On Friday, August 15th, Dacotah Speedway hosted the 17th Annual Drive to Survive Night at Dacotah Speedway. The afternoon kicked off with a Car Show in front of the race track from 4:00pm – 6:00pm. Race cars of all kinds were on display for fans. Plus, the Bismarck Cancer Center staff were there serving up a free-will donation pre-race meal for fans. There was also a silent auction with all sorts of great things for fans to bid on. Fans who wore their Drive to Survive t-shirt, or hat, got free grandstand admission into the races. And during intermission, drivers and pit crews competed in the the fan favorite High Heel Race. All activities throughout the night were intended to raise money for the Bismarck Cancer Center. We look forward to seeing how much we raised to help local cancer patients and their families.
The Junior Slingshot Nationals kicked off at Dacotah Speedway on Friday, August 15th. Jax Tooley led the field to the green flag in the feature race. Caiden Davenport, who started fifth, wasted no time going to the front before a caution regrouped the field. On the restart, Davenport pulled away while Libby and Hailey Keller battled for second place. Caiden Davenport led all eight laps to win his third victory in a row in dominating fashion. Libby Keller held off her sister, Hailey Keller, for second place. Landen Hallgren edged Libby Martin at the finish line for fourth place. * After the conclusion of the Slightshot feature, fourth place Landen Hallgren was disqualified for a tire infraction.
Pole sitter, John Gartner Jr, led early in the Hobby Stock feature. It was a wild battle for second between Jeremy Herr, Brody Michaelsohn and Derrick Appert. As they raced hard for second, they slowly started to reel in Gartner Jr. Michaelsohn shuffled into second place and passed Gartner Jr for the lead before a caution on lap 10 regrouped the field. On the restart, points leader, Josh Roehrich, quickly climbed through the field passing Seth Howe-Kellar for fourth and Jeremy Herr for third place. With six laps to go, Roehrich passed Appert for second and set his sights on Michaelsohn. Roehrich reeled in Michaelsohn, but ran out of time. Brody Michaelsohn held off Josh Roehrich for the win. Derrick Appert finished third ahead of Jeremy Herr and Seth Howe-Kellar.
Austin Wiest quickly grabbed the lead from pole sitter, Rylan Vetter, in the INEX Legends feature. The battle for second was heating up between Preston Martin and Ty Olson. It soon became a three car battle for the lead as they were bumper to bumper to bumper. As the laps wound down, points leader, Noah Madler was inching closer to the front. However, all eyes were on the battle for the lead between Wiest and Martin. As they started catching lapped traffic, they raced side by side for the win. With three laps to go, Martin slipped by to win his third feature victory of the season. Austin Wiest held onto second place over Noah Madler. Ty Olson finished fourth while Gage Madler finished in fifth place.
Racing veteran, Marlyn Seidler, led the field to the green flag in the IMCA Stock Car feature. Seidler pulled away from the field before an early caution reset the field. On the restart, Brock Beeter and Matt Dosch challenged Scott Gartner for second place. Using the high line, Geoff Hellman picked off Beeter for third place and then Gartner for second. It was a thrilling battle for the win between Seidler, Dosch and Hellman. Seidler, who was strong through the middle of the track, had his hands full with Dosch down low and Hellman up high. They raced three wide as they came to the white flag, swapping the lead several times. But coming out of turn four and to the checkered flag, Matt Dosch won by a nose over Geoff Hellman. Marlyn Seidler, who led every lap but the final two, settled for third place ahead of Scott Gartner. Travis Ulmer rounded out the top five.
Bruce King and Marlyn Seidler started on the front row in the IMCA Modified feature. Seidler quickly grabbed the lead while Zach Frederick and Jason Wolla battled for second. Wolla slipped by Frederick as the top three broke away from the field. A caution with 13 laps to go erased Seidler’s lead over the field. Defending track champion, Shawn Strand, passed Wolla and Frederick on the restart. Seidler got too high off corner four with eight laps to go, which allowed Wolla and Strand to challenge for the lead. With six laps to go, Wolla slipped by Seidler to take the lead. A late race caution allowed Jeremy Keller to pass Seidler for second. Keller then dove low under Wolla. It was an epic duel between two heavy hitting modified drivers. In a wild finish coming to the finish line, Jeremy Keller just narrowly edged Jason Wolla for the victory. Shawn Strand finished third ahead of Marlyn Seidler and Logan Schmitz. Join us next Friday, August 22nd for Championship Night. Green flag waves at 7:00pm.