Rick Schroeder and Labor Day ace Zach Johnson lined up on the front row on night one, but it was Shaw who quickly took the point down the backstretch.
The feature played out as most races have gone at Viking this summer, as it became the Don and Zach show out front. Brad Seng, driver of the No. 12S S&S Transport MB Custom, was eventually able to steer clear of Corey Nelson and Dustin Strand, driver of the No. 71 Q&Z Plumbing & Heating Millenium. This was significant not just in the race itself, but in the season long points race as well, as Seng has watch Strand steadily eat into his point lead during the last half of the season. Seng wasn't quite able to make it a three car battle out front, as Johnson wasn't able to pull ahead of Shaw for the top spot, even though the No. 73 Shaw Trucking Pierce was even with Shaw on a few occasions, including when the pair worked lapped traffic. Shaw would end up with the victory by just over seven-tenths of a second over Johnson. Brad Seng finished five-and-a-half seconds back in third, while Nelson and Strand completed the top five. | RelatedDon Shaw crossing under the flag stand at Viking. Collin Nelson Outlaw Action photo. |
Johnson, Shaw, and Schroeder won the heats, 23 cars were in attendance on night one.
On Sunday night, Shaw and Strand shared the front row at the start, with Strand taking the lead down the back stretch. Shaw, however, was able to dive low and execute a perfect slide job on Strand to lead lap one.
Strand returned the favor on lap two, as he went low and pulled even with Shaw down the backstretch, eventually sliding back in front to lead lap two. Strand, Shaw, and third running Corey Nelson were able to pull away from the rest of the field on lap four.
Strand had opened up a lead of about ten car lengths, as Seng was able to reel in Corey Nelson and take third on the high side on lap eight. Strand continued to set a blistering pace, reaching the rear of the field in just ten laps on the big half-mile.
Strand was able to stay low to lap the first car on lap eleven, put had to move high in turn one to lap the second car on lap twelve. Strand only had one more car to lap in the next handful of circuits, but was able to keep working the low side until a caution with eight laps remaining.
Shaw chose the outside on the double file restart, but it was Seng who used the bottom to take second, but the pass was erased by another caution. Shaw was able to take the low side on the next double file restart. Shaw held off Seng, but Strand resumed his ten length lead as this restart stuck. The lead with three to go was down to five lengths, but Strand still looked as though he would break through for his first win at Viking.
But after the field came by the stand with two to go, Strand's car pushed hard in turn two, allowing Shaw to close quickly, then take the lead as the white flag flew. Shaw continued on to complete the sweep, as Strand finished second, while keeping Seng behind him to close to within 18 points of the championship at the 'Prelude to the Johnny' at the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND (Thursday night, 7 pm.)
Zach Johnson and Corey Nelson rounded out the top five. Cole Schill was the hard charger once again, passing nine cars, winning the award for the fourth time in the last five NLRA events.
Strand, Shaw, and Nelson won the heats. 23 cars ran again on night two. NLRA action continues Thursday night, September the 8th, with the sixth running of the 'Prelude to the Johnny' at the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND.
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