NLRA Event Preview - River Cities Speedway And Greenbush Race Park

On Friday night, June the 17th, the NLRA will once again proudly co-headline one of the areas biggest racing spectacles, as the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series makes its' first of two stops at the three-tenths mile oval on the Grand Forks County Fairgrounds. The NLRA will be making its' 26th appearance at the speedway since 1999, and will be making the first of five scheduled appearances at the speedway this season.

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Joey Pederson, driver of the No. 7P Dahlstrom Motors MB Custom, won this event last season, and is the winner of two of the last three editions of this event, but he will be unable to run on Friday night.

Mike Balcaen, driver of the No. 10 Northstar Canada Black Diamond, broke a lenghty losing streak at the Speedway in this event two years ago, and has a win at the speedway this season. Balcaen will hopefully be making his return to the speedway for this event, after a grinding crash at the track last Friday night.

Brad Seng, driver of the No. 12S S&S Transport MB Custom, and Steve Anderson, driver of the No. 9 Big Trucks by Jimco Pierce, are the other former winners of this event, winning in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

​Bill Mooney, driver of the No. 2 OMG Candy MasterSbilt, and Wisconsin's AJ Diemel were also winners of NLRA series events at the Speedway last season.

Anderson, Balcaen, Shane Edginton, Mooney, Pederson, Seng, Dustin Strand, and WoO Sprint regular Donny Schatz, driver of the No. 15 K3 Farms Rocket, all recorded top tens in both of the NLRA shows the accompanied the WoO Sprint visits at River Cities last season.

Related

• Zach Naastad Wins First NLRA Feature In Jamestown

• Quick Hits (May 31)

• Quick Hits (May 25)

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Jamestown winner Zach Naastad (Z17) and Mike Balcaen (10) at River Cities on May 27th. Mike Spieker photo.

Former NLRA series champions Ricky Weiss (2011) and Matt Aukland (2007), along with Steffen Snare, driver of the No. 71S Todd's Electric Bloomquist, and NLRA winner at Jamestown last Saturday night, Zach Naastad, driver of the Q&Z Plumbing & Heating No. Z17, scored one top ten each during those shows last season..

Two-time and defending NLRA champion, and defending River Cities champion Dustin Strand, driver of the No. 71 Q&Z Plumbing & Heating Millenium, leads all drivers with two wins at River Cities this season, while Mike Balcaen, Bill Mooney, and Brad Seng have one each. Strand and Seng will enter the event on Friday as the point leaders at the speedway, with Shane Edginton, driver of the No. 4 Performance Auto Victory, in third, just one marker back, while Canadians Mike Balcaen and Bill Mooney are 14 and 16 markers back in fourth and fifth respectively.
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On Saturday night, June the 18th, the NLRA will take the track at the newly resurfaced Greenbush Race Park in Greenbush, MN. 

At the end of last season's schedule, the track was re-banked to a high-banked clay oval that now measures at around three-tenths of a mile. This race is scheduled to be the 23rd overall in Greenbush, and third since the track reopened in 2013. The series tried twice in 2014 to return to Greenbush, but mother nature apparently wasn't ready for that yet, as both events were lost due to rain. Brad Seng, Ricky Weiss, and Dustin Strand were the podium finishers after both trips to the speedway last season, with Seng winning on June 20th, and Weiss finishing in the top spot on July 25th. 

Mike Balcaen, Joey Pederson, and Dusty Peterson, in his Precision Lawn Care & Landscape No. 1, were the other three drivers to finish with top ten runs during both visits last year. Balcaen, a five-time NLRA series champion, has two previous series wins in Greenbush, as this year marks the 25th anniversary of Balcaen's track championship during the tracks' inaugural year in 1991.

Racing begins with track packing and hot laps around 6:30pm, with racing following Sprint Car qualifying on Friday night at River Cities, and at seven o'clock on Saturday night at Greenbush. For more info on these tracks, tickets, and more, visit there websites at rivercitiesspeedway.com and greenbushracepark.com
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Previous NLRA Feature Winners at River Cities Speedway:
2015 - Joey Pederson on June 19; Bill Mooney on August 21; AJ Diemel on September 10
2014 - Mike Balcaen on June 20; Brad Seng on August 15; Donny Schatz on August 16; Ricky Weiss on Sept. 4
2013 - Joey Pederson in June 21; Donny Schatz on August 16; Pat Doar on September 5
2012 - Joey Pederson on August 17; John Kaanta on Sept. 6
2011 - Ricky Weiss on August 18; Adam Hensel on Sept. 8
2010 - Steve Anderson on June 19; Ricky Weiss on June 20
2009 - Brad Seng on June 19
2008 - Joey Pederson on June 13
2003 - Dave Zimmerman on August 8
2001 - Brad Seng on August 3
2000 - Mitch Johnson on May 31; Johnny Johnson on June 1; Mitch Johnson on August 18
1999 - Don Shaw on June 17; Joel Cryderman on August 19

Previous NLRA Feature Winners at the Greenbush Race Park:
2015 - Brad Seng on June 20; Ricky Weiss on July 25
2011 - Joey Pederson on August 27
2009 - Ricky Weiss on June 13
2008 - Howie Schill  on July 5; Mike Balcaen on August 16
2007 - Howie Schill  on June 30
2006 - Roger Gendron on May 20; Kevin Sexton on June 24
2005 - Dale Skytland on June 25; Kevin Sexton on August 6
2004 - Dave Tyrchniewicz on June 5; John Seitz on July 10; Tom Corcoran on August 14
2003 - Mike Balcaen on July 12; John Seitz on August 16
2002 - Brad Seng on June 1; Troy Olson on August 25
2001 - Brian Strand on July 7
2000 - John Seitz on July 1
1999 - Troy Schill on July 10
1998 - Tom Corcoran on July 25
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Dusty Peterson (1), Mike Balcaen (10), and Jeff Hapala (16S) run three-wide at River Cities on May 27th. Mike Spieker photo.
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​The NLRA would like to thank Tour Sponsors: Adams Automotive, S & S Transport, Wes' Plumbing, 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, Q&Z Plumbing, A&L Siding, Performance Auto, Cartunz, Daydreams Specialties, Storbakken and Sons Construction, 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.

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