North Dakota race tracks have officially opened the pit gates and laps were turned this past weekend. Next weekend will hopefully see the official opening races take place along with more opportunities for test n tunes to take place. Yesterday, I was able to take in some of the action at the Dacotah speedway and it was a very welcoming site to see the cars on the track, haulers in the pits, and the fans back in the stands. I was also put to work and watched only a handful of sessions throughout the day but from watching those sessions there are some extremely intriguing storylines that will go into the opening weekend of racing. So let's dive into some storylines and some random thoughts!
Storyline: The INEX legends are going to have a banner year.
Ok, at the car show at the Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck, I was told to expect close to 40 INEX legends on the opening day at Dacotah Speedway. I was hesitant to believe that because well that's an incredibly large car count for one class. Well, after the swarm of legends at yesterdays test n tune, I truly believe it's a feasible number to expect this Friday. I would say that you could expect close 35 legends at the opener and possibly reach that big 4-0.
Storyline: New drivers!
Holy cow, there are a ton of new drivers this year. While helping out at the pit shack for a bit I saw a lot of new faces filling out the paperwork and getting wrist bands. This is a massive win for the racing scene in general as we need new faces coming through the pit shack and competing on our tracks. There had to be at least fifteen new faces coming through the pit shack during the time that I was there so hopefully there will be more!
Random thought: Wow the cars look amazing this year!
I for one appreciate the effort the drivers put into making their cars look good and there were a ton of great looking cars in attendance.
Storyline: Class changes!
There will be some old faces in new classes this year and it's not just for Dacotah Speedway but for the entire state. Chris Michaelsohn is one name that comes to mind as he makes the jump up to an IMCA modified this year. Drew Papke is another name making a class change as he looks to return his dominant class of the INEX legends. Paul Schuh hops from his IMCA sport compact ride to the hobby stock class. Tanner Hofer moves from his sport compact as well but instead has decided to join the now extremely popular INEX legends class. These are just a few that I noticed in my brief time getting to take in the test n tune, there are more that I have failed to mention.
Random Thought: Cars need wraps....
While there were a ton of great looking cars there were also a lot that still needed to be finished. Yes, I know that test n tune was just to get the car shook down but I'm I still enjoy the look of a field of cars that are freshly wrapped or painted.
Random Question: Which is better Hand painted cars or wrapped cars?
Personally, I like both.
Random Though: there were a lot of fans in the stands....
Throughout the day, the grandstands had a good deal of butts in the seats. At one point I believe I counted over 40 people in the stands...nice!
Storyline: There's a new kid in town (state)...
The test n tune at Dacotah Speedway saw a lot of faces from all over pull through the gates. Most I had seen before but one stood out that I wasn't sure of and I had to do some digging to figure this mystery out. The first clue was that he came in from Nevada and was pitting near a very strong front runner. Then watching him, it was clear this young individual would be a challenger to win week in and week out. Clue number two...well, clue number two came from the nice lady running the pit shack and it was his name. So who's the new guy? Kollin Hibdon, this kid is going to be good guys. I'm not exactly sure why he is here but then again I didn't ask him but he is running with some very talented locals... "cough" "cough" the Arneson's. Anyways, he drives extremely smooth and is in some great equipment. Rumor has it he spent last summer down in Iowa with the Gustin's and has already won a race, has eight top 5's, and nine top 10's so far this year. Not to mention, he has a super sharp looking ride. Wherever he races this year keep an eye on this kid.
Final thoughts:
The test and tune was a great day and around the western part of the state there were some excellent car shows going on as well. Devil's Lake Speedway sounds like it held their test n tune and are ready for racing next Saturday. Dacotah Speedway will get first crack at being the first track to open this year but may have to deal with cooler temperatures (I recommend watching Dacotahspeedway.tv if you plan on staying home). I think there will be a strong field of about 24-30 IMCA modifieds, 30-40 INEX Legends, 25 Wissota street stocks, 20-24 hobby stocks, and about 8-12 IMCA sport compacts. The evening air might be cool but the racing action is going to be hot. Overall, after seeing the test n tune, I feel that the 2021 season will kick off on a strong foot. With that being said, I will see you all at the races!
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