The fan favorite 4-wide parade lap before the 2012 Mod Nationals feature.

NASCAR Nationwide Series star Steve Arpin guest drove an O'Brien Enterprises, FYE Motorsports, Karrow Jewelers, Outlaw Wraps, Como Oil & Propane and Mikes Hard Lemonade entry at the 2012 Mod Nationals.

Saurer Steals Show & Seven Grand Payday
July 8th, 2012 - Viking Speedway - Alexandria, MN
by Ryan Schmitz

Elizabeth, MN driver Travis Saurer jumped to the lead early on in the 60
lap finale at the 8th Annual MN Mod Nationals and held on to collect his
biggest Modified win of his career. Saurer pocketed $7000 for his win
and became the eighth different winner of the event, which is held
annually at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN. Other drivers finding
thier way to victory lane in WISSOTA AMSOIL dirt track series action
included: Dan Ebert and Jason Vandekamp in the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
and Cody Lee in the WISSOTA Super Stocks.
 
National championship contenders Travis Saurer and Brian Haben led the
twenty four car WISSOTA Midwest Modified field to the green for the make
up feature from Saturday night. At the drop of the green Saurer jumped
out to an early advantage followed by Haben and Dan Ebert. Near the
midway point in the event Saurer's car began to lose power which
eliminated him from contention and left Ebert and Haben to battle for
the win. With both drivers utilizing Ford power under the hood, they
pulled away from the rest of the field. Ebert would pull away in the
late stages of the race and collected the $500 payday. Haben crossed the
line second, Jamie Thorstad continued his impressive season with a third
place run, Dennis Czech was fourth, and Jeremy Houle rounded out the top
five.
 
With only sixteen cars locked into the main event two bmains were run to
determine eight of the final ten starting spots in the Modified feature.
Local drivers Matt Smith and Dennis Bitzan sat on the front row of the
first b-main and at the drop of the green Smith moved up to the high
side of the speedway and blasted to the lead. Dave Schroeder jumped up
to challenge Smith as the two began to get away from the remaining cars
in the field. The real battle on the track was for the final transfer
spot between Bitzan, Jeff Broking, and Danny Bayer. In the end both
Bayer and Broking were able to get by Bitzan and punch thier tickets for
the big dance. Up front Smith held on to win over Schroder, Bayer, and
Broking. The fifth through twelveth finishes were entered into the
Modified Last Chance race later on in the evening.
 
B-main number two featured a pair of #2 cars on the front row. Rookie
Brady Gerdes and former Mod Nationals champion Dave Cain led the
eighteen car field to the green. Gerdes blasted out to the high side of
the track and worked his way out to an early advantage over Cain and
fourth starter Kelly Estey. The top three cars would remain the same
throughout the event, but the car on the move was Steve Arpin. After a
heat race incident Arpin was forced to start seventeeth in the bmain.
Arpin using both the high and low sides of the speedway worked his way
up to grab the final transfer spot to the big show on the final lap.
Gerdes held on for the win, Estey was second, Cain was third, and Arpin
was fourth.
 
The last chance qualifier race for the modifeds proved to be one of the
better races of the evening as only the winner of the event would get
into the amain. Austin Arneson jumped out to an early advantage over
Dennis Bitzan and Scot Danzeisen. Arneson would continue to hold the
lead and near the half way mark and new driver would come up to
challenge the lead pack. Corky Thomas found the bite on the bottom of
the speedway and he raced up to challenge Danziesen for second spot.
With seven laps to go Thomas and Danziesen would make slight contact and
Thomas retired for the event. Back up front Arneson led Danziesen to the
green and the duo began to race side by side. With the laps ticking down
Danziesen made a charge on the bottom of the speedway and the lead duo
would have contact. It was determined the Arneson was at fault for the
yellow and he was sent to the rear of the pack. This allowed Danziesen
to race unchallenged to the LCQ win and the twenty
fifth starting spot in the big show.
 
Heavy hitters, Shane Sabraski and Jeff Crouse shared the front row in
the Super Stock feature. Crouse used his outside starting spot to his
advantage and jumped to an early advantage as Sabraski settled into
second spot. The duo would break away from the rest of the field and
wage a nice battle for the first ten laps of the twenty lap event. At
that point Crouse's car began to expierience engine issues and he slowed
allowing Sabraski to take the lead. Sabraski would continue to lead for
the next handful of laps until he lost a motor in the #7a machine which
caused him to retire pitside. With the front two drivers out of
contention, Cody Lee assumed the lead with Mike Peterson and Alan
Johnson behind him. Lee would hold on and capture his second win of the
season ahead of Peterson, Johnson, eighteeth starter Trevor Saurer was
fourth, and Jon Stepan was fifth. Heat wins went to Lee and Sabraski
 
The next event on the night's busy schedule was the modified non
qualifier feature. The event paid $1000 to win and featured drivers who
did not qualify for the big dance. Dennis Bitzan bolted out to an early
lead in the fifteen lap event. Jamestown, ND driver Jason Grimes soon
raced up to challenge Bitzan for the lead. The duo began to race away
from the field until Mike Storck found the bite in his #75 machine and
raced up to challenge the lead duo. Storck would get by Grimes with a
handful of laps remaining, but could not find his way around Bitzan, as
he hung on to win. Storck was second, Grimes finished third, Jason
Blasyck was fourth, and Austin Arneson rounded out the top five.
 
Jason Vandekamp and Jeremy Houle lined up side by side on row one of the
night's scheduled Midwest Modified feature. Head flagman Mike Commerford
dropped the green and the two lead drivers flexed thier muscle up front
as they raced out to a nice advantage over the rest of the field. Houle
would continue to work the low side of the speedway as Vandekamp blasted
his car around the banking on the top side. A handful of cautions would
stop racing action, but it was clear that it was a two car battle for
the win. Vandekamp would hold off Houle in the late stages of the race
and picked up the $500 check. Houle was a close second, William Lund
third, Jamie Thorstad fourth, and Ryan Schleusner fifth. Heat race
winners were Schleusner, Josh Muzik, and Dennis Czech.
 
With all weekend's other activity in the books, the twenty six car, star
studded, WISSOTA Modified feature lined up on the front stretch. After
the drivers were introduced, a nice four wide salute to the fans, and
the fireworks were done, the field lined up two by two to do battle for
the big prize. Outside pole sitter Jason Thoennes bolted out to the
early lead with fifth starting Travis Saurer making his way into second
place. The first caution of the feature waved on lap four and Thoennes
continued to lead Saurer, Cody Skytland, Josh Thoennes, and Shane
Sabraski. Order would be restored and at the drop of the green Saurer
made a power move to the low side of the speedway and took the lead from
Thoennes on lap six. The front pack would continue to be the same and
caution would fly on the half mile speedway again on lap tweleve when
five time WISSOTA National Champion Craig Thatcher's car slowed on the
front stretch. At that point Saurer led Thoennes,
Skytland, Matt Gilbertson had worked his way into fourth and Josh
Thoennes was fifth. The field would be reset and once again Saurer
jumped out to a nice advantage as the pack raced at a torrid pace. The
yellow would fly again on lap twenty one for an incident involving Dave
Schroeder and Steve Arpin. Arpin was able to continue and Schroeder
retired pitside with heavy right front damage. Before the field could
complete another lap, the caution came out for third place running Cody
Skytland as his #19b machine slowed on the front chute with apperant
engine troubles. At that point the car on the move was the #99w of USMTS
star Ryan Ruter. Ruter found himself in the top five and poised to make
a run at the front pack. Scot Danziesen and Jeff Broking were making
moves to the front and on lap twenty five the duo came together on the
speedway bringing out the next yellow flag of the 60 lap feature. Both
cars were able to continue on in the event. As the field
lined up, Ruter's car came to a stop in turn two and the push truck was
forced to push the car into the infield. The 99w pit crew went to work,
as he was out of fuel and Ruter got back out to claim the tail of the
field. The field would fire once more and race to the lap thirty fuel
stop. Saurer continued to lead at that point over Thoennes, Thoennes,
Mark Trautner had cracked the top five and sat fourth, and number twenty
starter Kelly Estey sat fifth in line. After the fuel stop, the field
was lined up back up and the green came back out. One lap after the
field was restarted, the yellow came back out when Danziesen and Jamie
Davis came together in turn one. Both drivers suffered flat tires, but
with the help of thier pit crews were able to continue on. Back out
front Saurer and Jason Thoennes continued thier battle for the lead
spot. Thoennes made a hard charge to the bottom of the track to briefly
take the lead with twenty five to go, only to see
Saurer power back by on the high side of the track. The final yellow of
the event would fly with nineteen laps remaining and Saurer continued to
lead the Thoennes brothers, Estey, and twenty fourth starter Steve
Arpin. Once the field came back to life, Saurer left no doubts as he put
his #21x machine on the high cushion and cruised to victory. Jason
Thoennes was second, Josh Thoennes third, Arpin moved up twenty spots to
claim fourth, and Estey was fifth.
 
The staff of Viking Speedway and FYE Motorsports would like to thank all
the fans, drivers, and crew for a great show over the weekend. Also, a
huge thanks to the nights sponsors: Fat Daddy's Bar & Grill, Elden's
Food Fair, NAPA, and Apol's Harley Davidson. The high flying half mile
will be back in action next Saturday night with the AMSOIL Race of
Champions qualifiers. Race time is at 6 pm at the Douglas County
Fairgrounds in Alexandria, MN. For the latest Viking Speedway news
please visit the track at www.vikingspeedway.net. For more information
on FYE Motorsports please visit them at www.fyemotorsports.com.
 
Summary:
 
WISSOTA Modifieds:
 
B-Main 1: Matt Smith, Dave Schroeder, Danny Bayer, Jeff Broking, Dennis
Bitzan, Scot Danziesen, Corky Thomas, Scott Tofte, Dale Mathison, Mike
Storck, Corey Sersha, Peter Loecken, Jason Blasyck, Clayton Wagamon,
Jason Grimes, Darrell Nelson, Rick Niemi, John Sertich, Billy Byholm
 
B-Main 2: Brady Gerdes, Kelly Estey, Dave Cain, Steve Arpin, Austin
Arneson, Dallas Gulbrandson, Scott Greer, Dano Ostrander, Ben Mickelson,
Jamie Trautner, Shawn Keyer, Bobby Gierke, Ryan Canon, Scott Werk, Gary
Reents, Curt Lund, Gavin Paull
 
Last Chance Race: Scot Danziesen, Dennis Bitzan, Dallas Gulbrandson,
Dale Mathison, Shawn Kreyer
 
Non-Qualifying Feature: Dennis Bitzan, Mike Storck, Jason Grimes, Jason
Blasyck, Austin Arneson
 
Feature: Travis Saurer, Jason Thoennes, Josh Thoennes, Steve Arpin,
Kelly Estey, Ryan Ruter, Matt Gilbertson, Scot Danziesen, Dan Ebert,
Mark Trautner, Jeff Broking, Brett Hoium, Brady Gerdes, Jamie Davis,
Kyle Koehntop, Skeeter Estey, Danny Bayer, Matt Smith, Shane Sabraski,
Cody Skytland, Craig Thatcher, Dave Schroeder, Dave Cain, Rick Niemi, JB
Stortz, Rick Jacobson
 
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
 
Heat 1: Sabraski, Flaten, Johnson, Crouse, Winter, Yeats, Dahl, Koch,
Saurer
 
Heat 2: Lee, Stepan, Peterson, Lund, Lore, Weber, Kluver, Holtquist,
Miller
 
Feature: Cody Lee, Mike Peterson, Alan Johnson, Trevor Saurer, Jon
Stepan, Steve Weber, Larry Lund, Chris Winter, Robert Lore, Matt Miller,
Dennis Dahl, Robert Holtquist, Dexton Koch, Rocky Yeats, Shane Sabraski,
Jeff Crouse, Jeff Kluver, Jeff Flaten
 
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
 
Heat 1: Schleusner, Thorstad, Laage, Ims, Ebert, Arneson, Sabrask,
Olson, Berg, Fuhrman, Byholm, R. Saurer
 
Heat 2: Muzik, Lund, Vanderby, Vandekamp, Bitzan, Peterson, Haben,
Reents, Vetjtruba, C. Mensen, Spanswick, T. Saurer
 
Heat 3: Czech, Houle, Braatin, Estey, Greeley, Davis, Deters, Haack,
Vanderby, Eystad, T. Mensen
 
B-Main: Peterson, Vejtruba, Tr. Vanderby, Furhman, Haack, Spanswick, T.
Mensen, Reents, Byholm, Berg, Olson, Eystad, C. Mensen, Davis, Sabraski,
T. Saurer, R. Saurer
 
Feature: Jason Vandekamp, Jeremy Houle, William Lund, Jamie Thorstad,
Ryan Schleusner, Dennis Czech, Mack Estey, Dusty Bitzan, Brian Haben,
Dan Ebert, Tyler Vanderby, Kurt Deters, Travis Vanderby, Kelly Haack,
Ross Fuhrman, Tyler Peterson, Dan Greeley, Casey Arneson, Randy Laage,
Darrin Braaten, Brandon Spanswick, Jason Vejtruba, Josh Muzik, Tim Ims
 
Make up Feature: Dan Ebert, Brain Haben, Jamie Thorstad, Dennis Czech,
Jeremy Houle, Jason Vandekamp, Travis Saurer, Shane Sabraski, William
Lund, Tyler Peterson, Ryan Schleusner, Kurt Deters, Mack Estey, Ross
Fuhrman, Darrin Braaten, Todd Berg, Josh Muzik, Dusty Bitzan, Tanner
Byholm, Corey Eystad, Casey Arneson, Jeff Davis, Ron Saurer, Jason
Hoffman

Thoennes Wins Mod Nationals Qualifier
July 7th, 2012 - Viking Speedway - Alexandria, MN
by Ryan Schmitz

Garfield, MN driver Jason Thoennes held off a late charge by Kelly Estey
and picked up the 25 lap qualifying feature win as night one of the MN
Modified Nationals came to a close. Thoennes will sit on the front row
on the 60 lap $7000 to win feature on Sunday night as a result of his
win. Viking Speedway veteran, Larry Lund, was able to corral the WISSOTA
Super Stock feature win during action earlier in the evening.
 
With the Midwest Modified and Super Stocks heat completed, heat one of
five in for the WISSOTA Modifeds came onto to the track. Rick Niemi and
Jamie Davis manned the front row for the 15 lap event. At the drop off
the green it was apparent that Niemi's car was off the pace and Davis
bolted out to an early advantage. A nice battle behind him insued with
Kelly Estey, Josh Thoennes, and Brett Hoium. Hoium ran the high groove
and was able to garner the runner up spot early in the event. A caution
would fly near the midway point of the race, which erased the large lead
that Davis had built up. Once the green dropped Estey jockeyed to the
low side of the speedway and got by Davis with Thoennes and Hoium in
tow. Estey would hold on to capture the win ahead of Thoennes, Hoium,
Davis and Danny Bayer.
 
Five time WISSOTA national champion, Craig Thatcher and Brooten, MN
driver Dave Schroeder paced the field to the green in heat race two.
Thatcher moved out to a quick lead only to see the caution fly for an
incident that collected Mike Storck, Scot Danziesen, and Austin Arneson
in turn two. With the field lined back up, Thatcher and Schroder jumped
out to do battle for the top spot. Meanwhile, sixth starter Cody
Skytland had other ideas as he bolted his way to the front to race witht
he leaders. Near the halfway point of the race Skytland was able to
manuver his way around both drivers and overtake the lead. He would
never be seriously challenged and went on to score the heat race win.
Following him across the line were Thatcher, Schroeder, Matt Smith, and
Dallas Gulbrandson.
 
Fellow "Shaw by Buzzy" pilots Kyle Koehntop and Scott Tofte shared the
front row for heat race three of five. At the drop of the green Koehntop
put his car on the extreme high side of the speedway and began to pull
away from the field. Back in traffic, sixth starter Jason Thoennes and
eight starter Dave Cain were on the move. The duo engaged in a great
battle with Jeff Broking as all three cars raced for the second spot
behind Koehntop. The yellow would fly twice in a two lap period for Pete
Loecken, who spun in turn three on both occasions. With the laps ticking
down it was clear that Koehntop would not be denied and he cruised to an
impressive heat race win over Thoennes, Cain, Broking, and Tofte.
 
Dan Ebert, who was making his first MN Mod Nationals apperance, and Dano
Ostrander sat on the front row for heat race four. Ebert jumped out to
an early lead as he raced on the high side of the speedway. The yellow
would fly as Ostrander slipped over the banking in turn two just a
couple of laps into the race. This put USMTS star Ryan Ruter on Ebert's
back bumper. Mike Commerford brought the field back to life and Ruter
wasted no time moving to the low side of the track to dispose of Ebert.
Once out front Ruter continued to pour it on as he raced out to a
straightaway advantage and crossed the checkers first. Track officials
then determined that Ruter jumped the restart and was penalized two
positions giving the win to Ebert. Modifed rookie Skeeter Estey was
second, Ruter third, Matt Gilbertson fourth, and ninth starter Mark
Trautner came home fifth.
 
Track point leader Travis Saurer sat on the front row, alongside Big
Lake, MN driver JB Stortz for the final heat race of the evening. Saurer
blasted his #21x machine to the high side of the speedway and left no
doubt in the fan's mind that he was the car to beat as he jumped out to
a nearly straightaway lead in the first ten laps. The real battle on the
speedway was for the fourth spot between Jason Grimes and former Mod
Nationals champion Steve Arpin. The duo battled lap after lap until the
two cars came together near the flag stand and Arpin hit the wall. The
yellow would fly and both drivers were able to continue, although
Arpin's left front tire was flat. With the green flag back out, Arpin
lost control of his Mike's Hard Lemonade 00eh machine and flew off the
track in turn one brining out another yellow. With the field reset,
Saurer bolted out to another large lead and never looked back as he
claimed the heat race win ahead of tenth starter Shane
Sabraski, Stortz, Curt Lund, and Dennis Bitzan.
 
After all the qualifying events were complete, the twenty five WISSOTA
Super Stock field lined up for thier fifteen lap main event. Nineteen
time feature win Shane Sabraski and local veteran Larry Lund manned the
front row as the field came to life. Lund jumped to the highside of the
track and began to pull away as Sabraski settled into the second spot
with Cory Tammen and Jeff Crouse in tow. The running order would
continue to be the same until lap three when Derrick Lemke lost the bite
on his #31x machine and slipped off turn three. The field would be reset
and once again Lund bolted out to an advantage over Sabraski. Tammen and
Crouse were locked in an epic battle for the third spot, as tenth
starter Steve Weber raced up to join the lead pack. Crouse was able to
navigate his way around Tammen near the halfway point and began closing
on Sabraski for second. The yellow would fly again for an incident that
collected track point leader Trevor Saurer and
WISSOTA rookie of the year contender Travis Berends. Once more the
field would be reset and the green flag dropped. Crouse made a power
move to the low side of the speedway in an effort to take the lead with
five laps remaining only to see his car slide over the banking in turn
two. Lund would continue to pull away and went on to claim the $500
payday for his efforts. Sabraski settled for second, Tammen was third,
Weber turned in nice run in fourth, and eleventh starter Cody Lee was
fifth.
 
The final event of the evening was the 25 lap modified qualifying
feature. Brothers Josh and Jason Thoennes shared the front row in the
event, which would determine the starting order for the 60 lapper on
Sunday night. At the drop of the green Jason jumped out to a lead over
his brother and Kelly Estey. The field would continue to click off laps
at a torrid pace until lap eighteen when caution would fly over the
speedway. With the field reset Jason led Estey, Cody Skytland, Josh
Thoennes, and Dave Cain. At the drop of the green it was apperant that
some contact was made between Skytland and Cain as the duo jockeyed for
position. Exiting turn two on the restart, Cain got into the back of
Skytland and sent him spinning bringing out the second caution of the
event. Cain would drop to the tailend and the field once again came to
life with Jason Thoennes leading. Two more yellow flag periods would
occur before another lap could be completed. After the two
cautions the field lined up single file and Jason Thoennes raced out to
a nice cushion over Estey. The final caution of the event flew with two
laps remaining when Brady Gerdes' #2x machine came to a stop on the back
stretch. The race was now a two lap shoot out to the checkered and Jason
Thoennes was able to hang on for the hard fought win. Estey was scored
second, Skytland third, Josh Thoennes fourth, and Sabraski fifth. During
a post race inspection it was determined that was Estey had not made
weight and he was disqualified from the event, moving Skytland into the
runner up spot.
 
Due to time constraints, the WISSOTA Midwest Modifed feature had to be
postponed until the Sunday portion of the Mod Nationals. On behalf of
Viking Speedway and FYE Motorsports, we'd like to thank all the drivers,
fans, crews, and sponsors that help make this weekend possible. For the
latest Viking Speedway news visit the track online at
www.vikingspeedway.net and for FYE events please visit
www.fyemotorsports.com.
 
Summary:
 
WISSOTA Modifeds:
 
Heat 1: Kelly Estey, Josh Thoennes, Brett Hoium, Jamie Davis, Danny
Bayer, Brady Gerdes, Bobby Gierke, Gavin Paull, Rick Niemi, Shawn
Kreyer, John Sertich
 
Heat 2: Cody Skytland, Craig Thatcher, Dave Schroeder, Matt Smith,
Dallas Gulbrandson, Corky Thomas, Austin Arneson, Scot Danziesen, Ben
Mickelson, Mark Esala, Mike Storck
 
Heat 3: Kyle Koehntop, Jason Thoennes, Dave Cain, Jeff Broking, Scott
Tofte, Dale Mathison, Gary Reents, Bill Byholm, Peter Loecken, Darrell
Nelson
 
Heat 4: Dan Ebert, Skeeter Estey, Ryan Ruter, Matt Gilbertson, Mark
Trautner, Rick Jacobson, Scott Greer, Scott Werk, Dano Ostrander, Jamie
Trautner
 
Heat 5: Travis Saurer, Shane Sabraski, JB Stortz, Curt Lund, Dennis
Bitzan, Ryan Canon, Corey Sersha, Jason Grimes, Jason Blascyk, Steve
Arpin
 
Qualifying Feature: Ja. Thoennes, Skytland, Jo. Thoennes, Sabraski,
Saurer, S. Estey, Thatcher, Gilbertson, Ruter, Ebert, Trautner,
Koehntop, Jacobson, Davis, Hoium, Stortz, Gerdes, Bitzan, Lund, Smith,
Cain, Schroeder, Broking, K. Estey
 
 
WISSOTA Super Stocks:
 
Heat 1: Jeff Crouse, Mike Peterson, Steve Weber, Trevor Saurer, Alan
Johnson, Jeff Flaten, Jay Hedtke, Bob Holtquist, Dennis Dahl
 
Heat 2: Shane Sabraski, Cory Tammen, Larry Lund, Jon Stepan, Chris
Winter, Robert Lore, Jeff Hapala, Jason Cook
 
Heat 3: Derrick Lemke, Travis Berends, Max Dondelinger, Cody Lee, Matt
Miller, Jeff Kluver, Dexton Koch, Dominic Baker
 
Feature: Lund, Sabraski, Tammen, Weber, Lee, Stepan, Peterson, Flaten,
Johnson, Winter, Koch, Miller, Cook, Hapala, Lore, Holtquist, Kluver,
Lemke, Hedtke, Crouse, Dahl, Saurer, Berends, Dondelinger, Baker
 
WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:
 
Heat 1: Jamie Thorstad, Dennis Czech, Ryan Schleusner, William Lund,
Todd Berg, Ron Saurer, Dusty Bitzan, Kyle Reents, Shawn Olson
 
Heat 2: Jeremy Houle, Darrin Braaten, Jason Hoffman, Corey Eystad, Josh
Muzik, Darrin Smith, Brandon Spanswick, Dan Greeley, Tyler Vanderby
 
Heat 3: Brain Haben, Dan Ebert, Kurt Deters, Shane Sabraski, Tyler
Peterson, Mack Estey, Tanner Byholm, Kelly Haack, Travis Vanderby
 
Heat 4: Travis Saurer, Jason Vandekamp, Ross Fuhrman, Jeff Davis, Casey
Arneson, Hayden Hanson, Tim Ims, Randy Laage
 
B-Main: R. Saurer, Bitzan, Estey, Peterson, Arneson, Byholm, Olson,
Reents, Vanderby, Haack, Smith, Ims, Greeley, Spanswick, Vanderby,
Hanson, Laage

Mod Nationals Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Contest

Minnesota Modified Nationals event organizers have come up with a new twist for this year’s 8^th Annual event held on July 6^th, 7^th and 8^th 2012 at the high flying Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN. The new twist is that FANS will have the opportunity to vote for the final starter in the 60-lap, $7,000 to win championship feature this year.

The details are as follows:

Starting today (June 16^th) at 5pm central time, anyone (fans, drivers, sponsors, etx.) will be allowed to make a donation from as small as $5 on up to whatever amount you wish, to vote for what driver you would like to see a guaranteed starting spot in this year’s Mod Nationals feature event.

For each $5 donation, fans will get one vote for whatever driver you wish to vote for. For example, fans who donate $5 will receive one vote whereas fans who donate $25, will receive 5 votes and so forth. You may use all of your votes on the same driver or you may vote for as many drivers as you wish.

The rest is simple: the driver with the most votes that fails to qualify for the feature will get the coveted final starting spot in the main event. We will go right down the line of nominees until someone gets the spot. For example, if the top five vote getters qualify for the feature, then the sixth driver in line will get to start in the main event.

Voting and donations will end promptly at 5pm central time on Saturday, July 7^th and at that time the list of vote getters will be announced to the crowd and racers in attendance. Vote getters will be updated online daily on www.fyemotorsports.com starting on June 20^th. No votes and/or donations will be accepted after 5pm central time on July 7^th.

Voting can be done by several methods:

1)      Fans can mail a check along with your vote(s) to FYE Motorsports at 1818 27^th Street SE #D St Cloud, MN 56304. Checks and votes must be RECEIVED by no later than July 4^th or they will not be counted.

2)      Fans can donate via paypal (clsracer@hotmail.com) and email their vote(s) to clsracer@hotmail.com once their donation has been submitted. These donations and votes must be received by 5pm on July 7th in order to be counted.

3)      Fans can donate and vote via telephone at (715) 497 8916. A credit card will be necessary at the time of your phone in vote(s).

4)      Fans can donate and vote in person from now until July 5^th by giving your vote(s) and donation directly to Chris Stepan at any time up until the deadline.

5)      Fans can donate and vote at the draw/registration area at Viking Speedway on Friday, July 6^th from 4pm to 9pm or at the t-shirt sales booth on Saturday, July 7^th from 12pm to 5pm only.  Cash or credit card only for weekend donations.

Drivers – Get your fans, family members and/or sponsors to put their money where their mouth is and vote for you to have a shot at starting this year’s Mod Nationals feature event.

Fans – Here is your chance to put your money where your mouth is and try to make sure that your favorite driver has a shot at being in the starting lineup of the 60-lap feature event.

Sponsors – You also have the chance to ensure that the driver you sponsor has the best shot possible to be in the prestigious $7,000 to win feature event by putting your money where your mouth is and donating and voting for your sponsored driver.

Event Rules: A minimum of $500 must be collected via donations for this contest to be in effect. Also, donated monies above the $500 will be split equally amongst the voted for drivers that do not qualify for the feature. Voters must provide a complete first and late name, mailing address and contact phone number in the event of a cancellation due to weather so donations can be refunded if necessary. Once votes are submitted they are final and not able to be changed for any reason.

Here is a list of drivers that have put their money where their mouth is and pre-entered for the Mod Nationals as of June 15^th, 2012. You do not have to vote for someone on this list, so if you know of someone else who is coming, but not yet pre entered, you certainly can vote for them as well.

1b- Jason Blascyk - Kensington, Minnesota
1g - Dallas Gulbrandson - Alexandria, Minnesota
1k - Kyle Koehntop - Morris, Minnesota
1l- Brad Loveday - Fort Frances, Ontario
2c - Dave Cain - Corcoran, Minnesota
2x - Brady Gerdes - Villard, Minnesota
4 - Billy Byholm - Glidden, Wisconsin
5x - Scot Danzeisen - Herman, Minnesota
5g - Scott Greer - East St. Paul, Manitoba
5h - Brett Hoium - Villard, Minnesota
5d - Jeff Broking - Cohasset, Minnesota
7a - Shane Sabraski - Rice, Minnesota
9m - Dale Mathison - Clearwater, Minnesota
10 - Austin Arneson - Fargo, North Dakota
10x - Dennis Bitzan - Farwell, Minnesota
10w - Ward Imrie - Winnipeg, Manitoba
13 - Ryan Engels - Arlington, South Dakota
16w - Scott Werk - Verndale, Minnesota
18s - Dave Schroeder - Glenwood, Minnesota
19b - Cody Skytland - Fargo, North Dakota
21x - Travis Saurer - Elizabeth, Minnesota
21d - Corey Sersha - Eveleth, Minnesota
22jb - J.B. Stortz - Monticello, Minnesota
23 - Matt Gilbertson - Montevideo, Minnesota
26 - Bobby Gierke - Westport, Minnesota
z28 - Mark Trautner - Mahnomen, Minnesota
28 - Scott Tofte - Madison, Minnesota
31 - John Sertich - Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
36 - Danny Bayer - Elrosa, Minnesota
37 - Kelly Estey - Kelly Lake, Minnesota
37x - Skeeter Estey - Kelly Lake, Minnesota
44 - Darrell Nelson - Hermantown, Minnesota
51 - Josh Thoennes - Carlos, Minnesota
52 - Jason Thoennes - Garfield, Minnesota
54 - Rick Niemi - Eveleth, Minnesota
60 - Dan Ebert - Lake Shore, Minnesota
75 - Mike Storck - Morris, Minnesota
85 - Jamie Davis - Fort Frances, Ontario
87 - Curt Lund - Redwood Falls, Minnesota
91 - Craig Thatcher - Knapp, Wisconsin
95 - Mark Esala - Thief River Falls, Minnesota
97 - Pete Loecken - Roscoe, Minnesota
99 - Jason Grimes - Jamestown, North Dakota
99 - Steve Lavasseur - River Falls, Wisconsin
128 - Jamie Trautner - Felton, Minnesota
555 - Ryan Ruter - Kanawha, Iowa

Have fun with the contest.

Event officials tabbed the following weekend (April 27th, 28th and 29th) as the event raindate when it was initially booked back in November and have chosen to utilize it so that the track crew has an extra week to get the facility race ready and so that the weather hopefully has an extra few days to warm back up.

Event officials tabbed the following weekend (April 27th, 28th and 29th) as the event raindate when it was initially booked back in November and have chosen to utilize it so that the track crew has an extra week to get the facility race ready and so that the weather hopefully has an extra few days to warm back up.

Central Minnesota Icebreaker To Ring In The New Year At The Viking Speedway

1.1.12 ~ FYE Motorsports – St. Cloud, Minnesota

The 2012 racing season will roar to life at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minnesota with the running of the Central Minnesota Icebreaker on Friday and Saturday, April 20^th and 21^st of this year. The event was scheduled to take place during April of 2011, but was cancelled due to weather, so fans, drivers and event organizers have had a year to wait on the new spring tradition to take place.

The event will kick off with an open practice session for all divisions on Thursday, April 19^th from 6p-9p and a post practice party after. Racing action will then begin on Friday night with heat races for WISSOTA Modifieds, Super Stocks, Street Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and a complete $2,000 to win show for the WISSOTA Late Models.

Saturday afternoon, racing action will resume with b-features and last chance races for the Modifieds, Super Stocks, Street Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and another complete $2,000 to win show for the Late Models.

The event will be set up much like it’s sister event the Viking Fall Classic, held each October at the ‘high flying half mile’ but will see several small changes to the format. The WISSOTA Late Models will once again headline the event, but instead of a $4,000 payday like they run for in October each year, the premier division will race two complete shows at the Central Minnesota Icebreaker – Twin $2,000 to win events will take place on both Friday and Saturday nights. The WISSOTA Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks will see their format remain the same as in the fall and run heat races on Friday night and their b-features, last chance races and championship feature events on Saturday night. Sunday afternoon will be reserved for an inclement weather date if necessary. Modifieds will run for a $2,000 paycheck, while Super Stocks will race for a $1,500 payday with Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks racing for $750 to win in each respective division. The Mod Fours will not be a part of the Central Minnesota Icebreaker this year, but will continue to be in competition at the Fall Classic in October.

Event details will be much like the Fall Classic and will see action as follows on Friday, April 20th with the grandstand and pit gates both open at 3pm with the draw cut off at 5:30pm with racing beginning at 6pm. All heat races will be run on Friday night. Saturday, April 21st will see the pits and grandstand gates both open at noon with racing beginning at 3pm. A Sunday, April 22nd rain date will be reserved in case of inclement weather. The following weekend (April 26-29) will be reserved for a complete weekend rain date if necessary. Passing points will be used in all five divisions to qualify cars into the feature event.

The event was named after fans were asked at the Spring Classic in 2010 to register their ideas with event organizers. The Central Minnesota Icebreaker name won out over some other very good ideas. Thanks to the fans for their great thoughts. Log onto www.fyemotorsports.com for event details and updates throughout the coming months. We hope to see you in Alexandria for the Central Minnesota Icebreaker.

Fegers, Josh Thoennes, Crouse, Hoffman and VanMil Victorious At 9^th Fall Classic
While Swenson Bags Back to Back Street Stock Titles

By: Ryan Schmitz

ALEXANDRIA, MN(Oct. 7-8) - For the past eight years in early October, drivers and fans from all over the upper Midwest have converged on Viking Speedway for the annual Viking Fall Classic. This past weekend marked the 9th annual Fall Classic presented by Shaw Trucking, with support from NAPA Auto Parts, GRP Motorsports and as usual, promoted by FYE Motorsports.

After an intense practice session on Thursday night, the heat race action began on Friday with 239 race teams checked in to do battle at the high banked half-mile track, located at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. The event concluded with six feature events on Saturday evening and five first time champions were crowned, along with one repeat winner.
 
Justin Fegers of Minnetonka, MN completed a great weekend and picked up his first Fall Classic championship in the WISSOTA Late Models, Carlos, MN driver Josh Thoennes did the same in the WISSOTA Modifieds, as did Alexandria’s Jeff Crouse in the WISSOTA Super Stocks and Villard’s Jason Hoffman in the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds. Two time WISSOTA Mod 4 national champion Rob Van Mil of Hawley, MN added a Fall Classic title to his resume as well.

Meanwhile, Bismarck, ND pilot Brian Swenson wrapped up his second straight Fall Classic title in the WISSOTA Street Stock division.

Fegers and Chad Mahder brought the 25-car WISSOTA Late Model feature to the green flag and Fegers wasted no time getting to the high side of the speedway and jumped out to an early advantage over Mahder. Fegers continued to ride the cushion in his #F15 machine, while Winona’s Lance Matthees worked his way up to challenge Fegers on the low side of the track.

A caution near the middle of the 35-lap event put Matthees and national touring Late Model driver Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound, WI on Fegers’ back bumper. Once the green flag flew again, the trio was joined by 10th starter Brady Smith of Solon Springs, WI and Nassau’s Jeff Wildung. Fegers continued to work the top of the speedway and Matthees and Mars battled for second and third as the laps continued to tick down.

A caution, for contact between fellow Bismarck, ND drivers Jeremy Keller and Paul Mueller bunched the field up with only four laps remaining. Matthees and Mars threw everything they had at Fegers during the final four circuits, but in the end Fegers was able to hang on and collect the $4,000 payday.

Following Fegers across the line were Matthees, Mars, Wildung and Brad Seng rounding out the top five. Winners of the four heat races included, Wildung, Zach Johnson, Seng, and Mars. B Feature wins went to Don Shaw and Kyle Peterlin. (Read More)

5^th Annual Seitz Memorial – Continuing To Honor A Champion!

The 5^th annual John Seitz Memorial Late Model Invitational is rapidly approaching at the highly competitive River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The event, entering its fifth season, will kick off with a new twist in 2011. Instead of the traditional practice night on Thursday, September 8^th, the event will kick off with a Late Model only racing program followed by the ultra-popular Johnny Holmes Band playing a concert on the front stretch, dubbed the ‘Prelude to the Johnny’. Late Models will compete in an $1,100 to win / $200 to start program which will begin and 7pm and end by 9pm so that the Johnny Holmes Band can begin playing at 9 and play until midnight to start the weekend off with some fun. This event will serve as the 2011 NLRA Championships and will be the final point night for the ’11 NLRA season, which will allow the tour champion to be crowned at River Cities for the first time ever. NLRA point leader Mike Balcaen will be looking for his 5^th NLRA championship, which would break the first place tie he has with the late great Seitz, so what more fitting place to crown the NLRA champion than at the event that honors the 4 time series champ!

Fans and Late Model drivers should note that Thursday night’s car/driver entry fee will just be $50 at the pit gate for drivers, while pit passes will be $25 and tickets in the grandstands will be $15 in advance or $18 at the track. Your ticket includes admission to both the races and the concert. UND Students with current ID will be admitted to the grandstands for just $10.

The racing program will then begin again on Friday, September 9^th with action for the WISSOTA Late Models, NOSA Outlaw 410 Sprint Cars, WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and WISSOTA Street Stocks. Friday’s program will feature heat races and the $920 to win Go Hard or Go Home pole dash for the Late Models, plus a complete program (heat races, semi-features and feature) for both the Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks and a slight change from previous years, but this year the Sprints will run heat races and a pole dash on Friday night as well.

Saturday’s program will feature b-features and the 92-lap $9,200 to win feature event for the Late Models plus another complete program for the Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks plus the remainder of the show for the NOSA Sprints. More than 50 of the Midwest’s best Late Model competitors from upwards of 5 states and several Canadian provinces, including the four previous champions, (Mitch Johnson, Justin Fegers, Pat Doar and Cody Skytland) are all expected to be in attendance to compete for this giant purse and the prestige of winning the John Seitz Memorial! In addition, multi-time River Cities track champion Brad Seng, defending WISSOTA champion Ricky Weiss and a host of local competitors will be looking to ‘defend their home turf’ from the travelers to try to keep the $9,200 in the Grand Forks area once the memorial weekend’s event is completed.

Thursday’s action will begin at 7pm, while Friday night’s racing program will kick off at 7:30pm, with Saturday’s show beginning at 6pm. The event is sponsored in part by Valley Oral & Facial Surgery, Shaw Trucking Inc., S & S Transport, North Dakota Eye Clinic, Northern Plumbing, Wes’ Plumbing & Heating, and 71 Bar. This event has been ultra-successful over the first four seasons and fans will want to make sure to be in Grand Forks for the fifth running of the event on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 8^th, 9^th & 10^th.

Tons of contingency awards will be provided in all divisions throughout the course of the weekend by some great sponsors. Details will be announced at a later date. For ticket prices and more information please log onto www.rivercitiesspeedway.com or www.johnseitz92.com for more event information or call Chris at (715) 497-8916.

Gustin becomes seventh Mod Nationals Winner 

Alexandria, MN (July 3rd, 2011) – Marshalltown, IA ace Ryan Gustin made his first ever appearance to Viking Speedway a memorable one, taking home a $7,000 payday Sunday night at Viking Speedway. Shane Sabraski held off a late surge from Travis Saurer to score the win in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified A-main while Dean Larson took top honors in the WISSOTA Mod Four finale. One of the largest crowds ever witnessed at Viking Speedway congregated once again for day two of the 7^th Annual “Minnesota Modified Nationals” held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Alexandria, MN.

READ FULL  NEWS REPORT

Inaugural Central Minnesota Icebreaker Cancelled

Due To Wet, Rain, Cold and Snow

For Immediate Release – St. Cloud, MN (April 27^th 2011)

The inaugural Central Minnesota Icebreaker has regrettably been cancelled due to wet grounds, snow, cold temperatures and the forecast of rain for much of the weekend. The event will not be rescheduled this season, but will be held in April of 2012.

            As of mid-day on Wednesday, the forecast calls for below average temperatures and more rain/snow showers to fall in the Alexandria area over the next few days, therefore the decision has been made to cancel the show for this upcoming weekend.

            Event promoter Chris Stepan said ‘Just like the last two weeks, the weather has been just terrible over the past couple of days and even though the temperatures and weather forecast looks decent for tomorrow and Friday, the grounds and race track are still very wet and with the forecasted rain over the next day likely, we just don’t see any way of getting the track and grounds ready for even a Saturday/Sunday or Sunday only event and I certainly don’t want to get everyone here to Alex and then be forced to pull the plug because we can’t get it on once everyone’s already here.’

            Stepan also said ‘After discussing this with Phil, the other Viking board members and the track prep crew at Viking for quite some time over the past three days and throughout the morning today, we came to a consensus that with the wetness of the facility, the forecast for more rain and snow tonight and the cold temperatures and snow that is expected through Friday, that the best thing to do would be to postpone the event until next spring.’

            Although the forecast for the race isn’t great, it looks like the weather is going to improve enough throughout the day Thursday to dry the facility, and the forecast for Friday is forecasted to be in the mid-60’s and sunny, so we have decided to run an open practice session on Friday night from 5:30pm-10:00pm for anyone who wants to come and get some laps to open up the 2011 season. Pit gates will open at 3:00pm and practice will get underway at 5:30. Car/driver pit passes will be $25, pit crew and all other pit passes will be $10 for everyone else and the grandstands will be free.

For more information regarding the event, please log on to www.fyemotorsports.com or www.vikingspeedway.net.

Mars, Thoennes, Swenson and Abrahamson Attach Fall Classic Titles to Resume, While Mass and Sabraski Score Second VFC Victories

10.10.10 – For Immediate Release – St. Cloud, MN

By: Chris Stepan – FYE Motorsports

The 8^th running of Viking Fall Classic presented by Shaw Trucking Inc., NAPA Auto Parts and GRP Motorsports was held under bright sunny skies and unseasonably warm temperatures, which greeted thousands of fans and nearly 300 racers to the ‘High Flying Half Mile’ at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN on October 8^th and 9^th 2010. The event featured all six WISSOTA sanctioned divisions and saw a whopping 289 drivers take place in the event, which started with an open practice session on Thursday night, October 7^th.  FULL RESULTS

6th Annual Minnesota Modified Nationals: Bigger and Better than Ever!

Twin 30’s On Tap In 2010

May 7th 2010 – St. Cloud, Minnesota (Prepared by FYE Motorsports Promotions)

2010’s highest paying and most prestigious WISSOTA Modified event in the entire Midwest is fast approaching and promises to be an event fans of all ages will not want to miss. The 6th annual Minnesota Modified Nationals will once again be held at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN and is set to take place on Friday and Saturday, July 2nd & 3rd 2010 with an open practice night on Thursday, July 1st and an inclement weather date of Sunday, July 4th if necessary.

As usual, the event will see each Modified racer draw for his or her starting position on Friday night for a scheduled set of 8 heat races. The winner of each heat race will automatically redraw for the top 16 starting spots in Friday night’s qualifying feature just as we have done in previous years. This year, just like past events, will be the fact that we will use passing points to qualify the second set of 8 drivers into the qualifying feature on Friday night. How this will work is the driver that is highest in passing points in each individual heat race will qualify for the main event and will also redraw for starting spots 1-16. Just as we have done in the past, the finish from the qualifying feature will determine the top 8 rows for Saturday night’s main event.

Another change that we began several years ago and will continue in 2010 is that we will allow the defending race champion one extra opportunity to put himself into the feature event on Saturday night. This program will work this way: If the defending champion, who happens to be Clearwater, Minnesota driver Dale Mathison, does not win his heat race and happens not to be one of the passing points leaders after heat race competition is over with, we will allow Mr. Mathison to start 17th in Friday night’s 25-lap qualifying feature if he so chooses. Dale must then race his way up into the top three finishing positions of the qualifying feature and if he does that he will secure a guaranteed spot in Saturday night’s main event. If Dale chooses to tag the rear of the qualifying feature and gets up to third or better, he will be guaranteed to start 26th in the $7,000 to win / $700 to start main event on Saturday, but will still be allowed to compete in the qualifying events (c-features, b-features and last chance race) on Saturday to better his starting spot if he so chooses. This not only gives some recognition to the defending champion each year, but it will also give the fans something additional to watch in the qualifying feature on Friday night.

Mathison mentioned ‘Winning the Mod Nationals last year meant a lot to our team. It was our biggest career win by far, both in money won and prestige. There is no better show around for the Modifieds and obviously winning the seven grand meant a lot because there is nowhere else to race for that kind of money! – We will definitely be back to try to become the first 2-time Mod Nationals champion this year.’

 
The other change to the Modified portion of the show a couple of years ago was that the $7,000 to win feature event on Saturday night was raised to 50 laps instead of the previous 40. Drivers and fans alike loved this change, so with this being the sixth running of the Mod Nationals, event organizers have decided to up the ante again and run this year’s Mod Nationals a-main to 60 laps for the 2010 version of the Mod Nationals. A mandatory fuel stop will take place on lap 30, creating a unique twin thirty lap scenario.

FYE Motorsports owner Chris Stepan commented “The Mod Nationals have been amazing events the past five years with intense racing action and fivedifferent winners over the first five seasons. This year should be no different as I expect the area’s best Mod guys to be out in full force to try to claim the biggest winner’s payday in the Midwest.”

Midwest Modifieds and Super Stocks will be on the card as a support class and will run a complete $500 to win show each night of the Mod Nationals just as they did a year ago. Both support classes will utilize the draw/redraw format each day.

A huge city of Alexandria fireworks display will take place on Saturday night, July 3rd immediately following the conclusion of the 60-lap feature.

The Mod Nationals have never had a repeat winner in the $7,000 to win event. Jason Thoennes, Shane Sabraski, Dave Cain, Steve Arpin and Dale Mathison have etched their names into the history books thus far in the five year history of the Mod Nationals.

Nate Heinrich and Shane Sabraksi have won the Midwest Modified portion of the Mod Nationals on two separate occasions, with Danny Bayer, Josh Thoennes, Dallas Gulbrandson, Jeremy Kerzman, Travis Saurer and Dave Schroeder each also claiming a Midwest Modified feature win at the Mod Nationals over the past five seasons.

Jason VandeKamp, Corey Rosen, Dave Rohweder, Scott Paulson, Shawn Wageman and Scott Huston have each captured a Street Stock victory at the Modified Nationals as well over the 3 seasons that the Streeters were a part of the show.

And last, but not least, Jon Stepan and Dave Mass were victorious in the Super Stock portions of the Mod Nationals last season, the first season that the Super Stocks were in action during the Mod Nationals.

Come out to Alexandria and spend the 4th of July holiday weekend witnessing some of the fastest motorsports action around! For more information, please call Chris at (715) 497-8916, check out www.fyemotorsports.com or email clsracer@hotmail.com.

Wildung, Danzeisen, Schultz and Sabraski claim Classic mains

By Ray Beste

Alexandria, Mn (April 17th, 2010) - Jeff Wildung took the lead on lap 32 of the 40 lap WISSOTA Late Model A-main picking up the $4,000 feature win Saturday night at Viking Speedway. Scot Danzeisen moved from his third row starting position to claim the win in the WISSOTA Modified finale while Zach Schultz scored the biggest win of his career in the WISSOTA Super Stock A-main. Shane Sabraski led all 25 laps garnering the win in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified main event with Ryan Buer scoring the WISSOTA Street Stock feature win in his #F7 machine. Dustin Zieske picked up his first ever Viking Speedway victory holding off an early challenge from Rob VanMil in the WISSOTA Mod Four finale. A nice field of 197 cars packed the pits for the FYE Motorsports promoted "Fall Classic in the Spring" this past weekend at Viking Speedway.

Chris Ritter took the lead on lap one of the WISSOTA Street Stock main event. Ritter worked the top side of the speedway leading lap one of the 20-lap event. Fourth starter Buer quickly moved into second while 10th starter Cory Tammen was quickly on the move. Tammen cracked the top five just five laps into the event while Buer had caught the backside of Ritter for the lead. Buer made a power move to the inside of Ritter taking the lead on lap seven while Tammen slid into third. Tammen quickly disposed of Ritter for the second spot with Buer holding a six car length advantage. Tammen quickly closed in on Buer when the first yellow of the event waved on lap 11. On the rest, Luke Nelson and Joe Potter dueled side by side with Nelson taking the spot from Potter exiting turn two. Buer moved away from the rest of the field with seven laps remaining when the final yellow of the event bunched up the field for a seven lap dash to the finish. Tammen edged ahead of Nelson on the restart to hold the second spot while Buer pulled away from the field once again. Back in traffic, Jason Babcock and Roger Christiansen worked their way through the field. Babcock started the event in the 14th position finishing in seventh while Christiansen started 16th and finished eighth. Out front it was all Buer picking up the win in convincing fashion. Tammen, Nelson, Potter and "Nitro" Jimmy Williams rounded out the top five. Heat race wins were collected by Buer and Cory Rosen.
The next item on the docket was the WISSOTA Midwest Modified finale with Shane Sabraski and Jason VandeKamp sharing the front row starting duties. Sabraski beat the field to turn one and took the lead as the field worked off of turn two. Sabraski led the field around and was scored the leader at the conclusion of the first lap. Tyler Limoges slid past Ryan Mikkelson into the second spot early on when the first yellow waved just two laps into the event. Limoges chose the bottom for the Delaware-double file start with Sabraski out front. When the green flag waved, Mikkelson moved by Limoges for the second spot while eighth starter Ron Jones was on the move. Jones cracked the top five on lap three and quickly began to work the back side of VandeKamp for the fourth spot. A myriad of yellow flags halted action during the midway point of the race with Jones working his way into the third position.. With eight laps remaining it was Sabraski ahead of Mikkelson, Jones, Limoges and Austin Arneson. Sabraski checked out on the rest of the field once again on the restart with Mikkelson and Jones battling door to door for the second spot. Back in traffic, 23rd starter Travis Saurer found himself in the eight spot with three laps remaining. VandeKamp's car began to work well during the ladder stages of the event as he and Arneson battled for the fourth spot. In the end it was Sabraski leading all 25-laps picking up the win in convincing fashion ahead of Mikkelson, Jones, VandeKamp and Arneson. Heat race wins were collected by Limoges, Brian Haben, Sabraski, Josh Muzik, Mikkelson and VandeKamp.

Paul Mueller and Shawn Kirwin shared the front row starting duties for the 40-lap, $4,000 to main event. Kirwin blasted off from the outside of row one taking the lead as the field worked off of turn two. Kirwin used the top of the track to his advantage as he was scored the leader at the conclusion of the first lap. Fourth starter Zach Johnson quickly worked his way into second while eleventh starting Lance Mathees was on the move as well. On lap nine, Johnson blasted by Kirwin for the lead using the bottom of the Speedway exiting turn two. Fifteen laps into the event Mathees was glued to the bottom as he worked by Ricky Weiss and Pat Doar moving into the third spot in the process. Johnson continued to lead out front as the halfway mark neared. Mathees disposed of Kirwin for the second spot with the cross flags showing as he reeled in Johnson for the lead. Wildung began his surge to the front as well as he cracked the top five with 17 laps still up on the board. Wildung ran the extreme high side of the speedway with Johnson in the middle and Mathees on the bottom. Just as the lead trio began to encounter lap traffic the yellow flag waved with 12 laps still up on the board. It was Mathees now in front ahead of Johnson and Wildung. Johnson chose the outside of the second row on the Delaware double-file start. Mathees once again headed for the ditch as Wildung blasted by Johnson for the second via the middle groove in turn two. Wildung climbed the banking in turns three and four pulling even with Mathees with just ten laps remaining. With eight to go, Wildung used his top side momentum propelling himself into the lead while Mathees was left to do battle with Johnson for second. Johnson worked by Mathees and rallied for one final challenge with five laps remaining. Wildung, however, was steady in the remaining laps and cruised on to his first victory of the season (only start). Wildung was followed to the line by Johnson, Mathees, Marshall Fegers and Ricky Weiss. Don Shaw picked up the hard charger award starting 21^st and finishing 10^th. Heat race wins were collected by Pat Doar, Marshall Fegers, and Shawn Kirwin.

Jay McDonald took the lead from the pole on the opening lap of the 30-lap WISSOTA Modified A-main. Fifth starter Scot Danzeisen used the bottom of the speedway to slide into second on lap four while McDonald continued to lead up front. With five laps in the books it was McDonald, Danzeisen, Jensen, Thoennes and Darrell Nelson in the top five. On lap eight, Danzeisen overtook McDonald for the lead exiting turn four while Jensen quickly began to pressure McDonald for second. Jensen was able to sneak by McDonald for the second spot on lap ten with Thoennes still anchoring the fourth spot. Jensen began the long process of running down Danzeisen while McDonald was left to do battle with Thoennes for the third spot. Thoennes and McDonald waged the best battle on the speedway for the time being with Jensen inching closer and closer to Danzeisen. Two yellow flags slowed action during the midway point of the race with Danzeisen continuing the lead the field. On a lap 15 restart, Thoennes moved by McDonald for the third spot as the battle for the top spot was now a three car party. Jensen looked to the outside of Danzeisen exiting turn four with ten laps remaining as the duo drag raced down the frontstretch. Danzeisen, however, held the groove and the lead for the time being as Jensen regrouped in second. Back in the pack, 23rd starter Kelly Estey used the bottom of the speedway to his advantage. While most cars worked middle to high, Estey was glued to the bottom. Estey cracked the top five with four laps remaining moving by Pat Doar exiting turn two. Jensen tried everything in his power to overtake Danzeisen but in the end it was Scot picking up the $3,000 feature win. Jensen had a great run coming home second ahead of Thoennes, Nelson, and Estey. Estey moved up 18 spots during the 30-lap affair garnering the hard charger award in the process.

The WISSOTA Super Stock finale proved to be a good one with Larry Lund leading the first 24 laps from the pole. Lund endured early challenges from Don Eischens and Don Shaw holding the lead as the white flag flew over the field. Lund, however, began to pour smoke out of the rear of his car with two laps remaining which allowed Zach Schultz to power by for the lead entering turn one on the final lap. Schultz, Mike Peterson, Dave Mass and Jeff Hapala were able to sneak by Lund on the final circuit as his machine slowed drastically. Schultz made no mistakes on his final trip around picking up the biggest win of his career in the process. Mike Peterson had a great run in the second spot followed by 14th starter Dave Mass. Hapala and Lund rounded out the top five running order for the WISSOTA Super Stocks. Scott Lawrence garnered hard charger honors starting 22nd and finishing 7th.

The final event of the evening belonged to the WISSOTA Mod Fours with Dustin Zieske grabbing the opening lap advantage. The field was able to complete the first lap before a myriad of yellows halted action. Zieske ran around the top of the speedway with Rob VanMil challenging on the bottom. Zieske and VanMil ran side by side for the better part of six laps before Zieske seized control of the event in the ladder stages of the 20-lap affair. Out front it was Zieske picking up his first Viking Speedway victory and the $750 payday that went with it. VanMil had a nice run in the second spot followed by 11th starter Josh Abrahamson. Second generation racer Tyler Larson finished in the fourth spot ahead of Corry VanMil. Dean Larson and Rob VanMil picked up heat race wins earlier in the event with Josh Abrahamson picking up the hard charger award moving up eight spots during the duration of the event.

The FYE Motorsports Staff as well as the crew at Viking Speedway would like to thank all the drivers, fans, pit crew members, and sponsors that made the first "Fall Classic in the Spring" a success. The first regular Saturday night racing event of the season will take place this coming Saturday, April 24th at Viking Speedway. Races start this Saturday night at 5:30 p.m.

SUMMARY:

WISSOTA Late Models:

Feature- Jeff Wildung, Zach Johnson, Lance Mathees, Marshall Fegers, Ricky Weiss, Justin Fegers, Shawn Kirwin, Pat Doar, John Kaanta, Don Shaw, Brad Seng, Corey Nelson, Matt Aukland, Mike Balcaen, Shaun Peterson, Dave Tyrchniewicz, Scott Greer, Seth Brede, Rick Nelson, Rick Schroeder, Dave Zimmerman, Joel Waba, Paul Mueller, Joel Cryderman, Steve Laursen, Darrell Nelson

Heat 1- Kirwin, Zimmerman, Peterson, D. Nelson, Kaanta, R. Nelson, Cryderman, Greer, Schroeder

Heat 2- Marshall Fegers, Wildung, Johnson, Mathees, Justin Fegers, Brede, Balcaen, Aukland, Waba

Heat 3- Doar, Weiss, Mueller, Seng, Corey Nelson, Tyrchniewicz, Shaw, Laursen

WISSOTA Modifieds:

Feature- Scot Danzeisen, Joey Jensen, Jason Thoennes, Darrell Nelson, Kelly Estey, Pat Doar, Danny Bayer, Jay McDonald, Blake Jegtvig, Jason Grimes, Craig Thatcher, Keith Tourville, Shane Sabraski, Shane Edgington, Brandon Nelson, Jason Strand, Travis Saurer, Scott Tofte, Justin Jones, Bill Byholm, Don Eischens, Dennis Bitzan, Mark Noble, Dale Mathison, Dave Schroeder

Heat 1- Danzeisen, Nelson, Schroeder, Strand, Grimes, Saurer, Wildman, Kerzman, Storck, Crapser

Heat 2- Eischens, Brandon Nelson, Sabraski, Bayer, Estey, Engebretson, Lautigar, Laske, Dykstra, Waba

Heat 3- Ja Thoennes, Byholm, Tra Saurer, Jegtvig, Christiansen, Jones, Lund, Nystrom, Gilbertson

Heat 4- McDonald, Thatcher, Mathison, Edgington, Tofte, Tourville, Broking, Reents, Bjorklund

Heat 5- Jensen, Doar, Bitzan, Noble, Jo Thoennes, Duval, Wieberdink, Gierke, Lemke

B-main 1- Grimes, Estey, Jo Thoennes, Tre Saurer, Tourville

B-main 2- Tofte, Jones, Engebretson, Lautigar, Wildman

WISSOTA Super Stocks:

Feature- Zach Schultz, Mike Peterson, Dave Mass, Jeff Hapala, Larry Lund, Don Eischens, Scott Lawrence, Donnie Lofdahl, Dave Read, Todd Carter, Jeff Kluver, Dominic Baker, Irvin Cook, Jason Vejtruba, Matt Miller, Paul Veert, Ron Host, Jon Stepan, Jeff Flaten, Dan Gullikson, Bryan Hellerman, Steve Weber, Joel Collins, Jeremy Jerve, Don Shaw

Heat 1- Kluver, Lofdahl, Miller, Veert, Hellerman, Lawrence, Baker, Cody Lee

Heat 2- Shaw, Lund, Schultz, Mass, Carter, Stepan, Host, Robertson

Heat 3- Eischens, Hapala, Weber, Flaten, Collins, Cook, Dusty Peterson, Ashley Donald

Heat 4- Peterson, Vejtruba, Gullikson, Read, Jerve, Merten, Hauer, Horn

B-main- Ron Host, Lawrence, Stepan, Cook, Lee

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds:

Feature- Shane Sabraski, Ryan Mikkelson, Ron Jones, Jason VandeKamp, Austin Arneson, Jason Hoffman, Tyler Limoges, Travis Saurer, Jason Strand, Brett Hoium, Ron Saurer, William Lund, Steve Johnson, Kyle Reents, Lance Schill, Shawn Fernkes, Aaron Olson, Chris Mensen, Dustin Bitzan, Matt Weisman, Ryan Studanski, Paul Veert, Skeeter Estey, Brian Haben, Josh Muzik

Heat 1- Limoges, Hoium, Reents, Mackedanz, Vanderby, R. Saurer, L. Arneson, C. Arneson, Modlin

Heat 2- Haben, Jones, Mensen, Bohlman, Czech, Broking, Bruder, Menk, Berends

Heat 3- Sabraski, Hoffman, Olson, Veert, Lund, Gerdes, Greeley, Krog, Blascyk

Heat 4- Muzik, A. Arneson, Schill, Estey, Loecken, Braaten, Kahout, Hellerman, Suckow

Heat 5- VandeKamp, Strand, Weisman, Bitzan, Prieve, Johnson, Sadek, Laage, Brenny
Heat 6- Mikkelson, Fernkes, Studanski, Lien, Werk, T. Saurer, Kerzman, Marshall

B-main 1- Estey, Johnson, Ron Saurer, Suckow, Loecken

B-main 2- Bitzan, Travis Saurer, Bohlman, Gerdes, Czech

B-main 3- Lund, Veert, D. Arneson, Blascyk, Lien

WISSOTA Street Stocks:

Feature- Ryan Buer, Cory Tammen, Luke Nelson, Joe Potter, Jim Williams, Cory Rosen, Jason Babcock, Roger Christiansen, Andrew Bangsund, Rick Nelson, Henry Peters, Chris Ritter, James Wall, Tim Rhode, Travis Berends, Justin Tammen, Josh Beauliew, Micheal Nelson, Justin Vogel, Scott Walker

Heat 1- Rosen, Justin Tammen, L. Nelson, Bangsund, Williams, Berends, Beauliew, Rhode, M. Nelson, R. Nelson

Heat 2- Buer, Potter, Ritter, Wall, Cory Tammen, Peters, Babcock, Christiansen, Vogel, Walker

WISSOTA Mod Fours:

Feature- Dustin Zieske, Rob VanMil, Josh Abrahamson, Tyler Larson, Corry VanMil, Ryan Buer, Tom Sabraski, Steve Johnson, Dean Larson, Justin Schneider, Brennan Borg, Micheal Griffin, David Anderson, Tommy McGough, Tom Silver, Mike Hart, Jim Erdmann, Jesse Ouren, Jason Bloch, Tim Hart

Heat 1- D. Larson, Sabraski, Schneider, McGough, Silver, Abrahamson, Griffin, Johnson, Erdmann, Bloch

Heat 2- R. VanMil, C. VanMil, T. Larson, Zieske, Buer, Borg, Anderson, M. Hart, Ouren, T. Hart

2010 Results Via SPEEDNET DIRECT

Exciting Changes to Seitz Memorial Event at River Cities
For Immediate Release: Grand Forks, North Dakota – March 15^th 2010

When fans and drivers flock to the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota for the 4^th annual John Seitz Memorial Late Model Invitational in early September of this year, they will notice several sizeable changes to this year’s event, which should enhance the overall experience for the thousands of loyal fans as well as the group of hearty drivers that compete for the prestigious invitational win each year.

The first change that fans and drivers will notice is that Chris Stepan and his promotions company FYE Motorsports have taken over the marketing and promotions aspects of the event. Stepan has served as the event announcer of the three previous Seitz Memorial Events and served as the race director during the ’09 event. Chris will serve both as the race director and announcer for the 4^th annual event as well, but in addition will handle the promotions and advertising duties as well.

Secondly, Stepan, along with the staff and management of the River Cities Speedway, has decided to shake things up a bit when it comes to the Late Model portion of the weekend. The event has always paid a whopping $9,200 to win, so to justifiably live up to John Seitz’ #92 that he ran throughout his entire career, the 2010 edition of the Seitz Memorial will now pay $920 just to start the a-main, an increase from the $500 that the event has paid during the first three seasons!

And a final change to the event will see the Late Model drivers racing for a season-long 92-laps in the main event, a change from the previous years where the event has been 50 laps. Stepan said of the changes, ‘The John Seitz Memorial should be $9,200 to win, but it should also be $920 to start and 92 laps. I am very thankful that Josh (Hills) and the ownership group at River Cities agree with me on these things and I truly think these changes will make this event the premier event that it is meant to be!’

One year ago, New Richmond, Wisconsin’s Pat Doar led all 50 non-stop laps, lapping up to the 8th place car in a very exciting race in and out of lapped traffic on the 1/4mile bullring. 2008 saw Mound, Minnesota’s Justin Fegers win a thriller and Hickson, North Dakota’s Mitch Johnson won the inaugural title back in 2007.

Hills was quoted as saying ‘The first three years this race had been great in memory of John, but with these few changes, the weekend should really be something special now. Hopefully we can get 60 or more cars here and can put on a show for the fans, who normally don’t get to see races over 50-laps in this area.’

The 4^th edition of the John Seitz Memorial Late Model Invitational is set to take place on Friday and Saturday, September 10^th and 11^th 2010 with an open practice set for Thursday night, September 9^th from 7pm to 10pm with a post-practice party set to kick off shortly after 10pm. 

Friday night, September 10^th will see action kick off at 7:30pm and will feature a complete $500 to win program for the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds; a separate $500 to win complete program for the WISSOTA Street Stocks along with heat races and the Go Hard Or Go Home Pole Dash for the WISSOTA Late Models, paying $920 to the winner and lining up the first few rows of Saturday’s main event.

Saturday night, September 11^th will then see action get underway at 7:00pm with another complete $500 to win event for the WISSOTA Street Stocks and a second complete $500 to win show for the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds. The WISSOTA Late Models will run their b-features and the 92-lap, $9,200 to win John Seitz Memorial Invitational a-main. A complete program for the NOSA 410 Outlaw Sprint Cars will be on tap on Saturday night as well.

Sunday, September 12^th will be reserved as an inclement weather day if necessary.

Additionally, the Street Stocks and Midwest Modifieds will be racing for a point fund after the 2-day event, with the top five in the combined 2-day point standings in each division taking home some extra cash for their efforts. The Street Stock and Midwest Modified entry fee will be $60 each day or $100 for the weekend.

Thanks to the following event sponsors for making the 4^th annual John Seitz Memorial a reality: Valley Oral & Facial Surgery, Shaw Trucking, S & S Transport, Right Choice Electric, North Dakota Eye Clinic, Northern Plumbing, Wes’ Plumbing & Heating and 71 Bar.

Check out www.rivercitiesspeedway.com, www.johnseitz92.com and  www.fyemotorsports.com for ticket pricing, event schedule and any other details that fans and racers may be interested in.

With almost exactly six months prior to the running of 4^th annual Seitz Memorial, we hope that you all mark River Cities Speedway on your calendar as your destination for September 10^th and 11^th 2010 to be a part of this enormous event to honor a champion!

FYE Motorsports Motorsports Marketing/Sponsorship Portfolios Available

                Drivers/Team Owners: Are you content with the amount of sponsorship involvement with your race team or could you use more help funding your team for the upcoming season? Maybe what you’re missing is a professional way to market your team to those potential sponsors out there. If so, a Motorsports Marketing Portfolio is just the thing for you!

                Track Owners/Promoters: Are you looking for additional nightly, billboard and/or season-long sponsors? FYE Motorsports will tailor a professional marketing portfolio to suit your needs as well as to assist you in obtaining additional sponsorship in order to help keep your season financially stable.

Obtaining sponsorship is one of the most difficult and stressful aspects of owning a motorsports team, and/or being a track owner/promoter, and FYE Motorsports fully understands this, so we are here to give a helping hand to those struggling to find a professional way to search out potential sponsors.

                FYE Motorsports understands the incredible importance of sponsorship and the fact that most motorsports teams and race tracks in could not survive without the support of their loyal sponsors. We have come up with a professional sponsorship portfolio for you to use to send to potential sponsors, that showcases your team/track specifically and gives any potential sponsor some insight as to what supporting your team/track can and will do for both you and for their business.

                These sponsorship portfolios will be custom made to suit your team’s/track’s needs, including your very own colors, graphics and logos, so that any potential sponsor can get a first hand glimpse into what your team/track is all about. We will gather up your personal information and photos and custom design a 6-page spiral bound portfolio for your sponsorship hunting assistance. These marketing portfolios will also come with sheets of custom letterhead and custom business cards for you to include your own personalized cover letter or use as follow up correspondence so that the potential sponsor is assured that their company’s advertising dollars will be well spent.

Package Prices:

Package 1: (10 portfolios w/ 10 letterhead and 50 business cards)
$265.10 

Package 2: (20 portfolios w/ 20 letterhead and 50 business cards)
$341.88 

Package 3: (50 portfolios w/ 50 letterhead and 50 business cards)
$569.42 

**Materials, artwork charge, design fee, printing costs & tax included to each price quote
**Shipping not included
 
We can certainly produce any number of portfolios you wish, so if you want more than 10 but less than 20, we can get you a quote for a specific number if you wish.

If you run out and need to place a re-order, the price includes only the cost of materials, because your design and artwork fees have already been applied to your original order. Please plan on 2-3 weeks for order to be completed, so hurry and order now so you can get started on your 2010 sponsorship hunt.

To place an order or gain more information regarding these sponsorship portfolios, please e-mail Chris at chris@fyemotorsports.com and we will be happy to work with you to assist your team in reaching your sponsorship goals for 2010 and beyond.

2009 Viking Fall Classic Event Merchandise

Contact Chris for your order