I was at Sheyenne Speedway in Lisbon on Sunday, and there were three tours on hand – the Minn-Kota Legends Tour, the Rebel Midwest Modified Tour and the Steffes Street Stock Tour.
A field of 23 cars were on hand for the INEX Legends, I was a little disappointed with only 21 midwest modifieds and 18 street stocks on hand. But in both of those divisions, the quality was there.
The first race of the night was the INEX Legend feature, which was 20 laps.
It was a duel between two drivers looking for their first career win — Collin Compson of Valley City and Zander Bauer of Gwinner – in the main event, which went caution free until there were four laps left.
As the leaders got into lapped traffic Bo Gregor of Lisbon joined the battle into the top three. Brian Frederick of Gwinner also was having a good run, moving into the top five.
The race clipped along nicely for 16 laps until the caution with four to go -and then two more cautions, including a multi car pileup in turn three that eliminated Australian Glenn Mitchell.
Finally the race went green and Compson had Gregor on his heels, but the 14-year old didn’t flinch to pick up his first career win by .27 seconds. Gregor settled for second with Bauer a solid third.
Compson is the son of long-time Valley City racer Tim Compson, who was a happy guy seeing his son pick up his first win.
Dusty Mund of Lisbon was fourth and Frederick fifth. Ashton Spieker of Sabin went from 16th to sixth in a good run while Scott Richardson of Pelican Rapids, who ran in or near the top five most of the night, was seventh.
Jarrett Carter of Lisbon led the 25-lap Wissota Midwest Modified feature for the first several laps with Jarrod Klein of Jamestown close behind.
Corey Storck of Morris and Cody the Cobra Lee of Starbuck were soon pursuers. They worked around Klein and sought to battle for the top spot. He got a big break when a lapped car almost knocked him from the track and cost him two spots -- but the caution came out, and the race went back to the last completed lap.
Storck made his move on the restart on the bottom and got a really good run, and That was enough to take over the top spot.
Lee, who was the winner of the first three Rebel tour events, saw his hopes for a fourth straight series win end with a spin in turn two. At that point the yellow/black had waved — thanks to numerous cautions earlier — and Lee had to go to the pits. The Cobra will be back, trust me – he was fast once again on Sunday.
Defending Wissota Midwest Modified national champion and Rebel tour champion Lucas Rodin of Marion started a long way back in the field in 13th but was making good progress through the pack into the top five.
Another driver who was having a good run was Zach Reinke of Lisbon, who stuck his 22 machine to the bottom. Had the cautions shaken differently the 22 might have had a shot at the win.
After Lee’s spin Rodin settled into second with Reinke applying the pressure down low. Storck meanwhile opened up some breathing room up front.
Storck won by 0.9 seconds over Rodin with Reinke third. Veteran Jason Grimes of Jamestown was a solid fourth after starting 12th with Carter fifth.
Jaren Wibstad of Jamestown had a heck of a run through the field, going from 19th to seventh to earn Hard Charger honors.
The Wissota Street Stock feature may have been won by the redraw – and drawing the inside pole was Kasey Ussatis of Nome. The street stocks normally put on a great show wherever they go, but on this night, it was a one-lane track on the bottom, and passing was at an absolute premium.
You needed to stay on the bottom, and you also wanted to avoid the outside lane on restarts, or you would drop back in a real hurry.
Ussatis beat Hunter Carter of West Fargo to the first corner, and that proved to be vital. Eric Riley of Morris settled into second, and he spent almost the entire race glued to Ussatis’s bumper.
Kyle Dykhoff of Starbuck went from 11th to the top five, but he spun in turn four and pulled in moments later. Dykhoff has ran well in 2022, and when the tour returns to Minnesota, I expect him to be a real factor.
Jonny Carter of Lisbon was running third and never one to follow the leader, went to a higher line looking to get around Riley and Ussatis. That didn’t pay off as he lost many spots.
Riley was all over the back of Ussatis, and I think was the quicker car. But finding a way around the 2U, which was glued to the bottom, was very difficult. You had a feeling contact was inevitable, and late in the race, the two got together with Ussatis turning around in turn three. Riley was charged with the caution. I felt for Riley, who is a clean racer; it was a very frustrating race if you were a faster car and just had no way around the car ahead of you.
That caution moved the Wolverine, Justin Vogel of Brooten, to the second-place spot. Keep in mind he started 16th and had stayed out of trouble. Jaden Christ of Jamestown and Cole Greseth of Harwood both worked into the top five as well.
Ussatis would hold on for his first career tour win with Vogel taking second. Vogel was second all three nights of the tour this weekend, and he’s my pick to win the tour title. Even on nights when he doesn’t win, he usually finds a way to a good finish in tour races.
Christ went from 13th to third while Greseth went from 12th to fourth at the finish. Jonny Carter’s adventurous night saw him finish fifth.
Ussatis joins Vogel (Viking Speedway), Hunter Carter (Viking Speedway) Ty Agen of Chippewa Falls, Wis. (I-94 Sure Step Speedway), Jonny Carter (Brown County Speedway) and Geoff Hellman of Mandan (Jamestown) as Steffes winners this season. That’s six different winners in six nights.
Two drivers that hung in there in the race where Clifford Houser of Kimball, S.D., and Ashley Wampler of Hecla, S.D. Houser went from 15th to ninth while Wampler went from 17th to 10th.
One thing is certain at Sheyenne – there will be a new Hobby Stock track champion at Sheyenne. Gregor, the three-time defending Sheyenne champion, has moved into the Legends cars; he sold his car to Ryan Mund of Milnor.
Mund was the early leader of Sunday’s feature with Hayden Aberle of Edgeley, who won earlier at Jamestown, in pursuit. Soon joining that battle was Dalton Aabrekke of Lisbon in the #2A machine.
Aabrekke took over second and then took advantage of a slip up by Mund to take over the top sun. Aberle, meanwhile was battling with Jayden Michaelsohn of Aberdeen, the Week 1 winner, for third.
Aabrekke would hold off Mund by 0.23 seconds for his first career feature win with Aberle surviving Michaelsohn for third. Tory Leier of Jamestown rounded out the top five.
The final race of the night was the Mini Stock feature. Dale Mittleider of Hankinson was the early leader; however there was contact between him and Chandler Dick of Lisbon on the frontstretch; that ended Dick’s night and sent Mittleider to the rear.
The fastest car on the night was the #87 of John Heacox of Lisbon. He would take over the lead and hold off late challenges from Week 1 winner Tempest Trone of Litchville for the feature win.
Layton Thompson of Lisbon was third, Weston Clauson of Katherine was fourth and Mittleider was fifth.
Sheyenne will bring back the late models next week as part of its Father Day Special.
Sheyenne Notes
--Zack Nord of Enderlin made his debut in the Wissota Midwest Modified division. He had spent recent years in the hobby stock class. It was Nord’s first racing of the season (he had run the car at Test and Tune) as farming has kept him busy. I thought he did a solid job, finishing 16th and on the lead lap in his first show.
--One of the most improved drivers at Sheyenne in the Midwest Modifieds is Laine Schwehr of Sanborn, who finished a solid sixth in the feature.
--I expect Zander Bauer of Gwinner to get a win this season in the INEX Legends. He's been running better and better and has been knocking on the door -- Sunday was a good example.
Skalicky, Jacobson Win at Buffalo River
Jesse Skalicky of Fargo won the IMCA Modified feature Sunday night at Buffalo River Speedway near Glyndon. Jamie Schulz of Harwood was second, Luke Johnson of Harwood third, Jeff Nelson of Perham fourth and Cody Peterson of Glyndon was fifth.
Scott Jacobson of Fargo won the IMCA Sport Mod feature over Vince Jegtvig of Dilworth. Justin Jones of Bemidji was third, last week’s winner Kelly Jacobson of Fargo fourth and Patrick Brejcha of Wahpeton was fifth.
Alan Truscinski of Greenbush topped Alex Truscinski of Greenbush for the feature win in the POWRi Minn-Kota Lightning Sprints. Bryce Haugeberg of West Fargo was third, Dexter of Dvergsten of Greenbush was fourth and Garrison Miller of Fargo was fifth.
Lee Williams of Fargo topped Jason Kast of Fairmont for the Short Tracker feature. Christian Kast of Fairmont was third.
Scott Herron of Brainerd picked up his second straight win in the IMCA Hobby Stocks over Chad Visser of Ironton. Andrea Jacobson of Fargo was a solid third with Caleb Gardner of Glyndon fourth and Todd Gettel of Mahnomen fifth.
Ames, Ward, Nichols, Marko Lead Casino Winners
Tyler Peterson’s feature win streak in the Wissota Modified class ended at three on Sunday at Casino Speedway as Dale Ames of Huron picked up the feature win on Sunday night.
Trevor Anderson of Watertown was second, Superman Mike Stearns of Aberdeen was third, Peterson was fourth and Tony Konold of Clear Lake was fifth.
Scott Ward of Watertown topped Chad Becker of Aberdeen for the Wissota Late Model feature win. David Carlson of Huron was third, Blake Swenson of Watertown was fourth and Josh Skorczewski of Aberdeen fifth.
Mike Nichols of Watertown won the Wissota Midwest Modified feature over Tim Kanten of Milan. Tommy Nichols of Watertown was third, Connor Blumhardt of Bath was fourth and Derek Rieck of Ortonville fifth.
Jason Marko of Watertown picked up his second Wissota Street Stock win of the season at Casino with Andy Rossow of Florence taking second. Maria Broksieck of Goodwin was third, Matt Goth of Huron fourth and Al Schmidt of Watertown fifth.
Tony Croninger of Watertown won the Viessman Late Model feature over Trajan Schmidt of Watertown. John Kaider of Lake Norden was third.
Adam VanDerostyne of Canby won the Wissota Hornet feature.
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