July 24, 2010: Bob Martin holds off Thomas Kennedy at River Cities Speedway in the closest finish of the decade
Chad Spieker photo.
Excerpts from the Grand Forks Herald:
Martin's No. 10 sprint led almost the entire race, but Kennedy went into Turn 4 of the final lap side-by-side with the East Grand Forks driver. However, Martin accelerated ahead of Kennedy down the final straightaway to take the checkered flag.
"I didn't see him, but I heard him," Martin said. "I knew it was going to be tight."
Martin's No. 10 sprint led almost the entire race, but Kennedy went into Turn 4 of the final lap side-by-side with the East Grand Forks driver. However, Martin accelerated ahead of Kennedy down the final straightaway to take the checkered flag.
"I didn't see him, but I heard him," Martin said. "I knew it was going to be tight."
May 22, 2011: Kyle Fedyk upsets Donny Schatz at Nodak Speedway
Chad Spieker photo.
Seven months after losing his cousin, Tyler, Kyle Fedyk returned to Nodak Speedway with a 360 motor under the hood and not only took down the NOSA Sprints, but also held off then four-time World of Outlaws champion, Donny Schatz.
"This is the most incredible feeling in the world. My car was perfect and all I had to do was pin it to win it," Fedyk said, referencing his cousin's racing anthem. Fedyk said in an article with the Estevan Mercury, he "basically wrote the night off" when he saw Schatz pull into the pits.
"This is the most incredible feeling in the world. My car was perfect and all I had to do was pin it to win it," Fedyk said, referencing his cousin's racing anthem. Fedyk said in an article with the Estevan Mercury, he "basically wrote the night off" when he saw Schatz pull into the pits.
June 1, 2012: Mark Dobmeier surpasses Wade Nygaard as NOSA’s all-time wins leader
Chad Spieker photo.
Mark Dobmeier and Wade Nygaard are two of the biggest names with not only the NOSA Sprints, but in Sprint Car racing in general in the Midwest, and have been for the better part of 20 years. On a Friday night in 2012 at River Cities Speedway, Dobmeier raced to his fifth NOSA win of the season, which gave him his 108th career win with the series. That moved him passed Nygaard, who had sat atop the NOSA wins list since 1997.
July 15, 2015: Brendan Wilde claims first career win at Devils Lake Speedway
Mike Spieker photo.
In what was one of the most dramatic finishes of the decade, Brendan Wilde stole the win from Wade Nygaard, who has the most Sprint Car wins in Devils Lake Speedway history. In a drag race to the checkers, the margin of victory for Wilde was a half car length.
2016: Dobmeier clicks off eight-in-a-row at River Cities Speedway
Mike Spieker photo.
Mark Dobmeier was nearly unstoppable at the Bullring in 2016. From May 27th to July 29th, Dobmeier went undefeated to the tune of eight consecutive NOSA wins at River Cities. In the process, Dobmeier broke the record for the most consecutive victories at the speedway, which was previously held by Wissota Super Stock driver Jerry Messner.
September 9, 2016: Nick Omdahl scores upset Blazin’ Challenge Win
Mike Spieker photo.
The 2016 season was a breakout year for Nick Omdahl. His year was highlighted by his Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin’ Challenge victory during the John Seitz Memorial at River Cities Speedway. Omdahl started seventh on the grid and held off Mark Dobmeier to claim the hardware and his first career win at the Bullring.
June 3, 2017: Casey Mack flips in heat, comes back to win Devils Lake Speedway feature
Mike Spieker photo.
Former NOSA champion, Casey Mack, had one of the greatest comebacks in a single night. Mack got up and over during heat race action, causing severe damage to his No. 8 machine. He and the crew went to work getting it fixed up for the feature, where he would roll off 15th. In the closing laps, Mack took advantage of a restart to make a three wide pass on Jade Hastings and Austin Pierce to take the lead. Despite a nose wing that was hanging on for dear life, Mack took the win; his first of the 2017 season.
August 18, 2018: Mark Dobmeier comes from 17th to second against the Outlaws at River Cities
Mark Dobmeier and Donny Schatz congratulate each other after finishing 1-2. Mike Spieker photo.
Mark Dobmeier nearly picked up that elusive World of Outlaws win at his hometrack in 2018. After starting 17th, Dobmeier put on a show wheeling his way to the front of the field. The final caution flew with four laps to go which put Dobmeier right behind Donny Schatz for the restart, but Dobmeier admitted he had used up his tires getting to the front and finished second.
2018: Wade Nygaard collects 10th NOSA championship
Mike Spieker photo.
Wade Nygaard has cemented himself as one of the best drivers to compete with the Northern Outlaw Sprints. On the series’ 25th anniversary season in 2018, Nygaard claimed his 10th career series title. Nygaard’s first title in 1997 kicked off a string of six consecutive championships the Grand Forks driver would rack up through 2002.
August 24, 2019: Bob Martin returns to victory lane for the first time since 2010
Photo by Steven Young.
Bob Martin bookends our Top 10 moments of the decade. Martin picked up his 24th career NOSA win in 2019 after coming from the 11th starting position.
Lap by lap, Martin reeled in leader, Mark Dobmeier. With two laps to go, Martin pulled even with Dobmeier and took the lead in turns one and two. Dobmeier tried to rally past Martin on the final lap, but Martin was too strong and took the win.
“It still baffles me. It’s amazing. It’s been a long time. We’ve had some dumb luck this year, but it all came together tonight,” said Martin after the race.
Lap by lap, Martin reeled in leader, Mark Dobmeier. With two laps to go, Martin pulled even with Dobmeier and took the lead in turns one and two. Dobmeier tried to rally past Martin on the final lap, but Martin was too strong and took the win.
“It still baffles me. It’s amazing. It’s been a long time. We’ve had some dumb luck this year, but it all came together tonight,” said Martin after the race.
Honorable Mentions:
2012: The NOSA Sprints made their debut at Red River Valley Speedway’s 3/8th mile configuration in 2012. A driver who had no shortage of success at the old half-mile, Lou Kennedy Jr., took a quick liking to the shorter track. Kennedy won three of the first four NOSA races at Red River Valley Speedway that season.
July 28, 2013: Thomas Kennedy sneaks past Dale Blaney and Tim Shaffer for an All Star Circuit of Champions win at Buffalo River Race Park.
September 12, 2014: Amber Balcaen wins her heat race at River Cities Speedway to become the first female to claim a checkered flag with NOSA.
2018: The NOSA Sprints returned to South Dakota in 2018 with visits to Brown County Speedway and Casino Speedway. Those two events marked the first time the series had raced in the state of South Dakota since 2011.
May 11, 2018: Mark Dobmeier wins first-ever race as a car owner at River Cities Speedway, flying the black and yellow Buffalo Wild Wings colors.
Dominating Devils Lake: For the past four seasons, Nick Omdahl has figured out Devils Lake Speedway. The East Grand Forks driver has collected seven career wins at the speedway since 2016.
Last, but not least, the support from Buffalo Wild Wings and Todd and Susan LaHaise has been a major highlight from the past decade. From the Blazin’ Challenge, to bonus tow money, to supporting several races each year, and supporting NOSA drivers, their support does not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated by everyone involved with NOSA!
July 28, 2013: Thomas Kennedy sneaks past Dale Blaney and Tim Shaffer for an All Star Circuit of Champions win at Buffalo River Race Park.
September 12, 2014: Amber Balcaen wins her heat race at River Cities Speedway to become the first female to claim a checkered flag with NOSA.
2018: The NOSA Sprints returned to South Dakota in 2018 with visits to Brown County Speedway and Casino Speedway. Those two events marked the first time the series had raced in the state of South Dakota since 2011.
May 11, 2018: Mark Dobmeier wins first-ever race as a car owner at River Cities Speedway, flying the black and yellow Buffalo Wild Wings colors.
Dominating Devils Lake: For the past four seasons, Nick Omdahl has figured out Devils Lake Speedway. The East Grand Forks driver has collected seven career wins at the speedway since 2016.
Last, but not least, the support from Buffalo Wild Wings and Todd and Susan LaHaise has been a major highlight from the past decade. From the Blazin’ Challenge, to bonus tow money, to supporting several races each year, and supporting NOSA drivers, their support does not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated by everyone involved with NOSA!
RSS Feed