Hall of Fame Night Delivers Thrills

It was a warm Friday night at Dacotah Speedway on July 19th. It was Hall of Fame Night and retired race car drivers got free admission into the races. 

The evening kicked off with a Hobby Stock make-up feature. Dylan Sandberg had drawn the pole before the rain hit on Friday, June 28th. Sandberg, in a new race car, quickly pulled away from the field. Youngsters, Joseph Feist and Brody Michaelsohn looked poised to settle for second and third until three laps to go when Sandberg suddenly slowed on the backstretch. Mechanical issues ended Sandberg’s feature earlier, handing the lead over to Feist. On the restart, Feist and Michaelsohn battled for the win. Coming to the checkered flag, Michaelsohn tried to throw a Hail Mary last lap pass for the win but got loose in front of the field. Joseph Feist crossed the finish line first, picking up his first career feature victory. Derrick Appert finished second ahead of Bill Hultberg. Karlie Hoerner finished fourth while Josh Roehrich rounded out the top five. 

The IMCA Modifieds also had a make-up feature from June 28th. Jacoby Traut and Crist Pittenger led the field to the green flag. Traut led early while Pittenger had his hands full with Quentin Kinzley. Although Kinzley appeared to be faster, he struggled to get around the young driver. They battled door to door for second place until Kinzley took the position and set his sights on Traut. Once again, Kinzley struggled to get around Traut but practiced patience on the young driver. With 12 laps to go, Kinzley overtook the top spot and pulled away. Quentin Kinzley would go on to win his third straight victory at Dacotah Speedway. Shawn Strand finished second ahead of Mark Dahl. Jeremy Keller finished fourth while Crist Pittenger finished a season best of fifth place. 

Zach Hughbanks wasted no time going to the front in the IMCA Sport Compact feature. Hughbanks quickly distanced himself from the field while Kyrs Yost and Alex Thompson battled hard for second. Thompson, who struggled in his heat race earlier in the night, found some speed for the feature and passed Yost for second. Unfortunately, Thompson couldn’t reel in Hughbanks. Zach Hughbanks led all 10 laps and cruised to his third straight Dacotah Speedway victory. Alex Thompson would have to settle for second ahead of defending track champion, Krys Yost. Lily Christianson finished fourth ahead of Harrison Schwartz. 

John Gartner Jr led early in the Hobby Stock feature. Gartner Jr would quickly feel pressure from behind from Dylan Sandberg. Sandberg, who had issues earlier in the evening in the make-up feature, was able to get the car fixed in time. Sandberg slipped by Gartner Jr on lap six while Garnter Jr fell into the clutches of Derrick Appert and Preston Martin. A late race caution regrouped the field and erased Sandberg’s large lead. On the final restart, Sandberg pulled away once more while it was a three car battle for second between Appert, Martin and Jeremy Herr. When the checkered flag waved, Derrick Appert held on to finish second ahead of Preston Martin and Jeremy Herr. John Gartner Jr finished fifth while Dylan Sandberg found victory lane for the second time this season. 

Pole sitter, Dustin Herz, led the field to the green flag in the INEX Legends feature. Byrce Barnhardt quickly passed Herz for the lead. However, Barnhardt had his hands full with a speedy Noah Madler, as him and his younger brother, Gage, quickly moved their way through the field. They briefly raced side by side until Noah Madler slipped by on lap seven. As the laps wound down, it looked like Noah Madler would cruise to victory but a late race caution changed everything. On the final restart, Gage Madler passed Noah Madler on the restart and held on to win his first feature victory at Dacotah Speedway for the season. Noah Madler finished second ahead of third place Donavin Weist. Points leader, Preston Martin, finished fourth while Bryce Barnhardt finished fifth. 

Outside pole sitter, Derrick Appert quickly grabbed the lead from pole sitter, Casey Binstock. However, cautions plagued the feature event. When the field could string together a few laps of racing, the battle for the lead was exciting between Appert, Scott Gartner, Shawn Strand, Marlyn Seidler and Binstock. On a lap eight restart, Marlyn Seidler grabbed the lead and brought Shawn Strand with him. Gartner made it a three car battle for the lead but while going for the lead along the highside of the track, he got too high off the track and spun. On the final restart of the night, Marlyn Seidler pulled away from Shawn Strand to win his first IMCA Stock Car victory. Jarrett Carter, in only his second start in the Stock Cars, finished third. Derrick Appert finished fourth while Todd Carter finished fifth. 

In the final feature of the night, Kollin Hibdon led the field to the green flag in the IMCA Modified feature. Hibdon was the class of the field and quickly pulled away from the field. It was a battle for second between Marlyn Seidler and Jeremy Keller before Keller slipped by on lap seven. A mid-race caution would regroup the field, and on the restart, Seidler would retake the second position. Keller would get off the front stretch, allowing Mark Dahl and Shawn Strand to drive by. In the closing laps, Dahl was all over Seidler’s rear bumper as Strand lurked in fourth. Coming to the white flag, Dahl passed Seidler for second. Mark Dahl would cross the finish line in the runner-up position. Marlyn Seidler would just narrowly edge Shawn Strand for third. Quentin Kinzley rounded out the top five while Kollin Hibdon led all 25 laps to win in dominating fashion. 

TRI-ENERGY CENEX DRIVER OF THE NIGHT

Congratulations to Marcus Tomlinson for earning Driver of the Night powered by our friends at Tri-Energy Cenex! Marcus takes home a $50 gift card to use on gas, snacks, and more at Cenex.

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