BRANDON, S.D. – Austin McCarl and Cory Yeigh both captured their track-leading third triumphs of the season and Javen Ostermann posted his first win at Huset’s Speedway on Sunday during Seal Pros Night.
McCarl led all but the first lap of the 25-lap Buffalo Wild Wings Northern Outlaw Sprint Association and Casey’s 410 Sprint Cars presented by Big Frig main event, maintaining a solid lead throughout traffic and pulling away during a green-white-checkered finish to win by 1.219 seconds.
“I needed this win,” he said. “I’ve been going to California and getting my ass kicked. It’s my wife’s birthday today and I told her I’d bring her home a trophy.
“These races are won and lost in traffic. You can have a straightaway lead and get stuck behind two guys. You have to catch them in the right spots. A second, a second and a half lead doesn’t mean a lot when you get to traffic.”
It worked in McCarl’s favor on Sunday as he mostly led by at least one second after a spirited opening couple of laps racing with Dover, who narrowly led the first lap. The win was McCarl’s second with the NOSA Series this season.
Dover’s runner-up result was a career-best outing at Huset’s Speedway, where he has posted four top fives – tied for the second most – in seven starts this season.
“I think the last time we did full time 410s was 2007,” he said. “It feels good to be in a 410. We’re just out here having fun and (earning) good results.”
Justin Henderson was the third-place finisher, marking his division-leading fifth top five this year.
“It was a very fast race track,” he said. “Jack and Austin were doing a great job. I searched around. I tried the bottom at the end. I wanted to win this for my Seal Pros guys.”
Brooke Tatnell finished fourth and NOSA Series points leader Jade Hastings recorded a fifth-place run.
Lynton Jeffrey set quick time during qualifying before Dover, Henderson and Hastings scored heat race wins.
Yeigh garnered his second straight Nordstrom’s Automotive Late Model Street Stocks victory thanks to a late-race pass. Yeigh, who started ninth, advanced into fourth place on lap seven. He remained in that position until gaining two spots on Lap 13. Three laps later he powered into the lead and held on for a 0.649 margin of victory.
“I was going where they weren’t,” Yeigh said. “Everybody was driving their butts off. It was a lot of hard work. When I was a kid I never dreamed I would be winning races here. It’s pretty neat.”
Seventh-starting Colby Klaassen finished second with Tim Dann third. Zach Olivier advanced from 10th to fourth and Matt Steuerwald was fifth. Shaun Taylor led the first 15 laps before fading to sixth in the closing laps.
Dan Jensen and Aaron Foote topped the heat races.
Ostermann was smooth throughout the 20-lap Wyffels Hybrids RaceSaver Sprint Car Series main event as he led the distance for his first career win at the track. A caution on Lap 8 occurred just as Ostermann was entering traffic. The final caution of the race came on Lap 12 and Ostermann never faced traffic as he pulled away to a victory by 1.628 seconds.
“We’ve had a little bit of a rough year so to win the first one at this place is amazing,” he said. “Those (cautions) came at the right time. I was going to sit there at the bottom and if I heard somebody coming on the top I’d move up there.”
Ostermann never needed to leave the bottom lane as Nathan Weiler and John Lambertz diced it up for the runner-up position several car lengths behind the leader. Weiler won that battle with Lambertz rounding out the podium. Ryan Bickett placed fourth and Shane Fick ended fifth.
Ostermann, Taylor Ryan and Lambertz each won a heat race.