GRAND FORKS, N.D. (July 4, 2017) – The Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA Sprints were back in action last weekend with two events on the schedule. First up was River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, where Wade Nygaard claimed the thrilling victory. On Saturday, the tour headed 90 miles east to Greenbush Race Park, where young up-and-comer, Jade Hastings scored his first career win.
Mack grabbed the early lead over Ranten, but Ranten came back with a slidejob on lap three to take the point. On the following lap, Mack had a parts failure in turn three, which sent him flying off the banking at a high rate of speed. Mack was able to keep his machine on all fours, but his night had come to an end.
On the ensuing Evergreen Insurance restart, Ranten held the lead over Wade Nygaard. Two laps later, third place runner and NOSA points leader, Austin Pierce, spun out in turn four to bring out the yellow.
Ranten continued to pace the field as the race went back green.
In the closing laps, 24th place starter, Thomas Kennedy, ran in the third position. However, a push in turn one sent him over the banking, ruining his strong run.
On the final restart, Ranten and Nygaard put on a show as they traded slidejobs corner after corner. Nygaard cleared Ranten for the lead with three laps to go and hung on to take his first win at The Bullring in 2017 and third overall.
Pierce rebounded nicely to steal second from Ranten on the final lap. Jordan Adams and Shane Roemeling rounded out the top five.
On Saturday, Greenbush Race Park yielded a first-time winner for the first time since Jordan Adams’ victory on July 5th, 2014 as Grand Forks’ Jade Hastings pulled off the win at the high-banked quarter-mile.
After winning his heat race, Hastings started on the pole with Jordan Graham lined up to his outside.
Hastings grabbed the lead on the opening lap over Graham, as Wade Nygaard filed into third on lap two. The top three remained unchanged through the midportion of the event.
With 10 laps to go, a hard-charging Austin Pierce secured a spot in the top five as he moved from sixth to fourth on the lap 15 restart. Hastings opened up a comfortable 10 car length lead over Graham shortly after the restart, but the caution flew once more with five laps to go.
Just as he did the previous restart, Hastings pulled away from Graham and Nygaard and ran the remaining laps unchallenged as he cruised to his first feature win.
Graham, Nygaard, Pierce and Shane Roemeling rounded out the top five.
NOSA will be back in action next Friday at River Cities Speedway, which will include double features, and next Saturday at Devils Lake Speedway for their second of four appearances at the Crary, N.D. bullring.