BRANDON, S.D. – Justin Henderson, Taylor Ryan and Matt Steuerwald topped the action at Huset’s Speedway on Sunday evening during Big Frig Night.
Henderson led all but one lap to capture the Buffalo Wild Wings Northern Outlaw Sprint Ass’n and Casey’s 410 Sprint Cars presented by Big Frig feature triumph. It marked his third trip to victory lane at the track this year and his second with the NOSA Series. The result also placed him back into the lead in the track’s championship standings.
Henderson rocketed to the lead thanks to a strong run on the top lane of the track to start the 25-lap A Main. However, disaster nearly struck on lap 10 as Henderson got into the wall in turns one and two trying to avoid a car that was sideways. The contact bent a tie rod on Henderson’s sprint car.
“It makes the car a lot different after that,” he said. “I had to work for it tonight.”
While Henderson continued to lead, traffic made a difference just after the midpoint of the race. Riley Goodno powered into the lead on Lap 16 by using the bottom of turn four to his advantage, but Henderson pounded the outside lane and regained the top spot on the ensuing lap.
Jody Rosenboom worked the bottom lane to maneuver his way from eighth to second and he closed to the rear bumper of Henderson’s car coming to the white flag, but Henderson ran a smooth last lap to win by 0.435 of a second.
“I was hoping for the best at the end and was holding on,” Henderson said. “I was happy to hang on there. I was really happy to see one of my best buddies, Jody Rosenboom, run second.”
Rosenboom’s second-place showing was his best of the season at Huset’s Speedway.
“Two less mistakes and I think I pass that car, too, but that’s on me,” he said pointing at Henderson’s car in Victory Lane. “The guys gave me an amazing car tonight. I never had to go to the top because it was too good on the bottom. Hats off to my guys for a great race car. That was fun. It’s just great to know we can run with these guys.”
Brooke Tatnell was third with Goodno placing fourth. Carson McCarl, who entered the night with the points lead, earned a fifth-place result. Polesitter Austin McCarl rallied from 21st to sixth after a flat tire forced him to the pits on lap five.
Henderson set quick time to start the night before Goodno, Austin McCarl and Jack Dover scored heat race wins.
Ryan led the distance in the Wyffels Hybrids RaceSaver Sprint Car Series main event to capture his first career victory at Huset’s Speedway, becoming the seventh different winner in eight races this season.
Lincoln Drewis was on the rear of Ryan throughout most of the 20-lap race, which never featured the leader battling traffic. Ryan’s margin of victory was .599 of a second as he cruised around the bottom lane of the dirt oval.
“Just get in the way,” he said of his strategy. “I can’t believe it.”
The race was halted on the opening lap when Blaine Stegenga got upside down in turn one. However, it went green to checkered the rest of the way. Jacob Hughes placed third – less than one second behind Ryan – with Elliot Amdahl fourth and Mike Moore fifth.
John Lambertz, Ryan, Drewis and Bayley Ballenger each won a heat race. Ryan Bickett was the B Main winner.
The wildest feature of the night came in the Nordstrom’s Automotive Late Model Street Stocks division as Steuerwald edged points leader Cory Yeigh, who at one point was running at the back of the field, by 0.076 of a second. It marked Steuerwald’s first win at Huset’s Speedway since August 2012.
“You know what that means, I’m old,” he quipped in victory lane. “I was trying to just change it up enough to keep (Yeigh) guessing. I gotta do what I gotta do to get a win. That guy’s fast this year.”
Jim Pruett led the first 10 laps before Steuerwald took the top spot on lap 11. Pruett regained the lead on the following lap, but he spun in turns one and two the next time around. That gave the lead to Steuerwald, who held off Colby Klaassen for most of the second half of the 20-lap feature before Yeigh took over second place with three laps to go.
Yeigh, who brought out the first of eight cautions during the race on Lap 2, had to restart at the rear of the field following contact in turns one and two. He cracked the top 10 on lap three and the top five on lap 10. Yeigh climbed to third on Lap 16 before inheriting the runner-up position on lap 18 when Klaassen spun. The second-place finish snapped Yeigh’s three-race winning streak at Huset’s Speedway.
Tim Dann, Dan Jensen and Brandon Ferguson rounded out the top five, respectively.
Pruett and J.J. Zebell were the heat race winners.