By Mike Spieker
GLYNDON, Minn. – There aren’t many tracks in the upper Midwest at which Mark Dobmeier hasn’t won. The Grand Forks driver has picked up wins in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa – even as far as Australia – but the winningest driver in the history of the Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA Sprints hadn’t won at Buffalo River Race Park.
Until Sunday.
Dobmeier started sixth on the grid as twenty 900+ horsepower winged sprint cars took the green flag for the 25-lap main event. Jordan Adams grabbed the early race lead over Chris Ranten. The 22-year-old Reynolds, N.D. driver held the lead for the first seven circuits until Ranten found his way around.
Ranten held the point until he encountered heavy lapped traffic, which allowed Dobmeier and Thomas Kennedy to close in. Dobmeier took the lead with eight laps to go, but the caution flag soon followed. The race was reverted back to the last completed lap, which put Ranten back in the lead.
On the restart, Ranten held off Dobmeier, but it was only momentarily. Dobmeier came charging back on lap 19 to take the lead – one he wouldn’t relinquish.
Dobmeier drove his Buffalo Wild Wings No. 13 machine around the fast, tacky quarter-mile clay oval unchallenged the remainder of the race to claim his 148th career NOSA victory.
“The track crew did an excellent job to give us a great surface to run on here tonight,” said Dobmeier in victory lane. “I got an excellent start on the top on that last restart and was able to beat Ranten into the first corner but it was nip and tuck. It was a great race.”
Chris VanMil raced to his second consecutive IMCA sportmod feature win. VanMil took the lead from Dustin Hartwig on lap two. The caution slowed the field with 10 laps down and 10 to go. On the restart, Jake Hagemann went from fourth to second before taking the lead from VanMil with seven to go.
Hagemann, who was looking for his second win at Buffalo River, looked to pull away but VanMil came charging back in the late going.
VanMil found his groove around the top side of the speedway and drove around Hagemann for the lead with five to go. VanMil went on to take the win over Hagemann, Jegtvig, and Jacobson.
Tim Estenson cruised to his fourth win of the season in the INEX legends. Estenson went from third to first after a three wide pass for the lead on lap four. Estenson pulled out to a full straightaway lead within six laps as he comfortably cruised to the win.
Zak Kwiatkoski drove to his first career NLSA lightning sprints win at Buffalo River. Kwiatkoski led all 20 laps en route to the win. The best action on the track was the battle for second, where last week’s winner Josh Abrahamson and Tim Estenson, who was competing in his first ever lightning sprint event after winning the legends feature. Estenson started 10th on the grid and briefly took the second spot, but faded back to sixth by the checkers.
Maranda Borg picked up her second career IMCA hobby stock win. Joseph Lewis won the slingshot feature. Randy Thompson won the IMCA sport compact feature.
Summary:
NOSA Sprint Cars:
Feature - 1. 13-Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks, N.D.; 2. 27-Chris Ranten, East Grand Forks, Minn.; 3. 21K-Thomas Kennedy, Winnipeg, M.B.; 4. 9-Wade Nygaard, Grand Forks, N.D.; 5. 20A-Jordan Adams, Reynolds, N.D.
IMCA SportMods
Feature - 1. 4D-Chris VanMil, Barnesville, Minn. 2. 33-Jake Hagemann, Brainerd, Minn.; 3. 22-Vince Jegtvig, Dilworth, Minn.; 4. 5-Scott Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.; 5. 51-Kelly Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.
Lightning Sprints
Feature - 1. 17-Zak Kwiatkoski, Grand Forks, N.D.; 2. 16-Josh Abrahamson, Moorhead, Minn.; 3. 10-Alex Truscinski, Greenbush, Minn.; 4. 2-Jade Hastings, Grand Forks, N.D.; 5. 13-Alan Truscinski, Greenbush, Minn.
INEX Legends
Feature - 1. 14T-Tim Estenson, Fargo, N.D.; 2. 5-Dean Julsrud, Barnesville, Minn.[5]; 3. 29B-Ryan Braseth, Ulen, Minn.; 4. 58-Sean Johnson, Kindred, N.D.; 5. B1-Brody Carlsrud, Moorhead, Minn.
Hobby Stocks
Feature - 1. 73-Maranda Borg, Harwood, N.D. ; 2. 39-Caleb Gardner, Glyndon, Minn.; 3. (DNF) 701-Kyle Hallgren, Hankinson, N.D.; 4. (DNF) 84-Adrian Kubitz, Sabin, Minn.
Sport Compacts:
6, 44, 33, 9, 77
Feature - 1. 6T-Randy Thompson, Lake Park, Minn.; 2. 44T-Tanner Engen, Detroit Lakes, Minn.; 3. 33L-Austin Lammers, Pelican Rapids, Minn.; 4. 9-Levi Lease, Harwood, Minn.; 5. 77H-Daniel Harstad, Fergus Falls, Minn.
- Mike Spieker on May 29, 2018
- Article Date: 5/29/2018