Sprint Car Driver Nyquist Traded the Snow for Dirt

Morgan Nyquist next to his IMCA Sprint Car at RRVS. (Photo by Tom Berg)

Morgan Nyquist was a snowmobile racer for several years. When a fellow snowmobile racer and friend, Andy Pake, decided to buy an IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car, Nyquist followed suit.

“My buddy Andy Pake said he was getting a sprint car,” Nyquist said. “And I figured why not, so I got one too.”

Nyquist was still racing – but now was running on dirt, and not snow.

“I spent my winters racing snowmobiles,” Nyquist said. “I transitioned to dirt instead of snow.”

The Moorhead resident, 31, is now in his fourth year in the sprint cars in 2025. He admitted there was an adjustment hopping from a snowmobile to a sprint car.

“It was a little overwhelming,” Nyquist said. “Everything comes up pretty fast. It was a learning curve. I was trying to keep things straight.”

In his first year in the class in 2022, Nyquist finished in the top five in six of 13 starts.  In 2023 he had 11 top fives, including a runner-up finish at NCR as he continued his improvement.

The 2024 campaign was his best with 10 top fives in 16 starts, including his first career feature win. That breakthrough came on June 6, 2024 when Nyquist recorded his first career IMCA RaceSaver Sprint feature win at Norman County Raceway.

“It was rewarding for me, but it was mostly rewarding to get a win for my dad and everybody that helps me out,” Nyquist admitted.

 This season, Nyquist – who works as a real-estate attorney in the Fargo-Moorhead area -- finished eighth in both of his starts at RRVS. One thing that is a big part of the sprint-car racing game is getting the car set up, he said.

“The hardest thing to master is getting the setup right as the track changes throughout the night,” Nyquist said.  

Morgan Nyquist on the track at RRVS (Speedway Shots photo)

 What has he liked and learned in three years behind the wheel?

“It’s hands on stuff. It’s fast, it’s loud,” Nyquist said. “And what you put into the car, you get out of the car.”

Nyquist had a pair of flips last year, something he is looking to avoid this summer.

“I had two stunt moves, so I got some new wings this year. I hope that make it through the season,” Nyquist said.

There is a big race at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo this Saturday, the 3rd annual Danny Schatz Memorial, which is part of the World of Outlaw Sprint Show taking place.

 The competition in the IMCA Sprint Car class has gotten deeper each year since the class was added at Red River Valley Speedway in 2022.

“I’m looking for some consistent finishes and faster lap times,” Nyquist said. “and keeping all four wheels on the ground.”

Driver profile

Morgan Nyquist

IMCA RaceSaver Sprint #39

Age: 31

Residence: Moorhead, Minn.

Sponsors: F45 Training West Fargo, Ohnstad Twitchell Attorneys, Superior Customs, Pit Stop Porta Potty, Krabbenhoft Seen & Supply