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River Cities Recap: Dobmeier Wins Blazin Challenge and Point Title in Near Record Finish

9/22/2022

Dobmeier's Win By .049 Over Hastings is Second Closest in Recorded Sprint History

Grand Forks, N.D. (September 22, 2022) - The 2022 season ended with a bang Friday night, as Mark Dobmeier won the Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA Sprint Blazin' Challenge and the track points title over Jade Hastings in the second closest Sprint feature finish in track history since transponders started being used at the speedway in 2006.

Following his win in the King of the Hill, where eight drivers went head to head in an elimination style tournament to set the starting lineup, Mark Dobmeier's consecutive victories with 9.7 second laps gave him the first option to take the Blazin' Challenge, which sends drivers to the back of the starting lineup in exchange for more prize money if they can still win the race.

Dobmeier was one of six drivers that took the challenge, leaving track point leader Jade Hastings and Zach Omdahl with the front row starting spots to start the 35 lap season finale.

Hastings needed every spot he could get following a DNF's at the previous Saturday's Wayne Anderson Cup finale, and earlier in the night in his heat race. Those results totally erased his point lead, needing to beat Dobmeier in the feature to win the title.

Things looked good for him early, as he led until lap 22 when Tim Estenson lost an engine. Estenson was ok, even though his No. 14T was briefly on fire.

On the restart, Dobmeier, who had climbed from 17th to second, swapped the lead with Hastings throughout the closing laps of the race.

Negotiating through lapped traffic as the white flag flew, the pair crossed the finish line nearly dead even, initiating a scoring review.

Upon further review between track and NOSA series officials, it was determined Dobmeier was the winner of the race and with it the track points title. The margin of victory, by .049 seconds, is the second closest in recorded history. The closest is Bobby Martin over Thomas Kennedy in July 2010 at .043 seconds.

Blake Egeland charged from 15th to third, while 14th starting Brendan Mullen and Shane Roemeling completed the top five.

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River Cities Recap: Shaw Wins Second Seitz Memorial

9/11/2022

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Johnson Wins Delaine Memorial
Mullen Scores Anderson Cup Finale

Grand Forks, N.D. (September 10, 2022) - Another jam-packed weekend of action has been completed over the 16th Annual John Seitz Memorial weekend. Among the biggest winners of the weekend were Don Shaw winning his second $9,200-to-win 92 lap finale, Zach Johnson winning the Big Al Delaine Memorial, and Brendan Mullen winning the fourth and final Wayne Anderson Cup feature of the year.

Ryan Corbett and Dustin Strand led the 26 car John Seitz Memorial feature for the Cirrus Aircraft Late Models to green, and despite an opening lap caution, Don Shaw led 22 of the 32 laps run before the scheduled fuel stop.

Josh Skorczewski and Scott Greer made up the remainder of the top three as the race resumed. Shaw remained out front through a pair of cautions in the next ten laps as Shane Edginton moved up to third.

Shaw started working traffic with 45 to go, as fellow former Seitz winners Chad Mahder and AJ Diemel started to make their presence known before a caution with 39 left.

Mahder remained a threat to take the lead through two more cautions in the ensuing laps.

Diemel and Cole Searing, who needed the 'highest finisher from last year's feature not yet qualified' provisional to start 26th, made their ways past Skorczewski into third and fourth respectively, and both had Mahder in their sights for second.

Diemel made it to second two laps later as Shaw continued to work traffic. Pulling even with Shaw coming to the ten to go signal, the field slowed for one final caution.

With clean air, Shaw went on to win his second Seitz Memorial title over Diemel, Searing, Mahder, and Jeffrey Massingill.

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River Cities Recap: Dobmeier Among Track Championship Winners

9/3/2022

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Pederson, Schill, Blacklance Win Races; Points Titles

Grand Forks, N.D. (September 2, 2022) - The final week of the regular season brings with it the annual Track Championship races to the Bullring crowning four new champions. When factoring in that the final races before Labor Day also bring the points chases to an end in the WISSOTA classes, that adds up to one exciting night of championship action.

Wade Nygaard and Mark Dobmeier led the Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA Sprints championship to green with Dobmeier taking the early lead.

Brendan Mullen soon passed Nygaard for the second spot, as Hastings moved in on Nygaard for the third spot.

Dobmeier continued as the leader on a lap five restart, leaving Mullen and Hastings to battle for second. The top three remained the same, and evenly spaced through lapped traffic until the next caution with nine circuits left to complete.

Dobmeier arguably had his best restart on the final reset, pulling away for his third win of the year and the track championship.

Hastings, Tim Estenson, Mullen, and Knoxville, Iowa's Riley Goodno made up the rest of the top five.

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