Two Saurers, Dykhoff, Anderson and Bitzan Capture Viking Speedway features
- tombergie01
- May 31
- 8 min read
Viking Speedway held its weekly program under smoky skies on Saturday.
Despite a lot of single-car cautions in the Wissota Midwest Modified feature, the show was done in less than three hours – which I really like as a fan and a blogger -- as two of the features went caution-free. One challenge for Viking is the time it takes at intermission to work the track, but that’s what happens with a bigger half-mile track. I thought it was a good show overall.
Tanner Bitzan of Brandon and Buzz Muzik of Brandon led the Wissota Midwest Modified field to the green. The race was plagued with cautions with a lot of mechanical breakdowns. While there were a lot of cautions, there were no major pileups at least.
Travis Engebretson of Cyrus had won the first three features at Viking; I talked to him last week and he has his sights set on the track championship at the half-mile. I was keeping an eye on him from his seventh starting spot as the 1x has been a rocket at Viking so far.
Bitzan edged ahead of Muzik for the lead on lap 1. Mid mod rookie Nic Hiles went off of turn 3 on lap 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Muzik and Haley Dykhoff of Starbuck fought for second; the caution would fly again for debris.
Hiles got into a tire in turn two. The Midwest modified class at Viking is pretty stout, and if you are a rookie like Hiles, who moved up from the hornets, it’s a major learning curve. Like many young drivers he will benefit from seat time in the class.
Dykhoff made a big charge on the outside of a restart to take the lead. The 72-year-old veteran Ron Saurer of Dalton was moving up to challenge Muzik and Bitzan for second, with Engebretson closing in. The caution would fly again for debris.
On the restart, the steady veteran Shawn Olson of Alexandria had moved into the top five.
Dykhoff’s hopes for her first win of the year were dashed when something broke on the 50H; she would slow to bring out the caution and would pull into the pits. I checked with Haley after the race and she had lost her brakes, which I’m sure was disappointing with such a fast hotrod.
Saurer would inherit the lead with Muzik and Engebretson chasing. Saurer would open a few car lengths.
Tanner Bitzan, who led early, also would pull in with a mechanical problem later in the race in what seemed to be a trend.
Olson moved into second and would be the primary chaser of Saurer. Engebretson settled into third ahead of Tyler Bitzan. Scott Oeltjen was running a solid fifth ahead of Jon Carlson of Brandon.
Ron Saurer’s lead was about 2-3 car lengths over Olson, who had Engebretson closing. Olson was pushing hard but didn’t have enough for Saurer, who showed the crowd age is just a number. He’s been behind the wheel for five decades, easily the longest-tentured racer at Viking.
Olson was second, Engebretson third, Tyler Bitzan fourth and Scott Oeltjen was fifth.
Muzik’s 23 machine also slowed after running in the top five, he would finish in eighth.
JJ Nieuwbeerta and defending Viking champion Dave Krutchen were on the front row of the Wissota Street Stock feature.
Last week’s doubleheader winner, Kyle Dykhoff of Starbuck, was in third after two laps and it was clear the 11 car was picking up where it left off last week.
It was a great three-car fight between Kruchten, Nieuwbeerta and Dykhoff, with the Wolverine Justin Vogel of Brooten lurking in fourth.
Dykhoff took the lead with 12 to go with Vogel and Nieuwbeerta locked in a fight for third. Craig Gardner of Alexnadria also was having a good night in fifth.
Dykhoff was running away again as Vogel and Kruchten went at it for second. Kruchten was third with Gardner moving up into fourth. Gardner was closing on Kruchten to third.
The lead grew to 2.2 seconds for Dykhoff, the best battle was third between Kruchten, Gardner and Joe Martin. With four to go Gardner made the pass for third on the outside as Kruchten now had to fight with Martinfor fourth.
Dykhoff’s lead grew to three seconds, and he now has three feature wins in a row at Viking. It was funny because entering last weekend, he had never won at Viking. Vogel, a former Viking champion and always a tough foe, finished second, but was 5.3 seconds back at the checkered.
It was a very encouraging run for Gardner in his #8 machine. He had a rough opening weekend during the Memorial Day doubleheader but after dropping back a bit early fought his way to third at the checkered in the caution-free race. Martin was fourth and Kruchten was fifth.
There was also some close racing for sixth between Nieuwbeerta, Brendan Scott and Tyler Klugman of Wheaton.
Matthew Dittman of Lake Lillian was the early leader of the Wissota Hornet feature over Travis Bruns with Jeff Rohner of Willmar moving into third. After a caution for Preston’s spin, Rohner moved to second on the restart and went to work on Dittman. Kreg Anderson of Alexandria was running third with Bruns in fourth an Alobertson in fifth.
Rohner worked around Dittman on the outside to take the lead with eight laps to go. Anderson, who won a feature earlier this season at Viking, was third but closing on the top two. Albertson had passed Bruns for fourth ahead of Christopher Winter Jr.
Dittman, however wasn’t done, and worked the bottom line effectively and passed Rohner for the lead with six to go and opened up about a .6 second lead. Rohner now had pressure from Anderson, and that turned into the best battle of the track. Both of them were closing on Dittman in the three-car breakaway up front. When the white flag waved the lead was .016 seconds.
The thrilling race went three-wide on the final lap and went down to the finish line, and it was Anderson who edged Rohner by inches for the win. Dittman was third with Albertson and Winter Jr. rounding out the top five. After the first lap caution, the race was a dandy.
Multi-time Viking track champion Trevor Saurer and Karter Reents of Glenwood manned the front row of the Wissota Super Stock feature.
Saurer, hugging the bottom line, opened up a .674 lead on Brady Gerdes of Villard. William Lund of Brandon and Reents were fighting for third ahead of Bailey Rosch of Alexnadria.
Matt Miller’s Mopar, which had a feature win last weekend, was lurking just outside the top five along with last Sunday’s feature winner, Ryan Satter of Dent.
Saurer’s lead grew to more than a second on Gerdes as Lund got around Reents for third. There was about a six-car pack fighting for third – Lund, Reents, Rosch, Miller, Satter and Travis Scott of Glenwood.
Up front Saurer was in control by two seconds. Reents moved up Lund for third and soon it was a fight between Reents and Rosch for the third-spot.
Saurer breezed to an unchallenged win by 2.7 seconds with Gerdes in second. Rosch would edge Reents for the third-spot in what was some excellent racing with Satter getting past Lund for fifth. It was a caution-free main event.
Last Saturday’s winner of the Wissota Modified feature, Brendan Blascyk of Hoffman, grabbed the lead over Jacob Knapper of Montevideo with Brett Hoium of Villard running in third. Dusty Bitzan of , who won last Sunday at Viking, was fourth ahead of Jason Thoennes of Garfield.
Bitzan passed Hoium for third and was closing on Knapper while Hoium was now being challenged by Gerdes in the 2X.
Knapper and Bitzan had a good fight for a few laps for second before the 10X took the spot. Gerdes had moved into fourth. The caution would wave with Matt Thoennes spinning off of turns one and two with 13 to go.
After another spin, this time the Glenwood veteran John Oeltjen went around in turns one and two, Bitzan charged after Blascyk for the lead as Gerdes was in third and Jason Thoennes capturing fourth. Bitzan would seize the lead with 11 to go as Blascyk now had Gerdes closing.
Josh Thoennes climbed into the fifth spot; he was the opening night winner at Viking. Bitzan meanwhile pushed his lead to 1.4 seconds with eight to go. A three-car battle for second was shaping up as Blascyk had Gerdes and Jason Thoennes closing. Gerdes, running his customary low lane, much like Scot Danzeisen did for many years, had took a look on Blascyk, but the bottom seemed to go away over the final laps.
Bitzan would win by 1.575 seconds over Blascyk with Gerdes in third. Jason Thoennes and Josh Thoennes rounded out the top five.
Viking Notes
--Viking Speedway is off next Saturday as I-94 EMR Speedway runs a doubleheader, which includes the King of the Dirt on June 7. Viking has some big shows coming in June – on the 14th the late models are back, and on June 21 the Fastlane Super Stock series makes its first-ever appearance at the half-mile.
--Several cars had trouble in their heats and did not make the feature. That included Chase Pourrier in the Wissota Hornets, Dustin Karl of Osakis in the Wissota Street Stocks and Bryce Sward of Nelson, driving Corey Svor’s 6X modified. Karl would not make it to the green unfortunately in his heat race. Veteran Jeff Crouse of Alexandria also did not make the call for the Wissota Super Stock feature.
Jamestown Speedway Wjns to Wibstad, Greseth, Nord, Vetter and Madler
Jaren Wibstad of Jamestown topped Kyle Anderson of Jamestown to win the Wissota Midwest Modified feature Saturday night at Jamestown Speedway. Brennon Weight of LaMoure was third, Lucas Rodin of Marion fourth and Tanner Theis of New Rockford was fifth.
Cole Greseth of Harwood won the Wissota Street Stock feature over Jodie Michaelsohn of Aberdeen.Tyler Schrenk was third, Christopher Ritter of Jamestown was fourth and Jordan Johnson of Jamestown was fifth.
John Nord of Enderlin won the IMCA Modified feature over the veteran John Corell of Jamestown. Talon Seckerson of Jamestown was third, with Isaac Sondrol of Turtle Lake was fourth and Andrew Kapp of Jamestown.
Ryker Vetter of Wishek topped Billy Carow of Jamestown for the Bomber feature win. Kelly Hoerner of Bismarck was third, Kaylie Hoerner of Bismarck was fourth and Brent Wilkinson of Jamestown was fifth.
Gage Madler of New England topped Donavin Wiest of Wishek for the INEX Legend win. Ty Olson of Mandan was third.
Caiden Davenport of Bismarck won the Sling Shots.
Saturday notes
—Tye Wilke of Detroit Lakes won the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Danny Schatz Memorial at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo on Saturday. Jeremy Kerzman of Grey Eagle was second and Ty Hanten of West Fargo was third. Laela Eisenschenk of Fargo was fifth. Sheldon Haudenschild won the WOO Sprint main event.
--Joe Thomas of Glyndon won the Wissota Modified feature Saturday night at Greenbush Race Park. Dustin Wahl of Greenbush was second and Bryce Borgen of Perley was third. Aaron Blacklance of Thief River Falls won the Wissota Midwest Modified feature over Connor Graff of Greenbush with Cylen Vargason of Edinberg third.
— Trey Hess of Grand Forks topped Greg Jose of Grand Forks for the Wissota Street Stock win at Devils Lake Speedway.
--Scott Ward of Watertown won the Wissota Late Model Challenge Series feature Saturday night at Madison Speedway. Jeff Provinzino of Hibbing was second and Dave Mass of East Bethel was third.
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