Three Luverne men won races at three different tracks this weekend.
Although fewer Rock County racers than usual competed over the weekend, those who did race made the most of it.
One driver picked up his first victory in his rookie season and two others were repeat winners.
Cadyn Wessels gained his first-ever feature win at I-90 Speedway Saturday night.
Colton Arends came out on top for the second week in a row at Rapid Speedway Friday, and Eric Gaul won his second consecutive LSR Enduro race Saturday in Slayton.
I-90 Speedway
Cadyn Wessels of Luverne has shown steady improvement during his first season racing in the Hobby Stocks class at dirt tracks in Rock Rapids and Hartford this summer.
Wessels reached his goal of earning his first checkered flag in a feature race Saturday night at I-90 Speedway near Hartford, South Dakota.
“We had to do quite a bit of work on the car Saturday after Friday night’s race in Rock Rapids, so it was especially great to get the win,” Wessels said, “I was happy for my whole crew.”
He remarked on the learning experience of racing.
“I worked hard to drive smart and not make too many mistakes since I’m still a rookie,” said Wessels, who started racing enduro cars three years ago while in high school.
The Hobby Stocks feature was the last race of the night before rain moved in and ended the night’s competition.
“It was a light rain during the race, and right when I won, a downpour started,” Wessels said. “It was fun. There was a lot of adrenaline when I saw the checkered flag.”
Rapid Speedway
Colton Arends won the Stock Cars feature race for the second week in a row and fourth time this season Friday night at Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa.
Arends won his heat race and started the feature in the fourth spot before moving into the top spot be the end of the 14-car feature race.
In the Hobby Stocks class the same night, Luverne’s Eric Gaul finished fourth and Thomas Kracht of Luverne placed sixth in the feature race.
Murray County Speedway
Murray County Speedway in Slayton featured two nights of racing last weekend.
Luverne’s Jeremy Smith competed in the A Modifieds class. Smith finished tenth overall in the feature race.
On Saturday, the fourth enduro race of the 2020 LSR (Luverne, Slayton, Rock Rapids) Series was staged at the Slayton track.
Eric Gaul of Luverne won his second consecutive LSR enduro race and third of the year so far.
Six other Rock County drivers competed in the race. Jasmine Kalass of Luverne placed ninth in the 29-car field.
Below are the results for Rock County drivers at area tracks.
Rapid Speedway – Aug. 14
Sportsman’s A Feature
B. Boeve Beaver Creek 7th
USRA Hobby Stocks A Feature
E. Gaul Luverne 4th
T. Kracht Luverne 6th
C. Kelderman Hills 11th
C. Wessels Luverne 17th
USRA Stock Cars A Feature
C. Arends Luverne 1st
Murray Speedway – Aug 14
IMCA Modifieds A Feature
J. Smith Luverne 10th
LSR Enduro Race – Aug. 15
Eric Gaul Luverne 1st
Jasmine Kalass Luverne 9th
Trevor Van Dyke Luverne 12thGreg Vande Velde Luverne 13th
Trevor Fluit Kenneth 17thSilas Top Hardwick 19th
Eric Pietz Luverne 27th
I-90 Speedway – Aug 15
USRA Hobby Stocks A Feature
C. Wessels Luverne 1st