Sports
Kids night 2012: A caution-filled tale
Tyler Ohmann
06/26/2012
Racers dealt with dusty and loose track conditions this past Sunday as Thunder Mountain Speedway (TMS) held their third week of races this summer.
This coupled with some aggressive driving led to a lot of cautions on the night especially in the feature races.
The race was kids night and kids got to ride on their favorite riders cars before the racing action began. There were also extra candy, two bikes and frisbees given out during intermission.
On the track racers in the sport stock division struggled out of a slippery turn two, and several cautions came from it.
Taking heat one in the sport stocks was Steve Beckedahl of Landa. He was followed closely by Chris Romfo, who made his track debut for the season after a layoff. In the second heat it was Brian Bellew coming back from an early crash to eek past Cody Smith and Brady Soland.
Romfo then won the trophy dash.
Erik Blada, the points leader entering the night, rebounded from tough runs in the heat and trophy dash races to take a sloppy feature. Cautions were abound as many racers spun out around turn two.
“The best thing I tried to do was just to look out, because off of turn two you couldn’t see,” said
Kenra Meyer, a 15-year-old from Bottineau, who was racing for the second time this season.
How does someone who just got their license get into racing?
“Chris (Romfo) has been in racing since I was little, and I’ve always wanted to do it,” Meyer said. “It was a lot of fun.”
Meyer too fell prey to the tough turns on the day. She got into a wreck late in the feature, where she finished eighth.
“I’ve never been hit before, and my neck is a little sore,” Meyer said. “I knew I shouldn’t have went out there that second time, I should have listened to my gut.”
Meyer said she will definitely be back.
“I think if the track is better like last race it is more fun,” Meyer said. “I had a good car this time, so I’ll definitely be back.”
After Sunday’s race the top five in points are:
1. Erik Blada 177
2. Steve Beckedahl 170
3. Matt Hunter 162
4. Pat Smith 152
5. Russ Reimer 152
Though a little more stable the Midwest Modified races were just as exciting as the sport stocks on Sunday.
Both heat races were close as Jim Morlock edged Shawn Nostdahl of Bottineau in the first heat.
In the second heat it was Rick Hammel narrowly taking former flag man at TMS Jason Laducer.
Norm Reitan, a third place finisher in the heat, took home the checkered in the trophy dash.
Morlock came out on top again in the feature race as he once again bested Nostdahl. Hammel finished third.
Following the races on Sunday the top five sits like this:
1. Jim Morlock 156
2. Ray Smith 152
3. Norm Reitan 145
4. Tyler Dosch 137
5. Shawn Nostdahl 135
The next race will be on July 8 beginning with hot laps at 3:30 p.m. It will feature the mechanics race.