Sports
Confusing finish puzzles spectators, drivers at TMS
Tyler Ohmann
06/11/2013
A strange flag mishap led to a confusing finish at the end of the Wissota Midwest Modified feature race at Thunder Mountain Speedway north of Bottineau last Sunday night.
After a caution with five laps left the race resumed, and completed with Rick Hamel of Lakota, N.D. winning. The problem being the racers kept going because the flag man did not wave the final lap or the checkered flag.
Hamel lost the lead after spinning out of turn two, but the race technically already ended.
“I wasn’t really paying attention, everybody was still going, still racing,” Hamel said. “I don’t know what the whole lap counter was all about, but everybody races to what the flags say, so it was a good race.”
Lance Schill, who won the first heat (Hamel won the second heat) finished in second place. Eric Haugland came in third place.
There were 16 racers to start the 20-lap feature, something that Hamel thinks makes it easier to race.
“I like more cars out there, because it makes it easier to see where the good grooves of the track are,” Hamel said. “You can see where other people are slow and where the fast lines are at, so I think it helps you out.”
He used that to his advantage on Sunday night to earn 57 points toward the season championship.
“I was watching where everybody was going, and watching the bumps where everybody was slowing, so I just started doing the opposite of what those guys were doing, and it worked out for me,” Hamel said.
Haugland finished first in the third heat and Shawn Nostdahl, who finished second in that third heat, redeemed himself by taking the checkered in the trophy dash. Nostdahl finished sixth in the feature.
Before the puzzling finish of the modifieds the sport stock racers hit the track.
The usual suspects came out on top in the heat races. Steve Beckedahl of Landa, N.D. edged out a good-running Ryan Romans car in the first heat. In the second heat Kramer’s Erik Blada wound up the win. Jamie Smith took in second.
In the feature things went a little different.
Matt Hunter, who took seventh in the second heat, wound up on top. Blada, who was running pretty well crashed after getting boxed in behind a Kevin Smith spin out.
Kevin Smith wound up recovering from the spin out and finished with a runner-up finish. Beckedahl came in third and Jamie Smith was fourth.
Results from week one
The first races were held on June 2 at Thunder Mountain Speedway.
In the sport stock division Brian Bellew edged out Jamie Smith to take the top spot in the first heat. In heat two Stoney Kruk earned the checkered as he beat out Matt Hunter and Erik Blada. In the final heat it was Kevin Smith finishing first, ahead of a strong Chris Romfo car.
Romfo’s car came in first in the trophy dash though, as he took the checkered in the first one of the season.
Romfo again proved strong as she won the 20-lap feature race just awhile later on the night. Kruk finished runner-up and Jamie Smith took third, followed by Bellew fourth and Cody Smith fifth.
For the midwest modified division two names came out on top throughout the night and that was Lance Schill and Bryan Kakela.
In the first heat, which featured six cars, Schill took the top spot as he edged out Jarett Lovcik. Kakela took the second heat win after beating Norm Reitan and Zach Dockter.
Schill continued his strong day with a top finish in the trophy dash.
However, Kakela had the last word as he wound up taking first in the feature race. Reitan finished second, while Schill took ninth.
Points
After two weeks the top five of sport stock stands at: 1. Jamie Smith 96 2. Kevin Smith 95 3. Steve Beckedahl 94 4. Brian Bellew 91 5. Bryon Lesmann 91.
For the modifieds it looks like: 1. Norm Reitan 102 2. Lance Schill 102 3. Shawn Nostdahl 98 4. Ray Smith 97 5. Zach Dockter 94.
The next race at TMS is on June 23 with hot laps beginning at 3:30 p.m. and racing getting underway at 4 p.m. The night will be Kids Night.