05/14/2026
Last weekend, we knocked the dust off the limited. And it got knocked off fast, with us racing two nights and bringing home two wins at two tracks I've never won at before, but have always been the two I've wanted to win at most!
On Friday, we were in Fergus and went out for the heat, starting third and getting to second early, and ending up third. I didn’t have a brake pedal and didn’t have practice laps on the car yet this year to see how it would react with certain changes, and it wasn’t good… Going out for the feature, we tried a few things and started sixth. After a handful of yellows, before making a lap, we got going and were able to get to third and stay consistently with the leaders. I was just being patient and waiting for the track to widen out. With multiple more yellows and 2nd choosing the bottom two restarts in a row, it allowed me to fix my mistake I made on the first restart going into turn one and get to second. Then it was just trying to stay smooth throughout the holes and keep my momentum up. I got a good run coming out of four on the leader, and he made a mistake in one and two. I got under him; no contact was made, and I stayed under him going down the back stretch. He didn’t give me a ton of room getting into three; we made a tiny bit of contact, more so racing than anything, but I was able to come out on top and put two seconds on the rest of the field crossing the line first and barely beating the downpouring rain! Really exciting to win there; it’s one of the hardest tracks in the area with definitely the most competition! And I had to pass one of the best in the class that usually doesn’t lose when he gets the lead!
Sunday in Watertown, I started second for the heat and got the lead from the start and took the heat win. Redrew fourth and once again, it took us a while to get going, but once we did, I knew I had a good piece under me and was faster than the guys in front of me. I was able to get to second and throw a slider for the lead! Came out in the lead and didn’t look back; I had almost a straightaway on the second-place car before a yellow came out, and then they kept on coming. The track started to get really abrasive around the middle bottom, so I had to move down and just try to keep my car as wide as possible seeing the 15 was behind me… He doesn’t lose much in Watertown. Kind of was getting deja vu thinking of last year when I took the lead from the same guy, led a lot of laps, and there was a bunch of yellows. With the same car behind me and the track moving to the bottom, I didn’t catch it and ended up losing the lead and win with only a few to go. But this time, I was able to hold on and get another victory!
It is really awesome and confidence-boosting but also humbling with the way the year started this last weekend. Yes, it’s only two, and yes, we have five months of racing still, but to be able to do that coming back to the crate car with it only being my second full season is something few get to do. With the amount of time and effort my crew and I put in to get to the track, I don’t expect anything less than wins. But it’s called racing and not winning for a reason, and I have been fortunate enough with every opportunity I have had in my few years to be able to say I’ve won!
And of course, we can’t do it without each and every marketing partner and everyone who helps:
Mb Customs
CMD Race Shocks
Afco Racing
Valley Manufacturing
Borstad Rock
JME Excavating
Pederson Electric
Buy Race Shirts
Fast Threads
Kakela Farms
Kent’s Auto Body
Kollman Motorsports
RK2 Companies
Mies Outland
AVR
Ace Media
Kaiser Well Drilling
Fastnel
STS Racing Supply
Matt
Missy
Scott
Mom
Dad
Alex
The Olson’s
AceMedia Speedway Shots and Cody Papke
