Strand Claims Performance Auto Late Model Win

By Mike Spieker

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (July 28, 2017) – Brandon Fuller and Steffen Snare battled for the lead in the early going of the Performance Auto Late Model feature. Fuller held off Snare until the first caution flew on lap two. On the restart, Tom Corcoran moved into the second spot as Snare and Travis Robertson followed in third and fourth.

On lap five, Corcoran spun around in turn two, which brought out the yellow and ended his solid run. Shortly after the race resumed, Robertson’s night came to an end in a big way. Robertson and Shane Edginton made contact exiting turn four, which sent Robertson hard into the turn four wall. Robertson’s car climbed the catch fence before crashing down on it’s roof, prompting a red flag.

The NLRA rookie of the year contender climbed out of his mangled No. 1R uninjured, but his car was destroyed.

Dustin Strand took the lead from Fuller on the ensuing restart before checking out from the rest of the pack. Fuller was able to reel in Strand a bit in lapped traffic, but the defending WISSOTA Late Model national champion ran the remainder of the race relatively unchallenged.

Fuller claimed a career best finish of second as Joey Pederson, Bill Mooney, and Brad Seng rounded out the top five.