BRANDON, S.D. — Justin Zeitner and Ryan Timms produced thrilling victories on Sunday night at Huset’s Speedway during the opening round of a Memorial Day Weekend doubleheader.
Zeitner swept the Tri-State Late Models action, capturing the $5,000-to-win Ben Nothdurft Memorial presented by Bargain Barn Tire Center, while Timms used a last-lap pass to score the triumph during the Buffalo Wild Wings Northern Outlaw Sprint Association and Casey’s 410 Sprint Cars presented by Big Frig feature.
Zeitner was quickest in qualifying and he won a heat race before leading all 40 laps of the A Main to cap a stellar night.
“It’s pretty awesome,” he said. “I didn’t know the Nothdurft’s that well here a couple of years ago. Last year we beat up and down the road with them. They are first-class people to run up and down the road with and just BS with in the pits during the day. They’ve been nothing but kind to me. If Blair (Nothdurft) can’t win this deal I want to win it. I thank them for putting the money up. I thank Huset’s for having this deal. My grandpa used to race here. To come up here to South Dakota and win a race is pretty damn special for me.”
The only thing that slowed Zeitner was a handful of cautions, but the final one came at a good time as Don Shaw and Dave Mass had closed within a few car lengths with seven laps remaining. Zeitner quickly built a lead on the final restart and maintained the advantage to win by 1.065 seconds.
Shaw held off Mass for second place with Lance Schill placing fourth and Nate Beyenhof ending fifth.
Kerry Madsen had the dominant car throughout the Buffalo Wild Wings Northern Outlaw Sprint Association and Casey’s 410 Sprint Cars presented by Big Frig portion of the racing program. He set quick time during qualifying, advanced to a runner-up result in a heat race and led all but the final lap of the main event.
Timms ran second for the first 24 laps before making the race-winning move with a slide job entering turns three and four coming to the checkered flag. The lone caution of the race occurred with nine laps remaining and Timms stayed within striking distance by diamonding the exit of each corner as Madsen entered traffic with five laps remaining.
Madsen mostly ran the cushion around the dirt oval with Timms in tow as the white flag was waved. Timms edged closer in turns one and two before diving to the bottom entering turn three and sliding up in front of Madsen, who turned underneath Timms. The duo drag raced off turn four and to the checkered flag with Timms winning by four hundredths of a second.
“Right before that last caution I started doing it on the lapped cars and I could kind of start seeing him again,” Timms said of diamonding the corners. “When I saw the white (flag) I was getting kind of worried, but I just threw it in as hard as I could and it stuck. I’m really just in shock. I can’t believe that happened. I didn’t know I won until I went across the scales.
“It’s pretty awesome to beat someone like him who has a million laps around this place.”
Timms became the fourth different winner in the division in four races this season.
Madsen’s runner-up result marked his career-best outing at the track.
“I’m disappointed for the team,” he said. “With the traffic, that’s just part of motorsports. I got beat. It’s as simple as that. Everything was good. I just got beat.”
Brooke Tatnell rounded out the podium to garner his best result of the season at Huset’s Speedway.
“It’s always disappointing to not have a good run on your sponsor’s night and that’s what happened last week,” he said. “It’s a credit to Doug that he kept on striving and kept on striving.”
Thomas Kennedy ran fourth and Austin McCarl placed fifth.