Tag Archives: La Quinta Inn & Suites

Sprint Cars Highlight Fair Special at Red River Valley Speedway

Posted on by Posted in NEWS

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO – Sunday evening the Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA sprint cars make their first and only appearance of 2017 at Red River Valley Speedway. The 410 cubic inch (c.i.) winged sprint cars always bring in the biggest names in sprint car racing in the upper Midwest, including Grand Forks’ Wade Nygaard.

Nygaard, who is the nine-time and defending NOSA sprint car champion, has countless wins at Red River Valley Speedway’s half-mile configuration but says the newer three-eighths mile layout evens up the playing field.

“All the miles I’ve put on at Red River Valley Speedway were on the big track so it’s a bit of an adjustment now racing on the smaller track,” said Nygaard, who has over 250 wins tallied over a 27 year career. “I bet I don’t have any more laps around the three-eighths mile than anybody else.”

Back when Red River Valley Speedway hosted weekly 360c.i. sprint car racing, Nygaard competed regularly in his Auto Finance Super Center No. 9N machine and had built up a big fanbase in the process.

“It’s going to be nice to get to see some of my old friends and fans who don’t get to make it to the races much in Grand Forks,” Nygaard continued. “It would be great to cap off the night with a trip to victory lane.”

Among the strong contingent of talent is Harwood’s Lee Grosz.

Grosz travels the Midwest competing in events from Nebraska to Iowa, and all through South Dakota. Sunday will be a homecoming for Grosz, as he will also get to compete in front of family and friends.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back to Red River Valley Speedway,” said Grosz, who just picked up a feature win in Jackson, Minn. last Saturday. “We don’t race around the area much so to be able to race in my hometown is going to be really special. I’ve had this one circled on the calendar all year. It’s always fun to be racing in front of your family, friends, and sponsors.”

Despite running a smaller 360c.i. motor against the bigger 410c.i. powerplants of the NOSA sprints, Grosz is still a favorite each time his No. 4J enters the pit area. Grosz last topped the NOSA sprints in 2013 at Norman County Raceway in Ada, Minn. In his only appearance against the NOSA sprints in 2017, Grosz charged to a solid eighth place finish at Norman County Raceway on June 22nd.

Racing starts at 6pm Sunday at Red River Valley Speedway. The race is free to attend after purchasing a Red River Valley Fair gate admission. The IMCA Modifieds will be co-headlining the event with the NOSA Sprints.

Kraling picks up win at Red River Valley Speedway

Posted on by Posted in NEWS

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO—Veteran modified driver Dale Kraling picked up his first win on Red River Valley Speedway’s three-eighths mile track Friday night.

The Mayville, N.D., driver, who has countless wins on the old half-mile, started sixth on the field before taking second from Tim Thomas on just the second circuit. Last Sunday night’s winner at Buffalo River Race Park, Michael Greseth followed Kraling into the third spot with five laps in the books.

In a matter of four laps, Kraling erased pole position starter, Michael Johnson’s, advantage as the race for the lead was on. Kraling took the top spot as the lead duo entered lapped traffic.

Once out front, Kraling was gone.

The driver of the No. 7 Modified checked out from the rest of the field, taking the win by a staggering five-and-a-half second. In the process, Kraling lapped up to eighth.

Johnson, Darren Pfau, Greseth, and Thursday night’s winner at Norman County Raceway, Tyler Peterson, rounded out the top five.

After a three-wide pass for the lead, Luke Johnson of Moorhead controlled the pace of the IMCA Sport Mod main event. Johnson got by Dustin Hartwig and Kenneth Bye before opening up a sizable advantage over second place.

In the late going, 10th place starter, Jesse Skalicky, moved into second, but he didn’t have enough time to reel in Johnson. The win was Johnson’s second at RRVS of the season and seventh overall.

With four laps remaining in the IMCA stock car feature, Rich Schulz stole the lead from Bismarck’s Eric Harpole. Schulz utilized the low groove exiting turn two to get by Harpole and distance himself from the field. The win marked Schulz’s second of the season at RRVS.

Troy Hoff scored his first win of the season at RRVS in the INEX Legends. The driver hailing from Flasher started on the pole and held off a hard charging Tim Estenson in the closing laps to record his eighth overall win of 2017.

Tim Church picked up his seventh win of 2017 in the IMCA hobby stocks. The driver out of Moorhead grabbed the lead away from Tim Shiek with seven laps to go before cruising to KRJB 106.5FM Victory Lane.

RESULTS

Modifieds
Feature: 1. Dale Kraling, Mayville, N.D. 2. Michael Johnson, Moorhead. 3. Darren Pfau, Fargo. 4. Michael Greseth, Harwood, N.D. 5. Tyler Peterson, Hickson, N.D.

Sport Mods
Feature: 1. Luke Johnson, Moorhead. 2. Jesse Skalicky, Fargo. 3. Chris VanMil, Barnesville, Minn. 4. Kenneth Bye, Moorhead. 5. Charles Jensen, Pelican Rapids, Minn.

Stock Cars
Feature 1: Rick Schulz, Horace, N.D. 2. Eric Harpole, Bismarck, N.D. 3. John Sandvig, West Fargo. 4. Adam Geist, West Fargo. 5. Mike Anderson, Walcott, N.D.

Legends
Feature 1: 1. Troy Hoff, Flasher, Minn. 2. Tim Estenson, Fargo. 3. Joshua Julsrud, Barnesville, Minn. 4. Andrew Jochim, Glyndon, Minn. 5. Tye Wilke, Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Hobby Stocks
Feature: 1. Tim Church, Moorhead, Minn. 2. Tim Shiek, Fargo. 3. Brandon Schmidt, Hillsboro, Minn. 4. Nick Nelson, Georgetown, Minn. 5. Eric Novacek, West Fargo.

Dave Shipley Collects First RRVS Modified Win

Posted on by Posted in NEWS

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO – A stout field of 28 IMCA Modifieds made up the starting grid for the 25-lap main event Friday night at Red River Valley Speedway. Dave Shipley of Fargo picked up the win, ending Austin Arneson’s stranglehold on victory lane.

Shipley started ninth on the field before charging into the lead. The driver of the Dakota Cat No. 72 topped fellow Fargo driver, Cale Arneson, who finished second. Michael Greseth, Rob VanMil, and Dale Kraling rounded out the top five.

IMCA hobby stock drivers Brandon Schmidt and Tim Church have been battling each other hard all season long. More often than not, it’s for the win.

That was the case again Friday night at the high-banked three-eighths mile oval. Both Schmidt and Church started in the fourth row, but they didn’t stay back there long. The two drivers rubbed fenders as they fought for the win in the closing laps.

At the checkers, Schmidt took the win over Church to record his fifth triumph of the 2017.

Entering the night, Jesse Skalicky was riding a wave of momentum after picking up the biggest win of his career Tuesday night at Hancock County Speedway in Britt, Iowa.

The Fargo driver used that momentum to carry him from his 11th starting position into the lead of the IMCA Sport Mod main event. Skalicky held off Moorhead’s Luke Johnson, who came in second, and was followed by Kelly Jacobson, Chris VanMil, and Austin Veralrud.

Mike Anderson of Walcott started on the pole of the IMCA stock car feature and picked up the win over Horace’s Rick Schulz. The win marks Anderson’s first of the season at RRVS.

Racing continues next Friday night at Red River Valley Speedway, starting at 7pm.

RESULTS

IMCA Modifieds:
Feature – 1. Dave Shipley, Fargo, N.D.; 2. Cale Arneson, Fargo, N.D.; 3. Michael Greseth, Harwood, N.D.; 4. Rob VanMil, Barnesville, Minn.; 5. Dale Kraling, Mayville, N.D.

IMCA SportMods:
Feature – 1. Jesse Skalicky, Fargo, N.D.; 2. Luke Johnson, Moorhead, Minn.; 3. Kelly Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.; 4. Chris VanMil, Barnesville, Minn.; 5. Austin Veralrud, Fargo, N.D.

IMCA Stock Cars:
Feature – 1. Mike Anderson, Walcott, N.D.; 2. Rick Schulz, Horace, N.D.; 3. Tim Compson, Valley City, N.D.; 4. John Sandvig, West Fargo, N.D.; 5. Kelly Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.

IMCA Hobby Stocks:
Feature – 1. Brandon Schimdt, Hillsboro, N.D.; 2. Tim Church, Moorhead, Minn.; 3. Torey Fischer, West Fargo, N.D.; 4. Alyssa White, West Fargo, N.D.; 5. Maranda Borg, Harwood, N.D.

Arneson Remains Unbeatable at Red River Valley Speedway

Posted on by Posted in NEWS

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO – Austin Arneson picked up his fifth win of the season Friday night at Red River Valley Speedway. Arneson has now won five of the first six IMCA Modified features at the West Fargo dirt track. The only race he hasn’t won came on May 25th, where he crossed the finish line first, but was disqualified following the race for his car weighing in too light.

Jason Strand took the early lead of the modified feature from the third starting position. Strand paced the field in his No. E85 machine until defending track champion, Rob VanMil, took the top spot on lap six.

Strand battled back with 15 circuits remaining and briefly took the lead down the back straightaway. VanMil was too strong, however, and pulled away from Strand using the high lane.
With Arneson starting 11th, it took him several laps to make his way up to the front, but once he did he made his presence known.

Arneson took second at the halfway point before challenging VanMil for the lead with under five laps remaining. The two veteran drivers were side by side for the lead when they made contact on the front straightaway, which sent VanMil spinning uncontrollably into the infield. Race officials charged VanMil with the caution, which sent him to the back of the pack.

Arneson held off Dave Shipley and Strand in the final laps to take the win.

The IMCA Sport Mod feature began with Taylor Grove taking the early lead after starting in the fourth position. The Shelly, Minn. driver held a comfortable lead over Luke Johnson before the yellow flag waved with 10 laps to go.

On the restart, Johnson took the point after a four-wide battle for the lead with Grove, Chris VanMil, and Jesse Skalicky. In what looked to be a replay of last week’s feature, Johnson had his hands full with Skalicky as they raced for the lead in the closing stages.

After battling side by side for four trips around the three-eighths mile dirt oval, Skalicky grabbed the lead with seven laps to go and went on to claim his fifth win of the season.

Duffy Froemke picked up the IMCA stock car feature win in dramatic fashion. The Lisbon driver stalked Rick Schulz for the duration of the 15-lap feature before stealing the win on the last corner of the final lap. Froemke dove to the inside of Schulz entering turn three and slid up right in front of Schulz exiting turn four to win the race back to the checkered flag. The win was Froemke’s fourth of the year.

Hillsboro’s Brandon Schmidt executed a dominating performance in the IMCA hobby stock feature. Tim Estenson grabbed the INEX Legends feature win from the fourth starting position. The win marks Estenson’s fifth win of the young 2017 season.

RESULTS:

Modifieds:
Feature – 1. Austin Arneson, Fargo, N.D.; 2. Dave Shipley, Fargo, N.D.; 3. Jason Strand, Portland, N.D.; 4. Jarrett Carter, Lisbon, N.D.; 5. Dale Kraling, Mayville, N.D.

Sport Mods:
Feature – 1. Jesse Skalicky, Fargo, N.D.; 2. Luke Johnson, Moorhead, Minn.; 3. Kelly Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.; 4. Chris VanMil, Barnesville, Minn.; 5. Taylor Grove, Shelly, Minn.

Stock Cars:
Feature – 1. Duffy Froemke, Lisbon, N.D.; 2. Rick Schulz, Horace, N.D.; 3. Tim Compson, Valley City, N.D.; 4. Kelly Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.; 5. John Sandvig, West Fargo, N.D.

Legends:
Feature – 1. Tim Estenson, Fargo, N.D.; 2. Donavin Wiest, Wishek, N.D.; 3. Andrew Jochim, Glyndon, Minn.; 4. Baiden Heskett, Shakopee, Minn.; 5. Kaitlyn Skalicky, Fargo, N.D.

Hobby Stocks:
Feature – 1. Brandon Schmidt, Hillsboro, N.D.; 2. Tim Shiek, Fargo, N.D.; 3. Tim Church, Moorhead, Minn.; 4. Torey Fischer, West Fargo, N.D.; 5. Eric Novacek, West Fargo, N.D.

Johnson Steals Rrv Speedway Win on Final Lap

Posted on by Posted in NEWS

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO – With threatening skies off to the west, it was an accelerated night at Red River Valley Speedway Friday evening as the track hustled to beat the weather.

Luke Johnson picked up his first win of the season in the IMCA Sport Mods. The Moorhead driver was charged for a debris caution in the opening laps, which put him to the tail of the 17 car field. Within a matter of laps, Johnson had made his way back up to second, but he had defending track champion, Jesse Skalicky, in his way.

Johnson took advantage of a late-race caution as he used the low side of the speedway to reel in Skalicky. It came down to a drag race to the checkers, where Johnson edged out Skalicky by a half car length.

“There was a real small tack strip around the bottom, and if you entered the corner real slow and hit it, you could carry a lot of speed out of the corner,” said Johnson in KRJB victory lane.

Fargo’s Austin Arneson continued his winning ways after picking up his third win at the West Fargo three-eighths mile dirt oval.

After four and even five wide racing early on, Rob VanMil paced the field of 22 cars in the early going.

On lap seven, Arneson, who started in 11th, came up to challenge the Barnesville, Minn. wheelman for the race lead. Arneson successfully maneuvered by the No. 4D of VanMil before cruising out to a five and one-half second lead.

Arneson backed up his win Thursday night at Norman County Raceway in Ada, Minn. as he went on to score the victory over Jarrett Carter, who started 13th.

Rick Schulz picked up the IMCA Stock Car feature win. The Horace driver has scored countless victories in the WISSOTA street stock class over the years at the speedway but held off Lisbon’s Duffy Froemke for his first win in the brand new stock car division.

Sean Johnson was victorious in the INEX Legends, while Tim Shiek won the IMCA hobby stock feature.

Racing continues next Friday night at Red River Valley Speedway with ‘Meet N Greet’ night, where all fans can get an up-close look at the cars and visit with their favorite drivers during intermission. On June 17th the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars make their highly anticipated return to West Fargo.

RESULTS

Modifieds:

Feature – 1. Austin Arneson, Fargo, N.D.; 2. Jarrett Carter, Lisbon, N.D.; 3. Dave Shipley, Argusville, N.D.; 4. Rich Pavlicek, Casselton, N.D.; 5. Rob VanMil, Barnesville, Minn.

Sport Mods:

Feature – 1. Luke Johnson, Moorhead, Minn.; 2. Jesse Skalicky, Fargo, N.D.; 3. Matt Talley, Sabin, Minn.; 4. Chris VanMil, Barnesville, Minn.; 5. Kelly Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.

Stock Cars:

Feature – 1. Rick Schulz, Horace, N.D.; 2. Duffy Froemke, Lisbon, N.D.; 3. Kelly Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.; 4. Randy Klein, Lisbon, N.D.; 5. Tim Compson, Valley City, N.D.

Hobby Stocks:

Feature – 1. Tim Schiek, Fargo, N.D.; 2. Torey Fischer, West Fargo, N.D.; 3. Nick Nelson, Georgetown, Minn.; 4. Kalvin Kesselberg, Ada, Minn.; 5. Eric Novacek, West Fargo, N.D.

Legends:

Feature – 1. Sean Johnson, Kindred, N.D.; 2. Dean Julsrud, Barnesville, Minn.; 3. Brandon Erickson; 4. Scott Richardson, Pelican Rapids, Minn.; 5. Mariah Henriksen, Glyndon, Minn.