Red River Valley Speedway

World of Outlaws to return to Red River Valley Speedway in 2018

Published on November 19, 2017

The World of Outlaws in their famous four-wide salute to the fans before the 2017 main event at Red River Valley Speedway (Photo by Speedway Shots)

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO – The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will be returning to Red River Valley Speedway for the second consecutive season in 2018 on Saturday, August 18. The event will mark the 32nd year in which the World of Outlaws have visited the high-banked clay oval at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds as the series celebrates its 40th anniversary.

The 2017 event, which broke a five-year hiatus with the World of Outlaws, was one for the Red River Valley Speedway history books. An estimated 7,000 race fans from across the upper Midwest packed into the grandstands and witnessed Shane Stewart break the one-lap track record during time trials.

Third generation sprint car driver, Thomas Kennedy of Winnipeg, Manitoba was the Cinderella Story of the evening. The 27-year-old driver timed in fifth quickest of the 31 entries, won his heat race and went on to score a seventh-place finish in the main event.

Shane Stewart of Bixby, Okla. broke the RRVS track record with a lap of 11.925 seconds, averaging 113.208mph. (Photo by Speedway Shots)

Eunice, Louisiana’s Jason Johnson claimed his first career Red River Valley Speedway win after holding off Kerry Madsen and Shane Stewart.

The 2017 World of Outlaws season wrapped up Nov. 4 at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Donny Schatz claimed his ninth series title.

Schatz led the series with 20 feature wins, becoming the first driver in series history to record 20 or more wins for five consecutive seasons.

The Fargo driver has four career wins in the World of Outlaws at his home track, most recently in 2006 when he swept both nights of action.

The NLRA late models are scheduled to co-headline the event with the World of Outlaws.

World of Outlaws visit Red River Valley Speedway again in 2018 on August 18 for the Duel in the Dakotas

Published on November 18, 2017

(Ken Simon Photo)

WEST FARGO, N.D. — November 18, 2017 — The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will return to Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, North Dakota for the second consecutive year on Saturday, August 18, 2018, for the “Duel in the Dakotas.” The event will mark the 32nd A-Feature event contested by the series at the three-eighths-mile, dating back to 1981. A total of 14 drivers have picked up A-Feature wins in the series at the track during that span.

Jason Johnson scored his first win at Red River Valley Speedway this past season in his debut at the track. The 2016 winner of the Knoxville Nationals held off a hard-charging Kerry Madsen and Donny Schatz for the win.

Schatz, who calls Fargo home, has won four times at Red River Valley Speedway, including winning both nights of the 2006 “Duel in the Dakotas.” Schatz has won at least once at every track in his home state of North Dakota that the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series has competed it. He raced with the Outlaws for the first time at Red River Valley Speedway as a teenager in 1993, finishing 15th.

The 2017 campaign was another historic one for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series as 20 drivers picked up wins. Leading the way was Schatz, who scored his ninth series championship and became the first driver in series history to win 20 or more A-Feature events in five consecutive seasons. David Gravel had a career-year, earning 18 A-Feature wins, which was second only to Schatz. The 25-year-old finished third in points for the second consecutive year.

Brad Sweet was nearly as consistent as Schatz, picking up 72 top-10 finishes just two less than the champion, with 56 of those being top-fives. Sweet visited victory lane five times in 2017 en route to finishing second in points. Pittman ended up fourth in the standings while picking up three wins, with Shane Stewart, who reached victory lane eight times, rounding out the top-five in points.

Jason Johnson, who won four races finished sixth in points, followed by Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner Sheldon Haudenschild in seventh. Kraig Kinser, who had a win was eighth, with Logan Schuchart, who earned a career-high four victories, in ninth and rookie Brent Marks rounded out the top-10.

Ticket information for the 2018 “Duel in the Dakotas,” featuring the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D., on Saturday, August 18, 2018 will be available soon at www.slspromotions.com.

Twitter: @SLS_Promotions

Facebook: SLS Promotions LLC

INEX Dirt Nationals highlight season finale at Red River Valley Speedway

Published on September 28, 2017

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO – For the first time ever, Red River Valley Speedway will play host to the INEX Dirt Nationals this Friday and Saturday night. The event for the INEX legends division is the first of a series of three national events, which also cover the Asphalt Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Road Course Nationals near Atlanta.

The country’s top talent is expected to be on display both nights at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds. In turn, the track is gearing up for a record-breaking INEX legend car count.

“It’s taken a lot of work to get to this point. Jake and Sharnel (Bitker) and I are really excited to host this event in just our second year operating the race track,” said Red River Valley Speedway co-promoter Nick Skalicky.

Friday’s program will consist of time trials and two sets of heat races for the INEX legends, with the consolation races and championship main events taking place on Saturday.

“For our weekly shows, all of our legends drivers race together. But for this national event, they are placed into their respective classes and complete against their same age group and talent level,” Skalicky continued. “It’ll be pretty neat to see how our guys stack up against other drivers from around the country.”

While drivers from several states and even Australia will be in attendance this weekend, the drivers to watch out for may be Red River Valley Speedway’s own weekly competitors.

Tim Estenson stands in victory lane at Red River Valley Speedway after picking up one of his 23 wins of 2017

Tim Estenson drives down the back straightaway at Red River Valley Speedway in his No. 14 legend.

Fifteen-year-old Fargo driver, Tim Estenson, has been dominating the INEX legends division all season long at all three area weekly F-M dirt tracks. Estenson claimed track championships at Red River Valley Speedway, Buffalo River Race Park in Glyndon, Minn. and Norman County Raceway in Ada, Minn.

“It’ll be interesting to see how fast everybody is and what I can learn from them during the practice session,” said Estenson. “Even though we have the home track advantage, we just want to lay back and not let everybody see what we can do until we go racing on Friday.”

The third-year legends driver has amassed 23 wins thus far in 2017. He enters the biggest event of the year this weekend riding a three-race win streak at two of the area’s biggest races. Estenson swept the Corn Cob Nationals at Buffalo River Race Park two weeks ago, before becoming Jamestown Speedway’s first-ever Stock Car Stampede champion in the INEX legends division.

“I’m not going into this weekend looking to extend that streak. I’m just like any other driver trying to be just as competitive as everybody else. I try to take things one race at a time and go for the win if I can.”

Even though Estenson has been racing multiple times a week, every week, since early May, preparation for this event began back around late July-early August.

“We’ve been preparing for this race for a couple months now,” he said. “Going over setups and using different weights on the car and different tire measurements. We’ve been working hard to make sure our car is just as good as everybody else’s so we can get up to the front.”

Estenson currently leads the Semi-Pro Dirt national points standings.

Tye Wilke of Detroit Lakes, Minn. will be another driver to watch out for. Wilke currently leads the Young Lion Dirt national point standings in just his second year behind the wheel of an INEX legend car.

While the INEX legends will be highlighted this weekend, Red River Valley Speedway will be putting on a full racing program each night. The IMCA sportmods, IMCA hobby stocks, and WISSOTA super stocks will be taking the high-banked, three-eighths mile clay oval as well on Friday.

On Saturday, the IMCA modifieds return for their final appearance of 2017, along with the IMCA sportmods and IMCA stock cars.

Racing will be starting an hour earlier than the weekly summer shows, with the green flag dropping at 6p.m.

INEX legends race three-wide around turn four at Red River Valley Speedway.

RACING SCHEDULE: September 28 – 30

Published on September 11, 2017

QUICK LINKS:

ALL CLASSES: Click HERE to download/print the September 28th – 30th flyer

LEGEND CARS: Click HERE for Dirt Nationals schedule of events

IMCA HOBBY STOCKS: Click HERE for special payout information

WISSOTA SUPER STOCKS: Click HERE for schedule and payout information

PARKING MAP: Click HERE

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

(Click HERE for schedule of events)

(Click HERE for payout information)

(Click HERE for schedule and payout information)

Friday, September 29th Sponsors:

(Click HERE for schedule of events)

Saturday, September 30th Sponsors:

DETAILS:

Grandstand Admission (Friday & Saturday):
Adults: $10
Ages 6 – 12: $5
5 & Under: FREE
College Students: $5 (With current college ID)

Buy discounted tickets online:

Advanced discounted ticket location:
Performance Auto – 3401 1/2 Interstate Blvd – Fargo, ND

We’ll have:
– The Nugget Vending Candy Toss
– The Fast Lane Car Wash T-shirt cannon
– 50/50 Tickets
– Red River Valley Speedway apparel
– Delicious concession food & ice-cold beverages

Social Media:
Website – redrivervalleyspeedway.com
Facebook – facebook.com/redrivervalleyspeedway
Twitter – twitter.com/rrvspeedway
Instagram – instagram.com/redrivervalleyspeedway
Snapchat – snapchat.com/add/rrvspeedway
Youtube – http://tiny.cc/RRVS

Perks:
– Bring in a 2017 Red River Valley Speedway race ticket or pit wristband to Hagge’s Bar & Grill or BorderTown Bar and Grill and receive one drink FREE with the purchase of another drink! (Per person. Per visit.)

– Bring in a 2017 Red River Valley Speedway race ticket to Bernie’s Wines & Liquors and receive $2 off a case of beer! (West Fargo location only)

Text Alerts:
Text the keyword “Stagger” to 84483

Red River Valley Speedway:
1805 Main Avenue West – West Fargo, ND

PARKING MAP:

Dave Shipley claims Red River Valley Speedway modified track championship

Published on August 26, 2017

Dave Shipley scored the 2017 Red River Valley Speedway IMCA modified track championship (Photo courtesy Speedway Shots)

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO – Friday night’s season championship at Red River Valley Speedway was washed out due to rain, bringing an end to the regular season. As a result, Dave Shipley of Fargo was crowned the 2017 IMCA modified track champion.

Shipley took the title by 18 points over Hickson’s Tyler Peterson. Rob VanMil, Rich Pavlicek, and Michael Greseth rounded out the top five in points.

Shipley recorded two wins at the three-eighths mile dirt oval in 2017. Dale Kraling and Greseth also scored a pair of wins, while Austin Arneson led all drivers with five victories this season. A total of 65 different drivers competed in modified division this season; the most among all five weekly divisions.

Jesse Skalicky picked up his second consecutive IMCA Sport Mod track championship. The Fargo driver dominated the wins category with eight triumphs on the season. Chris VanMil finished second in points, 14 markers behind Skalicky, with two wins on the season. Kelly Jacobson, Luke Johnson and Matt Talley rounded out the top five.

Brandon Schmidt and Tim Church had some of the best battles seen all season long at Red River Valley Speedway in the IMCA hobby stock division. In the end, Schmidt took the hobby stock championship by 27 points over Church. Schmidt led the class with four wins to Church’s and Tim Shiek’s three wins. Eric Novacek, Alyssa White, and Shiek rounded out the top five in points.

The IMCA stock cars were the most competitive class of the season, with eight different drivers parking in victory lane over the course of the season. Consistency was the key for Kelly Jacobson as his 10 top fives pushed him atop the standings. Tim Compson, Rick Schulz, John Sandvig, and Duffy Froemke, who led the division with three wins, rounded out the top five in points.

All season long the INEX legends were dominated by 15-year-old Tim Estenson. Estenson of Fargo won exactly half of the races with seven victories. He took the points title over Tye Wilke, Kaitlyn Skalicky, Dean Julsrud, and Andrew Jochim.

Red River Valley Speedway’s 50th anniversary wraps up with the two-night INEX Legends Nationals. The country’s top legends drivers will be going up against the stout local competition for their biggest race of the year. IMCA Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks will also be in action both nights.

The NLRA rumble returns to Red River Valley Speedway tonight!

Published on August 23, 2017

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO, N.D. (August 23, 2017) – Tonight, Red River Valley Speedway plays host to the best Late Model drivers in the upper Midwest as the Northern Late Model Racing Association (NLRA) takes on the semi-banked three-eighths mile clay oval. The event, which is presented by The Forum, Bernie’s Wine & Liquor, Corwin Automotive, and Inland Truck Parts & Service, will mark the first and only appearance of the season by the 650+ horsepower, full bodied machines.

Four-time WISSOTA Late Model national champion, Ricky Weiss, will bring in a 68 point lead over three-time and defending NLRA champion, Brad Seng. Weiss, perhaps, is one of the drivers that brings in the most experience on Red River Valley Speedway’s three-eighths mile configuration. The Headingly, MB driver leads all drivers with four career wins on the smaller racing surface, dating back to 2010.

On the other side of the coin, Seng comes into the midweek special with the most momentum. The driver of the S&S Transport No. 12S is the latest winner on the NLRA tour after picking up the win on Saturday at Devils Lake Speedway. The win, which was his fourth of the season, propelled him past Dustin Strand in the points into second.

The NLRA had a pair of dates on the Red River Valley Speedway schedule in 2016 and saw two different winners park in KRJB 106.5FM Victory Lane. Hometown driver Cole Schill claimed the first win of the season in front of a large contingent of family, friends and fans after holding off Seng in the closing laps.

Strand won the second NLRA show in 2016 in a dominating performance in front of nearly 6,500 race fans during the Red River Valley Fair.

Schill won’t be the only hometown driver in the field. The event will also be a homecoming for West Fargo driver, Jeff Hapala. Hapala has also seen victory lane at Red River Valley Speedway’s three-eighths mile, with wins in 2010 and 2012 in the WISSOTA Super Stock division. Hapala also recorded a runner-up finish in the Super Stock points in 2012.

The third West Fargo driver joining the field this evening will be none other than eight-time and defending World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series champion, Donny Schatz. After claiming NLRA wins at Red River Co-op Speedway in Winnipeg and River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks last week, Schatz will be looking for his third win in as many races at the track he calls home.

Meet & Greet:

NLRA drivers Donny Schatz, Brad Seng, Dustin Strand and Cole Schill will be signing autographs, handing out driver cards, and taking pictures in front of the grandstands this evening from 6:00-6:30pm.

NLRA Notebook:

Previous NLRA Feature Winners at the Red River Valley Speedway:

2016 – Cole Schill on June 24; Dustin Strand on July 17

2012 – Marshall Fegers on May 5; Matt Aukland on June 20; Dustin Strand on August 25

2011 – Jake Redetzke on June 23; Corey Seckerson on August 17

2010 – Chad Becker on July 14

2009 – Brad Seng on June 20

Red River Valley Speedway Late Model Wins List on 3/8th Mile (2010-2017):

Ricky Weiss: 4
Dustin Strand: 3
Cole Schill: 2
Jeremy Keller: 2
Cody Skytland: 2
Matt Aukland: 2
Mike Balcaen: 1
Brad Seng 1
Zach Johnson: 1
Harold Schill: 1
Chad Becker: 1
Corey Seckerson: 1
Jake Redetzke: 1
Marshall Fegers: 1

CAR SHOW PLUS NLRA LATE MODELS: Wednesday, August 23

Published on August 22, 2017

Do you have a classic car or hot rod that you’d like to show off? Bring it to the races!
– Setup will be from 4:30pm to 5pm in the Grandstands parking lot.
– Car show will be from 5pm to 7pm
– 7pm – Races

*The NLRA Late Models will headline the night of racing. See World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion Donny Schatz wheel his #15 Late Model!

Picture Courtesy: www.donnyschatzmotorsports.com

* We will have a meet and greet with NLRA Late Model drivers Donny Schatz, Brad Seng, Dustin Strand, and Cole Schill in Victory Lane from 6:00pm – 6:30pm. Meet the drivers and get autographs!

* COLLEGE STUDENTS: Get into the races for only $5! (Present your current college ID at the ticket window)

Wednesday, August 23rd Sponsors: The Forum, Inland Truck Parts & Service, Corwin, Bernie’s Wines & Liquors

Racing divisions this week:
NLRA Late Models
All Finish Concrete IMCA Modifieds
Eide Bailly IMCA Sport Mods
A Transmission City IMCA Hobby Stocks
Petermann Seeds INEX Legends
*NO STOCK CARS

Times:
Pit Gates Open: 4:30pm
Grandstands Open: 5:30pm
Draw Cutoff: 6:30pm
Racing Starts: 7:00pm

Grandstand Admission:
Adults: $13
Ages 6 – 12: $5
5 & Under: FREE
College Students: $5 (With current college ID)

Buy discounted tickets online:

Advanced discounted ticket location:
Performance Auto – 3401 1/2 Interstate Blvd – Fargo, ND

Buy World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series “Duel in the Dakotas” tickets:

We’ll have:
– The HotSpring Spas & Pool Tables Duck Toss
– The Nugget Vending Candy Toss
– The Fast Lane Car Wash T-shirt cannon
– 50/50 Tickets
– Red River Valley Speedway apparel
– Delicious concession food & ice-cold beverages

Listen LIVE:
Can’t make it to the race? Tune-in to 106.5 KRJB for LIVE racing coverage. You can also listen online at: www.rjbroadcasting.com
Pre-race coverage begins at 6:45pm.

Text Alerts:
Text the keyword “Stagger” to 84483

Red River Valley Speedway:
1805 Main Avenue West – West Fargo, ND

Lodging:
La Quinta Inn & Suites
2355 46th St South
Fargo, ND 58104
Call: 1-701-499-2000

Rodin Dominates Sanders Mod Tour for First Career Win

Published on August 19, 2017

Photo: L to R: Race winner, Lucas Rodin, stands in victory lane with the Todd Sanders Family, along with 2nd place finisher, Austin Arneson. Courtesy of Steven Olson.

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO, N.D. (August 18, 2017) – A stout field of 40 IMCA Modifeds were checked in Friday for night two of the Sanders Modified Challenge Tour at Red River Valley Speedway. In a dominating performance, Lucas Rodin captured the checkered flag for his first career Modified win at the semi-banked three-eighths mile dirt oval.

“I just had to hold it to the floor pretty much the whole way around just to get the car to turn,” said Rodin in KRJB/KRJM Victory Lane. “I tried to stay around the bottom and avoid as many holes as I could and it worked out for us.”

Rodin grabbed the lead on lap one from the third starting position as Dale Kraling, Dave Shipley and Trent Grager battled for second.

Rodin steadily distanced himself from the field as the race advanced and was able to efficiently slice his way through heavy lapped traffic.

The only thing that could slow Rodin was the caution flag, which flew with five laps remaining. Kraling and Shipley, both of which have feature wins at RRVS in 2017, lined up on the rear bumper of Rodin for the ensuing restart.

As the race resumed, 13th place starter, Austin Arneson was the man on the move as he worked his way from fifth to second. Arneson had five car lengths between himself and Rodin with two to go, but he was never able to reel him in.

Rodin drove two flawless circuits as he cruised to the win over Arneson, Kraling, Shipley, and Troy Heupel.

“I just threw it in on the bottom and it seemed like it would hit a hole and help the car turn. It’ll be nice to go back to Jamestown tomorrow,” said Rodin, referring to the third stop on the Sanders Mod Tour, which is his hometrack. “There’s a lot of competition on this tour. We’ll just check the car over and get it ready for Saturday.”

Arneson took over the Sanders Mod Tour point lead with his second place finish.

Jesse Skalicky collected his second IMCA SportMod win of the weekend after taking the checkers Thursday night at Norman County Raceway. The Fargo, N.D. driver started fifth on the grid before taking the lead and the win.

Fifteen-year-old Tim Estenson recorded his 17th INEX Legends win of the season. Estenson started way back in 11th, but methodically charged his way through the field. In the closing laps, Estenson had to hold off 12th place starter, Troy Hoff, en route to the victory.

Bismarck’s Eric Harpole started on the pole and picked up the IMCA Stock Car feature win. Harpole beat Rick Schulz, Tim Compson, Rob VanMil, and Aaron Olson to the M&J Auto Parts checkered flag.

RESULTS:

All Finish Concrete IMCA Modifieds

Sander’s Metal Products A Feature 1: 1. 19-Lucas Rodin, [3]; 2. 10-Austin Arneson, [13]; 3. 7-Dale Kraling, [1]; 4. 72-Dave Shipley, [7]; 5. 4T-Troy Heupel, [4]; 6. 4D-Rob VanMil, [9]; 7. 84-Michael Johnson, [11]; 8. 4500-Cody Peterson, [17]; 9. 1TPO-Tyler Peterson, [19]; 10. 5T-Marcus Tomlinson, [20]; 11. 2-Josh Eberhardt, [18]; 12. 71-Trent Grager, [2]; 13. 43-Lance Schilling, [16]; 14. 22B-Josh Beaulieu, [21]; 15. 69-Justin Jones, [24]; 16. 43L-Luke Schilling, [23]; 17. 17-Rich Pavlicek, [6]; 18. (DNF) 99-Cale Arneson, [8]; 19. (DNF) 38-Tailin Tommerdahl, [22]; 20. (DNF) 12-Greg Friestad, [14]; 21. (DNF) 7B-Bryce Bjerken, [15]; 22. (DNF) 86C-Darren Pfau, [12]; 23. (DNF) 21M-Dev Malmlov, [10]; 24. (DNF) 17G-Michael Greseth, [5]

Sander’s Metal Products B Feature 1: 1. 84-Michael Johnson, [2]; 2. 10-Austin Arneson, [3]; 3. 7B-Bryce Bjerken, [1]; 4. 4500-Cody Peterson, [7]; 5. 1TPO-Tyler Peterson, [8]; 6. 43L-Luke Schilling, [13]; 7. 22B-Josh Beaulieu, [10]; 8. 87H-Brad Hartigan, [5]; 9. 43C-Craig Larson, [15]; 10. 18-Randy Gordon, [12]; 11. (DNF) 21S-Terry Sahr, [14]; 12. (DNF) 60-Tyler Hall, [4]; 13. (DNF) 119-Chad Bush, [11]; 14. (DNF) 442-Aaron Johnson, [9]; (DQ) 191-Bryce Bjerke, [6]

Sander’s Metal Products B Feature 2: 1. 86C-Darren Pfau, [11]; 2. 12-Greg Friestad, [7]; 3. 43-Lance Schilling, [2]; 4. 2-Josh Eberhardt, [10]; 5. 5T-Marcus Tomlinson, [6]; 6. 38-Tailin Tommerdahl, [1]; 7. 69-Justin Jones, [8]; 8. 17X-Tommy Lee, [4]; 9. 52-Brennan Borg, [3]; 10. 15T-Myles Tomlinson, [5]; 11. 27-Jerry Lamb, [12]; 12. 24X-Tom Silver, [9]; 13. 179-Andrew Mack, [15]; 14. (DNF) 12C-Nickolis Curtis, [13]; 15. (DNF) 4V-Billy Vogel, [14]

Sander’s Metal Products Heat 1: 1. 4T-Troy Heupel, [2]; 2. 4D-Rob VanMil, [4]; 3. 7B-Bryce Bjerken, [3]; 4. 52-Brennan Borg, [8]; 5. 191-Bryce Bjerke, [5]; 6. 69-Justin Jones, [6]; 7. 119-Chad Bush, [7]; 8. (DNF) 12C-Nickolis Curtis, [1]

Sander’s Metal Products Heat 2: 1. 19-Lucas Rodin, [1]; 2. 17G-Michael Greseth, [5]; 3. 38-Tailin Tommerdahl, [3]; 4. 60-Tyler Hall, [7]; 5. 5T-Marcus Tomlinson, [6]; 6. 442-Aaron Johnson, [8]; 7. 86C-Darren Pfau, [4]; 8. 21S-Terry Sahr, [2]

Sander’s Metal Products Heat 3: 1. 71-Trent Grager, [4]; 2. 21M-Dev Malmlov, [5]; 3. 84-Michael Johnson, [6]; 4. 17X-Tommy Lee, [1]; 5. 4500-Cody Peterson, [2]; 6. 24X-Tom Silver, [3]; 7. 18-Randy Gordon, [8]; 8. (DNF) 4V-Billy Vogel, [7]

Sander’s Metal Products Heat 4: 1. 99-Cale Arneson, [3]; 2. 72-Dave Shipley, [1]; 3. 43-Lance Schilling, [2]; 4. 87H-Brad Hartigan, [6]; 5. 12-Greg Friestad, [8]; 6. 22B-Josh Beaulieu, [7]; 7. 27-Jerry Lamb, [4]; 8. (DNF) 43C-Craig Larson, [5]

Sander’s Metal Products Heat 5: 1. 17-Rich Pavlicek, [2]; 2. 7-Dale Kraling, [3]; 3. 10-Austin Arneson, [4]; 4. 15T-Myles Tomlinson, [1]; 5. 1TPO-Tyler Peterson, [8]; 6. 2-Josh Eberhardt, [5]; 7. 43L-Luke Schilling, [6]; 8. 179-Andrew Mack, [7]

Eide Bailly Sport Mod

A Feature 1: 1. 3S-Jesse Skalicky, [5]; 2. 44D-Chris VanMil, [3]; 3. 3W-Aaron Wetterlin, [11]; 4. 76-Reile Sailer, [10]; 5. 68-Dan Evert, [13]; 6. 12T-Brandon Tendeland, [14]; 7. 51-Kelly Jacobson, [2]; 8. 6-Austin Veralrud, [8]; 9. 55-Kenneth Bye, [9]; 10. 47-Kreig Kasin, [17]; 11. 22-Vince Jegtvig, [12]; 12. 15-Matthew Clark, [16]; 13. (DNF) E-6-Kevin Veraldrud, [1]; 14. (DNF) 3X-Andy Wagner, [7]; 15. (DNF) 13C-Paul Colvin, [15]; (DQ) 8-Billy Michaelsohn, [6]; (DQ) 5T-Matt Talley, [4]

Heat 1: 1. 8-Billy Michaelsohn, [1]; 2. 3X-Andy Wagner, [5]; 3. 6-Austin Veralrud, [2]; 4. E-6-Kevin Veraldrud, [6]; 5. 68-Dan Evert, [3]; 6. 15-Matthew Clark, [4]

Heat 2: 1. 3S-Jesse Skalicky, [2]; 2. 76-Reile Sailer, [1]; 3. 44D-Chris VanMil, [5]; 4. 5T-Matt Talley, [3]; 5. 12T-Brandon Tendeland, [6]; 6. 47-Kreig Kasin, [4]

Heat 3: 1. 3W-Aaron Wetterlin, [3]; 2. 51-Kelly Jacobson, [1]; 3. 22-Vince Jegtvig, [5]; 4. 55-Kenneth Bye, [2]; 5. 13C-Paul Colvin, [4]

Petermann Seeds INEX Legends

A Feature 1: 1. 14T-Tim Estenson, [11]; 2. 86-Troy Hoff, [12]; 3. 18-Joshua Julsrud, [4]; 4. 21-Andrew Jochim, [5]; 5. 6-Chad Sogge, [1]; 6. 5D8-Dylan Johnson, [10]; 7. 79-Scott Richardson, [6]; 8. 5-Dean Julsrud, [2]; 9. 69-Brian Hanson, [9]; 10. 15-Mariah Henriksen, [20]; 11. 20-Alex Braseth, [13]; 12. D1RT-Tony Brockhouse, [14]; 13. 7-Cade Sogge, [15]; 14. 29-Brandon Erickson, [17]; 15. 24-Shaun Erickson, [21]; 16. H20-Darrell Buckingham, [19]; 17. (DNF) B1-Brody Carlsrud, [16]; 18. (DNF) 72-Tye Wilke, [7]; 19. (DNF) 28-Casey Henriksen, [8]; 20. (DNF) 29B-Ryan Braseth, [18]; 21. (DNF) 8JR-Kaitlyn Skalicky, [3]

Heat 1: 1. 86-Troy Hoff, [4]; 2. 5D8-Dylan Johnson, [2]; 3. 79-Scott Richardson, [1]; 4. 8JR-Kaitlyn Skalicky, [3]; 5. 20-Alex Braseth, [5]; 6. B1-Brody Carlsrud, [7]; 7. (DNF) H20-Darrell Buckingham, [6]

Heat 2: 1. 6-Chad Sogge, [1]; 2. 21-Andrew Jochim, [6]; 3. 28-Casey Henriksen, [2]; 4. 72-Tye Wilke, [3]; 5. D1RT-Tony Brockhouse, [7]; 6. 29-Brandon Erickson, [4]; 7. 15-Mariah Henriksen, [5]

Heat 3: 1. 14T-Tim Estenson, [6]; 2. 18-Joshua Julsrud, [7]; 3. 5-Dean Julsrud, [4]; 4. 69-Brian Hanson, [3]; 5. 7-Cade Sogge, [2]; 6. 29B-Ryan Braseth, [1]; 7. 24-Shaun Erickson, [5]

The Audio Garage Stock Cars

A Feature 1: 1. 87-Eric Harpole, [1]; 2. 4-Rick Schulz, [7]; 3. 49-Tim Compson, [4]; 4. 40-Rob VanMil, [3]; 5. 14-Aaron Olson, [8]; 6. 76Z-John Sandvig, [2]; 7. 21-Duffy Froemke, [9]; 8. 72-Adam Geist, [5]; 9. 85-Ernest Geist, [10]; 10. (DNF) 82-MIke Anderson, [6]

Heat 1: 1. 49-Tim Compson, [3]; 2. 87-Eric Harpole, [5]; 3. 14-Aaron Olson, [2]; 4. 76Z-John Sandvig, [4]; 5. (DNF) 85-Ernest Geist, [1]

Heat 2: 1. 4-Rick Schulz, [2]; 2. 40-Rob VanMil, [1]; 3. 21-Duffy Froemke, [4]; 4. 82-MIke Anderson, [3]; 5. 72-Adam Geist, [5]

A long awaited return: World of Outlaws Sprint Cars invade Red River Valley Speedway on Saturday

Published on August 18, 2017

Donny Schatz will look for his fifth career World of Outlaws win at Red River Valley Speedway on Saturday (Photo Courtesy: Speedway Shots)

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO – Another chapter will be written in the Red River Valley Speedway (RRVS) history books Saturday night as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars make their highly anticipated return to West Fargo. The event, which was originally scheduled for June 17th, but was postponed due to rain, will mark the 31st appearance by the 900+ horsepower winged sprint cars at RRVS.

Leading the way is eight-time and defending World of Outlaws champion and Fargo’s own, Donny Schatz.

Schatz is riding a wave of momentum this weekend after capturing his 10th Knoxville Nationals title at the famed Knoxville (IA) Raceway last Saturday night.

“The Knoxville Nationals are something you look forward to at the beginning of the year. You’re excited about it whether you have or haven’t won it before. It’s what makes or breaks your year. We were able to put ourselves in a position to win it again this year and it means the world to everybody on the team,” said Schatz, who had to fend off NASCAR star Kyle Larson on the final lap to claim the $150,000 victory.

“We’re still enjoying (the win), but we are also looking forward to this weekend. With the Outlaws running in Grand Forks, Fargo, and Minot, it’s going to kind of be a dream weekend for me,” he said.

Despite living in Minot in his younger days, Schatz still competed weekly at RRVS in the early 1990s and considered the West Fargo clay oval a home track. Schatz quickly saw success in the WISSOTA 360 sprint car division and became a fan favorite in Fargo before he moved up to World of Outlaws ranks in 1997.

“It’s always special to come back and race at Red River Valley Speedway. You know a majority of the people you’re going to see,” Schatz said. “The track is just minutes away from where I live and most of my family is from around here. There is just something about being able to sleep in your own bed the same night you race at your home track.”

The World of Outlaws have made just one visit to RRVS since the track was reconfigured from a half-mile to a three-eighths mile track in 2010. Since then, Schatz has gotten laps on the smaller racing surface with the All Star Circuit of Champion sprint cars and the NLRA Late Models. Despite all of that on-track experience over the last handful of years, Schatz says the key to being fast is relying on setups that have been working as of late, even if they are for different tracks.

“You have to stick with your basics and parameters you’ve set and know that work at all of the different places,” he said. “The team changes little things from place to place to account for the different dirt and speeds that you go. For the most part, you start with a pretty basic setup and try to work from there.”

This weekend’s three-race trek through North Dakota is just a small drop in the bucket in comparison to the complete 94-race schedule the World of Outlaws are enduring this season. In his quest for his ninth series championship, Schatz is in good shape thus far with an 82 point lead atop the point standings with 27 races remaining.

“We’re going to have to stay after it to get the championship this year. There’s never too much of a buffer when you’re leading the points,” he said. “At the same point, we don’t really race for points, we race to win each night. As the season winds down, everything becomes more important and you don’t want to make any mistakes. There’s more pressure on me and the race team and we are all up for it. Hopefully, we can be in a position a couple months from now we’re looking at championship number nine. But if not, it’s not going to go without a hard fought fight.”

The Outlaws’ latest threat:

Twenty-five year old Watertown, Conn. driver, David Gravel, has been the most impressive up-and-comer the World of Outlaws have seen in its youth movement over the last couple of years. Gravel is having a breakout season in 2017, compiling 13 victories to date, which is second-most on the Outlaw tour to Schatz.

Gravel also turned heads last weekend at the Knoxville Nationals by completing a “perfect night” on his qualifying night. Gravel was the fastest driver in time trials and won both his heat race and the feature to earn the pole for Saturday night’s championship feature. In doing so, Gravel became the first driver since Steve Kinser in 1992 to accomplish that feat at Knoxville.

“We were the best car all week,” said Gravel. “On our qualifying night, I was worried about getting a good pill draw for time trials and transferring through my heat race. Thankfully, we were able to do that all with flying colors.”

After preliminary action was complete, Gravel was a favorite entering championship night on Saturday. In the first half of the race, Gravel lived up to the expectations as he led the first 22 circuits. However, a mechanical failure forced him to retire from the event early, dashing his hopes of taking the Knoxville title.

Gravel will look to rebound this weekend in North Dakota.

After winning at River Cities Speedway in June, Gravel will look to pick up the season sweep at the Grand Forks three-tenths mile clay oval in his CJB Motorsports No. 5.

“If we can win again at River Cities, that would be great,” continued Gravel. “That’s been Schatz’s track over the years, but we still have a shot at (the championship) this season so we are going to try to kick him off his block and win a bunch more races.”

In his three previous starts at Red River Valley Speedway, Gravel has a best finish of third, which came in 2011 with the All Star Circuit of Champions. Like many other drivers in the World of Outlaws field, Gravel hasn’t seen RRVS for several years. He says he looks forward to Saturday because it will be a new track for almost all of the drivers and no one will have a distinct advantage.

“It’s good to go to tracks that people haven’t been to in awhile. It equals the playing field a bit,” he said. “I’m looking forward to going somewhere new and fresh. We should have a good crowd just like we do in Grand Forks and hopefully, we can have a good night.”

Tickets for Saturday’s “Duel in the Dakotas” event, featuring World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series at RRVS can be purchased online at slspromotions.ticketforce.com or by phone at 815-344-2023.

Considered the best duo in sprint car racing, Donny Schatz (left) stands next to his crew chief, Ricky Warner (right).

Fans can also save $5 on General Admission tickets when purchased at participating NAPA Auto Parts stores. Tickets buyers will exchange their NAPA receipt for a race ticket at the Main Grandstand ticket booth on race day.

Plenty of Laps: Jac Haudenschild returns to Red River Valley Speedway

Published on August 16, 2017

(Kelly Brown Photo)

WEST FARGO, N.D. — August 16, 2017 — Jac Haudenschild has raced in more World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series main events at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D., than any other driver who is expected to compete with the series at the track this weekend. The Ohio native circled the track for the first time with the Outlaws back in 1986 and has made 38 starts with the series at Red River Valley Speedway in the years following. Haudenschild has a pair of wins in his Hall of Fame career at the track, including in his most recent visit to the now three-eighths-mile in 2012. That victory came with the Arctic Car All Star Circuit of Champions.

Haudenschild returns to Red River Valley Speedway this weekend with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series for the Gerdau Recycling Duel in the Dakotas on Saturday, August 19. The event was originally scheduled for June 17 and postponed by inclement weather. All tickets and pit pass armbands from the originally scheduled date will be honored on Saturday.

“We haven’t been there and seen the track in a few years, so we’ll take a look at it when we get there and see how that compares to what I remember from there in the past,” said Haudenschild. “We are with a good team and in a good race car, so we should be able to adapt when we get there and hopefully have a good run.”

In his last three starts with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at Red River Valley Speedway, Haudenschild has finished on the podium in each and every one. Over the years, the native of Wooster, Ohio has racked up 27 top-10 finishes at the track, the most of any active driver with the series, with 17 of those being top-five performances.

“We enjoy going to the high banked tracks, so Fargo should be a good one for us,” Haudenschild said. “Those are types of tracks where you have to keep your speed and momentum up and that seems to fit my driving style.”

The Hall of Famer pilots the No. 17 machine for the Stenhouse Jr. Wood Racing team, which is in their first full season on the road with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. Haudenschild climbed behind the wheel for the team near the end of June. In his second start with the team, he suffered a concussion, which kept him out of action for three races. The veteran driver picked up his best finish with the team recently on the opening night of the Ironman 55 weekend at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Missouri, coming home eighth.

The team scored their first World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series win back on June 13, when Kyle Larson won a thriller at Eagle Raceway in Nebraska, driving the team’s back-up car, as a “test session.”

“It’s good to work with a new team,” Haudenschild noted. “We’re all working hard and learning and things seems to be going pretty good. We’ve only been in the car for a little over a month, so everything is still coming together. We’ll just keep at it and hopefully we can keep getting faster and have solid runs.”

Haudenschild is paired with veteran crew chief Tyler Swank, who joined the Stenhouse Jr. Wood Racing team prior to this season. Like Haudenschild, Swank has been on the road for a large portion of his career and has a big notebook to draw from, when it comes to tracks the Outlaws race at.

“The biggest thing with a new team is working with the mechanic and getting the car as close as you can,” Haudenschild explained. “Everyone is so fast out here and has been working on things for half the season, so we are trying to get up to speed as quick as we can. Things seems to be going in the right direction.”

Being back on the road with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series has afforded Haudenschild the opportunity to race with and against his son, Sheldon, night in and night out. The younger Haudenschild is in the midst of his rookie season with the Outlaws and has been very impressive, recording 25 top-10 finishes to date, with nine of those being top-five runs. S. Haudenschild has also led a number of laps as he closes in on his first-career Outlaws win. The elder Haudenschild has 56 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series wins in his illustrious career, which is 13^th on the series all-time win list.

“It’s been a lot of fun getting to race against Sheldon out here,” said J. Haudenschild. “He’s been fast and having a good season. Hopefully we can get up front and run with him, since that’s where he’s been running most of this season.”

Tickets for the “Duel in the Dakotas,” featuring World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, North Dakota, on Saturday, June 17 can be purchased online at slspromotions.ticketforce.com or by phone at 815-344-2023.

All tickets and pit pass armbands from the originally scheduled race on June 17 will be honored on Saturday, August 19.

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