Friday's event, at the ever-popular quarter-mile high-banked Bullring on the Grand Forks County Fairgrounds, is a long-time staple on the series schedule as it's an opportunity for the series to race in front of what is normally a capacity crowd. Last season, Brody Troftgruben, driver of the No. 14 K&E Construction Rocket, won both the Late Model portions of the pair of World of Outlaws visits in June and August respectively. Of the 53 previous NLRA features run at River Cities, 22 of them were run alongside the World of Outlaws. After Donny Schatz, who has won five of those races, the leading active series regular with the most wins with the WoO in town in Joey Pederson, driver of the No. 7P Votava Trucking Rocket XR1, has four wins of his own. | Brody Troftgruben won last June's NLRA feature with the WoO in attendance. Speedway Shots photo. |
Tyler Peterson is the only winner in weekly competition thus far this season at the track, winning last week's season debut for the class at the Bullring in his No. 1TPO QuickLift Rocket XR1.
On Saturday night, the series heads south to I-94 emr Speedway in Fergus Falls, MN for the Dick Johanneck Memorial King of the Dirt. Last season at the three-eights mile Otter Tail county oval, Jeffrey Massingill made his way over from the Iron Range to pick up the King of the Dirt crown.
Cole Schill ran second in the No. 44 Mid Ag Dispatch MB Custom, with last week's winner at Greenbush Race Park Shane Edginton completing the podium in the No. 5E PolymerShapes Sniper.
Jordan Tollakson and two-time and defending champion Mike Greseth, driver of the No. 17 Superior Customs Rocket XR1 were rounded out the top five in last season's King of the Dirt.
In three races run at the track in weekly competition this season, Bryce Sward, driver of the No. 1-2 Alexandria Appliance Service MB Custom, leads the track point standings, and has one feature win. Sward leads by 17 markers over fellow feature winner Cole Schill, with defending track champion Shawn Meyer in third. Josh Zimple also has a victory and sits fourth in points, with Ben Wolden in fifth.
Early on in the NLRA series standings, Mike Greseth leads by four points over Shane Edginton. Cole Schill is third, with Tyler Peterson and Dustin Strand in fourth and fifth respectively.
Brody Troftgruben is sixth, with Bryce Sward seventh, and Jesse Teunis eighth with his No. 70 Houde's Excavating MB Custom. John Seng, driver of the No. 21S TrendLESS MB Custom, and Ryan Corbett, driver of the No. C4 Corbett Trucking MB Custom, complete the top ten.
Racing starts at seven o'clock both nights. For more information, visit rivercitiesspeedway.com and i94speedways.com