Sprint cars to race Saturday at North Central
There is good news and bad news for all the Wissota Championship 360 Sprint Car racers that will compete in North Central Speedway's first of four sprint specials Saturday night.
Roger Rager, Pequot Lakes, a many-time feature winner in the class, will not attend. He will be racing in the Midget class in Knoxville, Iowa.
The bad news is that Tony Norem, Dassel, who won two earlier features at the speedway in as many appearances, returns. Last year he raced 410 Sprint Cars in Knoxville (these cars have a 410-cubic inch engine instead of a 360-cubic inch engine).
He was racing a former Pennzoil World of Outlaws class car. He said Thursday he didn't have a successful season. One reason was he was racing on Goodyear tires when most of the racers were running Hoosiers.
"(Racing in that series) takes a lot of money," he said.
This season he already has nabbed a third-place finish at the three-eighths mile Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis.
The speedway's Web site said he made a last-lap pass to take third. Norem admitted he likes running on short tracks like North Central.
"(The Speedway) is a fun little track," Norem said. "It's one of my favorites. I love coming there."
He said the one thing he likes about the third-mile dirt speedway is that there are walls around both ends.
"You can run the top a lot of the time," he said.
Norem isn't the only one who likes the high side of a track.
Rager said Jimmy Kouba did this to win a feature at Ashland, Wis., earlier this season. He started in the seventh row.
"When he got on top there was none of us that could catch him," he said.
Rager, who won a feature at Fargo, N.D. recently, also noted that he is expecting about 20 racers to race at North Central.
Some of the better racers are Brainerd's own Sye Anderson, who is currently fourth in season points at the Red River Valley Speedway, Fargo, N.D., Greg Nikietenko, Roby Caho Jr., Alan Gilbertson, and Jerry Reichert Jr., Rager said.
Dave Mass, Brainerd, and John Franzen, Baxter, also could race.
Rager said Franzen has been "upside down" twice this season already.
Rager also could turn the field "upside down."
The winner of the feature will take home $1,200. There also will be a fast dash where the winner will take home $150.
NCS points
THROUGH MAY 24
NORTH CENTRAL PURE STOCKS
Eric Przybilla 149, Tony Yezek 148, Charlie Peterson 146, Jeff Klun 139, Brian Boser 138, Kelly Kautz 138, Greg Miller 136, Mike Cash 132, Derek Olson 124, Mike Smude 124, Brian Johnson 123, Chad Jillson 121, Dan Abear 120, Trevor Shaw 118, Paul Marohn 116, Doug Davis 114, Scott Dillenburg 109, Phillip Schmitz 107, Ron Abear 103, Dennis Johnson 103, Pete Ryan 99, Mitch Lowe 89, Cory Lodermeier 85, Edward Rolfson, Jr. 75, Louis Wermter 72, David Read 69, Denzel Eslinger 61, Dustin Joel 51, Marc Miller 27, Mark Christensen 26, Danny Wahl 25, Clayton Caird 22, Shon Montgomery 22, Edward Kottschade 16
WISSOTA STREET STOCKS
Dan Beens 153, Donny Thomsen 137, Donnie Jensen 136, Kevin Baron 132, Robert Young 131, Jim DeRosier 119, Randy Sprague 119, Mark Johnson 116, Wade Blumke 115, Scott Paulson 113, Charlie Novak 109, Kelly Wroolie 109, Todd Nelson 108, Dan Severson 106, John Kaeding 98, Mark Nielsen 94, Brandon Larson 87, Mike Japp 81, Shawn Niemeyer 75, Steve Eggersgluess 72, Matt Bauman 71, Travis Wermter 69, Ryan Studanski 60, Tom Flannigen Jr. 56, Dan Gullikson 54, Wayne Wooden 53, Todd Walock 52, Shannon Logue 51, Jess Geesey 51, Wes Hines 47, Cory Rosen 46, Rod Debernardeaux 44, Trent Brutger 39, Tim Johnson 37, Cale Berry 36, Jon Gunderson 36, Tom Brust 35, John Kruchten 33, Greg Klun 32, Jeromy Thorstenson 19, Bob Lind 18, Bret Schmidt 18, Jon Zastrow 18, Devin Neske 17, Chris Keske 16, Duane Thorsvik 16, Jason Vandekamp 16, Danny Dik 15
WISSOTA MIDWEST MODIFIEDS
Dick Peterson 165, Troy Jordan 155, Mark Anderson 152, Brent Foster 152, Brad Feierabend 147, Jason Garner 145, Justin Jones 143, Scott Lake 137, John Thompson 126, Tim Brown 123, Scott Blood 121, Mike Henning 121, Mike Jones 118, Brett Johnson 106, Conrad Olson 103, Kevin Yeager 98, Danny Vang 82, Donald Wermter 78, Kevin Busbey 77, Monte Hall 74, Don Willing Jr. 61, Wally Mass 60, Wally Anderson 59, Larry Menk 58, Rob Garin 54, Lonny Loeschke 54, Jesse Lodermeier 49, Nate Welliver 47, Jack Durham 35, Dale Mathison 34, Thomas Turcotte 30, Ed Rolfson, Sr. 29, Chris Johnson 18, Kyle Schmidt 18, Kurt Reimer 17, Jody Bruder 16, Mike Johnson 16, Brandon Mass 15, Vern Arnt 14
WISSOTA SUPER STOCKS
Brad Jensen 162, Kurt Loftis 161, Tim O'Brien 147, Erick Thiesse 139, George Mattson 131, John Remington 131, Tim Johnson 130, Pete Loftis 130, Dave Mass 124, Ed Jensen 123, Pete Hines 110, Mike Flannigan 107, Pat O'Brien 106, Tom Feierabend 97, Steve Eide 93, Don Eischens 92, Luke Hines 92, Jamie Morgan 89, Nick Musel 81, Scot Nelson 81, Richard Nieken 54, Tim Sweet 52, Tom Hovind 47, Paul Schultz 43, Ronnie Malecki 34, Scott Matis 17