Alex Eisen/MDN The IMCA Hobby Stock class competes in a heat race last year at Nodak Speedway.

The long winter has finally passed over, the track is ready to go and the drivers are itching to get behind the wheel again.

Racing resumes at Nodak Speedway with Opening Night tonight at 6 p.m.

“When a driver calls me and asks me how the track is looking, I’d say it’s two straight lines connected by half circles,” Nodak Speedway President Brandon Beeter said jokingly. “But, the truth is the track looks amazing. It looks really good for having a late spring, let me put it that way.”

Given what the weather conditions were, the grounds crew has put in the hours to make the track the best it can be in a short period of time.

“We didn’t put pieces of equipment on the track until last Wednesday and, with five guys down there working all their evenings and into the night for four nights, we had it ready to go for Practice Day (on April 29),” Beeter said. “It’s been a long, cold and snowy winter. We are ready to throw the green flag and get some racing going.”

There are no changes to the track — Beeter and his team are happy with the adjustments they made last season by reshaping the banking — and same classes are competing this year. Nodak Speedway features four weekly International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) classes with the occasional IMCA Sport Compacts mixed in.

The World of Outlaws will also be coming back to town, a little sooner than usual, on June 17.

Breaking down the four weekly classes, here are some of the favorites and interesting storylines to keep an eye on.

IMCA Modifieds

The top flight was dominated by Ray’s Jason Wolla last season. Not only did his six wins at Nodak help him secure the track championship, Wolla went on to the win the 2017 IMCA Modifieds National Point Standings over Cory Sample from Winnemucca, Nevada.

“What will (Wolla) do this summer to back up his national championship season?” Beeter said. “He has said he will race here this summer, and another favorite is Travis Hagen from Williston. He is actually going to be Jason Wolla’s future brother-in-law, as he is engaged to Jason Wolla’s sister.”

Hagen, missing two features last year, placed fourth with three wins. Last year’s runner-up and former multi-time track champion Wayne Johnson from Minot also returns with a new white and green paint scheme.

IMCA Sport Mods

The impact of losing Westhope driver Robbie Conway to a heart attack last year remains sobering. Yet, the racing goes on in his memory.

“It’s a big void,” Beeter said.

Turtle Lake’s Isaac Sondrol claimed the track championship last season under the difficult circumstances by holding off Minot’s Erik Laudenschlager by a mere three points on Championship Night.

Minot’s Robby Rosselli rounded out the podium in the final standings, but was 48 points back of Sondrol.

The streakiest racer in the class was Jeff Hooker from Minot. He won a track-high five out of the 11 races he was in. The field this season can rejoice a little with Hooker deciding to move up to the Modifieds.

IMCA Hobby Stocks

Returning champion Andrew Bertsch from Minot has his work cut out for him if he wants to defend his track title.

Looking to knock Bertsch down a peg is 2017 runner-up Vance Tomlinson, who finished 29 points back and missed a feature race, and the 2016 track champion Dana Brandt, who aims to come back and compete full-time in the class again.

Also coming back to the Hobby Stocks after racing with the Sport Mods is Brock Beeter. He is a former three-time track champion in the Hobby Stock class.

“By far and away, I think the Hobby Stock class is one of the most competitive classes we have at the Nodak Speedway right now,” Brandon Beeter said. “But, that doesn’t put down any of the other classes either.”

IMCA Stock Cars

Down the stretch, the Stock Car standings last year provided the most excitement and ended remarkably with catastrophic car troubles for Austin Daae on Championship Night.

Daae’s misfortunes handed Dalton Flory the track title by two points. Dalton’s father, Joe Flory, was 10 points back in third place.

The Williston father-son duo, along with plenty of other familiar faces, will go head-to-head once again this season.

“Not a lot of movement in the Stock Car class,” Beeter said. “It’s a lot of the same guys coming back. Maybe with one or two new guys coming in, but I think most of them are rookies.”

The first heat race will roll out onto the track starting at 6 p.m. tonight. The main events will follow later in the evening.

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