GRAND FORKS, N.D. – It’s been just more than a year since Mark Dobmeier suffered a back injury at the World of Outlaws event at Cedar Lake Speedway, which has kept him out of the car since.
That all changes Thursday (tonight) as Dobmeier will get back behind the wheel of his Buffalo Wild Wings No. 13 at River Cities Speedway with the Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA Sprints.
“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow night,” said Dobmeier. “It’s been a year in the making to get to this point. I feel completely ready to go – mentally, physically, the whole nine yards. We’ve done our homework over the winter. The crew and everybody on the team never quit working even though we were sidelined. We’ve gotten cars built and everything is in tip top shape.”
Dobmeier will be competing Thursday and Friday at River Cities, as a part of the inaugural Wayne Anderson Cup, as well as Sunday at Huset’s Speedway with the NOSA Sprints.
Dobmeier tested at River Cities Speedway’s practice night at the end of April and was ready for the season opener on May 7, but he was not cleared by doctors to return to racing. Dobmeier said his recovery has progressed to the point where he can now safely return.
“Time was the biggest thing,” he said. “Several doctors looked at it. All of them were in agreement that it had to be at least one year to give the bone the proper healing time for it to be robust enough. I’ve had as good of a recovery as possible according to the doctors. Things are looking good. Things are looking very stable. It’s time to hop back in the seat and let it rip.”
Dobmeier’s schedule will look similar to those of recent past seasons, consisting of regular visits to River Cities Speedway on Friday nights, Sunday nights at Huset’s Speedway and regional NOSA shows. Dobmeier will also be attending any World of Outlaws show in the tri-state area with an occasional trip to Knoxville Raceway.
Through it all, Dobmeier has continued to have the support of his great friends, family and sponsors.
“That’s been the most humbling thing over the last year,” he said. “Everybody stood by my side, helped me get where I needed to be, and supported me the entire way. Everything from fans, to sponsors, to family, it’s been one of the most humbling things of my life.”