BRANDON, S.D. — Tim Kaeding savored victory lane on Saturday evening at Huset’s Speedway, where the California native recorded a feature triumph during the track’s season finale along with Dusty Ballenger.
Kaeding completed approximately a half dozen donuts between turn four and the frontstretch as the crowd roared in appreciation. Kaeding then climbed on top of the rear of his winged sprint car, raising his arms in the air and exhaling a yell. After his race car was pushed into the designated area for the victory lane ceremony, Kaeding performed another wing dance that was followed by congratulatory handshakes and hugs from friends, fans and competitors.
Kaeding was just as intense on the high-banked oval, where he led the distance to capture the Midwest Power Series and Midwest Sprint Touring Series portion of the DeKalb/Asgrow Power Series Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores. He was awarded a check for a whopping $10,000 for his feat.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I felt like the old TK right there. Get up on the fence and run the living piss out of it.”
Kaeding built more than a five-second lead before a caution on lap 15 brought the field back together. He then had to hold off challenges from Midwest Power Series champion Justin Henderson and Friday night’s feature winner Shane Golobic, who charged from 17th to second.
“Obviously we wanted to be one spot better, but I put our team in a hole in qualifying,” Golobic said after his runner-up result. “Seventeenth to second is nothing to hang your head about. Hats off to TK. This was right up his alley.”
Jack Dover, who claimed two of the four Midwest Sprint Touring Series wins at Huset’s Speedway this year, rounded out the podium after starting ninth.
“I’m really happy with a third-place finish,” he said. “Before we started the main we dropped a cylinder so we were on seven cylinders.”
Trey Starks was the Hard Charger Award winner after rallying from 21st to fourth and Clint Garner placed fifth.
Ballenger led the entire 20-lap, $1,000-to-win RaceSaver sprints A Main, beating eighth-starting Tyler Drueke at the finish line by 0.760 of a second. The two drivers were nearly side by side as they exited turn four in traffic with a handful of laps remaining, but Ballenger’s higher groove gave him the momentum needed to maintain the top spot. Drueke stayed within striking distance, but Ballenger made the right moves in traffic to score the win.
“I was just trying to get through lapped traffic the best I could,” he said. “I have a bunch of kids on my crew (and) some old guys. I will tell you we’re going to have a party tonight.”
Stu Snyder rounded out the podium with Shon Pointer finishing fourth and Neil Nickolite fifth.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 3-Tim Kaeding (1); 2. 17W-Shane Golobic (17); 3. 53-Jack Dover (9); 4. 44S-Trey Starks (21); 5. 40-Clint Garner (6); 6. 14T-Brooke Tatnell (4); 7. 83-Lynton Jeffrey (2); 8. 81-Terry McCarl (15); 9. 09-Matt Juhl (7); 10. 22-Kaleb Johnson (24); 11. 88-Kyle Offill (18); 12. 14-Jody Rosenboom (14); 13. 20G-Chris Graf (10); 14. 11M-Brendan Mullen (12); 15. 17-Lee Goos Jr (13); 16. 23W-Sam Henderson (16); 17. (DNF) 83M-Justin Henderson (11); 18. (DNF) 4J-Lee Grosz (5); 19. (DNF) 35-Skylar Prochaska (19); 20. (DNF) ACE-Dusty Zomer (8); 21. (DNF) 56N-Davey Heskin (3); 22. (DNF) 33B-Scott Broty (20); 23. (DNF) 5-Eric Lutz (22); 24. (DNF) 35L-Cody Ledger (23).