6/4/2018
Buffalo River Speedway
Skalicky earns first modified win at Buffalo River Race Park
By Mike Spieker
GLYNDON, Minn. – Jesse Skalicky has been turning laps at Buffalo River Race Park since he was a teenager in hopes of one day competing in the track’s premier division; the IMCA modifieds.
This season, Skalicky made the jump to the modifieds after a few years of competing in the limited modified class, the IMCA sportmods. Sunday night at Buffalo River Race Park, Skalicky upset current point leader Mike Greseth to claim his first ever modified win.
“This is everything. I’ve been racing for 15 years now to hopefully try to get into this class,” said Skalicky in victory lane. “Once you get in it, the level of competition is unbelievable so you don’t know when the win is actually going to come. I’ve got so many guys who help me out on the car. This win definitely means a lot.”
Skalicky took the lead on lap three as Rob VanMil followed him into second. VanMil was driving Beltrami, Minnesota’s Alex Engelstad’s No. 96 after VanMil destroyed his machine Thursday night at Norman County Raceway in Ada, Minn. Tyler Hall and VanMil raced for the second spot until 12th place starter, Greseth, powered into the runner-up spot. Greseth gave Skalicky everything he had in the closing stages, pulling even with the Fargo driver on several occasions.
“I don’t know what was going on behind, but I saw Greseth come up beside me a few times. I just tried to kept my car in the tack strip on the high side because the bottom was pretty slick and I knew it would be hard to get by me on the bottom.
Greseth pulled even with Skalicky at both ends of the speedway on the final circuit, but Skalicky held on to take the win.
Multi-time hobby stock track champion, Doug Gardner, raced to his first career IMCA sportmod feature win in dramatic fashion. The race was paced by Kreig Kasin for the first five laps until Dustin Hartwig took command. Kasin battled back to take the lead, but he was overtaken by Kelly Jacobson with nine laps to go
Jacobson was soon challenged by his father, Scott, and Gardner. Kelly Jacobson still held the lead as the white flag flew, but Gardner pulled even with the Fargo driver on the outside of turn four. The two drivers raced side by side to the checkers as Gardner took the win by a half car length.
Tim Estenson backed up his win Friday night at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo to claim the INEX legends feature. A big field of 28 legends were on hand as the division wrapped up the Dakota Legends Tour, which included stops at Wishek, Mandan, and Jamestown, N.D.
Estenson had a comfortable lead over the field until he made contact with a lapped car, which sent him spinning to a stop. The caution was called on the lapped car, which gave Estenson his position spot back in the lead for the ensuing restart.
Estenson held off Tye Wilke on two restarts in the second half of the race to claim his sixth overall win of the season.
Tenth place starter, Brendan Mullen, claimed the NLSA lightning sprint feature. Mullen, who is a rookie with the Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA Sprint Cars this year, charged through the field to take the lead away from Josh Abrahamson. Abrahamson battled back on the high side until Presley Truedson, who was making her 2018 debut at Buffalo River, came storming into second.
Truedson challenge Mullen for the point with five to go, but Mullen held on to take the win.
Tim Gonska claimed his third career Buffalo River Race Park IMCA hobby stock win and second of 2018. Matt Pederson won the IMCA sport compact feature by a nose over Daniel Harstad. Joe Lewis won the slingshot feature.
Sunday night racing continues next week at Buffalo River Race Park. Green flag drops at 6pm.
RESULTS:
IMCA Modifieds:
Feature: 1. 3S-Jesse Skalicky, Fargo, N.D.; 2. 17-Michael Greseth, Harwood, N.D.; 3. 80-Len Kniep, Gardner, N.D.; 4. 4500-Cody Peterson, Glyndon, Minn.; 5. 12C-Nickolis Curtis, Rothsay, Minn.
IMCA SportMods:
Feature: 1. 41-Doug Gardner, Glyndon, Minn.; 2. 51-Kelly Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.; 3. 19C-Dustin Hartwig, Felton, Minn.; 4. 5-Scott Jacobson, Fargo, N.D.; 5. 40-Chris VanMil, Barnesville, Minn.
NLSA Lightning Sprints:
Feature: 1. 11M-Brendan Mullen, Grand Forks, N.D.; 2. 2-Presley Truedson, Kennedy, Minn.; 3. 16-Josh Abrahamson, Moorhead, Minn.; 4. 93-Kelsi Pederson, East Grand Forks, Minn.; 5. 11-Dexter Dvergsten, Greenbush, Minn.
INEX Legends:
Feature: 1. 14T-Tim Estenson, Fargo, N.D.; 2. 72-Tye Wilke, Detroit Lakes, Minn.; 3. 1-Steven Kuntz, Bismarck, N.D.; 4. 77-Preston Martin, Bismarck, N.D.; 5. 99-Dauntae Martin, Bismarck, N.D.
IMCA Hobby Stocks:
Feature: 1. 5G-Tim Gonska, Brainerd, Minn.; 2. 31X-Tim Shiek, Fargo, N.D.; 3. 30X-Shawn Orvedal, Lake Park, Minn.; 4. 73-Maranda Borg, Harwood, N.D.; 5. 3XL-Brad Orvedal, Fargo, N.D.
IMCA Sport Compacts:
Feature: 1. 4P-Matt Pederson, Fargo, N.D.; 2. 77H-Daniel Harstad, Fergus Falls, Minn.; 3. 6T-Randy Thompson, Lake Park, Minn.; 4. 44T-Tanner Engen, Detroit Lakes, Minn.; 5. 00F-Coby Fahleen, Fargo, N.D.
Submitted By: Mike Spieker
