BY MIKE CARROLL
OF THE PLAINSMAN
HURON — Levi Randt capitalized during his first visit to Dakota State Fair Speedway on Saturday.
The 15-year-old driver from Siren, Wis., gained eight spots during 15-laps to record his first victory at the Huron track in the WISSOTA street stock division.
“It’s cool to win at a new track,” Randt said. “The top was good so I figured I’d send it in there on the first laps and see how it goes.”
Randt would hold off some heavy hitters en route to the victory.
Maria Broksieck of Goodwin, who earned her fourth win at DSFS a week earlier, kept the pressure on Randt as the laps clicked away. She would finish second after starting third in the 16-car field, which took the green flag to start the race.
Grady Myers of Winner started sixth and worked his way up to the third spot, while James Hoing of Kimball was fourth and Chris Serr of Aberdeen was fifth.
Winning the street stock heat races were Hoing, Randt and Dave Brooker of Tulare.
The 15-lap WISSOTA Midwest modified feature race, which followed the street stock main event, also produced a first-time winner at the Huron track on Saturday.
Nick Wranek of Sioux Falls started on the pole and led from start to finish to secure the first victory of his career at DSFS.
He faced heavy pressure from Landyn Randt of Siren, Wis., who moved into the second spot on the third lap snd remained there for the remainder of the race.
“They had to be perfect laps,” Wranek said of his route to the victory. “I slipped a couple times an saw Landyn below me and I knew I had to get back on it.”
Lane Johnson of Miller started the feature third in the 15-car field and held the same spot when the checkered flag flew. Scott Hansen of Garden City, who inked his eighth-career win a week earlier, was fourth, followed by Lorin Johnson of Miller, who drove from a No. 12 starting spot for a top-5 finish.
Collecting heat wins in the WISSOTA Midwest modified division were Hansen, Randt and Wranek.
Trevor Nelson of Warner recorded his second win of the season at DSFS in the WISSOTA super stock division. He started fourth in the 5-car field to start the feature race.
Nearly half of the 9-car field for the heat race was unable to make the call for the start of the super stock main event. Robert Schmitt of Redfield and Bryson North of Huron were dealing with mechanical issues, while Brad Kopecky of Miller and Andrew Zastrow of Gann Valley suffered catastrophic damage to their cars during an incident in turn three, which brought out the second stoppage period of the night. Fortunately, Kopecky and Zastrow escaped uninjured after withstanding a heavy hit into the wall and going airborne.
Nelson, who started on the pole, trailed Kody Lehr of Bath during the first two laps of the 15-lap feature race, but used the low line in turn two to take the lead on the third lap.
Lehr, who started fourth, would hold on to the second spot, while Derek Zastrow of Gann Valley was third and Gerrit Van Liere of Madison was fourth.
“Hats off to the track crew,” Nelson said after earning his eighth career win at the speedway. “It sucks what happened to Kopecky and Zastrow, but we’re glad they are OK.
“Thanks to all the fans for coming out,” he said. “It’s fun to be back racing in Huron again.”
Nelson also won the lone super stock heat race.
After being burned by a late-race caution during the season-opening event, Chad Becker of Aberdeen made sure the situation didn’t repeat itself on Saturday in the WISSOTA late model main event.
Becker started on the pole and stayed out front the entire distance of the 20-lap feature race. He reached slower traffic on lap 10 and managed to maintain the top spot while navigating his way around the cars at the tail end of the field.
Josh Skorczewski of Aberdeen was able to capitalize as the leaders reached lapped traffic and was able to get around Lee Grosz of Watertown, who held the second spot during the first 11 revolutions. Skorczewski, who started fifth, provided a small challenge for the lead on the restart, but Becker would prevail for win No. 27 of his career at the Huron oval.
“I was actually happy to see this late race caution because we were in lapped cars and the track was really fast,” Becker said. “It was nice to get out in clean air.
“I’ve been really struggling with a couple of things since the beginning of the year,” he said. “We’ve been running good, but we were just missing that little piece, and I think we found some of that tonight.”
Cole Searing of Huron worked his way up from the seventh starting spot to finish third. Chad Olsen of Hendricks, Minn., was fourth, while Mike Stearns of Aberdeen was fifth.
Skorczewski and Stearns won the late model heat races. All four classes will be back in action at Dakota State Fair Speedway on Saturday, starting at 7 p.m.
The first special event of the season will follow on June 4 and 6, when the Repairablevehicle.com Tri-State Late Model Series stops at DSFS for a pair of racing events in conjunction with the Wheel Jam festivities on the South Dakota State Fairgrounds.
The Thursday show will pay $3,000 to win, while Saturday’s show will pay $4,000 to the winner.
Dakota State Fair Speedway
May 23
G&G Semless
WISSOTA Street Stock
Heat 1: 1, James Hoing, Kimball; 2, Andy Rossow, Florence; 3, Maria Broksieck, Goodwin; 4, Ferlin Sheridan, Aberdeen; (did not finish) 5, Michael Bogh, Huron; (disqualified) Shane Supik, Kimball.
Heat 2: 1, Levi Randt, Siren Wis.; 2, Jayden Bogh, Huron; 3, Clifford Houser, Kimball; 4, John Garrigan Jr., Rapid City; (did not finish) 5, Wyatt Brooker, Huron; (disqualified) Chris Asmus, St. Lawrence.
Heat 3: 1, Dave Brooker, Tulare; 2, Grady Myers, Winner; 3, Chris Serr, Aberdeen; 4, Broc Stout, Winner; 5, Travis Oxandaburu, Huron; 6, Dexter Wipf, Frankfort.
Main event: 1, Randt; 2, Broksieck; 3, Myers; 4, Hoing; 5, Serr; 6, Stout; 7, Brooker; 8, M. Bogh; 9, Houser; 10, Sheridan; 11, Garrigan Jr.; 12, Oxandaburu; 13, Wipf; 14, Supik; (did not finish) 15, Rossow; 16, J. Bogh; (did not start) Asmus; W. Brooker.
Radiant Roofing & Siding WISSOTA Midwest Modified
Heat 1: 1, Scott Hansen, Garden City; 2, Britt Williams, Ft. Pierre; 3, Scott Hinricher, Flandreau; 4, Shawn McFarlane, Miller; (did not finish) 5, Tracy Johnson, Lake Preston; 6, Devon Carroll, Parker.
Heat 2: 1, Landyn Randt, Siren, Wis.; 2, Jayme Peterson, Highmore; 3, Lane Johnson, Miller; 4, Darren Engesser, Gary; 5, Jace Baloun, Highmore; 6, Jeff Metzinger, Pierre.
Heat 3: 1, Jake Wranek, Sioux Falls; 2, Jason Anderson, Clear Lake; 3, Jordan Kienow, Miller; 4, Lorin Johnson, Miller; 5, Brett Hansen, Canby, Minn.; (did not finish) 6, Adam Brotherton, Huron.
Main event: 1, Wranek; 2, Randt; 3, Lane Johnson; 4, S. Hansen; 5, Lorin Johnson; 6, Anderson; 7, Baloun; 8, Kienow; 9; Williams; 10, Hinricher; 11, Metzinger; 12, B. Hansen; (did not finish) Engesser; 14, Peterson; 15, Tracy Johnson; (did not start) McFarlane; Carroll; Brotherton.
Ghost Graphix WISSOTA Super Stock
Heat 1: 1, Trevor Nelson, Warner; 2, Kody Lehr, Bath; 3, Derek Zastrow; 4, Gerrit Van Liere; (did not finish) 5, Robert Schmitt, Redfield; 6, Wyatt Schweigert, Huron; 7, Andrew Zastrow, Gan Valley; 8, Brady Kopecky, Miller; 9, Bryson North, Huron.
Main event: 1, Nelson; 2, D. Zastrow; 3, Van Liere; 4, Schweigert; 5, Lehr; (did not start) Schmitt; A. Zastrow; Kopecky; North.
Carlson’s Service Center and Sales WISSOTA Late Model
Heat 1: 1, Josh Skorczewski, Aberdeen; 2, Chase Gelling, Aberdeen; 3, Chad Becker, Aberdeen; 4, Chad Olsen, Hendricks, Minn.; 5, Konner Sperle, Aberdeen; 6, Jusin Karlen, Howard; 7, John Hoing, Hartford; 8, Justin Boomsma, Huron; 9, Brandon Sprirkel, Pierre.
Heat 2: 1, Mike Stearns, Aberdeen; 2, Lee Grosz, Watertown; 3, Morgan Grosz, Watertown; 4, Cole Searing, Huron; 5, Charlie Olsen, Hendricks, Minn.; 6, Thomas Weisgram, Northville; 7, Ryan Baumgart, Pierre; (did not finish) Kyle Jensen, Brookings.
Main event: 1, Becker; 2, Skorczewski; 3, Searing; 4, Chad Olsen; 5, Stearns; 6, Gelling; 7, L. Grosz; 8, Charlie Olsen; 9, M. Grosz; 10, Sprinkel; 11, Karlen; 12, Sperle; 13, Baumgart; 14, Hoing; (did not finish) 15, Boomsma; (did not start) Weisgram; Jensen.
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