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Around they go

Cautions common, first-time winners shine at Nodak Speedway

Alex Eisen/MDN Minot's Alexis Wrolson (15) leads the IMCA Hobby Stocks to the green flag in a heat race on Sunday.

At times, Nodak Speedway on Sunday looked more like an ice skating rink than a dirt track.

Slipping, sliding and spin-outs couldn’t be avoided, as the drivers of the four weekly racing classes tried to conquer an unforgiving slick track.

Finding traction and coming out on top were three first-time feature winners Isaac Sondrol (IMCA Sport Mods), Tyler Lucy (IMCA Hobby Stocks) and Chase Conway (IMCA Modifieds), alongside Scott Yale (IMCA Stock Cars).

Just getting to the main feature with a fully functioning car on Sunday was an accomplishment. The heat races were prolonged with caution after caution. In the four classes, 19 cars didn’t finish their heats.

It didn’t take long for Robbie Conway to show why he came into this week’s races tied for the IMCA Sport Mods points lead with Sondrol. In the first heat race of the night, Conway went from seventh place to first on the first turn by darting to the bottom of the track.

Alex Eisen/MDN Justin Bieber (5) from Fairview, Montana, loses control in turn No. 4 of an IMCA Modifieds heat race on Sunday at Nodak Speedway.

Conway carried over his momentum from dominating his heat race into the main feature, but came three laps short.

Maneuvering his way up through the field after starting ninth, Conway sliced and diced his way to the front. But, it looked like nobody was going to have enough time to catch Heat 3 winner Jeff Hooker, who started on the outside of the pole. But, with three laps to go, Chris Seekings brought out the yellow flag.

The first restart ended with a crash in turn two. The second saw Heat 2 winner Robby Rosselli go around the outside and into lead, but he was brought back into third place after another caution.

The third time wasn’t the charm either, as a four-car pileup ensued with two laps to go – collecting Rosselli and Brock Beeter.

A green-white-checkered finish saw Sondrol get around both Conway and Hooker to move into sole possession of first place in the points standings with his first win ever at Nodak.

Erik Laudenschlager used a slingshot move on the outside to pass Hooker for second place at the line. Conway settled for fourth.

Half of the IMCA Hobby Stocks finished their first heat race (five out of 10). Despite being caught up in an early crash and damaging his front end, the track points leader Andrew Bertsch held out for the heat win.

Fellow Minot natives Kevin Tvedt and Cole Hanshew won the other two hobby stock heats.

The only ‘B’ feature of the night was in the hobby stock class and it offered more yellow flags, from the opening laps to the last. Fighting for a Top 9 spot to transfer into the main feature, highlights included Makenzie Baker losing a tire on the backstretch and Kadi Ruby avoiding all the carnage for the victory.

The wet track caused more problems in the feature event. On the first lap, Bertsch went off the top of the track. Last week’s winner, Hanshew went around a few laps later and took his No. 82 car to the garage. Then, Ruby brought out the next caution with 10 laps remaining.

The race leaders Riese Dignan and Andrew Sebastian tangled up with nine laps to go. That setup a four-car shootout with Shawn Green, Zach Lutz, Lucy and Bertsch with the time limit looming.

Side-by-side in pairs of two, a dramatic finish was forthcoming but they couldn’t make it to the finish. The yellow and checkered flag waved with four laps to go. Lucy led the last lap, granting him his first win at Nodak. Bertsch slotted into second and Green third.

After the race, Lutz was disqualified for running with one illegal tire.

In the IMCA Stock Cars feature, mechanic problems ended points leader Joe Flory’s night early.

One of the longest green flag runs of the evening followed with Scott Yale, Alan Bertsch and Joren Boyce fighting for the Top 3 spots. Once Dalton Flory arrived on the scene, however, another caution surfaced.

Working the back bumper of Yale, Dalton Flory found his window of opportunity with five laps to go. But, Yale slammed the door shut, and held off Flory for his second win of the season.

The final feature of the night in the IMCA Modifieds had Chase Conway, Dallas Rice and Marcus Tomlinson pull away from the pack.

However, everyone was grouped back up again with 14 laps to go.

The Top 2 in the points standings, Jason Wolla and Travis Hagen, had the leaders in their sight with 10 laps to go. But, Chase Conway held his ground on the bottom. Until, he was crashed on the last corner by a lapped car. He was still granted the victory because he had led the last lap prior to the yellow being shown.

For the third time on the night, a new feature winner was crowned at Nodak. Hagen took second, Wolla third, Drew Christianson in fourth and Mark Dahl rounded out the Top 5.

Racing resumes next Sunday at Nodak Speedway, starting at 6 p.m.

Alex Eisen covers Minot High School, Minot State athletics and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.

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