8/16/2018
RacinBoys
Red River Valley Speedway hosts Outlaws on Saturday
By Tony Veneziano, SLS Promotions, LLC (West Fargo, ND) -- The Gerdau Recycling Duel in the Dakotas is just around the corner for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D., on Saturday, August 18. The series returned to the three-eighths-mile last year, after a five-year hiatus. The late Jason Johnson added his name to the record books as a winner at Red River Valley Speedway. The event this season will mark the fourth and final race of the season for the series in the state of North Dakota. This edition of Up to Speed sets the stage for this year’s Duel in the Dakotas for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at Red River Valley Speedway.
The track
Red River Valley Speedway is a high-banked, three-eighths-mile that was formerly a half-mile. The track record of 11.925-seconds was established by Shane Stewart on August 19, 2017
Past winners
Donny Schatz is the winningest active full-time World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series driver at Red River Valley Speedway with four victories. Schatz, who raced with the Outlaws for the first time at the track in 1993 as a teenager, won for the first time at Red River Valley Speedway in 2002. He followed that up with a win in 2003 and swept both nights of the Duel in the Dakotas in 2006, the season he won his first World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series championship.
Daryn Pittman, the 2013 series champion, won at Red River Valley Speedway in 2008. The veteran driver won earlier this season in North Dakota at Nodak Speedway in Minot and is also a past winner at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks.
Hometown Hero
Donny Schatz, who calls Fargo home, has had a great amount of success at Red River Valley Speedway over the years. Along with his four wins, he has 27 top-10 finishes, with 14 of those being top-five performances. Those stats lead all current active full-time drivers with the series. Schatz won earlier this season in his home state at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks.
A big notebook
Daryn Pittman and Jason Sides have each made 20 or more starts with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series at Red River Valley Speedway. Pittman, who won at the track in in 2008, has 10 career top-10 finishes at the track, with the majority of those coming on the former half-mile configuration. Sides has six top-10 finishes in his career at Red River Valley Speedway, with two of those being top-fives, including a runner-up performance in 2007.
Four-in-a-row
Shane Stewart has four straight top-10 finishes at Red River Valley Speedway. The Oklahoma native, who now calls the Indianapolis area home, finished a career-best third last year at the venue, after opening the night by setting a new track record in time trials. Stewart has six top-10 finishes over the years at the three-eighths-mile.
Solid track record
Kraig Kinser has nine top-10 finishes in 13 main event starts in his career at Red River Valley Speedway. The native of Bloomington, Ind., who has four top-five finishes at the track, including a best run of third in 2005. Kinser ran fourth last season at Red River Valley Speedway.
A long time in between
Brad Sweet made his debut at Red River Valley Speedway in 2011, with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions, finishing second in that event. He returned to the track in 2017 and ran eighth with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. Sweet heads to North Dakota this weekend, fresh off the biggest win of his career in the Knoxville Nationals last weekend.
Looking to rebound
David Gravel and Greg Wilson both look to turn their fortunes around, after having tough nights at Red River Valley Speedway last season. The pair of drivers had both raced at the oval in the past with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions. Gravel recorded four top-10 finishes in All Stars event at the track.
Return visit
A handful of drivers saw Red River Valley Speedway for the first time last season. Among them were Sheldon Haudenschild and Brent Marks, who battled for the rookie title. Also, the Shark Racing duo of Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen were visiting the three-eights-mile for the first time. Ian Madsen, who is in his first full season with the Outlaws this year, also visited Fargo for the first time in 2017.
NLRA visits Fargo
The NLRA Late Model Series will part of the Duel in the Dakotas, which marks their only visit of the season to Red River Valley Speedway. Dustin Strand is the current series point leader on the strength of a series-best three wins. Brad Seng is currently second in points. Mike Balcaen has a pair of NLRA victories, while Ricky Weiss and Donny Schatz also have been victorious.
Tickets for the Gerdau Recycling Duel in the Dakotas, featuring World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, along with the NLRA (Northern Late Model Racing Association) at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, North Dakota, on Saturday, August 18 can be purchased online at slspromotions.ticketforce.com or by phone at 815-344-2023, as well as at the track on race day.
Twitter: @SLS_Promotions
Facebook: SLS Promotions LLC
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott