Racers reach victory lane for the first time
Kerry Collins, The Forum
Published Saturday, July 19, 2008

Friday was a good night to be winless at Red River Valley Speedway.

Five of the night's six feature winners hit victory lane for the first time this season at the West Fargo track.

Bob Sagen, Jeff Hapala, Mitch Johnson, Ryan Restad and Jason Babcock all were first-time winners.

Sagen, who is from Arthur, N.D., won the Modifieds feature despite being the second to the finish line.

Blake Jegtvig had the fastest car, but was black flagged for racing without a receiver – the communication device required for all drivers.“When they told me in my radio ‘Hey, 99. You won. Get up front.' I was pretty surprised,” Sagen said. “I was pretty happy with the way we ran, and we needed something like this.”

Entering Friday, Jegtvig had won every Modifieds feature but one at RRVS. He was third on May 23.

Sagen had technical difficulties of his own, staying ahead of the pack despite breaking a spring on his driver's-side front wheel.

The Arthur, N.D., racer wasn't the only one with car

trouble. Fargo's Ryan Restad survived to win a hectic and contact-filled Midwest Modifieds feature. Seventeen cars started the feature, but only eight finished.

Restad had to hold off a hard-charging Phil Christlieb for the final two laps for the win.

“If it would've gone two more laps, we wouldn't have won because the (transmission) broke,” Restad said. “The track was rougher than heck, and these cars get uncontrollable.

“It's only one race, but it does feel good. It's been awhile.”

Hapala took the checkered flag in the Super Stocks feature, but his race was a little different from Restad's.

There wasn't one yellow flag during the 20-lap Super Stocks feature despite a 26-car field. Hapala took the lead with five laps to go en route to the victory.

Babcock outlasted the field to win the Street Stocks feature. The Horace, N.D., driver's first win of the season will put him into first place in the season's points standings.

Johnson won the Late Models feature, and he will also be the points leader in his class.

Moorhead's Shayne Laske was the only repeat winner, taking the Mod Fours feature. Laske has won every feature in the class at RRVS except for one – when he was second to Josh Abrahamson on May 16.

Street Stocks

First heat: 1, James Tandeski, West Fargo. 2, Royce Jawaski, Horace, N.D. 3, Levi Babcock, Fargo.

Feature: 1, Jason Babcock, Horace, N.D. 2, Tandeski. 3, L. Babcock. 4, Nic Klein, Fargo. 5, Jawaski.

Mod Fours

First heat: 1, Jay Lere, Moorhead. 2, Corry VanMil, Lake Park, Minn. 3, Shayne Laske, Moorhead.

Feature: 1, Laske. 2, Lere. 3, VanMil. 4, Josh Abrahamson, Moorhead. 5, Steve Stanton, Alexandria, Minn.

Midwest Modifieds

First heat: 1, Cale Arneson, Fargo. 2, Phil Christlieb, Fargo. 3, Rich Pavlicek, Casselton, N.D.

Second heat: 1, Brock Gronwold, Fergus Falls, Minn. 2, Jason Strand, Fargo. 3, Derek Bernstien, Enderlin, N.D.

Feature: 1, Ryan Restad, Fargo. 2, Christlieb. 3, Brian Krog, Fergus Falls, Minn. 4, Pavlicek. 5, Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn.

Super Stocks

First heat: 1, Brent Pulskamp, Wahpeton, N.D. 2, Scott Jacobson, Fargo. 3, Todd Carter, Lisbon, N.D.

Second heat: 1, David Shipley, Fargo. 2, Norm Olson, West Fargo. 3, William Wadeson, Alice, N.D.

Third heat: 1, Corky Thomas, Fargo. 2, Jeff Hapala, Fargo. 3, Brian Bernotas, Wahpeton, N.D.

Feature: 1, Hapala. 2, Carter. 3, Jacobson. 4, Thomas. 5, Bernotas.

Modifieds

First heat: 1, Blake Jegtvig, Hawley, Minn. 2, Jason Grimes, Valley City, N.D. 3, Corey Seckerson, Jamestown, N.D.

Second heat: 1, Bryce Bjerke, Argusville, N.D. 2, Corky Thomas, Fargo. 3, Blake Borgen, Perley, Minn.

Third heat: 1, Bob Sagen, Arthur, N.D. 2, Randy Tarno, Jamestown, N.D. 3, Chad Ohnstad, Harwood, N.D.

Feature: 1, Sagen. 2, John Bachmeier, Fargo. 3, Bjerke. 4, Seckerson. 5, Thomas.

Late Models

First heat: 1, Myron Tschakert, Kent, Minn. 2, Troy Olson, Fargo. 3, Greg Meyer, Wahpeton, N.D.

Second heat: 1, Cody Skytland, Edmore, N.D. Mitch Johnson, Hickson, N.D. 3, Dave Tyrchniewicz, St. Andrews, Man.

Feature: 1, Johnson. 2, Skytland. 3, Tschakert. 4, Olson. 5, Meyer.