Patience on the outside

John Flory uses outside line to win Modified feature

By T.J. ALLICK, Staff Writer tallick@minotdailynews.com
Dirt track racing is more than just pure speed.

Sure, it helps to have plenty of it, but knowing the condition of the track is one of the most vital parts of winning.

Last weekend’s Nodak Speedway IMCA Modified feature race was decided by the inside line, while Sunday night it was the outside track determing the outcome.

Ben Siedler used the outside line to lead 10-straight laps, before he was passed by Nathan Burke, on the outside on lap No. 11. Seidler retained the lead three laps later and held it until lap 20, when John Flory capitilzed on a Seidler mishap ducked underneath and took control of the outside line to pull away for the win.

“It was fun,” said Flory of the 25-lap feature. “It was so fast out on top then you had to try and knife it down to the bottom and try and get a run, but it wasn’t fast enough that way, so I had to wait for him to make a mistake.”

Flory began the feature in the fourth position on the outside. He hung around third place until Burke’s modified No. 97 went down on lap 14, where he then moved in behind Seidler. After trying to work underneath a couple of times, Flory stuck close to the back of Seidler, in hopes of forcing a mistake, which was what happened.

“That was the plan (to stay close and wait for an opportunity to pass),” Flory said. “(Once he got ahead) I stayed up high, it was so fast on top.”

Seidler came in second followed by Wayne Johnson, Marlyn Seidler and Mike Hagen to round out the modified top 5.

Burke, who is the defending Nodak Speedway IMCA Stock Car champion, got his first stock feature win of the season. After winning the first heat race Sunday, Burke lead start to finish in the 20-lap feature race, all on a bad transmission.

“If it hadn’t been a money race, we probably wouldn’t have run that last race,” Burke said. “We’re racing more for money this year with the stocks.”

Burke is working double-duty this season. He is making the jump up to a full time modified season, while still competing in the stocks. He had solid run going in the modifieds Sunday, but he still feels his team is working out the bugs.

“We had her set up to run up top, but she started getting a little loss there towards the end,” said Burke of his IMCA modified. “This biggest difference (between the stocks and modifieds) is that with the stocks, it’s about the driver, and with the modifieds it’s moreso who’s set up better.

I think that’s the biggest difference and it’s work in progress for us.”

Another defending champ, Gary Hamilton, picked up his first Nodak Hobby Stock feature win of the season Sunday. The win for Hamilton was gift wrapped by Brandon Beeter, who held the lead before breaking down out of the second turn on the final lap.

There wasn’t any mishaps for Spencer Wilson in the INEX Legends feature. Wilson dominated the field, leading green-to-checkered to pick up his first win of the season. Wilson, who was last season’s runner-up, will look to make it to in a row when Nodak action continues Sunday with hot laps at 5 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.

IMCA Modifieds

A-main — 1. John Flory; 2. Ben Seidler; 3. Wayne Johson; 4. Maryln Seidler; 5. Mike Hagen.

B-main — All transfered.

Heat 1 — 1. John Flory; 2. Wyatt Olson; 3. Nathan Burke.

Heat 2 — 1. Ben Seidler; 2. Hank Berry; 3. Mike Hagen.

Heat 3 — 1. Joren Boyce; 2. Marlyn Seidler; 3. Steve Pfeifer.

Heat 4 — 1. Wayne Johnson; 2. Drew Christianson; 3. Troy Kittler.

INEX Legends

A-main — 1. Spencer Wilson; 2. Tom Wagner; 3. Nathan Speten; 4. Troy Speten; 5. Glen Hellebust.

Heat 1 — 1. Troy Speten; 2. Robert Huettl; 3. Kyle Vandenberg.

Heat 2 — 1. Nathan Speten; 2. Tom Wagner; 3. Spencer Wilson.

IMCA Stock Cars

A-main — 1. Nathan Burke; 2. Robbie Rosselli; 3. Randy Fyllesvold; 4. Colin Severance; 5. Mike Swallers.

B-main — 1. Kary Larson; 2. Josh Sattler; 3. Chandler Lemar; 4. Alan Fetzer; 5. Shawn Kuhnhenn.

Heat 1 — 1. Nathan Burke; 2. Chad Strachen; 3. Kelly Henderson.

Heat 2 — 1. Jason Laducer; 2. Randy Fyllesvold; 3. Mike Swallers.

Heat 3 — 1. Robbie Rosselli; 2. Jason Storbakken; 3. Colin Severance.

Hobby Stocks

A-main — 1. Gary Hamilton; 2. Bob Fuegmann; 3. Erik Laudenschlager; 4. Rob Stenvold; 5. Dana Brandt.

B-main — 1. Dave Rust; 2. Kadi Vondal; 3. Colton Axtman; 4. Kyle Beeter; 5. Alyssa Harris.

Heat 1 — 1. Brock Beeter; 2. Dustin Hoffert; 3. Rob Stenvold.

Heat 2 — 1. Tyler Tix; 2. Gary Hamilton; 3. Dana Brandt.

Heat 3 — 1. Brandon Beeter; 2. Bob Fuegmann; 3. Kelly Rambel.