Klein disrupts RRVS standings
Kerry Collins, The Forum
Published Saturday, August 16, 2008

Nic Klein's part-time racing schedule prevented him from defending his Street Stocks points title at Red River Valley Speedway.

Like it or not, he's going to have an impact on this season's points championship.

Klein passed Rick Schulz on Turn 4 of the final lap to win on Friday, costing Schulz two valuable season points in the tightest points race at the final night before the track's season championship.

“I wasn't trying to get in the middle of the points. I don't want to affect the points at all,” Klein said with a laugh. “I just found a spot that worked, and made a pass.”

With one lap to go, Schulz was leading and points leader Jason Babcock was in fourth – meaning the difference between the two drivers would've been just two points entering next week's points championship. Instead, Babcock's lead is five points. function photoFull (URL) { day = new Date(); id = day.getTime(); eval("page" + id + " = window.open(URL, '" + id + "', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=0,width=510,height=510,left = 137,top = 84');"); }

“There was a spot on Turn 3 that helped me make up six car lengths in one turn,” Klein said. “I closed in and kind of sneaked up on him.”

Klein is racing a car owned by friend Wayne Smith of Litchville, N.D. Klein rebuilt the car and started racing it in mid-July.

“We're trying to keep the car count up, and show everybody that we can still put on a show,” Klein said. “That was quite a race.”

Charles Jensen picked up the first feature win of his career at Red River Valley Speedway, holding off a spirited effort from Austin Arneson in the Midwest Modifieds feature.

The closest points race entering the night became a little less interesting.

In the Midwest Modifieds, Jason Strand enterered Friday with a slim four-point lead over defending national points champ Brock Gronwold.

Neither had a special night, but Strand gained three more points in the heat race, and six more in the feature to take a 13-point edge into the season finale.

Blake Jegtvig might have had his most dominant night yet at RRVS, and that's saying a lot.

The Hawley, Minn., driver picked up his fifth win of the season at RRVS, and lapped all but six of the other 18 cars in the feature. He won by half a lap.

Corky Thomas scored a clean sweep on the way to winning the Super Stocks feature. Points leader Todd Carter went from 18th to fourth in the feature.

Wahpeton, N.D., driver Greg Meyer scored his first win of the season at RRVS in taking the Late Models feature.

Street Stocks

Heat one: 1, Aaron Leninger, Rothsay, Minn. 2, Rick Schulz, Fargo. 3, Robert Banish Jr.

Feature: 1, Nic Klein, West Fargo. 2, Schulz. 3, Jason Babcock, Horace, N.D. 4, Leninger. 5, James Tandeski, West Fargo.

Mod Fours

Heat one: 1, Josh Abrahamson, Moorhead. 2, Shayne Laske, Moorhead. 3, Corry VanMil, Lake Park, Minn.

Feature: 1, Tyler Elser, West Fargo. 2, Laske. 3, Abrahamson. 4, VanMil. 5, Jim Erdmann, Horace, N.D.

Midwest Modifieds

Heat one: 1, Jason Corell, Jamestown, N.D. 2, Ryan Restad, Fargo. 3, Tony Johnson, Davenport, N.D.

Heat two: 1, Charles Jensen, Glyndon, Minn. ,2, Brian Krog, Fergus Falls, Minn. 3, Jason Strand, Portland, N.D.

Feature: 1, Jensen. 2, Austin Arneson, Fargo. 3, Restad. 4, Krog. 5, Johnson.

Super Stocks

Heat one: 1, Corky Thomas, Fargo. 2, Kevin Robertson, Enderlin, N.D. 3, Tony Provinzino, Comstock, Minn.

Heat two: 1, Scott Jacobson, Fargo. 2, Clare Miller, Enderlin, N.D. 3, Dave Mortenson, Moorhead.

Heat three: 1, David Shipley, Fargo. 2, Jeff Hapala, Fargo. 3, Terry Dale, Portland, N.D.

Feature: 1, Thomas. 2, Mortenson. 3, Shipley. 4, Todd Carter, Lisbon, N.D. 5, Hapala.

Modifieds

Heat one: 1, Corky Thomas, Fargo. 2, Bryce Bjerke, Argusville, N.D. 3, John Corell, Jamestown, N.D.

Heat two: 1, Blake Jegtvig, Hawley, Minn. 2, Len Kneip, Gardner, N.D. 3, Jon Bachmeier, Fargo.

Heat three: 1, Jason Blue, Moorhead. 2, Robert Hellebust, West Fargo. 3, John Schulz, Fargo.

Feature: 1, Jegtvig. 2, Hellebust. 3, Matt Aukland, Moorhead. 4, Thomas. 5, Bachmeier.

Late Models

Heat one: 1, Troy Olson, Fargo. 2, Greg Meyer, Wahpeton, N.D. 3, Cody Skytland, Fargo.

Heat two: 1, Myron Tschakert, Kent, Minn. 2, Mitch Johnson, Hickson, N.D. 3, Adam Fischer, Fargo.

Feature: 1, Meyer. 2, Michael Johnson, Fargo. 3, Mitch Johnson. 4, Skytland. 5, Alex Engelstad, Beltrami, Minn.