Alex Eisen/MDN A cluster of cars goes through turns No. 1 and No. 2 at Nodak Speedway on the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot.

Brandon Beeter is the president of Nodak Speedway in Minot. Beeter grew up dirt track racing with his father, Bernie Beeter, and his brother, Brock Beeter. He currently works in the oil field and is the owner of DARN TV.

The Minot Daily News spoke with Brandon Beeter on Tuesday about the upcoming race season at Nodak Speedway, the resurgence of iRacing and his most memorable moments behind the wheel. Some responses are edited for brevity and clarity.

MDN: What’s the current situation for Nodak Speedway?

BB: We are currently in a holding pattern to see what the governor decides to do with openings and closings of businesses and what the CDC recommendations are moving into the month of May. As of now, our scheduled opening night is still on for the first Sunday in May, which is May 3rd. But, obviously, that could change.

MDN: Is there a possibility that you could keep pushing back the start date and then start later if possible?

BB: Yes. What we are hoping to do is get some clarity in the upcoming weeks and try to provide as much information as we can to our racers and our race fans for the month of May. There are just so many unknowns out there right now. I would prefer not to live week-by-week. I don’t think our race fans want to live week-by-week. So, if we could cancel a few weeks at a time and maybe live two weeks at a time or three weeks at a time, that might be the best-case scenario. That way, people can adjust their lives accordingly.

But, we will play it by ear right now and see what the governor has to say.

MDN: Have you been able to do any track preparation?

BB: We have started working on some of the equipment for the track. But, normally, we aren’t on the track until about April 20th to the 25th, depending on the weather. So, right now, nothing has been slowed down with the COVID-19 deal.

The only thing that is slow is our sponsors. With business closures and that stuff going on, it’s hard to find sponsors.

MDN: What have you personally been doing to stay busy?

BB: I’m working. My job hasn’t changed. I’m out here in the oil field — I manage a trucking company. I’m still working my 60-70 hours a week and keeping my truck drivers busy. I’m trying to keep everybody that I can employed with the slow down in the oil field.

MDN: I’m curious about your thoughts on the rise of iRacing at the national level?

BB: I saw it coming a couple of years ago because it’s a way for those people who maybe can’t afford racing to enjoy the sport in their homes. It’s something that I got into in 2018, briefly. I didn’t have the time to take it seriously, so I kind of got out of it. Now, here in the last few weeks, I have started doing it again with some of my friends at the race track.

MDN: Do you think iRacing is a suitable place for rookie drivers to be introduced to dirt track racing?

BB: So far, in my opinion, I haven’t found much that translates from real racing to iRacing. But, I can see how it would give you a taste of what the rules are in racing and what some of the on-track etiquette is in racing.

Compared to a normal video game like on your Playstation or Nintendo where you can go out and just wreck everybody, iRacing has rules and regulations that you have to follow. They don’t allow you to wreck people purposefully, which is a good thing. It teaches young kids, even my son who is 12 years old and he races iRaces with me, the proper etiquette to not wreck people out on the race track.

MDN: What are some of the differences between iRacing and actually being out there on the track?

BB: The feel of a car underneath you. I joke with my brother that we drive by the seat of our pants. You can’t do that in iRacing. You are driving with your eyes and your hands on the steering wheel, more than anything else.

In a real race car, you are driving by feel more than you are by sight, if that makes sense.

MDN: When did you first get behind the wheel and start racing?

BB: May 30, 1998. I was 15 years old.

MDN: What was that experience like?

BB: The scariest feeling in my life, but also the most fun and exhilarating feeling in my life.

MDN: Do you remember what happened in that race?

BB: Yes, very clearly, I remember what happened. I got lapped right away. I wasn’t very fast. My dad and I didn’t weld the shock bounce on good enough. Our shocks broke, and I didn’t know what that noise was banging around. It was the shocks. I pulled into the pits and told my dad there was something wrong. He said, “Oh yeah, you are racing without any shocks.”

That was my first experience.

MDN: How about the most memorable race you have been a part of?

BB: My North Dakota most memorable race would be in Williston right after my mom passed away. My brother and I battled for the lead. I ended up getting second to my brother. He won the first night right after our mom had passed. That stands out the most because it was him and I together battling for the lead, and it wasn’t more than six days after my mom’s passing.

Nationally, the fall nationals in October of 2015 down in Hays, Kansas. You race against guys from several different states from all over the country. I ended up winning that race. There were a lot of people there from North Dakota who were cheering me on. My family was there to celebrate with me in victory lane. My kids stood on the roof of my car. There is a picture of my son and I dancing on the roof of my car. That’s the one that stands out the most in my mind.

MDN: If you could race against anybody, dead or alive, who would it be?

BB: Oh, man. Anybody? You are putting me on the spot.

I’ll be honest, I don’t necessarily have anybody that I want to race against. To be real, I wanted to race against my brother, and I have got to enjoy that for several years. I guess the next one on my bucket list would be to race against my son when he gets older.

It would be cool to have my brother, my son and I all on the race track at the same time.

MDN: Lastly, what do you think makes Nodak Speedway a unique track?

BB: The setting. The big grandstand. The sun going down behind the grandstand every night. The shade on the front straightaway. The aura of being on the North Dakota State Fairgrounds. The history of it being the longest club-ran race track in the United States.

There is so much history here and, as a little kid growing up here, I heard about so many names (of people who have been involved). Now, as the president, the fact that I get to be a part of those names is something special.

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