BRANDON, S.D. — Lee Goos Jr., Zach Olivier, Dustin Gulbrandson and Levi Vander Weide were triumphant on a busy Sunday night at Huset’s Speedway, which hosted Thunder Road Night.
A total of 115 entries invaded the track during the Heiman Fire Equipment Mayhem Summer Series finale, marking the most entries at a Huset’s Speedway race since Tod Quiring purchased the track in 2020.
In addition to the race winners, Cory Yeigh, Parker Anderson, Vander Weide and Daniel Eckblad earned Heiman Fire Equipment Mayhem Summer Series championships, producing the most points during the five-race series that featured four races at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., prior to Sunday’s event at Huset’s Speedway.
Yeigh topped the Nordstrom’s Automotive Late Model Street Stocks and Anderson the USRA Hobby Stocks while Vander Weide and Eckblad tied for the USRA Stock Cars championship.
Goos Jr. rode the top groove to victory during the Heser Auto & Detailing RaceSaver Sprint Car Series main event, making him the sixth different winner in six division races at the track this season.
“I stayed patient,” he said. “I was counting on lapped traffic. I really didn’t want that yellow though. I didn’t know if I should slide myself or run the top (on the restart).”
Aydin Lloyd paced the field for the first 11 laps before Goos Jr. and John Lambertz both went around Lloyd in turn one on Lap 12. Lambertz inched into the top spot, but the top prevailed for Goos Jr. in turns three and four. The lone caution of the race came out on the final lap, forcing a green-white-checkered restart.
Goos Jr. mastered it to win by 1.063 seconds. Lloyd was the runner up with Cole Vanderheiden placing third, Dominic White fourth and Lambertz fifth.
Olivier held off Gulbrandson by 0.241 seconds to claim the Nordstrom’s Automotive Late Model Street Stocks main event.
“It is a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s only our third time out this year. It is nerve-racking starting on the pole sometimes. Thanks to Dustin for racing me clean.”
Gulbrandson hounded Olivier throughout the race and pulled next to the leader in turn one in the waning laps, but Olivier hit his marks to hold the lead. Matt Steuerwald recorded a third-place result with Garet Deboer finishing fourth and Brett Martin fifth.
Gulbrandson charged from 10th to lead the second half of the caution-plagued, 15-lap USRA Hobby Stocks main event.
“Things just went right there at the beginning and kind of missed some stuff,” he said. “I wanted to really rip the top, but the bottom had a lot of moisture.”
Gulbrandson maneuvered to fourth on Lap 2 and to second place one lap later. He stalked Anderson, who led the first eight laps, for several circuits before making the race-winning move on Lap 9. The final two of the six total cautions occurred after Gulbrandson took over the top spot, including one setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Gulbrandson was smooth out front to win by 0.551 seconds.
Nick Brady finished third with Jeremy Wegner hustling from 12th to fourth and Jason Bradley from 19th to fifth.
Vander Weide led the distance of the USRA Stock Cars feature, which was slowed by a pair of red flags – including one on the final scheduled lap – as well as two additional cautions. It marked his first triumph at the track.
“The draw won me that one, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I hate leading and having red flags and cautions. It was the second win this weekend and my dad never did that so that’s pretty cool.”
Colby Klaassen held off 10th-starting Eckblad for the second-place result, placing 0.523 seconds behind Vander Weide. Jason Fisher drove to fourth and Cadyn Wessels was fifth.
