gamble on the outside of Christ as Greseth went low as the fight for the lead went 3-wide. Hess would grab the lead, but Christ fought back as the leaders went 3-wide again.

Ussatis was running fourth and slowly reeling in the top three. Christ was working hard on Hess for the lead with Greseth right there. Greseth would get by Christ for second as Hess opened a few car lengths on the top spot.

Greseth tried valiantly and did close the gap some but Hess was too strong to pick up win No. 4 on 2025. Hess already has 19 feature starts this season and has raced in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Canada. Greseth has six wins in 11 starts this season, giving the Red River Valley two strong competitors in the street stock class.

Christ, always a formidable foe, finished third, well ahead of fourth-place Ussatis. Mike Mund of Milnor started 15th but worked up to fifth for the hard charger (unofficially) of the race.  Carter recovered to finish sixth and nearly passed Mund on the final lap.

Jawaski led the first lap of the INEX Legends over the veteran Sean Johnson of Kindred. Johnson would go on the outside to take over the top spot. Two laps into the race Steve Johnson’s 93 spun in turn four. Johnson would go pitside.

Sean Johnson – racing one of the older cars in the class – led on the restart. On the move was Kody Machart as he surged to second behind Johnson. Jawaski

Ty Olson of Mandan, who started 10th had worked to fifth ahead of Scott Richardson of Pelican Rapids. The big battle was for third between Jawaski, Olson and Brandon Bunnis of Detroit Lakes.

Johnson and Machart had opened some distance on the three-way battle for third. Johnson was protecting the bottom, but Machart got a run off of turn four to take over the top spot.

Alex Braseth of Ulen, driving the 29A, spun on the front stretch to bring out the caution. He would leave on the hook.

On the restart Jawaski got by Johnson for second with Bunnis in fourth. Olson had Richardson and Dusty Mund of Lisbon chasing him.

Machart’s night would end in heartbreak as his 7 machine would quit down the frontstretch; Jawaski had nowhere to go and spun. Both cars were done – moving Johnson back to the top spot with Olson and Bunnis now his top pursuers.

Olson surged around Johnson on the outside on the restart for the lead as Richardson grabbed third. Mund was fourth ahead of Bunnis.

Olson would pull away for his second win of 2025. The results on myracepass indicated Johnson was DQed postrace, but I don't know anything behind that. Richardson, Mund and Bunnis rounded out the top four. Richardson went from 11th to third with Mund and Bunnis completing the top five.

Dylan Krueger of Milnor grabbed the lead of the Hobby Stock feature but faced a lot of pressure from Billyo Carow of Jamestown. Carow took the lead with Stoppleworth moving into second.  In turned into a three-car fight as Ryker Vetter of Wishek closed on the top two.

The caution would come out for Krueger. Brent Wilkinson of Jamestown and Caleb Gardner of Glyndon were also running in the top five.

Vetter took a peek on the outside of Carow for the lead on the restart but Stoppleworth regained second and went to work on Carow.  He got a good run down low and ran side by side in a tense fight for the lead. Carow then had to contend with Vetter for second.

Carow and Vetter made contact out of turn four which spun Carow’s 7C to bring out the caution. Vetter was charged with the yellow.

On the restart Carow got a jump on the inside to regain the top spot. Wilkinson moved into third with Gardner in fourth. Carow would pull to a 2-3 car length lead on his way to the win. Wilkinson, who might have been the fastest car on the track at the end, moved into second but Carow’s lead was too much as the 7C captured the win. Wilkinson finished second.

Some very good Wissota Midwest Modifieds were on hand. The veteran Scott Hansen of Garden City, S.D. and 2023 Wissota 100 champion led the way. Hansen grabbed the lead but Weight and Nate Reinke of Lisbon were in hot pursuit.

The race was a tough one with several cautions and several cars suffering some sort of damage.  When there was racing, there was some great battles for position.  But only 10 of the 22 starters finished the race.

A multi-car pileup came in turn two when Alex Langland got turned around; fortunately several cars drove away. Langland’s night was over unfortunately.  It was good to see Langland back after he had taken some time off of racing, and he will have better nights.

Hansen resumed the lead, but Weight was all over him. Jory Berg of Grand Forks moved into fourth ahead of Jaren Wibstad of Jamestown. Lucas Rodin of Marion, a former national champion was slowly working through the field, moving to seventh from 14th.

Weight would get turned in turn four and spin, and Berg would have nowhere to go. Weight would pull pitside but certainly had a fast enough car to win, in my opinion.

Hansen now had Reinke and Berg on his tail. Kyle Anderson of Jamestown also had moved to the top five with Rodin.

Berg went up to the high side and out take over the lead from Hansen. Another caution would wave for Ryan Ost’s spin in turn two.

Berg and Reinke would duel up front as Kyle Anderson fought with Hansen for third. Rodin was now in the top five. Reinke and Berg put on a great show up front as Anderson took over third.

After a caution Reinke chased Berg again with Anderson not far behind. But every time things got going on the track, a caution would wave, this time for the 88 of Thornton.

With two to go Rodin grabbed third ,and then closed on Reinke as Berg opened up a few car lengths by the checkered. Reinke finished second. Hansen had another solid run in third with Wibstad and Rodin rounding out the top five. Anderson finished sixth after starting 19th.

Monday also marked the debut of the Gen X Late Models at Sheyenne with 11 cars on hand.

Jeff Nelson of Perham made the move to the Gen X Late models this year after years in the IMCA Mod and Wissota Midwest Modified class.

Jarrett Huss of Fergus Falls.  and Mike Anderson of Walcott had a good fight for second but they were a half straightaway behind Nelson. Huus would eventually grab second and was eating into some of the lead.

Ben Wolden of Fergus Falls, who recently recorded his 50th Gen X late model win at I-94, was moving through the field after a DNF in his heat race. He had passed Youngquist for fourth.

The last thing Nelson wanted to see was a yellow, and that happened when Jon McCain and Skytland spun. Skytland would leave on the hook.  

After surviving some cautions, Nelson would survive to pick up the win.  Anderson made a late pass of Anderson for second with Wolden in fourth. Gen X rookie Alex Tschakert rounded out the top five.  Tai Engels, the teenager from Watertown, ran sixth after starting eighth.

The hornets featured an early duel between Hunter Goulet of Fargo and Travis Roush of New York Mills. Mason Bogart of Milnor, the two-time Mini Stock champion at Sheyenne, was moving into third and closing on the top two.

Goulet did open a car length on Roush, who had to contend with Bogart for second.  The caution came out for Pokey Lukes, who came to a rest against the frontstretch wall. He was able to continue.

Bogart made a charge on the restart to the outside of Goulet and it turned into a good fight for the lead. Roush settled into third.  Bogart was working and working a little higher line than Goulet and the two ran side-by-side for quite a bit of the race.

It was Roush who made a final surge to the top spot to pick up the victory to cap off a long night. Goulet was second and Bogart took third. Andy Booke of Wahpeton was fourth and Nathan Kelley of Fargo was fifth.

 

Sheyenne Notes

--Weston Clauson has moved from the Mini Stocks to an INEX Legend car.

--Brennan Urbach of Lisbon was involved in a big wreck Friday in his IMCA Sport Mod at Red River Valley Speedway, a crash that damaged a lot of cars. He said the damage on that machine looked worse than it actually was but the body endured a lot of damage. Urbach had his Wissota Midwest Modified on hand on Monday.

—Braseth racing reported on its Facebook that Ryan Braseth, driver of the 29 INEX Legend, will have surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back and will be out of racing for a while. His brother, Alex, hopped behind the wheel of the 29 car on Monday and will drive that machine for a while.

—Cole Neset of Fargo won his Wissota Midwest Modified heat but an electrical issue prevented him from starting the feature.

Larson, Brauer, Schwinn, Blevins, Fosso, Dudley, Adams and Myers win at Bemidji

Dean Larson of Pennock won the Wissota Mod 4 feature Monday at Bemidji Speedway. That was day 2 of the Chicken Shack Nationals at the ¼-mile oval.

Blake Erickson of Bagley was second with Ashton Schwinn of Little Falls third, Chad Erlandson of Brainerd fourth and Jeffrey Marthaler of Brainerd fifth.

Kolton Brauer of Eyota won the Wissota Street Stocks for a second straight night over Weston Ramsrud of Bagley. Greg Jose of Grand Forks was third, Scotty Messner of Bemidji was fourth and Kolby Kiehl of Barron, Wis., was fifth.

Conrad Schwinn of Little Falls won the Mini Stock feature over Nick McCann of Brainerd. Cody Bush of Bemidji was third, Justin Honer of Laporte was fourth and Troy Foster of Bemidji was fifth.

Michael Blevins Sr. of Hibbing won the Wissota Midwest Modified main event a night after his son, Mikey did so. Skyler Smith of Bemidji was second, Blake Adams of Cameron, Wis., was third, Mikey Blevins fourth and Hunter Weeks of Laporte was fifth.

Brady Fosso of Hibbing won the Wissota Hornet feature over Chad Feller of Waskish. Chase Golliet of Beardsley, Minn., was third, Ian Vanvickle of Hibbing was fourth and Travis Olafson of Wilton was fifth. Olafson won the opening night.

Chris Dudley of Bemidji topped Kade Leeper of Guthrie for the Wissota Pure Stock feature. Austin Carlson of Cohasset was third, Dustin Puffe of Laporte was fourth and Mason Smith of Bemidji was fifth.

Blake Adams won the Wissota Modified feature for a second straight day over Cody Carlson of Superior. Jeff Reed of Bemidji ws third,, Adam Johnson of Perham was fourth and Shaun Kreyer of Hayward was fifth.

Curt Myers of Cameron won the Wissota Super Stock feature for a second straight day over Dalton Carlson of Cohasset. Max Nelson of Milaca was third, Alex Myers of Cameron was fourth and Ellen Lange of Staples rounded out the top five.