Another successful show
The World of Outlaws raced before another full house at River Cities Speedway on Friday night. A crowd of more than 6,000 fans turned out to watch the country's best sprint car drivers. They weren't disappointed as Donny Schatz - the country's top driver - won the 40-lap feature.
This marked the third season the Outlaws have raced in Grand Forks. For the third straight year, the Outlaws have raced before a full house. They'll be back in August. It'll be interesting to see how two nights of WoO racing in Grand Forks will play out.
Schatz led 39 of the 40 laps as he passed Steve Kinser on Lap 2.
On Lap 17, the caution flag came out after Schatz and another car went off the track in Turn 1. But Schatz received his top spot back. According to WoO rules, Schatz retained his position because he kept going and did not stop on the track, with the scoring reverting back to the last completed lap.
Schatz clearly had the top car all night. He posted the fastest qualifying time at 10.378 seconds. According to WoO officials, Schatz's average speed was 104.066 mph.
A few of the the locals who raced with the Outlaws fared well.
Chris Shirek was second fastest in qualifying (10.636 seconds) and brought the crowd to its feet by passing Joey Saldana, one of the top drivers with the Outlaws, to win the second heat race.
And Mark Dobmeier raced from 18th to seventh in the feature. Had he qualified better, Dobmeier would have had a better starting position and likely would have had a top-five finish. A broken driveline cost Dobmeier in qualifying, as he finished 19th out of a field of 30 cars.
Sprint racing is a big deal in Grand Forks. Weekly crowds at RCS range between 2,000 and 3,000 a night. More than 6,000 fans have turned out for each of the WoO shows the past three years.
Outside of Sioux hockey and Sioux football, can't think of another sport in Grand Forks that attracts as many fans on a weekly basis.
Posted by: Wayne Nelson on 6/20/2009 at 2:01 PM | Comments (9) | Permalink
Outlaws ready to roll
Tonight's crowd for the World of Outlaws at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks could rival the turnouts for the 2007 and 2008 shows.
A crowd between 5,000 and 6,000 is expected for tonight's show.
The WoO stop at RCS is becoming one of the better shows on the circuit, which travels the country. The last two 40-lap WoO features at RCS have gone down to the last lap. Tonight should be no exception.
RCS officials said pre-sold tickets for tonight's show are virtually on par with last year's number, indicating another good turnout.
On a short track like RCS, predicting a winner is virtually impossible.
But it's expected that Donny Schatz and Joey Saldana - the top two WoO drivers - will be somewhere near the front when tonight's 40-lap feature ends.
However, every time Danny Lasoski has raced in Grand Forks, he's put on a great show. Wouldn't be surprised to see him up front tonight as well.
Posted by: Wayne Nelson on 6/19/2009 at 2:20 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Time trials at RCS
There will be something different at River Cities Speedway tonight.
Time trials are scheduled for the Outlaw sprints.
It will be interesting to see the times the local sprint drivers post compared to next week when the World of Outlaws will qualify at RCS.
The top two qualifying times that have been recorded in the last 10 years at RCS belong to local drivers, according to track officials. RCS regular Jason Linnell turned in a one-lap time of 9.66 seconds in 2007. Mark Dobmeier turned in a time of 9.71 seconds in 2003.
At last year's WoO show in Grand Forks, Donny Schatz posted the quick time at 9.83 seconds. In 2007, the first year the Outlaws raced at RCS, Joey Saldana had the top qualifying time at 9.95 seconds.
RCS officials hope to start qualifying around 7:10 tonight.
Posted by: Wayne Nelson on 6/12/2009 at 2:44 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink
An impressive start for Alexander
Former UND defensive back Donovan Alexander is off to a good start with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL, according to the Regina Leader Post.
Alexander spent last season with Montreal but was traded to the Roughriders during the offseason.
So far, Alexander has been one of the most impressive defensive backs in the Roughriders' preseason camp.
Here is the link to the Leader Post article:
Ex-Sioux Weston Dressler also will be back for his second season with the Roughriders. The CFL rookie of the year will likely play a bigger role for Saskatchewan this season.
Posted by: Wayne Nelson on 6/09/2009 at 1:14 PM | Comments (32) | Permalink
Tags: alexander, cfl, fighting sioux, und
Some midweek notes
A few notes on this and that:
- Former UND player Emmanuel Little recently wrapped up his first season playing in Japan. It was a good season for Little, one of the more personable players to play at UND. Little averaged 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Niigata Albirex. Little has a chance to return to Japan next season but is exploring the opportunity to play in Europe, where the money is better. Little played in 40 games as his season ran from December through early May.
- Kierah Kimbrough ended her career as the third-leading scoring in UND women's basketball history last season. She's not ready to end her career, either, as she is considering playing in Australia or in Europe. Former UND player Kelsey Maffin in playing in one of the Australian leagues. Another ex-Sioux, Theresa LeCuyer, is playing in the Netherlands.
- The UND men's basketball team is still recruiting for the 2009-10 season. The Sioux may add another player before the start of the fall semester. Also, UND may add another game to its schedule. No word on the team. However, it's expected the Sioux will play a money game against a mid-major-type program.
- The late spring has made for a tough start to the racing season. But we're only two weeks away from the World of Outlaws show at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks. The Outlaws are the best sprint drivers in the country and when they race on a small quarter-mile track like RCS, it's the best sprint racing around. Johnny Gibson, the Outlaws' longtime announcer, has said RCS is an amazing place to watch the sprints run.
- The proposal for Field Turf at Kraft Field is a good idea. It will help all of baseball in Grand Forks and at UND. It's expected the cost for the $900,000 project would be shared by UND, community groups and the GF Park District. No funding plans have been finalized, however.
- Not a big fan of censoring comments on a blog. But there have been a few rough comments posted here recently. Let's clean it up.
Posted by: Wayne Nelson on 6/03/2009 at 12:43 PM | Comments (24) | Permalink
Tags: basketball, racing, und, world of outlaws