Janice R. Andrews
Grand Forks, July 21 — The moniker “Mark Dobmeier,” which connotes domination in sprint car racing, has once again demonstrated his skill on the track. Dobmeier is back to his best after suffering through a terrifying fire event and four years of injury. He won all three of this weekend’s King of the Wings NOSA-IRA Challenge Series features, which culminated in a dominant triumph in the 35-lap main event on Saturday at River Cities Speedway.
A Victorious Comeback
Dobmeier has made a truly amazing comeback to form. He won the first race of the challenge series on Thursday in Ada, Minnesota, and went on to win the next two nights at his home track. He was crowned the coveted King of the Wings for his performance.
“Honestly, this probably is the most comfortable I’ve been in this car in about four years,” Dobmeier stated. “We have a good balance right now, and I’ve kind of settled down and figured things out.”
Dobmeier had minimal resistance when he began from the pole position. Logan Julien, a driver from Wisconsin, and Brendan Mullen, a frequent competitor at NOSA, put up a fight, but he prevailed. At RCS, Gage Pulkrabek had one of his best performances, finishing in third place. With many racing lanes on the circuit and skillfully navigating through lapped traffic, Dobmeier won by an amazing 2.204 seconds.
Vigorous Action
There were some exciting moments during the race. Two times it was red-flagged: once for Julien’s serious collision off Turn 3, and once more for Jake Neuman’s car catching fire. Turn 2’s fire was promptly put out by the RCS fire crew, protecting all motorists.
For Julien, who was riding RCS for the first time, the track was both difficult and thrilling. “It’s a fast track and I like it,” he stated. “But, man, it’s grueling.”
Mullen took over second place following Julien’s collision and tried a slide maneuver in Turn 2 to pass Dobmeier. But Dobmeier had too much momentum to be overcome. Mullen said, “I knew I couldn’t make that stick.” “Mark had too much momentum.”
Monitor Accolades and Highlights of Performance
The RCS crew received high marks from drivers for their superb track preparation. “There was a top groove and a bottom groove, and it literally was wide open around the track,” Dobmeier stated. “I don’t know what kind of lap times we were running, but it was a blistering pace.”
On lap 15, Dobmeier recorded the quickest lap time of 10.377 seconds, an amazing accomplishment given that the greatest lap times usually occur early in the feature. As the race went on, Pulkrabek also gained momentum. On Lap 26, he finished third after starting from ninth place with a time of 10.651 seconds.
Pulkrabek remarked, “I was able to locate the moisture and run it.” “Every person I passed tried to go a little bit higher in Turns 3 and 4, but I was able to go straight through the middle and catch them in the exit.”
Andy Pake, who started 18th and finished third on Friday night, was awarded the hard charger award for finishing fifth.
Accompanying Events and Outcomes
Two extra classes were offered at the event in addition to the NOSA-IRA sprints: flash sprints and 305 sprints. Taking the lead with 17 circuits to go, Dexter Dvergsten sealed another 20-lap lightning sprint feature triumph. In second place were Matthew Taves, Chris Crowder, Emmitt Isane, and Loki Bjerke.
With three laps remaining, Marcus Rothenbacher passed Brady Donnohue to win the 20-lap 305 sprint feature by 0.933 seconds. In third position were Tye Wilke, Owen Carlson, and Brandon Rekow.
Full Results of NOSA-IRA Sprints
Laela Eisenschenk, Travis Arenz, and Tim Estenson are the winners of the First Heat. Mark Dobmeier, Nick Omdahl, and Amelia Eisenschenk are the winners of the Second Heat.
Fourth Heat: 1. Logan Julien, 2. Blake Egeland, 3. Brendan Mullen, 2. Jade Hastings, 3. John Croaker
- Dash 1: Dobmeier, Julien, and Omdahl –
- Dash 2: Laela Eisenschenk, Mullen, and Dominic Dobesh respectively
- B Main: Austin Hartmann, 2. Scott Broty, and 1. Jake Neuman
- Feature: 1. Dobmeier, 2. Mullen, 3. Pulkrabek, 4. Nick Omdahl, 5. Andy Pake; 5. Tyler Rankin
The exciting races at River Cities Speedway and Dobmeier’s victorious comeback solidify his title as the King of the Wings, leaving fans excitedly awaiting his next move on the track.
