RIVER CITIES RECAP: DOBMEIER WINS EIGHTH POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP

Nick Shirek earns first career victory Drueke and Dvergsten also winners

​Another season of racing action is in the history books at the Bullring, as River Cities Speedway hosted its third and final all Sprint Car show of the season last Friday night. Mark Dobmeier won the points and track championships in the NOSA Sprints Cars, while Nick Shirek visited Rydellcars.com victory lane for the first time in his career with the Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprints. IMCA national point leader Tyler Drueke won his second feature of the year at the Bullring with the Red River Sprint Series, while Dexter Dvergsten won the 15th feature of his career with the POWRi Minn-Kota Lightning Sprints.

Mark Dobmeier and Jade Hastings led the 25-lap NOSA sprints main event to start. Hastings, the newly crowned NOSA champion, took the lead down the back stretch as Dobmeier pulled a huge wheelie coming off of turn two, allowing Hastings to lead the opening lap.

The lead duo pulled away from the rest of the field early and began working lapped traffic five laps into the race. This allowed Dobmeier to close in and take the lead on the seventh lap.

Hastings pulled even as they continued to work traffic at the end of lap four, though Dobmeier continued to maintain the top spot.

Just past the midway point, Dobmeier was able to pull away by nearly a straightaway before having to work traffic again, which allowed Hastings to close for a third time with 11 to go.

The leaders went side-by-side again coming off of turn four the following lap, but Dobmeier held the lead before the only caution of the race set up a single file restart and clean air for the leaders.

Dobmeier had a fantastic restart, pulling away by a straightaway before the completion of the first lap following the yellow. Hastings’ night came to an end as he pulled to the infield one lap later.

Dobmeier started working traffic again with five to go as Austin Pierce closed in on Nick Omdahl in the battle for second. Dobmeier continued on for the victory over Pierce, who took the second spot in the final lap corner over Omdahl. Brendan Mullen and Zach Omdahl completed the top five.

Nick Shirek and Eric Guyot brought the final Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprint feature to green. Shirek got the jump in the start as Eric Guyot and Mike Tomlinson completed the top three at the completion of the first lap.

By lap two, Shirek was already ahead by a straight away as Jeremy Lizakowski and Tee Young moved in on Tomlinson to battle for third.

Lizikowski took the third spot on the third lap as the top three broke away from the rest of the field. Shirek continued to lead by this point by a half a lap and started working lapped traffic on lap nine.

Continuing to hold the lead in thick lap traffic at the midway point while Lizakowski took the second followed by twelfth starting Ross Cummings into third. Lizakowski’s night came to an early end shortly thereafter, giving second to Cummings.

Shirek found clean air again with eight to go before catching more lapped traffic with five to go. Shirek, who ran NOSA Sprints from 2004-11, remained unchallenged in the closing laps for his first career sprint car victory over Cummings, Guyot, Steve Nordrum and Mike Tomlinson.

Tyler Rabenberg and IMCA national point leader Tyler Drueke made up the front row of  the final Red River Sprint Series feature of the year. Drueke took the lead at the start over Rabenberg and as Dominic Dobesh moved into the third spot.

The best battle on the track became the battle for the fourth spot as Jeremy Snow tried to hold off current IMCA national points runner-up Lee Goos, Jr. in a battle for the fourth spot.

Drueke led by a half straightaway five laps into the 20-lapper and closed in on lapped traffic two laps later, allowing Rabenberg to close to within a couple car lengths just before the midway point.

Rabenberg pulled even coming off of turn four with 11 to go in a bid for the lead, but Drueke rebuilt his lead in the following circuits of clean air before starting to work traffic again with eight to go.

Drueke continued to work well along the bottom of the racetrack in the closing laps to pick up his second victory at the Bullring this season over Rabenberg, Dobesh, Goos, Jr., and 13th starting Andy Pake. Tye Wilke was crowned the inaugural Red River Sprint series champion.

Hayden Koehmstedt and Dexter Dvergsten led the POWRi Minn-Kota Lightning Sprint feature to the stripe. Dvergsten jumped out to the early lead, bringing Alex Truscinski with him into second.

Dvergsten began to pull away early and had a straightaway lead of his own just two laps into the race 20-lap main event.

It took Dvergsten just three laps to have to start working lapped traffic but maintained his lead over Truscinski through five laps.

Continuing to work thick lapped traffic just before the midway point, Dvergsten continued to lead over Truscinski and third running Bryce Haugeberg. At the midway point, Haugeberg went over the banking in turns one and two, flipping his machine, though he emerged uninjured.

Dvergsten continued to lead over Truscinski with Minn-Kota point leader Matt Taves moving into the third spot. The final caution with eight laps to go saw Alan Truscinski move into a battle with Taves for the third spot, which he won at the line with seven to go.

Dvergsten had to start working traffic again in the last three laps but continued on for his 15th career win at the Bullring over Alan Truscinski, Dylan Langevin, Matthew Taves, and 12th starting Travis Surerus. Dvergsten is one win away from tying Darren Pallen atop the Lightning Sprints all-time wins list at the Speedway.