2013 NLRA series champion Dustin Strand, driver of the No. 71 Q&Z Plumbing & Heating Moyer Longhorn, won his second NLRA series feature of the season in dramatic fashion Saturday night at the Devils Lake Speedway near Doyon, ND. The win is also Strand's fifth NLRA series triumph, tying him with a pair of all-time greats, Joel Cryderman and Tom Corcoran. Strand's win also tightened up an already super close battle at the top of the NLRA series season long point standings, as Strand now sits just 14 markers back of Mike Balcaen, driver of the No. 10 Northstar Canada Black Diamond, with three races remaining in the season.
|
Ricky Weiss in the No. 7 Derrick's Sandblasting Bloomquist, and Mike Balcaen shared the front row at the start, with the former winning the drag race to turn one. Weiss spent the next ten laps building a relatively comfortable lead. Shortly before the halfway point, Bill Mooney, driver of the No. 2 OMG Candy MasterSbuilt by JMR, began to eat away at Weiss' lead as the pair approached lapped traffic. On lap twelve, Josh Johnson, who was having brake issues in his No. 84X Jerry's Welding & Fabrication Rayburn, spun off of the backstretch at the entrance three, bringing out the events' only caution.
On the restart, Strand took second from Mooney, and began to hunt down Weiss for the lead, in what is quickly becoming a tradition at NLRA races, as the pair have seemingly been glued at the hip since the series race at the Red River Co-Op Speedway two weeks ago. As Weiss and Strand put some ground between themselves and the rest of the field, Bill Mooney and Brad Seng, driver of the No. 12S S&S Transport MB Custom, began an epic battle for third, as the two stayed side-by-side for most of the remaining 13 laps, with Seng racing on the top, and Mooney on the bottom. |
Related
Dustin Strand (71) and Mike Balcaen (10) battling for third during the first half of the main event. The pair also battling for the series championship. Photo credit: Mike Spieker.
|
Strand began eating into Weiss' advantage as the pair approached traffic with two to go. On the final lap, Weiss appeared as though he had all but secured another victory by putting a pair of lapped cars behind him at the exit of turn two, but Strand picked up a huge bite coming off of turn four, passing the two lapped cars, and continuing on by Weiss on the inside for the win, leading the final 30 feet, with the margin of victory being 48 one-hundredths of a second.
Steffen Snare (71 bottom), Tom Corcoran (T1), and Dustin Strand (71 top) race three-wide in heat race action. Photo courtesy of Mike Spieker.
|
Brad Seng finished third, with Bill Mooney and Dusty Peterson, driver of the Precision Lawn Car & Landscape No. 1, rounding out the top five. Mike Balcaen finished sixth on seven cylinders, with Steffen Snare, driver of the No. 71S Todd's Electric Bloomquist in seventh, Norm Olson, driver of the No. 29 Disabled American Veterans MasterSbuilt eighth, Jeff Hapala, driver of the No. 16S Auto Solutions Rocket ninth, and Tom Corcoran, driver of the No. T1 D&B Motors Rocket rounding out the top ten. Dustin Strand was also the hard charger, improving five spots, after starting outside the third row at the start of the race. Mike Balcaen and Ricky Weiss won the heats, 14 cars were in attendance.
|
Mike Balcaen and Dustin Strand again sit one-two atop the series standings, separated by just 14 points. Brad Seng is 42 points behind Balcaen in the third spot, while Ricky Weiss and Steffen Snare round out the top five. Steve Anderson, driver of the No. 9 Hi-Per-Flex Panel Systems Pierce is in the sixth spot, with Bill Mooney in seventh, Jeff Hapala eighth, Cole Schill, driver of the No. 44 Rivinius Ranch MasterSbuilt by JMR ninth, and Norm Olson rounding out the top ten. NLRA series action continues this weekend on Saturday and Sunday night, September fifth and sixth, for the traditional Labor Day Double Header at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN.
Dustin Strand with his crew in victory lane at Devils Lake Speedway. Photo courtesy of Mike Spieker.
The NLRA would like to thank Tour Sponsors: Adams Automotive, S & S Transport, Wes' Plumbing, Initials Custom Embroidery (ICE), BOSS Signs & Graphics, Millar Race Engines, Todd's Electric, Gateway Cenex, White Water Truck Wash, ADrenaLize Graphics, Generous Jerry's/Gold-Silver Exchange, Gateway Sports, Grand Forks Subaru Kia, Forum Printing, On The Edge Graphics, Fastlane Racing Equipment, Victory Diesel, Forks Mobile Wash, Q&Z Plumbing, A&L Siding, The Ho Bar And Grill, AG Spray, and Cartunz, and Contingency Sponsors: Speedway International Fuel, Hi-Per Flex, Schaeffer's Oil & Lubricants, Mars Race Cars, Hoosier Tire North, FYE Motorsports Promotion, and CMD Shocks, for their support.
RSS Feed
