Category Archives: NEWS

WEST FARGO (April 19, 2023) – Sprint cars made their modest return to the weekly Red River Valley Speedway schedule in 2021, but ever since then, the class has seen nothing but growth. 

The class averaged nearly 10 cars per night after just 3.7 during their inaugural season. A big 2023 schedule is on tap for the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, however, with the launching of the Red River Sprint Series and with the addition of the Petro Race Rewards program. 

With Petro Race Rewards, every IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car team will receive a $150 fuel card, redeemable at Petro Stopping Center in Fargo, every time they compete at Red River Valley Speedway this season.

“We’ve seen some steady growth with the sprint cars since we brought them in, but the Petro Race Rewards will help bring the class to the next level,” said Red River Valley Speedway chief operating officer, Nick Skalicky. “We can’t thank the Schatz family enough for their generosity and look forward to a big year of sprint car racing.” 

“We want to help drivers get to the race track every week and help build the class,” said Deanne Schatz, operations manager of Petro Stopping Center. “Our goal is to fuel teams to get to the track to increase the number of cars and the competition.” 

“Danny (Schatz) made the commitment to get the girls started in sprint cars and this is our way of not only continuing that, but supporting it even more,” added Diane Schatz, whose granddaughters, Laela and Amelia Eisenschenk, compete weekly at Red River Valley Speedway. “We felt it was more fair if we could help everybody the same, rather than just adding to the purse.”

To receive the $150 bonus, drivers must make and complete the feature (unless involved in a wreck or have a mechanical failure).

There are 16 IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car dates on the Red River Valley Speedway schedule this year, all of which will have the Petro Race Rewards bonus. The full schedule will be available soon. 

To view the traveling schedule for the Red River Sprint Series, click here.

WEST FARGO, N.D. (December 5, 2022) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series released their 87-race schedule for 2023, which includes an August 26th visit to Red River Valley Speedway. 

This year’s event will mark the 68th time the World of Outlaws have visited Red River Valley Speedway in the 45-year history of the series. 

Carson Macedo drove to his first career Red River Valley Speedway win during last year’s event, giving Jason Johnson Racing their second overall win at the track. Jason Johnson drove his No. 41 machine to the win when the Outlaws’ made their highly anticipated return to Red River Valley in 2017 after a five-year absence. 

North Dakota native and 10-time series champion, Donny Schatz, ranks tied for third in all-time World of Outlaws wins at his home track with former champion Doug Wolfgang. He trails only all-time greats Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell, who have 16 and 14 wins to their credit respectively. 

Schatz’s most recent win at Red River Valley Speedway came in 2021. 

The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Models will also be returning to West Fargo next year on June 28th. 

Stay tuned to RedRiverValleySpeedway.com for ticket information and the full 2023 schedule.

Previous World of Outlaws winners at Red River Valley Speedway:
2022 – Carson Macedo on Aug. 27
2021 – Donny Schatz on Aug. 21
2020 – Kyle Larson on Aug. 22
2018 – Donny Schatz on Aug. 18
2017 – Jason Johnson on Aug. 19
2012 – Sammy Swindell on June 16
2009 – Jason Meyers on June 20
2008 – Daryn Pittman on Aug. 12
2007 – Jac Haudenschild on June 30
2006 – Donny Schatz on June 16, Donny Schatz on June 17
2005 – Brian Paulus on July 1, Jason Meyers on July 2, Steve Kinser on Aug. 16
2004 – Joey Saldana on July 8, Jason Meyers on July 9, Joey Saldana on July 10
2003 – Steve Kinser on June 12, Donny Schatz on June 13, Danny Lasoski on June 14
2002 – Joey Saldana on July 4, P.J. Chesson on July 5, Donny Schatz on July 6
2001 – Steve Kinser on July 5, Sammy Swindell on July 6, Craig Dollansky on July 7
2000 – Sammy Swindell on July 6, Danny Lasoski on July 7, Sammy Swindell on July 8
1999 – Andy Hillenburg on July 8, Stevie Smith on July 9, Steve Kinser on July 10
1998 – Steve Kinser on July 9, Steve Kinser on July 10, Sammy Swindell on July 11
1997 – Steve Kinser on July 11, Stevie Smith on July 12
1996 – Mark Kinser on July 6, Sammy Swindell on July 7
1995 – Sammy Swindell on July 7, Sammy Swindell on July 8
1994 – Dave Blaney on July 9, Steve Kinser on July 10
1993 – Steve Kinser on July 9, Johnny Herrera on July 10
1992 – Steve Kinser on July 10, Steve Kinser on July 12
1991 – Doug Wolfgang on July 5, Doug Wolfgang on July 6
1990 – Doug Wolfgang on July 6, Doug Wolfgang on July 7
1989 – Doug Wolfgang on July 7, Jeff Swindell on July 8
1988 – Sammy Swindell on July 8, Doug Wolfgang on July 9
1987 – Steve Kinser on July 11
1986 – Sammy Swindell on July 11, Steve Kinser on July 12
1985 – Mark Kinser on July 12, Steve Kinser on July 13
1984 – Jeff Swindell on July 13, Steve Kinser on July 14
1983 – Sammy Swindell on July 8, Sammy Swindell on July 9
1982 – Sammy Swindell on July 12, Steve Kinser on July 13
1981 – Sammy Swindell on July 13

World of Outlaws Late Models return to Red River Valley Speedway in 2023

WEST FARGO – The most powerful Late Models on the planet – the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Models – will head back to Red River Valley Speedway for the sixth time in series history next year and the first time since 2020. 

The date is scheduled for Wednesday, June 28th. 

A strong field of 32 cars were entered in the 2020 event, which was won by three-time World of Outlaws champion Darrell Lanigan. Local favorite Ricky Weiss of Headingly, Manitoba, rounded out the podium in third. 

Ten-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz was also in action in his Late Model that night and raced to an impressive 10th place finish. 

Over the five previous World of Outlaws Late Model events, there have been just three different winners. Lanigan is the most recent winner, followed by Steve Francis who captured three consecutive wins from 2004-2005. 

Kevin Thompson of Grand Forks had one of the biggest upsets in speedway history as he beat the Outlaws in the series’ first visit to the track in 1989. 

Ticket information and support classes will be announced at a later date. 

2020 Feature Highlights

• 6:00 pm Green Flag

Full Race Schedule: https://redrivervalleyspeedway.com/schedule

Racing divisions this week:
Superior Customs Signs & Designs IMCA Sprint Cars
All Finish Concrete IMCA Modifieds
Premier Service Center IMCA Stock Cars
JBC Commercial Real Estate (Tony Paul) INEX Legends

Times:
Pit Gates Open: 4:00 pm
Grandstands Open: 4:30 pm
Racing Starts: 6:00 pm

Grandstand Admission:
Adults: $13
Ages 6 – 12: $5
5 & Under: FREE
Military ticket – $10 – For Military members who have served past or present (Military ID must be shown at the ticket window)
College ticket – $10 (College ID must be shown at the ticket window)

Advanced discounted ticket location:
Dakota Cat Motorsports – 600 Main Ave W West Fargo, ND
Adults: $10
Ages 6 – 12: $5

Driver Registration:
– You must register to race online by 5:00 pm day of the event. To register go to: https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1834/registrations. Make sure you finish your registration. No drivers can register at the track. If you have not registered online, you will start at the back.

Nightly Activities:
– The Nugget Vending Candy Toss
– Norman County Raceway T-shirt Cannon
– Bike Giveaway – Kids enter weekly to win a bike at the end of each month (August Sponsor: #71 IMCA Stock Car – Trent Grager)
– 50/50 Tickets (1st place wins half the pot in cash! 2nd – 5th place receives vouchers from the Twisted Spork, Thunder Road, The Bowler,  Buffalo Wild Wings, Desserts By Mac, NAPA, or the Taco Shop.
– Kids enter to win the chance to give the winning trophy to the driver and be in all the victory lane pictures!

Don’t Forget:
– To purchase Red River Valley Speedway apparel behind the Grandstands
– We have delicious concession food & ice-cold beverages at the Twisted Spork (Watch for our weekly specials)

Listen LIVE:
Can’t make it to the race? Tune in to 106.5 KRJB for LIVE racing coverage. You can also listen on your phone by downloading the RadioMax app and searching “KRJB.” Pre-race coverage begins at 5:45 pm.

Social Media:
Website – https://redrivervalleyspeedway.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/redrivervalleyspeedway
Twitter – https://twitter.com/rrvspeedway
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/redrivervalleyspeedway
Snapchat – https://www.snapchat.com/add/rrvspeedway
Youtube – http://tiny.cc/RRVS
MyRacePass – https://www.myracepass.com/profile/?r=1834&rt=track
Speedway Shots Picture Gallery – https://speedwayshots.smugmug.com/RedRiverValleySpeedway

Perks:
– Bring in a 2022 Red River Valley Speedway race ticket or pit wristband to BorderTown Bar and Grill or M & J Saloon and receive one drink FREE with the purchase of another drink! (Per person. Per visit.)

Push Notifications:
Receive the latest news or schedule changes via the MyRacePass App: https://redrivervalleyspeedway.com/push-notifications

Red River Valley Speedway:
Address: 1805 Main Avenue West – West Fargo, ND
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 701-388-6637
Track Surface: 3/8 mile dirt oval

Camping:
Call: 1-701-282-2200

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

WEST FARGO, N.D. (March 25, 2022) – Red River Valley Speedway’s 52nd season of racing will offer the same stout lineup race fans have come to expect over the past several years, along with a couple of new and exciting events. 

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will return for the sixth consecutive year and the 36th time overall on August 27th. Fargo’s Donny Schatz will be looking to collect back-to-back wins at his home track after picking up the big win last year. The NLRA Late Models will co-headline the Saturday night special with the second running of the Howie Schill Memorial. 

For the first time, Red River Valley Speedway will be hosting a Tuesday night special during the Big Iron Farm Show on September 13th, which will feature the Dakota Cat Shootout for the IMCA Modifieds. Other supporting classes for this event will be determined at a later date. 

The Modifieds will also be showcased on June 10th for the inaugural Bison Battle. Details about this event will be coming soon. 

The season kicks off on May 6th with all six of its weekly divisions; IMCA Sprints, Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, Hobby Stocks and INEX Legends. 

The King Pin Klash Stock Car special, presented by The Bowler returns on June 17th, followed by a 40-lap SportMod Shootout on June 24th. The Stock Cars will again be racing for big money as the Sanders Stock Car Challenge is set for July 29th. 

The full Red River Valley Speedway schedule will be announced on March 26th at the Red River Valley Speedway / Norman County Raceway banquet in Ada, Minn.

WEST FARGO – The pits were packed on Friday night at Red River Valley Speedway with 93 race cars checked in for action in what would be a wild night of racing.

The crowd of over 1,000 witnessed big hits, rollovers, and a fire throughout the night, but all drivers involved were okay.

In the first lap of feature action of the night, outside front row starter Dan Pederson of Moorhead lost the handle of his IMCA SportMod right in front of the field. Charlie Jensen of Pelican Rapids, Minn. made heavy contact with Pederson. The impact made the rear end of Jensen’s car lift off the ground, and as it did so, Kelly Jacobson of Fargo came sliding into the wreck. Jensen’s rear end came to rest on top of Jacobson’s roof by the time everything came to rest.

Two rollovers were seen during INEX Legends action. The worst of the two came when Elzetta Bitker of Halstad, Minn. jumped over the right rear of a slower car. Bitker’s machine ramped off the other car, hit the outside retaining wall on the back straightaway before enduring a violent series of end-over-end flips. Bitker was transported to a local hospital for observation but is okay.

Also during the legends feature, a fire broke out under the hood of Ashton Spieker’s No. 2, prompting a red flag. The West Fargo Rural Fire Department was quickly on the scene to extinguish the flames.

Matt Aukland of Fargo topped a stout field of 18 IMCA modifieds to claim his first win of the season and first at Red River Valley Speedway since June 14, 2019. Aukland charged from the ninth starting position and held off defending track champion Austin Arneson en route to the win.

“The wins only come every couple of years the way it seems for me lately, so it feels good,” said Aukland in victory lane. “The Arneson crew is on their game so we have to cherish every (win) we can get.”

After winning a heat race earlier in the night, Aukland quickly charged his way through the running order before taking the point from modified rookie Luke Johnson on lap three. Once out front, the only thing that slowed Aukland were two caution flags.

Aukland has been doing a lot of midweek testing all spring, trying to learn more about how to set up his car.

“Our goal has been to try to get to the race track and not have to guess on what to do with our setup. I’ve been racing the last couple of years and I’ve always been guessing. I just wanted to be more confident in what I had for the feature each night,” said Aukland.

Aukland, a veteran in the late model class, moved to IMCA modifieds in 2019. He said the transition has taken some time to get used to.

“With the crate motor in the modified, as opposed to an open motor in the late model, I’ve had to learn a momentum-style of driving. What feels good in the car isn’t necessarily fast,” he explained. “I’ve been doing a lot more testing with the stopwatch now. In the past, I used to just go with what felt good. With the crate motor and a hard compound tire that comes with the modified, it’s more about momentum than it is traction and side bite like the late model.”

U-Motors Racing had swept the first two modified races of the season with Casey Arneson of Fargo and Pahrump, Nevada driver Kollin Hibdon taking the wins. Austin Arneson of Fargo was the highest finishing U-Motors driver on Friday, finishing second to Aukland.

The win was Aukland’s 16th of his career at the speedway.

In its inaugural season, the IMCA sprint cars may be light on cars, but not on parity. Marcus Rothenbacher of Ulen, Minn. became the third different driver to win in the class in the first three weeks of the season.

After sweeping both the legends and sprint car feature wins last week, Tye Wilke of Detroit Lakes, Minn. returned to victory lane once again, picking up the legends feature. The win was his 14th at Red River Valley Speedway.

Rich Pavlicek of Casselton, N.D. picked up his second IMCA SportMod feature win at the speedway, while Rob VanMil Barnesville, Minn. won an entertaining IMCA stock car main event. Skyla Miller of Harwood, N.D. led early in her Mopar No. 9 IMCA hobby stock, but Tanner Engen of Detroit Lakes tracked her down mid-race and went on to win.

Next Friday night is fireworks night at Red River Valley Speedway.

RESULTS:
IMCA MODIFIEDS:
A Feature: 1. 12-Matt Aukland[9]; 2. 10-Austin Arneson[12]; 3. 4V-Billy Vogel[8]; 4. 33-Allen Kent[5]; 5. 02-Jordan Sours[7]; 6. 48K-Kollin Hibdon[18]; 7. 2A-Casey Arneson[11]; 8. 3S-Jesse Skalicky[14]; 9. 60-Tyler Hall[10]; 10. 21-Jamie Schulz[2]; 11. 55X-Chris Mack[4]; 12. 12C-Nick Curtis[16]; 13. (DNF) 76-John Miller[13]; 14. (DNF) 75-Brandon Langer[17]; 15. (DNF) 0-Jeff Odden[6]; 16. (DNF) 8J-Luke Johnson[1]; 17. (DNF) 91-Jarrett Carter[3]; 18. (DNS) 72-Dave Shipley

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 12-Matt Aukland[5]; 2. 8J-Luke Johnson[1]; 3. 60-Tyler Hall[6]; 4. 0-Jeff Odden[4]; 5. 76-John Miller[2]; 6. 12C-Nick Curtis[3]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 2A-Casey Arneson[6]; 2. 02-Jordan Sours[4]; 3. 21-Jamie Schulz[1]; 4. 55X-Chris Mack[2]; 5. 3S-Jesse Skalicky[5]; 6. (DNF) 75-Brandon Langer[3]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 4V-Billy Vogel[4]; 2. 10-Austin Arneson[6]; 3. 33-Allen Kent[2]; 4. 91-Jarrett Carter[1]; 5. (DNF) 72-Dave Shipley[3]; 6. (DNF) 48K-Kollin Hibdon[5]

IMCA SPRINT CARS:
A Feature: 1. 3M-Marcus Rothenbacher[1]; 2. 72-Tye Wilke[4]; 3. 13-Ty Hanten[3]; 4. 69-Brandon Rekow[2]

Heat 1: 1. 3M-Marcus Rothenbacher[1]; 2. 13-Ty Hanten[3]; 3. 72-Tye Wilke[4]; 4. 69-Brandon Rekow[2]

IMCA STOCK CARS:
A Feature: 1. 40-Rob VanMil[8]; 2. 52-Brennan Borg[5]; 3. 10R-Travis Robertson[7]; 4. 4-Rick Schulz[11]; 5. 38-Todd Heinrich[1]; 6. 1-Tyler McDougall[2]; 7. 8-Billy Michaelsohn[3]; 8. 76Z-John Sandvig[14]; 9. 18A-Mike Anderson[10]; 10. 21J-Andrew Jochim[9]; 11. 17-Chad Hunteman[17]; 12. 21-Tim Church[13]; 13. 85K-Ernest Geist[16]; 14. 219-Brandon Schmidt[12]; 15. E72-Adam Geist[19]; 16. 57K-Derrick Kronbach[15]; 17. B1-Brody Carlsrud[18]; 18. (DNF) 88K-Keaten Froemke[4]; 19. (DNF) 71-Trent Grager[6]

Heat 1: 1. 52-Brennan Borg[4]; 2. 38-Todd Heinrich[1]; 3. 10R-Travis Robertson[5]; 4. 18A-Mike Anderson[6]; 5. 21-Tim Church[2]; 6. 85K-Ernest Geist[3]; 7. E72-Adam Geist[7]

Heat 2: 1. 1-Tyler McDougall[2]; 2. 4-Rick Schulz[6]; 3. 40-Rob VanMil[5]; 4. 8-Billy Michaelsohn[3]; 5. 76Z-John Sandvig[4]; 6. (DNF) 17-Chad Hunteman[1]

Heat 3: 1. 71-Trent Grager[4]; 2. 88K-Keaten Froemke[3]; 3. 219-Brandon Schmidt[6]; 4. 21J-Andrew Jochim[5]; 5. 57K-Derrick Kronbach[2]; 6. B1-Brody Carlsrud[1]

IMCA SPORTMODS:
A Feature: 1. 17-Rich Pavlicek[10]; 2. 41-Doug Gardner[5]; 3. 5-Scott Jacobson[12]; 4. 5F-Brandon Ferris[13]; 5. 40-Chris VanMil[11]; 6. 66-Kevin Veralrud[15]; 7. 22-Vince Jegtvig[6]; 8. 7R-Ryan Restad[14]; 9. 9-Torey Fischer[8]; 10. 12T-Brandon Tendeland[4]; 11. 77S-Brian Schaffer[3]; 12. 14S-Thomas Sandvig[16]; 13. (DNF) 22M-Landon Maatz[1]; 14. (DNF) 51-Kelly Jacobson[9]; 15. (DNF) 77-Charles Jensen[7]; 16. (DNF) 81-Dan Pederson[2]

Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 41-Doug Gardner[3]; 2. 17-Rich Pavlicek[5]; 3. 77S-Brian Schaffer[2]; 4. 9-Torey Fischer[4]; 5. 5F-Brandon Ferris[6]; 6. 14S-Thomas Sandvig[1]

Heat 2 (6 Laps): 1. 40-Chris VanMil[5]; 2. 22-Vince Jegtvig[3]; 3. 12T-Brandon Tendeland[2]; 4. 22M-Landon Maatz[1]; 5. 7R-Ryan Restad[4]

Heat 3 (6 Laps): 1. 51-Kelly Jacobson[4]; 2. 5-Scott Jacobson[5]; 3. 77-Charles Jensen[3]; 4. 81-Dan Pederson[1]; 5. 66-Kevin Veralrud[2]

IMCA HOBBY STOCK
A Feature: 1. 44T-Tanner Engen[9]; 2. 9-Skyla Miller[2]; 3. 54DK-Dylan Krueger[1]; 4. B2-Brodee Eckerdt[10]; 5. 73-Todd Gettel[3]; 6. 3XL-Brad Orvedal[4]; 7. 15-Andrea Jacobson[5]; 8. (DNF) 14-Alyssa White[6]; 9. (DNF) 39-Caleb Gardner[7]; 10. (DNS) 4-Marvin Priem; 11. (DNS) 99-Nathan Gegner

INEX LEGENDS
A Feature : 1. 72-Tye Wilke[9]; 2. 29-Ryan Braseth[7]; 3. 34-Alex Kukowski[10]; 4. 58-Sean Johnson[8]; 5. 79-Scott Richardson[1]; 6. 28-Joshua Wiest[4]; 7. D1RT-Tony Brockhouse[6]; 8. 28M-Dusty Mund[12]; 9. 41AU-Glenn Mitchell[2]; 10. 7F-Brian Frederick[5]; 11. 08-Zander Bauer[11]; 12. 79X-Chuck Christ[15]; 13. 8-Ethan Mabus[16]; 14. 701-Taylor Sargent[13]; 15. 49-Collin Compson[19]; 16. 23B-Jared Beck[22]; 17. 24-Shaun Erickson[20]; 18. 2J-Joseph Lewis[18]; 19. 18-Austin Wimer[17]; 20. 31C-Emmitt Curtis[24]; 21. (DNF) 2-Ashton Spieker[3]; 22. (DNF) 17M-Jeremy Meyer[14]; 23. (DNF) 19E-Elzetta Bitker[21]; 24. (DNF) 17-Zander Compson[23]; 25. (DNS) 35-Michael Good

Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 34-Alex Kukowski[6]; 2. 72-Tye Wilke[5]; 3. 7F-Brian Frederick[4]; 4. 701-Taylor Sargent[2]; 5. 18-Austin Wimer[7]; 6. 19E-Elzetta Bitker[3]; 7. 17-Zander Compson[1]

Heat 2 (6 Laps): 1. 79-Scott Richardson[2]; 2. D1RT-Tony Brockhouse[4]; 3. 41AU-Glenn Mitchell[3]; 4. 17M-Jeremy Meyer[6]; 5. 2J-Joseph Lewis[1]; 6. (DNS) 35-Michael Good

Heat 3 (6 Laps): 1. 29-Ryan Braseth[4]; 2. 2-Ashton Spieker[3]; 3. 08-Zander Bauer[6]; 4. 79X-Chuck Christ[2]; 5. 49-Collin Compson[1]; 6. 31C-Emmitt Curtis[5]

Heat 4 (6 Laps): 1. 58-Sean Johnson[4]; 2. 28-Joshua Wiest[3]; 3. 28M-Dusty Mund[6]; 4. 8-Ethan Mabus[1]; 5. 24-Shaun Erickson[2]; 6. 23B-Jared Beck[5]

Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 44T-Tanner Engen[5]; 2. 54DK-Dylan Krueger[1]; 3. 73-Todd Gettel[2]; 4. 15-Andrea Jacobson[3]; 5. (DNF) 39-Caleb Gardner[4]; 6. (DNS) 99-Nathan Gegner

Heat 2 (6 Laps): 1. 9-Skyla Miller[1]; 2. B2-Brodee Eckerdt[5]; 3. 3XL-Brad Orvedal[2]; 4. 14-Alyssa White[3]; 5. 4-Marvin Priem[4]

WEST FARGO – Red River Valley Speedway roared back to life on Friday night as fans packed the stands to watch 94 race teams battling on the speedway’s 52nd season opener.

Sprint cars made their return to the weekly schedule on Friday night for the first time since 2005. The speedway is bringing in the IMCA-sanctioned sprint cars and starting the class from scratch. A small, yet talented field of drivers made up the grid for the main event with West Fargo’s Ty Hanten claiming the win.

Hanten, is a 15-year racing veteran and has competed with the Northern Outlaw Sprint Car series in Grand Forks the last eight seasons.

Hanten jumped out to the early lead and scored the win over sprint car rookie Tye Wilke.

Nineteen cars made up the grid for the IMCA modified feature as Matt Aukland and Allen Kent led them to the green flag.

A pair of Fargo racing veterans, Aukland and Casey Arneson, engaged in a thrilling duel for the lead early in the going. The duo traded the lead back and forth, lap after lap until Arneson claimed an advantage in lapped traffic.

Arneson checked out in the closing stages as he raced to his ninth career Red River Valley Speedway win.

The first feature of the night provided an exciting photo finish. Ryan Restad of West Fargo jumped out to the early lead of the IMCA Sportmod feature with the father-son duo of Scott and Kelly Jacobson of Fargo battling for second. Scott Jacobson took the lead from Restad with 12 laps to go and led the remainder of the race, but it didn’t come easy.

On the final lap, Restad mounted a challenge on Jacobson and pulled alongside him coming to the checkered flag. Jacobson held off by Restad by a half car length to pick up the win.

Travis Robertson of Moorhead claimed his fourth career IMCA stock car win over a stout 21 car field. The race got off to a rocky start as Tyler McDougall of Hawley, Minn., who was debuting his brand new car, got upside down in turn two bringing out the red flag.

McDougall was okay, but he was done for the night.

Robertson had a mid-race challenge from Horace, N.D. driver Rick Schulz. Schulz pulled even with Robertson using the middle groove of the speedway, while Robertson remained true to the low side.

The bottom groove paid off for Robertson as he pulled away from Schulz and cruised to the win.

Sixth place starter Sean Johnson of Kindred, N.D. charged to the INEX legend feature win. After a three-wide battle for the lead with Tye Wilke of Detroit Lakes, Minn. and Ryan Braseth of Ulen, Minn., Johnson moved into the second spot before pouncing on Wilke to take the lead.

The win for Johnson was the seventh of his career at the speedway.

The defending IMCA Hobby Stock national champion, Cory Probst of Brewster, Minn., came to Red River Valley Speedway to begin his title defense and he left West Fargo with the victory. Brewster started ninth on the grid, but worked his way into the top three by lap two. At the halfway point, Brewster worked around leader Tanner Engen of Detroit Lakes to take the point. Once out front, he never looked back.

SUMMARY:

IMCA Sprint Cars:
A Feature: 1. 13-Ty Hanten, West Fargo, N.D.; 2. 72-Tye Wilke, Detroit Lakes, Minn.; 3. 3M-Marcus Rothenbacher, Moorhead, Minn.; 4. 69-Brandon Rekow, Ellendale, N.D.

IMCA Modifieds
A Feature: 1. 2A-Casey Arneson, Fargo, N.D.; 2. 12-Matt Aukland, Fargo, N.D.; 3. 60-Tyler Hall, Fertile, Minn.; 4. 33-Allen Kent, West Fargo, N.D.; 5. 72-Dave Shipley, Fargo, N.D.

IMCA Stock Cars
A Feature: 1. 10R-Travis Robertson, Moorhead, Minn.; 2. 4-Rick Schulz, Horace, N.D.; 3. 219-Brandon Schmidt, Hillsboro, N.D.; 4. 40-Rob VanMil, Barnesville, Minn.; 5. 21J-Andrew Jochim, Glyndon, Minn.

IMCA SportMods
A Feature: 1. 5-Scott Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.; 2. 7R-Ryan Restad, West Fargo, N.D.; 3. 33-Jake Hagemann, Brainerd, Minn.; 4. 40-Chris VanMil, Barnesville, Minn.; 5. 69-Justin Jones, Bemidji, Minn.

IMCA Hobby Stock
A Feature: 1. 75C-Cory Probst, Brewster, Minn.; 2. 44T-Tanner Engen, Detroit Lakes, Minn.; 3. B2-Brodee Eckerdt, Grand Forks, N.D.; 4. 17T-Tim Otterness, Brainerd, Minn.; 5. 4-Marvin Priem, Moorhead, Minn.

INEX Legends
A Feature : 1. 58-Sean Johnson, Kindred, N.D.; 2. 72-Tye Wilke, Detroit Lakes, Minn.; 3. 29-Ryan Braseth, Ulen, Minn.; 4. D1RT-Tony Brockhouse, Glyndon, Minn.; 5. 20-Alex Braseth, Ulen, Minn.

By Mike Spieker

WEST FARGO – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will return to Red River Valley Speedway in 2021 for the Red River Rumble. The event scheduled for Saturday, August 21st will mark the fifth consecutive year and the 35th-time overall dirt track racing’s premier touring series will visit the West Fargo high-banked three-eighths-mile clay oval.

NASCAR star Kyle Larson picked up the World of Outlaws win at the speedway last summer. Larson out-dueled eventual series champion Brad Sweet for the $10,000 victory.

The win for Larson was one of 43 total victories across seven different dirt car divisions for the Elk Grove, California native this season. Larson also won at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks with a last-lap pass for the win.

Tickets are available at slspromotions.com.

2020 was the 50th season of racing at the speedway and fifth-year track promoters Nick Skalicky and Jake and Sharnel Bitker kept the track in the national spotlight all year long. The speedway hosted four national touring events throughout the abbreviated season, including the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Late Models, the return of the IMCA Dakota Classic Modified Tour for the first time since 1991, and the IMCA Red River Modified Tour.

Previous World of Outlaws A-Feature Winners:
2020 – Kyle Larson on August 22
2019 – Rained out on August 17
2018 – Donny Schatz on August 18
2017 – Jason Johnson on August 19
2012 – Sammy Swindell on June 16
2009 – Jason Meyers on June 20
2008 – Daryn Pittman on August 12
2007 – Jac Haudenschild on June 30
2006 – Donny Schatz on June 17
2005 – Jason Meyers on July 2, Steve Kinser on Aug. 16
2004 – Joey Saldana on July 10
2003 – Danny Lasoski on June 14
2002 – Donny Schatz on July 6
2001 – Craig Dollansky on July 7
2000 – Sammy Swindell on July 8
1999 – Steve Kinser on July 10
1998 – Sammy Swindell on July 11
1997 – Stevie Smith on July 12
1996 – Sammy Swindell on July 7
1995 – Sammy Swindell on July 8
1994 – Steve Kinser on July 10
1993 – Johnny Herrera on July 10
1992 – Steve Kinser on July 12
1991 – Doug Wolfgang on July 6
1990 – Doug Wolfgang on July 7
1989 – Jeff Swindell on July 8
1988 – Doug Wolfgang on July 9
1987 – Steve Kinser on July 11
1986 – Steve Kinser on July 12
1985 – Steve Kinser on July 13
1984 – Steve Kinser on July 14
1983 – Sammy Swindell on July 9
1982 – Steve Kinser on July 14
1981 – Sammy Swindell on July 13