4 sprints to be on display at show
As of Tuesday, there will be at least 40 stock cars at North Central Speedway's annual show at Dondelinger Friday and Saturday.
All four classes which run at the third-mile dirt track five miles south of Brainerd on Highway 371, Wissota Midwest Modified, Wissota Super Stock, Wissota Street Stock and NCS Pure Stocks, will be represented.
Four Wissota Championship Sprints also will be on display. The speedway will host five sprint shows this season, including two during the Mighty Axe Nationals on Sept. 21-22.
After driving Gary Walton's sprint car around the speedway a few laps last season, make sure to look inside one of these and see where the steering wheel is located. It feels like you have your tilt steering wheel pushed all the way to the dashboard.
The car show is open to the public starting at 8 a.m. Friday and ends at 4 p.m. Saturday. Refreshments and food also will be available.
Speedway apparel, Wissota licenses, pit spots for the racers and season passes also will be for sale. The season schedule also will be available.
The speedway opens its season with a practice day April 20. The first races will be April 27.
Johnson goes undefeated
Amanda Johnson of Aitkin raced her Arctic Cat to the Pro Women's class feature win en route to winning the season points title at the Super Snowcross Stadium Tour finale at the Metrodome Saturday. This also was her fourth feature win in as many features during the season.
Her father, Michael, said she began the event by drawing the pole for the heat race, which she won.
The seven-lap final saw 12 racers competing (eight on the front row and four on the back row). Amanda picked the inside line and got the hole shot.
Amanda was followed by Julie Thul on her Ski Doo, who she just barely edged in the World Snowmobile Association's Snocross Worldwide Championship Series Pro Women's season points title two years ago, and Jolene Bute on an Arctic Cat.
Michael said Thul pressured Amanda the entire race.
Thiesse named crew chief
Nate Thiesse, a former standout racer at North Central Speedway and other area tracks, was named the crew chief for LaFavre Racing's second race car.
The two-car LaFavre Racing Team of Lakeville competes in the American Speed Association Series. Thiesse will lead the #21 car driven by Dan Fredrickson of Lakeville. Fredrickson was the 2001 Re-Max Rookie of the Year.
Force in for uphill battle
NHRA Funny Car pilot John Force's attempt to win his 100th career win at the NHRA National event in Las Vegas this weekend could be an uphill battle.
The strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the only track on the NHRA national circuit at which Force has failed to put his racer in the winner's circle at least one time.
The speedway will host its third annual national event. Force has yet to advance past the second round of eliminations.
NASCAR April Fool's joke
Jay Wells of North Carolina, a former public relations representative for several NHRA drag racers, told me via telephone of an April Fool's joke carried out by a Greensboro, N.C., radio station.
The station announced that on April 2 area post offices would sell a three-cent stamp with a photograph of the late Dale Earnhardt printed on it. Naturally, there were lines of people waiting for the post offices to open that morning.
He also told me that Earnhardt had permission from the North Carolina governor to fly his American flag at half-mast at his race shop when any racer died. Wells lives close to the shop.