River Cities Speedway News

RydellCars.com RECAP: Seitz Memorial Night #2

9/10/2016

Steve Laursen Takes the Go Hard or Go Home Pole Dash Win!

Steve Laursen in RydellCars.com Victory Lane. Mike Spieker photo.

By Mike Spieker

GRAND FORKS, ND (September 10) - Steve Laursen of Cumberland, WI will roll from the pole position for tonight’s 92-lap, $9,200-to-win John Seitz Memorial Late Model finale, presented by Simplot. Laursen earned the honor by starting on the pole and leading all 20 laps during last night’s $920-to-win Go Hard or Go Home Pole Dash.

Reise Stenberg, Midwest Mod feature winner. Mike Spieker photo.

“It’s always important to start up front. I usually prefer to start in the second or third row, but I’ll take it,” said Laursen in RydellCars.com Victory Lane.

Lauren held off fellow Wisconsinite, Pat Doar of New Richmond, to the checkers with Curt Gelling, AJ Diemel, and Don Shaw rounding out the top five.

“We’re just going to have to keep it clean tomorrow night,” continued Laursen. “We’re going to have to manage things a little bit for the first 30-35 laps until the fuel stops. I have a tendency to get myself worked up and run wide open and you just can’t do that in a 92-lapper. Later in the race the track will slow down a bit and then you can start to get after it.”

A season-high 52 Happy Harry’s Midwest Modifieds were checked in for night two of the Seitz Memorial. After two B-mains, the field was set with the fastest 24 cars as Brock Gronwold and Prelude to the Johnny winner, Preston Carr, led them to the green flag.

Gronwold won the race into turn one to lead the opening lap, as five cars piled up in turn two to bring out the first caution. Jeremy Castro and Eric Haugland had to retire from the event due to the extensive damage to their machines.

Gronwold resumed at the point on the Evergreen Insurance restart while Carr, Rick Hamel and Reise Stenberg fought for second. The second caution was displayed on lap six and changed the complexion of the remainder of the event. On the restart, Stenberg drove to the outside of Hamel for second before racing side by side with Gronwold for the lead. The two drivers raced door to door for three consecutive circuits around the Bullring before Stenberg ultimately prevailed to take the point.

From there the Argusville, ND driver went on to lead the final 11 laps and claim his first career River Cities Speedway win. Hamel, Gronwold, Troy Randall, and Dale Kraling rounded out the top five. Lance Schill was the race’s hard charger as he advanced from 19th to ninth.

Thirty-five WISSOTA Modifieds entered Friday’s event with only the top 24 making the the starting grid for the A-main. Zach Johnson of Kensington, MN picked up his second Modified win at RCS as he passed Bryan Drydahl for the lead with nine laps to go.

Drydahl started outside of the front row and grabbed the lead on the opening lap with Strand hot on his heels. Drydahl ran the extreme high side of the speedway while Strand entered low and let the car drift up the track before jumping on the throttle. By lap eight the two car breakaway up front became a five car party as Johnson, Rick Delaine, and Cody Skytland all fought for the lead.

Johnson got by Strand on the 13th circuit and set his sights on the #55 of Drydahl. Within one lap Johnson not only erased Drydahl’s five car length advantage, but drove by him for the lead. Johnson led the last 10 laps en route to the victory. Matt Gilbertson drove from 12th to steal the runner-up spot as Drydahl, Delaine, and Strand rounded out the top five.

Nick Omdahl topped the 24-car Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA Sprint Car field for his first career win at RCS. Omdahl, a fifth year NOSA driver, started seventh and drove through the field to take the lead on lap 13 of the 35-lap A-main. With Mark Dobmeier right in his tracks, Omdahl had to be perfect on the final double file restart with 16 to go.

Omdahl hung on to score his second NOSA win of the season over Dobmeier, Chris Ranten, Casey Mack who started 21st, and Austin Pierce, who started 22nd. Blazin’ Back Row Challenge drivers Dusty Zomer and Wade Nygaard came from 23rd to seventh and 24th to sixth, respectively.