Nygaard Tops Kennedy in Thriller at Red River Valley Speedway
WEST FARGO, N.D. (July 17, 2017) – The Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA Sprint Cars made their first and only visit of 2017 to Red River Valley Speedway Sunday night. Twenty-five race teams checked to compete in front of an estimated 5,000 race fans.
Wade Nygaard held off perennial frontrunners Thomas Kennedy and Austin Pierce enroute to his first win on Red River Valley Speedway’s three-eighths mile configuration.
Nygaard powered by front row starters Jade Hastings and Jackson Moffett on the opening lap to secure the lead, as Pierce and Kennedy followed in his tracks.
A pair of incidents slowed the field in the first 10 laps, one of which brought out the red flag for Sam Miller, who got upside down.
On the lap eight restart, Kennedy maneuvered around Pierce to secure the runner-up spot. With Nygaard in his crosshairs, Kennedy looked to close in on the nine-time and defending Northern Outlaw Sprint Association (NOSA) champion.
Nygaard kept Kennedy at bay until the closing stages, when Kennedy placed a bid for the lead with four to go. Kennedy got a run on Nygaard down the front straightaway and tried to drive around the outside of him in turns one and two. Nygaard kept his foot pegged to the floor, however, as the two banged wheels exiting the corner.
Nygaard regained the lead down the backstretch as Kennedy regrouped for one last charge.
Nygaard was too fast for Kennedy in final laps and cruised to the win.
“That was a fun race,” said Nygaard in victory lane. “We were beating and banging on each other there a little bit, but he gave me the thumbs up after the race so hopefully he’s ok. I just had to keep the car in the rubber on the track. Kennedy found the rubber first, but once I got in it I was able to hold him off.”
Kennedy came home second, followed by Austin Pierce, Nick Omdahl, and Ryan Bickett, who charged his way from 18th to round out the top five.
The Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA Sprints will be back in action Friday at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks and Saturday at Devils Lake Speedway in Crary. Both events start at 7pm. Saturday’s event will also feature the NLRA Late Models.
RESULTS:
A Feature: 1. 9N-Wade Nygaard, [4]; 2. 21K-Thomas Kennedy, [3]; 3. 2A-Austin Pierce, [5]; 4. 0-Nick Omdahl, [7]; 5. 17B-Ryan Bickett, [18]; 6. 8-Casey Mack, [6]; 7. 8H-Jade Hastings, [1]; 8. 31-Shane Roemeling, [10]; 9. 82-Eric Lutz, [15]; 10. 99-Jordan Graham, [13]; 11. 13-Ty Hanten, [14]; 12. 20A-Jordan Adams, [11]; 13. 6N-Greg Nikitenko, [16]; 14. 4J-Lee Grosz, [9]; 15. 6-Zach Wilde, [19]; 16. 4M-Cale Mack, [23]; 17. 91M-Jackson Moffett, [2]; 18. 3M-Marcus Rothenbacher, [24]; 19. 14N-H.J. Norman, [12]; 20. 6A-Terry Arneson, [25]; 21. (DNF) 27X-Trevor Mell, [21]; 22. (DNF) 47-Sabrina Hockenson, [22]; 23. (DNF) 26-Blake Egeland, [8]; 24. (DNF) 14-Tom Egeland, [20]; 25. (DNF) 55-sam miller, [17]
Heat 1: 1. 21K-Thomas Kennedy, [3]; 2. 0-Nick Omdahl, [1]; 3. 8-Casey Mack, [5]; 4. 4J-Lee Grosz, [6]; 5. 31-Shane Roemeling, [8]; 6. 6N-Greg Nikitenko, [7]; 7. 4M-Cale Mack, [2]; 8. 14-Tom Egeland, [9]; 9. 3M-Marcus Rothenbacher, [4]
Heat 2: 1. 91M-Jackson Moffett, [4]; 2. 8H-Jade Hastings, [7]; 3. 14N-H.J. Norman, [2]; 4. 99-Jordan Graham, [5]; 5. 20A-Jordan Adams, [8]; 6. 55-sam miller, [6]; 7. 27X-Trevor Mell, [3]; 8. 6A-Terry Arneson, [1]
Heat 3: 1. 9N-Wade Nygaard, [3]; 2. 26-Blake Egeland, [1]; 3. 2A-Austin Pierce, [7]; 4. 13-Ty Hanten, [4]; 5. 82-Eric Lutz, [5]; 6. 17B-Ryan Bickett, [2]; 7. 6-Zach Wilde, [6]; 8. 47-Sabrina Hockenson, [8]
