Sept. 16—GRAND FORKS — Mark Dobmeier won the season-opening sprint at River Cities Speedway. On Friday night, Dobmeier captured the season finale at The Bullring.
Meanwhile, Dobmeier won nine more times. Once again, Dobmeier proved himself to be one of the top sprint drivers in the Upper Midwest.
The 2023 racing season at Grand Forks concluded with Dobmeier taking the checkered flag as he turned in another dominant performance on the quarter-mile track.
Dobmeier started from pole but needed six laps to overtake Jade Hastings and take the lead. He ran the rest of the way, beating Austin Pierce to the pedestal by 1.388 seconds.
“Jade beat me at the start,” Dobmeier said. “We were a little tight at the start, so I pushed hard coming out of turn one and made a big wheelie down the backstretch.
“I had to calm down and take my time and as soon as the track cleared our car got better and better. I had a great car.”
Dobmeier’s breakout season was perhaps more rewarding than others considering how it began.
In February, Dobmeier was severely burned during a race in Arizona. But he recovered before the RCS season opener in May.
“All in all, it was a great year,” he said. “We got off to a rough start with the burns and everything, but my crew kept working hard while I was recovering. They were getting the cars ready because they knew I’d be back at it.”
Dobmeier’s attention now turns to some relaxation as his season is over.
“It’s time to shift gears,” he said. “We’ll try to sneak in a few weekends at the lake and have some fun with the family. We work hard all summer. People might not realize the commitment it takes to run. It’s literally every night, especially when the My kids go-kart race. I don’t have a night off all summer. So I’m looking forward to the falls.”
Nick Omdahl finished third, followed by Brenden Mullen and Zach Omdahl. Dobmeier also set the fastest lap of 10.453 seconds.
After Dobmeier took the lead, Hastings challenged the #1 car. 13 but departed with engine problems towards the end of the race.
Hastings, however, took the NOSA season points title, his second in four years.
“But that wasn’t how I wanted to end the year,” he said after being awarded the NOSA title. “It leaves a bit of a bad taste in your mouth.”
The RCS season finale was characterized by sprinting.
Nick Shirek captured the wingless sprint feature in dominant fashion. Shirek, who raced with NOSA for several seasons, earned his first ever win.
“This means a lot to me,” he said. “I worked really hard for this.”
Shirek won by a full seven seconds, a margin rarely seen at the Bullring.
It’s been a long day for Tyler Drueke and his crew. Drueke won the IMCA Race Saver sprint feature, leading from start to finish.
He had originally planned to run in Columbus, Nebraska, on Friday, but the weather there forced a change in plans. He and his crew drove more than eight hours to race at RCS.
Drueke is the national leader in IMCA Race Saver points. He was fast during the 20 laps. He recorded the fastest lap time of 11.269 seconds. Tyler Rabenberg finished second and Dominic Dobesh third.
In the lightning sprint, Dexter Dvergsten achieved his 12th victory of the season. Alex Truscinski finished second, 2.688 seconds behind first.
River Cities Autodrome
Friday’s results
Sprint without wings
First run: 1. Eric Guyot, 2. Tee Young, 3. Myles Tomlinson
Second run: 1. Jeremy Lizakowski, 2. Nick Shirek, 3. Ross Cummings
Feature — 1. Shirek, 2. Cummings, 3. Guyot, 4. Steve Nordrum, 5. Mike Tomlinson
Sprint IMCA
First battery —1. Tyler Drueke, 2. Ryan Serrao, 3. Dominic Dobesh
Second heat – 1. Lee Goos Jr., 2. Tyler Rabenberg, 3. Ty Hanten
Features — 1. Drueke, 2. Rabenberg, 3. Dobesh, 4. Goos, 5. Andy Pake
Lightning-fast sprints
First run — 1. Alex Truscinski, 2. Bryce Bjerke, 3. Emmitt Isane
Second run — 1. Haden Koehmstedt, 2. Mike Williams, 3. Gerald Hatlestad
Third heat — 1. Dexter Dvergsten, 2. Bryce Haugeberg, 3. Dylan Langefin
Featured — 1. Dvergsten, 2. Alex Truscinski, 3. Matthew Taves, 4. Langevin, 5. Alan Truscinski
Sprint
First run – 1. Mark Dobmeier, 2, Austin Pierce, 3, Brenden Mullin
Second run — 1. Jade Hastings, 2. Nick Omdahl, 3. Jack Croaker
Feature — 1. Dobmeier, 2. Pierce, 3. Nick Omdahl, 4. Mullen, 5. Zach Omdahl