NLRA Event Preview - Season Opener At River Cities

Shane Edginton (4) and Dustin Strand (71) battle at River Cities last Friday night. Mike Spieker photo.

The NLRA is set to lift the lid on its' 21st season of competition this Friday night at the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, marking the 34th NLRA event at the speedway.
​
The quarter-mile bullring on the Grand Forks Fairgrounds opened its' 2018 campaign last Friday night, where two-time and defending NLRA series champion Ricky Weiss, driver of the No. 7 Derrick's Sandblasting Bloomquist won the main event.

Weiss was followed home by another two-time series champion Dustin Strand, driver of the No. 71S Q&Z Plumbing & Heating Millenium SRT. A pair of Maintobans followed, as Bill Mooney, driver of the No. 2 Toyota of Grand Forks MasterSbilt by JMR, and Mike Balcaen, driver of the No. 10 Enns Brothers Black Diamond, finished third and fourth respectively. Ryan Corbett, driver of the Corbett Trucking No. C4, rounded out the top five.

Last season at River Cities, Dustin Strand won the first two features, going back-to-back, winning the make-up from the World of Outlaw show that was postponed on June 16th, and winning the regularly scheduled event on June 30th.
​

Outlaw regular Donny Schatz, driver of the No. 15 Fargo Petro Rocket, won both the Late Model and Sprint features for the second time in his career. Don Shaw picked up the win at the 'Prelude to the Johnny,' on his was to the Wissota National Championship. Shaw also won the NLRA's first event at River Cities in 1999.

Strand and Joey Pederson, driver of the MarKit County Grain No. 7P, lead all drivers with four previous NLRA wins at the Bullring, while Schatz, Shaw, Weiss, and Brad Seng, driver of the No. 12S S&S Transport MB Custom, all have three tallies. Five-time series titlist Mike Balcaen has two wins, with Bill Mooney winning the NLRA portion of the Outlaw event in August 2015.

The races are set to begin at seven, and will also feature the Northern Outlaw Sprint Association, for the first time of of the weekend. The upper-midwest's two premier series are set to meet again this Saturday night at the Devils Lake Speedway near Crary, ND.

Previous NLRA Feature Winners at River Cities Speedway:
2017 - Dustin Strand on June 16; Dustin Strand on June 30; Donny Schatz on August 18; Don Shaw on September 7
2016 - Mike Balcaen on June 17; Don Shaw on June 25; Dustin Strand on August 26; Dustin Strand on September 8
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

The NLRA would like to thank Tour Sponsors: Wes' Plumbing, S&S Transport, Performance Auto, Adams Automotive & Machine, White Water Truck Wash, Day Dreams, Grand Forks Subaru/Kia, BOSS Signs & Graphics, Storbakken & Sons Construction, A&L Siding, Millar Engines, Gateway Cenex, Fastlane Racing Equipment, Q&Z Plumbing, Fargo Forum, On The Edge Graphics, Hugo's, EGF American Legion Post 157, and Contingency Sponsors: Speedway International Fuel, Hi-Per Flex, Schaeffer's Oil & Lubricants, Hoosier Tire North, and FYE Motorsports Promotion, for their support.
​
NLRA Online: 
Website: nlra.org
Facebook: facebook.com/NLRAlatemodels
Twitter: twitter.com/NLRAracing (@NLRAracing)
Instagram: instagram.com/NLRAracing (@NLRAracing)