2024 Elko Speedway Interviews

Here are the interviews done at Elko Speedway MN during the 2024 Race Season by Track Announcer Jason Searcy.

Ryan Varner Late Model winner

https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/ryan-varner31-m4a

Tristan Swanson Legends division winner interview 

https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/tristan-swanson66-m4a

Taylor Goldman (rollergirl) with her first win of 2024 in the Thunder Car division

Link to Taylor Goldman interview https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/rollergirl-m4a

14 year old Legends division winner at Elko Speedway and Young Lions INEX National Champion Ayrton Brockhouse https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/ayrtonbrockhouse

Thunder Car first time winner Ben Gannon #41 interview https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/ben-gannon-m4a-1

Jimmie Jorgenson #3 Power Stock winner on 6/29/2024  https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/jimmiejorgenson-m4a-1

#99 Thunder Car driver Brent Kane on 6/29/2024  https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/brentkanesweep-m4a

For Race Recaps and Results go to https://www.elkospeedway.com/race-results/

Interview with 15 year old Clayton Dorner after his first career win https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/clayton-m4a-1

For the Speed Talk show with Jason and Dean on YouTube  Go here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5wZRIzLamU

Elko Power Stock/Thunder Car Championship

 September 22, 2016 - Elko, MN

 

By Jason D Searcy

The Thunderstruck93 is Saturday September 24th at Elko Speedway.  The Finale of the long day of racing is the 125 Lap ARCA Midwest tour race and the exciting 58 lap Big 8 Late Model series race.

Elko race fans are also eagerly awaiting two other races being held on that same night.  It's Championship night in the Genz-Ryan Thunder Cars and the Pepsi Power Stocks.

The Genz-Ryan Thunder Car title is up between two heated rivals.  Jeremy Wolff #32 from Chaska (MN) and Brent Kane #99 from Lonsdale (MN). 

 

Jeremy Wolff has been racing since 1989, he started out on dirt racing a Hobby Stock at Arlington Raceway (MN) for four years.  Wolff then moved to the asphalt when the Hobby Stock division began at Raceway Park in 1993.  Wolff drove a Late Model for a few years from 1997-2001 and did quite well, winning races and finishing in the TOP 5 in points.  He then moved back into his familiar Hobby Stock class winning the Championship at Raceway Park in 2008.

This is the third year of racing full-time at Elko Speedway, Wolff has been close to a Championship at Elko, he has finished second the previous two years.  He has had an incredible season, winning five features and leading by 31 points coming into Championship night during Thunderstruck93.

 

The main contender for Wolff is Brent Kane, he is known as the "King of the Thunder Cars" winning Championships at Elko Speedway in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015.  They have similar stories, Kane also raced Late Models for a short time and then moved back to the Hobby Stock/Thunder Car division.  Kane started racing full time in 1999 and won the Hobby Stock Championship at Raceway Park 3 times.  He has an amazing total of 95 career feature wins.

The Thunder Cars are scheduled to race both a heat and a feature event during Thunderstruck93.  So the heat race is very important for points, a driver can earn 21pts for a heat race win, 18 for second, 16 for third, 14 for fourth, 12 for fifth, 10 for sixth, 8 for seventh, 7pts for eighth, 6pts for 9th, 5pts for tenth and 4pts for eleventh and 3pts for all other drivers.

So, with a 31 point lead, Jeremy Wolff can wrap up the point title if he can stay within 4 points of Kane during the heat races.  The last place finisher in the feature earns 24pts and the winner earns 51pts so as long as Wolff can stay 27 points ahead of Kane coming into the feature event he should win the Championship.  Wolff currently has the tie-breaker which is number of wins (5 to 1).

If he were to win, it would be the first career Championship for Jeremy Wolff at Elko Speedway.  Both of these drivers have and large and vocal fan base and they are sure to be loud on Saturday night no matter who comes out on top.

The Pepsi Power Stock Championship is sure to come down to the final race.  The point leader is #62 Tom Doten a veteran driver from St Paul (MN) and second place is a rookie from Lakeville (MN) #37 Bryce Blohm.  They are separated by only 6 points coming into their Championship night at Thunderstruck93.

The Power Stock division has had 11 different winners this year and Bryce Blohm has garnered the most wins at 5.  Tom Doten only has 1 win but has scored the most TOP 5 finishes in the division.

Bryce Blohm is a rookie but he has watched his father score two Thunder Car titles at Elko Speedway (2000, 2009) and he has spent years planning for a night such as this to claim a title of his own.

 

Tom Doten is on the other end of the spectrum, he has raced since about 1990 and off and on at Elko Speedway since 1995.  He was very close to winning the Power Stock Championship in 2013, Jon Lebens was ahead by 2 points coming into the final night of racing and then the season ended with a rain-out.

Thunderstruck93 is sure to be an eventful night of racing.  It all begins at 3pm with a unique on-track autograph session where you can walk the track, talk to the drivers, get autographs and photos before the action begins at 4pm.  The Hornets and Great North Legends will also be racing during Thunderstruck93 and event in honor of Dan Ryan and to support families who are fighting A.L.S.

Get full details by going to ElkoSpeedway.com follow Elko Speedway on Social media or by downloading the free ELKO Racing app.

Elko Speedway is a NASCAR sanctioned 3/8th mile progressive banked asphlat oval racetrack in Elko (MN) located 30 minutes South of Downtown Minneapolis just off of I-35 and County road 2.

Majeski wins #Thunderstruck93

By Jason D Searcy

September  26, 2015 - Elko, MN

With one of the most improbable moves ever seen at Elko Speedway Ty Majeski from Seymore (WI) passed both Dan Fredrickson and Jacob Goede in the last three laps to win the 7th annual Thunderstruck93 ARCA Midwest tour race presented by NAPA Auto Parts.

Dan Fredrickson won fast time in qualifying with a lap of 13.595 seconds, Fredrickson is a four time winner of this event, and a two time Midwest tour Champion.  Jacob Goede is the 2009 winner of this event and he dominated racing at Elko Speedway this summer, scoring 10 wins in route to his second MN Corn Growers Super Late Model title. 

Front row starters Steve Apel and Matt Goede battled for the top spot early, but then a spin by Paul Paine brought out the caution at lap 20 of this 125 lap race.  Majeski was involved in the accident and put to the back of the 26 car field.  "I dug myself in a hole early, I had some contact with the 27 car (Paine), just one of those racing deals," said Majeski "I tried to methodically make my way up through the field and I tried not to use too much tire, I knew the two guys I had to beat were up front already."

Dan Fredrickson and Jacob Goede were in the familiar position of racing each other for Thunderstruck glory.  In the 2012 race these same two guys battled throughout and then had contact on the last lap with Fredrickson pulling out the victory. 

Fredrickson took the lead from his 10th starting spot just after the restart on lap 20, he and Goede then swapped the top spot numerous times with frequent side by side and close racing for the lead.

The traditional 10 minute break in the race is at lap 93, the number used by Dan Ryan, an Elko Speedway Hall of Fame member who died from A.L.S (Lou Gehrig's disease) in 2009 and who this race is a memorial for.

At the break and with 32 laps to go Dan Fredrickson was the leader with Jacob Goede second, Ty Majeski had made his way back up to fifth on the board.  On the restart Goede shot to the lead and the battle with Fredrickson continued.

Meanwhile Majeski was ready to pounce "When I got into third they were at least a straightaway in front, I didn't know if I would have enough time to get them but they started battling, they got into lapped traffic and I was able to make some ground up and make the move for the win" said Majeski.

Fredrickson and Goede raced so hard for the lead that they both wore out their tires and that opened up the door for Majeski to make one of the most epic runs to the front ever seen at Elko Speedway.  "I saw the top two were sliding each other up in the 3rd and 4th groove and I got underneath Fredrickson and cleared him and then got a good run on Goede, I got to the inside of him, trying to get at least even with him, I used him up a little bit in 3 and 4 and it was enough at the line" said Majeski.

It was the closest finish in Thunderstruck93 history, Majeski beat Jacob Goede by only .054 seconds with Fredrickson a car length behind rounding out the podium trio.

"I've wanted this guitar (trophy) for a while, I almost had it last year and really wanted it this year," said Majeski "I'm really thankful for the Ryan family, its really special to win on this night, it means a lot to me for sure."

Here is a YouTube video of the wild final few laps of #Thunderstruck93 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLCe-bxDGSI

Here is the audio interview with Ty Majeski after the races https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/ty-majeski-wins

Chris Weinkauf had a consistent run finishing 4th with veteran racer Tim Sauter in 5th and Jonathan Eilen finished 6th even though he had a tire slowly going down.

Full results can be found at www.arcamidwesttour.com

Austin Nason from Roscoe (IL) won the 68 lap BIG 8 Late Model series race at Thunderstruck93 he took the lead on lap 26 and held off numerous charges from Elko Speedway Hiway Federal Credit Union 12 time winner and BIG 8 Champion Chris Marek for the win.  Michael Beamish finished third in this impressive 23 car field.

Full results can be found at www.Big8series.com

#99 Brent Kane from Lonsdale (MN) held off a great challenge by Jeremy Wolff to win his fourth Genz-Ryan Thunder Car title at Elko Speedway.

Both drivers won their heat races, Wolff won his heat in spectacular fashion, going three wide in the closing laps not once but twice bringing the large Thuunderstruck93 crowd to its feet.

The two drivers started the feature side by side in the fifth row.  Kane had a 9 point cushion so Wolff had to get to the front and hope that Kane had problems.  Wolff did his part, weaving through traffic and passing cars left and right, but Devin Schmidt from Belle Plane (MN) ran away from the field, took a big lead, and won his second feature of the year by 1.978 seconds.

Wolff finished second and Kane did the smart thing, held his position, finished 6th and won the Championship by 5 points.  Kane was emotional in victory lane thanking his crew, sponsors and all the people who had helped him win 9 races in 2015. 

Eric Campbell finished third, Tina Davis fourth and Dillon Sellner fifth in points.

15 year old Grant Brown from Prior Lake (MN) won his first ever Pepsi Power Stock Championship at Elko Speedway.  Brown finished the feature in second place and won the title by 56 points over Tom Doten with Taylor Goldman third, Brandon Peterson finishing fourth and Paul Hamilton fifth.

The 20 lap and 22 car feature had a wild ending.  Joey Prusak from Hopkins (MN) was declared the winner.  Paul Hamilton led most of the race, he was caught by Brandon Peterson on the last lap and the two had contact through turns 3 and 4.  Hamilton ended up with heavy damage and into the wall and Peterson was disqualified giving Prusak his first ever win at Elko Speedway.

It has been a challenging season for Prusak who has struggled with mechanical problems and bad luck all year long, but his luck changed at the right time.  "I told my dad that I didn't care if I won a race all year long just as long as I win Thunderstruck93!" said Prusak.

It was a big week for #14 Grant Brown who got a phone call from NASCAR telling him he was declared the National Champion in Division 4.  "I didn't know until Friday, during my fourth hour biology I got the call from NASCAR that I had won."  Grant and his crew will be honored by NASCAR as National Champions at the awards banquet in Charlotte (NC) this winter.

Derek Lemke from Shakopee (MN) won his 4th Great North Legends feature of the year, he beat 16 year old Wil McCully by 2.044 seconds at the line, it was a career best finish for McCully.  Shon Jacobsen finished third, Brady Fox-Rhode fourth and Jaycen Brockhouse fifth.

With the win Lemke extended his lead to 25 points over Brockhouse in the race for the Championship.  The Great North Legends will crown their Champion next Saturday night October 3rd at Elko Speedway.

Matt Suhl from Richfield (MN) won his second Hornets feature of 2015.  Suhl started up front and stayed there the entire 15 lap race.  Alex Vincent gave Suhl a good run but Suhl ended up winning by .226 seconds with Craig Allers finishing third and Ashley Bell fourth.

Justin Schelitzche finished the race in 7th but still has a sizeable lead in the race for the Hornets Championship.  Schelitzche leads Ashley Bell by 49 points going into the final night of racing next Saturday October 3rd.

For full results and point standings go to www.ElkoSpeedway.com/results

The #Thunderstruck93 event saw a great turnout for the on-track autograph session, over 100 cars participated before the racing began at 4pm.  Thunderstruck93 is in memory of Elko Speedway Hall of Fame racer Dan Ryan who passed away in 2009, it has raised thousands of dollars to help fight ALS, to donate go to www.araceworthwinning.org

Up next at Elko Speedway is the final race of the 2015 season and Eve of Destruction presented by Leo's South on Saturday October 3rd.  Champions will be crowned in the Hornets, Great North Legends and Bandoleros divisions plus entertainment by the Green Mamba Jet car, Burn out contest, the world famous Figure 8 trailer race and much more.  The evening will conclude with a huge Rock n Roll Fireworks show.  Gates open at 5pm, action begins at 6pm.

Elko Speedway is located 20 minutes South of the Twin Cities just off of I-35 and County Road 2, get more information by calling (952) 461-7223, go to www.elkospeedway.com or follow Elko Speedway on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Goede repeats as Champion at Elko Speedway

By Jason D Searcy

September 19, 2015 - Elko, MN

Jacob Goede from Carver (MN) capped off an incredible NASCAR Whelen All American season with his 10th feature win and second consecutive Championship in the MN Corn Growers Super Late Models at Elko Speedway.

2003 Champion Danny Fredrickson led most of the 40 lap main event until getting challenged for the top spot by Matt Goede with 15 laps remaining, after hard racing for ten laps Matt Goede finally took the lead from Fredrickson but contact in corner two sent Goede spinning and then both cars exited the track for the pits.  That put 3rd place runner Jacob Goede to the lead and eventually the win by .725 seconds over Billy Mohn.

Here is the link to the YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzcz7UXHP2o

Jacob Goede won his second Elko Speedway point title by 108 points over his brother Matt Goede.  "It's been a great year, an awesome year" said Jacob "it feels as good as last year, actually better, because the first one was like taking a big weight off my shoulders."

Goede said the key to his championship was having a fast car, he was the fastest of the 19 cars in qualifying with a time of 13.751, "what I'm most proud of is that we set fast-time in qualifying every night, all year, I don't think that has ever been done before," said Goede.

Dylan Moore from Northfield was just one lap short of being the 10th different winner in the Hiway Federal Credit Union BIG 8 Division at Elko Speedway.  A last lap incident between Moore and Chris Marek resulted in Moore finishing in the pits and Marek scoring his worst finish of the year in 16th position.

Michael Ostdiek from Lakeville (MN) took advantage of the top two dropping back to score his third win of 2015, he won by .250 seconds over Michael Beamish in the very competitive 18 car field.

Even with the poor finish, Chris Marek won his third consecutive BIG 8 season Championship, he finished 71 points ahead of Ryan Kamish in the final standings and had a very impressive total of 12 feature wins in 2015.  

Conrad Jorgenson from Lakeville (MN) won his sixth Genz-Ryan Thunder Car main event this year at Elko Speedway.  Jorgenson started up front and had a huge lead until Adam Wiebusch spun just before the white flag lap, after the restart Jorgenson slipped in some oil on the final corner but held off a hard charging Jeremy Wolff by a mere .027 seconds to score the win.  It was the 107th career win for Conrad Jorgenson.

Brent Kane started the 25 lap race in seventh in the nineteen car field, he moved up to third at the finish, right behind Jeremy Wolff, his closest competitor in the race for the title.  Kane now leads Wolff by only 9 points going into the final points race in the Thunder Car division at #Thunderstruck93 next Saturday night.

Dusty Mann from Farmington (MN) won his third Pepsi Power Stock feature of the year, he led this impressive 22 car field from start to finish.  The twenty lap race went quickly with no cautions to slow the action.  Tom Doten gave it all he had to finish second, he was .285 seconds behind Mann at the finish.

Point leader and six time winner Grant Brown started tenth and could only work his way up to 6th at the finish, just ahead of four time winner Taylor Goldman.  Brown won his heat race earlier in the night though and they helped him to increase his lead to 30 points over Tom Doten in the race for the 2015 Championship.  The final point race for the Power Stocks will be Saturday night during #Thunderstruck93 at Elko Speedway.

Jaycen Brockhouse was cruising to victory with a big lead in the Great North Legends main event until a caution with five laps remaining closed the gap and opened the door for Brady Fox Rhode to sneak past him and claim his 6th win of the season at Elko Speedway, doubling the win total of any of his rivals.

Rhode won by a whisker, only .069 over Brockhouse at the finish line with Derek Lemke following close behind in third.

Lemke now has a 25 point lead over Brockhouse in the race for the Championship, Fox-Rhode is a distant third after missing a race night earlier in the season to attend his grandparents 60th wedding anniversary.  When asked if he regretted missing a race night and his chance for the point title Fox-Rhode said "family is the most important and it was a fun day" but he added that he might be a little bitter at the awards banquet.

Defending Hornets Champion Brian Adams from Shakopee (MN) has had a season full of mechanical failures and bad luck driving three different cars, but that all changed on Saturday night with his first win of the year.  "This was my Championship car from last year," said Adams "I got an offer last week to buy it back, I got it and I couldn't be any happier to have it back." 

Adams was a part of some great three wide action on his way to the front and then he battled with TJ Christensen for the lead at the end. 

Here is the link to the YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP6seHfKCeo

"It's awesome, its been a really tough year, I've struggled all season long, its been an uphill battle and it just feels good to finally redeem myself with a win" said Adams.  Nine different drivers have now gone to victory lane this season in the Hornets division at Elko Speedway.

Here is my audio interview with Brian Adams after the race https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/brian-adams-hornets-winner-at

Justin Schelitzche started 11th and moved up to finish fourth, he now has a 52 point lead over Ashley Bell in the race for the Championship.  

Luke Allen from Chanhassen (MN) won the Bandoleros main event, he and Owin Giles now both have six feature wins on the season.  Giles has a 21 point lead over Allen in the point standings.

For Full Results go to www.ElkoSpeedway.com/results

The Great North Legends, Bandoleros and Hornets will all decide their Champions during Eve of Destruction October 3rd at Elko Speedway.

Up next a Elko Speedway is the 7th annual #Thunderstruck93 event presented by NAPA auto parts on Saturday September 26th, a race in memory of Dan Ryan and to benefit the fight against A.L.S. better known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  Get more information atwww.araceworthwinning.org 

Thunderstruck93 on Saturday September 26th will feature racing in the ARCA Midwest tour Super Late Model series, the BIG 8 series, the Thunder Cars and Power Stocks will both crown their Champions and also racing in the Great North Legends and Hornets divisions.  Gates will open at 3pm with an immediate on-track autograph session, followed by qualifying beginning at 4pm with feature races in all divisions to follow.  The famous Pink Flamingo party will take place immediately following the races in Champions event center.

Elko Speedway is located 20 minutes South of the Twin Cities just off of I-35 and County Road 2 in Elko (MN).  Get more information by following Elko Speedway on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube or go to www.ElkoSpeedway.com or phone (952) 461-7223.

Fourth of July EVE at Elko Speedway

July 4th, 2015 - Elko, MN

 #72 Jacob Goede from Carver (MN) continued his drive for another MN Corn Growers Super Late Model Championship at Elko Speedway during the Independence Day Eve of Destruction Double feature night.

 Goede won his 6th feature in 9 races in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series racing at Elko Speedway.  Derek Lemke lead most of the 30 lap main event but Goede made his move and passed for the lead with 2 laps remaining, Goede eventually won by .719 seconds over Mark Lamoreaux who got past Lemke on the final lap.

 #27 Paul Paine from Mound (MN) won the other 30 lap Super Late Model race.  Paine started up front in the 18 car field but raced Steve Anderson side by side for 7 laps before taking control of the race.  Paine held off Anderson by .752 seconds at the finish line for his first win of the season "I figured this would be my last year racing," said 49 yr old Paine "but maybe I won't quit yet!"



Here is an audio interview with Paul Paine https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/paul-paine-winner-at-elko

 Jacob Goede started 13th and made his way up to 5th at the finish.  Goede now has a 58 point lead over Nick Panitzke in the race for the Championship.

 Two travelers joined the strong field of Super Late Models, TUNDRA Rookie of the Year Reagan May from DePere (WI) finished 13th and 16th and TUNDRA Champion Dalton Zehr from Boise (ID) finished 9th and 8th in the two feature events.

 Brent Kane from Lonsdale (MN) had a roller coaster week, he crashed out of the feature last Saturday night in the Genz-Ryan Thunder Car divsion.  He ended up in the hospital and spent much of the week nursing a concussion.  With Kanes' car beyond repair the Scott King team loaned their car to him before the races, the three time Elko Speedway Champion then took that unfamiliar car with a new Duct Taped Number 99 to victory lane.  Kane beat Eric Campbell to the finish line by 1.003 seconds to claim the win with point leader Jeremy Wolff taking third.  It was the fourth win of the season for Brent Kane.

 Conrad Jorgenson won for the 2nd week in a row in the other 20 lap Thunder Car feature.  Tina Davis lead until lap 3, then Jorgenson took off and won by an impressive 3.954 seconds.  Dillion Sellner finished 2nd with Davis in 3rd in the 16 car field.

Jeremy Wolff still leads in the Point Standings, but by only 9 points over Brent Kane.

 Dusty Mann from Farmington (MN) won for the 2nd time in the Pepsi Power Stock division, he had a great side by side battle with Tim Hollen for much of the race, Mann eventually bested the 20 car field by 1.219 seconds at the finish line in Feature number 1.

 The Second Feature was won by Taylor Goldman from Minnetonka (MN), she raced defending Champion Nick Oxborough early in the race but then extended her lead to 1.399 seconds at the finish line.  "I'm thankful that I got a win early this year, and I hope I can get some more," said Goldman "I really have to give this one to my Dad, our starter went out in the first feature, we didn't know if we could fix it, luckily my Dad had a spare one, if he wouldn't have put that starter back in we wouldn't have raced the second feature."


Here is an audio interview with Taylor Goldman https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/taylor-goldman-winner-at-elko

 Tom Doten had some bad luck and lost some of his cushion in the Point Standings, Taylor Goldman is now only 9 points back and 15 yr old Grant Brown is 11 points behind Doten.

 16 year old Matt Allen from Chanhassen (MN) won his second Great North Legends feature event.  Allen lead flag to flag and won by .459 seconds in this 20 lap and 20 car main event.  Derek Lemke finished second and moved into the point lead, he is 10 points ahead of Allen in the Standings.  Previous leader Brady Fox-Rhode did not race and moved back to 7th in the Standings.

 Matt Allen is a Type 1 Diabetic but that has not slowed his racing career one bit, he scored his first career win 3 weeks ago at Elko Speedway and was promptly congratulated by his racing idol NASCAR Xfinity driver Ryan Reed on Twitter.  Reed is also a Diabetic, the two met last year at Iowa Speedway.

 Blake Dorweiler from Montgomery (MN) won the Hornets feature event.  Dorweiler and Ashley Bell raced door to door for much of the 15 lap event, Dorweiler eventually won by .69 seconds over Bell.

 Justin Schlitzche finished 5th in the 18 car field and still holds onto the points lead, he is 20 points ahead of Bell in the race for the Championship.

 Troy Tuma won his third Hornet Figure 8 feature event, he shot low on the last lap and just got past Brian Adams for the win. 

For Full Results go to www.ElkoSpeedway.com and click RESULTS

Mark Goddard in a 2006 Dodge Charger and Brian McMenomy in a 1979 Cadillac won the Spectator Drags.

 Larry and Shannon Quick from Aledo (IL) had a great competition that thrilled the capacity crowd in their two Monster Trucks.  Ghost Ryder driven by Larry won the Free Style Competition over Shannon in her truck named La Chica Loca.

The J.J. Romans Motocross stunt team took big air doing tricks 30 feet over the crowd.

 The RentMyPartyBus.com Figure 8 School Bus races were crazy as usual and were a great lead-in to the awesome Fireworks show to end the Eve of Destruction night at Elko Speedway.

 Next up at Elko Speedway located just 20 minutes South of the Twin Cities will be NASCAR racing in the Whelen All American Series on Saturday night July 11th, gates open at 5pm and action begins at 6pm.  A movie will follow the races at Elko Drive in Theater.  Get more information by going to ElkoSpeedway.com or call (952) 461-7223.

For interviews with Elko Speedway drivers each week, listen to Speed Talk on 1360 Saturdays 10-11am on www.KRWC1360.com

2010 MN Asphalt driver of the year

Kane named MN Asphalt driver of the year



by Jason D Searcy (www.speedtalkon1360.com)



The 2010 Speedtalk Minnesota Asphalt Driver of the Year is Brent Kane from Lonsdale (MN).



Brent had a truly remarkable season in 2010 driving a V-8 Sportsman stock car. He had 19 feature wins along with earning the point title at both Raceway Park in Shakopee (MN) and Elko (MN) Speedway and an ASA Midwest Sportsman series race at Elko (photo below).

Brent credits his brother Nate (in photo below) for preparing a winning car. "Over the years I've been so hard on him," said Brent "we've had arguments at the shop trying to make sure everything is perfect, now its all worth it." Nate Kane was recently recognized in Charlotte (NC) as a finalist for the NASCAR mechanic of the year award.

Its not hard to find the Brent "freight train" Kane fans in the crowd (called the Kane-iacs), they are the LOUDEST group in the stands, in both sight and sound. (photo below) "Every time I roll out of turn four, all I see is orange," says Kane "that must screw with the other drivers a little bit."

Kane originally raced with the number 84, but when that number was not available at Elko Speedway he changed to the number 99 because of his admiration for Dick Trickle. "He is the greatest stock car driver ever," said Kane.

Kane has been racing in the Thunder car/Hobby stock division since 1999, but it took until 2010 for him to win his first title. They spent many hard years learning how to win races and eventually a championship. "It takes patience on the track, a lifetime of racing and focusing on the championship every week," said Kane "Its worth all the long nights, we've got it in our blood."



In local racing its common for a driver to win a championship and immediately move up to the next division, but even after 11 years in the Thundercar/Hobby Stock division Brent is still not anxious to jump into a Super Late Model. "Some guys who race Late Model don't seem to have any fun, all they do is spend money," says Kane "the class we are in is a great class, I don't see any reason to move up."



Kane again has high expectations for the upcoming season. "We plan on doing the same exact thing in 2011," said Kane " this is too much fun!"



"Speedtalk on 1360" is a racing news website (www.speedtalkon1360.com) and weekly Minnesota Motorsports radio show on KRWC 1360am in Buffalo (MN).



*Past winners of this award are Adam Royle in 2009 and Dan Fredrickson in 2004.

ASA Midwest Sportsman crowned at Elko

Oct 2 2010

Chris "cruiser" Marek won the first ASA Midwest Sportsman tour championship after finishing third at Elko Speedway on Saturday (Oct  2nd).

Marek was leading the point standings over Jay Kalbus by only 26pts going into the final race of the season.  Kalbus did not enter the race at Elko, "I was let down that Kalbus wasn't here, I wanted to try and beat him the right way" said Marek.

Chris Marek had a fantastic season with 4 wins and 9 "top10" finishes during the ten race schedule even though he had never raced at any of the tracks except Raceway Park and Elko Speedway.  "I was really surprised to do so well, to go in blind and come through that successful was a huge surprise to me" said Marek.

The Thunder car nationals ASA Midwest Sportsman event was won by Brent "freight train" Kane who won the 40 lap race by four car lengths after taking the lead on lap 14.  It was his 19th feature win this season.  "The car was awesome, I know everyone says that in victory lane, but it really was awesome" said Kane.

The entire race evening was a memorial to Elko "hall of fame" member Dan Ryan who recently died of A.L.S.  "It was emotional because of Dan Ryan," said Kane "I had a tear in my eye, and saluted him in corner number two."  Kane won the race, Steve Anderson drove the #15 car to a second place finish, Marek got third and Ted Reuvers finished fourth.

Danny Fredrickson won the post-poned Thunderstruck 93 lap Super Late Model event dedicated to Dan Ryan.  Fredrickson started seventh of the seventeen cars that took the green flag, it only took him twelve laps to move into the lead.  Fredrickson held off Nick Murgic and defending Thunderstruck 93 winner Jacob Goede to win by six car lengths.  Fredrickson told of how much he admired Dan Ryan in an emotional victory lane interview and celebration.   

get more informaton at http://www.asamidwesttour.com/    

Season Championship at Raceway

"Speedtalk on 1360" covered the 2010 season championship night at Raceway Park in Shakopee (MN) on Sunday September 19th.

Jason interviewed the Hobby Stock champion Brent Kane (his fans pictured above). Kane won 9 features at Raceway Park in 2010. We also talked to Hobby Stock winner Jeremy Wolff.

Dean caught up with Chad Walen who the final feature event of 2010 in the Super Late Model division on Sunday night, he finished second in the standings behind point champ Adam Royle.

Rockford (MN) driver Mark Bronstad loaned his car to Ricky Martin so he could continue his chase for a National point championship, unfortunately he got caught up in an accident in "the x" and the car was totalled.

You can hear all three of those interviews on Saturday morning 10-11am on "Speedtalk on 1360" with Jason and Dean on KRWC radio and http://www.krwc1360.com/

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